Are Just a Few Being Saved?, Part 2

Bow with me in a moment of prayer. Father, we thank you for tonight, a chance to be in your word and to study you in all that you are. I pray, Father, that you would open our hearts and minds to the things that you have said, that truly, Father, we would be the people who are like the Bereans who study the scriptures diligently, that we might know that what we hear is true because it truly comes from the scriptures. Bless our time together tonight, we pray in Jesus' name, Amen. The Bible in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 says these words, verse 19, do not quench the spirit, do not despise prophetic utterances, but examine everything carefully.

Hold fast to that which is good and abstain from every form of evil. Paul was concerned that as Christians, we be discerning because there are so many people who are not discerning. To do that, you must examine everything. Paul says, do not despise prophetic utterances. In other words, when someone gives forth the word of God, don't look down upon it. Instead, examine it carefully, analyze it, test it to see whether or not it's true. Hold fast, cling, embrace that which is good and shun, abstain all that which is evil.

The context of that verse is around what you hear someone teach or preach. It's imperative that the church be discerning. It's imperative that the church understand what is good, what is right, what is pure, what is true versus that which is wrong and that which is evil. If it's true, you embrace it, hold on to it, cling to it. If it's, if it's evil, run away, shun it, abstain from it. I share that with you simply because in 2002, there was a book that was written and released. It's coming up on the 10th anniversary of that book, and I'm sure there'll be many things said about that upon its 10th anniversary.

It's a book that you probably know very, very well. It was embraced by many evangelical leaders in our country. Embraced, distributed among many, many churches, used in many churches for people to understand more truly of what God had called them to do. It's a book written by a man by the name of Rick Warren, and the book is The Purpose Driven Life. In that book, he describes for us the gospel. And I'm going to read to you what he says about the gospel. He says these words, you want to be saved first.

Believe God loves you and made you for his purposes. Believe you are not an accident. Believe you were made to last forever. Believe God has chosen you to have a relationship with Jesus who died on the cross for you. Believe that no matter what you've done, God wants to forgive you. Second, receive.

Receive Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior. Receive his forgiveness for your sins. Receive his Spirit who will give you the power to fulfill your life purpose. The Bible says, whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything life complete and forever, John 3 36.

Wherever you are reading this, I invite you to bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity. Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you. Go ahead, he says. If you sincerely meant that prayer, congratulations. Welcome to the family of God. You are now ready to discover and start living God's purpose for your life. Really? Every Mormon I know believes that. Every Jehovah's Witness I know believes what I just read. What do you do with that? Are the people who believe and receive, are they saved?

Are they in the kingdom of God? What's missing are the elements that Christ speaks of in Luke chapter 13. There's nothing about the depravity of man and man's sin as to why he would need a Savior. There's nothing about repentance and turning from sin to the Savior. Nothing about self-denial, nothing about self-sacrifice, nothing about submission. On top of that, there is no identity to describe Jesus. In fact, he says, believe God has chosen you to have a relationship with Jesus. The problem is, when he prayed the inaugural prayer for President Obama, he prayed in the name of Esau.

Esau is a prophet in the Quran, another name for Jesus, who by the way is not God. See the problem there? Big problem. But evangelical churches across the country, Christians, millions of them making this the number one bestseller, the best bestseller of all bestsellers.

And all these people reading this thinking that if they just believe and receive, they're on their way to heaven. You see, we've heard the gospel wrong for so long that when it's preached right, we think right is wrong. See that? We have a problem in evangelicalism today. And so, in his book, the doctrine of God is minimized and is not covered completely. So, we see God as loving and forgiving and kind and compassionate. But you don't see God as holy, just, wrath. You don't see those aspects in the book.

He who comes to God must believe that he is, is what? Everything the Bible says he is. Okay. And that is the reward of those who diligently seek him. Now, in an interview sometime after the book was written, he was asked certain questions. And in it, this is what he says. He says, I knew that by simplifying doctrine in a devotional format for the average person, I ran the risk of either understanding or, excuse me, understating or overstating some truths. I'm sure I have done that. I also knew that I'd be criticized for what I left out of the book and for using 15 different translations and paraphrases to get the message across.

