“THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED”

“Crossroads of Life”

Intro.

1.  “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”  (Yogi Berra)

2.  We all stand at crossroads during our lives:  The paths we choose have life-changing effects (“Road Less Traveled”, Robert Frost).  Psa. 25:4-5

3.  Choices:  Josh. 24:15; 1 Kgs. 18:21; Jer. 6:16; 7:23-24; Matt. 7:13-14.

  a.  We become a product of our decisions:  Shape & mold us.

  b.  Choices of service; who / what we will follow; values; goals…

  c.  Our choices have eternal consequences.

4.  Prov. 4:26-27 – Ponder the path of your feet; avoid evil; choose right.

 

I.  THE PATHS BEFORE US – Jer. 6:16 (42:3).

  A.  The Highway of Holiness – Isa. 35:8 (difficult way, Matt. 7:14).

    1.  Path of life – Psa. 16:11.

    2.  Paths of righteousness – Psa. 23:3.

    3.  Paths of the Lord – Psa. 25:10.

    4.  Path of Your commandments – Psa. 119:35.

    5.  Every good path – Prov. 2:9.

    6.  The way of goodness – Prov. 2:20.

    7.  Right paths, Prov. 4:11.

    8.  He will teach us His ways…walk in His paths – Isa. 2:3.

    9.  The way of the just is uprightness – Isa. 26:7.

  10.  The way of peace – Isa. 59:8.

*11.  Choice:  Make straight paths for your feet – Heb. 12:13.

  B.  The Way of Destruction – Matt. 7:13 (broad way).

    1.  The path of sinners – Psa. 1:1.

    2.  Devious paths – Prov. 2:15.

    3.  The way of the fool – Prov. 12:15.

    4.  The way of the unfaithful (transgressor) – Prov. 13:15.

    5.  The way that seems right – Prov. 14:12.

    6.  The way of the wicked – Prov. 15:9.

*  7.  Choice:  You should no longer way this path, Eph. 4:17.

 

II.  SOME CROSSROADS OF LIFE.

  A.  Will You Obey the Gospel & Become a Christian?  (2 Cor. 6:2)

    1.  Do you know you are a sinner?  Do you want to be saved?  Do you know only Jesus can save you? 

    2.  Which path will you take? – Acts 2:36-38, 41; 4:4; 8:35-39; or… Acts 13:45; 17:32

  B.  Will We Live in Sin or Above Sin? – Eph. 2:1-2; Rom. 6:1-2, 4-6

    1.  Moral crossroads:  1 Pet. 4:1-4.

    2.  Will we befriend the world, or God?  Jas. 4:4

    3.  Will we live under punishment or in eternal life?  2 Pet. 2:9-10; 1 Pet. 2:9-12

  C.  Will We Pay the Price it Costs to be a Disciple of Jesus?  Lk. 14:25-33

    1.  Will we choose truth of the gospel before:  Loved ones?  Personal advantage?  Promotion at work?  Pleasure?  Leisure?  Favor of others?

    2.  Self-denial at great personal sacrifice? – cf. Ezra 10:1-4

      a.  cf. MDR e-mail:  Repenting of an unlawful remarriage.

      b.  Repent of every sin!  (Cf. Corinthian church at crossroads:  2 Cor. 2:9; 7:9-11)

  D.  Will You Remember God when you are Young?  Eccl. 11:9-12:1

    1.  Your clothing, entertainment, respect for parents & elders?

    2.  Choosing your career:  Will you be a faithful Christian & promote righteousness?

    3.  In the person you will date & marry?  1 Cor. 15:33-34; Matt. 19:6

  E.  Will I Endure to the End?  Matt. 10:22; Heb. 10:36 (12:1); 2 Tim. 4:7-8

    1.  Don’t rest on past accomplishments to insure your present & future spiritual state.

    2.  When I get feeble in mind & body will I still do what I can?  (2 Cor. 4:16-18; cf. Psa. 71:16) Tit. 2:2-3

 

Conclusion

1.  Psa. 139:23-24:  23  Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;  24  And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

2.  Jesus is the Way who guides our feet on the way of peace, light & salvation – Jno. 14:6 (Lk. 1:79; Jno. 8:12).

3.  Which road will you take?

 

MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY (GOD THE FATHER)

Self-Sufficiency: Is there Room for God in Your Life?

