The Door is Still — Westlake Bible Fellowship

0:00 Singing to the Lord

So good to be here singing to the Lord. Such a beautiful song. That's one of my favorites. I love that song. The doctrine in that song is incredible.

Luke chapter 13. Luke chapter 13. So glad to come together to open the word of God. Remember, Paul wrote to Timothy. Timothy, don't neglect the public reading of the word coming together.

So important that we do this. Ever since I was a little boy, even before I was saved, I loved attending church and listening to the word of God. Now that I'm born again, saved, it's even more exciting Always to hear the word of God being taught and and preached. Very good. Before we read, let me just kinda bring you up to par where we're at, and then we're gonna read and probably you can connect the dots a little bit better.

But if you want a title for the teaching, it's called the door is still open. The door is still open. Now if you if you noticed that in chapter 12 and verse 56, he says, but you... But why do you not analyze this present time? So Jesus is walking throughout Palestine, throughout the Holy Land, and he's trying to, first of all, reach the believer...

The... I'm sorry, the Jewish people. The Jewish people, and he came into his own and his own received them not. So as he's speaking to them, he says, why haven't you analyzed? Can't you realize yet by all of the miracles that I've done by the fact that I'm removing demons from people and I'm doing so many things, isn't that enough proof yet to you that I'm the Messiah?

I mean, can't you analyze it just by watching what I'm doing and how I've lived? And, of course, as a nation, starting with the leadership, but also as a nation, the Jewish people did not realize, were not analyzing that he indeed was the Messiah. And having said that, we we start with chapter 13 where where he says to them, now I'm not gonna read the first part. Well, I... You know what?

I should just go ahead and read it. And it'll make more sense to you. Now on that same occasion, thirteen one, there was some present who reported to him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered and he said to them, do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all of the other Galileans? Because they suffered this fate.

I tell you no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those 18 on whom the Tower Of Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all of these men who lived in Jerusalem? I tell you no, but unless you repent, you will likewise perish. So basically, it's like picking up the newspaper. Well, when I was young, today it was you would go online and you would see the ad.

Right? Do you realize that there's a war in Israel and the Palestine's attacked and and many people died? And you would read that. Then you go online again, you say, oh, there was a shooting in Atlanta, and this many people died. And so someone comes to Jesus says, hey, did you hear about the people that Pilate killed?

He goes, yes. I I know about it. That was the local... That was the hot news of the day. Look what happened.

He goes, but you know what's important? Not so much that they died. Yes, it was a tragedy, but the fact that unless you repent... Because they didn't think they were gonna die that day. Unless you repent, you're gonna perish, and you're gonna have to stand before the creator.

3:52 The accident in the Tower of Siloam

They were going to work, and they had no idea that that day the tower was gonna fall on them, and eighteen of them died. He goes, unless you repent, you you better be ready to die because at any moment you could die. In fact, I was just in a mission trip a month ago and one of the doctors that were with me told me that her son-in-law, I think he was 42 years old, he would lift weights and run every day in perfect health. One day, he just had a massive heart attack and died. He was the last person you would have thought was gonna die.

So Jesus says, unless you repent, you're gonna face judgment because you never know when the day is coming. Now after he says that, he goes into... If you notice verse seven, he said to the vine dress yard keeper, behold three years, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down. Why does it even use up the ground?

So what he's saying is, I've been coming to the Jewish people for three years during my earthly ministry, and they're not repenting. The leadership, the religious leaders are not acknowledge me as as a messiah. Cut them down. But what is the response? What is the response?

See, this is the heart of God right here. Even though they were rejecting Jesus as a messiah. And he answered and he said to them, let alone sir, for this year too, until I dig around and and and put some fertilizer in it. And if it bears fruit next year, fine. But if not, cut it down.

So God was still holding the door open for the Jewish people to believe, and they were rejecting. Now having said that, let's go into verse 10, and we're going to read through 17. I'm going read one portion at a time and then do some teaching on it. And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath, And behold, there was a woman who for 18 had had a sickness caused by a spirit. And she was bent double and could not straighten up.

And when Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, woman, you are freed from your sickness. And he laid his hands upon her and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. But notice the response of the of the leadership of the synagogue and the synagogue official indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the multitude in response, everybody in the synagogue, there are six days in which you should... A work should be done. Therefore, come during them and get healed and not on the Sabbath day.

But the Lord answered him and said, you hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath day untie his his ox or his donkey from his stall and lead him away to water him? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan... Now notice who caused this sickness, whom Satan had bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day. And as he said this, all of his opponents were being humiliated, and the entire multitude was rejoicing over all the glorious things done by him. So again, in a demonstration of his power and the fact that he was the Messiah, he he enters into the synagogue, which is...

