Two Roads Luke 2:1-7 12/17/23 a.m.
The Great poet Robert Frost wrote one of his most famous poems in 1915. It’s called, “The Road not Taken”.
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Frost was not a Professing Christian. I didn’t read this poem for you to get any kind of Spiritual Insight out of it. I just found that what he says in this poem is TRUE. There are two roads for us to choose from. There are two paths. Two ways we can take. A choice must be made. Matthew 7, Verses 13 and 14,
“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:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
And because of what Jesus did, we have that choice today. I began thinking about the CHOICES JESUS MADE. The Different Roads He took. You see, He had to take BOTH ROADS. One to Bethlehem and one to Jerusalem. I want to read from two different passages this morning. The first one is Luke 2, Verses 1-7.
“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”
The Road to Bethlehem began before the foundation of the world. God had this planned out from the beginning. 1 Peter 1:20 tells us that. God KNEW when He created mankind that they would fall. He KNEW that SIN would enter the picture. But yet He still chose to go through with His plan, He still chose to LEAVE HEAVEN and go down the Road to Bethlehem KNOWING it would LEAD to another road.
And that’s what this second passage tells us about. Another Road. The Road to Jerusalem. This passage is also found in Luke but Chapter 9, Verse 51.
“And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,”
It would be a long journey to Jerusalem. Jesus would pass through different towns along the way. He would heal the SICK and the LAME. He would TEACH and PREACH along the way. He would bring JOY to many but ANGER to those who opposed Him. And at the end there awaited something HORRIBLE for Him. A CRUEL DEATH. Roman Execution. Crucifixion.
Both of these roads were a CHOICE for Jesus. He didn’t have to CHOOSE the Road to Bethlehem. He didn’t have to WALK the road to Mt. Calvary. But if not, where would you and I be today? So that’s what we’re gonna talk about. Two roads. One to Bethlehem and one to Jerusalem. But before we do let’s go to the Lord in Prayer.
Brother _____, would you lead us?
I. Let’s look first at the Road to Bethlehem.
A. First of all, Jesus had to come at the RIGHT TIME. Galatians 4:4 and 5. “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
The MESSIAH was coming and Joseph and Mary knew this. They had been told by God it was going to happen. But I doubt that Joseph and Mary realized it was going to happen ON THIS JOURNEY as they made their way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. They probably had NO IDEA when Jesus would be born. They were traveling to Joseph’s hometown to pay their taxes. They really had NO CHOICE. This decree was from CAESAR HIMSELF, the most powerful man in the world at that time. He declared that at a CERTAIN TIME Joseph and Mary had to be in Bethlehem. So they went, maybe planning a quick trip so that they could make it back home before the BABY CAME.
Put yourself in their shoes. They were very likely walking. No where in the Bible does it tell us that Mary rode on a Donkey. It was 90 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Mary with her swollen feet. Her aching back. Ready for the baby to come. Worn out from being pregnant. And a four day journey ahead. And as they’re nearing Bethlehem, Mary says, “Uh Joseph, uh honey, I think …. I think I’m in labor.” Joseph probably begins to look for an inn for Mary to give birth in but there was none to be had. They were ALL FULL. Some might say, “Well, I guess you got the timing off somewhere. No, Jesus came, He took the ROAD to BETHLEHEM in His mama’s tummy at the RIGHT TIME.
B. Secondly, Jesus had to come at the RIGHT PLACE. It COULD NOT have happened 10 miles before they got there or when they were half way home. It had to happen in Bethlehem. Why? Because the Prophet Micah made that prophecy 800 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
Maybe Joseph and Mary knew this prophecy but I really doubt that they knew, as they headed down the road to Bethlehem, that they would be bringing Baby Jesus home with them.
BUT GOD DID. You see, Jesus took the ROAD to BETHLEHEM KNOWING EXACTLY when and where it would all happen.
Jesus came at the RIGHT TIME and at the RIGHT PLACE.
C. And He came for the RIGHT REASON.
Galatians 4, Verse 5, that we read earlier, clearly tells Jesus came so that we could be REDEEMED and we could become the Children of God.
1. Listen, Jesus didn’t come so that we could give each other gifts. That’s real nice and we enjoy doing that don’t we? As adults we enjoy giving our KIDS, GRANDKIDS and FRIENDS nice gifts. The rest get DOLLAR TREE STUFF or RE-GIFT ITEMS.
