Pick a Lane

And during that time, we’re going to invite you out of your seats, some of you that need to respond to something that Jesus is saying to you. All that I just said in that sentence matters, something that Jesus is saying to you. And if so, there’s pillows down here, there’s even boxes of Kleenex that will give you a chance to just kneel down. We’re going to have leaders nearby who might feel the hand of a deacon or deaconess or somebody in leadership and elder that they’re not going to ask you what’s going on, why are you here? And they’re just going to pray as you’re praying.

So some would say that that’s like, wow, you’re putting that out in front. Well, I want you to know that. That’s the impression I was given as God gave me these words to share with you today. So God, to that end, we come to you in Jesus. Jesus name.

We come to you in the power of the Holy Spirit, believing that you can move mountains. You can also remove barriers. Barriers in our heart that make us resistant even to what was just said. Because we want to do some serious work in a place that is hard to do because we don’t do it very often. So something that the enemy of our souls doesn’t want us to do.

And so, but you say all the time, spend time turning to me, look to me, be still and know me. Pray prayers like search me, oh God. So that’s what we’re going to do this morning, Lord. And I pray that as we do that, we might even be more comfortable calling ourselves radical. Just like you were called.

And it’s all for your glory, I pray. Amen. Amen. I spent 13 years before I came to Grace Point as a pastor to college students, university students, and never a dull moment. They are the quintessential definition of radical.

It was not uncommon when I would go to bed, Debbie and I would go to sleep in the before 10 o’clock PM. And in the days of the phone answering machine, we would get up the next morning and there would be several like left voice messages. And we would call them up thinking, oh no, what happened? ‘Cause there would be four or five or something like that. Turns out it’s a bunch of college guys at a restaurant chatting away and it had a little timestamp.

I was going, hey, crack, I was called crack before crack sounded really bad. (audience laughing) So I hit crack, hey dude, stuff like that. Yo, pastor, what? Man, we got a question for you. Come on, where are you?

It’s hubbyater, you know, it’s two in the morning. Where am I, right? That’s who they were. That’s who they are. So I saw that and I was around that and it’s intoxicating.

It’s very igniting, it’s inspiring. They are known as the powerful percent, by the way, referencing the fact that 1% roughly of the world’s population is university students. And these are the ones that you could share a vision with them like I’m sharing right now. Let’s say this morning was all about a vision. I share it in the morning and by nighttime, if I say the vision is to go to finish my sentence, by nighttime they’ll meet me at the airport to who they are.

They are not held back by what we used to call the 3Ms, mortgage, master card and marriage. They could just get on and go for it. They were full on is the words we would use in Southern Cal. I want you to feel the temperature in this room right now, right? Probably okay, right?

If it gets cold, hug somebody near you, but that’s not my problem. There’s a couple of things in this room that tell us about the temperature. One is a thermometer. You know what that is, right? It goes up and comes down, right?

It has no power to influence this room whatsoever. A thermometer simply reflects the temperature of the room. There’s another part of that device called a thermostat. It’s totally different. It can in fact set and regulate the temperature of the room.

Well, I shared that once 35 years ago to college students and they’re like, they get t-shirts, stats for Christ, right? Because they want to be the guys that are going and gals that say, I don’t want to simply reflect my culture. I want to be a radical. I want to go full on, dude, right? I want to be the stats for Christ where I set and influence the school I go to, the job I work at, the home I live in, the neighborhood that I’m a part of, you get in the field?

So no wonder Jesus was and is, can I say, so attractive to college students. If there ever was a true radical it is Jesus, is it not? His teachings were without compromise. And I have my Bible open to some of the most memorable words spoken by Jesus in a sermon that took three chapters to transcribe, chapters five, six, and seven of Matthew’s gospel. Would you turn there right now and go to the third chapter because it’s near the end of this sermon where Jesus says something that is really defining.

It’s kind of continental divide stuff. It really is. If you ever stood there in the continental divide they said, a drop of water on the west side of that line will end up in the Pacific. And a drop of water on the east side of that line will eventually make its way to the Atlantic, okay? Big deal stuff.

