Good morning everyone. Great to see you and welcome. We're going to have a baptism today, which I think will be pretty exciting. And it's my privilege to share with you the Word of God.
I'm going to continue to focus on the teachings of Jesus Christ. And in my meditation, I have found that the teachings of Jesus Christ were revolutionary. His doctrine and what he taught was very different than the scribes and the Pharisees of that day. And his doctrine was revolutionary.
He spoke with authority. Why? Because he is God. And when you consider the scriptures and understand that the words of Jesus Christ are the very words of God.
He knows the eternal past as well as the eternal future as if it is the very present. And he knows the individual hearts and thoughts of all mankind. And he spoke with amazing authority. He had power and wisdom that no one had ever seen.
His words, they were convicting. He spoke with deep spiritual reality that resonated with every human heart. And today I want to share with you the teaching of Jesus Christ. I'd like to start by reading a proverb.
I think this is very fitting. Let's read in Proverbs 16. Proverbs 16 and we're going to read at verse 25. I've just listed the main four scripture readings that we're going to read today.
They're up on the screen. So if you don't have your Bible, you can follow along. Proverbs 16 and verse 25. There is a way that seems right unto a man, but in the end leads to death.
A way that seems right unto a man in the end, it leads to death. Let's look at Matthew chapter 7. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 13, enter in at the narrow gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction. And many there be who go in that way because narrow is the gate and hard is the way that leads to life.
And only a few find it. Many go in the wide gate and the broad way. And it says only a few find the narrow way that leads unto life. If you look at verse 21, it says, not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven.
But he that does the will of my father who is in heaven, many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, we have prophesied in your name and in your name we have cast out demons and in your name we have done many wonderful works. Then I will profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart for me you that work iniquity or you that works sin. Verse 24, therefore whosoever hears the sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man who built his house upon a rock and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house.
And it fell not for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone who hears the sayings of mine and does them not shall be likened unto a foolish man who built his house upon the sand and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell and great was the fall of it. And it came to pass that when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine for he taught them as one who had authority and not as the scribes. John chapter 10, John chapter 10 and verse 9, Jesus said, I am the door.
By me if anyone enters in, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. I am the door, the door. Jesus was saying in this passage, I am the only door. By me anyone who enters in will be saved.
One last verse in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 11. Here's what it says, no one can lay any foundation other than the one that is already laid which is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the foundation that every one of us can build on. That's all I want to read and I trust that the Lord will touch our hearts as we consider this passage together.
The teachings of Jesus Christ. In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus did something amazing. As God who is the creator of all mankind, the giver of life, the one who holds breath for every human being in his hand, he draws back the curtain and he lets us see into the great beyond eternity. What happens when a person leaves this world and dies?
What is beyond? And essentially Jesus was saying two things, asking two major questions. Where are you going? And what are you building your life on?
Where are you going? What road are you on? And what are you building your life on? I want to speak to you today about two foundations, about two roads and one door.
That's essentially what Jesus taught in Matthew chapter 7. There are two foundations that every human being that ever lived is building on. There are two roads that all of us are traveling on. You see we have souls that are going to exist forever and we are on a journey and we are traveling either one of two roads but there is only one door into heaven and that door is Jesus Christ.
And so Jesus exhorted the multitudes, his disciples saved and unsaved that day in Matthew chapter 7 on the Sermon on the Mount and he said, make sure, make sure you are on the right road traveling in the right direction and you are going to arrive at the destination that you want to be at. Have you ever considered where you would be if you died today? Pretty blunt direct question. If you walked out of here today and something horrific happened and you died, where would your soul be on the other side?
The Bible teaches that there is heaven and there is hell and there is no purgatory. That is not in the Bible. Every soul that departs this life in a split second wakes up either in heaven with Christ forever or they die in their sins and they awake in hell and that's what the Bible teaches. And so Jesus' doctrine and his authority, it was revolutionary.
