Introduction

This study is a continuation of the study of “Jesus Delivers Troubled Hearts” found in (v.1-3), where we see when we studied that section of scripture we learned that…

Troubled hearts are delivered through belief (v.1).
Troubled hearts are delivered through hope for God's house (v.2a).
Troubled hearts are delivered through Jesus' work (v.2b).
Troubled hearts are delivered through Jesus' return (v.3a).
Troubled hearts are delivered through an eternal habitation with Jesus (v.3b).

Now Jesus begins to talk to His disciples and (John 13:33) he says "Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come " (John 13:33)

Jesus went on to say "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (Jn13:34-35)

However, Peter is stuck on the previous statement “I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come" (John 13:33)

However, I wanted to do this section separately because I believe this was spured by another question, this one is by Thomas. But before we look at Thomas’ question, let’s look at what Peter had asked in (Johhn 13:36):

A. Jesus’ destination (v.4-5).

1. “Where I go you know, and the way you know…” (v.4).

a) The destination is known (v.4a).

(1) He was going back to the Father from whom He had come.

In verse 2 of this chapter Jesus said "“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you." (John 14:2, NASB95)

In (v.28) He says "You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father." (John 14:28, NASB95)

Of course, Jesus Himself knew where He was going, John said that "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God" (John 13:3, NASB95)

Speaking to the Pharisees Jesus said "for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going… "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.” (John 8:14, 42, NASB95)

He tells them in chapter 16 of John’s Gospel "I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father." (John 16:28, NASB95)

Then His disciples said “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:29-33, NKJV)

b) The way is known (v.4b).

(1) The way is “through Him.”

Jesus said "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16, NKJV)

Listen to these powerful words from Jesus, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (John 5:24, NKJV)

Jesus said to Martha “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26)

c) Thomas the Pessimist (worrywart) (v.5).

(1) A little background:

(a) He is usually nicknamed “Doubting Thomas,” but that may not be the most fitting label for him. He was a better man than the popular tradition would indicate. It probably is fair, however, to say that Thomas was a somewhat negative person.

(b) Thomas was also called “Didymus,” which means “the twin.” Apparently he had a twin brother or a twin sister, but his twin is never identified in Scriptures.

(2) John’s first mention of Thomas is found in (John 11:16). It is a single verse, but it speaks volumes about Thomas’s real character.

(a) In this context, John is describing the prelude to the raising of Lazarus.

Jesus had left Jerusalem because His life was in jeopardy there, and “He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed” (John 10:40).

But something happened to interrupt their time in the wilderness. John writes, “Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick” (John 11:1–2).

(b) Bethany was on the outskirts of Jerusalem, however, if Jesus goes back there he would be walking into the very worst kind of hostility. John 10:39 says the Jewish leaders were seeking to seize Him & determined to kill Him.

(c) Now the disciples understood that Jesus had to go back and it was at this point that Thomas spoke up.

Here is where we meet him for the first time in all the Gospel records, “Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with Him’ ” (v. 16).

(d) Now that’s pessimistic. But it’s a heroic pessimism. He could see nothing but disaster ahead and he was convinced Jesus was heading straight for a stoning. But if that is what the Lord was determined to do, Thomas was determined to go and die with Him. You have to admire his courage.

(3) John’s third mention of Thomas is found in (John 20:19-29). After Jesus’ death, all the disciples were in deep sorrow. But they all got together to comfort one another.

!!!! d) Thomas’ contradiction and skepticism (v.5).

(1) We do not know where you are going… How can we know the way?

(2) Here sat the disciples, thinking that Jesus was about to lead them to set up the Kingdom of God on earth, freeing Israel and establishing it as the greatest nation on earth. Then all of a sudden He began to talk about going someplace; in addition to that, He insisted they could not follow Him.

(3) They were, of course, thinking in terms of an earthly and temporal government, of worldly positions and power, of wealth and possessions.

Remember Jesus said to Pilate "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." (John 18:36, NASB95)

(4) This was their problem. Jesus had told them where He was going in simple and clear terms. He had said time and time again that He was...

(a) To die and be raised from the dead:

Jesus said in John 7, “For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. “You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come." (John 7:33-34)

He also said in Matthew’s Gospel that "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day." (Matthew 17:22-23, NASB95)

(b) To go to the Father:

Again Jesus said “For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. “You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come." (John 7:33-34)

In (vs.2-3) in our current chapter He said "In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:2-3, NASB95)

(c) The disciples refused to accept the fact.

(5) Think about this: The world proclaims: “We do not know where God is, and if He exists, we can only seek Him the best we can.

