Two Paths to Eternity Part 1

Pastor Mike will be speaking on Two Paths to Eternity Part 1. He will be reading out of Isaiah 8:1-15.

God does not forsake his people. Even when our life is a mess, and even when we make some bad choices in our life, and we’re going down a direction that is not aligning with our core values or what honors Jesus Christ in our life, God is with us. Hello, this is Pastor Mike Sanders from The Open Door Church.

Welcome to Hope Worth Having. Today we’re going to be in Isaiah chapter 8, and we are going to be studying about the two paths to eternity. For all of us as humans, we have two choices, and that is we can follow the path to heaven or the path to hell.

And if we follow the path to heaven, then we receive the blessings of God, eternal salvation. And so we want to understand how do we choose the right path. Let’s get into the book of Isaiah.

If you have your Bible this morning, I want you to join me in the book of Isaiah chapter 8. We’re continuing to track through the book of Isaiah, and we’ve now come to Isaiah chapter 8. And we’ll be covering different sections of this chapter. This will actually be a two-part series again. We’ve entitled it Two Paths to Eternity.

Two Paths to Eternity. In 1960, in 1916, Robert Frost wrote his most famous poem, The Road Not Taken, which described a quandary that he found himself in. He was walking through the beautiful forest in the autumn, enjoying himself until he came to a fork in the road.

Which direction should he go? After a time of wrestling based upon uncertainty about the two destinations, he decided in the end to take the road less traveled. In his poem, he said, that has made all the difference. Jesus described even more poignantly, a far more significant choice.

He talked about two paths. One that leads to heaven, and the other leads to hell. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7, in verse 13 and 14, Enter ye into the straight gate.

For wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction. And many there be which go in thereat. Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

When we come to Isaiah chapter 8, again we are presented with two ways. Two paths. And they are woven together within this chapter.

And we are called to choose a path. The Bible teaches us that there is one way, and only one way, that leads to heaven. And his name is Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one cometh unto the Father but by me. My friends, there are not many ways that lead to God.

There are not many paths that lead to God. There is one path. And that is the path of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

What was true in the days of our Savior as he walked upon this earth. Was also true in the days of Isaiah the prophet. And as he looked forward, and proclaiming the coming of the Messiah, whom would be Jesus Christ.

He continued to remind the people that there were two paths to eternity. Now when we come to chapter 8, it’s important for you to understand it in full context. If you’ve been with us, you know that as we’ve been going through Isaiah.

That we have this King Ahaz. And he is in quite the dilemma. And all of a sudden there is the northern kingdom.

And they want to attack Judah. Which Ahaz is the king of. And so he is looking for a solution.

And what he decides to do is Ahaz builds an alliance politically with Assyria. To defeat his enemies. Assyria was the world power of the day.

It was the dominant country of that day. And Isaiah had already come to Ahaz and said don’t do it. Put your trust in God.

God will protect you. God will take care of you. God will meet your needs.

But Ahaz decided he was not going to listen to the prophet. He was going to do his own thing. And you can read all about this in Isaiah chapter 7. And 2 Kings chapter 16.

When we come to chapter 8. Ahaz has made this alliance. And now the prophet comes. And he wants the people to understand what is going to be the outcome.

And so before I get to the crux of the message I want to give you. I want you to see that there were three phases. That were the result of Ahaz dealing with Assyria.

And in phase 1 Assyria comes in. And kind of pretending to rescue Judah by destroying her enemies. So we read verse 1 all the way through verse 4. And this is symbolic language.

But to let us know that Assyria is coming in. And they’re going to protect Judah. And you remember that Judah was the southern kingdom.

Israel was the northern kingdom. They had split up. And Ahaz was the king.

So here we go. Verse 1. Moreover the Lord said to me. Take a large scroll.

And write on it with a man’s pen. Concerning Meher, Shalal, Hash, Baaz. And I will take for myself faithful witnesses to record.

