I Am The Way, The Truth And The Life Series

I AM the way, the truth, and the life

John 14:1-6

Pastor Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

10-26-2020

I Want to Go Home

It was 2:15 am and I was standing at the front desk of a hotel in Costa Rica trying to tell someone who spoke no English that I needed two vans to take us to the airport.

I used my limited Spanish but that didn’t work. He just smiled at me. I drew pictures and he just smiled at me.

Truthfully, I wanted to strangle him…in Jesus name!

I finally laid my head on the counter and said out loud to myself, “I want to go home!” He just smiled and said, “Si!”

Have you ever been there?

Don’t get me wrong. The trip was amazing. My son Joshua and I were part of three different teams that built a Habitat house for a wonderful young lady named Rose. We ate fantastic meals every night and stayed in a fairly nice hotel.

But I missed my bed. I missed my wife. I missed my bathroom. I wanted to go home.

Home is a theme in our culture. Simon and Garfunkel sang, “Homeward bound”

I wish I was

Homeward bound

Home where my thought's escapin'

Home where my music's playin'

Home where my love lies waitin'

Silently for me

John Denver sang,

Country roads, take me home

To the place I belong

West Virginia, mountain mama

Take me home, country roads

And Lynyrd Skynyrd sand:

Sweet Home Alabama

Where the skies are so blue

Sweet Home Alabama

Lord, I’m coming home to you.

No matter where I’ve been in the world, eventually I become homesick. I want to go home.

As Dorothy said, “There’s no place like home!”

C. S. Lewis famously wrote:

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

Can I begin today by reminding you of a very important truth?

If you are a Christian, if you have been born again, if you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, this world is not your home:

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Phil 3:20-21)

According to Scripture, we are “aliens,” “exiles,” “sojourners,” “wayfarers” “pilgrims,” and “strangers” in this world.

I want us to remember this as we go through the next two weeks.

This week, I read David Platt’s “Before you vote: Seven Questions that Christians should Ask.”

I want to share a quote with you:

"I couldn't help but draw one conclusion about the the church amidst the political climate in our country: we are sick. We are so quick to accuse, belittle, cancel, distrust, disparage, deride, and divide from one another. And it's not just people outside the church; it's people inside the church, too. And it's not just this or that side; it's all of us, including me. We are swimming in toxic political waters that are poisoning the unity Jesus desires for His church, and we are polluting the glory Jesus deserves through us in the world."

As of October 19, 2020, there are 1,222 candidates who filed to run, including:

324 Democratic candidates

164 Republican candidates

65 Libertarian candidates

23 Green candidates

Not one of these candidates is worthy of our ultimate allegiance. We do not worship a donkey or an elephant but the Lamb of God who is the Lion of Judah!

In our text this morning, Jesus will powerfully remind His disciples of this glorious truth and help them to prepare for His crucifixion.

This morning, we come to the sixth I am statement. This is probably one of the best known verses in the Bible and, by far, one of the most controversial statements that Jesus ever made.

Turn with me to John 14.

Prayer

Text in the Context

John 13-17 is known as the “farewell discourse.” These four chapters literally covers the Thursday night before Jesus would go to the cross.

The disciples had left everything to follow Jesus. They had gone all in and were expecting incredible rewards. Jesus would defeat the Romans and establish Israel as a world superpower and they would rule with Him.

Jesus had come into Jerusalem earlier that week to great fanfare with people shouting Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” (John 12:12-15)

But then the mood changed…

Then He put a towel around His waist and washed their feet. (John 13:1-20).

I thought we were going to rule not wash feet.

Then He said that one of them would actually betray Him. (John 13:21-30)