The Way, the Truth and the Life

Thank you for reading the scriptures for us.

Do keep your Bibles open, or keep your phone open at the Bible app

! as we look at John's Gospel together,

and particularly we're going to be focusing on chapter 14

!

Why are Christians so devoted to Jesus?

Why do Christians long for opportunities to tell other people about Jesus,

friends, even complete strangers?

Why do they want to take part in a nationwide Gospel mission

to tell more people about Jesus?

Maybe you've been dragged along by a Christian friend,

and they're keen for you to come and to hear about Jesus.

Why?

Well, a great way to answer those questions

is to look at the seven wonderful sayings of Jesus

that we find in John's Gospel that are called the I Am sayings,

where Jesus says things like,

I am the light of the world,

I am the good shepherd,

I am the bread of life.

We can't look at all seven this morning,

but we're going to focus in on one of those great sayings,

arguably the greatest of these sayings,

and arguably the most controversial of these sayings,

where Jesus says,

I am the way,

and the truth,

and the life.

The declaration itself comes in in verse 6,

but I want us to get the context,

so let's work our way towards it from verse 1.

And our passage begins with comforting words

for troubled disciples.

Jesus is eating a final meal with his closest followers

before his arrest, trial, and execution.

So in just a few hours, he's going to be arrested.

There's going to be a trial with the Jewish court overnight.

The next day, he'll be on trial before the Roman governor,

Pilate, he'll be condemned to death.

He'll be nailed to a cross.

The next day, he'll be dead.

And his disciples are deeply troubled.

I hope you've enjoyed many relaxed evenings out in your life,

going out for a meal with family, with friends.

Well, this is no relaxed evening out.

The atmosphere is heavy,

with the distressing and confusing impact of Jesus' words.

He's talked about one of them betraying him,

and then of leaving them,

and saying they cannot go where he is going.

So where is he going?

Why is he going?

Why can't they go with him?

He says they will follow later,

and his most loyal follower, Peter,

the passionate, devoted Peter has protested,

Lord, why can't I follow you now?

I will lay down my life for you.

Will you really?

Will you really?

Says Jesus.

No, you won't, Peter.

Three times you are going to disown me.

What words to create a sense of foreboding.

What terrible events could cause Peter to disown Jesus?

So no wonder they're deeply troubled.

And Jesus speaks words of comfort to his troubled disciples.

And he begins by saying,

do not let your hearts be troubled.

Christian, maybe you've come this morning with a troubled heart.

And actually the words that your Lord wants you to hear this morning,

are simply those words,

do not let your hearts be troubled.

But Jesus says that,

but he then follows on with a remarkable call to faith.

He says, believe, or we could simply translate it trust,

trust in God,

trust also in me.

That's how we can let our hearts not be troubled.

It's by trusting in God,

trusting in Jesus.

But what makes this so remarkable,

it's not so much that he tells them to calm their fears

by trusting in God.

That's sort of common enough in the Bible.

What is remarkable is that he calls them

in the very same breath to put their trust in him.

Trust in God, trust also in me.

The implication is inescapable

that he is somehow making himself equal with God.

But he doesn't call them to an ignorant faith,

a blind trust.

He gives them reasons to trust

with three wonderful revelations

about the ultimate future.

So no, he doesn't try to calm their fears

simply by saying,

don't worry, it's going to be okay.

By sort of playing down the pains and sorrows that lie ahead.

Sometimes life is very troublesome,

it's very painful, it's very sorrowful.

Instead, he directs their minds

way beyond the troubles that lie ahead

for them in this world.

And he speaks in verses 2 and 3

about the heaven to come

and the eternal age beyond this world.

And he reveals three great realities about heaven.

The first, according to verse 2,

and please don't miss the beauty of this,

he says that heaven is his father's house.

Heaven is not a sort of a vague,

unimaginable place it is for us,

for Jesus.

It's not vague and unimaginable.

Now, for some of us,

we've just sort of seen far too many

pre-ulaphalite paintings with chubby cherubs

playing harps and floating on clouds,

and that's just a ridiculous image of heaven.

But for Jesus, it's his home.

It's the home from which he's come

and to which he is returning.

Home is the place,

heaven is the place where he has enjoyed

intimate, eternal relationship with his father.

