Alright. We've been studying God's Word and looking at it through the established curriculum. Many times we've made God's Word so complicated that we close our Bibles and we give up. We say, I look at the Bible, it doesn't make any sense to me. There's a whole lot of pages. Some of the words I don't understand. I don't understand the stories. I don't understand the implications. But God loves us and desires every man, woman, and child that they would know Him through His Word. And remember that the Bible is the only book where the author is always present with the one who reads it. The Bible is the only author where he is in love with all his readers. And what a privilege as we dig into God's Word. There are several quotes that summarize the truth of God's Word. Jesus would often use parables to tell truths. Spiritual truths and with several things here some quotes we kind of do the same thing in the following quotes and Some things of those that would be against God atheists who keep asking for evidence of God are like fish in the ocean wanting evidence of water. Atheism is the belief that there was nothing and nothing happened to nothing. Then nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything. Then a bunch of everything magically rearranged itself for no reason. This it did to make self-reproducing bits of stuff, which then turned into dinosaurs. Makes perfect sense, eh? Satan knows your name, but he calls you by your sin. God knows your sin, but he calls you by your name. Jonathan Edwards says, you contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary. In karma, you get what you deserve, but in Christianity, Jesus gets what you deserve. And we look at tonight that Jesus is the door. I want you to look with me at Matthew 7, verse 13 and 14. And we'll look at a number of scriptures tonight, but the principal truth is that Jesus is the door. Jesus' primary mission is to seek to save that which is lost. In Matthew 7, verse 13, We live in a world of plurality. Many, many ways that people believe there is to God. Verse 13, but God gives a different directive. Enter ye in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat. Because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it. The truth is, Jesus is saying, there's only one way through that gate. And tonight we're going to look at this truth that Jesus is the door. Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, as we look at your word tonight, Father, I pray that we, if someone is not saved, Lord, they're questioning, Lord, how do I enter into heaven? Lord, how do I have a relationship with you? Lord, what is necessary to have my sins forgiven, necessary to have my offenses forgiven? Father, I pray that tonight, that in a marvelous way, If there's anyone here or anyone watching, Lord, then they would cry out and call out to you to be saved. If they're not sure how to do it, Father, I pray that they would ask before they leave. My wife or one of the other ladies of the church, Father, I pray that you would help us as believers to live in light of the fact that you are the only way. You are the door. You're the entrance into heaven. It is only through you, and Lord, I pray that we would not compromise on that very truth. Lord, we love you. And Father, I need your help tonight. Lord, guide my words that I'd be pleasing, and Lord, I'd say every word that you want me to say. I pray that you guide my thoughts. And I thank you for all that you'll do in Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen. And God uses everything he has to communicate to us the message of hope and the one means of escape. And God's gonna teach us these. Tonight we'll look at these three different points. You see in one of the factors that we find of the Lord Jesus Christ that he is a caring and loving shepherd. God commanded that a lamb be used as a substitute. A lamb would die in the place of man to cover their sin as we've been talking through this series. The fact that in the Old Testament they would take a lamb for a family on a yearly basis and they would sacrifice that lamb for their sins, the atonement. And a shepherd would always, when you think about a lamb, a shepherd leads his sheep in front by calling and leading and guiding and looking out and watching for those that would come to destroy his sheep. And the sheep know their shepherd's voice and they follow him. The sheep are willing, they say, as I was talking about this morning, that we need to learn of Christ. And if we want to know the fulfillment, Really, the truths of God and the comfort and the rest of God that I need to learn of Him and tonight continuing that very idea. And as we're going to be looking at tonight, the land of Israel is dry. So the shepherds have, many times, have to go great distances to find grass. And many times they'd be hours away from home. And they had to find shelter at night. And as they're out there, they'd take these sheep, and they would have these makeshift sheepfolds. And there they were. They would sleep by the gate of that sheepfold to protect their sheep. They would get them all in there to protect