Strive to Enter Through the Narrow Door

In one paragraph

Someone who was at First B this week heard the pastor work through a passage he had accidentally skipped the week before, Luke 13:22-35. The question a stranger put to Jesus, "are there just a few who are being saved?", became the thread running through the whole morning. The message held tension between a door that is genuinely narrow and a door that is genuinely open to everyone. The passage...

Read together

1. Psalm 62 opening verse read before worship: 'let all that I am wait quietly before the Lord, for my hope is in him'
2. Luke 13:22-35 the main passage for the sermon, covering the narrow door, the lament over Jerusalem, and the shutting of the door
3. John 10 cited as a harmony reference to place Jesus in the region beyond the Jordan where John first baptized
4. Psalm 34 congregation sang 'taste and see that the Lord is good' as an offering song
5. 1 Corinthians 13 the passage about seeing in a mirror dimly, knowing in part, and faith hope and love remaining
6. Luke 16:19-31 the story of the rich man and Lazarus, used to illustrate conscious separation from Abraham after death
7. Luke 2 Mary's song cited as an example of the great reversal theme in Luke
8. Luke 6 the beatitudes and woes cited as further examples of the great reversal in Luke
9. Colossians 1:29 Epaphras striving earnestly in prayer, used to illustrate the word agonizomai
10. 1 Timothy 4:10 we labor and strive because our hope is set on the living God, savior of all mankind
11. 1 Timothy 6:12 Timothy told to fight the good fight and take hold of eternal life
12. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 Paul says he has fought the good fight, finished the course, kept the faith, and a crown is reserved for him
13. John 18:36 Jesus says his kingdom is not of this world or his servants would be fighting to prevent his arrest
14. Isaiah 30:15 in repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you were not willing
15. Psalm 118 the festival psalm Jesus alluded to, including 'blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord,' the stone the builders rejected, and 'this is the day the Lord has made'

Talk about it

1. Pastor Nathan mentioned that God saved Israel first and then gave the law, rather than requiring obedience before rescue. How does that sequence shape the way you think about what it means to strive toward the narrow door?
2. Jesus answered the question 'are there just a few who are being saved?' with a command rather than a number. Why do you think He responded that way, and what does that tell us about what He wanted the person asking to walk away with?
3. The sermon pointed to people who said 'we ate and drank in your presence, you taught in our streets' and were still told 'I don't know where you are from.' What is the difference between being around Jesus and actually knowing Him, and how do you tell that difference in your own life?
4. Pastor Nathan read from Luke 16 about the rich man and Lazarus, where Abraham says a great chasm has been fixed between them. Abraham also says the brothers already have Moses and the prophets. What does that say about how seriously God takes the message He has already given us?
5. John the Baptist performed no miracles, yet many believed in Jesus because of his faithful witness. Where do you feel pressure to have something spectacular to offer before you will share your faith, and what does John's example say to that pressure?