Heaven is his father's house.

And then he says, second,

that heaven has room

for all who will believe in Jesus.

So the point of verse 2

lies really in the word many,

that in his father's house are many rooms.

Room for all the disciples,

not just for this small group he's eating with,

but room for all who will believe in Jesus

from every people, tribe, and nation.

And then third,

and here is the very heart of the Christian message,

that our place in heaven

is prepared by his going.

So in verse 2 he says,

he must go to prepare

a place in his father's house

for his disciples.

That doesn't mean

he's going to get the place ready.

My wife's parents used to live

quite near us in Haberysheath,

but they then moved down to Cornwall

to be near my wife's sister.

And they were buying a bungalow

and it needed a lot of work doing.

They couldn't live there for six months

because there was building work to be done

and the place had to be prepared.

And then when the building work was finished,

then there was the electrics to do

and the plumbing and the plastering

and then the decorating

and then the carpets had to go down

and then it had to be furnished

and all those things had to be done

to prepare the place for them to live there.

Is that what Jesus has to go and do?

Well, that is a bit ridiculous really, isn't it?

All eternity to prepare the place

and it's not ready?

No, no, no.

It's his act of going

which is essential

if there is to be a place for us

in his father's house.

Our Bible translation here says

I'm going there to prepare a place for you.

Other translations, perhaps more accurately,

simply say I go to prepare a place for you.

I go.

And in John's Gospel,

it's his act of going

which is a big deal

because his going is via the cross.

His going entails his sin-bearing death

followed by his triumphant resurrection

and ascension to the father.

It is going to the cross

to pay for our sins

that prepares a place for us.

Because we can't enter

the father's house

carrying the guilt

and the defilement of our sins,

of our many offenses against God,

the things that provoke his anger,

his holy, just anger.

We can't...

Now, I think this will make sense to you.

We can't barge our way

into the father's house

as enemies of God.

We can only enter his house as friends,

reconciled, forgiven,

through the work of Jesus on the cross.

So that's the third and greatest revelation

in these verses

that our place in heaven

is prepared

by his going to the cross.

Two great reassurances naturally follow.

First, he promises to take us there

to be with him.

You see that in verse 3.

Let's look at that.

He says,

I will come back

and take you to be with me

that you also may be where I am.

If he's willing to go to the cross for us,

we can certainly trust him

to come back and take us home,

to be with him.

He would hardly endure the cross for us

and then fail to take us home.

And then secondly,

he says,

you know the way to the place

where I'm going,

in verse 4.

And we'll see in a moment

that Jesus is saying

we know the way,

or his disciples know the way,

because they know him.

And what a reassurance that is.

That to know him

is to know the way.

So these are comforting words

for troubled disciples.

Do not let your hearts be troubled.

Heaven is his father's house.

Heaven has room

for all who will believe in him.

Our place in heaven

is prepared by his going.

He promises to take us there

to be with him.

And if we know Jesus,

we know the way.

That then is the context

for controversial words

in answer to a troubling question.

Verses 5 and 6.

You see, straightforward,

down to earth,

Thomas doesn't get it.

I don't know whether you attend

a Bible study group

in the church here,

but Thomas would be great

to have in your Bible study group

because he would be quite happy

to say to the leader,

we don't know what you're talking about.

I haven't got a clue.

All this talk of the father's house

has left him confused.

See what he says in verse 5?

Lord, we don't know where you're going,

so how can we know the way?

Now, beyond Thomas' immediate concern,

it is a troubling question, isn't it?

How can we know the way?

If we don't even know the destination,

how can we know the way?

I actually left home on Monday evening

and I've been sort of slowly

making my way up the country

and I am so thankful for Google Maps.

And I have had my phone out numerous times.

But I found the way to get here.

How?

Because every time I put in the destination.

And then Google tells me the way

because I can put in the destination.

But what if you don't even know the destination?

How can you possibly find the way

if you don't know the destination?

And maybe this is the question

that actually haunts you.

It's the troubling question

that keeps you awake at night

or gnaws away at you

when you're not distracted by other things.

What is the destination?

Well, what is life all about?

In connection with the mission

coming up next year,

we've done some national polling

as a passion for life.

And do you know what we found?

