John 14:1-14

Do you be seated?

We're taking a break from our series in Romans.

I hope there'll be a number of baptisms this year,

!

Let me read it to you.

Proverbs 22 and verse 6.

Train up a child in the way he or she should go,

and even when he or she is old,

he or she will not depart from it.

Train up a child in the way that he should go,

and even when he's old,

he will not depart from it.

Aaron and Bexy, like any parents, like all parents,

want the best for their child.

Every one of us wants that.

We want to give our children a good start in life.

We want children to have a good start in life.

And that is a natural concern, isn't it, that parents have.

That children should be put on the right road.

But what is the right road?

There's another proverb, and it says this.

It says this.

There is a way that seems right to man and woman, men and women,

but it ends in death.

And I don't know about you,

but I don't want that for my child.

And you don't want that for your children or the children in your family.

So how can we avoid that?

How can we know what is the right way to bring up our children?

And for those of us who don't have children,

you're part of this congregation,

is there a right way to bring up children?

Is it even possible,

some people would ask that, wouldn't they?

We can't talk about there being a right way

and a wrong way.

One way is as good as another.

You've got to kind of work it out for yourself.

Is it even possible to speak about

a correct way of bringing up children?

There's lots of different ways out there.

Many different philosophies.

Lots of ideas around.

It's a bit like Spaghetti Junction.

You know that?

I don't think I've ever been on it,

but you know Spaghetti Junction, don't you?

You've seen photos of it.

If you haven't seen it,

it's like a bowl of spaghetti.

And you go in one way,

and you think you've taken the right way,

only to come out completely in the wrong direction.

And life can be like that, can't it?

And so Aaron and Bexy,

this morning,

you are at Spaghetti Junction

with the birth of your first child.

Because you have to steer

this little one,

this little precious boy,

onto the right path.

And you are concerned,

you want him to go in the right direction,

you want him to arrive at the right destination.

And so what a relief it is, isn't it,

to read this morning

that the Bible tells you

with a message from God

that there is a way that he should go.

That's what the Bible says, isn't it?

It says, can you see it?

Train up a child in the way that he should go.

And even when he's old,

he will not depart from it.

Two things in the verse

that I want you to see,

really simple,

both begin with P.

First of all,

a pathway and a promise.

Let's look at the pathway.

Train up a child

in the way that he should go.

So let me ask you this question.

Do you know what Christians were called

before they were first called Christians?

Anybody?

Anybody?

What were Christians called

before they were called Christians?

Followers of the way.

Followers of the way.

Followers of the way.

That's very good, isn't it?

Who said that?

Followers of the way.

That's right.

Followers of the way.

I think that's a really brilliant description,

isn't it,

of those first Christians.

And what I want to do,

just for a little bit,

is I want to kind of walk you through that

and show you how they were called that.

Hopefully,

it will come up on the screen behind me.

Is that going to work?

I hope.

There you go.

So there's six references

in the Acts of the Apostles.

And it's probably one of the most neglected themes

in all of the Bible.

So if those churches,

early churches,

had notice boards,

they didn't have church buildings,

but if they did notice boards,

it would have not said

International Presbyterian

or First Baptist

or Church of England

or any of those things.

It would have said

Followers of the Way.

It's not just a denominational label, is it?

It's a message.

I think it communicates something

to the outside world.

It's very good marketing.

This is how the world thought of them.

So first of all,

in Acts chapter 9,

Acts 9 · chapter mention

in verses 1 and 2,

I'm hoping that's behind me,

Saul,

before he was converted,

he said this,

but Saul,

still breathing threats

and murder

against the disciples of the Lord,

he went to the high priest,

and he asked him for letters

to the synagogue at Damascus

so that if he found

any belonging to the

way,

men or women,

he might bring them

bound to Jerusalem.

Next up is

Acts 19,

8 and 9,

where we're told

Paul went to the synagogue

at Ephesus

and he spoke boldly.

And he entered the synagogue

and for three months

he spoke boldly,

reasoning and persuading people

about the kingdom of God.

But when some people

became stubborn

and continued in unbelief,

speaking evil of

the way,

before the congregation

he withdrew,

took his disciples

with him.

And he reasoned daily

in the hall of Tyrannus.

