Jesus: The Way
John 14:1-6
Intro.:
A. Imagine if you would, what it must have been like if you were one of the Disciples traveling with Jesus. You would have seen Him perform great miracles (water into wine, healing a blind man, raising Lazarus from the dead, feeding 1000’s of people with just a few loaves of bread and a couple small fish, etc.); you would have heard Him teach and stand up to the challenges of the Religious people of His day.
Think about what it would have been like to be one of the Disciples when Jesus was walking along and turned to them and asked this Question: Who do people say that I am?
After replying with some good answers: great teacher, prophet, etc. Jesus then asked them/You: Who do you Say that I am?
B. How would you answer that if Jesus asked you today? Or if someone you worked with, a friend, a neighbor, - asked you, Who is Jesus?
We have tried to learn not just what others might say about Jesus, but what did Jesus claim about Himself.
Jesus wants us to know Him …
I am the Alpha & Omega
I am the Light of the World
I am the True Vine
I am the Bread of Life
C. And today, Jesus wants us to know that He is the Way, The Truth and the Life.
- Read John 14:1-6
- Jesus is about to be arrested and later crucified, but before He is, He wants to teach His Disciples and Us, who He is
He is the embodiment of TRUTH, We see it over and over, Jesus will say, “I tell you the Truth…” He not only tells the Truth but He is Truth.
There is a Real, Objective – not subjective truth, for us and all people – and it is found in Jesus.
He is the Life; John 10:10, The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I come to give life and life abundantly.
John 1:4, In Him (Jesus) was life and that life was the light of the World.
D. But Jesus also said that He was the WAY,
Acts 9:2, 24:14, at the beginning Christians were called the people of the WAY.
So what do we learn about Jesus as the WAY?
Body:
A. Jesus Promises the Way.
- He promises that there is a Kingdom – His Father’s House that awaits us.
- He promises to come to take us be with Him.
- He promises that there is a WAY to get there.
B. Jesus Prepares the Way for us.
- He prepares us for the Father, vs. 6 - We know that the way Jesus Prepares us for the Father would cost Him, His life.
- He Prepares a place for us with Him, vs. 2
C. Jesus, Personally is the WAY.
1. People often don’t have a problem with Jesus Promising a Way or even Preparing a Way for people to live and to enter Eternal life with God the Father - But here is the clincher: Jesus not only Promises us the Way, Prepares the Way - But says very clearly: I (emphatically) am the Way!
2. I.E. There is no other Way to the Father, to the Kingdom but through me! It is through me, because of me, by me, and in me that you find the Way.
3. Not only that but as we learn some significant aspects to what He means by the WAY:
a. Jesus is the WAY to a Life with Peace and Hope, vs. 1 “Let not your hearts be troubled (i.e. find Peace, have Hope in life now as you BELIEVE in me).
b. Jesus is the WAY to Eternal Life in God’s Kingdom, vs. 2-3
c. Jesus is the WAY for us to have a Living Relationship with God, vs. 6b
Think about this: The very creator of the entire Universe you can know as your heavenly Father! The very one who holds the expanse of the Universe, knows each star – is mindful of you, cares about you, loves you, knows you intimately –and wants to be in a relationship with you NOW.
Jesus is the Way to the Father!
Bottom Line; Jesus is the WAY to live Now to find Peace, Joy, Hope – to know the Father and be in relationship with Him, even now. He is also the WAY to Eternal Life in the Kingdom of God where Jesus is now Preparing our ROOMS. He Prepared the way through His Death and Rez. Now He is Preparing our Home in the kingdom!
Conclusion:
A. Who do you say Jesus is? So many think of Him as good, moral man. Others perhaps think of Jesus a Religious Leader, Moral Teacher, - maybe even “a way”.
But Jesus really doesn’t give us those options in what we think of Him. He either is or He is not who He says He is and the things He did to prove to us who He is.
Is Jesus Your WAY, Your TRUTH, Your LIFE?
B. The Map
A father was reading a magazine but was being bothered by his young daughter.
She saw in the Magazine a picture – a Map of the United States and kept asking her dad to see it. Trying to read his articles, he got frustrated – Ripped out the page with the Map – tore it is a few pieces and asked her to put it together to learn more about how United States.
A couple minutes later, his girl came back with the MAP of the US completely put back together.
The Dad was amazed and asked how did you put this together so quickly. She responded: “It was simple, on the back of the page was a picture of Jesus – when I put Jesus together, the Map just came together too.”
C. It is True: When Jesus is Put right – Our Country is Right, our Lives are Right, our Families are Right, our Church is Right, - WHY? Jesus said it: I am the WAY the TRUTH, the LIFE!
