(HOME)--(WHO I AM)--(WHAT I BELIEVE)--(MY COMMISSION)--(CONTACT US)--(MESSAGES)--(LITERATURE)

 

 

“HOW CAN WE KNOW THE WAY”

READ (JOHN 14:4-6)

 

PLEASE ALSO READ IN THE BIBLE (ISAIAH 53:6)(JUDE 11)(2 PETER 2:15)(PROVERBS 14:12)(MATTHEW 7:13, 14)

 

 

Our time on earth may be described as our “journey of life”.  We are fellow travelers on the “highway of life”.  We are traveling through time to eternity.  Our birth was the commencement of “our journey of life”.  Each of us has been given a certain amount of time to travel this journey.  At death our journey is ended and we pass out of time into eternity.  Some may be young, and have not been “on the road” too long.  They are just beginning to establish their way through life, to “chart their course” so to speak.  Others may be middle aged and believe “they are on the right road”.  They have been traveling the “road of life” for awhile and have made decisions from time to time to travel a specific path which they have chosen for themselves.  Others may be in their twilight years of life.  They have traveled the “road of life” for a considerable period of time.  Most of life’s journey is behind them and eternity is just before them.  People born into this world travel many different roads through life.  The direction taken can be influenced by many factors such as their nationality, their environment, their social status, their education, their abilities, their inclination, their ambition, their opportunities, etc., etc.  The Bible, the Word of God, says, however, that no matter whom we are or where we are in life, there are really only two roads and two destinies for all of mankind.  These two roads through life are described in, (Matthew 7:13, 14) “Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate’ for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  Because strait (narrow) is the gate, and narrow is the way  which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it”.  We see from these scriptures that the two roads through life are described as the “broad way” and the “narrow way”.  Just as there are only two roads through life there are only two destinations.  The “broad way” leads to “destruction”, i.e., to hell, to eternal suffering and eternal separation from God.  The “narrow way” leads to “life”, i.e., to heaven, to eternal life and blessing and eternal fellowship with God.  Dear reader, which road are YOU traveling?  What is YOUR eternal destiny?  Some with an honest and sincere heart may ask the question like Thomas in, (John 14:5) “HOW CAN WE KNOW THE WAY”?  How can we know the way to heaven?  How can we know the way to the Father’s house?  The answers to these questions  are found in the Bible, the Word of God.  Before we consider the “narrow way” that leads to life we want to consider the “broad way” that leads to destruction.

 

THE BROAD WAY

 

From (Matthew 7:13) we learn that there is a “wide gate” at the entrance to the “broad way”.  This is so because every person born into this world automatically passes through the wide gate onto the broad way.  Dear reader, this is an important truth you must understand.  WHEN YOU BEGAN YOUR JOURNEY OF LIFE YOU BEGAN IT ON THE BROAD WAY.  We are all born into this world on the broad way.  I can make this statement on the authority of the Word of God.   We are naturally on the “broad way” leading to “destruction” because God says in His Word, we all are sinners by nature and by practice.  We are sinners by nature because we are all born into this world with a sinful nature within us.  Because of the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, the whole human race is infected with sin.  It says in, (Romans 5:12) “By one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”  We know from experience that, “death has passed upon all men”.  We can also know, from looking within our own heart and also from acceptance or belief in God’s Word, that “all have sinned”.   Like David we can all honestly say, (Psalms 51:5) “Behold, I was shapen (formed) in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.”     Because we have a sinful nature, it follows that we are sinners by practice.  It says that, (Romans 3: 23) “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”.  It says also in, (Ecclesiastes 7:20) “There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not”.  This is God’s testimony of fallen sinful man.  These and many other scriptures reveal that, in the sight of a holy God,  we are totally depraved.  We may not have committed every sin, but we are capable of doing it. 

 

The gate is wide and the way is broad, not only to reflect  the  “MANY there be which go in thereat”,   but also to describe the wide range of supposed ways to heaven that are falsely propagated by various religions and false teachers.  The Bible, the Word of God, describes a number of ways  people travel through life, all of which are part of the “broad way that leads to destruction”.  We want to consider at least four of these briefly,  and as we do, ask yourself the question, “Am I traveling this way through life” ?   These include the following; 

 

1.       THE SELFISH WAY (ISAIAH 53:6)

2.     THE CAIN WAY (JUDE 11)

3.     THE BALAAM WAY (2 PETER 2:15)

4.     THE DECEPTIVE WAY (PROVERBS 14:12, 16:25)

 

  1. THE SELFISH WAY (ISAIAH 53:6)

 

