this morning I trust and the children sad to see them go but they have an important engagement with Children's Church so they're on their way and you can turn to Matthew chapter 7 we are close to finishing up our message our series on the sermon on the mount and i'm praying about uh... what to do next uh... as of right now You know, if the Lord wants to change things, then I'm fine with that, submitted to that. But I think the Lord is moving me after this to start a series in the book of Ephesians, which I think is so important for the church. It's written, all the books are written to the church, but Ephesians in particular is written with the whole church in mind. And that'll be a blessing. And then after that, just to let you know that I do think of things ahead, I'm praying about doing a series on the book of. Revelation. So I know this is a series that I did up in New Hampshire before we left. There's a lot of misunderstanding, even on the emphasis of the book of Revelation. And I think it's good to clear that up. Do you know that in the book that it is the only book that promises a blessing for those who read and study it? So it does make that important, right? And so you'd be praying with me, but that's where I think the Lord's leading me, at least for now. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's go back to Matthew 7, verses 12 through 14. And really, the simple title this morning is Choose Your Path. You have a choice, is what Jesus is saying here about which gate to enter in. And really this idea of choosing two different ways was a typical Jewish way of thinking called dualism or a dualistic choice. You do this or you do this and Jesus gives us that choice in this passage. My son Art and I just A little over a week ago, had the privilege of going to the Youth Workers Conference together. I've been to the conference many times. It is for youth workers, but it also has a senior pastor track, and there's a lot of emphasis on counseling people. So I've enjoyed it for many years down in Brevard, North Carolina. This was the first time that I've had the wonderful experience of being able to take my son with me. Being 18, he was old enough to be able to go, and we just had a wonderful time together. And I met many old friends, saw Rand, we'll see him in a few weeks, and got to chat with them. Another old friend was the former director of the camp for many, many years. Many of you know Ken Collier, he's been here before to speak. Ken has many wise sayings. God has gifted Ken with wisdom. He's basically at the Wilds now. He calls himself the camp coach. And even while we were there, he was just giving us exhortation and encouragement that was so wonderful. But he has a well-known quote, and it's this simple. It basically goes like this, only two choices on the shelf, pleasing God or pleasing self. Two choices. And so Jesus as well portrays this choice in an even more important and sobering way. He's going to give us two paths to choose from, and he makes it clear which path that we need, that we are responsible for walking. There's a lot of choices in our lives. I've mentioned those before. We have choices every day that we make. But literally, folks, the choice that Jesus gives here, the responsibility that we have to walk the right path, is the most important that we can make. And he describes that here. Beyond that, we also have one of the most well-known passages of Scripture, in all of Scripture, in verse 12. And we're going to look at that first. And really, to tie it in, we're going to see that those that follow Jesus' direction in verse 12 are those that are walking the narrow way that he describes in the next two verses. Because in verse 12, he's describing those that are not taking the easy path of selfishness, but they're choosing to walk the path of selflessness. They're looking around for others' needs. They're not going for the easy way, but they're choosing the sacrificial path. And that really is the whole theme of this message this morning. Are you going to choose the easy way? Or are you gonna choose the sacrificial way that will lead to blessings for all eternity? It really is that stark and that simple. And again, remember, this is describing kingdom citizens. Those that have followed, gone through the narrow gate or following the difficult way, they're following Jesus. They put their faith and trust in Jesus. The kingdom is for those people who are trusting Jesus for their salvation. And so those types of people are the ones that can follow in verse 12 what we have commonly called today what? The golden rule, right? There it is. Yeah, it is in scripture. Verse 12. It really is in the Bible. And so we're going to see that thinking of others shows a selflessness that's important for kingdom citizens that shows sacrificial concern. So we could read this together. I'm reading it from the ESV, verse 12. So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them. For this is the law and the prophets. Beautiful sentiment. And one that's many times framed and we put up in our homes. One that many times we hear quoted even in secular society. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But what I find fascinating about that little quote, and just its popularity, that people really treasure it in so many ways, it almost at the same time makes me, not in a cynical way, but it does make me chuckle, make me laugh a little bit, because really, folks, a lot of times, the way that we apply that very simply stated principle is very selfishly oriented. And again, I'm just bringing you the honest truth here, but why is it that the golden rule, the one that we teach our children when they're just old enough to understand, understand words. And in our, even a secular society, why would that stand out as something that's desirable? Well, I think it's along these lines. That I think many times as we think about the golden rule, whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, we're not thinking of it in terms of ourself, but we're thinking of it in terms of everyone else around us. And as we hear that, we think, yeah, you know, if more people followed the golden rule, man, my life would be easy. I mean, the world would be a better place. And so I think the reason why this is so treasured is because society looks at this and says, yeah, if you guys would get your act together and you would do unto others as we want you to do to us or whatever, the world would be a better place. And really what we're saying is it'd be a more comfortable place for me to live in. And as Christians, we can get caught up in that. You know, if more people would just think about others instead of being so selfish. I mean, my life would be better. I know other people's lives would. Just follow the golden rule. But is that really what Jesus is saying? No, actually, folks, if we do what Jesus is asking us to do here and we apply this to ourselves, we find that this is actually a very hard thing to do. In fact, I might suggest that it is one of the hardest things to do. Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them. You see, many times we want to quote it this way, if I can take a liberty. This sounds much more appropriate to us. Do unto me what I would want you to do unto me. That would be great. But no, do unto others what you would have them do to you. Do also to them. That means for all the ornery people in your life. That means for the people that are hard to love. That means for the church member as you minister here in this church that you are just convinced doesn't like you and seems to have animosity towards you. That includes the neighbor who is ornery and cranky and never has a good thing to say about your dog or your pets and is always cantankerous. That has to apply to the ornery people that cut in line in front of you at Costco, or Walmart, or whatever, or even just the fact that you have to stand in a long line, and you know there's always somebody that takes their time, that has to read everything. And then there's the people that have to figure out where the barcode is, and that's me for one. They'll look, okay, and it takes them 15 minutes, and you know that you can get through in five minutes. Wait a minute. Should you show your anger? Should you show your frustration at the closest Walmart or Costco worker? Or should you do to others what you would have them to do to you? I love the golden rule when it applies to everybody else, Lord, but I can't do this. I can't live this out of my own strength. And that really is the point. As we cover the golden rule, I could stop right there, is that we can't accomplish this very simple, well-loved principle without God's power, without a relationship with Jesus Christ. You see, God can enable us to be selfless in giving and treat others how we want to be treated. but we can't do it in and of ourselves. Maybe to those that we really like and that we love, and maybe those family members that we have to show that to, but we're not able to do that to everyone, as Jesus requires here. And so what does this mean then? It means that Jesus is saying, in order to accomplish this impossible task, you need me in your life. You need a relationship with me, and I will enable you to be able to think of others. Isn't it almost a monumental task sometimes, folks? Again, let's be candid here. So often we get sidetracked into thinking about ourselves and thinking selfishly. You've probably experienced that even this morning as you've come to worship, thinking about your own concerns and things that are going on. It's very hard for us to be others oriented because our minds many times just don't even think that way. It's not natural. And that's why we need the help of Jesus Christ to be able to follow through on this simple task. You know, in the Old Testament as well, it emphasized this principle. And that is there were two ultimate goals of the Old Testament for all the rules and the laws. Do you remember what those were? To have love for God and love for others. And so this golden rule is all the way back in the Old Testament. And Jesus says at the end of verse 12, for this is the law and the prophets, that's one way to refer to the Old Testament. And he says, remember in Matthew 5.17, do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets, I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. Jesus doesn't get rid or just eradicate the law, God's law from the Old Testament, but Jesus says I fulfill the law. And so what that means is through his death and resurrection, he fulfills, he was fully obedient to the law, and then he can enable us to be selfless, to stop thinking only of ourselves, but to look around ourselves and say, hey, I need to show love to others because that's what God expects from me. Let's be honest, if you are in a church or in a neighborhood where everybody is just constantly thinking about themselves, that's a miserable place to be, isn't it? if everybody just decided to serve themselves. And Jesus is saying kingdom citizens who have a faith relationship with Jesus Christ won't act this way. They will not disdain other people, but they will care for other people. And that's not always with emotion, folks. Let's understand. Sometimes we think, well, I just don't have an emotion for that person, you know, happy thoughts. And it's like that move beyond that. This is a commitment to do to others as they, as you would