Latest / Reformed Thinking / Strive to Enter through the Narrow Door, for You Are Already in the Kingdom's Power | John Piper

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Strive to Enter through the Narrow Door, for You Are Already in the Kingdom's Power | John Piper · Reformed Thinking

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  Welcome to Reformed Thinking. We're doing another deep dive
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  today into a topic that, well, it can feel a bit like a Riddle
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  at first. We're looking at this
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  instruction. We get to strive to enter
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  through the narrow door. But at the same time, we hold
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  this truth that in a really significant way, we're already
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  kind of in the kingdom's influence.
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  Yeah, it seems paradoxical. Our thoughts today are drawn
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  mainly from John Piper's book, All That Jesus Commanded and
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  some related notes. It really presents this dynamic
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  tension for anyone following Jesus.
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  So our goal in this deep dive is pretty straightforward.
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  We want to help you get a handle on how personal effort and a
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  real sense of certainty how those two fit together in the
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  Christian life, and hopefully show that this mix isn't meant
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  to be some heavy burden, but actually leads to a, well, a
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  cheerful and active walk of faith.
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  OK, so let's try to unpack this a bit.
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  How can we be told to strive to really put an effort to enter
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  God's Kingdom when we're also told we've already entered it?
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  That feels like a straight up contradiction, doesn't it?
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  I mean, striving usually means trying to get something you
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  don't have. It does sound like that
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  initially, doesn't it? But what's really interesting
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  here, I think, is how this apparent contradiction actually
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  opens up a much richer understanding for those who
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  trust in Jesus. The material we're looking at
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  explains it this way. Our striving isn't born out of
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  anxiety, Like, Oh no, will I make it in.
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  It's actually fueled by the assurance that, yes, we will
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  enter fully. And more than that, in a very
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  real sense, we've already stepped across the threshold.
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  And this holds true for everyone who places their trust in Jesus.
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  It's foundational. It sets up this confidence that,
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  you know, it changes the whole feel of the Christian life.
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  It moves it away from being this anxious, uncertain thing to
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  being a hopeful, purposeful kind of effort.
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  OK. So operating from security, not
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  not grasping for something out of reach, like you're already on
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  solid ground. So the striving is about
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  building on it, not finding it. Precisely.
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  It changes the nature of the effort entirely.
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  So it's less about if we're in and more about how we live
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  because we are in. That's a really helpful
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  distinction. Now the source material talks
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  about the secret of the Kingdom, the idea that it's actually here
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  now, working in a sort of hidden way that cuts against the grain
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  of how many people think about it, right?
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  Like it's only something way off in the future.
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  Right. And Jesus's own ministry was the
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  clearest sign of its arrival. He wasn't just talking about
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  some future hope, He was demonstrating its immediate
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  impact. Think about when he cast out
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  demons by the finger of God. You know, like it says in Luke
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  11.20. He followed that up by saying
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  the Kingdom of God has come upon you and elsewhere in Luke 17.21,
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  he says it is in the midst of you.
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  These weren't just like, nice sayings.
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  They were declarations that God's reign was actively
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  breaking into history right then and there.
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  It showed the kingdom's actual ability to free people from evil
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  and sin. So it wasn't just an idea, it
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  was something tangible happening through his actions.
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  Very tangible, even if maybe it was concealed from the wider
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  public. It was active.
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  Like yeast working through dough, or that tiny mustard seed
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  growing into something significant.
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  It was present and working. OK, so the Kingdom is here.
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  It's active, maybe often unseen by those outside.
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  How do believers, how do you actually receive this Kingdom?
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  Now the source says we receive it like a child.
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  What is that posture of simple trust look like?
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  It mentions Mark 10.15. Yeah, receiving it like a child.
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  That points to humility, dependence, trust.
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  It's not about achieving something through our own
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  cleverness or strength. And this idea of it being a gift
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  is just pivotal. We aren't striving to get
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  something that's completely absent, as if we could earn it.
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  Instead, we receive it by faith, and when we do that by faith, we
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  enter into its present sphere of influence.
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  The source material uses this phrase fulfillment without
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  consummation, which sounds a bit academic maybe, but it's
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  helpful. It means, essentially, that the
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  Kingdom has arrived. It's entered the world.
