Theme: Be Here for Christ
Luke 13:22-30: He went on his way through towns and
villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him,
"Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them, 24
"Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek
to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen
and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door,
saying, 'Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, 'I do not know where you
come from.' 26 Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence,
and you taught in our streets.' 27 But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know
where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!' 28 In that place
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 but you yourselves cast out.
29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and
recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will
be first, and some are first who will be last."
Why are you
here today? It’s a simple enough question. But how would you answer it? Are you here because it’s Sunday and church is what
you do on Sunday? Are you here because you feel an obligation to come to church
so that others don’t judge you? Are you here because you feel a sense of
community and it’s nice to fit in? Those are all compelling reasons for being
here, but they aren’t the one reason why you should be here.
In this
portion of God’s Word, Jesus had some pretty startling things to say to the
people. The group around Jesus at this time were primarily His followers.
People who admired Jesus and hung on His every word. They were people who knew
that Jesus was the one to be with, but they weren’t asking themselves why they were with Him? Perhaps they
didn’t fully know. Maybe they were looking for answers. But, they surely didn’t
anticipate what Jesus was about to teach them.
Sometimes, we
find ourselves in the same situation as this crowd of followers. We come to
church, we’re present, but not always for the right reasons. So often the
church is seeking to find out why people aren’t coming to church. The
magnifying glass always seems to be on those who aren’t present. I’m sure you
might find it a bit offensive for the pastor to speak of the importance of
being in church to those who are actually here. Kind of like preaching to the
choir, right? Shouldn’t we be focusing more on those who aren’t here instead of
examining the intentions of those present?
We surely
don’t ignore those who have strayed from church; nor should we downplay the
seriousness of breaking God’s commandment to remember His day of rest each
week. But the thing we may not realize is that the attitudes and intentions of
those present may be in just as dangerous a situation as those who are absent.
Coming to church gives you an opportunity to connect with God’s Word and His
grace and it gives you time to be strengthened, but it doesn’t force it upon
you.
Like many of
the people who followed Jesus, very often the greatest danger is for those who
feel comfortable, but are actually complacent. Why were the people there with
Jesus that day? Well, we may not know the whole answer, but Jesus’ message
reveals a lot. Many were with Him for the wrong reasons. Many thought they were
united with God but were really only paying lip service. Many were basing their
relationship with God on their lineage as Jews, and not what they actually believed
in their hearts. And some seemed to pick up on this to an extent because of
what one individual asked Jesus, “Lord,
are there few who are saved?” What an interesting question. It’s one that
comes up often in our lives too. When God offers such an amazing, unthinkable
gift as eternal life, we can’t help but wonder who is going to receive it. It’s
an easy question to wonder about but a much more difficult one to answer for
ourselves. We don’t like going to that difficult place in our minds where we
must be entirely honest about ourselves. Could it be that we think we’re going
to be saved, that we live like it on the outside, but we actually don’t believe
it?
That’s a
serious question. But, taking the time to think about why you’re here today can
help you answer it, and give you comfort about real salvation. The answer that
Jesus gave them people didn’t sound all that comforting, but it was exactly
what they needed to hear. Just as there is little comfort in the thought of
separation from God and being on the outside looking in; so also there is no
comfort in false hope and security. In order to lead these people to the “once
for all” hope of the cross, they needed to first travel through the wasteland
of their own sins; and through it have a stark reminder of God’s impending
judgment.
Sometimes the
answer we need is the same too. Sometimes we need to be reminded, like the
people, that perhaps we’re not following Jesus for the right reasons. Perhaps
we need to see the decay in our hearts before the restoration of the gospel
begins its work. Do we listen to that needed reminder, though? If the pastor
brings you a message of correction, do you heed it, or automatically shut it
out? There were many present that day with Jesus who wanted nothing to do with
this reminder of judgment. There were lukewarm followers of Jesus who withered
at the first uncomfortable message. They should have asked themselves why they
were there that day. Were they there to really follow Jesus, no matter what, or
were they there simply to fit in and to stick around until they heard something
they didn’t like.
Jesus even
mentioned a striking example of this very attitude. In addition to listing
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, He includes the prophets of
the Old Testament. These were men who brought the very same message of judgment
to the people because of sin. They were often maligned and persecuted. Often,
no one listened to them. Sometimes they were even killed for bearing the Word
of God. All because the people weren’t there to listen to God’s truth. They
wanted to be called His chosen people, but didn’t want to follow through with
what that meant.
How do you
feel about church? Are you willing to listen to all of God’s Word, even if it
condemns you? Even if it causes you to be maligned by the world? Are you here
only because of the relationships, only because of family members? Will you
listen to me only when I tell you what you want to hear, and tune me out the
minute I must help you see the law? Are you a member at this church because
it’s just the easiest thing to do in your current stage of life? Will that
change for you even if our teachings don’t change? Do you care about the
doctrinal differences between our church and others? Are you aware of them? Do
you take the time to learn them? Or are you here for a different reason? Will
you change your mind and leave just because you feel like it?
Dear friends,
please recognize the important lesson Jesus is trying to teach us! He is on the
lookout for true followers. He seeks children who desire to listen to His Word.
If that’s not why you’re here, then you should take a close look at your heart.
Friends and family can bring us into contact with Jesus, but they’re not the
reasons alone for choosing a spiritual home. Jesus wants you to be with Him
most of all. Everything else comes after.
