John 14:6
Have you ever been lost?
In 2005 an Earth quake rocked this world hitting Pakistan and the surrounding countries,causing untold grief to millions of people leaving them displaced. Whole familes were torn in two losing loved ones... One true story which brought joy to my heart was in Pakistan, where a French rescue team with specialist equipment were able to locate a small child 18 feet underneath the rubble, trapped in an air pocket. The news coverage on the BBC conveyed the Father waiting anxiously for his son who was lost being unearthed and presented into his Father arms once more,his son who was lost was found.
A more profound lostness is found in our own personal lives, its a spirtual lostness: We might not be physically trapped in the rubble of an earthquake this afternoon but a more profound truth is that many people are lost and trapped. Lost in a meaningless existence and trapped in the lie that materialism brings fulfillment
LOST
People are lost in that they don’t know where their lives are going. As somebody once aptly put it: Were just rats in the rat race.
Just look around at our pop icons and the Hollywood icons for instance.... David Byrne from the Band Talking Heads says in one of his songs entitled, "Were on the road to Nowhere." It really epitomizes the mindset of the 21st century.
Often we see a profound lostness in the hearts of people we would consider to have it all together. Thats why it makes a refreshing change to hear a voice say " I AM THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE!" We see that Jesus is the one who offers clear direction through lifes maze.
Are you trapped in the search for fulfillment?
You know the picture of the donkey trying to reach the dangling carrot, it never quite reaches.Or the child at Christmas who rips his presents open but is never satisfied and ends up playing with the box.
People endeavor to fill their lives with what the world offers from money to possessions from power to fame: from pleasures to relationships, but if were honest with ourselves these things never truly satisfy. lets face it we’ve all got the T-shirt and done it if were honest were trapped in a cycle.
In 2003 Mike Tyson was declared bankrupt he owed a stretch limo firm $309,000. A year earlier he had spent $174,,000 on a white gold necklace with 80 carats of diamonds. He once splashed out $140,000 on two white Bengal tigers and $1.5 million on four Bentleys in one afternoon.
The staff at Versace in Ceasers Mall in Las Vegas will never forget the time Tyson and his entourage left the shop with $250,000 worth of gear. In 2005 he currently owes creditors $30 million dollars.
In an interview after his final defeat against journeyman Kevin McBride, he said, who am I? What am I? I dont even know. Im just a dumb child whose been abused and robbed by lawyers, Im Just a fool who thinks hes someone."
The good news is that although we might be lost and trapped spiritual we can be rescued and find real fulfillment in the one who said, I am the way the truth and the life!
I AM THE WAY.
Here we have an exclusive statement but also one, which is also fully inclusive, in that it is open to everybody to receive. Its a statement, which goes against the grain in this pluralistic country of United Kingdom.
We claim to be tolerant society yet though we claim to be a free pluralistic society, in fact people are increasingly being forced into the mould of secular-humanist-consumer-capitalism. Of course the coercion applied is not that of a police state. The workings of political correctness are far more subtle than that but nevertheless very potent.
Which way?
I suppose there are three directions we can go firstly we can go down the road of Religious Pluralism a pick and mix. We have such diversity of religions living in close proximity to one another, lets all share this common interest in God, we see it growing for instance in Leicester. Lets face it we live in confusing times and it easy to be lost. That’s the way of religion.
But at the moment we are seeing a growth in another world religion at the moment in the west one of the greatest, is that of secular humanisim this is the 2nd way.
The atheistic world says I’ll do it my way!
There is no God, there is no meaning to life, your just a bunch of Chemicals coming through the Ghew to the zoo right through to you. Going no where
Voltaire once exclaimed that men are "tormented atoms in a bit of mud, devoured by death, a mockery of fate. This world, this theatre of pride and wrong, swarms with sick fools who talk of happiness."
Does’nt he just cheer your soul? This has been the crux of our lostness today we are indoctrinated into believing that our lives are meaningless. That our lives evolved by chance without any intelligent designer behind it all.
When even the scientist themselves know they cannot prove it as scientific fact. Yet time and time again on our TV sets we are forced fed like a baby in a high chair this empty lie.
Listen to this statement taken from a recent science website the edge: 117 Scientists were asked "What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove it?" Prof Richard Dawkins said, "I believe but I cannot prove, that all life, all intelligence, all creativity and all design anywhere in the universe is the direct or indirect product of Darwinian natural selection."
But even the religous world is lost with the prevailing atittude of pluralisim. They say finding God is like one huge mountain and were all going up to the summit it from different angles but we will all reach the summit ultimately we just get there different ways.
Its a nice thought isn’t it, but that is not what Jesus teaches here. No one comes to the Father except through me.I would like to say there is a third way the way of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus says I am the only way.
Yes the way to God is like climbing a mountain, but the only way we will get to the summit is with Jesus. He is the anchor man who goes ahead of us. Jesus is the lynch pin he is the one holding the rope as you climb that mountain you are trusting in Him with your life its He who enables you to get to the summit there is no other way..
