Keeping to the Well-Worn Paths

Proverbs chapter 4.

Proverbs 4 · chapter mention

Let your heart hold fast my words.

Keep my commandments and live.

Get wisdom.

Get insight.

Do not forget.

And do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

Do not forsake her and she will keep you.

Love her and she will guard you.

The beginning of wisdom is this.

Get wisdom.

Whatever you get, get insight.

Prize her highly and she will exalt you.

She will honor you if you embrace her.

She will place on your head a graceful garland.

She will bestow on you a beautiful crown.

Hear, my son, and accept my words.

That the years of your life may be many.

I have taught you the way of wisdom.

I have led you in the paths of uprightness.

When you walk, your step will not be hampered.

And if you run, you will not stumble.

Keep hold of instruction.

Do not let go.

Guard her.

For she is your life.

Do not enter the path of the wicked.

Do not walk in the way of the evil.

Avoid it.

Do not go on it.

Turn away from it and pass on.

For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong.

They are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.

For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn.

Which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

The way of the wicked is like deep darkness.

They do not know over what they stumble.

My son, be attentive to my words.

Incline your ear to my sayings.

Let them not escape from your sight.

Keep them within your heart.

For they are life to those who find them and healing to all their flesh.

Keep your heart with all vigilance.

For from it flow the springs of life.

Put away from you crooked speech.

And put devious talk far from you.

Let your eyes look directly forward.

And your gaze be straight before you.

Ponder the path of your feet.

Then all your ways will be sure.

Do not swerve to the right or to the left.

Turn your foot away from evil.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

The metaphor of the journey is often used to describe our lives.

We talk about needing guidance or direction in our lives.

People speak of choosing a career path.

We all tend to think of life as getting somewhere.

That we're headed somewhere.

Although people disagree wildly on what that exact destination is.

And what the purpose of our life's journey actually is.

But the word of God doesn't leave us in the dark.

Concerning his people, God says in Isaiah 43 verse 7.

Isaiah 43:7

Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.

God created us for his glory.

That's our ultimate purpose.

He created us for himself.

Romans 11 verse 36 says,

Romans 11:36

For from him and through him and to him are all things.

To him be glory forever.

Amen.

The reason for your existence,

the meaning of your life,

your journey,

your calling,

the purpose of your being,

the salvation of your soul.

It is all from him and through him and to him.

If you want to fulfill your purpose,

if you want to find true eternal satisfaction,

there's only one path laid off for you.

And that is the path that this passage speaks of.

It's the path of God.

This passage teaches us that we should keep the wisdom of God within our hearts

so that it keeps our feet on the path of God.

That's the main point.

And I will talk about it in three paths.

It tells us what the path of God is.

First, it tells us that it is a worn path,

a well-worn path.

In verses 1 to 9.

Then it tells us that it is a lit path,

a well-lit path,

10 to 19.

And then finally,

it tells us that this is a straight path.

Verses 20 to 27.

I'll unpack those in turn.

We know that these are the three sections in this passage

because each section begins with a fresh address to the Son.

Hear, O sons, verse 1.

Or hear, my son, verse 10.

Or my son, verse 20.

And let's talk about what it means to keep the wisdom of God in our hearts

so that we can keep our feet on the path of God.

It begins in verses 1 to 2 this way.

Hear, O sons, a father's instruction.

Be attentive that you may gain insight,

for I give you good precepts.

Do not forsake my teaching.

Once again, as we've been seeing throughout this book,

the author of Proverbs uses the trope,

a literary device of the father-son relationship,

in order to convey his teaching.

But this time, interestingly, the word son is plural.

It's been singular this whole time,

showing that there never was a particular son in mind.

It has all of God's people in view.

And this father exhorts the son to be attentive.

That you may gain insight,

for I give you good precepts.

Do not forsake my teaching, he says.

A loving father is not going to give his children bad precepts.

He's going to give good precepts that are intended to guide,

provide, and protect his children.

But it is, of course, characteristic of rebellious children

to want their own way.

Those of you who are parents can identify with this.

It can be exasperating at times for the parent

to have to plead and command and warn and even threaten

again and again and again and again

just to get your own children to do what's good for them.

