Why Can't I go With You?

John 13: 36-14:6
36 Simon Peter said to him, Lord where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you can not follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”
37 Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”
38 Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.”
14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”
2 “In My Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you.”
3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, you may be also.”
4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to Him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to he Father except through me.”
I remember when my children were little and I would go somewhere that they thought was exciting they would ask to go, and then whine when they couldn’t go. My youngest longed to ride with daddy in the big truck, but she wasn’t allowed to go along. I can remember when my oldest was old enough to know what was going on that she would be right beside me in my pick-up, standing on the seat (before seat belt laws mind you) beside me with her arm draped over my shoulder. Her eyes were full of wonder and she was full of pride knowing that she was experiencing a world that only daddy got to experience.
When I would return from the grocery they would go through each bag and want to sample everything that was in them as if they hadn’t eaten in days, which would lead to them being banished from the kitchen or all the boxes of cereal being opened at once as they searched for the toy inside.
I was reminded of this as I read Peter’s statement; “Lord, why can I not follow you now?” Peter as well as other disciples had heard Jesus’ call to follow Him and had headed that call, and now Peter only heard you can’t follow Me. In John 1:43 Jesus told Phillip, “Follow Me.” In Matthew 9:9 Jesus said to Matthew, “Follow Me.” In Matthew 8:22 Jesus told another disciple, “Follow Me”. In Mark 8:34 Jesus said to all His disciples, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” This is what Peter heard his entire walk with the Lord and now what he heard was you can’t follow me, are we that surprised at Peter’s reaction?
Peter had learned so much from Jesus, he had been fed, he saw the blind see, the lame walk, lives changed, and had even walked on water. He had experienced so much joy and love with the savior that he wanted this to continue. In Mark 9 we read that Peter witnessed Jesus transfigured right before his eyes, are we surprised that Peter wanted to have camp meeting right there on the hill? With speakers like Jesus, Elijah and Moses lined up that would be a fantastic revival, which could change the world. He even heard the voice of God telling him that Jesus was His Son and that he was to listen to Him. Knowing this how could Peter respond any differently than he did in verse 37, when he said, "I will lay down my life for your sake.”
Behind Peter’s question were likely feelings of loss and abandonment at the thought of losing the fellowship with Jesus. We enjoy our times of fellowship with God and want to remain on the mountaintop where we feel secure and spiritually alive as we experience the presence of God. Look at Moses experience on Mt. Horeb as the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame in the bush. Who would want to leave that experience as God communicated with him and told him of his will for his life? We know that Moses was changed forever and would never be the same again, but Moses came down off that mountain into the valley that promised hardship, but with the confidence that God was with him. I can remember my own experiences when I walked in the grace of God’s provision, and experienced His love. I remember times when worship was so sweet and I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit that I did not want to leave the service and return to the ‘real world’. I attended a training course this past weekend and enjoyed the fellowship of believers and the movement of the Holy Spirit as we laughed, worshiped, and explored God’s call on each of our lives. I witnessed smiles on every face as we shared in God’s love and called each other brother and sister. After I left there I went to Wal-Mart and looked into the faces of the people there. I did not see the smiles that I had just witnessed, there was no laughter present, there was no feeling of fellowship with these people as I walked around and tried to see some hope and recognition that these people were believers as well.
I had come down off the mountain changed and ready to serve the Lord, but faced with the difficulty of how to witness of God’s love, and knowing that I confessed to Jesus that I would follow Him, I hear the words of verse 38 echo in my mind; “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.” These words had to hit Peter like a ton of bricks, but yet the bible does not say how he responded. As we worship and fellowship with others and share in that mountaintop experience those words would seem like nonsense to us as we pledged our undying love for Christ, but as we go down the mountain into the real world they echo in our minds as a reminder that the troubles and fears of this world will cause us to stumble. We look back up that mountain and want to race up the mountain into sweet fellowship with other believers and with the Holy Spirit, our Father, and Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The reason for these mountain top experiences is so that we can go into the world, renewed and ready to serve God. These times of fellowship with the Father through the Holy Spirit and other believers gives us hope to face what the world and Satan brings our way. At the end of each of our services and also at the end of our training seminar this past weekend we are sent forth to be ambassadors for Christ, fueled with the knowledge of who we are in Christ Jesus and equipped to witness of His love, we go out into the world and tell others of the love that God has for them. This is what Jesus does for them in chapter 14 verse one. He tells the disciples; “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe in me.” He goes on to tell them where He is going and what He will be doing while there. These words also bring us hope as we realize that they are not only for His disciples but for us as well. No contractor builds a home intending for it to be empty. He fully expects that someone will occupy this building. So Jesus tells the disciples and us in verse three; “And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also,” This is the hope that we cling to and is promised here and in the book of Revelation, that Jesus will one day return for His church and take us home to be with Him forever.