Uriah the priest and Zachariah the son of Jeroboam. I know I’m struggling with these words too. And I’ve been practicing.

How do you guys think I did? Did I do okay? I’ve been practicing. But anyways. Then I went to the prophetess.

Which is Isaiah’s wife. And she conceived and bore a son. And then the Lord said to me.

Call his name. Now ladies get this. Meher, Shalal, Hash, Baaz.

What a wonderful name. What a great name. Verse 4. Before the child shall have knowledge to cry.

My father and my mother. The riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria. Will be taken away before the king of Assyria.

Again what we see these verses centering on. Is this mysterious name. Meher, Shalal, Hash, Baaz.

Which simply means speeding to the plunder. Or hurrying to the spoil. Here comes this mighty nation.

This mighty kingdom Assyria. They’re coming in. And they are going to destroy the enemies of Judah.

So they think. And not only are they under the pretense. That somehow they’re going to protect them.

But they think that when they’re done. Taking and destroying the enemies of Judah. That all of a sudden Assyria is just going to walk away.

And say there you go. Now you have your little nation and take care of yourself. But that’s not what’s going to happen.

In phase 2 of the text. We see the Lord has more work to do. Through Assyria.

And we pick up in verse 5. The Lord also spoke to me again saying. It is much as these people refuse the waters of Shiloah. That flow softly.

And this is again symbolic language. And here he is referring to. What God is doing and what his work would be.

It would be a peaceful river. Flowing softly. Rather than doing that.

They chose to rejoice and resent. And Ramaliah’s son. And now therefore behold the Lord.

Brings up over them the waters of river. Which is Assyria strong and mighty. And the king of Assyria.

And all his glory will go up over all channels. And go over all his banks. Look at verse 8. He will pass through Judah.

He will overflow and pass over. He will reach up to the neck. And the stretching out of his wings.

We will fill the breath of your land. Oh Emmanuel. Now what he is reminding them.

Is that God is going to use. Assyria. To bring judgment upon Judah.

Why? Because Judah refused to trust in the Lord. Judah refused to put their faith. In God.

They were going to rely on politics. They were going to rely on this great nation. Assyria.

That was wealthy and strong. And it had a military might. They were going to rely on them.

Instead of turning. To God almighty. So God uses this opportunity.

To judge Judah. Judah thought man they’re going to leave us alone. When they’re done.

But no they took over. The whole land of Judah. Now we see phase 3. And that is that God gives a promise.

To his people. And the promise is. That he will destroy.

Assyria. Look at verse 9. Be shattered O you peoples. Be broken in pieces.

Give ear all you from far countries. Gird yourselves but be broken in pieces. Gird yourselves but be broken in pieces.

Take counsel together. But it will come to nothing. Speak the word.

But it will not stand. For God is with us. Underscore that.

For God is with us. Because we’ve already heard in verse 8. O Emmanuel. And remember back in chapter 7. That we heard about a child.

That was going to be born. And his name would be Emmanuel. God with us.

And Isaiah the prophet said. God is going to send you. A child and it will be a reminder.

A sign to you. That God is with us. That even in the midst of the judgment.

Of God’s people. The prophet reminds. The people of God.

That God has not forsaken them. Though they had chosen a path. That was destructive.

A path that does not lead to God. Though they had chosen a path. That did not honor the Lord.

And put their faith and trust in God. That God was going to make it all come full circle. All because of the promise.

That he had given. And that is. God is with us.

That’s the thing. That you and I have to remember. Is that God does not forsake his people.

Even when our life is a mess. And even when we make some bad choices. In our life.

And we’re going down a direction. That is not aligning with our core values. Or what honors Jesus Christ in our life.

God is with us. And we can be encouraged. Knowing that Emmanuel.

Has not forsaken his people. He has not forsaken those who love him. Who live for him.

Who desire. To honor him in their life. So the judgment of God.

Would be upon Assyria. Now. I told you there was two paths.

