The Narrow Road to Heaven — Is It Really Worth It? | Adrian Rogers | Matthew 7

0:06 But friend, there are only two categories of people here today, the saints and the ain'ts. That's all. The saved and the lost. Those who are with Jesus and those who are against Jesus. Those who are loving Him and those who are hating Him. Those who are receiving Him and those who are rejecting Him. THOSE WHO ARE CROWNING HIM AND THOSE WHO ARE CRUCIFYING HIM. THOSE WHO ARE ON THE ROAD TO HEAVEN AND THOSE WHO ARE ON THE ROAD TO HELL. AND YOU, EVERY ONE, IS IN ONE OF THOSE TWO WAYS. AND THAT'S ALL. TAKE GOD'S WORD, BE FINDING MATTHEW CHAPTER SEVEN. WE'RE MAKING OUR WAY THROUGH THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT UNDER THE GENERAL HEADING, BUILDING ON THE ROCK. AND, AND, UH, I'M GOING TO BE LOOKING WITH YOU IN A FEW MOMENTS AT VERSES 13 AND 14, MATTHEW CHAPTER 7, VERSES 13 AND 14. THESE ARE VERSES THAT TALK ABOUT THE HOLY HIGHWAY. NOW WHEN YOU CAME TO CHURCH THIS MORNING, YOU CAME ON SOME KIND OF A ROAD. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE THINKING ABOUT TODAY. THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF ROADS IN THE WORLD. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THERE ARE OVER MILLION MILES OF ROADWAY IN THE UNITED STATES ALONE. SOME GOOD ROAD AND SOME, HA, HA, VERY, VERY BAD ROAD. SOME DANGEROUS ROAD, BECAUSE WE HAVE PEOPLE ON OUR HIGHWAYS THAT HAVE MORE HORSE POWER THAN HORSE SENSE. AND I KNOW THAT YOU WILL AGREE WITH THAT. I WAS THINKING OF SOME ROADS THAT I'VE TRAVELED. I'VE HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING IN ROME AND TRAVELING ON THE Appian Way. The apostle Paul traveled on that road. Built by the Romans, it's still in better condition than some roadways in the world today. And one of those reasons is that the Romans laid a deep foundation, and that ought to be a lesson for us. I was thinking of some roads in this area, the Natchez Trace. Begins down in Natchez, Mississippi, ends up in central Tennessee. Uh,

2:13 going back to the 18th century was an old Indian trail. I was THINKING OF THE OVERLAND TRAIL BEGINNING IN ST. LOUIS AND GOING OUT TO THE FAR WEST WHERE THE STAGE COACHES WOULD TRAVEL. MANY, MANY ROADS IN THE WORLD TODAY. AFTER OUR PASSION PLAY I WAS THINKING OF A, A BRIEF ROAD, A SHORT ROAD, BUT AN IMPORTANT ROAD, THE VIA DOLOROSA, THE WAY OF SORROWS THAT OUR LORD TOOK AS HE WENT FROM THE JUDGMENT HALL TO CALVARY. BUT REALLY THE ROAD I WANT TO TALK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT IS THE HOLY HIGHWAY, THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW, THE OLD S AND N. LOOK AT IT HERE. VERSE 13, ENTER YE IN AT THE STRAIGHT GATE, FOR WIDE IS THE GATE, AND BROAD IS THE WAY THAT LEADETH TO DESTRUCTION. AND MANY THERE BE WHICH GO IN THEREAT, BECAUSE straight is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

