Luke Series #66 May 26, 2002
Title: Will You Go To Heaven?
Email: pastorsarver@yahoo.com
Website: www.newlifeinchrist.info
Introduction: Welcome to New life in Christ. This morning we are continuing in Chapter 13 of the Book of Luke in our verse-by-verse teaching series out of that book.
Read Luke 13:22-35
Opening Prayer
Illustration: A certain lady died stood at the Gates of Heaven. She could look and see a beautiful banquet table set, with all her family members who had died before sitting and enjoying the feast. They all saw her and started waving and motioning her to come in. A saint appeared and said, “Hello. We’ve been waiting for you.” And she said, "This is such a wonderful place, how do I get in?" The gatekeeper smiled and said, “All you have to do is correctly spell one word.” “What is it?” She anxiously asked. “Spell love,” he said. The woman smiled and spelled “l.o.v.e.” and she was welcomed into heaven. About a year later, the same woman was on gate duty when her husband arrived unexpectedly. She said, “I am surprised to see you! How have you been doing?” He said, “Actually, I’ve been doing really well since you died. Do you remember that pretty nurse that took care of you? We fell in love and married a few weeks after you died. Then I won the lottery so we sold our little house and moved into a huge mansion. My new wife and I have been very happy and have been traveling all over the world. In fact we were just on a skiing trip to the Swiss Alps when I was caught in an avalanche, and that’s why I’m here. By the way, how do I get in?” His ex-wife said, “All you have to do is spell one word correctly and you can enter heaven.” He said, “OK, what’s the word?” She smiled wryly and said, “Czechoslovakia.”
I think all of us realize that this is not the way to get into heaven when we die, which is probably good news for all of us who depend on spell check! This humorous story does bring up a most serious question. How does a person get into heaven? Who will be there and who will not? Perhaps it would be best to ask this question in a more personal manner-not wondering who else or how many will go to heaven, but rather asking ourselves, “Will you go to heaven?”
I do not believe there is a more important issue than this one. It is important because it affects everyone in this room today. According to the Bible, everyone in this room will either go to heaven forever or go to hell forever. Such an important issue as one dealing with our eternal destiny should not be taken lightly. We do not want to be ignorant, deceived or wrong about our future beyond the grave. You and I don’t have to be uncertain or wrong about going to heaven because in this passage is primarily about heaven and how to gain entrance into it. In this passage Jesus gives us the conditions for going to heaven.
I want you to understand that this passage is about entering into heaven. When the man in this story asks about people being “saved”, he is asking, “How many people will go to heaven?” When Jesus talks about entering through a “narrow door” and a door being shut, he is figuratively speaking of the entrance door to heaven. Even the reference to the “feast” in verse 29 was a well-known metaphor for eternal fellowship at God’s table in heaven. Having established that the subject matter of this passage of the Bible is heaven; let us now look at this passage verse by verse.
Read Verses 22,23
Luke once again notes that Jesus was on his “way to Jerusalem.” This was not just literary “filler” but was rather intentionally noted by Luke with the purpose of showing us that Jesus always kept focused and intent on following God’s will for his life, which was suffering and dying for our sins in Jerusalem. Jesus serves as an example to us who are his followers, in that above all things he pursued God’s will purposely and resolutely. We are to do the same. That determination to do the Father’s will, despite the personal cost, is also reflected in verses 31 through 35 where Jesus refuses to be dissuaded by fear or intimidation from following the Father’s will.
As Jesus travels, he also teaches and this presents an opportunity for someone to bring up a much-discussed question of the day. “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” In other words the man is asking, "Are only a small number of people going to heaven?" We do not know what prompted this person to ask this question; perhaps he wanted Jesus to join the current theological debate?
Jesus does not actually get drawn into this inconsequential debate. Rather than answer the man’s question directly about how many will go to heaven, Jesus puts the focus on the individual. Jesus’ response in the next few verses would make the questioner and all the people present think about their own destiny. In essence, Jesus response infers that instead of focusing on theological questions that pertain to the destiny of other people, you and I need to focus on our own entrance into heaven.
The people present and the person who asked the question were probably Jewish and therefore assumed that they were going to heaven. The average Jew took heaven for granted because most Jewish people of the day had a very broad understanding of who went into heaven when it came to their own race. Jesus wants them and us to rethink that assumption. He wants them to know that they might be wrong because there are conditions to going to heaven. Conditions that they were not meeting. Jesus speaks of these conditions in verse 24.
Read Verse 24
Rather than taking heaven for granted, we should be “making every effort to enter in.” (Verse 24) This is a message we in America need to take to heart. According to recent polls, between 80-95% of all people expect to go to heaven. Is that expectation realistic and justified? Isn’t it more likely that some people are just taking heaven for granted? In my opinion, it does seem that many people are taking heaven for granted and without any biblical reason for doing so. Jesus implied that such an attitude was seriously wrong and dangerous because “many will try to enter (heaven) and will not be able to.” Because this is true, Jesus tells people to “make every effort to enter...”
