The Most Dangerous Turn You Can Make

Happy Sabbath, everyone! Wow, that was great. Really appreciate the special music. Beautiful rendition of that, beautiful voice. The words fantastic. Wow. Well, that's it for services today. Thank you, Courtney. Really appreciate the music. What a blessing to come together and worship God and be edified by beautiful music. So we certainly do appreciate that. Well, since I have some notes, I guess I might as well go ahead with the sermon anyway. We've probably all been in a situation where you've been driving along, maybe even heading back home, and you come to a familiar crossroad, and there's that sign that kind of appeared out of nowhere that says, road closed. Anybody experience that? And we're all overjoyed by seeing that because now we've got to go a different way. This happened to me one time. I had been out visiting all day, and I had just come through that area in the morning, come back at night, it's dark, and then suddenly here's the sign, road closed, bridge out. Of course, my first reaction is, okay, I guess I have to go. No, my first reaction was, oh, come on. No way! They couldn't have taken the bridge out in those couple of hours I was gone. Not possible. So what did I do? Well, go right around that sign and head down the road. Now, going very carefully because it was dark, and sure enough, the bridge was gone. Turn around, go back the other way. And to add insult to injury, as I came back to the backside of that sign, it said, I told you so.

So some smart highwaymen put that on there just for people like me. So if that's ever happened to you, I think there is a connection that, you know, sometimes there's those signs that God puts out there as a warning. And sometimes He will tell us very direct, don't go back the way you came. Don't go back the way you came. And I can't help but think, well, why? Why do at times we have this tendency to take the most dangerous turn you could make?

You know, if I had just taken off at full speed, I would have went right into the river. But it seems human nature takes us that way. It draws us to these familiar roads that, well, at times, you know, under pressure, we do these things. And even though we know, wow, that's a road that can only lead to trouble or to bondage. And yet sometimes these unfamiliar roads can challenge our faith. So as we think about that very thing, there are many times throughout Scripture, we find many times in the Bible that God completely warns us about the most dangerous turn that you can make.

And they're not stories just about road trips or that sort of thing. They're about real spiritual danger. Because God can call us, He can teach us, He works with us, He delivers us, He sets us on the right path, that road toward His kingdom. But we're still tempted. We're still challenged to turn back and take what might just be that wrong turn that can only lead to trouble. So how can we avoid making those most dangerous turns? How can we look at what God tells us and make the right decision? So maybe we can take some time this afternoon to look at three decisions that can keep us from taking those most dangerous turns we can make.

And then, if we have a little bit of time, a couple of practical ways to keep moving down that road toward the kingdom of God. So first, come before God expecting to leave different. Come before God expecting to leave different. It's a great example of this, maybe often overlooked, in the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel 46. It's a section of Scripture you're thinking, well, there's not much spiritual information in this section of Scripture.

It's about instructions from God about the feast. And yeah, Ezekiel 45, getting into 46, just gives some practical instructions. So what about that? Well, let's read it. Ezekiel 46. And notice verse 9. Here's some instructions that God's giving about the feasts. And in verse 9, He tells through Ezekiel, When the people of the land come before the Lord on the appointed feast days, Whoever enters by way of the North gate to worship, Shall go out by way of the South gate.

And whoever enters by way of the South gate, Shall go out by way of the North gate. He shall not return by way of the gate through which he came, But shall go out through the opposite gate. So you read that and you go, okay, God's organized. He likes things orderly. We serve a God who loves order. And in the temple, yes, you've got to have order. And maybe we've been in that situation. We're in a line and everybody's moving this way, and suddenly people are pushing back against us, coming toward us. And it's just difficult and annoying, and it seems just a challenge to try to get where you need to go.

Yeah, I'm sure that's part of the reason for the instruction. But is there a spiritual application here? I think it's something that we should step back and think about this for just a moment. We're coming before God. This passage is about how to properly come before God and worship.

And what's the emphasis here? Well, when I come before God, do I expect to leave different? If you come in on the north, leave by the south. Leave differently. Come in, worship, and leave differently.

We come to Sabbath services. We sing praises to God. We worship Him. We pray. We listen to His Word. We fellowship with His people. But do we leave through the same spiritual gate that we entered?

Do we carry the same resentments that we walked in the door with? Do we have that same wrong attitude, that same unresolved sin? Do we have that unwillingness to forgive and really get to the heart of change? Do we overlook that habit that we really know down deep? We have to change.

