Abiding and the Well Worn Narrow Path

Vision 2025  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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TENSION NEEDING REDEMPTION:
We chose death and yet we long for life
CENTRAL TRUTH EXPRESSED (MAIN POINT):
The Well Worn Narrow Path is a life journey of deep abiding relationship through the Son with the Father by the Spirit
GOD'S CHARACTER REVEALED:
God desires for us to draw near to him
OUR RIGHT RESPONSE:
Begin a rhythm or two
1 | How have I experienced the tension?
Can I have everyone raise there hand for a moment. I have a one question pop quiz for all of you that will help give me a sense of where everyone is at before we get started into the message…
If you grew up desiring a life of misery, suffering, self-sabotage, broken promises, lies, gossip, and general darkness… I want you to keep your hand raised.
okay!
That is helpful for me as we get going…
The longing deep within each of us is for a life that is full.
Nobody is born desiring all the worst parts of this world.
We are all unique in what we envision the good life would look like, but we all share a common desire for a life that is real, enjoyable, peaceful, and meaningful.
2 | How have you experienced this tension?
And yet, as we discussed last week, the human experience has been less than awesome.
We talked about a reoccurring theme in the Scriptures of the two paths. That there is a narrow path of God’s own life defined by his wisdom and understanding and leads toward life, light, and freedom.
And then there is a different path, a broad, crowded path that is defined by human wisdom and understanding where we define good and evil on our own terms which is incapable of leading anywhere other death, darkness, and bondage.
Jesus talked about how the broad path is crowded because it is easier to find. This path goes along with the natural bend of humanity toward what looks good in our own eyes rather than God’s.
And so we all live in a world, where according to the Bible, two paths are constantly in front of us, and our persistent plague is to take the path of least resistance… the well worn broad path which leads to death.
And yet deeply engrained in all of our hearts is a deep longing.
A longing for something more… the life that is truly life.
That life we mentioned a minute ago… a life that is real, enjoyable, peaceful, and filled with meaning.
And so you and I each live in the midst of that tension.
Like the story of Hen and her friends, who refused to help bake fresh bread with her, wanted to enjoy it at the end all the same.
If I want to truly become a person who experiences the life that is truly life, then how?
3 | What do the Scriptures say about this tension?
Well we don’t start our investigation from square 1, as we discovered last week… both absolute lawlessness, I get to do things in whatever way makes the most sense to me and still receive, nor legalism, I earn the life that is truly life by my best efforts and being better than others around me… both of these options fit comfortable on the broad, crowded path that leads to death.
Both of these realities come so easily to my heart, with my desires constantly swinging between both of those realities… so I think we have to ask two related questions… Does God even want us on this narrow path? And is it a path that is even worth journeying onto?
If you have a Bible and you want to turn to Psalm 16 we are going to start off there…
Psalm 16 was a song written by an ancient Israelite King named David, he was a giant killer as well as described by God as a man after his own heart.
In this song, he is wrestling with God as he is trying to process all those who are enemies of God who have come against David, they are living the broad path and David’s life is a wreck because of it.
He begins to explain verse 4, “the sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply”
So he is getting at the reality that the broad path is not a good choice. It is a path that leads to death, darkness, and bondage.
That is a path David knows well because in his weakest moments he was doing backflips on the broad path. Taking another man’s wife and sending him to die on the frontlines of a war to cover up the pregnancy.
And yet, God called him back to the narrow path and he repented and responded.
And so he knows the broad path. But he has also discovered the narrow path…
Listen to how he finishes off this song…
Read Psalm 16:11
So does God want David and us to experience the narrow path of life or is he toying with us, dangling an ideal that we can never possibly experience?
David says, “You make known to me the path of life!”
David didn’t figure it out on his own wisdom and insight… that is broad path stuff… God desires for his people to experience the narrow path! The path of life!
Doing things God’s way, the narrow path, often gets labeled throughout the history of humanity as like a buzz kill life.
A goodie goodie who never has real fun. A person who plays it safe and watches the world pass by.
It reminds me of the character arc that Marvel did with Steve Rogers in the MCU. In the first Avengers movie you have him so clean cut, and he even has this line discussing Loki and Thor where he says, “There’s only one God, ma’am, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like that.”
It’s a funny line but it's also an indication of Roger’s good guy 1940s values.
By the next Avengers movie Tony Stark is making fun of Steve when he says an expletive and Tony exclaims “language.” And later jokes “for gosh sake, watch your language!”
For the longest time in my life this is exactly how I perceived God’s ways… an antiquated joke that was out of touch with the real world.
It was a path that lacked imagination, fun, and adventure.
And so I hung out on the broad path while also going to church on Sundays.
It took Jesus finally waking me up to begin to realize what David explains here… “In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Pastor John Piper explains, “happiness in God is the end of all our seeking”
When we think in terms of God’s way as “the straight and narrow” a path that we need to work so hard to stay onto, serious business, with lethal consequences if we stray then how could possibly envision the path as anything other than tight rope walking over the Grand Canyon.