The wrong tools
Yes people are trying to climb that same mountain, yes they are seeking God, but they have got the wrong tools: Their trust is not in Jesus. All world religions except Christianity place their emphasis upon good works to reach the summit.
That its down to you to save yourself but their trusting in the wrong thing..
What are you trusting in? You can really believe that you’ve got the right thing but you could be mistaken.
I am sure you’ve heard the amusing story about the plane going over the Atlatic ocean with the only people on board the pilot a scientist, a minister and a back packer. The plane has engine trouble and the pilot goes to the passangers to inform them of the situation. He explains that the plane is about to crash and that there is only three parachutes seeing that its His plane He informs them that he’s taking one and jumps out!Leaving three passangers and two parachutes. The scientist says " Well I’m on the verge of a scientific breakthrough I will be sorely missed." So he jumps out, leaving the backpacker and the Minister. So the minister says, "Look mate I’ve had a good life I know where I’m going and you have your whole life ahead of you, you take the last parachute." Then before the Minister could finish his words the young back packer says "no worries mate do you see that scientist who jumped out, "Yeah" he’s just jumped out with my back pack!"
Are you trusting in the right thing? Its only Jesus that where trust needs to be placed only He is sufficent to save you in this life and carry you over into the next safely.
In the UK We have the the Royal engineers they are skilled bridge builders in volitile situations. Jesus Christ is just that, he was able to build a bridge in a volitile situation it was upon the cross that Jesus bore our sins in His body enabling us to cross over. The cross is the Bridge where we truely find the way to a relationship with God.
THE TRUTH
We live in a postmodern world, with no ultimate truth. Truth has become something, which is under attack. A postmodern world believes in truth, which is relative to the individual. What might be true to you might not be true to another. Its found in our popular songs of our generation like the band The manic street preachers: You tell me your truth and I’ll tell you mine.
It permeates all areas of life consider thee arena of politics remember the weapons of Mass destruction dossier in Iraq did they find them? Mr. Blair and Mr. Bush were adamant they were there and they had the evidence, but did they tell the truth?
That reminds me of Jesus when he stood before Pilate a man of power and influence: When Jesus explained he had come to testify to the truth Pilate sarcastically replied "What is truth?"
Pilate misunderstood all that Jesus stood for because in Jesus we see the fulfillment of 100’s of prophecies relating to his eternal existence his Birth his life His death and resurrection here we have a person who is different. In Jesus we see the embodiment of truth. Thats hy he could say to Pilate, "I have come to testify to the truth."
Prime Minister. Winston Churchill once said, "truth is incontrovertible Panic may resent it; ignorance may deride it; malice may distort it; but there it is."
Are you like Pilate today? Do you say what is truth?
People misunderstand the truth of the Christian gospel, some resent it People deride it! People distort it, but it will never change it truth is incontrovertible. But remember just because we fail to grasp the truth it will never disappear, it will still be there.
Don’t be the Osterich with your head in the sand, take a look at the truth.
Truth can be uncomfortable
Like the hospital consultant who tells you to take an aspirin when He knows you,ve got cancer that advice is no good to you, you need the truth so the problem can be dealt with in a proper manner.
It was my Sister coming over from California in the USA who told me the truth, that I had missed the mark, that I was a sinner on the brink of seperation with God for an eternity.
Jesus tells the truth about the human condition, He’s the great physician, He calls people to repent, many were unsettled by what he said and would never except it, considering themselves good people. But Jesus explained he had not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.
The truth of repentance (bad connotations the angry preacher fire and brimstone but the words of Jesus always were filled with compassion and are a big challenge then as they are still today. He is saying that sin, which is in our lives right now has trapped us and is preventing us from receiving eternal life. As a result He calls you and I to repent. it simple means to turn around and go in a different direction making Jesus your Lord and Savior It means to have a complete change of mind and attitude.
Many here tonight know of divorce between husband and wives leaving children alienated, but there is a greater divorce from God Himself.
Edward the 8th 1894 - 1972. Radio Broadcast on his abdication 11Dec. 1936 said,
"At long last, I am able to say a few words of my own... Until now it has not been constitutionally possible for me to speak. I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love."
Here we see King Edwards abdication speech he left his monarchy for a woman he loved a divorcee herself Mrs Simpson. My friends the greater truth is that Jesus came down from Glory itself he came to this world which was divorced from God, seperated, He humbled Himself. He was the only one who who can seek and save that which is lost. He has the equipment able to rescue.
Rom 5; 8. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
THE LIFE!
Its when we acknowledge this truth and receive the offer of forgiveness we begin to live our lives with real purpose and meaning.
We are like that little boy in need of being pulled out of the rubble, we need to be rescued and placed into the Fathers arms who loves US. Jesus is holding out his arm and he is calling you to grab it! He can be trusted..
Its only then will we truely live a life more abundanty!Knowing and experiencing Jesus as the way the truth and the life. Its then we will live this life with greater purpose in the knowledge we have been saved. Held in the Father arms reconciled and loved FOREVER.