There is the way of light. That Isaiah will teach us about. And then next time.

We’ll learn about the way of darkness. But let’s talk about the way of light. How it is described.

In Isaiah chapter 8. And I want you to make sure you have your Bible. This morning. And if you didn’t bring a physical Bible.

Grab one out of the pew. Or use your device. But whatever it takes.

Follow along with me. So that you don’t get lost. In the midst of everything.

I’m trying to share with you this morning. The first thing I want you to see. That the way of light.

Is a life in God’s firm grip. Look at verse 11. He’s already given us the promise.

But the Bible says. For the Lord spoke thus to me. With a strong hand.

And he instructed me. Here’s what I want you to see. That the strong grip.

Is a picture. Of the presence of almighty God. That he is there shielding.

And protecting. His people who choose. The way of light.

Who choose the path of God. Who choose the path. That honors the Lord Jesus Christ.

You have the hand of God. The presence of God. The strong grip of God.

Upon your life. This reminds me that Jesus. Who is our shepherd.

Our good shepherd. In the gospel of John. That he takes hold of every believer.

That every believer. Is in his hand. In his firm grip.

Jesus said I give unto them. Eternal life. And they shall never perish.

Neither shall any man. Pluck them out of my hand. What a wonderful truth to know.

That as I’m on my journey of faith. And I’m choosing the way. Of life and light.

And I’m following the path. That God has for me. That I am in the firm grip.

Of my savior. Now I know that some people like to see it differently. They like to say I’m holding on to Jesus.

My friends. Our grip is not good enough to hold on to Jesus Christ. What we need is Jesus to hold on to us.

Amen. We need the power. The presence of God in our life.

To guide us and to hold on to us. Because when the winds are blowing. And the storms and the seas are raging.

And the carpet is pulled out. From underneath our life. And everything is chaotic and confusing.

We need to know. That we are in the firm hand. And the firm grip of our lord and savior.

Jesus Christ. He leads us. He leads each one of us.

As believers and followers of Christ. He leads us powerfully. And victoriously through life.

And ultimately. He will lead us to heaven. He will lead us in that final consummation.

Of our faith. Where we will stand in the presence of God. And because he lives.

I can face tomorrow. Whatever storms may encounter me. Whatever dilemmas I might find myself in.

Circumstances. I am in the firm grip. And the hand of almighty God.

The apostle Paul. Said in second Corinthians. That he is leading us triumphantly.

That’s why I say to the church. Head up. Don’t get your head down.

Don’t be defeated. Don’t be discouraged. We are realistic about our circumstances.

We understand the situation that we are in. But we are head up. Because we are a people who have already obtained victory.

Through Jesus Christ. What Jesus accomplished on the cross. And through the resurrection.

Has already been granted to us. As victorious Christians. And therefore we are head up.

He is the lifter of my head. The psalmist said. And we therefore march with victory every day.

No matter what the outcome is on Tuesday. I’m not waking up Wednesday. And being discouraged.

Throwing in the towel. And ready to quit. I’m not going to do it.

Because all that does not determine. My victory as a believer. And I want to encourage you to know.

That as you walk in this journey of faith. God is leading you victoriously. And powerfully.

The bible says in Philippians 3.12. Not that I have already attained. Or am already perfected. But I press on.

And that I may lay hold of that. For which Jesus Christ. Also laid hold of me.

I love that last phrase. Jesus Christ has laid hold of me. We are in his grip.

We are in his protection. His covering. He is watching over us.

He is protecting us. What is our job? Because we have the power of Christ. Because we have the presence of Christ.

Because we have the hand of God. Upon us. We press on church.

Why? Because as the Hebrew writer said. We see Jesus. Everybody else sees problems.

We see Jesus. Everybody else sees disaster. But we see Jesus.

That even in the judgment of God. He can be doing his work in our life. That even in.

How things may not unfold like we want them to be. Jesus Christ. God himself.