It says in, (Isaiah 53:6) “ALL we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned EVERYONE to HIS OWN WAY, and the Lord hath laid on Him (Jesus Christ) the iniquity of us all”.  From the words, “ALL” and “EVERYONE”, this scripture clearly states that every person goes through life the selfish way.  Dear reader, this includes YOU.  “The Selfish Way” is part of the “Broad Way” that will lead YOU to destruction.  This is the way of self will.  It is a life lived by your own will without concern for God’s will.  It is going your own way, turning your own way, without regard to God’s way. It says in, (Proverbs 12:15)”The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that harkeneth unto counsel is wise”.  God says it is foolish for a person to travel the “selfish way” through life.  It is a wise person that will heed the counsel of God through the Bible, the Word of God.  Our scripture in (Isaiah 53:6) says, “ALL we like sheep”.  People who travel the “selfish way” through life are like straying sheep without a shepherd.  They can not say like the Psalmist in, (Psalm 23:1) “The Lord is MY Shepherd”.  They do not know the “Good Shepherd” (the Lord Jesus Christ) who died for the sheep.  Straying sheep are in danger of death and destruction.  In just the same way, the end of the journey of the selfish way will leads to eternal death and destruction in hell and the lake of fire.  Read (Revelation 20:15 and 21:8).  Dear reader, are you traveling this way through life? Does this describe you?  Our scripture in (Isaiah 53:6) ends with the words, “the Lord laid on Him (Jesus Christ) the iniquity of us ALL”.  You can exit the selfish way that is part of the broad way, by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and receiving Him as your own personal Savior.  When He hung upon the cross YOUR sins and iniquities were laid on Him.  In those three hours of darkness the waves and billows of God’s wrath and judgment was poured out upon Him.  He died in your place, as your substitute, to satisfy all the claims of a holy and righteous God. 

 

There is another way that is part of the broad way.  It is;    

 

  1. THE CAIN WAY (JUDE 11)

 

It says in, (Jude 11) “Woe unto them, for they have gone in the way of Cain”.  “Them” in this verse refers to the apostates described in (Jude 4).  They are ungodly and they have turned the grace of God into lewdness.  They use their freedom as a license to sin.  They deny every essential doctrine concerning the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It says in, (Genesis 4:3-5) “Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord”.  His offering was not accepted by God because it was a “bloodless” offering.  It says in, (Hebrews 9:22) “Without shedding of blood is no remission”.  There is no forgiveness apart from belief in and acceptance of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.  THE WAY OF CAIN represents those who seek to obtain favor with God by the fruit of their own efforts.  They follow a religious teaching that says they will get to heaven based on human merit or human effort.  They believe in a “salvation by works” doctrine.  Almost all the great religions in the world basically teach this doctrine.  Dear reader, is this the way YOU are traveling through life?  You believe you will get to heaven based on your so called “good works”.  YOU must exit this way for it is part of the broad way that leads to destruction.  The Bible is very clear, there is no salvation based on so called good works or human merit.  It says, for example, (Ephesians 2:8, 9) “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, Not of works, lest any man should boast”.  It says also in, (Titus 3:5) “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us”.  Those who believe they can be saved by their so called good works do not understand either the sinfulness of sin or the holiness of God.

 

There is another way mentioned in the scripture that is part of the broad way.  It is;

 

  1. THE BALAAM WAY (2 PETER 2:15)

 

It says in, (2 Peter 2:15) “Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, FOLLOWING THE WAY OF BALAAM, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of righteousness”. Strictly speaking, those who follow the way of Balaam are false teachers.  They pretend to be spokesman for God.  Their motive for teaching is financial gain.  Their doctrine is contrary to the Bible, the Word of God.  It says of these apostates (those who have deliberately turned their back on God and the Word of God) in, (Jude 11) “They have ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward”.  They twist or suppress the truth of God for financial profit.  Some TV evangelists, for example, are doing this.  We see from this verse that to “follow the way of Balaam” is to go astray and to forsake the right way.  Those who are following “the Balaam way” through life are those who are acquainted with the right way but by a definite decision have forsaken it.  As a result they have gone astray.  Often times this deliberate turning away from known biblical truths is the result of giving heed to these false teachers.  Dear reader, have YOU chosen “The Balaam way” as your road through life?  Are you one who has heard or known the gospel and God’s way of salvation but have deliberately turned away to follow a different path?  This is a serious matter.  The “Balaam way” is part of the “broad way” that leads to destruction.  YOU must exit this way  before it is too late.

