God's Word & Our Path

What do you think life is about? What would you compare life to?

Of course, there are many, many answers to that.

But one of the themes, strangely enough, that appears both in secular literature and in biblical literature

is the theme that life is like a journey.

Life is like traveling from point A to point B.

And so you need to get from this place to this place.

And so life is compared to that in many ways.

In secular literature, you may remember the Odyssey.

Homer wrote two epics, the Iliad, about the wars between the Greeks and the Trojans.

And then the Odyssey about Ulysses trying to get back home.

And so we have this long journey.

So that is one place where you can see that.

If you can speak Arabic, which I doubt very seriously,

you would be able to read the two famous travel works of literature,

Sinbad the Sailors, the travel of Sinbad the Sailors, which have become movies,

and the travels of Ibn Battuta.

Most of you couldn't spell Battuta, much less know it.

But the theme of travel also shows up in other places in secular literature.

One of the most famous movies from 1939 is The Wizard of Oz.

And what does Dorothy have to do?

She has to follow the yellow brick road.

Follow the yellow brick road.

Follow the yellow brick road.

And then there is that song, which I will spare you, my voice.

So why does she need to follow the yellow brick road?

Because she wants, she needs to end in the Emerald City,

where she will meet the Great Wizard of Oz.

And hopefully, the Wizard of Oz will help her figure out how to get back to Kansas.

So she is on a journey.

George Clooney was very interested in The Odyssey,

and took that and made it a very popular, wonderful movie,

a lot more intellectual than it seems to be.

But it really is deep.

But it's very funny.

Called Brother, Where Art Thou?

That is really the Odyssey set in America in the 20th century in the South.

If you know the original Odyssey in Greek,

you will see how much he borrows.

The word is plagiarized, but he borrows from that Odyssey.

For those of us who love movies,

science fiction movies were awful.

They were B.

They were, you know, second class.

And then in 1968,

a director introduced a movie that was just mind-boggling.

Almost everybody would think it's one of the best 10 or 20 movies ever made.

It's the one that raised science fiction into first date

and in some ways prepared the way for Star Wars 10 years later.

That movie was 2001, A Space Odyssey by Kubrick.

If you think you're smart,

you ought to see this movie,

and that will show you quickly how smart you're not.

It's mind-boggling.

You leave the movie thinking,

what is it about?

And there is a recurring figure there,

a slab, a monolith,

that emanates sound.

And human beings are following.

They're going on a journey,

hence Odyssey 2001, the year.

It's a space Odyssey.

But it is in space.

And so human beings go to the moon,

and from the moon to Jupiter,

and then to outer space.

And the thing that Kubrick never answers in that movie is,

what does this monolith represent?

And some have argued it represents God.

And some have said maybe it represents evolution.

Maybe it represents human inquiry.

Maybe it represents our curiosity about the world.

But it is a movie about travel.

And so I want us today to think about travel,

and to see travel in the biblical context.

In the Old Testament itself,

of course, there are several events that are described as travel,

because they are indeed literally travel.

The most obvious one is traveling out of Egypt into the Promised Land through Sinai.

So that is a theme that covers two books,

both Exodus and Numbers.

In the second half of Isaiah,

Isaiah 42 · chapter mention

chapters 42-66,

there is a theme that Isaiah describes again and again.

It's the most prevalent theme in that second half of Isaiah.

It is the theme of the new Exodus,

traveling back from the land of captivity

to the Promised Land.

It's the return of the exiles.

And it is called the new Exodus.

In Jewish circles,

one of the most important things is the halakha.

If you don't know that word,

it's a Jewish word.

And it is very important,

because rabbis quickly realized that,

as a matter of fact,

not only do we have scriptures,

but we have the other task of interpreting scriptures.

In most cases,

in huge portions of the Bible,

the meaning of the passage is self-evident.

You don't need to get a PhD to figure out what the verse means.

You know, when Jesus says,

I am the way, the truth, and the life,

that's fairly obvious.

But there are passages that are difficult.

And so, Jewish scholars, rabbis,

were asking,

how does the scriptures apply to our lives?