People should not take heaven for granted; they should rather “strive” for heaven. The word that is translated as “make every effort” (NIV) or “strive” (KJV, NASB) is a word that was usually used to describe the mindset of an athlete in a contest or a soldier in a war. Each, whether soldier our athlete, must lay aside or sacrifice anything that hinders victory. Jesus is saying to us that we must be willing to sacrifice anything and to give anything to enter into heaven. Rather than taking heaven for granted, people should strive to enter into heaven’s door.
This verse can certainly raise some questions and concerns. Some may wonder if Jesus is saying that we should make every effort to be a good person because only those who were good enough will get into heaven. Certainly Jesus is not implying this. The whole Bible, including Jesus’ teaching, make clear that no one can be good enough to deserve heaven and that salvation, i.e. going to heaven, is a free gift of God’s grace. If we could be good enough, Jesus would not have needed to die in our place.
What does this verse mean then? If heaven is a free gift, then what are we striving for? We have to strive to enter heaven because the door is “narrow.” The key to understanding this verse is to understand what is meant by the term “narrow.” The word "narrow" is a Greek word that meant restrictive. While a person cannot earn entrance into heaven, there are restrictions on who will go to heaven. Not everybody who wants to go to heaven will go but only those who come on God’s terms and those terms are narrow (restrictive), which means that many people are excluded.
What are God’s terms? Jesus mentions them in many passages, including earlier parts of Chapter 13. God’s terms for entering heaven are confession, repentance, and a genuine trust and commitment in Jesus alone. That commitment to Jesus will mean things like self–denial (taking up our cross), persecution, and humility. These are God’s terms for entering through heaven’s doors. In a sense, these terms are narrow because they do exclude a lot of people.
Many people want to go to heaven but are unwilling to do these things. Many people think they are going to heaven but they have not admitted they are sinners, turned from an ungodly life, trusted in Jesus alone for salvation and really put Jesus first in their lives. If this describes you, you need to rethink your assumption about going to heaven. You have a false hope! Jesus lovingly warns those with such false hopes that the door to heaven is narrow and that you cannot make it through without doing these things. Many people are offended by these restrictive and humbling terms.
Illustration: Let me read a letter that was published in the Melbourne, Australia papers after a Crusade: "After hearing Dr. Billy Graham on the air, viewing him on television and reading reports and letters concerning him and his mission, I am heartily sick of the type of religion that insists my soul (and everyone else’s) needs saving--whatever that means. I have never felt that I was lost. Nor do I feel that I daily wallow in the mire of sin, although repetitive preaching insists that I do. Give me a practical religion that teaches gentleness and tolerance, that acknowledges no barriers of color or creed, that remembers the aged and teaches children of goodness and not sin. If in order to save my soul I must accept such a philosophy as I have recently heard preached, I prefer to remain forever damned" (MacArthur p.458).
You have the same choice as the writer of this letter. You can choose not to admit you sinful condition. You can choose not to leave your old way of living behind. You can choose not to trust and follow Jesus sincerely. You can make these choices but by doing so you are choosing to be forever damned! The choice is yours. Salvation or heaven is a free gift of God’s love, but you still must “make every effort to enter through the narrow door.”
Illustration: Each year at the various parades in Pt. St. Lucie, candy is thrown out from the floats for anyone to take freely. It doesn’t matter that some of the kids grabbing the candy don’t deserve it, because it is a free, unmerited gift. My girls understand that the candy is free, but they also understand that you can’t just sit and wait for the candy to land in your lap. They have to be willing to put down their sodas – leave them behind, sit on the edge of the hot pavement and act quickly when the free candy is tossed their way. It is the same with the offer of salvation. Heaven is free and unmerited but everyone must be willing to leave behind anything that keeps him or her from receiving this wonderful gift. This means leaving behind your pride, self-sufficiency, old life, and personal autonomy so you can take hold of heaven and eternal life.
The entrance to heaven is narrow. You must come through the one door, which is Jesus. These are God’s terms and his terms are the only ones that count. Being sincere in your belief is not enough. Being a good person is not enough. Being religious is not enough. Such restrictive ideas are considered narrow minded and they are, but keep in mind it is Jesus who said that you must come through the “narrow door.”
At the beginning of this message I asked the question, “Will you go to heaven?” The answer can be “yes” only if you come on God’s terms.
You will go to heaven only if you come on God’s terms and in God’s time.
Read Verse 25-27
In many commercials selling products you will hear the announcer say, “Act now-this is a limited time offer.” That, in essence, is what Jesus is saying to people today. You need to make a decision in your response to Jesus quickly because when that door to heaven is shut, it will not be reopened. There will be no more opportunities. You may knock and plead but it will be to no avail. The door is open now and now is the time to respond. One day that door to heaven will be closed. It may be closed by death. It may be closed by Jesus return. It may be closed by the hardening of your heart. We never know when the last opportunity to insure our entrance to heaven will be. What we do know is that today, May 26, 2002 the door is still open for you. Do not miss your opportunity! Do not procrastinate!
