Only as we follow this plan, we can obtain what God desires for us to achieve in this life.
Illus: In an NCAA cross country championship held in Riverside, California, 123 of the 128 runners missed a turn. One competitor, Mike Delcavo, stayed on the 10,000 meter course and began waving for his fellow runners to follow him. Mike was able to convince only four other runners to take the same course he was taking.
When he was asked what his competitors thought of his mid race decision not to follow the crowd, Mike responded, "They thought it was funny that I went the right way."
The same can be said of Christians; as we travel the “Right Course,” we become the object of laughter. There are only two courses a person can take in this life. The Bible tells us about these two courses that are available to us.
Look at Matthew 7:13-14, we read “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
(1) THERE IS THE BROAD WAY
Notice, what the Bible says about the broad way, we read, “…Many there be which go in thereat…”
Yes, there are many today who have chosen the path of sin. As Christians, we do all that we can do to signal them and warn them they are taking the wrong path in life. But many of them just laugh at the efforts we make.
(2) THERE IS THE NARROW WAY
The Bible says the other course that is available to mankind is “Strait and narrow,” and notice the Bible says “…Few there be that find it.”
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Illus: When we go to a college football game and we see as many as eighty thousand people in attendance, based on the Word of God, it would be safe for us to say that only a few out of that 80,000 will die and go to heaven. ONLY A FEW!
WHY ARE THEY GOING TO A CHRIST-LESS ETERNITY? The answer is simple. It is because they have chosen a path they think is the best way, but the path they have chosen leads to hell.
For many years of his life, the apostle Paul followed the wrong course for his life, but once he found the right way, he ran this course that God had for him to follow with all his heart.
Look at his instructions to us in Hebrews 12:1-2, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Paul recognized, like Mike Delcavo, we cannot let the majority lead us astray. We know where the path the lost man chooses leads!
WHAT KIND OF COURSE DOES THE LORD HAVE FOR US TO FOLLOW?
I. IT IS A PLAIN COURSE
God could not be a JUST GOD, and hold us responsible on the judgment day for the course we have taken with our lives, if He did not PLAINLY reveal His will to us.
Everyone PLAINLY knows some things that God would have them do. The problem with most Christians today, is this:
• They do not need to be concerned with all the things they do not know
• But they do need to be concerned about those things that God has PLAINLY revealed to them is His will for their lives
God has a course for every person that is here today. And God makes that course PLAIN to them. When it comes to following the PLAIN COURSE that He has for our lives, we have to consider two things. Such as:
(A) THERE IS THE OBVIOUS
There are things He reveals to us, and we know that this is God’s plan for our life as long as we live on this earth. That is, if we live another hundred years, God has clearly shown us this is His plan for our lives. Such as when it is:
(1) GOD’S WILL TO CALL A PREACHER TO PREACH
Look at Romans 11:29, we read, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”
The Bible teaches that God calls people into the ministry. It is a calling that will be on that person’s life as long as they live.
Paul said in 1 Cor. 9:16, “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”
We hear a lot these days about ministers who are dropping out of the ministry, but one day they are going to have to give account to God for not following the WILL OF GOD for their lives, that God had PLAINLY REVEALED TO THEM.
When it comes to the WILL OF GOD, there are some things that are PLAINLY revealed to us. We are to follow that course the rest of our lives.
Another, obvious path that God has revealed for us to follow is when it is -
(2) GOD’S WILL TO CALL A PERSON TO BE A WITNESS
As long as they are on the face of the earth, God’s course for their life is to be a witness to the lost. The great commission to spread this gospel is given to every child of God.
Illus: As a Christian, if you are not actively seeking to win the lost to Christ, you are as much out of the will of God as Jonah was when he got on that ship, and chose the course to go to Tarshish instead of going to Nineveh where God told him to go.
As we read through the scriptures, it is obvious that the path of witnessing is a path that every Christian should follow as long as he lives.
• Some have lived most of their lives and have not gotten around to doing it yet
• Some have taken every precious hour God has given them this week, and used them on themselves, and did not spend one hour in trying to win anyone to Christ
It is going to be rough on these Christians as they stand before the Lord on the judgment day, and give account of how they selfishly spent their lives. They have their excuses, but they are going to find out that their excuses will not hold up.
Illus: Their ridiculous excuses remind me of the two fellows who skipped school when they were facing a final exam. They showed up the next day, and the teacher asked them why they weren’t there to take the final exam. Before they came to class they had already agreed that they were going to tell the teacher they were coming to take the final exam, and they had a flat tire, and they were deeply sorry for not being able to be there. The teacher gave them a big smile and said, “Fellows, I am sorry to hear that you had a flat tire. But here is what I plan to do. I will only ask you one question, and if you both can answer it correctly, I will pass you.” They smile at each other like this was a sure thing. He placed one of the students in one class room and the other one in another. They opened the test and the one question was, “Which tire was it?”
Christians today have all kinds of excuses, they actually think they are getting away with something. But it is all going to catch up with them one day! When? When they stand before the Lord and give account for not taking the PATH OF WITNESSING, when God’s Word made it PLAIN that this was something they should have done
There are things He reveals to us and we do not need to pray about them, It has been made PLAIN that THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES.
But also-
(2) There are things He reveals to us PLAINLY, ONE DAY AT A TIME
That is, there are things we face from day to day, and we do not know what His plan is for our lives. He has not made His will PLAIN TO US YET.
We do not know which path to take as we face some situations each day.
• But the good news is, HE KNOWS THE PATH WE SHOULD TAKE
• And the good news is that HE makes His will PLAIN TO US DAY BY DAY about some things.
