Strive to Enter the Kingdom

There are six days in which work ought to be done.

That's true, that's right, that's good. We just studied the Sabbath on Wednesday night. That is a faithful teaching according to what God gave to Moses. And it's still here, should be practiced, so he's right. Come on those days, he said, and be healed, not on the Sabbath day. Notice here, he's starting to pick on the woman a little bit more intentionally. This woman is just at the synagogue, bent over, not knowing who's going to appear that day. Jesus sees her, calls her over, and initiates the healing. But notice here the accusation he's making, not only is he indignant that Jesus has healed, he seems to have focus here, the woman, don't come on the Sabbath for this. This is not worthy of God's holy day, where work shouldn't be done. And then Jesus as the protector, king, prophet, the one who has all authority and always uses it for good, protects her. and the people with a confrontation of this wrong teaching. Notice verse 15, the Lord answered him. The Lord responds, you hypocrites. All right, it's getting real now. All right, the ruler, he's been a little indirect, but Jesus is direct. You hypocrite, you fake, you phony. Notice how he confronts him. Do not each of you, speaking specifically here of the rulers,

do not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water?

Do not each of you provide the basic life sustenance, a life-giving work for your animals, because it's good and it doesn't break the law? Verse 16, and ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, a woman born into the promise of God, whom Satan bound for 18 years, shouldn't she be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day? The Sabbath is a significant commandment. You can look back, Exodus 31, it's punishable by death if you break it. It was a serious day, and the teachers, though, the Pharisees, the rulers, they needed to make sure they taught the people how important this day was because it was bound up and tied to their own worship of God, and it was punishable by death. The concern is it was so serious, they tended to overprotect it. There seems to be an overreaction in thinking, well, if it's that serious, let's add some traditions to make sure we don't go anywhere near breaking it. Not a bad inclination there. But they missed the whole point over time. The Sabbath is a gift from God for us. A Sabbath is a day of life giving. A Sabbath is a day of rest to promote life and to promote trust in God. In no way does the Lord of the Sabbath, the author of the Sabbath, Jesus, break the Sabbath. He's doing what's right and good on the Sabbath. He's healing, he's giving life. They've missed the point. And he points out their hypocrisy because they're willing to do that little kind of work, that non-Sabbath-breaking work to provide life for their animals, but they look at another human being and they think, well, no, we can't help her. What a confrontation. Notice the response, verse 17.

As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame.

This is the Lukean Gospel. Jesus comes to bring low the proud and to exalt the humble and lowly. If you're going to read Luke, this is what you're constantly looking for. The great physician, Luke, he's not the greatest physician, he's a physician. He's writing constantly to show how Jesus comes to bring low the proud and exalt the lowly. This is what he's just done. The ruler of the synagogue who should have been promoting the kind of life, giving godliness to the people, is judging a woman. He's abusing his authority. Jesus brings those adversaries to shame. Now how much they realize it, we're not clear. It should have been obvious. And then the people all rejoice at the glorious things done. So it begins with the woman being healed and she glorified God, but now because the ruler of the synagogue, he's made it a public spectacle. and all the people now can rejoice in the glorious things done by Jesus. There's some recognition, there's something unique about him, there's something great about him. It all began with Jesus seeing her, healing her. The ruler of the synagogue trying to take a teachable moment, and then Jesus correcting. Now, notice Jesus takes his own opportunity for a teachable moment in verse 18. These two parables are tied to this story. I believe they're more directly tied specifically to the healing of what happened to the woman. There's two parables. They're connected and they're united to the healing, I believe.

He said, therefore, what is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches. And again, he said, to what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened.

