"How to Get There From Here"

Sermon Transcript for February 18, 2001

By Rev. Charles Harrison

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 42:16; John 14:5-6

 

Good morning! I bring you greetings this morning from the Barnes Church family in Indianapolis. It is a pleasure to be here in your presence today. And it is interesting, the pastor in introducing me, he wanted to highlight the fact that I was single. I have enough problems as is! Let me share a little bit about the Barnes’ family. We are the largest and the fastest growing Afro-American congregation in the state of Indiana. I have been there about seven years; and we have taken in over 400 new members. We have outgrown our facility. We will probably be over 1,000 members within the next four or five years. We are in a neighborhood that is plagued by drugs and poverty. Ninety percent of the members that attend Barnes live outside of the neighborhood. So it has been a challenge for the church to move beyond the four walls and be about the business of being disciples for Christ. So it has been a challenge for me, as the pastor, in getting the congregation involved.

The Ten-Point Coalition is made up of churches of various denominations in the city. We are one of the largest faith-based groups in the city. The Indianapolis Ten-Point Coalition is now the Midwest Headquarters of the National Ten-Pont Coalition. And when we started in 1999, the city of Indianapolis the previous year had 162 homicides. And, basically, those were young, black Afro-Americans. Within the first year of our existence, we were able to cut the homicide rate by 40%. It shows you the power that the church has when the church is in the business of spreading the gospel. And the people that we were basically dealing with were gang members and drug dealers in the most violent neighborhoods in the city. They were underneath the radar screen. And these were the individuals that people were afraid of. But we took the message of Christ to them and started talking about alternatives to their life style which was difficult. And we had to do a lot of proving of ourselves. But we did; and since then we have gotten over a hundred jobs for gang members and drug dealers. Last year we had a program...we have job training, a job placement program...where we took young men and young women who have very little skills, took them through a program, and they work for the State in the area of construction making $15 to $25 an hour. And those who were making $25, I was contemplating leaving Barnes and applying for one of those jobs.

But it is a joy to be here! Would you do something with me? Would you make me feel at home this morning? I really, really, really this morning...I really brought it down a lot. I’m going to keep it down. But just make me feel at home this morning. Would you just say, Amen! All right. I feel at home. Amen! Amen!

There are a couple of scripture verses that I would like to read in your hearing this morning. The first scripture verse comes from the prophet Isaiah. From Isaiah the 42nd Chapter, beginning with Verse 16, and I will read only that verse. And then I will look at a second scripture verse which our text comes from today, John 14, Verse 6. But in the book of Isaiah, Chapter 42, Verse 16, it reads this way, "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known. Along unfamiliar paths I will guide them. I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do. I will not forsake them." And then from the Gospel of John, Chapter 14, Verse 5 and 6, it reads this way. "Thomas saith to him, Lord, we don’t know where you are going so how can we know the way? Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the light. No one comes to the Father except through me."

And I would like this morning for you to reflect with me upon this thought, "How to get there from here!". How to get there from here. Have you ever had to ask for directions? And when you got the directions were you able to understand them clearly? When you followed them, did they get you to where you wanted to go? People who move into a new area are dependent upon others for direction. Many have stopped people on street corners and asked directions only to hear the response, "I’m new here myself." There are times when you ask people for directions who have lived in a city many years, and they do not even know the directions to some of the cities best known places or civic attractions. Sometimes you wonder, "How could they have lived here so long and not know about these places?" There are times when you get directions but they are so complicated that you cannot follow them.

What we ask is a simple question, but too often we get complicated answers. The best directions usually come from people who are familiar with where you are and they know where you are trying to go. There are people today in our society who are trying to find their way to a Godly life. And we find these people from every walk of life. They are searching for directions. They are trying to read life’s street signs. They have no idea which way to go. There are some people who have simply decided just to tramp through life hoping they will stumble upon a Godly life. Some have asked directions from those who have steered them in circles and left them confused. There are some who have stopped looking altogether out of frustration.

As Christians we rejoice that we have found the directions to heaven. Jesus who lived in heaven and lived here among us has shown us the way. Jesus guides us and with Him we know exactly how to go. When we follow Jesus we do not have to worry about getting lost. In the Scripture lesson from Isaiah the prophet predicts that God will show those who are lost a new way of life. Isaiah spent most of his life trying to give directions to Judah. But Judah, on the other hand, spent most of his time trying to get directions from other sources foreign to the true God. Every time Judah would follow directions from some other source other than the true God, they found themselves in even more trouble.

You can not expect God to bless you if you are not willing to follow God’s directions. Now, the problem was God’s judgment was upon Judah for following wrong directions. All of us from time to time in life have been guilty of following wrong directions. There are consequences to following wrong directions. But God’s purpose for you in life is not for you to stay in an estranged condition. God did not want Judah to be in an exiled condition. But God wanted to deliver his people and show them a way out.

Isaiah prophesied about a day when God would restore the believer. God was concerned about the state of affairs of Judah. God was concerned about future believers. The house of Judah was lost. Judah was struggling to find her way back into the graces of God. And what Isaiah does is make predictions of hope. He speaks directly to Judah and future believers. There are four promises God makes to those who want directions for restoration.

First of all, in Verse 16 of Isaiah 42, Isaiah says, "I will bring the plan by a way they know not." The Bible describes Judah as a blind nation stumbling along trying to find its way out. But God’s promise is to show those who will follow how to get to where they are trying to go. God will show you ways untried and unfamiliar to you. Judah had tried political alliances, military strength, diplomacy, and many other ways. God’s promise was to show them a way they knew not. Don’t let the blindness of your ways keep you in the same old situation. Your circumstances will never change if you keep trying to do it the same old way. If you keep coming to church every Sunday and hearing God’s word but leaving here doing it the same old way before, God’s promise to you this morning is to show you a way that you know not. And then He says, "I will lead them into paths they have not known." God’s promise is not only to show the blind the way out, but God’s promise is to lead them in to unfamiliar territory. Like Judas sometimes we are guilty of operating in the same place. We get comfortable some times with things that we are doing in life. And sometimes even when it does not bring results in our lives or it doesn’t bring blessings and deliverance, we won’t change because we feel comfortable doing it that way.

Judah wanted to return to Jerusalem. They saw restoration of the city. What are you seeking today? Maybe you have strayed from Jesus. Maybe you do not have the same kind of close relationship with Christ you once had. Maybe you are looking for some happiness. Maybe you just want some peace in your life. There are reasons that maybe you are going through the same thing over and over again. Maybe you are in the same old rut because you are traveling down the same old path. Jesus wants to take you down a different path. Jesus this morning wants to lead you to eternal life. Jesus wants you to have a closer relationship with Him if you will just allow Him to lead you today.

Then God said, "I will make the darkness light before him." Judah’s captivity in Babylon was darkness for them. They could not enjoy their homeland. They could not sing the songs of Zion in a strange land. Their worship life disappeared. Their faith had become weak. They were burning down. But God’s promise was to turn their darkness into light. God’s promise was to bring them in to a more illuminating circumstance. God’s promise to you is that He will turn your darkness into light.

And then God said, "I will make the crooked places straight." Judah’s captivity in Babylon was painful for them. In fact they were stripped of their native culture; the economic rape of their home land was seen as crooked to them. But God’s promise to Judah was that He would straighten out the state of their affairs. What are the crooked places this morning in your life? What are the things in life that afflicts you? Jesus wants to straighten out the crooked places in your life. Jesus wants to show you a better way of life. Somebody here today can testify that Jesus can make crooked places straight. The Good News is that God will do for every person that believes what He promised in Isaiah. Today we live in a world where billions of people are looking for simple but realistic directions to heaven. The way, my friends, is not complicated. You can get there from wherever you may be in life. But you’ve got to follow the steps.

First of all, go to the nearest stop sign. The first step is, you’ve got to stop doing wrong. There is no gradual withdrawal plan. There is no extended plan. You must stop doing wrong immediately. The way to salvation requires repentance. Jesus said in Luke 13:5, "I tell you no, unless you repent, you too will all perish." Repentance means to stop doing what you know is displeasing God. The word repentance means many things but one of the things it means is "I’m sorry". You can not have true repentance if you are not sorry. There’s someone that I just have a very difficult time with. It is the mayor of the city of Indianapolis; let me just confess that today. Amen. The mayor came to the church when he was running and he made a lot of promises to the church that he just has not kept since he’s been in office. And every time I see him on TV, it just does something to me. Have you ever met anybody like that? You just have a difficult time with them. Amen. And you know that you are suppose to be Christian and you’re suppose to love and like everybody. But there are some people that just make it difficult to like! Amen. And every Sunday I find myself going before God asking God to forgive me for what I feel in my heart. If you are displeasing God today, you must repent. It may involve sex or stealing or lying or hatred or unkindness or unfaithfulness. Whatever you sin may be, you’ve got to repent.

The first step you must do is go to the nearest stop sign and repent. And then, turn right. Not only must you stop participating in sinful activities, you must turn from your evil ways. Sometimes those of us in the church feel no need to repent. And sometimes we think repentance is only for those who are the unchurched, the non-churched, the de-churched, those who are outside of the church. The prophet Zechariah said in Zachariah 1:4, "This is what the Lord Almighty says. Turn from your evil ways and evil practices." To turn from your evil ways means a change of heart and desires. Jesus tells us in Luke 7:20-23, he describes for us the sins of the heart. He talks about evil thoughts and fornication and theft and murder and adultery and coveting and wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, greed, envy, pride, slander, foolishness. And Jesus said all these things come from within and they defile a person. Sometimes we think that what causes us to do things that are not pleasing in God’s sight, sometimes we like to blame them on people around us. But if you are doing something sinful in your life, it is because it is in your heart. Nobody can make you do anything that’s not really in your heart. But if you turn right, John tells us in I John 1:9, "If we confess our sin, He is thankful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Go to the nearest stop sign, turn right, and then go straight. The person who walks the path to heaven walks straight. This means crooked practices are abandoned. This means if it’s not right count me out, if it’s not straight, it can wait. Jesus wants us to walk the narrow path through the straight gate. There are so many things in life that keep us from going straight and the enemies job is to keep us from going straight. It is easy to walk the crooked path. When you operate out of greed, you are walking crooked. When you treat people with meanness, you are walking crooked. You are walking crooked when your personal success leaves no time for God. When your lifestyle does not reflect the righteousness of Jesus, you are walking crooked. If you are thinking too much of self, you are walking crooked. If you think you can do things without God, you are walking crooked. But when you start walking straight, it helps you handle life’s trials and tribulations. Walking straight does not free us from life’s problems, it does not free us from disappointment, it does not free us from temptation. But when you walk straight, God gives you grace. There is mercy on the straight path. There is love on the straight path. There is peace on the straight path. I’ve discovered that there is deliverance on the straight path. Jesus will walk with you on the straight path.

Go to the nearest stop sign, turn right, go straight. And then finally look for the cross. To avoid getting lost, people who give good directions include landmarks in their directions. When I was given directions to come here to Franklin, I was given some directions and there was landmarks that people had told me to look for. If you are trying to find your way to heaven, look for the landmark. This landmark is not a store at the corner. This landmark is not an oak tree at the end of the road. This landmark is not a certain billboard. It’s not a flashing light at the intersection. But this landmark is an old, rugged cross. And when you are lost in this world, keep your eyes on the cross. When trouble comes your way, keep your eyes on the cross. When you don’t know which way to go, keep your eyes on the cross. When you cannot tell your left from your right, keep your eyes on the cross. David said, "I will lift my eyes to the hills from which cometh my help in knowing that my help comes from the Lord who made Heaven and earth." There is power in the cross; there is salvation in the cross. There is redemption in the cross. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the light." It is on the cross that Jesus died for our sin. It is on the cross that Jesus paid the price for our sin. And I’m so glad that Jesus carries the cross for us.

And if you want to get to heaven, you must be willing to follow the trail to the cross. Follow the trail to a night of prayer in Gethsemane. Follow the trail to a hill called Calvary. Follow the trail to a cold and lonely tomb. Follow the trail for three more days, and when you find your way to heaven, look because the Bible says early on a Sunday morning, "He arose from the grave." Follow Jesus, take no chance in getting lost. For I decided a long time ago, to follow Jesus. No turning back. No turning back. Will you follow Jesus with me today? It does not matter where you are in life, just follow Jesus. During every trial, follow Jesus. When the storms in life are raging, follow Jesus. When you don’t see a way out, follow Jesus. And if you want to get to heaven, just follow Jesus. And He will make a way for you out of no way.

Go to the nearest stop sign, turn right, go straight, and then look for the cross! Amen.