But I decided when I planted Saddleback in 1980, that I'd rather reach large numbers of people for Christ than seek the approval of religious traditionalists. In the past eight years, we have baptized over 11,000 new adult believers at our church. I am addicted to changed lives. The problem with that is, if what you preach lacks doctrinal truth, how can lives ever be changed? And what are they changed into? And what are they changed from? That's why you examine everything. Hold to that which is true.

Hold to that which is good. Abstain from that which is evil. Do all you have to do is believe and receive. And congratulations, you're in the kingdom of God. Is that how Jesus said it? This is how Jesus said it. Oh, by the way, he knew he'd be criticized as well. And oh, by the way, he wasn't looking for the approval of the religion, religionists or the traditionalists. Okay? And he was into changed lives. And by the way, everybody who believed in Jesus, their life was radically changed. This is what Jesus' invitation was.

Strive to enter by the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door saying, Lord, open up to us. They will answer and say to you, I do not know where you are from. Then you will begin to say, we ate and drank in your presence and you taught in our streets. And he will say, I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evil doers. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being cast out.

And they will come from east and west and from north and south. And we'll climb to the table of the kingdom and behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.

Nothing there about believing, nothing there about receiving, but that's Jesus' invitation. Why has it changed so much down through the years? A perverted gospel doesn't lead people to heaven. It only guarantees them hell. That's so important. And yet churches all across the country use this book, The Purpose Driven Life in their churches, embraced by evangelicals all across the country with a presentation of the gospel that is nothing like the way Jesus said it or the apostles said it in scripture.

That would lead me to think that there's something terribly wrong, not with what Jesus said, but with those who want to reinterpret what Jesus said and make salvation easy. Jesus never made salvation easy for anybody. In fact, he made it very difficult for people to get saved. Very difficult from a human perspective. Hard would be a better phrase to describe the way Jesus presented the gospel. My job is not to convince you you're saved. My job is to clarify you what salvation really is. That's it.

God saves people. And I'm not going to convince you you're saved. That's not my job. I'm just to clarify what the Bible says concerning salvation, and you have to examine your life in light of what scripture says.

And Jesus says, in answer to the question, are there just a few being saved? Isn't that sad? Isn't that sad? Here was Jesus at the end of his ministry, just months now before he gets to Jerusalem. He's preaching the gospel. He's healed everybody. So many things have happened. He's still the biggest show on earth. People are coming. They're listening. There is a little admiration for his salvation message. I mean, they know that's what he came to do. That's why the question is asked. Are there only a few being saved?

So whoever asked the question knows that the reason Jesus came was to save sinful man. That's why the question is asked. Are there just a few being saved? And Jesus, Jesus had still a level of interest in his ministry and his message. The religious elite had already attributed what he does to Satan. He's of Satan. He's evil because he goes against our system, the things that we preach. So he must be not from above, but from below. And the majority of people didn't get saved. Not because they didn't want forgiveness.

And not because they didn't want to go into the kingdom. They wanted to have forgiveness. They wanted to be a part of the kingdom. That's why they weren't saved. That's not why they weren't saved. They weren't saved simply because they were unwilling to do what Jesus said. They were unwilling to repent. They were unwilling to see themselves as sinners. They were unwilling to see themselves as separated from God. They were unwilling to admit their sin, their self-righteousness. They were unwilling to admit that they were far from God.

They would not live a life of self-denial. They would not confess him as Lord. Lord. And so there were only a few who would do that. They were the ones who were saved. You know, we are excited about, at least you should be, excited about your salvation, right? We're going to die. We're going to go to heaven. We know that. And there's a joy about that. And would you not want other people to have that same kind of joy? That assurance of eternal life, that assurance of Christ in you, the hope of glory, all those kind of things.

And you'd think that others would want to grasp on to that and want to experience what you experienced because you are born again. And yet there were a few who did. And there are a few today who really want to come to Jesus on his terms. They want to come to Jesus on their terms. They want to be able to believe in someone that doesn't threaten them. And they want to be able to receive something that doesn't cost them. So if I can believe it and receive it without any cost, I can do that. But if there's a cost involved, I'm not too interested.