In that location it doesn’t seem like that big a deal. Well, Jesus comes to this point in a sermon and he wants to put some things in clear contrast, verse 13, enter through the narrow gate, Matthew seven. So that’s telling you something before I read on. His wish, his will, is that you enter through the narrow gate. Now let’s read on.

For why does the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction? And many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life. And only a few are those who find it. All right, let’s stop.

There’s two paths here that lead to two different places. The wide road and the wide gate are the paths, can I say it, that the majority take. That’s why he ends verse 13 with many enter through it. So let me stop and ask you something about you. If you’re one of those people who decide what to do based on what others are doing, then according to Jesus, when it comes to spiritual consequences, there’s a good chance you’re on the wrong road in our world today, following my logic.

If you’re the one that says, you know, it’s trending, that’s good enough for me. Be careful. Jesus would say, because trending oftentimes leads to terrible outcomes that Jesus doesn’t have anything to do with. Now here’s the deal. Just because everyone is doing something is no proof that what they’re doing is right.

Says Jesus. Whatever you do, don’t ignore the obvious destination that ends verse 13. That way leads to destruction. This is one of those moments a pastor doesn’t need to explain or expound. Certainly it’s eternal destruction, but the word by itself is enough, right?

Do you want to be a part of any kind of destruction? I don’t. It’s ruined. It goes with things like hardship and heartbreak. And can I say I’m sure glad there’s a verse 14 because that’s a heavy hard hit right out of the gate.

Pardon that pun. Look at verse 14 though. Small as the gate narrow the road that leads to a totally different outcome. Life. It’s where we get the idea that destruction is probably death.

It’s probably the word for death because the contrast is something we all say yes to or most of us do. Life. Notice what Jesus says. It is less popular than the wide road. That’s why he says only a few find it.

But listen to me now. It’s still the right road. You with me? You with me church? Are we getting this?

It’s still the right road. There aren’t a lot of people on it. Let’s say there’s not much crowding on that road. In contrast to the wide road and wide gate. There’s a whole bunch of people on it.

That’s why he says many are on that road. So I think of things where I’m doing something and I think it’s right. I’ve convinced it’s right. I’ve made a decision to go that direction because it’s right. And there’s not a lot of people with me.

That leaves me feeling this way lonely. It’s not a word I’m going to take back either. Sometimes walking that path, this verse 14 path, it’s lonely, isn’t it? I could have you show me your hands, but how many of us weren’t going to place no one else shares our love for Jesus? Or more personal?

How many of us live in a home? We’re alone. We’re really not alone because he’s with us. So you get what I mean. Francis Chan was a pastor and author of great books and speaker today.

He wrote Crazy Love. It’s a great book. He described a scene that happened to him in his church when he was pastoring in Southern Cal where a man came up to him. And this is a man. He found this conversation both surprising and very entertaining.

And I think you’ll agree what I tell about it. He’s this guy that sat in the chairs like many of us do. Sunday after Sunday, month after month, year after year. This man comes up to Francis and he had a complaint. And he said these are his words.

Radical. I mean, you think Jesus calls all of us to be radicals. And you’ve got to understand something, Francis. There’s a middle road. And Francis is just taking it.

There’s this middle road where people profess to know Christ and they do some things in the name of Christ. But they don’t get carried away like you. And Francis is just listening to all this going like squinting hard to get at this guy’s point. And then Francis asked this man and the audience that he was sharing this with. He says, did you know that there’s a narrow road?

And we just read that. You know that there’s a narrow road that leads to life and that there’s this wide road that leads to death. But did you know also that there’s a middle road? I didn’t see it. I guess we created a like a commuter lane or something, right?

There’s this narrow road Jesus talked about in this wide road, but we’ve come up with a middle road. And I think, wow, how many times have I thought that way? Because I’ll bet if I interviewed every one of us today and said, hey, if you’re deciding to go the wide road, do you talk about it? Are you proud of it? And I would say most of us would say, no, I kind of keep it to myself.

