The Narrow Door

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

We are inundated—and too often influenced-- by the religious voices around us. We listen to preachers on television and radio who have varying degrees of fidelity to God’s Word. We have friends and family members with their own particular religious points of view. Media personalities like Oprah tell us that what really matters is just being spiritual and that all paths lead to God. And let there be no doubt, by their words they intend to teach us--to shape our thinking-- on the eternally important questions of: who is God and how can I know him and what does it mean to have a life with him.

But God did not leave us to the opinions of men and our own devices when it comes to knowing the answers to these questions. Instead, he sent his Son to teach us the truth. Jesus said, “My words are truth.” Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except by me.” Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.” Jesus said, “My teaching is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.”

To truly know who God is- and to truly know how we can have a life with him- and to truly know the answers to the eternally important questions about forgiveness and eternal life—God provided us with a teacher: his own Son, Jesus Christ. Luke writes:

Jesus went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.

In those few words Luke beautifully summed up our Lord’s entire ministry: to teach us the truth about God and our life with him by leading us to Jerusalem—to the place of the cross and the empty tomb where our questions about heaven and life with God and forgiveness are answered in Christ’s death and resurrection.

God does not want a single person in this world to not know the answers to the spiritual questions that really matter—he does not want a single person here today to be confused by the voices of the world who would mislead us about eternal life—he doesn’t want us to be deceived by our own flesh. That is why he sent us Son to teach us the truth.

And so today we set aside all those voices of the world—we set aside the opinions of men who would deceive us in God’s name—we set aside the ideas of our own fallen flesh—and we hear God’s own teacher tell us how to get to heaven. Luke writes that: Someone said to Jesus, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?"

As we reflect upon God’s Word, we’re going to see that Jesus really never does answer this person’s question—about how many will be saved-- because that is Jesus’ business, not ours--and the way that Lord dealt with this question is a helpful reminder that the Lord teaches us what he wants us to know—not necessarily everything that we want to know.

For example, he didn’t answer the question of the woman at the well as to which was the proper mountain to worship on—he didn’t answer the disciples’ questions about when he would come again—he didn’t answer Peter’s question about John’s future--he didn’t answer this question about how many would be saved. Instead, he answers the question in such a way that WE CAN BE SAVED by knowing the answer he does give. That is always his priority: not to answer our speculation --but to provide for our salvation. He answers the salvation question this way:

"Strive to enter through the narrow door. The Lord pictures heaven as a huge house with just one entrance: a narrow door. And so what is this narrow door that ushers us into heaven? It is Jesus Christ! He is not only the teacher sent by God to instruct us concerning salvation—he IS our salvation—he is the narrow door to heaven. Jesus says about himself:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I AM THE DOOR. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.”

In stark contrast to all of those who would have us believe that there are many paths to God, the Father’s heaven-sent teacher tells us that there is just one way: and that is by the narrow door who is Christ.

He alone has atoned for the sins of the world by his death on the cross. He alone has risen from the dead destroying the power of the grave. He alone has fulfilled all righteousness by his holy life—he alone is the one mediator between God and man-- and no one—no one—will come to the Father and enter into heaven except by him.

Jesus is the narrow door to heaven—but we are the ones who have to enter in. How do we enter through that narrow door? It is by faith—and faith alone. Jesus told Nicodemus that just “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Jesus told the crowd who was traveling to the Feast of Tabernacles that “this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life.” And the holy apostles told the people when they asked about salvation: “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”

Salvation by “God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone” is not something that Lutherans made up in the 16th century—it is nothing else than the teaching of Jesus. God the Father has provided the door of salvation in his great love for all people. Jesus Christ has opened the door of salvation by his death and resurrection. God the Holy Spirit calls us through Word and Sacrament to enter eternal life by that door of salvation and hearing that message--we believe and are saved.

Jesus says that we are to STRIVE to do this—to enter through the narrow door. We strive for all kinds of things in life—money and success and recognition and good marks in school and all of those things may by praiseworthy—but they will not save us-- and to have them all and not have Christ is to have less than nothing. STRIVE to enter through the narrow door that leads to heaven because-- not all people will enter it and be saved. Jesus says:

For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, 'I do not know where you come from.'

Why will so many fail to enter by the narrow door and be saved? It is not because they do not know it is there (they do!)—it is not because they have not heard how they are to enter it (they have!)—it is because they will have waited too long. For all who are living and breathing on the earth at this moment—there is a remarkable day of grace that God has given to us today—a day when the door to heaven stands wide open to all who will enter in by faith in Jesus. But Jesus also warns us that there will come a day when the door will be closed—never to be opened again.