So when Jesus is asked the question, he never says, let me tell you how many are being saved. Never says that. But he does launch off into his invitation. One of the many ways Jesus invites people to embrace him. So he launches off into this invitation that emphasizes four main principles that encompass his invitation, that help us understand how Jesus said it. Strive to enter, agonize, agonize. It's a word that means to fight. It's a word that means to compete. Strive to enter, he says, by the narrow door.

He says, listen, if you want to be a part of my kingdom, the war is on. There is a battle. There's a battle with sin. There's a battle with Satan. There's a battle with yourself. There's a battle with the Savior. There's a battle with society. There is a huge battle once you decide you want to follow Jesus. Later he says these words, Luke 16, verse number 16, the law and the prophets were proclaimed until John. Since then the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached and everyone is forcing his way into it.

Really? When's the last time you heard a sermon about people forcing their way into the kingdom of God? What are we here today? You know what? Just come on down. Come on down and embrace Jesus. Come on down and say a prayer. Come on down and give yourself to Jesus. Jesus says people are forcing their way into the kingdom.

Over in Matthew 11, Matthew 11, verse number 12. This is how it said. Matthew 11, verse number 12. And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force. Wow. I thought salvation was a free gift. I thought salvation was this thing you just take and just get ahold of and off to heaven you go. And Jesus says strive to enter.

The violent take it by force. Those who enter suffer violently. What's the suffering? What's the violence? What's all that stuff? I thought salvation was by grace, through faith, and that's it. Well, that is true. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And Jesus said to the pen of the apostle Paul, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Why? Because it's God who is at work in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. It's God who's at work in you. Well, if God's at work in you to will and to do of his good pleasure, then whatever Jesus asks you to do, you will accomplish because God is at work in you.

To work out his good pleasure in your life. So Jesus comes and says strive to enter by the narrow door. We have made the salvation gospel, the good news, so easy that almost any religion can embrace it today. From Catholicism to Mormonism to Judaism to Jehovah's Witnesses, just about anybody can embrace it because there's no cost involved. There's no commitment involved. The reality of the Messiah is not presented in his entirety. And people hear something that's a perversion of the truth. And therefore, all it does is guarantee them hell and not heaven.

But the problem is we've convinced them they're going to heaven and they rest at ease only to experience what the people here experience. A horrible shock because when they wake up, they're not in heaven. They're in hell. To me, that's frightening. And so Jesus answers the question with an invitation that is sober, that is serious, and that is severe. Listen carefully, designed to instill panic in people. Designed to instill fear in people. Absolute, unadulterated panic and fear in those who listen.

That's the way he offers his invitation. So we covered the point last week. It's simply this. There needs to be a biblical, a biblical repentance from iniquity. That's what it means. Strive to enter by the narrow door. Why? Because the broad way, the broad way says believe and receive. The narrow way says deny yourself, take up your cross, follow me. Strive to enter by the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will want to be able to enter, but none may ever make it. Why? Because the demands of the gospel are severe.

It's not for the lighthearted. It's for those who truly want to commit their life to the Lord Jesus Christ. The broad road says don't worry about repentance. Don't worry about self-denial. Don't worry about cross bearing. Don't worry about all that stuff. You can do that after you're saved. That's what the broad road says. And many people on that road, and Jesus in Matthew 7 made it very clear that that road doesn't lead to heaven, leads to hell. Although it says heaven, right? This way to heaven, just believe and receive.

Believe that the spirit will help you fulfill your life purposes. That's what the book said. We just quoted it. Does God save you so you can fulfill your life purposes? If that's not narcissistic, I don't know what else is. God doesn't fulfill you to fulfill, doesn't save you to fulfill your life's purposes. He saved you to totally change your life away from you to Him. There is an abandonment of self, an abandonment of ambitions, an abandonment of desires. Lord, whatever you want, Lord, be merciful unto me, a sinner.