We found that one in three people said

that what is missing from their lives

is purpose.

But one in three people said

they don't really know

what their lives are for.

What's the purpose?

What's the destination?

Where should I be trying to get to?

And if I can't even answer those questions

about the destination,

then how can I possibly know the way?

So it's a great question, isn't it?

It's a vital question,

but it's also a troubling question.

How can we know the way?

And how thankful we should be

here today for Thomas

for asking the question

because it draws forth from Jesus

this great I am saying,

which consists of a sensational affirmation

followed by a clarifying,

an important clarifying negation.

So this most sensational affirmation,

I am the way

and the truth and the life.

So let's focus on the first part of that

and then I'll say a little bit

about the second and third part.

I am the way.

Not simply,

let me explain the way.

Not even let me point the way.

Not even let me show you the way.

You know,

I talked about my parents-in-law

moving down to Cornwall

and when they were moving in,

my wife traveled down there

as a sort of surprise visit

and to help them move in

and she had to change trains in Plymouth

and she got talking to somebody

and she missed her train.

Can't possibly imagine that happening

but somehow it happened.

Talking to somebody,

misses her train,

she's in a panic.

How is she going to get to her destination?

And she goes to the ticket office

and the lady in the ticket office

is so kind to her

because she doesn't just tell her

where the next train is

and which platform.

She leaves her ticket office

and she shows my wife the way.

Takes her,

leads her to the platform.

But Jesus is saying more than,

he's not just saying

I'll show you the way.

No, he says I am the way.

I am the way.

The way to where?

Well, the way to the Father.

Not simply to the Father's house

in the far off the future

but the way to the Father

in the present

as the end of verse 6

will make clear for us.

Jesus speaks of coming,

present tense,

to the Father.

In fact, of course,

again, I think this will make sense to you.

We cannot expect

to go to the Father's house then

if we do not come to the Father now.

We can't expect to live

our whole lives

estranged from the Father,

distant from the Father,

hostile even to the Father,

pushing him away

and then suddenly,

somehow,

be welcomed into his house

at the end.

Then we need to come

to the Father now.

The destination

that matters now

and matters most

is not a place

but a relationship.

We need a way

to the Father,

to knowing the God

who created us

and to knowing him

as our Father.

and we are lost

until we find that way.

And Jesus says,

I am the way.

And what good news

that is.

Let me just explain

why I think it's good news.

First,

because it means

the way is knowable

and not impossible to find.

because Jesus

has come to us

and you can meet Jesus

this very morning

in the pages of Scripture.

Secondly,

it's good news

because the way

is a person

for us

to trust.

Not a philosophy

for us to get

our heads around.

Now,

some of us are great

at getting our heads

around big ideas.

Some of us just don't

get our heads around

big ideas.

But the way

is not a philosophy

you've got to get hold of.

No,

it's a person to trust

and we can all

trust a person.

Even the children

who've gone out

to their groups

can trust a person.

They can trust Jesus

and so they can know

the way.

And then thirdly,

the way is a provision

that is made for us

and it's not a performance

that is demanded

of us.

So I guess

that some of you

in this room

have just started uni.

How did you get to uni?

How did you secure

your place?

You had to perform.

You can't get into university

without performing,

getting the grades.

It's pretty fair

to say that Europe

is going to win

the Ryder Cup.

How?

By their performance.

And that's what religion is.

religion is a performance

that is demanded of us.

But the way to the Father

is not any form of religion.

It's not a way

for us to walk.

It's not a list of rules

for us to follow.

It's not a set of meditation

techniques for us to master.

we are relieved of all such

crushing burdens.

Because the way

is a person.

The way is a person

that we can know

and love

and trust.

And when we simply

know and trust

Jesus,

he becomes our way

to the Father.

remember

what he said earlier?

Don't let your hearts

be troubled.

Trust in God.

Trust also in me.

That's all he's calling us

to do,

to trust in him.

And as we trust in him,

he becomes the way

for us.

But

how can he

possibly

be qualified

to make

such a claim?

What qualifies

Jesus to be the way?

Well,

it's a matter

both of who he is

and what he has done.

So we've already

thought about

what he has done

to be the way.

Going to the cross,

taking away our sin

so that nothing

should stand between us

and the Father.

