Which Way Have You Chosen?

Matthew 7:13–14 ““Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Is there anyone here that does not want to go to heaven? I hope not. Let me ask you another question. How are you getting there? In honor of the great Bugs Bunny, which way did you go?

Every person at the end their lives will either go to heaven or go to hell. Evidently, according to Jesus, the way to hell must be more desirable than the way to heaven because the road to hell as many more people on it than the road to heaven.

Even though all may want to go to heaven, far more people are going to hell than to heaven, and the reason for that is those who go to hell will have chosen the wrong way. You are either going to heaven, or you are going to hell. There are two destinations. There is one way to each. Which one have you chosen?

This morning, I would like to examine three truths about eternity.

I. Eternity is certain.

Hebrews 9:27 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,”

You are going to die, and you are going to be judged by God when you do. It is an absolute certainty which cannot be avoided. No one in this building will escape death.

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—”

Because of Adam and sin, death came into this world, and genetically, death and sin have been passed down to all of us.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

When we die, we are judged to determine our eternal destination. You cannot escape that reality. It is absolute. Try as you may, you cannot escape the reality of death and judgment.

Revelation 20:11 “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.”

You might want to run away from judgment, but there is no escape. You are either going to heaven or to hell, and wanting to go to heaven is not enough. You must choose the correct way to get there, and there is only one way that leads to heaven.

There are only two ways that lead to eternity. Those two ways are Your Way and The Way.

II. Your Way leads to eternal destruction.

Your Way is the one so many choose. As a matter of fact, Your Way is very dangerous as it is overcrowded and it is very hazardous. It contains many warning signs.

A. The Warning Signs on Your Way

Repent

Luke 13:3 “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Acts 17:30 “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,”

The first warning sign on Your Way is to repent, to turn around. This warning is telling you that you are headed in the wrong direction. It means you have chosen a route that will eventually lead you to destruction. This warning is to urgently turn around. It is a message to turn around before it is too late.

2. Beware

Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

Beware in the Bible means to guard with caution. You have chosen My Way because you followed the advice of someone who told you that your way was the best way to go.

Someone probably told you that there is more than one way to safely arrive at your desired destination. That someone might have told you that you could travel the Good Works Highway. That someone might have told you that you could travel the Believe in Anything Interstate. That someone might have told you that you could travel the God is Love Freeway. That someone might have said choose your own way. There is more than one way to go. There is more than one road to take to reach your eternal destination, but the someone who gave you that advice was wrong, and the warning sign says Beware! Beware to whom you are listening!

You might think since that person is travelling down the same road that they know where they are going. They might and probably do, and they would love nothing better than to take you with them.

The sign says in big print: BEWARE! But it also says in small print why you must beware.

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Repent and beware greet you on your way.

3. Urgent

The third sign you encounter is urgent, and these signs repeat in order. Repent, beware, urgent. Repent, beware, urgent. Repent, beware, urgent.

2 Corinthians 6:2 “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”

Now, you need to repent(turn around) and beware. It is urgent.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”

Your way is crowded with people telling you that your way is safe. Your way is peaceful, but if you do not urgently turn around, you will find you are travelling a way that has no escape. Your Way leads straight to destruction.

4. Last Chance

Proverbs 29:1 “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, Shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”

At some point on Your Way, you will cross the Last Chance deadline. When you cross the Last Chance, it will be too late to repent. You will not know that you crossed it, but it will be too late to beware. It will be too late for urgency. You will have crossed the point of no return, and when you cross that point, there is no chance of changing direction. You will be stuck on Your Way as Your Way leads you straight to hell.

The last sign you see as drive into hell is found just as you fall off into the abyss.

Matthew 7:23 “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Your Way leads to eternal destruction. You cannot ignore the warning signs and expect to arrive safely at your destination. You will not be able to plead ignorance as you drove by every warning sign on your way. You were warned. The warning signs were visible, and the warning signs were audible.

Yes, the warning signs on Your Way speak to you, and the voice grows louder the closer you draw to eternal destruction. This audible voice warns you of the folly of Your Way.

John 16:8–11 “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”

The audible voice of God the Spirit tells you that Your Way is not the right way, but you listened to man and followed Your Way anyway sealing your destiny in eternal destruction.

III. The Way leads to eternal life.

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

To enter the Way to eternal life, you must turn the driving over to Jesus as He is the Way, and it is He who knows the direction to eternal life. There is no need for warning signs. This is not Your Way. This is The Way. The Way paved and led by Jesus Christ.

Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

John 3:16–17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

God so loved you that He did not want to see you trapped on the Highway to Hell. He sent His Son to you to lead you to eternal life instead of eternal destruction. Jesus Christ came to this earth so He could lead you to heaven.

To lead you to heaven, He had to die for you on the Cross of Calvary. To lead you, He had to take your place. He had to become you so you could die with Him. He cannot lead you to heaven from a grace. He died for you. He died for your sins. He became your sin, but death did not keep Him as He is alive today. Because He is alive, because God raised Him from the dead, Jesus can lead you to Glory.

Revelation 1:17–18 “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Since Jesus is alive, guess what He can do? He can lead me to eternal glory, and nothing can stop Him.

Romans 8:34–35 “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”

If you travel The Way, nothing is going to keep you from you from eternal life. Because Jesus Christ died and lives today, He can take you safely to heaven to be with Him forever.

Jesus Christ made The Way possible. He has done everything for you except for one thing. He will not make you choose The Way. If you want to go Your Way, Jesus will allow you. If you choose to get to where you want to go by travelling your way, Jesus will let you, but The Way has been paved, and Jesus has made it really simple for you to choose The Way.

John 6:47 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”

The innocent Jesus died as the guilty so He could bring you to God, but He can only do that if you choose The Way instead of Your Way. It is so simple.

Romans 10:9–10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Believe in The Way. Proclaim The Way. Confess The Way. If you do that, Jesus will lead you to glory, and nothing will keep that from happening, but if you choose Your Way over The Way, Jesus will allow you to go to your own destruction.

You are going to die. You are going to live forever in eternity. You will either live in heaven with Jesus, or you will live in hell by yourself. It depends on which way you choose. Have you chosen Your Way or The Way?