do, let's see, do to you, do to others as you would have them do to you. It's even hard to say sometimes. Not that all the emotions have to be there. Those follow. We can only do this through Jesus Christ, but we can do it. Leviticus 19, 17 through 18 in the Old Testament, you shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin upon him, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. There it is. It's a commandment that Jesus is basically repeating in the golden rule. So yes, it's hard to think of other people, but with the Holy Spirit in your life, when you come into church and you want to complain about things and about people, and yet the Holy Spirit is there saying, hey, it's not all about you. Why don't you go find somebody to talk to? Why don't you go find, look at that person over there. They don't seem very happy. They seem, you know, like they're shouldering the cares of the world. Why don't you go talk to them? Isn't that what you would want people to do to you? Why don't you do that to other people? Or when we're frustrated with our neighbors. And, you know, everybody has a neighbor that's that person that never gets along, that's kind of recluse and is kind of ornery. But when I think, what would I want them to do to me? Then I think, well, is there a way that I could somehow come up with some sort of gift? Bake them some bread or something. And if they don't have a Doberman Pinscher or a Rottweiler in their front yard, maybe leave it on their doorstep or something. Or if I see them, just call out, hey, how you doing? Can I pray for you for anything? Whatever. I'd want people to do that to me, even if I was ornery. Or in those long lines at Walmart or whatever, instead of just getting frustrated as we all do about the people that are taking too much time, do we settle our hearts? Do we look at the employee there that's had to deal with these people all day? Do we say something nice to them? If I were working here at Walmart or Costco, I would want somebody to smile at me and say something nice to me. Maybe here's here's a real mind blowing thing. How about you ask them if you know how they're doing and if there's something you can pray for them about. But when you want someone to do that for you. You see, when we humbly submit our lives to Jesus, these are the sorts of the things that we can really accomplish. It really is possible to fulfill the golden rule and not just expect that everybody else is going to follow. We follow the sacrificial way in being selfless towards others. And that's an example then of the next two verses where that title, Choose Your Path, comes from. Verse 13, enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction. And those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life. And those who find it are few. Now there's a broader application here and a very specific, and I'll go with the broader application first, and one that I think we all understand maybe a little bit more, and that is that the popular way does not always equal the best way or the right way. The popular way to do things is often the easier way. In other words, if you are willing to accept the challenges of life, the responsibilities of life, don't we tell our young people many times, you know, you've got to be responsible. You've got to grow up in order to be a responsible young man or young woman. These are things that you need to do. You need to take responsibility for the things that you have to do in life. But unfortunately, in our society today, you're going to find that you're on a less traveled road, even with that attitude, even with your grades. If you're one that is not obsessive about your grades, but as you're studying young people and those in college, and you want to do your best for the Lord, and you just want to be responsible in that way, you're going to find that there's a lot of people that don't want to be responsible and that think you're crazy. Fitness, for those of you that God has led you to realize, you know, I need more exercise and I need to be more careful in what I eat. You're going to find that that's the harder way to travel. And there's going to be a lot of people in a lot of situations. And it's interesting when you make that decision, how many opportunities all of a sudden pop up to eat things that you have told yourself you wouldn't. But it's hard. I'm sure many of us remember that show that was so popular for so many years. What was it? The Biggest Loser. And that didn't mean a bunch of people that were failures, but it was those people that committed themselves to going on the TV show and losing all that weight. And the interesting thing that made the whole show interesting is all the difficulties that people had to go through and the life choices they had to make to get to the goal where they wanted to be, because it's not easy. And yet there is a wonderful prize or a wonderful result at the end of these things. Friendships aren't always easy. If you want to pursue a good friendship and you, through being selfless, like we just saw in the golden rule, and caring about others, good friendships, good marriages, take work. You can't take the easy way. Moral living. Again, we can only live truly in a moral way through the power of Jesus Christ, but it still takes energy. We still have to commit to Jesus. It's not the easy way. And we all, in a lot of ways, intrinsically, I think, understand this, right? But it's important to be reminded of this. That if that's the case in all these different areas of life, then folks, why would we be surprised when our Christian life and our Christian journey is hard after conversion? That things aren't always easy. Anything good that you wanna get out of