them. And my friend, God does that to protect us from the wild animals and those other things of life that seek to consume us and seek to destroy us. And when we get ourselves into the very sheepfold of Christ, we're safe and secure. Doesn't mean the hardships and trials won't come. But it does mean that unnecessary trials and tribulations will not come. If you find your place in John chapter 10 this evening, we'll look at a number of passages, but the first one outside of our opening text in John chapter 10 verse 7. John chapter 10 verse 7. And you know what? We ought to take great solace and great comfort in the fact that a true shepherd guards his fold, protecting them from the wolves that would desire to get in and destroy and harm and hurt and scatter the sheep. And herein Jesus gives us Jesus as the chief shepherd, Jesus as the head of a church. In John chapter 10 verse 7, then said Jesus unto them again, verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come, that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. So who are these sheep? The sheep of the shepherd here are those who know Jesus Christ as a personal Savior. They are God's children. And he is the only way. Jesus says, I am the And he protects his sheep from the world sin the lake of fire Satan and his followers He leads he nourishes he provides for us in all aspects of our life all the areas all the circumstances of our lives Now who is this thief? Who are those that desire to harm God's children? And he says there's several different things, thieves and robbers, and those are the false teachers. Those are those pastors, and they can have a title of a pastor, and there's even people called Apostles and bishops and all sorts of things out there. There's this Henry Hildebrandt the Church of God of restoration It is a cult it is wrong. They plead with their people for money money money money and And there's a lot of false things wrong with that but false teachers false prophets false messiahs You see, if someone, Joel Osteen, another one, preaches a prosperity gospel, but when asked about Jesus being the only way, he would not definitively say Jesus is the only way. And by the very truth there, he shows that he is a false teacher. He's a charlatan. And Jesus came to give us life to the full and he'll provide everything we need, eternal life. And how many ways in this statement here that you find in John chapter 10, how many ways are there to enter into God's fold? One, through the door. And each of us was born outside of Eden. Each of us was born outside of the Garden of Eden. All of us were born under the rule of Satan. All of us were born with our Father being Satan. But in God's grace, Jesus Christ came down. He died on the cross. He rose again. Then you and I could have a relationship. with him. Guess what? There's only one deliverer. I don't need to continue to give praises to a whole bunch of different gods. I don't need to do all this penance. I don't need to give all this money away. I just need a relationship. How many ways was there into the ark that Noah got onto? One, the door. What kind of blood sacrifice? How many types of blood sacrifice was there? There was one that was acceptable to God. There was one entrance into the tabernacle. The truth is, God has provided one way to himself. and yet we don't deserve this. But the good shepherd here, look with me a little bit further, verses 14 and 15, as Jesus Christ describes himself a little further, as we were discussing this morning about learning of him, we learn an additional truth of Jesus. He says, I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, and I lay down my life. or the sheep. You know what the truth is here? That shepherd, Jesus Christ, He always has His sheep on His mind. Leading, providing, and protecting. Think about that. You're always on the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ if you're His child. He knows His sheep. You're known by Him. He's willing to lay down His life. He says, you're worth it for me to lose my life that you can have life. He is God the Son, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the Loving, and the Gracious Father. He died one time. He laid his life down for us. And if you think about our culture, laying our life down for a comrade, if you're on the battlefield, is one thing. And we think of that as bravery and other things. But to lay your life down as Jesus did ultimately for his enemies is beyond the concept of our culture. And here we'll go to Matthew 7 as we started, verses 13-14, and Jesus talking about He is the narrow gate. He extends a picture of Himself, again, being the only way. The road to destruction is wide, as he says, and the wide, and why are there so many religions today? Why are there so many, quote unquote, professing Christian denominations? Why is there, I mean, there are thousands, seemingly, of different ways to get to God, as society gives you. Society will say well any old way will work to get to God, but the Bible says it's only through Jesus and Satan doesn't mind religion Satan doesn't mind people Believing in God, but