 

There is another way mentioned in the scripture that is part of the broad way.  It is;

 

  1. THE DECEPTIVE WAY (PROVERBS 14:12; 16:25)

 

It says in both of these verses, “There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof is the ways of death”.  It is worth noting that these words are repeated in the two scriptures referenced above.  Surely they must be important if God repeats them twice.  The way which seems right to people is that they can be saved and get to heaven by their so called good works or good character.  It seems logical and reasonable that the way to heaven is by being good and doing good.  The doctrine of “salvation by human effort or human merit” is perpetuated by all the major religions in the world including most of the main line denominations in Christianity.  This is why the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction.  The way is broad because there are multitudes following “the deceptive way”.  Dear reader, it is important for you to understand, YOU CAN NOT MERIT OR EARN GOD’S SALVATION.  YOU CAN NOT BE SAVED BY YOUR OWN EFFORTS. There is not one scripture verse to support the “salvation by works” doctrine.  If YOU believe that God will accept your so called good works and pass over your sins, YOU ARE ON THE DECEPTIVE WAY and “the end thereof are the ways of death”.   The Bible says that “all our righteous nesses are as filthy rags”. (Isaiah 64:6).   All our so called good works are like filthy rags in the sight of a holy God.  The Bible also says, (Titus 3:5) “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and receive Him as their own personal Savior).   Dear reader, YOU must exit “The Deceptive Way” before it is too late.   It says in, (Psalms 14:2, 3) “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God”.  Here we have what we might describe as “the Divine Perception”.  Then it says in, (verse 3) “They are ALL gone aside, they are all together become filthy, there is NONE that doeth good, no not one”.  Here we have what we might describe as the “the Divine Declaration”.  We have the account of a holy and righteous God looking down upon sinful man.  What He sees and what he says is not favorable to mankind.   God says in His Word, (Romans 3:23) “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”.  (Romans 6:23) “The wages of sin is death”.  (Hebrews 9:27) “It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment”.  If it were possible for you to save yourself by your so called good works or good character, God would not have sent His beloved Son into the world to die on a cross.  But, He did send His Son as it says in, (John 3:16) “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”.   He is the narrow way that leads to life, eternal life in heaven.

 

THE NARROW WAY

 

It says in, (Matthew 7:13, 14) “Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate …Because strait (narrow) is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it”.  In (John 14) the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples and said He was going away but that He would come again and take His own to be with Him in heaven.  Then He said, (John 14:4) “The way ye know”.  Here is THE GREATEST KNOWLEDGE that a person can have in life, to know the way to heaven.  There will be many however,  like Thomas who will say as he did in, (John 14:5) HOW CAN WE KNOW THE WAY”.  Here is THE GREATEST QUESTION a person can ask when it is a sincere inquiry to know the way to heaven.  The Lord Jesus Christ answered his question with some of the most important words found in all of scripture.  He said, (John 14:6) “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”.  These words were spoken by THE GREATEST PERSON.  JESUS CHRIST IS THE WAY, THE ONLY WAY, AND THE NARROW WAY TO HEAVEN.  Jesus Christ is “the narrow gate”, or “the door” that leads to salvation.  He said in, (John 10:9) “I am the door, by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved”.  Jesus Christ is “the way” to salvation, to eternal life, to heaven and God’s eternal blessing.  Dear reader, have YOU passed through the narrow gate?  Are YOU on the narrow way that leads to Heaven?  How can you exit the “broad way” and pass through the “narrow gate” onto the “narrow way”?   Was there ever a time when and a manner how that you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and received Him as your own personal savior?   Have YOU been “Born Again”?  (John 3:7) “Ye must be born again”.   God offers salvation as a free gift to all who will repent of their sins and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  To repent is to change your mind.  It is a turning from sin and a turning to God.  It is an acknowledgment of your need of salvation.  Have You repented of YOUR sins?  Have YOU believed on the Lord Jesus Christ?  (John 3:15) “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life”.  (John 3:36) “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him”.

 

Through which of these gates have you entered?

In which of these ways do you walk?

You can easily judge by your comrades;

You can speedily tell by your talk.

The wide gate is easy of access!

Behold, how the multitudes swell,

They appear to be happy and joyful,

But the end is the blackness of hell.

 

Dear reader, if YOU remain on “the broad way”, unsaved, it will not be because God does not love you or because God’s Son did not die for YOU, but it will be because YOU have not believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.  Which will it be for YOU, RECEPTION or REJECTION of the Savior?  From this message you have learned that You are traveling the “highway of life”.  Now that you have read this message, YOU have come to “the crossroads”.  Will you exit from “the broad way” onto “the narrow way”?  Will You continue to reject the Savior and God’s free gift of salvation?  Or, will YOU believe in Him and receive Him as your Lord and Savior?  It is YOUR DECISION and YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

 

Please give this matter your most serious attention.  Will YOU be a believer or a non-believer?  Your eternal destiny depends on your decision.

 

Christian Messenger   

 

 

 

 

 

.