Wisdom from The Word

The Road Less Traveled

2012-02-08T08:26:00.000-05:00

The message of salvation is clear and unmistakable! And because it is, one would naturally assume that the road to life would be a well-traveled highway. You might suppose that such an easily understood admonition as “Enter ye in at the strait gate” would compel men to be both anxious and hurried to set themselves upon that way which leads to everlasting life. But such is not the case!

As we consider the words of Jesus from the “Sermon on the Mount”, we find one of the most astonishing statements made in all of Scripture. In Matthew 7:14, Jesus declares, “few there be that find it”. This means that the majority of the people that have lined the corridors of human history have and will ultimately end up in that horrible place called Hell. The unfortunate reality is that most men will reject salvation and receive damnation. But this fact begs an important question, why is the road that leads men to life identified as the road less traveled?

In order to understand this, we must first understand that every person in this world is walking upon one of these two pathways. At the start, every person is born as a traveller upon that road that leads to destruction. Romans 3:23 declares, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”. As well, Romans 5:12 affirms, “Wherefore, as by one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”.

We often say it this way, “All men are born sinners”, and that is absolutely true. However, man’s sorrowful state is even more depraved than such words convey. You see, the problem with humanity is not that men are merely born sinners, but that they are conceived sinners.

In Psalm 51:5, David declared, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me”, and this, dear friend, is not an insignificant point of contention. What makes David’s declaration so fascinating is that the unborn child that is still in the mother’s womb is incapable of doing that which is sinful.

The unborn are not able to do works of any sort, whether right or wrong. Romans 9:11 affirms this in describing Jacob and Esau while they were yet in the womb. Paul declared, “The children being not yet born, NEITHER HAVING DONE ANY GOOD OR EVIL, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth”.

Think of what this means! Mankind’s sinful state is not measured upon the basis of action alone: we were conceived sinners; and therefore, we were born sinning against God. Psalm 58:3 says, “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.” All of humanity is born wicked in their being, and as such, they are born wicked in their doings! This is why no one has ever had to learn sinful behavior.

Not a one of us has been instructed in the ways of lying, hatred, lust, or pride. We needed no such instruction because these are the natural inclinations of naturally wicked people. We are born with a sinful bent, destined to a sorrowful end!

Oh how very despicable is the heart of man; it is indeed “desperately wicked”. (Jeremiah 9:17) But though these things would be vile enough in their own rite, man’s depravity goes still deeper than this, for we are not only sinners by nature, but we are also sinners by choice.

The very first word of Matthew 5:14 is “Because”. This word implies that the condition which is described after this word provides the motivation for the choice that was made before it. In other words, men walk the broad road “Because” the road to life is “strait and narrow”!

It should be noted that the broad road is a deceptive way. In fact, the Bible describes those that walk that road as blind. Acts 26:18 says, “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light”. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says, “But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” The unregenerate man is blind to his nature and his need, and therefore, he is deceived concerning the destiny that awaits him at the end of the way.

As well, the broad road is easy to travel. Hell’s highway allows men can come as they are, go as they please, and do as they will. On the broad road any belief system is acceptable and any lifestyle is tolerable. The multitudes that tread upon this path may entertain every vile lust of the flesh, indulging every wicked fantasy of the mind.

But while some walk this path in self-indulgent impurity, without any sense of their guilt before God, others journey down this highway in self-righteous piety unaware of their need of God’s grace. This means that the irrepressibly wicked and the incurably religious can both journey on this road together, unrepentant and unchanged.

Absent from an awakening by the grace of Christ, the human heart will remain darkened, driven down this destructive pathway by their own foolish pride: a pride that is so powerfully blinding that while men’s hearts grow darker they believe they are becoming “enlightened”.

Paul described those who are in this sorrowful state in the following way: “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools”. (Romans 1:22) And again, he warned that these are “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:7)

To the haughty hearer, the message of the narrow road of repentance and faith in Christ seems highly boring, deeply unappealing, and overly simplistic. Men cannot fathom that God would fashion such a plan for redemption. Thus, apart from a mighty working of God’s Spirit and grace, the lost will continue to persevere in their own devices only to end at their own destruction.

Dear one, God’s word is plain, and His path is clear. In order for men to trust Christ, they must admit that they cannot trust themselves in any measure. No man, woman, boy, or girl will ever flee from the wrath to come, until they see themselves as the worthy recipients of that wrath, and that such wrath is fueled by the fiery hatred and indignation of God against their own wicked deeds and heart.

