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)
• Have you ever had someone tell you they were doing something for your own good? At the time what they were doing for your “own good” did not seem so good?
• In verse 7 Jesus told them it was to their advantage that He leaves them.
• At the time that did not seem like a good deal for the disciples.
• SLIDE #8
• John 16:7 (ESV) Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
• This helper does not seem too appealing to the disciples initially. They would rather have the Master with them.
• This helper is going to do some great stuff for us. Isn’t it great to know that we have a wonderful helper who will help us get to the finish line?
• SLIDE #9
• The Helper is going to give us some needed instruction.
• In verse 8 we are told that the Helper is going to give instructions that will greatly benefit us.
• He will convict the world of Sin, righteousness and judgment.
• This leads us to our second observation.
• Look at verses 12-15 with me.
• SLIDE #10
• John 16:12-15 (ESV) “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
• SLIDE #11
II. GET GUIDANCE FROM YOUR PERSONAL TRAINER. (12-15)
• Jesus was more or less saying that while He was here, He would only be at one place at a time, but when the Spirit came, the Spirit could be in all places all the time.
• This gives us a personal trainer! We need one. The Helper is a blessing to all.
• SLIDE #12
• There are many false finish lines. (13)
• One time when I was playing golf, I actually hit what I though to be a good shot. I actually ended up on the green; however, it was the wrong green.
• What good is running a race if you end up in the wrong place?
• So many people are heading for the wrong finish line. They will be so disappointed when they find out they did not win because they ended up at the wrong finish line.
• In verse 13 we are told the Helper will guide us in all truth.
• By truth Jesus meant the truth about his identity, the truth of his words and actions, and the truth about all that was to happen to him.
• In time they would fully understand that he was the Son, come from the Father, sent to save people from their sin.
• But only after these events occurred, and only through the Holy Spirit’s guidance would the disciples be able to understand. The Holy Spirit is the true guide for all believers; his primary task is to instruct us about the truth (1 John 2:20).
• The Holy Spirit will help us to stay on the right path.
• SLIDE #13
• Our trainer will lead us to the right finish line. (13)
• The Holy Spirit is our guide, navigator, and pathfinder. Jesus gave us a reliable map when he gave us his life and his words.
• These essential resources assist us to find our way as his disciples. Jesus has also given us time.
• The original disciples could not absorb all Jesus had to teach them at once. Some steps of discipleship cannot even be comprehended until we have taken previous steps of obedience. We must never resent the limitations we have.
• Our knowledge of the way and the future will always be limited. Instead, we must trust and follow the pathfinder Christ has given us.
• SLIDE #14
• Our trainer can be trusted. (14-15)
• In verses 14-15 we are told that the Helper receives all His information from the Son.
• If you wanted to get in shape, would you go to a personal trainer who smoked and was 50 pounds over weight?
• Would you trust that type of trainer?
• The third issue we need to understand is found in verses 16-21.
• SLIDE #15
• John 16:16-21
• SLIDE #16
III. KNOW THE PRIZE IS WORTH THE EFFORT. (16-21)
• In the midst of a race, there can be some difficulties.
• SLIDE #17
• There will be times when the race can be lonely. (16-19)
• Jesus told the disciples He would be leaving for a little while; the disciples were saddened by this thought. They did not want to be left alone.
• There are times when you will feel lonely, one of the things that will get you through it is know how great the prize that is awaiting us at the end.
• We need to understand that we are never alone. Jesus was trying to get the disciples to realize that even though He was about to leave them, they would not be left alone.
• SLIDE #18
• Reaching the finish line will be difficult at times.
• Life is not always easy. Living out your faith is not always easy and problem-free.
• There are times when we can be tempted to quit the race because it seems so difficult.
• If we know the prize is worth it, we will overcome the tough times.
• In High School when I played football, I had to run a few miles a night before the season started so that I would not end up on the fat-man squad.
• Running long distances for me was VERY hard and very painful.
• Knowing that if I quit would mean being on the fat man squad kept me running.
• SLIDE #19
• The gain is worth the pain. (21)
• Jesus illustrates this point with childbirth in verse 21. A woman may suffer terribly during the delivery, but such intense pain is soon swallowed up by joy after the baby is born.
• My daughter had a painful time with the birth of our first grandson Grant. The pain was so worth the gain she had 2 more!
• This goes back to my running; the gain was worth the pain. I have been going to the gym in the mornings. I used to work out all the time, it was painful, but what it did for me made the pain worth it.
• Some of the pain you will go through in life is worth it because of the great prize that is waiting for you at the end.
• There will come a time when we will forget all the pain and tough times because when we stand before our Lord, everything will be worth it.
• SLIDE #20
CONCLUSION
• If you are going to run a race and if you want to win the race, you need to know where you are going.
• What a shame it would be to run a race and lose that race because you did not know where you are going.
• Do you know where you are going?
• What finish line are you heading for?
• Do you want to head for the real finish line?
