WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
If we were to stand in an Airport check in line what would be the most likely question that people would ask us?
That’s right "Where are you going"
But if I were to stand in the foyer of a Hotel in Bancock or Singapore the question would be more like "Where have you come from"
Who hear knows we are on a jurney?
That’s right we are on a jurney we have not arived yet!
Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
IT’S NOT WHERE YOU COME FROM THAT’S IMPORTANT
IT’S WHERE YOU ARE GOING THAT COUNTS.
Did you know that the Arabs have been celebrating Ramadan?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. It is during this month that Muslims observe the Fast of Ramadan. Lasting for the entire month, Muslims fast during the daylight hours and in the evening eat small meals and visit with friends and family. It is a time of worship and contemplation. A time to strengthen family and community ties.
For the devote Muslim Ramadan is seeking an encounter with Alah
Jeremiah 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Many Muslims come to know Jesus during this time.
Instead of having an encounter with Alah they have an encounter with Jesus and become born again. Many people in Paul and Fleur’s church have come to know Jesus this way.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
You see God’s not interested in where you have been, He is only interested in where you are going.
Anyone who is seeking to have a relationship with the only true and living God will have that relationship
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’
It does not matter to God were you have been He is only interested where You are going
Deut. 4:29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Here the Isralites had gone astray worshiping other gods that is where they were coming from and yet in the midst of that rebelion and turning away from God, He makes this statement that if they seek Him with all their heart and soul they will find Him.
That leads me to this question I have for you
What do you think of when I mention the Apostle Paul?
His Conversion
Missionary Journeys
His Writings, much of the New Testement
Reaching out to the Gentiles
Church Planting
OK what do you think of when I mention Osama bin Laden?
Afghanistan
September 11
Terrorism
Hijacks
Bombings
What then do Osama bin Laden and the Apostle Paul have in common?
They are both responsible for killing Christians, they are both responsible for persecuting the church.
Look at what Acts has to say about Saul before he became the Apostle Paul
Acts 7:57-8:3 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; [58] and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. [59] And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." [60] Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep. [8:1] Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. [2] And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. [3] As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.
Hear is what the Apsotle Paul said about himself
1 Tim. 1:15 (MsgB) Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof-Public Sinner Number One-
Everyone in this room has a past!
We have all been places and done things that we regret!
No one in this room can do anything about where they have been
It’s to late the tickets were bought and the jurney was taken, the passport has already been stamped
But just like the Apostle Paul we can sure do something about where we are going!
Microsoft had an advertising campain which made this statement
"Where Do you Want to Go Today?"
They had to drop the campain because everyone was writing and emailing where they wanted to go!
But I want to tell you that we still have that choice.
That is why I asked that question right at the begining
WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
SO WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
Have you thought about it?
Or are you just plodding along hoping you get to the right destination?
Several years ago I was asked to preach at Teen Challenge in the city and I shared a message entitled
"Are You Heading in the Right Direction?"
So inconclusion I want to share from that message today
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Many people think they earn their way to heaven, they think that they can purchase a ticket by doing good works. Well I have some bad news for them! The tickets are very very expensive so expensive in fact that they are beyond the reach of anyone to buy, the price too high even for the richest person.
The other problem is that they are all sold anyway, so even if it were possible to come up with the price there are non left.
I want to share something with you as an illustration
A neighbour of mine who I had been witnessing to, had to go to Sydney for an urgent business meeting. He had to be in Sydney by five o’clock or the company he was director of for twenty years was going to be taken over and he would lose his whole livelihood. When He found this out it was one o’clock in the afternoon, there was a mad scramble in his office, His secretary rang up all the airlines but there were no seats available all the flights were fully booked. You see it was a long weekend. John told his secretary to put his name down for any cancellations, in the mean time they tried to no avail to charter a plane to Sydney . Finally at last a phone call came in at Five past Two, Qantas had a last minute cancellation on a flight departing at two thirty. Well did my neighbour move he ordered a taxi, threw all he needed into his brief case and raced out of the office. He madly paced the footpath and finally a taxi pulled up. To the airport as soon as possible he shouted. Well he rushed in the airport door at twenty nine minutes past two and raced over to the check in counter. They were expecting him and gave him his boarding pass and told him to run down to gate twelve as the final boarding call had already been announced and the plane was about to depart. He ran for all he was worth quickly waved his boarding pass and he was ushered to the plane. As soon as he got up the stairs the doors were shut and the flight attendant took him to his seat. Much to their surprise the seat was already taken up, the flight attendant checked the seat allocation and it seemed that the seat was allocated twice. She apologised profusely and said come with me sir, she took him to the first class area and gave him the last seat there. At last my neighbour could sit back and relax. Wow he thought its all worked out after all I will get to Sydney just in time. I’ve even scored first class what luck he thought, all those peasants back there with no room to move. Shortly the plane roared down the runway and into the air. It didn’t seem to long and the captain came over the loud speaker,
Good afternoon ladies and gentleman I am Captain Jones, on behalf of Qantas airlines I would like to welcome you aboard. We are on climb to thirty five thousand feet, and we should be landing at four o’clock. The weather for our arrival in Perth will be a fine with a temperature of fifteen degrees.
My neighbour couldn’t believe his ears how could this be?
You see my neighbour had boarded the wrong flight his whole career was hanging on him being in Sydney at five o’clock and here he was heading for Perth.
Where is your life heading? If that final boarding call came would you be on the right flight?
It’s no good sitting back relaxing in first class or even economy class for that mater if your on the wrong plane. Destruction Airlines Flight six, six, six to hell, instead of Angel Airlines flight seven, seven, seven to heaven.
Jesus said, "I am the way, No one comes to the Father except through Me. You see He has purchased all the tickets, His is the only plane leaving for Heaven. But Hey guess what he has a ticket for you, He has paid the price. But it will cost you something. You have to do something. You have to make a desision.
Jesus turned my life around and has given me hope and direction in my life.
Jesus wants to do the same for you.
WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
Lets all bow our heads and close our eyes
Is that you today? You can see that your life is heading in the wrong direction. You have been trusting in yourself.
Then if that’s you, I want to give you the oportunity to allow Jesus to turn your life around. If that’s you just slip up you hand
Lord I know that I am a sinner I repent and turn away from that and now accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Thank you Lord for accepting me and paying the price.
