I Need a Hero

John 14:1-14

Big Idea: In times of uncertainty and fear, we have a true hero in Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life, leading us confidently towards our eternal destiny.

I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life

14 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 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. 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?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 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.

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.

Jesus Christ never asks anyone to define his position or to understand a creed, but “Who am I to you?” Jesus Christ makes the whole of human destiny depend on a man’s relationship to himself.

Oswald Chambers (Lecturer and Missionary)

Is there anyone in here that is in need of a hero?

Jesus starts this by saying let your hearts not be troubled. What an amazing Savior we have that in His last days with His disciples He would be telling them not to be troubled.

In our feeling-sensitive world, it is worth noting that Jesus acknowledges the disciples’ fear without endorsing it. Instead of making their fear the focus, Jesus calls them to faith.

Jesus calls the disciples to believe, not because of the situation but in spite of it—to be assured of things hoped for—to be convicted of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). It was that kind of faith that led Abram to follow God without knowing his destination (Hebrews 11:8-12). God blessed Abram’s faith by bringing forth from him a great nation—Israel—the people of God. Jesus will bless the disciples’ faith—a faith not yet fully present at this table—by bringing forth from them the church—the new Israel—the people of God.

Jesus calls the disciples to believe, not only in God, but also in himself.  The time will come when these disciples will believe, but they struggle with belief right now. Is there anybody in here struggling with belief right now?

It is worth noting that Jesus’ counsel works! When friends tell us not to worry, we worry anyway. However, when we obey Jesus’ counsel to believe in God and Jesus, our worries lose their power. If, indeed, “all things work together for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28), what have we to fear? If God is for us, what does it matter who is against us? (Romans 8:31). That kind of faith triumphs over fear.

Jesus goes on to say that where I go you also go. I go to prepare a room for you. Not only has Jesus died for our sins, but He has gone before us to prepare a place for us. How can anyone ask how do we find Jesus. Finding Jesus is easy we know the way. Plus Jesus makes it easy to find Him. He actually comes looking for you.

Jesus said that where I am you will be also. This means that those who believe in Jesus will be with Him in Heaven. It is amazing to me that scripture says that some doubted. There were those who were with Jesus that did not believe He was God. There are those now a day that do not believe that Jesus is God. But let me tell you that Jesus is 100% man and 100% God. You can’t believe in God the Father and not believe in Jesus. You can’t believe in Jesus and not believe in the Father. For those who believe that the Holy Spirit does not play a significant role are lost. It is the Trinity of God the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit that matter.

This is one of the things that I always struggled with was that the disciples walked with Jesus and they still doubted. Can you imagine walking with Jesus and seeing all that He did but yet doubt. Yet have a lack of faith. So I was like Lord how can I come to a place of having no doubt if the disciples that walked with you did. Obviously I could not go back to see the miracles and hear Jesus speak. But Jesus allowed us to go to the promised land. I was allowed to go to Israel and walk in the same places that Jesus walked. I was able to sit in the places that Jesus sat and see the same things that Jesus saw. Yes I am unable to actually go back and walk with Jesus in person, but I was there in the same places, I was at the beatitudes, on the sea of Galilee. I can say to you without a doubt that Jesus is real and that He lives.

Is there anyone who needs a hero today?

Can we talk about how Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus uses the powerful I AM statement which indicates that He is God. Can we talk about Jesus saying that I am the way, I am the truth, and finally I am the life.

In a civilization like ours, I feel that everyone has to come to terms with the claims of Jesus Christ upon his life, or else be guilty of inattention or of evading the question.

C. S. Lewis

Does anyone need a hero?

1. I am the Way:

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

Jesus says that if you have seen Me then you have seen the Father. The Father and Jesus are one.

The WAY: The Hebrew Derek; The word derek means a path way. It was often represented just as it sounds, with someone casually strolling down a path or road.

When I think about this I think of the Wizard of Oz. They sing the song follow the yellow brick road. There was only one way to the wizard. There is only one way to God the Father and that is through Jesus. Jesus is the way. Phillip was lost when he asked what is the way. Jesus said have you not been with me and do you not know that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? You know the way. We have to know the way to find the Father. Jesus is the way to the Father in fact there is no other way.

The problem is that people try many other ways the Get to God the Father. They try buy works. They figure if I can do enough and earn my way into Heaven that may work. They think that they can buy their way into Heaven. They think that they can fake their way into Heaven. But there is only one way into heaven and that way is Jesus.

The word of God is the road map to find Jesus and to know Him. This takes a true acceptance of Jesus as Lord. Truly allowing Him to enter our hearts. The funny thing is that when we think of a way. We think of a route that we must take. We think of a path that we must follow. We think of directions that we must complete. But can I tell you that the way is not a location but the way is a person. That person is the person of Jesus Christ. The only begotten Son of the Father sent to earth to die on a cross. He is the way and the only way. If you are trying to find Jesus He Himelf said that He stands knocking at the door. All you have to do is let Him in. All you have to do is surrender yourself to Jesus .