The people in
this crowd thought that Jesus was theirs because of something in themselves.
They were Jewish and He was the long-awaited Messiah to come from the Jewish
people. In a sense, they were right about this. Their Jewish heritage has
indeed brought them into contact with Jesus. But, they took this too far when
they staked their eternity on it. They would not get to heaven on their own, no
matter how sincerely they saw Jesus was their fellow countryman. Something much
greater went into their salvation and into ours. Jesus had to give His own
life. He had to offer a gift that none of them could. Salvation and eternal
life was not about what they could offer, but about only what Jesus could
freely give. Therefore, there was a limit to the value of their ethnic
heritage. It brought them to Jesus, but only He could bring them life.
Jesus reminded
them about many others who would be saved. Yes, the path to heaven is narrow,
but it is traveled by more than just Jews. The Gentiles, too, have just as much
an opportunity to believe in Jesus as the promised Israelites. For many in the
crowd that day, this message was too difficult, too offensive. It went against
the very reason they began to follow Jesus. He was their Jewish Messiah and that was it. To allow the Gentiles these
blessings would be too much. They were with Jesus so long as He fit what they
wanted Him to be. Once He taught something different, even if it was truth,
they wanted no part. In the next verse after our text ends, the Pharisees tell
Jesus to leave their region and Jesus mourns for Jerusalem; the city who waited
so long for a Savior only to reject Him when He came.
The same
lesson applies to us. Do we treat our membership here the same way that the
people treated Jesus? Are we here for the right reasons? Is our strongest
loyalty to God’s Word and teaching, or to the things that first brought us into
contact with Him? The things like: friends, family, a sense of belonging, good
relationships. Are you willing to sacrifice loyalty to God’s Word if those
things change? What if the good relationship turns sour? What if the new
feeling of community dies down? What do you do when you begin to see the flaws
in others, in your own pastor, that you never noticed before? Will church just
get too old for you? Will you flee somewhere else because it’s easier? If your
ultimate loyalty is to God and His Word, the smaller details that would get in
the way become opportunities to show the love of Christ.
When you have
a disagreement with a fellow brother or sister, you can display the same
forgiveness Christ gave you on the cross. You can be proof that the gospel does
indeed work. But, what good is our faith if petty arguments and estrangements
consume us more than the love of God? If we’re willing to forsake the truth of
His Word because of something minor and fleeting, what was the purpose from the
very beginning.
We have
structured our membership at Redemption so that we hold ourselves accountable
to one another and to the Lord. That starts with listening to His Word in all
matters and letting that Word be the lamp that guides our path in life. You
must know that on that journey God’s Word is not always going to take you where
you would choose to go. There are moments of pain and grief when sin becomes known.
There are necessary times of repentance when we have strayed. There are times
when Jesus will have to speak as sternly to us as He did to these people,
reminding us to wake up from our indifferent ways.
Ask yourself
if you are here to listen and to obey your Savior. Have you chosen to become a
member of this congregation because you believe Jesus is given to you in truth
here, or because of some other factor? Be honest to give a diligent answer. It
is a matter between you and the Lord only, but He already knows the thoughts
and intentions of your heart. If you can answer that question, you can have
hope.
When
frustrations arise, when relationships strain, when admonishments are given,
when weaknesses and mistakes are revealed, you will have hope if you have Jesus
first. If that is why you’re here. If not, those little things will get in the
way, and they will grow until they become something bigger which ultimately
affects your faith.
I’m not saying
you have to be a member of this church to be a Christian or to get to heaven.
I’m simply asking you why you are here. If you don’t believe this is the best
place to preserve the truth in your life and to strengthen the faith in Jesus
that does save, then why are you here? So often when you try to tell people
that you attend church because it teaches the truth, you get a blunt response
like, “Oh, so you believe you have the truth?” or “That’s sounds a little
arrogant to think you know the truth!” When I hear those things, I do often as
a pastor, I scratch my head in disbelief.
If I didn’t
believe that my church was true and correct, why would I be there? Why would I
give offerings, time, and effort to a cause that I didn’t believe was correct?
Why would I be a pastor of a church that I knew and believed was teaching
error? It’s the most blatant paradox to support that which you don’t actually
believe. It’s the worst of paradoxes, it’s hypocrisy. But, it happened back in
Jesus’ time and it happens today too, sometimes even to us.
If you have
found yourself indifferent or apathetic toward what you believe and your
membership here, heed the words of Jesus. He doesn’t want fake followers. He
promises a strict judgment for those who are claiming to believe but really
don’t. He tells us that we put our faith at risk when we do such things. Many
shy away as soon as they see that strictness, even in the Savior. But, see more
than that. He says it because He loves you. He wants what is best for you. He
pleads with you to recognize the dangers, even if He must chastise you for you
to see it. If there was no hope, there would be no warning; no need for a
judgment.
Jesus is
severe because there is promise, hope, and life. He does not want you to
squander these free gifts of salvation. He worked hard to earn them for you.
Our mission here is to share these blessings as they come to us in Word and
Sacrament, and to preserve them for future generations by teaching and
practicing the truth. And I want each of you here today and in the future
because you believe the same thing. If we can come together on this goal, we
can accomplish much for our Savior and we can grow strong in that eternal
faith. Be here today, and always, for Jesus. Amen.
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