What Road Are You On?

Jesus presents two roads, two destinations, and one decision. The question is not what road your family, friends, or culture are on—it is whether you are truly following Christ.

Two Roads. Two Destinations. One Decision.

Jesus is moving toward the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount.

Up to this point, He has taught us what life in His Kingdom looks like.

He has dealt with our hearts.

Our relationships.

Our motives.

Our prayer life.

Our priorities.

Our trust in God.

And the way we treat other people.

Now He brings every listener to a point of decision.

What road are you on?

Not what road your family is on.

Not what road you were raised on.

Not what road you tell people you are on.

Jesus makes the question personal.

Jesus Gives Us Only Two Roads

Matthew 7:13–14 does not give us a long list of options.

Jesus gives us:

Two gates.

Two roads.

Two destinations.

One road leads to life.

The other leads to destruction.

There is no third road somewhere in the middle.

There is no neutral ground.

That is what makes this passage so serious.

Jesus is not asking whether we are generally spiritual.

He is asking whether we are actually following Him.

Not Every Road Leads to the Same Place

One of the most common ideas in our culture is that all roads eventually lead to God.

Jesus does not teach that.

He says:

“I am the way and the truth and the life.”

He also says:

“I am the gate.”

Jesus does not present Himself as one option among many.

He says life is found through Him.

That means we cannot allow popularity, sincerity, or cultural acceptance to define truth for us.

A road can feel right.

Look right.

Be crowded.

And still lead in the wrong direction.

Popular Does Not Mean Safe

Jesus says the broad road is crowded.

Many enter through it.

That should get our attention.

Popularity is not proof that a road is right.

Sometimes being surrounded by people going the same direction can make us feel secure.

But spiritually, numbers do not determine truth.

You can be surrounded by people going the same direction as you and still be headed the wrong way.

There Is No Fence to Ride

Some people say:

“I am not really against God.”

“But I am not fully committed either.”

“I am somewhere in the middle.”

Jesus does not describe a middle.

We cannot remain undecided forever and pretend indecision has no consequence.

If we refuse to choose Christ, we have still made a choice.

So the question is not:

“Is my road popular?”

The better question is:

“Where does this road lead?”

The Narrow Road Requires Surrender

Jesus says:

“Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life.”

That word narrow matters.

Following Jesus does not always line up with what comes naturally to us.

Our sinful nature wants comfort.

Control.

Approval.

The freedom to do whatever we want.

Jesus calls us to surrender.

He says to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.

The world says:

“Follow your heart.”

Jesus says:

“Follow Me.”

The Broad Road Lets You Keep Control

This is one of the clearest differences between the two roads.

The broad road lets you keep control.

The narrow road requires surrender.

Following Jesus eventually reaches every part of life.

Relationships.

Money.

Sexuality.

Habits.

Attitudes.

Plans.

Time.

Priorities.

Even the things we would rather keep hidden.

Following Jesus is not adding a little Christianity to the life we were already planning to live.

It is saying:

“My life belongs to Christ.”

Nobody Accidentally Walks Through the Narrow Gate

Jesus says:

“Enter through the narrow gate.”

Enter is a command.

It requires a response.

Nobody accidentally ends up there.

We do not enter eternal life simply because we grew up around Christians.

Attended church.

Believed God exists.

Owned a Bible.

Or considered ourselves decent people.

Nobody accidentally ends up in Heaven.

Following Christ requires a deliberate decision to turn from our own way and follow His.

Repentance Means Changing Direction

Repentance is more than feeling bad about where we have been.

It is a change of direction.

If you discover you are walking the wrong road, repentance says:

“I am not continuing this direction.”

“I am turning to Christ.”

That is why this is not something to put off until someday.

Jesus does not say:

“Enter when life settles down.”

“When you get older.”

“After you have had your fun.”

He says:

“Enter.”

The Narrow Road Is Not for Perfect People

This is important.

The narrow road is not for perfect people.

It is for surrendered people.

Every believer stumbles.

Every Christian has areas where God is still working.

The question is not whether you have ever failed.

The question is:

Is Jesus actually the One you are following?

Do You Call Yourself a Christian, or Are You Following Christ?

This may be one of the most uncomfortable questions in the entire Sermon on the Mount.

You can grow up in church.

Know the songs.

Own a Bible.

Know when to stand.

When to sit.

When to say amen.

Know Christian language.

Know facts about Jesus.

And still refuse to surrender your life to Him.

That is why the question cannot stop at:

“Do I call myself a Christian?”

The deeper question is:

“Am I actually following Christ?”

Look at the Direction of Your Life

Scripture tells us to examine ourselves.

That means looking beyond the label.

If you say Jesus is Lord:

Does your life increasingly reflect that?

When He confronts your sin, do you repent?

When His Word disagrees with your desires, which one wins?

When following Him costs you something, do you still follow?

