The Spiritual Road Trip

Well, it's taken me a while to get here to Texas, but certainly enjoying our stay here in Texas. And who knows how long we'll stay? We stayed in Oklahoma for 19 years. Now, I enjoyed the drive down from the North Dallas area. That's where I'll be settling near McKinney.

We have a lot of members that live up near McKinney. Now, this particular trip, yesterday's trip, it was about close to six hours. It was a very good trip as trips go. I didn't have any flat tires. I didn't run into any killer storms. I didn't get hit by severe rain, by thunder, or lightning on this trip. I didn't see any tornadoes. My car didn't break down. I didn't lock my keys in the car. I wasn't in any accidents, although I did see the results of an accident and got caught in some traffic. It was mostly on the other side, though. I was grateful for that. I didn't even run into any really, really bad traffic jams as they go here in Texas. So, I've certainly had lots worse road trips than the one yesterday coming down here. I suppose you all have had some very difficult road trips in the past, maybe even some painful road trips. On these road trips, we encounter many crossroads and decisions that have to be made to keep us moving in the right direction.

So, today, since we're talking about crossroads and seeking God's direction in our lives, I'd like to talk about our spiritual road trip. I want to talk about life as a spiritual road trip, and also, I'd like to address some of the important spiritual crossroads in our lives. There are some very important spiritual principles and lessons that we can learn from considering our spiritual lives as a spiritual road trip. A spiritual journey, we're all on a journey, and along that spiritual road, there are some very, very important crossroads that we will have to negotiate, that we're going to encounter on the way. And the more we seek God's direction and God's guidance, the closer we are to Him, the better and the more successfully we will negotiate those spiritual crossroads.

So today, I'd like to share with you several guidelines for our spiritual road trip that we call life. And the first guideline, number one, is typically on any long road trip, the traveler always has a clear destination in mind. Generally, no one leaves on a trip, a long trip, unless they know where they're going, unless they know where they want to end up. Now, when I left my temporary home in Melissa, Texas, I knew exactly where I was planning to go. I had talked to Mr. Petty, I'd gotten his address, I was spending the weekend with them and have really enjoyed it, certainly appreciate their hospitality.

But I knew exactly where to go. I had entered it into the GPS on my phone, and I was on my way. Now, if you didn't have any idea where you wanted to go on a long road trip, you would no doubt wander aimlessly around. Those who don't know where they're headed spiritually, they also stumble around a lot. They take lots of detours, they run into lots of construction, and they end up getting lost frequently. Spiritually, those who are here at services today should have a clear destination in mind. And of course, that destination is ultimately the Kingdom of God. We're all familiar with Matthew 6, verse 33. Matthew 6, 33. It says, Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. That is our goal. That's where we want to end up. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Also, in Psalm 16, verse 11, David says that God will show me the path of life. Or he says, You show me the path of life. He's talking to God. He says, Show me the path of life. In Your presence is fullness of joy. At Your right hand, there are pleasures forevermore. So if you want us to have fun and be happy all your life, then you need to get on the right path, the path that leads to eternal life. Now, one of life's first crossroads, as we're going down that path, is that we have to decide as children, will we honor our parents or not? So you children, I'm talking to you for a moment, there is a crossroad that you're encountering every day, in fact, several times a day. And it's whether or not you're going to honor your parents. The Bible is clear, it's one of the commandments, honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the earth. And there's a blessing that goes along with that. So let's go to Ephesians chapter 6, where we see some instruction for our children.

And again, this is a crossroad that you are encountering on a very regular basis. So you're on the path, at least, to eternal life, and there's a crossroad here. Will you listen to your mom and dad, or will you choose to disobey them? God's instruction in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 1, is children, obey your parents in the Lord. For this is right. This is the right thing to do. So obey your parents. If they tell you to do something, then do it. If they tell you not to do something, then don't do it. It's really quite simple.

And that's a crossroad that you're going to have to decide whether you're going to veer off to the right or to the left, or whether you're going to go straight and do what God instructs you to do. Verse 2, honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth. So there's clear instruction from God Himself. Will you honor your parents or not? You need to know what your clear destination is. You need to get on the right path, and you need to continue to move toward the Kingdom of God. So that's the first principle. Have a clear destination in mind and decide very early in life that you want to get on the right road and stay there. Secondly, another principle on this road trip we call life.