So you go back

right to the start

of the Christian church

and they're not called

Anglicans,

they're not called Baptists,

they're not called Brethren,

they're not called

Presbyterians,

they were called

followers of the way.

And that is how

they were known

to the outside world.

That's how they thought

of themselves.

Let me take you

to the end of chapter 19.

Chapter 19 verse 21.

Now after these events

Paul resolved

in the spirit

to pass through Macedonia

and Achaia

and to go to Jerusalem

saying after I've been there

I must also see Rome.

And having sent into Macedonia

goes on to verse 23

saying about that time

there arose no little disturbance

concerning the way.

Chapter 22 verse 1

Paul is defending himself

against the mob in Jerusalem.

He's been arrested.

He says brothers and fathers

hear the defense

that I now make before you.

I'm a Jew

born in Tarsus in Cilicia

but I've been brought up

to this city.

I was educated

at the feet of Gamaliel

this famous Jewish teacher.

According to the strict manner

of the law of our fathers

I was zealous for God

as you all are today.

I persecuted this way

to the death.

I hated Christians.

Binding them

and delivering them

to prison both men and women.

chapter 24

and verse 14

I confess to you

that according to the way

which they call a sect

I worship the God

of our fathers.

Believing everything

laid down in the law

and the prophets.

It's not some Christian sect

he's saying.

This isn't some kind of

John E.

come lately group

that have arrived

that's appeared on the scene.

It's rooted in the Old Testament.

And then later on

in that same chapter

Felix says this

having a rather accurate

knowledge of the way

put them off.

So can you see

just in that little brief

thing that I've shown you

this is how the early Christians

described themselves.

That's how they were known

to the world

as followers

of the way.

Everyone can relate to that.

It's not just a denominational label.

It's a message

isn't it?

It's a message

that communicates

to a world

that has lost its way.

So one Russian writer

has described

our world

as a country

in which there are

no signposts

because there's nowhere to go.

It's like the council road man

who was asked

why are you digging that ditch?

And he says

I'm digging the ditch

to get the money

to buy the food

to get the strength

to dig the ditch.

And that's what life

might be like for you.

It may be that you

get up in the morning

and you go to work

and then you come home

and you eat your supper

and you watch the telly

and you go to bed

and you get up in the morning

you go to work

you come home

you eat your tea

you watch your telly

and then you go to bed

and you get up

in the morning

and you go to work

like a hamster on a wheel.

Really busy

but going nowhere.

Doesn't life feel

like that sometimes?

Like a desert.

It's a really dangerous place

to live.

A desert, isn't it?

Because the wind blows

in the desert

and the landscape changes

and you lose

your bearings

and you don't know

where you are.

Is that what it feels like

for you this morning?

Maybe you look back

and you thought

there was a time

where I thought

I knew where I was going.

I had my bearings

in life

and I thought

I really knew

what life was all about

where life was taking me

but then the winds of time

blew across

the landscape

of my life

and now I'm afraid

to admit that I'm lost.

And you don't know

what it's all about.

And so here are

a group of people

that claim to know

where they're going.

A group of people

who claim to know

what it's about.

And Ruben has been born

into this company

of people.

Followers of the way.

Here are people

that know

where they are going.

Here are people

who realize

that life

is not an end

in and of itself.

but it's a preparation

for life to come.

They're followers

of the way.

But what is this way

that we're talking about?

It's not some kind

of secret.

It's not some kind

of mystical knowledge

that we've discovered.

What is this way

that the Bible

is talking about?

It's a person,

isn't it?

Did you pick it up

when Kephas read it?

What did Jesus say?

Jesus said,

what did he say?

He said,

I am the way,

the truth,

and the life.

And no one comes

to the Father

except through me.

And sometimes

Christians want to say,

well, that's a triple claim.

That he's the way,

he's the truth,

and he's the life.

I don't really think

it is that.

It's a single claim.

In other words,

Jesus is saying,

I am the way,

and I am the true way,

and I'm the living way.

And I'm the only way.

I'm not a cul-de-sac,

I'm not a detour,

I'm not a diversion.

There's loads of people

that think,

don't they,

that Christianity,

that's what it is.

It's a bit like a cul-de-sac.

It's a little bit

like a diversion.

If it helps you,

that's great.

