Of all the choices that we make, the most critical of all is our decision about God and His kingdom. That is the ultimate choice that determines our eternal destiny. All the other important decisions in life hinge on that choice. It is a decision that Jesus calls on us to make. Jesus said, “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” (Matthew 7:13-14). In our lives we quickly come to a fork in the road of life. We will be standing at the crossroads where two signs, one pointing to Jesus and eternal life and the other pointing toward a path of destruction. Each of us will have to make our own choice. As we stand at the fork in the road, what will we choose?

As we stand at the crossroads we are confronted by two gates:

The Wide Gate

This gate is wide and easy to enter. Many people will be making the decision to travel this way in life. It is attractive, indulgent, and self-serving. It is tolerant, non-judgmental, and non-offensive. To step through this gate and walk on the easy road requires few if any restrictions or requirements. You can be your own boss, be your own Lord for that matter. Entering this gate will allow you to carry any baggage you want with you. Sin is tolerated. Doctrine is avoided. There is little emphasis on morality and commitment. Those who enter this gate will ridicule those who are squeezing through the other gate. What scares me about the wide gate is that it leads to hell, the sentence of eternal damnation away from God in a burning lake of fire.

The Narrow Gate

This gate is narrow and hard to enter. It is not a popular choice to make. This gate is so narrow that you have to go through it alone. You cannot take anyone else with you. Your husband, your wife, your children, your relatives and friends cannot enter hanging on to your leg. If they would enter they must do so on the basis of their own choice. This gate is also so narrow that you cannot bring your baggage with you. Your sins cannot enter with you. Your pride cannot enter with you. All of your self-accomplishment, influence of money—all of it must be left behind if you are to enter the narrow gate. The rich young ruler discovered this when he wanted to become a disciple of Jesus. He was very wealthy and Jesus told him that before he could enter he had to give some of his possessions to the poor. The young man went away sorrowful. The gate was too narrow for him and his wealth.  Choosing to leave everything behind and entering through the narrow gate has tremendous blessings but it is hard. It takes commitment, sacrifice, and devotion to stay on the narrow road. However, this road leads to eternal life. Those who squeeze through this narrow gate will enjoy being in the presence of God for eternity.

Life is all about choices and life is about the freedom to make those choices. God loved us enough to allow us to choose which gate we will enter. When you stand at the fork in the road of life, which gate will you enter?

To answer the question, let us consult the words of Jesus. He said, “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.  14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14). The words of Jesus make it clear that the majority of people will be lost. He himself said that few would be willing to walk the path that leads to glory. This fact spoken by Jesus is a far cry from what we are hearing in the religious world around us. Listen again as Jesus speaks: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Jesus is the one and only way, the one and only truth, and the one and only life. There is no other way to heaven! Muhammad or Buddha will not lead a person to eternal life in heaven. Martin Luther, John Calvin, Joseph Smith or the Pope is not the way to heaven either. We cannot get there unless we are willing to follow Jesus Christ.  “Whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 10:38-39).

Are you following Jesus? Are you allowing His words to be your roadmap through this life? (Psalm 119:105). Those who would teach you that we are all going to heaven by different ways did not find that teaching in the Scriptures. Get on the only road to heaven and do not look back!

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”

Psalm 23

A famous actor was an after dinner speaker at a big fund raising function; and apparently he was well known for his voice because when he stood up to speak, he invited his audience to choose a poem for him to recite. There was a long silence until an older preacher raised his hand and asked for Psalm 23.

The actor was slightly taken back, but agreed to read the Psalm provided the preacher recite it after him; which the old man reluctantly agreed to do. So the actor recited Psalm 23 and received a standing ovation.

Then the preacher recited the Psalm, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Upon seeing this reaction from the crowd, the actor went over to the older preacher and said to the guests “Do you know the difference between his version and mine? I know the 23rd Psalm; but this man knows the Shepherd.

The difference between the two men in that story is that one knew about the Lord and the other knew the Lord. The reason why the old preacher’s recitation of the psalm moved people more than the actor’s is that it was obvious to them that the old preacher was not simply going through the motions but was actually familiar with the Shepherd of whom he spoke.

Is He your Shepherd?

If He is your Shepherd you will submit to Him. One cannot actually know God without obeying Him. You can know that He is your shepherd by keeping His commandments (1 John 2:3). Sheep follow the Shepherd (Psalm 23:2). They listen to His voice and follow His directions.

If He is your Shepherd you will trust in Him. If you are going to keep His commandments you will have to come to trust in His care. Following the Lord’s directions can be difficult at times. It can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, if you will trust in Him you can say with David, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4).

If He is your Shepherd you will enjoy Him. Having fellowship with God is not meant to be a burden but a joy. Praying to Him, doing His will, and worshipping Him are wonderful blessings that we are to enjoy. Do you enjoy spending time with Him?

