The Narrow Door (Pt.2)

One of the best ways to learn what a scripture means is to let scripture interpret scripture. In John 10:1-9, Jesus clearly defines what/or in this case who the door is that leads to the Kingdom of God:

 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

Again, Jesus declares in John 14:6- “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. I am not sure why nearly 60% of Christians believe that there is more than one way to heaven. When, Jesus clearly taught that access to God was through Him alone. 

Perhaps, only few find it, because they fail to recognize that Christ alone is our only hope of salvation. Jesus calls those who try access the Kingdom of God, some other way, thieves and robbers. The door is narrow (not in size) but in scope. Jesus is the only door. There is only one way to enter and that is through Christ. 

We pride ourselves in this country as being inclusive, that is why the exclusiveness of salvation through Christ is so hard for us to embrace sometimes. We can’t fathom the idea of people we know and love spending eternity in hell, so we try and convince ourselves that perhaps God is more inclusive than He says He is. Or perhaps, He makes exceptions for good people or people who are truly genuine about their faith, although they reject Jesus as their savior. We do this because we cannot reconcile in our hearts and minds people’s choosing to reject Christ, knowing that the alternative is hell. 

The reason the door is narrow is because only one man laid down his life, took the penalty of our sin upon himself, taking our place on the cross. There is no accommodations for those who reject Jesus in the Kingdom of God. We do our friends and family an injustice when we even allude that there is possibly another way to heaven, apart from Jesus. 

“There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”-Acts 4:12 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

The Narrow Door (Pt.1)

(Part 1)

“13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”-Matthew 7:13-14

I am a huge fan of the Sermon on the Mount. This collection of mini-sermons by Jesus, also known as the Beatitudes, are all amazing and life-changing. However, one of them is designed to settle a question that is still imposing itself on the minds of men still today. 

Is there more than one way to get to heaven? 

Surprisingly, nearly sixty percent of evangelical Christians have grown to believe that there is. Listen to this statement taken from a Time Magazine article from 2008 entitled: No one Path to Salvation:

“The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life last year surveyed 35,000 Americans, and found that 70% of respondents agreed with the statement "Many religions can lead to eternal life." Even more remarkable was the fact that 57% of Evangelical Christians were willing to accept that theirs might not be the only path to salvation, since most Christians historically have embraced the words of Jesus, in the Gospel of John, that "no one comes to the Father except through me.”

However, Jesus could not have made himself any clearer here in Matthew 7:13-14. 

First, Jesus affirmed the existence of two eternal destinations: heaven and hell. Everyone reading this column is going to end up in one of those two places.

Second, He affirmed that each of us choose the road we wish to travel. God doesn’t assign anyone to heaven or to hell. We each choose which path we will take. 

Lastly, Jesus describes each of these paths for us: The one that leads to the Kingdom of God has a narrow gate, is difficult to travel, and few find it. The one that leads to hell has a wide gate, a broad road, and is chosen by many. 

Let’s talk about the narrow gate. Jesus, while teaching another large crowd of people, doubled down on this point:

22 Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He replied, 24 “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.”-Luke 13:22-24

What is this narrow door that Jesus is talking about and why will only a few enter it? 

Scott Burr 

Dayspring Community Church 

Soil Searching (Pt 3)

Part 3

“Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful”-Mark 4:18-19

 

Other seed was sown and fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so they did not bear grain. This soil is reflective of those who receive the word, but receive it into a field where they have allowed other things to be planted. Things like the worries of life, deceitfulness of wealth and the desire for other things. Soon these take root alongside of God’s Word. Each of these dilute and distract us from the harvest God intends for us to reap as the Word gets over taken by the weeds.  

 

I am reminded of a parable that Jesus told about wheat and tares. A farmer planted seed and when it began to spring up there were tares found among the wheat. The servants asked, “Didn’t you plant good seed” He said, yes, this is the work of my enemy.” They enemy had sown bad seed among the good seed. 

 

You better be careful who you allow to sow in your field. God sows good seed. Everything else is a tare. Why is bad seed called a tare, because it will ‘tare’ your life apart. It will literally choke out the good seed sown in your life. According to the passage, you will grow but you will be unfruitful. Meaning that you may grow, but you won’t mature. The harvest God had housed in that seed for you will be choked out and you won’t experience the full harvest stored in that seed. There is, however, one other kind of soil:

 

 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop – some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.’”-Mark 4:20

 

Jesus makes it clear, how we ought to receive God’s word each time we are exposed to it. Hear it. Receive it. Apply it. The harvest will vary, some 30, 60, 100 fold. It doesn’t appear that we have control over the amount of harvest, just whether or not we will have one. It doesn’t say anything about what steps need to be taken to get a 30 or a 60 or 100; instead it focuses on what type of soil will rob you of the potential harvest found in every seed; even today.

 

There is a harvest in the word that you are receiving today! Some will reap a harvest from it, some will not. Some of you need to plow up  some fallowed ground. You’ve been hurt and walked on. Your heart is hard toward God and His word. You need to plow up it up. You need to repent and turn back to God. He will take that heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. A heart that can receive His word. 

 

Others need to let the word of God take root in your life. You receive it with joy, but you don’t let it take root. Your field is shallow because God’s Word isn’t the authority in your life. When trouble comes you abandon the word. 

 

Still others, need to do stop letting the enemy sow seed in your field. Seeds of worry, hunger for wealth, and the desire for other things. It’s choking out your harvest. 

 

If you are only picking up your Bible on Sunday or barely touching it during the week; your heart has either become hard, your soil is shallow or you’re allowing the cares of this life to choke the word out. 

Each day that we brush aside the word of God, we are brushing off the harvest He has in store for us. 

 

It’s time to do some soil searching today! 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church