Leadership - Together on the Way

Introduction: Growing up as a kid, I always dreamed of adventures. I wanted so bad to go to places like Middle Earth or Terebithia. But on Saturday mornings, it was all about sesame street. But I did not know the way. In fact, I’m not sure anyone did. There was even a song asking, “Can you tell me how to get how to get to sesame street?” But someone we ended up there.

The truth is without knowing the way, we just wind up lost on the journey with no hope of finding the way.

I’m actually reading one of my favorite books to Mia right now, The Hobbit. The first time I read the book, the scariest part wasn’t the trolls or Gollum or the Smaug the destroyer or even the Battle of the Five Armies, but that part where they were lost in the forest of Mirkwood without any direction or idea of how to get out.

You’ve just hit my greatest fear…being lost. And so many people are going through life lost in a forest of doubt and shame and desperation. Waiting for someone to come along and show them the way.

As we are going to see this morning, the church has always been the light to show people the way to God.

Turn with me in your Bibles to .

Introduction to Scripture: For thousands of years until Jesus, there was a separation between the people of Israel and God. God used intermediaries called priests to bridge the gap between sinful people and a perfect God. But with the coming of Jesus, the way was open for everyone to come before God with confidence and no need for a priest to make a sacrifice for you. People relied on these priests to tell them what God expected and what to do next. It was all the more difficult when those priests turned out to be liars and crooks.

Additionally up until this point the only nation capable of having a relationship with God was the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people. You want to know God, become Jewish. But when Jesus came died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice, the way is open for people from every tongue, tribe and nation to have a relationship with God. But those early followers of Jesus had a real understanding that Jesus was now the only way to God. In fact, even the jewish people came to God through the temple and the sacrificial system were now outside of a relationship with God. The early Christians believed this so much that they referred to themselves simply as the Way.

In fact it was so prevalent that even Paul prior to conversion refers to them as the way.

Let’s not be subtle for all of church history, the exclusive claim that Jesus is the only Way had caused hatred to be thrown at Christians.

Acts 9:1–2 ESV

1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

Let’s not be subtle for all of church history, the exclusive claim that Jesus is the only Way had caused hatred to be thrown at Christians. But this understanding if fundamental to our journey with Jesus. There is only one Way.

So that gets to the heart of who church is an what we are supposed to do. Let’s read.

1 Peter 2:9–10 ESV

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

1 Peter 2:1–10 ESV

1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

These 2 simple verses get to the heart of who we are and what we are supposed to do:

Big Idea: Be the Way that points others to Jesus.

Pretty simple. So lets start with identity. Be the way. Who is the way?

1. The WAY is made up of all God’s Covenant People from Pentecost to Jesus’ Return. (:9-10)

2. We have a common message.

Explanation: The Way is the self identification of the early church. Now they did not see themselves as the intermediaries between God and man like the priests. But God so ordained it that the church was commissioned to take the gospel to the nations. Why? Because not everyone in the world is a child of God.

The world is perishing. And those who die apart from Christ spend eternity that way.

God’s people are those who is in a relationship with. These relationships are called covenants.

Adam and Eve

Noah

Abraham

Moses

The New Covenant.

Illustration: In life the key to success is relationships with people that can show you the way. Sometimes this is parents who get you your first job or connect you with someone who can. It’s not about what you know or even your degree, but who you know. But that also gives those in a position to provide opportunities the power to change people’s lives.

For those of us belonging to the Way, we have that power to change lives by simply pointing people Jesus.

Application: What does it look like to be the way?

2. The WAY has the same mission from Pentecost to Jesus’ Return. (:9)

Explanation: Excellencies of him who called you out of darkeness.

The way you live your life says a lot about Jesus.

The way you talk about Him and what He has done for you (and others).

Illustration: We need to shift from a peacetime mentality to a wartime mentality. In wartime there are many little missions, but the one overarching goal is to win the war. And the war is not against flesh and blood but against the darkness.

Application: What stories do you have of God’s goodness in your life?

Reflection: Are you the way or maybe are you in the way?

The Lord’s Supper