The Road Less Traveled
Little Log Church
John 10:10
February 7-8, 2004
INTRODUCTION
Two weeks ago, John and I decided we would take one morning a week, which is really only 2 and ½ hours due to our children’s school schedule, to hike. We’re calling it our pastoral staff meeting. We hike and talk, talk and hike. Sometimes we hike in silence hearing only the birds and our deep gasps for breath.
On our very first hike together I chose to take him up Strawberry Mtn., down behind Sundance Mtn. and had planned to come out at the second reservoir so we could make our way down the reservoir path. But noticing the time, I realized we wouldn’t be able to make it all the way to the 2nd reservoir so we took a left where the path Y’s thinking that we’d come out at the 1st reservoir. Well, at some point, where I don’t quite remember, we lost the path. We could blame the snow. We could blame the creek. We could blame our lack of attention. But no matter what or who we blamed the result was the same. We weren’t lost, but we were off course.
Our choices were clear. We could 1) back-track. We could 2) take the time to find the path or we could 3) blaze our own path using my keen sense of direction and knowledge of woods (ha ha).
Now, back-tracking, while an option, was not real appealing. We’d already seen the terrain. We knew we didn’t have the time we needed to get back based on how long it had taken us to get where we were. And to be honest, back-tracking may be comfort producing but it is not real adventuresome. Really, it’s boring. So we chose not to back-track.
Finding the path and continuing on our journey would have probably been the best alternative but we didn’t think we had the time to search for it. John had to pick up Sarah at 11:45 and I didn’t have my GPS so we didn’t really know how far we were from the reservoir and more importantly the school. And with the snow cover, it was going to be difficult to find anyway. So, we chose option #3 and we set out on our own path, blazing our way through the pristine and trackless snow.
Well, it wasn’t long before we realized it was going to be a little tougher than we thought. We soon found ourselves in the midst of numerous large snow and ice covered rocks. I won’t say it looked perilous but ominous comes close. Needless to say, we made it. And we made it with a minute or two to spare. Sarah’s class was coming outside just as we were walking up High Street. Had it not been for our determination and sheer strength we might not have made it. . .o.k. it wasn’t that tough. But it wasn’t as easy as it could have been had we stayed on the path.
Throughout history, there have been many famous trails or paths. The Appalachian Trail, the Oregon Trail, the Natchez Trail, and the Chisholm Trail are just a few. Trails or paths were our nations first interstate system. But no matter which trail or path you may read or talk about, history shows again and again how important it was to stay on it. All you have to do is read about the Donner party who tried to cut their own path to California in 1846.
Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it or not but we are all on a trail or a path. At this very moment you are either on a right path or a wrong path. As I said to the retreat goers last weekend, when you walk into a cemetery, you see headstones with someone’s name, an epitaph, a date of birth and a date of death. What often goes overlooked is the hyphen between the date of birth and date of death. But it’s that hyphen that represents that individual’s entire life. We look at the dates, but the real story is the hyphen. And it’s that hyphen that makes up our trail or our path.
TWO LIFE PATHS
Our first inclination is to say that those who are Christians are on the right path and those who are non-Christians are on the wrong path. And this of course is true. We read in Matthew 7:13-14 that Jesus said “the way” or the path that leads to destruction is broad and that many are on it, while “the way” or the path that leads to life is narrow and few find it. But this morning I want to think in terms of the Christian and how it is still possible for a Christian to be on one of two paths. It’s not a matter of being on a right path or a wrong path. It’s a matter of being on a good path and a great path. Some of us in this room are on a good path and some of us are on a great path. Let me explain.
There is a path to life that Jesus mentions in Matthew 7:14 which is narrow, and then there’s a path of life that David refers to in Psalm 16:11. David says,
You will make known to me the path of life.
Psalm 16:11(NASB)
There is a path to life that is narrow and that few find. We could borrow M.Scott Pecks words and call it the road less traveled. But those by the grace of God that are led to the path to life then begin a path of life. We begin our hyphen. And this path of life, this hypen, is either a good path of life or a great path of life. Actually it’s either good or abundant. And unfortunately, few of us have even thought about this difference before. And as a result, this great path of life, or abundant path of life could also be considered a road less traveled. Turn to John 10 and I think you’ll see what I mean.
THE CONTEXT
Chapter 10 can be divided into 3 main units. In verses 1-5, some say Jesus uses the illustration of sheep, a sheepfold, a thief and a shepherd to render a sharp critique on the Pharisees. In verses 7-18, Jesus interprets the illustration. And the remainder of the chapter focuses on Jesus’ claim that he was the Messiah which of course forces the people into a crisis of belief.
Verse 10 which is the focus of our study, is tucked nice and neatly in the midst of the explanation of the illustration. It’s a verse that gets quoted a lot. But I think it’s a verse that is often misinterpreted. Let’s read it together.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
John 10:10(NASB)
Remember, there is a path to life that is narrow and it is a road less traveled. But for the few this path to life leads to the path of life that is also a road less traveled. And in this verse we see why.
