“I am the way the truth and the life.”
Series:"I AM" statements of Jesus
Thesis: Jesus makes it clear in our text that He is the only way into Heaven. He is the path to truth which then leads to eternal life. Without His path or His truth we could never discover eternal life.
Review of the “I Am” Statements:
I AM the bread of life – Jesus said I am the one who can and will satisfy your eternal
hunger.
I AM the light of the world – Jesus points us to the light which will lead us out of the darkness of this world.
I AM the door – Jesus said I am the door there is no other door to Heaven and I am the one who opens and closes this gateway to eternal life.
I AM the resurrection and the life – Jesus said I am the one who brings dead people back to life and let’s them live forever. I am the one who defeated death by the power of my resurrection.
Scripture Text: John 14:1-6
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
2In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
4You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Jesus the Way to the Father
5Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Key Verse: John 14:6
"Jesus answered, ’I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’"
Introduction:
Today we are going to focus in on Jesus’, "I Am” proclamation, “I am the way, the truth, and the life ..." In this section of the Gospel of John we once again see Jesus asserting His divine nature. It’s interesting that once again a question is addressed to Jesus and He answers with a profound reply. The question was asked by Thomas, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"Thomas’ question has been asked probably by 100,000 of people. The question in brief is, "How can we know the way?" Men and women over time have tried many ways to find a satisfying eternal life but they soon discovered them lacking truth, and fulfillment in life. For example:
Man’s Quest:
Greece said …..Be wise, know yourself
Rome said…….Be strong, discipline yourself
Judaism said …Be holy, conform yourself
Epicureanism says…..Be sensuous, enjoy yourself
Education says ….Be resourceful, expand yourself
Psychology says ….Be confident, fulfill yourself
Materialism says….Be acquisitive, please yourself
Pride says….Be superior, promote yourself
Asceticism says….Be inferior, suppress yourself
Diplomacy says….Be reasonable, control yourself
Communism says….Be collective, secure yourself
Humanism says….Be capable, trust yourself
Philanthropy says ….Be unselfish, give yourself
(Swindoll, pages 270,271)
Yet none of these ways has brought about fulfillment in people’s lives or entrance into eternity. For these people they soon discovered the emptiness of these pursuits and discovered reality check that these ways do not get you into Heaven.
There have been other ways developed over time - ways to view life – they gave a false hope that if you did these they would bring contentment, fulfillment and even eternal life!
a. Optimism: By looking through rose-colored glasses, we can convince ourselves that we live on Fantasy Island, existing under cloudless skies and surrounded by oceans of love, affirmation, and support. There’s only one problem -- Lack of reality.
b. Pessimism: It is easy to turn life into a grim existence. If something bad can happen, the pessimist is convinced it will. The problem here is an obvious lack of joy.
c. Suspicion: Suspicion is a deeper trench than pessimism. "Everyone is out to get you. You can’t believe anyone anymore. Their major problem? --Lack of trust.
d. Fatalism: The fatalist says we may as well accept our lot, nothing can be done to change it. "Just bite your lip and endure to the end." "If you can check out of responsibility, do it! Stay uninvolved." What’s the problem here? -- Lack of hope.
Man has been on these quests for years asking, "Which way is the right way?", excited when they first enter into their false belief systems but they soon discover that it was a temporal path and not a path that lead to everlasting life. So they in turn, do as Rollo Mays says, "It is an old and ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way."
Mankind is looking for the way up and for the way out. The problem is they are lost and running in the opposite direction of Lord, they are getting further away from God and deeper into chaos and insanity. Their false belief systems have led to the destruction of many societies. It is leading many today away from truth and into the darkness of hopelessness.
We need as Christians, to open up the Word of God and show people which way is the right way especially when everything in the world seems to be spiraling out of control. When it looks like everything seems to be going wrong in our life and in our society we need to stay on the right path. We have been given a divine commission by the Lord to show people the way to Heaven. Therefore we need to stay on the path. Why, because if we get off the path to life we too will get lost and be unable to lead anyone to paradise.
