Billy Graham: Which Road Are You On?
Jesus seemed always to classify people in two categories. He taught that there are two roads of life—the broad road and the narrow road. He said there are two destinies in life. He did not give a third alternative. He did not give any middle road. He said it’s either one or the other. He said: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). You cannot be neutral about eternal life, but a lot of people try to be. They try to ride the middle road—but there is no middle road. Jesus said it’s one or the other. He said if you’re not on the narrow road that leads to eternal life, then you must be on the broad road that leads to destruction. Every person is on one or the other. Which road are you on? The broad road or the narrow road? One leads to destruction and hell; the other leads to a full life here and now and eventually life to come in Heaven. Which is it? It’s one or the other. And I want to tell you, if I did not know which road I was on, I would make sure, no matter what it cost. Notice that the broad road is a wide road. In other words, you can enter the wide gate and carry with you all your sins. You can carry your selfishness, your prejudice, your hate, your lust, your intolerance, your bigotry. There are no restrictions, no inhibitions, no rules. The extremes of humanity are on this broad road. There are the immoral, the dictators, the murderers. But there are also some moral people and even church people on this road. The Bible says, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me’” (Matthew 7:22-23). They were on the broad road all along. “Jesus said it’s one or the other. He said if you’re not on the narrow road that leads to eternal life, then you must be on the broad road that leads to destruction.” And all those people who tried to keep one foot in the world and one foot in Heaven, those who tried to ride both roads—all of those people are on the broad road, in the sight of Christ. This broad road is also a crowded road. Jesus said there are many who go in by it. I think one of the greatest sins is conformity. We always hear, “Everybody else is doing it.” No other reason except everybody else is doing it. Conformity. Nobody has the moral courage anymore to stand alone. If everybody in your room at school cheats, dare to stand alone and get a C if necessary. If everybody in your office lies, and if all the other salesmen tell lies in order to sell a product, or they cheat on their income tax, or they pad their expense account, dare to stand alone. If all the other employers are getting by paying as little as they can pay to their workers, dare to stand alone and be above board with those who work for you. If everybody in your community has racial prejudice, dare to stand alone and look through the eyes of Christ. God doesn’t judge us by what others are doing. If you give your life to Jesus Christ, you may be the only one in your fraternity, in your sorority; you may be the only one in your place of business; you may be the only one in your room at school trying to live for Jesus Christ. But if you will take your stand for Christ, God will honor you and bless you, and He will open doors for you that you never dreamed. This broad road—not only is it crowded and wide, but it’s deceptive. The Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 16:25). Everybody’s got an idea about how they are going to get to Heaven, how they’ll be forgiven by God. Some might say, “Well, I’m sincere. If you’re sincere, won’t that get you to Heaven?” No, it won’t. You can be sincere and wrong. There are a lot of people who are sincere in their religion, but they’re wrong. And some say, “Well, I’m going to follow my conscience.” But your conscience is no safe guide. Your conscience can be hardened, it can be dead, it can be seared. You have sinned so much against the Holy Spirit that your conscience is no longer sensitive, and it’s no longer a safe guide. Your conscience will mislead you. And others say, “If I try to do my best and live by the Golden Rule, I’ll eventually get to Heaven.” But the Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). You can’t work your way to Heaven. You can do good works all of your life, but you can’t build up enough good works to get to Heaven. The only way you can get to Heaven is through Christ, who died on the cross and who shed His blood for us! Two Roads of Life The Wide Road The world’s messages appeal to all of us because they speak the language of our sinful nature. We have hearts that default to discontentment. We seek pleasure in the things we consume with our senses. We grab for status and power. We crave what is safe, comfortable, and easy. This life promises us everything, but leaves us with anxiety, despair, addiction, loneliness, longing, and regret. It is the wide road that leads to destruction and many people are walking it. Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. – Matthew 7:13 The Narrow Road Jesus offers a different path, one that is radically different. It comes with an invitation: Take up your cross and follow me. Lay down your desires and seek mine. Build my kingdom, not your own. Glorify me and humble yourself. Go to the tough places and I will be with you. This life demands that we give up our own. Yet in doing so, we discover a true life marked by hope, joy, peace, contentment, love, and value. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. – Matthew 16:25 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. – Matthew 7:14 Which Road are You Walking? The Bible is clear. There is no middle road. We either love the world and are walking the wide road or we love God and are following Him on the narrow road. Let’s humbly examine our lives to see the road we are on. The Wide Road Lifestyle It looks like a life lived for God on Sunday, but me, myself, and I, Monday to Saturday. It looks like a life focused on the here and now, instead of one lived for eternity. It looks like a life with no fight—no fight to serve, no fight to share Jesus, no fight to overcome sin. It looks like a life fed by the world, but disconnected from God, the Bible, and prayer. It looks like a life that is accepted by the world, one free from rejection and persecution. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. – 1 John 2:15-16 If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. – John 15:18-19 The Narrow Road Lifestyle It looks like a life reborn, where our fleshly desires have been put to death and we now live for God by the Spirit. It looks like a life running for the finish line where we use our time, energy, and possessions to complete the work God sent us to do. It looks like a life of overflow, where God has filled us up so much through His Word that our hope, joy, love, peace, and faith all pour out into the lives of others. It looks like a life of battling—taking captive every sinful thought, resisting temptation, striking with the sword of God’s Word. It looks like a life that shines light into darkness, so the world hates us. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. – Galatians 5:24-25 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. – Colossians 3:1-3 A Fork in the Road Throughout Jesus’ ministry, people from all walks of life were confronted by the hard truths He spoke boldly and directly into their lives. Some people heard, repented, and followed Him. Others turned away sad or angry, suppressing the truth because they loved the world. We are at a fork in the road. It is time for us to examine our lives in light of these biblical truths. As parents, we understand that our children follow us. The life we model—disciple—is the one that the majority of them will pursue. The statistic that over 60% of young people that grow up in the Christian Church are leaving it by adulthood has much to say about the road many parents are actually walking. Let’s start by humbly repenting for trying to walk a middle road where we have Jesus for salvation, but are holding on to the desires of our sinful flesh. Let’s acknowledge to God how we have shown our children the wrong way to live. Then, let’s ask God to strengthen and equip us so we can rise up today. Jesus has called us to follow Him on the path to true life. The next generation—our kids—are counting on us to show them the way! If you are ready to rise up, then let’s continue on by looking at the adventure of following God. |