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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Reed Webster

Your way or YAHWEH?

Does it really matter what you do, what you say, what you wear, what you read, what you watch, what you listen to?

We can either take a step forward or a step back, step to the right or a step to the left.

But how much of an impact do those things have?

Dear Father in heaven, I thank you for the blessing of the Sabbath day, a time where we can gather together, Read your word, spend time in fellowship, and think upon the greatness that you do in our lives.

May you Give them the understanding and wisdom of what your Spirit says to the church.

And I ask that you bless us now in this time that we're spending together.

If I could have everyone open their Bibles to Genesis 13.

For a little bit of context, Lot and Abram have been together for some time, and God has been blessing, and they've grown in abundance, and the quarters are getting a little tight.

And in verse 8 of Genesis 13, Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen, for we are brethren.

If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right.

Or if thou would depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.' And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan that is well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east, and they separated themselves the 1 from the other.

Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, sorry, in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent towards Sodom.

And the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.

Now, Lot did not choose to head towards Sodom because he saw the witnessing opportunities.

He headed to Sodom because he saw the potential temporal advantages.

Now this choice, he didn't take into consideration the moral influences that it would have on him or the influences it would have on his family.

And because of that, he lost his wife, he lost his son-in-laws, he lost all the possessions that he went there to obtain, and his daughters were so morally corrupted that they laid with their father to produce offspring.

This 1 decision had long-term consequences.

Abram went left, or sorry, Lot went left and Abram went right.

But it's not necessarily always those 1 decisions that have the longest consequences.

They do have long-term consequences at times, but it's often the cumulative decisions that shape and form and determine our character and even our eternal destiny.

Enter ye in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction.

And many there be that go in thereat, because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Jesus says there are 2 ways.

By show of hands, this is going to take some participation, by a show of hands, how many of you here think that you're traveling on the narrow road?

How many of you think you're traveling on that road?

If you don't raise your hand, I'm going to assume that you think you're on the wide road to destruction.

And if you are thinking that, you're in the right place.

We'd love to have you here so you can get on that narrow road, but raise them high.

How many people think you're on the narrow road?

Let me have you turn to Revelation 12, verse 9.

Revelation 12, verse 9, speaking of Satan.

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.

He was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him." The devil plans to deceive the whole world.

The essence of Deception is that you don't know that you're being deceived.

In fact, you're quite confident that you're not being deceived.

You may think others are being deceived, but you, you're not being deceived.

Is it possible that many, even here, who think they're on the narrow road may be deceived and may actually be on the broad road.

Is it possible that maybe you are even deceiving your own self?

I have a very, I think this is a interesting quote to me, because although we may think that, it becomes alive when the spirit of prophecy, when Ellen White has a vision and she sees this, I think it has more power to me.

This is from Christian Experience and Teaching, page 157, paragraph 1.

And I saw many traveling in this broad road who had the words written upon them, dead to the world, the end of all things is at hand, be ye also ready." She saw many people traveling on this broad road, and what were they saying?

This is a second coming judgment mentality.

They're sharing, they're professing, They have this written upon their chest, but where are they at?

They look just like the vain ones around them, except a shade of sadness which I noticed upon their countenances.

Their conversation was just like that of the gay, thoughtless ones around them.

But they would occasionally point with great satisfaction to the letters written on their garments, calling for others to have the same on theirs.

The letters written, dead to the world, The end of all things at hand, be you also ready.

They have this written upon them and they're calling others to have the same.

They were in the broad road, yet they professed to be of the number who were traveling on the narrow way.

Those around them would say, there is no distinction between us.

Many of us here are open to the idea that, yes, it's possible that many on the narrow road could be deceived.

But Christ had made this thought, there we go, Christ had made this thought himself when he said, Not everyone that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter in the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of my father, which is in heaven.

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification." 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 3.

So Ellen White sees many traveling on this broad road, professing that they're ready, professing that they want others to be ready, they're claiming to be dead to the world.

But their profession and their demonstration were at odds with each other.

Those around them, on the broad way, who weren't making such a profession, they said there's no distinction between us.

So my fear, I have hope, is that we do a lot of professing.

I don't know what each person does in their own life.

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Your way or YAHWEH?

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