“At the CrossRoad”
I encountered a man on the Road of Life
so sure of himself - so convinced he was right.
He had (his) religion, but he didn’t know God,
and though he had eyes, I thought this rather odd:
He only could see what he wanted to see.
So, blind to the truth that could set his soul free
the man charged ahead - unaware he was lost,
until he encountered a man on a cross
at a fork in the road
where the path became two
and the man who’d always been sure of himself had to choose.
Between broad and narrow, between left and right,
Between things he could see, and things still out of sight.
And I’m sure that the man would have gone the wrong way,
Had he not encountered the Savior that day.
But love rescued him! Truth set him free!
Grace opened his eyes - he could finally see.....
that the man on the cross makes the difference.
Now listen, as this once-proud skeptic proclaims:
“For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Matt 7:13-14
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (NIV)
Matt 7:13-14 (TLB)
13 "Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes who choose its easy way.
14 But the Gateway to Life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.
We’re all on a road. We were born to travel it. It is The Road of Life. There are many stops along the way. Some good, some bad. And at different places along the journey we all come to “CrossRoads.” Intersections marked by the sign of the Cross of Jesus Christ. Places of eternal decision. At the “CrossRoad” the path divides - and we have a choice to stay on the broad road of destruction we’ve been traveling, or exit onto the narrow road that leads to life.
The direction we choose at the “CrossRoad” not only has ramifications for the rest of our journey, but even more importantly, it determines our final destination.
Which road are you on? If you’re here tonight, listening to the sound of my voice, than this is another “CrossRoad” moment in your life. What are you going to do? Which path are you going to choose? Are you on that narrow road that leads to life? Do you know that your final destination is secure? Or have you ignored God’s signs along the road of your life? Are you careening out-of-control down the road that leads to destruction? Are you living recklessly hoping everything’s going to turn out right at the end?
“...broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.”
If that’s you, if that’s the road you’re on tonight, then pay close attention. Jesus has set up a temporary road block. He’s sent up a flare and he’s trying to get your attention. He’s pointing - the Cross is pointing you in the right direction. Don’t miss this moment. Don’t drive by the Cross in the middle of the road.
I believe God loves us all so much that there are literally countless moments when He tries to reach us during the course of our lifetimes. I can’t even begin to venture a guess at how often He tries, but I do know that God is committed to reaching us with the Good News that there is a Savior. That our sins, which are many, have be forgiven because His son died on the Cross to take their guilt for us. (tract, sermon, friend, stranger, tv/radio broadcast, a co-worker, a trip to VBS as a child) He’s passionate about it. (John 3:16, “He’s unwilling that any should perish.”) So, although I can’t begin to tell you how many times it happens, God pursues us during the course of our lifetimes over and over again. But it’s what we do when we come to the knowledge of the cross that matters.
THERE ARE 2 WAYS YOU COME TO THE “CROSSROAD.”
I. YOU WENT LOOKING FOR IT.
I believe there is a God-given curiosity within man that puts him on a search for a higher power during the course of his lifetime. You can interview millions of people from all over the world, and you will get several versions of the meaning of life and what the true mode/brand of religion is - but although those things may differ greatly, the majority of those you talk to will believe there is more to this life than the hear-and-now. They may not know the God of the Bible, but they have a belief in a higher power who reigns supreme and they understand that there must be something more to life than just living and dying. It just makes sense. There was an emptiness. The “God hole.”
So, for many in this room, there came a time when you began to think about the meaning of life and eternity and it led you on a search that ended at the “CrossRoad.” You may not have known that’s where it would end when you started, but once you got there, you knew it was what you’d been looking for.
You may have come to the “CrossRoad” at a VBS session one summer. You may have heard about it from your Sunday School Teacher. Maybe your next-door-neighbor, or your mom, dad, Grandpa led you to the “CrossRoad.” You might have heard about it at a summer camp or from a close friend...or maybe a complete stranger. But once you came to the “CrossRoad”, you knew your search was over. You bowed your knee, you called upon the name of the Lord, and you were gloriously set free from sin!!! The shame and the guilt were all gone and you felt like a brand new person. (You were!) And off you went down the narrow path, hand-in-nail-scarred-hand with Jesus. Isn’t it great!?!
So, many of us came to the “CrossRoad” because we went looking for it, and God gladly made sure we found what we were searching for. “He’s unwilling that any should perish.”
“You will find me when you seek me with your whole heart.”
Many others come to the “CrossRoad” because.....
II. IT CAME LOOKING FOR YOU.
Like I said, God wants you bad. “The cross shows that God would rather die than live without you.” But he won’t “make” you choose him. That’s our option. And even when we’re not looking for Him, he doesn’t stop trying to get our attention.
Here’s 3 ways the cross comes looking for us.
A. It comes by surprise. We weren’t expecting it. We weren’t even looking for it. But all of the sudden, there it is. A cross in the middle of the road.