The Pharisees in John 8 said to Jesus "Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also." (John 8:19, NKJV)

Concerning persecution Jesus said to the disciples "And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me." (John 16:3, NKJV)

Paul said to the men of Athens "for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:" (Acts 17:23, NKJV)

B. The way to God is Jesus Himself (v.6a).

1. “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (v.6a).

a) There are several “I Am’s” claimed by Christ. Eight times in John’s Gospel Jesus said who He was, each time to deepen our understanding of His provision for us.

(1) “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35)—Bread is the basic sustenance for the physical life of man. Even so is Jesus for our spiritual life.

(2) “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). Jesus then expanded this statement to show that He came to guide His people into knowledge and right living: “… he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

(3) “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). The Greek says “before Abraham was brought to existence, I am.” Abraham was created, but Jesus was self-existent; He has always been (John 1:18).

(4) “I am the door” (John 10:9) states that faith in Jesus is the only means of entrance into God’s kingdom.

!!!!! (5) “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11). Jesus is our personal protector just as the shepherd is of his sheep.

(6) “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Jesus raised us from spiritual death to spiritual life (Eph. 2:1). He also promised an incorruptible body (1 Cor. 15:52, 53) and a life far better than that of this earth (Phil. 1:21).

(7) “I am the vine” (John 15:5). Lastly, a Christian’s usefulness comes from his indispensable union with Christ.

(8) “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Jesus summed up the progression of the Christian life as it moves toward its completion in heaven.

b) The Way, the Truth, the Life (v.6).

(1) He did not claim merely to know the way, the truth, and the life as a formula he could impart to the ignorant; but he actually claimed to be the answer to human problems.

(a) He is “the way” to the Father because only he has an intimate knowledge of God unmarred by sin.

Peter preached to the Sanhedrin saying "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12, NKJV)

(b) He is “the truth” because he has the perfect power of making life one logical experience irrespective of its ups and downs.

Jesus prayed to the Father saying "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3, NKJV)

(c) He is “the life” because he was not subject to death but made it subject to him. He did not live with death as the ultimate end of his life; he died to demonstrate the power and continuity of his life.

Jesus said in John 10 that "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:27-28, NKJV)

(2) Because he is the way, the truth, and the life, he is the only means of reaching the Father. Jesus was not exhibiting a narrow arrogance. Rather, he was making the only possible deduction from the fact that he was the sole means of access to the Father.

(3) There are two ways of life contrasted, Jesus said "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matthew 7:13-14, NKJV)

(4) Jesus is the only authorized revelation of God in human form and he is the only authorized representative of humanity to God.

C. The destination is God (v.6b).

1. “No one comes to the Father except through Me…” (v.6b).

a) A picture of the resurrection and ascension of Christ.

(1) Jesus clearly said where He was going. He was going to “the Father.” He was not going to remain dead. He was going to arise and ascend to the Father. This was a picture of both the resurrection and ascension of Jesus.

(2) Now note: Jesus had just said He was going to His “Father’s house.” Now He said that He was going to “the Father” of the house. His destination was not so much the house, as glorious as the house is, but the Father Himself.

And we see Him there in Revelation, He says to John "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” (Revelation 1:18, NKJV)

(3) This says something of vital importance to the believer. The believer’s primary objective is to go to the Father Himself, not to heaven, not to a place. The believer’s aim is to live in the Father’s presence forever.

(4) The destination of Jesus was “the Father” Himself. The believer has the same destination: the believer’s destination is “the Father,” the One who so willingly and graciously adopted him into the family of God.

D. The only way to God is Jesus (v.6c).

1. “No one comes to the Father except through Me…” (v.6b).

a) The door that leads to salvation (John 10:7-10).

(1) My house has many doors to enter in by… 2 to get in the front way, and 1 in the back. However, if someone was to come in through my window, that is not the correct way, and they are a thief and a robber.

(2) Today, Tolerance Says That All Religious Roads End Up At The Same Place.

(a) Buddhism, Islam, Native American Spirituality, African Traditional Religions, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness; all of these are spiritual journeys that sincere seekers may travel to find God.

(b) To think that one religion is superior to others is being intolerant. And to even suggest that one religion is true and others are false is narrow-minded racist that has no place in our postmodern ethic.

(c) Yet that is precisely what is going on here. Jesus is not just a new way or a better way to God. He is the gate, the only way to God (John 14:6).

b) Either One or the Other (Matthew 7:13-14).