So then, in order for one to enter upon the narrow way, they must reject the broad. What does this entail? A willful turning from one’s own works, whether sinful or self-righteous. Remember the testimony of the Thessalonians, and how they “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9) This is at the heart of the Gospel!

All of man’s wicked devices and deeds, and all of his religious self-efforts are destroyed at the foot of the bloody cross of Christ. This is why the Bible describes that very cross as an offence to men. The Gospel declares that man is insufficient, but Christ is all-sufficient. Thus, it compels men to abandon sin and self and to embrace the finished work of Christ and be saved. The cross cries out to every depraved human heart, “REPENT YE, AND BELIEVE THE GOSPEL”!!!

Enter The Strait Gate

2012-02-07T06:52:00.000-05:00

The point of preaching is to drive home a point, and to drive home that point in such a way that it removes all possibility of objectivity and thus forces the hearer to make a choice. While the end of all teaching is information, the end of all preaching is confrontation. Preaching draws the line in the sand and compels the individual to choose, driving the hearer to the moment of decision. The ultimate aim and end of preaching is to erase all grounds of neutrality and to make men to take sides.

In “The Sermon on The Mount” Christ’s preaching drives men to the point decision. And, it is the ultimate and eternal decision which is His supreme interest. His message ultimately charts the course for conversion and reveals the road to redemption. Christ paints an eternal picture upon the hearts of men by describing two roads, roads which are not alternate routes to the same place, but rather, opposing pathways to different destinations.

These two roads which Christ describes are not alike in any capacity. They differ both in the way they look and in where they lead. Yet these roads are the only two roads; their ends are the only two ends, and this leads every hearer to an inevitable conclusion: since the only two eternal options are set at opposition, we must come to the conclusion that only one road can be right.

There is one and only one way that leads to the salvation of sinners and the securing of Heaven. The message of salvation is not about choosing the road that is right for you; it is about choosing the road that is right for all. Eternal Life is not a matter of multiple choices. Christ’s words contain no trace of obscurity, and His message leaves no room for uncertainty.

From the onset, Christ tells man that he must make a decision, and He tells us what that decision must be. In Matthew 7:13, He plainly says, “Enter ye in at the strait gate”. This means that Christ has not only made the way but He has mapped it as well. He not only tells us THAT we must choose, but He also tells us WHAT we must choose. Our Lord makes it quite simple, if we do not enter through the strait gate and take the narrow way to life eternal, then there is no way to life eternal!

But to what does this pathway point in particular? The answer is simple: it points men to Christ Himself! Jesus bids men to enter at “the strait gate”; and, in John 10:9, He declared, “I am the door”! He calls men to journey upon “narrow way”, and in John 14:6, He said, “I am the way”! Furthermore, Jesus assures the hearer that both the “gate” and “way” lead to “life”, and in John 14:6, He affirmed, “I am the life”!

That it is dear friend; the sum and substance of salvation is life; everlasting life; abundant life through and in Jesus Christ! The Apostle John declared, “He that hath the Son hath life”! (1 John 5:12) Thus, the Scripture bids all men to come unto Him (Matthew 11:28); to receive Him (John 1:12); to believe on Him! (John 6:40) Indeed, the message is not that Christ is a means to an end, but that He is both the means and the end of the Gospel! Enter into the gate by faith, for “if any man enters in, he shall be saved”! (John 10:9)

The Parable of Every Man

2012-02-06T16:31:00.003-05:00

I want to invite you to take a moment to consider one the richest parables found in the pages of Scripture. The common title that has been inscribed upon it is “The Parable of the Rich Fool”, and it is found in Luke 12:16-21. There is no doubt that this name is an apt description of the man in Christ’s story, for we can clearly see that he was both rich and foolish, because our Lord said it was so. However, as I look into this parable and passage, there is another heading which seems appropriate to me. I believe we might well call this “The Parable of Every Man”.

Though it is true that all men are not rich, I believe that all men have in some measure and at some moment had a desire to be rich. But that is neither here nor there; the point is that the matter of personal possessions is the only area in which this man may be deemed different than others. You see, though Christ used this man’s personal prosperity as an instrument of illustration, it is ultimately his works and not his wealth that is the focus of the parable.

Look at the parable; consider it carefully. Christ is bidding us to look beyond the money to see the man. When anyone’s life has been lavished with luxuries, when they are known to be wealthy, when they wear the best, drive the best, eat the best, and live in the best this world has to offer, it is easy to see only surface of their substance, and this is where covetousness is created. When we see the possessions and not the person, we tend to create a false ideal of riches and what they can bring.

