Part 7: Jesus is the Way to Everlasting Life

John 11:1-26 - Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life

Jesus Is: The Resurrection and the Life

A letter was sent by the Department of Health and Human Services to someone who lived in Greenville County, South Carolina:

“Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1st, because we received notice that you have passed away. You may reapply if your circumstances change.”

Someone in that office is pretty optimistic! But of course, the problem with death is that it’s permanent.

The actress, Brooke Shields, was speaking for an anti-smoking campaign a few years ago and said: “Smoking kills! And if you’re killed, you’ve lost a very important part of your life.” That’s true! Well said!

The problem that all of us face in this life is that DEATH is a reality, and sooner or later, it will come knocking at your door. No matter how much you exercise, no matter how much kale you eat, eventually the dark specter of death will overshadow you.

It’s not a question of if you will die one day, it’s a question of when. And yet, death always seems to catch us by surprise. It always comes as a shock to our systems because deep down, although we know that this is the way it is, there’s something in us that tells us that this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be.

In the Gospel of John, Chapter 11, we read about a time when a friend and follower of Jesus was sick to the point of death. It says in John 11:1

John 11:1 ESV

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

John 11:3 ESV

So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”

For years, Jesus has been healing the sick. People who were crippled and blind, people who had ailments of all kinds, came to him, and he touched them and healed them. Surely, it would be easy for him to come and do this for a friend!

So, Mary and Martha (who were friends and followers of Jesus) sent word to Jesus that their brother Lazarus was sick, asking him to come and heal him!

John 11:5 ESV

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

Great! So, since he loved them so much, surely, he must have dropped whatever he was doing, and rushed off to help them, and respond to their request. Right??? But it says in John 11:6

John 11:6 ESV

So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

Wait… what??? Jesus’ friend is sick and Jesus has the ability to heal him, and to fix this problem, but instead of going immediately to help him, Jesus decides to wait, and not come right away? Verse 5 said that Jesus loved him. How is this a loving thing to do???

John 11:7 ESV

Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

Judea is the southern part of Israel, where Jerusalem is located. Bethany is a village right outside of Jerusalem. Jesus is saying: “Let’s go see our friend Lazarus who is sick.”

John 11:8 ESV

The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”

But Jesus explained that he's only been given a certain amount of time here on Earth to do the work that God gave him to do — and he’s not going to let the intimidation and threats of the Pharisees stop him from doing what the Father called him to do!

In other words: Jesus was BRAVE and courageous!

But he also knew — that there was a TIME that was appointed for Him to die… And until that time had come, nothing could happen to him — no matter how hard the Pharisees tried!!!

John 11:11 ESV

After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”

John 11:12–13 ESV

The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.

John 11:14–15 ESV

Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

Jesus knew that BECAUSE of his delay in going to see Lazarus, Lazarus had died. But, Jesus had done this for a reason.

John 11:17 ESV

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

John 11:20–21 ESV

So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

You can sense the confusion in Martha’s words! “If Jesus loves me, why didn’t he do what I asked him to do? He could have. He had the ability. If Jesus loves me, why did he let my brother die?”

How many of you have ever found yourself asking similar questions? “If God really loves me, why did he let that happen to me?” “If God could have prevented that from happening, why didn’t He?”

But I want you to notice something: Jesus doesn’t actually answer her question. Instead, Jesus gives her a reason to have hope, even in the face of death.

John 11:23–24 ESV

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

Jewish people believed in the resurrection of the dead at the end of time. And yet, even though Martha knew this was true, it didn’t seem to give her much comfort over the loss of her brother.

John 11:25–26 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Now — not long after they have this conversation, Jesus is going to raise Lazarus from dead.

It’s one of his greatest miracles he ever performed. But, before he performs this miracle and raises Lazarus, first Jesus wants to make sure that Martha’s hope is in the right thing.

Until this point, Martha’s hope had simply been that Jesus would heal her brother’s sickness and make their problems go away. The problem is, that hope isn’t big enough.