Look at verse 10, we read, “But HE KNOWETH THE WAY THAT I TAKE...”
It is different from the course we took before we were saved. Look at-
A. OUR OLD COURSE
Look at what Paul said in Eph 2:2, “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”
While we do not always know His will PLAINLY for our life as we face some things each day, we know this, His course is different for us than the course we took before we gave our hearts to the Lord.
There are three life changing experiences, actually four:
(1) WHEN WE GO TO THE DOCTOR AND HE TELLS US WE ARE DIABETIC
When we receive this bit of news, our life is never again the same.
• We cannot eat those meats and potatoes like we once did
• We can never go back for seconds and thirds
• We can never again go back at those church suppers and get a plate full of ice cream and cake
Once we have become diabetic, our life nutritionally will never again be the same. You have to watch what you eat from then on.
Illus: This reminds me of Lynne Gordon’s father-in-law, who pastors in rural Pennsylvania. She said that one day he found two containers on his desk with a note from a thoughtful church member, wishing that he and Mom would sample her home cooking.
One container held some delicious hearty soup, which they ate the next day. Dad tasted the other food, which appeared to be an odd squash dish. It eventually was discarded. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad thanked the woman for her gracious gifts, especially the soup. They avoided mentioning the "squash," which they felt guilty about wasting.
Several weeks later, Lynne said that her dad was talking with the church custodian about the damage that craft projects were inflicting on the carpet in the children's classroom. They both agreed it was getting out of hand.
The custodian said, "Didn't you see the big wad of “Play-Doh” I put in a container on your desk a few weeks ago?" (Lynne Gordon, Pittsburgh, PA, Christian Reader, "Lite Fare.")
Yes, he saw it. This is what he was eating, thinking it was some kind of a squash dish that the sweet old lady had given him to eat.
When we are diagnosed as being diabetic, our life never again will be the same. Also it will never be the same -
(2) WHEN WE GET MARRIED
We are never again the same person once we get married. We hear a lot of good and bad from marriages these days.
Illus: An attorney tells the story of a man who died, and the attorney said to his wife, "He didn’t leave a will, so we need to know the last words he ever said to you."
• She said, "I don't want to tell you."
• He said, "Look, he didn’t leave a will. We need to know the last words he ever said to you."
• She said, "I don't want to tell you. It was something between the two of us."
• He said, "May I beg you one more time?"
• She said, "Okay, I'll tell you. The last thing he ever said to me was, 'You don't scare me. You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with that old gun.”
(R. Larry Moyer, "Right Smack in the Middle of Sin," Preaching Today, Tape No. 148.)
Every married person will tell you that life is never the same once you get married.
Illus: One couple often had problems and they never could communicate. They had a problem one day and it led to an argument, and neither wanted to concede his or her position as they drove down this country road. But as they passed a barnyard of mules and pigs, the wife sarcastically asked, "Relatives of yours?" "Yep," the husband replied, "in-laws."
There are a lot of good things and bad things we could say about marriage. God said it was not good for man to be alone, and God knew exactly what He was talking about.
But once we get married, our lives are never again the same. But also, our lives are never again the same-
(3) WHEN WE HAVE A CHILD
The weight of the husband and wife might total 300 to 400 pounds, but when that little 5 or 6 pound baby arrives, suddenly everything in the house revolves around him or her. Until that child is civilized, that child:
• Determines when everyone is going sleep
• Determines if the house is going to nice and quiet
• Determines how the house is going to smell
• Determines if the house is going to have happiness
Our life is never again the same once we have a child. But the greatest change in our life is -
(4) WHEN WE ACCEPT THE LORD JESUS
We are never again the same. This is why 2 Cor. 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
That old path that we once walked, was a path that led to:
• DISOBEDIENCE
• DISGRACE
• DEATH
Once we come to know the Lord, He makes it PLAIN to us that that OLD PATH IS NEVER TO BE FOLLOWED AGAIN!
We looked at the OUR OLD COURSE, but let us look at-
B. OUR NEW COURSE
What kind of course is this NEW COURSE?
(1) IT IS A COURSE OF LIFE
Eph 2:1, “And YOU HATH HE QUICKENED, who were dead in trespasses and sins:”
(2) IT IS A COURSE OF OBEDIENCE
Eph 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
(3) IT IS A COURSE OF GRACE
Eph 2:8, “For BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
God’s course for us to follow is PLAINLY laid out before us.
Conclusion:
Illus: A general contractor told a subcontractor that he had to leave the job. He told him that he was going to leave the set of plans for him to follow. When he got back he noticed immediately that the man was not doing things the way the county code required.
He asked the man why he didn’t do the job the way he told him to. The man said, “Listen, I have been doing things like this for years.” The General contractor said, “You might have done things like this for years, but this won’t pass the county code. Tear it down and start all over!”
He later discovered that the man did not open the architectural plans one time.
A lot of folks are like this. God gave us the Bible to direct our paths, and they never open it to see which way they should go with their lives. One day when they stand before the Lord, they are going to be surprised when the Lord tells them all their plans must be destroyed, and they have no reward whatsoever.
God has a PLAIN course for us to follow. The problem most of the time is that men know WHAT THEY SHOULD DO, but they are NOT WILLING TO DO IT!
HE KNOWETH THE WAY THAT I TAKE (1 of 2)
I. IT IS A PLAIN COURSE
HE KNOWETH THE WAY THAT I TAKE (2 of 2)
II. IT IS A PLANNED COURSE
