[0:00] Take your Bibles and turn to the New Testament book of John, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We're going to turn to John chapter 11. I'll be reading the first 27 verses.
[0:15] Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.
[0:32] So the sisters sent word to Jesus, Lord, the one you love is sick. When he heard this, Jesus said, This sickness will not end in death.
[0:44] No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it. Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
[0:54] Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. Then he said to his disciples, Let us go back to Judea. But Rabbi, they said, A short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?
[1:12] Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, but he sees by this world's light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.
[1:27] After he had said this, he went on to tell them, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up. His disciples replied, Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.
[1:42] Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe, but let us go to him.
[1:57] Then Thomas, called Didymus, said to the rest of the disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.
[2:11] Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
[2:27] Lord, Martha said to Jesus, if you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.
[2:38] Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again. Martha answered, I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life.
[2:53] He who believes in me will live even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? Yes, Lord, she told him.
[3:04] I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world. Amen. Again, I send you greetings from Grace Reformed Baptist Church of Owensboro, Kentucky, and it's wonderful to be back here again on this Lord's Day worshiping with you all.
[3:26] But you might have had your Bibles open to John chapter 11, but if you could turn to just a few chapters in advance to John chapter 14, that's what we'll be looking at this morning.
[3:39] John chapter 14. Well, one of the things that sets us apart from all the other creatures that God has made is that he's given us a mind to think about really fundamental big issues of this life.
[4:04] It's one of the major things that I think separates us from cats and dogs and animals. Of course, these things can think and they can probably think about where their next meal is going to come from.
[4:15] But only humans made after the image of God can think about things like or ask questions like, who am I? How did I get here?
[4:30] What's the meaning of life? And what's going to happen to me after I die? Those are big questions that all of us need to ask. And this morning, I want to point you to the one who can answer all of those questions.
[4:44] It's certainly not me and it's certainly not you, but I want to point you to the Lord Jesus Christ who can give us the answer to the most fundamental issues and questions that we are faced with living in this fallen world.
[4:59] Jesus says of himself in John chapter 14, verse 6, these awesome words. I am the way and the truth and the life.
[5:11] No one comes to the Father except through me. Those are the words I'd like us to look at this morning. And if you're a Christian here this morning, I hope this sermon helps you to continue to stay committed and devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ because he is the way, the truth, and the life and there's nowhere else to look to.
[5:33] If you're not a Christian here this morning, my sincerest and deepest desire is that you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ because your eternal destiny is at stake.
[5:46] So John chapter 14. Jesus makes this statement about himself here in John chapter 14 in the midst of his upper room discourse or some people have called it his farewell discourse to his disciples.
[6:03] Remember, he's instructing his 12 disciples before he leaves to go to the cross and even more than that before he leaves and ascends to heaven to the glory of his Father. And so he's instructing his disciples on how they should live in a world without, at least physically speaking, the Lord Jesus Christ.
[6:23] Their master, their rabbi, their Lord, their Savior at their very side. Now this was a pretty fearful thing for the disciples to hear that Jesus was going to go away from them because he wasn't going to leave them in some happy and holy place.
[6:39] He was going to leave them in the barren wilderness of this fallen and wicked world. He was going to leave them behind enemy lines. He was going to leave them where the devil would constantly tempt them, where the world would constantly persecute them, and where their own sins would wage war against their very own souls.
[7:00] So this was a fearful time for the disciples. But as we read the uproom discourse, John chapter 14, 15, 16, and of course culminating in the high priestly prayer of Christ in chapter 17, Jesus is really wanting to comfort his disciples.
[7:17] They're fearful. They're scared of what's going to happen to them. Jesus is teaching these things to comfort his disciples. We can read that here at the very beginning of chapter 14 when he says, Let not your hearts be troubled.
[7:33] 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?
[7:45] 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.
[7:59] So this comfort right there, he's telling them that he's going away, but he's going away to prepare a place for those that he loves most. Well, it's in the midst of this teaching that he says what we read in verse 6.
[8:18] Now his disciples are somewhat confused. Where are you going, Lord? What is the way that I can follow to get there to see you? And Jesus says in the plainest possible terms the way it is to get to where he's going, which is heaven.
[8:35] And again, we read that in verse 6. So friends, this is a question we should all ask ourselves. How do we get to heaven? How do we get to where Jesus is?
[8:46] How can we spend eternity in one of these rooms that Jesus was describing in the Father's house? How can we get there? Well, Jesus tells us very plainly here it's not through human effort or exertion or achievement.