QUESTION #1
Jesus says that he came so that “they may have life.” The first question is, “Who is they?” Well, based on his explanation of his illustration, “they” are his sheep. Now, based on this passage and other passages that refer to Jesus being a shepherd, “Who are his sheep?” The answer is, Christians. In other words, you and me. So when we read that Jesus “came so that ‘they’ may have life”, we really read that Jesus came so that we, you and I, may have life. This of course leads us to a second question.
QUESTION #2
“What is this life?” Well, many interpret this verse to mean eternal life, life after death, life in the hereafter. But I don’t think this is the life Jesus is referring to. It could be, but I don’t think so.
You see, Jesus says he came so that we would have life. The word “have” in the original Greek means to hold, posses or cling to. It is also written here in the present tense. When something is written in the present tense it means that whatever action is taking place is in progress or at the present time. All of this means when Jesus says, he came so that we may “have life” he is saying that he came so that we may hold, possess or cling to life right now, at the present time. In other words, the life we experience because he came is not something we have to wait on, it’s something we can possess and do possess right now.
But again, what is this life that we possess right now because he came and we are his sheep? Well, the word “life” as it is used here means a full, real and genuine, active and vigorous life. Now, notice I didn’t say we can experience a “victorious” life or a life of complete sanctification, without sin, sadness, illness, trial, tribulation and temptation as some would claim is possible. The life Jesus is talking about here is a life that Jim Fitzgerald defined at lunch on Thursday as a life you can look back on as you get older and believe it was worthwhile, significant and purposeful.
And what’s even more amazing is that Jesus said not only can we possess and cling to a full, real and genuine, active and vigorous life, but we can experience it abundantly. The word “abundantly” means uncommon, remarkable, more excellent, superior and extra-ordinary. In other words, because Christ came and because we are his sheep and have been reconciled to the Father and are now children of light, we can experience a full, real and genuine, active and vigorous life that is remarkable, more excellent, extra-ordinary and uncommon. And this excellent and extra-ordinary life is not just remarkable or uncommon when we compare it with the lives of non-Christians, I think it’s remarkable and uncommon when we compare to the lives of most Christians. Again, I think this path of life, this path to an extra-ordinary, full, real and genuine, active and vigorous life, is a path or road less traveled. And the reason is found in the first part of the verse.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
John 10:10a(NASB)
Why is this great or abundant path of life less traveled? Why do so few Christians experience abundant living or an extra-ordinary full, real and genuine, active and vigorous life? It’s because we’re in a battle and our adversary Satan is moving about attempting to steal, kill and destroy us. The words used here can be summarized this way. Satan came and comes to render Christians useless. He’s already lost the war. The end result is final. Our names are in the Lambs book of life and Jesus says in verse 28-29 that no one, Satan included, can snatch us or remove us from his hand or his Father’s hand. We are secure. Therefore, the only pleasure Satan can experience is to render our lives useless. He steals our joy. He kills our dreams. He renders us apathetic, complacent and useless. And he does it very subtly.
As the Father of Lies, Satan is involved in sowing very subtle but very effective lies in the life of the believer that moves them off the road of great or abundant living and onto the road of ineffective or useless living.
LIE #1
The life Christians are meant to experience is a life of fullness. One of Satan’s lies is that fullness means longevity and health. And unfortunately, many Christians buy into this lie and when they do it’s not long before they are rendered useless as far as the Kingdom is concerned. How do they buy into it? Well, by believing fullness of life is equivalent to health and longevity, their faith and the faith of others becomes defined by physical health and the number of days they live. They begin believing a health and wealth gospel. And eventually, the Christian who has bought into this lie will come face to face with their own mortality and physical frailness or the mortality and physical frailness of a friend and family member. And when faced with an illness or disease the inevitable next step is to question their faith. If the physical problems are debilitating their joy disappears, pessimism creeps in and they spend the rest of their lives biding their time. In many cases they lose any hope that they had.
TRUTH #1
But the truth is this: fullness does not mean health and longevity. Fullness means completeness. The life we are to experience because of Christ is an extra-ordinary life of completeness, of satisfaction, of fulfillment.
The best example I can give you is an example Dr. Larimore shared at Focus on the Family a couple of weeks ago as he explained what he believes it means to be highly healthy. As a family doctor for over 25 years, Doctor Larimore has seen countless numbers of patients. Over time, he has developed an assessment that he uses to gauge his patients health. But their health is not based solely on their physical make-up. He assesses not only the physical, but the emotional, relational and spiritual well-being of each person to determine their overall health. The example he used was of a young adult in her early twenties who had a sever mental handicap. He said if he looked at this child’s physical make-up alone, it would have been easy to say she was not healthy. But as he evaluated her life, he came to see that her emotional well-being, her relationships with her family and friends and her spiritual journey with God through Jesus Christ all revealed a very healthy young woman. She was in fact experiencing a very full life; An abundant life that was complete and satisfying. She may not have been what most people would consider healthy because of her cerebral palsy, but in terms of the life Jesus came to allow her to experience, she was extremely healthy. Fortunately, she has not bought into Satan’s lie that says fullness is physical health and longevity. And as a result she is on the road less traveled.