People had never heard of this kind of teaching before and he said, everyone is building on one of two foundations and everyone is heading in one of two destinations and you are on a road traveling today and the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ alone. As I started to prepare for this message this week, I had a busy week and I was reading this chapter and I was reading it over and over again and I was thinking about it. Something amusing and alarming happened to me this week and I'm going to share with you what it was. It's a little bit embarrassing but that's okay.
So this is a map of Tennessee and Georgia. On Thursday morning I was in Chattanooga, Tennessee and I met the president and CFO of a Canadian distribution company that was having a critical meeting with our president and executive team. Our head office is in Cauhoon, Georgia and I was a host and so it was my responsibility to take the president and CFO of a Canadian distribution company and drive them to our corporate head office to meet with an executive team in a boardroom. The meeting was at 9.30 and so I met the president and CFO in the lobby of the hotel in Chattanooga, Tennessee at 8 a.m.
It's an hour's drive to Cauhoon. We got 30 minutes to spare, everything looks good. So the valet guy rolls up with the car, I get in the car and it's a rental car and I pull on the GPS and I type in, Cauhoon. Cauhoon comes up, touch Cauhoon and I say start my route.
Boom. President gets in, he's sitting beside me, CFO's in the back, we pull on to the highway, we are on I-75. Okay, here's what I didn't know. There's two Cauhoons.
One is in Georgia and it is an hour south of me and one is in Tennessee and it's an hour north of me. So I pull on the highway and we're chatting about Mohawk and economy and Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau and the complexities of the world that we live in and everything feels right. And I think I'm on the right road and I think I'm going in the right direction and we travel for an hour north. And so finally there's an exit, 136 Cauhoon.
Great. Looks like we're here, Mr. President, everything looks good, we're 15 minutes early, let's find a Starbucks and have a coffee. You guys are laughing, seriously, this is how this went down.
So we pull in and I said, this is strange, I don't recognize this town. And I said, I think we're in Cauhoon and we passed by a billboard and it said, Cauhoon, welcome to Cauhoon. CFO in the back seat says, yeah, yeah, we're okay, we're in Cauhoon. Okay, great.
Where's my head office? I don't recognize this place and I started to feel this real uneasy feeling. And the President pulls out his phone and he says, there's something wrong with my phone. I said, what's wrong with your phone?
He said, this says we're in Tennessee. So I pull out my phone and he goes, it's not working, I might not have service. And I said, mine's broken too. Mine says we're in Tennessee.
And the CFO in the back seat says, are there two Cauhoon? Suddenly I realized, where are we? We're an hour and a half in the wrong direction and the meeting is starting in five minutes. How do you think I felt?
My heart sunk because suddenly the words of Matthew chapter seven sunk in, resonated in my heart. Do you know why? Because I was able to equate with something that's absolutely real. I'll tell you what it is.
Most people in this world, most are traveling on the wrong road, going the wrong direction, heading toward death and destruction and they are blissfully unaware. They are asleep to the eternal realities of what it would mean for them to die in their sins. I would say that it's possible that there may be some people like that sitting right here right now in this church. It's a very sobering thing to wake up and realize, I'm in the wrong place.
I've gone in the wrong direction. I have made a mistake. And this is what happened to me today or this past week as I plan to prepare this message today. And I think God used it to really speak to my heart and soul.
Folks, there are two foundations that I want to share with you today. And Jesus said that everyone is either building on one of these two foundations. There is the rock, the rock. It is Jesus Christ.
And Jesus said, everyone who builds their house, their life on this rock is a wise man. Do you know why? Because the rock, Jesus Christ, is solid. It is strong.
If you're living in a very changing, challenging, uncertain world, could I say something today to everyone? You need Jesus Christ as your Savior. If you are building your life on anything other than Jesus Christ and the Word of God, you are building on sand. Jesus Christ is the rock that is solid.
Do you know that he said 36 times in the New Testament? The Word never. Here's what Jesus said. The one who believes in him will never perish.
There are John 10 and 28. People mock the Word of God today, don't they? There are blasphemers and scoffers. That should be no surprise to us because the Word of God said in the last day, there will be lots of scoffers.
