The Road Less Traveled
I work in downtown Mobile. Prior to getting married, I had always lived out towards the Theodore area.
In fact, before Crystal and I started dating, I had only been out to the Semmes area twice by myself. I
knew that I would be spending a lot of time in the Semmes area once we started dating so I was
determined to find a better way to get to her house to avoid Moffett Road. I know many of you have
heard that road referred to as “Bloody 98” because of the loss of lives due to the accident rate on that
road. So, for weeks I would travel different roads but would always end up back on 98, this 4 lane
dangerous road. Until one day a friend of mine who lives in the Semmes area was going home and I
followed him. The way he showed me was not easy to travel. There were several sharp turns and it was
very narrow at certain spots. He said that it was not a heavily traveled road but once you travel it you
will not want to go any other way. He was right. While there was more twisting and turning and so
forth, it was just a much better road to travel.
Life works exactly the same way. You can follow the in crowd and do what society tells you to do which
means going with the flow of traffic on the wide road. This road will be more comfortable to travel and
maybe even easier but it will lead you to destruction. Or, you can take the narrow windy road that will
ultimately lead you to the Lord.
Mathew 7: 13-14 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to
destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life,
and only a few find it.
The title for tonight’s message is “The Road Less Travelled.” I want to start out tonight by reading a
poem from Robert Frost.
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
The Road Less Traveled
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
When I look at life and look back at what I have done, I think, wow, what would things be like if I had
done this earlier or made different decisions? I often do this with my surrender to God. I often think
about the time I wasted and about all of the opportunities that I had along the way and I regret not
listening to the Lord earlier. However, I can’t let myself get caught up in the “what if’s.” Because when I
think about all of the experiences that I have encountered and the roads I took to get where I am today,
I am happy how those experiences have changed the way I think and act. I met what turned out to be
my best friend on my job and he helped lead me to Christ. Through him I even met my wife of 6 years.
Isn’t it funny how the Lord uses events, people and opportunities to put you where he wants you to be
for His end result?
Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who[a] have been called according to his purpose.”
Everything works together for our good. I know with the recent tornados in Tuscaloosa many people
have been asking where God is in this. God is right there, as he was before during and now after the
storms have passed. We don’t know the hearts of the people that were affected by this storm however
there could be an amazing turn towards the Lord because of the storm.
It all reminds me of Jonah. How the Lord wanted Jonah to go and preach to Nineveh but Jonah would
not listen. Jonah decided that the Lord’s plan was flawed and that he wanted to do something different.
He decided to take the easier way and we all know the rest of the story. The whale swallowed him and
after three days spit him up on the beach. It wasn’t until that happened that Jonah decided to trust God
and go to Nineveh where there was a tremendous revival. Scripture tells us that everyone was spared of
destruction because of Jonah. Even in the story of Jonah you can see two directions. One that Jonah
wanted and one that God had planned. It didn’t take Jonah very long to determine that God’s direction
was the way to go.
The scripture I read earlier from Mathew refers to 2 roads and 2 gates. The broad road which leads to
the wide gate and the narrow road which leads to the small gate. Tonight we are going to look at each
of these roads and their characteristics.
1. Broad road vs Narrow Comparison
A. Traffic Flow
a. More traffic – verse 13 says that this road is broad and there are many people that
travel down it. It’s popular and heavily traveled. I liken this to an amusement park ride.
When you go to an amusement park you can easily tell which rides are the most
popular by the line size. You obviously think the more people in line must mean that
this ride is going to be worth the wait and worth the time. The broad road is completely
The Road Less Traveled
the opposite. It is heavily traveled and by looking at the crowd you would think it’s
worth it but as verse 13 says this road will lead you to destruction.
There is a prime example of this found in Genesis 19. The Lord had commanded Lott to
leave Sodom and Gomorrah and not to look back. However in verse 26 we see that
Lott’s wife did not listen to the Lord. She turned back and turned into a pillar of salt.
She chose the wide road. Lott chose the narrow road. He listened to the Lord even
though he was the only one listening in Sodom or Gomorrah. Which brings me to the
point that the narrow road in comparison is.
b. Seldom Traveled – The narrow road, because of its characteristics, can be lonely. It is
one of the roads that you see out in the desert in Arizona where you sometimes might
not see anyone for hours on end. But be assured, that even though you might not
physically see anyone, there is someone there with you always, Jesus Christ.