he does mind people putting a faith in Jesus Christ The road is narrow to Jesus Christ, and only a few will find it. Only a few will accept the fact that Jesus is the only way. Others people would call us narrow-minded. They would call us legalistic. But I say, if I'm gonna follow the Bible, I don't care what you call me, but I'm going to be biblical. There's only one way to Jesus. And not many people are willing to humble themselves and trust exclusively in Jesus Christ. God's word says that only a few sheep are God's sheep. That means that all roads, all religions, and all beliefs do not lead to God. There's only one way. So if I was to apply this, Jesus, who does he want in his sheepfold? Jesus wants in his sheepfold, Jesus wants to become a part of the family of God. Every man, every woman, every child, every person from the beginning of time, God wants all of humanity to come to himself. He wants you and me and everyone else we know. There is enough room in heaven for every last person who's ever lived. People here on earth now are saying, the world is overpopulated. But in heaven, my friend, when we are with God, it will never be overpopulated. The streets will be made of gold. There's mansions. We are in the presence of the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace, the Counselor, the Mighty God, the Almighty, the Creator. we are in his presence and there's only one way to enter into his presence there's enough room for all of us if a person will just repent and believe does God when we enter into the sheepfold of God and and here we are and you might think ah yeah I'm in the sheepfold and we're kind of like crammed in here do we feel that way that we have lost the liberty in our lives do we feel like if I accept Jesus Christ as the only way and And I understand and I come humbly before God asking him to forgive me of my sins. And does it mean that I'm going to have to reform my life? And many times people say, I'm working on my life so God will accept me and my friend, that is a selfish works-based method to God and that simply does not make it. But in God's sheepfold as he leads us there, he leads us as it talks about in Psalm 23, he leadeth me beside the still waters, he leadeth me into the green pastures of my life. God leads me to those areas in my life that are good for me. He leads me to peace and security and blessings and freedom and purpose and eternal life. You will never have the full satisfaction and the full knowledge of your purpose in this life until you first put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And there is sad to say in Canada and around this world, religion is all about us. Religion is often all about money, the offerings. It's about the buildings and programs and big dollar preachers. And if you don't have money, then the preacher has no time for you. How much does Jesus charge you to be allowed into heaven? Absolutely nothing. He paid it all. He's the one that paid my debt before God so I could enter. He paid for it as he said. He laid down his life for my life. And our only proper appreciation is to say, God, You're right. Thank You. I deserve to die and be eternally separated from God. And you know what? As a Christian, and because of what Jesus gave me, I ought to say, Lord, I want to give you my life. I'm so thankful you died in my place so I don't have to go to hell when I die. I'm so thankful that I can have the personal presence of Jesus. I can have the personal presence of Christ. I can have the personal presence of the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within me to lead me day by day. Jesus takes us into His fold and passing from death into life. And when we accept Jesus Christ by faith and faith alone, it's not just simply praying a prayer, but it's in your heart believing that Jesus is the only way and that He's dying in your place. But the sad part is that here in Canada and in North America, we often like our self-comfort over knowing God. And we like the security, but we do have a good shepherd. He's the one leading us, and many people would rather seek security in anything but Jesus. Where do people today look for security and happiness? Where do people find a satisfaction or some semblance of accomplishment in their lives? Will they not find security and happiness in themselves? They might find it in their religion. They might find their security and their happiness. Look at me. I'm so successful in my job. I'm successful in my money. I'm successful in my family and friends. I'm successful in my health. I'm a healthy person. And look at me. And I can do this and this activity and this health. And wow, I'm a healthy person. And sometimes people will even take satisfaction and happiness in leaders in religion, culture, or even government. But do any of these things ultimately provide security and significance? Do they provide the happiness and the joy that God promises? To that I would say in emphatic, no way. Each of these things manipulate us, they use us, and through this COVID, we have found that as society has, there's crumbling, you find in economic problems, people