Strive to Enter (3)

Albert N. Martin

Turn with me to the gospel according to Luke chapter 13, and follow as I read verses 22 through 30. Luke is continuing his narrative of the life and activities of the Lord Jesus.

Luke 13: 22-30, “And he went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and journeying on to Jerusalem. And one said unto him, ‘Lord, are they few that are saved?’ And he said unto them, ‘Strive to enter in by the narrow door; for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut the door, and you begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us’; and he shall answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you whence you are.’ Then shall you begin to say, ‘We did eat and drink in your presence, and you taught in our streets’; and he shall say, ‘I tell you, I do not know whence you are; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity. There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth, when you shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves cast forth without. And they shall come from the east and the west, and from the north and the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And behold, there are last who shall be first, and there are first who shall be last.’”

The occasion of Jesus making this signpost is very clearly described for us by Luke in verses 22 and 23. Jesus was on a general preaching and teaching tour, while making His way—with steady step and resolute determination—to the city of Jerusalem. Notice He was on His way through cities and villages teaching, but all the while journeying on to Jerusalem.

When Jesus said, “Strive to enter,” what was He saying? He’s saying that you don’t sit back and do nothing with respect to your conversion. He’s saying that you don’t ask God to save you while you don’t use the means appointed for imparting salvation. Thirdly, He’s saying that you do the things that are appointed as a means of bringing salvation with all diligence, and you start right now. That’s all bound up in the word agonizomai, “Strain every nerve,” and in the form of the verb. It’s a present imperative, which means to start it now and keep on until you’re through the narrow gate!

It will not do to start and then get discouraged and say, “What’s the use,” and falling six inches short of getting through the narrow gate. It’s a present imperative. Keep on, begin and continue to agonize, to enter in through the narrow gate. Do these things with all diligence, and start now.

Before you pillow your head tonight, kneel by your bed, open up to Luke 13, and say, “Lord Jesus, You guided Pastor, by your Spirit, in answer to the prayers of your people to preach on a text I needed to hear. O God, forgive me that I have been sitting back waiting for You to zap me. Forgive me that I’ve been reading the sports page more than my Bible, watching stupid, silly, and even morally defiling TV programs that my parents have not monitored or that I sneaked when they were out of the home. O God, forgive me! From this night forward, Lord, I will not rest until I know I’m through the narrow gate.” That’s what this text is telling you.

Fourth, it means you don’t give up striving until you know you’ve entered the narrow door of conversion. Notice what the text says, “Strive to enter in through the narrow door.” So, you continue to strive until you know you’re through the door, on the other side, and can rejoice that your sins are pardoned, that you are right with God, that you are fit to live, prepared to die, and fit to go to judgement!

We’ve looked at the occasion of Jesus making this signpost. He’s on His way to Jerusalem to die on the cross for sinners, and a man unnamed, with undescribed motives cries out, “Are there few that are saved?” Jesus’ response bypasses that question. He says in essence, “The question is not are there few or many that are saved. Here’s the issue: any who are saved are saved by getting through the narrow gate. So, you better make it your one business to be one of them and get through that gate.” Whether there are five or five million is irrelevant. If there are only five, you better be one of the five. If there are five million, they all get through the same way! So, whether there be many or few, that’s not the issue. The issue is that if you’re to be saved, you’ve got to get through that narrow gate, and that being so, marshall all your powers, strain every nerve, concentrate all of your faculties! Make the conversion of your soul the chief business of your life.

Having looked at the occasion of the signpost, the clear meaning of the signpost, we close by considering in the third place: why is it so important that we follow the directions of this signpost? Well, look at Luke 13, and Jesus gives us the answer. The answer is right here in the text. Jesus had this in the back of His mind and in His heart when He said to His hearers, “Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for—”. “For, because, this is why I’m urging you.” Make the conversion of your soul the main occupation of your life. “For many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut the door, and you begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us’; and he shall answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you whence you are.’ Then shall you begin to say, ‘Lord, we ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’”

He will say, “Look, it doesn’t change what I said before. I repeat it: I don’t know where you’re from. Standing by the door of conversion, where every sinner meets Me in repentance and faith, where every sinner one by one acknowledges he deserves the wrath and curse of God, acknowledges he can do nothing to cleanse himself, forgive himself, change himself; I stand by that door, and every sinner who comes bent low, and stripped of pride and self-righteousness, owning his sin and hell-deservingness, and looks to Me as his only hope of life and salvation, I never forget of one who has looked into My eyes coming through that door. I know every single one of them, and I, frankly, don’t know who you are.”