Can be working effectively in our life. And so we press on like that runner. You know when we watch some of the Olympics.

We watch some of these races. And how close they were this year. And those runners would stretch.

And with all their might. They would agonize to get across. That finish line.

And I believe one of them. There in the race. Just barely won by stretching forth.

And that’s what you and I do church. We do not retreat. We do not give up.

We continue to press on. For the Lord Jesus Christ. Because we know that our life.

Is in his firm grip. The second thing I want you to see. That the way of light.

Is a life listening to God’s word. I’m back in verse 11. And again you’ll note.

He says in chapter 8 of Isaiah. That he instructed me. The prophet said he instructed me.

He is speaking to me. His strong hands upon me. But he’s instructing me.

That I should not walk in the way. Of this people. So I want you to know.

That a person who walks in the light. Listens to God’s word. That the bible teaches us.

That we are his sheep. And we listen to his voice. John 10 27 says.

My sheep hear my voice. I know them. And they follow me.

We do not listen to the voice of the world. We do not listen to the voice. Of naysayers.

We do not listen to the voice of those. Who are critical and negative. And hateful and rude.

We listen to the voice of God. And we follow the way. Of life and light.

We follow the path. That Jesus Christ has. Every one of us must remember.

That there are many voices. Speaking into our life. That are trying to get our attention.

And to call us away from the truth. And to call us away. From what is right and honorable.

To Jesus Christ. But we are his true sheep. And therefore we should only hear.

And respond. And activate the voice of God. In our life.

How does God speak? He speaks through his word. He speaks through the power of his spirit. He speaks through people.

In our lives. He speaks as we pray. He speaks as he gives peace.

God is not the author of confusion. The scripture says. But he is the author of peace.

And so we understand. Anything that is confusing in this world. Is not from God.

If you are frustrated. And not sure which path to take. I want you to know.

That follow the path of peace. And what is honorable to God. What is obedient to the Lord.

Don’t follow the path of confusion and chaos. That is not from God almighty. But we hear.

And we listen to his voice. But I want you to note again. In verse 11 he says.

What did God say to Isaiah? I should not walk in the way. Of this people. I think the third principle.

Is the way of life. Is a counter cultural life. A life that goes against.

The current. Listen to me church. We march to the beat.

Of a different drummer. It is not the drummer. Of the world.

It is the heavenly drummer. We do not live. In fear.

Of the world. Or people. Notice in verse 12 he says.

Do not say a conspiracy. Concerning all that this people. Call a conspiracy.

Nor be afraid of their threats. Nor be. Troubled.

We don’t follow the fear of man. The bible says. That the fear of man is a snare.

Paul the apostle. Told Timothy the pastor. He said that we have not been given.

A spirit of fear. Meaning the fear of man. We don’t operate in fear.

Of people. We are living our lives. Out of love for the lord.

Jesus Christ. We don’t love. What the world loves.

We love what God loves. And therefore we live a life. That is separated from this world.

That is insulated. From this world. We do not live as they live.

It doesn’t make us. Super spiritual. It doesn’t make us self righteous.

It doesn’t mean that somehow. We are better than others. But we hear the words of God.

When he tells us in 2nd Corinthians 6. 17. Therefore come out from among them. And be what church? Separate.

Says the lord. Do not touch what is unclean. And I will receive you.

The call of the believer. Is not to follow the way of the world. But it is.

To be counter cultural. And to be willing. To follow the path that God.

Has given us. Will there be people who press down on us. And push back because we don’t.

Follow their way. Or what the consensus is. Of the world.

Or that what the world. Wants me to believe. Absolutely.

And I want to tell you. You are right. In questioning some of the things.

That are going on in this crazy world. You are right to be thinking through it. Now we always are respectful.

We do things with meekness. And we are not here to be hateful. Rude obnoxious.

But I am telling you here church. It is okay to think through. What this world is trying to tell us to do.

Amen. And so we are thinking through those things. But we also note.

