you Now if you would remain standing for a minute's silence, as we do remember those who gave their lives for our spiritual and religious and their social freedom, and as we remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. And whilst doing that also, let us consider the one who gave his life that we might know eternal life. So let's stand for a minute's silence just now, thank you. ["Taps"] The. Please be seated, folks. Let's unite our hearts together in the Lord's presence and unitedly lift up our thoughts today to our great God and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us all be in that attitude of prayer, please. Our loving God and our gracious Heavenly Father, this morning we come humbly into Thy presence And, O God, we come today, Lord, like many others. We would seek, Lord, to join with them a greater and larger company of people scattered abroad today who will, Lord, be equally, Lord, remembering what this day really stands for. Lord, it is a day indeed set aside, that particular special kind of event, Lord. It's a day for remembrance. And we know, our Father, that as we gather ourselves here, and Lord, as our thoughts go out from this place, Lord, today many are grieving still with heavy hearts and broken hearts, dear Lord. It is not only a day of remembrance, but it's a time, Lord, of sorrowful remembrance, and a time, Lord, when, Lord, fresh memories rise up within the heart. And, Lord, some people today will be very sad indeed. We would remember all who have suffered as a result of war and conflict around the world, and even, Lord, on our own shores. And we pray, Lord, today for everyone who has been greatly affected by these things. Today, Lord, we confess, O God with sorrow, that there are many who are widowed today because of violence and because of war and conflict. And oh God, there are many today who are orphans because of it, Lord. And our Father, we wouldn't seek to in any wise glorify this. But oh God, we would seek to remember them now in our thoughts and in our prayers. Perhaps, Lord, there could be, even in this present company, some who are in a similar situation. Lord, loved ones have been taken from them. Their lives have been cut short, perhaps. And today, Lord, those memories are still fresh. and the wounds, Lord, are still raw within them. But, O God, we commend all such to Thee. Thou art the God who's able to heal the brokenhearted and to comfort all those who are cast down at any time. We thank Thee, Lord, that our gracious Holy Spirit is known as the Comforter. Oh, that many today may enjoy then this blessed, Lord, and privilege of grace to know the comfort of an all-comforting God and Savior. Father, for ourselves here, we just give thee thanks, Lord, for your goodness and mercies in so, so many ways. And we pray, Lord, that our service today Lord, whatever form that service might take, whatever your word might have to say to us, O God, that today this will be for many a healing service indeed, that many, Lord, may feel the healing grace, the virtue of our God even flowing through them. Lord, our brother, Lord Glenn, has been reminding us as he played, Lord, that lovely song. And, O God, today thine be the glory, risen conquering Son. Endless, Lord, is that victory that thou o'er death has won. Lord, your death was the death of deaths. And, O God, you defeat it, what the Bible calls the very last enemy itself, which is death. We give thee thanks, Lord. We serve a risen saviour who's in the world today. And we know, Lord, that thou art indeed living, whatever men may say. Father, accept our praise for so much today. Accept all of our humble thanks. O God, grant us, Lord, a listening ear then and an open and understanding heart and mind to what Thee, O God, would want to say to every one of us in this present service. Bless every head bowed in your presence, Lord, every home and every family circle, Lord, represented here at this very time. And may your blessing extend to all we pray, for we ask everything in the lovely name of our great God and our precious Savior, our dear Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Now many thanks, Tommy, for leading us in prayer. You're all indeed very welcome to our service of remembrance and also our worship service this morning. It's nice to have you with us and we trust that the Lord will bless you as you gather here with us today. I was doing a little bit of investigating over the past week and I was looking at some of the battles and some of the victories that were the turning point in the Second World War. And it was interesting that as I was doing some of the investigating that I discovered that a film has been made about every one that I've seen on, as it were, in my investigation. There was the Battle of Alamein, the Battle of the Bulge, the Battle of Berlin, and then one that I'm going to explain just very briefly, or there's two, the first one being the Battle of Stalingrad. The first major military setback for the Third Reich occurred on the outskirts of Moscow at the end of 1941. Left in poor defensive positions, the Soviet Union counterattacked and drove the Germans back. The reasons for the scale of the defeat included the Germans' lack of preparation for the harshness of the Russian winter. You all have heard that before. The overextension of their supply lines across the newly captured areas. And Hitler's unwillingness to consider retreat. The Battle of Stalingrad. And that was one, not the only, but that was one of them. I could also talk about the Battle of Midway, but I want to mention to you also the Battle of Britain, fought