But here's what Jesus said. Heaven and earth, everything that you see. God's beautiful creation, everything that you see will pass away. But my Word will not pass away.
It will never pass away. The Word of God is going to exist forever in heaven for all eternity. The Word of God is set forever. Christ, you do well.
I do well to read this book. These are the words of God. This book is etched in stone forever. You can build your life on it.
Everything that it says in this will never let you down. It will never fail. Heaven and earth and everything is going to be folded up like a garment, Hebrews, chapter 1 says, and put away. But the Word of God will abide forever.
Let me draw you to a picture that is pretty frightening. Revelation 20 and verse 11, I saw the dead, small, and great stand before God. Heaven and earth had fled away. There was nothing but space.
And every person that has ever lived is standing before God. Do you know what it says in that passage? And the books are opened. And men are judged out of the things that are written in the books.
This is solid. If you're building your life on the words of Jesus Christ, you will never be put to shame. It will never fail. It is eternal and it cannot be refuted.
It is the words of the living God. And Jesus said, everyone who is wise builds their life on the words of this book, Jesus Christ. He said in Romans 10 and verse 11, anyone who believes in me will never be put to shame, never be ashamed. Do you know that Jesus Christ is strong?
Yes. Men put him on a cross. And people thought when he walked on the scenes of this earth that he was weak, he is not weak. He is strong.
He is the Almighty God. In Isaiah 63 it says, he is mighty and able to save. In Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 25, he is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him. Can I just tell you this today?
If you ever get awakened in your sin and if your conscience ever bothers you and you feel this need to bow before God and you're willing to come, he will never cast you out. Never. Him that cometh to me, I will never cast out. Jesus Christ is strong, able and ready to save.
Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Let me give you a picture. Peter's in a boat one day. Matthew chapter 14.
They're in a midst of a storm. Symbolic of the storms of life. Infusion, wind, adversity. They think they're going to perish.
Jesus comes walking upon the water and Peter says, Lord, is it really you? He says, be not afraid. It's I. Peter says, if it's really you, bid me to come.
I'll walk on the water towards you. Would you have that kind of faith? I don't think I would. Peter gets down out of the boat and he starts walking on the sea.
He looks around. This is pretty scary and he starts to sink and he cries, Lord, save me. What did Jesus do? Immediately he took Peter by the hand and he saved him.
That is a spiritual picture for everyone of us that feels the need of calling upon God in our soul. I don't know what you're going through right now. I don't know what's on your heart, what's on your conscience. I don't know where you are before God, but I know this.
Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Is there somebody here today and you're struggling? Maybe struggling with some sin in your life. Maybe struggling with some deep trial.
Maybe struggling with family issues or financial issues or employment issues and you want to call upon God. I'm throwing out the word of God to you today. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. That is a promise from God, the words of God.
If you step out in faith and believe in Jesus Christ and build your life on him, your wise and your building on a solid, solid rock. 1 Corinthians 3 says a very amazing thing. There is no other foundation. It doesn't matter what you think you're building your life on, your good works, your church going, your reputation, your generosity, all the stuff that you think that you're doing in your building.
That's sand. If you're depending on your church going, your religion or anything that's connected to you or your life or your character, you are building your life on sand. Let me tell you a secret. We're all sinners.
We all have a sinful nature. We all look good on the outside. We are corrupt and wicked to our very core and left to ourselves that we will destruct. If you humble yourself and call out to God and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, your building, your life on a solid rock that will never let you down.
What about sand? This may not be shocking to you. The majority of people in our world today, I don't know how many people, there are 8.something billion, the majority of the people in this world today are building their life on sand. And there's a storm coming.
Yes, you're living in a temporary body with an expiry date, you're having an appointment to meet God, you will die. Are you ready? There's a tribulation that is looming that is going to take place in this earth. Terrible things will happen.
One third of the world's population will die. There is a storm coming. The wrath of God is going to hit this world. Are you sheltered in Jesus Christ?
Are you ready for this coming storm? You can be and you ought to be. But the awful sobering reality is the majority of people in this world are building their life on sand. Jesus said, everyone who hears this book hears my saints.
