The Way, The Truth, and The Life | Frank Brancato

We just have a wonderful crowd here this morning and we say

welcome. There are faces in the audience

that I haven't seen for a while. There are visitors from other

congregations. There are visitors from the

area, from the community. And we want to say welcome.

You are our honored guest. I hope and pray that what we

have to consider for a little while this morning would be

helpful to you, encouraging to you, and edifying to you in some

way. Going to talk about some of the

greatest things the Lord ever said so long ago when He walked

on the face of this earth. Our text is found in John

John 14 · chapter mention

chapter 14 and beginning there in verse 4.

And where I go, you know, and the way, you know, Thomas said

to him, Lord, we do not know where you're 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. Just a little background about

this passage. We're talking now on the eve of

the crucifixion, on the eve when Jesus would tell his disciples

that he would be betrayed, that he would be arrested, that he

would be crucified. So many things that they didn't

understand. And the Lord was very busy on

this night. And I love this because it shows

the tender protection and comfort of the Master that we

serve. Jesus sees fit now to comfort

his disciples by giving them knowledge about something

they're going to need for the rest of their life.

And I got to thinking about this early this morning.

Jesus about to undergo the worst thing that any man could ever

undergo. He would be crucified for the

sins of the world. And he would have to do it even

more so worse in this regard, without God.

He would have to do it all alone for the very first time.

And when he was hanging on the cross, Jesus had said those

words, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Or as it is directly quoted from the Old Testament in the book of

Psalms, My God, my God, why are you so far from helping me?

And Jesus knew that he was going to have to do that and bear the

sins of the world. Without God, He would have to do

it alone. And yet he took the time to

comfort his disciples. Folks, please listen to this.

Jesus has time for you, and I don't care what it is in your

life that you're going through today, you may be going through

some difficult times. You may be really lonely, you

may feel all alone. I'm going to tell you something

right now. Nobody in the world may

understand, but Jesus understands and He has time for

you. Jesus gave them comforting words

that they needed to know to get them and sustain them through

life. And I'm going to tell you these

are the same comforting words that are going to sustain US in

our life. He speaks of a place where he's

going in verses 2 and three of the very same narrative.

Notice he said in my father's house are many mansions.

If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a

place for you. And if I go and prepare a place

for you, I will come again and receive you to myself.

That where I am, there you may be also.

I want to make a point here about the word mansions.

The word mansions is not actually a very good

interpretation or rendering in this passage.

It actually means dwelling places or abode.

It's a staying abiding dwelling or abode.

So really in the original it would read something like this.

In my father's house are many dwelling places.

Now I just got a little quick aside and I'm going to be fast

about this, I promise. Because the word mansions is not

a good translation in the English language.

And because Jesus actually said in my Father's house are many

dwelling places. And because in the Old Testament

the Father's house was the temple and there were many

dwelling places. The Old Testament tells us in

the temple they were called chambers and because they had

many chambers in the temple, which was the Father's house in

the Old Testament, some people have said this, Jesus was not

referring to heaven here, He was referring to God's house today,

which is the church, and that Jesus was saying, I'm going to

prepare a place where he can dwell on earth in the church.

Little side note here, got to slip this in.

It is true. Jesus said the Kingdom is within

you. That means Jesus reigns in our

hearts. If you're in the Kingdom, he's

reigning within you all. That's true, but that's not what

he's talking about here. What he's talking about is a

place that's called his Father's house.

The word house, this Greek word is a different word that's found

in the Old Testament for house, referring to the temple.

This word actually means home. Let me ask you this.

Answer this to yourself. Where's the Father's home?

Jesus said I'm going to my Father's home, that's heaven.

Don't think for a minute that Jesus in this passage is not

referring to heaven. He is referring to heaven.

He said in my Father's home, which is heaven, are many

dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have

told you. Then he says I'm going to go and

prepare a place for you. Now heaven already exists.

The dwelling places in heaven are already there.

