Which Road Are You On?

WHICH ROAD ARE YOU ON?

Matthew 7:13-23

INTRODUCTION:

[This message uses some material from a sermon by Joel Smith entitled, The Great Divide.]

ILL> During our first year of ministry here, we had gone to visit the Ted & Elizabeth Armstrong who live towards Mansfield, out by the Mid-Ohio race track. On the way home I decided to go on some back roads–be adventurous. Kay kept asking if I knew where I was going, and I assured her that I did. After nearly a half hour of driving we finally made it–almost to Galion, that is. Kay still has not let me live that one down.

A. So, where are you headed and how do you plan to get there?

I’m talking about eternity here. where do you hope to spend your eternal life? In heaven or hell? Now, I hope that ALL of you answered that question this morning by stating that you plan to spend eternity in heaven. If that is so, how do you plan to get there? How much thought have you given to your eternal life? What choices–what commitments--have you made to assure that you will spend forever in God’s eternal home?

QUOTE> John Milton Gregory, The Seven Laws of Teaching

"The man who simply drifts into success in any field of human activity is almost as rare as the ship that drifts aimlessly into a safe harbor."

The same is true on a spiritual level–most people won’t just simply drift into heaven someday without giving it any thought while they were here on earth.

B. The passage that we are going to study this morning shows us that all of us are on a journey. All of us are traveling on one of two road--and we’re headed in one of two directions. It is vital that you and I figure out which road we’re on. So, as we study this passage together this morning, I challenge you to take a serious look at your life–at where you’re headed. You may just find that you’re headed in the wrong direction.

READ: Matthew 7:13-14

This morning I am going to share with you 4 things that you MUST do in order to reach your heavenly home.

I>YOU MUST CHOOSE YOUR DESTINATION

A. It’s been said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Well, that’s not exactly true, because before you take the first step you need to know where you’re going. What is your destination?

Now, I am assuming here that you desire to spend eternity in heaven. If not, then you’re wasting you time by being here this morning. As a matter of fact, if you put money in the offering as it went by, you might want to get it on the way out. But once again, I am assuming that ALL of you are looking forward to something much more than what HELL has to offer.

ILL> When our kids were quite a bit younger than they are right now our family took a vacation to Texas. We spent a lot of time planning so we could get the most out of our trip. We knew that we were going to spend a week in Dallas at the North American Christian Convention so that much was taken care of. We stopped at the Arch in St. Louis on the way out. We toured the bombing site in Oklahoma City. I have always had an interest in space and rockets so we had to stop at the Houston Space Center. We wanted to see the River Walk and the Alamo so we spent a few days in San Antonio. We had it all planned out and we knew where we were going to be every night over the 14 day trip.

If people spend so much time planning trips and vacations, think about how much more important it is in planning your eternal destination! So, where are you headed? God gives you the choice–you decide!

II> YOU MUST START AT THE RIGHT PLACE

ILL> Yahoo Maps

In order for it to print up a route you need to give it 2 pieces of information. You need to know where you are going and where you are starting from.

A. Jesus points out that there are 2 roads

The one road is heavily traveled–it’s a big wide road with a wide gate. The other is a narrow road–a path, with only a narrow gate. The destinations are either life or destruction–heaven or hell. There is no in-between choice. There is not a choice C. The Bible does not speak of a place where you hang out until you’ve paid your dues. Just 2 choices–2 roads. You are on one of these roads this morning–everybody is. Jesus also said that the majority of people are on the path that leads to destruction