Great for you.

If it helps you

get through life

and the bumps of life,

well, that's all right with us.

It's a diversion

from the real business of living.

That's what people think.

It's nothing of the sort.

Jesus doesn't offer himself

as a diversion.

He says,

I'm the way.

I'm not a detour.

I'm not a diversion.

I'm the true,

and I'm the living way.

So that if a man

or a woman

or a boy

or a girl

believes in the Lord Jesus,

he's going places.

Because he who believes in me,

Jesus says,

has eternal life.

He has it.

And so the moment

that you put your trust

in the Lord Jesus Christ,

you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,

you are there.

You have eternal life

as a gift.

So what is eternal life?

It's not endless existence.

No one wants that,

do they?

No one wants to go on

forever and ever

living like chewing gum.

You know how chewing gum

we just,

it loses all flavor,

doesn't it?

And you keep on chewing it,

but you don't know

why you're chewing it.

It's lost its flavor.

Who wants life like that?

Who wants endless existence?

That's not heaven.

That's hell.

Eternal life

is not endless existence.

This is eternal life,

the Bible says.

It is to know God

and Jesus Christ

in whom he has sent.

And so eternal life

is a relationship

with the living God.

So time is a really funny thing

when you're trying

to think about it.

When you're first in love

with someone,

if you are in love

with someone

and if you have a relationship

with someone,

then time seems to pass,

doesn't it?

And you're not aware

of it passing.

That first date

where you went out

and you met

at 10.30 for brunch

and you said goodbye

to each other

at half eleven at night

and you don't know

where the time went

because you were so

caught up in each other.

And that's what eternity

is like for the Christian.

It's not endless existence.

It's not boredom.

It is to know God,

the most exciting person

in the universe.

And Jesus says,

I am the way to that.

I am the true way

and I am the living way

and I am the only way.

And no one else

can do this for you.

The Haman writer says,

there was no other good enough

to pay the price of sin.

He only could unlock

the gate of heaven

and another sin.

There's no one else

in the history of the universe

who's claimed

to be able to do it,

to even pay the price of sin,

to put himself

between a God

who is holy

and other,

who cannot even

look at sin,

to put himself

between that God

and a sinful people.

To take the punishment

that is due to us.

No one else even claims that

but Jesus.

I am the true

and the living

and the only way

into the Father's presence.

Without me,

he's saying,

you're lost.

It's very offensive,

isn't it?

I'm the way.

I'm not just the Western way.

I'm not just the British way.

I'm not even the Christian way.

As if there was some other

kind of way you could choose.

I am the way,

the only way.

Do you notice he says,

he's not saying,

I know the way.

He's not saying,

I can point you

in the right direction.

He's not even saying,

I have the way.

I have the way.

Follow my teaching

and you'll be alright.

He's not even saying that.

He is saying

something far more personal,

isn't he?

He is saying,

I am the way.

And he draws attention

to himself,

to his own person.

And that is what

Christianity is all about.

It's to do with

a relationship

with the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's not about religion.

It is about having

a relationship

with the living God.

That's what the Bible

talks about

when it says

that we're lost.

So we're not lost

in terms of our surroundings,

are we?

That is not the nature

of human lostness.

We live at a time

when our world

has never been more aware

of its surroundings.

Scientists can tell us,

can't they,

the most amazing things

about the universe

in which we live.

We're not lost.

We're not lost so much

in terms of our surroundings.

We're like,

aren't we,

the little boy

or the little girl

who's lost in London.

They've lost sight

of their parents.

They've become cut off

from their parents.

And the police

find this little boy

on Oxford Street

and they say,

what is your name?

And the little boy

can tell them his name.

They say,

do you know your address?

And the little boy

can tell the police

his address.

And he can even

tell the police

what bus he should

catch home.

He's not lost

in terms of his surroundings,

is he?

But he's lost

in terms of his relationship.

he's lost sight

of his parents.

And he's cold

and he's miserable

and he's disorientated

because he's lost

sight of his mother.

And that's what the Bible

means when it talks

about lostness.

You're not lost

in terms of your surroundings.

You're lost in terms

of your relationship

with the God

who made you.

And what the Bible

teaches is that sin,

our rebellion,

has broken

that relationship.