It’s on the download. And I was probably not a good thing. I’ll get there eventually. Let’s give that road a name. My street that I live on has a name.

Let’s give this road a name. Let’s call it the road of compromise. Compromise. So your turn to participate, if you were to portray Jesus to a total stranger, you walk up, somehow you get in a conversation, he says, tell me first word that comes to mind about Jesus, go. I thought love would be the first I heard, and it is, right?

It’s funny, and this was not a setup. I thought that would be the second word I heard. Love and compassion. What’s that? Forgiveness, which is an expression of compassion.

But can we also add the word uncompromising? I’m compromising. Now, I want to take you to an announcement that Jesus made. This was not a, hey, we’re just hanging out, picking our teeth after a meal. This is a very purposeful, first of several conversations Jesus had about his death.

So it’s serious business. And he tells it in three of the four gospels. It’s recorded in three of the four. I want you to look at it in Luke’s gospel. It shows up in the synoptics, which is Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

But look at Luke chapter nine, would you turn from Matthew where we started to mark chapter nine. Hello, Luke nine. All right, Luke nine. And it’s this conversation where it begins with Jesus. He’s kind of clarifying with his disciples.

He’s just fed 5,000. And maybe they’re still kicking around. Wow, that was amazing. That was off the hook. I can’t believe that.

And we were a part of that. Whether the story we heard, we were there. We watched it. We actually were passing around the baskets and gathering up leftovers. So that all ends in verse 17.

And Luke nine, 18. Jesus is praying in private, and his disciples him. So he asked them, who does the crowd say that I am? I’m reading now from verse 19. They replied, well, this is a lot of what we’re hearing as you’re John the Baptist.

Others say Elijah, which would make sense situation because Elijah is a great prophet at the end of kings and first kings. And then others said still, they said still others. One of the prophets maybe of long ago has come back to life. That’s some of what we’re hearing about you. And Jesus then asked, who do you say I am?

What about you? And Peter answered your God’s Messiah. You are Jesus in the flesh. You’re God among us. You’re the real deal.

You’re not just a teacher. You’re not just a good moral man. You are God in flesh. And you’re Messiah, the anointed one. Now, after confirming his identity, and that short little section, Jesus sternly warns them not to tell anybody in the next verse.

He does that just simply for timing sake. Jesus has more ministry to do before he actually goes through with what he’s gonna say next in verse 22, which takes me to this warning. He gets very bold and very blunt in verse 22. Would you look at it with me now? He said, the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law.

And he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Now, let me just stop even though he keeps going, right? But there’s a little pause there at the beginning of verse 23. I’m guessing this, that Jesus looked after telling them that he’s gonna go to Jerusalem. He’s gonna be terribly treated.

He’s gonna be killed and he will be buried and then raised again. And he’s telling this to his disciples, we learned already. And that group of people is, I’m just gonna guess, but they’re made up of mostly college age-like people. We do know this, most scholars believe there wasn’t one of them over 30, most likely somewhere in their 20s, maybe even late teens. So there’s a spread of age here, the point being, these aren’t, people in another stage of life.

These are young, radical, student-like radicals and they are locked into what he’s saying. They’re keying off his words here. So when they heard verse 22, they’re like, how do your eyes just blow up? It’s like, what? What you’re gonna do?

You’re gonna be rejected and you’re gonna be killed and you’re gonna raise to life, what? He makes his most, one of his most remembered appeals about a no compromise expectation he has for his followers. And I wanna read that right now. Keep in mind, Luke 14, it’s not in your bulletin or your outline, but Luke 14’s another one of those incredibly memorable places, verses 25 to 35, but let’s read this. He says then to them all, whoever wants to be my disciple, just deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

For whoever wants to save their life, and I do, we’ll lose it. Whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world? And I do at times. Yet lose or forfeit their very self.

Whoever’s ashamed of me and my words, and I have been at times. The Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the Holy Angels. Truly I tell you, some of you standing here will not taste death before you see the kingdom of God. A lot of possibilities there. Most likely one is the very next scene is the transfiguration.