I have been all over the world. I have been to Korea, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Italy,Turkey, and Israel. Non of those places could get me to heaven just by being there. I also did not see any signs saying this way to Heaven. I have tried to do it my way, and I am sure that many of you have tried to do it your way. But truth is there is only one way and that way is Jesus. I came to the place that I need a Savior. I need a Hero and Jesus came along. I know that I may seem big and strong. I know that I have served for 28 and 1/2 years with the Rhode Island State Police. I have served in the army and have gone to war. But I am not afraid to tell you that I need a Savior. That I need a hero. Jesus is that Savior that came into my life. Not only did He come into my life but I surrendered my life to Him. Jesus my hero saved me from myself. Guess what He will do the same for you.

When Jesus said, “I am the Way,” He clearly intended to exclude all other ways, so beware lest you perish in any one of them!

Charles Spurgeon

Look at your neighbor and ask which way do I go?

2. I am the Truth:

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

The word truth in Aramaic here is sharira and in Hebrew, it is 'emit which means genuineness, authentic and sincere. So we worship God in sincerity and authentically.

He is “the truth.” The truth sets us free (8:32). Jesus is the truth in the flesh, and will leave us in the hands of the Spirit of truth (14:17; 15:26; 16:13). Jesus is the opposite of the devil, about whom he says, 

“there is no truth in him”.

I laugh when I think about Jesus standing before Pilate and he asks Jesus what is truth? He is standing before the truth and asking what is truth. This is the dilemma that most people find themselves in. They need the truth and the truth stands available for them but they refuse to see it. That the truth is not far away but we can’t seem to reach it. But the actual truth is that Jesus came and it is Jesus who has set us free. That is the truth of it.

Doesn’t it make since that if God’s word must stand and not fall to the ground.

In the book of John he says that the word was with God and the word was God. Everything was made through Him and for Him and nothing was without Him. He is the truth and everything He says cannot fall to the ground. He said the truth will set you free. That is Jesus who came to set you free.

Luke 4:18–19

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,

This is Jesus that is saying this in Luke. We see Isaiah prophesying in:

Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;”

Isaiah is a major prophet in the Old Testament and he is speaking about the coming of the Lord. The fact that Isiah said that the Spirit of the Lord God is upon him indicates that he is not speaking about himself but the Spirit of God is speaking through him. Speaking about the truth that Jesus would come and set the captives free. He would come full of power and grace.

The struggle that most of us have is that we do not tap into the truth of who Jesus is. We do not tap into the truth of His authority. We do not tap into the truth of His Sonship. We do not tap into the truth of His anointing.

Jesus said that you will do greater things. If this is the case why are we not seeing greater things? It is because we have not understood the truth of who is Jesus.

Truth is that John was right. The sooner we can come to the truth that it is about Jesus, for Jesus, and because of Jesus the sooner we can break free from the wish washy lukewarm Christianity. Because the moment we come to that conclusion will be the moment that we realize that it is not about us. Can I get an amen from somebody!

Jesus came and is now sitting at the right hand of God the Father. But He did not leave us alone. He sent His Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of truth. because God’s word cannot fall to the ground. Whether it is the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit they all speak from one person and those words are truth. They will stand the test of time. Our Father God said that all things will end but His word will remain.

Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

In other words you take what the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit says to the bank. It is a check that you can be cashed.

In a world where truth is hard to find there is one place that you can garuntee is the truth. That is Jesus the Christ of Nazareth. Truth is we will believe our politicians before we believe in Jesus Christ. Truth is we will believe then shows on TV before we believe in Jesus Christ. Truths is we will believe in some book that someone else wrote before we will believe in Jesus.

The story of David facing Goliath is a classic hero narrative: a small shepherd takes on a giant, armed only with faith and a slingshot. As David declared, the battle was the Lord’s! When you feel overwhelmed, remember that the same God who gave David victory awaits to save you from your giants, no matter their size.

Superman was my favorite Super Hero before I met Jesus. Come on everyone Superman was the strongest and most powerful. He could fly faster than a speeding bullet. Jump higher than the empire state building. He was stronger than a locomotive. When I was growing up Superman was my guy.

Superman's core values are truth, justice, and a better tomorrow. He represents the belief that good will always win and the best of humanity. 

I often wonder if the creator of the DC character was a Christain. Because that description sounds like my Jesus. Jesus is faster than a speed in bullet (He is omnipresent). He can jump higher than the Empire State Building (He does not have to jump). Jesus is stronger than a locomotive (Real trains are toy trains to him). Here is the thing Superman had a weakness kryptonite. You put some kryptonite in front of Superman and he is done. Jesus does not have a weakness. He is all powerful, and He is all knowing. That is the truth. That is why Jesus is my hero.