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  That's working secretly, but it's soul final visible display
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  that's still future. Oh OK fulfillment without
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  consummation. So it's both already here and
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  not yet fully revealed. Like a seed planted that's
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  growing but the harvest isn't quite here yet.
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  That's a good way to put it, right?
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  So for you as a believer, you're living within the reality of
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  this present Kingdom. You're striving isn't about
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  getting into it, right? It's about living more fully
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  within it now, while also looking forward to its future
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  glory. That already not yet framework
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  seems really key here. We've received it, we're in its
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  influence now. But the striving part, that
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  seems geared towards the not yet, doesn't it?
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  The future aspect. Absolutely.
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  That's where the focus of the striving lies.
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  It's for, as the source puts it, the future experience of final
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  joy and perfect fellowship with God.
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  When the Kingdom comes in fullest measure, that points to
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  the ultimate victory lap. You could say victory over
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  death, sickness, all sin. The grand unveiling that we're
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  waiting, looking for and we have to acknowledge.
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  Yeah, we're not there yet. It's like, imagine having the
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  blueprints and the deed to an amazing house.
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  You know what it's going to be. You even own it legally.
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  But the actual experience of living in it, walking through
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  the finished rooms, enjoying the garden that's still coming.
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  The blueprint and deed are the already.
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  The fully built house is the not yet.
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  That's a helpful picture. And that future hope, that's
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  what pulls us forward, gives purpose to what we do now.
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  It does. It makes the present effort
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  meaningful because we know where it's headed towards a glorious
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  certainty. And it seems like eternal life
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  works in a similar way, the same kind of dual nature, present
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  reality, future expectation. Precisely.
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  It mirrors the kingdom's already.
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  Not yet. For anyone who trusts Jesus,
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  eternal life isn't just a future promise, it's a present
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  possession. The material plants us to John
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  5.24, where Jesus says whoever hears my word and believes him
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  who sent me has eternal life. Present tense.
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  Has it now. Yes.
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  He does not come into judgment, but is passed from death to
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  life. That's describing an immediate
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  spiritual transfer, a move from spiritual death to spiritual
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  life right now, the moment you believe.
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  OK, so it's a current reality, a change status before God right
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  now. A fundamental shift.
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  It's not something you're waiting to receive.
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  You have it. But then the material also talks
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  about it being a future inheritance in Matthew 19.29 and
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  a future experience like in Matthew 25.46.
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  How does that fit with having it now?
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  Good question. It fits because while we ossess
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  the status, the title deed of eternal life now, the fullest
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  exerience of it is still ahead. That future inheritance refers
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  to the complete, totally unhindered enjoyment of that
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  life, life free from all the remaining effects of sin,
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  suffering, limitation. Everything that's still clouds
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  are experienced now. OK, so it's like owning the
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  fortune now, but the full endless enjoyment unfolds later.
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  That's a decent analogy. You possess it truly now, but
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  the complete access, the full benefits that comes fully in the
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  age to come. And crucially, having this
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  present gift, this possession, it doesn't lead to complacency.
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  Like, OK, got it, I can coast now.
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  Instead, it actually fuels an energized pursuit of that coming
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  fullness. It makes you want to live in
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  light of it more. OK, so possessing it now
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  actually motivates the pursuit of its future fullness, Which
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  brings us back to striving. If we already possess the
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  Kingdom's influence and eternal life, why strive at all?
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  Doesn't this present reality maybe tempt us to think, well,
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  I'm saved, I'm in. Doesn't really matter how we
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  live now. That's a concern people raise.
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  It's a fair question and the source addresses it head on.
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  How did this present reality actually shape our day-to-day
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  walk? And it makes it very clear,
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  truly entering eternal life, truly being held by God's
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  Kingdom, it absolutely does not result in carelessness or
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  passivity. Instead, this truth, when it
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  really grips you, expresses itself in joyful striving.
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  It's the authentic response of a heart that's genuinely been
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  touched by God's grace and rule. Joyful striving.
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  OK, so it's not indifference, but an active response.
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  Like if you were given something incredibly valuable, you
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  wouldn't just toss it aside, you'd cherish it.
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  Care for? It right, your actions would
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  naturally reflect its value to you, and the striving comes from
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  that place of value and gratitude.
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  But joyful striving? Striving often sounds like hard
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  work, like something burdensome, maybe even grim determination.