mainly in the air. The Germans knew that they couldn't ever hope to accomplish superiority in the waters around England or the United Kingdom, but they sought to obliterate their defences from the air. and it was when brave men gave their lives in the air on their hopeless odds to overcome a superior enemy. Let me read some of the stuff that I read as I prepared for this morning. The Nazi invasion was imminent and the shattered remnants of the equipmentless BEF recently pulled from the beaches of Dunkirk knew that they would have little chance if Hitler's legions got ashore on the south coast of England. The German navy was too small to hope to control the English Channel, long enough for an invasion fleet to cross the face of determined Royal Navy resistance. The Luftwaffe, however, could. To destroy the Royal Navy, the Luftwaffe had to secure command of the air, and that meant neutralising the RAF fighter command. In an age when aircraft were still called machines, the Germans had many, many more of them. More important than the machines were the men to fly them. And the RAF was critically short of fighter pilots. They had little more than 800 in total of them. They weren't just Britons though, they were Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Frenchmen, Poles, Czechs, and Americans. The unsung heroes of the fighter command were the ground crews who got the planes into the air. They lived through the attacks on the airfields, came out and filled in the craters on the runways and were waiting for the fighters when they came back thirsty for fuel and hungry for more ammunition. Attacking the airfields was strategically and tactically the correct thing to do. Soon the Southern Defence, 11 group, was going to crumble. However, one German pilot made a mistake. Having been damaged through a British RAF fighter, he decided to dump his bombs on London. Churchill ordered the bombing in retaliation to German cities. And because of this then Hitler counter-attacked by ordering more bombs to be dropped on London. This gave the RAF and Levin Group Command opportunity and time to regroup and re-establish and to re-engage the enemy in the air. And it was that one mistake from one German pilot turned the Battle of Britain in the favour of the Allied forces. I've already said that the unsung heroes were those that were working on the ground. They neither slept nor ate until they enabled their fighter pilots to get back up into the air again. Never was so much owed by so many to so few. I want you to turn to your scriptures with me because that was a crossroads. These battles were a crossroads, a turning point in the war against evil and against domination by Germany. The scriptures also teach us of crossroads, turning points. that come into our lives. I want to ask you the question today, have you ever come to a crossroads in your life, a turning point, a time whenever things seemed to be going wrong, but you made a conscious choice, something happened, something took place, and your life from that moment on was changed? I want to read to you from Matthew chapter seven. We're going to read just two verses. As Jesus presents us with a crossroads, and then he asks, which way? Which way? Matthew chapter seven, verse 13 and 14. Enter ye in at the straight gate, For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereof. Because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth on to life, and few there be that find it. Jesus is here presenting us with a crossroads, a turning point for any and everyone, whoever takes the right road. And now he asks you, which way? Which way for you? Not far from where I was brought up there was a crossroads. That crossroads was a landmark in our area. As children we would often decide we're going to meet up and play at some particular, whether it was war or whether it was whatever. I'll meet you at the crossroads. If we were directing people to our house, we would say, when you come to the crossroads, you see, you couldn't avoid coming to the crossroads to get to where I was brought up. It was a landmark in our community. Jesus here presents us with a landmark. And he asks us the question, which way will you decide Or have you decided on this crossroads? The Bible offers us and presents us many times with choices and decisions that we ought to take. In Deuteronomy chapter 30, we have Moses saying, I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, now choose life. In Joshua chapter 24, Joshua says, Choose you this day whom you will serve. And Elijah also says, how long halt you between two opinions? If the Lord be God, then follow him. So my question to you today is, as we present you to a crossroads, which turning, which road will you take? At that particular crossroads, which was a landmark for us, to go straight on meant you went to school. To turn right meant you went towards the border and into Northern Ireland. Whenever I was growing up, there was often times we were caught in crossfire between the IRA and the British Army. I can remember one particular event. when we're down in Middletown, which is only about two and a half miles from where I was brought up. I had a young fellow with me in the passenger seat of the car, and I told him to go in and get some ice cream. But on his way out from getting ice cream, the bullets started flinging up and down the streets of Middletown, and he dived onto my car with his two ice creams, and he came with his face covered in ice cream. We didn't take that right turn too often. we knew that it could bring us to danger. On three separate occasions, I was caught in