Youth Fun Night 4/12/25
Timothy von Kroge
Chapel Service - What did Jesus mean? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 4 viewsNotes
Transcript
What did Jesus mean?
What did Jesus mean?
Opening
With a show of hands, who can tell me what the Trinity is?
Do we understand the roles of the Trinity?
Did Jesus ever discuss these roles?
Can we honestly say we understand these roles?
Today we will discover the message Jesus gave us in His gospel about these roles by looking at three key passages.
Let us take the time the discuss what we understand about the roles of the Trinity involving our salvation, with a show of hands.
Does anyone understand the role of God the Father?
Does anyone understand the role of God the Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior?
Does anyone understand the role of God the Holy Spirit?
Why do you think it is important to understand these roles?
Do you believe Jesus thought it was important for you to understand this?
I believe it is key for us as Christians to understand these roles.
If you want to tell your family member or friend about Jesus Christ and what they must do to get salvation, you must have an understanding of these roles.
That is our focus today.
We want to look at what Jesus was teaching us when He discussed this with these verses we are going to cover today
We want to discover what did Jesus mean with this teaching.
Our first verse
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Let us examine this verse with context to get the full understanding of its interpretation.
Once we do this, we want to go over our next verse.
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
We will also examine this verse with context to get the full understanding of its interpretation.
Then we will go to our last verse
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Then we will finish with discussing the roles of the Trinity involving our salvation
Opening prayer
Introduction
Welcome to our chapel service of Calvary Baptist Church in Salem, Ohio.
Our goal is to provide an interactive learning environment to encourage everyone who attends to examine the teachings of Jesus using their Bibles.
We want you to look at what Jesus was saying in these teachings and how these teachings are applied in your life?
My name is Brother Timothy vonKroge and I am currently working with our pre teen and teenagers in our church.
I enjoy teaching in the field of hermeneutics.
What is hermeneutics do you ask?
Hermeneutics is the science and art of biblical interpretation.
I teach an adult online class called Scriptural Discovery and I demonstrate a way to interpret the Bible using the context and an old college study method taught to me 35 years old.
That online class came from a youth ministry that encourages our children to teach their own classes.
This has always been helpful as I personally study the Bible.
It is important to pray before doing any study.
Can anyone tell me why it is important?
If you said that we need God’s guidance to study the Bible, you are correct.
If you also explained that we do not have God’s wisdom to understand it ourselves, you got bonus points.
My next question is why do we need to study and read the Bible?
If you responded that it is completely necessary for our growth as Christians, you are on a role.
Why am I saying all this?
Well this chapel ministry is designed to bring our reach as a church to our community, we want to show everyone something new and exciting.
What can we show you that is new and exciting?
Well, I am being guided by the Holy Spirit to show a teaching by our Lord and Savior and how it applies to our lives.
We get to discover What did Jesus mean?
Here is the exciting part, we get to show a way to discover what our Lord and Savior was trying to teach us and hopefully God willing, we may encourage one person to start looking for their answers in the Bible instead of the world around them.
If we can encourage one person, maybe that person will encourage another, right?
Maybe we can be the start to someone else’s journey to God and they can help someone else.
That is our goal.
We want to reach people outside of our church, right?
So my chapel services will always be outside in the community.
Sometimes in Salem, sometimes we will be elsewhere.
We want to do our part in the Great Commission,, right?
Who knows what the Great Commission is?
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
So with that, I want to welcome everyone to our chapel service.
Beginning
Let us look at our first verse again.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
What is Jesus doing here?
He is preparing His disciples with reassurance, in advance of His arrest and death, right?
How is this statement a reassurance?
These words boldly encourage believers to maintain faith in the face of hardship.
Confidence comes to Christians because they have the knowledge that Jesus is preparing to take us to be with Him.
Let us examine the context
In this verse, Thomas asks a reasonable question
Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
The answer Christ gives reinforces a doctrine of salvation by grace through faith, as well as denying there are “many paths” to God.
Prior to the label “Christians”
And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
faith in Jesus was often referred to as “the way”.
But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
Thomas’ question though assumes the normal pattern of human accomplishment
We determine an end goal and work accordingly
But salvation cannot be accomplished by good works, right?
Our sin nature makes it impossible to behave in a way that reconciles us to God
Did Jesus tell His disciples that they knew the destination?
No
What did He say?
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
He said He would come get them
But they know “the way” there , right?
Why is this true?
Because the means of salvation is not a process, it is a person.
It is through, and only through, the person of Christ, right?
That is how we are meant to know God
If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Just for some more context let us look at this reference verse
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
This clearly states that salvation comes through a person, right?
Rescue from sin comes through Jesus.
It does not come through rituals, accomplishments, or personal goodness.
The disciples know how to arrive where Jesus is going because they know Him.
They know “the way” because that Way is Jesus, right?
Christ clearly states He is the way, the truth and the life.
He doubles down on this idea, in fact, by emphasizing that nobody comes to God the Father except through Him.
Rarely does anyone object to the idea that those who believe in Christ will be saved.
Where many people get offended is the clear teaching that only those who believe in Christ find salvation.
This is the clear teaching of Scripture
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
Now let us look at our next Scripture
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Why does God the Father need to draw us to salvation?
Simply put, if He didn’t , we would never come, right?
The natural man has no ability to come to God, nor does he even have the desire to come.
Why do you think that is?
If you said, because his heart is hard and his mind is darkened, you would be right.
An unsaved person does not desire God and is actually an enemy of God.
Look at Romans 5:10.
What did Jesus mean here?
Jesus is saying clearly that no man can come without God’s drawing him.
He is making a statement about the total depravity of the sinner
An unsaved person’s heart is so darkened that he does not even realize it
Therefore, it is only by the merciful and gracious drawing of God that we are saved.
In the conversion of the sinner, God enlighten the mind
Look at Ephesians 1:18.
God inclines the will towards Himself.
God influences the soul, right?
Why?
Without this influence, the soul remains darkened and rebellious towards God.
All of this is involved in the drawing process
How does this work?
The first thing that happens is the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sinful state and our need for a Savior
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Second, He awakens in us a previously unknown interest in spiritual things and creates a desire for them that was never there before.
Suddenly our ears are open, our hearts are inclined towards Him, and His Word begins to hold a new and exciting fascination for us, right?
Our spirits begin to figure out spiritual truth that never made sense to us before
Look at 1 Corinthians 2:14.
Finally we begin to have new desires, right?
God places a new heart that wants to go towards Him, a heart that desires to know Him, obey Him, and walk in the newness of life that He has promised.
Look at Romans 6:4.
This statement is nearly identical to Jesus’ earlier words
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
This also strongly supports the doctrine of eternal security.
Does anyone know what the doctrine of eternal security is?
This is the doctrine that states those who are truly saved cannot ever lose their salvation, under any circumstances.
Once a person has come to faith in Christ, Christ will raise that person up to eternal life
Now let us look at our last verse
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
What do you think the disciples were thinking when Jesus said this?
The suggestion that Jesus leaving was beneficial to them would probably sounded pretty absurd in their minds, right?
However, in order to complete His atonement for sin, it would be necessary for Jesus to leave.
Look at John 12:31-32.
Also Jesus leaving is tied to a specific role of the Holy Spirit
So, as long as Jesus is there, in person, the object of the disciple’s faith would always be a real external person.
That is not necessarily bad
However, they would constantly depend on Him to direct them, or answer their questions.
Their own thoughts and conscience would be pushed aside, in favor of asking Jesus for His judgment.
When He was not physically present, they would feel incomplete, right?
What does this mean?
In short, Jesus’ physical presence in some sense limits the depth of their reliance on God.
It also limits how many people Jesus can influence at once.
The Holy Spirit , on the other hand, completely fulfills the prediction given in Jeremiah 31:31-34.
What does the Holy Spirit do?
The Holy Spirit provides the ability for each Christian to have constant, personal, immediate, indwelling contact with God.
Instead of relying on someone “outside” of themselves, believers in Christ can focus on the voice of God “inside” their hearts, as He dwells with them.
Look at John 14:17.
That does not mean Christians are mistake free or all knowing
Look at 2 Corinthians 13:5.
It does mean that we have the advantage of His influence , so far as we are willing to submit to it
Look at 1 Corinthians 2:14-16.
Conclusion
The Roles of the Trinity in salvation
The Father calls us or draws us to Christ
The Son saves us by giving His perfect ,sinless life of obedience as a ransom for us
The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins, making us aware of our need for Christ through His inner work, and through the outer Word, the Word of God.
God the Father is the architect of salvation.
His role is primarily one of beginning and love, right?
Look at John 3:16.
The Father’s love is the driving force behind the plan of salvation, and His will is executed through the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Look at Ephesians 1:4-5.
Jesus Christ, The Son, is central to the execution of the Father’s plan.
His incarnation, life, death, and resurrection are the means by which salvation is accomplished
Look at John 14:6.
The Son’s sacrificial death on the cross is an atonement for sin, satisfying divine justice and reconciling humanity to God.
Look at Romans 5:8-9.
The Holy Spirit’s role in salvation is one of application and empowerment.
The Spirit convicts individuals of sin, leads them to repentance, and regenerates their hearts.
Look at John 16:8.
The Spirit also indwells believers , sealing them as God’s own and empowering them to live a life of holiness
Look at Ephesians 1:13-14.
The work of salvation is an unified act of the Trinity
Each person of the Trinity contributes uniquely yet inseparably.
The Father plans and initiates, the Son accomplishes and mediates, and the Spirit applies and sustains.
This divine cooperation ensures that salvation is both a gift of grace and a life changing process
This leads believers into a restored relationship with God and eternal life.
The Trinity’s involvement in salvation underscores the depth of God’s love,right?
The Trinity’s involvement also shows the comprehensive nature of His redemptive work, right?
Closing prayer
On your handout that we passed out is a list of all of the Scripture we discussed in the service today, I encourage you to go home and do your own study and discover the roles of the Trinity in your salvation.
Thank you and have a blessed night
