ROADS WE TRAVEL? Where are we going?
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
DOES GOD REALLY KNOW THE ROADS WE NEED TO TAKE?
HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA AND A BROKEN DOWN BUS?
Many years ago I had taken 42 people to church at Raceland, Kentucky on our 54 passenger bus. As I was driving the bus back in the mountains I saw sparks flying from the front end. It was raining real hard.
I pulled the bus over and got out, I could not find anything wrong.
A couple of men searched for a problem and we found nothing.
The men started to load back on the bus and Deed kicked the left front tire and the tire fell off.
Here I was in the middle of no where with 42 people, it was raining, just the mercies of God that the wheel had not came off the bus while we were driving and a bus load of church people could have died that night.
Many churches from the area loaned us their vans and about day break we got all the people back home. We slept a few hours and several men went with me back to the bus sitting on 23. The men started working. We needed a bearing and a racine for the front end. We traveled many miles looking for the pieces to the Chevy 54 passenger bus. No one had the parts we
needed. We went to fancy places and big parts places and truck parts stores all over the area. The rain was pouring down, we were soaked, exhausted and our funds were so limited. Most of the computers informed us
that we could no longer find the needed parts anywhere.
As the men worked, I cried and prayed. We were not familiar with that area.
We headed into West Virginia searching for a truck parts place. There were many coal trucks working the area. We got very lost. We drove and drove and we got so lost we didn’t know what to do. The man driving us in a Cadillac was so frustrated and we didn’t have any money. I prayed for the men and the bus. We ended up on a dead end street at an old, old garage that was surrounded by junk. One of the men said, Preacher has
prayed, now let us trust God. He said, THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE.
I said if all those fancy truck parts places can’t get the part, what makes you think this place will have it?
The sinner man said, PREACHER, DID YOU PRAY? CAN GOD HELP US? I THINK GOD LEAD US HERE?
He jumped out of the car, ran in the dirty, dusty, junky garage and laid our parts down on the counter.
There behind the counter was an old man that could barely walk. He was almost blind. We explained we was from a church, our bus was broken down on 23 back in Kentucky. WE HAVE TO HAVE THESE PARTS.
The old man got out a magnifying glass looked at the parts and wrote down the numbers and he disappeared. He was gone a long time. He returned just whistling and said, I have everything you need right here. He even had some new parts that we never dreamed of finding. The boxes were so old they had the invoice numbers of Noah’s Ark on them.
The old man said these have set on the shelf here many, many years.
He said, I would start to throw them away and something would say,
NO, KEEP THEM --- YOU NEVER KNOW WHO MIGHT COME IN AND NEED THEM.
I asked the old man, HOW MUCH?
He answered me: They have set on the shelf here over 15 years, I can’t find them in a book, --- Preacher ---You can have them all for free.
The parts looked like they were brand new.
IF WE HAD NOT GOT LOST, I MEAN TERRIBLY LOST, WE WOULD HAVE NEVER FOUND THIS RUN DOWN PLACE. The man never even had a phone?
If we had found the parts at a TRUCK PARTS PLACE THEY WOULD HAVE RAN OVER $350.00, AND WHILE I WAS FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY AND WET,
GOD LEAD US TO A KIND OLD MAN WITH THE PARTS WE NEEDED JUST LIKE WE HAD SPECIAL ORDERED THEM.
We got lost several times returning to the bus. A sinner man with us saw God work, and we returned to the bus, jacked it up, the men did the repairs and I stood and praised God. The roads we traveled that
day seemed aimless and hopeless, but there was a Big God leading us all the way. A few years later that sinner man came to know Jesus as his Savior, and when I see him he tells me, HOW GOD LEAD US THAT COLD WET DAY!
I. INTRODUCTION:
A. WHAT IS A ROAD?
A path or way with a prepared surface.
The way one goes or route.
Anchorage near the shore.
Traveling or touring.
B. TRAIL:
To move, flow, or extend.
To follow.
To follow in footsteps.
A mark left behind.
A course to follow.
C. Years ago I was watching a hunter follow his coon dog.
The dog paused and sniffed every where.
I said, Sure looks like you have a good hunting dog.
The man said: NO, THIS DOG WILL NEVER BE WORTH HIS WEIGHT IN SALT! HE SAID THE DOG CAN NOT FOLLOW ANY ONE TRAIL, HE RUNS OFF ON EVERY SCENT HE SMELLS.
II. WE ARE TRAVELING A TRAIL TODAY!
DAVID WAS ANOINTED OF GOD, YET HE HAD A STRANGE AND TWISTED JOURNEY. MANY OF DAVID’S ROADS MADE LITTLE SENSE TO DAVID’S EMOTIONS. YET THIS TRAIL WAS PLANNED BY GOD. MEET: ACHISH --- (A’ chish)
A. RUTH MARRIED BOAZ.
BOAZ HAD A SON NAMED OBED.