You recall today, let's just call it a church, a local church. There's a woman who had been bent over for eighteen years. I mean, some of you are not even 18 years or just barely past 18 years old. That's a long time. What were you doing eighteen years ago?

Think about it. Yeah. I still had more hair up front, and I didn't have that much gray. That's a long time. The lady was bent over, but the Bible says specifically Satan did it.

Ain't that scary? And we could see through the life of Job that Satan had the authority to sometimes, given by God, to cause illness with people. And he says this woman was specifically sick because Satan caused her to be bent over, and there she is. She had a curvature of the spine. Eighteen years.

Now, if you were her and you come to the local synagogue or local church, and Jesus is there and he goes, woman, I'm going to free you from that sickness. You know, hang on, hang on. Why don't you wait till tomorrow? You know, no. If you were that lady, you're like, man, heal me right now.

It's been a long time. I'm all bent over. Can you imagine how much pain she was in? And to be constantly walking, slouched over. And at that very moment, because Jesus was so full of compassion, said, come here woman, today you're free.

Wow. It it was powerful, and it was glorious, and the woman was, like, so excited. But what happened? Because the the official was representative of of the religious sector. Right?

And how they were thinking, like, well, you should have done it on a Saturday. Well, Jesus said, you're a hypocrite. Because on a Saturday, if your donkey is thirsty, don't you give him water? Isn't that more work having to go untie him, drag your animal, take him to get water, then take him back and tie him up? It seems to me that that's more work than if I just said, woman, you're healed today.

He just laid her hands... His hands on her. He goes, you're being a hypocrite. Now the people were acknowledging that, yeah, that's true. He goes, and and think about it.

This woman for eighteen long years has been this way, and you want me to wait another day? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Jesus is full of compassion. And someone came to me one day and said, hey, I heard that you could help me out.

I got a problem. I said, really? I can't help you. But I can point you to someone who can. His name is Jesus Christ.

He can help you. You see, men will always let you down, and they will lack compassion. They will do things wrong. But Jesus is the one that was able to heal this woman. Now why Satan did it?

Why he allowed her? We don't know. It doesn't give us the the the details, and we're not gonna do any conjecture. Right? But we just know that it was Satan that did it.

But verse 17, and he said this, all his opponents as as he said this and did this, all his opponents were being humiliated and the entire multitude was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by him. And so they were excited. Wow. This Jesus, look at what he's doing, all these glorious things. And and those men who were being hypocritical were being humiliated.

But those men did not repent, did not change their mind, did not receive Jesus as the Messiah, and the crowds, now listen, didn't either. Remember the crowds were following Jesus in John chapter six and he starts to talk to them and to say to them, hey, if, it's not just following because I give you bread and because I do healings and I'm removing demons, but you're gonna give your life to me completely. You're gonna repent of your sins and be saved. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

You're getting a little pushy. I mean, we'll take the bread. We'll take the healings. We'll take the blessings, but you want me to commit to you to repent and to follow you fully? Nope.

No. Thank you. And they walked away. So the crowds were excited. Look at everything God is doing.

11:53 What is the kingdom of God like?

It is like a mustard seed which a man took and threw into his own garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches. And again he said, to what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three packs of meal until it was all leaven. Now, I'm not going to teach on this today in particular. You can go home and study on your own, and I'm sure you'll be blessed by by that.

We're going to take up the story in verse 22. And he was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching and proceeding on his way to Jerusalem. Alright. So he's in a synagogue. He heals this lady that was bent over for eighteen years because of what Satan had done to her.

He heals her, and everybody's excited for what he's doing. And then he's going from village to village, and he's preaching the kingdom, telling them to believe in him. He's the Messiah. And, of course, we know that as he was going from village to village, he was healing people and just doing great things and and proving and showing that that he was the Messiah. And then as he was doing that, listen to verse 23.

And someone said to him, Lord, are there just a few who are being saved? Now you have to ask yourself, why was this question asked? Because those who were with him, the true followers of Christ that were following along with him as he was journeying and going towards Jerusalem, noticing that even though he was performing these miracles, removing demons, healing people, and doing so much for everyone, he was noticing that very few really were believing in him as the Messiah. Yeah. Very few.

And so they say, wait a minute. Lord, are just a few being saved? Because we're noticing that as much as you're proving that you are the true savior, really, a lot of people aren't really following you. I mean, there's crowds and the and the crowds are from the... From a distance observing you and they're watching, and those people in the synagogue are looking and saying, wow, this is great.