3:24 This is the king's highway, the holy highway, the straight and narrow way, and the desire of my heart and the prayer of my heart IS THAT IF YOU'VE NOT DONE SO TODAY BEFORE THIS SERVICE ENDS, YOU WILL HAVE PUT YOUR FEET ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW PATH THAT LEADS TO LIFE. I'LL JUST TELL YOU UP FRONT WHAT I'M ALL ABOUT. I'M TRYING TO GET YOU ON THIS HOLY HIGHWAY. AND I WANT YOU TO SEE THREE THINGS THAT ARE IN THIS PASSAGE, THESE TWO VERSES THAT I LOOK AT, FIRST OF ALL. I WANT YOU TO SEE, AS I LOOK AT IT, THERE IS A DECISION TO FACE, AND THERE IS A DIRECTION TO FOLLOW, AND THERE IS A DESTINY TO FIND. THAT'S WHAT THESE VERSES TELL ME. FIRST OF ALL, THEY TELL ME THERE IS A DECISION TO FACE, FOR OUR LORD SAYS, ENTER IN. THAT IS, IT'S UP TO YOU. THERE IS A DECISION THAT YOU MUST MAKE. NOW, THERE ARE ONLY TWO WAYS. THERE'S THE BROAD WAY AND THE NARROW WAY. THERE'S THE WAY THAT LEADS TO LIFE. THERE'S THE WAY THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION. ONLY TWO WAYS. HA, HA, HA, HA, MODERN MAN DOESN'T LIKE THIS. PEOPLE GET ALL UP TIGHT WHEN YOU TELL THEM THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO HEAVEN. WE LIKE TO PUT PEOPLE IN ALL KINDS OF CATEGORIES AND GRADATIONS AND WE LIKE TO TALK OF MEN AS BEING UPPER CLASS AND MIDDLE CLASS AND LOWER CLASS. BUT YOU SEE, GOD NEVER DIVIDES MEN HORIZONNICALLY. GOD ALWAYS DIVIDES MEN VERTICALLY. RIGHT AND LEFT, SHEEP AND GOATS, SAVED AND LOST. THAT'S ALL. AND YOU KNOW, THE LORD JESUS NEVER PREACHED TO PLEASE THE CROWDS. YOU YOU TALK ABOUT A PERSON WHO CUT IT RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE.

5:30 IT WAS THE LORD JESUS. LOOK IN THESE VERSES. JUST LOOK FOR A MOMENT AND SEE WHAT OUR LORD IS TALKING ABOUT. IN VERSES 13 AND 14, HE SAYS, THERE ARE ONLY TWO KINDS OF TRAVELERS AND TWO KINDS OF ROADS. LOOK IN VERSE 17, HE SAYS, THERE ARE ONLY TWO KINDS OF TREES. AND SO EVERY GOOD TREE BRINGETH FORTH GOOD FRUIT, AND A CORRUPT TREE BRINGETH FORTH EVIL FRUIT. A GOOD TREE CANNOT BRING FORTH EVIL FRUIT, NEITHER CAN A CORRUPT TREE BRING FORTH GOOD FRUIT. HUH, YOU'RE A, A TRAVELER ON TWO KINDS OF ROADS. YOU'RE A TREE BEARING TWO KINDS OF FRUIT. YOU'RE A BUILDER BUILDING TWO KINDS, ONE OF TWO KINDS OF, UH, HOUSES. LOOK IN VERSE 24, THEREFORE WHOSOEVER HEARTH THESE SAYINGS OF MINE AND DOETH THEM, I WILL LIKEN HIM UNTO A WISE MAN WHICH BUILT HIS HOUSE UPON A ROCK. VERSE 26, AND EVERYONE THAT HEARTH THESE SAYINGS OF MINE DOETH THEM NOT SHALL BE LIKENED UNTO A FOOLISH MAN THAT BUILT HIS HOUSE UPON THE SAND." TWO KINDS OF TRAVELERS, TWO KINDS OF TREES, TWO KINDS OF BUILDERS. THAT'S THE WAY OUR LORD IS. AND IN THE CONGREGATION TODAY, JUST LOOK AROUND, EVERYBODY KIND OF LOOKS THE SAME. WE'RE ALL HERE THIS MORNING IN OUR, UH, SUNDAY MORNING GLADRAGS, BUT GOD DOESN'T LOOK ON THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE.

6:50 GOD LOOKS ON THE HEART AND IN THE CONGREGATION TODAY WE SAY THEY'RE YOUNG AND OLD, RICH AND POOR, WEAK AND STRONG AND SO FORTH, BUT FRIEND, THERE ARE ONLY TWO CATEGORIES OF PEOPLE HERE TODAY, THE SAINTS AND THE AINTS. THAT'S ALL. THE SAVED AND THE LOST, THOSE WHO ARE WITH JESUS AND THOSE WHO ARE AGAINST JESUS, THOSE WHO ARE LOVING HIM AND THOSE WHO ARE HATING HIM, THOSE WHO ARE RECEIVING HIM AND THOSE WHO ARE REJECTING HIM, THOSE WHO ARE CROWNING HIM AND THOSE WHO ARE CRUCIFYING HIM, THOSE WHO ARE ON THE ROAD TO HEAVEN AND THOSE WHO ARE ON THE ROAD TO HELL AND YOU, EVERY ONE, IS IN ONE OF THOSE TWO WAYS AND THAT'S ALL. EITHER YOU'RE ON THE HOLY HIGHWAY OR YOU'RE ON THE BROADWAY. NOW, I KNOW WHAT THE GOING MERCHANDISE IS IN THE MINDS OF MEN TODAY. THEY SAY, WELL, Pastor Rogers, don't be narrow-minded.