Intro.

1.   Rugged individualism and self-sufficiency are hallmarks of the American spirit. (Pioneers, trailblazers, presidents and peasants)

2.  It is counter-intuitive to the American spirit to be dependent. Yet, the gospel calls on us to depend on God instead of thinking we are self-sufficient, cf. Phil 4:13; Heb 13:5-6.

a.  “Self-sufficiency is a terrible place to be, because it is the worst deceit you can bring on yourself. You need God. You need God every minute of your life.” (Dr. Joseph Stowell)

b.  To whom do you turn in times of abundance? In times of scarcity?

3.  Whether little or much – our sufficiency is of God, cf. 2 Cor 3:5; Phil 4:10-13.

I.  DANGERS OF THE COMFORTABLE LIFE. (God is on the “back burner”; a convenience – or an inconvenience)

A.  The Danger of Forgetting God, Deut 8:11-20.

1.  Remember God…obey God; Forgetting God…disobey God, 8:11, 14, 17, 18-20.

2.  Can lose fear of God in times of abundance, Psa 106:6-15, 19-21.

3.  Stubborn, unthankful hearts develop toward God, Psa 78:5-11.

B.  The Danger of Trusting in Self and in Material Things, Lk 12:15-21.

1.  Our ability to learn contentment comes from the challenges of both deprivation and prosperity, Phil 4:10-13; 1 Tim 6:6-10.

2.  Economic crisis: In what are you putting your trust?

C.  The Danger of Self-Indulgence, cf. 2 Sam 11:1-2; Amos 6:1, 3-6.

1.   cf. America: “Roaring ‘20s” marked by excess, while the ‘30’s marked by crash, depression and survival.

2.   Forgetting God instead of turning to God, cf. Dan 4:30; 5:20.

II.  WE ARE SUFFICIENT ONLY IN GOD, BECAUSE GOD ALONE IS SUFFICIENT.

A.  Sin Takes Us to a Place Where We Need God: Only God is Sufficient to Save Us from Our Sins, Col 1:19-22 (Lk 15:17).

1.  Salvation is only in Jesus and in His power over sin, Acts 4:12; 1 Cor 15:55-57.

2.  Unbelief is a mark of self-sufficiency, Psa 78:21-22.

a.  By rejecting His plan of salvation, cf. Mk 10:17-22.

b.  By rejecting our need to obey God to be saved by His grace (cf. Israel, Deut 9:4-7), Eph 2:8-9; Heb 5:9.

B.  Suffering Takes Us to a Place Where We Need God: Only God is Sufficient to See Us through Our Times of Suffering.

1.  When you suffer for His sake, Phil 1:29; 1 Pet 3:14; 4:12-14.

2.  When life brings its share of suffering and sorrow, Eccl 3:1-8 (4).

-Teaches us perseverance (the prophets and Job), Jas 5:10-11.

3.  Suffering keeps us humble and trusting in God, 2 Cor 12:7-10.

4.  Suffering teaches us to be empathetic toward others when they suffer, cf. Heb 2:18; 4:15-16; 1 Jno 3:16-17.

C.  Not Knowing Where to Turn Takes Us to a Place Where We Need God: Only God is Sufficient to Guide Us with His Truth, Jno 14:6.

1.   God’s word a complete guide; we must keep it, Psa 119:105-106.

2.   Full treasure of wisdom and knowledge are in Jesus, Col 2:3.

3.   Only the self-sufficient are arrogant enough to say, “What is truth”? Or, “Truth is whatever I say it is”!

Conclusion

1.  We must depend on God; the wise person lives by this truth:                                              

“Consider the work of God; For who can make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.” (Eccl 7:13-14)

2.  The all-sufficient God will fully supply your needs when you make room for Him in your life, Phil 4:19.

a.  Room for doing every good work, 2 Cor 9:8.

b.  Room to endure every suffering with faith and good courage, 2 Cor 1:6-7.

3.  Only the “self-sufficient” arrogantly says, “Where is their God?” Psa 115:1-3 (Our God is in heaven and does whatever He pleases!)

 

“HOW TO PRACTICE WHAT I PREACH”

How Do I Apply God’s Truth in My Life?

Intro.

