~ The “Narrow” but Wide, Low, High,
Deep, & Open Door ~
The Passage
~ “And
Jesus went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward
Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, ‘Lord, are there few who are saved?’ And
He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through
the narrow gate [or door], 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 13:22-30).
A Narrow Door
~ First,
it is narrow because there is only one
specific entry point—in our politically correct society it is not popular
to state this truth. “Jesus said to him,
‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me’” (John
14:6). Salvation was accomplished and “done” by Jesus Christ and
there is nothing for you to “do” but to accept His free gift. Second, it is also narrow because the
majority will not accept the truth. Third,
it is narrow because you must come in by yourself. You cannot bring a buddy, a spouse, a child,
or anyone else. It is always an
individual decision.
A Wide Door ~ While the door is narrow it is wide enough for all who choose to enter.
Once you enter that narrow door you will
find it is wide enough to encompass
all ethnic groups and nationalities. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so
must the Son of Man be lifted up, that
whoever believes in Him should
not perish but have eternal life. For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life. For God did not send His Son into
the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved”
(John 3:14-17).
An Open Door
~ It has been open for a long time because now is the Day of
Salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2),
but it will not always be open. Jesus said, “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’ (Luke 13:25a). Notice that some come to the Savior early in their life and some late
in life. “Now
is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2
Corinthians 6:2b). Tomorrow has no
guarantees! A closed heart that remains
closed will end up finding a closed door.
A Low Door
~ You must be broken and come
with humility to the Savior. As long as
you think you can work things out on your own there is no entry! “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
a broken and
a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm
51:17). God says, “I dwell in the high and holy place,
with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the
humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15b). “But on this one will I look: on him who is
poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2b).
A High Door
~ It is a high door in that
through all the ups and downs of life the gate can handle those who choose to
enter. “And we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who
are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
A Deep Door
~ It is deep because of the depth
of our Savior’s suffering on the Cross of Calvary. “Now from the sixth
hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with
a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God,
why have You forsaken Me?’” (Matthew 27:45-46).
Concluding Passages
~ “For
this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven
and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His
glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and
grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width
and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes
knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians
3:14-19).
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
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