Rev. David Holwick I
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
March 22, 2009
Luke 13:23-30
IS HEAVEN WIDE OPEN?
I. HEAVEN IS GREAT! BUT WHO GETS THERE?
A. Glenn Gunderson's heaven series for our revival weekend.
1) His original series back home included a message on hell.
2) He didn't have enough time here to give it.
3) Many would say, so much the better.
a) Heaven is interesting, soothing.
b) Hell is a bummer.
1> It also doesn't get much attention any more.
2> It is no longer a motivation to change your life.
B. After all, everyone goes to heaven.
1) Recent Pew survey of religious attitudes in America.
a) Got a lot of attention - most people said they believe
there are many paths to heaven.
b) The first form of the survey was ambiguous.
1> Did people respond about other denominations, or
completely different religions?
A> It's one thing for a Baptist to say a Methodist
might go to heaven, another to say the
Muslims get in, too.
2> The second survey confirmed that most Christians in
America indeed think other religions are a path
to heaven.
2) This is a gracious attitude.
One very plausible explanation is that Americans just
want good things to come to good people, regardless
of their religion.
Alan Segal, a professor of religion at Barnard College,
says:
"We are a multicultural society, and people expect this
American life to continue the same way in heaven."
He explains that in our society, we meet so many good
people of different faiths that it's hard for us to
imagine God letting them go to hell.
In fact, in the most recent survey, Pew asked people
what they thought determined whether a person would
achieve eternal life.
Nearly as many Christians said you could achieve
eternal life by just being a good person as said
that you had to believe in Jesus.
As a matter of fact, half of those who said they were
Christians believed that atheists could go to heaven.
As one commentator noted, they would probably be kicking
and screaming!
#35029
II. JESUS WAS NOT AS GRACIOUS AS MOST AMERICANS.
A. He is questioned by someone who must have been a Baptist.
1) Negative slant - question assumes only a few are saved.
a) Perhaps he gathered the idea from Jesus' teaching.
1> Jews tended to be more optimistic about salvation.
2> One of their religious texts, Sanhedrin 10:1,
says, "all Israelites have a share in the world
to come."
A> Pagans will all go to hell, but not God's people.
b) Perhaps the man expected an optimistic answer.
1> This was an opportunity for Jesus to say, "Not at
all, tons of people get in."
2> But Jesus doesn't give an generous answer.
2) Actually, Jesus doesn't give a direct answer at all.
a) He doesn't speculate on something his heavenly Father
is in charge of.
b) Instead he addresses the personal dimension of the
issue - each person is responsible for their
response to God.
B. Jesus' answer is a series of warnings.
1) He talks about narrow doors.
2) He talks about closed doors.
3) He says you should try to get in - while you can.
III. HOW CAN PEOPLE GET INTO HEAVEN?
A. Some focus on good works.
1) Jesus himself says we should "make every effort." 13:24
a) Does this mean you can work your way in?
b) In verse 27, the rejects are described as "evildoers."
2) Roman Catholics emphasize personal good deeds for salvation.
a) They believe in Jesus' death on the cross, but to this
they must add their own good actions.
b) In the recent Pew survey of American religious
attitudes, 61% of Catholics "explicitly cite actions
or works as integral to attaining eternal life."
#35226
B. Evangelicals (at least most of them) still emphasize faith.
1) In the Pew survey, 64% of evangelicals say belief
is the key to going to heaven.
2) Notice that in this passage, the people are rejected
because Jesus does not know them.
a) They only associated with him - verse 26.
b) That's like considering yourself a church member
because you walk by it every day.
3) When Jesus calls them "evildoers," he is literally
calling them "unrighteous."
a) The emphasis is more on their character than
their deeds.
b) Our deeds certainly reveal the sincerity of our
faith, but they are not the same thing as faith.
1> Instead of our ticket, they are a barometer.
2> Our actions reveal the genuineness of what we
say we believe.
C. A genuine relationship with Jesus is the ticket to heaven.
1) Jesus Plus Nothing.
a) Our justification - our initial acceptance by God -
is a gift from Jesus to us.
b) We cannot contribute anything to it.
2) Jesus is the only way because this is what he taught.
Alexandra Flynn of Fremont, Nebraska, was looking forward
to the homecoming dance.