You see, Sabbath shouldn't just be something that we check the box and, okay, I finish my weekly routine. Well, no. Worship's not intended just to be a pause. If the Sabbath is just a rest, well, I just put a stop to my ordinary life and took a break. Well, if we just do that, we're going to return unchanged.

We come before the living God, and we come to be instructed. We come to be corrected. We come to be strengthened. We come to be encouraged and ultimately transformed. God wants transformation. And so the application becomes so important. I know we're familiar with James 1.22. I guess we could turn over there if you'd like. James 1.22 points to this fact we have to not just be the ones that hear those words, but they have to be transformational. They're supposed to change us to be doers of the word. And so that's what James 1.22 begins to remind us of.

Be doers of the word and not hearers only. Well, what if we only hear? What if we're unchanged? What if we go back by the same gate we entered into? Well, what does James say? He says we're deceiving ourselves. He says deceiving ourselves. He says if anyone's a hearer of the word, not a doer, he's like a man observing his natural face in a mirror. He observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

And so James brings in this interesting analogy of a mirror. Yeah, mirrors are great, especially, well, if you're a kid and you're eating a chocolate chip cookie and it has a tendency to get all over your face. So you tell your son or grandchild, go wash your face. They go in the mirror and they can see that on there and it's like, ah, so what? Nobody will notice. And they leave. Well, what's a mirror supposed to be doing?

Well, it's only any good if we pay attention to what it reveals. Yeah, it's going to show that chocolate smudge on our face. And if we just walk away from it unchanged, well, it doesn't do anything. It doesn't do anything. And so James uses this analogy to really point out the fact that a mirror, the mirror of the Word of God, requires a response. We've got to get out that spiritual washcloth and clean up our face, especially if we've got a smudge on it or some lint or whatever it may be.

I missed the spot shaving this morning. Yeah, we've got to notice that and recognize that change doesn't happen just by looking into the mirror. It begins when we act on what that mirror of God's Word actually reveals. Think about a couple of examples of that. I heard a sermon on forgiveness.

It was not finished until I choose to forgive. I could hear a message about prayer. But unless I get down on my knees and do something about it and begin to pray, it's no effect. I might hear a message and I'm convicted. I am convicted. I am angry. Or I'm not trustworthy. Or I've got this issue with a sexual sin. Or I'm neglectful. Or you name it, spiritually lazy. Yeah, it might convict me of any of those things. But conviction doesn't do any good whatsoever until it becomes action. That's what God calls us to do. A sermon isn't finished just by the minister saying, in conclusion...

Well, sometimes we'd wish that to be the case. But it shouldn't be that way. A sermon really continues until a different response happens. Something different happens Saturday night, after Sabbath, at home, Monday morning when we go to work.

We are different. We are transformed. And it's evident of that. And when we realize that, we can recognize the fact that it has to...we cannot go out by the same gate. We have to come expecting change. Romans 12 too tells us that same point. If we turn over to Romans 12, verse 2, it emphasizes leaving by a different gate, allowing real transformation. Romans 12 too, what does it say? Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

And so it's not about suddenly we're perfect instantaneously. No, it's about renewing. Renewing takes time. It's a process that God has called us to. By the power of His Spirit, through His Word, we can be convicted and begin to develop His way of thinking, His character. It's a change of mind. And so no wonder God wants all of us, all mankind, to come to repentance.

He wants real repentance. And that repentance, what's it about? Taking the right turn. Making the right turn away from sin down the path God has called us to. I mean, when we think about that Ezekiel passage and what instructions He was given, every Sabbath, every Bible study, every holy day, every prayer, every trial even in our life can become a gate. Through which God moves us forward. If we see it from His perspective.

And so we begin to look at life like that. We can ask God, help me. Help me. What do you want me to see? How do you want me to move through this life gate? What is it that I need to do to begin? How can I have the right direction? How can I understand your way that much more clearly? Now, of course, as James said, it's not just good enough to ask those questions, but we have to ask Him to help us to identify how to leave by that other gate.

That next act of obedience, and that's an important part of that prayer, to avoid that most dangerous term we could make. We can avoid it if we see what God has shown and then deliberately leave changed. Now, there's a second way we can avoid making that deliberate choice that will be so dangerous, is to be sure not to let another voice send us back.

Don't let another voice send you back. There's an example in 1 Kings 13 that is very sobering. Turn with me over to 1 Kings 13. It deals with King Jeroboam, and by this time in Israel's history, the nation had become divided. Now we had Judah to the south, Israel to the north.