On any long road trip, you need to pay attention to the signs along the way. That will help you stay on the proper path. There are signs along the way. When I drove down here yesterday, I looked at a number of signs to help me follow the right path and to get here. Let's go to Proverbs 4. Here Solomon discusses this. He says in Proverbs 25, let's start in verse 20. He says, "'My son, give attention to my words. Listen to my words. Incline your ear to what I am saying, and do not let them depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and they are health to all their flesh.'" In other words, they're good for you. "'Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life.'" You know, God looks on the heart, and He knows what's in your heart. And the Bible says that we have a real tendency to have a heart that's deceitful and wicked. And so we have to be very careful that we don't go that path that leads to destruction. We need to go on the path that leads to eternal life. So He says, "'Put away from you a deceitful mouth. Don't be deceitful yourself, and put perverse lips far from you, and let your eyes look straight ahead toward the goal of the kingdom of God, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet. Where are you going?

Let all your ways be established, and do not turn to the right or the left. Remove your foot from evil.'" So don't go down that path that is an evil path.

Now in Isaiah 30, the prophet Isaiah also gives some very sound instruction to all of us regarding the children of Israel and their relationship with God. And the Bible is a history book, and there's so much to learn from the Bible, so we should read it and study it faithfully. In Isaiah 30, verse 1, God inspires Isaiah to write, "'Woe to the rebellious children,' says the Eternal, who take counsel but not of me." So this is about seeking God's direction and getting counsel from Him. That's what this weekend's all about. God says, "'You're not seeking counsel from me, children of Israel. You take counsel but not from me, and who devise plans but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin, who walk to go down to Egypt.'" You know, Egypt is symbolic of sin and that wrong path. So are you headed to Egypt, or are you headed to God's kingdom? So you walk down to Egypt, you have not asked my advice to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh. So instead of following God, you're following Pharaoh. You're following the God of this world. You're following Satan the Devil to trust in the shadow of Egypt. Therefore, the strength of Pharaoh shall be your shame. God showed what He could do to the strength of Egypt, didn't He, when He poured plague after plague after plague upon Egypt and decimated the land and brought the children of Israel out of the most powerful nation on earth. It shall be your humiliation.

If we go down that road that leads to sin, it will be our humiliation. Verse 8, Now go, write it before them on a tablet, God says, and note it on a scroll, that it may be for time to come, for ever and ever, that this is a rebellious people, a lying children, children who will not hear the law of the Lord, they will not obey God their Father, who say to the seers, do not see, and to the prophets, do not prophesy to us right things, but instead speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceit. Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. If you want God to be a part of your life, you have to invite Him in, you have to seek Him, you have to search Him out. Now, He's the one that does the calling, but you have to respond to Him. Many are called, but few are chosen because they don't respond to God, and they don't seek His direction, and they don't seek His guidance in their lives. So turn aside from this evil path, is what God is saying. Otherwise, you will cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before you. You won't have a relationship with Him. He won't guide you, He won't direct you, He won't show you the way. Let's drop down to verse 18.

Therefore, the Eternal will wait that He may be gracious to you. Now, I skipped over some verses that show that when people disobey God, basically they will be cursed, they will pay a price for that. We will reap what we've sown, and things won't go well for us, but in the end we see that God is going to be merciful to His children. And that's comforting to know that, but if we were wise, we wouldn't go down that path. Instead, we would go straight ahead toward God's kingdom. Notice verse 18, Therefore the Eternal will wait that He may be gracious to you.

In other words, He's going to wait while you go out and do foolish things and cause yourself grief and humiliation. But He will wait, and He will be gracious, and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice, and blessed are all those who wait for Him. If we'll wait for God to be the one to guide us and direct us, then we will reap those blessings.

For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem, verse 19, and you shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry. When He hears it, He will answer you. So if you will seek God, He will answer. And while you're young is the time to begin that relationship, that close relationship with God.

And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers, your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, This is the way walk you in it.

It's basically saying that the children of Israel are going to go down the wrong path, and they're going to reap the consequences. In fact, the House of Judah and the House of Israel, they both went into captivity. They went into captivity in Babylon. They went into captivity in Assyria. They paid a huge price for their unfaithfulness and their disobedience.

But eventually, when Christ returns, it's all going to be sorted out. It is God's pleasure to give us the kingdom. But if we're wise, we'll always stay on the right path, and we won't have to suffer the consequences of going astray. God is gracious and merciful, but if we're wise, notice verse 21, Your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, This is the way walk in it whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. So you come up to this crossroad, and you can go right, or you can go left, or you can go straight ahead towards God's kingdom.