7:53 Well, that's just what we're talking about today, a narrow way. Don't be narrow-minded. We're all headed toward the same place, just on different roads. Have you ever heard that? We're all headed to the same place, just on different roads. May I tell you what Jesus Christ said? THE LORD JESUS CHRIST SAID IN JOHN CHAPTER 14 VERSE 6, I AM THE WAY. NO MAN COMES UNTO THE FATHER BUT BY ME. HE SAID, I AM THE WAY. JEREMIAH CHAPTER 21 AND VERSE 8 SAYS, BEHOLD, I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU THE WAY OF LIFE AND THE WAY OF DEATH. THAT'S ALL. THAT'S NARROW. NOW I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO SAY IT'S NOT NICE TO BE NARROW. I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BROADEN THE OLD S AND N, THE OLD STRAIGHT AND NARROW, BUT JESUS DID NOT PREACH THAT WAY. AND SO, LOOK, IF, IF WHAT I HAVE TO SAY TODAY BOTHERS YOU OR IRRITATES YOU, DON'T COME UP AND ARGUE WITH ME ABOUT IT. JUST READ THE BIBLE AND TELL GOD ABOUT IT. JUST SAY, GOD, YOU MADE A MISTAKE WHEN YOU PUT THIS IN THE BIBLE, BUT DON'T TAKE ISSUE WITH ME. YOU OUGHT TO TAKE ISSUE WITH ME IF I DON'T PREACH THE WORD OF GOD. JESUS SAID, STRAIGHT IS THE WAY, Narrow is the gate that leads unto life. Now I know that poem by Markham that he called me a rebel of thing to flout, but he said he, he, he somehow, uh, drew a circle and shut me out. But we drew a bigger circle and took him in. That sounds all wonderful. But let me tell you what the apostle Paul had to say. Here's what the apostle Paul had to say.

9:37 AND PUT THIS VERSE IN YOUR MARGIN, GALATIANS 1, VERSES 8 AND 9. THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID, THOUGH WE ARE AN ANGEL FROM HEAVEN, PREACH ANY OTHER GOSPEL UNTO YOU THAN THAT WHICH WE HAVE PREACHED UNTO YOU, LET HIM BE ACCURSED. ANATHEMY. YOU KNOW WHAT THAT WORD LITERALLY MEANS? LET HIM BE DAMNED. NOW PAUL WASN'T CURSING, BUT WHAT PAUL SAID IS, THE ROAD TO HELL IS ANY OTHER GOSPEL OTHER THAN THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. AND THEN PAUL REITERATES IT IN VERSE NINE, AS WE SAID BEFORE, SO SAY I NOW AGAIN, IF ANY MAN PREACH ANY OTHER GOSPEL UNTO YOU THAN THAT YE HAVE RECEIVED, LET HIM BE A CURSE. NOW THE BIBLE IS A NARROW BOOK. THERE CAN BE NO COMPROMISE WITH THE GOSPEL. FAR BETTER IT WOULD BE FOR YOU TO SAY TWO AND TWO IS FIVE THAN TO COMPROMISE WITH THE GOSPEL OF our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I don't know why it is, but people don't like, uh, ministers to say this is the way it is. Now they want their airplane pilot to be very narrow-minded. If you're flying on airplanes, say, now you'd be narrow-minded. You let the flaps down, let the landing gear down and so forth. Uh, they want their pharmacist to be very narrow-minded. They want their banker to be very narrow-minded when he's handling their money. Uh, they, they, they, they want everybody IN ALL OF THESE DISCIPLINES TO BE NARROW-MINDED, BUT SOMEHOW IN THE THING THAT MATTERS THE MOST, ETERNAL LIFE, THEY JUST SAY, WELL, IT REALLY DOESN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE. NOW, I'M SAYING THAT THE LORD JESUS SAID THERE ARE TWO WAYS AND THERE IS A DECISION TO FACE. JESUS SAID, ENTER THE STRAIGHT GATE, THE NARROW GATE. LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT THAT DECISION.

11:22 Now listen, first of all, there is the freedom to decide. You have the freedom to decide. Don't ever let anybody tell you you have been predestined to go to hell. You have the freedom to decide. Otherwise, Jesus never would have said, enter. Jesus said, you can choose and you must choose. We're not machines. We're human beings. And this morning, you are free to do as you wish. But now pay attention. Apart from the grace of God, you're not free to do as you ought. Now understand the distinction. You're free. You are free to do as you wish, but it takes the grace of God for you to do as you ought. You say, well, I can do whatever I want.