How does Leviticus apply to our lives?

If I'm going to get a haircut,

does it matter whether I get this kind of a haircut,

or that kind of a haircut?

Do the scriptures tell me anything about my appearance?

Does my appearance matter whether I'm a believer or not a believer?

And so, this huge discussion about the meaning of life

comes from,

this huge discussion is collected in a place called the Halakha.

The foundation of the Halakha,

the basis of the Halakha,

is Psalm 1.

So, please turn with me now to Psalm 1.

And see this important verse.

I'm sure many of you know it,

but let's look at it just the same.

The Halakha is trying to understand Psalm 1,

Psalms 1:1

verse 1.

Blessed is the man who does not,

what's the next verb?

Walk.

Blessed is the man who does not walk

in the counsel of the wicked.

So, if the blessed man does not walk

in this path,

where does he walk?

And the Halakha is a discussion.

This idea of life as a journey

shows up in Judaism, in the Halakha,

but it also shows up in the New Testament.

There's a verse that I want you to look at,

which is like a Christian version of the Halakha.

Look at Acts, chapter 9, verse 2.

Acts 9:2

Acts 9, verse 2.

Acts 9:2

Starting with verse 1.

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out

murderous threats against the Lord's disciples

before his conversion.

He went to the high priest

and asked him for letters

to the synagogues in Damascus,

so that if he found any there

who belonged to the way,

whether men or women,

he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

He wanted to arrest Christians,

and Christians were called

the people of the way.

Ways are roads.

So, the question, of course, is

why are we called the people of the way?

Why aren't we called the people of the elephant?

Or the people of the pizza?

Why the way?

I suspect

we are called the people of the way

because of the very important statement of Jesus.

I am the way,

the truth,

and the life.

And if Jesus is the way,

and we are followers of Jesus,

then we are followers of the way.

And so, Christianity,

in some ways,

is compared

to somebody who is traveling

from one place to another.

We are on the way to somewhere.

Some of you may know

that the Bible, of course,

continues again and again,

year after year,

be the best seller of all time.

There is no book,

there is no work in literature

that has sold more than the Bible.

You know,

not even Shakespeare,

not Dickens,

not Austen,

not Sherlock Holmes.

It is the Bible.

But the next question is,

within Christian literature,

what is the book that has sold the most?

Who comes second after the Bible?

You know which one it is?

It is Pilgrim's Progress

by John Bunyan.

And Pilgrim's Progress

is about a Christian

traveling on the way,

on the road,

from the city of destruction

to the glorious city,

the city of God.

So, all of these are ways,

no pun intended,

all of these are ways

to describe

our Christian life

as a journey.

Now,

the world has its journeys too.

Jesus isn't the only option

in the world.

The world has its many options.

And I want to share with you

a couple of those options

that I saw recently.

As you know,

I'm sure you remember

that

in basketball,

LeBron James

kept everybody in suspense.

Is he going to stay at Miami?

Is he going to

go to New York?

Is he going to go to Los Angeles?

Is he going to go back

to Cleveland?

And so,

everybody was curious.

What is he going to do?

During this discussion,

I want to,

let me just give you

a couple numbers.

Bosch

was given a contract

for $118 million.

Carmelo Anthony

was given a contract

for $422 million.

I myself

would be very happy

if anybody gives me

$122,000.

$1,000.

I am not even close.

I'm not anywhere,

you know.

I may be around

$122,000 pennies,

but not

$122,000.

That's not the kind

of salary

that I get.

And yet,

people like that

are receiving

these kinds

of salaries.

At the time

of the Oscar,

it was said

that

the movie

Gravity

with Sandra Bullock,

the actress

was given

$14 million

salary.

Tom Hanks

for his two

movies

about Captain

Philip

and Mary Poppins

received

$20 million.

$20 million.

I remember

when Elizabeth

Taylor

was the first

actress

in Hollywood

to break

the $1 million

barrier

for a movie

called

Cleopatra

in the early

60s.

When

entertainment

and sports

offered their

participants

millions,

incredible

amounts

of millions,

what America

is saying

is,

what is the

road that

leads to

happiness?

