Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
One day when my children were very young, I decided to pull out the chainsaw and attempt building a small project. I began to cut up an old pallet and stacked all of the used lumber in a pile. Then, I gathered up some old nails and chicken wire from my hen house, and began making a box trap. After I had put it all together, I took some extra string and leather and made a very sensitive trigger, which I would load up with food for the night. Whenever an animal began to eat, the door on the cage would come down behind them, and lock them in like a dog inside of a kennel. We caught all kinds of different animals, and sometimes when the family forgot to bring in the cat for the night, you would hear him meowing furiously to let him out. One morning I went outside and saw the cage completely flipped over, and heard a lot of noise going on inside. I didn’t want to get hurt, so I watched from a distance, and to my surprise, there was a huge racoon who had chewed through some of the chicken wire during the night. He had managed to made a small hole that wasn’t much bigger than his head. But I watched, as he continued to strive as hard as he could to get through. Like watching toothpaste coming out of a tube, he squeezed his big body through that little hole, and all the way to freedom.
This reminds me the Christian Life.
Scriptures teach us that the passageway to heaven is very narrow, and just like that raccoon striving to get through that small hole, we will have to strive diligently to obtain eternal life.
Luke 13 ²³ Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, 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.
Did you ever build a snow fort when you were a kid? In our area, we can get a lot of snow during the winter, producing a lot of deep drifts for the children to play on. Have you ever dug into one of them and made a long tunnel that led to your secret bunker? Maybe you were very excited to show it to your older brothers, but they would never be able to see it. The reason why is because they were just too big to fit through the narrow passageway that you had made. Likewise, such is the pathway to heaven.
Some people will never be able to obtain that place, because they cannot squeeze themselves through the narrow passageway of Christ. It is to restrictive and conservative for them, so they choose to grow fat upon the pleasures of sin for a season. Rather than being separate from the world, they will join hands with others on the wide road of ecumenism, being disobedient, rebellious, and reprobates towards the will of God. Many people are spiritually lazy, wanting a wide and easy way to heaven, one where there is nothing that is required on their part in order to obtain it. This is why false Christianity continues to grow, and many follow their impenitent and pernicious ways. Morality never changes, only backslidden Christians who refuse to repent!
Matthew 7 ¹³ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: ¹⁴ Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
To strive means to devote serious effort and energy to something. It is to struggle in opposition against, or to contend. To contend is to fight without giving up, just like that raccoon who fought so diligently to get out of that trap. Sin surrounds each of us like a cage, but to obtain the true Liberty that is found in Christ Jesus, we must completely overcome the sinful deeds of the flesh.
John 8 ³¹ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; ³² And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. ³³ They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? ³⁴ Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. ³⁵ And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. ³⁶ If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Do any of you burn wood for the winter? How long does it take to go into the woods and carry out some bolts and branches? How much time is involved in cutting and splitting it up? How much effort does it take to stack it in the woodshed, (not to mention installing a new stovepipe, fire brick, dampers, and fire alarms?) These things don’t get done all by themselves, and you will need to devote some serious energy and effort to get them completed. The same is true of many different activities in the world, whether it’s being the best in baseball, or winning a gold medal in the Olympics. It all comes down to how seriously you really want it, and what you are going to do to obtain it! Striving to enter into heaven is about setting your mind to do the things that are required of you in order to obtain that goal. It is to be completely focused, and not letting worldly things get in the way. Jesus teaches us this in the parable of the sower.
Luke 8 ¹¹ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
¹² Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. ¹³ They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. ¹⁴ And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. ¹⁵ But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
The pathway to eternal life is very narrow, and will require repentance from dead works and faith towards God. We must become a new creature in Christ if we are going to fit through that small hole. How much effort are you putting forth to enter into the kingdom of heaven? Will you strive as diligently as that raccoon, when he was caught inside of….
………The Box Trap
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤️
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