12:19 That's true. But you see, the problem is with your wanter. You always want what is wrong until you have the grace of God in your heart. The only reason that you can choose to do right is because he first chose you. But you, my friend, are free to choose. And he has chosen you, and he has invited you, and he has said, whosoever will may come, and he will give you the power and the ability to come, and today if you want to come, there are not enough demons in hell or out of hell to keep you from coming. But if you choose not to come, there are not enough angels in heaven to drag you down this aisle. There is the freedom to decide. There is the freedom to decide, but the only reason that you have that freedom to decide is because he has loved you and set his grace upon you. There is the freedom of decision, but now wait a minute.

13:16 There's also the forcing of decision. Did you know that while you're free to decide, you're not free not to decide? While you're free to decide, you're not free not to decide. You are forced into a decision this very moment. There's no way that you can do what Pilate thought he was doing, that is, wash your hands of Jesus Christ. You cannot do that. Pilate said, well, I won't decide. I'll let the people decide. And that, uh, lily-livered, pussy-footing politician said, I wash my hands of Jesus.

13:56 But history and eternity has proven that Pilate's indecision was his worst decision. And the decision not to decide is a decision. And when you refuse the Lord Jesus Christ, you're not merely neutral, because Jesus Christ said in Matthew chapter 12 and verse 30, He that is not with me is against me. There's no way that you can be neutral. The decision not to decide is a decision. And so today, listen carefully, you will leave this building on the straight and narrow or you leave it on the broad way. You leave this building on the road to hell or you leave this building on the road to heaven and you say, I will not decide for Jesus Christ by that very act you have decided against Jesus Christ. Put it down in your margin.

14:48 Matthew 12, verse 30, He that is not with me is against me. You see, listen, there is the freedom of decision, there is the forcing of decision, and there are the fruits of decision. Now, let me say something else. You are free to choose. You're not free not to choose. And you're not free to choose the consequences of your choice. You're free to choose. YOU'RE NOT FREE NOT TO CHOOSE AND YOU'RE NOT FREE TO CHOOSE THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR CHOICE. NOW FOR EXAMPLE, YOU CAN GET IN A TEN STORY BUILDING, OPEN THE WINDOW AND SAY I'M FREE TO JUMP OUT. AND YOU ARE. BUT ABOUT THAT TIME YOUR CHOICES GET DIMINISHED. WHAT I MEAN, YOU ARE FREE TO JUMP OUT, BUT YOU'RE NOT FREE TO NEGATE THE LAW OF GRAVITY. YOU ARE FREE TO CHOOSE, BUT YOU'RE NOT FREE TO CHOOSE THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR CHOICE.

15:44 THESE PEOPLE TALK ABOUT FREE LOVE. I WILL SLEEP WITH ANYBODY I WANT TO. WELL, ALL RIGHT. YOU'RE FREE TO CHOOSE THAT, BUT YOU'RE NOT FREE TO CHOOSE THE CONSEQUENCES. AND WHEN THE WARM FLAMES OF LUST TURN TO THE FIERY FLAMES OF HELL, THAT'S A PART OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR CHOICE OF THE BIBLE THAT SAYS, FLEA FORNICATION, AND THE BIBLE THAT SAYS, THOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY. YOU TALK ABOUT, UH, THE FREEDOM OF CHOICE. PEOPLE want to say, I am pro-choice. Choice to do what? Choice to kill a baby. You say, we have decided not to have this baby. No, my dear friend, you already have a baby. What you're deciding is, will it be a live baby or a dead baby? That's what you're deciding. You already have a baby. There's a baby that is living within you. And you say, I am pro-choice. You're free to choose, but you're not free to choose the consequences of that CHOICE. THERE ARE SOME AWFUL CONSEQUENCES. CHOICE IS BEFORE ALL OF US. CHOICE IS BEFORE ALL OF US. OUR LORD SAYS, HERE'S A WAY, HERE'S A NARROW WAY, HERE'S A BROAD WAY. HE SAYS, ENTER IN.

