Sermon #707 Miscellaneous
Sermons
Title: The Strait Gate
Text: Luke 13:24
Reading:
Subject:
Date: Sunday Morning – June 22, 1986
Tape #
Introduction:
I am of the firm and ever deepening
conviction that most religious people are lost. Most of the people I preach to
in churches throughout this country and over the radio are yet in the gall of
bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. It is not as easy as you might suppose
to find one who truly knows the Lord Jesus Christ. There are few who trust
Christ, few who are committed to Christ, few who are in love with the Lord
Jesus Christ. God’s elect, contrary to popular opinion, are not to be found in
every church. It may well be true that there are few in any church. Many of
you, I fear, are yet without Christ! In the last day, multitudes, vast
multitudes of religious men and women who are absolutely sure they are saved,
will hear the Son of God say, “Depart
from me,” and shall be forever consigned to the torments of the damned
(Matt. 7:21-23).
·
They
believed the truth about Christ.
·
They
professed faith in Christ.
·
They
preached in the name of Christ.
·
They
performed miracles in the name of Christ.
·
They
performed many wonderful works in the name of Christ.
·
They
had perfect peace, confidence, and assurance that they were saved, born of God,
heirs of heaven, and eternal glory.
But
they were lost, without God, without Christ, without hope. Any honest man who
reads these three verses in Matthew 7 must be compelled to ask himself, “Lord, is it I?”
‘Tis a point I long to know,
Oft it causes anxious thought,
Do I love the Lord, or no,
Am I his or am I not?
Will
you hear me, as I endeavor to speak plainly and honestly to your soul one more
time? May God the Holy Spirit give me your heart’s attention.
Proposition:
The
vast majority of those who profess faith in Christ and think that all is well
with their immortal souls are lost, in the broad road of destruction, which
leads to eternal ruin.
Now, I want you to turn with me to
Luke 13:24. Our Lord Jesus Christ says to you and me, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will
seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” Let us make neither more nor less
of this solemn exhortation than our Lord means by it. And the best way to determine
what he means is to look into the context.
·
Our
Lord gave this exhortation in answer to a
most remarkable question (v. 23). Our Lord had been preaching on the
necessity of repentance and faith, and he had plainly declared the nature of
faith, how that it gradually grows and spreads, permeating the whole man, like
leaven in the meal. Then, someone asked our Savior, “Lord, are there few that be saved?”
We do not know who
asked this question. It may have been a self-righteous Pharisee. It may have
been a curious spectator. But I am inclined to think that it was asked by one
of the Lord’s disciples who suddenly realized the impact of the Master’s
doctrine (Lk. 18:26).
This
is a fact, which we most naturally try to avoid, but it is a fact nevertheless:
There are few who are saved (Matt. 7:14; 22:14). There are few who live by
faith. There are few who love Christ. There are few who are committed to
Christ. There are few who do not love this world.
·
Then
our Lord Jesus Christ gives us this very
sobering exhortation (v. 24).
The word “strive”
means “to agonize, labor fervently, and fight” to enter in at the strait gate.
The word “strait” means “narrow, contracted, or close.”
Here the Lord is
showing us our duty, our responsibility. Our concern must not be what others
may do, or even what may happen to others. Our responsibility is to seek the
Lord ourselves, whether anyone else does or not. J.C. Ryle said, “The gate is
strait. The work is great. The enemies of our souls are many. We must be up and
doing. We must wait for nobody.” The unbelief and indecision of others will be
no excuse in the last day. We must never follow the multitudes. If we go to
heaven alone, we must resolve by the grace of God to do so. If we follow Christ
alone, we must be resolved to let all others perish if they will, but we will
not perish with them. Whether we have many with us, or few, our responsibility
is plain – “Strive to enter in.” We
are not to go on in our unbelief, saying, “I can do nothing until God draws
me.” It is my responsibility to draw near to God. “Strive to enter in.” God’s election and my own inability have
nothing to do with my responsibility. I must “strive to enter in.” “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and
the violent take it by force” (Matt. 11:12).
·
Then
our Lord sets before us a very plain and
solemn warning (v. 25).
There is a day coming when the
longsuffering of God shall come to an end. The door of mercy, which has been
open to you for so long, shall soon be shut.
·
There
comes a time when men and women cannot be saved, even while they live they are
dead (Prov. 1:22-31; Hos. 4:17).
·
Illustration:
Noah’s Generation –
Sodom – Israel.
·
Our
Lord is saying, “Strive to enter in now while you may, while the door is open
before you, for the door will not always be open.” (Jer. 7:13-16). “Pray not.”
·
Finally,
our Lord tells us that there is a day of
reckoning and righteous judgment coming (vv. 26-30).
·
Many
who thought they were saved find themselves at last under the wrath of the Lamb
(vv. 26-28). Your religious profession, your great experiences, your doctrinal
knowledge, your mighty works will all be vanity.
NOTE: These verses plainly reveal to us the
fact that all men will see what is right when it is too late. Hell is a place
where truth is known too late!
·
But
in that last day, all believers shall receive the full reward of heaven and
eternal glory (vv. 29-30).
In this whole passage our Lord is making
an illusion to the ancient marriage feasts, which were held at night. The house
would be all lit up. And those who were admitted to the marriage feast would be
in the light. Those who were excluded were in darkness outside, “outer darkness.” The guests entered by
a narrow wicket gate, at which the porter stood to prevent any uninvited people
from rushing into the feast. When all who had been invited were in the house,
the door was shut. It would not be opened to those who were without, no matter
how much they knocked.
Divisions:
·
What
is this strait gate?
·
Why
is it that so few are able to enter this gate?
·
How
can I enter in at the strait gate?
