Go with me if you would back
to Luke 13. The message that I have been given to declare
this morning. I spent a little bit of time
trying to find the words to describe how important I believe it is
and I can't find them. I wrote some things and scratched
it out and wrote some things and scratched it out. When the
Lord gives a message, he gives a burden to tell it. I feel a great burden to deliver
this message as clearly as I can to every person I can tell it
to. I believe this is so important. You cannot put a level of importance
on one word of God as opposed to another word of God. Every
message from God is important. every single message. But I believe,
I honestly believe, that if I were only called to deliver one message,
I believe if God only called me one time to tell men and women the truth
on their way to meet God, I believe this is the message
I would want to bring. I mean that I'm trying. I wrote
all this down and you'll see me glance at it, but I'm trying
to be as honest as I can with you right now. Men and women are going to meet
God. And if right now I do a terrible job as a delivery boy, if I mess
this up, if I fall flat on my face, I still believe if I only
had one opportunity to tell men and women the truth on their
way to meet God, I believe this is the message I would want to
bring. This is going to be shocking
to some people. There's no shock value in it.
But this is going to be shocking to some people. This is going
to be relieving to some people. Some people are going to be very
relieved by this. No matter what the reaction is,
every human being must know this. I want us to see what will keep
a sinner out of heaven. I want us to see what it is that
will cause many to not be able to enter in. Now our text is
one verse, it's Luke 13 verse 24, but let's begin reading in
verse 18. Then said our Lord, unto what
is the kingdom of God like? And where unto shall I resemble
it? It is like a grain of mustard
seed, which a man took and cast into his garden, and it grew,
and waxed a great tree, and the fowls of the air lodged into
the branches of it." A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds
on earth. He said the kingdom of God is
like a mustard seed. Verse 20, and again he said,
where unto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven
which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till the
whole was leavened. He said it's like a tiny bit
of yeast. What is the kingdom of God like?
It's like a tiny bit of yeast that you would add to three measures
of meal. Verse 22, and he went through
the cities and villages teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. Now watch verse 23, then said
one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? This man said, Lord, everything
that you are comparing the kingdom of God to is a small thing. Not much of it. Lord, you didn't
compare the kingdom of God to the three measures of meal. You
compared it to the leaven that went into it. He said, are there
few that be saved? That's shocking in and of itself.
This man was shocked. The end of verse 23, and the
Lord said unto them, strive to enter in at the straight gate. For many, I say unto you, will
seek to enter in and shall not be able. When once the master
of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door, and you
begin to stand without and to knock at the door, saying, Lord,
Lord, open unto us, and he shall answer and say unto you, I know
you not whence you are. Then shall you begin to say,
we have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught
in our streets, But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not
whence you are. Depart from me, all ye workers
of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth when you shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the
prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. and they shall come from the
east and from the west and from the north and from the south
and shall sit down in the kingdom of God and behold there are last
which shall be first and there are first which shall be last. He said in verse 24 strive to
enter in at the straight gate For many, I say unto you, will
seek to enter in and shall not be able. Now this is how he said it in
Matthew's account. Turn with me over to Matthew
chapter 7. Matthew 7 verse 13. Enter ye
in at the straight gate for wide is the gate and broad is the
way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in
there at. Because straight is the gate
and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that
find it. This straight gate is a narrow
way. A very narrow way. Luke 13 says
strive to enter in to this narrow way because many will seek to
enter in and shall not be able to. There is only one way. that leads
unto life. Many are going to seek to enter
in to this way. Let me repeat that. There is
only one way that leads unto life. Many are going to seek
to enter in to this way, but they're not going to be able
to. Now first, let's acknowledge
something that I believe we all understand. I believe everybody
understands this. Go with me over to John 14. John 14, verse 6, it says, Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the father,
but by me, he is the way. He is the narrow way. He is the straight gate. Most everybody ought to be able
to agree on that. I mean everybody. There shouldn't
be any problem declaring that to anybody. You tell them he's
the way. Yep. Jesus is the way. The blood
of Jesus is the way. That's right. Even in the height
of false religion, one of the most wicked preachers of our
day, one who has deceived more people than any I've ever known,
he was point-blank asked, do you believe that Jesus is the
way to God, the only way to God? And he said, I believe Jesus
is the only way to God, but there are many ways to Jesus. So he
distorted the truth. That's what he did. But he said,
I believe Jesus is the only way to God. He said that. So even
in the height of religion, that ought to be well accepted. All
right. Now in both Matthew chapter seven,
this is important in both Matthew chapter seven and in Luke 13,
our Lord never said that they were standing at the wrong gate. Which is what our minds think.