God appointed Jeroboam to be king over the northern tribes. Sounded like a good thing. He had a pretty good history of serving God. But when he got up there, he was worried that people would leave, that they wouldn't follow him, that they'd go back to Jerusalem. So what did he do? He set up counterfeit religion. He did this at Bethel. He changed the place of worship. He changed the priesthood. He changed God's holy days, the timing of the holy days as well. And so God sends someone to warn him.

God sends this man of God, it's called, in 1 Kings 13. And in this particular chapter, this man of God comes before Jeroboam. And as we begin the chapter, we see how he condemns this false altar, which had been a prophetic kind of thing. And that altar just splits in half. It's just an amazing occurrence that takes place as his phony worship is just condemned.

And as a result, this man of God stands firm before the king. Like the king's arm froze in place when he wanted the man arrested, and ultimately God healed the king. I think hopeful that maybe now he'd get it and he'd actually change.

Well, as the story goes, the king was restored and he wanted to reward this man of God. And so what does he say to him? Verse 7, 1 Kings 13. Come home with me, the king says, refresh yourself and I'll give you a reward. But the man of God said to the king, if you were to give me half of your house, I would not go in with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place.

For it was commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came. Pretty clear instructions. Not highly theological. Hard to understand. Let's see. Don't eat, don't drink. Go back a... pretty straightforward, I say. Not much difficulty in understanding what God's expectations were. So what did he do?

Well, verse 10. So this man of God went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel. So he obeys the obvious and clear command of God. And we all go, wow, that's awesome! That is absolutely amazing! Not the end of the story, though. So as the man goes back this other way, there was an old prophet that was in Bethel. Maybe a so-called prophet, maybe a self-proclaimed prophet. So we have this old codger prophet dwelling in Bethel, and he wants in on the recognition.

He'd like to hang out with this young gun, this young man of God who just gave it to Jeroboam. And so he sends his son after, his son's after this man of God. Well, he says, come on, let's come into my house. Hang out with me. Be with me. Because this would just be great. Take a break from what you're doing. And so what does the young man say? Verse 16, the young man of God said, I cannot return with you, nor go in with you. Neither can I eat bread, nor drink water with you in this place. I've been told by the word of the Lord, you shall not eat bread, nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.

Wow, he says it exact. He got it. He understood. There was no doubt his lack of understanding of what God had commanded him. Very specific. Three simple, clear things. Don't eat, don't drink, go back a different way. Not much to argue about there. He did it once with the king. I'm certainly going to be heading back now, right? No. Nope. The old man said, verse 18, I too am a prophet as you are. And an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.

Of course, it's interesting Scripture itself even tells us he was lying to him. Let's see. Man of God has a decision to make. Do I believe the word that came directly from God? Or the word of this old prophet who says it came from an angel? That's the angel. Word of God. Old prophet, God's direct command. Let's see. Well, what does he do? Verse 19. So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water.

He allowed another voice to overrule what God had clearly said. There was no doubt. There was no problem about understanding what God's commandments were. And ultimately, that disobedience came to judgment. And so we see the results, the consequences. Verse 24, after he eaten and drank, he was going down the wrong path. And what happens? Verse 24. A lion met him on the road and killed him.

That was it for who had been the man of God. Somebody that survived the threats of the king but fell to the whisper of another voice. And I think it helps us to recognize it's not the most dangerous turn that always comes from some loud shouting rebellion. Sometimes it sounds reasonable. Oh, really? Oh, okay. Well, or it sounds compassionate. It might even sound spiritual. But it's offering something that is an exception to what God has made clear.

Oh, we might be able to resist hostility, but do we yield to flattery? We might recognize if it comes from the world. Well, I would never accept that. But if it comes wrapped up in spiritual language, like this old prophet put it, what would we fall for that?

Oh, we'd reject some suggestion that comes from somebody. We just don't trust them. But then we might be taken in by the same idea from someone that we put up on a pedestal. And so God makes it clear. We have to be so careful.