B. Mapping of the Roads
a. It’s mapped out by the world – as some of you may know, I am a computer person and I
work on computers most days for at least 8 hours a day. I pretty much keep up with
technology to the best of my ability. One of the best things ever invented was GPS and
Google maps. Thanks to this little box in your car or even now most cell phones you can
pin point your exact location on the earth and it will even give you step by step
directions to your destination. I think the broad road is like this as well. The world gives
you a clear map of how to travel this road and how to get to that wide gate.
b. But the narrow road can’t be found on the map, although its still there- When you
Google map the road Crystal and I live on, the map shows that our road is past Big Creek
Lake, closer to Mississippi, when in fact, our road is basically across the street from
Semmes Middle School. When you look at the Google map, they don’t even have a
road in that section, but it’s really there. The same can be said for God’s way. You
might not be able to see it and it may not be in the place that you have looked, but it’s
always there.
In Exodus Moses led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt but he had no clear roadmap.
He had to trust in God to guide and direct him. In Mathew we see Jesus make disciples
out of fisherman and tax collectors. I am sure that Peter had a map of his life that
included him fishing and maybe even retiring at an early age if he was good at his job.
Maybe turning the business over to his kids. God’s plan was completely different. That
wasn’t how God mapped out Peter’s life.
C. The views of the Roads are quite different as well.
a. It’s like driving through a city, it’s very attractive – For those of you who like to travel,
and you will understand where this one is coming from. When traveling from town to
The Road Less Traveled
town you come to signs that say “stop here for lunch.” and “get the best lunch for 100
miles” or “stop here as it’s the last gas station for 50 miles.” They tell you these things
so you will stop since getting so caught up in the beauty and scenery, things like being
hungry and needing gas for your car can be easily forgotten. That is what this life is like.
We can sometimes get so caught up in the day to day activities of our life that we forget
about what is really important. I am not saying that you should not enjoy life. I am
simply saying that you shouldn’t get so caught up in the scenery and attractiveness of
this world that you let things slide such as your walk with the Lord. One day this
attractive scenery will be gone. Then you’re going to be out in the middle of nowhere
with no gas and no food.
b. It’s Scenic, although it might not look like it to begin with. I think about building a
house. When you first go and see your house being built it’s hard to imagine the
finished building. You just see a lot of wood and cement. As the house comes together
you can start to see the beauty and imagine the finished product. It’s like that with our
walk with the Lord. Early on it might not look like much but the finished product is
something to really behold.
D. Comfort of the roads
a. It’s comfortable and paved all the way – Its one of those smooth roads you travel
down. I liken it to Moffett Road again which has just been paved over the past year or
so.
My parents live on a piece of property that my late grandfather bought. He bought 3
pieces of land and left it to each of his kids in his will as their inheritance. I remember
when he bought it going out there with my parents as it was right down the road from
where we lived at the time. I remember that the road was a dirt road. It was bumpy
and dirty and you really could not go down it after it rained unless you were in a truck.
However, once the road was paved we would make frequent trips over there since it was
a lot easier to get there.
Life is just like this. I never hear someone say when given the option to take the easier
or the harder way that I will take the harder way. Why is that? Well it’s harder and
may cause some discomfort. It also might not end up exactly how they want it. The
broad road is exactly the same way. It’s paved and easy. As I said earlier in Jonah he
wanted to do what he wanted. He thought it was going to be too much work to go to
the people on Ninevah. So he chose the easy way and went the opposite direction. The
wide road is easy but the narrow road.
b. might not always be easy – this road is not always smooth and paved regularly. I
personally am struggling with how to fit it all in my schedule: going to school to get the
education I need; continue to work; and, have time to be with my family. It’s not going
to be easy to do but I know it needs to be done. I will continue to pray that the Lord will
give me strength through the tough spots.
The Road Less Traveled
E. Speed of the roads
a.
Straight Shot down the Interstate the term living life in the fast lane has to come
from somewhere….. We cruise through life without a care in the world. We don’t
worry about the end we just worry about today.
b. Has a lot of red lights along the way – I don’t know about the rest of you, but whenever
I am in a hurry to get somewhere, I can’t seem to get a green light. If I am running late
for church or work or if I just want to get somewhere as soon as possible it seems like I
always catch every red light. I think that is a lot like the narrow road. The Lord wants
you to slow down so you can enjoy the ride because at every red light who knows what
waits. Maybe an opportunity that would not be there if you would have sped through it
while it was green.
Twists and Turns
A. Can get detoured without even knowing- I know some of you are looking at me and probably
thinking if I got off of the narrow road and got back on the broad road I would definitely know,
but do you?
It can be as easy as maybe taking a few extra minutes for yourself and saying you were working
– that’s called theft
It could be using a few choice words – that’s using the Lords name in vein
It could be looking at someone in an inappropriate way – that’s Lust
It could be seeing and wanting something that your neighbor or friend has – coveting stuff
It could be going hunting or fishing or just sitting at home on Sunday morning instead of coming
to church – WHOA, I know that one strikes a nerve, but you know that is idolatry. That is putting
something else before the Lord.
