Lesson 999

(Lesson 999)(06-08-14) Luke 13:22-30

"And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last."

Today's lesson is another admonishment from Jesus to those of us who consider ourselves Children of God and members of His Church.

Jesus said; "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." The essence of this quote is that one cannot be a halfway follower of Jesus, one either goes all in, or gets out. There is NO middle ground.

Jesus demonstrated this when He, speaking of the end time, said; "Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity." This quote tells us that just knowing Jesus existed is not all that is required of those who seek His eternal salvation. Every lost soul must put away all other religious superstitions and beliefs and turn their faith totally toward Jesus Christ and His soul saving, sin remitting, sacrifice on the cross.

Jesus, in His infinite wisdom, knew that when that final judgment comes and the door to eternal heaven is closed, there will be those hypocrites, both past and present, who will make all manner of empty excuses for not taking the time to properly learn and practice His divine truth. Jesus will say to them; "depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth".

Today's lesson, as well as yesterday's, should drive home the importance of learning the truth of God's holy word. These lessons should also demonstrate the importance of actually and actively taking part in the ongoing teaching of the pure doctrine of Jesus Christ just as we were commanded to do. All the while maintaining a charitable and loving heart toward all those around us.~