There is a bumper sticker you will see on vehicles which should give us a message.
“Don’t Follow Me…I’m Lost”
I believe we should stick it above our T.V. sets, on humanistic books, over many doorposts of government buildings, in many court rooms, in the House and the Senate, over the White House doors and at secular Universities because it would save a lot of people a lot of heartache. The people who are lost, those without Jesus cannot lead anyone to truth, nor to abundant or eternal life. They cannot do it because they are lost in a world of darkness.
T.S. - Jesus has answered the question many are asking today: "How can we know the way?" Let’s look at His answer to this question and understand what to do when we are down and feeling overwhelmed in life. When we are searching for comfort in the midst of chaos, I see 3 things we can do to help us find direction. They are revealed in this Scripture text of John 14:
I. When life is hurting, chaos is all around you commit to trust in Jesus.
a. When you have one of those weeks or days when everything is going wrong remember these words from Jesus in John 14:1: 1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”
i. Trust means I place my life in the hands of the Lord.
1. It means “I love Him with my whole heart, mind, soul and give Him all my strength.”
2. It means I follow his direction in life even when things are going badly, going in a chaotic direction.
b. Melvin Newland shares this story to illustrate my point about how quickly things can go in the wrong direction even as we think we are in the right - from sermoncentral.com:
i. Illustration: Several years ago I told a story that illustrates this point so well that I want to tell it again. It is about a lady at the airport who stopped in the concourse to buy a Kit Kat candy bar to eat while she was waiting for her plane.
In the crowded waiting area she spied an empty seat at the end of one of the rows. Rushing to get it, she quickly leaned her hang-up bag against it, placed her purse & several other small items on the table between her & a rather large man seated there, & then turned to straighten her hang-up bag.
With everything finally in order, she was ready to eat her Kit Kat candy bar. But to her surprise, as she started to reach for it, she saw the man in the next seat unwrapping her Kit Kat candy bar, & she watched in utter amazement as he broke off a section & ate it.
She thought, "Well, my goodness, I’ve never seen such gall." She glared at him, & he looked at her, but no words were exchanged.
She was so furious at what he had done that she decided that if he was going to be that brazen about it, she could be brazen, too. So she reached over to him, broke off a piece & ate it herself. Then he broke off another piece & ate it. It became almost a duel between the two of them to see who would get the most. Quickly the candy bar was consumed, & she sat there just boiling that someone would be so rude & so presumptuous as to eat half of her candy bar.
Well, after a few minutes of silence, the man got up & left & then came back with another Kit Kat candy bar. He unwrapped it, broke off a piece & started eating. She thought, "Well, since he ate half of mine, I’m going to eat half of his." So she reached over & broke off another piece & ate it.
Once again the same scenario was repeated until the whole candy bar was gone. She sat there thinking, "This is the most ridiculous thing that has happened to me in all my life." She continued to glare at him, & he looked at her, with neither one saying a word.
Just then, over the intercom came the announcement that her plane was ready for boarding. So she opened her purse to get her boarding pass &, to her utter embarrassment, there was her Kit Kat candy bar. She had eaten half of 2 of his candy bars, & her’s was still in her purse!
Application. There are times, I suppose, when things really start to go wrong. Your whole world seems to be crumbling around you & you wonder what is going on. How could I have let myself get so caught in the free fall.
c. The disciples had been facing this kind of week. It had been a week filled with the wild ride of a rollercoaster of emotions and it’s not over yet. There has been joy, excitement, amazement, but fear, persecution, condemnation, bewilderment, violence, and chaos are coming in just a few hours.
i. The week began gloriously with Jesus triumphal entry. People shouting His praise, excited that the Prophet had come. They expected him to do miracles and establish his throne in Jerusalem.
1. But He refused their crown and their plan for His life. The crowd starts to change their view of Jesus because he is not doing what the majority want Him to do with His life. They become disappointed, angry, disillusioned, and the Priest’s are plotting His arrest and death.
ii. So we enter into John 14 and the apostles and Jesus are in the upper room where they have celebrated the Passover meal together. Jesus knows he is about to be betrayed by one of his own, his followers are soon to be scattered, they will deny him and fail him. They will desert him and runaway to hide out of fear.
iii. Have you ever had those premonitions and those feeling in life where you know things are going to go wrong all around you? You feel the tension and the stress. You sense an inside anger you feel at any moment the lid is about to explode off the top of the boiling pot?
1. They are in the upper room and I believe they are starting to sense the pressure, the heat was being turned up on Jesus, they could feel the pressure and sense the stress. Soon they would see it hit him in the Garden. Soon the guards would come to arrest Jesus.
d. So Jesus addresses his disciples and even us today when we face those explosive moments – “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me!”
i. For many of us it’s easy to trust in things we can see, hear, feel, smell and even touch. But it gets harder to trust someone you cannot experience with the five senses. Jesus is about to leave His followers and He is preparing them for what is about to happen. The ending of this week will rattle their faith and their trust in Jesus. Evil will come in and smash them in the face with reality. They will witness one of their own be deceived and lead away by the evil one.
ii. God’s word tells us not to put our trust in the temporary things of this world because one day they will be gone. Instead we are to place our trust in the only thing that is eternal -Jesus – God in the flesh.
1. For example:
a. The pews that you are sitting on will one day be gone. But the Lord won’t – His presence won’t! Because He is not in the pews – He is in your heart.
2. One day this church may be destroyed by fire but God’s presence will still dwell in this land and in your heart.
3. One day your car may break down and you may be unable to repair it but God’s presence will never break down and desert those who are committed to Him.
4. This world is filled with temporary things but the Kingdom of Heaven is not.
a. Jesus tells them and us, “…I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20
b. This is why we have 6 people being baptized today because they have been saved from this world through their confession of faith and baptism is their testimony to what Jesus has already done in their hearts.
e. Application: The disciples are about to learn a hard lesson because everything they have grown accustomed too over the last three years is about to be ripped away and life is going to crash out of their control. They are going to see unbelievable cruelty, and chaotic events unfold. They are going to yield to fear for a moment and they are going to run for their lives. They are going to deny their Lord out of fear and survival mind sets. But Jesus tells them in advance – “Do not let your hearts be troubled – Trust me.”
T.S. – Jesus tells us in this text to not let our hearts be troubled instead trust God, trust in Him. This is what our baptismal candidates are doing today. They are making a statement to everyone here and to the Lord that they trust Jesus with their life completely.
II. When everything gets ripped away in life Jesus tells us to trust Him and to believe in His promises.
a. John 14:2-4: 2In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going.”
i. Heaven is described by Jesus in our text as “My Father’s House” to Jesus this is home – home is not this world –this life - this planet – home to Him is Heaven.
1. It’s home for Jesus and it’s home for us if we trust in Jesus and stand firm in Him to the end.
ii. Jesus tells us that He has gone before us to prepare our place in Heaven – to prepare our place at home.
1. Share about our own home.
a. We have two rooms set up for Christa and Ashley.
b. They have gone to school in Dallas but their home is here. They come home from school and their rooms are designed to fit their desires.
2. The promise here to remember is that Jesus has prepared a place for us in Heaven. I believe this room is custom designed just for our tastes - our character traits. Just like they do on the TV reality show “Extreme Makeover Home edition.”
a. They redo homes and rooms to fit the personality and interests of one who will dwells in them.
b. Not only is Jesus going or has gone to prepare our room. He promised to come back and personally take us to this wonderful dwelling place.
i. He will lead us there and we will live and dwell with Him in this place for eternity.
ii. This is a promise for all who are going through tough times – be reminded by this word that God has a dwelling place for you in heaven – custom designed for you and He will lead you to it when you go from here to eternity.
c. He then reminds the disciples that they know the way to this place and they need to be encouraged about their final homecoming. It’s His promise to them! It’s one of His last instructions to his followers – Trust me and Trust my promise to you – There is a special place designed for you in Heaven!
T.S. - Jesus tells us to place our trust in Him in the hard times and to not forget there is a special room for us in heaven that He will personally take us too. He also answers the age old question, “Jesus, how do we get there again – I am not sure?”
III. The question, “Lord we don’t know the way?”
a. Jesus comforts His disciples in our passage but Thomas is still not sure of the way. So he asks Jesus, “The question.”
i. Remember this is doubting Thomas – he is unnerved by Jesus saying He is leaving them but they will know the way. Thomas speaks up and says, “Jesus I am still not sure how to get there!”
1. John 14: Jesus the Way to the Father
“5Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
b. The definition and meaning of the way.
i. Greek word Hod-os is defined as progress, a road going somewhere. Tenney defines way, as meaning a path over which which one moves.
ii. In the Old Testament way is used in many instances of God’s ways. His will and command.
1. Deut. 5:33: "Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess."
2. Deut. 8:6:"Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him."
3. Psalms 119:15: "I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways."
4. Isa. 55:9:"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
iii. New Testament usage of the word “way” signifies a traveled way or road.
1. Word is also used figuratively in the New Testament as meaning –
a. Of Moral Conduct: Matt. 7:13, 14; 21-32; Acts 14:16; Romans 3:16, 17; James 5:20
b. Of God’s will and purpose and truth: Matt. 22:16; Mark 12:14; Acts 13:10 (etc.)
c. Way is used of Jesus Christ, the final and perfect revealer, and in His person and by His sacrificial death, the living and personal way to God, His holiness and salvation: teacher of the way in truth.
i. Christ Himself one and only "Way" to God (John 14:4-6); and the One who opens up the way into the Holiest by His sacrifice (Heb. 9:8; 10:19, 20).
2. Christ the Way (John 14:6)
a. Jesus Christ is the way to the knowledge of God. Through His person, His life, His ministry.
b. Jesus Christ is the way to the favor of God.
i. To understand how holy and how righteous is the Divine ruler and Judge, is to understand that sinners forfeit His favor. Our Savior is the divinely appointed Way to reconciliation and harmony with Him whose laws all men have broken.
c. Christianity is, in the Book of Acts, repeatedly spoken of as "the Way", i.e., the path by which sinful men return to the affectionate interest and regard of a righteous God.
d. Christ is the Way to the Father’s fellowship. In coming to Christ a man becomes a son, he then experiences the grace of true adoption.
e. THE WAY INDICATED: An open door which no man can shut, and a closed door which no man can open, are indications of God’s way. Rev. 3:8.
c. A definition and meaning of Jesus as the Truth
i. Truth defined - Alethia - truthfulness, dependability, uprightness in thought and deed of God, of men.
1. As for absolute truth it is the spirit which leads us to it. The truth is identified through Jesus Christ and His teachings.
a. We may easily apply all this to Christ, who is "the way, the truth, and the life," John 14:8: He is the express image of His Father, the truth of the Father; whom the Father, by His seal and diploma, hath confirmed and ratified; as the great ruler both of His kingdom and family (303).
b. The word “truth” is used 20 times in John and used 100 times in the New Testament.
ii. History & Culture of the concept of “Truth.”
1. Truth is the Seal of God - According to the Talmud. The Jews spoke much about truth in there writings.
iii. In the Old Testament it is used in reference to firmness, stability, fidelity, reliable basis of support. It is ascribed most often to personal morality.
iv. In the New Testament - Truth is related not only to fidelity and justice but also to knowledge and to Revelation.
v. Philosophical Concepts of Truth - Some philosophical concepts of truth are described in two ways.
