Luke 13:23-25 Someone asked Jesus, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
Michael continues: Eternal life is on God’s terms, not ours. So, make every effort to enter through the narrow door, which is Jesus Christ. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. In our own power there is nothing we can do to approach God in His holiness. In our own power, nothing is good enough to earn God’s righteousness. The only way is through Jesus Christ, the narrow gate to the narrow path. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Ephesians 2:4-8 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”
Repentance is real penitence; sorrow or deep contrition for sin, as an offense and dishonor to God, a violation of his holy law, and the basest ingratitude towards a Being of infinite benevolence. This is called evangelical repentance, and is accompanied and followed by amendment of life. It is a turning from our own egocentric self and unto the Lord, and is the first step to salvation, after realizing that you have sinned against your Just and Holy God. When God calls a man or woman, He says “come and die”. To die to self is to live for Christ ... to turn from the God-rejecting world’s way and to God’s way through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, He who saves his life shall lose it and he who loses his life (for Christ’s sake) shall save it.
Jesus said in John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
There will be difficulties, trials, temptations, and tribulations in this world. These things are inevitable. However, joy in the Lord is a conscious decision. To rejoice in the Lord is an active, intentional, and purposeful deliberate choice. The Bible says, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. God is faithful to His word. The power of prayer works miracles. Mortality is 100% for it is appointed for all men once to die. Our challenge is to be a man of the Word and a man of prayer. Therefore 1 Timothy 4:15 says, “Meditate on these things, give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear unto all.” Pray, meditate on the Word of God, fellowship with Believers, and “humble thyself under the mighty hand of God.” Owe no man anything but to love one another with Christ’s heart behind your heart. Therefore, rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, let your consideration and loving grace and mercy be made known unto all men, the Lord is at hand.
Romans 10:9-10 “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
In order to proceed through the narrow gate to the narrow way along the narrow path, we need to leave our sin-nature, worldly self at the gate. As the apostle Paul said, “put off the old man in order to put on the new man.” When we come to the Lord on His terms, He will put His life within us, that we may live to the praise of the glory of His grace! Thank God for narrowness.
Your brother in Christ, Michael
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