The people who are left “outside” of heaven and longing to be inside are those who have not entered into a personal relationship with Jesus through trust and commitment to him. When Jesus says to those on the outside, “I do not know you or where you come from” he is speaking of relational knowledge, not intellectual knowledge. There are two different ways of knowing someone. For example, in a sense I know President George Bush, but not in the sense that will gain me entrance to a White House banquet. If I were to hit the buzzer at the White House Gate and say “let me in!” I am quite confident that the answer would be “No!” I may claim to know president Bush by making reference to having seen him at a political rally or shaking hands on the street during campaigning but this kind of superficial knowledge is not sufficient to gain me entrance to the White House banquet. The same is true with gaining entrance into heaven. We must truly know Jesus through a personal relationship with him. In verses 26 and 27 the people claim to know Jesus because they ate with him and because he taught in their streets. But this superficial familiarity with Jesus is not enough, which is why Jesus repeats in verse 27, “I do not know you... away from me you evil doers."
Keep in mind that this is only a figurative story to illustrate a spiritual truth. The truth being that just going to church, reading the Bible, being religious and knowing about Jesus will not get you into heaven. You must enter into a personal relationship with him by trust and commitment!
Will you go to heaven? You will go to heaven only if you don’t miss your opportunity to come on God’s terms. If you do reject his terms or wait until it’s too late then the consequences are serious, as verse 28 makes clear.
Read Verses 28-30
"There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth...” for those who miss heaven. There will be an unending sorrow that cannot be described for everyone who misses the glories of Heaven and instead spends eternity in hell. Contrary to popular opinion, hell will not be a big sinful party with all the other sinful people. It will be a place where people are fully aware of what they have lost to and will forever be in despair. Getting into heaven is vital; do not miss your opportunity.
These particular verses were spoken especially to the Jewish people. They were confident that they would be in heaven based on their heritage as descendants of the patriarchs, hence the mention of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jesus says that those who reject him will not be in the kingdom of God no matter the family relationships or the expectations. At the same time many others from many nations i.e. the Gentiles who were not expected to be in heaven will be in heaven. This is who is being referred to in verse 29 where Jesus says, “people will come from the east and west, and north and south to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God."
Verse 30 is a reminder that there will be a lot of surprises in heaven. When we get to heaven we will say like Gomer Pyle would say in the old TV show, “surprise, surprise, surprise.” There will be surprises in heaven because many who were religious and who thought that they would be “first” into heaven will actually be “last”, i.e. excluded. Those that thought of themselves as a sure thing because of their religion, good works, Bible knowledge, or spiritual position might not be there at all. Many who were thought of as “last”, i.e. having no chance of making into heaven, will be first, i.e. they will be in heaven. “There are those who are last who will be first, and first, who will be last.”
Will you be there? Will you go to heaven? Or will you be surprised at being excluded? That depends on the choices you make today!
You will go to heaven only if you come on God’s terms and in God’s time.
Before I close, I want to briefly cover vs. 31-35 because they are related to this section on going to heaven. They are related because they show us Jesus heart regarding judgment and blessing. This passage shows us that Jesus would much rather bless people but that people must make that decision. This passage shows us Jesus heart of love and desire for all people to come under his protection from judgment. These verses also illustrate for us and remind us that there is a price to pay for rejecting his offer of salvation.
In verse 31 Jesus is warned they he is in danger because Herod wants to kill him. Jesus uses this as an opportunity to point out who is in real danger. It is those who reject Him. In this case he is referring to the Jewish people who will experience judgment because they rejected his offer of blessings. In verse 35 he says "your house (land) is left to you desolate” referring to the judgment that was soon to come and result in the destruction of Jerusalem and the loss of many lives. Before speaking of judgment though, Jesus expresses his desire that it not be that way. In verse 34 he says that he wishes to protect the people in the same way as a mother hen would lovingly gather her chicks under her wings and protect them from danger. He willed or desired that to happen but they “were not willing.”
This is a message for people today also. Jesus does not will anyone to miss heaven and suffer hell but you must be willing to receive him by trusting and committing to him.
The last phrase in verse 35, “You will not see me again until you say ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of Lord’ ” refers to a future time near the end, when many of the Jewish people will no longer reject Jesus but receive him. You can learn more about this time of a great revival in Israel on Wednesday nights, as we are about to go into chapters 9-11 of the book of Romans, which deals with this important subject. Discussing and understanding the issue of Israel’s repentance and salvation is secondary to the main issue, which is your own salvation. Will you go to heaven?
You will go to heaven only if you come on God’s terms and in God’s time.
Closing Prayer, Altar Call
