This is Vision for Christ World, Toledo, Ohio, USA. My name is Tim Taylor. We all have different roads we walk down in life. For some people, that road is mostly easy and smooth, while others suffer lack of necessities all their life. In this radio audience, I am sure we have the poor, the middle class, and the financially prosperous. We have people from traditional two-parent families and non-traditional families and orphans. But there is one common element that we all share, regardless of where we live, our family, our money, or ethnic background. We all begin life with inherited sin from the first man God created, Adam, and then in a short time we find our sin nature leads us to do wrong, to lie, cheat, steal, and later in life have sex outside of marriage. We are all headed down the wrong road of life. That is how everyone is, naturally. Look at Romans chapter 5 in the New Testament, especially verse 12, which says, So then just as sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and death through sin, so death spread to all people because all sinned. Some of us hear the call of God to come to Jesus. Maybe that call comes from a radio broadcast like this or printed Christian literature. A small number of the population will respond in repentance and genuine sorrow for their sin as they call out to Jesus in faith to save them. Those people who do this are now on what the Bible calls the narrow road leading to God in heaven. At that point, the road splits to the right and to the left, to the way of eternal life with peace, contentment, happiness, and love for the true believer in Jesus. Or, for the majority of the population, unfortunately, they remain on the broad, wide road to the opposite, eternal darkness, isolation, pain with no relief, and no hope forever and ever. Father God, let me lead people down your narrow road and reveal your only Son, Jesus Christ, to those who are listening. Praying in the name of Jesus, amen. You can find more about us at vision4christworld.com. In Matthew 7, 13 to 14, Jesus said, enter through the narrow gate for wide is 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 find it. This passage causes some to question the goodness of God. Why does he not simply let everyone into heaven? Revelation 21-27 says this concerning heaven. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty, but only those whose names are written in the book of life of the Lamb. The Lamb refers to Jesus who was given as the final sacrifice for sin for all who will believe in him. Salvation is found only in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the only way. In John 14, 6, Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. The wide gate is non-exclusive. It allows for human effort and all of the other religions in the world. When faced with the choice between a narrow bumpy road and a wide paved highway, most of us choose the easier road. Human nature gravitates toward comfort and pleasure. When faced with the reality of denying themselves to follow Jesus, most people turn away. John 6, 66. Jesus never sugarcoated the truth, and the truth is that not many people are willing to pay the price to follow him. And the price is not money. It is in denying our own wants and comforts when they conflict with what God wants for us. God offers salvation to everyone who accepts it. John 1 12 3 16 Romans 10 9 and 10 but this salvation is on His terms. We must come the way He has provided. We cannot create our own paths or come to a holy God based on our own efforts. Compared to His righteousness, we are all filthy. See Isaiah 64.6. Isaiah 53.5. 1 John 3.1. Without the blood of Jesus covering our sin, we stand guilty before the God we rejected, Romans 1 20. So it was with sorrow, not discrimination, that Jesus declared that the road to eternal life is narrow, and only a few find it. Are you confused? Can you never seem to find a path or purpose in life? Does it seem like someone has turned out the lights and you cannot find the switch? If so, Jesus is the way of salvation. Jesus proclaimed, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. That's John 8, 12. Do other people always let you down? Have your relationships been shallow and empty? Does it seem like everyone is trying to take advantage of you? If so, Jesus is the way. Jesus said, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. John 10, 11 and 14. Do you wonder what happens after this life? Are you tired of living your life for things that only rot or rust? Do you sometimes doubt whether life has any meaning? Do you want to live after you die? If so, Jesus is the way of salvation. Jesus declared, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. John 11 25 to 26. Now how can this problem be solved? Well, Jesus is the way of salvation. Jesus took your sin upon himself, 2 Corinthians 5.21. Jesus died in your place, Romans 5.8, taking the punishment that you deserve. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, proving his victory over sin and death, Romans 6.4-5. Why did he do it? Jesus answered that question himself. Greater love has no one than this, that he laid down his life for his friends. John 15, 13. Jesus died so that you could live eternally. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3, 16. The Romans wrote to salvation as a way of explaining the good news of salvation using verses from the Bible book of Romans. The Romans wrote is a simple yet powerful method of explaining why we need salvation, how God provided it, and how we could receive salvation, and what are the results of salvation. The first verse in the Romans Road to Salvation is Romans 3.23. Romans 3 10 to 18 gives a detailed picture of what sin looks like in our lives. The second scripture on the Romans road to salvation is Romans 6 23. This teaches us about the consequences of sin. For the wages of sin is death. The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death. The third verse on the Romans' road to salvation picks up in the middle of Romans 6.23, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5.8 declares, but God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus Christ died for us. The death of Jesus paid for the price of our sins. His resurrection proves that God accepted the death of Jesus as payment in full for our sins. The fourth stop on the Romans' road to salvation is Romans 10.9, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Because of the death of Jesus on our behalf, all we have to do is believe in him, trusting his death as the payment for our sins. and then we will be saved. Romans 10 13 says it again, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus, his Lord and Savior. The final aspect of the Romans' road to salvation is the results of salvation. Romans 5.1 has this wonderful message. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ, we can have a relationship of peace with God. Romans 8 1 says, therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Because of the death of Jesus on our behalf, we will never be condemned for our sins. Finally, we have this precious promise of God from Romans 8, 38 and 39. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Would you like to follow the Romans' road to salvation? If so, here is a simple prayer you can pray to God. Now, saying this prayer is a way to declare to God that you are relying on Jesus Christ for your salvation. The words themselves will not save you. Only real faith in Jesus Christ can provide salvation. Let's pray together. God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment, but Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in him, I could be forgiven. With your help, I place my trust in you for salvation. Thank you for your wonderful grace and forgiveness, the gift of eternal life. Amen. Now let me pray for you. Father God, in the name of your one and only unique Son, Jesus Christ, I ask you to send your Holy Spirit to touch the heart and mind of every person listening to me right now. Cause them to desire to have their sins taken away, to pray and ask to be granted repentance that leads to life by God, and to repent of their sins. truly turning away from sin, to have that penalty for sin removed, so that through the faith you give them, they may believe in you, Jesus, and have eternal, never-ending life, starting today, by having personal, saving faith in you, Lord Jesus. Amen. Listen to us online at vision4christworld.com. Until the next broadcast, this is Tim Taylor, praying the great blessings of God with joy and peace upon your life as you embrace Jesus Christ in personal saving faith. I will leave you today with this text from Titus 2, 12 and 13. The grace of God teaches us not to live against God and not to do the bad things the world wants to do. It teaches us to live on earth now in a wise and right way, a way that shows true devotion to God. We should live like that while we are waiting for the coming of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is our great hope, and he will come with glory.