Which Way are You Going?

Introduction

Have you ever heard someone say that they are trying to find their way? Maybe it could be a young adult still undecided on whether or not to go to college or maybe just to attend trade school?

Some of us knew which way we wanted to go from a young age and others still haven't quite figured it out.

And some folks along their way end up going the wrong way. And when you go the wrong way, there are consequences. In one of those consequences could be prison. With that being said, every Wednesday myself. And a group of guys make our way to the Clemens prison unit in Brazoria where we introduce men who have lost their way to The Way. The best way we have found to get to that unit is to take 288 to Lake Jackson but we may make other stops along the way.. Well, if you're familiar with Lake Jackson, they've got roads that take you this way and that way. Literally they are named this way and that way. And what we have discovered that if you take 288 South to Lake Jackson, exit and take a left on this way, follow that for about a mile or so and turn left on that way and you end up at All Star Pizza. Oh glory be to God. This place is great. From 11:00 to 1:00. They have a lunch buffet and on that buffet for the low price of $12 you can get a drink, a salad and all you can eat pizza, calzones and dessert. Delicious pizza and great customer service is what you'll find there. My biggest problem is that when we go that way, I end up growing this way.

Well anyways, I know that you all did not come out this evening to hear me talk about my lunch preferences. Although if you get the chance, go out to All Star Pizza 202 that way if you won't be disappointed.

With the many different ways you could have gone tonight. You chose to come to church and I want to thank you. And that brings me to the sermon I want to speak on titled which way are you going?

If you have your Bibles, I'd like for you to turn with me to John chapter 14. I'm going to be reading out of English standard version and if you don't have your Bible or have it on an app on your phone, we're going to get it upon the screen for you.

Before we dig into the text, would like to ask you to bow your heads so we can pray.

Father we are thankful for the opportunity to gather in your name this evening.I pray that you would open up our hearts this evening to receive from you everything that your word promises. I pray that the word falls on good ground and brings forth fruit that leads to life. Help me Lord to passionately proclaim your word in truth and love. It's in Christ's name we pray amen.

If you have your Bibles open the book of John chapter 14 we're going to be reading verses 1 through 6.

1.Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

So as an overview of what we have going on here, Jesus is with his disciples and he is nearing the end of his ministry on Earth. His disciples have been with him for the preceding 3 years. During that time Jesus had been giving them insight as the events that are about to take place as he heads to the cross for you and I. And although many times as he has told them what is going on and what is going to happen, they just don't seem to get it. So what we have here is Jesus speaking in an effort reassure His disciples the way He must go is necessary but it is for their own good.

Let's go to verse 1 and read it.

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

Here we see the efforts of Jesus to calm his disciples and comfort them. When I look at it I try to put myself in the place of one of the disciples who has this information of what's to come and I can certainly imagine what they were feeling. I can even imagine if I were in their shoes. I may have said something like Jesus. That's easy for you to say as if Jesus could not truly relate to my troubled heart. Well, if you're wondering tonight that same question whether or not Jesus could truly relate, we can look back to the story of the death of Lazarus in John chapter 11. See Lazarus was a real good friend to Jesus. Lazarus had two sisters, Mary and Martha and when Lazarus became ill his sister sent word to Jesus. Let's read. Verses 32 and 33.

Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him she fell at his feet saying to him. Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died. When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her also weeping he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.

So the text confirms that Jesus knew exactly what it was like to have a troubled heart. Matter of fact, the text says that he was greatly troubled when he saw her weeping. I don't know about you but knowing that Jesus relates to our feelings brings me comfort. You know he was sent to Earth and In the flesh he was able to experience the pains, the joys, the triumphs in the trials that we experience.

Moving on at the end of verse Jesus says believe in God believe also in me. Let's take a look at the word believe.

Believe or belief is a conviction based on testimony that something is true or that someone is reliable as used in the Bible to believe in. God involves the element of trust, not mere acknowledgment of his existence. We look at the word. Believe God is calling us to not only acknowledge the work that he has done, but also to trust in him. You can believe in a lot of things. You can believe that they happen. But can you trust in those people?

Moving on to examine verse 2. It says in my father's house or mini rooms.

The father's house that he's speaking of here in verse 2 is not the same father's house concerning the temple that he spoke of when he ran out the money changers and those selling pigeons. This house is his father's heavenly Kingdom where God the Father sits on his throne.

He goes on to say that if it was not so would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself that where I am. You may be also and you know the way to where I am going.

In verse 4, the way that Jesus is speaking of is what I believe to be what he will be soon going through. I believe Jesus is speaking of the betrayal, suffering death on the cross and Resurrection that is about to take place. This is what had to take place as Jesus prepared a place for us.