16:47 EVERYBODY IS FREE TO CHOOSE. YOU'RE NOT FREE NOT TO CHOOSE, AND YOU'RE NOT FREE TO CHOOSE THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR CHOICE. SO YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE VERY CAREFULLY. NOW, YOU DON'T HAVE TO CHOOSE TO GO TO HELL. TO GO TO HELL, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS REFUSE TO, TO RECEIVE JESUS. BECAUSE WHY? WE'RE ALREADY ON THE BROADWAY. OUR LORD DOESN'T SAY, DON'T ENTER THE BROADWAY. HE SAYS, ENTER THE NARROWWAY. WHY? BECAUSE YOU'RE ALREADY ON THE BROADWAY. THERE'S A GOSPEL TRACK. ON ONE SIDE OF THE GOSPEL TRACK IT SAYS, WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED? AND THE ANSWER IS GIVEN, BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRACK IT SAYS, WHAT MUST I DO TO BE LOST? AND THERE'S JUST A BOX THERE WITH NOTHING IN IT. NOTHING IN IT. WHAT MUST I DO TO BE LOST?

17:43 NOTHING. NOTHING. YOU'RE ALREADY LOST. YOU'RE ALREADY LOST WITHOUT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. YOU MUST CHOOSE CHRIST BY NATURE. WE ARE SINNERS BY BIRTH, SINNERS BY NATURE, SINNERS BY CHOICE, SINNERS ON THE BROAD WAY, SINNERS ON THE WAY TO hell. And so the very first thing I see in this passage of scripture as I think about the holy highway, friend, is there is a decision to face. If you're enjoying this message from Adrian Rogers and would like to dig a little deeper into today's topic, download this free companion Bible study. Use the link above to get yours. Secondly, there is a direction to follow. Look at it again, if WILL. HE SAYS HERE, ENTER IN AT THE STRAIGHT GATE, THAT'S THE DECISION, FOR WIDE IS THE GATE AND BROAD IS THE WAY THAT LEADES TO DESTRUCTION AND MANY THERE BE WHICH GO IN THEREAT BECAUSE STRAIGHT IS THE GATE AND NARROW IS THE WAY. AFTER THE DECISION THERE COMES THE, THE DIRECTION. NOW LET ME TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE NARROW WAY TODAY. THE NARROW WAY IS THE WAY THAT EVERY BLOOD BOUGHT CHILD OF GOD IS WALKING TODAY. IT IS THE HOLY HIGHWAY.

18:59 AND THE FIRST THING I WANT TO SAY ABOUT THE NARROW WAY, IT IS A DISCIPLINED WAY. WHEN THE BIBLE SAYS STRAIGHT HERE, IT'S NOT TALKING ABOUT STRAIGHT LIKE A STRAIGHT LINE. IT MEANS DISCIPLINED. RIGOROUS IS THE WAY. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A CHEAP WAY, AN EASY WAY, A LAZY WAY TO SERVE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, FORGET IT. THE BIBLE SAYS WE'RE TO ENDURE HARDNESS AS A GOOD SOLDIER OF JESUS CHRIST. WE SAY, WELL, IT PAYS TO SERVE JESUS. YES, IT DOES, BUT IT ALSO COSTS TO SERVE JESUS. IT COSTS EVERY DAY. IT COSTS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, AND THERE IS NO FINE PRINT IN THE CONTRACT THAT JESUS CHRIST GIVES. THE PROBLEM WITH MANY PEOPLE TODAY IS, THEY HAVE SORT OF A CHEAP GRACE AND EASY BELIEVISM. THE WAY OF JESUS CHRIST WHILE SALVATION IS FREE ON THE ONE HAND,

19:59 YET THERE IS A DISCIPLINE TO THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. ANY DEAD FISH CAN FLOAT DOWN THE STREAM. YOU SEE, WITHOUT DISCIPLINE THERE'S NO POWER. LOOSE WIRES JUST DISCONNECTED DON'T MAKE A BEAUTIFUL SOUND, BUT IF WE CONNECT THEM AND PUT THEM IN ONE OF THOSE MARVELOUS PIANOS AND STRETCH THEM UNTIL THERE'S TENSION THERE, DISCIPLINE THERE. THEN WE GET THE MUSIC, STEAM AND VAPOR IN THE AIR, THERE'S NO POWER THERE, BUT WE, WE COMPRESS IT AND PUT IT IN AN ENGINE AND IT WILL TURN THE TURBINE AND THE PISTONS BECAUSE THERE IS POWER THERE. TAKE A RIVER AND JUST LET IT MEANDER AND THERE'S NO POWER THERE, BUT DAMN IT UP AND IT MAKES A POWER DAM THAT CAN LIGHT UP A CITY. BROAD IS THE WAY, EASY IS THE WAY THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION. A FEW YEARS AGO, ago. There was a young African. He was martyred for the cause of Christ. But before he died, he wrote these words. They were found in his room. He said this, I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals. My face is set, my gate is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear, I won't give up, shut up, let up