losing jobs, we find mental instability, we find major sports programs that we'd watch, you know, Monday night hockey, saturday night hockey or whatever you would watch and you would watch these sports and find satisfaction in those and yet covid has taken those away we find the movie industry taking away the theaters now obviously i know you have netflix and online and all those other stuff that people watch but the fact is that our society has gone through a reeling time that god is showing us that all the idols of man cannot satisfy How do we make it through this time? If you're a Christian, it's keeping our faith and focus upon Jesus Christ. If you don't know Jesus Christ, it's to put your faith in Him. And when you become a child of God, you can't lose it. There are those that would say, you're going back to the truth here of John chapter 10, there's thieves and robbers who want to kill, steal, and destroy your life. people try all these coping mechanisms on how do I deal with the suffering and the pain of this time and and people will go into drugs and alcohol and and hurting themselves and pornography and immorality and bad friends and and working working working and people have all these things these coping mechanisms to deal with life and but none of those will ultimately satisfy you like knowing God will. Are there times that we as Christians get discouraged? Absolutely. But when I get back to that narrow path, and when I say get back to that narrow path, I'm not saying that that brings you back into making you a Christian. No, I'm saying that gets me back into the very presence and the peace of God in my life when I put the focus upon Him who is the narrow door. But I want to ask you this question this morning. Have you ever entered in through the narrow door by Jesus Christ, by repentance and faith? Have you ever been born again? The fact is, in point number one, Jesus is God the Son. He provides sinners with their only access to God. And as such, Jesus is God the Son, the resurrection and the life. And we're going to look at this a little bit further. Look with me at John 11, going back to John. John 11, that Lazarus dies. And we see here a very intimate portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ, of His care for humanity. I like that hymn, Does Jesus Care? Does Jesus Care? And here in John 11, verse 4. Lazarus' sisters, Mary and Martha, they sent word asking Jesus to come to Bethany because Lazarus is sick, verse 4 of John 11. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. When he had heard, therefore, that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Jesus knew what was going to happen to Lazarus, and you might be thinking, Jesus, you don't care that your loved one is dying. He waits two more days. Have you ever had it in your life and you said, Jesus, I need you now? And he tarries a little bit longer. Does God care? Absolutely. Wasn't Lazarus Jesus's good friend? Absolutely. But God is making a point. Jesus is revealing that He is God and He's in control. He's all-knowing and He's all-powerful. He's letting Mary and Martha and the others know, I know what I'm doing, and I have all power. And through this, everyone's going to see that Jesus is God. And Martha in this passage, look with me at verse 21-24 of John 11. So now Lazarus has passed, verse 21, then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know that even now whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection of the last day. She believed in the resurrection, she believed in the resurrection of the last day when all the saints in Christ will be risen up and be with God in heaven and his sisters of Lazarus plead for him to come. Is Martha angry with Jesus? No, she knows that Lazarus will rise again, but she's disappointed. She was so confident that Jesus would come, and Jesus had let her down. Do you hear Jesus? He made an incredible claim that Lazarus would rise again, and she goes, I know, Lord, he'll rise again at the last day. But no one else is going to make the claim that Jesus can. How would you feel? You know Jesus. You're intimately close with Him. I mean, you're one of His close circle of friends. Here you are and you've spent so much time with Him. And you feel like He really cares for you. And you say, Jesus, Lazarus is dying. And you think, oh wow, He'll come. He loves me. And yet He waits two more days. And you think, what in the world? God, You don't care about me. Lord, You don't know what I'm going through. And we would feel much like Martha did. Did Martha really believe Christ? No. Did she really believe God's plan? Her statement is just kind of an emphatic, oh yeah, Lazarus will rise again in the last day. And her confidence was about life after death, but she was not confident in Jesus as all-knowing and all-powerful. She knew through this teaching from the Old Testament, and there are reasons why she knew this, that you see God judged Lucifer with eternal separation from God, the eternal God created Adam in his image, and he breathed an everlasting spirit into Adam, and in the garden Adam had the option to live