Asking the Real Question

The Lord says, "The time is coming for me to gather people from all nations and all languages. They will come, and they will see my glory" (Isaiah 66:18). Amen.

You've heard that there's no such thing as dumb questions. Except, you and I have been asked plenty of dumb questions over the years. We want people to ask us questions, but they're not always the right questions, appropriate questions, or well-worded questions.

When I was at the Seminary, I'm sure my classmates and I asked plenty of silly, inappropriate, or poorly worded questions. One of our professors at the Seminary, Professor Panning, was always able to take our dumb questions, twist and turn and turn them, so that with his answer it sounded like we had asked very intelligent questions.

As Jesus is making his way to Jerusalem for his Passion, he passes through Judean towns and villages (Luke 13:22). Someone asked Jesus, "Lord, are only a few going to be saved" (Luke 13:23)? Jesus is even more skilled than Professor Panning. He responds to the question that should have been asked. With his answer, Jesus is urging people not to speculate on how many people will be saved, but instead to strive to be among the people who will be in heaven. The better question to ask is, "Am I going to be saved?" Followed by, "Will my loved ones be saved?"

"Lord, are only a few going to be saved?" That's a nice abstract question, isn't it? Let's ask the religious teacher a question about religion. But in a hypothetical way. Not too personal. Talk about people out there. Keep the discussion at arm's length.

But Jesus is never content to do just that. He makes his answer personal. Not at arm's length. But he hits at the heart. He wants to be in your heart. Jesus answers the question that should have been asked. "Strive to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able" (Luke 13:24).

Jesus describes salvation in terms of doors. Specifically, narrow and wide doors. He says, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door." "Make every effort" is really one word in the Greek. It is the word "agonizomai." You can hear our English word, "agonize" in there. "Agonizomai" means to strive, to struggle, to exert enormous effort like in an Olympic wrestling match. Wrestlers will "agonizomai" to win the contest and prevail in the end. That's how the word is used here when Jesus says, "Agonize to enter through the narrow door."

This agonizing doesn't come from worrying about our salvation - if we are really on the guest list or not. This agonizing doesn't come from working hard for our salvation by limiting our sins and doing plenty of good works. This agonizing doesn't come from being part of the right faith heritage - Abraham's, Luther's, or otherwise.

Rather, salvation is already yours. You are already on the guest list. The narrow door to heaven is already open to you. So where does the agonizing come in?

Right here. Right now. In this lifetime.

You know this agony. You feel this agony. There are three behemoth wrestlers on the other side of the mat ready to tag-team against little old you.

You strive to come to church, but your sinful flesh wants you to work hard during the week, party harder during the weekend, and rest on Sunday morning. It feels like agony to get out of bed and sit in the sanctuary for an hour.

You make every effort to live the Christian life at work and at home, but you are so tired, your kids are so aggravating, and your boss is so irritating. You know what temptations are alluring; which lust is addicting; which sin is habit-forming. It is hard to bite your tongue, to overcome temptation, to live the Christian life. It feels like agony as the devil turns his onslaught against you.

Flesh, then the world, then the devil - each tagging in, one right after the other. Each taking a turn to see if they can defeat you and pin you to the mat. All these forces are trying to keep you from entering through the narrow door.

So, you see what we're up against. It is indeed an effort - an agonizing struggle - to live as a Christian and to keep the faith. It's like St. Paul explains: "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). Being a Christian is not easy. It calls for a continuous effort. That's why Jesus says here, "Strive - make every effort - to enter through the narrow door."

What does Jesus mean by "the narrow door"? The door into heaven is "narrow" because there is only one way into heaven, not many ways. Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Apart from trusting in Jesus as your Savior, you will not be saved. Jesus taught, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:16). St. Peter proclaimed, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12.)

But the door to heaven is also wide open to all people because Jesus paid for the sins of all people. The Lord spoke through Isaiah, "The time is coming for me to gather people from all nations and all languages. They will come, and they will see my glory" (Isaiah 66:18). St. John wrote, "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the whole world." (1 John 2:2) Because of his sacrifice, God has declared all people "not guilty" in his courtroom. St. Paul writes, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24).

The door is narrow. That doesn't mean that you have to squeeze to fit in. It means that there is only one way to enter. But the door is wide open for you. Jesus has opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Trust in him - only him - and you will be saved.

