I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

John 14:6–7 (NIV)

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Intro/Review:

Review of the I Am Statements of Jesus

I Am the Bread of Life…Am I hungry for Him alone?

I Am the Light of the World…Am I walking in the Light?

I Am the Door of the Sheep…Am I entering through His Way?

I Am the Good Shepherd…Am I following & listening to Him? Do I know His voice?

I Am the Resurrection and Life…Am I living in belief of the resurrection?

Today: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life…Am I a follower of the Way?

Transition to Message:

On the day of Pentecost, the number of Jesus’ disciples grew exponentially.  From a group probably numbering under 100 to a group of about 3,000.  Shortly after that the number was over 5,000 and it just kept growing until they were a movement that became known throughout the empire.  Today, there are an estimated 2.6 Billion people, or about 1/3 of the worlds population, who are believers in Jesus.

What were these disciples first called, what name were they given?  

Not Christians.  They were first called Christians in Antioch – Acts chapter 11.  There was another name they had years before that, before Saul received the name Paul.

Acts 9:1–2 (NIV)

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

The believers were first known as belonging to the Way, or as followers of the Way.  The Bible doesn’t record how Jesus disciples became known as followers of the Way, but more than likely it comes from the I Am statement that we are going to look at today.

Fallen Condition Focus (FCF):

There are a lot of different Ways to pick from in the world today…My Way, Their Way, the Wrong Way…

Dominant Thought (DT):

But there is only One Way that leads to a fulfilled life…that is the Way of Jesus.

Passage Focus & Teaching:

John 14:1–7 (NIV)

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.

Jesus has been with His followers daily for 3 years, they’ve shared meals, struggles, hostile opposition, miracles, conversations, tents, and every aspect of life. And now, Jesus is preparing His closest friends for His departure in the flesh.

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?

One day His followers will go to join Him. There is plenty of room for those who decide to follow the Way. The Father has enough space for all who believe and follow. If it wasn’t true Jesus wouldn’t have told them so.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

And He isn’t going away to sit idle and wait. No, He is going to the Father to prepare a place for us. He had to return to the Father to fulfill the Way we will go. From perfect relationship with the Father, to life in this world, taking on our sins and allowing Himself to be separated from the Father, now returning to the Father. The Way of Jesus is our Way.

You know the way to the place where I am going.” 

Jesus has shown the Way, and His followers know where He is going.

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 

Thomas is thinking of a destination. He isn’t sure where Jesus is physically going, so he doesn’t think they can know the Way.

Imagine for a moment giving someone directions to Tulip Christian Church. Think beyond the modern conveniences of map apps…what if you had to tell someone the way to get here? What are some important pieces of information you would need to know and need to share;

First, where are they coming from…Centralia, Paris, Moberly…

Second, what is the location of Tulip…not an address, where are we physically at…

Third, what are the roads and turns they will need to take to get here…

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Let’s look at three foundational teachings from Jesus in this I Am statement:

The WAY does not lead us to a DESTINATION, it brings us to a RELATIONSHIP. Our ULTIMATE DESTINATION is not a LOCATION, it is a RENEWED RELATIONSHIP with GOD:

We must first know where we are going…what is our destination?

At the end of this life we are currently living, where will we go? Two realities…heaven or hell…but we can get too wrapped up in what those “places” will be like. That’s a distraction, our destination isn’t a location, it is a relationship. Jesus didn’t suffer our punishment, die for our sins, and raise back to life so we can go live in a majestic place called heaven…He rescued us from the separation from our Creator, and renewed our relationship with the Father.

Our renewed relationship with God grows deeper and more impactful as we learn to practice the Ways of Jesus…maybe someday we will spend some time looking at them together, but my prayer is that we are each looking, learning and practicing them daily.

The TRUTH is a PERSON: Jesus is the Truth.

And He came to set us free so we may have life to the full.

John 8:31–32 (NIV)

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:34–36 (NIV)

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

The LIFE we are called to is FULLNESS in CHRIST.

Sandwiched between the I Am statements Anthony taught on a couple of weeks ago is a promise Jesus made to each of us.

John 10:10 (NIV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Have you heard the phrases, “I’m living my best life.” and “I’m living the dream.” What do those phrases mean?

I have all I want in life.

I have all I need in life.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Life couldn’t be more perfect.

Ever any hint of sarcasm? Could it be these worldly phrases are never full attainable separate from God and living The Ways of Jesus?

Don’t miss this church, to live life to the full…we must practice living The Ways of Jesus.

John 13:34–35 (NIV)

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Closing/Call to Action:

Friends, Jesus is inviting us into a Way of life. And His invitation is open to all who want to live a life to the full. He’s preparing the Way, He has taught and shown us the Truth, and He will come one day to bring us home for good.

This world is full of ways but none of them lead to the Ultimate Destination. When we follow the ways of the world we will live perpetually in that sense of being lost.

Have you ever been lost? Ever lost a child?