[9:04] It's not as if his disciples could go climb up a high mountain to get to the place where Jesus was going or they could build some sort of high tower and climb up that to get to where Jesus was going or climb up some long ladder into heaven.
[9:18] Jesus doesn't say that. Jesus tells us here in verse 6 that heaven is entered and glory is achieved only through himself. So as we kind of zero in on this verse, I want us to notice two really important things about what Jesus says concerning himself.
[9:37] And the first is this. Notice how exclusive the claims of Jesus Christ are in John chapter 14 verse 6.
[9:50] We must say that he's making a pretty exclusive claim about himself when he says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
[10:05] And he did not say, I am a way or a truth or a life. He did not say, some come to the Father in a different way than through me.
[10:20] And friends, that's what the world wants us to think. The world wants us to think that Christianity is just one path that goes up this great mountain that ends up leading into the holy presence of God.
[10:35] that Christianity is just one avenue to heaven. It's just one choice to be made among many. Now you may know people who think this way. You may be one who thinks this way yourself.
[10:50] You may believe there isn't much difference between all the world's religions. That they all have enough truth in them that if someone sincerely follows the one that they choose to follow, they'll make it to heaven one day.
[11:05] You may think that there's really nothing different between Islam and Buddhism and Judaism and Hinduism and even Christianity. Somehow they all teach different ways from different perspectives how to get to the very same destination.
[11:24] So if they're all about the same, then we should all respect them all and tolerate them all and embrace them all. I don't know if you guys are familiar with the comedian Steve Harvey.
[11:37] He's been around for a long time. But this is what he believes. And he said this publicly. So I want to read you a quote from him. He once said, there is no one way to heaven.
[11:50] No one way to paradise. It's like television. Now there's over 800 channels of cable and they're all pretty entertaining. So I'm pretty sure that to get to heaven, there's got to be more than one route.
[12:05] Because somebody watching another channel or taking another channel than you, they're still getting entertained. And they're probably still getting to heaven.
[12:17] Steve Harvey. Or have you guys seen those coexist bumper stickers? Hopefully you guys don't own any of those. But I think that's the message behind those bumper stickers.
[12:30] You know, those are the bumper stickers that use different religious symbols to spell out the word coexist. I think its purpose is to tell us that all religions are the same.
[12:41] There's not one religion over another religion. They should all be treated equally. And we all need to embrace every single religion out there as a legitimate way to get to heaven.
[12:54] Well, this may be the world's opinion about religion. But is this Jesus' opinion? Again, Jesus did not say that he was one way and one truth and one life.
[13:08] Instead, he says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. In other words, he's saying, I am the only way.
[13:21] I am the only truth. I am the only life. There is no other way. There is no other truth. There is no other life. I am it. Period.
[13:32] End of discussion. I think there's a good lesson for us believers to take away from the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ.
[13:43] And it's this, that if you are a believer in Christ, you must never budge on how exclusive the gospel message truly is. I think what Jesus says here is one of the most offensive messages in the ears of this world.
[14:01] This world that prides itself on tolerance and acceptance of all kinds of different beliefs. things. But when Jesus says that he is it, he is saying that all other religions are not it.
[14:19] In essence, he is saying that all other religions are false and futile and dead, no matter what they are, no matter what ideology or religion or philosophy out there, if it's apart from Jesus Christ, it is absolutely worthless.
[14:33] Jesus is saying that anything other than himself will never bring a person a single inch closer to knowing God and loving God and spending eternity with God.
[14:47] In fact, outside of Jesus Christ, all the world's religions will just push you further and further and further away from obtaining the true knowledge of God.
[14:58] They will blind you. They will deceive you. They will lead you astray. And last of all, they will damn your soul to hell. That's how exclusive the message of the gospel is.
[15:10] It's only Jesus, nothing and no one else. Of course, the world hates us for preaching this message. They mock us.
[15:21] They ridicule us. They call us religious bigots. They gnash their teeth at us. Many of them want to destroy us and tear down our churches for preaching the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ.
[15:35] I wouldn't be surprised if somebody posted John 14, verse 6 on social media and it was flagged for misinformation or hate speech. If you just quoted this verse and posted it on social media, I'm sure you would get some pushback for doing that.
[15:52] But these are the words of our Savior. He's the one who said these things. The church didn't make this up. Jesus' disciples didn't make this up. But these come straight from the lips of the Son of God.
[16:06] So believer in Christ, do not budge a single inch on this message. Don't compromise. Don't capitulate. Don't give in. Take your stand.
