The Way to the Father

Happy Fathers Day

As we open our Bibles to the 14th chapter of the Gospel of John this morning , i would like to say Happy Fathers day to all the fathers here and to those who may be listening or watching . A week or so back i was thinking of the great influence my dad had on my life, He was a simple man who worked hard, loved his family and lived out his faith in Christ. I told Jan you know my dad was born in 1919 he would have been 103 this year. We began to think and talk about the events and how much change has come over the last 100 years Much of which my dad would have seen. The great depression, Pearl Harbor, World war 2, Vietnam conflict, man on the moon and many more things along with the morale decline of our society. As much as things around us change there is one thing that doesn’t change that is the word of God.

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

This is especially important for us to remember when we study foundational passages like the one we will look at today.

Introduction: our primary passage this morning John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This is a Foundational passage that is essential to understand and believe to be Christians. You will hear us on occasion speak of things we can disagree on in scripture and still consider each other brothers and sisters in Christ, However this passage we are looking at today is not one of those, Jesus is very straight forward and clear in this passage and the Bible is very clear throughout that Jesus is the only way to the Father. IF we do not believe this we are rejecting the very foundation of God’s word and essentially calling Jesus a liar.

This passage is non debatable.

Jesus makes several I am statements in John and

John 14:6 is kind of the climax of Jesus I am Statements in an all encompassing statement

I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). This powerful “I am” statement of Christ’s is packed with meaning. Jesus is not merely saying I am one way among many ways to God; He is the only way.

THE WAY TO THE FATHER

John 14:1–11 (ESV)

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.

We see in this passage around John 14:6 two questions that are asked and answered.

Where are you going ,

Are you really who you say you are?

Who is this Jesus

I thought it would be good to spend just a few minutes defining who Jesus is, then more specifically who He says He is

Jesus Christ is the second person of the trinity, the incarnate Word of God, the Creator and Savior of the world, the founder of Christianity, and the sinless exemplar of its principles and practices. “

John 1:1–5 (ESV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Jesus is the spotless lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world - John 1:29 “29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

In Isaiah 53 we see Him as the suffering Savior the Messiah

In Revelation 19:16 we see HE IS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS)

In Philippians 2:10-11 We see Jesus is Lord and EVERY KNEE WILL BOW AND EVERY TONGUE CONFESS THAT JESUS IS LORD).

In Hebrews 1:3 “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,”

In these passages we see that Jesus is both fully God and Fully man. Now lets see who Jesus says He is.

I AM- who does Jesus say he is

In John we see Jesus telling us who he is through His I am statements, There are 7 of the primary I am statements Jesus made of Himself in John. In these I am Statements Jesus is Letting everyone know He is God in the Flesh. Remember in Exodus 3:14 “14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”” God told Moses tell my people that I Am sent you. Now we see Jesus using this same name to describe who He is.

I am the Bread of life John 6:35, 41, 48, 51 John 6:48 “48 I am the bread of life.”

I am the light of the world John 8:12 “12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”” - These words echo what God said in Genesis 1:3

I am the door John 10:7, 9 “9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”

I am the good Shepherd John 10:11 “11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” - Jesus here took one of God’s titles in the old Testament Psalm 23:1 The lord is my Shepherd.

I am the resurrection and the life John 11:25 “25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,”

I am the way, the truth and the life John 14:6 Today's text

I am the true Vine John 15:1, 5 “5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

He Sustains us and gives us life

We could also look at countless Old Testament Scriptures that point and prove Jesus is the Messiah that God promised, but we won’t today for time sake.

Now lets focus on our main passage for today and we will begin with Truth

Jesus is The Truth

What is truth

The worlds view of truth

Truth is relevant or subjective whatever you think it should be.

What is true for you may not be truth for someone else again it is all relevant to your situation.

The Bibles view of Truth

Scripture said that “The very essence of [God’s] words is truth” (Psalm 119:160, NLT), The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

John1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Jesus is the word that became flesh, so when He is saying I am truth, He is saying God’s word is Truth.

John 1:14 - And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Here is Jesus proclaiming that He is the truth—confirming His identity as the Word of God (see John 1:1, 14).

