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Try
to Enter through the Narrow Door
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[Luke 13:24]
Make
every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many,
I
tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.
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3
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Jesus
was going to Jerusalem. On the way there, Jesus preached the word of God as
he
passed through various cities and villages.
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Someone
who followed Jesus asked Jesus.
"Lord!
Are there few people who can be saved?¡±
The
man asked Jesus because he was curious about the number of people to be
saved.
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At
that time, the Jews thought that only themselves were saved.
They
lived with pride that they were the only people specially chosen by God.
Because
they were Abraham's descendants, they thought they were the only people who
could
be saved.
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6
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But
to that person's question, Jesus gave an unexpected answer.
¡°Try
to get in through the narrow door.
Many
people try to get in there, but they won't be able to.¡±
Jesus
told him that only those who do their best to enter through the narrow door
will be saved.
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7
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He
said that the narrow door is not always open.
The
narrow door has a fixed time to open.
When
the appointed time comes, the owner closes the door.
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8
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Some
people arrive at the door late after the owner closes.
They
knock on the door and say. ¡°Master, please open the door to us.¡±
They
kept knocking on the door, pretending to be people who knew their owners
well.
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But
the owner of the house replied to them this way.
¡°I
don't know where the hell you are from.¡±
The
owner of the house did not allow them to enter through the narrow door.
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They
kept talking to the owner. ¡°Master, we ate with you.
And
the Lord also taught us on the road.¡±
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These
people were also people who ate with Jesus.
They
are also those who participated and heard the Word when Jesus taught.
They
made such an acquaintance and asked them to open the door.
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But
the owner tells them.
¡°I
say again. I don't know where you are from.
You
who do evil, go away.¡±
Eventually
they were not allowed to enter through the narrow door.
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13
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After
saying this, Jesus said of what the day would look like:
¡°Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets are in the kingdom of God.
Jesus
clearly said that heaven is not a place to enter naturally just because
he
is a descendant of Abraham.
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14
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Jesus
told them the greater mystery of heaven.
¡°People
will come from all directions from east, west, north and south to sit at a
banquet in the kingdom of God. There are those who come first and those who
come first will be the last.¡±
Jesus
declared that even the descendants of Abraham, who think that they were
chosen first,
could
not enter the kingdom of God, and that among the Gentiles,
there
would be people who would enter the kingdom of God.
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There
is no way to go to the feast of the kingdom of God without going through the
narrow door.
That
door can only be passed by faith in Jesus. The moment we accept that Jesus is
the Messiah,
we
can go through the narrow door.
We
can go to the banquet of the kingdom of God through the narrow door that
Jesus allowed.
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But
this narrow door is not always open.
When
the time set by God comes, this door closes and no one can enter.
If
you still do not believe in Jesus as your Savior, you should have confidence
by praying to God
to
allow you to accept Jesus as the Messiah before it is too late.
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When
Jesus came to this earth, salvation was proclaimed to everyone in the world.
Those
who accept Jesus as Savior come to salvation through the narrow door opened
by Jesus. Although we were originally Gentiles, we also gained eternal life
through faith in Jesus.
We
are able to participate in the feast of the kingdom of God on the last day of
Jesus' coming
to
earth. You should be a person who is grateful for the grace that has been
saved every day
and
works diligently according to the Word of God.
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(This
is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the
conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)
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