Well, you chose the wrong gate. He never said they were standing
at the wrong gate. In Luke 13, he said, they are
going to seek to enter in to the straight gate and they're
not going to be able to. They're going to stand there
crying, Lord, Lord, we're standing at your gate. YOU TAUGHT IN OUR STREETS. WE
PREACHED IN YOUR NAME. AND HE'S GONNA SAY MY GATE IS
SHUT UNTO YOU. DEPART FROM ME YOU THAT WORK
INIQUITY. I NEVER KNEW YOU. YOU'RE GONNA
BE STANDING RIGHT THERE AT HIS GATE. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT STANDING
AT THE WRONG GATE IS GONNA BE THE PROBLEM FOR ANYBODY. I BELIEVE
EVERYBODY KNOWS HE'S THE GATE. I believe everybody knows that.
He's the way. Standing at the wrong gate, that's not the problem.
I believe that we all know we must come to Him. If we're going
to enter into it, I believe everybody knows they must come to Him.
If He is that straight gate, how do we come to Him? We acknowledge
the narrow way and then we come to the narrow way. How do we
come to Him? Again, I don't believe anybody is going to have any
problem with this. I don't believe anybody will disagree with this.
I believe this will be widely accepted. Look with me at John
3. John 3 verse 14 says, And as
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. whoever
believes in Him. Look with me at Acts chapter
16. Acts chapter 16 verse 29. It
says, then he called for a light and sprang in and came trembling
and fell down before Paul and Silas and brought them out and
said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and the house. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Go with me to Romans 10. Verse 9 says that if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved. How do we come to him? How do
we come to this narrow way? We come by faith. I believe we
could declare that in any church in this town. I believe I could
get out of this pulpit, go into any church in this town, and
declare, He's the way. Amen, brother! Jesus is the way. The blood of
Jesus is the way. You must believe on Him. Amen, brother. You've got to
believe on Him. I believe that everything we
have declared so far would be widely received. I believe it
would be received by many, if not all, just about all, if that's
the case. Why would our Lord say many will
seek to enter in to the straight gate? Many will come, believe
God raised him from the dead. Do you know anybody who believes
God raised him from the dead, yet they're totally lost? I believe
many will come to him, believe God raised him from the dead
and will still not be able to enter in. Why would our Lord
say that? Why is the entrance to eternal
life? Why is Christ himself described
by Christ himself as being so narrow? so difficult, so straight
that many will come and will not be able to enter
in. Is it because? Is it because those particular
men and women are too sinful? Does a man or a woman get to
the point where he or she is so sinful, just piled so many
sins on themselves, carrying a burden of sin so large, it's
just getting so large they can't fit through that tiny little
narrow gate? Is that the reason why? That sinner flies right through
with ease. That sinner who is so large carrying
all these sins, that sinner has plenty of room. That sinner is
comfortable going right through the gate. As a matter of fact, this scripture
says the most wicked and vile sinner that has ever lived. The one who could be called the
greatest sinner of all time, the chief of sinners can enter
right in and pass right through the gate with ease, absolute
ease. That sinner can go all the way
to glory with absolute ease. We just sang the vilest offender
who truly believes that moment from the Lord Jesus of pardon
received. Who then is he talking about
that is not going to be able to enter in? Go with me to Matthew
chapter 9. Matthew 9 verse 13 says, But go ye and learn what that
meaneth. I will have mercy and not sacrifice
for I am not come to call. The self righteous. But sinners. To repentance, this
is going to be shocking. This is going to be shocking
to some people. And I pray they hear it. Oh, before God takes
me out of this world, I pray some centers hear this. This
is going to be so shocking to some people. This is going to
be so relieving. There are some centers who are
going to be so relieved when they hear this. So relieved.
