The Way, The Truth And The Life Series

The Way, The Truth and The Life

Since April 26th we have unpacked some powerful… know Jesus better truths, that are intended to both anchor and shape our lives…

MGCC - Jesus is…

• The Word become flesh

• Mighty God, Immanuel

• The Good Shepherd

• The Prince of peace

• The Lamb of God

• The Head of the body,

• The Bridegroom of the bride,

• The Vine of the branches and

• The Cornerstone of the building

AND – this morning we will unpack the 3 titles for Jesus that just burst with power from John 14:6…

MGCC – Jesus is… The Way, the Truth and the Life

Prayer

NOW - I think a lot of us know and have heard John 14:6 before...

AND LISTEN – what I want to do, as we begin our deep dive into Jesus being the Way, the Truth and the Life...

IS – to try to put those words into their context, LIKE…

• Why does Jesus say these words?

• Who is saying these them to?

• Where is He when He says them? And…

• What is going on when He says them.

OKAY…

SO - it’s Thursday night and Jesus is in an upper room preparing to celebrate the Passover with His guys, with His disciples……

A memorial meal that Jesus has been celebrating for ~ 30 years.

QUESTION – have you ever wondered what it was like for Jesus as a teenager to celebrate this meal every year knowing that one day, He would be the Passover Lamb that was sacrificed…

OR – what it was like for Jesus to walk down the road to Jerusalem and men hanging from a cross crucified?

BUT TONIGHT - He is celebrating the meal with His disciples

NOW – during the last 3 years they had shared many meals together… IN FACT - hundreds of them.

HOWEVER - this would be the last… their last Supper together, before He went to the cross.

AND UNDERSTAND – as they sat in that room I am pretty certain that the mood was sober, anxious and uncertain.

I MEAN – the emotions are so high in that upper room, and not just in the hearts of the disciples, but also with Jesus who says them in John 12:27 (after once again predicting His death)…

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. – John 12:27

UNDERSTAND - the last few days had been full of such powerful emotions…

• Entering Jerusalem to the shouts and Praises of thousands, “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord…”

• Mary anointing Jesus feet with expensive perfume and Jesus saying, “she did this to prepare Me for burial… I will not always be with you.” (John 12:7,8)

• And Jesus telling them in Matthew 26:2, “the Passover is 2 days away and the Son of Man must be crucified.”

• Jesus overturning the tables of the corrupt money changers in the Temple, “Is it not written that My house will be called a house of prayer for the nations, but you have made it a den of robbers.”

• The powerful showdowns Jesus had with the Pharisees and other religious leaders, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.”

YOU SEE – as they begin to recline that Thursday night all of the emotions of the last few days, no doubt hung heavy over them…

AND THEN – what happens and what is said during the meal created an even greater flood of emotions…

• Jesus (their Lord and Messiah) getting up, wrapping a towel around his waist and bending down to wash each of the dirty and grimy feet, because no one else was willingly to stoop that low to serve others

• Jesus telling them as he washes those feet that one of them is not clean and will betray Him.

• And them each in turn with their faces downcast saying, ‘Surely not I?’ (Mark 14:19)

AND THEN – Jesus says…

I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”