That the life of one. Who follows the way of light. Is a life of fear.

And fearlessness. Now I know what you are saying. Pastor Mike you just told us.

You just told us that we are not to be in fear. That is right. But I want you to know there is a distinction.

Of a fear of man. Or fear of people. And there is a fear of God.

Look at verse 13. The Bible says the Lord of hosts. Him you shall hallow.

Or him shall you reverence. Let him be your fear. Let him be your dread.

And what he is saying. Is that we live a life. In fear of the Lord.

The fear of the Lord. Is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. The proverb writer said.

We understand that our God is a holy God. He is a consuming fire. And that there ought to be respect.

And there ought to be reverence to God. As we live our lives. When we think about what we are doing.

Where we are going. What we are reading. What we are looking at.

What we are scrolling through. We got to remember that there is a holy God. Who is watching us.

And out of reverence to him. Out of respect to him. Out of a holy.

Healthy. Fear of God. We respond to walk.

In the way. Of light. Ahaz and Judah.

Had become fearful. Of their enemies. And the Bible tells us.

In chapter 7. That their hearts were like the trees. Who were bending. In the wind.

They couldn’t handle it. They crumbled. Because of the fear of man.

And what they should have done. When the prophet came to them. And said don’t be afraid of people.

Don’t be afraid of Assyria. Don’t be afraid of the northern kingdom. But put your trust in God.

They should have feared the Lord. They should have reverence God. They should have made God number one.

In their life. They should have made him a priority in their life. And they should have walked in the way of the light.

And God would have taken care of them. But they said no we are afraid of our enemies. And so we are going to ask the world.

To help us. With our problems. How many times have believers done that? There is a fearlessness.

To us. As believers. But there is a healthy fear.

Where we make Jesus number one. And we reverence him. In our heart.

Remember the words of our savior. He said do not fear those. Who kill the body.

But cannot kill the soul. But rather fear him. Who is able to destroy both soul and body.

In hell. So we have this dichotomy going on. In our hearts.

There is a fearlessness in us. That we are bold and confident. And courageous.

And ready to take on the world. For the Lord Jesus Christ. But there is also this reverence in our hearts.

And our great respect. To all that God has taught us. In the presence of Jesus Christ.

That we. Have a healthy fear. Of our God.

What is the next step. Of a person who follows the way of life. Of light.

It is a life resting. In the true. Sanctuary.

A life resting in the true sanctuary. We come down to verse 14. He will be as a sanctuary.

But a stone of stumbling. And a rock of offense. To both the houses of Israel.

As a trap and a snare. To the inhabitants of Jerusalem. What is he talking about? When he says he will be a sanctuary.

He is talking about he will be. A refuge. A safe haven.

We think about all that happened. Not too long ago. With our fellow citizens.

In North Carolina. The western part. Where they had all this water.

Flooding their communities. And their homes. For some of them they had to run to shelter.

They had to run to places. Of even houses of worship. So that they could have a refuge.

From the ravaging. Flooding. That was destroying lives.

And taking people’s lives. Unfortunately. In our text in chapter 8. Ahaz had aligned with the enemies of God.

In Assyria. Because he was unwilling to trust God. And stand firm in his faith.

And what is before him are two paths. A path with the Lord. Or a path separated from God.

And it’s unfortunate that he chooses. The path to hell. And we got to remember.

That as believers. That we want to follow this path. And be faithful to God.

And that we want to receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of you have not responded. And it’s time for you to respond.

You’re hoping one day you will. Well now. Today is the day of salvation.

Respond to God. Receive him. As your Lord and Savior.

Repent. And turn to God by faith. And follow him.

This is the path to eternal life in Jesus Christ. And we hope that will be true in your life. We want you to check us out on HopeWorthHaving.com And you can sign up for our devotions.

These devotions are written with a desire. To help you to go deeper in your faith. And stronger in your walk with God.

This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you. That in Christ there is hope worth having.