This is not about perfection.

It is about direction.

There should be repentance.

Surrender.

Evidence that Jesus is leading and we are following.

A Christian Label Cannot Replace a Surrendered Life

Maybe you prayed a prayer years ago.

That moment may have been meaningful.

But Jesus presses deeper than whether we once had a moment.

He asks whether our life changed direction toward Him.

Maybe you say:

“I believe in God.”

But knowing that God exists is not the same as surrendering your life to Him.

Maybe you say:

“I go to church.”

That is good.

But sitting in a church does not automatically make someone a disciple.

At some point, every person has to answer the question personally:

Is Jesus actually Lord of my life?

Do Not Trust a Label Instead of Christ

The broad road can contain sincere people.

Religious people.

People who think they are fine.

That is what makes Jesus’ warning so serious.

We do not want to reach the end of the road and discover that we trusted a label instead of Christ.

So let Jesus search your heart.

Do not dodge the question.

Do not point at someone else.

Do not hide behind what you have always called yourself.

Ask honestly:

Am I actually following Christ?

Jesus Warns Because He Loves

If this passage only contained a warning, it could feel terrifying.

But Jesus does not warn people because He wants to leave them hopeless.

He warns because He loves them enough to tell them the truth.

Imagine someone driving toward a washed-out bridge.

Would it be loving to smile and wave because you did not want to offend them?

Of course not.

Love warns when danger is real.

Jesus knows where the broad road ends.

So He says:

“Do not keep going that way.”

The Warning Is Part of the Good News

The warning is good news because Jesus tells us where the road ends before we get there.

Scripture says:

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

There are still two destinations.

Death.

Life.

But notice where life is found.

In Christ.

The answer is not:

“Try harder.”

“Be better.”

“Become more religious.”

The answer is Jesus.

You Do Not Have to Retrace Every Wrong Step

When I was younger, I remember playing Super Mario 64.

There was a long staircase in the game that you could not get past until you had completed what was required.

I thought I could beat the system.

One night, I taped the controller forward so Mario would keep running up those stairs while I slept.

In my mind, if he ran long enough, eventually the game would have to let him through.

The next morning, he was still running.

Same staircase.

Same direction.

Same spot.

He had been running all night and had gotten nowhere.

I remember thinking that if I had been going the wrong direction for eight or nine hours, maybe it would take eight or nine hours to get back.

So I turned the controller the other way.

And the moment I turned around, there was the exit.

Repentance Is Turning Around

That little moment became a picture I have never forgotten.

Sometimes we think about our relationship with God the same way.

Maybe you think:

“You do not understand how long I have been running.”

“You do not know what I have done.”

“You do not know how far away from God I have gone.”

And because you have been moving in the wrong direction for so long, you begin to think it will take just as long to get back.

But that is not how repentance works.

You do not have to retrace every wrong step.

You do not have to undo every mistake before you can come home.

You do not have to spend years trying to earn your way back.

You have to turn around.

Turn Toward Christ

Repentance means we stop running our own direction and turn toward Christ.

And when we turn, we discover that God has not been running away from us.

He has been there the whole time.

The prodigal son went his own direction.

Wasted what he had.

Made a mess of his life.

But when he finally turned toward home, the father was already watching for him.

That is the heart of God.

You Have Not Outrun the Grace of God

Maybe you have been running for a long time.

Maybe you believe you have gone too far.

Made too many mistakes.

Wasted too many years.

You have not outrun the grace of God.

But you do have to turn.

Do not think you have to clean yourself up first.

Do not believe you have to earn your way back.

Turn to Christ.

Repent.

Surrender.

Follow Him.

What Road Are You On?

Jesus asked the people sitting on that hillside to confront this question.

And through His Word, He asks us the same thing.

What road are you on?

Not your spouse.

Not your children.

Not your parents.

Not the person sitting across the aisle.

You.

If you know you are on the wrong road, you have an opportunity to turn.

And if you say you are following Christ, allow this passage to search you honestly.

Is Jesus truly Lord?

Is there surrender?

Is there repentance?

Is your life moving in His direction?

One Road Leads to Destruction. One Road Leads to Life.

Jesus could not make the contrast clearer.

Two roads.

Two destinations.

One decision.

The broad road is easy to enter and crowded.

The narrow road requires surrender.

But the narrow road leads to life.

And the gate is not a philosophy.

A denomination.

A religious system.

Or our own goodness.

The gate is Jesus.

So do not settle for a Christian label without a surrendered life.

Do not wait until someday.

Do not keep running in the wrong direction because you think you have gone too far to turn around.

Jesus is calling you to life.

The question remains:

What road are you on?

Want to Keep Exploring Jesus’ Teaching?

Continue through our Kingdom Living series, watch the message, or join us this Sunday at Victory Christian Center in Phillips, Wisconsin.