crossfire at the border. And to go to town, you had to turn left. Where you wanted to go determined the direction you took. Where do you want to be? And where do you want to go? Well, notice the first thing that we see in this particular passage. There's a clarification made. There's an awful lot of fuzz and confusion as to what way gets you on the right road, isn't there? There's an awful lot of haze and fuzz about what is the right way and what is the wrong way. Well, Jesus said there are only two ways. Only two ways. And you are either on one or you are on the other. Now that looked alright on my computer but doesn't look too well there. So there's a broad road. The broad way means the spacious way. Lots of room for manoeuvre. Lots of room for movement. You know what Jesus is speaking about when he's speaking about the broad way? He's speaking about a lifestyle. A lifestyle. A lifestyle that is influenced by a relationship with either the world or with Jesus Christ. It's a broad way. The person travelling on this road can have their heart and mind on whatever pleases them. It's the easy way. There are no restrictions and no restraints. And because it's the easy way, many choose the easy way. Let me tell you that the broad way is an indulgent way. It's an indulgent way. Make your own rules. Call the shots. Carry whatever baggage you like. Live the lifestyle that you please. Deny yourself nothing. Go where you want. Do what you want. It's a life of indulgence. You see, it's a life where self is God and God is denied. We read in 1 John 2, 15-16, Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are not of the Father. but of the world. It's an indulgent way. But I want to tell you it's also an inclusive way. And that looked right on my computer as well. I think I'm going to give this up. That's like the advert for the insurance. Have you noticed it? That's my excuse. I couldn't get enough. It's an inclusive way. It's the road of the majority. Some think that because the majority of people think they can do think what they do, or like what they do, or speak like they do, or feel like they do, or have the same thoughts, same opinions, same aspirations. They think because everyone has got similar thoughts and opinions that that makes it safe and right. You've all heard the game show, who wants to be a millionaire, haven't you? Whenever the contestant gets to a sticky question, he has three options, hasn't he? What are the three options? phone a friend, ask the audience, 50-50. I can remember looking at the stupidest contestant on who wants to be a millionaire, by the way, that's why I wouldn't go on it. He was asked the very first question, it happened in America, and the very first question, the answer, the correct answer was obvious for all to see. And guess what happened? He got it wrong. Who would employ him after that? Well, whenever the contestant gets to a sticky place, he has three options. One of his options is ask the audience. During that time, the audience are asked to press the button on their notepad, A, B, or C. And usually the contestant goes with the majority that have answered. And usually the majority are right. But here Jesus is highlighting the fact that that concept of majority rules does not work. In the spiritual world, the majority opinion ruins, not rules. There is a way that seemeth right on to a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death. And on this broad road, everyone has their own reasonings as to why they're on the broad road. and as to why they're staying on it. And on this broad road you can have a variety of appetites, a variety of opinions, a variety of aspirations, but it's because of another principle that's at work that you're on this broad road. Let me put it another way. At the scene of a disaster, we have a number of groupings of people. We've got the victims, obviously, isn't that right? They're on the scene because they've been injured in this great catastrophe. And then you've got those who are goosenecking. You know what goosenecking is, don't you? It's not a romantic term. They're just seeing what's going on. They're spectators. They've been drawn by this event that has taken place. And then you've got concerned relatives at this scene. They're there to see that their relative is well and unharmed and not injured. And then you'll have the emergency services, the policemen, the ambulance, the aid worker, and so the groupings go on. But they're all there for their own specific reason and purpose. And it's just like that for those that are on the broadway. You've got the atheist, the communist, the agnostic, the humanist, and a variety of rebellious, ungodly, irreligious individuals. But also on this broadway we have religious people, self-righteous people, people who just don't care. There are people who are there because they don't want to believe in God. Are there people there who don't want to follow the life that Jesus offers? Are there people on that road who don't want to live up to or face their responsibilities? There are people in this way who don't want to forsake bad habits. And bad habits can be much more than drinking and smoking and habits of addictive nature. Bad habits can be selfishness and self-centeredness and bad temperedness and all of those categories that you can muster up in your mind. There are those on that road who don't want to be identified with Christ and the cost of being a Christian. What I'm trying to get at is that everybody is on this broad road not because they agree on everything. It's what they have chosen not to accept that has put them on the broad