Deceived by Religion, Shut Out by Christ
As Jesus made His way to Jerusalem, a profound question was posed to Him: Jesus Christ was questioned as He journeyed to Jerusalem with “Lord, will only a few be saved?” (Luke 13:23). Instead of providing a numerical answer, He issued a compelling directive, urgent, significant, and deeply personal: “Strive to enter through the narrow door. The statement reveals that many people will attempt to enter yet they will fail. Striping away misleading beliefs about eternal life and expose the reality that many who think they will achieve it ultimately will not.
The belief that only a select portion of people will achieve salvation causes unrest. The statement questions our safe beliefs while opposing the simple religious standards that many people have embraced. Jesus teaches that the path to salvation is restricted and selective rather than open and inviting. It calls for effort, not complacency. The verb “strive” implies an intense battle similar to what an athlete experiences when competing for an award. Salvation is not purchased by deeds but is received through authentic and committed faith that submits to Christ and takes His direction. The narrow door only allows entry to those who reject their sins and dead rituals and understand Christ as He is described in Scripture, not as they wish Him to be.
Jesus paints a chilling picture: People stand at the entryway while knocking and requesting entry but falsely assert they know Him. Our interactions with you included shared meals and teachings on your streets but you say that you do not recognize us. These individuals addressed by Jesus believed they belonged to His group. They believed in their own importance and achieved recognition among religious circles. However, they were misled. Their confidence depended not on Christ’s finished work and His transformative grace but on their closeness to Him along with their personal experiences and distorted teachings from those who misled them.
Today’s world presents comforting words alongside open gates to people everywhere. Countless individuals have become entangled with teachings from numerous false religious figures who promoted easy faith and self-centered versions of Christianity that require no real effort. Their message provides salvation without repentance requirements and grace without consequences while promoting a faith that lacks genuine dedication.
The Greatest Lie Ever Told: You’re Fine Just as You Are
One of the most dangerous lies saturating our world today is this: You’re fine just as you are. The enemy speaks this lie directly to us which is subtle yet deadly because it affirms our false sense of security. Satan uses flattering half-truths to mislead people into thinking they have achieved enough goodness and spirituality for heaven instead of tempting them with clear evil. He makes people overlook sin’s gravity and numb their hearts against repentance. But Jesus’ words in Luke 13:22–30 shatter that comfortable illusion. The road to salvation is extremely narrow (John 14:6) and only a select few manage to locate it. Numerous individuals will experience shock when they realize their confidence rested on lies and it is now too late.
Life is a vapor. The span of up to ninety years will pass before you even realize it has because it will disappear like morning mist under sunlight. Most people in the world never reach ninety years of age. Eternity approaches as time runs out. The majority treat their soul carelessly as if it were a game because they remain nonchalant and indifferent. People drift through their lives believing God will accept them without needing change but do not take time to verify their entry through the narrow path, their true repentance, or their actual faith. They create an environment filled with positive messages and teachers who calm their conscience instead of stimulating it. Jesus foretold that many would address Him as ‘Lord, Lord’ during the final judgment only to receive His reply, ‘I never knew you.’
The present moment demands truth instead of comfort. This is not a moment for religious pretense or reliance on your previous experiences. The moment has arrived to evaluate your soul while rejecting sin in order to surrender completely to Christ’s mercy and walk in His path. Eternity hangs in the balance. The reality of hell exists alongside the sacred nature of heaven while the entrance remains slim. Beware of the greatest lie because it has the power to put you to sleep. You are not fine as you are. The need for a Savior exists in your life because He alone can fulfill that need. Seek Him now before it becomes too late.
Read / Listen
Deuteronomy 34:1-Joshua 2:24
Luke 13:22-14:6
Psalm 79:1-13
Proverbs 12:26
New Testament
Luke 13:22-14:6
Summary
The Narrow Door
Lament over Jerusalem
Healing of a Man on the Sabbath
Strait Gate
“Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?”
Overview: Luke 10-24 Click Here to Watch Video
John 12:24 and 25, Jesus says, “Hate yourself.” Hate yourself. There’s the battle. The struggle is to let go of you. If you win, you lose. If you lose, you win forever. Struggle is further indicated not only by the word agnizomai, but it’s further indicated by the narrowness of the door. This is a narrow door.
That is used here and in Matthew 7:13-14. You know the passage, very familiar in the Sermon on the Mount. We’ve looked at it many, many times, but it’s such a critical text. Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate. The gate is wide, the way is broad that leads to destruction. Many are those who enter it. The gate is narrow; the way is narrow that leads to the life. Few are those who find it.” It’s a narrow door. It’s hard to find. There are so many voices. There’s so much confusion. There’s so much chaos. There’s so much deception, so much false Christianity all over the place that it’s hard to find the true door. And once you find the true door, listen to this, once you’ve actually found the true gospel, once you’ve gotten rid of all the garbage that surrounds Christianity because that’s Satan’s ploy disguising himself as an angel of light… Falsifying Christianity is his primary enterprise. It’s his primary enterprise.
And once you’ve been able to see your way through all that and you’ve come to see the truth, then the fight really begins because then the true gospel calls for self-denial, self-denial, it’s not easy. It’s easy to get on the broad road. It says “heaven,” but it goes to hell. Nobody sells hell, everybody sells heaven. ~ John MacArthur
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