And that involved Peter, James, and John, and they saw the glorious God revealed in brilliance. Might also refer to his resurrection, we just don’t know, but the point is, that’s how this little passage ends. He said in verse 23, deny yourself daily. It wasn’t a reference to that camp you went to years ago. And it was a one and done.

When’s the last time you committed your life to Jesus Christ? Is really at the heart of that verse. And if the answer’s not this morning, maybe we’ve kind of edged off the past slightly. Jesus says take up your cross daily. I want that to be a one and done event in my life.

I don’t know about you. He says daily and then follow me daily. It seems pretty clear to me what we’re reading here. He’s not even close to what he’s saying. He didn’t mean these things for when you’re with your church family, but never mind living like this with your regular family the rest of the time.

He didn’t say occasionally his word is constantly daily. Not occasionally follow me when it works for you, but all the time. But some who drive in the middle lane have found a new way it seems. And that greatly concerns the spirit of God. I’m convinced of it.

They found this new lane and I want to ask how’s that working for us? Not very well says Brennan Manning who decried the greatest cause of atheism in the world is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and then they walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds. Unbelievable. Call me radical people if you like, but I’m sick of settling for Christians aren’t perfect.

Just forgive it. I really am. Give me a break. Is that all there is to us? It’s not on a bumper sticker anymore.

We don’t even go that far, but are we really okay with that thought? At some level it’s true. I’m not perfect and praise Jesus Christ. I am forgiven. Amen.

Do you know what? It infers. It’s all you got, dude. It’s all there is. Well, make me uncomfortable.

Oh, take me out of my zone here my little space cause it’s working for me. And I’ll ask the question again, how is it working for us? We belong to the Jesus who changes lives. Do we not? And if we say we belong to him, the one who changes lives and our lives aren’t changing.

And it’s time for some hard questions. This whole series is about healthy. I’m concerned that this is probably one of the most unhealthy features in many of our lives. So it’s time to face some things, I think. I think it’s time to face some hypocrisy.

If you see that hypocrisy and I don’t mean in somebody sitting next to you or somebody that didn’t make it through the snow today. I admit that we have compromised. Admit when we compromise cause we will again. That middle road is comfortable to ride. Acknowledge the disconnect that I think defines lots of our lives.

What disconnect? Is taking Titus 1 verse 16. If you want to make it really personal, he claims to know God. She claims to know God. Want more personal?

Steve claims to know God. Vavai’s actions, he denies him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for anything good. One preacher I think correctly said that your religion is what you do or are after the sermon is over. Your religion’s what you do and how you are, how you live when the sermon’s over.

And when that road’s lonely again cause there aren’t that many people on it. So how would you describe this morning your religion? How would Jesus describe your religion? If your religion involves a foul mouth, my Bible tells me in Matthew 1234 out of the mouth flows that which fills the heart. You’ve got a heart problem.

You’ve got a potty mouth. Don’t change the way you talk. Get your heart right with Jesus. You say well you know that I don’t do a lot of porn just when necessary. Okay really?

So either I don’t read the Bible the same way you do or you’re on a middle road that you will not, it won’t sustain you. And it grieves God because he’s not there with you. So the Apostle Peter let’s call him a changed man by Jesus. His short bio, he’s known in the Bible as a denier of Jesus and then a devoted follower of Jesus. All that in Mark 14.

You can catch the whole story there. Denied him three times. And then he became a follower of Jesus. And from that point on it wasn’t just hey look, everything’s new, everything’s cool, everything’s you know, I’m a new, I don’t mess up. Because there was a little hitch along the way of hypocrisy in his own life.

Guess who fingered him? Another Apostle named Paul. The story’s told in Galatians 2 and I’m sure it’s uncomfortable if Peter were sitting here this morning he would go yeah that’s true, that’s me. That was me. Only Paul called him on it.

And that was a moment in time about and then 15 years later, 15 years later, something huge is stated by Peter and I want to show it to you right now. These are Peter after that denying Jesus and then becoming a devoted follower of Jesus and then going sideways with some hypocrisy 15 years earlier and then he comes out in the writing that he was given to share with people like us these words as obedient children. Do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy so be holy in all you do for it is written be holy because I am holy. I have a question this morning, would you please focus?