It's your choice. There are many bad roads to take out there. You have to choose to stay on the right path. So that's point number two. Let's just cover a couple other things before we go on to number three. In Psalm 119, verse 35, David says, Make me to go in the path of your commandments. God's commandments are a path that we should follow. For therein do I delight. David said, How love I thy law. In Psalm 119, verse 105, David says, Your word is a lamp unto my feet. It is a light unto my path.

Again, God will show us the way. He will light our path. There are mile markers that are on most roads that tell us where we are. It gives us a very good idea of where we are on our journey, how much further we have to go, whether or not we're on the right path. All of us should have some short-term spiritual goals in terms of studying God's word. Is this a habit that you have regularly? Are you now on some kind of a program to study something in your Bible?

If not, you really should think about the need to begin doing that because that will keep you on the right path. If you're wandering aimlessly and not even studying the Bible at times, and letting days go by without studying God's word or perhaps even praying, then you're not on the right path. The right path is filled with Bible study. It's filled with fasting. It's filled with prayer. These are the things that we all should be doing in our lives to ensure that we stay on the right path.

They are mile markers that show us that we're on the right path. So you should take stock on a regular basis in regard to your spiritual condition and whether or not you're on the right path. Every year we examine ourselves at Passover, and it's wonderful that God has instituted that every year, but we know that we should continually stay on the right path and examine ourselves.

Another very early crossroad that we're going to have to face is whether or not we're going to honor God. So as a teen, as a young adult, will you honor God or not? Will you obey Him?

Will you do what He says? Will you learn to live by every word of God? Will you lean to your own understanding? Will you take counsel from those who don't know the right path, those who are tuned in to the God of this world? In John 15, verses 9 and 10, it shows clearly that we are to keep God's commandments. John 15, as the Father loved me, I also have loved you, so abide in my love. And if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love.

These things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full, this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.

So if you're on the right path, you're learning what it means to love each other and you're learning what it means to keep God's commandments. So you can do that at an early age. That's a crossroad that you don't want to get off on the wrong path. Don't get away from these things.

So let's go on to a third guideline. On any long road trip, there's always present potential obstacles and temptations. There's obstacles and temptations. On the way down here, there was some construction. Have you ever run into construction? Have you ever not run into construction? There's lots of detours and construction. At times, there's bad weather that comes along, heavy rains, strong winds, snow in the wintertime, not too much down here, but ice in the Dallas area from time to time, I know, and also hail. We can encounter car trouble. We can get into accidents. So these things happen along the road, along the path. What are we going to do when these things happen? Sometimes there's a temptation to drive too fast. I've been guilty of that at times, and sometimes a police officer comes along and shows me that I need to change the ways, my ways, and stop speeding because it's expensive when you get caught speeding. Sometimes it's easy to get angry at other drivers because sometimes they don't drive the way you think they should. Sometimes it's easy to get angry with passengers, people that are in your car that are making too much noise or doing things they shouldn't. Sometimes it's brothers and sisters or children. I suppose in some cases someone might be driving along and there's a tantalizing bar that they've driven by many, many times, and they decide to stop for a drink. One drink leads to another drink, while at the bar they may be attracted to someone else who's at the bar. There are temptations along the road, the path out there along the road. We have to be careful that we don't go down those wrong paths, that we don't go on the wrong crossroad. So the path of life is full of trials, it's full of obstacles, and again, temptations. Notice in 1 Peter chapter 4, verses 12 and 13, what does Peter say about fiery trials that will come along?

First Peter chapter 4, verse 12, Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you, but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's suffering, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. There will be trials that will come along, there will be fiery trials. Sometimes it's a health trial, there's all kinds of financial trials that sometimes hit us. So when these crossroads come along, will you trust God during the most difficult times in your life? Will you trust God to see you through? There will be trials that will be difficult and demanding, but God clearly promises to never leave us and to never forsake us. So when these obstacles come along, realize that God is there to help us through. Now in Luke chapter 15, I don't think I'll go there, I'll just refer to this, the parable about the prodigal son. The younger son decided that he would take his inheritance and go on a long road trip. So he did so, he went on a journey into a far country.

And there he wasted his substance, it says, with riotous living, with prodigal, wasteful living.

He made some very poor choices on that road trip that he took. He paid a great price for it, so much so that he eventually lost all of his money and he was eating the food that the swine were eating.