forever with God, or he had to have a loving relationship with God forever, or he also had the choice to eat of the fruit and separate from God, and obviously we know the outcome of that, he chose to sin. But there in the garden, right at the beginning of time with Adam and Eve as they eat that fruit, God makes a way of deliverance one way. Genesis 3.15. And then God took Enoch, his spirit, soul, and body, without dying. Jacob's dream of stairway reveals that mankind can walk into God's eternal presence through the Deliverer. Look with me at Hebrews 9.27, one of the truths that Martha would have understood at that time. And this is the truth that everyone needs to recognize in Hebrews 9.27, as it is appointed unto men once to die. But after this, the judgment, realize this, that every man, woman, and child is going to one day stand before God, and they're going to be judged. And at the judgment seat of Christ, the great white throne judgment, not the judgment seat of Christ is for Christians, but the great white throne judgment is for each and every person who has not personally accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. And if you end up entering into the great white throne judgment, that courtroom, my friend, it's too late. Martha would have understood that it's under pointed into men wants to die. Every one of us are going to die You can't get away from it taxes and death are for every person God has given eternal soul to all of us, that every one of us will be held accountable. There is a different judgment for believers and unbelievers. And she understood that Jesus Christ is the resurrection of life. Look at me at verse 25 of John chapter 11. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die, believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. What hope should this give to Martha, the fact that Jesus is the resurrection and the life? He can give life, eternal life, to those who are dead. What does a person have to do to escape eternal death? What do you have to do? What did I have to do to understand and come to a place where I am a child of God? How does a person get to the position as it talks about in scripture as lost, meaning you're not, you don't know God, meaning you're lost, you're not a child of God. You're lost and you deserve hell's penalty. You're lost and you are not in a relationship with Almighty God. How do I get from this state over into a state of being a child of God? You know what I need to realize? I need to realize in this state of my deadness to God, every person when they are born is born dead to God. And in my deadness to God, I recognize I am dead to God. I have offended Him. My sins have been against Him. I have broken God's law. I could say, have you ever said God's name in vain? Have you ever stolen anything? Have you ever looked at anyone with lust? Have you ever done something? And the Ten Commandments is a very simple way to look at it. But nevertheless, have you loved God with all your heart, soul, and strength in mind at every moment, at every aspect of your time? None of us have. Have you loved your neighbors, yourself at all times? No. And so before God, I'm guilty. Jesus is my resurrection and His life and He is my door and access to God Almighty. And you need to recognize your debt and your sins and simply repent. And that word repentance means to agree with God here. And this context is you are to agree with God to say the same thing. And I say, God, You're right. I am a sinner. God, You're right. I do deserve hell. But Lord, I also agree with You that Jesus paid the penalty and I'll accept it by faith. Jesus made a very, very, very emphatic statement. I am the resurrection. I am the life. Does that leave any room for any alternative? But we find something else here with respect to Lazarus. Verse 33, Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her. He groaned in the Spirit and was troubled, and said, Where have you laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Why is Jesus weeping? Is it because Lazarus is dead? No, he's crying because he grieves with those he loves. He sees Mary and Martha and the others that are weeping over Lazarus's death. There's an empathy, there's a compassion of Christ. He sees the hurt of those whom he loves. And my friend, God does grieve with us when we go through those hard times. He grieves, He loves us if you're a child of His. And He's connected with His creation, the God, the Creator that made us. He cares for us and wants a relationship with us. And He desires freedom for every human being for all of eternity and desires a relationship with us. And then verse 38 of John chapter 11. Jesus therefore again, groaning in himself, cometh to the grave. It was a cave and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, said unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh. We had this saying here several, maybe a couple months ago, some time ago as we had youth group. I remember the teens that I had there. Behold, he stinketh. Rehath been dead four days. Jesus saying to her, said I not unto thee that if thou wouldest believe thou