Is Jesus Real

Prayer

St. Patrick’s Prayer

May the Strength of God pilot us.

May the Power of God preserve us.

May the Wisdom of God instruct us.

May the Hand of God protect us.

May the Way of God direct us.

May the Shield of God defend us.

May the Host of God guard us

Against the snares of the evil ones,

Against temptations of the world.

May Christ be with us!

May Christ be before us!

May Christ be in us,

Christ be over all!

May Thy Salvation, Lord,

Always be ours,

This day, O Lord, and evermore. Amen.

Jesus: The Way, the Truth, the Life—No Other Road!

Take your Bibles this morning, dear friends, and turn with me to the Gospel of John, chapter 14, verse 6. Put this down in your margin: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Now listen, friend, in a world spinning with a thousand voices shouting, “This is the way! That’s the truth!” Jesus steps forward, bold as a lion, and declares, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Not a way among many. Not a truth to consider. But the way, the truth, the life. Exclusive. Eternal. Undeniable.

You see, folks, the big question burning in every heart today is this: Is Jesus real? And if He is, is He the only way? Now, I’m not talking about some misty myth or fairy-tale figure who faded into legend. No, sir. The Bible gives us rock-solid proof in Acts chapter 1, verse 3: “To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days.” Forty days! He didn’t vanish like smoke—He showed up, friend. Touched His wounds for doubting Thomas. Ate broiled fish with stunned disciples. Taught kingdom truths to skeptics turned believers. These weren’t hallucinations in hysterical minds; these were courtroom-convicting, history-shaking realities that demand a verdict.

Imagine, if you will, a firefighter bursting into blazing ruins, scooping you from the flames, carrying you to safety—then rolling up his sleeves to show scars from the inferno, proving he’s the real rescuer. You’d follow that man anywhere, wouldn’t you?

Well, Jesus did infinitely more—He plunged into sin’s inferno, bore the cross’s fire, rose triumphant, and says, “Follow Me; I’m the only way out.”

And friends, the evidence stacks higher: the empty tomb first seen by women—women whose word meant nothing in that culture. Rabbinical sayings dismissed them: “Burn the Law before giving it to women.”

Yet the Gospels name Mary Magdalene and others as first witnesses.

Why? Because it happened that way—embarrassing truth too raw for legend-makers to invent.

And the prophecies? Just eight of Messiah’s 318 predictions—odds like marking one silver dollar in a Texas-deep, two-foot pile covering the whole state, blindfolded, and picking it first. One in ten-to-the-seventeenth power. That’s no coincidence; that’s the Creator signing His work.

The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus Responding to Objections

I had studied this same statistical analysis by mathematician Peter W. Stoner when I was investigating the messianic prophecies for myself. Stoner also computed that the probability of fulfilling forty-eight prophecies was one chance in a trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion!4

Our minds can’t comprehend a number that big. This is a staggering statistic that’s equal to the number of minuscule atoms in a trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, billion universes the size of our universe!

“The odds alone say it would be impossible for anyone to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies,” Lapides concluded. “Yet Jesus—and only Jesus throughout all of history—managed to do it.”

1: Recognize God’s Promises

Now listen, friend, before we grab hold of this golden verse, put this down in your margin: John 14:6 didn't drop from the sky like some fortune cookie wisdom. No, sir. It came roaring out of the Upper Room on the darkest night in history—the night before the cross. Jesus had just washed their feet, predicted Judas' betrayal, and told Peter he'd deny Him three times. The disciples' hearts were churning like a hurricane-hit sea. Philip blurts, "Show us the Father!" Thomas pipes up in verse 5, "Lord, we don't know where you're going—how can we know the way?" Chaos. Confusion.

And right there, Jesus draws a line in the sand. But friend, this wasn't just talk in a tense supper room; it's backed by history that screams Jesus is real.

Take the prophecies—over 300 in the Old Testament pinpointing the Messiah. Peter Stoner crunched the numbers on just eight: born in Bethlehem, heralded by a messenger, enter Jerusalem on a donkey, betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, money thrown in God's house, silent before accusers, crucified with thieves, bones unbroken, buried in rich man's tomb. The odds?

One chance in 10 to the 17th power. That's silver dollars two feet deep across Texas—blindfolded, you pick the marked one on the first try.

Impossible?

