“Walking the Narrow Path” 

Pastor David Moore 

Old Testament reading: Isaiah 35:1-10

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. 

Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. 

And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. 

But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. 

Matthew 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. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 

Today’s sermon is about our ability to focus on what God is saying to us in our life. Jesus wants our obedience in what we hear to be put into practice in our life. ~D. Moore 

Christianity is narrow in that it demands (a)_____________ and (b)_____________
and (c)_____________ and a full (d)_____________ and (e)_____________. 

All paths lead to God, but only one path will present you before God without fault and with great joy. Pick a path, any path—it will take you to God. Trust me: you will stand before Him one day. You will meet your Maker. You will see the face of Christ. There are many ways up the mountain, but only one will result in life instead of destruction. ~Kevin DeYoung 

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 

Acts 4:10-12: Then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

The road is so narrow that you cannot come with (f)_____________ (g)____________.
Not your (h)_____________, not your (i)_____________. 

Our journey with Jesus is personal; only between you and Jesus. 

Jesus doesn’t just give you what you need—Jesus IS what you need. 

The narrow way involves a decision to follow God. To make Jesus the King (center) of our lives. When we meet Jesus face to face, that is not the time for choosing the path. Today, this moment, is our chance to choose that we will allow Jesus to be the center of our life. The narrow road. 

This week: pray and think about where you’re at in your life path—broad or narrow. 

Have a blessed week, full of the Spirit of Christ. 

Answers: (a) focus (b) authenticity (c) intensity (d) commitment (e) discipline
(f) anyone (g) else (h) family (i) community