Whatever you want, Lord, you just take me, you make me, you break me, you do whatever you want. I'm yours. And God will fulfill His purposes in your life as He sees fit. The biblical repentance from iniquity. James said it this way, James chapter 4, God is opposed to the proud. He gives grace to the humble. He gives grace to the humble. Isn't that interesting? He favors the contrite, the broken hearted. That's why the Bible says, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is what?

The kingdom of heaven. They're broken over their sin. And then he says, submit therefore to God and resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable, mourn, weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord. He will exalt you. The narrow road is for the broken, the broken hearted, the contrite, the poor, the humble.

The broad road is for the proud, the self-sufficient, the self-righteous. And Jesus says, strive to enter.

You want to be saved? Go to war with your soul, because that's what salvation is. Do you think Satan wants you in God's kingdom? No, you're in the kingdom of darkness already. You think he wants you into the kingdom of God's dear son? Oh no. So the gospel comes to you. There's war. There's a battle. There's a battle with Satan, because he wants to keep you in his kingdom. There's a battle with your sin, because you love it so much. There's a battle with society, because society says, no, stay here, love us, love the world.

And the Bible says, if you love the world, you're an enemy of God. There's a battle that goes on constantly, because Satan doesn't want you in the kingdom of God. You're going to war with your soul. And Jesus says, strive to enter, agonize to get in, because if you keep your soul, you'll lose it.

But if you're willing to lose your soul, you keep it. You know what he said in Luke 9? If you're willing to give your life away, you'll keep your life. But if you want to keep your life, you're going to lose it. You're going to lose it. Why? Because to deny myself says, I refuse to want to associate with me anymore, because my way is the wrong way. There is a way we see with writing to a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death, not life. I don't want to associate with me anymore. I want to associate with God and what He says.

We have such a superficial view of Christianity today. Lots of people running around believing they're saved, because they believed and received with no cost. A lot of people saying they're going to heaven, because they prayed a prayer. And someone said, congratulations, you're in the kingdom. We said, wow, I made it. All right, I'm there. And Jesus never said, hey, pray this prayer after me. Why do we do that? Why do we do that? Jesus never said that. What did He say? Follow me, and I'll make you fish as men.

Just follow me. What did the disciples do? They dropped everything. They followed Him. And they would see in John 6 that some who had followed Him decided to turn away and walk with Him no more, because the words He said were so harsh to their ears. They did not want to associate with Him anymore. And Jesus would look to the 12 and say, are you going to walk away too? And Peter said, where are we going to go? We've left everything to follow you. You have the words of eternal life. We're staying with you.

We're staying with you. A biblical repentance from iniquity. That's last week. This is this week. A vital realization of the urgency. A vital realization of the urgency. Listen to what Jesus says.

Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door saying, Lord, open up to us, then He will say in answer to you, I do not know where you are from. Who shuts the door? Jesus shuts the door. Jesus is the door, by the way. He is the gate. But He is the one who also shuts the door. The way is narrow. Few there be that find it. And many of the few who finally find it, most won't get in.

But if you don't hurry up and get in, the door is going to be shut and you'll never get in. Wow, how many times have you heard that in a gospel invitation? Better hurry up or Jesus is going to shut the door and you're not going to make it in. What did the Lord God say in Genesis 6, 5? My spirit will not always strive with man. How does the door get shut? Well, number one, death.

Death shuts the door, right? You don't know when you're going to die. The way is narrow. The gate is small. You better make a decision now because you do not know when you're going to die. Once you die in an unconverted state, the door is shut. There's no place you can go for people to pray for you to get into heaven. Doesn't work that way. I know the Catholics teach that, but that's just not the way it is. And so the door gets shut. That's why Jesus said in Luke 13, when they asked him about the people whose blood was mingled with the sacrifices, Christ said, you better repent now because the same thing might happen to you.

And about that tower in Siloam that fell over and killed 18 different people. You know what? You better be careful. The same thing might happen to you. You better repent now because you don't know when you're going to die. Nobody knows when they're going to die. The rich man, Luke 12, you fool. This very night your soul shall be required of you. He dies. He spends all his life gathering more and building bigger barns and gathering more stuff. And all of a sudden, bang, he's dead. Too late. Door shut.