[16:18] If Jesus said he is the way, the truth, and the life, then there is no other options left. There is nowhere else to go to hear the words of eternal life.
[16:29] There is nowhere else to go to experience salvation. There is nowhere else to go to make it to heaven. Jesus is it. And so we must wholeheartedly embrace what the Lord Jesus Christ says here, no matter what the world thinks of us or does to us.
[16:47] We must believe with all of our hearts and souls what the apostle Peter preached in Acts chapter 4 verse 12 when he said, and there is salvation and no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
[17:06] Brethren, if we give in, we give in because of peer pressure, if we give in because of the fear of man, if we give in because of just our own sensual carnality says Jesus can't be the only way.
[17:20] We've lost the gospel, not just partially, but we've lost it completely. If we say that Jesus is only a savior and not the savior, if we say that Jesus is just one name out of many under heaven by which man can be saved, the gospel has lost all of its power.
[17:41] There are other ways to be saved than the Bible is clear that Christ died in vain and our faith is in vain. And quite frankly, we are wasting our time here this morning.
[17:54] If Jesus is not the way, the truth and the life, why meet together and worship God this morning? Why set apart an entire day and we call it the Lord's day?
[18:09] If Jesus is not the only way, the only truth and the only life, we might as well go home. We might as well live as we would like to live and then die.
[18:21] Why? Because again, if Jesus is not the only savior, if we give up the exclusive claim of Jesus Christ that he's making here and in other passages, but especially here.
[18:37] Then let's just go do our own thing. So brethren, this issue is the hill of all hills to die on. And so we must not budge an inch.
[18:49] We must put our foot down in the ground and say, this is what the Lord Jesus Christ says. And we're willing to die for this message. But I think there's also an application to those who are not believers here this morning concerning the exclusive claim of Jesus Christ.
[19:07] And it's this. I hope you seriously come to grips with what Jesus is saying about himself here. Too many people out there think that Jesus was just some good teacher out of many teachers throughout human history.
[19:22] You just put them on the same level as some other great teachers, whether they're religious teachers or philosophers, whatever they might be. But Jesus is making the most exclusive claim about himself when he says, I am the way, the truth and the life.
[19:39] He is putting himself in a category all his own. So your view of Jesus cannot be that he was just some good moral teacher out of many others.
[19:55] Friend, a mere teacher does not say of himself, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. I love what C.S.
[20:06] Lewis once famously said about this. People in his day were saying, well, Jesus is just some good moral teacher. But this is how he responds. He said, a man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.
[20:24] He would either be a lunatic on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg or else he would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice.
[20:35] Either this man was and is the son of God or else a mad man or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool. You can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God.
[20:52] But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
[21:07] So friend, Jesus said he is the way, the truth and the life. What do you think about that? How do you respond to the words of Jesus?
[21:18] Because you must respond. You must think something about what the Lord Jesus says here about himself. yourself. You can either think he's crazy or he's possessed by a demon or you can truly believe that he is the son of God.
[21:37] And of course, I'm here this morning to tell you that indeed he is the son of God. Indeed, he is Lord and God and he is the one that we must fall down to and worship as our Lord and Savior.
[21:53] So that's how exclusive the claims of Jesus Christ are. But I want to notice I want us to notice something else about what Jesus says here. And it's how exalted and essential Jesus's claims are.
[22:09] Why does Jesus say these things about himself here in John chapter 14, verse six? Well, I think he follows. Well, if you look at what he says, he's really making four astounding statements about himself.
[22:26] Which show us exactly how we should respond to him, shows us how exalted this one is who's speaking in this passage and how essential it is for us to respond rightly to his words.
[22:40] And so Jesus doesn't just say this about himself so that we might stop and stare at him, but he says these things about himself so that we would wholeheartedly believe in him. And so I want us to just walk through his exact statements here so that we might really be impacted by his words and be drawn to him.
[23:00] With all of our hearts and souls. So let's look at it one at a time. And the first is this. Jesus starts this great passage by saying, I am.
[23:12] Now, in the Greek, it translates as ego I me. And I don't know if you're familiar with that little phrase, but it's a very significant phrase. I am because it's found over and over and over, especially in the gospel of John.
[23:28] So you might be familiar with some of the phrases that Jesus uses to describe himself that start with I am. Things like I am the bread of life.
[23:39] I am the light of the world before Abraham was. I am. I am the door. I am the good shepherd. I am the resurrection and the life. What we just read this morning.
