Grace mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. Our text today is the Gospel lesson (Luke 13:22-30), especially verse 24 "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." Thus far our text.
Dear friends in Christ. The same thing happens every year it seems. In a little over two months, the Day after Thanksgiving sales will be upon us. Millions of Americans will get up at One o'clock in the morning, and stand in line outside of various stores so that they can make sure they get the best bargains on what is waiting for them inside. Great deals are waiting for them inside the doors to the store. At six, when the doors to the stores finally open, they will push and shove their way in, so they can get what waits for them.
But it isn't organized, and it doesn't always go smoothly. Not all will make it in the stores. Someone might trip and fall. Every year it seems that someone gets trampled to death as they try and enter the narrow doors. And those at the end of the line, often miss out on the good deals that those who make it through the doors get to have.
It almost sounds like what Jesus is saying in our text doesn't it? "Strive to enter through the narrow door." Jesus says. We know from the very question that was asked Jesus that on the other side of that narrow door is life, and salvation. On the other side of that narrow door is the eternal feast of the lamb and his kingdom, which will have no end. We know we need to get through that door, for Jesus warns us, "Many will seek to enter and will not be able." And outside the door the text tells us is weeping and gnashing of teeth. But how? How do we enter the door of our salvation? How can we guarantee that we are among the few who are saved, and not among those left outside knocking, and begging to enter? The answer friends is this,
WE ENTER THE NARROW DOOR NOT THROUGH OUR WORKS, BUT THROUGH CHRIST'S WORKING OF REPENTANCE AND FAITH IN OUR LIVES.
That sounds easy enough doesn't it? But in our sinful world, it is easier said then done. There are all sorts of things that try to keep us from entering through the narrow door. Just like some may not enter stores the day after thanksgiving, some will not enter the kingdom. So how do we enter through the door of salvation?
Often times we try to enter by trusting in our own works. All around us we are always hearing how "Those who do good will receive their reward." If you ask someone on the street how you get into heaven, most of the people would tell you, "To get into heaven you have to do enough good things to weigh out the bad things in your life." We feel like it is possible for us to do enough good works that we can earn a spot for ourselves in heaven.
And it makes sense doesn't it? As a result, we often do as the text says, we strive, we work, and we struggle to enter the narrow door. After all that is what it means to be an American. We work and work and work to make sure we have the best situation for ourselves. It is the right thing to do here on Earth. We admire those who have earned a lot for themselves. What is not right is that this idea often leaks into our religious lives. We get the idea that we need to work to improve things there also.
If you were to go to a Christian book store, you would see books that tell you 40 ways to fulfill God's purpose for your life. Books written to make sure you are living our very best life now. Books that tell you how to help yourself to what God has to offer. We tell our selves that if we follow all of the laws that are in scripture, God will have to reward us. We want religion under our own terms, to be what we want it to be. We feel we are entitled to receive gifts from God. We often pray, "Dear Lord, can't you see how good I am, how hard I try, God, you owe this to me."
Friends, this is not the way it works. God doesn't owe us anything. To earn our way through the narrow door would require us to be completely and totally perfect, to always, even in our sleep, be doing good and beneficial works. But scripture tells us that we are unable to do so. In the book of Romans, we hear that "In Adam all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) And psalm 51 tells us that "surely I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. The prophet Isaiah, just a few chapters before our Old Testament lesson for today tells us that in our sin, "we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away."
Our iniquities take us away from the narrow door. In our sin, instead of entering into God's paradise, we will be left outside knocking, saying, "Lord, open to us." But the response will be as the text says, "I do not know where you come from." We will cry to God, "Lord we ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets," but he will say, "I do not know where you come from, depart from me all you workers of evil."
You see it is not our own works that can save us. Nothing that we can do is enough. Nothing we do is ever more than what God already expects from us. In our sin, none of us is something special that deserves entrance into the heavenly kingdom. "For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." The Greek word used there for the word "Be able" is rather unusual in what it means. It emphasizes what one is able to do by oneself. On your own, you are not able to enter the door. On your own, you cannot do it.
But Jesus can. Jesus is the only one who can enter the narrow door on his own. He is the only one who is worthy to receive God's gifts. He has paid the price of admittance through the door with his own blood. We ourselves are not enough, but Jesus is. Jesus has lived a perfect life. He never once sinned. He always was showing compassion on his neighbors. His life on Earth was spent giving to the poor, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and hearing to the death. Jesus was always giving to those around him, even when they didn't understand why. And dear friends, he cares for you as well.
The very first words in our text convey how much Jesus cares for you, "He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem." This journey to Jerusalem is the journey to the cross. He will continue on his way, teaching and preaching until he finally reaches his goal, where he will be mocked and flogged. He will be stripped and spat upon, and finally will be killed by hanging from nails upon a cross until he is dead. Jesus journeys to Jerusalem for you.
And as Jesus goes to the cross you go with him. In your baptism, you who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Baptism has intricately connected you to Jesus. When Jesus is beaten, you are there with him in baptism. When Jesus is killed on the cross, you die with him in baptism. When Jesus rises on the third day, and rolls the stone away, and walks out of the narrow door of a tomb, and into eternal life with God the Father and Holy Spirit in heaven, in your baptism, you are with him. In baptism, you are clothed in Christ, and your faith clings to him as he passes through the narrow door into the heavenly feast.
The last will be first, and the first will be last. Jesus, the Sinless son of God, puts himself last, so that you in your sin might become first in the kingdom of God. Not by your own works, not by your own designs will you enter the narrow door, but only through the precious blood of Jesus shed for you. Jesus carries you through from death in sin, to life in Christ.
Dear friends in Christ, you have already entered the narrow door through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now you stand with those from the entire world who have gathered together with Jesus to celebrate life to the full. You already have entered the narrow door. Amen.