22:05 until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up for the cause of Jesus Christ. I must go till he comes, give till I drop, preach till everyone knows, work till he stops me, and when he comes for his own, he will have no trouble recognizing me because my banner will have been clear. Compare that, compare that with the Christianity we see today. We're looking for a cheap way, an easy way, a lazy way to serve the Lord Jesus, but Jesus said, straight is WAY. IT IS A DISCIPLINED WAY. AND NOT ONLY, FRIEND, IS IT A DISCIPLINED WAY, IT IS A DIFFERENT WAY. OUR LORD SAYS, FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT. FEW THERE BE, NOT MANY. DON'T EXPECT THE CROWDS TO BE ON THIS WAY. AND DON'T FOLLOW THE CROWDS. THE CROWDS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS WRONG. WHAT IS HAPPENING IN AMERICA TODAY IS BECAUSE THE CROWDS ARE WRONG. WE HAVE MORALITY BY MAJORITY. DO YOU KNOW WHAT MOST FOLKS ARE TAKING COMFORT IN? THEY SAY, WELL, I'M JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE.

23:14 ISN'T THAT WHAT THEY SAY? I AM JUST AS GOOD AS THOSE OTHER PEOPLE. FRIEND, OUR WAY IS A DIFFERENT WAY. IT STARTS AT A DIFFERENT SOURCE, IT FOLLOWS A DIFFERENT COURSE, IT ENDS AT A DIFFERENT CONCLUSION, AND IF YOU'RE ON THIS WAY, YOU'RE GOING TO BE GOING AGAINST the tithe most of the time because we are twice born people in a world of once born people and they are different from us and we are different from them. It is a disciplined way. It is a different way, and it is a delightful way. Do you think what I'm saying today is negative? Friend, you don't know the, the joy of serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me give you a verse. Oh, I LOVE THIS. I LOVE, IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE PASSAGES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. PUT IT IN THE MARGIN, YOU MAY TURN TO IT, ISAIAH CHAPTER 35. IT TALKS ABOUT THE HOLY HIGHWAY. BY THE WAY, UH, THE SONG THAT OUR CHOIR SINGS AND WE SING THE HOLY HIGHWAY IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS. ISAIAH 35, VERSES 8 AND FOLLOWING. HERE OUR LORD IS TALKING ABOUT THE, THE, THE WAY THAT JESUS IS, IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, HE'S PROPHESYING THIS HOLY HIGHWAY. AND LISTEN TO IT. GOD SAYS, AND A HIGHWAY SHALL BE THERE AND AWAY, AND IT SHALL BE CALLED THE WAY OF HOLINESS. THE UNCLEAN SHALL NOT PASS OVER IT, BUT IT SHALL BE FOR THOSE THE WAYFARING MEN. THOUGH FOOLS SHALL NOT ERE THEREIN, NO LION SHALL BE THERE, NOR ANY RAVENOUS BEAST SHALL GO UP THEREON. IT SHALL NOT BE FOUND THERE, BUT THE REDEEMED SHALL WALK THERE, AND THE RANSOMED OF THE LORD SHALL RETURN AND COME TO ZION WITH songs and everlasting joy upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. It is a delightful way. Why? Because it's a clean way. Verse eight, the unclean shall not pass over it. That's what he says. It's the way of holiness.

25:14 There are no mud holes on the holy highway and no Tennessee trash going to be, uh, following THAT HOLY HIGHWAY. AND IF, IF YOUR HEART IS FULL OF SIN AND FILTH AND DIRT AND YOU'VE NEVER REPENTED, DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE ON THE HOLY HIGHWAY. THE BIBLE SAYS HERE, IT IS THE WAY OF HOLINESS. THE UNCLEAN SHALL NOT PASS OVER IT. IT'S A CLEAN WAY. AND I'LL TELL YOU IT'S A CERTAIN WAY. IT'S DELIGHTFULLY CLEAN, IT'S DELIGHTFULLY CERTAIN. HE SAYS, A WAYFARING MAN THOUGH A FOOL SHALL NOT EARTH THEREIN. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? A WAYFARING MAN THOUGH A FOOL SHALL NOT EARTH THEREIN, IT MEANS A STRANGER WITHOUT GOOD SENSE CAN FIND HIS WAY ON THE HOLY HIGHWAY. YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A PH.D. TO TRAVEL THIS HOLY HIGHWAY. THE BIBLE SAYS GOD HATH HIDDEN THESE THINGS FROM THE WISE AND THE PRUDENT AND HATH REVEALED THEM UNTO BABES. AND YOU MAY BE HERE TODAY AND YOU SAY, YOU KNOW, PASTOR ROGERS, I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT RELIGION. I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE BIBLE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND ALL THAT YOU'RE SAYING. WELL, MY FRIEND, LET ME TELL YOU THAT JESUS CHRIST LOVES YOU AND IT IS SO CLEAN AND SO PURE AND SO SIMPLE.