Still this hope is not enough for many that find walking with the Lord in His absence to difficult. Thomas in verse five expresses these doubts when he says; “Lord, we do not know where you are going; and how can we know the way?” Jesus says to him in verse six; “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” I hear that there are many ways to heaven and for many who want to justify their existence and self worth they look and cling to any hope that will justify their worthiness. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 64:6; But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are filthy rags;” Our sin and guilt has left us like soiled garments in the light of the righteousness of God. If it is our hope to be with the Father in heaven, occupying the homes that Jesus is preparing for us, then how can we stand before the Father and claim to be members of His kingdom on our own righteousness, when He considers our righteousness to be dirt! Jesus is telling His disciples that the only way to heaven is through Him. He is the way to an eternity filled with His righteousness, His existence is the true path that leads to glory, and He is the key to a life filled with hope.
Phillip in verse eight still needs further encouragement when he says; “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus responds to Phillip, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Phillip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, show us the Father?” We come to the Father through the Son and share in sweet fellowship with Him, in prayer, in the gathering of fellow believers and in His worship. We see the Father in the lives of those who serve the Son and trust their eternity to Him. Jesus understands that we want to go where He is and to share in the glory of His righteousness and He understands the trouble that we will face in this world. In verses 15 and16 He offers Phillip and us this hope; “If you love Me, keep My commandments, and I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.” This precious gift is the person of the Holy Spirit, who dwells with us and helps us in our walk as we wait for the Son to return and take us to be with Him forever. We have caught our dog on several occasions looking longingly out the window as we return home and witness the excitement he displays as we come into the house. May we be ever watchful for the return of Jesus so that we can share in the joy that His return will bring.

Walking the Right Path

On the way home from Charleston the other day I saw a new born calf trying out his new legs. He would run in one direction a few yards from his mother and stop and look around, then turn and run in another direction and stop once again surveying his new world. This continued as he ran in every direction but never far from his mother, as she kept her head lowered into the pile of hay she was eating. It seemed to me that the calf just wanted to go somewhere but was unsure of the path to take.
I can remember when I was eighteen and had my first taste of independence, I wanted to make my own choices for my life so sure of what was right, as I look back I am positive that I would not have made the ones I had made. We would all like to have our paths in life laid out for us so that we can see where we would run into danger or the results of our bad choices. I can imagine looking over a map seeing where I stumbled along the path and saying to myself that I will be sure to avoid that area. We are not given a compass at birth that will direct us which path is the right one to take for our lives, we have our parents to guide us as we grow, but as we grow we see their guidance as a stumbling block in the way of our freedom.
There are sixty eight entries for the word path in the bible, so even I began to realize that God must have a lot to say about the paths we are to take. In the Garden of Eden man and woman were able to fellowship with God and this was an idea place, a sort of nature reserve, where man was to exist in harmony with God. There existed two trees, or paths, for man to choose from. One, the tree of life, is associated with experiencing the life of God, including immortality. The other, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, represents man’s self rule, which is his assumed independence from God in all areas of life.
As man began to explore his world he never strayed to far from God, as the calf didn’t stray to far from his mother. Adam and Eve explored all areas of the garden and choose the right path, as long as they walked with God. Enter Satan realizing that the only chance he has to get to man is to convince this couple to disobey God. So he offers them power telling Eve that the one thing that they lack is to be like God and that God is withholding that from them. The temptation for power can be a strong motivator, even for those who have their needs met. Satan convinced her that God was withholding this knowledge from them in order that they would remain dependant on God. The desire to become as wise as God seemed reasonable to Eve. Unfortunately, her definition of wisdom was self rule, and not dependency on God, which is taught as the path that we are to take.
God is not keeping anything from us but knowing the creature that He has created, knows what is best for that creature. Man where have I heard that before? As I struggled for independence from my parents, I grew to realize that their wisdom, which was always preached to me, was really wisdom indeed and not just an attempt to keep me chained under their authority. As I began to run in every direction from the safety of my parents I began to run further and further till I felt that I no longer needed to return to their rule but could make decisions for myself. I talked to a fellow worker the other night and he said that if had gotten this job while still at home his parents would have had to kick him out of the house, as his bank account grew and he was able to have everything he needed to start a life of independence before he began to make a life for himself. As I think about that statement I realize that few have the discipline to actually make that plan a reality.