LIE #2
Another lie Satan sows into the mind of the believer is that a real and genuine life is simply a normal life, a status quo life, a life that most Christians would consider comfortable, easy and non-threatening. It’s a conventional life. It’s a life of not lying, cheating, stealing. It’s a life of loving your family, working hard, going to church, and giving your money. To use a nineties term, it’s the Christian version of being politically correct. And the problem is, the more conventional someone becomes, the more they enjoy comfort and ease, the less they are willing to take stands for those things they believe in. As a matter of fact, the more conventional someone becomes, the more they buy into this lie, the less they believe. They don’t want to be labeled. They don’t want anyone to think they aren’t tolerant. They have no desire to convince anyone of anything nor are they themselves convinced of anything. And this is the exact opposite of what it means to live a real and genuine life.
TRUTH #2
To live an extra-ordinary real and genuine life means we are to live an extra-ordinary true and valid life. In others words it’s a life that’s convincing and compelling. It means taking a step beyond the conventional to the authentic. It means not just lying but speaking the truth. It means not just cheating but helping others gain an advantage. It means not just stealing but giving away what we have been given. It means not just loving your family but laying down your life for them, fighting for them and their hearts. It means not just working hard but working well, not just being efficient but effective. It means not just going to church but being a part of a community looking out for the well-being of others in the community. It’s not just giving money to people or projects, it’s about investing time and energy into people’s lives. It’s not about conforming, or being status quo. It’s about being adventurous and unpredictable. It’s about taking risks. It’s not about being nice. It’s about being dangerous. It’s about living in such a way that you don’t have to say a word to convince people about your faith or compel them to at least ask you what makes you so different. That is the road less traveled.
LIE #3
The final lie I want to address is the lie in which Satan says an active and vigorous life is a life of busyness and worldly success. Have you noticed how many people use their day-timers or their palm pilots as status symbols. It’s as if the busier you are the more important you are. As I was typing this section of my message, a young woman called and when I said hello, she said, “Uh. . .I forgot who I was calling”. I said it’s Chris Taylor. And she said, “Oh thanks Chris, you’re my fourth call and I’m just going down the list, making may calls trying to finish up my week.” We’ve got work, school, church, and hobbies. We’ve got basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, skiing, hiking, camping, ballet, dinner group, worship, small group, men’s group, women’s group, BSF. The more money we have, the more friendships we have, the more organizations we belong to, the more active and vigorous our life is and that is what life is all about. We even live in time when the more programs churches have and the more people they have coming the more successful they are.
TRUTH #3
But the truth is, active and vigorous doesn’t mean busy and successful. Active and vigorous means wholehearted and intentional. And the major difference between being busy and wholeheartedness or being successful and being intentional is the difference between quantity and quality. An extra-ordinary, active and vigorous life is not a life that consists of a lot of things and doing them all poorly or less than our best. An extra-ordinary, active and vigorous life is a life consisting of a few things that we do with all our heart. It’s pouring all we have into a fewer relationships. It’s putting all our energy into one or two endeavor’s. And not just any relationship or any endeavor. It’s giving all we have into the relationships and endeavors that have Kingdom significance. It’s very simply, the kind of life where less is best. Doing fewer things better. It means relating to fewer people but on a deeper level. It’s a life in which we are able to put all our energy and attention into a few things so that those few things are profitable and worthwhile. That’s the road less traveled.
CONCLUSION
Jesus said,
I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
John 10:10(NASB)
Jesus came so that we may experience an extra-ordinary, uncommon, full, real and genuine, active and vigorous life. Satan wants us to believe and therefore live as though that means nothing more than a long and healthy, normal, status quo, busy and successful life.
But the truth is Jesus came so that we may experience an extra-ordinary, uncommon, complete, true and valid, wholehearted and intentional life. He came so that we may experience the road that today is the road less traveled.
But it’s interesting. He not only came so that we might experience that kind of life, He lived that kind of life. His health I assume was fine but as far as longevity is concerned, I don’t know that 33 years was considered a long life when he was on this earth. I know it’s not now. And Jesus was anything but normal. Jesus was considered odd. He was unconventional. He was a risk taker. He was anything but status-quo. And if Jesus were around today, or if success in his time was defined by numbers of people who followed him, he was anything but successful. He was also anything but busy. He didn’t ignore the crowds. And he wasn’t a recluse. He went to parties and dinners and talked to people. But He spent more time with 12, 3 and alone than anyone or anything else.
You know the question I’m going to ask. It’s obvious. Which road are you on?
PRAYER