Okay. The question is this, what is the plain meaning of all you do? Does it mean holy in your heart? That there’s something in the way for it to become part of the habits of your heart? Does it mean holy part of the time?

Kind of pull it off on Sundays but not all of the time? Does it mean holy in the talk? It can sound super spiritual but the video of your tape of your life says something different. Be holy in all you do. It seems to speak for itself.

So folks, let’s be honest this morning, please. You know me, some of you for a long time and I don’t say things like this easily. I feel through them through my own story. And they’re uncomfortable for me. And that’s okay.

Well let me say something very critical about the middle road I described earlier. People, that road is man-made. It’s made by humans. That road has no support in scripture at all. It’s not the road Jesus talks about except critically.

It is a convenient road for sure. Well let’s call it out again, it’s a cop out. Compromise is a lifestyle that grieves God. It leaves God’s people. Miserable by design.

God made us that way. He also made us to be people that can get off that path. That’s what I want to call us to do right now. So as you bow your heads would you fold away your notes and would you spend some time quietly? The lights will come down very purposefully this morning because I want to make it easy for you to close your eyes tightly.

And I want to talk to you about this need to pick a lane, the right lane. I think today is a time for some honest self-assessment. To all of us who profess to know God but like Titus 1 16 said earlier, whatever follows in that sentence is what God wants to address in your life and mind today. Steve professes to know God but. So with your eyes closed, please, I want to let’s take a tour for a few moments.

Let’s take a tour around your house. I don’t mean the house you live in, I mean your life. Let’s go back because for most of us it began with a knock on the door and you let Jesus in. It was him saying I want to come and be a part of your life, I want to live in you. And you open the door and you said, wow, me.

And he came in to live. And you were surprised that he would pick somebody like you but you open the door. And along the way you said, you know what, boy, what do I say, make yourself at home. He does. He’s been living there for a while in some cases a long time.

But as he roams around your house, begins to notice something that’s out of order. It’s interesting too because you’re walking with him right now to that thing that’s out of order. And it’s closed off, the door is locked to that room. And he says, that concerns me. And he expresses that to you.

There’s something out of order here. And you think, how did he get in there? And you check the knob, the door’s still locked. How did he find a key? And for a moment, you think, he knows lots and then you realize, no, he knows what’s in there and he doesn’t need access.

He’s being gracious to ask. Let’s describe what’s in that closet, that door, beyond that door. It’s got a name compromised. It’s compromised. It could be your language, it could be your porn habit, it could be your God.

Gossiping wave, it could be your indifference to share the gospel with people that have destruction ahead if nothing changes. And that compromise, the more personal it gets, whatever’s behind that door, the more inclined you are right now to feel shame and embarrassment. You want to push back, get out of there quick and go run an errand. And just when you think, he says, you know what, we either go there or I’m out of here, he shocks you by telling you that he doesn’t plan to leave you. He stays and he says, let me in, please.

I come in mercy to clean you, to make you healthy, to give you a new start and to welcome you home. So now comes the time to listen just to him. And as he might prompt you to come to the altar to these pillows that are set before you and just give some time to say in Jesus, I’m going to resist the shame. I’m a broken vessel. Your amazing grace says you will not laugh.

You will not shame me. You won’t extend my embarrassment. You’ll just embrace me. As I’m saying, help me. I want to walk the narrow road with you every day, every way.

But to get there, to start there today, I need to meet with you right now, Jesus. So church as the songs are sung. Let the truth of the words speak to your soul and prompt you to move into some kind of response to Jesus this morning. You want to stay in your seat? You can stay in your seat.

Some people need that sense of I’ve moved from where I’m at, forward to a better place, to a healthy place, to a holy place. So respond to him now as we are led softly in song and thought. Leaders, I’d remind you to be aware of who needs just a hand on their shoulder. And maybe you do too. You come and kneel down at this time.

Transcript machine-generated from the sermon audio, so it may contain errors. 4,900 words.