[23:51] And then I am the true vine. Now, why is it significant for Jesus to say I am? Isn't he just kind of? It's a descriptive phrase and he's introducing who he is before he describes himself.
[24:07] Well, I think there's deeper significance than that. Because if you look at this, this, this word and this phrase I am, it's actually a name for God found in the Old Testament.
[24:22] God is called I am. You guys maybe are thinking about what passage where God is called I am in the Old Testament. Well, there's several places, but the first time it appears is in Exodus chapter 3 verse 14.
[24:37] Moses is out in the wilderness and he sees the burning bush and the Lord speaks to him out of that burning bush. And this is what the Lord says to him in Exodus 3 14.
[24:49] Says 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.
[25:02] The great I am was the one to send Moses back to the people of God to be their rescuer and their deliverer. But God calls himself specifically here. I am.
[25:13] God. Which I think means that God is eternal and God never changes and God is not in need of anything and he's not becoming anything. God doesn't say. He is or he does not say I was.
[25:30] He does not say I will be something. He just says I am. So I think he's I think it's just meaning that that he is forever the same. He is forever constant in his character and he is forever faithful to his promises.
[25:44] He is who he is. But here's the interesting thing about what Jesus says here. He's taking that name, I think, of I am and he's applying it to himself when he says I am the way, the truth and the life.
[26:01] He's saying that I'm God. God. He's saying I share the divine nature with the father. I am one with him. I am equal with him. I am the same yesterday and today and forever.
[26:14] I am the alpha and omega. I am the beginning and the end. I am the almighty God who was and is and is to come. So right off the bat in this assertion of Jesus, I think he's proclaiming his divinity that he is God in the flesh.
[26:31] And therefore we are to respond rightly to him by bowing before him. And as C.S. Lewis said, confessing him as Lord and God. He is God incarnate and he is the one we must look to and believe in if we ever want to be saved.
[26:49] So it's just important to point that out. I am referring to the divinity of Christ. He's taking this title upon himself, this name upon himself, and he's the God that we must have dealings with.
[26:59] But secondly, Jesus says he is the way. Now he doesn't say that he just shows us the way or he teaches us the way. But Jesus, in fact, says I am the way.
[27:13] Well, the way to what? That's what we have to ask. He's not the way to prosperity or health or riches or just having a good life in this world.
[27:29] No, Jesus is saying I'm the way here because he's saying I'm the way to God. And he explains what it means for him to be the way when he says at the end of the verse, no one comes to the father except through me.
[27:42] Think of him like a way, a road, an avenue to the father. And he's saying that he is the way. But if somebody wants to come and live before the father and live in one of the rooms that the father has in his house, you have to go through Christ.
[28:00] And Jesus alone bridges the infinite chasm that exists between the holy God and sinful men. He's the way. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, they had direct and immediate access to the special presence of God in the Garden of Eden, right?
[28:18] They had a clear way into the presence of God. But what happened to them? They sinned. And what did God do to them after they sinned?
[28:30] Kicked them out of the garden. They were banished into the wilderness. God said that the way into my holy presence has now been barred. Remember who God put at the entryway of the garden?
[28:43] He put those glorious cherubim who were holding flaming swords in their hands. There was no way that Adam and Eve could walk back into the holy presence of God and worship him with all of their sin and wickedness and evil still reigning in their hearts.
[29:03] Brethren, the same is true for us. That by nature we are all sinners in Adam and we are all sinners like Adam. We've all sinned against God.
[29:14] We've all gone astray. We've all turned our own way. We've all walked away from God. We're all separated from God in this world. We all have our access barred into his holy presence.
[29:26] We don't have access with God. We're separated. We're alienated from him by birth, by conception, because we're sinners. So the most important question in life I think that we could ask ourselves is, is there any way back to God?
[29:44] Is there any way back into God's gracious and glorious presence? Is there any way to have true fellowship with the living God ever again? We know what happened to our parents.
[29:55] We know ourselves. Is there any way back into God's holy and gracious presence? And praise God, Jesus is telling us here that yes, indeed, there is a way because Jesus is the way back to God.
[30:09] He's the one who brings us to God. Think of him as the highway to heaven. He's the one who's come into this world to break that barrier of sin down and reconcile a holy God and sinful men together.
[30:22] And of course, he has opened the floodgates back into the presence of God, not by just being a good moral teacher. But he accomplished this by shedding his blood upon a cross.
[30:34] It's through the blood of Jesus Christ that we can now have peace with God again. That Jesus has died this sin bearing death on behalf of sinners.
