The Way, the Truth, and the Life

Bill Connors

I AM: Jesus in the Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

John 14:1–11

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Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

Welcome everyone to the family gathering. Happy Easter to you! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! As many of you know, we had originally planned on having a live drive-in worship service today on the parking lot here at the building. Yesterday afternoon, the governor issued a statement further restricting the definition of a “mass gathering” and removing the religious exemption from previous orders. Then the NM Department of Health issued a Public Health Order that made it very clear that for the safety and health of all New Mexicans, we are all instructed to stay home except for the most critical activities and services. The staff met on Zoom late last night, and we decided that for the church’s safety and in order to protect our testimony in accordance with , that we should not hold the drive-in service. While this is a time of innovative thinking and trying out those new ideas, and the drive-in service was one of those ideas, we first and foremost need to care for each other, for our neighbors, and to glorify Jesus by our testimony and witness.

Regardless of the cancellation of the drive-in service, Easter is still the same! We are here to worship the risen King, the Lord Jesus Christ, together this Easter morning!

I’ve said this each week we’ve been streaming: let’s participate together in worship this morning, regardless of where we are. If you can, when I ask us to stand, please do so. If you would sing out or clap your hands during the time of praise and worship through song, do that. As we pray, pray together with me. When we study the Word, make sure you get your Bible out and join in.

We do have this morning’s service all set up on YouVersion, so you should be able to see it if you get on YouVersion and look for our Live Event.

We are currently collecting our offering to support SBC missionaries and church planters in the United States and Canada, called the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. Our goal this year is $14,000, and we have given $10,913 so far. We will be collecting this offering through the rest of April. Thank you for how you have given to this offering thus far, and I would ask that if you haven’t given to AAEO yet, pray and ask God how He would lead you to give to this important offering this year. Here’s a video so you can be informed about how God is using this offering to minister in Puerto Rico:

VIDEO

Use online giving. Go to our website, and right there on the front page is a button linking to our online giving page. It’s even mobile-friendly. You just choose the fund you want to give to (Church budget or something specific, like Annie Armstrong), and walk through the steps.

Updates for Shine ABQ Partnership, serving Kennedy Middle School. EVERY WEEK WE NEED 200 BF, LUNCH and DINNER items through May 22… especially dinner and lunch items like ravioli, tuna packets, microwaveable pasta dishes, and mac and cheese. We are providing care packages for students who in many cases saw their attendance at school as the only meals they would get in a day. Church, we need to serve these families. If you can help, there is a list on our website at ehbc.org under EHBC Family Life. If you can help, please bring those supplies by during our delivery times, 1-4 pm Monday-Friday. We will also need church members to volunteer for packing and delivering the care packages to Kennedy. There is a Sign-Up Genius link on the Shine Partnership page on our website (under the “Family Life” tab), where you can sign up to come help pack or deliver. We have also asked the community to help through NextDoor.

Next week, we will be back to streaming at our regular time.

Good Friday service will still be at 12:15 pm on Friday, April 10, but it will be online only. Pastor Joe is going to preach that message, and he will do so on our streaming channels from his house. It should be a short service (30 minutes or less). We obviously will not be having the dessert auction to support our high school ministry missions trip, so if you would like to give to that, you can do so online.

The Egg Hunt on Saturday the 11th, as well as the Sunrise Service on the 12th have both been canceled. For those of you who might be disappointed about the Sunrise Service at Elena Gallegos not happening, it may soften the blow a little bit to know that we wouldn’t have had it at Elena Gallegos anyway, due to a change in availability for the pavilion.

We are working on a plan to (sort of) be able to come together to worship on Easter Sunday, even if the Stay at Home directive is still in place as it is now. We have some testing to do before we announce that, but we will do that testing this week, and then we’ll communicate through all of our social media channels, the website, and through One Call to keep you apprised of plans. At this point, we are planning on the Easter service being slightly earlier than normal, just to give you a heads up.