Jesus wasn't going to say, didn't say, I'm going to go

build your spot. This is beautiful.

Now get this, what he was telling his apostles and in like

manner he's telling faithful Christians, today I'm going to

my Father's home in heaven and I'm going to prepare a place for

you. What's that word prepare mean?

It means I'm going to make a reservation.

How about that? I'm going to go to heaven and

make a reservation for you. That where I am, there you may

be also. Jesus wasn't saying I'm going to

go up a plate, prepare a place for me to come and dwell.

And he was saying I'm going to prepare a place or reserve a

spot that you get to go in heaven one day.

Wow. And all those faithfully served

him. But Thomas, you know, Thomas

didn't understand. And just notice this before we

go to what Thomas said, Jesus says I will come again and

receive you to myself. That where I am, where's em

Father's home in heaven. There you may be also for all

eternity. Now what Thomas do Thomas, I get

it. I get it.

Lord, we don't know where you're going and how can we know the

way If we don't know where you're going and we don't know

what you're talking about, How can we know the way?

And then Jesus said these masterful words.

He said I am the way, the truth and the life.

I'm just going to slip something in here.

I don't care how good a person you are.

I don't care how many benevolent, wonderful things you

do for others. I don't care how much goodness

is in you. You can't go to heaven without

Jesus. Jesus said I am the way.

There's no other way except Jesus Christ.

You know, this is the 6th, by the way, the 6th of the I am

statements of Jesus. He made seven.

This was number six. I got to tell you something.

I preached this sermon several years ago right here, and I've

got to thinking. I got to thinking about all the

hope and I got to thinking about all the wonderful things that we

get from that and the encouragement we get from that.

Do you know when I preached this sermon 2 days before my colon

rupture and almost died? 2 days.

Isn't it great? I'm glad the Lord spared my

life. I'm glad the Lord gave me more

time. I got a lot more work to do and

I'm so thankful that I'm still here.

But I got to tell you something. If I was not OK and it was time

for me to go, I had a place to go and one day a place in my

father's house. That's the key.

You remember that old commercial, Some of the old

timers again, I'm an old timer too, so I can slip in old timer.

I'm an old timer guy now. I'm almost 16, so I can say

this. Remember that American Express

commercial, American Express. Don't leave home without it.

OK? Talk about Jesus.

Don't leave this world without him because there's only one way

to heaven. That's Jesus.

Don't leave this world without Jesus.

The I AM statements of Jesus did wonderful things.

Two things. Number one, it indicated who

Jesus was and #2 it tells us even more about who God is.

Notice in John 1 and 18, no one has seen God at any time.

The only begotten Son who was in the bosom of the Father, He has

declared Him. So these statements are

exclusive in nature. That is this Jesus is the way.

Now, you know, we know in the New Testament, we'll get to that

passage later, that there's really only two ways.

There really is, and we get it. It's very simple, but there are

only two ways, and we understand that.

But you know, it's not just a New Testament principle.

Did you know that in God's mind and in God's plan, even in the

Old Testament, going all the way back to the Old Testament, there

has only always been two ways. If we go to the book of

Deuteronomy, the 30th chapter, verses 15 through 20, you know

what we find? There's two ways.

There's life and good and death and evil.

So it may sound really harsh, but here we go.

Good gets life, evil gets death from a spiritual perspective.

We're talking about good from a spiritual perspective, get

spiritual life from a spiritual perspective, spiritually evil

get spiritual death, which is a separation from God.

We understand that, OK, But when we talk about good, please get

this. We are not talking about your

nature like a good person. Please get that this has nothing

to do with your own personal goodness or nature.

It has everything to do with choice.

It has everything to do with obedience.

It has everything to do with service and sacrifice to the

Lord. Part of that is our service and

sacrifice to each other. So when the Bible talks about

good, it's not talking about good people necessarily,

although Christians better be some good people.