1.  The truth of God is nothing if not practical & life changing – Heb. 4:12 (Eph. 4:17-24).

2.  Gal. 4:19 – Forming Christ within us is the essence of Christianity (3:27; Col. 1:27).

3.  This involves living as God’s word says to live – Jno.   14:21-23. 

4.  Here is the challenge:  How do I turn what the scriptures say into the way that I live?

  a.  How do I make my heart this type of heart?  (Col. 3:12-15)

  b.  Submissive wife; loving husband?  (Eph. 5:22-30)

  c.  How do I grow to perfection?  (2 Pet. 3:18)

5.  To succeed in any job we must have the proper tools, and we must have the ability to properly use them (cf. Mechanic). 

6.  Tools we need to live for Christ.

 

I.  A GOOD HEART – Lk. 8:15; cf. Matt. 23:25-26.

  A.  An Unprejudiced Mind, Willing to Receive & Hold Fast to the Truth – Lk. 8:15.

    1.  Matt. 23:25-26 – First, cleanse the heart of sin.

    2.  Cf. 2 Tim. 3:16 – Requires a good heart to submit to the indictments, corrections & regulation of life found in the Bible!

    3.  Lk. 8:15 – Clings to truth, whatever cost!

    4.  Lk. 8:15 – Bears fruit – Product corresponds to the seed – Christ formed within us!

    5.  Psa. 51:10-13 – Clean heart & willing spirit secures blessings from God!

 

II.  A RESPONSIVE FAITH – Hebrews 11:6.

  A.  Trust that what God Says Will Work in Your Life, & that it will be the Best for You.

        1.  cf. Noah (11:7); Sarah (11:11-12); Moses crossing Red Sea (11:29).

        2.  Successful because they trusted God’s way would work the best!

            -Illustrations:

          a.  Show compassion, etc.; trusting that relationships will improve – Col. 3:12-15.

          b.  Wife:  Trust that submission brings satisfaction.  Husband:  Trust that true love is worth the sacrifice (Eph. 5:22-30).

          c.  Trust that labor is not vain (cf. teaching, morality, discipline…) (1 Cor. 15:58).

        3.  When we have trouble conforming ourselves to Christ we must become more convinced that God’s way works & is best for us!

 

III.  COMPLETE COMMITMENT – Matt. 6:19-24; Rom. 12:11 (Acts 11:23).

  A.  We Pursue what is Valuable to Us! – 6:19-21

        1.  Why do some have such zeal, diligence & devotion to spiritual living? – 6:21

        2.  6:22-24 – Problem:  We see double:  One eye on earthly things & one eye on heaven!

  B.  Zealous Christian Living by Using God’s Truth – Heb. 5:13-14.

        1.  Milk:  No progress beyond learning the basics.

        2.  Meat:  Uses/exercises/discerns in life!

        3.  Build upon the foundation to be mature – Heb. 6:1-3.

 

IV. SERIOUS STUDY OF GOD’S WORD – 2 Tim. 2:15.

  A.  Bible must be Our Final Authority (Source of Direction) – Jno. 6:63, 68.

        1.  Life only found in words of Christ – Our life must be Bible-based.

        2.  Consult scripture often to direct your decisions in life.

            a.  Serious student doesn’t wait until Sunday / Wed. night to study God’s word.

            b.  Lay it up in your heart – Psa. 119:11.

  B.  Study with the Intention of Obeying God – 2 Tim. 2:15 (Jno. 7:17).

        1.  Workman – Labors to conform to truth.

        2.  Gal. 4:19 – Forming Christ (cf. 5:16, 25).

 

V.   SELF-EXAMINATION USING GOD’S WORD – 2 Cor. 13:5 (Jas. 1:22-25).

  A.  Don’t Waste Time Comparing Your Life to the Wrong Things:

        1.  Others (2 Cor. 10:12); Worldly wisdom (Col. 2:8); Opinions of men (Prov. 14:12); etc.

        2.  Person who examines himself trying to improve himself by repenting of his sins & bearing righteous fruit:  Forming Christ within!

 

Conclusion

1.  Jno. 15:4-5 – Without Christ in us, we can do nothing (and all we do is vain).

2.  Use these tools that are at our disposal to form Christ within us so that He will be seen through us!