Life's Two Choices

Life’s Two Choices

Matt. 7:13-23

Prayer

Introduction

A Squirrel in the road:

This week as I was thinking about roads and signposts and choices,

I was on our road right out here and as I turned the corner, I saw a squirrel

He was halfway across when he noticed me

I didn’t have room to stop

He froze in the middle, he started across, started back, totally freaked out

And didn’t know which way to go

He doesn’t have a clue which way is best or safest

Have you ever felt like that Squirrel?

You don’t know which way to turn, you feel confused, scared, in danger

We have something the squirrel doesn’t – the Word of GOD

We have God’s word that tells us to take the road less traveled

We have God’s word that tells us that the law cannot save us,

That we will never be able to live up to the standard of perfection required by the law

We have the Word of God that tells us that the way to gain acceptance from GOD

The way to have a right standing before God – to gain righteousness

Is by Faith alone, in Jesus alone, by the grace of God alone – He has marked out the path for us with his blood, with the cross point us to HIM

We All have to make choices in life from what we are wearing to what type jobs we are going to work at to who we are going to marry. This decision will have an effect on our lives. But, once you stop and really think about these choices may affect us now but are they really important. The choices we have in life are only two. All the other choices we make are directly impacted by which of the two choices we make. Everyone of us have to choice either one of other. We can not choice part of one and a part of the other. One choice leads to the fallen world and what it holds and finally death. The other leads to heaven and eternal life. Which would you rather have, maybe wealth and some fleeting moments of pleasure or eternal treasure and happiness. That is your choice this morning.

I. The decision we make will affect us for all eternity. What exactly are the choices we have to make?

A. The first choice we have is to choice the wide gate or in other words the world and its ways.

a. This gate like all leads to something and that is destruction.

1. Understand we are not talking about only the physical destruction of this body but we are talking about the destruction of your soul.

i. Our soul will be cut off from God for all eternity.

ii. Hell is a real place crated by God for Satan and his fallen angels. It is not the desire of God that any human spend eternity there. But many will because they will choose hell over heaven. They will believe all the lies about there is no God, there are other ways to heaven besides Jesus, a loving God would not send anyone to hell and all the other lies. But God does not send anyone to hell we make the choice to go. People make that choice by refusing to accept God’s authority and thereby His gift of salvation.

2. The wide gate is sin. It is against the will of God and many pefer it over God’s mercy, love, and grace.

a. We need to ask the question why is sin so bad? And why can’t I be good enougg to sastify God?

i. Answer is sin is man’s way and mans way is not God’s way is opposite of God’s commands.

ii. In life we work for wages and our choice has wages also. It’s wage is death.

iii. This death is not only a physical death but a spiritual death also.

iv. Those who follow the wide path will spend eternity in hell.

*It is a place of torment

*It is place of fire

*Is a place of darkness because God is not present.

c. This is where the Wide Gate is leading you and many people. Understand Hellvis full of good people who rejected Him.

B. But because of His Love, Grace, and Mercy He has provided the narrow gate.

a. This gate is salvation.

1. It is provided by Jesus Christ.

2. All we have to do is ask for it.

3. Then we are plucked from this world and placed in God’s hand where nothing can remove us from.

4. This is where the narrow gate leads. Jesus promises use eternal life with Him in Heaven. What more can you want but God gives us so much more.