Vs 22-24 Ethnic Jews assumed they were saved because of their heritage and lineage. Jesus is teaching that not everyone is going to make it in and this is shocking to his listeners. This teaching makes it hard to hold to universalism, default majority and the Divine scales.

We are at risk of the same assumption today. Cultural Christians today assume they are saved because they associated with a church.

Rather than trying to figure out which groups are right we should each be concerned with ourselves and “am I pursuing God?”

Agonize yourself in pursuit of the correct way; the narrow door. We don’t get to define or design the door to God. The door is Jesus!

Vs 25-28 a parable to illustrate what he had just said.

Proximity is not relationship. They were around, but they never committed to Jesus.

Casual, surface level association may have been sufficient in knowing someone in that culture, but that doesn’t qualify as knowing God. Discipleship requires effort and commitment.

John 10:7-10, John 14:6

Following Jesus and becoming like Jesus doesn’t happen by accident.

We have to be really careful that we aren’t deceived into thinking that because it’s true that Jesus did everything to earn my salvation that following Him requires nothing of me.

Consumer Christianity- we view the church through the lens of Western consumerism. We see this in looking for the church that fits just right instead of grafting into the community in front of us and asking “what can I bring to this church?” It asks, “what do I get out of this product?”

People say they want unity until it requires staying when people disagree with you. They want discipleship until it requires confrontation. They want community until it requires vulnerability.

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him to come and die.” Bonhoeffer

Col 3:2-3

Vs 29-30

Although we reject Christian Universalism in the sense that all roads lead to God, we agree in the sense that all are welcome to enter the narrow gate.

The point is not to speculate about who is in and who is out. The point is to look inward with honesty and humility.