(1) Every Person Enters One Gate Or The Other. Enter is in the aorist imperative tense, and therefore demands a definite and specific action.

(2) Don’t Admire The Gate But To Enter It. Example of Disneyland Entrance.

(a) Many people admire the Sermon on the Mount but never follow those principles.

(b) Many people respect and praise Jesus Christ but never receive Him as Lord and Savior.

(3) Jesus said He is the door that leads to life, but one day that door will be shut!

(a) Matthew 25:1-13

(b) Ark, one day it will be shut (Gen.7:16).

!!!!! (4) Jesus Christ is not looking for people who want to add Him to their sin as insurance against hell. He is not looking for people who want to apply His high moral principles to their unregenerate lives. He is not looking for those who want only to be outwardly reformed by having their old nature improved.

(5) Jesus Christ calls to Himself those who are willing to be inwardly transformed by Him, who desire an entirely new nature that is created in His own holy likeness.

(a) He calls to Himself those who are willing to exchange their sinfulness for His holiness.

(b) He calls to Himself those who are willing to die with Him in order to be raised with Him, who are willing to relinquish slavery to their sin for slavery to His righteousness.

(c) And when men come to Him on His terms, He changes their destiny from eternal death to eternal life.

Jesus Christ is the only way "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5, NKJV)

John says in 1 John 2:1 "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." (1 John 2:1-2, NKJV)

E. The only way to God is now revealed—unmistakably (v.7).

1. “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also…” (v.7a).

2. “You have known Him and seen Him…” (v.7b).

a) go to v.9

I. The Way to God Is By Jesus Alone, 14:4-7

A. Jesus’ destination (v.4-5).

B. The way to God is Jesus Himself (v.6a).

C. The destination is God (v.6b).

D. The only way to God is Jesus (v.6c).

E. The only way to God is now revealed—unmistakably (v.7).

John 14:1-7 - The Way to God Is By Jesus Alone

Introduction

A. Jesus’ destination (v.4-5).

1. “Where I go you know, and the way you know…” (v.4).

a) The destination is known (v.4a).

(1) He was going back to the Father from whom He had come.

b) The way is known (v.4b).

(1) The way is “through Him.”

c) Thomas the Pessimist (worrywart) (v.5).

(1) A little background:

(a) He is usually nicknamed “Doubting Thomas,” but that may not be the most fitting label for him. He was a better man than the popular tradition would indicate. It probably is fair, however, to say that Thomas was a somewhat negative person.

(b) Thomas was also called “Didymus,” which means “the twin.” Apparently he had a twin brother or a twin sister, but his twin is never identified in Scriptures.

(2) John’s first mention of Thomas is found in (John 11:16). It is a single verse, but it speaks volumes about Thomas’s real character.

(a) In this context, John is describing the prelude to the raising of Lazarus.

(b) Bethany was on the outskirts of Jerusalem, however, if Jesus goes back there he would be walking into the very worst kind of hostility. John 10:39 says the Jewish leaders were seeking to seize Him & determined to kill Him.

(c) Now the disciples understood that Jesus had to go back and it was at this point that Thomas spoke up.

(d) Now that’s pessimistic. But it’s a heroic pessimism. He could see nothing but disaster ahead and he was convinced Jesus was heading straight for a stoning. But if that is what the Lord was determined to do, Thomas was determined to go and die with Him. You have to admire his courage.

(3) John’s third mention of Thomas is found in (John 20:19-29). After Jesus’ death, all the disciples were in deep sorrow. But they all got together to comfort one another.

(1) We do not know where you are going… How can we know the way?

(2) Here sat the disciples, thinking that Jesus was about to lead them to set up the Kingdom of God on earth, freeing Israel and establishing it as the greatest nation on earth. Then all of a sudden He began to talk about going someplace; in addition to that, He insisted they could not follow Him.

(3) They were, of course, thinking in terms of an earthly and temporal government, of worldly positions and power, of wealth and possessions.

(4) This was their problem. Jesus had told them where He was going in simple and clear terms. He had said time and time again that He was...

(a) To die and be raised from the dead:

(b) To go to the Father:

(c) The disciples refused to accept the fact.

(5) Think about this: The world proclaims: “We do not know where God is, and if He exists, we can only seek Him the best we can.

B. The way to God is Jesus Himself (v.6a).

1. “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (v.6a).

a) There are several “I Am’s” claimed by Christ. Eight times in John’s Gospel Jesus said who He was, each time to deepen our understanding of His provision for us.

(1) “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35)—Bread is the basic sustenance for the physical life of man. Even so is Jesus for our spiritual life.