If He is your Shepherd you will want for nothing. “I shall not want” are words that imply contentment. The satisfaction that is received from God is deeply spiritual and lasting. Searching for satisfaction from material things may satisfy you for a moment but it will always lead you to want more. Sheep are completely satisfied when they submit, trust, and enjoy their Shepherd.

Can you recite Psalm 23 as someone who knows the Shepherd?

Not long ago, one of the highest compliments an individual could receive was to be called a God-fearing person. Today, to say that an individual is a God-fearing person would bring ridicule and scorn. As Christians, we must not lose touch with how important fearing God is to our spiritual success.

Defining the Fear of God

• “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him” (Psalm 33:8). In this passage the Psalmist defines the fear of the Lord as “standing in awe of Him.” Having the fear of God is to have an awesome reverence of Him due to His being the glorious Person that He is. We are overwhelmed when we think of His greatness—His infinite knowledge and power, His complete sovereignty, His holiness, justice and goodness. We are nothing compared to Him. He is awesome and being aware of that fact produces awe and reverence for Him.

• A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? (Malachi 1:6). The Lord teaches us what it is to fear Him by using two earthly examples. A child is to honor their father. A servant is to fear their master. Honor and fear come from recognizing authority. The child is not equal to their father neither is the slave equal to their master. God is both our Father and Master. We are to honor and respect Him due to His rightful authority over us. This is another part of fearing God.

• I tell you my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after He has killed , has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him! (Luke 12:4-5). If someone put a shotgun to our head it would be normal for us to fear that person because our life is in their hands. Just as we would tremble in the presence of one who could take our life, Jesus taught us to fear the Lord and more so. Jesus says that another human might be able to kill your physical body but they cannot kill your soul. God, on the other hand, can not only kill us physically but He has the power and authority to destroy our soul in hell. He can make us suffer for eternity and that should cause us to have a fear of God!

There is a difference in fearing God and fearing man. It is natural to run away from another human being that we are afraid of. However, our fear of God should not cause us to run away from Him but to run to Him. Our fear of God should cause us to desire to draw closer to Him. Yes, He can punish us in hell, but He is the only One who can save us from hell. He is the One who offers us salvation. In Psalm 103:10-12 we read, “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.”

How to Show Our Fear of God

Let’s consider how we can show that we are a God-fearing person:

• Seek Divine Instruction: “Surely you will fear Me; you will accept correction” (Zephaniah 3:7). The first thing we can do to show our fear of God is to seek and accept instruction from Him. Our awe of God’s infinite knowledge and wisdom should make us want look to Him to see how we should live our lives. Furthermore, our honor and respect for Him should motivate us to want to learn how to live so that we can be pleasing to Him. God will teach us how to live so that we can live a happy and successful life. “Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will He instruct in the way that He should choose” (Psalm 25:12).

• Obey God’s Will: It is not enough just to learn what the commandments of God are. We must put the things that we learn into practice. “Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear Me and to keep all My commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29). “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments!” (Psalm 112:1). “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

• Hate and Depart Evil: It is not only important to obey God and follow His commandments but we need to show the fear of God by avoiding evil. We will not avoid evil unless we first hate it. “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil” (Proverbs 8:13). Here is a reason why some Christians still have sin dominating their lives: They are in love with it! Have you reached a point where you hate evil? Or do you flirt with sin and continue to be corrupted by it? Instead of hating evil do you spend your time and money filling your mind with evil? If we truly fear God we will hate evil in all its forms. “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil” (Proverbs 3:7).

Based on these points, are you a God-fearing person? If you are, that fear is not in vain. Living your life in the fear of God will lead to an eternal reward. “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life” (Proverbs 22:6).

Sunday
9:30 AM Bible Study — What Do You See?
10:30 AM Worship — Revive Us Again!
2:30 PM — Singing
3:30 PM Worship — Seeking the Lost

Evening Lessons:
Monday — Worship His Majesty!
Tuesday — Want to Walk on the Water? Get Out of the Boat!
Wednesday — Everyone Has a Story
Thursday — In God We Trust (or maybe not)
Friday — Good Grief— Really?

Morning Lessons:
Living Above the Daily Grind
Five Lessons from God’s Hymnal

Monday — What is Man? (Psalm
Tuesday — The Heaven’s Declare… (Psalm 19)
Wednesday — The Lord is My Shepherd (Psalm 23)
Thursday — Whom Shall I Fear? (Psalm 27)
Friday — The Wonder of It All (Psalm 139)

Jesus has called His disciples to be “fisher of men.” We need to learn how to fish to be successful. This class is a practical study on how to reach the lost with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. The dates below are the schedule of remaining classes. The study starts at 7:30.