[30:44] And because he has done so, he has paved a new and living way into the special presence of God. And dear sinner, that is the very way that you can walk upon to get back into God's special presence.
[31:01] Here's just two other verses that are very clear that teach us that Jesus is the way. Hebrews 10, 19 through 20. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain that is through his flesh.
[31:22] And first Peter 3, 18 for Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.
[31:36] So if you want to enter God's presence, if you want to have access to him, if you want to be brought to him, if you want to live before him, what's only through the blood of the sinless son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
[31:55] So, dear sinner, please trust in this blood. If you do trust in this blood, everything that separates you from the holy God will be completely removed.
[32:07] All your sins can be washed away. You can have peace with God. All your filth, all your uncleanness, all your wickedness that God abhors can now be tossed behind his back, thrown into the depths of the sea, separated as far as the east is from the west.
[32:25] That is how precious and powerful the blood of Jesus Christ is. Wash away all of your sins and present you perfect and holy in the sight of this holy and awesome God.
[32:39] Trust in this blood. Rest in this blood. Wash yourself in this blood. But in order to go upon the path of Jesus, you have to forsake all other ways.
[32:53] That's part of repentance. Right? There are two things that you must do to be saved. You must repent of your sins and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ. Well, repentance is that you see that every other way out there in life is false and futile and deceiving.
[33:11] Right? You see it for what it is and you turn away from that to put your feet upon the path of Jesus Christ. There's so many people out there that think that there are just so many different ways to live life.
[33:23] But you know what the Bible says about some of those paths? They're deadly. Proverbs 14, 12. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
[33:37] Jesus teaches this same thing in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 7, verse 13. He says, for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction. And those who enter by it are many.
[33:51] So, friend, you need to forsake every false and misleading path out there. And you need to put your feet upon the path of Jesus Christ.
[34:02] It's not just enough to stand back and admire the path. It's not just enough to say, well, that is the only path up to the holy mountain of God. No, you must put your feet upon that path.
[34:13] You must believe in Jesus Christ yourself. You know what the Christian religion is called in the New Testament? One of its names? Especially in the book of Acts.
[34:25] It's called the way. And you find that several times in the book of Acts. The way. Why is it called the way? Because I think what Jesus says here, he is the way.
[34:36] So if you want to belong to the way, you must believe in the one who said, I am the way. The Lord Jesus Christ. So that's the second thing I want us to see.
[34:47] He is the way to God that we must walk upon. But here's the third thing I want us to notice about this verse. Jesus said he is the truth. Now, throughout human history, people have searched high and low.
[35:02] For the truth. Philosophers, scientists, great thinkers throughout the ages, they've all been seeking after the truth. That's the pursuit of their lives.
[35:14] They want to find the truth. But the Bible teaches that our minds are shrouded in darkness because of our sins. We are born not only rebels of God, but we're born utterly ignorant of the truth.
[35:28] Yes, some of that truth comes in because God is so powerful and good in creation. But especially when it comes to knowing saving truth, we are totally in the dark.
[35:38] we're like blind bats flying around in the daytime, not knowing where we are. Remember what Pontius Pilate said to Jesus? He said, what is truth?
[35:51] And the truth was looking at him in the face and he couldn't even recognize it. It's Pontius Pilate, the one who put Jesus to death, asked Jesus himself, what is truth?
[36:04] Well, praise God, a light has dawned in this world to dispel the darkness in our minds and open all of our eyes.
[36:15] Jesus here is basically saying that mankind's quest for truth ends with him. He not only teaches the truth, he is not only full of truth, but he says here, I am the truth.
[36:31] Amazing statement. I think that means that all truth is found in Christ. No matter what truth we're talking about, remember, Jesus is the true God, he is the I am the great I am.
[36:47] And as the great I am, he's the source and foundation of all truth. All the truths about this world fit perfectly together in Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter what truth we're talking about, whether it's science or mathematics or morality or physics or logic or mechanics or economics or biology.
[37:05] All these things are held together in perfect order and harmony in Christ. Reality is what it is because Jesus Christ is Lord of all.
[37:16] Remember Colossians one. All things are created through him and for him. And Hebrews one three declares that all things, the whole universe is being held together.
[37:28] By the word of Jesus's power. So just in general, all truth finds its its its footing, its foundation in Jesus Christ. But when Jesus says he is the truth here, I think most of all, he means that all saving truth is revealed through him.
[37:46] He's not only true God, but he's also true man. And as the true man, he was sent from heaven into this world to reveal to all mankind, not just general facts about the universe, but spiritual truths which will save our souls.
