The Broad Way Series

Our Spiritual Walk #2

The Broad Way

Jeremiah 10:23

CHCC – June 15, 2014

INTRODUCTION:

We’re in a series about Our Spiritual Walk, and we’re starting out by talking about WHERE we’re walking. Last week we read what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7 about the broad and the narrow Gate and the broad and narrow WAY. Last week we focused on the narrow way … which leads to LIFE. This week we’re going to take a look at the Broad Way and see it for what it is … a road that leads to destruction.

Since Jesus spelled this out to us so clearly … the narrow way = life; the broad way = death … you’d think it would be a no-brainer. But Jesus said MANY will travel the broad way and FEW will choose the narrow way. To understand why that is, we’ll look at

1. Characteristics of the Broad Way

Those who choose the Narrow Way know when they made that choice. It may have been a hard choice to make … it was definitely a purposeful choice to reject the Broad Way and walk the Narrow. But the folks on the Broad Path usually don’t even know how they got there because it is so …

(a) – Easy to Enter - There are so many points of entrance that people get on this path without giving it a thought. Many folks on the Broad Way have never made a choice at all … they just started walking wherever their feet led them. But for those who purposefully choose the Broad Way, it is …

(b) – A Selfishly motivated choice – These folks want to call the shots … they value autonomy above all and have no desire to get advice from anyone … even from God. These folks truly believe, “I am the master of my fate; the captain of my soul.” And they can walk this path for years with very little struggle, because the Broad Way is …

(c) The Path of Least Resistance - This is the path that follows the pull of gravity … and since it goes downhill all the way, it looks inviting. It takes very little effort to walk this way. If we change the analogy, this path doesn’t really take any effort at all. Have you ever walked out into the waves at the beach? If you stay out there any time at all, you’ll find you’ve moved way down the beach without even knowing it happened. You just drifted with the current. This broad way is pleasant, easy, with lots of room (after all, it’s broad), and plenty of company. You may hear rumors that there’s a bad end to the road, but those predictions are easy to ignore because the Broad way is …

(d) - The Sensual Way - The Broad way is entirely made for our earthly life – everything on it appeals to the Five Senses. No wonder so many choose this path. The sensual attractions are intoxicating. This Broad Path offers endless entertainments and distractions … enough to keep people from thinking about the destination that is getting closer and closer. After all, every traveler knows the end is DEATH, but no one needs to think about that when there’s so much fun to find along the way.

Jeremiah 10:23 says, “Oh, Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man to direct his steps.” In other words, if we’re going to figure things out for ourselves, we’re going to end up on that BROAD path.

Most folks on the Broad Way figure that … by trial and error … they’ll eventually stumble into success and progress and the good life. Sadly, without compass or map, folks find that as life goes on, that Broad Path that looked so fun and free … actually turns out to be a dark prison with no way out.

2. Strongholds – Blinded and Bound

Eventually many folks realize the road they are traveling is not what they thought it was. They start getting a taste of the dark destruction that’s coming at the end of the road. So why do they keep walking that path?

How many times do we hear about someone ruining their lives with immorality or alcoholism or other destructive behaviors and we ask, “Why would they DO that? They have to know they’re ruining their own lives!” Have you ever had the experience of trying to talk to someone who’s on a path to self destruction? I have. It’s so discouraging to talk to them about the hope of the Gospel … and about how Christ can save them from destruction … and see nothing but a blank look in their eyes.