OBED HAD A SON NAMED JESSIE.
DAVID WAS THE EIGHTH SON OF JESSIE.
B. David’s journey seemed aimless and forgotten at times.
David faced a BIG BEAR one day.
Another day David faced a MEAN LION...
WAS THIS ACCIDENTAL? Or did God have a plan?
THESE ROADS ARE FROM GOD!
C. One day David was out in the field --- Samuel came to visit Jessie, --- Jessie forgot David out in the field. Samuel says: DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER SON?
D. DAVID FACED MANY ROADS.
David has been running for his life. King Saul is out to destroy David.
E. IN THIS PROCESS OF TIME AND TRAVEL DAVID LEARNED TO TRUST THE DIVINE PLAN.
1 Samuel 27:10 And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites.
F. DAVID HAS BEEN RUNNING, HIDING AND RUNNING.
At Gath the JOURNEY GETS SERIOUS.
G. David finds DIVINE FAVOR FROM ACHISH.
Achish knows there is something special about David.
The road lead David and Achish together.
H. Achish gives David: ZIGLAG.
GOD’S ROAD LEADS THROUGH HERE.
III. THERE IS A DAMASCUS ROAD WHERE GOD REVEALS HIS LIGHT! SPIRITUAL AWAKENING! BECOME A NEW MAN!
A. Damascus is a city in Syria.
It is known as the PEARL CITY.
B. Damascus is a very fertile oasis.
C. THERE IS A FAMOUS STREET THERE CALLED STRAIGHT.
It was 50 to 52 feet wide.
Acts 9:11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
Acts 26:13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed
with me. 14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest
thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
D. THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS SPEAKS OF DIVINE REVEALATION.
An opening of the eyes and ears --- a seeing of great truths.
E. Saul of Tarus persecuted the church and saints.
Saul was a Pharisee, he watched Stephen die, and held the coats of he stone throwers --- a new purpose, a new goal.
2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
IV. THE ROAD TO JERUSALEM.
A. Jesus went into Jerusalem 7 times.
The 7th trip is called the TRIUMIPHAL VISIT.
B. THE ROAD TO JERUSALEM ILLUSTRATED THE JOURNEY OR ROAD TO SUFFERING.
Luke 9:51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
C. SOMEONE HELD PAUL’S GIRDLE AND SAID DON’T GO TO JERUSALEM: YOU ARE GOING TO SUFFER.
PAUL SAID DON’T BREAK MY HEART!
D. This road means self-denial and Jordan--- death.
1 Peter 3:17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
Psalm 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
V. ON THE JERICHO ROAD THERE IS ROOM FOR TWO.
JERICHO MEANS SWEET FRAGRANCE, PRAISE, WORSHIP.
THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO GOOD.
A. Jesus said --- WHO IS YOUR NEIGHBOR?
Luke 10:30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his
raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
B. A CERTAIN PRIEST WALKED BY ---
C. A CERTAIN LEVITE WALKED BY ---
D. THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REACH THE HURTING, OFFENDED, WOUNDED.
E. OPPORTUNITY RARELY MAKES AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF IT’S COMING, AND RARELY STAYS LONG?
VI. FIND THE EMMAUS ROAD. SEEK SPIRITUAL FELLOWSHIP.
A. WE MUST WALK ABOVE OUR EMOTIONS AND BROKEN HEARTS.
Luke 24:13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
Luke 24:31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
B. TWO MEN WERE DISCOURAGED AND DOWN, THEIR HOPES WERE
DASHED... Haven’t you heard the BAD NEWS?
C. JESUS HAS NEWS YOU CAN USE IF YOU CHOOSE.
HAVE FAITH AND THERE WILL BE VICTORY.
VII. THERE IS A ROAD FEW FIND: GAZA ROAD: SOULWINNING!
A. This road is rarely accidentally found. It must be planned and on purpose.
Acts 8:26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
B. We must care and have compassion.
Jude 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.
C. COME AND BE FISHERS OF MEN.
D. PHILIP WORKED ONE ON ONE, NO BIG CROWDS.
E. THE ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH WAS READING ISSIAH AND COULD NOT UNDERSTAND IT.
CONCLUSION:
WHERE DOES YOUR TRAIL YOU ARE BLAZING LEAD?
WHEN YOU ENTER THAT BEAUTIFUL CITY,
AND THE SAVED ALL AROUND YOU APPEAR,
WHAT A JOY WHEN SOMEONE WILL TELL YOU,
IT WAS YOU WHO INVITED ME HERE!
REMEMBER THE ROADS:
GAZA --- SOULWINNING.
EMMAUS --- CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP.
JERICHO --- PRAISE , OPPORTUNITY.
JERUSALEM --- SUFFERING
DAMASCUS --- SPIRITUAL AWAKING!
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
