John, chapter 14, and verse 6. John 14, verse 6. That's on page 1657 of your pew Bibles, and we'll read this in unison. Well, let me read the first two, the two verses before that. If you have your Bibles open, let's read verse 4, 5, and 6, just for a little context. Let's begin. "'And where I go, you know, and the way you know.' Thomas said to Him, "'Lord, we do not know where You are going, "'and how can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, "'I am the way, the truth, and the life. "'No one comes to the Father except through me.'" Jesus is the way, the truth, and the source of life. Well, brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ, we've seen so far that Jesus is the bread of life, He is the light of life, He's the door of life. He's the good shepherd who preserves life when you're in Him. And then we have that hope. Jesus is the resurrection and the life, so even when we die, we will be raised up. From these things, we see so far, all five of them, that Jesus is divine. He is God. These are all descriptions of God, your God, the only true God. And these benefits that we have from Him come upon you in richness and upon your children. And this is why you know that you, as His child, and your children are safe. Your God is willing and your God is able to save you. And today we move to the sixth I Am statement of Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And our headings are, following the pattern we have done, how is Jesus the way, the truth, and the life? And then second, what are the implications of Jesus being the way, the truth, and the life to you? Our goals are that you will be, one, thankful that Jesus is the way to eternal life, Second, that you will live worthily in the way of this life. And third, that you will invite others to come into this road that leads to heaven, that way of life. First then, how is Jesus the way, the truth, and the life? Well, first of all, Jesus declared this, that he was the way, the truth, and the life. And Jesus declared this fact to Thomas and those around, and he did it in three specific, defined ways. He first said, I am the only way. He doesn't merely show the way by his teaching and by his life. Like you might give someone direction this time of the year. You need to go shopping. Well, you don't need to go shopping, but you want to go shopping. And you ask, where is the mall? How can I get there? And you will tell them how to go, the back roads, where to park. You will give them directions. But Jesus said, I'm not just giving you directions. I am the way itself. It's like you would say, you don't know the way to the mall? I will take you there myself. I will take you to the door. I will help pay for your purchase. I will take you home. I will do everything. That's what Jesus is saying when he says, I am the only way. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 20 says, together, by a new and living way, which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh." So you literally have to go through his flesh to go to God. He is the way. He is that veil. Remember the veil in the temple that was like four inches thick. No one could see through, no one could go there, lest they died. Not if you have the blood of Christ now, you're able to go right through. Because Jesus' body was like that veil, where you can get to God by going through Him, because He is the only way. The second thing He said is the only truth. Kind of interesting, the way He brings this out. Jesus communicated the gospel of truth. He is called the Word of God. And the Holy Spirit uses that word to create faith in Him. And it's not just the word you read, it's the fact of what that word describes. When you read the Bible, you learn about Jesus and His purity and His going to the cross to die for your sins. And the Holy Spirit uses that to create faith in you. And what's faith? Faith are hands and mouth of the soul by which you receive that message, you don't have to work for it, and you are saved. That's the only way through the only truth that comes from God. In fact, He is the gospel. He is the fulfillment of the signs of the Old Testament, all those strange signs, including circumcision. All the ceremonies are pictures of Jesus. You have beautiful pictures that the Lord paints for us in the Old Testament that speak of Jesus like the Passover. Feast of the Unleavened Bread, all picturing Christ. And he's also fulfillment of the sacrifices. And there are many sacrifices, five main ones. They all picture the work of Jesus Christ. You know, this time of year, even when Jesus was born, we talked a bit last night, if you were there, about the frankincense, the three gifts that came with Jesus. The gold, picturing his kingship. But then the frankincense, that picture of the spread, the diffusion of the gospel everywhere. And then the myrrh, which is something that they would use in the sacrificial system, that he was given myrrh when he was the priest dying for the sins of the world. Jesus is the gospel, that is the gospel. That's what Adam had at the beginning, and that's what we have at the very end of the Bible. Look at Ephesians 1, verse 13, together. in him you also trusted after you heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." You notice what this is saying. This was not simply a way of moral living. This is a danger in resorting to moral living. because it sometimes is confused with eternal life. And this is a, we'll talk about that in a minute, but this is one of the biggest problems we have in the Western world. We emphasize morality, Judeo-Christian ethic, but not salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Jesus speaks of man's guilt, and then he speaks of his grace, and he speaks of how man is to respond in gratitude Jesus also warned that there would be many who would come after he died, who would make claim to be the source of truth, but the truth they brought never would talk about sin or salvation. These fake preachers, moreover, could not live the truth themselves. But Jesus, he said, his word