He had been humiliated on this road that he had taken, this road away from God and away from God's truth, away from his heavenly Father as well, and his human Father. Thankfully, he repented and he came back. And God was gracious in accepting him back, but he paid a huge price for going down the wrong path. There will be obstacles along the way, there will be temptations, there will be trials. I hope you'll choose to stay on the right path.

A fourth principle, on any long road trip, there is the potential of falling asleep at the wheel. It can happen. Have you ever gotten tired when you were driving? I remember once I was driving home with my wife and we had visited someone, we had had dinner with some church members, and we stayed there late and it was like midnight. We had an hour and 15 minutes to drive home.

And about halfway back, I was exhausted and I could barely keep my eyes open.

And finally, I'm out in the middle of the country in Oklahoma and I told Barb, you know, I've got to stop. I can't drive any further. And so I stopped the car and she was going to come and drive for me because she wasn't quite as exhausted as I was.

And I started to get out of the car, but I was so tired I didn't put it in park.

So the car is moving and I am trying to get back in the car and slam on the brakes.

I mean, that did wake me up to some degree.

But I was so exhausted and there was another time I was in Michigan then and I was driving again home from a long visit late at night and it was like I was drugged. I could not.

I was just that close from just killing myself and my family.

You have to be careful out on the road. It's dangerous. If you fall asleep at the wheel, I mean, I've known people that have fallen asleep and had head-on collisions.

It's foolish to leave on a long road trip unless you've had adequate rest and you slept before leaving. If you're already fatigued when you leave, you're asking for trouble. You certainly better have some coffee around. A traveler on a long road trip may need to stop periodically to refresh himself, to get outside, to run around the car a few times, whatever it takes to stretch. But don't just continue down the path when you're falling asleep. Do something about it.

Staying focused is important. Let's go to Matthew 25 and let's consider the parable of the 10 virgins. What happened to these virgins? They all fell asleep, didn't they? On the road of life, they fell asleep. Matthew 25. Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were wise, five were foolish.

Those who were foolish took their lamps and they took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and they slept. Thankfully, they weren't driving a car, but they were able to sleep. At midnight, a cry was heard, and behold, the bridegroom is coming. Go out and meet him. So all the virgins arose and they trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, No, lest there should not be enough for us.

And you, so go rather to those who sell and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came. And those who were ready went in. Those who were vigilant, those who were prepared spiritually, they went in with him to the wedding and the door was shut. And afterward, the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. And he answered and said, Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you. They weren't on the right path. God didn't know them.

They weren't on the path that led to eternal life. Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. It is serious business to prepare ourselves to stay on the right road until Christ returns.

We need to be careful we don't fall asleep on the road to eternal life.

Pace ourselves. Make sure you have good habits of prayer, of meditation, of Bible study, and also fasting, so that you will be able to stay on the right path. And remember what it says in Ecclesiastes 9 verse 10. Ecclesiastes 9 verse 10, whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for you're sure not going to be able to do it in the grave where you're going. So now's the time to make hay while the sun is shining. So, you know, this applies to every aspect of our lives.

For example, your job. Are you faithful in your life's work? Whatever it is you've decided to do, are you faithful in that? Are you a good employee? Are you doing your part? Or are you falling asleep at work? Every aspect of our lives, we need to be awake, alert, vigilant.

Don't fall asleep at the wheel.

Principle number five, on any long road trip, there's also the potential of running out of fuel.

Have any of you ever done that? See, this goes along with the parable that we just read as well in Matthew 25. The five foolish virgins, they ran out of fuel. They didn't have adequate fuel, and they didn't make it to the wedding.

When driving, it's important to have a properly working gas gauge as well, isn't it? If your gas gauge doesn't work, you've got to be extremely careful, or you will indeed run out of gas.

Don't be foolish. Get it fixed. Make sure you know where you're at. And also get gas in plenty of time.

Don't be foolish and cut it so close that you are in danger of running out of gas.

Now, have we ever done that? My wife accused me once of causing her to run out of gas, because I drove her car, and I didn't get gas, and she ran out of gas in the first 10 miles from the house. That was my fault. You can even get your wives in trouble, men, if you don't take care of business, or vice versa. So let's make sure we have plenty of gas in the car so that we can keep the car running on the right path. I remember running out of gas a few times in my life.

Now, this was a long time ago when I was younger and more foolish.

I really haven't run out of gas in a long time, although I can say that I've cut it close more times than I should have. But I haven't run out of gas. But when I was younger, and I remember we were in a snowstorm in Michigan on an interstate at night, and I run out of gas.