Look at these glory things God are doing, but very few are really being saved, we're noticing. Why is this happening? Now notice notice his answer. And he said to them, now remember when when they took... Told him about the ones that were killed by Pilate and their sacrifice and their blood was mingled together.

And then the 18 that died in the Torah said, oh, remember his answers to him was, you better repent. You better make sure you're right with God because you never know. And in this case, notice what he says. Are Are there just a few being saved? And he said to him, strive to enter by the narrow door for many I tell you will seek to enter and will not be able.

Now Jesus acknowledges that it's hard. It's hard to be saved because what we're saying to the whole world is the only way to be saved is through Jesus Christ and through him alone. That's what you call a narrow door. Would you agree? It's not a wide open door you just believe whatever you want, follow whatever you want, whatever women, whoever you want to follow.

He goes, no. Yeah. You know why if you were being saved? Because it's a narrow door. It's a narrow door.

That's right. It's it's not by, oh, you have to be certain religion, or you have to behave, or you have to do good, or or just admire my good deeds that I'm doing. Look at how I pull out demons, you're like, woah, glorious things are happening. See, but that's not the narrow door. The narrow door is where you see your sin and you repent.

13, verse three and five. Then you take him as a as a messiah, and you turn to him for the salvation of your soul. That's the narrow door. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father but through me.

He's the door. There's no other way. And so that's what he's saying. He goes, this is the reason why... It's not that there...

There's few being saved because I don't want them to be saved. The reason is is that I'm saying that I'm the only way, that I am the door, that I am the messiah, and people aren't so willing to believe that. But you strive... You're make sure, in other words, strive to enter... I'm sorry.

16:52 Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door

Now, we said from the beginning, the door is still open. The door is still open. And even now, the door is still open. Even now, we're what we call in the time of grace where God is still extending the offer of salvation to whoever will believe in him. The door is still open.

But notice what it says. There's gonna be a time when he's gonna get up and he's gonna close the door. And then they're gonna be trying to come in and it's gonna be too late. Now you remember when when Noah was preaching, he preached for how long? For a hundred and twenty years.

He was preaching and preaching as he was building the ark and they were laughing. He goes, look, the day of judgment is coming, and you need to repent and believe and get in the ark. And the door was open. And they see him bringing in the animals, and eight people got into the ark, and the doors were wide open, and the people didn't want to believe. But then suddenly, one day, because they didn't think it was gonna happen, one day, all of a sudden, God says the bible, shut the door.

And here comes the flood. Right? Here comes the flood. And then they're like, oh, man. And they're knocking on the door.

It was too late. Everyone perished except for eight. It was too late. Now, when does the door shut? Here's when it shuts, when you die.

When you die. Remember? 13 verse three and five. These people died. Yeah.

They didn't know they were gonna die that day, did they? No, they didn't. But they died. Unless you repent. And then he says, so few are being saved.

Yeah. Right now, the door is open, but it's gonna close. There's gonna be a time when the doors of grace of where god is freely offering salvation is gonna shut. But the moment you die, that's when it shuts for you. And so Jesus is making us aware of this.

Make sure you repent. Make sure you enter through the narrow door because the door is going to shut. And then he goes, they're gonna be knocking. Lord, let us in, but notice what he's gonna say. I do not know where you are from.

And then they will begin to say, here's their defense, right, their reasoning. But we ate and drank in your presence and you and you taught in our streets. So here's their defense. Well, when when you were here on earth and you were walking around, we we saw you and and when you were eating and drinking and... Now don't don't twist the scripture and say he was drinking wine and getting drunk.

He was drinking water or whatever he was drinking. It's just a generic term. When you were doing that, we were there, and we were we were with the... Yeah. But you didn't personally know me.

You didn't personally know me. It's it's not head knowledge. It's not consent. Is there a Jesus? Yes.

There was. Can you do the the the background search and prove that, yes, he was true, that he did live on earth, that he did die on the cross, that he did resurrect? Yes, there is proof. And you can say, alright, I I see that there's proof. That that's an intellectual acceptance.

But that's not repenting. Repenting is, as Mason was talking to his friend, right? If Jesus is truly the Messiah, if he's truly god, well then I need to repent and take him as my savior. Exactly. Exactly.

So, it's not just I see what you're doing, and I know you were real, I know that you resurrected. See, because that's accepting a historical fact that you can't deny, unless you want to deny history or something that could be proven. It's not just saying that, but it's like, okay. Because this is true, because you are truly the Messiah, then I repent, and I turn to you for the salvation of my soul. Repent means I change my mind.