All right, so what do these two things have in common? Well, they both start with something small. that then go through a process of either being great and big like the tree or thorough and complete like the leaven bread. I believe here what they really have in common is there's a process. There's a process that a seed goes through to become a tree and a process that leaven goes through to influence and affect the whole dough. How is this like the woman? Do you believe he's declaring the kingdom of God is breaking in right now? The healing Jesus just provided for this woman, overcoming Satan, overcoming a demon, that is a small taste of what is about to come to completion when Christ dies on the cross. The kingdom of God is something that starts small and has a great process that bears great fruit and accomplishes great things. What you'll see here is Jesus is electing the kingdom as something that's going to appear small, start with a promise. And as it develops and grows in the whole kingdom and the whole history of the world, we see it developing and growing great. We can even see how that affects our own lives. Let's go back to the very beginning. Satan trapped Adam and Eve. They were bound in a lie. They refused to believe God was good. They refused God's authority. They believed a lie and they became bound. They became trapped. They really enslaved themselves by refusing God and believing Satan. What's amazing there is once they took the fruit, what was their response? Shame. Shame. So what does God do? He comes looking for them. He comes to find them. He comes and makes a great promise. One day someone will be born who will reverse this entire curse. Someone will come to undo all the sin that you've just introduced into the kingdom that I made you a steward over. A small promise that then develops into numerous promises that then develops into Jesus finally coming and then exercising the very power over Satan God promised would come. Jesus has done for the woman what no one else could do for her. He set her free. Set her free from the power of Satan. Set her free from her sin, her shame, her pain. This is what God promises for us. What he did there for the woman was just a small sample of the great work that he would finally complete on the cross. And then he continues to do by the power of his Holy Spirit. We see this best displayed on the cross because that is where he defeated our enemies, our three main enemies, death, sin, and Satan. Believer, believer, do you believe Jesus sees you? Do you doubt his care in the middle of physical affliction, in the midst of shame? Feeling guilt of sin? Do you question how God would look at you and show compassion, care? We see the constant pattern of who Christ is. He comes to pursue his own. He sees us in our sin. He sees us in our pain. And he responds with calling us to himself, to free us. To loose us, that is the key word that keeps falling through this. He freed the woman from her disability. He freed the woman and loosed the woman from the bond of Satan. Jesus comes to see us so that he can do the work that will free us from the lies that keep us from him. If we look at the next section, strive to enter. Strive to enter. Jesus comes to see and call us to himself. We see a transition and there's a command to strive to enter. Verse 22, he went on his way through towns and villages. He's teaching and journeying towards Jerusalem. It's important to remember here, as we'll think in a moment, Luke 9.51 was a key transition. He turns his face to Jerusalem because that's where he's going to finish his work on earth. He's turning towards Jerusalem and verse 23, someone asked a question. We don't know who this is.

Lord, will those who are saved be few?

Now, this appears to be a pretty good question because Jesus, unlike the times when the disciples asked questions, he almost answers it directly. The disciples are regularly asking such bad questions, he usually answers something altogether different. Here, he actually closely aligns his answer to the question, so it's a pretty good question. What the person's asking, we're not quite sure. Maybe they're asking, is God good enough to save a lot, or is there too many obstacles? We're not quite sure what the question's getting at, but the key there is, are those who will be saved to be few? Will they be only a small number? And Jesus, Said to them, so he's answering the whole crowd.

Strive to enter through the narrow door.

If you're looking for a short memory verse, that's it. Strive. Look at other translations, do your best. Make great effort, diligence, perseverance. With great effort of doing your best, enter through the narrow door. The key there,

for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

Okay, so Jesus' answer about how many will be saved, he says, well, it won't be many because they're not able. You gotta do your best. You gotta do your best. All roads do not lead to heaven. There's one narrow door and one gracious but righteous master who's standing at that door. He's a merciful master and he is the one who will determine if you get to go through that door. Strive to enter. Okay, we gotta wrestle with what it means to enter so we understand what strive means, because those of us who are in the faith alone camp, which is what we profess here at church, what does it mean to strive? Look at verse 25.

When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us. Then he will answer you, I do not know where you come from. Then you'll begin to say, we ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets. But he will say, I tell you, I do not know where you come from.