life, have you heard this before from your grandparents? Always takes good, hard work. And yet sometimes we think, oh, the Christian life is going to be easy and, you know, there's not going to be any difficulties. And then we find that it's actually, as Jesus says here, it's a hard way many times. Ouch. We shouldn't be surprised by that. We don't, we don't in this life, in the Christian life, we don't get to lay on flowery beds of ease. That would be nice. That's an eternity. Where we get the rest, eternal rest. and peace of living in the kingdom. But in this day and age, in this life, it's going to be hard. The popular way is to just take the easier way. And sometimes deceptively, as you know, that easier way seems the better way. Especially when it comes to God's word. Let me get more to the point here. Our society today twists what God's word says is wrong and demands to call it right. And because of that, even many in Christianity today, folks, have lost their discernment of what is right and wrong. Because in the end, it's easier to go along. God's word says this, but our society says, well, kind of like that old serpent in the garden. Well, is that what God's word really says? No, you need to be more loving and accepting. And we can kind of, the easy way is just kind of give into that. Yeah. All right. Well, you know, they've kind of given a good excuse and that kind of makes sense. So yeah, God's word may say that, but we can just kind of let it slide here and we just can kind of go along with all of those on the wide road, and folks, we have to be so careful, even as Christians. Above having an easy, comfortable life where we just say yes to everybody and we're yes men and yes women, we have to stand firm. What needs to be most important for us is what God's standard is, regardless of whether it leaves us comfortable or not. And that can only come through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Again, the narrow way, we'll get more into this in a minute, comes from those who have accepted the righteousness of Jesus Christ and what he has earned. And we can follow and do hard things and follow that hard way because Jesus leads the way for us. And so we can do the hard things. So when our society tells us that certain things that the Bible says is wrong are right and stop being so judgmental, we don't budge. Let me say from the pulpit, folks, without faltering here, abortion is murder. It is the unauthorized, well, unfortunately it is authorized sometimes, but it is the immoral ending of a actual life. And no matter how much we are tempted in our society and really bullied into saying differently, we must stand firm on that. Another moral issue that we must stand firm on, even in Maryland, is this. Folks, in God's word, all the way in Genesis, When human beings were created, God created a man and a woman. And God assigned their genders. And only God alone gets to decide who gets which gender. That's not our choice. That's not popular to hear in our society today. And people can bully you, and there can even be consequences by just saying that simple thing. But we can't back down. It may be the hard road. But God's word is clear. These are things that even though our society may not understand and it may be hard for us to state, when we are put to the moment and the test, we need to stand on God's word and what God's word says. That's a hard road, but it's the road that we as Christians travel. And we must come to terms with that. So the popular way does not always equal the right way or the easier way. And sometimes a popular way may be deceptively seem like it's the better way. Let's be accepting. In actuality, it's not. No, let's stand firm for God's word. But most importantly, folks, the right way is the sacrificial way. It's the only way. And just as the picture of being sacrificial with the golden rule. So we need to understand that ultimately our salvation depends on our responsibility to walk on the narrow road. Let's look at that verses again here as we finish up this morning. Enter by the narrow gate for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction and ultimately that means eternal destruction. Eternal punishment in the lake of fire folks forever and ever. And we don't like to talk about that, but God's word and Jesus talks about that frequently. And this is one evidence of that. Those who enter by it are many because there are many that want the ease of this life. Give me the wide road that's so much more comfortable. It's comfortable for now, but it's discomforting and terrible for eternity. And Jesus says, don't choose that road. But that road is more accommodating. That's really the picture here. In other words, the people on that road say, hey, bring all your junk with you, all your carry-ons, bring on your ideas, your worldviews and philosophies, and we won't judge you, just bring them along, see how beautiful and well-landscaped this wide road is. We're not gonna judge you. I have a particular airline that I like to fly on because of the fact that it allows me to check extra baggage without an extra fee. Now, I'm not going to tell you what airline that is because I just heard recently that they might be changing that, and so it might not be my favorite airline for much longer. But until they change that, I'm not going to say who it is. But I appreciate the fact that they want to accommodate me and bring everything that I want to bring along. And that's what Jesus is saying, this is the wide road, it accommodates. Well, it's accommodating unless you judge someone for what they've brought on the wide road, and then you'll be judged and beat up and thrown along the side of that wide road. Don't you restrict