Lesson 5382)(11-01-26) Luke 13:23-28
“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."
In today's quote, Jesus warned us not to rely on the fact that we have occupied the same pew in some church for the better part of our lives as a contributing factor to get into us heaven, but instead we are to urgently make sure we are right with God through faith in the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. He explained that the gate to salvation is narrow and "few there be that find it", and will one day be permanently shut. That means that simply knowing about Jesus or having some religious background is not enough to save anyone if we do not truly repent our ways and turn to Him by absolute faith. For us today, the lesson means that seeking God requires personal commitment and urgency, because the opportunity to accept Him will not last forever. ~