No opportunity for repentance. No opportunity to get to heaven. Oh, by the way, just in case you forgot, everybody knows you need to repent to be saved. Do you know that? That's what the rich man said in Luke chapter 16. Remember when he died? He went to hell. What did he say? Send Lazarus back and my brothers will repent. He knew he didn't repent. People know that the way to get to heaven is to repent of your sins. Don't be fooled by they saying, oh no, I just got to believe in Jesus. Believe, receive.

And in the heaven you go. No. But the rich man in hell, he should have repented. He didn't. But the door was shut. Too late. Death shuts the door. The return of Jesus shuts the door. Doesn't it? Luke 12, verse number 40. Christ says these words, you to be ready for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you didn't expect.

The second coming of Christ slams the door shut. He comes back and there's no opportunity. The door is shut. So death shuts the door. The second coming of Christ shuts the door.

And believe it or not, your unbelief will shut the door. You continue to live in a spirit of unbelief. In Romans 1, tells you that God will give you over. He will abandon you. When God abandons your life, there is no opportunity to repent. The opportunity to receive the grace of God is gone. In Romans chapter 1, three times he says, and God gave them over to their lustful passions. And God gave them over to their own devices. And God just gave them over because they refused to repent. They refused to repent to follow him.

They refused to honor the creator. And he just gave them over to their sinful devices. Hebrews 6 speaks about that. Hebrews 10 speaks about that. It's impossible to renew them again to repentance because of their unbelief. And the door is shut. How sad. God holds the keys to life and death. And he can shut the door whenever he wants to, however he wants to. The problem is we don't know when the door is shut. You don't know until it's too late. That's why there needs to be a vital realization of the urgency.

You don't know when you're going to die. You don't know when Jesus is coming again. And you don't know in your evil heart of unbelief that your heart's been hardened. And God therefore hardens your heart. And it's impossible to renew you again to repentance. You don't know. Only God knows. That's why Jesus says, strive to enter by the narrow door.

Strive to enter. Why? Because once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, you ain't getting in. Not good grammar, great theology. Not making it. So you need to realize the urgency. Remember the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25? Remember that parable? Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet their bridegroom. And five of them were foolish and five were prudent. And when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them.

But the prudent took oil and flask along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, behold the bridegroom, come out to meet him. Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the prudent, give us some of your oil for our lamps are going out. But the prudent answered saying, no, there will be not be enough for us. And you two go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.

And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came and those who are ready went in with him to the wedding feast and the door was shut. And later the other virgins also came saying, Lord, Lord, open up to us. But he answered and said, truly I say to you, I do not know you. Be on the alert then for you do not know the day or the hour. There are lots of people associated with the bride groom. Externally they know them, but internally there is no relationship with them. They are externally attached to the church.

They're externally attached to the bride. And they come to church and they hear the message. Only to find out that when it's too late, they'll be shocked to realize they can't get in. They can't make it. The door has been shut. The frustration, the shock, the horror. What do you mean we can't get in? How come? And that's why the Lord says, you too be ready. You know, hell is filled with people shocked that they are there. The broad road doesn't say, come this way. This is the way to hell. And everybody says, oh, okay, let's get on the broad road and go to hell.

No, the broad road says heaven. And everybody on the broad road thinks they're going to heaven. Maybe because of their works, maybe because of their heritage, maybe because of their family, maybe because they're Jewish, the descendants of Abraham, whatever the case may be. We did this, we did that. But most of the people in hell are shocked that they're there. They're horrified. How did this ever happen? We've been overlooked. We've been cheated out. This isn't right. This can't be. But most people in the church associated with Christendom, associated with the bride will be completely shocked to realize they're not in heaven.

That's sad. That's so sad. That's why Paul said, now is the acceptable time. Today is the day of salvation. Jesus gives the invitation. Number one, a biblical repentance from iniquity is absolutely essential.