Only if Jesus isn't real. Or consider the empty tomb: skeptics say women witnesses make it shaky. But in first-century Judea, women's word was worthless in court—rabbis said burn the Law before giving it to them. Why invent a story starring Mary Magdalene and friends as first eyewitnesses? Legends would've trotted out Peter or John. No, friend—this embarrassing truth proves the Gospels tell it straight. The Upper Room context? A powder keg of doubt exploding into divine clarity, grounded in prophecies and tomb facts that nail Jesus as history's hero.

A. Relive the disciples' dread—betrayal looming, denial predicted, hearts heavy as they face an unknown road without their Master.

B. Revel in Jesus' timing—not panic, but promise, answering Thomas' honest ache with heaven's highway map.

C. Rest on the historical hooks—prophecies stacked like Texas silver, women's tomb tale too raw to fake, setting the stage for sovereign truth.

Now that we've stepped into that smoke-filled Upper Room, friend, let's zero in on the lightning bolt Jesus hurls next.

MAIN POINT 2: Receive the Radical Revelation

Put this down, folks: Jesus didn't whisper options—He thundered absolutes: Way, Truth, Life. Not a suggestion for the spiritually curious. Not a vote among gurus. The exclusive claim: "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Now listen—the Way? He's the road, not a ramp or detour. In Roman times, "way" meant a raised path through swamps—only one gets you safe to the Father. Truth? Not facts floating loose; Jesus is truth incarnate, God unveiled, shredding every lie from the father of lies. Life? Not mere breath, but zoe—eternal, abundant life bubbling from His veins. Contrast the counterfeits: Buddha points to a path but says, "I'm not God." Muhammad claims prophet but bows to Allah. New Age mumbles "all roads lead up." But Jesus? "No man cometh... but by me." Bold. Beautiful. Backbone of the Bible. Friend, this central thunderclap shatters pluralism's pretty fog—He's the singular Savior, period.

A. The Way: Exclusive Path—no GPS reroutes; He's the bridge over sin's chasm, straight to the Father's throne.

B. The Truth: Eternal Anchor—lies crumble like sandcastles; Jesus stands, revealing God without spin or shadow.

C. The Life: Overflowing Fountain—death's drought ends in Him; apart, we're husks— in Him, rivers of living water.

Oh, friend, with this revelation ringing like a cathedral bell, the only question left is: What will you do with it today?

MAIN POINT 3: Respond with Radical Resolve

Here's the payoff, dear ones—Jesus real, Jesus only? Then surrender the wheel. Not tomorrow's good intentions, but today's gut-level grip on grace. Imagine a pilot ditching a crashing plane, strapping you to his parachute, then landing you safe—would you argue detours? No! You'd cling, follow, testify. Jesus parachuted from glory, nailed your crash to His cross, rose to prove it. Now? Abide daily, empowered by the Spirit He promised next in this chapter. Witness fearlessly—apostles turned world-upside-down after Pentecost. And leave consequences? Obey God, watch Him orchestrate. Put this in your margin: Response isn't optional; it's the road to fruit that lasts.

A. Repent and Receive—confess your detours, invite Him as Way-Maker into your heart right now, no delay.

B. Remain and Rely—daily vine-life, Spirit-strength for trials, bearing fruit that glorifies the Father.

C. Radiate and Reach—tell your neighbor, your family; Jesus' exclusivity isn't hate—it's holy rescue for the lost.

Friend, Way, Truth, Life—no other road. Bow to Him today!

My friend, stack these proofs like unyielding stones—those forty days of touchable triumphs, the astronomical odds of prophecies fulfilled like picking that one marked silver dollar from Texas-deep treasure, the candid courage of women witnesses who’d never pass a courtroom test yet sealed the empty tomb’s truth. Here’s the truth: Jesus stands risen, real, the singular road to the Father. No detours. No delusions.

Now put this down in your margin: Examine. Surrender. Proclaim. Examine daily, digging into this evidence till doubt dissolves. Surrender wholly, abiding in Him as your lifeline, the Spirit your strength for every storm. Proclaim fearlessly, telling your neighbor, your family, that Jesus alone bridges the gulf to God.

Imagine standing at that empty tomb yourself, scars in hand, fish on the fire—would you turn away? No, sir! Bow your head right now, friend. Pray with me: “Lord Jesus, I see You’re real, the only way. Forgive my wandering. Come into this heart, make me Yours forever.” Obey Him today—leave the results to God. He is the Way, the Truth, the Life. No man cometh but by Him. And that, dear ones, is eternal victory! Amen.