In our passage for today in Luke 13, beginning at verse 23, some unknown person asks Jesus,

Lord, will those who are saved be few? Listen careful with you the question. It's a profound one.

And in verse 24 of Luke 13, Jesus does not really answer the question, but he tells the man

the very essence of the Christian faith. Listen to me, this is very important, particularly today

when we have so many people who claim to be Christians, so many people who claim to be followers of Jesus, they could be living

in open sin and open rebellion against God and against His Word, but then nonetheless they call

themselves Christians. That is why this passage is of vital importance. Who goes to heaven?

Well, the answer to the question is the true essence of the Christian faith and is found in our passage for today, Luke chapter 13, beginning at verse 22.

Now, I'm just going to tell you one thing, and I'm going to repeat that. This is the last days in the life of our Lord.

He was making his journey through Jerusalem.

It takes an hour and a half by car.

But our Lord walked it day after day, through the villages, through the towns.

He knew this is the last moment for people to hear him, calling them and inviting

them to come and repent and believe in him. And so as he continues in that journey, someone asked him,

Lord, are only a few people going to be saved? The question that this man asked Jesus has been asked by millions of people in

million different ways. The way this man asked the question, will those who be saved are few?

It's very intriguing, an intriguing way of asking the question, and Jesus does not give him percentages. He does not give him numbers.

He does not say small or many. But Jesus, in effect, left us all without a doubt that those who are

going to enter heaven will be those who are willing to surrender their sin to Jesus,

that those who are willing to surrender their pride and their desire for self-salvation,

only those who surrender their self-righteousness, only those who surrender their self-will, only those

whose vehicle that will take them to heaven is the blood of Jesus Christ. In Romans 5.9, the

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