Becoming the way

to the Father

through his death.

But it's not only

what he's done,

it's also who he is.

He is the way

because in his very being

he is one

with the Father.

Did you pick

that up

from the reading?

That he is

in the closest

possible relationship

with the Father.

So in answer

to Philip's request,

Lord,

show us the Father,

Jesus says,

don't you get it,

Philip?

I am in the Father

and the Father

is in me

and whoever

has seen me

has seen the Father.

In other words,

Jesus is the fullest

possible revelation

of God.

But you might ask,

how can we see

the Father

since Jesus

is not visibly

present to us

as he was

for his disciples?

Well,

the answer lies

in the second half

of verse 10.

That's why we read

that far in our reading.

He says,

the words I say to you

I do not speak

on my own authority.

Rather,

it is the Father

living in me

who is doing

his work.

Do you see the

emphasis on his words?

And that when Jesus

speaks,

it is the Father

working.

It is the Father

working to make

himself known

through the Son.

It is the Father

speaking to us

through the Son,

revealing himself

to us

through the Son.

And so Jesus'

words

are what matters.

You see,

I can't know you

simply by looking

at you,

can I?

I could just

sort of stand here

for half an hour

just looking at you

and really at the end

of that not feel

I know you

any better.

But if after service

we have a conversation

and you use words

and you speak to me

and tell me about yourself,

then I will begin

to feel I'm beginning

to know you.

And if I want to know you,

I need to listen

to what you say.

And Jesus' words

paint the clearest,

fullest,

most understandable

revelation and portrait

of the Father

that we could have.

And so we see the Father

by listening to the Son.

And so he's fully qualified

to be the way.

And there are two

essential aspects

that first he makes

God known to us

by his work of revelation

and second he clears

the way for us

to know God

by his work of redemption.

That's paying the price

to set us free

from our sins

by dying for us

on the cross.

In other words,

he both makes God known

and makes God knowable.

And then he simply

expands further

on those two aspects

of his being the way

in the rest

of this stupendous

declaration as he goes

on to say,

I am the truth.

Again, he does not merely

speak the truth,

he embodies the truth.

Though all the truth

of God resides in Jesus

and is communicated

to us through him.

And so as the way

to the Father,

he shares with us

the knowledge of God.

And we're not left

in ignorance,

left blindly trusting

a God we do not know.

No, we come to know

the truth concerning God

by knowing Jesus

and listening to his word.

If you want to know

the truth,

you have to know Jesus.

That's the bottom line.

And then he says,

I am the life.

So as the way

to the Father,

he shares with us

not only the knowledge

of God,

but amazingly,

he shares with us

the life of God.

So John's gospel,

this testimony to Jesus,

John,

who walked the roads

of Israel with Jesus,

listened to Jesus,

saw Jesus,

touched Jesus,

wrote his testimony

to the life of Jesus

and all that he said

and did for us.

John's gospel

is full of the promise

of eternal life.

But how does Jesus

give us eternal life?

Not merely by pointing

the way to life,

not simply by telling us

where to find life,

but by giving himself.

And he both gives himself

for us

and he gives himself

to us.

First,

he gives himself

for us on the cross,

taking our place

under the wrath of God,

bearing the penalty

for our sins

so that penalty of death

should be lifted from us

and then he gives himself

to us

by giving us

his spirit.

so the life

that is in him

should flow in us,

he says,

like living waters.

So as the truth,

he's able to take away

the darkness

of our minds

and give us understanding

and as the life,

he's able to take away

the deadness

of our souls

and give us life.

And then he says to us,

I am the way

and the truth

and the life.

And we can come

to the Father

through him.

And as we come

to the Father

through him,

we receive both

the truth of God

and the life of God.

That's a most

stupendous affirmation,

isn't it?

In answer

to a troubling question.

Something to pause

and marvel at.

But Jesus immediately

adds a clarifying

negation.

He says,

no one comes

to the Father

except through me.

This negation

brings great clarity.

It clarifies

that Jesus

is not just

a way,

that he is

the way.

because he says,

no one

comes to the Father

except through me.

No special cases,

no exemption,

no one

comes to the Father

except through me.

You come

to the Father

through Jesus

or you do not

come at all.

