CHOOSING THE RIGHT WAY
By David J. Riggs
Intro.
A. Matt. 7:13-14; 24-27
1. Life is full of choices.
2. The most important ones are those of a spiritual nature.
a. We can choose the narrow way or the broad way.
b. We can choose to be like the wise man who built his
house on the rock or like the foolish man who built his
house on the sand.
B. Daily choices have an accumulated effect.
1. One choice is added to another, and another to another,
until eventually an established way of life is formed and an
eternal destiny is set.
I. CHOOSING THE NARROW WAY. (See Chart below)
A. The narrow way consists of following Jesus and Jesus alone.
John 14:6; Acts 4:12
1. We dare not choose Mohammad, the prophet of the
Muslims, the Islam religion.
2. To follow Mohammad is like following a broken cistern. Jer.
2:13
a. Years ago, many in the Arab nations left the fountain of
living waters (Jesus Christ), and chose broken cisterns
(a mere man, a so-called prophet by the name of
Mohammad).
b. When one chooses someone besides Christ, he severs
himself from the only means to reach God.
B. We need to choose the true wisdom and not worldly wisdom.
Prov. 23:23; Psalm 119:130; 19:7-11
1. To seek only worldly wisdom, as opposed to the spiritual
wisdom, is a vain pursuit. Eccl. 1:13,18; 2:15-16
a. A certain amount of worldly wisdom is necessary to
survive in this world, but it should never be pursued to
the neglect of spiritual wisdom.
b. Often, those who pursue worldly wisdom have a very
selfish view in mind.
C. We need to choose the gospel and not man-made gimmicks.
1. Rom. 1:16
a. The gospel way is the narrow way, the right way.
b. It is "the" power, not "a" power, as though it is one
among many.
c. The gospel is God's only "drawing power" to save
mankind.
d. In spite of this, modern man continues to use every
conceivable means to win and hold members.
D. We need to choose the Lord's church as revealed in the New
Testament and not denominational churches which have been
built by man.
1. In the New Testament, local churches had a particular
organization, work, and worship.
2. We need to pattern ourselves after what God ordained for
His church.
a. Let us learn about it, and strive to build and maintain
it.
E. We need to choose God's "family values" and not the ways of
modern man.
1. God's way promotes marriage and the home. Prov. 18:22; 1
Tim. 5:14
2. Modern man promotes divorce and "live-ins."
a. One young couple who were "live-ins" said, "marriage
was nothing but a piece of paper" and so they chose not
to get married, just live together.
b. However, consider Heb. 13:4; Prov. 6:32
3. Glynn Wolfe recently died alone in Los Angeles at the age of
88. No one came to claim his body. The city paid to have
him buried in an unmarked grave. This is sad, but not
unusual. It happens all too often in large cities where
there are many homeless people who live on the streets.
a. Glynn Wolfe's situation was unique, though, because he
held a record in the Guinness Book of world records.
The Guinness Book listed him as the Most Married
Man, with 29 marriages to his credit. This means that 29
times he said "I do" when he was asked, "Do you take
this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife," and so
forth, and at the end, "until death do you part" or "so
long as you both shall live?"
b. Mr. Wolfe died leaving behind children, grand-children,
great grand-children, and a number of living ex-wives,
and innumerable ex-in-laws, and still, he died alone with
no one to bury his body.
c. Mr. Wolfe is an example of how people spend their lives
drifting in and out of marriages, in and out of
relationships, only to find themselves isolated and
alone. Apparently, he spent his entire life looking for
something he never found, and he died alone.
d. The wise choices are those which are in accord with
God's will.
II. CHOOSE TO BE A WISE PERSON.
A. Jesus said that the wise person is the one who hears His
sayings and does them. Matt. 7:24
1. It involves reasoning and making a response as to what Jesus
taught.
B. President Lyndon Johnson had a favorite Bible verse that he
would often recite. It is found in the first part of Isaiah
1:18, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord..."
1. He thought that if anyone would sit down and talk to him on
a one-on-one basis he could sway them to his position.
2. He was using the passage as though it encouraged "men" to
reason together - "Come and let us reason together (people
reasoning together) - says the Lord."
3. However, the reasoning together in the passage is men with
God.
C. Consider Isa. 1:18-20 in its context.
1. The context shows that God's people were very sinful at that
time. Isa. 1:4-6; 21-23
2. This passage is not indicating they were to reason with God,
in the sense of changing His terms of forgiveness.
a. The "reasoning together" was man coming to God and
learning from Him how to be forgiven.
b. God is saying, more or less, "Come and let your hearts
be open (use reasoning) to what I am saying to you."
c. It carries with it the need for sinful man to return to
God.
(1) He earnestly desires His fallen children to return to
Him.
D. Consider what is said to them.
1. The word used here for "scarlet" literally means, "double
dipped cloth." Not only had it been dyed once, it has been
dyed twice.
a. This would make it even harder to bring back to its
original state.
2. Crimson was the deepest, darkest color of red known to
ancient man.
3. Snow and wool are used because of their pure white color.
a. Wool, which is first sheered from sheep, is oily and
matted together, but after it is put through a process
called "scouring," it is beautiful snowy white.
b. Thus, the picture God is giving is: "though the sinner be
exceeding evil (double dipped in iniquity), he can be
wholly and completely cleansed."
4. Isa. 1:19a
a. If they would obey His will, they would be blessed.
(1) Indeed, it is like the wise man who built his house
on the rock.
b. If they refused to obey, they would be punished.
(1) Jesus said regarding the collapse of the foolish
man's house, "and great was the fall thereof."
(2) This indicates the calamity and ultimate destruction
of those who choose to not obey the Lord.
Concl.
A. Thus, our day to day choices are important.
1. We can choose the narrow way which leads to life, or we can
go in the broad way which leads to destruction.
2. We can choose to be wise by obeying the Lord, or we can
choose to be foolish by not heeding his commands.
B. John 1:10-13
1. Notice that those who receive Jesus have a right to become
children of God.
2. In the state of Tennessee, as in most states, when a person
turns sixteen, the state grants them the right to become
licensed automobile drivers. Just because they are sixteen
does not automatically confer the privilege of driving upon
them. There are certain conditions that must be met to take
advantage of their right.
a. They must pass the state's written exam.
b. They must pass the state's driving exam.
c. They must pay a certain fee to obtain their driver's
license.
3. Just as a person who turns sixteen has the right to become a
licensed driver, the person who receives Jesus, has a right
to become a child of God.
a. Just as the one who wishes to become a licensed driver
must meet certain conditions, the one who receives the
Lord must meet certain conditions to become a child of
God.
b. Those conditions are:
(1) Receiving Jesus (believing in Him). This condition
is already met in John 1:12
(2) Repenting of one's sins. Acts 2:38
(3) Confessing the Lord. Rom. 10:9-10
(4) Being baptized into Christ. Gal. 3:26-27
Chart:
Choosing The Narrow Way
Jesus Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mohammad
True Wisdom. . . . . . . . . . . . .Worldly Wisdom
The Gospel . . . . . . . . . . . Man-Made Gimmicks
The Lord's church. . . . . . . . . . Denominations
God's "family values". . . .Divorce and "Live-Ins"