Wealth.

Wealth

is the road

that leads

to happiness.

If you ask

the Bible,

is it really

the case

that wealth

leads to

happiness?

The answer

is,

vanity

of vanities.

All is vanity.

Meaningless,

meaningless.

Everything

is meaningless.

Emptiness,

emptiness.

Ecclesiastes

is saying

bluntly,

no,

it is not

wealth

that leads

to happiness.

It is

a relationship

with God.

Life

without God

is meaningless.

So,

if we do

not want

to take

those paths

because they

don't lead

to happiness,

what are

the paths

that we

are offered

in the

scriptures?

scriptures,

I want

you to

know this

passage,

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 30:15

chapter 30

verse 15.

There are

five books

called the

books of

Moses.

Exodus

through

Deuteronomy,

Exodus,

Leviticus,

Numbers,

Deuteronomy,

deal with

the law

and the

covenant

and God's

relationship

with his

people.

And Deuteronomy

is serving

as the last

book is,

among other

things,

is summarizing

what we have

just been

reading in

four books.

Where does

all this

end?

What's it

all about?

And please

turn to

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 30:15

chapter 30

verse 15.

In verse 15

God is

summarizing

this is

what it's

all about.

This is

the answer

to the

$64,000

question.

See,

I have

set before

you today

life and

prosperity,

death and

destruction.

I command

you today

to love

the Lord

your God,

to walk

in his

ways and

to keep

his commandments,

decrees and

laws.

Then you

will live

and increase,

et cetera,

et cetera.

But there

are two

things.

One option

is a path

that leads

to death

and destruction

and the

other one

that leads

to life

and prosperity.

Life and

death,

these are

the two

paths.

You may

say to me,

but Samir,

you know,

this sounds

familiar,

but I

don't know

Deuteronomy.

I don't think

I've ever

read Deuteronomy.

Why does

this passage

sound familiar?

It sounds

familiar because

Jesus paraphrases

it in one

of his

famous passages.

So please

turn to the

gospel of

Matthew,

Matthew 7,

13.

See how

Jesus repeats

what Deuteronomy

is saying.

Enter

through the

narrow gate

for wide

is the

gate

and broad

is the

road

that leads

to destruction

and many

enter through

it.

But small

is the

gate

and narrow

the road

that leads

to life

and only

few find

it.

There you

have it

again.

a road,

a broad

road that

leads to

destruction

and a

narrow road

that leads

to life.

Keeping

that in

mind,

keeping that

in mind,

now let's

take a look

at Psalm

119 to

see how

the psalm

is going

to illuminate

what we

have just

finished

seeing.

Psalm

Psalms 119:105

119

verse 105

verse 106

Your

word is

a land

to my

feet

and a

light

for my

path.

The

psalmist

is walking.

He is

on a

path.

He is

traveling

from one

place to

another.

He is

on a

journey.

And

hopefully

the journey

that he

is on

is the

path

that leads

to life,

not the

path that

leads to

death

and destruction.

the problem

with the

psalmist

is that

while most

of us

can travel

easily during

the day

because we

can see

where we're

going,

what he

is doing

to compound

his situation

is that he

is traveling

at night.

And because

he is traveling

at night,

he needs

light to

help him

see where

he is

walking.

So,

if you

have light

that shows

you where

you're walking,

you need

to ask

yourself

three

questions.

The first

question is

where does

this road

go to?

Where is

it going

to lead

me?

Is it

going to

lead me

to destruction?

Is it

going to

lead me

to the

emerald

city?

Is it

going to

lead

Ulysses

back from

Troy to

Ithaca?

Where is

this road

going to

lead me?