But that couldn’t be further from the truth. The path of life that David is writing about doesn’t just lead to life. The path itself is life!!! It is a path of experiencing God’s presence in the everyday moments of life, discovering that there is fullness of joy! Discovering that being with him “are pleasures forevermore.” The well worn narrow path is not the path of the buzzkill, no fun, and little if any adventure.
It is the life that is truly life!
When Jesus is talking to his apprentices in John 15 he explains it this way…
Read John 15:1-5
The image he is giving is of a grape vine, where he is the vine, the part of the plant that has all the nutrients, moisture, and ability to grow. And yet his desire that we would participate like the small little branches that shoot out of the vine which eventually bare the fruit of grapes on them.
Jesus is explaining that our goal is not the willing of bearing fruit. It is in the abiding in the vine.
The vine has all the life! Not the branch.
The well worn narrow path is the path of abiding in the vine.
It is the quest of discovering what it looks like to draw near in intimacy with Jesus every single day.
Discovering that Jesus wants you and I to have the life that is truly life!
A life that is filled with purpose and meaning, of peace and adventure, of healing and integrity, of intimacy with God and in relationship with others, in short a life of true and lasting love.
So let’s say some part of this has piqued your interest…
How do we abide?
Jesus explains…
Read John 15:9-11
Main Idea : The Well Worn Narrow Path is a life journey of deep abiding relationship through the Son with the Father by the Spirit
What Jesus is saying is “follow my lead”
Do what I did!
“Just as I have kept my Fathers commandments and abide in his love”
So we do what Jesus did.
But wait isn’t that more of doing? So are we stepping back onto the high wire or not?
”Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning” - Dallas Willard
We get to look at the example of Jesus as the ultimate example of a human being living in a deep abiding relationship with the Father by the empowerment of the Spirit.
We remember that first it was the grace of Jesus which redeems us and restores us so that we can abide in his love.
We glorify the Father in us as we are becoming more and more satisfied in Him.
We experience the empowerment of the Holy Spirit who is our counselor who leads us toward what is life versus what is death every day.
And so we look at the example of Jesus.
What did he do?
He did things that provide opportunities for abiding.
These things were rhythms of life and intimacy, also known as spiritual disciplines…
Rhythms that oriented his life toward life.
Practices such as regular getting away in silence and solitude with his father. Prayer, meditating on Scripture, sabbath, memorizing Scripture, fasting, feasting, giving in generosity, service, communal worship, celebration, grieving, and simplicity. Just to name a few.
Some of those perhaps you are familiar with, others maybe not so much.
Here is something important to note. These rhythms do not produce life or intimacy with God or others.
You can do all of these things and more, you can cast out demons, and witness great healings but if you do not have love then it is nothing but a noisy percussion instrument.
These rhythms do not produce life by themselves.
They are rhythms of life and intimacy because they simply create an opportunity for your heart and mind to be receiving the abiding life and intimacy of Jesus.
They are practices that allow for us mere branches to be available to receiving the life producing nutrients that are being offered up by the vine.
As we do we become participants in the sanctifying work of Jesus. Sanctification is the big theological way of saying “growing to become more like Jesus.”
Where his character, nature, and actions become more and more of what we experience in and through ourselves.
Engaging in these rhythms in frequency is truly an act of faith and trust. Trusting that God will show up and do his work, and over time we begin to notice that work, and our response becomes one of deep worship and gratitude which then spurs us on toward greater levels of participation!
4 | How can the Gospel bring resolution to this tension in your life?
If you are looking for a quick fix, try Tik Tok. But if you are looking for the life that is truly life… come and find it in Jesus!
He desires so badly for you and I to experience his presence in which there is fullness of joy.
Over the last ten years, I have been on a journey when it comes to both experiencing this fullness of joy and engaging in spiritual disciplines.
Wavering through the inconsistencies of life stage changes, going from single to married to having two kids. Career changes, and family crises.
The well worn narrow path is not always a simple path, on it there is death to self, examination of the inner life, there can be suffering and grief… but none of it is wasted!
It is the path of life that is truly life because he will never leave you or forsake you in the midst of it all.
Where we discover that the Creator of the Cosmos desires to work in and through you and I!!!
He patiently walks alongside us through all of our false starts, near misses, and complete failures and beckons us further up and further back into himself!
5 | Application
When I began learning about the rhythms of intimacy I thought my job was to learn and master them all immediately. And it didn’t produce life, just frustration, disappointment, and inconsistency.
So here is the encouragement for you tonight…
Consider one thing that might be addition by subtraction…
Expose your timewaster!
what is something you might consider either eliminating from your schedule or reducing your involvement in… this is the rhythm of simplicity.
for many of us this is likely a social media platform or two or binge watching, but it can just as easily be something else.
With that extra time, consider one proactive rhythm of intimacy you might add into your schedule on a regular basis… perhaps it is sabbathing on a weekly basis, carving out time to go on a prayer walk around your neighborhood, or committing to a learning space of community group this year….
Remember….
Main Idea : The Well Worn Narrow Path is a life journey of deep abiding relationship through the Son with the Father by the Spirit
It is a marathon not a sprint and on it is life that is truly life!
So let’s journey together!
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