TO borrow from John MacAuthor

So, what is truth? Here’s a simple definition drawn from what the Bible teaches: Truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God. Even more to the point: Truth is the self-expression of God. That is the biblical meaning of truth. Because the definition of truth flows from God, truth is theological. Truth is also ontological—which is a fancy way of saying it is the way things really are. Reality is what it is because God declared it so and made it so. Therefore God is the author, source, determiner, governor, arbiter, ultimate standard, and final judge of all truth. The Old Testament refers to the Almighty as the “God of truth” (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 31:5; Isaiah 65:16). When Jesus said of Himself, “I am…the truth” (John 14:6, emphasis added), He was thereby making a profound claim about His own deity. He was also making it clear that all truth must ultimately be defined in terms of God and His eternal glory. After all, Jesus is “the brightness of [God’s] glory and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3). He is truth incarnate—the perfect expression of God and therefore the absolute embodiment of all that is true. Jesus also said that the written Word of God is truth. It does not merely contain nuggets of truth; it is pure, unchangeable, and inviolable truth that (according to Jesus) “cannot be broken” (John 10:35). Praying to His heavenly Father on behalf of His disciples, He said this: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). Moreover, the Word of God is eternal truth “which lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23).

In this passage we see the disciples full of questions saying we don’t know the way, then show us the father and that will be enough, they are still not understanding all Jesus is telling them Jesus is now emphasizing to them I am the the way, and the truth, and the life , everything i have told you is the truth everything i have shown you is the truth, You believe in God, believe in me also. If you have seen me you have seen the Father.

Jesus is telling His disciples open your eyes see the truth, listen to what i am saying it is truth and it is life.

Truth and Love

Many in our culture today would tell us that to love a person we must except and celebrate their life choices and encourage them in those choices even if they are contrary to what is reality and contrary to God’s word.

This is not the example that Christ gave us for loving someone well, Christ always gives us the example to treat people with dignity and respect but He also does that by telling them the truth.

lets talk about a couple of examples

John 8:10-11 We see the woman caught in adultery - We see in this passage two times Jesus spoke truth that likely was hard to hear. Jesus tells the accusers the Truth, basically you have the wrong intent and you are a hypocrite, the He tells the woman the Truth (“Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”” )

In John 3 Nicodemus - You must be born again

In John 4 we see Jesus talking with the woman at the well

In Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””

In Luke 22:34 Jesus tells Peter He will deny Him 3 times- Peter had a pride problem and Jesus loves HIm enough to tell him and show him.

Matthew 16:23 “But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”” (Jesus rebukes Peter because although what Peter thought was virtuous and seemed right He was in the wrong.

You Love people well by telling them the truth.

With so much noise, confusion and outright rebellion against God and His authority, we need to be on guard, and grounded in the truth of God’s word.

We also need to remember what the truth is , We can’t fix it, the only solution to the Sin we see in this world, and in many cases the obstacles we face because of it, is the Truth of the Gospel found in Jesus Christ! It is not our ability convince them but the ability of God to change them.

Just as Jesus is telling His disciples to hear the truth He is telling them, he is also telling us to listen, to hear the truth in and through His word.

I am concerned that many churches today have abandoned the true God of the bible and now preach and worship a god of there own making. In this they have picked God’s word apart and chose passages hear and there to make God out to be who they want Him to be and preach only things that sound good and feels good.,and excepted by everyone. This is not Truth

Hear is one way that is prevalent today, saying God is only love - well God is love, but He is also Holy, Righteous and Just, and because of that God’s love is holy, righteous and just and as we said above already God’s love is always expressed in truth

The Truth is We must serve the God of the Bible not the God of our own making.

The truth in the Bible tells us that we are all sinners separated from God by our sin and that we are dead in our sins, because of that our only hope is found in God’s grace expressed to us through Jesus on the cross, where He became the propitiation for our sin.

I will say again we love people well by telling them the truth.

Jesus is The Way

Story of the maps, Siri directions - Multiple routes are given to any one location - We must be clear because Jesus is clear and the bible in general is clear, there is one way to the Father and it is through Jesus Christ.

Matthew 7:13-14 “13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

The definition of way in this context

The word used in its original context was a geological feature, such as a road, something you can identify something you can see

Jesus is using it saying this is the how to get to the Father, I have shown you by revealing myself to you.