It's like, do I really have to sell this to you?

This is for you.

And you have to repeat it again and again.

It's the...

But that's exactly what we do to our Heavenly Father.

We act like his precepts are bad.

Like they are arbitrary.

We act like God is a tyrant seeking to oppress us

or a boss on a power trip

when in reality the Bible describes God as a loving Father.

He offers us insight.

He gives us good precepts.

And that's why he wants us to be attentive

to not forsake his teaching.

And this teaching is not something that the Father invented.

He tells his sons that he himself received this teaching

from his Father.

He says in verses 3 to 4,

The Hebrew concept of sonship

is not merely a matter of biology,

biological lineage.

It's a relational and spiritual heritage.

This is why defiantly rebellious children in Israel

were disowned by their parents

and they were no longer considered their children.

That's because they understood sonship

in light of this filial loyalty.

And so the stubborn disobedience of children

itself constituted a denial of sonship.

Saying, you are ceasing to be my son.

You're ceasing to be my daughter.

So when the Father says,

when I was a son with my father,

this means more than when I was a child.

It means when I was under the authority of my father.

When I was under the tutelage of my parents.

He says he was tender.

The word refers to a softness,

a frailty,

or inexperience

that characterizes young age.

When he was a dependent.

When he was inexperienced.

When he was a compliant child.

His father taught him this.

And not only was he a son with his father.

He says he was the only one in the sight of my mother.

The phrase only one conveys

how precious this father was to his mother.

It doesn't necessarily mean that he was an only child.

Even though Abraham in the Bible,

in Genesis had other sons.

For example, Ishmael.

through Hagar, his concubine.

Only Isaac, the son through his wife Sarah,

is described as the only one.

The same phrase.

To designate his special status.

So like an only child,

the parents loved him and taught him.

And this is the special message

that they imparted to that special child.

The message that passed on to him with great care.

Let your heart hold fast to my words.

Keep my commandments and live.

That's the message they passed on to the next generation.

This passing of the torch from one generation to the next

speaks to this importance of tradition.

Ancient people viewed human history as primarily cyclical.

But modern people, in contrast,

largely actually due to Christian influence

of seeing all of history as coming to a climax

in God's sovereign guidance.

And modern people now see it not in a cyclical sense.

They see history more as something progressive,

like a line that progresses.

However, people nowadays have taken this idea of progress

and have removed God from the picture.

So that now, apart from God,

apart from God who is sovereignly guiding history,

we see history automatically as making progress at every age.

This is the worldview that produces

what C.S. Lewis famously described

as chronological snobbery.

Which is, as he defines it,

the assumption that whatever has gone out of date

is on that account discredited.

So nowadays, many politicians and pundits

just kind of cavalierly dismiss certain actions and positions

as having no business in the 21st century.

If you are susceptible to this idea,

you should know that this is a cultural presupposition

that needs to be examined and proven

rather than taken for granted.

Who says history is an ineluctable progress?

Theologian J.I. Packer describes this attitude

with some memorable rhymes.

He says,

The newer is the truer.

Only what is recent is decent.

Every shift of ground is a step forward,

and every latest word must be hailed

as the last word on its subject.

But the fact that people back in the day believed it

doesn't automatically make it wrong.

It is simply untrue that society is always progressing.

Perhaps in a technological sense, yes,

we are always progressing.

But in a moral sense?

In a spiritual sense?

In a human sense?

Far from it.

Scripture does view human history as having an end goal,

which is the glory of God through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

Human history is, in that sense, progressive.

But Scripture never says that society will, therefore,

improve with every successive generation.

No, rather, Scripture sees human history as a downward spiral of sin

and rebellion with periodic renewal and revival.

It teaches that everything will come to a climactic judgment

in which the heaven and earth, we know,

as we know it will pass away,

making way forward to the new heaven and new earth.

That's the climax.

So the way of God is not a newfangled fad.

It's not an innovation.

It is old.

It's time-tested.

Because it is the way of the ancient of days,

as Daniel describes God.

Jeremiah 6, chapter 16 says this,

Thus says the Lord,

Stand by the roads and look and ask for the ancient paths,

where the good way is,

and walk in it,

and find rest for your souls.