My wife is not very happy with me.

I remember telling her, look, I'm going to go try to get some help here. If I'm not back in 30 minutes, call the cops.

That did not comfort her.

God was merciful, and we were able to get gas, and I wasn't that far from a gas station. It all worked out. But let's not be so foolish to run out of gas. Let's go to 2 Timothy 1.

God's Spirit, in a sense, is our gas. God's Holy Spirit keeps us going, keeps us on the right path.

In 2 Timothy 1, it shows us very clearly that we have to stir up God's Spirit. We shouldn't take it for granted. We shouldn't take it lightly. We should stir it up. 2 Timothy 1.

2 Timothy 1.

Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying out of my hands. Paul had laid hands upon Timothy.

Timothy was a young minister. He says, For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you. We have to stir up God's Spirit within us, again, through prayer, through Bible study, through fasting, through meditating on God's way, by keeping His commandments and by serving God's people and serving God. That's how we stir up the gifts of God which is in us. It's like stirring up a fire. Sometimes a campfire is getting low, and if you just stir it up, the flames leap forth, and it burns a lot hotter and a lot better.

That's what we do with God's Spirit.

Again, there are many crossroads as we go down the path of life.

Will you be faithful in your marriage? That's a crossroad that sometimes Satan wants to tempt us to be unfaithful to our wives, to our husbands. He wants to tempt us to sin against God, to do evil. Are you going to be faithful in your marriage? Will you be careful to avoid anything that would move you away from your mate, that would cause you to get closer to another person? Are you that foolish? Also, those of you who are not married, will you be careful to avoid being unequally yoked together with an unbeliever? God clearly says we ought not yoke ourselves to an unbeliever. We need to be very careful who we choose to date, who we choose to marry, certainly, but it starts with dating. Be careful. Do not be unequally yoked with an unbeliever. The Bible also tells us to not deal treacherously with our mates. We're not to deal treacherously with our mates. We're to treat them with the love and respect that they deserve.

That's a crossroad that we're all faced in our marriages. What will we do? Will we be faithful always? Stir up the Spirit of God that is in you. Don't allow yourself to run out of fuel, spiritually. That's guideline number five.

Guideline number six. On a long road trip, there is the potential of encountering bad drivers.

Have you ever encountered a bad driver? Someone that gets in the car, someone that gets in the fast lane and decides to drive much slower than even the speed limit will allow. Now, I had someone... Now, I love Texas because I can drive 85 on some roads, legally.

On the way down here, I was on a toll road. The speed limit was 85. I couldn't believe it. 85.

So, I'm driving 85, and someone's in my lane, and it says clearly, don't get in the left lane except to pass. She wasn't passing anyone. She was continuing in my lane, and I must admit that I got a little closer to her than I normally would. I was trying to encourage her to be a good driver and get over. Well, she puts on her brakes. Yeah, she puts on her brakes. Well, I wasn't real happy about that. But I did back off. I'm not that stupid. I'm not going to push it. So, I backed off, and then finally she gets over. And, of course, I had to look at her as I was driving by. It was a woman, by the way. Of course, that doesn't mean it couldn't have been a man. It could have easily been a man. But it happened to be a woman, and she was looking at me, too. And she didn't have a good look on her face. And I just went. I wasn't angry at her. I wasn't mad at all. I just thought she should get over and follow the guidelines of the road. You know, there was another time a number of years ago I was in Oklahoma, and a similar thing was happening to me. Exactly. Now, finally she got over, and I looked over, and she was doing something she shouldn't have done. We call it an obscene gesture. And I thought, you know, that's not ladylike. There are some bad drivers out there, so you have to keep a sense of humor. You know, I usually don't get angry, but I do like it when people follow the rules of the road.

I do try to encourage them to follow the rules of the road.

So, we know that we're to drive defensively, right? I mean, that's, you know, there are courses out there that teach us to drive defensively. Some drivers are quite careless. Again, sometimes they drive too fast. They weave in and out of traffic. Some people were doing that. Some are so elderly, frankly, they shouldn't be on the road. And I don't mean... I'm getting elderly, too.

But I'm not so elderly. I can't still drive. But there comes a time when an older person does have to face reality. When they don't have the reflexes, when they drive way too slow, and they're clogging up traffic. You know, they really do have to learn... they have to realize there is a time when they have to get off the road. So, I hope we will all graciously grow old and realize that we don't want to endanger someone else's life. We don't want to endanger our life or someone else's.