There are not many ways but only one way to the Father.

Acts 4:12 “12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””

There is salvation in no one else, and notice it doesn’t say we can or should be saved, but says we Must be saved

What the Way is not

The way is not easy and the way is not Wide and many don’t find it. Matthew 7:13-14

It is not through easy believism, where you have a one time so called experience but your life is not altered or changed in anyway and there is no evidence of fruit in your life. Jesus said take up your cross and follow me.

The way is not about living your best life now - Paul said if all we have to hope for as Christians is this life, we are to be pitied above all men. Don’t believe that garbage.

It is not through Church membership - Myself testimony

It is not through religious vigor or zealous - the pharisees - Paul described himself before his conversion as being very vigorous and Zealous, but he goes on to say i count it all as rubbish, it was worth nothing because i was vigorous for the wrong thing.

The way is not any other mere men, Because God is Holy, Righteous and Just, and we have sinned against Him We are separated from God and without access on our own. He was and is the only one who has the right to forgive sin no man can forgive your sin.

It is not by being a good person or being the best version of you - Share some of the stories of what people say they think God expects or requires of them to get to heaven.

Just be a good person

Attend church

Don’t murder or do anything really bad

Romans 3:10 “10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;”

Some will tell you Jesus, but when you discuss further you find what they believe in is a god of their own making and not the God of the bible.

It is not through serving other god’s in other religions.

Do you know what is common in all religions of world except Christianity ? Their Way is A works based salvation, the common denominator at the of day is I need to earn my way to God.

God says there is none righteous no not one. None who does good they have all turned away.

What is different about Christianity, We believe we are dead in our sins and without hope in and of ourselves and the only Way to the Father is The Grace He bestows upon us through faith in Jesus Christ.

The way is not you or I simply saying that sounds good to me okay, i believe. Again God’s word tells us we are dead in our sins Eph 2:1-3 , a quote from Brother Vodie Bauchem “Tell me what can a dead man do? Nothing”.

John 6:44 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

What the Way is

The way is Hard and the way is narrow and only a few find it

The way is ,God draws us to Himself , The spirit of God convicts us of our sin and Causes us to have a deep understanding of our depravity and need or Christ and through that we believe at are saved.

As Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3, we must be born again, Those who do believe and are saved are born again, given a new heart and a new spirit, Ezekiel 36:26 “26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

Our sin has separated us from God, But we see in Ephesians 2 God’s great love for us -

Ephesians 2:4-9 “4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

  Matthew 26:36-46

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.

Jesus is the way , there is no other way to the Father

The way is ,God draws us to Himself , The spirit of God convicts us of our sin and Causes us to have a deep understanding of our depravity and need or Christ and through that we believe at are saved.

Jesus is The Life

Jesus Created life

Genesis 1:26 “26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.””

John 1:3-4“3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

Jesus Sustains Life

Colossians 1:17 “17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Hebrews 1:3 “3 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.

Jesus also tells us He is living water that is a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:10–14);

Jesus is living bread that gives life (John 6:35–40);

Jesus gives new life

Life is given by Jesus bringing humanity back from exile into communion with God (John 1:14–18). Taking the penalty of Sin upon himself

Original sin brought death brought a dividing wall of hostility between God and humanity

Jesus sacrificial death - broke the curtain the dividing wall that separated us from God. We now have access to the Holy God because Christ bestows on us who believe His Righteousness.

(Matthew 27:51 “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.” )

One of the emphasis of John’s Gospel is “eternal life” and that it is available in Christ.

In John 17:3 Jesus states, “Now this is eternal that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent”

Jesus is the good shepherd who brings abundant life (John 10:10-11 “10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Jesus alone is the source of life; He is the Creator, the Sustainer of all life and the Giver of eternal life.

Jesus life - after Death - His resurrection gives us hope for life and points us to eternal life.

Revelation 1:17-18 “17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

John 3:16-17 “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Our hope is found in Christ return, our hope is eternal life found in Christ.

John 14:6 (ESV)

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

Closing comments

This verse leaves few questions for the way to the father.

And as we look around us today and we see all the craziness, wickedness in the world .

I pray that you would look to Christ, and turn to Him in faith and repentance That you might be saved.

choose you today whom you will serve