I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life

I BELEIVE....

SANTA CLAUSE, ST NICHOLAS, FATHER CHRISTMAS… - DO YOU BELIEVE IN THEM? ELF ON THE SHELF ???

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO BELIEVE?

John 14:1–6 ESV

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 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? 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. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know 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.

john 14:

IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND WE HAVE TO BACK UP A LITTLE.

SLIDE LAST SUPPER

THEY WERE JUST AT THE LAST SUPPER

JESUS TOLD THEM THAT ONE OF THEM WOULD BETRAY HIM

JESUS TOLD THEM THAT PETER WOULD DENY HIM

HE ALSO TELLS THEM HE IS LEAVING

John 14:1 ESV

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) 4411 πίστις

believe to a complete trust

I USE THIS PASSAGE SOMETIMES IN FUNERAL MESSAGES - THIS PASSAGE TELLS US ABOUT ETERNAL LIFE. SO IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THIS CONCEPT WE HAVE TO TELL OF HOW A JEWISH WEDDING WORKS.

SLIDE BLANK

SLIDE BLANK

TELL OF JEWISH WEDDING:

BETROTHED

GIFT EXCHANGED

GO PREPARE A PLACE

COME BACK TO GET THEM

THIS WEEK I WAS AT AN EVENT AND AT THE TABLE OF ONE OF THE SPONSORS WAS A COUPLE AND THE HUSBAND LOOKED AT ME AND SAID ARE YOU THE PASTOR THAT IS WITH THIS LADY, AND I SAID YES AND HE SAID I KNOW YOU, I LOOKED AT HIM AND FROWNED AND HE SAID WE HAVE MET, AT THIS STAGE MY MIND IS RACING AND HE EVENTUALLY SAYS TO ME YOU HAVE A DAUGHTER IN HAMILTON? IS SAID YES AND HE SAID, WE MY SON JOHN AND HIS WIFE MERIDITH, THEN I CLICKED AND REALISED YES THIS WAS FRIENDS OF KAYLEIGH AND DAN - THEY WERE IN THEIR WEDDING PARTY. THIS WAS JOHNS DAD.

SO BY BEING CONNECTED TO THE SON, IT FELT AS IF I KNEW THE FATHER.

THIS IS WHAT JESUS WAS SAYING TO HIS DISCIPLES.

THE WAY

THE WAY

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament Chapter 14

The way—Of faith, holiness, sufferings

HOW CAN WE KNOW THE WAY TO GOD? ONLY THROUGH JESUS.

JESUS IS THE WAY BECAUSE HE IS BOTH GOD AND MAN

BY UNITING OUR LIVES WITH HIS , WE ARE UNITED WITH GOD

TRUST JESUS TO TAKE YOU TO THE FATHER AND ALL THE BENEFITS OF BEING GODS CHILD ARE YOURS!!!

JESUS IS OUR PATH TO THE FATHER

THE TRUTH

AS THE TRUTH HE IS THE REALITY OF ALL GOD’S PROMISE

When we compare His life to our own lives and see how enormously different the two are, then a light turns on for us.

The truth is that light which shines into our lives and reveals what we are really like by nature. It reveals the way that we must walk on in order to be transformed into the image of Christ.

There is no greater blessing, than to walk in the truth.

This means to acknowledge it, to judge that which it shows us, to hate that which is found to be sin, and then to put sin to death Is to overcome the temptations to sin that arise when our lusts and desires draw us to react in ways we know to be evil (i.e. pride, hatred, evil-speaking, envy etc.) It is the act of denying those thoughts and refusing to agree with them.

The lust to sin is not only suppressed, but it actually dies. (; Colossians... More by the power of the Spirit. Then we are in constant development, constant progress, continuous sanctification.

Sanctification is the process by which you are transformed to have divine nature by the act of consistently putting sin to death by resisting temptation. This is what it means to cleanse the inside of the cup. () Your sinful nature is gradually replaced by virtues – the divine nature. , .... More, and continuous transformationThis is the process of sanctification, in which we our sinful human nature is gradually exchanged for divine nature when we in obedience to God’s will deny and put to death the sinful lusts in our flesh. (; ; )... More into the image of Christ.

It is possible for everyone to walk in this truth, so that it can set us free from sin – both the consequences of it and its power over us. () God loves all of us and is rich enough for everyone who calls on Him. The Holy Spirit — a.k.a. the Spirit of truth — will guide us in this ongoing process of being set free. The more willing, obedient, and quick to acknowledge the truth we are, the quicker our progress will be.

THE LIFE

HE JOINS HIS DIVINE LIFE TO OURS, BOTH NOW AND ETERNALLY

JESUS IS, IN TRUTH, THE ONLY LIVING WAY TO THE FATHER.

JESUS IS THE VISIBLE, TANGIBLE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD. TO KNOW JESUS IS TO KNOW GOD.

THE SEARCH FOR GOD FOR TRUTH AND REALITY, ENDS IN CHRIST

Colossians 1:15 ESV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Hebrews 1:1–4 ESV

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

HEBREWS 1:

Once they understood the truth of His words, they became changed people, and the world has never been the same.

CONCLUSION

So how do we follow Him today? The same way the disciples did long ago. They heard the words of Jesus and believed them. They took His words and obeyed them. They confessed their sins to Jesus as their Lord and God. They believed that He died to take the punishment of their sins and rose from the dead to give them new life. They followed His example and command to tell others the truth about sin, righteousness, and judgment. When we follow Him in “the way,” we can be assured of following Him all the way to heaven.