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1. Heaven. Questions about heaven are numerous.
2. Is there a heaven? If there is, then what will heaven be like?

ILLUS – The Pope and a Lawyer meet St. Peter in Heaven.

3. On a personal level, “How do you go to heaven?”
4. The Bible has a lot to say about this question and tonight we will discover the answer along with the reason why some will not go to heaven.
5. Let’s look to the teachings of Jesus Christ about heaven beginning with verse 22 of Luke 13.

Luke 13:22-35

Context
1. Luke records that large crowds followed Jesus as He traveled from “one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem.” (22)
2. It was common then as it is now for people to wonder about heaven, who will be there and why.
3. In fact, the Jewish scribes were known for offering their opinions about heaven, answering questions such as, “How many people will be saved?”
4. Now, in Jesus’ day when the Jews talked about being saved, it’s important to note that “salvation” was linked to entrance into the kingdom of God.
5. Remember that in Luke 13:18-19, Jesus had been talking about the kingdom of God and compared it to a mustard seed, meaning it would start out small and grow over time.
6. In light of what Jesus said, someone asked Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” (23)

Transition – Jesus’ answer to this question gives us divine insight into how to go to heaven and why some will not. If you want to go to heaven, then. . .

I. Strive to Enter the Narrow Door to Heaven

• Likely the questioner just wanted to know if they had understood Jesus correctly, that only a few will be saved and enter the kingdom of God.
• But Jesus did not answer their general question with an impersonal answer.
• In fact, Jesus gave a personal command to all within earshot and to all who would read His words later.
• In essence, Jesus was and is saying, “This is how you go to heaven. . .”
• “Strive to enter through the narrow door.” (24)
• The word “strive” literally means “to strain every nerve, to struggle, to fight with great intensity and effort.”
• Our English word “anguish” is derived from this Greek word.
• So if we put it all together, Jesus was saying something like this, “You all are commanded to make every effort, to do your best, to work hard, to exert maximum effort in order to enter the narrow door to be saved, to enter the kingdom of God.”
• What does Jesus mean?
o Are we saved by our good works?
o Or does God save those who save themselves by exerting great effort?
• The answer to these questions is revealed once we know the identity of the “narrow door.”

Transition – “Who” is the narrow door that we must strive to enter through to go to heaven?

A. Jesus is the Narrow Door to Heaven
1. You might be asking, “How does Matthew Dodd know Jesus is referring to Himself as the narrow door?”
2. Because there are other passages where Jesus refers to Himself in a similar fashion.
3. For instance, in John 10, Jesus calls Himself the “door of the sheep.”

John 10:7, 9, So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. . . I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved”

4. Later in John’s Gospel, Jesus says that if you want to come to the heavenly Father, you must go through Him.

John 14:6, Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
5. Well others may ask, “If Jesus is the narrow door, then why do I need to strive or work to go to heaven?”
a. Or to ask the question another way, “What work does God require of us to go to heaven?”
b. Jesus was asked a similar question and His answer is relevant to our study.


Pastor Rich Jones
Pastor Matthew Dodd
Rich Jones Calvary Chapel
Calvary Chapel Worship Center
Calvary Chapel Hillsboro
Calvary Chapel Oregon
Calvary Chapel Beaverton
Calvary Chapel Portland

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