Our Lord said, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate.” This is not a legal
precept. It is a gospel exhortation. The strife we are urged to carry on is an
earnest endeavor to avoid missing the gate, being turned aside by the
allurement of some larger, broader, more eye-pleasing gate, which will only
lead to our eternal ruin. You are in danger of missing the gate. And once you
find the gate, you are in danger of not being able to enter. “Many…will seek to enter in, and shall not
be able.” Therefore, we must “strive
to enter in at the strait gate.”
I.
What is this strait gate?
The word “gate” is not hard to understand. It is the means
of access to an enclosed area. It is another word for “door”. And you know that
the Door is Christ himself (John 10:9). When the Lord Jesus said, “I am the Door,” he might just as well
have said, “I am the Gate.”
A. Christ is the Gate of access to God (John
14:6; Eph. 2:18; Heb. 10:19-22).
B. Christ is the Gate to the City of Refuge.
C. Christ is the Gate to paradise.
D. Christ is the Gate to eternal life,
eternal glory, and eternal bliss.
1. He is an open Gate.
2. You are invited to enter in through
the Gate.
3. The way to enter in is faith, faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ.
It
is not enough to know that you will perish if you are found outside the gate.
It is not enough to know the gate is there. It is not enough to know that on
the other side of the gate eternal life is to be found. You must enter in
through the gate. That entering in is an act of faith. The difference between
those who live and those who perish is not what they know about the gate; but
whether or not they enter in through the gate.
II.
If entering in through
the gate is so simple a thing as believing on the Lord Jesus Christ – Why is it that so few are able to enter
this gate?
Our
text says, “Strive to enter in at the
strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be
able.”
A. Many are not able to
enter in at the strait gate, because their hearts are not in the matter.
It would be okay with them to enter in to eternal life. They
would like to have their sins forgiven. And they would like to go to heaven
when they die. But they will not strive to enter in, because their hearts are
too much enamored by other things. It is not particularly important to them to
have Christ. It would be fine to have him. That would be nice. But you do not
yet feel that you must have him. There are many things that you must have; but
Christ is not among them (Jer. 29:13; Matt. 6:19-33).
The
only one who ever gets Christ is the one who is made to realize that it is
Christ alone that he wants and must have (Ps. 73:25-26; Phil. 3:3-10).
When
you realize that you must have Christ, you will enter in at the strait gate;
but not until then.
B. Few there are who are able to enter in
at the strait gate, because it is a strait gate.
The word “strait” here does not particularly mean that it
has no crooks, bends, or curves in it. It means that the gate is “narrow,
contracted, or close.” There is nothing particularly appealing about this gate.
1.
There is a broad gate, which is far more flattering, far more appealing, far
less costly, and far more popular.
2.
The lintel of this gate is too low, and the gateposts are too narrow for most
of you to enter it.
a.
You have to stoop down and enter upon the same grounds as all other men – as
guilty, helpless sinners.
Illustration: “Do
you think that Betty, my maid, will be
in the same place I am?”
b.
You have to enter this gate alone.
c.
You can carry nothing in with you.
C. Few will be able to enter in at the
strait gate, because you cannot carry any contraband goods with you.]
Illustration:
Passing through customs.
·
Self-righteousness
·
Good
works
·
Experiences
·
Pedigree
D.
Many will try to enter in at the strait gate and not be able, because they have
waited too late.
Illustration:
Dixie, Repent! “My God,
preacher, I can’t repent.”
E.
And there are few who are able to enter in at the strait gate, because they
think they are already in!
I tremble to think how many there are
here this morning who think they are in the gate who are yet outside! You
mistake the outside for the inside. You have rubbed your back against the posts
of the gate for so long that you can describe every aspect of the gate’s
character. You may even defend the gate with zeal. But you have never entered
the gate. You have never crossed the threshold and found refuge in Christ. You
had some excitement in a religious meeting a long time ago and joined the
church. But you got in without a wedding garment. Satan has fooled your soul
with one of his counterfeits, and you do not know the difference. You have
mistaken:
·
Reformation
for regeneration.
·
Feeling
for faith.
·
Emotion
for love.
·
Religious
habits for commitment to Christ.
·
Guilt
for conviction.
You
have been religious for a long, long time. But you have cheated yourself out of
Christ, cheated yourself out of eternal life. Spurgeon said, “Of all cheats,
the man who cheats himself is certainly the least wise, and, as I think, he
shall be the least honest. Do not play the nave with thine own soul. Suspect
thyself too much rather than too little. Better journey to heaven in terror of
hell than dream of the happy land while drifting in the other direction.”
My dear friends hear me and be warned.
“Strive to enter in at the strait gate:
for many will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” Take nothing for
granted.
III. How can I enter in at
the strait gate?
It
is my responsibility to fervently labor, fight, and strive with all my heart to
enter in at the strait gate. But the enemies of my soul are too great and too
many for me: the world, the flesh, and the devil. And I know that unless God
does for me what I cannot do for myself, I will be among the many who perish.
The same is true of you.
A.
I must be drawn to the gate (John 6:44).
Only as I am taught of God will I be
drawn away from the broad and damning gate of free-will and good works, and
drawn to the gate of free-grace in Christ. No man will ever see the beauty of
the strait gate until he is taught of God.
B.
I must be made willing to enter (Ps. 65:4; 110:3; John 5:40).
1. I must be stripped stark naked
before God.
2. I must be made to bow down in the
dust before Christ.
C.
I must be drawn through the gate
with the irresistible cords of divine love (Hos. 11:3-4).
Being drawn to the gate, being made
willing to enter in at the gate, being drawn through the gate, I do with all my
heart enter in at the strait gate!
Application:
Enter
in now at the strait gate while the gate is open and the Spirit of God bids you
come.