The Lord’s words call to mind the days of Noah when there was ample opportunity for everyone who heard the preaching of Noah to take it to heart—repent of their sins—trust in God’s promised deliverance-- and enter in through door of the ark of salvation. Plenty of time right up until there was no more time-- and door to the ark was closed and the judgment of Almighty God began to fall.

The people of Noah’s day knew that the ark was there—they knew the door was open to all—but they had other things to do—other priorities—all the time thinking that they had another day to heed God’s invitation-- until the days of God’s grace came to an end and the promised judgment was at hand.

In the same way today, Jesus points the world to the open, narrow door of eternal life and invites all people to come inside-- but he also warns us that the door will one day close—after which no one will be able to enter. Jesus warns us:
Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.'

The people who saw Jesus’ miracles—the people who heard his teaching—the people who were fed by him-- numbered in the tens of thousands. But not all of them believed in him and not all would be saved simply because they were familiar with him. Then and now: Familiarity was not enough—FAITH was needed.

In our world today, there are all kinds of people who are familiar with the story of Jesus—but that is not enough. James says that the devil knows that there is one God and trembles in terror. There are all kinds of people who are familiar with the things of the church. But that is not enough for salvation any more than it was sufficient for those of Noah’s day to know that there was a big boat out in the field. There are all kinds of people who have family members who are Christians-- but that is not enough. YOU must believe in Jesus Christ.

It is necessary to know Christ as your Lord and Savior to be known by him on the Last Day—it is necessary to confess his saving name if he is to confess your name before his Father in heaven. On that day, Jesus will say to those who have not believed in him:

“…I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!'
Jesus is not saying that on the Last Day that he will somehow lack the omniscience to know all about those who have rejected him. Just the opposite is true—he knows them better than they could ever know themselves—every ugly, sinful detail. But the kind of knowledge that Jesus is talking about is the intimate knowledge that exists between a husband and wife in a love relationship. In effect Jesus says to all those who have not entered by the narrow door: “we’ve never had a relationship and now it is too late to have a life with me because you are evil and will remain so forever”.

We tend to think of people being evil on the basis of what they do or don’t do—and certainly there is some truth in that. But the measure of Jesus’ judgment on the last day is whether or not we have entered through the narrow door by faith in him-- or rejected him and remained outside. That “lack of faith in Jesus” is the evil that damns!

It’s important for us to remember—that no matter who “good’ we think we are—no matter how “good” we think someone else might be—the judgment of Christ is that apart from faith in him-- individuals are evil and can never live with him in heaven and instead are sent to hell.

In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.

Those who deny the existence of hell are satanically deluded. Hell is real- and it is terrible- and it is eternal—sorrow and pain forever and ever—and utterly unnecessary because from the beginning there has been one way of salvation open to all people. The prophets and patriarchs all knew that one way of salvation which is the narrow door of faith in God’s Messiah—a door that is open wide to all people. Jesus says:

People will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."

The door to heaven is so narrow that only those who believe in Jesus Christ can come in and yet at the same time to door to heaven is open so wide that ALL who believe in him can come in. For the Jews of Jesus day this was a shock. They thought that simply by being Jews they would be saved—but they were wrong. Yes—they had every advantage: they had the temple and the Torah and circumcision and sacrifice—but apart from faith in Christ these advantages would not save them.

Others of that day had none of these things—no natural advantage owing to their birth among Jews—they were Gentiles from all over the world-- but they believed in Jesus when he promised that through faith in him they would be saved—and they were—taking their place in the kingdom of God. The first, last—and some of the last, first.

The same thing is still true today—there are people born into Christian families and baptized and catechized and raised in the Church—people who have every advantage—and yet they reject Christ and listen to the lying voices of the world. Others have no such advantage—they were born to unbelievers and were brought up that way—and yet by God’s providence and grace they heard Christ preached and believed in him and entered through the narrow door to eternal life. The first, last—and some of the last, first.

To those who have the advantage of having grown up in the church, Jesus says: use it! Put your faith in me and be saved. To those who had no such advantage Jesus says the same: today is the day of grace that God has provided for you to enter through the narrow door and join the Lamb’s great eternal feast by believing in him. May God grant us all the faith to enter into eternal life by the narrow door of Christ! Amen.

And now may the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.