1. Cognitive Truth - says, if God is the ground of all truth, then whatever truths we know bear witness to Him.
a. Augustine Hippo recognized this and wrote an apology for God’s existence from our knowledge of truth.
b. Others who wrote on this subject were: Augustine, Anselm of Canterbury, Thomas Aquinas, Descartes.
i. They varied some in their theories but basically concluded that all truth is ultimately God’s truth, and that our knowledge of truth depends ultimately on God.
ii. I believe this explains why people today cannot understand nor grasp that their belief system is wrong. Because without the Holy Spirit present in a person’s life they cannot know truth or even understand truth.
vi. Truth vs. the lies. The New Testament warns us that there would be numerous attacks of false religions and cults (The Lies) against the genuine Christian faith. But these attacks would only cause the Truth to stand out more clearly.
1. The lies about God. There are many lies that bring God down to a lower level in regard to His identity.
a. World Religions say:
i. Buddhism - God is not a person.
ii. Transcendental Meditation - There is no difference between God and the creation.
iii. Hinduism - There are three main impersonal gods and millions of lesser gods.
b. Cults
i. Moonies, Jehovah Witnesses & The Way - God is singular and there is no Trinity.
ii. Christian Science & Unity - God is not a person.
iii. Mormons - There are many gods.
iv. Worldwide Church of God - We can become gods.
1. There are those who want to bring God down to a lower level in regard to His uniqueness.
d. Jesus is life – meaningful life, real life, the abundant life.
i. The meaning of the Greek word Zoe (life.).
1. Definition: Means of sustenance, of supernatural life belonging to God and Christ, which believers will receive in the future, but which they also enjoy here and now.
2. Zoe is used in reference to Christ being life for all who believe. It is the central theme in John.
a. Note John’s purpose for writing his Gospel John 20:31. "But these are written that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
3. History and culture and use of the term Zoe.
a. The term life is used in the Old Testament in the popular sense. Orr notes: "It meant life in the body, the existence and activity of the man in all his parts and energies." (1888).
i. The Old Testament thought, was the body was necessary for life and they had no desire to be separated from it. They also believed that the source of life was when a man had a relationship with God. Orr states, "The real center of gravity in life was in the moral and religious part of man’s nature. This must be in fellowship with God, the source of all life and activity" (1888)
4. John’s main theme is life. He wrote the book to show the readers how to have life.
a. John shows that life represents Jesus the logos as the origin and means of all life to the world. God gave Jesus life in Himself who in turn, gave life to the world. John’s prevailing meaning of life is in reference to those activities which are the expression of fellowship with God and Jesus Christ. These relationships are called "eternal life." (1889)
ii. Life is in Christ. (Application)
1. The miracles of raising the dead, which Jesus wrought were intended not only for the assuagement of human sorrow, but for the satisfying of human aspirations. He drew the attention away from the great work to the greater Worker (108).
2. In Him was life, and by His incarnation and sacrifice He brought the life of God to this world of sin and death. (Pulpit 108).
3. The key thought to this chapter is that the life of Christ gives and is received by faith.
Conclusion:
In this world of chaos and uncertainty we are encouraged by Jesus to not be be fearful but we need to trust in God and in Him.
When life radically plummets out of control we need to be reminded to focus on His promises. He has made us our own custom room in Heaven and He will personally come to us and lead us to it.
Jesus has answered for us the question “How do we know the way?”
The way – the path to Jesus – is to follow His teachings. These teachings – these paths will guide us right to truth. The truth will give us life – a meaning full life, a live which is eternal, a life which is filled with purpose and fulfillment.
Altar Call: How can we know the way?
#1 When you meet Christ you will see He is the way.
a. It becomes very clear through His personal touch on our lives. .
#2 Once you have met and get to know Christ, you become aware of truth, what it looks like, how it functions, what it does and does not do.
a. This is why people choose to be baptized to acknowledge that He is the real deal in their lives.
#3 The final point Christ makes here is once you accept Him as the Way, you find direction, this direction leads you into truth, on the discovery of truth you learn the meaning of life and this life is everlasting.
a. This is why we have the people we do today who are getting baptized. They are acknowledging what Jesus has done for them, saved them, and they are promising to all who witness this event that they are committed for the rest of their lives to serve and live for Jesus and His way.