Sometimes truck drivers will basically run you off the road. If they want to go somewhere, they don't care if you're there or not. I mean, I've had truck drivers literally run me off the road.

And I mean, I didn't have any choice. It was either get hit or get off the road. So, thankfully, I survived it. But you don't know what you're going to run into out on the road.

Now, God says in Psalm 27, 11... Actually, David says this about God to God. He says, "'Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path because of your enemies.'" You know, there are enemies out there. And sometimes people, again, they're not really looking out for your good. They're being selfish when they drive. And you have to be careful. You have to drive defensively. In Psalm 142, verse 3, David said, "'When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,'" in other words, "'when I became discouraged and depressed, then you knew my path.'" You knew what I was going through. You knew what I was struggling with. "'In the way wherein I walked, have they privately laid a snare for me.'" David had lots of enemies, and they were out to get him at times.

So, the point is, let's be wise and realize that not everyone is our friend. There are some people out there that will do us harm if we keep company with them. In fact, the Bible says, be careful who you keep company with. The Bible says that good company or bad company corrupts good habits. So, be careful who you choose to be around. In Proverbs 4, verse 14, Solomon says, "'Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.'" Don't go down that path.

Don't enter into the path of the wicked. In Proverbs 4, verse 15, Solomon says, "'Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.'" He's talking about that evil path.

Avoid it. I'm sorry, let's go to Proverbs 4, 15, just to make sure I'm reading that correctly here.

Proverbs chapter 4, verse 15.

Okay, verse 14, "'Do not enter the path of the wicked, do not walk in the way of evil, avoid it, and do not travel on it. Turn away from it, and pass on. For they do not sleep unless they have done evil. Their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.

For they eat the bread of wickedness, and they drink the wine of violence.'" So be careful to stay away from those kind of people. It says, "'Their feet run to evil, and wasting and destruction are in their path.'" That's in Psalm 59, verse 17. It says, "'Wasting and destruction are in their path. Their feet run to evil.'" Isaiah 59, verse 7. "'Their feet run to evil, they make haste to shed innocent blood.'" So be careful. Again, there is the potential of encountering bad drivers out there along the way. So make sure you surround yourself with good drivers, people like people in this room. Okay, let's go on to a seventh principle. On any long road trip, it is really nice to have other families, other friends, and other drivers along.

It's good to have other people with you, especially on long trips. I remember a trip from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, out to the great Tetons, or the Grand Tetons, in Wyoming.

We took a bunch of WYOU kids back in 1993 or 1994. We had a great trip, and we all had Seabees, and we talked to each other along the path, and we sang together, and we had a caravan of everyone going out, and we had an awesome trip. I remember on that trip that my windshield wipers began to malfunction in a rainstorm. Of course, that's when they usually malfunction, isn't it?

Funny how that goes. They never malfunction when it's not raining. Of course, you never have them on when it's not raining, so I guess that's the way it would go. Anyway, I'm in a bad storm, and I have to pull off the side of the road, and I didn't know what to do. No windshield wipers, and one of the members said, have you ever tried Rain-X? I've never even heard of Rain-X.

If you don't know what Rain-X is, you should get a thing of Rain-X and keep it in your car.

Because if your wipers quit working, Rain-X will get you through. So you just stop, you put the Rain-X on your windshield, and then you dry it first, get the water off, put the Rain-X on, and then you can merrily go down the path, and the water just flies away. It's miraculous.

It's awesome. So I was able to keep going on that trip. It worked beautifully. I made it back because of Rain-X. Sometimes people can really help you out by giving you good hints like that.

Spiritually, we need each other, and we should welcome one another's company.

We're all part of the body of Christ. God and Christ are completely unified. Christ said, I and my Father are one. Frankly, I like the name of our church, the United Church of God, because I think that's what we're to live up to. I think that's what God wants us to learn, is to be united, to truly be united and no longer divide, no longer allow ourselves to do that. God hates division. God wants us to be united.

We believe in God's commandments wholeheartedly.

We're down the road quite a bit. Those who used to say we're headed down the wrong path.

The proof is in the pudding. By your fruits, you will know. We believe in keeping God's commandments.

We believe in keeping His laws, keeping the Sabbath, keeping the Holy Days, keeping all of God's commandments, learning to live by every word of God, writing God's laws in our hearts and in our minds. We are striving to be united. I think we should all live up to our name. There should be great unity within the body of Christ. Shame on us if there isn't.

We should strive again to live up to our name. That's principle number seven.

