At The Crossroads

Have you ever heard the story of Robert Johnson?

He was a novice blues guitar player who disappeared for about 6 months. When he came back he was considered one of the best.

The story is that he wanted to be the greatest blues guitar player. During his disappearance he went down to the crossroads and sold his soul to the devil to become that guitarist.

We’ve all heard old legends like this. Last week we talked about who we are in Jesus Christ. About our individual relationship with Jesus Christ.

Today we’re going to take a look at Jer 6:16 and a corporate relationship with God. A relationship that involves the entire church.

In our Scripture today we find Israel at a crossroads.

Jeremiah 6:16 CSB

16 This is what the Lord says: Stand by the roadways and look. Ask about the ancient paths, “Which is the way to what is good?” Then take it and find rest for yourselves. But they protested, “We won’t!”

For hundreds of years the Israelites had forgotten God’s commandments. They wandered away from God and were living just like the rest of the world around them.

Now God brings them to a crossroads. And the fact is, the church is standing at that same crossroads right now.

Being at the crossroads means there are decisions that have to be made. Let’s look at some of those decisions.

Decide to Stand

Decide to stand still long enough to hear God. The Israelites were following the ways of the world around them. God asks them to stand still and recognize where they’re at.

Stand still for a minute and forget about everything going on around them and take a stand for themselves. Take a stand grounded on God’s commands.

God says, “stand by the roadways.” Stand means stop moving. Don’t go anywhere in any direction. Recognize you’re on a road of your on a road of your own creation.

It reminds me of Isaiah 59:8

Isaiah 59:8 CSB

8 They have not known the path of peace, and there is no justice in their ways. They have made their roads crooked; no one who walks on them will know peace.

The road of truth is a straight road. It doesn’t wander or meander. It is straight and never changes direction.

How many crooked roads do you think the church has made?

Stand still so we don’t miss the crossroad.It’s time to stand still long enough to see the crossroad we’re facing. It’s time to stand still long enough to see the crossroad we’re facing.

Decide to See

We have to decide to see the road we have been on. The church has allowed society to dictate their actions instead of God’s Word.

The church has walked away from God. Has embraced the sinful nature of society.

The church has compromised the gospel in the name of attraction. We, and I say we because we are all part of the corporate church.

We compromise so we aren’t offending those we are trying to reach. We compromise so society will become part of the church.

We must see the crossroad. We must see we have a decision. We have a decision to stay on the same path or take God’s path.

We have to consider where we are headed. Are we going to continue down the path that never brings lost souls to Christ?

Or do we want to head down God’s path the brings souls to eternal life?

God says, stand still, don’t move for a moment and take time to look around you. Get your bearings and make sure you’re headed in the right direction.

Have you ever been out hiking? As you go along you must occasionally stop and look around to make sure you’re still on the right path. Make sure you’re still on the path that leads to your intended destination.

Women might experience this same thing in shopping malls or on shopping trips. They might have to stop and look around to make sure they’re headed to the proper store.

We must stand and look. That means we must stop moving and look around us. Where have we been? Where are we currently standing? And where are we headed?

We are at a crossroads and we must see where we are and the decision to choose which path to take next. If we fail to stand and look long enough to see where we are, then we will be lost.

We may not even be sure which path we are supposed to take at the crossroad. It’s confusing right?

The church was so successful in what I call the “Great Evangelical Movement.” From the 70’s into the early 2000’s the church was really good at getting people to profess their faith in Christ.

What happened?

Suddenly society no longer listened to the church. The church lost its influence in society and many who had previously professed their faith began to leave the church.

How could 30 years of so much success instantly crumble?

There is an ever growing number of people in society who consider the church to be a cult!

What adds merit to their claims are from people who left the church. How many “Christians” have left the church and claim its nothing more than a cult?

Faced with declining numbers and growing hostility the church began trying everything it could to just hang on.

Jeremiah is talking about an Israel that allowed the other nations around it to dictate their beliefs. Israel started lighting incense and making sacrifices to other gods.

Israel was worshipping other gods with the other nations. Isn’t that what we see in the church today?

We the church, abandoned God, and did what we thought we needed to do to remain relevant to society.

I think back to when the nation of Israel had already split. The larger nation with 10 tribes of Israel to the north and Judea consisting of the two tribes of Benjamin and Judah to the south.

Judah remained faithful much longer than Israel. Israel let the world influence their beliefs so much that once they were conquered they became unrecognizable from the rest of the world.

To this day we still have no idea what happened to those 10 tribes. We have no idea where they are or if we would even recognize them if we did know.

We are seeing a similar situation today. How many churches today openly allow sinful behavior to be prevalent throughout the leadership?

They openly approve of sinful behavior and even to some degree promote sinful behavior. Make no mistake we as a church are no different than Israel here.

The church in those ways are worshipping other gods.

How could the church have fallen so far from God?

There are many ways that I’m willing to discuss in greater detail with anyone who wants to have that discussion.

