Between Two Paths
Pastor Tan Thai · May 16, 2021
This sermon presents the biblical truth that in spiritual life there are only two choices: the narrow path leading to life through Jesus Christ, or the wide road of the world leading to destruction. Every person must carefully consider and decide which of the two paths to take, for silence itself is also a decision.
The sermon opens with a vivid illustration about the overwhelming variety of choices in modern material life — from hundreds of toothpaste brands to smartphones — to lead listeners to recognize that not all choices carry equal weight. The pastor notes that while today's world promotes relativism, suggesting all religions and lifestyles are equally valid, the Bible teaches something entirely different: in the spiritual realm, there are only two choices.
Throughout Scripture, from the Garden of Eden through Moses, Joshua, and Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, God consistently places before humanity two clear choices: life or death, blessing or curse, worshiping God or worshiping other gods. Moses instructed Israel before entering the Promised Land: 'Choose life' (Deuteronomy 30:19). Joshua declared: 'As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD' (Joshua 24:15). Psalm 1 also clearly distinguishes between the righteous and the wicked.
Jesus Christ affirms that He Himself is the narrow gate and the only path to life: 'I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me' (John 14:6). Scripture further confirms this in 1 John 5:11-12 and Acts 4:12. The road is narrow not because God is harsh, but because there is only one salvation, one absolute truth, and one Church as the body of Christ.
The sermon uses real-life and historical examples to illustrate the two paths: the contrast between Abraham and Lot, and between Billy Graham and Charles Templeton — who abandoned his faith and wrote a book titled 'Farewell to God.' Practical expressions of choosing the narrow path include remaining faithful to Sunday worship, not forsaking the gathering of believers, and not compromising for material gain. These concrete illustrations show that the choice between the two paths is lived out in everyday decisions, not only at the moment of initial belief.
The pastor concludes that no one can remain neutral or alternate between the two paths. After hearing the teaching of Jesus Christ, every person must make a decisive choice. Salvation and eternal life do not come from living a good moral life, from ethics, from science, or from any religion — but only through Jesus Christ. Believers who have already chosen to follow Christ are also challenged to continually guard themselves against drifting back onto the wide road of the world.