Have you heard it? Yes, you've heard it. I get amazed at people on the street that we tell them the gospel over and over again. And they take those cards and they take the gospel and they take the words and they mock and they blaspheme.
They've heard the word of God. They've heard it. It's an eternal incorruptible seed that's been planted in their heart. And Jesus said, everyone who hears these saints of mine and does not do them.
I will liken him unto a foolish man who builds his house on sand. Could you imagine? The poor and concrete foundation on sand? Like seriously, there's a big portion of Richmond in Vancouver that's literally built on sand and there's an earthquake coming.
And some of these homes are millions and millions and millions of dollars. But when that storm comes, those houses that have no basements because they're literally built on sand are going to sink. What a spiritual picture of people. And I know a lot of them.
People in the corporate world that have millions and millions of dollars and they fly around in their corporate jets and they talk about their stocks and they have all of this beautiful lifestyle. They've built their life on sand. Sand. And when that storm comes, they're going to sink.
They have no foundation, no bedrock, nothing under them, nothing holding them up. And Jesus said, everyone who doesn't believe the word of God, who doesn't pay attention to my words, I will liken him unto a foolish man who's built his house upon sand. Shifting sand, constantly changing. Are you wise?
Are you foolish? According to Matthew, chapter 7, what's the foundation of your life? What are you building on? I'd like to speak to you briefly about the two roads that Jesus spoke about.
Two foundations? Everyone here is either building on one of those two foundations, on Jesus Christ or on everything else. Everyone here is traveling on one of two roads. You are either traveling on the broad way that leads to destruction or you are traveling on the narrow way that leads to life and heaven.
You know what Jesus said in Matthew, chapter 7, and verse 13? I began today by saying his teaching was revolutionary. This wasn't awakening to people's minds because most people want to be with the majority. Isn't that right?
Most people want to be with where the majority popular vote is. You know, what everybody else is doing, we have this herd mentality, we all follow each other like sheep. Get into the word of God. Forget about what everybody else says and look at what the scripture says.
There is a way that seems right unto a man, but it leads to death. It leads to death. Why? Because it's their own way.
It's their own thinking. It is not God's way. Two roads that I'm going to present to you today, the broad road and the narrow way. The broad way leads to death and destruction.
Jesus said something about this that's interesting. He said it's wide. Real wide. Why is the broad way so wide?
I'll tell you why. It fits with, should I say this? Canadian politics. It's very tolerant.
The broad way is very tolerant. It includes all religions. Yeah, you have your faith. I got mine.
That's your truth. I got my truth. My truth is that our way is so wide. It includes all religions.
It includes all walks of life. It doesn't really matter. You want to be gay. You want to be straight.
You want to be this. You want to be that. You believe in this. You don't believe in that.
That's okay. We celebrate diversity. Isn't that what we celebrate in Canada? We're a broad way.
We are wide open. We include all religions. All walks of life. All the human imaginations.
People are so crazy these days. Ask Warren. You know what? They'll say to us on the street.
Oh, you believe in that book? You believe in your Jesus? I believe in energy. I believe in the spaghetti monster from Mars that's going to come.
Seriously, you guys are laughing. This is what people think. It's the imagination of all human mankind. Those people are on the broad way.
They're very, very tolerant. They're open thinkers. They include all human imaginations. The broad way has room for all sinful pleasures and self-righteousness and all the self-righteous religions of human effort.
This is a very broad way. You know what Jesus said about it? He said it was downward. Okay, anything that's going down, you can't be good.
The broad way is downward and it leads to death and destruction. It says it's crowded. It is full of many, many people that are asleep, spiritually blind, blissfully unaware of the fact that they are perishing. Could I just say this?
If there's anybody here and you know that you're on that broad way, could I just really encourage you to wake up, to repent, to change your thinking because we love you in Christ and we don't want to see anyone perish. And anyone that comes to this church, we want them to hear the word of God. The whole truth of the Bible. Not my words, not my opinions, not David's, not Eunene.
