Proverbs 16 25 there is a way
that seemeth right unto a man But the end thereof are the ways
of death Now the way that seems right unto man, it's very simple.
It's the way of man It's man's righteousness man's will man's
decision man deciding Everything that matters man's works. There are only two ways, as we've
seen so many times in the Word of God. So, we know that the end of one
way is life. So there's only one way that
this could be in our text. And it's expressed this way in
Matthew chapter 7, verse 13, enter ye in at the straight gate.
For wide is the gate and broad is the way. There is a way that
leadeth to destruction. And many there be which go in
there at. Because straight is the gate
and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life. And few there be that
find it. Now many go in the broad way
that leads to destruction because it seems right to them. They're
not, nobody wants to go to hell, nobody wants to suffer for their
sins, but this way seems right to them. It just makes sense
to people that if doing wrong is the problem, then doing right
is the solution. It seems right, but the thing
is they're wrong about the problem, and so therefore they're wrong
about the solution. Doing wrong is not the problem,
it's what you are. You are the problem. And being what you are, a sinner, means that everything you do
is wrong. And this explains what happened
in Matthew 7. Turn over there, if you would,
with me to Matthew 7, verse 21. This is what we're talking about
right here. This explains why these people came the way they
did and said what they did to the Lord. because they thought
this was the right way. Matthew 7, 21, not everyone that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.
And notice that the point here is entering into the kingdom.
The point of the temple was entering into the presence of God. The
point of life is the Lord Jesus Christ was made a curse for us
to redeem us from the curse of the law. What happened when the,
when the curse was imposed upon us, we were banished from the
presence of God. So what's the point of everything
now? Getting back to God. He died
the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. That's
everything. And so that's what this is, entering
the kingdom of heaven. But he that doeth the will of
my father, not everyone that says, Lord, Lord, everybody's
gonna confess that. That's not always gonna be salvation. You gotta confess that now to
be saved. Confessing him as Lord then,
you're just one of everybody that is gonna do that. But look at what they said. Many
will say to me in that day, verse 22, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in thy name? Have we not done something? Will people actually say that
in the very presence of the one that gave himself, that made
his own soul an offering for sin because we couldn't do anything
for ourselves? Have we not prophesied in thy
name? And it doesn't matter what comes
after have we not, does it? He deliberately lists the most
wonderful things that a person can do. to show that it doesn't
make any difference what it is you do, if you're trusting in
what you do. These are the most wonderful
things. Have we not preached in your name? How can you do
anything more wonderful than that in this world? And in thy name cast out devils,
we've helped people. And in thy name done many wonderful
works, then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. He knew everything about them,
but he didn't know them. He didn't love them. He never
loved them. Not for a second. It's not that
smile, God loves you, but oh, now that since you didn't receive
him, you're going to hell. He doesn't love you no more.
That's not God's love. He loves you or he don't. I've
loved thee with an everlasting love. He either does that or
he don't. And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you, depart from me. Think about what that
means. What is the worst thing that
can happen to you? The one who is life, the one
who is peace, the one who is rest, the one who is salvation
himself. The one who is everything good,
every blessing from God, says, get away from me. Get away from
me. You that work iniquity. Now consider this. What these
people were saying was they're good works. They're saying this
is the good work. These are the wonderful works
that we did. Not only would they not have been enough, even if
they were good works, they weren't even good works. It's not a question
of your good outweighing your bad. What am I good? Outweighs
my bad. You don't have any good. The
very best things that you could name that a person could do in
this life are evil. The problem is not that they
were lying about what they did. The problem is they were trusting
in what they did. And everything that they did
according to the Lord was sin. Same with you, same with you,
same with me. Ye that work iniquity, that's
what he called them, ye that work iniquity. You know what
he just called them? Sinners. That's what a sinner is. That's
what we are. The way seemed so right unto
them that it was their claim, it was their warrant to enter
into the presence of God. Then you might wait. You might think, wait a minute
though, the Lord himself said that you can enter in if you
do the will of God. Know what he said? Not everyone's
gonna enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth
the will of my father, which is in heaven. Isn't it God's
will that we do good? No, not for a righteousness,
not to establish a righteousness before God. It is not his will. that you do that. What is God's
will then? It's not left to our imagination. John 6.37, if you want to turn
there, but let me read it. John 6.37, all that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me, I
will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven not
to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which
he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it
up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that
sent me." Now think about this. He just said, I came down to
do the will of God. What did he come down to do? Everyone which seeth the Son
and believeth on him may have everlasting life. Well, wait
a minute, that sounds like something we do. Yeah, it may sound like
that to you, but it's not. That's something he came to do.
No man knoweth a father save the Son, and he to whomsoever
the Son will reveal him. You seeing the Son and believing
on him is something he came to do. Now let's look together at what
happened just before our Lord spoke these words in John chapter
6. If you would all turn with me to John 6 now. And look at
verse 26. Now remember, we just read from
verses 37 through 40 of this same chapter. This is right before
that. John 6, 26. Jesus answered them and said,
verily, verily, I say unto you, you seek me not because you saw
the miracles, not because you're saying this man does what nobody
can do. It's not that they were impressed
with him, but because you did eat of the loaves and were filled. Everybody wants something for
nothing, don't they? That's what most people's religion
is. That's what worshiping God is to most people, it's just
getting something for nothing. Well, God's people do get something
for nothing. But the thing is, people want
the wrong thing for nothing. They want prosperity, they want
their bellies filled. They want the body to prosper.