So we are left standing at the head of two different paths staring into the future of each one trying to reason in our minds and with our senses which would be the best path for us to take. Self rule which will allow us to live a life as we see fit, making our own decisions, but fearing what lies ahead. And the path of God’s rule, still fearing what lies ahead but walking in the confidence that God knows what is best for us. Now go back to the conversation I had with my co-worker, and how hindsight was perfect. Knowing that I would have been better off to listen to my parents advice, and not walk the path of mistakes, I should know that I would be better off to walk with God, but again how many have the discipline to walk that path.
Jesus said in Matthew Seven verses 13 and 14; “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
In order to begin to know which path we are to take we have to enter the path with the narrow gate. Unlike the path at Old Mans Cave which has two ways to get through one section of the trial, one being a wide path, and the other being what is called fat man’s squeeze, the two roads we face do not end up at the same destination. Faced with high water and several road closures last year during the floods in Hocking and Athens counties, I was detoured over several roads, some of which I do not believe a truck should be on. I ended up right where I wanted to be, but I lost an hour and only gained seven miles, indeed a difficult road. Fortunately the wide road is the best road for a truck driver to take, unlike Christianity which points to the narrow road as the best choice for us to take. This disciplined narrow road has a gate that we must enter in by and that gate is Jesus Christ. But how do we know that this is the path we are to take? How do we not end up like the little calf and try each road without any sense of direction? I mean every one else is taking the wide path and they seem to be getting along just fine. God calls us to the road of Christianity and shows us the gate which we are to enter it by, His Son Jesus Christ, encouraging us to open that gate and embrace His Son and walk in His steps. Oh yeah did I forget to mention that there has been one who has gone on before us that we need not fear this narrow road. I knew that if other trucks had to run this detour than I too would be able to drive it. It is Christ who looks back to see if we are following Him, it is Christ who walks beside us encouraging us to stay the course, and it is Christ who is there to help us through every pitfall that is on this path.
It is the wisest traveler that obtains some sort of guide before they set out on a trip. Not only are we given a guide, in the person of the Holy Spirit, to walk this path, we are given a compass as well, in God’s word written out for us in great detail. In Deuteronomy 11:26, God is giving the nation of Israel a choice. “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse.” How many of us would choose a curse or a blessing? In my prayers I ask the Lord for His blessings, not His curses, but yet by my actions I end up with the curse in order to keep me on the right path. It is sort of like the electric fence that is set at the edge of the field, telling the livestock that they can come this far and no farther without risk of shock. But to most the temptation to stray from the path is worth the shock. So if we are not in fellowship with the Father, through the Son, and into his word daily, and trusting the Holy Spirit for wisdom, how can we even hope to stay the course?
Let us go back to that field where our little calf is exploring his new world and look at the mother. While her calf is running in every direction, she is seemingly unaware of his actions and is busy eating the hay placed before her. I know that as the calf got too far from the mother that the mother would raise her head and call the calf back to her side. David walks the path of life with this same confidence knowing that God is not unaware of our actions. In Psalm 16:11 he expresses this thought; “You will show me the path of life; In your presence is the fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” God is constantly calling us back to His side and at His right hand is the Son, so He is at all times pointing to Jesus and reminding us that He has walked this road that God asks us to now walk.
In Psalm 27:11 David asks of God: “Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.” It is the wise traveler who learns the path they are to travel. As a driver I know that there are many obstacles between me and my destination, on one trip to Pittsburgh I encountered rain, a mudslide, a truck fire that delayed me for two hours, and finally snow. As Christians we face many obstacles that keep us from having a smooth journey through life. If we are not in the word, and in prayer we will find it difficult to complete this journey still walking in the will of God.
If we like the calf get too far from the will of God, will God call us back? In psalm 119 verse 35 the psalmist counts on it. “Make me walk in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.” Most of us lack the discipline to walk in the way of the Lord, and it is the wise disciple that recognizes this and asks God to keep them on the path of righteousness, just as the calf looks back to see if its mother is watching. Too many of us take the word command as someone telling us what we have to do, but the psalmist delights in the commandments of God. This is because he has tasted the richness of the blessings of God for walking a life that is centered on his obedience to God’s word. We are born again into a new life and run to test out the limits of how far we can get from God before He calls us back to His side. Instead of seeking how far we can get from God and still be in His grace, we should ask God how close can we get to Him and still be on this earth. I have struggled with the discipline to get this message done, with distractions all around me I gave into them and strayed to far from what I feel God set before me. It is my prayer that God will keep me close to His side and on the right path.