road. They have chosen not to accept Christ and his righteousness. It's not what they agree on. is the fact that they've rejected him. Let me say it another way. The self-righteous person and the obscene person are both there. And they wouldn't agree. The agnostic and the religious person is there. And they wouldn't agree. But they're on the broad road because the broad road allows for every thought and imagination to be on the broad way. The broad way allows for the murderer, the communist, the respectable, the religious, the selfish, the sincere, the immoral, the impure, the victim or the victor, the rest of little consequence. And then we have, and I hope this works, the narrow way. What a contrast. Jesus presents to us here On one hand, how easy it is to be in the broad way, but as everyone who is a Christian here knows how difficult it is to be in the narrow way. You'll have those that will poke the phone at you. They'll have those who will cause you, call you all sorts of names. They'll call you odd. They'll call you strange. But here's what Jesus said about those that are on the narrow way. Matthew 16 and verse 24. If any man desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. Paul says as he was writing to the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 9 to 10, But he also went on to say, but such as some are you, but you have been washed. Oh the difference that the narrow way makes, it asks us, it causes us to leave aside our old sinful way and our sinful habits and it causes us to forsake that ungodly attitude and appetites and desires and it says follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Paul reiterates it again in Romans chapter eight, he says, for if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die, but if ye live through the spirit, but if ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. What does it mean to be in the narrow road? It means that you're living by the values and principles of the narrow way. It means the things that once entertained your appetites and attitudes have been forsaken and you're following Christ. If any man would deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. But the pressure on preachers today to make it easy and to make it more accessible and to be more consumer friendly. We're widening the goalposts, we're moving them forward, we're making it easy. All you have to do is name a little name, sign your name on a card, and hey presto, you're automatically a Christian. And then what happens, you try to live the Christian life without the help of the Holy Spirit, and you're in the most miserable condition. The narrow way is a narrow way. But I want to tell you it is the most rewarding way that you'll ever travel because you'll have a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. You'll have a friend who will satisfy the deepest needs and the deepest longings of your heart. You'll have a friend that'll be with you through thickness and thin, through sadness and sorrow, and through desperation and destruction. He will never leave you nor forsake you. That's why it's the narrow way. Bad language is left behind. The sad thing is people look today to the world's entertainments and its lifestyle, and we measure ourselves up with what the world's doing. It's time the church got back to the narrow way again. We started living up for the values and principles for which those who died for our spiritual and religious freedom gave their lives for. They didn't give their lives just so we could rebel against God! And by the way Jesus knew, you young men that's in the boys brigade, Jesus knew that one day when you would stand up for Christ in your university or college or school, he knew you'd be persecuted for it. He says, but blessed are those that are persecuted for righteousness sake. for their parts will be in the kingdom of God. You young girls, whenever young fellas try to make you impure and try to get you to make decisions just to satisfy and gratify their own godly lusts, let me tell you, they'll call you all sorts of names. And this day of social media and the insults that are thrown at young girls for bullying and causing them, or trying to cause them to do things that they're not comfortable with. Let me tell you, Jesus said he knew it. He says, blessed are ye. when they shall revile you and say all sorts of ungodly and unrighteous things about you. It's a narrow way. And because we've got the self-eye more important aspect, we give in to the claims and to the pushings and the strivings of this old ungodly world. I've come to a place in my life, and it's not that very long ago, that the only thing worth living for is the glory of God. And it doesn't matter how that comes over in your presentation of truth. A clarification, dear friend, There are only two ways. Hope this next one works better. Then there's a concern. The concern. You see, Jesus said, the broad way leads to destruction. That's his concern. The Greek word there is apollonoumi. It doesn't mean to perish in the sense that it leads to extinction. It means to loss virtue, to loss purpose, to loss the reason for which you were created. That's his concern. I noticed a progression in this one. He says that leads to destruction. As you go on on this broad road, it brings you further and further into loss and ruin. Whenever I was a young cub, I'm gonna tell you something I haven't said to this church in my life, I don't think. I started smoking when I was five years of age. You know how I started smoking? Now, don't try it at home, girls. Not that smoking's the only sin that ever was committed. I'll