What preachers are telling them is going to happen. If they just
come down and out, you don't have to do anything. God's going
to do everything, you know, all these wonderful things for you.
What people don't want for nothing is righteousness. They don't
want Christ. Never have and never will except
for his grace. But because you did eat of the
loaves and were filled, and look at what he said, don't work for
the meat that perisheth. Don't labor for that. But for
that meat which endureth unto everlasting life. And I want
you to notice where he's going with this. Later on he said,
I am the bread. What they wanted was bread, bread. the body, the flesh. What's in it for me? But labor for the meat which
endeareth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give
unto you, for him that hath God the Father sealed. Then say unto
him, what shall we do that we might work the works of God?
Now notice that didn't just come out of nowhere, he just said,
work. for the right thing. Labor for the right thing. Well,
how do we do that is what they're saying. How do we do that? How in the world do we labor
for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life? Jesus answered
and said unto them, here's how, believe on him whom God sent. In other words, don't do anything. Labor to enter into rest in Christ. Work to not work. Endeavor to just receive the
Lord Jesus. Believe on Him. That's the work of God. Double meaning there, it's what
God's doing, and it's what He causes His people to do. Believe,
he gives faith in Christ. Verse 30, they said, therefore
unto him, what sign showest thou then that we may see and believe
thee? What dost thou work? So he said, believe is the work.
And they said, why should we believe on you? It's basically
what they're saying. What are you gonna do to impress
us enough to believe on you? Our fathers did eat manna in
the desert. They had something substantial. They could see it clearly came
from God. That's not faith. As it is written, he gave them
bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said to them, verily,
verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from
heaven, but my father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is he. God's bread, that which sustains
the soul, that meat which endureth into everlasting life is a person which cometh down from heaven
and gives life to the world. Who's the world? It's not everybody. It's not everybody there and
it's not everybody in John 3.16. It's everybody without distinction,
not everybody without exception. The world. Then said they unto
him, Lord evermore, give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them,
I am. It can't be much clearer than that, can it? I am the bread
of life. He that cometh to me shall never
hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you that you
also have seen me and believe not All that the father giveth
me shall come to me. There's where we read a while
ago. You see the context of that What is God's will? And it goes back to where we
read in Matthew 7 To do the will of God to do he that doeth the
will of my father That's who enters in God's will is Christ. God's way is Christ. Now, Christ is the way that leadeth
unto life. He is God's will for the sinner. Everything else and everyone
else is the way that seems right, but ends in destruction. It's
just called one way. You can call it whatever you
want to. But it's man. The mark of the
beast is man, man, man. Now this next verse I want to
read in the last few minutes we have is so familiar that it's
hard to even hear it anymore. I think you probably know what
I mean by that. You hear a verse so often and so much that you just sort of glaze over
when it's read. It becomes too familiar. But
I want you to think beyond what we usually do about this and
what our Lord said. Turn to John 14 with me and we'll
close there. John 14, one. Let not your heart be troubled.
This is our Lord comforting his disciples just before he left
this earth in a bodily form. Let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are
many mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Don't let it trouble you that
I'm leaving, because the reason I'm leaving is for you. It's
for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself at where
I am. There you may be also." The whole
point of all of this, like we said a while ago, is being with
Him, being with Him. And you know where I'm going,
and you know how to get there. That's what he said here. You
know the way. You know how that happens. And Thomas saith unto him, Lord,
we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way?
He's still thinking in fleshly terms and earthly reasoning. And Jesus saith unto him, I am. He said, where I'm going, he
said, I go to the Father. I go to the Father. And how is
that gonna happen? How is he gonna get, how is he
gonna, he's gonna bear my sins. He's gonna take my sin upon him
in such a way that he is charged with them and punished for them. So how is that gonna happen?
And he get to the father with sin, with my sins upon you. Well, he's gonna put them away.
He's gonna pay for them. He's gonna redeem us from them. I am the way, I am the truth,
I am the life. things that we think of as often
subjective. And religion teaches that. They say, well, we're all going
to the same place, we're just going a different way. I've heard people say that. The truth. People talk about
your truth and my truth. What? Life. What is life? Life is a person. No man cometh unto the Father,
which, as I said, is the point of everything. The temple, the
tabernacle, the gospel. but by me, by me. If you had known me, you should
have known my father also. And from henceforth, you know
him and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord,
show us the father and it sufficeth us. Think about what he's saying
there. We want to see God. You can show
us God. Jesus saith unto him have I been
so long time with you and yet hast thou not known me Philip He that has seen me has seen
the father and how sayest thou then show us the father There
is a way and Then there's the way The way that seemeth right
to man is due to The way that leadeth unto life
is done. Done. Don't come to enter the kingdom
of heaven talking about what you've done, have we not? Our Lord said, no man cometh
unto the Father but by me. That's how you come to God. By
Christ your righteousness, by Christ your sin offering, by
Christ, period. That's true.