others or judge others, but otherwise it's very accommodating. But where does Jesus say it leads to? Destruction. And again, folks, that is unequivocally eternal destruction. Wide road, accommodating, everybody gets along. But it goes separate from the way of Jesus Christ. And it is the way to eternal damnation. And we must soberly recognize that. And isn't that then as the kingdom citizens who have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, isn't that our responsibility is to call people, don't go down that way. It looks easy. It looks comfortable. Looks like the better way. But it's really not. Go through the narrow gate. The narrow way is very challenging. And it does require us to leave things behind. One of the things that I learned on a missions trip, I've only been on one missions trip and led that with my wife and a bunch of young people and that was to Ireland. I found out that on a missions trip and you're going overseas, you can't take everything that you would like, you have to leave some things behind. We had to leave our children behind. Now, we made sure they were well taken care of. but they couldn't go with us on that trip, bud. Mike Erickson is finding, as he goes on these trips, there are certain things that he can't take with him. He has to leave some things behind. We understand that. You can't take it all with you. So especially if you have a relationship with Jesus Christ, folks, you understand you've already chosen the narrow way. So don't look longingly over at the wide road. You've already chosen the narrow way if you are following Jesus Christ. So let's not be surprised when it's challenging. Let's not complain and get irritated and angry. This road is so hard. Folks, when you trusted Jesus, you were commending yourself. To the hard way. But remember, it's only hard for a while. And it is the right choice. Because verse 14, the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, that's eternal life. That's a reconciliation with God. That's redemption. That's cleansing from sin. All of those who find it are few, but they are blessed. The narrow road is thus the only right choice because it leads to God through Jesus Christ. And we understand, back to that principle I mentioned just a little bit ago, hard things, you do the hard things and many times they pay off, the exercise, the studying, all of these things. But really, I want to be clear, what Jesus is saying here in specific application is that this road if you're walking on it, is too difficult for you to be successful in. In fact, you cannot overcome the difficulties of the narrow road yourselves. We are not able to travel this road in and of ourselves. It's too hard. It's too steep. Sometimes it might even seem dangerous. And so what Jesus is saying here is that we need him as our guide. And in John 14, 6, we know this verse well, but Jesus makes it even more clear. Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. There's no way that we can travel the narrow road without Jesus. We need him. But when we trust in him. and His power to forgive our sins and cleanse us and make us whole and righteous. He gives us this person called the Holy Spirit that energizes us for the rough roads ahead. And we can walk that narrow path, but it's only by going through the way of Jesus Christ. If you're not going through Jesus, folks, let's be clear, you're going down the other way. And you know where that's leading. It may seem comfortable, but you're headed the wrong way. Turn around. Go back. Look at the danger signs. Don't go this way. But when you follow Jesus and Jesus alone, he is our guide. You're headed the right way. And that path and that gate, by the way, really that's describing not just this narrow gate where it's almost hard where you kind of got to squeeze through. That's not the point of calling it the narrow gate, but it says the way that is hard that leads to life. What Jesus is saying here is that this way is the harder way. It's difficult, but he will enable us to travel that and it leads to something glorious. Eternal life with God forever. Now I say that, but I want to finish this up on a positive note. Jesus says that this narrow road is hard. But in actuality, Jesus says something else in Matthew 11 to remind us the narrow road is hard, but folks, please understand this as we finish this morning. It ultimately is the easier road, actually. Jesus says, turn to Matthew 11, 28 through 30. We're almost done. Just so you can hear Jesus talk instead of me. Another well-beloved verse. Come to me, all who are labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you stress? No, rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. You see, the narrow road is the better road and the better experience. Why? Not because it's easier, but folks, because Jesus walks with us. He enables us to walk that road. He doesn't call us to something hard without being right beside us and guiding us. He is the ultimate trail leader. And He will be there with us. And so in actuality, what may seem hard is actually enabled because we have His power to do it. He's with us. And that's why He can say His burden is light, because He provides us the spiritual health to be able to follow His ways. Jesus gives us what we need. He gives us the backpack. He gives us all the tools that we need. And he says, ultimately, what you have chosen is the easier. My yoke is easy. It is a yoke. It is a burden, but it's light because I'll help you carry it. And ultimately, when you experience eternal life, you'll say, oh, that wasn't so bad at all. I'm so glad I went the narrow way. Just look at the result of those that took the easy way in this life. Praise God. This wasn't the hard road