Deny yourself, take up your cross, follow Him. If any man come after me, hate not his father, mother, brother, sister, yea, even his own life. He's not worthy of me. And without that biblical repentance, an abandonment of my desires, my ambitions, my will, my wants, there's no salvation. I just can't come to Jesus and say, Lord, I want you to save me, but I'm going to do what I want to do anyway. Lord, I want you to save me, but you know what? I want you to leave me alone. Let me live my life.

It doesn't work that way. I'll tell you why in a second. A biblical repentance from iniquity. Then there's a vital recognition of the urgency. Do it now.

Don't wait. Because when the door shuts, it's too late. It's too late. You don't know when the door is going to be shut. Only the Lord knows when the door is going to be shut. And if you wait too long, it's probably going to be too late. And then thirdly, a personal relationship with deity, a personal relationship with deity.

Listen to what Jesus says. You begin to stand outside and knock on the door saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. You will answer and say to you, I do not know where you are from. Who are you? Who am I? Then you will begin to say, we ate and we drank in your presence and you taught in our streets. Lord, what do you mean? Who are we? What do you mean? Where are we from? How can you possibly say that? Lord, you know us. In Matthew's account in Matthew 7, Jesus said it this way. He said, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, that's a term of endearment.

Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven. Just because you say, Lord, Lord, doesn't mean you're going to go to heaven. You got to do the will of my father who is in heaven. And what is the will of the father who is in heaven? The will of the father is you deny yourself. You take up your cross. You follow the Lord Jesus. You do exactly what he says. So you can't negotiate with God and say, you know, I'll do this part, but I'm not going to do that part.

Is that okay? You don't negotiate with the king of salvation. If you want to get into the kingdom, you must obey the rules of the king. It's just the way it is. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out demons and in your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.

Well, how could that be? How could they perform miracles in his name? How could they preach messages in his name? How could they write books in his name? How can they serve in a church in his name and end up in hell? But Jesus says, many will say to me on that day, not a few, because only a few are getting saved.

But many will say, but Lord, we did all this for you. We wrote books for you. We did seminars for you. We preached on Sundays for you. We took mission trips for you. We served in the church for you. We did it for you. And Jesus says, I don't know who you are.

You see, it's not good enough for you to know Jesus. He got to know you. He's got to know you. See, that's what, that's what the whole, the New Testament's about. There has to be a personal relationship with deity. You must know him. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Isn't that the mystery of the Old Testament? Christ in you, the hope of glory. The whole mystery of the indwelling spirit of God is, is something that was hidden in the Old Testament, now revealed in the New Testament. I will dwell in them, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6, as he quotes from the Old Testament.

I'm going to make my abode with them, in them, John 14. Christ says, I'm taking up residence in their lives.

See, there's got to be that internal connect. There's got to be that internal relationship with the Lord God of the universe. And the whole mystery of the indwelling, listen, leads to the miracle of the indwelling, right? Christ in you, the hope of glory. When you get saved, Christ takes up residence in your life. Once you understand the mystery, once you understand the miracle, then you understand the mastery of the indwelling. Do you think Christ indwells your life and doesn't control it? Are you kidding me?

He's in charge of everything. He runs the show. He runs your life. Because He is the master, you are the servant. See, that's why Paul said, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me. See that? Christ lives in me. Everything is about the life of Christ. Paul said, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Everything is about the life of Christ. I live for Christ. I live in Christ. Christ lives with me and I live for Him. The life of Christ. Christ says, you're not part of my family.

I don't know who you are, but we did all this for you. And the Lord says, no, depart from me, you evildoers. That's kind of harsh, isn't it? You evildoers. You see, it's not about profession. It's about possession. A lot of people profess Christianity. A lot of people profess Christ as Lord. A lot of people profess the fact that they are going to heaven. It's not about profession. It's about possession. He possesses me, all of me. I possess Him. He is in me. Christ is in me. And I am in Him. Lord, we ate and we drank with you.