And the

scripture

says

clearly

vanity

of

vanities

all

is

vanity

meaningless

meaningless

everything

is

meaningless

the

Hebrew

word

is

evil

emptiness

emptiness

everything

is

emptiness

if

you

do

not

take

the

path

of

the

Lord

I

am

the

way

the

truth

and

the

life

you

are

wasting

your

life

it's

much

better

to

realize

that

early

in

your

life

than

when

you're

60

or 65

or 70

so

where is

this

path

going

well

hopefully

we are

on the

right

path

look

we know

this

if you

take

I-43

up north

you end

up in

Green Bay

Road

in Green

Bay City

if you

take

I-94

you end

up in

Madison

it

doesn't

matter

what path

you're

on

you could

end up

here

or you

could

end up

here

in Los

Angeles

you take

101

you end

up in

San

Francisco

you take

55

you end

up in

Chicago

so you

have to

ask yourself

what path

am I

on

am I

on

the way

the truth

and the

life

or am I

on some

other stupid

path

wealth

popularity

fame

pleasure

you know

reputation

Jesus

says

take

the

narrow

path

that

leads

to

life

the

second

thing

we

have

to

ask

ourselves

is

how

good

are

the

road

conditions

how

good

are

the

road

conditions

let

me

help

you

look

at

this

famous

passage

in

the

New

Testament

it

is

associated

with

John

the

Baptist

but

in

the

Old

Testament

it's

associated

with

the

new

exodus

that

Isaiah

talks

about

look

at

Isaiah

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

chapter

40

you

may

recognize

it

because

it's

a

Christmas

passage

Isaiah

Isaiah 40 · chapter mention

chapter

40

starting

with

verse

3

a

voice

of

one

calling

in

the

desert

prepare

the

way

of

the

Lord

make

straight

in

the

wilderness

a

highway

for

our

God

every

valley

will

be

raised

up

and

every

mountain

and hill

will

be made

low

and rough

grounds

shall

become

level

the

rugged

places

a

plain

and

the

glory

of

the

Lord

will

be

revealed

and

all

mankind

together

will

see

it

let me

help you

understand

what this

passage

is saying

suppose

King David

wants to

travel from

Jerusalem

to

Jericho

what does

he do

he does

not

just

jump

on his

horse

and

take

the

horse

on a

journey

to

Jericho

that is

not

what he

does

first of

all

he

takes

body

guard

with

him

because

David

did

have

enemies

who

wanted

to

kill

him

and

so

he

needs

body

guard

with

him

but

the

other

thing

that

he

does

is

he

sent

few

soldiers

ahead

of

the

traveling

party

the

purpose

of

these

soldiers

is

to

check

the

road

the

conditions

of

the

road

what

if

there

are

trees

that

have

fallen

on

the

road

and

blocked

it

and

then

you

can't

go

that

road

so

their

job

would

be

then

to

remove

those

trees

that

have

fallen

it's

possible

that

there

has

been

immense

mud

slide

and

so

you

have

to

check

is

the

road

reliable

is

it

strong

is

it

wobbly

you

have

to

ask

yourself

are

there

potholes

on

this

road

let

me

stop

here

for

a

second

and

remind

you

we

are

from

Kenosha

we

are

in

Kenosha

so

for

a

minute

do

you

know

of

any

potholes

we

are

the

experts

of

potholes

I

was

a

student

at

Trinity

and

I

was

I

am

a

professor

at

Trinity

since

73

41

years

student

and

prof

because

we

were

in

a

town

called

Lincolnshire

which

really

wasn't

happy

with

us

and

weren't

glad

for

us

to

move

to

Trinity

they

wished

that

we

had

gone

somewhere

else

there

is

only

one

road

that

leads

to

Trinity

and

in

my

years

three

years

as

a

student

at

Trinity

they

never

fixed

the

potholes

once

this

is

called

passive

aggressive

behavior

it

was

dangerous

driving

potholes

everywhere

but

things

have

changed

quite

a

bit

now

we

now

have

a

wonderful

relationship

with

them

they're

really

dear

neighbors

and

the

road

in front

of

Trinity

is

fabulous

it's

really

great

so

how

good

is

this

road

look

what

Isaiah

says

make

in the

desert

prepare