(2) “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). Jesus then expanded this statement to show that He came to guide His people into knowledge and right living: “… he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

(3) “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). The Greek says “before Abraham was brought to existence, I am.” Abraham was created, but Jesus was self-existent; He has always been (John 1:18).

(4) “I am the door” (John 10:9) states that faith in Jesus is the only means of entrance into God’s kingdom.

(6) “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Jesus raised us from spiritual death to spiritual life (Eph. 2:1). He also promised an incorruptible body (1 Cor. 15:52, 53) and a life far better than that of this earth (Phil. 1:21).

(7) “I am the vine” (John 15:5). Lastly, a Christian’s usefulness comes from his indispensable union with Christ.

(8) “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Jesus summed up the progression of the Christian life as it moves toward its completion in heaven.

b) The Way, the Truth, the Life (v.6).

(1) He did not claim merely to know the way, the truth, and the life as a formula he could impart to the ignorant; but he actually claimed to be the answer to human problems.

(a) He is “the way” to the Father because only he has an intimate knowledge of God unmarred by sin.

(b) He is “the truth” because he has the perfect power of making life one logical experience irrespective of its ups and downs.

(c) He is “the life” because he was not subject to death but made it subject to him. He did not live with death as the ultimate end of his life; he died to demonstrate the power and continuity of his life.

(2) Because he is the way, the truth, and the life, he is the only means of reaching the Father. Jesus was not exhibiting a narrow arrogance. Rather, he was making the only possible deduction from the fact that he was the sole means of access to the Father.

(4) Jesus is the only authorized revelation of God in human form and he is the only authorized representative of humanity to God.

C. The destination is God (v.6b).

1. “No one comes to the Father except through Me…” (v.6b).

a) A picture of the resurrection and ascension of Christ.

(1) Jesus clearly said where He was going. He was going to “the Father.” He was not going to remain dead. He was going to arise and ascend to the Father. This was a picture of both the resurrection and ascension of Jesus.

(2) Now note: Jesus had just said He was going to His “Father’s house.” Now He said that He was going to “the Father” of the house. His destination was not so much the house, as glorious as the house is, but the Father Himself.

(3) This says something of vital importance to the believer. The believer’s primary objective is to go to the Father Himself, not to heaven, not to a place. The believer’s aim is to live in the Father’s presence forever.

(4) The destination of Jesus was “the Father” Himself. The believer has the same destination: the believer’s destination is “the Father,” the One who so willingly and graciously adopted him into the family of God.

D. The only way to God is Jesus (v.6c).

1. “No one comes to the Father except through Me…” (v.6b).

a) The door that leads to salvation (John 10:7-10).

(1) My house has many doors to enter in by… 2 to get in the front way, and 1 in the back. However, if someone was to come in through my window, that is not the correct way, and they are a thief and a robber.

(2) Today, Tolerance Says That All Religious Roads End Up At The Same Place.

(a) Buddhism, Islam, Native American Spirituality, African Traditional Religions, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness; all of these are spiritual journeys that sincere seekers may travel to find God.

(b) To think that one religion is superior to others is being intolerant. And to even suggest that one religion is true and others are false is narrow-minded racist that has no place in our postmodern ethic.

(c) Yet that is precisely what is going on here. Jesus is not just a new way or a better way to God. He is the gate, the only way to God (John 14:6).

b) Either One or the Other (Matthew 7:13-14).

(1) Every Person Enters One Gate Or The Other. Enter is in the aorist imperative tense, and therefore demands a definite and specific action.

(2) Don’t Admire The Gate But To Enter It. Example of Disneyland Entrance.

(a) Many people admire the Sermon on the Mount but never follow those principles.

(b) Many people respect and praise Jesus Christ but never receive Him as Lord and Savior.

(3) Jesus said He is the door that leads to life, but one day that door will be shut!

(a) Matthew 25:1-13

(b) Ark, one day it will be shut (Gen.7:16).

(5) Jesus Christ calls to Himself those who are willing to be inwardly transformed by Him, who desire an entirely new nature that is created in His own holy likeness.

(a) He calls to Himself those who are willing to exchange their sinfulness for His holiness.

(b) He calls to Himself those who are willing to die with Him in order to be raised with Him, who are willing to relinquish slavery to their sin for slavery to His righteousness.

(c) And when men come to Him on His terms, He changes their destiny from eternal death to eternal life.

E. The only way to God is now revealed—unmistakably (v.7).

1. “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also…” (v.7a).

2. “You have known Him and seen Him…” (v.7b).

a) go to v.9