Ill. - Ever been traveling in unfamiliar territory, heavy traffic, and all of a sudden, you see something that just grabs your attention? Maybe it’s a famous landmark. A historical marker. A sign “WORLD’S LARGEST FIREWORKS WAREHOUSE” or the exit sign you needed and now your past it!!!
You were just driving. Minding your own business. Doing your own thing. And there it was - and it caught your eye.
It happens spiritually. It happened to some of you. You were headed down the path of life. Minding your own business. You weren’t expecting it. You weren’t even looking for it. But all of a sudden, there it was. The cross of Jesus Christ. You heard for the first time that you were a sinner and that there’s only one way to change that: accept what Jesus did for you at the cross. It’s decision time. The cross caught you by surprise.
Usually one of two things takes place in that “CrossRoad” of decision. You accept it or reject it. You either reject it outright, or you say, like many have said, “That sounds good, maybe some other time.” And you keep right on going.
KEY POINT: Every time you pass the “CrossRoads” could be your last.
“Life is a vapor...here today, gone tomorrow.”
Perhaps the “CrossRoads” has caught you by surprise tonight. It might be a surprise for you - but this is a God ordained moment. God’s trying to get your attention. You’re at the “CrossRoad” - what will you do?
Here’s another way the cross comes looking for us.
B. It comes in heavy traffic.
Most of us have been stuck in a traffic jam. Frustrating. You want to get somewhere (you’re usually late) and the traffic is just crawling at a stand-still. You’re one of hundreds of vehicles caught in a mess. Helpless. You can’t do anything to change your predicament. You feel trapped. Every day it’s the same thing. You feel like you’re going nowhere fast.
And then you see it. A big sign that says, “Ride the metro - get out of the rut.” And, sitting there in that traffic jam, you come across the answer. Sure enough, you check into it and the metro has a stop one block from your office and once you try it, you never get stuck again.
Many of us get stuck in a rut during the course of our lives. A traffic jam. A treadmill that’s going nowhere fast. We don’t like it be we don’t know what to do about it. Life is so busy. It controls us. We feel helpless - pushed around by all these external circumstances. Our life is meaningless and crowded. We might “have it all” but it doesn’t feel good. We’re frustrated.
And there it is, right in the middle of the road. A big cross. Jesus calls out, “Come unto me all ye who are weak and heavy laden....” “I have come that you might have life...” The alternative is there for us. All we have to do is take it.
Once again, we either accept the cross and start on a new course of freedom, or we reject it, saying something like, “I’m too busy.” or “I can’t give up my lifestyle. I’m important. I’ve got a reputation. I’ve got to have more things.”
“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”
You’re at the “CrossRoad” - what will you do?
KEY POINT: Every time you pass the “CrossRoads” could be your last.
Here’s one more way the cross comes looking for us.
C. It comes by “accident.”
How many of you have been in some type of auto accident? What a sick feeling. That and seeing red/blue lights in your rearview mirror when you’re speeding will instantly make you sick!
Ill. - When I wrecked my freshly waxed AMX before heading back to college.
I just couldn’t stop beating myself up for that. I felt so stupid. I can only imagine how many times I said, “If only....”
Sometime we come to the “CrossRoads” by accident. Something traumatic happens. A death in the family. A major mistake finally catches up to us. Something tragic takes place. We lose our job unexpectedly. We’ve all been there. Somehow we hope it’s all a bad dream and it will just go away. But it won’t. The dream becomes a nightmare and we’re in serious trouble. We are perhaps at one of the lowest moments in our life.
And we come to the “CrossRoad.” Jesus is there offering hope and encouragement. He’s not there to take away the fallout, but he’s there with forgiveness to take away our guilt. And some accept. The road is hard at first, but eventually, they come out of it and go on to victory and a brighter tomorrow.
Some accept the cross temporarily, praying one of those “foxhole” prayers. “God, if you’ll just help me through this, I promise I’ll serve you....” Only to reject him later when the worst of the storm is over.
Others reject God entirely when they come to the “CrossRoad” by accident - choosing instead to blame Him for their predicament. Bitter and angry, they drive on into more pain.
The worst part of my accident was looking at the damage over and over again, thinking, “If only....”
The worst part of going out into an eternity without God will be living in eternal torment and thinking over and over again, “If only....”
You’re at the “CrossRoad” - what will you do?
KEY POINT: Every time you pass the “CrossRoads” could be your last.
Ill. - Tommy Barnett’s Illustrated sermon, “Roadblocks on the Highway to Hell.” (mother’s prayers, conviction of the H. Spirit, Word of God, etc.)
“If you’re going to go to hell, you’ll have to go right over the bruised and bloodied body of Jesus Christ himself.”
You’re at the “CrossRoad” - what will you do?
You can’t avoid it. You can’t go around it. You can ignore it, but you’ll eventually have to face it.
How many times will you come the “CrossRoad” during the course of your lifetime? You’re there tonight. What will you do?
There are no “U-turns” in eternity!