New churches have begun falling prey to this kind of thinking. We know it's very clear, just like don't eat, don't drink, go back another way. What does God think of division? He hates it! What's so complicated about that? God hates division. Well, I think I'll go and start my own church. Really? And others follow. It's just absolutely amazing. And so when we recognize this, it's reminding us no title, no personality, no friendship, no emotional connection, outranks the revealed Word of God. Can't. And I think if we considered the idea of a compass, God's Word points us to true spiritual north. I know we've got a lot of campers among us. You've got that compass, and no matter where you turn, that thing always comes back around to true north. Well, unless you were a kid like me and you had a compass and then you got out a little magnet. Of course, you take your little magnet. Anybody ever do this? And you put it around the compass, and what happens to that needle? Oh, it still moves! But it'll follow that magnet wherever you put it around that compass. We think about that, that influence, poles, even though God's directing us to true north. And when we recognize that, okay, we've got to be careful, because things could seem, well, just like the man of God. What should he have...when the pole was on the compass, no, no, an angel spoke to me. Come on over. It's okay. What should he have said? No, forget that magnet. God spoke and cleared it to me. I'm not doing that. And so, what is it that's trying to pull us like that magnet on a compass? Well, it might be that voice that says, you know, times are different. Things, things, they've changed. I don't know if God's standard that old thing, that doesn't really apply anymore. Or maybe, hey, so many people struggle with that same problem. It's not, it's not, I wouldn't call it sin. You know, there's so many that it's not really that serious.

Or maybe say, hey, the whole gang's going. All the guys are going to be there. You're going to miss out? You're not going to come along? It's not really that big a deal. Or, or maybe, maybe we say, I'm justified. I have a right to feel this way. That's where that, that voice can even come from within. It may not be an outside voice. It might be our own reasoning, our own thinking. And that's where we've got to step back and we've got to ask, well, what has God clearly said? You know, what does the counsel of His Word, Scripture, really teach? You know, am I really striving to follow the truth? Am I really looking to spiritual north? Or am I just looking for permission to do what I want? And so when we recognize that, we can see the most dangerous turn is letting another voice overrule God's clear instruction.

Now that takes us to a third way to overcome those dangerous turns. And that is when God closes the road, follow His way. Yeah, sometimes it might be like that bridge. If God's closed the road, follow His direction. A good example of this is found over in Matthew 2. Over in Matthew 2, we have the familiar story of the wise men from the east that are coming to worship Christ. And here they are. They had come to Jerusalem trying to find the king of the Jews. Of course, King Herod heard about it. He wasn't too happy about that, because who needs another ruler? I'm the king. I'm the one in charge. And so this really troubled Herod. And as he talked to them, he told them, hey, won't you find this Christ child? Come on back to me. Let me know what's going on, because I might want to worship Him too. No, not really. He wanted Him dead. But that's what he told them. What happens? Well, the wise men, they found Jesus. They presented their gifts. They worship Him. And then if we look down to verse 12 of Matthew 2, notice what happens. It says, then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. They didn't go back the same way. God warned them. Go back a different way. And they believed that warning was from God. They changed their route. Now, they didn't change the destination. They were going home. But the way that they were going to get there definitely changed. So here's God revealing this danger. Even though they didn't fully understand it, they took that direction. And they really got around the danger that could have been there from Herod. And so here's God. He's not rejecting them. He's rescuing them. He's helping them. And if you think back to that bridge out sign, well, is it any more convenient to go this other way? Probably not. Probably it's an old country road that's going to be swerving all over the place. The bridge is out. But the only way you're going to get there is if you go that way. And so when we think about that, that's the road of safety. That's the road of security. That's where God is keeping us out of danger. And so when we think about these things, put it into practical life. There may be times we are frustrated and we are upset or we're angry with someone. We feel misunderstood or we're mistreated and maybe truly are. And of course, what do we want to do? I want to defend myself or I need to get even or I'm going to show them.