And it's this negation

that makes the word

such a controversial

answer to the

troubling question,

how can we know

the way?

And I just

imagine

that Graham,

your pastor,

is invited

to some

civic event

in Edinburgh

city centre

with community

leaders from

many different

faiths

and he's asked

to say a few

words about

his faith

and so he

begins to read

these words

of Jesus.

Maybe there

are murmurs

of admiration

as he reads,

I am the way,

the truth,

and the life.

What stirring

words from

the lips

of Jesus

but then

he goes on

and he

completes

the reading,

no one

comes to

the Father

except

through me.

An awkward

silence follows

because no one

can fail to

recognise the

challenge of

the negative.

those few

words are a

challenge to

all of the

world's

religions,

to all of

their teachings,

to all of

their techniques,

to all of

their rules,

their stories,

the words of

their gurus

and prophets

and it's saying

that none of

them will bring

anyone to

God.

that's what

they claim

they will

do but

they won't.

Jesus is

saying no

one comes

to the

Father by

them.

That in

fact by

pointing people

away from

Jesus,

by saying,

claiming there

are other

ways,

that far

from bringing

people to

God,

they must

inevitably

lead people

away from

God,

away from

the truth,

away from

life.

There are

many paths

away from

God but

only one

way to

God and

his name

is Jesus.

And this

negative is

the challenge

that we face

as we think

about bearing

witness to

the Lord

Jesus.

Because

we might be

delighted to

talk about

Jesus being

a way,

but we're

fearful of

talking about

Jesus being

the way,

of urging

people to

come to

Jesus because

there's no

other way.

Our friends

might be

interested as

we talk about

Jesus being

a way,

about truth

and life

being found

in Jesus,

but when we

tell them

there's no

other way,

well that's

when the

conversation can

get heated,

or at least

we anticipate,

we fear it

will get

heated,

so maybe we

never start the

conversation in the

first place.

We fear the

pushback.

So first we

need to

overcome our

fear of

controversy by

trusting in

God.

But we also

need to feel

for ourselves

the forceful

weight of

this negative.

And I

know for my

own part

that this

negative

challenges both

my reluctance

to tell people

the good news

of the Lord

Jesus and

my complacency

about their

urgent and

vital need

to hear this

news.

There is no

room for

complacency.

My neighbours

who do not

know Jesus,

they really

do not know

the way.

And they

can't come to

the Father if

they don't know

the way.

And they

really are

lost.

And they

really are

ignorant to

the truth.

And they

are truly

perishing in

their sins

without life.

And they

will die in

their sins if

they do not

come to the

Father through

Jesus.

And the

same goes for

every single

person we

meet who does

not know

Jesus.

They do not

know the way.

They cannot

know the way if

they don't

know him.

and I

might be the

only Christian

they know

who can

tell them

about him.

And I'm

not trying to

give you a

guilt trip.

I'm just

trying to help

all of us in

this room,

myself included,

just to feel the

weight of that

and not be

complacent.

And I need

to ask the

Father to

help me.

And I need

to rely on

the Spirit

that Jesus

has given me.

And I need

to overcome

my reluctance

and my

complacency and

I need to

tell them

about Jesus

the Son.

Because I

know the

way and

they don't.

Just imagine

that my wife

had gone to

that person

who worked

in the

ticket office

at Plymouth

Station and

says,

what's the

way for me

to get where

I'm going?

And she

said,

well I know

but I'm

not going to

tell you.

I know

the way

and they

don't.

Do I

have enough

love to

tell them

the way

to the

Father?

Where to

find truth

and life?

The good

news of

the Lord

Jesus is

the good

news of

the way

to God.

The God

who created

all things,

the God

who gave

us life

and breath

and all

that we

have,

is the

good news

of the

way

to God

through

Jesus

the

Son.

It's

the way

to life,

it's the

way to

the truth,

it's the

way home.

And through

all of our

everyday evangelism

and through a

passion for life

we want to

encourage each

other and

we want to

help each

other and

urge each

other to

declare this

good news

to those

to those

that God

puts in

our lives.

But he

is the

way,

he is the

truth,

he is the

life.

That's why

we are

devoted to

Jesus,

that's why

we need to

tell other

people about

him.

Amen.