PRAY

MUSIC:

Alive Forever Amen (A)

Resurrecting (A)

In Christ Alone (with The Solid Rock) (Eb-E - Capo 1 in D)

O Praise the Name (Anástasis) (Ab - Capo 1 in G)

PRAY

Opening

In my original plan for this series “I AM” where we are looking at the I Am statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John, I had swapped this message with last week’s message: The Resurrection and the Life. This was simply because this week was Easter, and when I planned out my preaching calendar for this series, it was early January. I had no idea what was coming. Then, as I began focusing to prepare for last week’s message, I was so convicted that what I needed to share last week was about how Jesus cared for and met Martha and Mary in their pain, and the raising of Lazarus from the dead, showing His power over illness and death. This week, then is on the next “I Am” statement in John:

Let’s read our focal passage together. Please stand with me as we read John 14:1-11:

John 14:1–11 CSB

1 “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 You know the way to where I am going.” 5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8 “Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.

PRAY

It’s easy to lift this passage out of its immediate context, and we often do because it’s such a great passage of comfort and hope for memorials and funerals. I know that sounds kind of morbid, but it’s true. Good think to bring up on Easter, right?

It’s easy to lift this passage out of its immediate context.

Anyway, I wanted to provide a little extra background on this passage today before we get to our focus, which will primarily be verse 6.

This passage, is part of the last night before Jesus was crucified, so Thursday night. John takes FIVE chapters of His Gospel to just cover the events, words, and prayers of the Last Supper: chapters 13-17. So when we reach , several things have already happened this night: Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, Judas had gone out into the night to betray Him, Jesus had just told them what was coming: His going away and that they could not follow Him now, but would later. He had even told Peter at this point that Peter would deny Jesus three times before the night was over, even though Peter had declared that He would lay down his life for Jesus. (See 13:33, 36 for these)

These were troubling things to experience. There were questions. There was confusion and conjecture. They didn’t really understand what was coming.

We are in a troubled time right now, and for many the biggest issue that we have is that we just don’t know. We don’t know what’s going on. We don’t know what’s going to happen. And so we find ourselves troubled and full of questions. We had a plan even yesterday morning that we couldn’t carry out today. But there is hope! We can take these same words from Jesus and apply them to our own lives:

John 14:1 CSB

1 “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

john 14:1-

In this little verse, there are three separate commands from Jesus: “Don’t let your heart be troubled,” is the first one. This isn’t the point of my message this morning, but it is worth saying: we are instructed by Jesus to not let ourselves give way to living in fear or worry about what the future holds. The disciples were about to face in the next 24 hours Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, and burial. Their hearts would certainly be troubled. Jesus is instructing them ahead of time that they need not fret. Sunday was coming.

Not only was not letting their hearts be troubled a command, but both “believes” are commands. Trust in God. Trust in Christ. This is where we need to be if we are going to have hearts that aren’t troubled in this time. God hasn’t stepped down from the throne. He is still in charge, even though we don’t understand everything that is going on around us in this broken world. Just by way of encouragement in this moment, I want to remind us of what Paul said in :

Philippians 4:6–7 CSB

6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Let’s take our concerns, our frustrations, our weakness, our excitement, our victories, and our defeats to God in this time, and His peace will guard us in Christ.

OK, back to our focal passage this morning:

Over and over in this passage is this idea of “knowing.” Knowing the way, knowing where Jesus is going, knowing Him, knowing the Father. I can’t speak for you, but knowing things is pretty important for me. When I was a child we took several long trips in the car. We had a station wagon, and I usually rode in the way back facing the wrong way (we can’t do that now). One one trip in particular, a trip from Illinois to Silver City, I had discovered how to use an atlas. I looked at our destination and picked out the route that would take the least amount of miles. My dad actually let me navigate on that trip, and we followed my path… mostly. I liked knowing what was going on. I was able to answer the questions of how long it would take us to get somewhere and when we were going to stop. It felt like I was in control. Like I had a grip on what was happening.

We like to know what is going on around us. The disciples were no different.

In verses 2 and 3, Jesus lets His disciples know that He is going away in order to prepare a place for them—a place where He will be and where they will be with Him eventually: His Father’s house. He promises that He will “come again” to take His disciples to Himself in order for them to receive this blessing of a place prepared for them. He is speaking about heaven, eternity prepared for those who belong to God through faith in Jesus Christ. This is what awaits those who have been saved. Jesus then tells them in verse 4:

John 14:4 CSB

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

He tells them that they already know the way to where He’s going. This comes as a surprise to the disciples, and Thomas, ever Mr. Realist, steps up and shares what probably all of them were thinking in that moment:

John 14:5 CSB

5 “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?”

