WILL HEAVEN BE A LONELY PLACE?

LUKE 13:22-30

A SINCERE QUESTION:

Lord, are only a few people going to be saved? —Luke 13:23

The question behind the question is “Lord, how

is it to get into heaven?

A NARROW-MINDED ANSWER:

“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because I tell you, many will try to enter & won’t be able once the homeowner gets up & shuts the door. Then you will stand outside & knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up for us!’ He will answer you, ‘I don’t know you or where you’re from. Then you will say, ‘We ate & drank in your presence, & you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you’re from. Get away from me, all you evildoers!’’” —Luke 13:24-27

WHAT SALVATION IS NOT ABOUT:

Salvation is not about being

.

Salvation is not about feeling like you’re

to God.

Salvation is not about how much of the

you know.

THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS:

The only thing that matters when it comes to salvation is the possession of a

relationship with Jesus that

through to the end.

Jesus describes salvation as something that requires constant

and striving.

WHY JESUS IS SO NARROW MINDED:

Jesus knows that everyone is going to live

somewhere. (Matthew 25:34, 41)

Jesus knows that

is a very real and horrific place. (Lk 16:19-31; Mk 9:43, 48; Mt 10:28; 13:42; 25:30)

THE NARROW-MINDEDNESS OF LOVE:

If Jesus knows that heaven & hell are real, then it would be

for him to be unclear about those things.

The essence of love is NOT unconditional acceptance but an unconditional

to the good of the beloved.

It was love that compelled Christ to share

-minded truths about salvation and love that drove him to open up a

gate so we could receive it.

Will you make every effort to enter through the narrow gate?