A MAP FOR LIFE'S JOURNEY JN 14:1-7 BV 10/17/99

WE ARE CONTINUING WITH OUR MINI SERIES OF MESSAGES ON THE "I AM" SAYINGS OF JESUS THIS MORNING AND IN OUR PASSAGE FROM JOHN FOR TODAY JESUS SAYS, "I AM THE WAY, AND THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME."

AS I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS PASSAGE, A RECURRING MEMORY OF HOW I MET THE REV KEPT FLASHING THROUGH MY MIND. SOME OF YOU KNOW THE STORY...BUT OTHERS MAY NOT. IT ALL STARTED WHEN I SET OUT ONE SUNDAY MORNING IN TACOMA, WA, TO FIND A LARGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH TO ATTEND. I HAD ONLY BEEN LIVING IN TACOMA FOR 2 OR 3 WEEKS...AND I HAD FOUND THAT IT WAS THE MOST CONFUSING PLACE TO FIND MY WAY AROUND IN THAT I HAD EVER BEEN...AND I WAS COMING OUT OF A BUSINESS WHERE I MADE MAPS FOR A LIVING. I WANTED A LARGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BECAUSE I KNEW THAT I COULD SIT IN THE BACK ROW, NO ONE WOULD SPEAK TO ME, AND THE PASTOR WOULD NEVER TRY TO VISIT ME...I WAS AFTER ANONYMITY. AT ANY RATE I COULD NOT FIND THE PLACE AND WOUND UP DRIVING AROUND AND AROUND IN CIRCLES AS IT GOT CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE MAGIC HOUR OF 11 O'CLOCK. I KEPT PASSING THIS LITTLE PO-DUNK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH THAT SAT OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT LOOKED LIKE A GRAVEL PIT SURROUNDED BY WEEDS. AND I STARTED SEEING A FEW PEOPLE DRIVE UP AND GET OUT OF THEIR CARS AND GO IN. FINALLY, ABOUT 10 TO 11, I DECIDED I WOULD GO THERE THIS ONE TIME...I FIGURED I COULD ALWAYS FIND A REAL CHURCH THE NEXT WEEK. AS I WALKED THROUGH THE DOOR, TWO LITTLE OLD LADIES GRABBED ME AND SAT ME DOWN BETWEEN THEM ON A FOLDING CHAIR IN THE BACK ROW. ONE OF THEM SAID, "YOU'RE JUST GOING TO LOVE OUR NEW LITTLE WOMAN PASTOR." IT TURNED OUT THAT I DID...WHICH IS ANOTHER WHOLE STORY THAT IS TOO LONG FOR THIS MORNING. I STARTED OUT LOVING THE GOSPEL SHE PREACHED AND WOUND UP LOVING BOTH HER AND THE LORD SHE FOLLOWED.

AT ANY RATE, THAT IS ABOUT THE ONLY TIME THAT GETTING THOROUGHLY LOST EVER RESULTED IN SOMETHING GOOD HAPPENING IN MY LIFE. I WOUND UP WITH JESUS FIRST AND AWHILE LATER THE PREACHER PROPOSED TO ME...KIND OF HIT THE JACKPOT.

WE OFTEN FIND OURSELVES IN NEED OF A GOOD MAP, DON'T WE? WHEN MYRLENE AND I SET OUT TO FISH A NEW TROUT STREAM, WE ALWAYS TRY TO FIND A MAP THAT SHOWS HOW THE RIVER FLOWS, WHERE THE ACCESS POINTS ARE, AND WHERE THE BEST FISHING HOLES ARE LOCATED.

DURING WORLD WAR II ONE OF THE POSSESSIONS MOST PRIZED IN GERMAN PRISON CAMPS WAS A DECK OF PLAYING CARDS. UNDER THE GENEVA CONVENTION A PRISONER WAS ENTITLED TO RECEIVE "RECREATIONAL DEVICES" AND PLAYING CARDS FELL UNDER THAT CATEGORY.

HOWEVER, IT WASN'T THE POSSIBILITY OF WHILING AWAY THE TIME THAT MADE THESE CARDS SO POPULAR. IT WAS THE POSSIBILITY OF ESCAPE. THE U.S. PLAYING CARD COMPANY UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SECRET UNIT MIS-X SANDWICHED A MAP OF NAZI GERMANY BETWEEN THE FRONT AND BACK OF THE CARDS. WHEN SOAKED IN WATER, THE OUTER LAYERS PEELED OFF AND REVEALED ROUTES TO FREEDOM ON A DETAILED MAP OF GERMANY.

WHAT APPEARED TO SOME AS DIVERSION WAS TO OTHERS DIRECTION. (PAR)

IN THE BOOK OF ACTS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, THE EARLY CHRISTIANS ARE IDENTIFIED AS BEING FOLLOWERS OF SOMETHING CALLED THE WAY. WHAT IS MEANT, OF COURSE, IS THAT THEY ARE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS WHO SAYS THAT HE IS THE WAY....THE WAY TO HEAVEN...THE WAY TO GOD. HE IS THE ONLY WAY WE CAN ULTIMATELY GET TO GOD HE ALSO HE OFFERS US THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE LIFE IN THE PRESENT WITH THE KIND OF SOUL-SATISFYING JOY AND SIGNIFICANCE SO MANY OF US ARE SEEKING AFTER.

BUT BEYOND SIMPLY BEING THE WAY WE CAN GET TO GOD AND LIVE LIFE WITH MORE MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE, HE COMES LOOKING FOR US IN THE WILDERNESS OF OUR PAIN AND CONFUSION AND LOSTNESS. HE CALLS OUR NAME UNTIL HE FINDS US, AND THEN HE TAKES US BY THE HAND AND SAYS, "COME, I'LL TAKE YOU WHERE YOU WANT TO GO." HE STRENGTHENS US AND GUIDES US PERSONALLY EVERY SINGLE DAY WHEN WE PLACE OUR HAND IN HIS. HE DOESN'T SIMPLY TELL US ABOUT THE WAY, HE IS THE WAY.

JESUS CLAIMS THAT HE IS "THE WAY"...THE WAY TO GOD, THE WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE, THE WAY TO LIVE LIFE IN THE HERE AND NOW. BUT CAN WE BELIEVE THAT CLAIM? CAN WE TRUST WHAT HE SAYS? IS HE TELLING US THE TRUTH?

JESUS SAYS THAT HE IS THE TRUTH...BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF HIS CLAIM TO BE THE WAY TO GOD AND REALLY LIVING LIFE?

BEING THE WAY MEANS, IN PART, THAT HE IS OUR LEADER.

PRESIDENT EISENHOWER ONCE SAID THAT "IN ORDER FOR A MAN TO BE A LEADER HE MUST HAVE FOLLOWERS. AND TO HAVE FOLLOWERS, HE MUST HAVE THEIR CONFIDENCE. HENCE THE SUPREME QUALITY FOR A LEADER IS UNQUESTIONABLE INTEGRITY. WITHOUT IT, NO REAL SUCCESS IS POSSIBLE, NO MATTER WHETHER IT IS ON A SECTION GANG, A FOOTBALL FIELD, IN AN ARMY, OR IN AN OFFICE.

IF A MAN'S ASSOCIATES FIND HIM GUILTY OF PHONINESS, IF THEY FIND THAT HE LACKS FORTHRIGHT INTEGRITY, HE WILL FAIL. HIS TEACHINGS AND ACTIONS MUST SQUARE WITH EACH OTHER. THE FIRST GREAT NEED, THEREFORE, IS INTEGRITY AND HIGH PURPOSE." (PSF)

TRUTH...ESPECIALLY MORAL TRUTH...CANNOT BE CONVEYED BY WORDS ALONE, IT MUST BE CONVEYED BY EXAMPLE. I CAN SAY THAT I HAVE TAUGHT YOU THE TRUTH HERE THIS MORNING...BUT ONLY JESUS CAN SAY I AM THE TRUTH.

HIS CLAIM ALSO INVOLVES THE FACT THAT HE ALONE IS THE REVELATION OF GOD. WE CAN ONLY KNOW GOD INSOFAR AS WE KNOW JESUS. HE IS THE WAY BECAUSE HE IS THE TRUTH ABOUT GOD'S GOAL FOR OUR LIFE.

THERE IS A LITTLE STORY THAT COMES OUT OF INDIA. IT INVOLVES A PEASANT AND AN OLD MAN AS THEY PAUSED IN THEIR SEPARATE JOURNEYS IN THE SHADE OF A LARGE TREE.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING, HOLY MAN?" THE PEASANT ASKED.

THE OLD MAN ANSWERED, "TO A CITY FAR AWAY.'

"IN INDIA?"

THE ANSWER WAS "FARTHER."

"IN ASIA?"

"FARTHER, FARTHER, FRIEND; FOR THE CITY I SEEK IS TRUTH, AND IT IS HIDDEN IN THE HEART OF GOD."

JESUS SAYS, "I AM THE WAY, AND THE TRUTH." IN HIM WE ENCOUNTER THE TRUTH THAT IS GOD. HE IS THE WAY BECAUSE HE IS THE TRUTH SPOKEN BY GOD.

JESUS ALSO SAYS, "I AM THE LIFE." IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS LIFE IS WHAT WE ALL ARE LOOKING TO FIND. OUR SEARCH IS NOT FOR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT LIFE, BUT FOR WHAT WILL MAKE LIFE WORTH LIVING.

I RAN ACROSS SOMETHING THE OTHER DAY...A LITTLE BIT OF WISDOM THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU ABOUT LIFE. "LIFE BREAKS DOWN NOT SO MUCH BECAUSE OF THE TERRIBLE THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO US. LIFE BREAKS DOWN BECAUSE SO FEW GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO US. JUST A FEW ALONG THE WAY CAN BE LIKE BRANCHES WE CAN CLING TO AS WE CLIMB UP A MOUNTAIN TRAIL. NO MATTER HOW STEEP THE CLIMB, WE CAN MAKE IT, IF FROM TIME TO TIME SOMEONE COMMUNICATES TO US THAT HE OR SHE LOVES US AND, THEREFORE, WE ARE IMPORTANT." (PAR)

JESUS SAYS, "I AM THE LIFE." HE IS THE LIFE BECAUSE HE IMPARTS THE LIFE OF GOD TO ALL WHO PLACE HIM AS LORD IN THEIR LIFE. JESUS IS THE GREATEST GOOD THING THAT GOD HAS GIVEN US. IN HIM, GOD TELLS US THAT WE ARE TREASURED AND LOVED BEYOND OUR WILDEST IMAGINATION. IN HIM, WE ARE GIVEN LIFE IN ALL ITS ABUNDANCE. HE IS THE WAY BECAUSE THE LIFE OF GOD RESIDES IN HIM.

THERE IS A GREAT STORY ABOUT TWO VAMPIRE BATS THAT IS APPROPRIATE TO TELL AS WE APPROACH HALLOWEEN. IT SEEMS THESE TWO BATS WERE READY TO GO OUT FEEDING FOR THE NIGHT. THE FIRST BAT TOOK OFF TO GET AN EARLY START. MOMENTS LATER HE RETURNED WITH BLOOD ALL OVER HIS MOUTH. THE SECOND BAT WAS ASTOUNDED AND ASKED, "HOW DID YOU FIND SO MUCH BLOOD SO FAST?"

THE FIRST BAT RESPONDED, "YOU KNOW HOW WHEN YOU LEAVE THE CAVE YOU FLY TO THE RIGHT AND ARE GONE FOR THE REST OF THE EVENING?"

"SURE," SAID THE SECOND BAT.

"WELL," CONTINUED THE FIRST BAT, "IF YOU TURN TO THE LEFT, THERE IS A WALL!"

WE WANT TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT THE DIRECTION WE GO IN LIFE, DON'T WE? WE ESPECIALLY WANT TO BE CERTAIN ABOUT THE WAY TO GOD AND TO LIVING LIFE AS FULLY AS WE CAN POSSIBLY LIVE IT.

JESUS SAYS HE IS THE WAY AND THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. AND AS HE SAYS, "NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME." HE ALONE IS THE WAY TO GOD. ONLY IN HIM CAN WE SEE WHAT GOD IS LIKE; AND ONLY HE CAN LEAD US INTO GOD'S PRESENCE WITHOUT FEAR OR GUILT. IS HE YOUR GUIDE?