She left home in high spirits, but she forgot to take her
high school ID with her.
When the man at the door wouldn't let her in without her
ID, she went home to get it.
She couldn't find it, so she took her mom with her back to
the dance to identify her.
No good.
The daughter was refused admission without the ID.
Alex had the tickets in her hand, but still was not
admitted.
Even though Alexandra Flynn of Freemont High is the student
body president, plays cello in the All-State orchestra,
is on the Honor Roll, and is the school's number one
cheerleader, she was still not admitted.
Did I mention she was Homecoming Queen that year?
Even so, she never got in.
In a similar way, getting into heaven isn't a matter of our
good deeds and accomplishments.
Without Jesus Christ, we have no ID to get into heaven.
#35527
IV. WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION.
A. Believe.
1) Belief is when we say we accept what Jesus says about
himself and his father.
2) It doesn't mean we have no questions or doubts.
3) It means we trust him to carry out his plan for our lives.
B. Repent.
1) Earlier in Luke 13, Jesus' focus is on our willingness
to repent. 13:3,5
a) By responding correctly to God, we can make sure
we are one of the "few."
2) Turn from your past.
a) There must be a repudiation of your former lifestyle.
b) Anything that displeases God must go.
3) Turn toward God.
a) Turning away is not enough - we must torn TOWARD.
b) Do you desire the things of the Spirit?
C. Live with confidence in your Savior.
1) Can you know it for sure?
a) Yes, with an element of reasonable doubt.
b) Human certainty can be misplaced - after all, those
Jesus rebuked thought they had a ticket in.
2) Salvation is too important to presume upon.
a) In 1 Corinthians 9:27 Paul says he is motivated to work
hard for God so he "will not be disqualified for the
prize."
b) If you consider heaven to be worthwhile, you should do
no less.
V. HEAVEN MAY BE CLOSER THAN YOU THINK.
92-year-old Pauline Jacobi had just finished loading her
groceries into her car at a local Wal-Mart in Dyer County,
Tennessee.
She got in her car, and a moment later, a man climbed into the
passenger side.
He said he had a gun and that he would shoot her if she did not
hand over her money.
What she did next did not involve pepper-spray or martial arts,
but it did save her life and may have saved his.
Pauline calmly refused her would-be robber three times.
Then she said, "You know, as quick as you kill me, I'll go to
heaven and you'll go to hell."
Then she told him that he needed to ask God for forgiveness.
"Jesus is in this car," she said, "and He goes with me
everywhere I go."
Jacobi said that the man looked around, and then tears began
to come to his eyes.
For 10 more minutes, Jacobi shared her faith with the man.
Finally, he said, "I think I will go home tonight and pray."
But Jacobi told him that he did not need to wait to pray; he
could pray now.
Then Jacobi, voluntarily, offered the man all the money she
had on her, 10 bucks, on one condition - that he not spend
the money on whiskey.
After that, the man kissed her on the cheek, got out of the
car, and walked away.
How would you react in such a crisis?
This old woman did not use her faith to save her skin.
She had the kind of faith that was so close to the surface,
she could not help but respond from it.
Her boldness could have very well led to her death.
As a matter of fact, she did what police tell you NOT to do.
But the beauty of it was that even if it had resulted in her
death, she knew her Maker and had a secure future hope.
Is your faith so close to you that in the time of ultimate
testing, it rises to the surface that quickly?
Are you so certain of Jesus, that you would not be afraid
to die right now?
#31510
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
#31510 "The Gospel At Gunpoint: The Power Of Faith," by Mark Earley,
BreakPoint Commentary, April 14, 2008.
#35029 "Heaven For The Godless?" by Charles M. Blow, Op-ed Columnist,
New York Times; <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/opinion/~
27blow.html>, December 26, 2008.
#35226 "Is Heaven’s Gate Wide Or Narrow?," by Cathy Lynn Grossman,
USA Today; <http://content.usatoday.com/communities/religion/~
post/2008/12/60156372/1?loc=interstitialskip>,
December 18, 2008.
#35527 "Not Even The Queen Gets In," contributed By David Ward,
www.sermoncentral.com newsletter, December 15, 2008.
These and 30,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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