One of the ways is the church didn’t stop and look at where it was and ask God what path they should take at the crossroad.

Decide to Ask

We the church must decide to ask God what direction we should follow at the crossroads.

God says, “ask about the ancient paths. Which is the way to what is good?”

It sounds simple doesn’t it?

Just ask God, He’ll tell you which way to go.

We say that all the time, but how many times do we not take time to listen for God’s answer?

Worse yet how many “Christians” don’t even know how to hear God speak to them?

How many “Christians” don’t even know what to listen for?

Oh sure, just ask God you say!! I have and He never tells me anything!!

It brings me back to Is 59:8

Isaiah 59:8 CSB

8 They have made their roads crooked; no one who walks on them will know peace.

The church has made the roads so crooked that no one even knows how to communicate with God. No one can find any peace in knowing they’re on the right path.

I’m sure you’ve all heard the question, “what is a woman?”

It seems ludicrous right?

Who can’t define what a woman is?

I could ask the same question about the church. “What is a Christian?”

The church has made defining “Christian” almost impossible.

Is a Christian a Catholic, Mormon, Pentecostal, Protestant, 7th Day Adventist?

How can we decide who’s a Christian and who’s not?

What does it mean to love the world the way Christ loves the world?

At what point does grace end?

When is grace not significant enough?

How did the church get in such a mess?

I believe the church has been really good over the last 50 years of making “converts.” But has been horrible at making disciples.

Jesus commands us to make disciples not converts. In order to make a disciple we must engage in discipleship.

We must learn to hear God speak to us when we decide to ask. The road God points us down is the same road His people have been pointed to from the beginning of time.

It never changes direction. It always heads to what is good and gives all who follow it peace. Then we must decide to take that road.

Decide to Walk

We must decide to start walking forward on that path. We can’t stand still, undecided.

We have to make a choice. Are we going to obey God and take “the way to what is good?”

Are we going to take the path that provides rest for ourselves?

We have already seen more and more of the church doing exactly as Israel at the end of Jer 6:16.

“But they protested, ‘We won’t!”

The church is becoming more and more disobedient. The church is worshipping the false gods no different than Israel was doing.

The church is choosing the path of sin, death and destruction for the souls of all who follow.

We would be smart to heed what Isaiah wrote in chapter 59 verses 12-15.

Isaiah 59:12–13 CSB

12 For our transgressions have multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us. For our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: 13 transgression and deception against the Lord, turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart.

Isaiah 59:14–15 CSB

14 Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far off. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter. 15 Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil is plundered.

Isaiah is again referencing Israel corporately as a whole. He’s referencing a total absence of truthfulness in Israels dealings with God.

Israel hasn’t just momentarily stumbled for a brief second. Truthfulness and faithfulness were absolutely nowhere to be found in the community.

Do you think the Truth is missing in far too much of the church today?

It’s really easy to point the finger at the liberal faction of the church. The part of the church that has allowed society to literally take over.

Allowing openly gay and lesbian people to be bishops, pastors, elders, deacons and every other facet of leadership in the church.

However, we tend to neglect the other part of the church that has had a knee jerk reaction. The part of the church that went too far the other direction.

The part of the church that won’t even let someone they “deem” a sinner in the church. They have to get cleaned up first before they are allowed through the door.

Within those two radical factions is where we find the vast majority of the church. There are far more examples of radical views where the truth is missing as well.

Last week I talked about our individual relationship with God and seeking areas of our lives where we want to hear Jesus say, “follow Me!”

The church corporately must do the same. We are a small part of the corporate body and we must decide to walk on the ancient path that leads to good.

How are we supposed to corporately decide to walk that path? What does that even look like?

It takes both an individual effort and a group effort. We must each decide individually that we want to be part of the bigger group action.

And we have to decide corporately as a group to take action. We can’t stand still any longer than necessary to hear God speak.

We must learn to hear God speak both individually and corporately. We must learn to be a unified group listening to God.

We must decide individually and as a group to follow God’s path. We must decide to be obedient as God guides us.

We, the church, are at a crossroads. We must decide to stand and look around us. We must decide to see where we have been and that we are at a crossroads.

We must decide to ask God what path He wants us to take. We must learn to hear God’s voice as He guides us.

Once we hear God’s voice we must decide to walk. We can’t continue to stand still we must decide to move forward.

Grantsdale Community Church is a part of the church at the crossroads. I believe we already know we are at the crossroads.

I believe we are willing to ask God what path He wants us to take. We are at the point of standing still asking God what next?

We all have our goals and ideas about what we want to see for Grantsdale Community Church. We all have our own desires for our church.

It seems a vast majority of the church is following the example of Robert Johnson at the crossroads. Far too many souls are on the line.

We have the opportunity to be the light. We have the opportunity to be God’s example to the rest of the church.

We have a responsibility to remain faithful in the midst of unfaithfulness. We can’t stand still. We either follow God’s path or our own path.

Which path are we going to follow?

Are we going to follow God’s path or are we going to follow our own path?