It is not a man or a woman's sin that keeps him or her out
of the narrow way that leads into life. Not one sin. Not one
sin. It is a man or a woman's own
self righteousness. It's him believing he's worthy
to enter in. It's him believing that based
on the kind of life he's lived, he is right with God. Because of his good deeds, because
of his selfless acts, he can't see any reason why God wouldn't
open wide the gate to him. and let him walk right on in.
That is a self-righteousness. A man or a woman who walks up
to the straight gate with a self-righteousness is going to try to enter in.
He's going to call to enter in. I'm here. He's going to expect
to enter in, but he's not going to be able to. HE IS NOT GOING
TO BE ABLE TO. THE WAY TO ENTER IN IS NOT, AND
THIS IS GOING TO BE SHOCKING. OH, I HOPE SOME PEOPLE ARE SHOCKED
BY THIS. THE WAY TO ENTER IN IS NOT TO GET RID OF ALL YOUR
SINS FIRST AND THEN COME TO THE NARROW WAY, COME UP TO THE STRAIGHT
GATE. THAT'S NOT THE WAY. THE WAY IS TO BRING ALL YOUR
SIN TO THE STRAIGHT GATE. That's the way. Come just as
you are. Don't fix it. It's broke, but
don't fix it. Come just as you are. If a sinner
comes carrying one fig leaf, one tiny little fig leaf of his
own self-righteousness, His self-work, his self-worth, he's never going
to be able to squeeze through that narrow way. It's too narrow.
That adds too much. He will not get through with
that fig leaf. It's too narrow. But if a sinner comes carrying
the load of every single sin he has ever committed in his
life, all of them, if he comes condemning himself, begging Christ
to have mercy on him and take this load from him and pay the
price for all of these with his precious blood, then that sinner
comes renouncing his own self-righteousness. That's what he's doing. I have
no righteousness and he comes striving and begging and pleading
for the righteousness of Christ. To that sinner, mercy swings
the gate wide open. Grace runs out and lays hold
on him by the hand and pulls him in all the way through. Is there any better example than
the Pharisee and the publican who went into the temple The
Pharisee went in his own self-righteousness, and God said he was not able
to enter in. The publican would not so much
as lift up his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, crying,
God, be merciful to me. I am a sinner. God said, I tell you, mercy swung
the gate wide open for that man. And that sinner was justified.
Our Lord said, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Now,
if God has given us ears to hear that call. If we have been chosen to receive
the call of God, you come unto me with your sin, labored and
heavy laden. If we've been chosen to receive
that call, we are going to respond to that call, crying, Lord Jesus,
I come. No man can come to the gate except
the father draw him to the gate. Isn't that right? But every single
one will cry, Lord, I come and I come begging for mercy. I'm
a beggar begging for mercy. I honestly believe if this was
the only message I was given to preach. If this was the only
message or if this was my last message. If today is my last
message. And I would want to close with
this. Come to Christ. You come to the straight gate,
come to the narrow way as a sinner who needs a savior. Don't come
if you're not a sinner. If you've thrown all your sins
away, go get them, go gather them all up and carry them to
the straight gate begging for mercy. You come that way, come in humility,
come in lowliness, begging God for mercy. Come that way, He
will in no wise cast you out. That's not just a repeat of a
verse of scripture. That's the promise of God. He
will not cast you out. You come in that way. As a sinner,
in need of great mercy, He'll open the gate to you. He will
wash you in His blood. He will robe you in His righteousness. He will welcome you in, and you
will find eternal rest for your soul. Eternal rest. Come that way. All right, let's
all stand together. Turn with me to 249.