Here’s why: If Jesus would have simply healed Lazarus of his sickness, that would have only been a temporary solution. Eventually, Lazarus would have gotten sick again, and then what? Even if Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, as he’s going to do, eventually, Lazarus is going to die again.

Martha’s focus was on a temporary solution that would take away the pain of the moment, but Jesus wants to give her a hope that is so much greater. He wants to give her a hope that can sustain her no matter what this life brings her way, because it's a hope that goes beyond this life!

So Jesus says:

“I AM the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26a)

Jesus isn’t talking about a temporary solution to the problems of this life, he's talking about a permanent solution to the problems of sin and death. He is saying, “I AM that solution!” “I AM the resurrection and the life”

This is not just a band-aid on a bullet wound! — this is the cure to the curse of Death! - So that even if your physical body dies, you will live and never die!

Jesus asks Martha: “Do you believe this?” (John 11:27b) and:

John 11:27 ESV

She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

And now — now that that’s settled and Martha’s hope is fixed securely in the right place - now Jesus is ready to go and perform this miracle, which — even though it’s only a temporary solution, it’s a glorious display of God’s love and power!

In Vs 28-31 — Martha goes and gets her sister Mary — so that Mary can talk to Jesus!

John 11:32 ESV

Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

It says in John 11:33

John 11:33 ESV

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.

This is interesting, because — where it says that Jesus was “Deeply moved” in his spirit — the word “Deeply moved” - what it means is that Jesus “GROANED” : or even “GROWLED”!

What this word conveys — is a sense of FRUSTRATION, and even: ANGER!

He’s not angry at Mary! Jesus is ANGRY that his good creation — is broken!

He’s angry that this world is characterized by suffering, and death!

It’s interesting to see this — because: what it means, is that God DEEPLY CARES, and is DEEPLY BOTHERED and CONCERNED by the things which bother and concern us as well!

John 11:34 ESV

And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”

And it says in John 11:35

John 11:35 ESV

Jesus wept.

John 11:35 ESV

Jesus wept.

The shortest verse in the Bible. Jesus is no longer angry and frustrated — but seeing the death of his friend, he is SAD!

And it’s interesting — because Jesus KNOWS what He is about to do!

He’s about to HEAL Lazarus! He’s about to raise him from the dead!

When he does that, Mary and Martha are going to stop crying and start rejoicing!

The only person who won’t be happy is Lazarus, because he’ll be pulled BACK from Paradise, and back to life on this Earth — which means, that in a few years after this, he’s going to have to die ALL OVER AGAIN!

But, if Jesus knows what he is about to do — then why is he crying???

[Ask: What do you think???]

I think he’s crying because death is sad! And he’s experiencing it PERSONALLY - with a FRIEND!

And I think he’s sad that his friends are sad!

Jesus wept with us — God became a human being and wept with us — so that one day, we will be able to rejoice with him FOREVER!

When the people who were there saw Jesus weeping, it says: John 11:36-37

John 11:36–37 ESV

So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

The answer is: YES, Jesus COULD have kept this man from dying! But, even though it was His friend, He allowed it to happen.

The message for us is that God has reasons and purposes for allowing the things he does, that we may not be aware of — and that he doesn’t always tell us about (and we may never know!)

That’s where Faith comes in! Trusting God — even when we don’t understand WHY something is happening, or WHAT the future holds!

John 11:38 ESV

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.

There’s that phrase again: Deeply moved. — it implies frustration, anger. What we might call: “Being upset!”

John 11:39 ESV

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.”

One of the reasons why Jesus had waited — we now see: was so that it would be CLEAR to everyone that Lazarus was REALLY DEAD!

He wasn’t just injured or in a coma — but by 4 days, he was certainly dead — to the point where his body was beginning the process of decaying and decomposing!

John 11:40 ESV

Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

Remember: the Themes of the Gospel of John — [Ask: Which themes are we seeing here? - Believing, and GLORY!]

John 11:41–42 ESV

So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”

John 11:43–44 ESV

When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

This was one of Jesus’ greatest miracles.

[Ask: How do you think this miracle was a SIGN - pointing to WHO JESUS IS, and WHAT HE CAME TO DO? How does this sign REVEAL something about Jesus?]