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  How can it be joyful? Yeah, we tend to associate
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  striving with struggle, but the material offers a wonderful
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  picture for this. It points to the parable of the
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  treasure hidden in the field in Matthew 13.
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  Remember, a man finds this amazing treasure, buries it
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  again, and then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has
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  and buys that field. Right, he sells everything that
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  sounds costly, like a sacrifice. It is costly.
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  Selling everything you own is a huge deal.
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  But the text says he does it in his joy.
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  Why? Because the treasure he's
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  gaining is infinitely more valuable than anything he's
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  giving up. That's the dynamic, the joy of
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  having eternal life now, being under the kingdom's influence
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  now knowing your sins are forgiven, now enjoying
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  fellowship with Jesus now. This present joy is what carries
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  the effort. It sustains our ability to
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  strive toward that future entrance into the kingdom's full
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  expression. OK, so the joy isn't in the
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  difficulty of selling everything, but the joy from
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  finding the treasure makes the selling worthwhile, even, well,
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  joyful in a sense. Precisely.
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  The joy fuels the effort. It transforms what looks like a
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  burden from the outside into a delightful exchange from the
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  inside, because you know the value of what you're securing.
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  So this joy isn't just a nice side effect, it's actually the
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  engine, the fuel, that keeps the striving going.
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  That's right. Joy in God is the key mechanism
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  Jesus uses to enable this striving.
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  He actually says these things. I've spoken to you that my joy
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  may be in you and that your joy may be full.
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  That's John 1511, and he promises later, No one will take
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  your joy from you. John 16.22 this deep, abiding
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  joy in Jesus and in all that God is for us in him.
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  It's what sustains A lifelong effort toward that narrow door.
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  It's not just fleeting happiness.
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  It's a stable contentment rooted in God's character and promises.
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  A deep gladness that keeps you moving even when it's hard.
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  OK, now this is where it gets really interesting for me.
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  The actual nature of this striving, the struggle.
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  Is it a struggle to like, earn God's favor or prove we're
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  worthy? Not at all, and this is crucial.
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  The source material tells us the primary battle, the real
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  struggle, is the batter to keep seeing Jesus as the supreme
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  treasure of your life. OK, say more about that.
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  The battle to keep seeing him as the treasure.
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  Yeah, it's about where your heart places its ultimate value.
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  We're not fighting to earn God's love or fighting against Him.
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  In a sense, we're fighting against all the other things
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  that compete for that top spot in our hearts.
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  Following Jesus flows naturally when you truly see him as
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  infinitely valuable. So striving to enter the narrow
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  door, the source says it's only as hard as treasuring Jesus
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  above all things. Wow.
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  Only as hard as treasuring Jesus.
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  That reframes it completely. It's not about gritting your
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  teeth to do things you hate, right?
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  It's about the desires themselves, training our hearts,
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  our effessions to value Him most.
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  That's a great way to put it. The fight isn't this oppressive
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  struggle to somehow earn God's final rest.
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  It's actually described as a satisfying struggle to rest in
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  the peace that Jesus freely gives.
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  Remember when Jesus says come to me, all who labor and are heavy
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  laden, and I will give you rest, he follows that with take my
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  yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
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  That's Matthew 11. The easy yoke light burden seems
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  counterintuitive to striving. But it fits perfectly if the
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  striving is fueled by joy and aimed at treasuring him.
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  The commands of Jesus, the source suggests, are only as
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  hard to obey as annexation. His promises are hard to
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  treasure and His presence hard to enjoy.
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  So the difficulty isn't inherent in the commands, but in our
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  valuation of the one giving them.
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  That seems to be the idea. When your heart truly values
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  Jesus and His promises, obedience isn't a heavy burden.
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  It flows more naturally, like doing something you delight in
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  for someone you love. OK, so this instruction to
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  strive them, it seems like it applies to everything else Jesus
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  tells us to do. It adds a certain quality, a
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  certain urgency maybe. Yes, it's presented as an
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  overarching command. It infuses all his other
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  commands with a sense of, well, not panic, but wakefulness.
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  It calls for a lifelong day by day, even hour by hour kind of
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  watchfulness over our thoughts, feelings, actions.
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  Hour by hour vigilance. That sounds intense, maybe even
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  exhausting. It could sound that way, but
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  it's crucial to see it's not meant to be this frantic,
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  anxious state. It's a diligent approach to
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  life, yes, but one that's balanced by a cheerful
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  disposition. The source uses the phrase We
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  are serious about life, yet seriously joyful.
