Entrance to God’s kingdom only comes through Jesus.

Luke 13:22-35

Central Truth

People try different ways to reach heaven. Some of the most-traveled paths have been through good works and rule-following, like the Pharisees. Today, some people still use church attendance and religion as a doorway to the Father, but Jesus tells us these aren’t enough. Jesus is our door, and we can’t reach the Father any other way.

Key Question

What might it look like to live a life of walking “through the narrow door”?

Keep in Mind

Some students may truly struggle with separating following religious rules and having genuine, personal faith. Some of them may have grown up in religious homes with parents of strong faith. And while this is great, some students learn to model their parents’ faith rather than developing their own. This usually leads to a crisis later on when their faith is tested.

We want our students to seek godliness and holiness because Scripture commands us to do so (see 1 Pet. 1:16). He equips us with everything we need to live a godly lifestyle. We also want our students to realize that we’ll never be able to follow God’s law closely enough to earn salvation. Jesus came to do what the law couldn’t—save us. 

APPLICATION

In what ways have you followed rules instead of following Jesus?

THE WIN

FOR THE STUDENT: Sometimes we seek perfection more than we seek God’s heart, and it makes us legalistic (obsessed with rules). We can’t reach God any other way other than through the door—Jesus. 

FOR THE LEADER: If you’ve grown up in church or attended for a while, it can be easy to get caught up in being good—in following religious rules. We can fall into this trap as leaders. The Pharisees were excellent rule followers. It impaired their ability to see Jesus as their Messiah because they were “good.” We must continually recognize our need for a Savior.