Finding rest for your souls is not found in new paths

that people invented,

new techniques,

new advice.

It is found in the ancient path that's laid out for us in Scripture.

That's the good way in which you find rest for your soul.

G.K. Chesterton, an English writer and philosopher and theologian,

captures this importance of tradition in a helpful and provocative way.

He says,

Tradition means giving a vote to most obscure of all classes,

our ancestors.

It is the democracy of the dead.

Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy

of those who merely happen to be walking about.

Democracy tells us not to neglect the good man's opinion,

even if he is our servant.

Tradition asks us not to neglect the good man's opinion,

even if he is our father.

Instead of discrediting God's word by saying,

times have changed.

Instead of dismissing Scripture as regressive,

I pray that we can have enough humility

to admit that we are not better than our fathers.

To allow that just maybe,

there is something right and good

in this ancient tradition

that has been preserved for us through millennia.

Everything that progresses is,

if you think about it by definition,

imperfect, isn't it?

If it's perfect, it doesn't need progress.

That's why humans need to change,

but God never changes.

God's truth, likewise, does not change.

Our scientific understanding of the universe,

yeah, that progresses

because we have an imperfect understanding.

We form truer understanding of it with each generation,

but the word of God cannot progress

because, cannot have any progress

because it is already true.

2 Samuel 22, 31 says,

This God, His way is perfect.

The word of the Lord proves true.

Psalm 19 says,

The law of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul.

The testimony of the Lord is sure,

making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right,

rejoicing the heart.

The commandment of the Lord is pure,

enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean,

enduring forever.

The rules of the Lord are true

and righteous altogether.

Yes, the way our spiritual problems

manifest themselves have changed.

But our underlying spiritual problem,

the root of it all,

is still the same.

And its solution is still found

in the ancient path

laid out for us by the ancient of days.

Our problems are not novel.

We can find God's wisdom

for navigating this ever-changing world

in God's unchanging word.

And that's why the author of Proverbs

invokes tradition,

saying,

This is what my Father,

the wisdom of God,

that my Father passed down to me,

that I passed down to you.

This is what His Father told Him.

It says in verses 5 to 8,

Get wisdom.

Get insight.

Do not forget.

And do not turn away

from the words of my mouth.

Do not forsake her,

and she will keep you.

Love her,

and she will guard you.

The beginning of wisdom is this.

Get wisdom,

and whatever you get,

get insight.

Prize her highly,

and she will exalt you.

She will honor you

if you embrace her.

Verses 5 to 6 and 7 to 8

are parallel.

Verses 5 and verse 7

both say get wisdom.

And then verse 6 and verse 8

and talk about what wisdom

will do for you

if you get it.

The word get,

that's repeated four times here

in verses 6 and 8,

usually refer to some kind

of financial acquisition.

It means to acquire or buy.

And what is the cost of wisdom?

How do you afford wisdom?

Verse 7 tells us,

The beginning of wisdom is this.

Get wisdom,

and whatever you get,

get insight.

The phrase,

whatever you get,

is literally,

with all your acquiring.

The New International Version

renders it this way.

It says,

Though it cost all you have,

get understanding.

With all you ever acquire,

get wisdom.

Count nothing too expensive

to pay for the price of wisdom.

No matter the cost,

give everything you have for it.

To use an English idiom,

it's an exhortation

to go all in.

To totally commit.

To bet all your chips

on this

wisdom of God.

That's the beginning of wisdom.

To recognize its surpassing worth

and seek it,

no matter the cost.

The fear of God,

as chapter 1 put it.

Not only are we to treat wisdom

like a priceless treasure,

we are to cherish wisdom

like a lover.

Verse 6 says,

Do not forsake her,

and she will keep you.

Love her,

and she will guard you.

Verse 8 similarly says,

Prize her highly,

and she will exalt you.

She will honor you

if you embrace her.

To love and embrace wisdom

is to set our loyal affections

on God and His commands.

And if we do this,

verse 9 says,

She will place on your head

a graceful garland.

She will bestow on you

a beautiful crown.