Principle number eight. On any long road trip, there is the potential of getting lost.

Have you ever gotten lost? So it's really nice to have a special navigator along with you.

You know, in Oklahoma, I was there 19 years and I seldom got lost.

I mean, everything's pretty flat. It's pretty self-explanatory. You know, I mean, I was there a long time. I very seldom got lost. But when I lived in Pittsburgh for five years, yes, I am a Steeler fan for good reason. I lived there for a while. In Pittsburgh, it's very easy to get lost. Mr. Petty is nodding his head. It's because of the hills.

I mean, no roads go straight in Pittsburgh. They're all going like this. And if you miss a road, I always think, well, I don't have to turn around. I'll just work my way back. But it doesn't work in Pittsburgh. You have to turn around and go back the way you were coming and get on the right path if you're going to get it, make it to your destination. I found it was best to just go back and not try my shortcuts. They didn't work. Finally, I also stopped asking for directions in Pittsburgh because I realized that I knew where I was going better than most people did.

I mean, I stopped at a gas station trying to get some directions, and they didn't know what they were telling me. I'd immediately get lost following their directions. So I just finally just prayed about it, and God showed me the way. Well, I also had to look at maps and do other things.

God will show us the path that we should go. In Psalm 139, verse 3, David says, You know my path, you know my lying down, you are acquainted with all my ways. God knows you very intimately. He knows your weaknesses. He knows your strengths. And He will guide you if you let Him.

Let's go to Proverbs chapter 2 for a moment, verses 8 and 9. Proverbs chapter 2, verse 8.

He guards the paths of justice. He preserves the way of His saints. You know, God preserves our ways. He preserves our path, our road trip. He's there with us always. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity, and every good path. You know, God again will show you the way to go. When you come to a crossroads, He will show you which way to go if you'll just yield to Him.

Verse 10, when wisdom enters your heart and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you. God again will show you the way.

He preserves the way of the saints. Now, in Isaiah chapter 42, verse 16, Isaiah chapter 42, see what God says here. He says, And I will bring the blind by a way they knew not.

Isaiah 42, verse 16, I will lead them in paths that they have not known.

I will make darkness light before them. So, if you don't know the right path, don't worry because God does know the right path and God will show you the right path.

But you have to acknowledge Him in all your ways, and you have to humble yourself and allow Him to show you the way and not walk in your own stubbornness. He will show the blind a way they knew not.

He will show those who are on a crooked path, He will show them the straight path.

He says, These things will I do unto them, and I will not forsake them. God will guide you. He will be your navigator. Now, my wife is a good navigator, and it's really nice to have her with me on trips because she really is a pretty good navigator most of the time. Now, once in a while she's fallen asleep on the job, but usually she's right there for me. And I remember one time when my son was 11, my daughter was 14, and we were in separate cars and my wife was... No, I was in the lead.

Of course, you know, I have to be in the lead, right? So, I'm in the lead, my wife behind me in a different car. I'm driving through St. Louis by the golden arch. It is a little confusing right there near the golden arch. So, I take the wrong path, and my wife is honking the horn, trying to behind me, trying to tell me not to go the way I'm planning on going, but I go the wrong way anyway.

I don't know if it was too late. I just didn't realize what was going on. So, she dutifully followed me in the wrong path. And it was good she did, because otherwise we probably would have gotten separated, and it would have been worse. We didn't have cell phones back then. It would have been harder to get back together. But she was a good navigator, and I remember my son saying to my wife right after that, when we got back together, Mom, now I know why you're the navigator. We all need a good navigator at times.

You know, Christ is your navigator. Jesus Christ will show you the way to go, but you have to yield to Him. So, some more crossroads, you young adults, are you going to submit to God? Are you going to repent of your sins?

Are you going to seek His kingdom with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your might, with all of your mind? Are you going to be baptized?

The Scripture is pretty clear. It says, Repent and be baptized, every one of you.

Now, that's the clear instruction to those who are of age. Repent and be baptized, every one of you, for the remission of your sins. So, there comes a time when you come up to that crossroad, and you have to decide, am I going to be baptized, or am I just going to go on for the next five years, aimlessly, you know, just getting by, coming to church, but not really committing.

There's a time when you have to face that crossroad, and there's a time when you should stop putting that off, and do something about it. Repent and be baptized, every one of you, for the remission of your sins. You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

It's God's Spirit that will ultimately preserve you on the right path.

If you don't have God's Spirit, it says you're none of His.

