Matthew 10: 34-36
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.”
Jesus tells us in Luke 13:24 these words saying, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” There evidently will be many people that will seek to enter into Gods kingdom, but they will not be able too. Why is this? It’s simply because they are not willing to strive like Jesus said. To strive means to make great effort or to struggle to do a certain thing. Most people have been led to believe that to enter into Gods kingdom is a very simple thing to do, but looking at the text of the scriptures above they reveal that in order to enter into Gods kingdom we must understand that the world will turn against us. Jesus said that our enemies will be they of our own household. Christ came not to this world to bring peace, because if he did, then he failed in his mission. Christ came not to send peace, but a sword, which means that his teachings will cause your own relatives and your friends and those of your own house to turn against you. Are you willing to allow this to happen to you, or are like most that is not willing to pay the price for salvation? Is there a price tag on salvation or is it given to us on a silver platter by doing nothing? One thing is for sure, salvation cannot possibly be bought with money or all the wealth that this world may hold. There is not enough wealth that exists that can purchase salvation, but yet there is a price tag on it. What it will cost to purchase salvation is our sin loving life that most people are not willing to sacrifice. We must be willing to take up our cross daily and follow in the footsteps of Christ in order to enter Gods kingdom.
Most people don’t believe that they must be crucified on a cross as Christ was. What do you think our cross is that Christ tells us to take up daily and follow him? The cross of Christ was a literal cross made of wood that he was put to death on. Our cross is a spiritual cross that our sinful nature must be put to death on. Christ left us an example meaning that we must be crucified spiritually and cease from a life of sin, which the confessing Christian world today does not accept and believe. If we are willing to die out to sin by putting our old carnal man to death, then and only then will can we know and understand the many truths revealed in Gods holy word. But if you not willing to do this, then you are no doubt one of the many that only seeks to enter Gods kingdom, but will not accomplish it, because you are not willing to strive in accord with Gods word that will in time crucify your old sinful man. We must be willing to live by every word of God and not just to pick and choose to live by what we want to live by.