It's not about our opinions. It's about the whole word of God. Folks, there is a narrow way. Do you know why it's narrow?
You guys, not very many people find it. Jesus said that. It's a small, narrow way, a narrow gate. It's difficult to find.
Do you know why it's so difficult to find? Because we got this major problem in our life. It's called self. We get in the way of what God is saying to us.
We have selfish pursuits, selfish intents, selfish pleasures. It's all about self. We live in a selfish world. A person that finds that narrow way has got to battle their self.
It needs to strive to enter in. It's hard to find because a person that finds that narrow way has got to humble themselves. Jesus said that it was difficult to follow Him. He said that.
If any man will follow me, let him take up his cross and follow me. Let him deny himself. These are challenging realities. You know what else Jesus characterized this narrow way by?
He said it's straight. It is a straight way. It's not easy to find because it calls people to repent, to accept God's truth, to accept salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone on the basis of grace, unmerited favor. It is a gift of God.
If you're ever going to get on the narrow way, you're going to have to realize you're lost, you're hopeless, you can do nothing to help yourself and you need to come God's way and repent of your sin and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone as the only way to heaven. Two roads. Could I ask you today? Which road are you traveling on?
I hope every single one of us have found that narrow way by trusting in Jesus Christ. I hope that today you all have the certainty of knowing that you are traveling on that narrow way. How many people have ever seen this? This is something that hangs on the wall in 99% of the churches that I used to be a part of, the gospel halls.
This is a great graphic description of what Jesus taught in Matthew 7. You can see right here. There's a broad way, Matthew 7 and 13, and there's a narrow way, and every single one of us are either on this broad way heading toward the pillar of death. If you don't get off this broad way and you cross that pillar of death, you're going to hell and you're going to die in your sins and you're going to experience the wrath of God that is awfully hard to say, but it is absolutely true and I need to tell you that.
The only way off this broad way is through this door. Do you see that white door? We're born on this broad way. We are born in sin and shapened in iniquity, heading against God on a path to self-destruction and we will die in our sins and be in hell unless we pull a 180.
That's what I did on I-75 when I got to Calhoun, Tennessee. I pulled a 180 and I said, oh my goodness, I have made a terrific mistake. This is terrible. I phoned the boardroom.
The executives are in the boardroom. Hey, John, we're ready for you. You got these guys here? Listen, I made this massive mistake.
I'm in Calhoun. Great, good. So you're almost there. I'm in Calhoun, Tennessee.
What? What? You're an hour and a half away. I know.
I'm so sorry. I've made this horrific mistake. I got up on highway. I never went to Starbucks, by the way.
I got on highway, 75, and I pulled a 180. I headed straight south. I did not pass go. I did not collect $200.
I went straight for Calhoun, Georgia. Okay, you guys got the picture. If you're on this broad road and you are heading away from God and you are in your sins and you are in danger of perishing, I implore you today to pull a 180. Repent.
Turn around. Change your mind. Change your thinking. Change your direction.
Because Jesus said, I am the door. By me, if anyone enter in, he shall be saved. You know what the front of that door says? You can't see it because it's not written there, but I'll tell you what it says.
It says written right above that door. Whosoever will may come. That's what Jesus said. Whoever believes in me, they will never perish but have everlasting life.
Jesus said, I am the door. By me, whoever enters in will be saved. Can I make this abundantly clear in case I haven't been clear already? There are not many ways to have it.
There is one door and only one and it is Jesus Christ. Jesus said, I am the door. There is only one way to God. John 14 and verse 6, you know exactly what it says.
Jesus said, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. No one comes to God but through me.
Jesus said, one door, one way. He is the one and only person that can save you from hell. He is the one and only person that is able to save you and this is not optional. We are commanded by God in Acts chapter 4 and verse 12.
Here's what it says. Neither is their salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved. One door, one way, one person. Could I tell you what happened at the cross?