The graceful garland

and the beautiful crown

represent the exaltation

and honor

that wisdom bestows

on its bearers.

When we keep the wisdom of God

within our hearts,

it keeps our feet

on the well-worn path of God

which leads to glory.

The glory of God.

So God's way of wisdom

is a well-worn path.

It's also a well-lit path.

Verses 10 to 19 tell us.

I get that from verse 18.

And this section begins

with another address

to the Son in verse 10.

Hear, my Son,

and accept my words

that the years of your life

may be many.

After relaying

what his father

and his grandfather taught,

the Son's grandfather taught him,

he now addresses the Son

in his own voice.

He says in verses 11 to 12,

I have taught you

the way of wisdom.

I have led you

in the paths

of our brightness.

When you walk,

your step will not be hampered

and if you run,

you will not stumble.

The word translated path

in verse 11

and verse 26,

they refer to tracks

or paths

that are created

by repeated use,

by repeated walking.

So imagine

a smooth path

on a grassy hill

that's created

by people

who just walked

along that same path

over and over again.

Or think of maybe

if you're driving

under heavy snow,

imagine the tracks

that are formed

on the snowy highway

by cars repeatedly

going past on it.

That's the kind of image.

It's the tracks

that you're supposed

to walk on.

Now,

if you don't want

to trip over rocks

and dense weeds

when you are running

through the fields,

you want to go along

the smooth path

created by people

that have gone before you.

Likewise,

if you don't want

to skid in the snow

and get into an accident,

you need to stay

along the tracks

created by the other cars

that have gone ahead of you.

Similarly,

the paths

that the Father

has shown to the Son

are paths

of uprightness.

They are proven paths

that many wise

and righteous people

of God

have walked on.

It's the ancient paths

handed down

from our forefathers

of faith.

And if you walk on that,

you will not be hampered.

And if you run,

you will not stumble.

So the Father

enjoins in verse 13,

Keep hold of instruction.

Do not let go.

Guard her

for she is your life.

Keeping hold

of instruction

implies a humble submission

to the authority

of one's teacher.

Job chapter 5

Job 5:17

verse 17

translates the same

Hebrew word

instruction

as discipline.

To keep hold

of instruction

is to yield

to discipline.

the correction

of wisdom.

It's only

the musician

that submits

herself

to the discipline

of tedious

finger strengthening

exercises

and scales

that will later

have the ability

to play

exquisite pieces

with freedom

and joy.

That's the reward

of discipline.

discipline.

It's only the athlete

that submits

himself to the

discipline of

repetitive drills

and arduous exercises

that will have

the muscular

and cardiovascular

endurance

to play the sport

that he loves

with freedom

and excellence.

that's the reward

of discipline.

Likewise,

it's the Christian

who submits

to the instruction

of God

the discipline

of God's wisdom

that can run

the course of life

without stumbling.

The flip side

of that instruction

is avoiding

the miseducation

of sin.

The Father warns

in verses 14 to 15

Do not enter

the path

of the wicked

and do not walk

in the way

of the evil.

Avoid it.

Do not go on it.

Turn away from it

and pass on.

This warning

is urgent

because if you

give sin an inch

it takes a mile.

So the Father

tells the Son

not even to go

near it.

Do not enter

the path

of the wicked.

Let alone persist

walking down it.

Don't even get

started on the

path of the wicked.

19th century

English minister

Pastor Charles Bridges

puts it this way

It is far more easy

to shun

the occasion

of sin

than the sin

when the occasion

presents it.

To resist

the beginnings

than the progress

of sin.

There must therefore

be no tampering

with it

no trial of strength

to see how far

our resolutions

will keep us.

Sin is a contagion.

It is a virulent

and fatal

disease.

It's a particularly

helpful way

to think about it

in light of the

coronavirus epidemic.

Many people

are wearing masks

avoiding public spaces

because they don't

even want to come

into contact

with the virus.

They don't even

want to come near it

because they know

how deadly it is.

Sin

should be avoided

in the same way

even more seriously

because sin

is a fatal disease.

In fact,

it has a 100%

fatality rate.

And it's not just

death in this life.

It's death

forever.