We had a meal with you. That's different than today. Meals in ancient times were an event. Today, they're an essential. Big difference. When you had a meal in the time of Jesus, it would last two and three hours. That's a long time. And that would indicate that there was some kind of relationship building that was there. Lord, we ate with you, we drank with you. They all go on and say, Lord, you taught in our streets. We were there in the streets of Capernaum when you preached. We were there in the synagogue when you cast out the demon.

Lord, we were there when you were teaching. Every Sunday you preached. I'm sorry. Every Saturday and the Sabbath when you preached, we were there. We heard every sermon you preached. You taught it. We were there. I'm sorry. I don't know who you are. See the shock? That's why hell is filled with people who are absolutely horrified that they're even there. How can that be? See, that's why it's so imperative that you preach the true gospel. And don't give people a false assurance that they're going there because they said a prayer, they believed and received, and that was it.

Don't give them a false assurance. Your job is not to convince anybody they're saved. Your job is to clarify the terms of salvation. That's it. And let them examine themselves. That's why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 13, 5, test yourselves, prove yourselves to see if Jesus is in you. That's what he says. 2 Corinthians 13, 5. Read it. See if Jesus is in you because if he's in you, the miracle of the mystery has mastered you. Mastered you. You're a slave to the king. That's why there is a personal relationship with deity.

He says, I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evil doers. In other words, they have never, they have never clothed, been clothed in the garments of God. The robes of righteousness are not theirs. See, the difference between them and you is that we're both evil doers, but we've been robed in the righteousness of Christ and they haven't. We've been cloaked in his garments and they have not. We're just as evil as the next guy. But because we've been graced by God, we are clothed by God.

He sees us as righteous, not as evil doers. It's a shock. Speaking of Jewish people, they're religious people. They're committed to Judaism. They're committed to the rituals of their religion. He says, you're evil. You're evil. I don't know who you are. People who know me are holy. They're clean. They've been washed in the blood of the lamb. You've not been washed. You're evil. You're dirty. I do not know where you are from. Listen, if there's no repentance, there's no redemption. Just that basic.

If there's been no real biblical repentance, there is no real redemption. People today hang around church and hang around Christians and they adopt the lingo of Christians. I know people that have been in church for years, so convinced they're saved, so convinced they're saved, yet their lives show no evidence of salvation. But they got all the lingo down. They know the verses. Listen, unbelievers know Bible verses sometimes better than believers know them. They know a lot about Christianity, sometimes more than Christians know about Christianity.

But Christ does not possess them. Even though they profess Him, He does not possess them. So there is a biblical repentance from iniquity. There is a vital recognition, a vital recognition of the urgency. There is a personal relationship with deity. And fourth, there is an essential recognition of eternity, an essential recognition of eternity. Listen to what Jesus says.

There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. There then when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves being cast out, being thrown out. I mean, Jesus is going to throw a Jew out of the kingdom. Yeah, that's what He said. That's what He said. And they will come from east and west and from north and south and will recline to the table in the kingdom of God. He doesn't talk about anything here. Listen, salvation is not about your life here. Salvation is not about a better life here.

Salvation is not about a better marriage here. Salvation is not about a better bank account while you're here. It's all about eternity. You need to get that. See, people, we live so much in the here and now, it's all we can think about. And so what do modern day preachers do? They adapt everything for the here and now, and they miss the gospel, because gospel is about the future. It's about heaven. It's about eternity. It's about the kingdom of God. That's what heaven's about. That's what the gospel is about.

It's about saving you from your sin, saving you from God, who will condemn you as judge, that you might be redeemed by Him as Savior, so you can spend eternity with Him. So Jesus calls them to look to eternity. He doesn't call them to look to the here and now, to the present lifestyle. He calls them to look ahead to eternity, see beyond this life. And He says, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. That phrase is used over and over again in the New Testament. Matthew 8, 11, Matthew 13, 42, Matthew 13, 50, Matthew 22, 13, 24, 51, 25, 30, over and over again, weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Because listen, in hell, there will be so much guilt, so much remorse over the fact that you did not repent. Hell, as bad as it is, with its fiery turmoil, is a constant recognition of what might have been had I obeyed the Lord, had I repented. That's why the rich man says, send him back. Send back somebody from the dead, they'll repent. He didn't repent. And the weeping and gnashing of teeth is that, is that symbol of attitude, of grief, and remorse, and missed opportunity, that I refused to do what Jesus said.