[38:01] He says of himself in John chapter 18, for this purpose, I was born and for this purpose, I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth.
[38:13] The truth of God. He has come to reveal to us the saving knowledge and will of God. He's this great messenger of truth to teach us who we are, who God is and how we can be saved from the wrath to come.
[38:29] And friends, we can trust what Jesus says. And we don't have to be suspicious when Jesus says he is the truth. He tells us over and over again that what he speaks is truth.
[38:42] My testimony is true. John eight or later in John eight, I tell you the truth. In fact, in the book of Revelation, he's called the faithful and true witness.
[38:55] And the major reason we can trust him is because. He's been raised from the dead. He said he was going to die on a cross, and then he said three days later he would be raised from the dead.
[39:08] And he is not a dead savior. He is a resurrected savior. So we can trust him if he was a dead man. Still might be hard to trust somebody like that. But he's not dead. He's alive forevermore.
[39:20] And therefore, his words are true. I think it's especially good for us in our day to hear these words from the lips of our savior.
[39:31] I feel like in the world we live in, finding the truth is like finding a needle in a haystack, especially today. And the sad thing is we have very powerful and influential people running our societies and governments that are basically telling us that the needle of truth in that haystack doesn't even exist, that we are wasting our time diving into these haystacks trying to find truth because there is no real objective truth out there in this world.
[39:59] There's so many people today that reject the concept of objective, absolute truth. And instead, they believe that there's all different kinds of subjective truths that you have your truth and I have my truth.
[40:15] And even if these truths totally contradict one another, we're still supposedly to live in harmony and peace with one another in this world. Again, we always need to be going back to scripture and say, what does the Lord Jesus Christ say about that?
[40:31] He tells us here there are not many competing truths. There's no such thing as your version of the truth and my version of the truth. Jesus tells us here that there is only one truth and that truth is theological.
[40:45] That truth is Christological. That truth is all about Jesus Christ. Remember, he's the word of God. He's the wisdom from God. He is the truth of God. He is true truth.
[40:57] He is absolute truth. If anybody had a monopoly on truth, it is the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Christ, the truth about the world comes from him and the truth about salvation is found in him.
[41:12] So if you're not a believer in Christ, if your life is not aligned with the truth about Jesus, well, then you're living a lie. That might be a hard thing to come to grips to.
[41:24] But if you have not bowed the knee to Jesus Christ, who is truth, your life is full of vanity. And lies, your life is not according to the facts.
[41:39] Your life is according to falsehood. Think of it as disordered, messed up, vain, out of touch with reality. And it really doesn't matter how much fun and enjoyment you're getting out of the world.
[41:53] If you are not a Christian, you are outside the truth. Remember, the truth is found in Christ. He is the truth. His word is truth. His gospel is truth. He is truth.
[42:04] But if you don't believe in Christ, your life is one big lie. My friend, you don't have to despair. Jesus tells us you don't have to live like this anymore because Jesus, as the truth, can set you free.
[42:21] He can set you free from ignorance. He can set you free from your sins and from addictions. He can set you free from deception. He can set you free from the devil. He can set you free from death and hell.
[42:32] He can give you a true understanding about how reality actually works. These precious words that he says in John chapter 8, 31 through 33.
[42:42] If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Well, friend, you need to know the truth.
[42:55] You need to know the truth about yourself. You need to know the truth about God. You need to know the truth about your own sins. You need to know the truth about how you can be saved.
[43:05] You may not know a whole lot about how this world works. And that's OK. Because if you come to Jesus, who is the truth, you will know the one great truth.
[43:19] About which your soul can be saved. I'd rather be an ignorant, stupid man, but know the Lord Jesus Christ than to be the greatest philosopher and thinker out there.
[43:31] But be entirely ignorant of the saving way of God. You can be the smartest man in the world. The wisest man on earth. If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
[43:46] You'll know Jesus. And you will know him who is true. And if you know that, everything in life will begin to make perfect sense. Jesus is on the throne.
[43:57] Bow your knee to King Jesus and everything will fall into perfect place. But for those who profess to believe in Jesus, let me ask you this.
[44:08] Are you living your life in light of the fact that Jesus is the truth? Jesus as the truth should fundamentally change the way that we go about our lives.
[44:21] The way we think, the things we say, and the things that we do. All of this should be impacted by the truth of the gospel. That Jesus has come to take human flesh, died for our sins, risen, has been raised from the dead, and now is seated at his father's right hand.