You notice the repetition there. The concern for those who are gonna come and not be able to enter that narrow door but are knocking, it's, he doesn't know you. The master doesn't know who's knocking on the door. He doesn't know them or where they come from. Where you come from was significant because you're oftentimes identified with your family, your place. Here is it. Are you identified with Adam and his sin, or are you identified with Jesus being born again? Notice their answer the first time. The master says, I do not know where you come from, but we ate and drank in your presence. These people who were in the villages, they would come to God and they would want to knock on that door at the end of their life and say, we heard Jesus. We ate with Jesus. We heard the teaching. It doesn't matter how much you know or what kind of experience you have. Does the Lord know you? That's the key question this morning. Striving to enter, we'll wrestle with what that means. The key there, for those who could enter the narrow door, it's does he know you? Not how much do you know of him or what you could say about him, does he know you? Jesus is scary and is really the tragic figure of the Gospels. He was with Jesus from the beginning of his ministry, a disciple, one of the 12, who was with him constantly, who heard all of his sermons, who saw so many of his miracles. He could tell you so many things about Jesus that were good and accurate and true, but Jesus never knew him. Because what Jesus is doing when he comes, he's teaching us about who we are as sinners. He's teaching us who we are as image bearers. He's teaching us about what he has come to do, and that is to know us, that is to bring us into a right relationship with him, to forgive us of our sin, to wash us clean, to bring us into a right relationship. Oh, Judah's heard so many teachings, but he never repented of his sin, and so he perished. The question this morning, does Jesus know you? Do we simply know a lot about Jesus or does he know us? Have we come to him in faith seeking to be known by God so that we would know God? Jesus knowing us is linked to that best effort. If we're known by God, we're going to make our best effort. We're gonna strive to enter that door. We come to Jesus by faith, by faith alone. And once we see the goodness of God, once we see his invitation to love us and to know us, to call us into that freedom, oh, how do we not put all of our effort into following him and his way? Here's the problem. We think that all the broad ways are gonna somehow lead us into that narrow doorway. No, there's one narrow way. And Jesus is so kind to invite anyone who would believe in him onto that narrow way. But we wanna broaden it. We wanna think somehow we can get away with these particular sins or not really know Jesus right now or not put our effort right now. Where we're putting our effort shows where we really have idols or true worship. If we've seen Jesus, the Son of God, If we've been called into his presence to be free of all those sins, how do we not put forth our best, striving to enter that door? We come to Jesus by faith, by faith alone, and we're saved, and then we're diligent to make every effort to make our calling sure. We're diligent to practice putting on the goodness and godly character Christ has called us to. We make every effort. If the words effort, diligence, and practice concern you as a Christian, I'm paraphrasing 2 Peter chapter 1. We're called to believe. What a gracious invitation. And then we're called to have our whole lives transformed, striving to enter that door. Knowing God and being known by Him. We're saved by grace, we are justified. Yet we're sanctified, salvation wrought, and we long to be glorified, as we just sung. Why is it important that we enter that narrow door? Verse 27,

but I will say to you, I do not know where you come from, depart from me.

If we are not getting that narrow door, there's not another way, there's only two places, there's only two destinies. It's the way into God's presence, and the alternative is terrifying. Look there in verse 28. When you depart, you go to a place, verse 28,

in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

It's a place of agony. It's a place where we're constantly faced with what our sin really is in light of God's goodness, glory, and justice. It is a place where God's judgment comes full into contact with our sin and we experience forever. It's weeping. It's gnashing of teeth. When you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, be yourselves a cast out. It's important there. You'll see those who you claim to believe. Remember, they kept saying, we're children of Abraham. And Jesus said, no, you're children of the devil because you're liars, just like the devil. No, you'll see those who are fathers of the faith, those who I sent in my name to proclaim the faith. You'll see them and see how you rejected them, and you'll have weeping and gnashing of teeth. You'll be cast out. But notice how generous God is in who he invites.

And people will come from east and west and from the north and the south and recline at table in the kingdom of God.

That picture is so helpful in contrast. To believe in Jesus and be invited into that narrow door to feast at the very table of God. To enjoy rest with him forever. Or to suffer for your sins forever. If you're not a believer today, this is the passage for you to wrestle with. When you stand before God, what answer do you think there's going to be? We'll come face to face with a righteous God and see clearly all our sins, and we will be speechless. The only hope we have is that someone would speak for us. That is what Jesus, the Son of God, does. When we come before the Father, who is the righteous judge, the only hope we have is that his Son would come and say, Father, I died for their sins. I took the punishment and the wrath that they deserve. I have washed them clean with my blood. They have believed in me. The invitation you have this morning, if you're not a believer in Jesus, is to believe in Jesus. He's the only one who can forgive you of your sins, because he himself has taken the judgment for your sin. We all deserve the same judgment, except for Jesus. He deserved, because he was a righteous man, because he lived the perfect life, he did not deserve judgment, but he took it upon himself for our sake. Today, confess, I've sinned against you, Father. And I want to believe in your son, Jesus Christ. I want to believe in his death, in the forgiveness he gives me today. Children of the church, you should thank God, and I hope you do thank God that you are familiar with the things of God, that you're regularly hearing on a Sunday morning and in your homes the good things of God. It isn't enough to merely know about the things of God. You must believe so that you are known You must believe and commit your life to knowing who he is so that he would know you. Do not take for granted that you're so familiar with the things of God. Be thankful that you know the things of God and believe in Jesus. The invitation. You can come to know him who stands at that door and doesn't just open the narrow door He invites you to recline at the table to believe and enjoy him forever. Our last section, beginning in verse 31. Confess to be saved.

At that very hour, at that very moment, some Pharisees came and said to him, get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.

Now, this is kind of odd, because typically, the Pharisees are not really working for Jesus. It's not clear what they're up to. because these Pharisees are gonna manipulate things so they get to hand Jesus over to Pontius Pilate and eventually to Herod. Maybe these are some different Pharisees. Maybe these are like Nicodemus, guys, who are somewhat curious and wanting to know more and protect him. It's not quite clear, but Jesus takes the opportunity to give a very challenging teaching. Herod here is Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. The Herod here is the one who beheaded John the Baptist. Notice how Jesus responds, go and tell that fox. Jesus has incredible authority here. Herod is the man who has the most earthly authority in this province. He has an incredible authority over men given to him by God. Jesus in no way is threatened because Jesus is God. Jesus is in no way worried about what Herod wants or what he thinks or what he might do. Notice he explains what's gonna happen.

Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow.

Now, that might go back to chapter nine Herod had heard of the things Jesus had done and voiced some kind of interest in meeting him or it could be foreshadowing in Luke 23 when Jesus actually comes into Herod's presence and he wants him to do some tricks. Herod wants to be entertained and Jesus refuses. So Herod mocks him and sends him back to Pontius Pilate. To our purpose, we see here that Jesus is completely trusting in the power of his Father's plan and his commission. Today and tomorrow, I've performed these miracles. I've done all these things that are good. I've healed the sick. I've cast out demons. The third day, I finish my course. Now we might be tempted to think the third day, that's the resurrection. I don't think so. I don't think there's three literal days going on here. I believe what he's saying is today and tomorrow, I'm going to go about the continued ministry of teaching and healing. That's what he's been doing. But he will finish his course. He will complete the task. One of the great moments on the cross is when Jesus says, it is finished. and the temple curtain is torn in two. It is finished. He has given his life for our sin. He has died in our place. He will finish the course. Notice the confidence here in the plan of God and his power to execute it. 33, go and tell that fox, verse 32, I'll finish my course. Then 33,

nevertheless, I must go my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.

That last bit's a little startling. Jerusalem is the capital city in Judah for the nation of Israel. When we come to 2 Samuel 7, we see this great climax of God's plan. God's people are in God's place, and now there's God's king in Jerusalem, the holy city. It's likened to Zion. Jerusalem is a place where God's reign is supposed to go out from the king, through the prophets and the priests. It's where they would come to make sacrifices, because Jerusalem is where the temple is. Jerusalem is supposed to be the center of all of God's goodness flowing out to his people. What in the world does 33 mean? It cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem. He has a dialogue as to what he's supposed to say to Herod and he explains more. Notice there's a grief, a lament.

Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. The city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it.

This is a judgment. God has established Jerusalem to be the place where his blessings are supposed to flow out and the people are supposed to come and meet God and have worship. But Jerusalem is the place that's murdered the prophets. The place where God has set up for man at this time to know him. They've murdered those who've come in the name of the Lord. The people of God have rejected God. Notice the lament he has. You've killed the prophets. You've completely rejected the good purpose God has given you. Then he says,

how often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings? And you are not willing.

We see the character of our God so clearly in these passages. He set up Jerusalem to be a good place. They've rejected him, they've rebelled against him. He will bring a judgment because they've killed his prophets, they've refused his word. But then notice, I would have gathered you. I would have brought you in. I would have consoled you. I would have cared for you if only you were willing. We see here the wonderful truths of God. He's perfectly righteous and true. He's incredibly merciful and gracious. He cannot forgive without repentance. The fact that Jerusalem has completely rebelled against him, killing the prophets, And yet he sends out this lament with hope. A lament always has hope, but he's lamenting the city who is supposed to be the center of where man meets God. If only you were willing, I would have gathered you. I would have cared for you. We see here the perfect mercy and righteousness of God. Verse 35,

behold, your house is forsaken. I tell you, you will not see me until you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of The Lord.

What a final word. We see how Israel, because they refused the Messiah, promised to them. They refused the Messiah who was born in their own lineage. That house, that dynasty. There's a forsakenness. It's not because God's promise is failed, it's because the people refused him. Notice how it ends, though, with still an invitation. It ends with an invitation. You will not see me until you say. The invitation is you can still say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Instead of rejecting the prophets and killing them, receive them. What a blessing it is to have the word of God come proclaimed. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, proclaiming all the goodness. It's confusing as we trace the history of Israel, because there are seasons where they did receive God, but many more where they denied him. Even when it's going to come before in just a few weeks for Jesus, they're going to receive him with great declaration. Hosanna, the son of David, blessed is he who comes. Hosanna in the triumphal entry. But then just a few days later, Well, we get stirred up to proclaim, crucify, crucify. We can look back and judge Israel. Oh, but the church, we're supposed to be the place where God is meeting with people. And that only happens if we receive the word of God and we trust it and we believe it and we obey it. We can look through the history of the church. We can look at the history of this church. We can look at this past week. Have we been faithful? Rejoicing in the Word of God. Trusting the Word of God. Declaring, blessed is he who comes in the Lord, primarily is the very Lord who came, Jesus. And then all those who come and proclaim him. Are we eager to hear God and his prophets? Three significant questions for us. Do we trust the God who sees us? Do we say focus in and know that even in the midst of despair, in the midst of physical struggles, no matter what our difficulty is, do we trust God shines his face upon us? He sees us with care and love. Secondly, does God know us? Does God know us? Have we truly entered into His narrow way so that one day we would be able to enter into that narrow door because we have believed in Him and sought to know Him so that He knows us? Thirdly, do we receive His truth? The truth is difficult because truth is we are unable to enter that narrow door. We're that twisted and sinful. That's the difficult part. The beauty of the gospel, the reason it's blessed is he comes in the name of the Lord. He comes to forgive us of that sin. He comes to wash us of that sin. He comes to make sure we get in only in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Will you pray with me? Father, we thank you that you have seen and know better than we know how we are unable to enter into your way, enter into your presence, clean ourselves up. And we thank you that you have sent your son to do all the work we need. Lord, how he completed it by dying for us, by washing us, by setting us apart to be a people holy to you. Lord, forgive us for the ways we have not strived to remain focused, faithful, on your way. I pray we would know how to better stir one another up as your people, as your church, to not only encourage me in a way, to build one another up, to lead others on your way. Lord, help us to trust you in your word, that you are always good, that your word is not burdensome, that we can trust you, we can obey you for your good. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Let's stand and sing our song of response. I ask the Lord that I might grow.