That's why Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. There on a scarred hill outside Jerusalem, Jesus' arms were extended far and wide upon the cross. Those divinely human arms bore the full weight of the world's sins upon them. Those perfectly scourged arms opened wide the doorway to heaven so that all who believe in him might be saved. Those crucified and resurrected arms are waiting in heaven to embrace you into his heavenly kingdom. The door is open. Enter in.

Yes, it's agonizing to struggle and strive and wrestle against the unholy trinity. It's hard work keeping the faith, sharing the faith, spreading the faith. But Jesus already did the ultimate agonizing work for your salvation. He agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane, telling his disciples, "My soul is overwhelmed to the point of death." Then he agonized as he prayed to heaven, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup [of agony] be taken from me" (Matthew 26:38-39). The next morning, Jesus struggled under the weight of the cross and needed Simon of Cyrene to carry it to Golgotha's hill (Luke 23:26). The next afternoon, Jesus cried out from the cross in agony with a timely question, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me" (Matthew 26:46)?

Jesus struggled, and strove, and agonized to open the door of salvation to all who believe in him as their crucified and resurrected Savior.

Only those who trust in Jesus for salvation receive the benefit of his sacrifice. Those who do not enter into glory cannot blame God. The fault will be entirely their own.

There will be people who are surprised they didn't make it into heaven. There will also be those who are surprised they made it into heaven. "Once the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open for us!' He will tell you in reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' And he will say, 'I don't know where you come from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.' There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown outside" (Luke 13:25-28).

Jesus warns that those who had only an outward attachment to him - but do not have faith in him - are left without forgiveness. So, they are left without salvation.

We need to make your relationship with Jesus personal. So, here's a good question. Do you only have an arms-length connection to Jesus? You call yourself a Christian, but you don't make Christ your number one priority. You claim to be a member of the church, but you infrequently walk through the church doors. You assert faith in Christ, but you take the easy way out whenever your faith in Christ is challenged. God desires for you to enjoy his fellowship meal with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the rest of his saints, but you aren't hungry.

You aren't striving. You aren't repenting. You aren't struggling, wrestling, and agonizing.

Here's another good question. What does your life look like with Jesus close to your heart and in your heart? Because Jesus made you his priority, you make Jesus a priority in your prayers and praises, in your words and actions, in your decisions and calendars. Because Jesus invites you to walk through the narrow door to his salvation, you faithfully walk through the doors of your church for worship, Bible study, and fellowship. Because Jesus agonized upon the cross as he was striving to win your salvation, you agonize as you carry your cross in Jesus' name, striving to struggle against the unholy trinity of Satan, the world, and your sinful flesh. Because Jesus invites you to his banquet feast in heaven with the patriarchs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, you come often to enjoy the banquet feast of salvation in the Lords' Supper.

I don't know how you feel about President Trump. I don't really care. But I do want you to care about his eternal soul. This week President Trump said on Fox News, "If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed … I want to try to get to heaven if possible. I hear I'm not doing well. I hear I'm really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons."

What do you think about his statement? He's humble. He says he's at the bottom of the totem pole. He recognizes he lost. He recognizes he's last. He's striving to enter the narrow door. But President Trump is typical of many American Christians. They think they can work their way into heaven. They believe God will take their good lives to balance out their bad sins.

How do we respond to our president and other people we know who are asking the wrong questions about how they're saved? Because they're asking the wrong questions, they're coming to the wrong conclusions.

We need to be like Jesus and have good answers. We say, "That's not how it works. Give me or my pastor a call."

"All you have to do is believe in Jesus as your Savior."

"We do good works not to get into heaven through ourselves, but to show we're going to heaven through Jesus."

We quote St. Paul, "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8).

The real question we need to be asking is, "Am I going to be saved?" Followed by, "Will my loved ones, my Casper neighbors, even my president be saved?"

The answer to those questions is, "If you aren't striving to enter the narrow door through faith in Jesus, then Jesus will say to you, 'Depart from me.' If you are striving to enter the narrow door through faith in Jesus alone, then Jesus will say to you, 'Come and recline at my table in the kingdom of God.'" Amen.

They will bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. They will bring them on horses and chariots and wagons and mules and dromedaries to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord (Isaiah 66:20). Amen.