January 12

January 26

February 9

February 23

One way to become unpopular with many people today is to stand up for an absolute standard of right and wrong. It is just not the “thing” to do these days. When you stand up for what is right and wrong with any amount of conviction you may be ridiculed, laughed at, and even flat out rejected. It even gets worse when you take a stand in the name of Jesus. People will call you names. You may even be called a religious fanatic or even a bigot. Yet some people are still able to stand up for what they believe in.

How do people do that today? How is it that some people have the courage and conviction to stand up for what is right?

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12).

There are at least four things in this passage that suggest to us how we can stand up for what we believe in.

• Know what is right. It does us no good if we stand up for something that is false. We are blessed when we stand up for righteousness. God’s word is our standard and we can know what is right by studying and allowing His word to guide our lives.
• Condition yourself to opposition. Notice the opposition that Jesus says we will face if we are going to stand up: insults, persecutions, and all kinds of evil said about us. Those are difficult things for us to accept. However, if we are going to make a stand we will have to condition ourselves for ridicule.
• Anticipate your reward. It is hard for us to understand how we can rejoice and be glad while we are being insulted and ridiculed for standing up for what is right. However, when we are facing opposition our thoughts can focus on the reward that we have waiting for us if we take a stand.
• Keep company with God’s greats. “For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” The ill treatment and ridicule for standing up for what you believe in is nothing new. Parents often worry about who their children are keeping company with. It should not be different for adults. The people we keep company with can greatly influence us. Why not keep company with great Bible characters? These examples can encourage and strengthen us to know that we are not the first to go through persecutions for righteousness.

Take a stand for the TRUTH today!

We are on a journey to our final destination in eternity. Many are trying to take the “shortest route” to heaven when they, like this Nevada couple, do not realize that it is not the “safe route.”

As we make this journey and punch in our desired destination to heaven, please allow me to share with you G.od’s  P.lan of S.alvation, which is not the “shortest route” but the “safest route”:

Faith:

The Hebrew writer states, “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is essential in obtaining the salvation that God offers through His Son, Jesus Christ, who said, “unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). The Son of God left the glory of heaven and came to this earth and lived as a man. He was rejected by His own people and put to death on the cross. Three days later He rose from the dead and appeared to over 500 people. This is what the apostle Paul says is the good news. “Now I would remind you brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). To reach our final destination we must have faith in this gospel! However, our directions do not end here. This is where many choose to take the “shortest route” to heaven and sadly, it will not lead them to their desired destination. God still has more directions for us.

Repentance:

Repentance is defined as “to change one’s mind.” When we choose to make heaven our destination we turn around and go in a new direction. We change from evil to righteousness. John the Baptist preached repentance: “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:1-2). Jesus preached repentance: “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (Matthew 4:17). The apostle Peter preached repentance: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:39). It is clear from the Scriptures that we are commanded to repent. Sin has separated us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2) and G.od’s P.lan of S.alvation requires that we repent.

The next direction is:

Confession:

Confession is a necessary direction to reach our final destination. Jesus said, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).  If we do not confess Him before men He will deny us before God. Paul tells us that, “with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10). We confess with our mouth something that we believe. This direction is one that is often misunderstood. Some churches teach that the sinner must confess all of their intimate sins to a priest. This is not the confession we read  about in the New Testament. Some churches tell the sinner to confess, “I accept the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Savior.” That is not found in the Bible. What then is the confession that is made unto salvation? Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). The Ethiopian eunuch confessed before his baptism: “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:37). This great confession affirms that the person referred to as Jesus in the Scriptures, who was born in Bethlehem and later died on the cross of Calvary is the only hope for sinful man. Confession by itself does not cause us to reach our destination. There is still one more direction that we must pay attention to.

Baptism:

Three times in the book of Acts the question or its equivalent is asked, “What must I do to be saved?” On the day of Pentecost during Peter’s sermon the people asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). On the road to Damascus, Paul asked, “What shall I do, Lord?” (Acts 22:10). Then, the jailer asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).  The answer in every case involved baptism. Peter told the people to be baptized for the remission of sins and about 3,000 people were baptized (Acts 2:38,41). Saul was commanded to “rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16). The jailer and his family were baptized at once after Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to them (Acts 16:31-33). Baptism is a burial in water. Paul said we have been “buried with Him in baptism” (Colossians 2:12). Sprinkling or pouring water over someone’s head is not the baptism that is found in the Bible.  Baptism is clearly taught in the New Testament that it is essential to reaching our final destination. Jesus said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Baptism is an essential direction in G.od’s P.lan of S.alvation.

G.od’s P.lan of S.alvation includes:

• Faith in Jesus Christ
• Repenting of sins
• Confessing Christ with the mouth
• Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ to receive forgiveness of sins

Leaving any of these directions out will result in a very dangerous turn away from the final destination of heaven.

Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me” (John 6:44-45). One must be drawn to God to enjoy the benefits of the resurrection on the last day.  How does that take place? Is a person drawn to God through a vision or dream, or some mysterious feeling? Thankfully Jesus answers this question for us. He teaches that a person is drawn to God by being taught the truth and learning of the Father. In other words, a person is drawn to a relationship with God when they have heard the gospel message.

When Jesus gave the great commission He said, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). We are commissioned to proclaim the gospel to the world because one is drawn to God through the message of the gospel.  Man has absolutely no hope of ever being reconciled to God without preaching and teaching the gospel. The message of the cross of Christ is God’s drawing power. Jesus said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).

As disciples of Christ we cannot sit back and wait for lost souls to experience some mystical feeling or dream because God does not draw man in that manner.  It is the hearing and obeying of God’s word that is able to save the soul (James 1:21).  No other message or method will draw will save one’s soul. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

The Silence of Scripture

It is noteworthy that the Scriptures are silent concerning the exact date of Jesus’ birth. We have a number of other events for which we have dates specified: the tenth of Abib was to be the Passover celebration (Deuteronomy 16:1); the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) was to be celebrated 50 days following the Passover sabbath (Deuteronomy 16:9-10); the Feast of Booths was to be celebrated a week after the harvest (Deuteronomy 16:13). Not only were these days specified, they were commanded for celebration among the Jews. Deuteronomy 16:16 says that all males had to appear before the Lord for those feasts. We can see even in the New Testament where those feasts were kept by the Jews. Luke’s gospel records Jesus going to the Passover with His family as a boy. John’s gospel marks time by the Passover and the Feast of Booths. Luke described Pentecost in Acts 2, noting that Jews had assembled in Jerusalem from all over the Roman Empire.

Yet when we come to the birth of Christ, God is silent concerning the actual date. Furthermore, the Scripture is silent concerning a command to celebrate His birth or examples of early Christians commemorating such. If celebrating Jesus’ birth is such a pivotal thing to Christians, why do we not read of it in Scripture?

Calculating from Zacharias

The most reliable method for calculating Jesus’ physical birth depends on what we know about the father of John the Baptist, Zacharias. Luke 1:5 records that Zacharias was “of the division of Abijah.” Under Jewish temple worship, the priests were divided into 24 divisions for service throughout the year. Abijah was the eighth such division (1 Chronicles 24:10).  According to the Jewish historian Josephus, each division served one week in rotation (thus, each course would serve twice in a year; the Talmud additionally states that every division served during the weeks of the three major feasts, making up the 51 weeks of the Jewish calendar). Computer calculations suggest that the Jewish year began in early April. Because of the way the dates fell, the division of Abijah would have served in the ninth week (Passover would have shifted the divisions a week) and also in the tenth week (for Pentecost). Zacharias would have returned home after Pentecost. This puts the conception of John sometime in late June.

Based on this reasoning, Jesus would have been conceived in late December (six months later, based on Luke 1:36), with a likely birth in September.

Surrounding Details

The September date is supported by additional details presented by Luke. Luke records shepherds in the fields with sheep (Luke 2:8). While Bethlehem winters could be mild, the traditional end to the sheep-grazing season was September, before the rainy season began. The census mentioned by Luke in Luke 2:1-5 would likely have been done locally when it was most convenient. The time after harvest would have been so, as the people were not burdened by the duties of the harvest. Additionally, it would have been the ideal season for tax collection and would have corresponded to harvest festivals when people may have been returning home anyway.

Do We Move Christmas?

So, should we move our celebration of Christmas to reflect this “new” understanding? Hardly. Even with such calculations, we could not pretend to pin down the date of Jesus’ birth with any certainty. Additionally, a celebration of Jesus’ birth is unheard of, as far as the Bible is concerned. While Jesus’ birth is significant, God does not command that we remember it. Recall that Jesus’ birth was not Jesus’ beginning. Rather, “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1). Jesus has played a role in God’s plan from the very beginning.

It is interesting that two of the four gospels (Mark and John) do not mention Jesus’ physical birth in any real detail (John does state that “the Word became flesh”) and only one (Luke) really deals with the events immediately surrounding the birth. In contrast, all four gospels describe in great detail the events of and surrounding Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.

Something to Remember

In contrast to His birth, we are commanded to remember His death, yet we do not do so annually–we do it weekly. The eating of unleavened bread and drinking of the fruit of the vine are done in remembrance of Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). According to Paul, when we eat the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death. We find that the early disciples did this weekly on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7).

So in the season when many recall Jesus’ birth, let us recall Jesus’ death and strive to follow after Him, not just in December, but in every day of our lives.