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  Serious, but seriously joyful. I like that.
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  It's vigilance born, not a fear, but of recognizing the value of
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  what's at stake, living for Jesus combined with the deep joy
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  of knowing God's grace is holding you.
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  It means living intentionally, aware of temptations, actively
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  choosing good, all sustained by joy.
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  OK, but that constant vigilance, the hour by hour awareness,
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  practically speaking, how is that even possible for us?
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  We fail constantly. We're weak.
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  Surely we're not doing this striving alone.
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  Oh, not in the slightest. And this is where the hope
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  becomes really solid. Jesus explicitly promises his
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  help. He says I am the vine, you are
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  the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in
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  him, He it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can
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  do nothing. That's John 15.5.
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  Apart from him, nothing. Nothing of eternal value anyway.
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  It fundamentally says our ability comes from connection
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  with Him. It's not about trying harder on
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  our own, but abiding more closely in Him.
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  Plus he promised to be with us always to the end of the age.
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  Remember Matthew 28.20 And he said he wouldn't leave us like
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  orphans, but would come to us. Send the helper, the Spirit.
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  John 14. Right, the Holy Spirit.
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  And Jesus himself acknowledged that the things he commands are,
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  from a purely human standpoint, impossible.
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  But then he immediately follows up with God.
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  All things are possible. That's Mark 10.27.
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  OK, so the striving isn't to get his help or approval.
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  No, we strive with the help he freely provides, his strength
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  enabling our effort. It's cooperative.
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  That's exactly it. Divine power enabling human
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  response, not a lonely self reliant struggle at all.
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  That's a huge relief, and it leads to another clarification
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  needed. I think if we're striving even
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  with his help, is it in order to earn forgiveness or to be made
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  right with God? Does our striving improve our
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  fundamental standing before Him? Another critical distinction,
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  especially central and Reformed thinking, forgiveness of sins
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  and justification being declared righteous by faith.
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  Those things are, as the source puts it, at the bottom of our
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  striving. At the bottom, meaning the
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  foundation. Exactly.
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  They are the foundation, the starting point, not the goal
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  we're striving towards. We don't strive for forgiveness
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  or justification. We strive because we already
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  have them through faith in Christ.
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  Our secure standing with God, forgiven, counted, righteous in
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  Jesus. That's the ground from which
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  this joyful striving grows. The striving itself is evidence,
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  a mark of someone who belongs to Christ.
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  It doesn't create that relationship.
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  It flows from it like a healthy tree bears fruit because it's
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  rooted and nourished, not trying to become rooted by bearing
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  fruit. Striving from salvation, not for
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  salvation. That really clarifies.
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  Things. It's fundamental.
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  If we don't strive, if there's no battle against sin, no desire
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  to please God, that might indicate we don't have that
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  established relationship, but the striving itself doesn't
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  establish it. Got it.
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  Now, related to this, what about perfection?
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  We often feel this desire, maybe even pressure, to be totally
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  free from sin right now. No more sinful thoughts,
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  feelings, actions. Is that the mark of a true
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  follower in this life? It's understandable to long for
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  that, but the source material is clear.
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  Perfection is not the standard for this lice.
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  It awaits the age to come. Yeah, well, there's definitely a
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  genuine longing and a real laboring to be free from sin
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  now. We would just despair if present
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  perfection was the requirement for entering the narrow door
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  because frankly, no human can achieve it.
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  Only Jesus. Only Jesus fulfilled all
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  righteousness. Matthew 3.15 says that.
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  That's why he taught us to pray daily, forgive us our debts,
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  Matthew 6.12. We continually need grace.
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  Jesus even quite bluntly called his own disciples evil in
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  Matthew 7.11, not to crush them, but to be realistic about their
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  and our ongoing fallenness even as believers.
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  So that honesty about our imperfection is actually
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  freeing. In a way, it means the struggle
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  itself is OK, even expected. It is.
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  You don't have to pretend to be perfect.
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  So if present perfection isn't the mark, what is?
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  How do we know? How can you know if you're
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  genuinely a follower on the right path?
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  The mark, according to the source, is not yet perfection,
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  but rather unrelenting battle against sin.