It's talking about those that make the good choice in

obedience to follow the Lord. That's what it talks about.

All right, notice we understand about that idea.

We got to choose in Matthew chapter 6 and verse 24.

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

No one can serve 2 masters, Jesus said in the masterful

Sermon on the Mount. For either he will hate the one

and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and

despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon.

First of all, a little bit of background here.

At the time of Christ and the apostles, the country had many

slaves and they had relationships with their master.

In fact, the relation of master and slave is referred to

frequently in speech and literature.

What they would have understood, and this just proves by the way,

how brilliant Jesus is, they would have understood this.

You know what? They would have understood that

if you're a slave and you had a master, you couldn't divide your

services to another master. Couldn't do it, can't have to.

Jesus says you can't have two. You know why?

If you did and a person divided his service or his life or his

dedication to two different masters, the master in which

owns him, it would be in a matter of inflicting severe

punishment to him. Are you kind of getting the

metaphor here? If I'm owned by this master and

I go working for this master, this master ain't going to be

very happy, is he? This master over here that

actually owns me is not going to be happy.

They would have understood that Jesus uses that phraseology,

that they would have understood from a common historical

standpoint. And he makes this point.

He slips this in this illustration, you can't serve

God. And mammon, what does that mean?

Well, the word mammon actually comes from a derived from a

Chaldean word that's defined as this what is trusted treasure or

riches. This doesn't mean you can't have

riches. It doesn't mean that you can't

have things. It doesn't mean you can't enjoy

life. And I'm going to get back to

that. Enjoying life.

Oh, I believe enjoying life. We're back then later.

This doesn't mean you can't have things.

What it means is don't let these things be your master.

Don't let those things compete with God.

It doesn't have to be riches. It's anything.

Don't let anything in your life compete with God.

That is the Lord's point. OK, so from the Old Testament

standpoint, we talked about good and evil and all that.

What about the New Testament standpoint?

What did Jesus say? He said enter by the narrow

gate. For wide is the gate and broad

is the way that leads to destruction.

And there are many who go in by it because narrow is the gate

and difficult is the way that leads to life.

And there are few who find it. First of all, I want to make a

point about this. Few that find it.

This doesn't mean, as some would assume.

It doesn't mean only a few people.

OK, hold that thought. It doesn't mean only a few

people. But let's look at the context of

what the Lord's talking about here.

OK, Here's the context. The context is there's a narrow

way that's difficult. Yeah.

Being a Christian is a struggle. It's hard sometimes.

I've talked to so many people in my lifetime who thought if I

come to Jesus, my life is going to get easier.

I've known a lot of people like that.

I knew one guy that was struggling financially, so he

thought if I become a Christian that I'm going to get rich, that

God's going to bless me monetarily, overflowingly, and

I'm not going to have any kind of struggle anymore.

You know, that's not what Jesus said.

Jesus said seek first the Kingdom of God and his

righteousness, and all these things shall be added to do what

that means. What you need will be taken care

of, The things that you need, the basic necessities.

Not that you're going to have it easy.

Sometimes living the Christian life is difficult, and that's

the backdrop of that passage. Let me go further though.

What about in the book of Jude? Beloved, while I was very

diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation,

I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend

earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the

Saints. The word contend, by the way, is

a Greek word that's often used in the athletic world of a

wrestling match. OK, but fair, says this form and

this passage is a strengthened form, meaning to agonize and

face the foe wherever he is. Let me ask you something.

Who's the foe? It's the devil.

Don't think for a minute that there's not someone When you try

to serve God, it's going to throw everything but the kitchen

sink at you. It's going to happen.

It's the devil, but it's OK. We win.

Going to give you the pattern how we do.

But what did Paul say about that?

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against

principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness

of this age, against spiritual host of wickedness in the

heavenly places. I'm going to tell you something.

We look at some of these passages so far, and we might

take. Wait a minute.

It's kind of discouraging. You're trying to tell me being a

Christian is hard. Yeah.

