It's just sad to see people so in love with the world and so disgusted with God. They profess Christ yet reject His Truth! Do they truly believe they are saved? Just pray that their souls may be deeply affected by the gospel and the Holy Spirit. May Christ reveal their sin and adultery toward God, and truly transform their hearts. May Christ reveal my sin and give me a bold yet humble and gentle heart to minister to those around me.
[Ryle]
Theme verse of this chapter: Luke 13:24
"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 gate was made for sinners by the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 10:9 "I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved."
John 14:6 "I am the way: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me."
Ephesians 3:12 "By Him, we have boldness and access with confidence."
John 10:9 "I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved."
John 14:6 "I am the way: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me."
Ephesians 3:12 "By Him, we have boldness and access with confidence."
The gate is called the strait gate, and it is not called so without cause.
It is narrow to all who love sin,
who set their affection on this world,
who are unwilling to make sacrifices for their souls,
who want to keep in with the crowd,
who are self-righteous
This gate is the only one by which men can get to heaven.
All that are ever saved will be saved only by Christ and only by simple faith in Him.
Not one will be saved by repentance.
Not on will be saved by his own works.
Not one will be saved by his formal regularity in the use of the outward means of grace.
We must either enter heaven by the strait gate, or not at all.
A gate ever ready to open.
1 condition: Do you feel your sins? Hast thou a truly broken and contrite heart?
John 6:37 "Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out."
This gate is the one through which thousands have gone in and been saved.
No sinner was ever turned back, and told he was too bad to be admitted.
Examples in scripture: Manasseh (King of Judah), Saul the Pharisee, Jews who crucified Christ, Philippian jailer
What a privilege to have a gate at all: the angels fell never to rise again, the Old Testament Jews only saw the gate dimly and far away
What a thankful man you ought to be if you have really gone in at the strait gate: True Christians ought to be more full of thanksgivings than they are.
It is narrow to all who love sin,
who set their affection on this world,
who are unwilling to make sacrifices for their souls,
who want to keep in with the crowd,
who are self-righteous
This gate is the only one by which men can get to heaven.
All that are ever saved will be saved only by Christ and only by simple faith in Him.
Not one will be saved by repentance.
Not on will be saved by his own works.
Not one will be saved by his formal regularity in the use of the outward means of grace.
We must either enter heaven by the strait gate, or not at all.
A gate ever ready to open.
1 condition: Do you feel your sins? Hast thou a truly broken and contrite heart?
John 6:37 "Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out."
This gate is the one through which thousands have gone in and been saved.
No sinner was ever turned back, and told he was too bad to be admitted.
Examples in scripture: Manasseh (King of Judah), Saul the Pharisee, Jews who crucified Christ, Philippian jailer
What a privilege to have a gate at all: the angels fell never to rise again, the Old Testament Jews only saw the gate dimly and far away
What a thankful man you ought to be if you have really gone in at the strait gate: True Christians ought to be more full of thanksgivings than they are.
II. The plain command: "Strive to enter in."
"STRIVE" teaches:
* man must use means diligently
(If man could do nothing but sit still, Christ would never have said "Strive.")
* man is a free agent, and will be dealt with by God as a responsible being
(God is not to blame if we are not saved; our ruin, if lost, is wholly and entirely of ourselves.)
* man must expect many adversaries and a hard battle
(That roaring lion, the devil, will never let a soul escape from him without a struggle, without a daily fight.)
* it is worth while for man to seek salvation
(Prosperity of the soul is incorruptible, unlike that of the world.)
* laziness in religion is a great sin
(Laziness = omitting a positive duty)
* all outside the strait gate are in great danger
(There is but a step between them and death. If death finds them in their present condition, they will perish without hope
"Strive" condemns the ways and practices of multitudes who profess and call themselves Christians. Many there are who neither swear, nor murder, nor commit adultery, nor steal, nor lie; but on thing unhappily cannot be said of them: they cannot be said to "strive" to be saved. About the things of the world they are active enough: they rise early, and late take rest, they labour, they toil: but about the one thing needful they never "strive" at all.Pains about money, and business, and politics, --pains about rent, and wages, and labour, and land --pains about such matters I see in abundance both in town and country. But I see few who take pains about their souls. Do not supposed that it needs some great scarlet sin to bring you to the pit of destruction. You have only to sit still and do nothing, and you will find yourself there at last.
* man must use means diligently
(If man could do nothing but sit still, Christ would never have said "Strive.")
* man is a free agent, and will be dealt with by God as a responsible being
(God is not to blame if we are not saved; our ruin, if lost, is wholly and entirely of ourselves.)
* man must expect many adversaries and a hard battle
(That roaring lion, the devil, will never let a soul escape from him without a struggle, without a daily fight.)
* it is worth while for man to seek salvation
(Prosperity of the soul is incorruptible, unlike that of the world.)