This miracle was a SIGN — that pointed, on the one hand, to the fact that Jesus was the Messiah!

In Matthew ch 11 — we are told that there was a time, when John the Baptist (Jesus’ cousin, and Jesus’ very first BIG, VOCAL supporter) began to question whether Jesus actually was the Messiah!

Remember: John was the one who initially told everybody that Jesus was the Messiah!

But — at some point, it seems that John began to have some doubts about it! Because it says in Matthew 11:2-3

Matthew 11:2–3 ESV

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

Matthew 11:3–5 ESV

and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.

This is an interesting passage — because: here Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 35, Isaiah 61, and Isaiah 26.

We’ve already talked about Isaiah 35 multiple times: It’s the one that says that when the Messiah comes, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will leap for joy!

Isaiah 61 - is the passage that Jesus quoted in his very first sermon (in Luke 4) when he preached in the Synagogue in Nazareth! (Behold, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me and he has anointed me to preach to good news to the poor!)

But Isaiah 26 is really important too! Isaiah 26:19

Isaiah 26:19 ESV

Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

This was a sign pointing to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah!

But it is also a SIGN of what Jesus is going to do — in his greatest miracle! It’s a sign of the fact that Jesus has power over death itself!

It’s a preview of how Jesus will rise from the grave, not just temporarily like Lazarus, who later died again - but permanently, never to die again!

And for those who trust in him — who believe in his name: He will also raise them up to everlasting life as well (never to die again!)

That’s what Jesus told Martha, remember? John 11:25-27

John 11:25–27 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Because Jesus Resurrected, you can have the hope of resurrection and the gift of life, if you believe in Him.

John 14:1-14 - Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life

Introduction

A few years ago — I called up a friend because I needed to talk to someone. I was worried and concerned because my daughter had just been born, and she was very sick. In fact, the doctors had told us that there was a good chance our daughter wouldn’t survive, and if she did, she'd be handicapped for life. So, I called up a friend. He was a pastor in the States, (we were living in Hungary at the time), and I told him what was going on. Here’s what he said: “Don’t worry. I’m sure everything will be just fine.”

To be honest, when he said those words it made me upset! I was kind of mad because my daughter was in a coma! She might not survive. She might be handicapped for life, and this person’s telling me not to worry? Everything will probably be fine? He doesn’t know that! He can’t guarantee that! He’s not a doctor! He’s not God! What if everything isn’t fine? What if it doesn’t turn out okay? It’s easy for him to tell me not to worry, it’s not his daughter in the hospital!

How many of you have ever been afraid or worried, and some well-meaning person told you, “Hey, don’t be scared!” or, “Don’t worry!” It probably didn’t help very much, did it? Just telling someone not to feel a certain way doesn’t change how they feel!

The only way to actually change the way someone feels about something is to give them a concrete reason to feel differently. In order to change how someone feels you have to give them new information that changes the way they see that situation. If you don’t give someone a reason to think differently about something, simply telling them to feel differently, won’t work!

We live in troubling times. A recent poll by NBC News shows that 72% of Americans believe that our country is headed in the wrong direction. There is war in Ukraine and rumors of more wars elsewhere. Maybe for some of you have your own personal things in your life that are causing you to feel troubled! Maybe your future is uncertain, or things aren’t working out as you expected or hoped.

What can we do in troubled times? Does the Bible just tell us, like my friend did, “Don’t worry, everything will probably be fine”, or does it actually give us concrete reasons to think differently about the world, and our lives, and the future?

In the Gospel of John, chapter 14, Jesus spoke to some people who had just received some news that they didn’t want to hear. As a result, they were worried and anxious. They were sad and uncertain about the future. We’re going see how Jesus spoke to them, to help their troubled hearts!

In troubling times, we can have confidence and hope knowing that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; everything we need for eternity and for this life as well.

John 14 begins in Verse 1, where Jesus is speaking to his disciples, and he says:

John 14:1 ESV

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

The setting in which Jesus said these words, is found in the previous chapter, John 13, where we read that Jesus and his disciples were in Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover, and they had gathered in a large room, to eat the Passover meal together. What the disciples didn’t realize when they went to dinner that evening, was that this was going to be their last meal with Jesus, before he would die.