I also don’t want anyone to say that I am advocating or saying that you can lose your salvation
because that’s just not true. However, when you get on the wide road you lose your intimacy
with our Lord.
Don’t get me wrong, we are all guilty of at least one of these sins if not all of them. And to be
quite honest, probably within the past week, and I am not immune to this either. But being
saved means we have to repent of the sins when we commit them. Get back off of the wide road
and get back on to the narrow one. Also keep in mind that all of these sins are a slippery slope,
and once you have done one, the next one doesn’t seem nearly as bad. And before you know it,
you’re not just detoured and heading down the wide road, but you are on it full speed ahead.
B. Not straight and has more turns – This road has a lot more twists and turns and sometimes you
can’t see miles ahead like you can on the straight road. You can be traveling when all of a
The Road Less Traveled
sudden you hit a sharp turn.
I can definitely say this is something that I have experienced over the past year. Two years ago
when I was speaking to someone about the Lord, I was asked if I was being called into the
ministry - I answered with a resounding “NO.” And to be honest, at the time that “no” was how
I felt. I was not lying. I just never thought that I would be doing exactly what I am doing right
now. Over the past year through reading and studying His word as well as being in prayer more
and more, He revealed to me that this is exactly what He wants me to do. So I was traveling
down the road and I really thought that I would be doing something with my computer skills,
and I still might, but I never saw the part in the road where he told me I want you to deliver the
Word.
F.
The final destination
a. The end result is destruction – Of all of the points I have made about the broad road
and the wide gate, this is the most important one to remember. It ultimately will lead
you to destruction. Some people will tell you that they are going to drive the broad
road until they get right to the gate then make a sharp turn and get on to that narrow
road and go through the small gate. I am not saying if you do this you will not go to
heaven. Just remember that you might not ever have the opportunity to make that
turn again. We are not promised tomorrow. So why not go ahead and jump on to the
narrow road today and make today the day of salvation. I just don’t want to stand
before my God and He ask me why I wasted all of the opportunities that were given to
me. I am here for a reason and that is to do the Lord’s will. A few weeks ago I heard
someone say “There is no reason the Lord cannot come back right now” That is so true
however since he is not here that obviously means that we still have work to do.
b. Jesus waits at the end – this is the most important point of all. The wide road, as
comfortable as it is, leads only to destruction, while the narrow road will lead you to
Our Savior. The one person who ever lived that was perfect, and loved us so much
that he gave up His life to die on the cross to save us from hell. John 3:16 sums it all
up.
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.
I want to finish this message by saying, if you don’t get anything else from this message please get this
as it is the most important part of all: there is only one way to heaven and that is Jesus Christ.
John 14:6 says “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
I hear people say all of the time: if I am a good person I can get to heaven; if I just follow the Ten
Commandments I can get to heaven; if I tithe I can get to heaven. There even are religions out there in
sheep’s clothing pretending to know God who tell you that you can get to heaven by your works.
The Road Less Traveled
Hear me again when I say this. There is 1 and only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ.
If there were many ways to get to heaven then the cross would not have been necessary. Jesus’
tormenting, agonizing death on the cross would not be necessary. It is only through grace that we are
saved and we are only saved through Jesus.
Many people will think they are traveling the wide road and think they are doing what is right in the
Lord’s eyes but they are not. They think that by doing something good to be seen by others is fine. You
can be a good person who tithes, helps others, is always in church when the doors are open, participates
in church activities and follows the commandments and still not know the Lord and split hell wide open.
Mathew 7 : 21-23 says 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name
perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you
evildoers!’
I am not saying this to scare you. I have been in this same boat. I went to a private school my whole life
and I was taught the Bible from a very early age. I was taught where things were and how to pray. The
problem was I was just reading it like a story and it was not changing my life. I was just mouthing words
to the Lord and not really meaning what I was saying. When I asked the Lord into my heart I knew it.
The burden that I was bearing just lifted off of my shoulders and I was changed. When I say changed I
do not mean perfection but I was changed. There was a change in my heart that’s hard to even describe
unless you go through it.
So today I am asking you, has there been a change?
Are you just going through the motions but you really don’t know if you died today where you would
spend eternity? Settle that tonight!
Are you traveling down the wide road because it’s easy? Christianity can be difficult. It will cause you to
loose a lot here on this earth, but you will gain so much more in the life to come.
Today I am asking, will you turn off the wide easy road and take the narrow road and enter into the
small gate while the Lord has given you a chance?