₦Sermon 22
ARE WE ENTERING THROUGH THE NARROW DOOR?
(A Sermon Preached by Rev. Fortune E.C. Nwaiwu)
“Exert effort to enter through the narrow door because many, I tell you will try to enter and will not be able to” – Luke 13:24 NLT
Texts: Luke 13:22-30
A narrow door is very restrictive without flexibility or latitude. It has a small width; not wide enough; too slim to contain a large number of people at the same time and if people venture to enter through it (the narrow door), they may be wounded as they struggle to enter through it but at last they will be comforted by the comforter Jesus Christ who stands at the narrow gate for his suffering children in faith.
Christ as an itinerant preacher – preaching from one place to another as he traveled to encourage us to exert effort as to enter through the narrow door that leads to eternity. A day came as he was preaching, someone asked him a question: “Lord will only a few be saved?”— Luke 13:24 NLT. This question seems that within the vicinity of the Jewish nation, an erroneous belief had made a lot of Jewish people to backslide from their Christian faith since (as they uphold such a notorious belief) that a few number of persons will be saved. The answer Jesus Christ provided “work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fall” – Luke 13:24, implies that those that will walk through the narrow gate must —
A. Submit themselves to a strict discipline: When God disciplines us, he wants to redirect us to the right path so that we may not get lost in following other door that leads to death. David says: the Lord will discipline me severely, but he won’t hand me over to die – Psalm 118:18. The Psalmist, David was once disciplined by God when he erred and blundered away following the door that leads to destruction of human souls. He took away a man’s wife (Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife) who might probably be walking through the narrow gate. But David tried to lead her, Bathsheba to the road that leads to destruction and committed adultery with her. He also killed her husband as to hide away his sins from people. But God sent his prophet Nathan to disclose his sin and abomination that has never been done in Israel. Many of us are like David that took a man’s wife and even killed him thereby committing too heavy and costly sins at a time. It is now the time to turn away and stop walking through the road that leads to destruction. I have seen a lot under the sun a man killing his fellow men as to take away their wives from them and if you are such a man, I plead with you to desist from such act of destruction and walk through the narrow door to God’s kingdom.
B. Be the doers of the word they hear, for if anyone hears the word but is not obedient to it, he is like a man that looks at himself in a mirror — James 1:23. The apostle James implies here the nature of persons that hear the engrafted word of God and refuse to do it. The word is the law and the gospel. We have once or for many times hear “thou shalt not commit adultery. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour; neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife; neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field or his man servant, or his maid servant, his ox, or his ass or anything that is thy neighbour’s and so forth — Deut. 5:1-33, Exodus 20:1-26. But it seems that the law and gospel we hear are not yet engrafted into our souls. Anyone who goes or does contrary to the law and the gospel message is entering through the road that leads to eternal destruction but if you are faithful to keep the commandment of God, abhor stealing, killing innocent souls, taking away your neighbour’s wife and love your God with all your heart and your neighbour as you love yourself, I believe, in his grace, you are walking through the narrow gate.
C. Be pure at heart: the Christians walking through the narrow gate must possess such a creditable credential as having clean and pure heart. They must not have lifted up their souls into vanity, nor sworn deceitfully – Psalm 24:4. They do not twist the truth or swear falsely against a neighbour. They say the simple truth even if they are killed by the truth they say, it will not stop them from entering the kingdom of God and this is what makes them to walk through the narrow gate. The Christians walking through the narrow gate must face some challenges and trials on their ways. Such challenges would make some to stumble and their faith becomes dwindled. That is why Christ encourages us to work hard as to enter the narrow door to God’s kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fall – Luke 13:24.
Sin is very easy to commit, that is why the road leading to the hell fire is crowded by many people. Such people go to the broad way with their carnal bodies full of lust for wickedness, heinous crimes and all sorts of evil in man’s heart. They are too lazy to endure temptations and are willing to die at any time in their wickedness thereby causing the God that stands on the narrow Gate to weep for their destruction because it’s not His own wish for his people to perish in that broad way. He says, “I don’t take delight in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23), but rather he wants his wayward children to turn from their wicked ways and live. Brethren, God is calling you today to pass through the narrow door to God’s Kingdom and I pray that God will be with you in your way to narrow gate.
—————Meditation Point—————————
Lord, remove any stumbling block that would weaken my faith and keep me safe as I walk through the narrow gate. This I ask through the name of Jesus Christ, amen!