* laziness in religion is a great sin
(Laziness = omitting a positive duty)
* all outside the strait gate are in great danger
(There is but a step between them and death. If death finds them in their present condition, they will perish without hope
"Strive" condemns the ways and practices of multitudes who profess and call themselves Christians. Many there are who neither swear, nor murder, nor commit adultery, nor steal, nor lie; but on thing unhappily cannot be said of them: they cannot be said to "strive" to be saved. About the things of the world they are active enough: they rise early, and late take rest, they labour, they toil: but about the one thing needful they never "strive" at all.Pains about money, and business, and politics, --pains about rent, and wages, and labour, and land --pains about such matters I see in abundance both in town and country. But I see few who take pains about their souls. Do not supposed that it needs some great scarlet sin to bring you to the pit of destruction. You have only to sit still and do nothing, and you will find yourself there at last.
III. The awful prophecy: "Many will seek to enter in, and shall not be able."
The gate is now ready to open to the chief of sinners; but a day comes when it shall open no more. The throne of grace will at length be taken down, and the throne of judgment shall be set up in its place. The strait gate shall at least be barred and bolted. And then prophecy will be brought to pass.
There is a time coming when seeking God shall be useless. It shall be too late.
A day is coming upon us all when the value of everything shall be altered.
A day is coming when thousands shall care nothing for the things for which they once lived, and shall desire nothing so much as the things which they once despised.
All thall be altered, all shall be changed in the great day of the Lord's return.
A weighty saying: "Hell is truth known too late." --thousands of professing Christians may find this out by experience; they will discover the value of their souls when it is too late to obtain mercy, and see the beauty of the Gospel when they can derive no benefit from it.
Proverbs 1:24-31
24 Because I have called, and ye refused;
I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel,
and would none of my reproof:
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your fear cometh;
27 When your fear cometh as desolation,
and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind;
when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer;
they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29 For that they hated knowledge,
and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
30 They would none of my counsel:
they despised all my reproof.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way,
and be filled with their own devices.
To those who love the Lord in sincerity:
Take courage when you look forward and think of the Lord's second coming. That day shall make amends for all. You will see those who no laugh at you beacuse you read the Bible, and pray, and love Christ, in a very different state of mind. You will see those who now hate you and call you fools because you bring up a good report of Christs service, altered, changed, and no longer like the same men. Fear not the reproach of men. Confess Christ boldly before the world. Be no ashamed of your Master. The cross is only for a little season: the crown is for ever.
Have you entered in at the strait gate or not?
If you are not inside, you are not pardoned and forgiven. you are not reconciled to God.
If you die as you are, the devil will have you for ever, and your soul will be eternally miserable.
God invites you. Jesus Christ offers to save you.
All who are not yet inside: enter in without a day's delay.
2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
All who have really entered in: tell others of the blessing which you have found.
Be of missionary spirit, like Andrew (John 1:41), Philip (John 1:45), the Samaritan woman (John 4:28), and Saul (Acts 9:20).
Ryle, J. C. "Self-Exertion." 2009. Practical Religion. Carlisle: Banner of Truth, 1998. 23-47. Print.
There is a time coming when seeking God shall be useless. It shall be too late.
A day is coming upon us all when the value of everything shall be altered.
A day is coming when thousands shall care nothing for the things for which they once lived, and shall desire nothing so much as the things which they once despised.
All thall be altered, all shall be changed in the great day of the Lord's return.
A weighty saying: "Hell is truth known too late." --thousands of professing Christians may find this out by experience; they will discover the value of their souls when it is too late to obtain mercy, and see the beauty of the Gospel when they can derive no benefit from it.
Proverbs 1:24-31
24 Because I have called, and ye refused;
I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel,
and would none of my reproof:
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your fear cometh;
27 When your fear cometh as desolation,
and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind;
when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer;
they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29 For that they hated knowledge,
and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
30 They would none of my counsel:
they despised all my reproof.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way,
and be filled with their own devices.
To those who love the Lord in sincerity:
Take courage when you look forward and think of the Lord's second coming. That day shall make amends for all. You will see those who no laugh at you beacuse you read the Bible, and pray, and love Christ, in a very different state of mind. You will see those who now hate you and call you fools because you bring up a good report of Christs service, altered, changed, and no longer like the same men. Fear not the reproach of men. Confess Christ boldly before the world. Be no ashamed of your Master. The cross is only for a little season: the crown is for ever.
Have you entered in at the strait gate or not?
If you are not inside, you are not pardoned and forgiven. you are not reconciled to God.
If you die as you are, the devil will have you for ever, and your soul will be eternally miserable.
God invites you. Jesus Christ offers to save you.
All who are not yet inside: enter in without a day's delay.
2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
All who have really entered in: tell others of the blessing which you have found.
Be of missionary spirit, like Andrew (John 1:41), Philip (John 1:45), the Samaritan woman (John 4:28), and Saul (Acts 9:20).
Ryle, J. C. "Self-Exertion." 2009. Practical Religion. Carlisle: Banner of Truth, 1998. 23-47. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment