The Way: Bridging The Gap

And today the message that God really put on my heart, it's called the way. And in this message I want to talk about bridging the gap, bridging the gap. And it's going to be a little challenging, so just bear with me. I'm not here to beat anybody up.

But there's a real challenge in bridging the gap from knowing to doing, amen? And I know don't write me off yet, okay, because I know you've heard this a thousand times. You guys love to read this, quote it and everything. But I really think we're missing something.

And the reason the way is so big, and I don't know if you see that, but there's a road sign that has Jesus' name on it, point in a certain direction. How many know Jesus is the way? Well, what I want to help us today with church is taking that from knowing and putting that into action to where we're walking the way. I want to say to this side, so we're walking the way, right?

We grab the hole that Jesus is the way. But I've been noticing this ongoing pattern of knowing what to do, but not doing it. Bear with me, church. Like I said, knowing what to do, right?

Don't you love it when you try to talk to someone? I'm not a person, kid. I know. How you know?

You live that. You don't know. I mean, you know. You need to change your definition of what no means.

I know. Okay. And then just as parents always, I'm always like, okay, then why aren't you doing it, right? And we're going to read a letter, one of my favorite books in the Bible about the James.

And he's writing this letter about Christian living, right, to the 12 tribes. And they're, they're believers. Okay. We understand that.

You follow me so far? All right. So they're believers and he's writing them and encouraging them about how they should live. And I'm hoping today, church, here's my heart, that we would leave here today, bridging the gap.

From knowing that Jesus is the way to actually walking in the way that Jesus has provided, taking the two and putting them together to where our walk now is this it. Go back one side for me, the original side. That road, there has to be a choice there, right? You're going to hit the, you're going to hit the pole.

So a damage your car. So you have to, you have to turn the wheel. Jesus has provided all of it, but there's a, there's a decision that has to be made. And we're going to talk here in a little bit about some of the things that causes us to not make that decision.

And then we wonder why we stay where we're at. But that road leads somewhere. The road that you're traveling on, you're heading somewhere. I don't, and if you're not, then that's what we're here to talk about today to help encourage you to take your knowing to where you're actually doing.

And this, this has always been a gray area in church for some reason, because as soon as you start to preach about this stuff and maybe this is why I waited because everyone's like, well, then you're talking about work. You see, all that stuff sounds good. I don't want to help this church. Why, why aren't we walking in the way?

Why aren't we walking victorious? Why aren't we doing all these things? And, and we were created for that as you learned last week. That's what we are created for.

And we have a way, right? What really, what really brought this back up to my attention is when we were talking about Jesus, or God provides the way, right? And it really hit me right then. It was like, I don't know if we know that Jesus is the way.

We acknowledge Jesus is the way because it says it. But I don't, I don't know if we grab it that if my focus is on Jesus, the road, the way, going that direction, doing what he's doing, seeing how he lived, doing all that, and stepping into that. That there I'm now walking in it. Because we can stay in here all day long and be like, well, that road is dark and it's rainy.

It looks like and there's lightning. That way's sunny. Well, I'm not on either of them. And sometimes I'm on both of them.

If I don't make a choice. I might be looking at the decision to split. I might have walked down this way. I might have got back over to this way.

But that will stay a constant in your life if you don't realize that he's the way that you need to focus on the whole time to get to the destination that we're ultimately petting in. Amen, sir? Let me, let me, let me go ahead and read James real quick. If you got your Bible, it turns to James chapter one.

And I am going to be reading out of the message translation. Starting verse 19. Post this at all the intersections, dear friend. I'm going to try so hard to get through this, but I want to stop already.

Because you know what? I've realized people get so excited about everything and they go wild. They go wild. They post things all over the place.

They do this. But when it comes to like directing your life, like really directing your life, this letter starts and it says, hey, listen, every intersection you come to post this there. Every situation you have in your life right now, post this there. Every circumstance.

I don't know. I don't have time to touch on everybody's things that we are all going through. Remember what Fred said last week? We are all going through something, right?

I don't have time to take this, this sign and post it there for you. But you have an example and you have a letter that guides us and tells us what to do. And it says, hey, listen, post this at every intersection. Could you imagine if there was a detour and then they didn't post the next time?

Give me loss, right? Well, listen, here's what I think's happened. We are not posting at every intersection. I hear me, George.

You're posting at when you want to and then wonder why you keep going around in circles, coming back to the same spot to get the same opportunity to post the sign where it's supposed to go to where you can continue on the path that you were created and your purpose to continue to walk it out. All right. Let's actually start this. Post this at all the intersections to your friends.

Lead with your ears. All right. We're going to do a little kids challenge real quick. All right.

Help me out. Where's your ears? Touch them. All right.

You guys found your ears. Cool. All right. That's what those things are to lead with that.

What you got to do. Oh, that's yes. You have two of these. One of these says, follow up with your tongue.

That's a challenge right there. Isn't it? But listen, if you leave first with your ears and you follow with your tongue, then I think you're going to start off every situation a lot better. Now, if you will be honest with yourself today, church, how many of y'all flip that a little bit.

You get the cart before the horse. You leave with your tongue and listen with your ears later. Right. All right.

Remember, we're bridging the gap today. Let's start with the first thing. Ask us to do. Listen first.

Because you know what? When I've learned when I listen, then I'm giving opportunity for God to move in my life to be able to then speak to where I'm bringing actually something to the situation. Right. Because when I just bleed first with my tongue and my mouth and then I listen later.

You notice it's really hard to grow. You actually have to undo something to get back to the place so then potentially have another opportunity to grow. So can you see why we might just be jumping over here? Then it's like you're jumping a hurdle and then running back around and jumping it again.

Because we're not following simple direction. Okay. And let anger straggle along in the rear. I am going to point something out.

There has to be anger. Or else it wouldn't say let it come behind in the rear. Amen. I want to help some people today.

You might be angry. You might be frustrated. You might have some deeper issues with things. There might be a lot of things that you're going through and God's trying to help you work through.

But you're just you're not posting your sign at every intersection. You're letting anger lead. You're getting everything backward. And then you wonder why there's not a growth in our life.

Because you're doing it completely backward. We won't step out of what the words like we won't step out and focus on the word. We want to do it our way. And you know what happens when you try to help people?

It's my favorite. Oh, I know what I know what I need to do. Listen, I'm going to help. Listen, this is my new look.

So if you ever get it, no, I'm not sorry. Yeah, I know what I need to do. You know why? I'm going to do it again.

And I'm not even going to say nothing. Because yeah, I'm going to say they do it. Because guys, what you're going to learn today is that until you learn to bridge the gap. You're just going to keep on going around.

I don't need to do. I know. I know. I know.

I know. I'm trying to help you. Because they're learning and growing from this and they're getting the word and it's right context in the right order. So it's actually doing something in their life.

And they're just trying to point you to that. Right. And me. If I'm saying, hey, listen, learn how to listen.

People are like, who are you? I'm just a listener. I don't know. That's what it told me to do.

And things have actually changed in my life. That's who I am from now. And I'm a listener, you guys. I'm not nobody special.

I'm a listener. And I'm telling you, try it out. This is my favorite infomercial. Try Jesus for 30 days.

Try His word. It's not your way. Try His way. And if something doesn't change, give it back.

You'll keep it after day one. I promise you. So let it straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger.

And I should have just preached on this today. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. And simple humility. A lot of people think they have simple humility.

Let our garden or God landscape you with the word. Making a salvation garden of your life. I don't know what your life looks like. I do sometimes because you show it sometimes.

But church, if you let God, the author, the beginning, the end, the creator of all things, if you let him garden your life, what he will make out of it, will be beautiful. It'll be so beautiful. I believe that it'll be so beautiful. That's when you get people that are like, oh my God.

What is this? You know what I'm saying? The stuff we talk about that we want, that it should be for other people. If we would let him be the gardener, I have not a green thumb.

I'm going to talk about my life right now. It's not black, but it's not green yet. It's in between. Some stay alive, some die real quick.

I don't know. Somehow there's a whole cactus growing in our backyard. Like a whole spread of them. Okay, well, then, sorry.

Well, thank you for that. Then listen, then it's still black. Sorry. Still black.

All right. Next verse. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but. Then the word goes in one ear and out the other.

Act on what you hear. Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror. Walk away. Two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.

Next slide. But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed council of God, the free life, say free life church. Even out of the corner of his eye and sticks with it. Listen, you ever catch something out of the corner of your eye?

Like it's saying even if you catch that and stick with that. You're going to send both eyes on it. That's what we're here today, church. You won't be distracted.

Gatter brain, but a man or a woman of action. Action, say action. That person will find a light and affirmation in the action in the action. So I'm learning this church.

This is for me. Jesus is the way. I say it. I've been praying about it.

And I'm like, God, help me see clearly the way. And it's as simple as this. Walking in the way. It's focusing on Jesus.

On his life. He's the way. So the situation that was surrounded so that we were talking about and we're getting hit from all sides. Guess what?

Who's the way out? Jesus. So what do we need to do in the moment? Look to Jesus.

It's simple. And yeah, if you just read what I read, it's saying that even if you grab a glimpse out of the corner of your eye in the middle of the situation, that is more than enough. So we'll not keep you, not get you distracted. Do not have you scattered brain.

Anybody in here scattered brain? I ain't getting a razor hand. I already know. But yeah, right?

We'll be honest with ourselves. This is how we start to know, church. Here's the other end. How do we know?

I'm getting scattered brain. All right. Jesus, where you at? Where you at?

Where you at, God? Reveal yourself through me in a new way. Please. I ain't seen this situation yet.

Doesn't matter. Jesus is the way. Like that's never going to change. That's what I love about it.

New situation. Anybody this year, just help me out. Anybody this year encountered a situation you've never encountered in your life before. I've never had to deal with it.

Look at all those hands. Look at all of them. I got a solution for you. Jesus.

Keep your focus on Jesus. And you know what? I believe the more times you get that glance and you get to know and trust that. Your whole focus is going to be on that.

That's why when things are crumbling, certain people look at them and they're like, how are you not? What's the world? I don't get it. And sometimes I'm like, I don't get it either.

I'm just looking at Jesus. And he's the way. If he's the way and I'm focused on him, then that's how I'm standing. It ain't my strength.

It's his. He's the way. Because I want us to take this to where we're walking in the way. This isn't an option that we have.

It's what we are actually doing. We are walking down the road of Jesus and it's lighting up our path. It's guiding us. It's strengthening us.

And it's doing everything it needs to do to where I'm walking in the way. It's not just he is the way I'm walking in the way. Because Christ is in me. Amen.

Come on, Christ is in me. So if I'm then walking, I'm walking in the way. He's the way and I'm walking in it. I'm victorious in it.

Nothing can overcome me because I am walking in the way of Jesus who has overcome all things. And I don't want this to just be this exciting thing that you're like, yeah, I want to help you bridge the gap today. All right. So here's the struggle of knowing verse doing.

Number one, I didn't put these up because I want you to actually take notes. You guys cheat and take pictures with your phones. Number one, lack of motivation. You know what follows that?

Procrastination in our personal comfort zones. Everybody has them. Everybody has everyone procrastinate. I love people.

Like I'm not a procrastinator. I'm like, ready? I'm like, I'm not a procrastinator. And listen, you know what I'm walking in the way of this like, you're telling the wrong person.

I know you do. I know everybody's sitting here. They're saying you don't like to do. I don't have time.

I'm busy. I'm this. Whatever you want to call it. You call it what you want.

But when it comes down to it, you're procrastinator. Yep. Don't be mad at me. Pumper sentence.

Well, I, you don't understand. I don't like to do that or I don't do that. And I always love it. It's always when we talk about stuff like that.

It's stuff that nobody wants to do. You know what I mean? Our household, right? Here's my comfort zone.

I don't like picking up belt. I can't like, I love it. Our kids like, oh, I can't. Oh my God, it's thanks.

I'm like, I have the same like, but I don't even know how to respond to it. Like nobody likes to snow it, right? And she is correct. I do hit it with the lawnmower y'all.

I have a pressure watcher. All right, number two. Fear and anxiety. These are things guys that keep us from moving in from knowing to doing.

Fear and anxiety. Here's a big one. Fear of change. Fear of failure.

I just want to touch on this guys because I want you to know we're all in this together. Everybody here had fear. I don't care who you are. Like it wouldn't talk about it so much if there wasn't things that would draw us into to having times of fear or things come over us, right?

And nobody who wants to fail. I love when people say that. I'm a few are failure. Who doesn't?

I don't wake up again. I want to fail today. Do it. Like now nobody wants to do that.

Right? These are real things. These are real things that everybody deals with. I have anxiety.

It happens to me too. Just want you to know that. Fear is a weakness. You know what happens and why we have spiritual weakness, believer.

I'm talking to the body of believers. There's no discipline. There's a lack of discipline in our lives. We put up the road signs at the intersections when we want to.

We have someone that we can always call on. That is the way to continue walking in the way. How do we connect with that? Well, we pray.

We read his word. We be obedient to it. We don't just talk about it. We actually obey it.

Guys, listen, I'm talking to believers, right? Can I help people today? This letter is it's wrote to believers that James was writing to. He said, Hey, listen, don't just let it come in here and go out here.

Act on it. This is how we act on it. We discipline ourselves. We believe in the things that we're actually doing.

Insufficient support. Lack of this is everyone's favorite word accountability. And then the other one that often happens isolation. We all do this.

You may be gotten better with a lot of these things. Praise God. But these are these are things that happen. And then misalignment of our priorities.

Missplace priorities. And we just then we neglect things. We neglect our spiritual health. And then inadequate understanding.

Which leads to. It's the result of. This is the best way I can put it. Fallow knowledge.

And lack of practical application. This is a little bit different today. I don't normally teach guys, but I do. I want to help build the bridge to God.

I want us to see. These are some of the things that happen. That keep us from that the struggles of taking the knowing and putting into doing. So when we recognize the common struggles.

That's the first step in addressing them. Being honest with yourself. And then we can start to do things like self examination. I know I need to do that.

Are you doing it? Do you sit back and are you examining? Repentance might be involved. I don't know.

Like are you doing what you need to do in that time? Are you just I know I know what I need to do. I know what I need to do. Or are you doing it?

And then seeking accountability and support. Taking intentional steps towards obedience. Extending grace to yourself and others. All of these things are some steps to this.

But I want to go to the next point. The process of sanctification. Well, first let me what is sanctification church? It's the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in transforming believers to be more like Christ.

Amen. Sanctification. The process. There's a process to it.

I hope I don't say too long here. There's a process to sanctification. Well, the Holy Spirit does the work. Amen.

Do we have a part to play that? Okay. I want to throw it. I'm fishing.

When to throw out before I went before I went before I went. So nobody got mad at me. The process of sanctification. There's two main points we're going to talk about.

This is one of them. Church, listen. As believers, we are in the process of sanctification. Okay.

The Holy Spirit is doing the work. But we play a part in that. We play a part in that. And as I was studying for this, the Holy Spirit said, too many people are walking around in their own justification and not walking in the Holy Spirit's sanctification.

They got help us. Because if I'm just going to walk around justifying everything, hear me church. I'm going to justify it. I'm going to justify it.

And I'm just going to say a year. A year later, nothing's changed. Were you in the sanctification process? I'm just asking because we're bridging the gap today.

If the Holy Spirit's doing the work and making me more like Christ, something should be changing as I'm walking. And maybe just maybe if nothing's changing, am I in the process of sanctification? Or did I maybe take a left turn and I'm going down another that had two paths and going down another one? That's not.

This isn't getting sunnier because my heart today, church is to help us walk in the way. And I think we're out here telling ourselves that we're we are being sanctified. We're walking in sanctification. The Holy Spirit's going to work in us.

It's good this. It's good that. Years down the road, nothing's changing. I don't want to be a David here, but I want to start talking to some people when I do my stop and say, who's this uncircumcised?

Philistine talking about my God like that. Like he out here just saying whatever you know, because why? Because he is the God of all things. His system is not broken.

You are not obviously partaking in it because it's a part of sanctification. It's making me more like Christ. If I'm becoming less like Christ or not growing in Christ at all, then I got to realize I might not be in the process of sanctification because I might just be justifying everything and not actually stepping into what God actually has for me. There's so many scriptures to go along with this.