But what's the clear direction from God's Word? I mean, it's not too complicated, is it? It's pretty clear. It tells us, have self-control. Be careful and pursue peace. Humble yourselves before God. You know, that turn that God wants us to take, it might lead us to recognize, boy, I have to say, I was wrong. And that road, that can feel uncomfortable, can feel kind of narrow and compressed, because pride is telling us, it's not your fault, it's their fault. It's what they did. And anger tells us, we're right, we're justified. And maybe fear tells us, well, if you apologize, you're going to be a wimp. You are going to be a weakling if you give up. And so we recognize, following God's road, it'll change things. It could stop in a moment, something that could painfully go on for months and months, or in some cases, even years of difficulties. And so when we recognize that, I think, for me, that proverb comes to mind in chapter 14, verse 12, there's a way that seems right to a man. But then, boy, how does it finish then? The end of that is the way of death. It kind of takes us back to that man of God. Yeah, that seemed right, but where did it lead? Where did it lead? It led to death. And that road might seem reasonable. It might seem popular. Everybody's doing it. It might be an instant immediate relief from something. But God, He sees where that road ends. And He's trying to guide us and help us. And when we act in faith, we're going to go farther. You know, the wise men, they didn't say, well, you know, Herod seemed really nice. He seemed sincere. He seemed like, hey, maybe He'd give us a reward for telling Him where the Christ child is. And maybe we should give Him the benefit of the doubt. They could have reasoned around the whole thing like that, but they followed the clear inspiration of God and they obeyed the warning and they went another way. Whether or not it was inconvenient, that's what they did. And that inconvenience sometimes is a roadblock for us. Because, you know, it might just require me to ask for help rather than just kind of hide my problem. It might require me to change how I spend my time. It might require me to accept correction and not be so defensive. It might require me to make peace with someone when pride wants to push them away. And so when we recognize that, we realize how faith takes us farther. If you look down just a little bit back in the book of Matthew to chapter 7, there's a famous quotation here from Christ Himself, and it's interesting the way He words this particular warning. Notice what He says, Matthew 7, verse 13.

Familiar passage, He says, Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction. There are many who go in by it, because narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way which leads to life. And there's few who find it. And in some ways it almost seems opposite. Shouldn't God's way be the easy way?

That should be...I may make this choice, and it's going to be great. Well, yes, but what we've got to be careful of, we're not confusing this difficult way with being bad. It doesn't mean that. If we were to dig into the Greek, it's talking a lot less about being inconvenient. It's not about inconvenience, it's not about being bad. This is really pointing to the fact that the way is constricted, or it's pressed together, or you could think of it as being hemmed in.

Or thinking of it differently, we're on a road that has boundaries. This road that we've been called to has boundaries. Well, why would it be that way? Why would it be difficult? Because this way conflicts with our human nature. This is opposite of our human nature, and it's opposite of the way the world is pulling us. And so it's pressing us, and it's difficult because it's confining us to what we don't naturally want to do. People don't naturally want to follow God. We want to do our own thing.

I'm my own boss. That's the American way. But wait, God's called us to His way because He knows the path that's best. And so it's difficult because it presses against what we naturally want to do. And that way becomes constricted when truth will not allow us to justify compromising. That's a challenge. It's constricted because godly love doesn't let us retaliate.

And we're hemmed in because repentance will not allow us to keep defending what's sinful. And so when we consider that, that pressure from the narrow way, it doesn't mean we're on the wrong road. Not at all. It's evidence that God is changing us. And so to ask which road takes me closer to God and farther away from those things, that would weaken me. That's when we realize the most dangerous turn we could make is feeling the pressure of the narrow way and deciding to return back to that other broad road because, wow, it seems a lot easier if you ask me.

But no, God calls us and says, when He closes a road, follow His way. Now, there's also a third aspect that can help us to overcome. And that's to recognize God may provide a longer road. God's way might just take a little longer. I mean, we never have that problem in our minds, do we?

Has anyone ever said, are we there yet? Aren't we there? That was the thing my dad never wanted to hear when we were on a road trip. If you've asked ten times, no, we're not there yet. Well, how long is it going to be? Well, the Israelites are a great example of that very thing. If you flip back to Exodus 13, you know the whole story. We'll just pick up just a little tidbit to bolster this idea. Sometimes God's road is longer.

Sometimes, no, we're not there yet. And in Exodus 13, God points the way. Not the dangerous road that will take us to trouble, but His way. Exodus 13, 17, it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. I mean, you can almost hear it, can't you? Well, wait a second, that's a lot closer. Why are we going that way, Moses? Hey, wait a second, this is... I can almost see the Promised Land from here. Why are we going that way?

But what does God say? It says, God said, lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. Yeah, the nearer road wasn't the better road. And what looked like, oh, we're just being delayed, delayed, delayed.

It was actually God's mercy at work, because God already could look down to the end of the road and see, this is something that just might cause you to turn back. That's not what I want for you. I want the best for you. And all too often we fall into that. Why want the quick answer? I want... Right now, come on. Let's go.

Let's get it done. I want that immediate relief. God, I've been praying about this. Why haven't you healed me yet? I want to see that progress. Or maybe we've just thought, wow, can't I ever catch a break? God, I've been praying about this for so long. Why is it always me? Look at them. They don't have this. Why do you put this upon me?