ILLUS: Rachel’s sister went to a church down in Bixby and they had a little inside joke. Many years ago there was one of those BOXED FRUIT CAKES that got re-gifted. And the next year it got re-gifted again. It became a joke in the church every year at the annual Christmas Party. The person who had gotten stuck with it the year before would “RE-GIFT “ it to someone else. That was great for many years. Everyone would laugh at whoever got stuck with the DECADES old Fruit Cake. It was really funny until a new couple got it and no one told them the secret. So ... they ate it. TRUE STORY!!!
Listen, Jesus didn’t come so that we could drink hot cocoa and roast Chestnuts on an open fire. That’s fine too EXCEPT too much Hot Cocoa will make you fat.
Jesus didn’t come so that we could sing Christmas Carols. There’s some of them I like and some that are really pretty but some of them are just DUMB. “The Little Drummer Boy” is a perfect example. It’s just silly and I can imagine poor Mary, “Would someone shut that kid up. He’s been beating on that drum for HOURS and I’m trying to get Jesus to sleep!!!” I’m just kidding. If you like “Little Drummer Boy” that’s fine. Sing it and beat on your little drum to your heart’s content!!!
But let me tell you why Jesus travelled that road to Bethlehem. Because that’s how He had to come.
As I said earlier, He had to be born at the RIGHT TIME. The fulness of TIME.
He had to be born at the RIGHT PLACE. Bethlehem.
He had to be born for the RIGHT REASON. To REDEEM you and I.
D. Also, He HAD to be born the RIGHT WAY. Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Jesus had to be born of a VIRGIN. Some of the more modern day churches today try to explain away the Virgin Birth. “AHMM …. Scientifically speaking, there was NO WAY it could happen, SO ... Young Virgin just simply means a Young Woman. Not a Young Woman who had kept her VIRGINITY.”
No, Jesus had to come from a VIRGIN. So how could this happen? Well Joseph wondered the same thing.
In Matthew 1 he’s setting there thinking about this and in Verses 18-21 an Angel of God answers those questions.
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
Let me ask you a question. If you’re not gonna believe ALL of it, why believe ANY of it? If you’re gonna try to explain away PART of it, why not explain away ALL of it? Either believe it or don’t. I CHOOSE to believe Jesus came up the ROAD to BETHLEHEM. He came at the RIGHT TIME. He came to the RIGHT PLACE. He came for the RIGHT REASON. And He came in the RIGHT WAY. Conceived by the Holy Ghost. I believe it ALL!!!
II. Now let’s look at this other road that Jesus traveled. The ROAD to Jerusalem. Let’s read Luke 9:51 one more time.“And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,”
This Verse doesn’t mean that Jesus began walking at that moment toward Jerusalem. It doesn’t mean He made a BEELINE for Jerusalem. There would times along the way for Him to make people WHOLE. Times to TEACH along the way. Times to HEAL along the way. There would be little side tracks along the way for Jesus to go down, just to TOUCH SOMEONE’S LIFE.
A. But let me tell you this. Jesus began going down the Road to Jerusalem at JUST THE RIGHT TIME. Just as the FULNESS of TIME had come for Jesus to be born, the FULNESS of TIME would come for Jesus to DIE. Jesus came to die at just the RIGHT TIME.
Romans 5:6 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
IN DUE TIME, at the RIGHT TIME, when we were without STRENGTH, when we were HOPELESS, when there was NO OTHER WAY, Jesus went down that road to Jerusalem and died for you and I.
There’s not a person that’s ever been born who could save themselves. There’s not a person that’s ever been born who was perfect besides Jesus.
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.”
There is NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO NOT ONE.
Jesus came at the Right time and He headed down the ROAD towards HIS OWN DEATH, at the RIGHT TIME.
B. Another thing, Jesus headed down the Road toward the RIGHT PLACE.
You know, Jesus could have went to a different place. One that wasn’t as dangerous as Jerusalem. But yet He had to go to Jerusalem so that the PROPHECIES of Psalms 22, Verses 16 and 18 could befulfilled.
“For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.”
And then Verse 18.
“They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.”
