False Comforters
Notes
Transcript
You Choose Your Path
You Choose Your Path
The Road Not Taken
The Road Not Taken
BY 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:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
What does this poem mean?
This theme of choice, of choosing one path over the other, plays it self out in popular culture as well. We see the reality of our choices and the impact of the consequences of those choices in literature like The Chronicles of Narnia, where Edmund is faced with the choice of betraying his family because of his fear and insecurities..
It is evident in the Star Wars Series where in Episode 2.
What choice does Anakin Make?
Why does he make that choice?
How does it impact the rest of his life?
Does Vadar/Anakin ever regret that decision?
What decisions have you made that you regret?
How many know that sometimes the choices are easy...
Clear water vs. muddy water
How many know that sometimes the choices are not that obvious
red dye vs blue dye
How many know that sometimes it just isn’t that clear - as in the Road Not Taken.
Jesus also gives us a different version of The Road Not Taken in
“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.
In Isaiah 8 we can also find two paths, two choices that are woven together.
The Bible clearly teaches that there is one way , and only one way that leads to heaven - and His name is Jesus!
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
It was true in Isaiah’s day, as they looked forward to God’s promised Messiah. It is True today as we look back to the cross and forward to His Second Coming, and it will be true for all eternity.
Now as we look back at where we have been it is important to remember that:
Idolatry or sin causes us to feel SHAME
If you want to know where the idols are inn your life, then answer this: What provides you with false comfort?
When you are fearful, stressed, frustrated, angry - do you wait upon the Lord or do you turn to Tastycakes?
Shame, in the presence of a Holy God leads to FEAR
Confession helps us to live with a JOYFUL EXPECTANCY of the future as we look forward to Jesus’ return.
Our Calling is not about what we do, it is about who we are becoming!
We need to Stand Firm in Our Faith, or we will not stand at all!
In Chapter 7, Ahaz and Judah were terrified by the prospect of an alliance with Syria and Israel. God told Ahaz to trust Him, which unfortunately Ahaz promptly ignored and he created an alliance with Tigleth-pilesar and Assyria.
Andrew Davis says this is like a mouse, threatened by a rat, turning to a cat for assistance.
The cat is only too happy to bat them around and play with them before ultimately feasting upon them.
Today we will see in Isaiah that everyone of us faces a point of decision: Will we choose the Way of Light or the Way of Darkness.
Then the Lord said to me, “Take a large tablet and write on it in common characters, ‘Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz.’ And I will get reliable witnesses, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah, to attest for me.”
And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz; for before the boy knows how to cry ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”
Assyria is addressed in Isaiah 8 in 3 sections or phases:
First: Assyria comes to rescue by destroying Israel and Aram and carrying theri wealth away before the child of Isaiah and his wife is even a year-old. so a time line for these future events is established.
Second: After carrying away the plunder of Damascus and Samaria, Assyria will turn its attention towards Judah and comes to destroy them.
The Lord spoke to me again: “Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, and it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.”
The reason is found in verse 6:
The gently flowing waters of Shiloah which represents the protection and provision of the presence of God.
Instead they have chosen Assyria to fight its battles and provide for its future.
They have rejoiced over the decimation of their perceived enemies - and their brethren. They were delighting in other peoples misery.
Arrogance replaced humility. We know that pride goes before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction. Therefore, the unintended consequence - False sense of security will be betrayed when Assyria destroys the entire nation - except for Jerusalem.
Third: Assyria comes to be destroyed
Be broken, you peoples, and be shattered;
give ear, all you far countries;
strap on your armor and be shattered;
strap on your armor and be shattered.
Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
speak a word, but it will not stand,
for God is with us.
While God allowed Assyria to punish Judah, there are limits to how far they could go. God is with us, Immanuel.
It is the presence of God with Judah that gives contrast to the remainder of the verse and the power of our choices.
THE WAY OF LIGHT (WOL)
GOD SPOKE A WARNING
The WOL consists of listening to God’s Word.
As followers of Jesus we are called to listen to His voice
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
and according to verse 11 it keeps us from walking like those who aren’t following Jesus.
Know anyone that claims Christ and doesn’t walk like it?
THE WOL IS THE PRESENCE AND PROTECTION OF GOD’S STRONG HAND UPON HIM
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Because Jesus securely holds us in his hand, we can strive, as Paul did, to persevere
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
THE WOL IS SET APART FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD
conspiracies
fear
dread
or holiness
Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
THE WOL IS A LIFE WHERE THE HOLINESS AND FEAR OF THE LORD DRIVES AWAY ALL OTHER FEAR
In Anthony Davis’ words, “Fearing the Holy God, we will fear nothing else. But if we don’t fear Him, we better fear everything else.”
Ahaz and Judah were afraid of Israel and Syria - their hearts shook like trees in the wind - and instead of trusting God and His Word, they trusted in another government… another ruler to save them.
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
THE WOL IS LIVED IN THE SANCTUARY, A REFUGE - A PLACE OT FLEE WHEN TROUBLES COME.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
It is a life lived in the shelter of the finished work of Jesus ...
LIFE LIVED CONSTRAINED COMPLETELY BY THE WORD OF GOD
Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples.
To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
Jesus totally surrendered to the Word and will of God and set that standard for His followers.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
When we embrace the truth of Christ in Scripture, repenting of our transgressions, asking God to forgive us for missing the mark of God’s Holiness, we receive the righteousness of Christ
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
the way of light is not lawlessness, it is a joyful and willing surrender, by faith to the leading of the Holy Spirit directing our life.
THE WOL IS A LIFE SPENT SEEKING GOD’S WISDOM
And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Seeking God’s wisdom, we ask for God’s direction and not telling Him what you want to do, submitted in prayer to seeing His will accomplished in your life
Not my will, but your will be done
It is Jesus praying,
saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
FINALLY THE WOL IS A LIFE LIVED BY FAITH IN THE LORD.
I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.
Twice, I will wait for the Lord - because Immanuel - God with us - is the One in whom we can continually trust.
THE WAY OF DARKNESS
REJECTING GOD’S PROVISION
“Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah,
for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Marked by a mocking delight in the sufferings of others. Using the occasion to deride someone else instead of searching our own hearts to see where we ourselves have fallen short - and are just as guilty and should be rightfully receiving the same punishment.
There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Self-righteousness is no righteousness at all
The way of darkness is a life of stumbling over God and being snared by Him.
Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone,
People can’t believe in the doctrine of the incarnation and are offended by the cross, so they end up being crushed by Him and snared by Him rather that saved by Him.
The way of darkness is a life of false spiritual guidance.
We are spirit beings. As such, we will have something speak into that spiritual part of who we are. If the True God is rejected, then false gods - or gods of our own creation - will fill the void in our soul.
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
evil dead - too busy screaming in hell
righteous dead - know God has already spoken
it is the Word of God that is
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
It is the Word of God that is
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
The way of darkness is a life of spiritual famine and restless roaming.
They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward.
They roam through the land, famished for true food - famished for the living bread.
The way of darkness can only end in hell
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The key to everything, to every good choice is Jesus - Immanuel - God With Us. He alone fulfills all the images of the chapter, He is the way of light, and He will judge the way of darkness.
He is our rock, our refuge.
He alone is the source of our salvation, the One who bore our sins and whose body was broken on our behalf.
There are two choices - and only two choices and only one of them leads to the Father - and His Name is Jesus.