He’s like, “Jesus, we don’t even know the destination, how can we possibly know the way there?” This makes sense, right? “If we don’t know where we’re going, how could we chart a course for arriving there?”

I can’t speak for you, but knowing things is pretty important for me. When I was a child we took several long trips in the car. We had a station wagon, and I usually rode in the way back facing the wrong way (we can’t do that now). One one trip in particular, a trip from Illinois to Silver City, I had discovered how to use an atlas. I looked at our destination and picked out the route that would take the least amount of miles. My dad actually let me navigate on that trip, and we followed my path… mostly. I liked knowing what was going on. I was able to answer the questions of how long it would take us to get somewhere and when we were going to stop. It felt like I was in control. Like I had a grip on what was happening.

We like to know what is going on around us. The disciples were no different. They wanted to know what was happening. But Jesus has told them that they already know the way.

Over and over in this passage is this idea of “knowing.” Knowing the way, knowing where Jesus is going, knowing Him, knowing the Father. Jesus’ answer to Thomas’ question is stunning, and it makes up most of our focus today:

Jesus’ answer is stunning, and makes up our focus today:

John 11:16 CSB

16 Then Thomas (called “Twin”) said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go too so that we may die with him.”

Jesus’ answer is stunning, and makes up our focus today:

John 14:6 CSB

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

1) Jesus is the Way of salvation.

Jesus says that His disciples weren’t looking for a destination. They didn’t need a map or a compass. They already knew the way because they knew Jesus. Jesus is the Way. Since they already knew Jesus, they already knew the Way to where He was going: the presence of the Father.

Jesus didn’t say that He was “A” Way. Jesus said that He is THE Way. The Way to a reconciled relationship with God, because our relationship with God was fractured and broken by our sin. We need a way, a path to get from where we are to where God is. And since we don’t have a path to follow, since there’s no way for us to earn our way to salvation, we needed someone to take us there. So Jesus not only made that way by dying for us, taking our punishment for our sin. He IS that way:

Hebrews 10:19–20 CSB

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus—20 he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)—

“No one comes to the Father except through me.” In the Temple, there was a veil or curtain that separated people from the Most Holy Place, where the Ark of the Covenant was. This was where the high priest could enter just once a year into God’s presence and make atonement for the people. The curtain was a divider—a symbol of the separation between God and mankind because of our sin. When Jesus was crucified, that veil was torn from top to bottom. And here in the book of Hebrews, the author tells us that now Jesus Himself, through His sacrifice on the cross, has become that curtain… the way that people now had access to God.

No longer is there a separation, because Jesus is the mediator between holy God and sinful man. He IS the Way. He’s it. All paths cannot lead to God, no matter how sincere they may be. Think about it: The fact that Jesus said that He is the only way means that any other way of coming to God ISN’T the way. This is because all other ways are about what we can do. On the cross when He was crucified, Jesus declared, “It is finished.” Reconciliation between God and man had been paid for. And in His resurrection on Easter morning, He proved it. One might struggle with exclusivism of Christianity, that there is only one way to God, but that’s because we buy the lie of the world that there is no such thing as objective truth. But Jesus debunks that with Himself.

He’s it. We might struggle with exclusivism of Christianity, but that’s because we buy the lie of the world that there is no such thing as objective truth. But Jesus debunks that with Himself.

2) Jesus is the Truth of revelation.

Jesus wasn’t ONLY a man, however. He was God incarnate, the Lord Almighty in the flesh, who had come down to earth. The Bible tells us that Jesus isn’t just an ambassador for God. He is, Himself, God. Look at how He explained this beginning in verse 7:

John 14:7–11 CSB

7 If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8 “Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.

john 14:7

If we know the Way, if we know Jesus, then we know the Father. In fact, Jesus told the disciples that at that point, they could honestly say that they had both seen and known the Father because they had seen and known Jesus. But Philip still didn’t get it. He said if Jesus would just show them the Father, it would be enough for them. Jesus has to repeat Himself, and say again that to see Jesus is to see the Father. To know Jesus is to know the Father. That’s why Jesus said that He is the truth.