ARE WE ENTERING THROUGH THE NARROW DOOR?
(A Sermon Preached by Rev. Fortune E.C. Nwaiwu)
“Exert effort to enter through the narrow door because many, I tell you will try to enter and will not be able to” – Luke 13:24 NLT
Texts: Luke 13:22-30
A narrow door is very restrictive without flexibility or latitude. It has a small width; not wide enough; too slim to contain a large number of people at the same time and if people venture to enter through it (the narrow door), they may be wounded as they struggle to enter through it but at last they will be comforted by the comforter Jesus Christ who stands at the narrow gate for his suffering children in faith.
Christ as an itinerant preacher – preaching from one place to another as he traveled to encourage us to exert effort as to enter through the narrow door that leads to eternity. A day came as he was preaching, someone asked him a question: “Lord will only a few be saved?”— Luke 13:24 NLT. This question seems that within the vicinity of the Jewish nation, an erroneous belief had made a lot of Jewish people to backslide from their Christian faith since (as they uphold such a notorious belief) that a few number of persons will be saved. The answer Jesus Christ provided “work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fall” – Luke 13:24, implies that those that will walk through the narrow gate must —
A. Submit themselves to a strict discipline: When God disciplines us, he wants to redirect us to the right path so that we may not get lost in following other door that leads to death. David says: the Lord will discipline me severely, but he won’t hand me over to die – Psalm 118:18. The Psalmist, David was once disciplined by God when he erred and blundered away following the door that leads to destruction of human souls. He took away a man’s wife (Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife) who might probably be walking through the narrow gate. But David tried to lead her, Bathsheba to the road that leads to destruction and committed adultery with her. He also killed her husband as to hide away his sins from people. But God sent his prophet Nathan to disclose his sin and abomination that has never been done in Israel. Many of us are like David that took a man’s wife and even killed him thereby committing too heavy and costly sins at a time. It is now the time to turn away and stop walking through the road that leads to destruction. I have seen a lot under the sun a man killing his fellow men as to take away their wives from them and if you are such a man, I plead with you to desist from such act of destruction and walk through the narrow door to God’s kingdom.
B. Be the doers of the word they hear, for if anyone hears the word but is not obedient to it, he is like a man that looks at himself in a mirror — James 1:23. The apostle James implies here the nature of persons that hear the engrafted word of God and refuse to do it. The word is the law and the gospel. We have once or for many times hear “thou shalt not commit adultery. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour; neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife; neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field or his man servant, or his maid servant, his ox, or his ass or anything that is thy neighbour’s and so forth — Deut. 5:1-33, Exodus 20:1-26. But it seems that the law and gospel we hear are not yet engrafted into our souls. Anyone who goes or does contrary to the law and the gospel message is entering through the road that leads to eternal destruction but if you are faithful to keep the commandment of God, abhor stealing, killing innocent souls, taking away your neighbour’s wife and love your God with all your heart and your neighbour as you love yourself, I believe, in his grace, you are walking through the narrow gate.
C. Be pure at heart: the Christians walking through the narrow gate must possess such a creditable credential as having clean and pure heart. They must not have lifted up their souls into vanity, nor sworn deceitfully – Psalm 24:4. They do not twist the truth or swear falsely against a neighbour. They say the simple truth even if they are killed by the truth they say, it will not stop them from entering the kingdom of God and this is what makes them to walk through the narrow gate. The Christians walking through the narrow gate must face some challenges and trials on their ways. Such challenges would make some to stumble and their faith becomes dwindled. That is why Christ encourages us to work hard as to enter the narrow door to God’s kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fall – Luke 13:24.
Sin is very easy to commit, that is why the road leading to the hell fire is crowded by many people. Such people go to the broad way with their carnal bodies full of lust for wickedness, heinous crimes and all sorts of evil in man’s heart. They are too lazy to endure temptations and are willing to die at any time in their wickedness thereby causing the God that stands on the narrow Gate to weep for their destruction because it’s not His own wish for his people to perish in that broad way. He says, “I don’t take delight in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23), but rather he wants his wayward children to turn from their wicked ways and live. Brethren, God is calling you today to pass through the narrow door to God’s Kingdom and I pray that God will be with you in your way to narrow gate.
—————Meditation Point—————————
Lord, remove any stumbling block that would weaken my faith and keep me safe as I walk through the narrow gate. This I ask through the name of Jesus Christ, amen!
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