Look at your neighbor and say truth is you need a hero?

3. I am the Life:

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

The New Testament was originally written in Greek, a language richer than English in the diversity and complexity of its vocabulary. For example, there are three Greek words for life used in the New Testament: bios, psuche, and zoe. These words have different meanings, but they're all translated into English as life. So if we want to know which meaning life has in a particular verse, we need to know which Greek word is being used.

Bios: translates as life of the physical body.

Psuche: translates as soul life.

Zoe: refers to uncreated, eternal life of God, the divine life uniquely possessed by God. 

In this passage Jesus is saying He is the Zoe the eternal life. 

He is “the life.” For the Jewish people, the Torah was the book of life. It instructed people in life-giving faith and practice. Now Jesus becomes the life-giver. He says, 

“I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly”.

This is the amazing thing about Jesus. Not only did He come as the way and the truth. But He comes as the life. Jesus is life and the life giver. We were all dead in our sins. Doomed to an eternity of fire. But Jesus came along and gave us life. The life giver brought life. Jesus came to reconcile what was lost back to the Father. Not only did Jesus create everything, but He also came to redeem everything.

Now I know I was speaking about Superman. But Superman can’t give life or create life. I know there was the movie where Superman flew around the world backwards to save Lois Lane. But Jesus saved all of mankind in one full swoop. He offers life to all who believe. Jesus could have sacrificed on the cross and been done with it. But He did not do that because He is still in the world saving people from their situations. Saving them from their jobs. Saving them from themselves. Saving them from abusive relationships. Saving them financially. Saving them from starving. The list goes on and on for the things that Jesus saves us from.

My prayer everyday is that Jesus would save me from me. He is the lite of my life and if it were not for Jesus I have no ideas where I would be. I know I would not be here speaking to you. He saved my life and gave me life. Not just life were I was just scraping by, but life to the full, abundant life. That is why I call Him my hero. Is He anyone else’s Hero In hear today? He is life. When we truly surrender ourselves to Him and walk in His ways He comes and lives in you. Like Paul said now it is not you who live but Christ who lives in you.

Galatians 2:20–21 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”

But He died for us giving us life in the Father. The life is the light that shines in you. The light that the darkness could not understand. That light was life. Listen the darkness could not understand life. In darkness there is no life. The light that shines on all mankind now lives in you. Eyes that were closed are now opened. Ears that were shut are now hearing. Limbs that were too weak to move are now strong and vigorous. A heart that was made of stone is now made of flesh.

When I say that Jesus is life this means spiritually and physically. Listen I am not a doctor but I know that the majority of illnesses come from stress. Jesus comes in and takes away our stress. Come on somebody. I bet If I had the right doctor standing here he or she could tell us the physical benefits of following Jesus. He said your body is a temple which indicates taking care of yourself. Since I met Jesus my blood tempeture went down. I am just saying.

Having made Jesus his all, he shall find all in Jesus.

Charles Spurgeon

End with this:

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.

We write Jesus’ name upon our banner, for it is hell’s terror, heaven’s delight and earth’s hope. Jesus Christ Himself, Volume 23, Sermon #1388 - Ephesians 2:20

Charles Spurgeon

Jesus says that whoever believes in Him will also do the works that He does. He goes on to say that they will do greater works than He.

Here is the problem with making this about you. You cannot do any works aside from Jesus.

Jesus Christ reveals, not an embarrassed God, not a confused God, not a God who stands apart from the problems, but one who stands in the thick of the whole thing.

Oswald Chambers (Lecturer and Missionary)

Jesus has given us the authority to cast out demons. To heal the sick and lame. To speak against evil and proclaim His life to others. I struggled with this for a long time. The reason I struggled with it was because I was not seeing any of these things. The conclusion that I have to come to is that we are not seeing these things because we have not truly excepted Jesus as the way, the truth and the life. That Jesus has become an additive to our lives in stead becoming our lives. Because biblical faith now a days looks radical to a lukewarm world. I think that deep down inside we are ok with not seeing miracles. Because if we were to see miracles that would make us have to really accept Jesus for who He is. It would probably scare most of us and make us walk away all together.

When we first planted Sacred Exchange Fellowship. I invited two friends to a service. After the service was over I noticed that they had left. It wasn’t because it was a bad or long service. It was because the devil in them could not stand close to the God who was in the room. There are people today who do not come to church because the devil that is in them is afraid of being in the presence of our Father God. Of being in the presence of Jesus Christ.

My question is do you believe? Jesus said if you ask me anything in my name I will do it. Does anyone need a hero today? Is there anybody in here that believes enough to see God move today.

Here is my alter call and if you do not believe I do not want you to respond to the alter call. This is for those who believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. I believe that Jesus wants to heal someone today. If you need prayer for anything at all I want you to come to the alter. Jesus said that if you ask anything in my name I will do it. I believe that He wants to do some things this morning.