We struggle with this in our culture today, because we have a tendency to reject the idea of objective truth. We look at things as “true for you,” or, “your truth.” While there are some things that are just true for me and not for you (my name is Bill… yours might not be), that’s not what real, objective “truth” is. Truth is representing something or someone exactly as that something or that someone is. Jesus is the truth. When He speaks, it is true, because He is speaking out of His very nature.

Hebrews 1:3 CSB

3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Hebrews 1:2–3 CSB

2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Colossians 1:15 CSB

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

Jesus is the creator and sustainer of all things. He is the exact expression of the nature of God. Everything He says is true. He said in :

John 8:32 CSB

32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:31–32 CSB

31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word, you really are my disciples. 32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:32 CSB

32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

The Truth is a Person: Jesus Christ. He is the exact expression of the nature of God, and so He represents God exactly as He is. If we know Jesus, we know truth, and He… Truth… will set us free. We can believe everything that He said.

Jesus said that He would be crucified. He said that He would rise. And on the first Resurrection Sunday, that’s exactly what happened! Why? Because He doesn’t just speak the truth, He IS the truth. Since He is the truth, we can trust Him (back to verse 1).

We looked last week at the fact that Jesus said that He is the Resurrection and the Life, and that Jesus proved His authority over death by raising Lazarus from the dead as a foretaste of what Jesus would do with His own death. We saw that Jesus doesn’t just have life, He IS life.

We looked last week at the fact that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, and we saw that Jesus doesn’t just have life, He IS life.

3) Jesus is the Life of glorification.

Jesus is the life. If you know Jesus, you know life. He rose again, defeating death, and now has gone to prepare that place for us, as He mentioned in the beginning of the chapter.

John 14:2–3 CSB

2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.

He has prepared a place for those who belong to Him, a place where we are meant to be, designed to be. A place in perfect harmony with Jesus. Not a place of cloud-lounging and harp-strumming. Not a church service forever. So many people think that heaven will be terribly boring. But NO! Heaven is going to be a place that defined by knowing Jesus. That’s what makes it heaven. Our perspective on what heaven will be like should be based on what our perspective of Jesus is. Matt Carter and Josh Wredberg wrote, “The less we think of Jesus here on earth, the less excited we’ll be for heaven… It’s no wonder some of us don’t want to spend eternity in heaven with Jesus since we don’t take the time here on earth to discover what an inexhaustibly delightful, satisfying, and magnificent Savior Jesus is.” (Exalting Jesus in John, Kindle @ 6120)

Heaven is a place of KNOWING. It’s where we will KNOW the Lord in ways we can’t understand now. And it’s a place where we will be known in ways that we have almost zero ability to comprehend. Why? Because we know Jesus.

1 Corinthians 13:12 CSB

12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.

When Jesus beat death, He beat in not just instead of us, but FOR us. If we are in Christ, then we will also beat death and the grave. The tomb is empty! And while my grave may someday house this thing I’m wearing now, I have a new place, a new body, a new glory waiting for me with my Savior, and you can have that waiting for you too.

Closing

It’s not what you know, but Who you know. It’s so easy to think that we need to somehow make our own way, to save ourselves. But deep down, we know that we can’t ever be good enough. We can’t fix what we’ve broken. So instead of trusting yourself for your eternity, trust in Christ. That’s what He said in verse 1! Believe in God, believe also in Me! Believe My words (v. 10), believe My works (v. 11). Believe and be saved. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life… No one comes to the Father except through Him. The only path to the Father goes right through Jesus.

Trusting in Jesus isn’t a thing that we “do.” It’s actually kind of the opposite. It’s realizing and admitting that you are incapable of saving yourself: that your efforts are never going to measure up to you deserving salvation, deserving a relationship with Almighty God. Then, we surrender, giving ourselves to Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Church membership. Send an email. We’d love to talk with you about that.

Prayer or other needs that we can meet. Email info@ehbc.org.

PRAY

Jesus Paid it All (Capo 2 in G)

Thanking first responders. Police, fire, rescue, paramedics, so many in the military.