And that's why He draws their attention to eternity. He says, He says, when you see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you're not there. Listen, hell is about remembering, listen, everything. In hell, you remember everything. In heaven, you remember nothing on earth. Nothing. Because it's all sinful. You remember nothing of your sinful past. Okay? It's all about the Redeemer, the King of glory. But in hell, you remember everything. And you're going to know that the sons of the kingdom, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they're not there, but you are.

Even though you're a descendant of Abraham, because you're a Jew, you don't get to heaven because you're Abraham's descendant, physically. You only get there if you're Abraham's descendant, spiritually. That's the only way you get there. And because you're not, there'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth forever. Not just for a week, or a month, or a year. It is forever. The guilt, the remorse, the turmoil, the struggle is forever. It's the weeping and gnashing of teeth forever, and ever, and ever.

Because you had the opportunity, and the door was shut. You heard the gospel, and you refused to obey. And now there's no opportunity. And there'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Grinding remorse, because you left out. You didn't make it. And you could have been there. Conscious torment will be relentless. And that's how Jesus presents the gospel. It's designed to instill fear in people. Great panic in people. Great turmoil in the souls of man. I need to repent. I need to follow the Lord. The door could be shut.

Once it's shut, I can't get in. How do I have this relationship with the King of Glory, where He is in me, and I am in Him? So I'm not just a mere professor of the Christian truths, but I actually possess the truth Himself, Christ. Because I've seen into the future. I've seen eternity. And I don't want to be without my Lord. I want to be with Him forever. And Jesus gives this conclusion in the first number 30.

He says, and behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last. In other words, the whole thing is about Gentiles in the kingdom. Gentiles from the east and west, and north and south. They're all reclining at Abraham's table in the kingdom of God. You see, the Jews were to be a light to the Gentile nations, speak to them about the truth of the gospel. And they despised the Gentiles. And Jesus simply says, you know, the first will be last, and the last will be first, meaning that everybody in the kingdom is going to be equal, Jew and Gentile alike, Jew and a Greek, bond or free, male or female, we're all one in the kingdom.

And if you don't respond properly, you won't be there. That's how it ends. It just stops. He didn't say, okay, now bow your head and pray this prayer with me. He doesn't do that, does he? He didn't say, okay, those of you who want to come down, come on down. Come on down here. Didn't do that either, does he? He just cuts it off. That's all he does. You need to ask yourself, why, why is it our message is so watered down today? Why? Why is it we don't present it like Jesus did? Listen, folks, no matter what you say, if you water it down, okay, you only give people a false assurance of their eternal destiny.

Give them the truth, and God will save those whom He has chosen to save in His time, in His way. By the way, is Jesus in you? Do you know for certain that He's in you? That He possesses your life? I hope that you do. Let me pray with you.

Father, thank you for the opportunity we have tonight to study your Word. The gospel you have preached is sometimes hard to hear because we've heard it so differently for so long. We think that what we've heard is is out of line. Can you imagine what the people of Israel must have thought when they heard you say the words that you said? And they were Jewish people, descendants of Abraham, thinking they were on their way to heaven already. Then you come and tell them that there'll be Gentiles in the kingdom.

Door will be shut, and many won't get in. It must have been hard for them to digest, much like it is for us to digest, because we've heard it wrong for so long. I pray for the people here tonight. They would know for certain that Jesus is their Savior, their Lord, their King, their Master, that He has taken up residence in their heart, and they are mastered by the King. Because they've been forgiven by the blood of that King. And that Lord, they would know for certain, without any shadow of a doubt, that they have followed Jesus.

Because that's your invitation. Follow me. Follow me, and I will make you into what I want you to be. So we give our lives to you. We want to serve you and honor you. And pray, Father, you'd save those tonight who do not know you, that they might experience the presence of the living God. We ask in Jesus' name, Amen.