Avoid the Path to Nowhere

Berean Baptist on August 27, 2017

A few weeks ago in this space, I wrote about spiritual thirst and how important it is to quench this thirst by often visiting God’s word. That article was prompted by my experience in the exercise routine of walking up Taylor Mountain. These walks have been very productive both physically and spiritually as I use the time to think on sermons and pray (yes, you can walk and pray at the same time—no extra coordination required). This past week I developed a sermon outline while walking and had nothing to write on, so I used my iPhone to dictate the points. Passersby must have been a little stunned to hear Exaltation! Encouragement! Equality! as I walked by.

Here is one of the thoughts that came to me on one of the trips last week. At Taylor Mountain, there are well-marked trails that are mapped and traveled by most. I have my own section I walk regularly because I know how long it will take, how difficult it will be, how many miles it covers, and how many calories it will burn. I stick to this section 90% of the time.

I noticed every time on every trip I pass a path off to the right that disappears into the trees. I often wondered where it went but I never took time to explore it. I just kept passing it over and over and kept on walking where I was supposed to. Finally, I decided I had to satisfy my curiosity. I took off down the trail with the lizards and ticks over a creek and up a rocky incline until it leveled off in a clearing. The path was well-worn and then abruptly stopped. There was no trace of it beyond that point.

It turns out the path was well-worn because the many people that traveled that way found out there was no gorgeous view like walking the right path. The path was beaten down because every person made an about face and traveled back the way they came. It occurred to me that the marked trail is the one you are supposed to follow and if you get off it you end up nowhere. This is much like the Christian life. God has the right way for your life marked out clearly in His word. There is a path that wastes no time, produces the right results, and leads straight to the proper destination.

We too easily give into the temptation to that which appears to be a more appealing path and we take a different direction only to find out it leads nowhere. Worse yet, if I had been in a wilderness area, this kind of foray could have led to bewilderment and a nasty fall from a cliff. Fortunately, it is hard to get lost on Taylor Mountain. Not so in life when you leave God’s path. When you are off His trail, there is no guidance. It’s a difficult walk and each step leads you farther and farther away from the one who can help.

The moral of this story is not to yield to the temptation of the new and exciting. The old path is good so don’t pick a new church, don’t pursue a new doctrine, don’t take a new job, don’t get with a new crowd unless you have evaluated each step to see if it is the right way. The reality is that you might be on the wrong path right now. You thought it was right but your faith is weak, your growth is stunted, and your contentment is suffering because you have been going the wrong way far too long.

The goal of Berean is to lead you in God’s path. We stay in God’s word to point you to the spiritual markers that give assurance of the right way. We promise every step will be backed by the scriptures—and with them, you will always end in the beautiful somewhere of God’s glory.

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Puzzling but not Impossible

Berean Baptist on November 4, 2015

Psalm 31

 Psalm 31 is another of the remarkable poems of David that speak of the death and resurrection of Christ. We are prone to wonder how much the Holy Spirit revealed to David as he wrote because these psalms also have an immediate application to David’s life as well. If you will notice the fifth verse, David wrote, “Into thy hand I commit my spirit: thou has redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.” We can see how David would have written this about himself because he was fully dependent upon the Lord for strength. The New Testament records that David had a heart for God and we are encouraged to emulate him in our own affections for our heavenly Father. Though we can see the application of the verse to David’s life, we also know these are words spoken by Jesus as He hung on the cross. Just before He surrendered His life, He said, “Father into thy hands I commend my spirit.”

The confusing part of this psalm is how it alternates between the life of Christ, His death, and His resurrection. These are not presented in a clear, orderly fashion from one step to the next, but rather the joy of the resurrection may be immediately displaced by the suffering of His life. An example of this is seen in the latter part of the fifth verse which speaks of Christ’s redemption, an obvious reference to His resurrection, and then by verse ten we are brought back to His life—“For my life is spent with grief.”

I hope you can see by this how challenging Bible interpretation can be. Most of us read through the Psalms quickly without considering the deeper implications. We might even feel there is no use reading slowly because we just cannot understand. If this were true, the Bible would be nearly useless for a Christian. And yet these same Psalms tell us the word of God enlightens and strengthens us. How can this be if we have no understanding?

Our heavenly Father knows this. He never intended for His words to be understood by those without a regenerate heart (1 Cor. 2:14). However, He most certainly did intend that His people should hear and understand (1 Cor. 2:12). The enlightening of the mind to truth is one of the wonderful works of the indwelling Holy Spirit. When the Christian applies himself to study and asks for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the understanding will come. God wants you to know Him better and the only way you can is by His self-revelation in the written word.

I encourage you first of all to read; and secondly to read carefully and deliberately. There is no secret I reveal in a sermon that you may not already know by your own diligent study. Yes, you will have questions because none of us can plumb all the depths of scripture. God gave pastors and teachers to help you and we promise to do so; but He did not give us to do all the work for you.

Do not be discouraged with your reading. Keep it regular and consistent, and I promise upon the authority of the word itself, you shall see and know God better through scripture.

 Pastor V. Mark Smith