[44:36] He is the incarnate and risen Lord who reigns over all creation. This should change something about the way that we approach life.
[44:50] So do you love the truth? Are you speaking the truth? Are you walking in the truth? Are you practicing the truth? If somebody looked at your life, could they step back and say, That person is a child of the truth.
[45:08] Again, we can't compartmentalize the truth about Jesus. He is the truth. Not just the truth about Christianity. He is the truth about everything. That's why I try to stress the lordship of Jesus Christ and having a Christian worldview.
[45:23] He's the truth. All truths are found in him and all truths come from him. Well, I hope the gospel has impacted your life. Because you can't say you're a disciple of Jesus Christ on Sunday.
[45:37] And then Monday through Saturday, you live like a child of the devil. You can't say that I believe in Jesus Christ, the truth, and live your life entirely against and contrary to the truth.
[45:50] Remember the description of the devil. Jesus said he is a liar and there is no truth in him. But if the truth of Jesus has not utterly transformed your life, if the truth of Christianity does not influence all that you do, well, your profession is bankrupt.
[46:13] There's no truth in your profession. And sadly, the Bible says there is no truth in you. And so, brethren, we need to stir up ourselves. As Jesus says, he is the truth.
[46:25] That should impact the way that we live our lives. We need to bow the knee to Jesus, the truth, and let his truth influence and affect everything that we do in life. And here's, last and finally, I want us to see the last part of what Jesus says about himself.
[46:43] When he says, I am the life. I am the life. Now, it's natural for us as humans to always be seeking after life.
[46:55] Because the sad reality is we're all going to die one day. We're all going to face the prospect of death. The grim reaper is going to knock on every one of our doors.
[47:06] There's no escape from it. Unless the Lord Jesus Christ returns while we live. We all need to come to grips with the fact that we are going to die. So what do humans do?
[47:20] They seek after the fountain of youth. Or they create all kinds of nutritional supplements and products that help with anti-aging.
[47:30] I just looked at an article this morning which said that the richest people on earth are trying to come up with ways to solve the problem of death through artificial intelligence.
[47:47] I mean, the people high up in Google and Amazon and even Elon Musk, they're trying to come up with all of these ways to live forever. Right? Through artificial intelligence.
[47:58] I don't know if they somehow think they can take your consciousness and put it into a computer or whatever it might be. But they're trying to live forever. They're seeking after life. Well, friend, there is a way to live forever.
[48:11] But it's not through those sort of things. It's not through anti-aging pills or some imaginative fountain of life or artificial intelligence or technology.
[48:24] No, Jesus tells us how we can seek life and where we can find life. And life is found only in Him. Just as there's no truth outside of Christ, there is no life outside of Him either.
[48:37] Again, this is a constant theme in the book of John. Now, earlier in this gospel, we're told that life is in Jesus. Again, as the everlasting God, all life is found in Him and all life comes through Him.
[48:53] Every creature lives and moves and has its being in Jesus. But He doesn't just give natural life to all creation.
[49:04] Because Jesus, again, is not just God, but He's also the God-Man. He is the Messiah. And as the Messiah, Jesus not only gives natural life, but He gives eternal life. Not just to natural creatures, but to sinful human beings.
[49:20] Remember, Jesus laid down His life on the cross. But then He took it up again. He rose again from the grave. And now the Bible says He has an indestructible life.
[49:31] He is alive forevermore. He will never die again. Again, Jesus has defeated death, brethren. And death no longer has dominion over Him. Jesus possesses life in its fullest and most complete extent.
[49:47] He has eternal life. And He has won that by His perfect life. In His sin-bearing death. Well, here's the great news. The great news of the Gospel is that very life that Jesus Christ possesses can be yours.
[50:06] He can give that to you as a free gift if you simply believe in Him. Again, this is a common theme in the Gospel of John.
[50:16] Let me just read three verses that tell us very plainly that if we believe in Jesus Christ, we'll not just have natural life, but we will be given eternal life. John 3.16. The most famous passage in the Bible teaches us this.
[50:29] John 6.40 John 6.40 John 6.40 And I will raise him up on the last day.
[50:49] And as we heard this morning, John 11.25-26 Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live.
[51:01] And everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this? Well, friend, do you believe this? Do you believe that if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will have eternal life?
[51:15] You should believe this. The Bible is clear that if you believe in Jesus Christ right here and right now, you can have eternal life. It's not something that you just have to wait for.
[51:27] The fullest blessing of that, yes, comes when Jesus returns. But you can have the seeds of eternal life planted within your heart and soul if you believe in Jesus Christ right now.