Because this is the tendency of humanity, Christ began the parable with a warning in Luke 12:15, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Think about the essence of this statement. Christ is warning us that lust blinds us to the reality of life. When we look exclusively at the money a man makes and see the surface of what that money can buy, we begin to lust after material things thinking they can bring what our souls crave.

Wipe your eyes of materialism for a moment, look beyond the covetous cravings, and tell me now, what do we see in this rich man? Simply that he is just a common man like any other. And this is what is so fascinating about this parable. God lays upon this man one of the basest indictments, for He calls the man a “fool”. Literally God was saying, “Thou stupid, senseless man.”

Why does God call this man a “fool”? Think about it! This man is not charged with immorality, perversion, lying, or robbery. He did not leave his wife or abuse his children. This man’s major sin, his gravest mistake was that he tried to use human means to obtain what could only be divinely given. He tried to give meaning to life apart from the One who said, “I am the life”. He tried to find peace without giving place to “The Prince of Peace”.

This is exactly why I called this “The Parable of Every Man”. Because like the rest of this world, this man tried to find in money what money could never give. This is sorrowful plight of unregenerate men; they seek to obtain from the world what the world does not have and cannot give. So what is it that this world really longs for?” What is it that the human heart really craves? The answer is REST!

Whether we are talking about this “certain rich man”, or the Samaritan woman that was trying to obtain rest through a series of debauched relationships, or whether it be Nicodemus, who sought to satisfy his soul’s craving for peace through religion, every man is like the rich man! All of humanity hungers to say, “Soul, take thine ease”! (Luke 12:19)

But the rest and ease of soul which every man craves can neither be found in earthly possessions, nor human relationships, nor in the external performances of religion. It is only Christ who gives what men seek! Just as he offered Himself as a thirst-satisfying well to the Samaritan woman (John 4), and just as He assured Nicodemus that everlasting life is found only through faith in Him (John 3), so Jesus bids all men, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I WILL GIVE YOU REST”! (Matthew 11:28)

Indeed, all men who hear the tender voice of Christ beckoning them, and all who respond to His voice, coming by faith unto Him, to all these He promises rest. This is his pledge and promise! Leave off your trusting in things that cannot give rest and come to me, He cries! Cast aside every empty pursuit and take from me the satisfying salvation you seek, He bids! And to all who take His “yoke” upon them He declares, “YE SHALL FIND REST UNTO YOUR SOULS”! (Matthew 11:29)

Why Do Men Reject The Bible?

2012-01-12T16:47:00.001-05:00

Voltaire was an 18th century French philosopher who was consumed with hatred for the Christian religion and for the Bible. He once said, “If we would destroy the Christian religion, we must first of all destroy man’s belief in the Bible.” From the beginning of time Satan’s war against God has centered its arsenal upon God’s Word, for all that men may know about God must be revealed by God Himself. In our present day, Satan’s strategy has not changed. The modern combatants of Christianity still follow this same path. The satanic assault of our day is still bent on the destruction of men’s faith in the Word of God.

Charles Darwin popularized the theory of evolution with his book Origin of Species. It might fascinate you to know that Darwin was not a scientist. Most of his formulations about evolution were penned upon his five year voyage around the world on a ship called the H.M.S. Beagle. In his 1887 autobiography, Darwin revealed some of the attitudes which I believe are at the heart of his advancement of evolution. Modern science has come to accept these refutable claims as “good science”. However, I believe Darwin was motivated by a hatred for God and His Word, more than he was motivated by a love for science.

Darwin wrote, “I had gradually come by this time to see the Old Testament, from its manifestly false history of the world, with the Tower of Babel, the rain-bow as a sign,…and from its attributing to God the feelings of a revengeful tyrant, was no more to be trusted than the sacred books of the Hindu’s, or the beliefs of any barbarian…” He went on to write, “I can indeed hardly see how anyone ought to wish Christianity to be true; for if so, the plain language of the text seems to show that the men who do not believe, and this would include my Father, Brother, and almost all my best friends, will be everlastingly punished.” In light of this, Darwin described the teaching of eternal punishment as “a damnable doctrine”.

This reveals much about the opponents of the Bible: they refuse to accept what it says, so they must attack what it says. If the Bible can be relegated to the common place of literature or antiquarian writings, then it is no more than the musings of mad men, containing nothing of eternal value. If they are going to eradicate the idea of accountability to God, then they must eradicate the Bible that God wrote.

It has been well said that “Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them.” To this I echo Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “Aye, there’s the rub”. From the common atheist to the theological liberal, those who attack and call into question the Word of God do not do so because of their desire to know the truth, but because they have seen the truth of God’s Word, and its light has manifested both their error and their evil!