September 5, 2025

Recently, our family moved into a new home. We had been looking for a place with a little more land and a little more room. Our boys are growing, and so we knew our current home wasn’t going to be enough. We were thankful God had provided this opportunity to find a place we could call home, and now He provided a new home to make our own. As I was packing our garage, I came across a walking stick. This stick was one that Pam and I had found while hiking together years earlier.

In April of 2016, my wife, Pam, and I took a trip down to Red River Gorge at Natural Bridge State Park. We decided to spend three days hiking and relaxing. Now, I’m not an avid hiker. I would say I’m more of a casual hiker or not a hiker at all. But in 2016, I got an itch to be daring with our hike. I looked into trails we could take, and decided we would hike a trail called Sand Gap (which connected off of Hood’s Branch).

(Note: Black bear warning. What were we thinking?)

So, I mapped out the trail and it said it was about 7 miles. I thought, well, that’s long, but we’re going to hike all day.  We packed food and water and on that cool April morning we made our way out into the woods. We were young and adventurous and ready to see the beauty of this park. And we saw a lot of beautiful things. We hiked for about 6 hours approximately. There was amazing landscape and rock formations. And we didn’t see another person for a good 3 hours of our time on the trail. It was peaceful and an amazing time spent just the two of us.

And yet there were times on this hike where I questioned my decision. I got tired. What happens if we have trouble? Was I about to lead my wife and I into danger? Would we meet a bear? Can I take a bear in a fight? So many unknowns!

And there were times on this trail, where the path became difficult to see. Times where I wasn’t sure of my journey. I worried that we may have somehow gotten off path and we’re lost. I’d read stories of people who wandered off a path in these types of places and were never found again. In this place,  I was glad to have Pam with me because she reminded me that we were in this together and we wouldn’t get lost. And then all of the memories of that trip reminded me how unsure this life can be.

On our paths, we have these same struggles. Am I going the right way? Am I heading into danger? What if I get lost? How do I know I’m actually following Jesus? And when those questions come up, I can imagine we get filled with anxiety and fear. And then as a result, we tend to want to forge our own way. We want to take control of the narrative. We want to define our own story or follow the story that those people and things around us want to define. We look around and say, “Well, this path is the one everyone else seems to take; let's go that direction.”

And yet, Jesus tells us something reassuring in Matthew chapter 7.

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." — Matthew 7:13–14

Jesus’ words here are both sobering and hopeful. When Jesus shares these words he is delivering his famous message which we have called The Sermon on the Mount. And at this point, people have been trying to live up to a standard they couldn’t follow. Jesus is trying to reveal the values and ethics of the Kingdom of God and to call his followers to live in a radically different way. A way that reflects God's character, justice, mercy, and holiness. He is teaching them the better path to follow.

The narrow path isn’t popular, easy, or comfortable, but it is life-giving. It’s the way of surrender, obedience, and trust. It’s the road that calls us to love when it’s hard, to forgive when it hurts, and to serve when it costs.

The broad road is crowded with voices that promise freedom but deliver bondage. The narrow path, though less traveled, is marked by the footsteps of Christ Himself. He doesn’t just point us to the way. He walks it with us.

Today, let’s ask ourselves: Am I choosing convenience or conviction? Am I following the crowd?

The narrow path may be steep, but it leads to eternal joy. And every step taken in faith is a step closer to the heart of God.

I hope you will join us this Sunday as we begin a new series called Under the Crown, which focuses on The Sermon on the Mount.

Chris Emmons

Ross Campus Pastor

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