Of course, that road seems long. And when that's the case, what do we assume? Something's wrong. Something's wrong. Something went wrong. It shouldn't be like this. But in actual fact, that long road is where God can teach us. He can teach us patience. He can teach us trust. He can teach us endurance. And certainly can teach us dependence on Him. So the results, God recognizes. Israelites left Egypt in one night, but Egypt was there in their thinking.

And they kept wanting to go back, go back, go back. And unfortunately, when our feet are on that kind of path, we generally follow our thinking or our heart and we go down that wrong way.

And boy, did they get into trouble because what did they say? Oh, it was so great back in Egypt. Remember all those passages that talk about their attitude? Well, they remembered these tasty leaks, these tasty, wonderful things that they were able to make, this wonderful soup. Oh, you remember getting whipped? Do you remember the lashes that you took? Oh, no, I don't remember that. I remember the good food. Yeah, that's what I remember. Yeah, the bricks. Oh, yeah, I wasn't thinking about that. Taskmasters? No, I remember the food and the good times, not the bondage. And so we can recognize from that example, if we're not careful, sin can create a distortion, kind of a distorted nostalgia.

They were actually kind of nostalgic. Hey, Egypt wasn't that bad. Remember the food? We sat around the fire. That was great. Wait a second. Was that reality? No, but it caused them. And sin can do that. It can remember the intrigue or the excitement, but it's going to forget the shame. It's going to forget the damage. Then that memory removes the consequences, and it creates this invitation to go back. And so when we think of going back, well, it's kind of like looking in the rearview mirror. You know, you can check out the mirror.

But can you drive safely if all you do is stare into the rearview mirror? No, you can't. You can't. You can't. You can look back long enough to make sure you can pull over when you pass somebody. Yeah, you can do that. But you can't steer in the right direction looking in the rearview mirror. You've got to look forward.

And so our past, okay, it's there in the rearview mirror, but that's not who we are now. And it can't become part of what defines us and drives us. Christ said this same thing when He reminded us about plowing. If you look over at Luke 9, verse 62, He uses much the same description as we read in Exodus. But instead of going a different route, He puts it into the context of farming. And He says, And so that farmer's got to fix his eyes on the end of that row.

I mean, if he doesn't have GPS positioning like they do now, he's got to watch that row. It's got to be straight, because if he looks back, uh-oh, I'm going to get off. Because where our eyes go, our life tends to follow. And so we can't plow to the kingdom, is what Christ is saying, while we continue to stare in the rearview mirror. And so we've got to let the past, let the difficulties that are gone, let the challenges that we faced in the past, let them go.

Don't allow it to somehow become attractive. Don't look back on those things. Stop reliving those things. And one thing we can do is quit thinking the best is behind us. All too often, I've heard people say that, well, you know, that was the glory days. This is what was...

You know, the best is yet to come. And it doesn't matter how old we are, the best is still ahead of you. Because if we start looking back, and oh, it's all over, and we can get down and discouraged about that, it can trip us up. But God calls us and says, hey, the kingdom's ahead.

The best is yet to come. So remain faithful. No matter what the situations are, I'm going to help you, and I'm going to guide you, and I'm going to lead you. So seek first the kingdom. That's what we should do. So resist looking back and getting caught up. Because forward is something so far greater, it's almost unimaginable. And so that most dangerous turn we take is if we reject the road that God provides, and it's because that old road looks easier or shorter.

Now with those things in mind, how can we avoid that most dangerous turn? Well, here's a couple of thoughts. First and foremost, name the road that calls you back. What do I mean by that? Well, we've probably all been frustrated by driving down the road, and we're going to try to find someone's house. We're not that familiar with it, and we think we're at the street, and you look at somebody stole the street sign.

What street is this? The sign's gone. I don't know what street it is. That's really frustrating when that happens. You've got to name that street because I want to know what that road is. Same thing spiritually speaking. We can't leave it vague. And what do I mean by that? Well, what is my Sodom? What is my Egypt? What is that attitude that's got to go? If I don't name it, am I really going to deal with it?

What's that habit or that desire, that pull, that temptation that pulls me back to that old road? If I leave it vague, how can I truly deal with it? There's that familiar passage in the Psalms where they ask, Search me, O God, know my heart, try me, see if there's any wicked in me, and lead me in the way. And that perspective points to that very fact. We cannot deliberately avoid a road unless we recognize it.