after all. It was easy because Jesus carried me and helped me. And it is the most rewarding for what waits us at the end of the journey. You know this, but if you're going on a hike where you're looking forward to seeing some sort of overhang or monument or something at the end, it motivates you to go through all the hardness because of what you're gonna see at the end. You get to a certain place and you see that beautiful landscape and mountainscape and you're high and hopefully you don't get too close to the edge, but it's worth the hard hike. And Jesus is saying here, it's a hard road, but I will help you and you're gonna love the view at the end. So take the narrow gate and the hard road. I love this quote from a man, a Christian writer named Doug Webster from a book, The Easy Yoke. This is so, listen to this carefully. He says this, for those who live under the yoke, there is absolutely no other way to live. Who in their right mind would go back to the gods of self, money, lust, and power? Who would return on bended knee to the shrines of pious performance and judgmentalism? Is not love better than hate? Purity better than lust? Reconciliation better than retaliation? And is not better really easier when measured in character rather than convenience rests for the soul rather than selfish pride? See, folks? It really is, in the end, easier and so much more fulfilling and eternally satisfying to go this hard way. We have two alternatives. I had a point in my life many years ago when I was single, and I've told you this, how I ended up in Central Florida. I had an opportunity, I don't have time to tell the whole story this morning, but an opportunity to continue on in a job where the employers were Christians, and it was graphics design, and many of you know that that was my undergrad. And I could have continued in that job, and it was in Orlando, you know, central Florida, beautiful. Summers were miserable, but the rest of the year was great. But I was attending a small church where my friend, the youth pastor, had left and the senior pastor had asked me to be the youth director for a while. I said I could do that because I could still do this job and still maintain my career. But then he came to me after I had secured this new job and was enjoying it, and he said, I'd like you to consider full-time ministry at our church, and I'd like you to teach and serve more fully in our church. And he was sincere, and I had a choice to make at that point. I had two good decisions. I could continue on down the one way and continue that secular job and still do graphics design, or I knew at this point that God was calling me to a road that I would not be able to go back. It's one of those moments, right, that we all have where we know as we choose this, there's probably no going back. And so I went with, I must say this, I went with my heart. I went with the heart that God had given me for ministry. And I chose that road of full-time ministry Did I give up some things? Probably. But look what I gained. I met a beautiful woman named Leslie Motter at Bob Jones University. Married now with four kids. I get to be a senior pastor. I get to study God's word. I get to serve people. I made the right choice, folks. I chose what seemed to be the harder way, the way that maybe didn't make as much sense to me, but I made the right choice. God had worked in my heart and I was glad to do that. Jesus is calling us to a much greater choice though here for those of you who are in a much more important crossroads, whether you will choose Jesus or not or continue to go the easy way, will you choose the hard way that will lead to eternal life? Or will you choose the easy way that will certainly, certainly lead to eternal punishment? Being up in New Hampshire, This kind of rubbed off on me. Maybe this is a little bit of my New England still on my heart. But there's a very famous poem that I'm sure that you know, written by a New Englander, Robert Frost. I'm going to read this to you as the end of my message this morning because I think in the end it points to the deeper truth that Jesus is pointing to here. You could probably recite it with me, but I'll just read it for time's sake, okay? The road not taken. 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. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference. Folks, follow the way of Jesus Christ. It truly, in this world and eternity, it makes all the difference. Father, let us, as we finish up this morning, be reminded again of our need to follow the way of Jesus. Lord, if there is someone here this morning who is still struggling with that choice, that all important, all significant choice of choosing faith in Jesus Christ and following in the responsibility to follow after him. Lord, may today move, continue to work in his heart, her heart. Let them be willing to follow the narrow path. and follow after Jesus. And Father, for all of us here who have already followed that way and know that it's the right way, help us not to grumble or complain, but help us to do it faithfully, trusting in Jesus when the road gets really, really hard. Help us to trust in Him, our gentle Savior who leads us safely home. Folks, two choices on the shelf. You make the right choice, even in your hearts, as Leslie plays. Jesus, you will lead us in that hard but safe way. And you will feed us, and you know what's best. When we stray and wander, you will keep us. Help us to trust in you when the way gets hard, as we know that it will. And Lord, if there is anyone here this morning who still needs to make that turn, follow the way of Jesus Christ, let today be the day that they follow him as their shepherd. In Jesus' name that we pray, amen.