You're not one of many. You're not just anyone. You are the only way to be saved, and I believe you, and I turn to you. And they were saying, wait a minute, but we hung out with you. I don't know who you are, which says that there's a personal relationship there.

Yeah. Now, I I know who the president is because I see him on TV. And if somebody said, do you know him? Oh, yeah. I know who he is.

I can tell all about him. He's the president. He's on the news every day, right? But do you know him personally? If he would come up and say, hey, know who you are, what would he say?

I don't know who you are. So you could know about him, but that's not the same as knowing them personally. So I do not know you. I know my sheep, and my sheep hear my voice because I know them. There's a personal relationship there that we entered into.

So you can you can come to church all you want. That's not gonna save you. It's not gonna make a difference. Now in in Matthew, a parallel passage, they were saying, but wait a minute, but we were religious. We took out demons.

We we did... We fasted. We did all this religious stuff. And the same answer, I don't know you. I don't know you because as we saw here, the religious people were the ones that were rejecting him.

22:56 I do not know where you are from

Wow. So that there has to be a personal relationship with the living God. Now notice, and there will be the weeping and gnashing of teeth. And there, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourself being cast out. Wow.

Wow. So so what is he saying? He's saying this, that whoever rejects me, that's why he keeps saying, repent. Make sure you repent. And why aren't me being saved?

I don't know. But right now, the door is open. He goes, and this is why it's important that you know him in a personal way that you make sure you're right with God. Why? Because when you die without Christ, there's gonna be the weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In other words, hell is going be a constant weeping because of the pain, and the gnashing of teeth is the grinding of the teeth. But let me say to you that the grinding, the gnashing of teeth has several implications. Number one, you're grinding your teeth, you're gnashing your teeth. That's what that means to grind them. You're doing that...

Why? Because you're in pain, but also because you're in anger. Now, you remember, well, I don't know, I watch basketball, right? So in a playoff situation one day, Kobe Bryant, before he died, right, what was in a playoff game, they were losing, and he wanted to win so bad. And he started playing like an animal, and they showed him grinding his teeth.

I'm gonna win. And he won. They they won the game. This is what they're saying. We don't want you, even from the pit of hell.

Satan's gonna be made to bend his knees and and acknowledge that he's lord, but he's gonna be gnashing his teeth. People, that's how people are today. Yeah. We know who Jesus is. We know he died on cross, but we don't want him.

It's just that the gnashing of teeth. And so Jesus says, alright. All those people who who knew about me and all that, but they kept rejecting me. We don't want them. There...

It's gonna be a weeping and gnashing of teeth. Just listen, I'm gonna read to you what Matthew says. And many shall come from the East and the West and recline at the table with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom, the Jewish people who reject him, shall be cast out into the outer darkness in the place in the place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew thirteen forty two, cast them into the furnace of fire.

In that place, there shall be the weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus refers to the weeping and gnashing of teeth at least six or seven times in the gospels. Like Cain, no repentance, just anger towards the savior. But then again, notice Jesus and his gracious invitation and they will come from the East and the West, from the North, and the South, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. What is he saying?

That people from all over the world will believe in the Messiah, they believe in Jesus, and they're gonna be at the kingdom of God, and they're gonna rejoice with him. Amen? Because they had trusted in him. They they didn't reject the savior, those who are saved. They're gonna be coming from everywhere because the door is still open.

And verse 30, and and behold, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last. See, the the Jewish people assumed that that just because Jesus was a Jewish person too and they were the Jewish people that they were gonna just automatically because of their physical physically being from Abraham, they're gonna automatically enter the kingdom of heaven. And he says that that's that's not true. That's not true. You...

Because you know how they they would look at the the Gentiles, non Jewish people as as dogs. That's what they would call them. They're just dogs. We're the ones that have all these blessings from God. And he goes, no.

You you think you're gonna be first? You're gonna be last. You're gonna be kicked out of heaven. You don't get to heaven because your dad is saved or your mom is saved or because you're religious or because of some bloodline. My dad was a great preacher.

Well, that's great. That doesn't save you. And so so then and then he then noticed the continued rejection. Verse 31. At...

27:38 Pharisees come up to Jesus

Again, what do you see there? Rejection. Go away. And they use the guy as the excuse. Herod wants to get you.

It's like, alright. You think I'm scared of Herod? Really? That fox? That guy who's a conniver, who's a tricky schemer, and who just does things for his own good?

That that that was just their excuse. What what were they really saying? Go away. We don't want you. That's what they were saying.

Go away. Yeah. I know about you. I know who you are. Go go.

We don't want you. We know you did that miracle. We know you. You took the demon out of that woman who was bent over for eighteen years. Go away.