And yet we think

it's okay

to temper

with sin

to play with it

to test it

to see if we're

strong enough.

Let's see how far

I can go

without sinning.

We would not

treat it that way

if we saw it

as the contagion

that it is.

verses 16 to 17

give us the reason

why we should

avoid the way

of the evil.

For they cannot

sleep unless

they have done wrong.

They are robbed

of sleep unless

they have made

someone stumble.

For they eat

the bread of wickedness

and drink the wine

of violence.

The Father promised

earlier in verse 12

that if the Son

walks in the way

of wisdom

that He will not stumble.

In contrast,

the wicked cannot sleep

unless they have

made someone stumble.

Not only is sin

a contagious virus,

it is also

an addictive narcotic.

A one-off sin

becomes occasional

and then it becomes

habitual

and then it becomes

obsessive

and compulsive

so that they commit

wickedness

and do violence

like they eat bread

and drink wine.

That's their daily portion.

They can't sleep

unless they do it.

Wickedness is their food,

violence is their drink,

in the same way

that our bodily appetites

require constant feeding.

The craving for sin

must continually

be indulged.

If you give it an itch,

it takes a mile.

And these wicked people

are so consumed

by their wickedness,

it says they can't sleep

unless they have done wrong.

That's why we should avoid it,

never go even near it.

Verses 18 to 19

use yet another imagery

to contrast the path

of the righteous

from the way of the wicked.

It says,

the path of the righteous

is like the light of dawn

which shines brighter

and brighter

until full day.

The way of the wicked

is like deep darkness.

They do not know

over what they stumble.

I mean,

we instinctively

avoid dark alleys

in the city,

don't we?

When we're walking around

at night.

Light brings safety.

It brings visibility.

It brings accountability.

At dawn,

as the sun peaks

over the horizon,

the light grows

ever stronger

throughout the morning.

And that's what

the path of the righteous

is like.

As they walk on it,

as they're following God,

they find greater clarity.

They find greater illumination.

They find greater holiness.

They become nearer to God

the farther they progress

on their path

until the full day

when that light

comes in fullness.

This likely refers

to the ultimate salvation

that God has in store

for us,

complete sanctification,

the eternal destiny

of all God's people.

In contrast,

the way of the wicked

is like deep darkness.

They do not know

over what they stumble.

Again,

the play on the word

stumble continues.

Those who walk

in the paths

of righteousness

will not stumble,

but the wicked

can't sleep on,

like say,

make someone stumble.

But now in the end,

it's the wicked themselves

who stumble

over what they don't

even know.

They don't know

that their wrongdoing

that makes others stumble

is the very cause

of their own stumbling,

but they are unaware

of that.

It's an unlit path

where people grope about

trying to find their way

in the dark.

And the longer

you stay on it,

the more you lose

your sense of direction

and orientation,

and the more lost

you get,

so you should avoid it.

Avoid the path

of the wicked.

We should keep

the wisdom of God

within our hearts,

so that it keeps

our feet on the path

of God.

So the way of God

is a worn path,

it's a lit path,

it's also a straight path,

as verses 20 to 27

teach us.

Again,

it begins with

an address to the Son.

My Son,

verse 20,

Be attentive

to my words,

incline your ear

to my sayings,

let them not escape

from your sight,

keep them

within your heart.

And the reason

is given in verse 22.

For they are life

to those who find them

and healing to all

their flesh.

The way that God

has created this world

and has placed

an order in this world,

it is faithfulness

and obedience

to God

that produces

life and healing.

That's the way

God has generally

created this universe

to operate.

That's a general axiom

that admits exceptions,

but it is nonetheless

true.

And it's ultimately

true in that

there will be

final judgment

in the end

when God rewards

all the righteous.

Then the Father

gives another

well-known command,

Keep your heart

with all vigilance,

for from it flows

the springs of life.

The command,

Keep,

keep my words

within your heart

in verse 21

is now matched

by keep your heart

with all vigilance.

Those two things

are related.

You keep your heart

with all vigilance

by keeping God's word,

keeping the word

of wisdom

in your heart.

This is the third time

that the author

has spoken of

the centrality

of the heart

in this chapter.