You see, from John 13-17, John tells us what happened at the Last Supper. It’s called “The Farewell Discourse” (John 13-17)

For John, what Jesus said, and did at the Last Supper were so important, that he takes five chapters to tell us about it, in detail. In less than 24 hours Jesus would be dead and buried in a tomb!!

In Chapter 13, Jesus broke the news to his disciples, that he was going away, that after that night, he would no longer be with them. He had told them before, that at some point he was going to die, but now he’s telling them, that the time of his departure has come. This news absolutely rocked them! It turned their worlds upside down!

Remember, just a few days before this, Jesus had received a hero’s welcome into the city of Jerusalem! People had laid down palm branches on the road, to welcome him, and they embraced him as the promised Messiah, the King of Israel!

Now, the disciples (they thought!) were about to become respected, high ranking officials in the cabinet of the new king!

For years, you can imagine, the parents of the disciples must have been like, “What are you doing with your life, following that Jesus guy around?? He doesn’t even own a house! It’s time for you to get a real job! You’re in your 30’s now!”

And you can imagine — that they would have responded by saying, “Listen mom (dad), I know it doesn’t seem like much right now — but this guy is going places! He’s going to be the King of Israel! He’s going to overthrow the Romans — and when he does, I’m going to become a HIGH RANKING OFFICIAL! Just you wait!

And now — it feels like things are finally just about to happen!

Jesus just entered into Jerusalem — on Palm Sunday — in his Triumphal Entry! There they are in Jerusalem at Passover! This will be the perfect time for Jesus to make his move, and announce that HE is King - and drive out the Romans!

Luke’s Gospel tells us that as they sat at the table that night, the disciples were arguing over which of them would be considered the greatest! (Luke 22:24)

But then, Jesus broke the news: Rather than driving out the Romans, He was going to be killed by the Romans. And one of them was going to betray him! And all of them were going to fall away! Even Peter, who was so bold and strong, was going to deny Jesus three times. And this was all going to happen TONIGHT!

That news was not what they had expected, and it was the last thing they ever wanted to hear! Naturally, their hearts were troubled.

And so Jesus says to them:

1a Let not your hearts be troubled!

What Jesus is telling them, and us, is something very powerful: It is possible to have an untroubled heart, even in the midst of a troubled life.

Jesus told them: “In this life, you’re going to have a lot of troubles! And yet, you can have an un-troubled heart, even in the midst of a troubled life!” And Jesus then tells us how to get it:

1b “Believe in God; believe also in me.”

By saying 1b “Believe in God; believe also in me.”, Jesus was calling them to trust in Him, in the same way that they trusted in God! But notice this: What Jesus tells them (1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.) are imperatives. There is a sense in which, these are things that you can choose to do! And now, starting in Verse 2, Jesus is going to tell us why we can have confidence and hope, even in the midst of troubling times.

In troubling times we can have confidence and hope…

2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Jesus is talking about Heaven! In other words, the key to keeping your heart from being overwhelmed by the troubles of this life is to remember that you have a home awaiting you in Heaven!

Notice the incredible confidence with which Jesus speaks about Heaven!

Jesus told us in the first “I AM” statement that He came from Heaven (John 6:35,38). He’s been there! He’s seen it! It’s not a question!! Jesus tells his disciples, “Not only do I know that I am going to Heaven when I leave this Earth, but the reason I need to die is in order to make a way for you to have a Home in Heaven as well! The purpose of my departure is to prepare a place for you. And then I will come back for you, so that where I am, you may be also!”

The reason Jesus’ disciples could have confidence and hope, even in the midst of troubling times, is because there is a home for them in Heaven!

This life is very short, it won’t last forever. Those 2 truths, that this life is short, and that the things you do in this life matter greatly, put everything else into perspective!

They impact the way that we use the short time that we have here on Earth! They also affect the way you feel about suffering and hardship!

