CLOSED. How many times have you arrived at the store or office to find this word greeting you as it's posted on the door? We know what it means. We are too late and we may have missed the boat, literally. We may see people inside with the lights on, carrying on their business, but all you can do is watch from the outside.
As our Lord Jesus Christ ministered to Israel preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, He predicted this same scenario. The Lord Jesus Christ, as the master of the house, rising up to shut the door in the presence of late-comers. They appeal to Him as Lord, but He replies to them as their judge. "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 the door, and you 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, where are you from? Then shall you 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 you are, depart from me, all you workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you 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." (Luke 13:22-30)
This pictures the scene for unbelievers as they stand before God at the great white throne judgement, where they have been resurrected to appear before Him. (See Revelation 20: 11-15) What a lesson we should glean from this. The door of access to God, His presence, His blessings and His life, closing before their very eyes. Their pleas and appeals now being denied. They denied Him when the door of opportunity was availed to them, and now comes the recompense of their denial. This will be the scene for unbelievers of the ages in that day. How this should motivate us to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ in faith while the door is open, while we are living and breathing and have our mental faculties about us, believing not only His claims to be God in the flesh, but also believing what He accomplished in His cross for us. How active we should be in preaching to and warning every man as Paul did, knowing that "if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them." (II Corinthians 4:3-4)
Our Lord Jesus Christ was on His way to Jerusalem, teaching as He went, when someone asked Him, "Lord, are there few that be saved?" (vs. 23) His answer was that many are lost and will be shut out to their dismay. Many who ate and drank in His physical presence, many who heard Him as He "taught in their streets" will be sent away and turned away for good. Many of these people were content with their own ideas of what makes a person good or bad to consider His message. Others considered His message but felt the cost was too dear to become one of His followers, for the nation of Israel was sharply divided over His claims.
The day will come and has come for many in which the door of opportunity to "enter in at the strait gate" will end. The time given to fully embrace in faith the Saviour and His message will have expired. In Noah's day, only Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives took God's message for the day seriously enough to enter the ark until the door shut and the rain came down. Suddenly, public opinion changed but it was too late. Many were preoccupied with the daily events of their lives and concerns like work, fun, recreation and pleasures to consider the warnings. "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:5)
Jesus said that there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth." Can you believe it? What a sorry picture this paints and yet how real and how very believable. They shut Him out of their hearts, minds, and lives, yet now argue that He should disregard this and let them enter. They argue as if somehow it is His fault, and that He should remember seeing them for they were "around" when He visited their cities. They were "around" as others spoke of His marvelous deeds such as feeding the multitudes, healing their sick and even raising the dead.
Many today, are "around" true believers who proclaim the gospel of the grace of Christ. They are "around" places where the gospel is preached and around believers who give testimony of the blessedness of being "in Christ" yet they themselves have not entered in. They are "around" the strait gate as in church but haven't gotten around to coming to Christ for salvation. They have failed to apply the truths of the gospel to their own heart and soul calling upon Jesus Christ through personal faith.
Others, are like King Agrippa in his response to Paul in Acts 26, when he replied, "You ALMOST persuade me to be a Christian." (Acts 26:28)
The day of grace will shut also. It shuts for people individually when their lives come to an end, or when they lose their mental capabilities to embrace spiritual truth. God does not bypass our minds when it comes to communicating with mankind. But just as the "master of the house" closes the door of opportunity in this way, He will also close the day of grace to the Gentiles. The door which opened at Israel's fall will also swing shut again.
After the resurrection and ascension of our Lord, Israel stood-by their decision not to have Jesus rule over them. God, therefore concluded them in unbelief nationally, and opened the door of salvation to the Gentiles, announcing:
"Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it." (Acts 28:28) But with this announcement we Gentiles are warned by Jesus Christ (thru Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles) to "Be not high minded, but fear, for if God spared not the natural branches, (Israel nationally) take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity, but toward thee (the Gentiles) goodness, IF THOU CONTINUE IN HIS GOODNESS, otherwise THOU SHALT ALSO BE CUT OFF." (Romans 11 :20-22)
So here we have a stem warning to the Gentiles not to be arrogant in this matter and to continue in God's goodness (by accepting and embracing seriously the salvation offer from God thru Christ) or they will also be cut off or shut out.
Paul goes on to predict this event, revealing a mystery saying, "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, UNTIL the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." (Romans 11 :25) He predicts this again in his second letter to the Thessalonians where it says "seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them" and "in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. " (II Thessalonians 1 :6,8,9)
Friend, what about you? Which side of the door would you be on if it were to shut right now? The choice is yours. His invitation to you is to enter the "strait gate" immediately. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (II Corinthians 6:2) See the need to enter, step thru the gate by trusting Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour and as the only way of salvation. Believe His claims to be God manifested in the flesh. Be reconciled to God by believing what was accomplished in His cross for you. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (II Corinthians 5:21)
If you have entered the strait gate by believing the gospel of the grace of God, why not join us in getting this message out? Spread the word by telling others. Devote yourself to Christ, to live for Him out of gratitude for His shed blood on your behalf. Be a good example for others in your manner of life.
Become a good testimony and a good reflection upon the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are not saved by good works, but good works result from trusting Him and should be evident in our lives. "For we are his worksmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto (upon) good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2: 1 0) Be among those who will be found inside when the door closes, and have lasting reward to go along with it. Remember, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. "
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How God Saves
Men
Believing
Christ DIED, that’s HISTORY.
Believing
Christ DIED for YOU SINS and Rose again that’s SALVATION.
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Romans 1:16, Romans 10:9-10 and 1. Corinthians 15:1-4
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Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
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