And sin has alienated

us from the God

who has made us.

But Jesus Christ says,

I'm the way back.

I'm the true

and I'm the living way.

And I'm the only way

that you can come

into a relationship

with the living God.

And that's what we want

for little Reuben.

Not religion.

It is a religious ceremony

that we performed

this morning.

But we're not wanting

religion for him.

I once heard somebody

describe religion

as a grumbling appendix.

I think that's

a really good likeness.

And maybe that's

what your Christianity is.

You're not really

quite sure

why it's there.

And you're not

quite sure

what religion

is all about.

But it grumbles.

And it's there.

And so every so often

you give attention

to it

and you get it

checked out.

And sometimes

it flares up

and it gets infected

and it causes you

a bit of discomfort.

You see,

if you are religious

this morning

and nothing else,

the best thing

you can do

is have your religion

removed.

To get rid of it

altogether.

It's not a bit

of good to you.

In fact,

what it will do

in the end

is it will poison you.

It can destroy you

in the end.

We don't want to make

Reuben religious.

God forbid

that he should

become religious.

We want to see

him have a relationship

with the living God.

And faith

in Jesus Christ

is what this

baptism is

all about.

It's what Christianity

is all about.

It's a people

who know God

through faith

in Jesus Christ.

Let me read

to you this

little passage

I read this week

talking about

the Lord Jesus

as the only way

to God.

It says this,

In the early days

of the railway

in Britain,

some towns

refused to have

the railways

go through them

because they feared

that the sparks

from the engine

would set their

properties alight.

Instead,

the stations

were set

on the outskirts

of the town

to the immense

inconvenience

of later generations

of townsmen.

Explains an awful lot

doesn't it?

Why in Cambridge

the station

is miles

from the centre.

It loads them.

So it says

they are to construct

a branch line

to the main line

but not so this way

with Christ.

He runs right

through the slums

of Sin Town

wherever the child

of God

can sometimes get.

He is available

to us as we are.

Where we are

prayerless,

cold and defeated

we only have to

acknowledge our

true condition

and repent of the sin

that has caused it.

And the grace of God

reaches us

in the very place

where we are.

We are cleansed

and restored.

And there and then

we have stepped

onto the way.

What is the way

to God?

What is the way

that you are

to set Reuben on?

Jesus says

I am the way

to God

and there is

no one else.

And that is

very, very embarrassing

today, isn't it?

And we are supposed

to respect all religion.

We do respect

all religions

but we are supposed

to treat all religions

the same

around and about

but Jesus will have

none of it.

He says

I am the way

and there is

no other way.

I am the true

and the living

and the only way

and for anyone

anywhere in the world

to come to know God

what's the way

to God?

Jesus is the way

to God.

What's the way

to Jesus?

There is no way

to Jesus.

He is the way

and so

this morning

as the word

of God

is explained

and proclaimed

and tried to be

applied to your

conscience

Jesus is here

this morning.

Don't think

that you've got

to find some way

to him.

He's come to you.

So maybe you're thinking

maybe I need to read

the Bible a bit more.

Maybe if I start

to pray

maybe I should attend

church a bit more.

Then I may come

to Jesus.

No, Jesus is the way

to those things.

You've got it

the wrong way around.

You'll never understand

the Bible

until you come

to Jesus.

You'll never want

to come to church

until you come

to Jesus.

You'll find it

an enormous bore

unless you know Jesus.

No, Jesus is the way

to those things.

Those things

are not the way

to Jesus.

And so Jesus

is here this morning

and he offers himself

to you

wherever you are

in your life.

Whatever problems

you've got

whatever condition

you're in

whatever the things

you've gone through

Jesus offers himself

to you and he says

I am the way.

And all you've got

to do is acknowledge

your need.

All you've got to do

is cry out to me

in your heart of hearts

and you're on the way.

You're on the way

to your father's house.

You're on the way

to the place

that he is preparing

for you.

That's all you need.

And Jesus says

I'll bring you home.

Just acknowledge

your need.

Just admit

that you're lost

and step

my way

by faith

and you are home.

You do not need

religion

to get you home.

Jesus says

come to me.

And so that's

what we want

for our children.

We want them

to grow up

trusting in the Lord

Jesus

knowing him

as their Lord

and Savior.

