Matt. 7:13-14 WHERE WILL YOU END UP?
Intro: I would like to share an observation with you that I have made over the
years. Now, this is profound, so hang onto your hats: Where you wind up
depends on which road you take! In other words, you cannot go south from
here and expect to go to New Your City. You cannot go east from here and
wind up at the Mississippi. I realize you could do this if you were to
circumnavigate the globe, but using the roads which are in place now, it
would be absolutely impossible for you to do that. Just as this is true in the
physical realm, it is also true in the spiritual realm.
Where you wind up in eternity will be determined by the road you take
here on earth. It is impossible to take the wrong road and go to Heaven,
and it is impossible to take the Heavenly road and go to Hell. What you do
while in this world will determine forever, where you spend your forever.
This life has been described as nothing more than a brief pause
between two very long eternities. Now, that shouldn't take any of us by
surprise. After all, we are surrounded by death from the day we born into
the world. Loved ones pass away, friends leave this world, and deep inside,
we know that it will happen to us someday as well. The fact that you will not
live forever is a common theme throughout the Bible. Notice some of these
notable passages, James 4:14; Job 9:25; Job 14:1; Psa. 78:39; Psa. 90:10; Isa. 40:7-8.
Since we are going to leave this world some day soon, and when we do,
we will continue to live either in Heaven or Hell forever, it is essential that
you know where you will end up. I would like to take these 2 verses and
preach for a while around this question, "Where will you end up?" As I do,
please allow the Lord to speak to your heart. You may not like this
message, but you need to know where you are going when you leave this
world more than anything else in this world or the one to come. My prayer
is that every individual will be able to answer this question before they leave
this room today.
I. THERE ARE TWO POSSIBLE DIRECTIONS IN LIFE
(Ill. Jesus tells His audience that there are only two possible roads in
which one can walk. Many in our day want to tell us that there are
many paths a person can travel through life, however, Jesus limits the
choices to just two. Some may feel that this is a narrow view. I guess
that they are correct. However, Jesus is correct regardless of what
the world thinks, Rom. 3:4. Let's spend a few moments discussing
these two roads in which man can spend his days.)
A. There Is A Broad Way - The word broad means "spacious." Jesus
says that there is a spacious road upon which a person can walk.
What does He mean by this "broad road"? The idea that Jesus is
trying to convey is that the broad way is wide open. In other words,
anything goes on the broad way. You can do anything you like, you
can carry all the baggage of your sins, you can live like you want to
live, you can call all the shot and make all the rules! You can be king
of the road on the broad way. When you walk the broad way, you can
be your own person and not have to answer to anyone. You can live
life to the fullest. Go where you will, do what you will and be what you
will. It is your life and you call the shots. It is an easy way to live,
because there is no one to please but yourself! That is what the
broad way is all about!
(Ill. There is a sinister side to the dark way that the open-minded,
pleasure seekers fail to mention to those who travel this road. There
are a couple of things you need to know before you decide to live out
the rest of your life traveling the broad way.
1. You aren't really in control - Eph. 2:1-3 (You are nothing more
than a pawn of the devil, Ill. John 8:44)
2. Sin brings with it pain and sorrow - Gal. 6:7; Pro. 13:15 (Il. The
Jukes family - There has been careful research in to the history
of one criminal family known as Jukes, and it is conspicuous for
a long line of pauperism, waste, imbecility, insanity, prostitution
and drunkenness. A total of 1,200 decedents have been traced
from this prolific family tree. Some 400 were physically self-wrecked, 310 were professional paupers, 130 were convicted
criminals, 60 were perpetual thieves and pick pockets, and 7
were murders. Out of the 1,200, only 20 ever learned a trade and
10 of these learned it while in prison! Sin carries a high price
tag!)
3. God offers a better alternative - (Ill. God has a plan whereby
those who follow Him enjoy the fullest of God's rich blessings day
by day. Things like peace, John 14:27; Phil. 4:6; joy, 1 Pet. 1:8;
assurance of salvation, 1 John 5:13. There are multitudes of
other things which the Lord gives to us, and you'll never find a
single on of the while traveling the broad road!)
B. There Is A Narrow Way - While the Broad way is wide open and
easy, the other way a person can live is called "narrow". This word
refers to a "grape press". It has the idea of being constricted, it can
also carry the idea of being distressed and difficult. You see, the
narrow way is exactly the opposite of the broad way. On the narrow
way, you cannot take all your sins with you. If you try, you will find that
there isn't enough room for you and them. When you walk the narrow
way, you must choose to give up your rights. You can no longer do
as you please, but you must do those things that please the Lord.