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  Unrelenting battle. Not necessarily constant
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  victory, but constant engagement.
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  That's the idea. We might fail, we will stumble,
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  but the key is we don't fall away completely.
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  We don't just give up and walk away from the faith.
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  But the Bible calls apostasy. It's the difference between
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  tripping and getting back up, maybe bruised and needing help,
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  versus tripping and just staying down, abandoning the path
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  altogether. OK, so the ongoing struggle, the
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  getting back up, the continued turning towards God even after
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  failing, that's the sign of genuine, though imperfect faith.
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  It shows God's work is still active in you.
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  Right, that persistent striving, even with its ups and downs, is
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  itself evidence of His grace at work.
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  Now, for some listeners, maybe even hearing about unrelenting
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  battle and lifelong vigilance, it might still sound a bit heavy
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  or troubling. And the source anticipates that
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  it offers several really good reasons to take heart to
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  maintain hope, ensuring this isn't seen as some crushing
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  weight. Yes, absolutely.
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  And one of the most comforting assurances is realizing that
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  Jesus isn't just helping us through his presence and spirit.
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  He's actively praying for us right now.
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  He prayed for Peter. Remember, right before Peter
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  denied him three times Jesus told him, I've prayed for you
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  that your faith may not fail, and when you have turned again,
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  strengthen your brothers. Luke 22.32.
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  He knew Peter would fail, but prayed his faith wouldn't
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  ultimately fail. Exactly.
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  He knew Peter would sin badly, but he also knew Peter would
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  return. And Jesus's prayer, his
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  sovereign strength, was what kept Peter from falling away
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  permanently. And there's absolutely no reason
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  to think Jesus stopped praying like that for his people.
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  His prayer in John 17. Holy Father, keep them in your
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  name. God hears his Son.
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  Knowing Jesus is interceding from my perseverance, that adds
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  a whole different layer of security.
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  It really does. It shifts the focus from solely
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  my ability to hold on to His faithfulness and holding me.
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  And another source of help is remembering our relationship
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  with God. Jesus constantly taught his
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  disciples to see God not as some distant deity, but as their
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  personal Father in heaven. Our Father, that changes.
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  Everything a loving father is actively involved, cares,
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  personally provides, protects. He's invested in his children's
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  well-being and ultimately in getting them home safely.
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  And the very fact that we do love Jesus, even imperfectly, is
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  it's self evidence that God has worked in US, given us a new
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  nature as his children. Loving Jesus is a sign you
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  belong to the Father. So because we're already his
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  children, our striving isn't to become children, but it flows
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  from being children, and that gives us a certain hope.
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  Is it certain? A deep confidence, Yes, our
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  striving to enter the narrow door of our Father's house will
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  succeed precisely because He will ensure it does.
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  He's our Father now actually helping us get home.
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  He's not just watching from afar to see if we try hard enough to
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  qualify. Remember Jesus telling the
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  disciples not to worry when facing opposition.
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  It is not you who speak, but the spirit of your Father speaking
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  through you. Matthew 1020 Or when he talks
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  about sparrows. Not one falls without your
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  Father knowing, and then he says you are of more value than many
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  sparrows. Matthew 10.
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  Coin I and 31. That's the kind of confidence we
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  can have. Our Father is committed to us.
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  My father knows he cares. He's providing.
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  That really undergirds the striving.
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  It provides a secure foundation. And another related point.
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  Remember your name is written in heaven, Jesus told the 72
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  disciples. Don't just rejoice the spirits
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  are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in
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  heaven. Luke 10420.
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  Written in heaven? What does that signify
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  practically? It signifies God's sovereign
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  intention and ownership. It means He knows you, He has
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  claimed you, and He will deliver you and bring you safely into
• 20:24
  His Kingdom. Jesus would have known this
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  concept from Daniel 12.1, which talks about a time of trouble,
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  but says God's people shall be delivered, everyone whose name
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  shall be found written in the book.
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  So it's like my reservation is confirmed, my place is held
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  securely by God himself. That's the essence of it.
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  It's a divine record of His commitment to you, established
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  before you even began to strive. And this connects directly to
• 20:47
  the idea of divine election, that we were chosen by God and
• 20:50
  given to Jesus. The source points out how God
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  knew his own first wrote their names down, metaphorically
• 20:56
  speaking. Then the Father draws those
• 20:59
  individuals to his Son for salvation.
