Alex and I set the theme for this year—every sermon a hymn and every hymn a sermon—knowing a few things. We knew (1) it would offer us a great variety of topics to preach, as we think about the needs of the church and how best to meet those needs through a study of God’s word. We knew (2) it would be impossible to cover every song we wanted in the 50 or so Sundays we had available between us.
There are more songs in the hymnal than there are Sundays in the year. Fortunately, there’s more than one way to kill a cat (that may or may not be the right metaphor): I was singing a hymn to myself this morning on my way to work and I’m pretty sure it’s not even in our hymnal. We might never sing it at North Heights, but I think it’s worth considering as a devotional.
The song has a simple melody, built around the idea that God’s salvation is available only through a single, narrow point.
Or, to put it another way, it’s…
…so high you can’t get over it.
In other words, you might think you can scale the mountain of salvation and achieve your redemption by your own merits. You cannot. The sheepfold of God, wherein rests the saved, is surrounded by a wall too high for you to climb. You can’t get over it. Don’t even try. Salvation is not won by man; it is given by God (Ephesians 2:8-9).
It’s also…
…so wide you can’t get around it.
In other words, you might think there are multiple other ways to get into the sheepfold of God. You might try to circumvent the way provided by the Son of Man, favoring a path more amenable to your tastes. You cannot. The shelter of life, wherein is found the people of God, is too vast in either direction, for the people of God are as numerous as the grains of sand on the shore or the stars in the night sky (Genesis 22:17).
It’s also…
…so low you can’t get under it.
In other words, you might try to sneak in, tunneling your way underneath the enclosure of righteousness, hoping to avoid obeying any of God’s commands, hoping to live your life however you want and then, when cometh the end, dig under and in without God noticing. You cannot. The sanctuary of the redeemed is a spiritual place for a spiritual people. It is a prepared place for a prepared people. Only those inside are those washed in the blood of the lamb (Revelation 7:14).
The home of the saved is too high to climb over. It is too wide to get around. It is too low to get under. What then can be done? If you want to enter this blessed land of bliss…
You must come in at the door.
Or, as the Master says…
I am the Door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
(John 10:9)
The way is open. It is free for all to enjoy, but you can only enter by going through Jesus, His way, His terms, His blood. All other attempts to enter will be met with bitter, eternal, disappointment.
~Matthew