tell you how I started. My dad's mates used to come home to the house, and I wasn't very tall, and I know there's some of you pestering me for my nickname. If I can help it, you'll never find my nickname. That's a promise. but it was related to my size. When I was five years of age, I wasn't much taller than that. Now you'll be fairly thinking. Put that thought in your mind. My father's mates used to take me then and put them on their knee and they were smoking woodbines. They weren't a mild cigarette, sure they weren't. Take a wee pull, son. That's what got me hooked on nicotine at the age of five. And then, you see, if you wanted to get anything done in their house, just offer Trevor a fag and he'll do it. I was the cheapest forced labour you could ever imagine. And then, whenever you start on a road, the next thing, because I wasn't earning, I used to have to steal to feed my habit. And I was doing things as a young, early teenager that I am embarrassed and wouldn't ever mention. I was doing things as a teenager, but it started way back when I was a child. I can't remember my first bad temper tantrum. It came at a very early age, I'm sure, like everybody else. That's the way we were born. But I was doing things as a young teenager that would make the hair stand on your head. You see, just there's a progression as you go along this broad road. And maybe there's someone in this church today and you're doing things that you would never have thought doing last year or 10 years ago. And you find yourself in the place and you say, Lord, how did I ever get here? It's because you're on the broad road. Notice not only the progression, Notice the direction. Going away. Further and further away. You know, when's it easier to put a fire out? Just as it's starting. When's it easier to tackle an infection? At the very first moment of inception. Before it spreads. Some of you car mechanics, when's it easier to stop the crack in your windscreen? When you see that wee chip. Get a bit of super glue or something and stick it in it. What does the old saying say? A stitch in time saves, saves nine. Now I want you to take your Bible and turn to Proverbs chapter seven. And with this I'm almost finished. Proverbs chapter seven. I'm going to paint a picture here for you for Solomon. He's painting a picture of someone. who's just after, in the throes of making a decision in their lives as to what direction they're going to go. And he's painting this picture of a prostitute who's acting as the tempter. And she's trying to tempt this young lad to a place where he would not have himself and his own decisions decided he would go. Now let's read together verse seven and eight of Proverbs chapter seven. And behold, among the simple ones I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, passing through the street near her corner, and he went the way to her house. Now go to verse 10. And behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot and subtle of heart. Verse 13. So she caught him and kissed him with an impudent face and said unto him, verse 23, till a dart strike through his liver as a bird hasteth to the snare and knoweth not that it is for his life. Let me give you the New Living Translation for that verse. Awaiting in the arrow that would pierce its heart, he was like a young bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life. In verse 27, her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. Can you see the progression, the direction here? This young man, he's out in the youth and the innocency of life, and he's going along the road of life, and he sees this harlot, this prostitute, and she beckons him over to her, and it's not long till, as it says at the end of the Proverbs chapter seven, it's the way of death and hell. And of course, the conclusion is, sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. An agnostic asked to see a pastor because he had the question he thought the pastor wouldn't be able to answer. He says, where is hell anyway? And the pastor says it's at the end of a Christless life. Well, notice the choice. Enter ye in. You know what he's saying here? He's saying that you're not in yet. You're not here. You're not there. When he's asking you and me to make a choice to enter, he's saying, by virtue of saying enter in, he's saying you're not in yet. It's an individual choice. It's a choice you have to make. The church can't make it for you, your parents can't make it for you, your father can't make it for you, your daughter, your husband, your sister can't. It's a choice you will have to make because you will stand before God and give a reason. Not only is it personal, individual, it's informed. Jesus said it's a straight gate. It costs you your sin. He's not trying easy sell here. He's not promising false promises here. It's a narrow gate. Not only is it informed and individual, but it's impending. What does that mean? Deserves an answer. Deserves an answer. Tell me, Have you come to a crossroads in your life? Are you still going the easy way, satisfying your life, doing what you please? Well, which way is it for you? And which way will it be? May God bring you to the crossroads now. And it'll be the turning point for the rest of your life. Let's bow together in prayer. Father, we pray that your word will accompany, your blessing will accompany this word. And Father, you know our hearts will long to see men and women in a new place with God. And we ask just now, Father, that you will come. with great grace and great power to every heart, and give that deciding grace, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.