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  Jesus said all that the Father gives me will come to me, and
• 21:05
  whoever comes to me, I will never cast out.
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  John 6.37. All that the Father gives will
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  come. Yes, and he says later no one
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  can come unless the Father granted.
• 21:13
  John 6.65. We belong to God first, then
• 21:16
  we're given to Jesus. John 17.9.
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  This highlights that salvation starts with God's gracious
• 21:21
  initiative towards us. OK, God shows us, gave us to
• 21:24
  Jesus. What does that mean for our
• 21:25
  security as we go through this life striving?
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  It means ultimate security because when we come to Jesus,
• 21:31
  he reveals the Father, and the Father keeps us.
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  Jesus puts it incredibly strongly.
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  My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no
• 21:39
  one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
• 21:42
  John 10.29. No one can snatch them out.
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  That's powerful. It is remembering that you are
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  chosen, known, loved and held securely by the all powerful
• 21:51
  Father that transformed striving.
• 21:53
  It stops it from being this anxious, slavish burden.
• 21:56
  Instead, it becomes a response of gratitude fueled by joy,
• 22:00
  knowing your effort is happening within the absolute security of
• 22:03
  God's grip. Your success is ultimately
• 22:06
  guaranteed by Him, not by the perfection of your own striving.
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  So OK, we need to be serious. There are eternal stakes.
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  Heaven and hell are real. The wide gate leads to
• 22:14
  destruction, as Jesus warned in Matthew 7.
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  But alongside that seriousness, there's this deep, well founded
• 22:19
  certainty and the striving for those who trust Him.
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  Absolutely, vigilance is necessary.
• 22:24
  Yes, followers of Jesus are aware of the dangers.
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  They are serious about life because eternity is involved.
• 22:29
  However, as we said, they are seriously joyful.
• 22:31
  Why? Because the Son of God rescued
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  them. They're forgiven.
• 22:34
  They're children of God. Their names are secured in
• 22:36
  heaven. They've received the Holy Spirit
• 22:38
  as a helper. They have Jesus promise to be
• 22:40
  with them always. They know he's praying for them.
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  They stand righteous before God because of Jesus's work, not
• 22:46
  their own. They've received the Kingdom's
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  influence now. They possess eternal life now.
• 22:51
  And they stand amazed that no one can snatch them from the
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  Father's hand. It's his whole package of
• 22:58
  realities, this incredible security and blessing that fuels
• 23:01
  the joy. And in that joy, they find the
• 23:04
  energy to strive to press on towards the narrow door.
• 23:07
  Not out of fear, but out of sheer gratitude and delight in
• 23:10
  who God is and what He's done. Precisely, And they strive with
• 23:13
  confidence that they're striving, empowered by Him, and
• 23:16
  grounded in His promises will absolutely lead to a good end.
• 23:19
  It won't be in vain. So wrapping this up then, what
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  does this all mean for you? Listening right now, thinking
• 23:27
  about your own faith, your own efforts?
• 23:29
  This deep dive into what seems like a paradox striving while
• 23:33
  already possessing it really offers quite a liberating way to
• 23:36
  view our faith, doesn't it? It really does understanding
• 23:39
  that you're already in through faith while still striving to
• 23:43
  enter the future fullness. It just reframes everything
• 23:46
  about our efforts. It's not some desperate climb to
• 23:48
  gain something you lack. It's more like actively walking
• 23:51
  the light in the reality of what God has already freely given you
• 23:54
  in Christ, and knowing that calls you not to anxious toil,
• 23:57
  but to an energized, even cheerful pursuit.
• 23:59
  Knowing that God's sovereign care is holding you firm the
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  whole way. So maybe think about how this
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  perspective could change how you face daily challenges, not just
• 24:07
  the big spiritual battles, but everyday frustrations, work,
• 24:11
  relationships. Could knowing the roots of your
• 24:13
  certainty run this deep, knowing God's active help is available?
• 24:17
  Could that open up new avenues for cheerfulness, for resilience
• 24:20
  right where you are? Perhaps the greatest striving in
• 24:22
  the end is learning to rest and live fully in this glorious
• 24:26
  tension, the tension between what God has already done and
• 24:28
  secured for you and the fullness that is not yet completely here,
• 24:31
  but is absolutely certain. Something to reflect done Umm.