You cannot make the rules, but you are expected to keep the Lord's
rules.
(Ill. Some people have the mistaken idea that they can live as they
please and that the Lord is obligated to smile down on them and just
bless them real good. In truth, when you walk the narrow way, you
should expect some difficulty. After all, these fleshly bodies will resist
the confines of the narrow way. The sinful natures will find the narrow
way to tight and constrictive. How many say they are saved, and yet
they try to walk in the broad way nonetheless? No one ever said that
living for the Lord would be easy! No one ever said that living a
separated Christian life that honors the Lord would be simple and as
fun as living a life that gratifies the flesh. However, living for the Lord
brings with it certain benefits that cannot be obtained by any other
means. Notice some facts about living the narrow way.
1. It honors God - 1 Pet. 1:16
2. It brings His blessings and power into your life - 2
Chron..
7:14.
3. It offers a far better life from every perspective - Heb. 11:25;
Gal. 6:8-9.
Nobody ever said that it was easy, but it the only way to honor the
Lord and to be His Disciple - Matt. 16:24; Luke 14:26-27. It's a life
lived in surrender, devotion, dedication and obedience to God. It is a
life that He will bless! Sounds tough, but it's worth it!)
Which road are you walking on this morning?
I. There Are Two Possible Directions In Life
II. THERE ARE TWO POSSIBLE DESTINATIONS IN ETERNITY
(Ill. All roads end somewhere. There used to be a saying about 2,000
years ago that went, "All roads lead to Rome." Well, all roads lead
somewhere and the same is true with the roads we are considering
this morning. They lead somewhere and since everyone here is on
one or the other, we need to find out where we are going!)
A. There Is A Place Called Hell - Jesus tells us here that the broad road
leads to "destruction." When we think of something being destroyed,
we usually think about something be annihilated and forever done
away with. This word, however, refers to "loss". It speaks of total and
absolute ruin. In all honesty, it refers to loss one suffers in the fires
of Hell. My friends, the broad road ends in Hell. Every person who
chooses the broad way will eventually find themselves in the fires of
Hell. That, to me, is the most awful thought my mind ever tried to
understand. What makes it so terrible is that some of you are headed
there right now! Allow me to give you a little insight into this place
where the broad way ends.
1. Unquenchable fire - Mark 9:43; Luke 16:24
2. Memory and Remorse - Luke 16:25; 27-28
3. Unsatisfied Thirst - Luke 16:24-25
4. Frustration and Anger - Luke 13:28; Matt. 24:51
5. Unspeakable Pain and Misery - Luke 16:24-26; Rev. 14:10-11
6. Eternal Separation - Rev. 21:8; 2
Thes. 1:9
7. Undiluted Wrath - Rev. 20:15 (Ill. There will be no more mercy or
respite. Hell will be eternally real and eternally awful.)
(Ill. Regardless of what men think, Hell is real and every second lost
souls drop off into the searing heat of that horrible place. No matter
how I tried, I could never adequately describe Hell, but if I were to be
able to exhaust all the vocabulary of English and paint word pictures
that conveyed the truth of that place the half would be told as to the
horror that awaits everyone headed to the land of the damned. A
place from which there will never be deliverance. A place to which
you will surely go if you choose to follow the broad and easy road
through life. Where will you end up?)
B. There Is A Place Called Heaven - Just as the broad road has its
destination, the narrow way does too. This road doesn't end in Hell,
but it ends in Heaven above. Jesus promised those who would follow
this way life. Not just life down here, but everlasting, glorious life in
the realms of light above this wicked, perishing world. If Hell is a place
of horror, pain, separation and suffering, then Heaven is a place of
joy, rest, peace, unspeakable beauty and glory. Everything that Hell
isn't Heaven is! Just a brief glimpse at the glories of that city tell me
that that's where I want to end up. Consider these truths about that
splendid place.
1. No Tears, pain, sorrow, death, etc - Rev. 21:4
2. No Sin - Rev. 21:8
3. No Night - Rev. 21:25
4. No Curse - Rev. 22:3
5. With God and Jesus - Rev. 21:3; 22-23; 22:4
6. A Glorious City - Rev. 21:11-24
7. Glories beyond description and beyond the ability of man to comprehend and understand - 1
Cor. 2:9.