That brings us to verse 5 where Thomas says to him. Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?

Here we see the disciple show us where he's from. Being that he was one of jesus's disciples, we know that he was a Jew from Israel. But I've come to think that if Thomas was from America he'd be from Missouri cuz he's from the show me state. Thomas is the one who upon receiving news of jesus's resurrection doubted that it happened and said that he would not believe unless he could see and touch the nail holes in the hands of Jesus and the place where the spear went through his side.

Verse 6 Jesus answers Thomas says to him I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.

See Thomas had been following Jesus for 3 years and he had some doubts. He had some questions. He was pondering the way that Jesus was going. Wondering how he could get there as well. And Jesus answers him. I am the way, The truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.

And right here seems like the perfect mic drop moment. What else needs to be said. Somebody look at your neighbor and tell him if you don't know now you know neighbor . Turn and look at your other neighbor and tell them if you don't know. Now you know neighbor.

But if you keep reading in the book of John, you will find that Jesus continues to comfort and prepare the disciples for what lies ahead.

As I gave thought to the different ways and choices we can make it took me back to my childhood.

Growing up I remember as a student in grade school I enjoyed and excelled in the areas of math and science. I enjoyed math so much that in the third grade I would stay after school and my teacher would teach me basic algebra. And what I loved about math the most was the challenge of solving the equations. The teacher would give me a math problem to work out, followed by an example of the steps we needed to take to arrive at the right answer. The way basic math works is there's no gray area. It’s either right or wrong. The way I saw it was that if I followed the steps or formula I would arrive at the correct answer every single time. What's not to like?

Now concerning English and reading comprehension I've got to say I was not a fan. For me reading took a lot of patience. Something that I was uninterested in. I remember questions on test that would have me read a passage and then ask what I thought the main character would do next. Well, I'm sure that for many of you you all perform well in Reading comprehension. You're probably good at using contacts clues and were able to answer those types of questions. As for me, I had a hard time identifying with the main character and I would answer those questions based on what my next move would be rather than theirs. It was hard for me to put myself in their shoes and to respond as they would.

I guess that's what led me to taking interest in what were called. Choose Your own adventure books. Anyone ever read one of those? With choose your own adventure books. You would begin to read a couple pages from the beginning in which you are the main character. An example of a storyline would be something like you are exploring mysterious underground cavern in South Texas you come to a fork in the road. One way leads you to an underground body of water with what appears to be a golden tent to it and another path that leads deeper into darkness with strange growling sounds coming from it. If you choose the dark path, turn to page 31. If you choose the path going to The Golden body of water turn to page 29. Well these kind of forks in the road where you had to make a decision which way you wanted to go and these forks in the road would continue to arise where you had to make another decision until you reach the end of your adventure. Of the 40 possible outcomes most ended in death with very few of the endings being favorable. There were times when I would take one path and it would quickly lead to death so I would back up and go try the other one. Taking that path to another path and oftentimes it would lead to tragedy. Once again. If you kept repeating the process, you could possibly end up with a favorable outcome, but the chances of what I would consider success were very slim.

Well, I propose to you today brothers and sisters that our lives are like choose your own adventure books. Everyday we are faced with decisions to make. Some are more consequential than others. Decisions like what to wear, what to eat won't make us or break us. Other decisions like going to work and paying the rent can make the difference between sleeping on your bed in the comfort of your own home or sleeping in the streets. You could choose to surprise your wife with flowers and dinner on your anniversary next Wednesday and sleep at home or choose not to and sleep in the streets. If the ladder ends up being the case, call Phil for help because ASC ministries has long track record of helping men who were once plagued by poor decision making be restored to mighty Men of God for over 20 years now.

As we all know, our decisions have consequences, both good and bad, near-term and long-term. But how many of you know that our decisions can have eternal consequences? The Bible tells us that the consequence for our sin is death. Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23 reinforces what Jesus says in John 14:6—that eternal life is found only through Him. Romans 6:23 warns us here that the sin in our lives has a big payout. That payout is death. Sin not only brings physical death but it brings us spiritual death as separation from God for eternity in Hell. But the good news of the promise comes in the second half of verse 23. but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And that leads us to the fork in the road of your choose your own adventure?

Conclusion:Every decision has consequences, but none are as significant as the decision to follow Jesus. Romans 6:23 gives us both a warning and a promise: the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. The question is, which will you choose?

Call to Action:If you haven’t made the decision to accept Jesus as your Savior, now is the time. Don’t let the weight of sin’s consequences hold you back from the gift of eternal life that God freely offers when we choose to follow the Way, the Truth and the Life. Will you choose life today?