Yeah, I know the name of that street, and that is bad news, and I'm not going down that way ever again. That is uncalled for, and I acknowledge it, I recognize it, and I brought it before God, and I've tried to get the help that I need, and I'm ready to confess any shortcomings rather than just being general and vague and not really dealing with it. So name that road that wants to call us back.

Second thing that we can do, how can we avoid that most dangerous turn? Barricade the road back. What a barricade on that road, and stay on that new route, that godly route. The wise men, they took a different route. The man of God, he should have continued on that road that God gave him. And if we're going to move forward, we've got to face the choices. I mean, if the problem's anger, I better decide ahead of time what I'm going to do when that anger starts to come.

The problem's my phone. Inappropriate things. I've got to stop. I've got to stop access. I can't just say, well, next time, next time I'll have the willpower. No, do something about it. Block it. Put a barricade up. Don't trust the moment of willpower. Or if the problem is neglecting prayer, set a time. Set a place. Make it happen. If you're bitter, pray for the other person. Make that first step down that road toward peace. These things are pretty self-evident. And if I feel isolated, I don't feel part of things, well, now's the time to reconnect with God's people, to come together.

Not to stay home, not to be isolated. That's how we begin to put on Jesus Christ. Romans 13 says, make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lust. And so we can't build a comfortable rest stop on the roadblock.

Can't do that. That most dangerous turn comes easier when we keep the entranceway open. So we've got to put up that barricade to block easy access so it just doesn't happen. And there's a third thing we can do, is that we can test every direction by God's Word. Remember that magnet in the compass? Well, am I really facing true north? Oh, these feelings are real! Well, are they a reliable guide, though? Yeah, some things can be helpful, but it better agree with Scripture. Better match with the Word of God, because, yeah, this world changes, culture changes, but truth doesn't change. So getting into God's Word every day, comparing those ideas, those thoughts, those directions with God's Word, it's absolutely critical. And so when we do that, we certainly don't want to search Scripture just to defend my own thinking, my own decision that I've already made. And so we come open and willing to have that direction corrected by the Word of God. And I think it's important as well to remember, but we all fall short. We all stumble. And stumbling's not the most dangerous turn. It's refusing to get back up. And where we head, that's what is. There's that passage in the Proverbs, Proverbs 24 verse 16. It says, For a righteous man may fall seven times. Seven... Yeah, we're all going to fall short. We're not perfect yet. But the rest of that Proverb says, yes, he may fall seven times. But then it concludes by saying, And rise again. And rise again. Satan would love to have us believe we have missed out, we've failed, we can't change. It's impossible. We might as well give it up. And so he tempts us and he accuses us and he wants us to throw in the towel. But God says something else. He says, Don't accept that lie. When you fall, don't fall down facing Egypt. Get back up facing the kingdom. That's what God's got in mind. So when we think about that most dangerous turn that we can take, it's coming before God, hearing his word and then taking no time to change. It's that turn that sees God's direction, but blasting right through that barricade that says, Bridge out. And it's that dangerous turn that listens to another voice, opposite of what God has clearly spoken. And it's that turn that keeps us looking backward until the kingdom isn't inside any longer. And so, as God's people, we've been called and we are in Christ. We're a new creation. And we recognize that new creation isn't completed in just a day. And we're continually being renewed. And he's given us his Holy Spirit so we can overcome. We can take the right path. We can be led by God. And yeah, there's going to be some pretty hard miles. There's going to be some detours we may not fully understand. And moments when this familiar road that's behind us seems like, Oh yeah, I should go back. It's so much easier. There's going to be those times. But God hasn't brought us this far just to abandon us. That's not his intent. He's not called us so we can go back into bondage. In fact, Hebrews 10.39 reminds us, we are not one of those who draw back. That's not us. We don't draw back. We're those who believe ultimately to salvation. That's what God's called us to. That's what God wants. That's what he's got in mind for us. And he's going to do everything he possibly can to help us take that right road. So let's keep our hand on the plow. Let's keep our eyes focused on the kingdom. Let's be sure we trust the warnings that God gives us and walk through every door, every gate that he opens. And keep that compass of his word perfectly faced spiritually north. And remember, the most dangerous turn you can make, it's a turn back from what God has shown you. So by his power, by his grace, by his spirit, let's keep moving forward to the kingdom of God.