WHICH WAY OUT by Larry W Peebles April 12, 2019 19.11
I circled the parking lot looking for the way out. “Which way do I go to get out” was the question I repeatedly asked myself. The airport parking lot had been expanded a few times, and it was obvious there was no coordinated plan to give directions for the exit. Signs were not uniform, and they were poorly placed. Following the exit signs only took me to a one way lane going the wrong way. I took a counter-intuitive maneuver through an interior control gate leading into another section of the lot. That decision took me to a lane that carried me to the exit control gate. Finally I was able to pay for the parking and actually leave. This experience led me to recall other instances in my life where I had gotten into a situation, and could not find the way out. Some were personal, some family, and others were business situations. When we think about it, we can probably all remember situations like this–when it seemed there was no way out, or we could not find the way out.
Jesus said “I AM the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.” (John 14:6). This passage is one of my favorites of all the “I AM” statements of Jesus. There may be others, but I have counted twelve I AM statements made by Jesus to tell us more about Himself. If I tried to tell someone about myself, I might say “I am Larry”, followed by “I am retired, and the husband to my wife of fifty years”, and “I am the father of two children and the grandfather of five grandchildren”. I could continue a series of “I am” statements until I had revealed myself. Most of Jesus’ “I AM” statements were recorded by John in the book of John and the book of Revelation.
When Jesus says He is “the way”, this is so much more than if He had said “I will show you the way”. Jesus also says “I AM the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9) This adds even more color to the picture. Jesus is the way to the answers of life’s oldest and deepest questions. Since creation, mankind has asked “Why am I here?”, and “What is my purpose?”, followed by “What am I to do with my life?” The true answer to these life questions can only be found in Jesus.
The Bible says everything was created “by Him [Jesus]… and through Him and for Him…and in Him all things consist”. (Colossians 1:16-17). John 1:3 says- “All things were made through Him [Jesus], and without Him nothing was made that is made.” As the Creator of everything, He knows how and for what purpose we were made. We were all made to be unique, and each of us has a special purpose and destiny. We will never truly live to the fullest until we find our purpose and fulfill our destiny. There is no better place to turn to ask “Why (for what purpose) was I created” than to the One who created us. Jesus not only knows our unique purpose and destiny, He is the key (Door) to finding it. When we find Jesus, we find our purpose in and through Him. He is the way to our destiny here on this earth, and in the eternal life to come. Jesus is the way to all life and all truth. When we come to know Jesus, we find the Father and the Holy Spirit. Through Him we find eternal life with Him in heaven.
Jesus is the way, and therefore He is also our way out. In 1 Samuel Chapter 23, we find King Saul in pursuit of David. He intended to kill him. The men of Ziph, a city in Judah (v.19), went to Saul and told him they knew where David was hiding. They told him to come at his leisure, and they would assist in turning David over to him. Saul told them to gather more intelligence: where David usually went, who had seen him, and all the hiding places he used (v. 22-23). Later Saul came to the city, heard the men’s reports, and set out to track down David. David learned Saul was in the area, and began to move around, but Saul and his forces closed in on David in the Desert of Maon. David took evasive action, retreating until he found himself on one side of a large rock/mountain. Saul had him trapped from the other side (v. 26). Then a miracle happened. The report came to Saul that the Philistines were raiding the land. He and his men were called away quickly from their advantageous position to deal with that surprise attack (v.28). The rock was named Sela Hammahlekoth (v.28), or Rock of Escape.
We know that was more than a coincidence. David had been anointed to be the next king, and God had a better plan for his life than to allow it to end at the hands of Saul. We also know the rock where he hid was symbolic of Jesus. David would later write in the Psalms- “Be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. You are my rock and my fortress.” (Psalms 31: 2-3). He also wrote –“He alone is my rock and my salvation.” (Psalm 62:6). The Hebrew word salvation in that verse is ysua (Strong’s # 3444), which means deliverance or help from a dangerous circumstance such as enemies. It also means deliverance from guilt, sin, punishment and adverse health or welfare. This is, of course, the work of Yeshua (Jesus), the one true Savior. David also wrote- “Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.” (Psalm 68:20). No doubt David knew who planned and executed his escape from Saul. Jesus, the Rock of our Salvation, makes a way where there is no way.
On a recent ministry trip to a foreign country, my wife and I heard a man testify of a very unusual experience. God had given both of us some very powerful messages to preach on the trip, and His presence in the meetings was both strong and noticeable. In our final meeting, a man who had only recently converted to Christianity stood and testified of what the Lord had done for him after he had attended the prior two days of our meetings. He said he felt the power and presence of God as he had never experienced it. He knew he had found the one true God. He also said he had continued to struggle with an alcohol addiction. Following one of the meetings, he said he heard the Lord tell him to stop drinking, and he felt something “leave him”. He went home to find his bottles of liquor shaking on the table. He no longer had the urge to drink, so he immediately emptied them all out. He was free from the addiction to alcohol. When the man found Jesus his Savior, he found his way out of a problem he could not solve or defeat on his own.
Faith-based programs help criminals turn their lives around and are the ones that are the most successful. Faith-based recovery programs that address addictions to tobacco, alcohol and drugs are not only the most successful, studies show they also have the highest likely-hood of producing lasting results. The same is true for inviting Jesus into family and marriage counseling. Jesus, our wonderful Savior, still comes to the rescue when it seems there is no way forward or no way out.
Jesus is the way to a fulfilling life (John 10:10), and He is the way to the truth. He is all truth and only truth. In sharp contrast, the devil is all lies and only lies (John 8: 44-45). He is the way to the Father, and eternal life in Heaven. The Christian faith in the early days was called The Way. Jesus our Savior and Rescuer is the way, and He is the way out, our Rock of Escape. The Bible says one day He will return to reign forever, and cast the devil out for good. On that day believers will enjoy all that He has prepared for us. Non-believers will have no excuse and no way of escape, as it will be too late. I encourage that we search for Him now while He can be found. Jeremiah 29:13 says- “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Driving around the parking lot I remained confused and frustrated until I found the one way out. Freedom came when I took the only option that would work. Jesus is our only way out.
