What is the Way?

Review

We are exploring the “I Am” statements of Jesus.

Each “I Am” statement tells us about what Jesus is as God.

Jesus as the Word

Jesus as the Bread of Life

Jesus as Light (then satan as Darkness)

Jesus as the Door, the only way to enter in.

Jesus as the Good Shepherd

Jesus as the Resurrection and the life. (Speaking with Martha after Lazarus died.)

Offers us eternal Life.

Offers us a true bodily resurrection, where our new bodies meet with our souls again to live for Him for eternity.

The Upper Room

Jesus knows that Judas is going to betray him at the conclusion of the evening.

He spends time with His disciples to strengthen, warn, and teach them for the last time.

John 13 He washes their feet and commands them to love one another.

John 14 He tells them that He is going away to prepare a place for them, then He will return.

Thomas asks “We don’t know where your going, how can we know the way?”

John 14:6 “6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

3 separate claims that Christ makes, two of them new.

The Way

Thomas was thinking literally. Jesus was going somewhere, by himself. Where? What roads did He use?

Jesus was speaking of dying and ascending back to the Father.

There are obviously no roads to get to heaven.

But their needs to be a ‘Way’ to get there, so this question while asked out of ignorance and confusion, is a perfect question as Jesus can provide an answer.

John 14:6 “6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

What does Jesus mean?

How is He the way?

Is it available to us as well?

The Warning

We must deal with reality.

We live in a time where men believe that truth is personal and changeable. What is true for me, isn’t necessarily true for you.

May god, whoever you envision Him to be, go with you!

This is utter foolishness as we know that there is true truth.

We know that when we are speeding and we get stopped we can’t escape by saying that I envision the speed limit to be 20 over the sign.... so I shouldn’t get a ticket.

We know that if we fall while on the roof fixing some shingles that we will slide down and if we go over the edge, we will fall down accelerating at a steady rate until we hit the ground.

We know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, that the water is wet, the fire is hot… We are surrounded by true truth that we live by and live with every day. We can not escape truth by denying it.

God is the greatest reality of all.

As the Creator, He is more real than the things that He created. He is more real than the heavens and earth, more enduring....

For us to think that God grows or changes or needs us, is for sin and foolishness. Lets just think about God as He has revealed Himself.

God existed from eternity past, beyond the realms of thought, God was and is and will be.

God can speak and worlds / universes come into existence, fully formed and mature.

God speaks and creates all the animals, birds, vegetation, water, mountains, all of it just with the words of His mouth.

Job 38-41 God deals with Job who is questioning Him and His decrees that allowed God to suffer.

We should all read this as it helps us to see who God is and the foolishness of trying to think we can know anything about God other than what He has revealed.

We must start with this understanding, God is above us infinitely. We will never fully understand Him, nor can we ever change Him. One of the character traits of God is that He doesn’t change, so us little mortals who think that be thinking of Him differently will change him, is sin. We are inventing an idol in our imagination, after the likes of our own heart.

Psalm 50:21 “21 These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes.”

The Start

God comes First in time, in cause, and in priority. He is above all things.

Romans 11:36 “36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”

God created all things.

Genesis 1:1 “1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

It is His, was created by Him, and is maintained by Him. He is God. This is why He has the right to decree what is just behavior and what is sin. All that is, was created by Him, though Him, and is for Him.

God is Holy, holy holy.

God is separate from all created things. He is transendent. Above all.

God is also separate from us in that He knows all things, even our thoughts and hidden heart desires.

Matthew 9:4 “4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?”

Matthew 15:19 “19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”

Ecclesiastes 12:14 “14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.”

1 Corinthians 4:5 “5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.”

God is also pure from all sin.

Two things God can not do. James 1 tells us God can not be tempted with evil, nor will He tempt anyone else with evil.

God cannot lie.

God uses Light to describe this.

He knows as light reveals all before it.

He has no darkness in Him at all 1 John 1:5 “5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”

He is Separate from all sin.

Isaiah 6:3 “3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!””

2 Corinthians 6:15–18 “15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” 17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 18 “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.””

God created this world to display His glory. (His greatness)

Psalm 19:1–6 “1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to run its race. 6 Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.”

God created this world to be a testimony that He exists, of His power, and of His ability, wisdom, goodness.

Romans 1:18–20 “18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,”

Here is the judge of the universe, the creator who is over all, telling us of His judgment.

Man knows enough from creation to cause him to seek after God. Yet He suppresses the truth earning judgment from God.

John 3:19–20 “19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”

After God, we can look at Man

God created man to be His image-bearer in this world.

Genesis 1:26 “26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.””

We were to be representatives for God, to rule over His creation, creating, working, building, caring, helping.... To bring God glory.

Isaiah 43:7 “7 Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.””

Matthew 5:14–16 “14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

When man fell, He changed on the inside, dying spiritually, unable to love God.

Before the fall of man, Adam was given Eve for a wife, they fellow-shipped and talked with God in the cool of the day in the Garden that God had made for them.

After the fall, they were afraid of God, the hide themselves, and they blamed others for their sin. Each action shows the fallen heart of man.

Man is now afraid of God and His perfection.

We no longer look to God with joy, but fearing Him, we hide and try to ignore Him.

Man makes excuses for His sin, trying to justify himself in front of God.

This spiritual death was passed on to all of Adams descendants.

Romans 5:12 “12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—”

1 Corinthians 15:22 “22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.”

Psalm 51:5 “5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” (David’s confession after sinning with Bathsheba)

Man’s fall cause a gulf between God and Man. Man was now guilty at birth, and by choice.

Romans 3:10–11 “10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.”

Isaiah 64:6 “6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.”

God’s conclusion?

Romans 3:19–20 “19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

This is really not even the terrifying part. What is the worst sin?

What is the greatest commandment? Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul....

This shows us the extent of our sin. We can not do it, even knowing that God is good, and that we should.... We love ourselves.

Conclusion:

God is perfect, holy and a just judge of all sin.