26:20 COME TO JESUS, BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. THAT IS GLORIOUSLY SIMPLE AND IT IS SIMPLY GLORIOUS. THIS WAY IS DELIGHTFUL BECAUSE IT'S CLEAN. THIS WAY IS DELIGHTFUL BECAUSE IT IS CLEAR. I'LL TELL YOU IT'S DELIGHTFUL BECAUSE IT IS CONFIDENT. YOU KNOW, LISTEN, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT LOSING YOUR SALVATION. YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SATAN, UH, POUNCING YOU WHILE YOU'RE ON THE HOLY HIGHWAY. VERSE 9, no lion shall be there or any ravenous beast shall go up thereon. It shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. Oh, what a wonderful road. You get on this road and you let the Lord Jesus be your companion. And this road, which is a clean way and a clear way, is a certain and a confident way. Oh, he keeps us. And then it is a cheerful way.

27:14 The Bible says, AND THE RANSOMED OF THE LORD SHALL RETURN AND COME TO ZION WITH SONGS AND EVERLASTING JOY UPON THEIR HEADS. THEY SHALL OBTAIN JOY AND GLADNESS AND SORROW AND SIGHING SHALL FLEE AWAY. I LOVE JESUS. IF I HAD A THOUSAND LIVES, I'D GIVE HIM EVERY ONE. DON'T FEEL SORRY FOR ME BECAUSE I'M ON THE HOLY HIGHWAY. OH, OH, FRIEND, THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. THE RANSOMED OF THE LORD shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads. What a wonderful, wonderful road this is. We love to sing that song, Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. It was written by John Newton. John Newton was one of the most wicked, vile sinners that ever lived. He'd committed almost every sin known to man. He was a, a drunken rum runner.

28:09 He was a South Sea slave trader. He got so low in debauchery and sin that he finally ended up selling himself as a slave of slaves. And Jesus Christ miraculously saved John Newton. He's the one who wrote the song Amazing Grace. His own epitaph he wrote. You want to hear what he wrote about himself to be put on his grave marker? Listen, he said, JOHN NEWTON, CLERK, ONCE AN INFIDEL AND LIBERTINE, A SERVANT OF SLAVES IN AFRICA, WAS BY THE RICH MERCY OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, PRESERVED, RESTORED, PARDONED, AND APPOINTED TO PREACH THE FAITH HE HAD LONG LABORED TO DESTROY. NO WONDER HE COULD SING ON THE HOLY HIGHWAY, AMAZING GRACE, HOW SWEET THE SOUND THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME. WHAT IS OUR LORD TELLING us in these verses. Number one, there is a decision to face. Number two, there is a direction to follow. It is a disciplined way. Oh, friend, it is, this way is a delightful.

29:29 way. But now here's a third thing. Here's a third thing. Not only is there a decision to face, not only is there a direction to follow, but there is a destiny to find. Every road is going somewhere and the

29:55 one you're on right now is going somewhere. Now I want you to ask THIS QUESTION, WHEN I GET TO WHERE I'M HEADED, WHERE WILL I BE? ASK IT. WHEN I GET TO WHERE I AM HEADED, WHERE WILL I BE? NOW THE LORD AGAIN, IN A VERY NARROW WAY, SAID THERE ARE ONLY TWO DESTINATIONS. ONE HE CALLS DESTRUCTION AND THE OTHER HE CALLS LIFE. YOU SEE, DECISION DETERMINES DIRECTION AND DIRECTION DETERMINES DESTINY. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO FIGURE THAT OUT, DO YOU? DECISION DETERMINES DIRECTION AND DIRECTION DETERMINES DESTINY. THAT'S WHAT OUR LORD IS SAYING. AND TODAY MANY OF YOU ARE SAYING, WELL, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, PASTOR ROGERS, I'M ON THE BROADWAY. Some days ago, I was on an airplane.

