Are Few Saved? The Kingdom of Heaven

In this part of the sermon: The first perspective of Christ's answer is the universal scope of the kingdom, pictured as a great homecoming feast where people 'shall come from the east and the west, and from…

Martin uses the analogy of a southern homecoming feast, where relatives gather from all directions to eat and fellowship, to illustrate the universal scope and joyful gathering of the kingdom of God.

Our Lord does so with respect to three fundamental perspectives with regard to the kingdom of God. And the first one is this, the universal scope of the kingdom of God. Our Lord here asserts that there will be a gathering together in the final manifestation of the kingdom that will be like a great homecoming feast. Now some of you poor Yankees don't know.

8:35 - 9:05 Read in full sermon

Driving home: That is, there are those who are last in privilege who shall be first in responsiveness to the light and truth of the gospel.

He references Jesus' teaching about many widows in Israel during Elijah's time, yet God sent Elijah to a Gentile widow of Zarephath, illustrating the principle of 'last being first' in privilege and grace.

Now this has been true all the way through both Testaments. Were there not, Jesus says, many widows? In the days of the prophet. But unto none of them was God sent.

26:57 - 27:11 Read in full sermon

Driving home: That is, there are those who are last in privilege who shall be first in responsiveness to the light and truth of the gospel.

He references Jesus' teaching about many lepers in Israel during Elisha's time, yet only Naaman the Syrian was healed, further illustrating the principle of 'last being first' in privilege and grace.

Were there not many lepers in the days of Naaman the Syrian?

27:26 - 27:30 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The principle by which God extends His kingdom is one which is calculated to underscore both His grace and His sovereignty. And to magnify, we may say, the sovereignty of His grace. And the grace... The graciousness of H…

He recounts the story of the pagan sailors on Jonah's ship who, seeing God's power, threw their gods overboard and sacrificed to Jehovah, demonstrating how those 'last in privilege' can be 'first in grace' even with minimal truth.

Occasionally God pulls back the veil and you're amazed. I'm not talking about a hope that men will be saved apart from saving truth. No, no. I'm talking about the fact that with a very minimal measure of truth, as in the case of Naaman, as in the case of others recorded in the Old Testament, you look at those sailors on that ship with Jonah.

30:19 - 30:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Preach the gospel with confidence, understanding the practical bearing of theological convictions on the certainty of Christ's triumph.

Martin shares a personal anecdote of a missionary friend pleading with God for young people, acknowledging God's election yet expressing a deep desire for all to come, illustrating the balanced heart of a warm-hearted preacher sustained by theology.

But don't you ever reason from that to any notion that He is ultimately a disappointed Savior. We share with Him in the fellowship of His sufferings the pain of wanting to bring all while only some come. I'll never forget kneeling in prayer with a dear friend of mine who has served God in another country for years and we met at a conference. And he was pleading with God for a number of young people.

43:15 - 43:44 Read in full sermon