[51:40] You can be given this kind of life that Jesus is talking about. Eternal life. Abundant life. Pure life. This full and sweet life.
[51:50] And most of all, having this full and sweet communion with God because that's what eternal life is all about. This is eternal life that they know you, the only true God in Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
[52:02] Eternal life is eternal life because it's life lived in the very presence of God. Well, this can be yours, friend. The very life that Jesus possesses now can be yours if you believe upon Him.
[52:16] But the Bible also warns if you do not believe in Jesus Christ, you're still living in the shadow of death. By nature, we are dead in our trespasses and sins.
[52:31] Just like by nature we are alienated and estranged from God, by nature we are ignorant, by nature we are dead in our trespasses and sins. That you are not really living life if you are not believing in Jesus Christ.
[52:47] Now the world might tell you that, oh yeah, you're really living. Yeah, you're real free. You can do whatever you want. You can party it up.
[52:59] And they say that's living. But the Bible says if that's your way of life, you are dead even while you live. And it's not as if somehow you'll achieve life at the end of your days.
[53:12] The Bible is also clear that you will never have life. Jesus says it very plainly in John 3.36, Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
[53:29] So, friend, if you want to pass from death to life, if you want to escape from the torments of eternal death in hell and enjoy the blessings of eternal life in heaven, you must believe in Jesus Christ as the life.
[53:43] If you want to get out from under the darkness of the wrath of God and enter into the light of God's blessing and grace, you must believe in Christ. It's being offered to you right now.
[53:55] It's a free gift. You don't deserve it. You can't earn it. You can't achieve it in any way. You're full of death. But the beautiful thing about the gospel is Jesus freely and graciously offers it to you now.
[54:11] He's the only one who possesses it. And if you believe upon him now, faith alone in Christ alone, you can have eternal life. I just want to end with this.
[54:26] The Bible is clear when it says that we're sinners. And what that means is by nature, we are separated from God. We're lost.
[54:37] We're ignorant of God. We're in the dark. And we're perishing. We're dead. We need help.
[54:48] We need a miracle. We need salvation. We can't do it ourselves. We need a miracle. We need a miracle. We need a miracle. We need a miracle. We need a miracle. But everything Jesus says here about himself is what we really need in life.
[55:02] We're separated from God. We're ignorant of God. We're dead. And yet Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. So Jesus is a perfect Savior who meets our most pressing needs.
[55:15] He is the way which leads to the special presence of God. He is the truth which reveals to us the saving knowledge of God. And He is the life which brings us into sacred fellowship with God. As one man famously said, without this way, there is no going.
[55:31] Without this truth, there is no knowing. Without this life, there is no living. I just want to make one final appeal to every single person here this morning.
[55:45] Trust in Jesus now. bow to Him as the great I am. Walk upon Him as the way to God. Believe upon Him as the truth about how to be saved.
[55:59] And receive, freely receive, the life that He gives. So that you too might have that great assurance that where Jesus is now, He's preparing a place for you.
[56:12] A room in the heavenly mansions in the skies. That you might live before God forever and ever without end. So believe upon Jesus Christ, my friends.
[56:24] See that He is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. Let's pray together. Our Heavenly Father, we give You thanks for Your Son.
[56:35] We are so undeserving. We deserve to die in our sins. We deserve to be separated from You for all eternity in hell without any opportunity, without any hope of salvation.
[56:49] And Lord, we are so thankful that You sent Your Son into this world. This dark and decrepit and dark world. This sinful world. This dying and perishing world.
[57:00] You have sent Your Son into this barren wilderness. And we thank You that He is the way, the truth, and the life. We pray that for all who are outside of Jesus Christ today, they would savingly believe upon this One.
[57:15] That they would seriously consider His claims and assertions. They wouldn't just brush it off and go do something else after church. But they would come to grips. Seriously deal with what Jesus says here.
[57:28] May You use this verse, O Lord, penetrate their hearts and souls and bring the light of life to them in the Lord Jesus. And for us who are Christians, we pray that You would help us to be ever more committed to our Savior.
[57:40] That You would help us, Lord, to continue to walk upon the way. That You would help us to continue to submit ourselves to the truth. That You would help us to continue to abide in Jesus Christ. For He alone is the life.
[57:52] And outside of Him is utter death. Lord, we are thankful He is the vine. We are the branches. Help us to abide in Him. Our spiritual nutrients come from Him. Help us, Lord, to receive that each and every day to walk closely with our Savior.
[58:06] We ask all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.