I mean, so when you get of age, when you become a man, you're to put away childish things.

When you become a woman, you're to put away those childish things, and you're to get on the right road and stay there. Let's go on to the final point.

Number nine, on any long road trip, it's really nice to have someone powerful, not just navigating for you, but also looking out for you and even intervening for you.

That's happened to me.

I remember on a trip to Wisconsin once upon a time, I was following someone. There was just two cars, and he had a big heavy car. It was in the wintertime. It was a snowstorm. He had a big heavy car.

My car was quite a bit lighter, and I looked over at my wife and I said, I've got to slow down.

He's just driving too fast for me. Within seconds, we went over an overpass, and I started to lose control of the car. I did lose control of the car. We're on this road, and there's about a 500-foot drop off to the right. There's a little guardrail there, and then this 500-foot drop off. I'm driving about 65 or 70 miles an hour. It was at the beginning of this storm, and the roads were starting to get bad. He's leading the way ahead on me, but he's got a heavier car, and my car is not doing so well. Thankfully, God was gracious.

Yeah, I hit the guardrail. Spun around a few times, but no one was hurt. The car was still drivable, and I was able to move on. Another time, I was in Oklahoma, and my wife and I were coming back from Sabbath services, and it was after sundown, and we were going to go into Tulsa to do some shopping. It had snowed, but it was a beautiful day. But some of the snow had melted during the day. Seemingly, it was no danger at all, but then there was black ice. We would get into some black ice with no warning whatsoever, and I hit the first patch, and the car started going like this, and then I basically thought I was getting it under control, and then I hit a second patch of more black ice, and I lost complete control of the car at about 70 miles an hour on the interstate with semis on both sides of me. This was on Interstate 44. I said a quick prayer, and I just let go of the wheel, because if I would have kept the wheel, I would have done this.

You know, I just let go of the wheel, put it in God's hands, and there was an embankment, a concrete embankment on the left, and I started up that embankment. It wasn't all that big, and there was another road on top of that, and I'm going 70 miles an hour. Somehow, we flipped around, and we stopped before we entered traffic. We blew a tire. That was it.

That was the only problem. I didn't hit the car. The car didn't hit anything. It didn't hurt the car.

It just had a flat tire. So I think my God was there to protect us on that one, especially the second one. I think the first one, too, but especially the second one.

Sometimes, when we hit ice patches and problems like that, there's nothing we can do about it.

You know, it's out of our control, so it's nice to have someone that will intervene for you.

When we come up to a crossroad, again, we have a choice to make. Will we continue on the path that we were on? Will we go straight toward God's kingdom? Will we place our faith and trust in God?

Will we believe in Him with all of our heart and know that He's always there?

Or are we going to turn to the right or the left?

Are we even perhaps going to go backwards and pay the consequences of our foolish choices?

We will reap what we sow and be sure your sins will find you out.

We sang a song earlier today, "'Teach me thy way, O God.' Until the journey's done," was part of the stanza.

You might go back and look at that. It meant something to me because I knew I was giving this sermon, but, "'Teach me your way, O God.' Until the journey's done, you know, we have to stay faithful to the end, to the very end. And when we know God's on our side, we have nothing to fear.

Because we will endure to the end, and we will be saved.

Will you remain faithful to the end? Will you place your trust in God and in Christ?

He who endures to the end, the same will be saved." Now, we know the Scripture says clearly that wide is the road that leads to destruction.

There's a wide road out there, and it goes, at least, to destruction.

And most people are on it, frankly. You know, God isn't calling that many today. There are very few here that are keeping the Sabbath today in the San Antonio area, very few.

Just a handful of us.

It's important that we stay on the narrow path that leads to eternal life. It says, "'Few there be that find it.' There aren't that many. This is a precious calling.

We shouldn't take it lightly, brethren. Children, young adults, teenagers, we shouldn't take it lightly. Life is a journey. It is a spiritual road trip, and along life's journey toward God's kingdom, there are a variety of crossroads we will have to negotiate. It's important that we prepare ourselves as best we can for that journey. It's like if you want to be a doctor, you have to go to school for it. If you want to be an attorney, you have to go to law school. You have to prepare yourself. You have to know where you're going in life. It's important that we know very clearly where we're headed and how to get there. We must do our part through preparation, through staying focused, by being vigilant, by keeping God's commandments, by listening carefully to our spiritual navigator, Jesus Christ. So, brethren, let's seek God's direction, let's seek His counsel, and He will keep you on the road to His kingdom.