That is the significance

of what's gone on

this morning.

That we are setting

Reuben apart

to be a Christian.

We've not made him

a Christian this morning

by sprinkling water

on him.

We're not into magic.

Water doesn't make

anyone a Christian.

Not even baptismal water.

Not even baptismal water

that needs to be

cooled down.

It's a sign

and a seal.

It doesn't make

people Christians.

We've not made

Reuben a Christian

this morning.

But what we've done

is we have set him

apart

that he might be Christ.

We've put him

on the way.

That isn't going

to happen automatically.

Being born

into a Christian home

doesn't make him

a Christian.

So what guarantee

do we have

that this child

will grow to know

the Lord Jesus

for himself?

And secondly

it's the promise.

Can you see

the promise

in the verse?

Train up a child

in the way

that he should go

and even when he's old

he will not depart

from it.

And baptism

is the sign

and the seal

of that promise.

God is saying

to Aaron and Bexie

this morning

train him up

in the way

that he should go.

And I promise you

that when he is old

he won't depart

from it.

And we need

that promise.

We need the strength

of that promise.

We need

the means

of grace.

We need baptism

to remind us

of that promise.

As we go

through life

for a number

of reasons.

For one thing

the way

that he should

go

is not the way

he would go.

Left to himself.

If you go to

chapter 15

in Proverbs

verse 15

of chapter 2

sorry

just a little bit down

we're told

that folly

is bound up

in the heart

of a child.

But the rod

of discipline

drives it far

from him.

Foolishness

is bound up

in the heart

of a child.

We sometimes

underestimate

children

don't we?

Children

know a great deal.

Solomon

who wrote Proverbs

he doesn't mean

when he says

foolishness

is bound up

in the heart

of a child

that children

are unintelligent.

No it's talking

about the way

that we would

go left

to ourselves.

And so even

in a small

child

there is

something twisted

something not

right.

And we don't

like to think

like that

but that is

what the Bible

says.

We're born

with perversity

in our hearts.

This is something

we pick up

on the way.

We didn't pick it up

when we went

to junior school

or when we went

to secondary school.

Some of you

know David

in the Old Testament

he wrote most

of the Psalms

he was the great king

and when he was

in his middle age

his late middle age

disaster came

he had a moral

collapse.

He stole

another man's

wife.

He got found

out to try

and cover up

his tracks.

He had

the husband

killed.

And when David

actually sat

back and he

reflected on

his life

and he confessed

his sin to God

he traced it

back and he

said my sin

it began

when did it

begin?

Right at the

very beginning.

Psalm 51

says I was

brought forth

in iniquity

and in sin

did my mother

conceive me.

Why did David

go at the age

of 50

and car crash

his life?

Why did he

wreck another

family for his

own convenience?

Why did he

do such a

terrible thing?

And David

says do you

know what I

can trace it

back to my

mother's womb?

The moment I

began

is the moment

I was a

sinner.

Before I ever

did a sinful

thing before I

ever behaved in

a selfish way

I was already

a sinner by

nature.

And that's

true of me.

That's true of

Reuben as

adorable as he

is.

he should

go.

The way he

should go is

not the way

that he would

go left to

himself.

And I

remember you

will need to

remind him

as you bring

him up, as

you train him

and discipline

him and you

correct foolishness,

that perversity.

The last thing

that Christian

parents should do

to their

children is let

them just

express themselves.

because what

we are by

nature is not

what we

should be.

Left to

ourselves is a

disaster.

Foolishness is

bound in the

heart of all

children so

parents are to

correct that in

the ways of

Christ.

And so we

need this

reminder of

baptism.

This promise

brought home to

us that God

can cleanse our

hearts from sin

like the water

can wash away

the dirt.

when he

believes on the

Lord Jesus

Christ.

And so you

are to teach

him that and

to tell him

that and to

model that and

to pray for him

for that.

But the way he

should go is not

the way he

would go.

You cannot

leave him to

himself.

We all like

sheep have gone

astray.

We've all turned

everyone to his

own way but the

Lord has laid on

him the iniquity

of us all.

Left to

ourselves we do

our own thing but

the truth of the

Bible is that God

has provided a

saviour.

And God

himself has come

in the person

of his own

son to

Calvary to

take our

sin upon

himself.