You know who the greatest preacher of the world ever knew?

You know who he was? Yeah.

You know who he is? Jesus.

He was also the most realistic preacher ever.

When Jesus gave those parables, one of the parables he gave the

parable of the sower. He said the Kingdom is like

this. A farmer goes out to sow seed.

He takes it in his hand like the broadcast method, and he slings

it out. It's going to fall in one of

four kinds of soil. Don't have time to go into the

story, but remember the seed which represents the gospel is

going to fall in four different kinds of the heart, which is the

soil. Only one's any good one of four.

So don't get discouraged. Don't get all bummed out and

chicken out. Don't do that.

Just go to work hard with the word of God on the other three

hearts. What else did Jesus say?

He said. And by the way, when the good

seeds planted in the good soil, guess what's coming?

It's the devil, it's the enemy, and he's going to plant the bad

seed among the good seed. He was the ultimate realist.

That is so important when people need to understand what you're

getting into when you serve God. My mother and I, years ago, we

used to sell real book encyclopedia.

I'm so glad I don't try to sell. I don't have to sell

encyclopedias. Make a living anymore.

Long, long time ago. And you know what?

They used to have these world book conventions.

We travel all over the United States and we have these

committees. It was the biggest hype thing

you've ever seen in your life. Pumped up.

They put some guy up there that's made all this money and

made all this success and all that.

You know what people did, man, they were so fired up.

You'd fly around the room and then you went home and it's just

you. And I got to go over here to

Bryan Osbourne and convince him he needs these books.

And I got AI need a paycheck and I need to make a certain amount

of money. And it's dependent on people

buying some books. It wasn't realistic.

You see the point. And often times a lot of people,

when it wasn't realistic, when they got home, they became

discouraged. So the Word of God is realistic

to let you know what you're getting into.

It's going to be difficult. It's all right.

The idea of a wrestling match, by the way, in ancient times was

different than today. Back then, it was different than

today. Today, I've never been a

wrestler, but you know, you pinned, so I know this.

You pinned somebody for three second count and you win, right?

Not so back then. You literally took your hand to

the neck of that person. That was your adversary, your

foe, and you pinned the neck down until the person gave up.

That's what the Bible is telling us to do with the devil.

You pin him down until he gives up.

How do I know that that works that way?

James 47. Therefore, submit to God, resist

the devil, and he will flee from you.

All right? Being a Christian requires

effort. It requires sacrifice.

Luke Chapter 9 verse 23. Then he said to them all, If

Luke 9:23

anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself.

Take up his cross daily and follow me.

What does all this mean? What's it mean to deny myself?

It means to disown your selfish desire.

That's all. Give up any selfish desire.

You know, one of the hard things it is to convince people about

things when they're kind of a narcissist, when they think

about things, about everything being about them.

One of the hardest things is if a person's like that is to

realize, oh, oh, it, it really isn't all about me.

We all kind of fall into that category.

Sometimes we think it's all about me being a Christian and

coming to Jesus and being obedient to him.

If you desire to come after Jesus, Jesus says disown your

selfish desire, put yourself aside.

That's the entire Christian principle.

We put others before ourself. That's what it means to prefer

one another. It means I prefer you, you

prefer me. And guess what?

It doesn't matter what we go through, we're getting along.

It's when we think of our own selfish desire, we get in

trouble. What else?

Remember, crosses are for dying. Take up your cross daily and

follow me. Taking up his cross is

figurative, based on the practice of a doomed man

carrying his cross to the place of crucifixion.

OK, the way of the Christian. It's a life of service and

sacrifice. Acts 16 and 17.

The girl followed Paul and us and cried out, saying these men

are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaimed to us

the way of salvation, the way of Jesus.

It's a way of sacrifice, yes, but it's the way of salvation.

What else? It's also the way of God.

So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue.

When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and

explained him the way of God more accurately.

