Jesus Is Our North Star

JESUS IS OUR NORTH STAR

Ps. 119:89

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. There was a husband that died. He left his wife $20,000. After the funeral, his wife told her friend that she was totally broke. She said, “I thought you said he left you $20,000?”

2. “I did, but I spent $5,000 on the funeral and $15,000 on the memorial stone. The friend said, “Wow! That must be some kind of stone! How big was it?” She held up her finger and said, “3 ½ carats!”

B. MIDDLE OF THE BIBLE

1. QUES.: Can anybody tell me what the MIDDLE VERSE OF THE BIBLE is? It’s Psalm 118:8, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.”

2. There are 595 chapters before it and 595 chapters after it. It is the center verse of the Bible tells us to “trust in the Lord.”

3. Tonight we’re talking about trusting in Jesus. He is our WISDOM, our REDEEMER, our GUIDE, our best FRIEND! We’re going to see that Jesus is OUR NORTH STAR! He’s our COMPASS! He points us in the direction we need to go.

4. The title of this message is “Jesus is Our North Star!”

I. WE LIVE IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD

A. CHANGES OVER THE LAST 200 YEARS

1. It was the last 200 years that changed the world. In the early 1800s, most people in the world had a life expectancy of under 40 years. 80% of people lived in extreme poverty – making less than $1.90/day; now only 10% are that poor.

2. In 1820 only 15% could read, now it’s 85%. 40% of children died before their 5th birthday; now it’s only 4%. Today half the world live in a democracy; earlier almost no one. In 1790 90% made their living by farming! Now less than 2% are in farming (98% are doing non-farming jobs!)

3. The world has clearly changed. Every day brings new startling news. But, thank God, one thing HAS NOT CHANGED – God & our faith in God! In Malachi 3:6 God speaks, “I am the Lord, I change not.”

B. CHANGING MORALS/ COMPROMISE

1. Twila Paris wrote a song called “True North” which sums up our need for Jesus as our guide: “We lost our bearings, Following our own mind. We left conviction behind . . .How did we ever wander so far? And where do we go from here? How will we know where it is?”

2. “True North. There’s a strong steady light that is guiding us home....We need an absolute Compass now more than ever before.” (1999, Ariose Music/Mountain Spring Music, admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

3. What we believe affects how we think, what we say, how we plan our lives, and our behavior. When we leave God & the Bible out, we no longer have a basis for our convictions nor any restraints on our actions. That’s why we need our North Star!

II. FINDING OUR DIRECTION

A. METHODS OF FINDING OUR WAY

1. Today we travel by using apps that connect us to Global Positioning Satellites. You punch in your destination and the app – knowing where you are, plots a course to your destination.

2. I used to use big maps. I had maps of Texas & other places I wanted to visit. When I made a trip, I’d get out my maps and decide which road I would take and take note of the towns I’d pass through on the way.

3. Today you can hardly find maps anymore. Now we travel by GPS and mapping programs (in our phones) that map your route based on traffic flows.

4. Now in ancient times, mariners and explorers traveled by using certain fixed lights in the sky to guide them as they traversed the great expanses of oceans or lands.

5. In the northern hemisphere, the most common star to navigate by was the North Star, also known as Polaris. In the southern hemisphere the most common direction marker is the Southern Cross. For millennia, these two lights were the unvarying guides for travelers.

6. Today, GPS can get you to your final EARTHLY destination, but only the Lord Jesus can get you to your final HEAVENLY destination!

7. In the spiritual realm, Jesus is like the North Star – He guides us upward to God. If we don’t follow Jesus, and if we refuse His gracious salvation, we will find ourselves lost, wandering forever in the darkest spiritual night.

B. THE NORTH STAR OF TRUTH

1. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me.” John 14:6.

2. Christians believe the True God has revealed Himself in Jesus and in the Bible, which tells us about Him. God has spoken in the Bible and the Bible is authoritative because God is the ultimate authority. Because God is truth, the Bible must be truthful.