Know Where You Are Going Series

INTRODUCTION

• SLIDE #1

• How many of you watch the show the Amazing Race?

• The Amazing Race is one of those reality shows in which teams of two travel all around the world.

• There are several legs to the journey. During each leg of the journey, the teams are presented with unique challenges they must overcome in order not to be the last team to reach their destination and face elimination from the competition.

• The journey is excited and it is difficult. It is pretty exciting to watch.

• The goal of each team is to be around for the last leg of the journey in which the winning team takes home $1,000,000!

• I learned something important from watching one of the seasons of this show.

• I cannot remember if it is 2 or 3 teams that make it to the final leg so they can compete for the $1,000,000, but this one couple was on the final leg of their amazing race.

• This couple had the $1,000,000 within their grasp, they had a large lead. Then guess what happened? They got lost, they could not find the finish line and they ending up losing.

• How frustrating would it be to so far ahead with the prize within reach only to lose because you did not know where the finish line was?

• Do you know that there are many, many people who are running the race of life with no idea where there are going, they have no clue where the finish line is.

• For the next four weeks we are going to look as some of the aspects of the amazing race that we run.

• This week our focus will be one knowing where you are going.

• We will be in the Gospel of John, chapter 16. Turn in your bibles to that chapter now. There are bibles in the pew if you do not have one.

• I will break the passage up in three sections.

• Let’s start with verses 5-11

• SLIDE #2

• Jesus is getting close to the end of His ministry on earth and He is trying to share some truths with His disciples, but they are truths the disciples are not too eager to grasp.

• John 16:5-11

• SLIDE #3

• First we need to:

SERMON

I. KNOW WHERE THE FINISH LINE IS. (5-11)

• Isn’t hard to win the race if you do not know where the finish line is? Remember the story Jerry shared with us a few weeks ago about the young cross-country runner?

• SLIDE #4

• We need to know where we are going. (5)

• In verse 5 of our text Jesus tells His disciples that He will be leaving them to go to the Father.

• They really did not want to deal with what He said. I believe up to this point the disciples still did not get it.

• They had been with Jesus for about three years, but they still did not know where the finish line was.

• For Jesus the finish line was a return to the Father in Heaven. For Jesus, getting to the finish line required Him to go through Calvary, the cross.

• Jesus told the disciples they did not even ask where He was going.

• The problem is not that they haven’t asked, but that they’ve dropped the discussion before Jesus was finished talking about it.

• The verb tense for asks is present; otherwise, this statement would contradict 13:36 and 14:5. The disciples had asked (past tense) where Jesus was going. In this verse, Jesus was looking for an immediate reaction to his words about his departure.

• If you do not know where you are going in life, your life will be a mess. If we do not understand where the finish line is, it will affect everything we do. Life’s problems will destroy us.

• SLIDE #5

• We need to put our focus on the finish line. (6)

• In verse 6, Jesus said that what He told them caused the disciples sorrow.

• This is his “Farewell Address.” Instead of considering where Jesus is going, they are wallowing in their own sorrow. They should be rejoicing with Jesus and investigating his plans.

• But instead of asking, “Where are you going?” at that time when Jesus was ready to answer, they reacted in sorrow.

• We need to keep our eyes on the prize!

• SLIDE #6

• Philippians 3:14 (ESV) I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

• SLIDE #7

• Jesus was going to send someone to help us to get to the finish line. (8)