And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” (Luke 13:22-23)
Are there few who are saved? Sadly, the answer is yes. The majority of people, if we even believe in God, want to get to God on our own terms, in our own way. Instead of submitting to God's will, we want God to submit to ours. From the very beginning, the Lord God commanded the man, saying,... (Genesis 2:16) By nature, we don't like being told what to do. But what we must come to realize and accept is that God is a loving God, but He is also a holy God and a God of order (I Corinthians 14:33). Jesus is specifically teaching to the Jews in this lesson, but the lesson is for all of us. Paul explains the problem of all of us who have a hard time accepting and believing God's requirements: Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel [and all people] is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Romans 10:1-4) “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)
There is a lot of false teaching in the world today, especially with the "spirituality" movement, and the "all paths lead to God" beliefs. But God makes it very clear that Christ Jesus is the ONLY way, He is the "narrow gate"; He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6) The thing about "narrow" gates, only one person can go through at a time, and once through the gate, the path is "straight", so there is no passing the person in front of you. A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. (Luke 6:40) Christ is our teacher, perfect example and leader, but as we grow in our knowledge and understanding of the Word, we may also have earthly teachers. We have to make sure that they are following Christ, just as the Apostle Paul said, Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. (I Corinthians 11:1) In relationships, especially marriage, wives make sure whatever man we choose to put between us and Christ , that he loves God , believes the Word of God, Christ Jesus, because For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. (Ephesians 5:23)
Many of us can't accept this "follow the leader", "there's only one way" teaching. We often hear the arguement, "what about the people who've never heard about Jesus or the Bible or God? Yet again, we're trying to make God fit into our "box", but God is not bound or limited by man's limitations. “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth [Genesis 10], and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own [non-believing] poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man [Jesus] whom He has ordained. [Matthew 25:31-46] He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. [John 19-20]” (Acts 17:24-31)
Now that we have established that God doesn't need our help to get the message of salvation to the people of this world, no matter what remote part of the world they my be in, because He made every human being that has, is or will ever exist, and has put the knowledge of Himself in every single one (Romans 1:18-21); now let's also make sure that we understand that His Son, Christ Jesus is the only way to be saved: And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ 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 yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.” (Luke 13:24-30)
As we can imagine, this teaching didn't go over well with the Jews, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out; last who will be first, and there are first who will be last. The Jews were God's "chosen people", descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. How could they not inherit eternal life in God's heavenly kingdom? How could the "last", non-Jews be "first"? ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ Knowing about God, and having a relationship with Him, through faith in His Son, Christ Jesus, are two different things. We have to have a relationship with Him; He has to be our Savior and Lord! On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.” And He said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’ Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. (Luke 13:31-33)
Jesus didn't worry about any threats from man, because He knew the Word of God, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zechariah 9:9; Matthw 21:5) Nothing was going to happen to Jesus before He arrived in Jerusalem, as we will study in a future lesson. And each of us have to have this same mentality and resolve, that nothing will happen to us, unless God allows it and only when God allows it. And if God allows "it", just like with Christ, He'll carry us through "it", and deliver us safely on the other side. “Lord, are there few who are saved?” Let's make sure we're among the "few" who are! "Look to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other. By Myself I have sworn. The Word has gone out from My mouth in truth, and will not turn back: ‘Every knee will bow down before Me. And every tongue will say that I am God!" (Isaiah 45:22-23 NLV; Romans 14:7-12)
The lessons of Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount"! Refer to the previous lessons, to study the entire sermon in context:The "Beattitudes" Lesson!; "Salt & Light" Lesson!; Importance of The Commandments!; "You Shall Not Murder" Lesson!; "You Shall Not Commit Adultery" Lesson!; 'Til Divorce Do Us Part?; Watch Our Mouth, and Responses!; Don't Be A Hypocrite, A Show-off!; God and His Kingdom First!; Don't Judge; Be An Example!; Follow The Leader!; Not Just Hearers, but Doers Also!
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