Lost on the Road Back Home
1Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.
Introduction
Lent is a time of preparation. It is a time when we prepare to celebrate the fact that Christ has provided us the way back home.
Therefore, this morning it seem in keeping with our Lenten preparation to talk about those times when you have lost your way, when you can’t seem to pick up the trail that leads back home or even sense God’s leading or purpose in your life.
Now to be clear, I am not talking about those times when you’ve lost your way because you are running from God, rebelling against Him, or blatantly ignoring Him. Instead, I am talking about those times when:
· You find yourself in a situation and you don’t know what to do or which way to turn
· Life has taken a very different turn than what you expected and you are scared or stuck
· Some aspect of your life has become a prolonged and endless struggle. You are tired, empty, and spiritually and emotionally numb. You don’t know how to fix it. You are simply going through the motions and trying just to survive
This morning I want to talk to those of us who have come to God’s house today because we have lost our way (in some form or fashion or in some aspect of life we can’t seem to find the trail). What do grace, the Cross, and the Empty Tomb have to say to you and me right now today.
I. Sign Posts and Porch Lights (the truth about where you are): the first step in finding your way out of any circumstance is to tell the truth about that circumstance. Importance: the way we assess a situation will either orient us or disorient us to it.
A] First, you are not alone– You may feel alone but God does not abandon His children, ever, even for a moment.
Deuteronomy 31:8 “And the LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed.”
B] You are not the only one facing what you face– your situation is not unusual, nor are you or your situation broken beyond repair
1 Peter 5:9 Resist the Devil, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brethren throughout the world. (I Cor 10:13)
2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation,
C] Hardship does not mean God’s anger or rejection– God is not a sniper in the grassy knoll. If God is getting your attention for something amiss, you already know what that something is because He has been telling you about it for quite some time and you have been ignoring Him. If this is you, then the way out is simple: listen to God and follow Him. However, there are times when we are doing everything we know to do, we are trying to seek God and live for Him. Regardless, life gets hard anyway and we find ourselves lost.
Isaiah 50:10 Who is among you that fears the LORD, that obeys the voice of His servant, that walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.
II. Guide Books and Trail Reviews (the truth about why you are where you are): the second step in finding your way out of any circumstance is to tell the truth about why you are where you are.
A] First, being lost is not pointless– instead God’s purpose for you endows even your hardships with reason and value. As such, what you face is not arbitrary, cruel, or meaningless.
James 1:2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
Psalm 27:13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.
B] Therefore, pay attention to the areas in your life in which you are growing, the way God is drawing you close to Him during trouble, or how He is deepening your walk. In other words, take note of the clear and profound ways that God is making Himself know to you during hardship and allow those assurances to balance your assessments.
John 14:17 The Spirit of truth abides with you, and will be in you.18 “I will not leave you as orphans;
Isaiah 30:21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.
III. Compasses and Topos (the truth about how you are to proceed): finally the third step in finding your way out of any circumstance is to tell the truth about how you are to proceed (what sort of things are you to do when you don’t know what to do).
A] First and foremost when you don’t know what to do, make sure that what you do is the right sort of thing. Importance: over and again Scripture assures us that trusting God and following Him, even when you don’t see the trail/point, is always already to be on the path that will lead you through and out.
Psalm 85:13 Righteousness will go before the LORD, and will make His footsteps into a pathway.
Bottom line: even when you feel lost or stuck, God is still with you. And He has shown you the way through all that you face
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. FN#1
Footnotes
1] Part III Outtakes (unused)
III. Compasses and Topos (the truth about how you are to proceed): finally the third step in finding your way out of any circumstance is to tell the truth about how you are to proceed (what sort of things are you to do when you don’t know what to do).
A] Let your first solution, your first response, your first hope be pursuing an ongoing conversation with God. Too often our focus is on altering some outward conversation with the world instead of fostering and focusing on our conversation with the One who alone can save us.
Habakkuk 2:1 I WILL stand on my guard post And station myself on the rampart; And I will keep watch to see what the LORD will speak to me.
B] Stay in God’s Word– it always provide the way through
Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
C] Next, let faith not fret chart your course– in other words, wait for God and be ready to follow Him when He answers you. In the meantime, don’t buy into the panic, quick fixes, and escapes that the world offers.
Psalm 37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing.
D] Be involved in the eternal (not just the momentary)- in other words, set your mind and your hands to those things that God blesses and where God is at work. Pray for someone else (not just yourself). Put your own burdens down for a while and help someone else with theirs. Why? (1) Seeing God’s hand at work in others will remind you that God’s hand is at work in you as well. (2) Seeing God’s hand working through you will assure you that God is not mad but is still with you. (3) Finally, serving is acting on the assurance that God has your needs covered, therefore you are secure to focus on the needs of others
Philippians 2:4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.