For Jesus to fulfill His mission here on Earth of being the perfect sacrifice for our sins HE HAD TO GO DOWN THAT ROAD TO JERUSALEM.
C. He also had to go down that Road to Jerusalem for the RIGHT REASON.
I thought about Jesus there in the Garden of Gethsemane. How that He prayed,
“O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
Why did this CUP not pass away? Because it was the FATHER’S WILL. He chose the Road to Jerusalem to FULFILL His Father’s Will.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
D. Jesus had to go to Jerusalem in the RIGHT WAY.
There were some who wanted Jesus to be something that He wasn’t.
The ZEALOTS of that day wanted a LEADER for their REBELLION against the Romans. Jesus didn’t walk the Road to Jerusalem to be a CONQUERING KING.
There were others, like the Sadducees, who wanted PEACE with the Romans. They worked with the Romans to stay in POWER and CONTROL over the people. They wanted Jesus to go along with them. Don’t make WAVES Jesus.
Listen, I want you to get this. Jesus didn’t WALK the ROAD to Jerusalem to GET ALONG.
Jesus went to Jerusalem to be the FINAL SACRIFICE for the SINS of ALL HUMANITY.
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
That’s YOU and ME. He DID IT in the RIGHT WAY. So that you and I could be saved.
III. Now here we are. Jesus went down those TWO ROADS. The ONE to BETHLEHEM and the ONE to JERUSALEM. And because of that we have a CHOICE to make. We’re like the fellow that Robert Frost wrote about.
We all come to the point in our lives where we stand at a FORK in the ROAD. Joshua told the People of Israel. “CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY WHO YOU WILL SERVE!!!”
And I say to you today church. “CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE!!!”
A. There are TWO ROADS before us. AND THERE IS A RIGHT TIME TO CHOOSE. 2 Corinthians 6:2
“(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”
So what is the RIGHT TIME? NOW!!! Don’t put it off. There are no guarantees for tomorrow. You have this breath, this moment RIGHT NOW!!! And that’s all. Nothing more is guaranteed.
B. Secondly, wherever you are right now in your life, IT’S THE RIGHT PLACE. You may be young or you may be old. You may be STRUGGLING or life might be GOOD. No matter where you are in YOUR LIFE. It’s the RIGHT PLACE to make the RIGHT CHOICE on which road to take.
C. And you need to make the RIGHT CHOICE for the RIGHT REASON. I’m not talking about joining the church. I’m not talking about joining some civic organization. Or some club. I’m talking about making a COMMITMENT to GOD. I’m talking about putting your FAITH and TRUST in HIM and nothing else. What is the RIGHT REASON for doing that? YOUR ETERNAL SOUL DEPENDS UPON IT.
D. And finally, you need to make the RIGHT CHOICE in the RIGHT WAY. TWO ROADS LAY BEFORE YOU.
Matthew 7:13 and 14.
“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:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
One ROAD is easy to take. It’s nice and WIDE. You can wander back and forth as you make your way down that road. Just kind of MEANDER ALONG.
ILLUS: On this road you can READ and SEND plenty of TEXT MESSAGES as you go along. No need to pay attention. Just do your own thing. We’ve all seen them right? I don’t know how many times we’ve been going down the road and someone ahead of us is kind of zig zagging back and forth. Rachel will say, “Hmm, I bet they’re on their phone. And when we get up beside them they’re doing this. (Act it out) GRRR!!!
But here’s the problem with CHOOSING to go down that ROAD. It’s doesn't take you where you wanna go. It leads to DESTRUCTION.
The other road is NARROW. It’s very exclusive. You only get on this road by doing ONE THING. That’s putting your TRUST in Jesus and SERVING HIM as you go along. There’s no READING and SENDING TEXT MESSAGES. No, you PAY ATTENTION and you live a LIFE that is PLEASING TO HIM.
IT’S A NARROW WAY!!!
You take up your cross daily and you serve God.
Why? Because HE is the ONLY WAY to make it to Heaven.
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
There were two roads that Jesus went down. The Road to Bethlehem and the Road to Jerusalem. He went down those roads for you and I. He went down those roads so that we would have a choice of where we would spend eternity. In HEAVEN or in HELL. Now the choice is up to you, which road will you take?
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Let’s Pray