You mentioned it

in verse 4

and here in verse 21

and 23.

But why does our heart

deserve such attention?

Because it says,

for from it flow

the springs of life.

Our actions in life

have a source

from which they flow

and it is our heart.

This is an extremely

important

biblical principle

because what we say

and what we do

are not caused

ultimately

by our circumstances

or environment

but by our hearts.

If a building collapses

people point their fingers

at the architect

or the construction workers.

I don't think

I've ever seen

people point their finger

at the people

that were in the building

saying,

man,

they were so heavy.

Because a building

is supposed to be able

to withstand

the weight

of the people in it.

The fact that it collapsed

points to

the lack of

structural integrity.

Something internally

wrong with the building.

That sounds funny

but that's in fact

the exact kind of

excuse we use

when we blame shift

in our own

personal lives.

When we get

into a conflict

with our spouses,

neighbors,

parents,

and roommates

we say,

well it's because

you said this.

It's because

you did this

to me.

Well you

started it.

I wouldn't be so angry

if you weren't

so lazy

and incompetent.

Sure,

there are

external stressors

but they are

not the source.

Our circumstances

are the context

not the cause

of sin.

It reveals

something within

every sin

does.

For this reason

it's of utmost

importance

that we guard

our own hearts

how do we do

that?

Psalm 119

Psalms 119:11

verse 11

says,

I have stored

up your word

in my heart

that I might

not sin

against you.

We keep

our hearts

by storing

up God's

word

in it.

By knowing

God's word

and by believing

God's word

and by applying

God's word

to our hearts

we keep

our hearts

by obeying

verses 20

and 21.

My son

be attentive

to my words

incline your ear

to my sayings

let them not

escape from

your sight

keep them

within your

heart.

That's how

we keep

our hearts

by keeping

God's word

in our hearts

and whether

or not

our hearts

are in

what kind

of condition

that it's

in is

often seen

in what

we say

our speech.

That's the

connection

that verse 24

makes.

Put away

from you

crooked speech

put devious

talk far

from you

if our

hearts

are not

upright

if it's

not

properly

ordered

crooked

speech

and

devious

talk

will

flow

from it.

It's

literally

crooked mouth

and devious

lip

using it

poetically

to represent

what we

say.

Jesus also

made this

connection

didn't he?

Luke chapter

Luke 6:45

6 verse 45

Sometimes

people

blurt out

inappropriate

or offensive

things

and then

apologize

I'm sorry

I didn't

mean that.

But the

truth is

they meant

more than

they're willing

to admit

because it

comes from

their

heart.

A lustful

heart

can't

help

but make

suggestive

and lewd

comments.

A

discontented

heart

can't

help

but make

bitter

biting

remarks.

An

insecure

envious

heart

can't

help

but make

comments

that cut

down

others

in order

to lift

itself

up.

An

unbelieving

heart

can't

help

but say

cynical

things.

A

foolish

heart

can't

help

but say

crude

unseemly

things.

So what

kind of

words are

coming out

of your

mouth?

Does

your

mouth

speak

only

what is

good

for

building

up

as

fits

the

occasion

that

it

may

give

grace

to

those

who

hear

as

it

commands

in

Ephesians

Ephesians 4:29

chapter

4

verse

29.

The

father

continues

his

exhortation

verses

25 to

27.

Let

your

eyes

look

directly

forward

and

your

gaze

be

straight

before

you.

Ponder

the

path

of

your

feet

then

all

your

ways

will

be

sure.

Do

not

swerve

to the

right

or

to

the

left.

Turn

your

foot

away

from

evil.

Now

if you

look at

this

section

more

closely

it's

full

of

body

imagery.