(Ill. The narrow road may be the more costly of the 2 down here, but
the end of the road is worth the price for the child of God. So what if
we walked a bit out of step down here? So what if we were
misunderstood? So what if we did without some things that the rest
of the world indulged in and seemed to enjoy? When we get to
Heaven, the trials of the road will seem as nothing! The past will be
behind us and all the glories of eternity with Jesus will be unfolding
before us. The journey will be over and we will be home - John 14:1-3. Where are you going to end up?)
I. There Are Two Possible Directions In Life
II. There Are Two Possible Destinations In Eternity
III. THERE ARE TWO POSSIBLE DECISIONS YOU CAN MAKE
(As we read these verses, Jesus makes it clear that man must
choose which gate he goes through and what kind of life he lives. If
man makes these decisions, then he also decides where he spends
his eternity. My friends, just as there are only 2 possible directions
and 2 possible destinations, there are also only 2 possible decisions
you can make. Let's consider these before we take our leave from
this place today.)
A. There Is A Wide Gate Which You Can Choose To Enter - In reality,
there is no real choice made in entering the wide gate. When a
person is born into this world they are born in sin, Rom. 3:23; Psa.
58:3. As a result, they are already on the broad road. Yet, that little
baby knows nothing of sin or of the choice to follow sin. However, as
that child grows, there comes a time when he knows right from wrong.
We call this time reaching "the age of accountability." At that time the
child makes a conscious decision to either do evil or to do good.
When that decision is made, the wide gate has been entered and the
broad way becomes the course of life. Now we all know where that
road will end up!
(Ill. Notice that Jesus said that this was the crowded way. Many,
many more will find their way onto the broad road than onto the
narrow way. Many, many more will spend in eternity in Hell than will
ever be in Heaven. That is a sad thing! But, what's really sad about
the whole thing is that men have many chances throughout their lives
to change roads. They ignore these opportunities and plunge
headlong toward Hell with reckless abandon and without visible
concern for their souls! Please do not let this happen in your life. You
have the opportunity to change today, take advantage of it and come
to Jesus for salvation!)
B. There Is A Narrow Gate Which You Can Choose To Enter - While
the wide gate is easy to find, man is born staring right into it, the
straight gate is something that must be sought out. What I mean in
this, when God calls the sinner to come to Him for salvation, he must
choose to look away from the allurements of the broad way and see
that the narrow way offers life and hope while the broad way offers
only death, pain and destruction.
(Please note that this narrow way offers some clear opportunities for
those people who decide to enter.
1. It is an open gate - Rom. 10:13; Rev. 22:17; John 6:37.
2. It offers life to all who will come in- John 10:28; John 6:47.
3. It, alone, promises Heaven to those who come this way - John
14:6.)
4. It is a small gate - This reminds us that you cannot bring your
junk with you. If you are going to come to Jesus for salvation, then
you are going to have to be willing to turn your back on the sins and
the junk of this world, Luke 13:3. You are fooling no one but yourself
if you think you can hang onto the world with one hand and Jesus with
the other. The only way into Him is a narrow way and it requires that
we lay down everything and cling simply to Jesus and Him alone!
("Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy cross I cling!" What
are you holding on to today that is keeping you away from the Lord
Jesus Christ? Let me tell you, whatever it is, it isn't worth the price
you will have to pay to keep it! Throw it down and cast yourself on
Jesus for salvation!)
(Ill. Notice that Jesus said that there would be few who found this
gate. Man is not, as I said earlier, at a crossroads. He is walking the
broad way, until he turns his eyes away from that way and places
them on Jesus. Then and then alone does man have the opportunity
to be saved. Perhaps few will be saved because few are looking for
what God offers through Jesus. Perhaps they are so filled up with the
world and their own ways that they have no time for what God offers
them. May I remind you that when a man is left to his own way, he
will always wind up in Hell? - Pro. 16:25)
Conc: Have you thought it over? Where will you end up when you leave this
world? Will it be Heaven or will it be Hell? Will it be the narrow way of
walking with God or the broad way of anything goes? Where will you end
up? You say, "Preacher, I sure do want to go to Heaven!" Then come to
Jesus and enter into salvation through faith in Him. Be saved today. Be
sure today. You had better not wait. As we learned at the outset, life is
short and eternity is long. Today is your day to get ready to meet God in
Heaven. Will you do it? Will you come and get it nailed down forever? The
gate is still open, but the day is coming when it will close for you forever.
Where will you end up? It al depends on what you do with the Lord Jesus
Christ. Will you come to Him and get it settled forever today?