is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. And then the third thing Jesus said, not only He's saying, I am the way, I am the source of truth that guides you to that way, He says, He is the source of life. If you get those two things together, the way comes through that gospel truth, you have eternal life. And He is the source. There is no other way by which you must be saved. He's the very source of life himself. John 1.4 says together, in him was life, and the life was the light of men. And you notice when I said Jesus is the only way, he's the only truth, he's the only source of life. Why do I say that? Because of the way this is written in the scriptures. There's that definite article. He's not a way, so there are many. He's not a truth, so there are many truths. He is the. Source. He is the way, the truth, and the life. The only ones. That's the bold declaration of God. Now these declarations were claims of divinity, and you have to think of this way as we've talked about before. Either Jesus is a lunatic, he's a liar, or he's the Lord. He's the Lord. You can trust him in this. And because he made the claims of divinity, then he would be fit to be the sacrifice for sins. And remember Jesus' claim. He says, you believe in God, believe also in me. This was a claim of equality to God. He also said, I and the Father are one, John 10. He also said, I am in the Father, John 14. The Apostle Paul says that he is the image or the reflection of the invisible God, Colossians 1. These statements confirm the deity of Jesus. and his fitness to redeem sinners, because man could not redeem sinners. Even the best man could only redeem one man if he were perfect. And when Jesus starts the job along the way, he completes the job. He never leaves his children halfway. He never says, well, I've done all I could, now it's up to you. If it's got to be, it's up to you. No, you'll be lost. And you know the road that he paves for us is never bad, so bad that you can't continue. If you ever watch these shows, and I don't know, I like watching travel shows, they're called Dangerous Journeys. They're free on YouTube. And it shows the life of misery that people go on terrible roads all across the world. And I remember one in particular where the traffic was so bad that after six hours, they had gone, I think, maybe three or four kilometers. You could walk that in less than an hour. But the traffic was so bad, the lady got up and said, I'm just gonna walk the rest of the way. Because they couldn't go. And you know, that's what happens with every other way. They'll leave you isolated. You're never satisfied. You're never contented. You never have true joy. You never have assurance of salvation. But Jesus says, I will be with you even to the end of the age. I'll walk beside you. I'll give you directions. I'll give you company. I'll give you protection. Those will keep you when you want to stray away from me. Because that path is too important. and you are in danger if you stray from it. Now, Jesus, even when the Jews strayed, he brought them back to that right path. You had that throughout the Old Testament. Even, you know, from Psalm 23, the idea of being lost and being brought back into the right path. Well, we see something in John chapter 3, verse 14 and 15. Let's read together. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so the Son of Man must be lifted up, and whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Remember that incident? It was sin, and God provided a solution. They were being bitten by snakes, but here they are, when they looked up at that cross, they would remember the Lord Jesus. who would come to die for their sins. And what would be the result? Then they would be brought back. God didn't abandon them because they had sinned. Look again, Hebrews chapter 9 verse 24. for Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." He completed it. He says, I'm going there, and you have my guidance, and it will be done, because you are going to go to heaven to be with Him. He said so in John 14. If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also." Now, this Old Testament, not just Jesus' direct words, but the Old Testament confirmed that Jesus was the way, the truth, and the life. This doctrine did not come out of thin air. See the Gospel of Isaiah. Jesus is described as a suffering servant. Remember Isaiah 53, by whose stripes you are healed. and who then leads people along the way. After doing that, remember, we were singing yesterday about comfort, comfort you, my people, the beautiful part of Messiah. If you listen to that, you would hear every mountain will be made low, every, the valley would be exalted, would be raised up, it'll become flat land. There's nothing worse than I have to climb over mountains and mountains and mountains, how difficult that is. But Isaiah 35, verse eight says, together, A highway shall be there and a road, and it shall be called the highway of holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray." Because the directions are clear when you have the company and the help of the Lord Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life. And in fact, there's a call to come that way. Isaiah 55, O everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. He that hath no money, come and buy and eat. Come in the way of Jesus. He will feed you along the way. The New Testament also confirmed that Jesus was the way, the truth, and the life. Not just Jesus' words, but after him. 1 Thessalonians 4, 16 through 18, together. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord, Therefore, comfort one another with these words." You see, the Lord doesn't leave us halfway. He comes, and He pulls you and says, you're coming with Me. And this is a source of comfort. Though sometimes when you feel difficulties along the way, you stump your toe, you have to deal with some obstacles, you know where you're going to go. Might be broken relationships, broken hearts, death, Unemployment, these are all bumps along the way. But comfort one another with these words, where it's going to go. Acts 5.31, together. to be prince and savior, to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And Hebrews 9, 12, together, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, he entered the most holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption." Acts 4, 12, together, "'Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.'" Jesus is the way, the only way for repentance and forgiveness, to enter into the holy place only through His flesh. And then Acts 4, no other way but through Jesus. So, what are the implications of Jesus being the way, the truth, and the life? First of all, don't be as ignorant as Thomas and say, we don't know the way. Jesus made known to you the way. He is the way. And the thing is, you have less excuse than Thomas. Jesus directly addressed this issue in John and he wrote it down. So like the wise men, we talk a lot about these days, look and learn and come to Jesus, come to his way that is right. We have his word, learn. Second, if you've been trying to follow two ways, and that's what we find in our society. We like the Bible and a lot of people, but we also like to have something that we hold on as a sidekick, something else. But there is no other way, and you need to abandon any false way. Jesus is the way alone. This was really a stinging rebuke of the Jews who started to think that they must have faith in God. Yeah, we get that like the Roman Catholic Church, but you must also have some obedience to save you. You need to have some good works. You have to keep God's law in order to be saved. Now we must keep God's law, but not to be saved. But because we are saved. The Jews have fallen into this pit of works religion. But works religion will always lead you to death. Now you read Hebrews 11 and 12, and you're overwhelmed by all these people. What was the common thing about them? They had faith in Jesus Christ. That's the distinction there. Not their good works. And that's why the writer of Hebrews rebukes the Hebrews. And say, look, you're looking to the wrong thing. All of these men had faith in Jesus Christ. Proverbs 14.12 says, together, there is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way of death. You know, if people will say that you have your way, I have mine, you have to be able to say, but you don't have the right way. Because you don't have the right way without Jesus. in our society that says, oh, respect other people. How would you respect a way that's leading people to death? That would be terrible. You need to be able to say, it's Jesus or no other way. No, you don't have to be obnoxious, but you have to be firm in the truth. Don't respect some other way that will lead people to hell. It's real Christianity. Live and let live in sin is not Christian. Live and call people out from sin is what God expects. Third, if you're rejected by others for being in this way, and you don't have any place to call home where you will have eternal life, know that there is a place waiting for you. That way has been made clear by Jesus. and it's a call to come to Him. All emotional, physical, spiritual pains, when you come to Him, will ultimately be gone. You won't have to worry about hell. There, there'll be no more poverty, no more betrayal, no more guilt. You'll find comfort and you can find comfort with these words. Let me read these for you from 1 Thessalonians 4. We read them already, but I want you to pay attention to a few things. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. then we who are alive and remain will be caught together with them in the air, on the clouds, to meet them in the air, and so we shall forever be with the Lord." The comfort that we get from knowing that our lives are wrapped up in Jesus and that He is the way and the only way is something that we must never be silent about, and it's something we should relish When you face troubles, you know it's only temporary. That's why after 39 chapters of judgment in Isaiah, chapter 40 breaks out in comfort, comfort. Ye, my people, your warfare is ended. That's the confidence we have that our troubles will be over. Number four, because Jesus is God and always speaks the truth, you can depend upon his declaration and his promises. You know, not many hours after Jesus said this, his body would become a corpse. And it would be in a stone cold tomb. His divinity, of course, never died. It cannot die. His promises are always yes and amen. And even that body that had become stone cold was raised triumphantly on the third day. And he's sitting at the right hand of the Father after ascending into heaven, ruling the world and waiting to come to take his children home, just as he promised. You can depend upon him. Look at the failures of those who have put their trust. Look at the panic when they're about to die. And even if they truly believe what they believe, when they die, where will they open their eyes? In judgment. Judgment from God. And that leads to the fifth application. Many in history have claimed to be the way, but they have all failed. Many religions, many philosophies, many political systems have claimed to be the way. The way, for example, of communism is their promised utopia. 27 times it was tried and 27 times it has failed. None of them is true. Their claims were never borne out in history. By the way, what happens when people make these false claims? And consider that in philosophies and religions and political systems. They always either end up getting very rich on you, on the backs of their followers, Or they assume dictatorial powers and control your life. They never cause you to have more freedom. They never cause the family to be blessed. They never raise the position of women in a society. They always bring difficulties and trouble. What did Jesus say? You follow me, my yoke is easy and my burden will crush you in the ground and you can't pay? No. It's light. And He's there to help you, even as you walk along that road. He never leaves you nor forsakes you. Every other system, take a look at them and see the failure. What brings blessing? What brings true peace? It's in the way of the Lord Jesus. And you know you don't have to be rich. You don't have to be poor. It doesn't matter where you are. It doesn't matter what your race is. Your burden will be light. You walk in the way of Jesus Christ. Every other thing will fail. not the way of Jesus. Six, there's a notable benefit of Christ being the only way to your eternal life. You will be made able to suffer for Christ's children. He works in you in such a way that you'll be willing to sacrifice. The natural thing is, even as you heard in the first sermon, is look out for yourself. When you become a Christian, you start to think of others. You're willing to suffer for them. Look at 1 Peter 2, verse 21, together. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps. You learn to sacrifice for others because of what he has done for you. You give yourself as a sacrifice of praise. You worship him, but you also are able to work for his people. Even if you're inconvenienced or even if you have to die, you'll be willing to do so. That's why we pray for the persecuted church. Look at the suffering. And sometimes some of these ministers, they have an opportunity. They could go away somewhere, but they stay and work with their congregation. The elders, they could look at taking an easier life, but they're willing to do so. Why? Because they know this is the only way to life. That's why you're willing to die. That's why it's inconvenient. You know, that's why most ministers die younger than others. Many of them work themselves to death. Why? Because they want people to come in that way and stay in that way. Seven, the true God, Yahweh, cannot be approached in any other way but through Jesus Christ. God is not approached by giving gifts, by doing good works, by lighting candles, by going on pilgrimage to so-called holy places. Put bluntly, if you went to the so-called holy land so you could get close to God, you were on the wrong plane and you ended up in the wrong place. You know where the holy land is? Here. This is the Holy Land. This is where the church is gathered together. Now, if you want to go to Israel for the historical value, fine. There's nothing wrong with that. But you are not closer to God by going to Israel. The Jews rejected Jesus, and He rejected them. He said, how I wanted to gather you under my wings as a hen gathers her chicks, but you would not come. And so Jesus rejected them. You're not closer to Christ by being there. And it's abominable that the Jews still want to make sacrifices. It's spitting at the cross. They're saying the cross is not good enough. We want to make sacrifices. Don't support this. Support the preaching of the gospel to the Jews. But don't support the Jews simply because they're Jews. Preach the gospel to them. John 8.44, look at what Jesus said about them together. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar of it. Those who like the Jews, who try other approaches, to try to please God are lost and they will be held in contempt. Don't join them in their contempt. Don't promote Zionism. Promote Christ among the Zionists, that they will come to know Jesus and bow the knee to Him. And if you have any other way that you are following and hoping to be saved, leave it. For it will lead you in the wrong way, a road that leads to hell, just like the Jews would go to hell without Jesus. And lastly, because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, there is no reason to be troubled anymore. The work is done. You don't have to panic. You don't have to do anything. It's been done for you. Every other religion says you must do. Christianity says it's done. Receive it. Enjoy it. Let's conclude. Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. There is none other. All others are fakes and pretenders. All who follow these ways will be destroyed in the end in God's fair judgment. Those who look to Christ will have true satisfaction in their hearts now when they will stop worrying. At least the process will start. You will start to stop worrying about the cares of this life. And then you will store up treasures in heaven that you will be able to enjoy for eternity. So, beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, because you have Christ, you need nothing else. Praise God. Praise Him all the day long. but then lead your children to Christ. Make sure they don't become lost in morality. This is one of the effects of bad Sunday school teachers that became popular in the 1800s because they were just teaching, be like David, be like Noah, be like somebody else. Imitate their morality without telling them about faith in Jesus Christ and receiving into their heart the promises that were given. It's by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, not by imitating moral stories from the Bible. Lead them to Christ. Salvation is only found in Him. And then third, proclaim this only way to the world. They're lost without it. Send others. Send them with your prayers and your purses so that they will be able to share the message of Jesus Christ and bring the lost into that way, that only way. And finally, maybe you've wandered all your life. trying to find the way of truth. You tried religion. Didn't work. You tried philosophies. You tried pleasures just to get that true peace and think, this is the way to go. This is what I need to do. You need to try Jesus. He's the only way, the only truth, and the only life. Try him in earnest. and you will never leave him because he did everything you needed to guide you to the one true God. What did he do? He took the sins of the world, and that was man's problem, and led him back to the Father. Let us pray. Thank you, Lord, for your words today. Thank you for hearing us. As we cry out to you, to help us to come to the way and walk in the way, the only way to life. Lord, if anyone is strained from that way, that today he will say, life apart from God is death. Life with the Savior is eternal. That they may commit themselves to you to walk in the way of truth. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.