You know on April the 16th this year I visited Jerusalem. I had an amazing experience. And something resonated in my heart when I got to Skull Hill because I know that on this very planet at this very spot the precious blood of Jesus Christ was shed for me. I have no problem telling you today that I am a sinner.
If you knew all the sins that I have committed to my life, you would be ashamed of me and you probably wouldn't want me up here talking to you. I would say that if I knew all the sins it would be the same thing. But I can tell you that the word of God says this. In Galatians chapter 1, He gave Himself for our sins that He might rescue us.
Rescue us from this present evil age. This world is not going to get better. We are on the Titanic. It's a sinking ship.
I don't care what you do to the environment or climate change or billions and billions of dollars. Forget it. It's going to perish and you need to get off before it sinks. And Jesus Christ gave Himself for our sins on the cross 2,000 years ago the first Friday in April, AD 30 at Skull Hill.
He was crucified. And men put Him on a cross. They nailed His hands in His feet. And three dark hours God Almighty who knows the sins of the entire world, even the generations that never lived.
Your sins in mine were fully accounted for on the cross. And Jesus said it is finished. He paid the debt, praise God once and for all for the entire world, for your sins for mine. He has made atonement, He has made provision.
God has been satisfied. And today He is able, ready and willing to save to the uttermost unlimited all that come unto God by Him. He's the only way to heaven. Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior?
If you haven't today, it's the most important thing in your entire life. It's the only thing worth living for because on the day that you die, nothing else will matter. Am I going to heaven? Am I on that right?
Narrow way. Am I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ? Am I built on the right foundation? Jesus is the only way.
We're going to shift gears here and I'm going to share with you quick thoughts about baptism. We have the pleasure today of having our sister obey the Lord in baptism. You might think, what does this mean? It's really amazing to me.
How many people that we meet on the street that says, yeah, I'm a Christian. How are you Christian? Oh, baptized. Oh, okay.
So many people actually think that it's their baptism that saves them. I want to share with you what the Bible says about believers baptism because that is incorrect. Your baptism does not save you. Baptism alone will not bring you into the kingdom of God.
Baptism was commissioned by Jesus in Matthew 28 and 18. Jesus said to his disciples, go into all the world and preach the gospel. And everyone who believes baptize them, teach them to observe all the things that I have commanded you. Believers baptism, what we're about to do with it, you're going to witness today was actually commissioned by Jesus to carry out.
It was commanded. This is actually a step of obedience. For our sister to obey the Lord in baptism, it was commanded to be baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28 and 19. But you know what else our brothers said today, baptism was celebrated.
This is a time of rejoicing. It's like a wedding. This is a major celebration in the life of a believer that follows the Lord in baptism. It was celebrated in Acts 8 and 39 by the Ethiopian eunuch.
What did he do after he came out of the waters of baptism? He went around sad the rest of his life. No, read it. It says he went on his way, rejoicing.
He wanted to tell everybody about it. He was rejoicing. How about in Acts 16, Philippian jailer? When he was baptized, it says he rejoiced believing in God with his whole house.
So what is baptism? Baptism is identification with Christ. Our sister, when she goes down into the waters of baptism, she is publicly telling everyone that she is a believer in Jesus Christ and she is following Jesus Christ as her Lord. This is a public declaration of my association with Jesus Christ.
This is saying, he's my Savior and I want to tell the world and I'm not ashamed of it. Secondly, baptism is a commitment. Our sister is making a commitment that she's going to live her life for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and she's going to follow him. You know, baptism is a great occasion for all of us who have been baptized many, many, many, many years ago to go back to that moment and renew our commitment to Jesus Christ.
It is symbolic. Scripture teaches in Romans 6 that baptism is symbolic. So it's not sprinkling. You're going to see our sister go right down into the water and come back up and she's going to be fully immersed.
Why is that? Because in Romans 6, it says, no you not that as many of you who are baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death. So we are declaring that when Jesus died on the cross, symbolically I died with him. I was buried with him and I was raised again in a new life with Christ.
My old life, my sinful self, I'm walking away from and I am symbolically living my life to follow my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope that you enjoy the baptism. Thank you.