But hear me. Heart, our God. He has everything you need. You can be different tomorrow, church.

You can leave today putting all trust in him, all focus on him, walking in the way and be different an hour from now. Different an hour now. You can walk out of that threshold, make your choice to walk down that path, and you are going to be different. You're going to see things differently.

You're going to respond to things differently. Because when you're walking in the way, it's lit up. It's not dark. It's not confusing.

You're not justifying your actions. You're listening. Then you're speaking. You're letting all this behind you that gets you, pulls you back, keeps you stuck.

All of that stuff. You're letting that behind you and you're walking in what's been provided for you. So the process of sanctification. I was wrestling with that because I'm like, this is going to offend people, God.

This is going to tell people like, they're going to look at me and be like, who are you to tell me? I'm not. I guess I'm getting to a point where I'm so focused on him and he's changing my life. He's doing things in my life.

It's happening around me with my family, with other things. And it just gets to a point where you just get so focused on him in the sanctification process because you're actually growing. That you just get to a place and you're like, man, I don't understand. Well, you know God's working on me in that area.

That's one of my biggest new pet bees. Because he doesn't have an issue. He actually knows his job and does it very well. He's never failed.

Like he has not. But if you're not going to look to him and you're going to do it your own way and continue to keep on it my way. Oh, I know what I need to do. I know what I need to do.

I know what I need to do. But you never do it. I can't do nothing but just to look and be like. Because you know what?

How many times you ever have somebody maybe in your life right now? Maybe you're this person. But someone's trying to help you and you're just getting frustrated. You're getting mad.

You don't want to deal with people. You don't want to do anything anymore. Right? And it just gets to a point.

You're like, Oh, my gosh. I don't understand. Because I'm not I'm not I'm walking in the way. I'm just going to give you a look.

Because I can't get you to understand that you've got to bridge the gap from knowing to doing to be able to walk in it to actually see that he is the way to grab a hold and focus on Jesus in his life that's in the word. And he did his teaching focus on all of that to see because if he's the way that I want you to look at him. I can't look at nobody else. You're not the way he's the way.

That's how I find it. That's how I walk in it. That's how all this stuff does not affect me. And we're getting caught up in all this other stuff.

And let me just keep well, you know, it's a part of sanctification. Come on. What part? I'll read the definition again.

I don't know if you heard it or not. But sanctification is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. Does the Holy Spirit do bad work? No, it's really good, isn't it?

Okay. And transforming believers. Did you hear that? I'm a believer in Christ to be more like Christ.

Remember what I... So if the process isn't ongoing, then are you still in it? It's my question, Church. You've got to get to a point of realizing, well, I'm not in the sanctification process anymore.

Because I'm not becoming more like Christ. It says it's an ongoing process that makes me more like him. So if I'm not seeing myself become more like Christ, responding to situations different, living the way that we're meant to live, then I have to get real with me and say, okay, I think I stepped off the road. God help me get back.

Help me refocus to get back on your path to where, oh, I see it now. I understand it now. And then I'm back growing in Christ. My heart doesn't have to be people up.

It's the help us get on the right path. Doing, doing your part while he, the Holy Spirit, does the work. The doing is turning from sin, demonstrating our faith in him. In him, by obeying his command.

So on 14, 15 to 16 says, if you love me, can you finish it? Keep my command. And I was stuck on this. Because I'm like, and I just, this just hit me.

So don't beat me up. It says, and if you love me, keep my command and I will ask the Father. And he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever. I don't know if you heard it, Church.

If you love me, keep my command. And I'm going to help you keep it. You first got it. You got to have the desire.

If you love him, you're going to keep his commands. This is a part of it. This is a part of how I walk in the way. Keep his commands faster.

What's his command? You have the same thing I have. I'm not reading it for you. I will come and preach it to you.

I will do all this. But there is a point where you're going to have to pick your word up. You're going to have to start praying, hitting your knees. You're going to have to start saying, Hey, like Fred said a couple of weeks ago, I don't want you to rely on me.

I want to get you to a place where you're standing on a foundation focused on him living your life and the purpose that he created for you. And this is how you do that. You first keep his commands. You love him.