It

mentions

the

year

verse

20

eyes

in

verse

21

25

the

heart

the

flesh

in

verse

22

the

mouth

and

lips

in

verse

24

and

the

feet

in

verse

26

and

27

It's

also

full

of

words

that

describe

bodily

orientation

physical

orientation

inclined

it

says

lean

verse

21

mentions

crooked

devious

verse

24

directly

forward

verse

25

straight

verse

25

do

not

swerve

to

the

right

or

to

the

left

and

turn

away

from

something

in

verse

27

all

of

this

combines

to

emphasize

the

fact

that

our

entire

being

all

that

we

think

say

and

do

it

should

be

oriented

toward

the

straight

path

laid

out

for

us

in

the

word

of

God

according

to

the

National

Safety

Council's

analysis

of the

National

Highway

Traffic

Safety

Administration

data

in

last

year

or I

guess

this is

two

years

ago

in

2020

there

were

276,000

distraction

affected

injury

crashes

2,841

people

died

from

these

accidents

from

simple

things

that

distract

us

from

the

road

from

focused

eye

on

the

road

driving

like

talking

and

texting

on the

phone

applying

makeup

changing

the song

they say

that it

takes

three

seconds

or less

of

distraction

on

average

for an

accident

to

happen

the

importance

of keeping

our eyes

on the

road

straight

ahead

in the

physical

world

translates

to the

spiritual

world

as well

where the

consequences

are even

more dire

because it

lasts

on to

eternity

verse 27

says

do not

swerve to

the right

or to

the left

that means

do not

deviate

from God's

standard

in any

way

don't depart

from the

path that

God has

laid out for

you

in

scripture

and this

path that

God has

laid out

for us

is ultimately

displayed

and fulfilled

in the

person

and work

of Jesus

Christ

in John

14

Jesus

tells his

disciples

that he's

preparing for

them rooms

in heaven

at his

father's

house

and that he's

preparing a

place for

them and

he will

come to

take them

there

and that

they will

meet him

there

and in

verse 5

Thomas

who is

skeptical

and practical

asks Jesus

Lord

we do not

know where

you are

going

how can

we know

the way

Jesus

replies

I am

the way

and the

truth

and the

life

no one

comes to

the father

except

through

me

Jesus

is the

straight

path

laid out

for us

in which

to follow

God

Jesus

is the

well

worn

path

because

even

as a

30

something

man

in

John

8

he said

before

Abraham

was

I

am

he's

older

than

Abraham

why

because

he's

the

eternal

son

of

God

he's

the

eternal

word

of

God

he's

the

one

he is

one

with

the

great

I

am

the

ancient

of

days

Jesus

is

also

the

well

lit

path

Jesus

said

in

John

8

12

I

am

the

light

of

the

world

whoever

follows

me

will

not

walk

in

darkness

but

will

have

the

light

of

life

and

Jesus

shone

his

light

on

all

of

us

by

living

a

perfect

life

of

obedience

not

as

an

exemplar

but

more

than

that

by

doing

that

and

he

died

on

the

cross

as

a

substitute

for

our

sins

as

the

atoning

sacrifice

the

perfect

sacrifice

that

alone

can

do

away

with

the

punishment

that

we

deserve

for

our

disobedience

for

our

straying

far

away

from

the

path

that

God

laid

out

for

us

by

dying

on

the

cross

being

raised

from

the

dead

Jesus

shines

his

light

says

if

you

repent

of

your

sins

and

believe

in

me

you

will

be

light

of

the

world

2nd

Corinthians

3

17

to

18

says

that

it's

by

beholding

the

glory

of

the

Lord

by

seeing

the

light

of

the

gospel

of

the

glory

of

Christ

that

we

are

transformed

into

the

same

image

from

one

degree

of

glory

to

another

we

become

like

Christ

by

beholding

Christ

that's

the

secret

to

holiness

that's

the

secret

to

sanctification

there

is

no

silver

bullet

there's

no

technique

only

way

become

more

like

Christ

is

by

beholding

him

in

his

glory

it's

when

we

behold

the

glory

of

Christ

love

for

us

that

we

are

engulfed

by

his

light

and

our

insecurities

vanish

it's

only

when

we

behold

the

glory

of

Christ

sovereign

power

his

perfect

gracious

reign

in

our

lives

that

our

own

fears

are

engulfed

by

his

light

it's

when

we

behold

the

humility

of

Christ

displayed

on the

cross

that

our

pride

and

vanity

are

crucified

and

the

light

of

Christ

floods

our

life

that

is

the

secret

there's

no

salvation

apart

from

Christ

there's

no

justification

apart

from