shouldest see the glory of God, then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always, but because of the people which stand by, I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. When he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus! Come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Jesus commands a dead man to life. Just like that. Lazarus, come forth. Jesus did this to show that we have a right perspective of who is God. Do you think it worked when he says, Lazarus come forth? It says he came forth and he had a napkin over his face. He was already pre-masked, right? Martha was right. The body would stink had been in a hot climate, but she was wrong in the in her estimation of who is Christ. And what is our reaction to Jesus raising a dead man? What ought to be our reaction? Shock, wonder, amazement, humility. The God that you and I serve, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you put your faith and trust in Him, ought to be absolute amazement and awe. Is God angry and moved to tears about the brokenness we live in? This isn't God's plan. It says in verse 38, He was groaning in Himself. God's plan was not for us to die. God's plan was not for us to go into sinful humanity, for Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit. That was not God's plan. The hurt and the pain that has been inflicted upon every man, woman, and child that's ever lived. But we have an Almighty Savior. God who pursues us, I mess things up, he dies in my place. Came to fix it, to rescue us, to bring us to himself. And there are a lot of wrong thoughts in verse 25 and 26 here. Verse 25 and 26, and Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Lazarus really is a picture of us being dead in our sins and He promises us if we put our faith in him will live for all eternity. There's several wrong beliefs that must be discarded With respect to resurrection in life, and I'm gonna read several of these for you It's those one of the first one is those who come back to life to live on earth Again is another person or being people believe in reincarnation Reincarnation is a lie of Satan He wants us to think that the punishment for how we live this life can be worked out in consecutive lives. Maybe we'll come back as a fly or a higher state as a cattle. But that's not in the Bible. If a person lives a good life, you'll come back and remember Hebrews 9, 27, as it is appointed to men, once to die, but after this the judgment. If you believe there is some life after this life, other than what God says in heaven or in hell, it is external to the word of God and it is a lie of Satan. Another very prominent lie of Satan that he gives out there is this idea and notion of purgatory, or as we heard here recently, as Brother Gass gave, limbus for the children. That's not of God. We understand that if a child passes away before the age of accountability, before it comes to the recognition of its own sinful nature, it automatically is ushered into the presence of God. But purgatory and sometimes people might say if I give enough money or if I do a baptism or prayer or something else I can get that dead person into heaven. The only person that is a mediator between God and man is Jesus Christ. There's another false belief that we live like God so we have the right to take our own life. I can take the life of an unborn, I can take the life of someone terminally ill, I can take the life of someone who's so mentally depressed they say, I don't want to live anymore. Euthanasia and abortion are biblically wrong. Now I understand that sometimes people in their lives might make that decision. And you know what, there is forgiveness with God. It's not an unpardonable, unforgivable sin. God does forgive it. And I'm not trying to be condemning on any person, but I'm saying that very act and that mindset that Satan believes that we can control our own life, that is wrong. Because all of us are going to have to answer before God. We might even think I have a right to be angry with God when he doesn't do what I want him to do. But that is a very selfish position because it's saying that I am the source of my life, not God. Not only that, I exist for God, not God for me. God is always good. And he has a purpose for everything he allows into our life, and this life is not the end, there is still an eternity. There's some other beliefs that clash with God as a sole source of life, as a resurrection of life, and some people might say, I don't need Jesus, I can be a good person. And there was a, back in 323 is Constantine, here he is before his death, he said, I'll get baptized at the end of my life, and then all my sins will be forgiven, and I'll be ushered into heaven. I don't really need Jesus, I can take baptism. I don't really, I mean, I can say a prayer to Jesus, but I can live my life however I want. I'd like to ask you the first stance, did you actually put your faith and trust in Christ? Living your life however you want doesn't mean you are or are not a Christian, but it should, when you accept Jesus Christ as 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter five, verse 17, you are a new creature. There ought to be a change. The old things I used to do I ought not to do anymore, and I ought to be convicted. If I'm doing what I used to do when I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior, I will feel a shame and a guilt for my actions. And so all of these false beliefs, I need to discard them. Number three, we must have a childlike repentance and faith in order to enter into God's kingdom. In Mark chapter 10, verses 13 through 15, you know what? There is a wonderful truth that God wants every man, woman, and child to accept Him. I myself personally trusted Jesus Christ as a child. I clearly remember it as though it was yesterday. I mean, it was a clear time. My wife remembers it when she accepted Jesus Christ. In Mark chapter 10 verse 13, and they brought young children to him that he should touch them, and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased and said unto them, suffer, means allow the little children to come unto me and forbid them not. For if such is the kingdom of God, verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. The disciples want to push away the kids. Ah, they're a nuisance, they're no good. And Jesus is saying, bring the kids to me, I love them. It says a little kid. And I would tell you today that most of the people that come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior come as a kid. Why is Sunday school so important? Why, if we were to have a children's church during the 11 o'clock hour, why is that important? Why, if a church has a bus ministry, is that important? That's reaching kids to give them the gospel, that they would know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Because He's saying, Many times for if such as the kingdom of god most people they get saved get saved before they become an adult There's a lot of adults that get saved but there's a lot more kids that get saved than the adults get saved He would even, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. A little child enters into the inner sense, God, I am a sinner and I need you. They don't have to worry about all this stuff that I have to do and I think I have to do and all this religion. No, it's Jesus is the answer. I'm going to ask him to forgive me my sins and be my Savior. It's not about believing hard enough. It's not about saying a mystical or some very prayer that's just like lofty and just this eloquent prayer. No, it's from my heart. I'm asking God, forgive me. It doesn't matter how much you believe in whatever, you know, if you were to sit on a stool with a broken leg and only three legged stool. And if you were leaning on it and trying to do different movements on that stool, that stool is going to fall. And you put your trust in something that is faulty. People put their trust in religion, hoping when I die, I've done enough good works that my good works outweigh my bad works. And that is not, not consistent with the word of God. I don't have to place my trust in anyone else other than Jesus Christ. You wanna know something else that provides a person from making the leap of faith? They trust in their pride. It's kind of like a child trusts his parent. I've had some times that I might say to my daughter, if she's wanting to jump off something, jump! And she just kind of leans forward and then, and she falls off, I catch her. She's still kind of like, I hope daddy catches me. But if we're going to trust God for salvation, it is to come to the cliff and say, God, I trust you and you alone. You're the only way. I am everything else, all other religion, all other belief, it's only Jesus. The reason why adults struggle to accept the truth from God like a little child is their own pride. And the center of pride, the very center letter there is I. We've inherited Adam's pride. Sometimes people say, well, I'm so wicked God could never accept me. That's a lie of Satan that is not in the Bible. We rely on ourselves, we rely on our wisdom, we rely on what we can understand. We don't simply say, I'm a sinner before God and I need Jesus Christ. When what must a person do before they can completely trust God's word? Give up your own ideas, your own arguments, your own pride. Depends solely upon God. And in Mark chapter 10 verse 17, Jesus meets a rich young, rich ruler in verse 17. And when he was gone forth into the way, there come one running and kneeled him and asked him, good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? There's an intrinsic problem with this very statement. He's trusting it in himself. He reminds us of Cain there in Genesis chapter 4. Cain brought his own offering to God for forgiveness, and Cain had his own way to God, and religion is bringing my own way to God. Jesus confronts the man about his pride in verse 18, and Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good, but one, that is God. Thou knowest the commandments. Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, defraud not, honor thy father and thy mother. And he answered and said unto the master, All these have I observed from my youth. Did the Ten Commandments humble the young man? No, he says, I'm perfect, I've done them all. But he doesn't understand Jeremiah 17.9, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. You know, that man would not have perfectly ever obeyed. Look with me at verse 21. And Jesus beholding him, loved him and said unto him, one thing thou lackest, go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come, take up the cross and follow me. And he was sad at that saying and went away grieved, for he had great possession. And Jesus looked round about and saith unto his disciples, how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God. This man, as you find in the picture there, he was trying to make his own way to God through self-improvement, religious acts, good works, ten commandments. And ultimately, Jesus, why he brought up the riches of this man is because that's where the man's foundation lies. The man loved his possessions more than he loved God. He refused to humble himself. What shall I do? Lord, I am a good person. I am a wealthy person. Jesus would have none of that. And a lot of people try to make bridges to God their own way. But all it does is show a foolishness. It shows how far we've gone. I want to ask you, have you always honored your father and mother? One of the Ten Commandments. Honor thy father and thy mother. When your mom and dad, or whomever you were growing up under, your guardian, whomever you grew up under, they told you to do something, did you always do it with a completely obedient heart at all times? Did you ever roll your eyes, think this is stupid in your heart? Maybe you didn't verbalize it. You know what, that's sin against God. It wouldn't matter how many, you could have sinned, you could have been perfect 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 but you're not 100% perfect. And you know what the truth is? You'll end up in the lake of fire. So unless we humble ourselves and trust only in Jesus Christ, our pride in our bank accounts or wherever we're putting our pride will banish us from God's riches. In the West here, here in North America, we've enjoyed years of riches and wealth and comfort. We've relied on ourselves. We as believers have relied on ourselves, our bank accounts, we've relied on our jobs, we've relied, and it's our pride, and we begin to push away God. And I think this COVID has been a good reminder how much we need God, the value of church, and many other things. But we are bankrupt in our pride and our sin. God does not look at you just because you're wealthy or you're poor. He doesn't look at your economic status. He looks at your heart. Have you ever seen when someone passes away, have you ever seen a U-Haul trailer hooked up to the hearse? Where they can take all the goods of that individual and so that person can take it with them to the afterlife? You don't see that. You don't see a person taking a U-Haul with them. And so you and I must have a childlike faith, repentance and faith, in order to enter into the God's kingdom. And so as I come to the conclusion tonight, a powerful eye-opener, that Jesus loves, He loves us, and He teaches a timeless truth through pictures from everyday life. Every generation needs to understand the truth. Jesus is the door. And the sheep of God are those who repent of their sins, and repentance is simply, God, I know I'm a sinner. I agree with you I'm a sinner. I agree with you, I deserve your punishment. But God, I accept the gift of Jesus, His death on that cross. His burial and His resurrection, it paid for all the wrong I've ever done. And so, Lord, I accept that gift by faith. Will you forgive me and be my Savior? There's no good works. There's no taking sacraments, communion, baptism. There's no speaking in tongues, anything else. It's faith in God. He paid for all of it. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And if you've never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior tonight, and you know you're dead in your sins, you know you are not born again, you know in your heart the Holy Spirit of God convicting, if you died right now, you know you would go to hell for eternity. All you need to do, my friend, is ask God to forgive you and be your Savior. And Christian, this is the message we need to get out. Jesus is coming back soon. I have had people say, ah, they've been saying that for many years, but Jesus is coming back soon. And there's a lot of people that need to hear the message of Jesus Christ. They need to know that Jesus is the only way. Jesus is the door. And Christian, give out the lifeline. The tracts, inviting other people, invite them to church, and invite them, say, hey, I've got the answer. I don't have the answer, but I know where to lead you for the answer. It's in God's book. This is the answer to our world's problems. This is the answer to people's problems. This is the answer to societal ills. It's God through Jesus Christ in relationship with him. Do you believe that? As we come to a time of quiet invitation with all heads bowed and eyes closed. If you do not know Jesus Christ tonight, I plead with you, please don't leave without