“However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” – Jesus, in Luke 18

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” – Jesus, in Matthew 7

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.  Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” – Again Jesus, in Matthew 7

“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.  Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?  Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him,  saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’  Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.  So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” – Jesus, again in Luke 18

The demands of Jesus on true discipleship are strict; severe to hear some tell it. So much so that most never talk about these statements recorded above. Most pastors rarely if ever speak about them – they are not in keeping with the role of comforting concierge that has become such a common “ministry model” in the western institutional church.

But the words are there nonetheless. It appears the faithful will be few in the end. Our efforts to widen the narrow gate and broaden the constricted path will lead not to life but to destruction. Many there will be who will either count the cost and turn away, or fail to count it and turn away. There will likely be many who are busy doing religious works – ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ These seem like pretty powerful works. Yet they are not the works of God, for Jesus is clear: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.“

Ouch.

Friends, the gate is indeed narrow and the path is indeed constricted. The demands to forsake all are absolute, and absolutely clear. Because of this many will go to destruction. Only a few will go on to life. Only a remnant.

An old wise man had advice for us today if we would be part of that remnant: “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered.” – Solomon, Proverbs 28