Lord, Will Only A Few Be Saved?
Good Morning Friends,
I guess I would really like my enemies to have a good life and even make it into heaven for then they would no longer be enemies and even though I might never like them perhaps I could love them. The thing is that each of us will die someday and we do not know how many days we each have left so it is always better to number our days, so to speak, and to find the wisdom in love. Likely it starts with loving our family, but the way is narrow. We are to make the most of our time, and by that, I mean accomplishing as much spiritual good as we can with the relationships God has placed in our lives with the time we have left. So, we ask God to open doors, then we look for God to open doors, and then we walk through those doors by sharing the gospel clearly. But let us be honest. This is not easy. Therefore, we end up asking the same question that a villager ask of Jesus while he was on the way to Jerusalem. Lord, Will Only A Few Be Saved?
Scripture: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” —this is the first commandment with a promise: “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ; not only while being watched, and in order to please them, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women, knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are slaves or free. And, masters, do the same to them. Stop threatening them, for you know that both of you have the same Master in heaven, and with him there is no partiality.
Ephesians 6:1-9 (NRSV)
Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then in reply he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!’ 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, and you yourselves thrown out. Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Luke 13:22-30 (NRSV)
Message: Jesus on several occasions mentioned about the first being last and the last first and although some think it is a reference to an inverse honor to those oppressed in this life reigning in heaven over those who had earthly privilege, but I doubt that is the way things work. Certainly, it might refer to the Jews having the privilege of serving God before the Gentiles and that they might well be the last to be converted once they become jealous of the grace extended to the Gentile newcomers in the faith. Regardless we as Gentiles are to make the most of our time here in history and His Story and that means being all in for the cause of Christ and that is why the rich young ruler had such a hard time with submitting to a kingdom mindset, and that is why Peter and Paul and even the Widow who gave the mite as a donation are revered in a way today because they gave it all. So maybe that is why Jesus wept over Jerusalem for he knew that money is only potential energy and so too our lives unless deployed for a heavenly purpose that depends on the Holy Spirit moving us to action to help as best we can to save the lost. Considering this and as usual, perhaps this is the reason Jesus does not answer the question of the day directly. I think Jesus wants us to think deeper and more personally about the problem. Undoubtedly, we have wondered about salvation and if we are saved and if so, how many others exist. But Jesus challenges the assumption behind the question. He is not interested in having an abstract theological discussion unrelated to life. So, Jesus moves from abstract question to personal command. You see, Jesus’ command for us to strive and to seek to enter through the narrow door clearly points to the condition of our hearts. Friends, pursuing Christ and his kingdom requires a seriousness and diligence of overcoming fear with love. Sure, there is grace, but one cannot coast into heaven without risking it all in love. The issue is not familiarity or knowledge but our response to our familiarity and knowledge and this goes beyond striving and seeking to loving. Friends, even though we know our Bibles and are even very comfortable with religious culture we too can miss out on getting our greatest need satisfied and that is that the love of Jesus is worth believing. Friends, following Christ is not a one-time occasion but a journey, a lifestyle of repenting of sin and trusting him, but also glorifying God. So perhaps we too can become so familiar and comfortable with our church culture yet have never trusted Christ. If we are not serious in our daily pursuit of Jesus and have little or no appetite for Jesus, our lives may not much different from those in today’s story and frankly I doubt that is good enough for Jesus to recognize us as one of His own. Something must happen within our hearts to bring the kingdom closer.
Pray God open doors for us to share the Gospel clearly. Pray we realize that no one gets to heaven by accident. Pray we realize that the road to heaven is narrow. Pray we realize that not everyone is going to heaven. Pray we realize that missing heaven might well be eternal torment and separation from God. Pray we strive and seek to enter through the narrow door of Christ. Pray our striving and seeking is for Christ and not in vain. Pray we repent and put our faith in Christ realizing that the saddest words are what might have been. Pray therefor for God’s Kingdom to come on earth as in heaven.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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