"I Am The Way, The Truth, The Life..." Series

"I Am The Way, The Truth, The Life..."

In His Own Words

12/07/08 PM

Reading: John 14:1-6

Text: John 14:6

Introduction

I saw a piece of Bumper Art (that’s the marketing term for bumper sticker) that sent me to the Internet for information. It said “I’d rather be Mooneyating.” As it turns out, Mooney is a type of personal aircraft, so Mooneyating would be flying same and explains where that driver would rather be.

I see this kind of “Bumper Art” often as I’m driving our freeways and sometimes on T-shirts.

"I’d Rather Be..."

1. Fishing?

2. Golfing?

3. Anywhere else but where I am now!

Maybe you feel like that in your job, school, or home...

The fact is, we who are Christians should feel this way often, if not all the time. In his first epistle, Peter calls believers sojourners, aliens, and strangers in this world. We are a people just passing through this life on our journey home, a home Jesus Himself has prepared for us:

John 14:2 (NASB) “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.”

I’d rather be in my Father’s house; we should all feel that same way. Our text tells us how to find our way home.

#1 The Way

1.Christ is the way, the highway spoken of in prophesy:

Isaiah 35:8 (NASB) A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it.

2.Christ is the way, the narrow way entered by the small gate:

Matthew 7:14 (NASB) 14“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

3.Christ is the way, for by his own blood he entered into the holy place

Hebrews 9:11 - 12 (NASB) But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

a.He is our way, for we enter by Him.

b.Romans 6:3 - 4 (NASB) Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

4.In following Jesus we walk in newness of life, a life which we live in likeness of Him:

Ephesians 4:24 (NASB) and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

#2 The Truth

A. "Truth is relative"

1. Circumstantial

2. Situational

3. "That was 2000 years ago, but now things are different."

B. Jesus is The TRUTH.

1. He is the true water which quenches the thirst of the spirit; the bread of life which satisfies the hunger of the soul, He is the High Priest who enters the true Holy of Holies. (Hebrews 9:24)

2. The truth as opposed to figure and shadow. Christ is the substance of all the Old Testament types, which are said to be figures of the true.

Colossians 2:17 (NASB) things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

John 1:17 (NASB) For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

3. Truth is what Jesus brought down from heaven

Matthew 7:28 - 29 (NASB) When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

4. The teachings of Christ is truth, the doctrine of Christ is true doctrine. When we enquire for truth, we need learn no more than the truth as it is in Jesus.

John 8:31 - 32 (NASB) So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

#3 The Life

A. "Abundant life!"

1. John 10:7 - 10 (NASB) 7So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. “All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.