For a person who doesn’t have the hope of Heaven, the fleeting joys of this life, the good moments, are as good as it will ever get!”

But for the person who does have the hope of Heaven, for that person, the hardships of this life are as bad as it will ever get. And those bad moments won’t last forever.

Hope is the confident expectation of coming good. And so, to have the hope of Heaven is to know, that no matter what’s going on in your life right now, the best is yet to come!

When the Apostles wanted to encourage the Early Christians, who were facing persecution and hardship, they encouraged them by pointing them to the hope of Heaven! In Romans chapter 8 — Paul the Apostle writes:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18)

That’s why we do not lose heart.

Although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day, and this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison! (2 Cor. 4:16-17)

And that’s why we must — fix our eyes not on the things that can be seen, but on the things that are unseen: because the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal! (2 Cor. 4:18-19)

Think about it: How would you encourage someone in Ukraine, who has lost everything?! Or what would you say to someone with a terminal illness, or a person with a lifelong handicap? Or how about a person, who made a decision, which altered the course of their life, and not in a good way?

You can’t just say, “Don’t worry, I’m sure everything will be okay!” Maybe it won’t! It’s not just people those people who need this hope, it’s all of us!

Jesus asked one of the most piercing questions in all of history, when he said:

What does it benefit a person if they gain the whole world, and yet lose their own soul??? (Mark 8:36 NLT)

Even if you’re well-off and successful, the nature of this world is that if you live long enough, eventually you lose everything; Your loved ones, your hair, everything you ever worked for and eventually your life.

In attempting to answer the question, “What is the goal or purpose of life?”, Psychology Today says: The goal and purpose of life is to be happy, or to feel fulfilled in your work or your accomplishments.” And yet, a recent NBC News poll showed that only 14% of Americans say that they feel very happy, the lowest number in the past 50 years. According to salary.com, only 38% of Americans feel fulfilled in their work and accomplishments.

And yet, Jesus says that the key to having confidence and hope in the midst of the troubles of this life is knowing that you have a home in Heaven!

So, the question is: How do you get that hope? How do you know if you will get to Heaven?

In troubling times we can have confidence and hope knowing that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life…

4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

5 “Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

Thomas understood that Jesus was talking about Heaven, but he asked a very good, and very important question: “What is the way to get to Heaven?” That’s a really important question! Far too many people just assume that they will go to Heaven when they die, rather than asking the question: “How do you get to Heaven?”

Statistics show that most Americans believe that they will go to Heaven when they die. However, when you ask them why they believe that, or how a person gets to Heaven, most will tell you, that the way to go to Heaven is by being a good person. But the question is: How “good” do you have to be? On the other hand: How “bad” do you have to be, to not go to Heaven? How can you know if you’ve been good enough? So, Thomas’s question is the million dollar question!

What is the way to get to Heaven?

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

The way to get to Heaven, Jesus said, is not by being a good person. It’s not by performing certain religious rituals. The way to get to Heaven, Jesus said, is through Him!

Other religious leaders have claimed to know the way to God, or the way to Salvation, but Jesus said: “I am the way.” In other words, if you follow Him, you will be on the right path.

Not only did Jesus say that He is the Way, He also said that He is the Truth! What Truth do you need to believe? Jesus is that truth, and the life that you seek is: Jesus!

All of history, everything in the Bible, everything you desire in your heart of hearts, is all pointing to and culminating in Him! He’s IT! You don’t need to look any further than Him. Jesus is the answer to all the riddles! All the conundrums, all the big questions of life, all find their answers in Him!

Notice that Jesus doesn’t say that He is “A Way” - or that He is “A Truth”. He said that He is THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life. He’s not just one Way amongst many others and that you can pick the one that is most preferable to you. He isn’t just one truth, amongst many other truths. No! What he says here is very exclusive. He says:

No one can come to the Father, except through me! (14:6)

Many people balk at this! They might be okay with saying that Jesus is one legitimate way to God, but surely He can’t be the only way! What about other religions? What about people who seek God in their own ways? Jesus makes it very clear, as does the rest of the Bible! In Acts 4:12 it says:

Acts 4:12 ESV

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Paul the Apostle, in his letter to the Galatians, asks the question: What if there were other ways to be saved, other than what Jesus did for us? Paul concludes that if salvation could be obtained in any other way, then Jesus died in vain! If you could be saved by being a good enough person, or by performing religious rituals, then Jesus basically just wasted his time because he didn’t really need to die on the cross!

If Jesus is not just “a” way to be saved, but THE way to be saved, then what you believe about Jesus, and what you do with Jesus, is absolutely crucial! It’s more than life and death, it’s a matter of Heaven and Hell!

What Jesus is telling us here, is that, not only is Heaven real, but not everybody is going to go to Heaven! And yet, because of God’s grace, and because of His love, God has made a way for you to come to Him and to spend eternity with Him through Jesus.

Not everybody’s going to Heaven. So how can you know if you are going to Heaven? How do you get to Heaven? The answer is Jesus! He is the way! He’s the truth! He’s the life! You can come to the Father through Him!

But — that’s not the only thing this means for us…

In troubling times we can have confidence and hope knowing that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; everything we need for eternity and for this life as well.

7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

What Jesus is saying here, is that the reason He is the way to God, is because He IS God! Although He is distinct from the Father, His identity, and His being is so bound up with, and united to the Father, that They are one!

When Jesus speaks, God speaks! When Jesus acts, His actions are the actions of God! This is a common theme throughout all of the 7 “I Am” statements: In each of these statements, Jesus is making it clear that He is not just a messenger from God, but He is God, come to us, to be our Savior!

In Verse 11, Jesus says: “Look, you don’t have to just take my word for it! Look at my actions! If you want to know if I really am God, don’t just listen to what I say, take a look at what I do: Healing lepers, raising the dead, forgiving sins! These are things that only God can do!” Then Jesus says next:

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

What Jesus is saying here, is that He didn’t only come, so you can go to Heaven when you die. He also came to give your life a whole new meaning, purpose, and direction. As a person walking in the way of Jesus, your life now has a calling!

Your calling is to do His works in the world until He comes again. Jesus promises to empower you to do those things.

In Verse 12, Jesus tells his disciples, that they will do greater works than He did. That’s an incredible statement because Jesus did some pretty amazing things. How is that even possible?

It’s possible because Jesus is not saying that his followers would do things that were more sensational than the miracles He performed, but that we would do things of greater magnitude. You see, it’s one thing to heal a person of leprosy and prolong their life temporarily, but it’s a greater thing to share with someone the Good News of salvation, which can save their soul. That’s the privilege that we have as the followers of Jesus, doing His work in the world today.

Jesus says, as you live your life to glorify Me, whatever you ask in My name, I will do it! (Vs 13-14). Jesus is telling them that they will have a way to communicate with Him, even after He has left them physically. Because He is God, they can pray to Him, and He will answer their prayers. Whatever they ask for In His name, He will give it to them.

This same promise applies to us. To Pray “in Jesus’ name” doesn’t mean just saying the words “In Jesus’ Name” at the end of your prayer. They aren’t magic words, like “Abra-ca-dabra”.

No, to pray in Jesus’ name means to pray according to His authority, and His desires. It’s like if I asked you to go to the Post Office and pick something up “in my name”, or if you asked me to drop something off “In your Name”. It would mean that I am acting on your authority, according to your will and desires. In other words, to pray “in Jesus’ name” means to pray according to Jesus’ will and desires. If you pray in that way, He will give you what you ask for!

The point is that Jesus isn’t only everything you need for eternal life, He’s also everything you need for this life, as well. For those who need direction, He is the Way. For those who need the truth, He is the Truth. For those who feel dead inside, He is the Life.

He is everything you need, both for eternal life, and for this life as well.

Conclusion

Since Jesus is the Way, we are called to follow Him - and walk in his ways!

Since Jesus is the Truth, we are called to believe in Him, and to receive what he says!

Since Jesus is the Life — it means to live FOR HIM, and to LIVE WITH HIM!

In troubling times we can have confidence and hope knowing that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; everything we need for eternity and for this life as well.