We do not want you to be king over us, they said at the end of the gospel. Right? So you have to understand what's happening here. Behold, I cast out demons, verse 32, and I perform cures today and tomorrow. And the third day, I reached my goal.

What was the goal? The goal was to go to Jerusalem where they were gonna crucify him and to pay for our sin. Nevertheless, I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. So how does he answer? Don't worry about that Herod, that old tricky schemester.

Don't... And don't hide behind that that that's why you want me to leave. You want me to leave because you're rejecting me. But I'm gonna continue on towards Jerusalem because that's where I'm gonna die. Because I have to pay for sin, and nothing is gonna distract me from that.

And meanwhile, on my way, I'm gonna continue healing people and removing demons and doing what I need to do. Cause I'm gonna keep proving and showing everyone that I'm the Messiah. And then notice the the the lament, his... How sad. Verse 13, nevertheless, I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.

Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Now as we read this, when he's referring to Jerusalem, he's talking about not just the city of Jerusalem, but the whole nation, the the whole country. But from Jerusalem came the the religion and the authority. Right? The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the lawyers, and all those leaders that were telling the people to reject Jesus as Messiah.

Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who sent sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings. And you would not, what? What does it say? You would not have it.

You wouldn't do it. What is Jesus saying? He's keep crying. He's lamenting. He didn't just cry in in John eleven thirty thirty five.

Right? Everybody learned that verse when you have to learn a verse and get points. I did it. Jesus wept. Right?

Well, look at him here. He's he's he's weeping. He's lamenting. Why is he lamenting? Why is he crying?

Why is he doing it? Because the nation was rejecting him. All of the evidence, all of the miracles, all of the proof, all of fulfilled prophecy, nothing was going to convince them have them repent of their sin and turn to him for the salvation of their soul. He goes, I want it so bad to bless you, to be your king, to come because I am the Messiah. And if you would have received me, I would have been your king.

And we would have brought blessing in, but you're rejecting me. As much as I want to be the Messiah for you, you're you're not accepting it. I want it so bad like a hand takes care of the little chicks. I wanted to love you and protect you from from what's going to come. And notice what he says then, after the the the nation, the people rejected him, you wouldn't have it.

Says, verse 35, behold, your house is left to you desolate. And I say to you, you should not see me until the time comes when you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. So what is he saying? He's saying this, your house is left to you desolate. Not just the temple, but the whole the whole city of Jerusalem, the whole area, the whole region would be desolate.

It was a prophecy because in the year seventy AD remember, Christ resurrected, went back up to heaven in '33. So thirty years later where's my math? Forty years later, thirty eight years later, whatever it was, right around there. The Romans came and they defeated the Jews, and they crushed, they tore down the temple. Not one stone left upon another.

I mean, tore it down. But then in the year one thirty five AD, under Hadrian, the Roman Caesar, he expelled all Jews from the whole Palestine area, and they were gone. And they didn't come back until after the Second World War. Now that's important because they had to come back so that when he does return in the Second Coming, they can receive him. And so he says, as a consequence of you rejecting me, you would not have me.

33:17 Israel will look up and Jesus is going to come

At the end of the tribulation, finally, Israel as a nation will look up and Jesus is going to come from the heavens. They're gonna see him physically. And finally, at that point, after all of this rejection, all of these years, because even now, they're rejecting him as a messiah. You remember feeling her on the roof? After they went through all that tragedy, what does that one lady say?

The matchmaker, she comes and says, you know, one day the messiah will come. One day. One day. What are saying? We're...

They're they're rejecting Jesus. They're still not trusting him. But finally, at the end of the tribulation, they're going to look up, and they're going to repent and take him as savior, as a messiah. You're gonna see me at that time, and at that time, you're gonna say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. But right now, the door is still open.

34:40 Enter through the narrow gate

Don't reject me because the door is gonna shut, and you don't know when that day is gonna come. Look at the example of those men that went to the temple to worship and Pilate had them all slaughtered. Look at the example of the 18 that went on a regular workday. Who knew that that day, young strong men were gonna get killed on that construction accident. The door is still open.

Turn to Christ for the salvation of your soul. Father, thank you for this portion, and thank you that we have in Jesus a gracious savior who still has a door open and wants to save people from their sin. Oh lord, if there's anyone here who has yet to turn to you, I pray that today they will repent and come to you for the salvation of their soul. Pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

Thank you.

The Door is Still — Luke 12-13

Outline and transcript

Questions about this message?

The Door is Still — Luke 12-13

Outline and transcript

Questions about this message?

More from Ray Gonzalez

On similar subjects

From the same passage