a

way

for

the

Lord

make

straight

in the

wilderness

a

highway

for

our

God

what

is

low

should

be

lifted

up

what

is

high

should

be

lowered

and

then

this

way

you

make

a

plain

road

and

the

glory

of

God

will

be

revealed

so

you

have

to

ask

yourself

how

good

are

the

road

conditions

I

was

in

Chicago

yesterday

visiting

my

family

and

we

were

at

the

art

institute

coming

back

we

ran

into

a

parade

I

had

to

go

to

go

to

Chicago

well

so

do

I

turn

white

or

do

I

turn

left

do

I

just

become

patient

and

just

crawl

behind

the

parade

or

do

I

swing

around

or

things

like

that

suddenly

there

was

an

obstacle

that

I

had

not

anticipated

I

was

watching

TV

yesterday

and

I

heard

something

I

should

tell

you

I

never

heard

it

before

I

mean

at

somebody

my

age

you

think

I've

heard

everything

I

haven't

there

is

this

statement

that

if

you

are

in

a

road

construction

section

in

Milwaukee

and

if

you

speed

in

that

section

which

is

road

construction

you

know

how

much

the

ticket

is

it

is

I

wrote

it

down

anywhere

from

$570

to

$940

a

speeding

ticket

roads

aren't

always

wide

open

sometimes

there is

construction

if

you're

traveling

by sea

as

Paul

was

traveling

you

might

run

into

a

storm

Acts

27

and

you

may

end

up

with

a

shipwreck

and

stranded

on

an

island

so

you

have

to

ask

yourself

how

good

are

the

road

conditions

and

the

third

question

that

you

need

to

think

about

is

this

issue

of

light

is

the

road

well

lit

can

you

see

where

you're

going

let

me

again

give

you

a

passage

from

the

Old

Testament

a

very

famous

passage

again

associated

with

Jesus

chapter

9

verse

2

in

Isaiah

Isaiah

Isaiah 9:2

9

verse

2

the

people

walking

in

darkness

have

seen

a

great

light

if

the

psalmist

doesn't

have

the

light

to

shed

light

on

his

path

he

would

be

walking

in

darkness

it

is

dangerous

to

walk

in

darkness

let

me

just

give

you

one

example

one

illustration

from

the

Old

Testament

and

then

I'll

try

to

conclude

in

the

temple

or in

the

tabernacle

of

God

there

were

two

rooms

and

one

was

God's

throne

where

the

Ark

of

the

Covenant

was

and

the

other

one

was

a

room

where

God

met

with

his

people

the

room

had

no

window

so

it

was

absolutely

dark

and

there

was

also

a

warning

if

by

mistake

you

stepped

into

the

other

room

you

would

be

killed

instantly

so

this

is

a

serious

business

so

the

priests

have

to

minister

in

this

pitch

black

room

so

what

do

they

need

they

need

light

so

they

can

see

where

they're

walking

the

light

sheds

light

at

their

feet

it

sheds

light

in

the

space

and

so

they

know

where

they're

walking

and

they

won't

make

the

mistake

of

entering

into

the

presence

of

God

so

the

light

that

was

placed

in

the

temple

in

the

tabernacle

was

the

menorah

the

lamp

stand

the

candelabra

the

purpose

of

the

lamp

stand

was

to

shed

light

at

their

feet

turn

to

Psalm

119

106

do

you

see

the

imagery

there

something

is

shedding

light

for

somebody's

feet

so

they

can

see

where

they're

walking

and

what

is

that

the

word

of

God

the

word

of

God

is

the

light

that

sheds

light

at

our

feet

so

we

can

see

where

we're

walking

this

idea

light

helping

us

see

where

we're

walking

so

we

don't

walk

in

the

wrong

place

or

fall

off

the

road

or

whatever

it

said

whatever

is

repeated

in

1

John

1

7

please

turn

to

1

John

in

the

New

Testament

1

John

is

summarizing

in

some

ways

what

I've

been

saying

up

to

now

1

John

1

7

if

you

walk

in

the

light

not

in

darkness

if

you

walk

in

the

light

as

he

is

in

the

light

we

have

fellowship

with

one

another

and

I

don't

mean

just

with

one

another

but

also

with

one

another

that

way

too

but

in

order

to

have

fellowship

what

do

we

need

to