And so we've

got to say to

little Reuben and

to our children

you and I we

are sinners by

nature and if

you carry on in

your sin you

will perish.

You will end

up in eternity

without God but

God has provided

a way of

salvation.

And God

himself has

come to take

that sin upon

himself at the

cross and so

believe in the

Lord Jesus

Christ and you

will be saved.

You've got

every encouragement

to believe.

So did God

put you into

this family by

accident?

And God has

promised that if

you repent and

if you believe in

Jesus Christ he

will wash away

your sin.

That's what

baptism means.

And so we

bring up our

children on that

promise God

made at our

baptism.

We pray that

promise every

day that God

will do this for

you.

And that's one

reason why we

need this

promise.

Another

reason.

The way that

he should go

and the way

that we

would go is

radically

different from

any other

way.

Christianity

is not

respectable.

If you at

the time you

could go

through those

passages that I

quoted to you

from Acts and

you'd see in

every context

there was

persecution.

And we

don't like

what's

different.

And so

Paul says

the apostle

he says

all who

would live

godly in

Christ Jesus

will suffer

persecution.

The world

won't persecute

you if you're

good.

It'll pat

you on the

back.

The world

won't persecute

you if you're

noble.

It'll give

you an MBE.

It can

appreciate that

but godliness

is something

different.

And we're

not talking

about Reuben

growing up

with good

morals or

about kind

living,

about being

decent.

But godliness

is so

radically

different that

the world

will not

tolerate it.

And when

they saw

it in the

Lord Jesus

they smashed

it on the

cross.

And Jesus

says if they

crucify me

they will

crucify you.

And so at

baptism there

is something

isn't it?

It's funny when

the baby gets

covered in

water.

It's a

beautiful thing

but it's also

a really

really serious

thing.

baptism is

a putting

off of

one way

of life

and bringing

him into

a new

way of

life.

And so

Aaron and

Bexley you

will need

to train

up Reuben.

You can

teach without

training

but training

must involve

teaching.

You will

show him

and model

it and

live it

out a

radically

different

Christian

way.

And so

don't be

afraid to

be different

little

man.

Don't

allow your

family life

to be

dictated

by the

world

so that

you become

like everyone

else.

Live it

out as a

Christian.

Train the

child in

the way

that he

should go.

Model it

and pattern

it and

live it

out.

And God

says I

promise you

that when

he's old

despite all

the opposition

despite

everything that

is against

him and

telling him

otherwise

and all

the

pressures

God

says my

grace is

stronger than

all that.

I promise

you.

I promise

you.

Martin

Luther the

German

reformer

as I

finish.

He's a

man who

kind of

suffered

incredibly.

He's in

his room

working once

and he

said it

was as if

the devil

was in

the room

with me.

And he

was accusing

me and

tempting me

of all

sorts of

things.

He felt

he was

going out

of his

mind.

And Luther

picked up

the inkwell

and he

threw it

across the

room.

And he

shouted at

the devil.

He says

this.

He says

I'm a

baptized

man.

I am

baptized.

I'm

baptized.

God has

made promises

to me

in my

baptism.

I say I

go to the

pub tomorrow

night.

I've got a

meeting tomorrow

night.

So I won't.

But I'm

there and

these very

attractive girls

come and

talk to me.

You probably

think oh

it's very

unusual.

I'm

standing at

the bar.

What do

you do at

that point?

I don't

know what

you do at

that point.

But what

do you

do?

I go

like this.

I'm a

married man.

You hold up

your wedding

ring.

If you're

ever in a

pub and

you see

somebody

taking off

their

wedding ring,

don't go

near that

person.

Because this

ring is a

sign of

God's

promises.

I'm a

baptized

man.

God's

love.

God's

love.

So I

hope some

of you are

thinking about

becoming

Christians but

I need to

tell you that

sometimes it's

pretty hostile to

be a Christian

like it was

for Martin

Luther.

And you

remind yourself

remind yourself

Reuben in years

to come I'm

baptized.

I'm engaged

to be Christ.

I've been put

in Christ's

way.

I'm not going

to go any

other way.

I renounce

the world,

the flesh,

and the

devil.

I'm Christ.

I'm a

baptized man.

Let's pray.