Here's a few steps before I move forward. Engaging oneself in scripture and community. We say these things all the time, Church. I think you're tired of hearing them.

I'm going to say it again. I told you I wouldn't give you an out today. I'm going to make you actually write something. Number one is engaging oneself in scripture and community.

Make reading and studying the Bible a daily habit. Allow God's work to renew your mind and guide your actions. Participate. Everyone say, participate.

Participate. That's one. Participate. It must be getting through the good stuff.

It's kind of cut me out. In community where you can worship, learn and grow alongside fellow believers. Church, listen. You need to get around people.

You need to get around people that are walking the same direction as you. That can encourage you. That can lift you up. That can build you up.

That can say, hey, come on. Let's keep going. That can give you that look like what are you talking about? Because they love and care about you.

They're saying, come on. You're doing a whole lot of this. And looking a whole lot of that. It ain't going a whole lot of this.

We can upset with people. We're just trying to help. Get into small groups. You don't like large crowds.

Get into a small group. Get connected with somebody. Understand, the sanctification is a lifelong process. It's ongoing.

You've got to get connected. You've got to get into the Word. You've got to start reading and believing it. See, this is a step, guys.

We're building the bridge. We're bridging the gap. You can't do that if you don't do your part. I knew this wasn't going to be a real exciting day, but I'm excited.

Go to my last one. Yeah, this is what started it all. Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life.

How many times have you said that in your life? I know everybody's sitting here. Someone said, not enough. How many of you know you can walk in the way, in the truth, and in the life, because of Jesus?

My heart, if anything today, leaving here is going to be that you understand that Jesus is the way. He's the road. He is truth. He's the life.

He's everything. And walking in that. It's sanctification. When I understand that and I'm walking that and the Holy Spirit is making me more like that.

This is how we bridge the gap, Church. There's a lot of, I know, no, no, no, but I don't know if anyone's ever told you how. Here's how. There's a lot of people going on the hill.

Well, your pastor today is telling you, this is how. The word says, this is how. These are the processes of walking and sanctification. Knowing he's the way, he's the truth.

And that's how you grow. That's how you walk in it. That's the goal. The goal isn't just to grab it whenever you want to.

It's actually walking it so it changes you. That's what he does. I'm the Father. John 14, six and seven, the message translation says, Jesus said, I am the road.

Also the truth. Also the life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me.

If you really knew me. You would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You've even seen him.

And I was reading that and I got so excited. But I love that it starts with him. It says, I am the road. Remember, it got people make a way out.

I'm the road Jesus is saying, the way out you're looking for is me. I'm the road. That's how you get out through me. Because where you're going, ultimately that road that we were looking at is to the Father.

It's to an eternal relationship with the Father. And that's the road. And Jesus said, I'm it. Follow me.

I am the road. Follow me. You want truth? I'm it.

Everyone's big. I'm just searching for truth. Look no further. It's Jesus.

You don't got to look for it. It's Jesus. I'm the truth. And I'm the life.

I just want to live a full life. Look to Jesus. He's all of those things that everybody says at one point in their life. All of us.

We all say these things. Jesus is the way. I'm searching for truth. I'm going to live by truth.

The truth will set you free. Jesus will set you free. I got it. The way.

The truth. The life. The way. The truth.

The life. Hear me today, Church. He's the way. He's the truth.

He's the life. That's the way. We're all trying to find the way, right? You don't have to look no more.

He's the way. Jesus is the way. Bridge the gap from knowing to doing. By knowing that the way is Jesus.

That's the way. You don't have to get off that road. I don't care what anyone tells you. Tell them their life.

They're like, you don't deserve to walk down that road. I don't have to listen to that. You're not the way. I know that.

Jesus says the way. You can walk down that road and it can be sunny. Because it says you're going to go through things on the way. Whatever you want to put in that, whatever you want to do right now in your life.

Jesus is sitting there saying, it's gone. He said, hey, it's me. On the way. Look to me.

He's trying to tell you. You're looking for the way out. I said you've forgotten the way. You're living in a steeper.

I don't know how much I can do. He's like, it's me. You don't have to look on the key. On the way.

I want us to bridge the gap. As I'm closing, you can come up with. Walking in the way. I gave you these ones.