The Two Paths
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· 4 viewsThe choices we make and the path they will take us
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The path
A husband and wife, prior to marriage, decided that he'd make all the major decisions and she the minor ones. After 20 years of marriage, he was asked how this arrangement had worked. "Great! in all these years I've never had to make a major decision."
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25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
In this world
We will be looking at Peter and Judas this morning, we will see how two people will the same training and opportunities could make very different choices.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
We will have to choose to do what God wants and he wants the best for us.
The choices we make everyday both large or small have lasting effects. And I would say that there are no small one because they all affect the path of our lives.
Jesus called his disciples and among them was a potential traitor
luke
13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:
14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;
15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot;
16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.
luke
13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:
14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;
15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot;
16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.
17 And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases,
18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed.
19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.
luke 6:
The bible said he became the traitor
He called all of them and at the time they all had their own issues
God wants us all to succeed.
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
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There is nothing there about failing, so how does the plan get change?
The change is what God wants for us and what we want for ourselves is not always in agreeance.
Moses was asked to speak to the rock to get water for the people, but he chose to do otherwise.
7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.”
9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him.
10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?”
11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
num 20:
Then there was lot’s wife, and that’s why I said earlier that there are no big or small choices, just choices. what she did was simply turn around and instantly her life and the path of the family was forever changed.
12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place!
13 For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”
gen 19:12,13
12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place!
17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”
gen 19:
gen 19:12
The warning was not to look back
26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
gen 19:
But the choice was to do my own thing
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
If we choose to go against what God has chosen for us SIN will meet you.
Peter and Judas both up to this point looked the same and looked like they were walking the same path, following Jesus and doing asked to do.
1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
It takes more than looking the part to be a follower of Christ
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
matt
This is not something you do literally but it’s a dedication to God and work he has ordained all of us to do.
At some point the paths of Judas and Peter began to change, they had different things that was important to them.
6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper,
7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.
8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?
9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”
matt 26:
Judas was concerned about the money, he was the keeper of the money bag.
What is motivating your choices?
Are they what God wants for you
Does it detract from your spiritual experience?
Peter like Judas was making choices for this Earth, and he wasn’t where God needed him to be just yet.
31 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32 But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”
33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”
34 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.
matt 26
He was confident in his own strength
He thought he could stand what was to come
Some decisions happen so quickly that, IF we are not converted in our hearts and mind we will default to something not of God.
After that experience with Mary, Judas chose his path and there was not turning back for him.
14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.
16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
matt 26:
some decisions once made ripple out so far in the waters of life we can’t even see.
Peter on the other hand would have seemed to be headed down the same path as Judas. But he chose mercy and grace.
56 And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.”
57 But he denied Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”
58 And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
59 Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.”
60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly.
What will your reaction be when your about to choose the wrong path and God looks in your direction? will you repent?
Christ would have us all turn from that path that leads to ruin.
gen 19
3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”
5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.
matt 27
This was the final act of someone who loved money, it no longer gave him satisfaction. Because when you realize there is nothing better than being by the side of Jesus your life will only get better.
what choices are you making today, either out of habit or you feel your compelled to do?
Do you hear Jesus calling you to look in His direction and live.
Don’t be like Judas and turn back when is already too late.
When you make your plans who are you consulting first is it man or God?
Concerning Peter, one of the reasons I chose him was to illustrate that we all will make mistakes. And it’s not how you start the race that matters, but how you continue and how you ultimately how you finish that really matters.
1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”
5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
Silver and God I don’t have but I’ve got something better.
I’ve got peace like a river
I’ve got love like an ocean
I’ve got joy like a fountain
Down in my soul, because I know Jesus.
Do you feel like you path is heading someplace and somewhere you don’t know. Jesus says
27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
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He is making intercession for you right now.
Peter loved God, yes he made mistakes but he learned from those mistakes and the good that came out of it, is where he learned not to rely on self.
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Christ’s yoke is a yoke of restraint and obedience. We owe full and complete obedience to our Lord; for we are his by creation and by redemption. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
(n.d.). The Review and Herald, 2885.