ROAD SIGNS OF FAITH
INTRODUCTION…
Learning to drive is an important part of life… especially in this day and age. Cars allow us to travel great distances in shorter and shorter amounts of time. I do not want to know how long it took to get from the homestead to the town… in a horse and wagon… everyday. Cars are a great convenience for us. Cars are important for teenagers. Learning to drive means independence from your family and the ability to go with friends. Cars are important when seeking employment. Most employers want to know that you have dependable transportation to get to the job they are offering you. Loss of driving ability changes the way people live their lives.
I remember when I learned to drive. You have your own memories about learning to drive. I was 15. I had a learners permit in the state of Illinois. Both of the cars my parents owned were manual transmission. I learned all about signals and lights and how to park. I took driver’s education where we drove to films on the wall. Funny how all the driver’s education cars and in practice were on automatic transmissions. Anyway, when I was 15, my family moved to Germany. I moved to a place called Baumholder… which in German means ‘hills full of trees.’ So I am 16, desperate to get my license, living in a place of all hills, with parents that declare I must learn to drive the stick shift! It was a trial like no other for a young teenager. In the end I did learn how to start and stop on those hills. I had to learn a whole new set of traffic laws as well. In the end, I got an international driver’s license. One of the most important aspects of driving in Europe was learning the traffic signs and rules of the road. Any person, when learning to drive, must learn some basic road signs.
I’d like to look at a couple road signs today and see what they have to teach us. We are going to take a spiritual drive… call it a Sunday Drive if you want.
I. STOP SIGN (John 5:5-15)
One of the first signs we encounter on our Sunday Drive is the ever present stop sign. If I had to pick a most popular road sign seen while driving, I certainly would have the stop sign in the top three. The first stop sign was used in Detroit, Michigan in 1915 (http://signalfan.freeservers.com/road%20signs/stopsign.htm)… and we have been stopping at them ever since. I wonder if we took a vote, how many of you really and truly stop at a stop sign when you drive up to it… or if you are a ‘Kentucky Rolling Stop’ kind of a person. The stop sign is a simple sign designed to relay one message… ‘stop!’ The stop sign is designed to be quite noticeable in the day and at night. The sign is placed at those intersections that are dangerous. Not to have a stop sign at certain intersections invites accidents to happen. The stop sign is there to prevent you from getting hurt… plain and simple. To ignore it, means you are in danger… that is a truth of driving and a truth in spiritual matters as well.
I want to share an account with you from the Gospel of John that is a spiritual stop sign for us. This passages explains the exact same truth to us… to ignore spiritual stop signs means we are putting ourselves in danger.
READ JOHN 5:5-15
One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" 7 "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." 8 Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat." 11 But he replied, "The man who made me well said to me, ’Pick up your mat and walk.’" 12 So they asked him, "Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?" 13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. 14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
I will be honest with you and tell you that what caught my attention in this passage was in verse 14… maybe it caught your attention as well… Jesus said, “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” I cannot help but see a huge stop sign for this formerly paralyzed man. We are not told how this man got to be an invalid. Some passages that record the miracles of Jesus give background on the people such as ‘he was born blind’ or ‘the demon was causing her to be mute.’ There is no background on this man with the exception that he had been an invalid for 38 years. That is quite a long time.
I cannot help but go back to what Jesus said to the man after he was healed… “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” It seems to me that the man was in the situation of being paralyzed because of something he had done 38 years before. He had made a poor choice. He had chosen to sin and it cost him dearly. He had sinned in such a way that caused paralysis. Jesus connected the man’s sin with the infirmity he was just cured of. Sometimes our sins put us in danger which is why the Scriptures are filled with stop signs when it comes to sin.
* The Bible tells us “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14) because adultery destroys and betrays trust in a marriage, hurts children, and exposes you to ‘physical ailments.’
* The Bible tells us “A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live” (Proverbs 15:27) because making material things a priority leaves you feeling empty, causes you to cheat and lie, and many times causes troubles in families, may lead to jail time, or a gambling habit .
* The Bible tells us “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (Ephesians 4:31) because these negative emotions can take root and take over your life. You could lose a job, friends, family, and other treasured people because these sinful emotions can take over a person.
In each of these situations, and in many more, the Bible throws up stop signs for us and commands us to resist temptation. The Bible puts stop signs when it comes to alcohol, lust and sexual sin, unforgiveness, lying, and a whole host of other sins we are tempted with on a daily basis. The purpose of the spiritual stop sign is the same as the road sign: to prevent you from getting hurt. God loves you and wants the absolute best for you.
God wants you to stop and avoid alcoholism.
God wants you to stop and avoid a divorce because of infidelity.
God wants you to stop and avoid distant children because of anger.
God wants you to stop and avoid sexually transmitted diseases and heavy emotional baggage by waiting to have sex until marriage.
God wants the absolute best for you, but we have to take note of the stop signs and stop ourselves before we sin by resisting temptation! 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” One of the ways we can stand up to temptation is to stop ourselves before we ever get out into the intersection of sin. So, the next time you see a stop sign, I want you to think about and commit yourself to resisting temptation!
II. U TURN SIGN (Acts 3:15-20)
The next sign we see on our Sunday Drive is one that is not so common on the roadways of today. Let’s say you are at a busy intersection and you have just past your destination. What do you want to do? You want to make a u-turn of course, but you look up and the symbol on the sign most likely says ‘no u-turns.’ Most of the time all you need is a simple u-turn to get back on track, but most of the time they are not allowed. It can be quite frustrating at times.
I want you to know that with God… u-turns are always allowed. A u-turn on our spiritual Sunday Drive is called ‘repentance.’ Repentance is a spiritual u-turn that is always allowed by God and is always followed by forgiveness. Let me say it again: God always allows u-turns.
There is a passage in the book of Acts that highlights this spiritual principle for us. The Apostle Peter and the Apostle John were going to the temple for a time of prayer when they happened upon a man who was crippled (Acts 3:1-2). After a brief conversation, Peter healed the man in the name of Jesus and he began to walk. It was amazing. The people were astonished and surprised and Peter began to preach to them (Acts 3:11). Let’s read from Acts 3.
READ ACTS 3:15-20
“You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. 17 "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you-- even Jesus.”
Peter specifically directs the people listening in verse 19 that they should ‘repent.’ And what is the result of that repentance? What is the result of the u-turn Peter is preaching to them? Peter shares two very important results from making a spiritual u-turn. First, Peter tells the people that if they repent and turn to God that their sins would be wiped out. Their sins would be forgiven. And the people listening had great sin. In fact, in verse 15 Peter tells them they “killed the author of life.” Peter tells them that if they turn to God that He would forgive them. The message to us is the same message to these people. God will forgive us our sins if we turn to Him. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us plainly, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and see my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Isaiah 45:22 says, “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” No matter what direction you are headed, you can always make a u-turn towards God and with it comes forgiveness.
Second, Peter tells the people that if they repent and turn to God that “times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” When I read this verse, I could not take my eye off that word “refreshing.” The sense we get from this word is “relief and rest from distressing circumstances.” Yet more basic than that, the word used here means “the recovery of breath” [Friberg Lexicon]. When we find ourselves running our own way and sinning our own way and making our own decisions, we are spiritually out of breath. Yet, when we repent and turn to God, He sends His breath our way and renews us. We are given spiritual strength [Barclay-Neuman Dictionary] to get back into the lanes of life and drive towards God.
I do not know what sin you are dealing with today. I do not know what direction your life is headed. I do know, however, that we serve a Living God that always allows u-turns in our lives. Do you need to make a ‘u-ey?’ If so, I challenge you to make that prayer of repentance today and set off from this place in the right direction. So, the next time you see a ‘u turn sign’, or perhaps the more popular ‘no u turn’, I want you to remember that with God, u-turns are always possible.
III. YIELD SIGN (Philippians 2:1-4)
The next sign we see on our Sunday Drive is certainly a common one and in my opinion is a sign that many people ignore on the roadways… the yield sign. The yield sign, first installed in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1950, indicates that a driver must slow down and stop if necessary to allow other traffic ahead of him or herself. It absolutely frosts my mug when I am driving and someone does not heed the yield sign. It happens to me on a daily basis and I think sometimes people are incapable of yielding. Sometimes I think people are incapable of allowing someone to be first. I must hit my breaks because the person in the other car will not give the right of way… they want to be first! It is amazing to me that so many of these road signs that we pass each day are true on the highways and byways of life and also in the spiritual realm. Many times in Scripture, we are commanded to yield to one another. Let me read you one such example from the Apostle Paul.
READ PHILIPPIANS 2:1-4
“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
As I read that passage, I see a huge yield sign being thrown up in front of us. Paul begins with four ‘if’ statements. “If, if, if, if” you are indeed a Christian and desire to act like it, then you will “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Certainly Jesus told the twelve disciples, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35). Jesus also said, “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11-12). Jesus gives us a yield sign over and over again. We are to yield to one another. We are to seek good for those around us. We are to put them first and be a servant. We are to yield.
As I said before, our actions out there on the road sometimes speak of our spiritual life. Do you yield out there in your car? Do you allow others in front of you? Do you obey the traffic sign and yield? More importantly, do you yield to people in your life and seek to serve them? Do you allow, in the attitude of love, the interests of others to trump your own?
Self centeredness, I believe, is a temptation that we all share. Jesus commands us to put others before ourselves and to be last and serve them. We have so many ways that you can serve… beginning right here at church. You could serve by…
… serving in the church office during the week
… teaching Sunday School
… helping with children’s programs on Wednesday nights
… taking a turn by serving in the nursery on Sundays
… going with the homeless ministry to feed or to prepare
… joining the visitation team that visits new visitors
… a ga-billion other places right here at the church!
So, the next time you yield to someone in traffic, think of other ways that you can humble yourself and serve those around you in love. Where can you serve? Where can you put others first?
IV. ONE WAY SIGN (John 14:6)
The last sign that we will see on our Sunday Drive today is perhaps one of the most important ones. Now, I do not think it is the most important sign on the roads, but it is certainly the most important when it comes to spiritual matters. The purpose of a ‘one way sign’ should be quite obvious… the road you are on has traffic that only goes in one direction. Ignoring such signs leads to crashes, horns, and angry drivers.
You know, on our Sunday Drive, there is a one way sign that simply cannot be ignored. It is the one way sign that Jesus says Himself in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
I would like you to answer aloud if you know the answer to my following three questions…
How many ways are there to the Father? (one)
How many ways are there to Heaven? (one)
How many ways are there for Salvation? (one)
And yet, not everyone in our world would agree? Some have chosen to ignore the ‘one way sign’ and go their own way. Some believe there are many paths to God.
SHOW VIDEO (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12p34fi30MM) (2:49)
The world, media, and other religions will tell you that there are many paths to God. The world will say that you need to be true to yourself. The world will say all you need to find God is a loving heart and to attempt to be a good person. Folks, that is simply not true. Jesus put up a ‘one way sign’ on the spiritual highway of life 2,000 years ago. Jesus is the only way to Heaven. Jesus is the only path to Salvation. Jesus is the only way to God the Father. He is it. One way.
CONCLUSION