30:52 going, I think, to St. Louis. Somewhere it doesn't make any difference now. But the steward got on the microphone and said, this is flight thus and such, headed to St. Louis. If St. Louis is not in your plans for this afternoon, I would suggest that you deplane right now. Now, friend, maybe you're on the highway to hell, and if hell is not in your plans, I'd suggest you get on. I mean, if you do not want to die and go to hell, then why don't you do something about it? There is a destiny to find. Now, it may be a fearful destiny. Destruction, destruction. I don't want to sugarcoat what Jesus said.

31:45 Jesus, Jesus, the loving Jesus had more to say about hell, H-E-double L. Yes, I said hell. Jesus had more to say about hell than any other person in the Word of God. Jesus did. It was Jesus who talked about destruction. Don't you point your finger at me and say, that man is a hellfire preacher. Just take it up with Jesus Christ. Jesus said, the broad way leads to destruction. in Chicago. as a nightclub. Would you believe it? They named the nightclub the Gates of Hell. Can you imagine naming a nightclub that? The Gates of Hell. One man, out on a lark, asked a policeman, how can I get to the Gates of Hell?

32:43 On that same street where this nightclub was, was a church. Do you know the name of the church? It was Calvary Church. Do you know what that policeman told that man? You want to get to the gates of hell? Go right past Calvary, and you'll come to the gates of hell. Go right past Calvary, and you'll come to the gates of hell, and God has lifted up Calvary with a bloodstained prince of glory. hanging in agony and blood, and he says, Stop! Stop! Stop! Or you'll end up. at the gates of hell. there is a destiny to find. It may be a fearful destiny or it may be a fabulous destiny.

33:37 It may be life. You see, that life begins not when you die, it begins when you step on the old S&M. Jesus said, I've come that you might have life and have it abundantly. Not only does he add years to life, He adds life to the years.

33:59 And if there were no heaven and if there were no hell, it's worth the trip just to be on this highway, just to be on this highway. I mean, there is a destiny. But thank God, thank God, we're on our journey home. Each step I take is one step closer home. How wonderful that is. It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. I MAY BE JUST A HEARTBEAT AWAY FROM THE END OF MY JOURNEY. HOW WONDERFUL THAT IS. FRIEND, THERE IS A DESTINY, THERE IS A DESTINY TO FIND. IT MAY BE A FEARFUL DESTINY, IT MAY BE A FABULOUS DESTINY, BUT LISTEN TO ME, IT WILL BE A FINAL DESTINY. IT WILL BE A FINAL DESTINY. THERE'S NO CHANCE AFTER DEATH. ECCLESIASTEES chapter 11 in verse 3 says, and if the tree fall toward the south or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. That's just a poetic way of saying, when you die, your destiny is fixed. Revelation chapter 22 verse 11, he that is unjust, let him be unjust still. He that is filthy, let him be filthy still.

35:29 I've studied this book for many years. I've read it, loved it, and preached out of it. I cannot find one place where God offers one shred of hope to those who die outside the Lord Jesus Christ. Not NOT ONE. TO THE CONTRARY, THE BIBLE SAYS IT'S APPOINTED UNTO MAN ONCE TO DIE. and after this, the judgment. Now if you're on the broad way today, you're on that turnpike to torment, you're on that highway to hell, and there are a lot of people, and you're having a big time, and God brought you to this service this morning, and God put this preacher in front of you, and this preacher is holding up a sign, and you know what it says?

36:24 heaven, exit now. Heaven, exit now. It never says the next exit, always now, because the next exit may be hell. There may not be another exit. You say, well, I, I'm not going to decide today, pastor. See, you missed what I said to you. When you say you're not going to decide. That is a decision. That is a decision that keeps you on the broad way that leads to destruction. You say, well, I've got plenty of time. I hope you do. But the Bible says, boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day will bring forth. There is a decision to face. a direction to follow and a destiny to find that's what jesus says let's pray THE NAME OF JESUS THAT MANY TODAY WILL JUST EXIT TO THE

37:44 STRAIGHT AND NARROW, THE HOLY HIGHWAY, THAT THEY WILL COME TO JESUS, WHO INDEED IS THE HIGHWAY, WHO SAID, I AM THE WAY. NO MAN COMES TO THE FATHER BUT BY ME. FATHER, I PRAY THAT THEY'LL NOT BE AFRAID BECAUSE, LORD, TO KNOW YOU, OH, IS SO WONDERFUL. HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, DRAW THEM, I PRAY, IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN.