I Am the Way

I'd just like to lift a verse and a half out of the passage that Tom already read from John 14. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way.

We never stagnate when we're going through a storm. We're too busy trying to handle all the problems the storm throws our way. But when the storm is over and things smooth out, when life becomes more settled and established for us, that's when stagnation begins to creep up on us.

And that's the time when we are most likely to lose our way. The really dangerous time is never the storm. It's the calm.

And this is especially true in the things of the spirit. When the pressure is off and things start getting settled, when it should be that we can now truly devote ourselves to the things of God. Instead of seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness with great strength and power and single mindedness, nine times out of ten, we settle down into comfortable stagnation.

And before we know it, we haven't even just lost our zeal and our push and our drive, but we've lost our direction. We don't even know where the road is anymore that goes toward the kingdom of God. When we were back in our fanatical phase, we knew where we were going.

We were alive with a zeal and a passion for God that kept our eyes single. And even though the road may have been difficult, at least we could see where it was. But now, for many of us, that we've become more established, even in the things of the kingdom of God, so we feel.

Where is the road? And for those of us here right now, who in the secrecy of our hearts are asking, where is the road that was once so clear? The spirit of the Lord is saying to us, the issue is not where is the road. The issue is, where is your heart? Do you love me? When you begin again to love me as you once did, you will see the road, because I am the road. After the resurrection, and after Jesus had manifested himself alive to his disciples, the pressure was off.

The pressure that they had experienced during those weeks preceding his crucifixion, when they could tell that something was wrong. Then came the arrest, and then came his death. But now, everything is calm again, everything is going great.

So what do they do? Before you know it, they're going fishing. Back to their old life. John 21, Simon Peter said to them, I'm going fishing.

They said to him, we'll go with you. They went out and got into the boat, but that night, they caught nothing. It was pleasant, it was comfortable, it was relaxing, but it was useless because they were going the wrong way, and so that night they caught nothing.

The next morning, Jesus waits for them on the shore of Galilee, waits really to rescue them from their stagnation. And notice what he says to the room leader of this fishing trip. He does not say, Simon, where do you think you're going? He says, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Same thing happened to two other disciples on the very day of the resurrection.

Some of the women had been there early in the morning to the tomb, and they'd come back with a report that they saw angels who told them that Jesus was alive from the dead. Now you'd think that those guys, after hearing that, would have at least tried to find out if it were so. You'd think they'd stick around, but no.

Things have calmed, things have settled down. Beautiful day for a nice walk in the country. Luke 24.

That very day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. Ain't no business going away from the city that day. They belonged with their brothers and sisters, especially since they had already heard that these women had seen angels who told them that Jesus was alive.

They needed to be together with the others waiting and trying to find out what was happening. But they did what we so often do when we feel that the pressure is off. They went off and did their own thing.

While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, what is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk? And they stood still, looking sad.

Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened in these days? And he said to them, what things? They said to him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened.

Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early this morning and did not find his body. And they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.

Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said. But him they did not see. And he said to them, oh foolish men, swore of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.

Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Now the women had told them that Jesus was alive. Now Jesus himself, although they can't see who it is, is breaking open the scriptures and telling them again that Jesus is alive.

They still don't see him. But there is something about this man that draws them, the way he speaks, the way he opens the scriptures. Now they arrive at Emmaus, their destination.

The stranger appears as if he's going to go further. It comes time now to part ways. And at the apparent parting of the ways, the stranger, who is Jesus, is in fact asking them a question.

What he's really saying to them is, do you love me more than this little sidetrack into the country? Do you love me? And now they answer. So they drew near the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further.

But they constrained him, saying, stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent. So he went in to stay with them. Wonderful stranger, whoever you are, stay with us.

You who interpret to us the scriptures, you whose words burn like fire in our hearts, you who are like living water, you remind us of our master, please stay with us. What they're really saying is, yes, Lord, we love you much, much more than this trip into the country. We do love you.

When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were open and they recognized him. And he vanished out of their sight.

And they said to each other, did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures? And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven gathered together and those that were with them, who said the Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon. Then they told what had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of bread. Notice the first thing these men do after their eyes are open and they see who this is.

The first thing they do is go right back to Jerusalem. That was the first time those guys jogged in all their lives. Seven miles, right back.

Where they should have been all the time. They were pulled out of their stagnation and brought back into their proper functioning in the body. This is exactly what happens to us when we stagnate.

When we stagnate, every time one way or another we drift away from Jerusalem, from the body. And we end up off on a little tangent of our own, which may be extremely spiritual or it may not be. We're off on our fishing trip, fishing for fish.

Now we're serving mammon again instead of God. We continue on the surface to go through all the motions of piety that were there before. We continue in some way to get fellowship and we say prayers and we worship and we even testify to the Lord from time to time when it isn't too inconvenient.

But down in our hearts we know that we're far adrift and that we've lost the way. And in our hearts we often complain, where are you Lord? And where is the road that was once so clear? I used to get up in the morning and Jesus was right there. Now I get up in the morning and everything's blank.

I used to call on his name and he'd answer me. Now I call on his name, nothing. But that was when your love for him was clear.

You were in Jerusalem. You were functioning in the body. You were ministering to him in worship.

You were ministering to brothers and sisters. You were preaching good news to the poor. You were proclaiming release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind.

You were setting at liberty those who were oppressed. But now you're walking away from Jerusalem. You're on the road to Emmaus.

In fact you're not only walking away from Jerusalem and from the body, you're walking away from the Lord. So what does he do? Does he lead you to your own devices? No. He's walking at your side.

You may not see him but he's there. And one way or another he's going to be asking you, Do you love me? Forget all the things you're involved in and all the mighty things you're doing and all the sacrifices you're making and all the activity you're involved in and all the prayers you pray. Let me ask you one thing, he says, Do you love me? And one way or another you're going to answer.

And if you answer, Yes Lord, I love you. Then he's going to say, Then feed my sheep. Then get back to Jerusalem with your brothers and sisters.

Then into the body where you belong. John 21, Simon Peter said to them, I'm going fishing. They said to him, We'll go with you.

They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach, yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, Children, have you any fish? They answered him, No.

He said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you'll find some. So they cast it. And now they were not able to haul it in for the quantity of fish That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord.

Now Peter's eyes are open. He can see this is Jesus. But not clearly.

He will not see clearly with his eyes until his heart is clear. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, Do you love me more than these, more than these fish? More than your old lifestyle? He said to him, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, Feed my lambs.

A second time he said to him, Simon, son of John, do you love me? He said to him, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, Ten my sheep. He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him a third time, Do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know everything.

You know that I love you. Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep. And after this he said to him, Follow me.

If we, at the moment, are on a little excursion to Emmaus, may the Lord who breaks bread with us today make himself known to us as we open our hearts to him. If we're out there on Galilee fishing for fish, back to our old ways, may the Lord who invites us to come and dine help us to get on with fishing for souls, feeding his sheep as we open our hearts to him. Do you love me? He was asking those disciples in Emmaus.

Do you love me, Peter? He said after breakfast on the shore of Galilee. And for us, the way out of stagnation is exactly the same. One question he asks us, each of us and all of us corporately.

Do you love me more than your old life? Do you love me more than your comfortable stagnation? Do you love me? Then feed my sheep and follow me. And then you will be on the road that leads to the new Jerusalem, the city of God, for I am the way. Let's pray.

Lord, you alone know perfectly how many of us here in this place right now are unsettled in our hearts and often impatient with the way things are going. And you know the directions in which we look to place the blame and the things we feel really troubled about and done in over. And we pray, Lord, that you'd help us by the Holy Spirit right now to see where the real issue for us is.

No matter how many times we've been let down or how abused we may be or how lacking the cooperation may be from those we think we should be getting it from. Help us to see where we are right now, Lord, in relationship to you. And help us by your Spirit to find our treasure, our hope, our fulfillment, our peace, our adventure, our excitement, our stimulation, our everything in you.