So the way that we're talking about the way of Christians is

the way of salvation. It's the way of God.

And here's the best part. It's the way to heaven in

Matthew 7 and 14. Getting back to Matthew again,

because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads

to life and there are few that find it.

Now I said I was going to get back to this word few.

OK, put it in the context in which Jesus is making the

comparison. You've got the masses that are

choosing what an easier way. You've got a few.

When compared to the masses choosing a difficult way, this

word narrow has been described by scholars as something that is

a high mark between two rocks. Something very tight, something

very difficult. It's difficult.

Sometimes choosing the difficult way is not the easy way, it's

the hard way. What Jesus was saying is few are

going to find it, Not that it's hard to find, few are going to

find it. Meaning few are going to make

the choice to choose the difficult way.

Why? Because when persecutions come,

difficulty comes, hard times come, loneliness comes, many

people choose another path. And that's what he's talking

about. I don't know how it is with you.

You have been lonely. What if you tried to serve God

but your family was against it? What about that?

It's lonely, isn't it? A lot of times people turn their

back on Jesus because it's the hard way to follow Him and they

go the easy route. But I'm going to tell you

something. It's worth it.

And you are not alone. I don't care how lonely you

think you've ever been. Notice the 23rd Psalm and the

third verse. He restores my soul.

He leads me in the paths of righteousness.

We are not alone. Our shepherds leading us.

Don't you see the point? Just stay on the path.

You going to make mistakes? You absolutely will.

You going to fall down? Yeah, you're going to fall down.

Just keep on going and don't ever quit and remember, it's the

shepherd Jesus that's leading us in paths of righteousness.

So is it worth it? It absolutely is worth it.

Romans chapter 2 verse 7. If you stay on the path, you get

Romans 2:7

eternal life. Eternal life to those who by get

this please patient continuance in doing good patient

continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor and

immortality. Beat says it's this.

It signifies the brave holding up under burdens which would

cast us down a pressing forward in the face of foes who would

drive us back and that patience manifests itself in good works

in our life. The next passage I want to show

you is a passage is one of my favorite.

I love is very encouraging. Revelation chapter 2 and verse

Revelation 2 · chapter mention

10, Jesus, the words to the seven churches of Asia, the

church, Smyrna, the persecuted church, and these are the words

of Jesus. Do not fear any of those things

which you're about to suffer. And many of them were about to

lose their own life. Then he said, indeed, the devil

is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be

tested and you will have tribulation 10 days, but be

faithful until death. And I will give you a crown of

life. Now, this is often interpreted

like this. Just be faithful all your life.

And while it includes that, that's not the context.

The context is this. Be faithful even if it means

you're death. That's what it means.

That's what Jesus said. And Jesus said if you do, is it

worth it? I'm going to give you a crown of

life. I'm going to give you a crown of

life. All right.

What about 10 days? 10 days refers to a full and

complete period. It may be long or short, but it

will come to an end. It means to have a willingness

to die rather than quit. And you know, I'm going to tell

you something. I can do anything for 10 days.

If you got to suffer through something, but you know it's

going to end, you can, you can bear down man, and you can gut

it out and you get through it. Just remember this.

I don't know what you're going through, but you're going

through something. Just remember you hang in there

and you be faithful. It's going to end the pain, the

suffering, the trouble, the the trials.

It will end. And Jesus says, I'll give you a

crown of life. Don't quit Jesus.

Not only is the way, He's also the truth.

What does that mean though when we talk about truth in first

1 John 1 · chapter mention

John chapter 1, the Bible says in the beginning was the Word

and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

First of all, the first phrase there, the Word, was with God.

This shows the everlasting existence of Jesus Christ.

The word here is Jesus. So the first phrase shows the

everlasting existence of Jesus. He has always existed.

He was called the Word, which is the truth, and He was with God

all the way back to the beginning.

OK, but there's something else. There's also a secondary thing.

So in other words, the first clause is the Lord's eternal

existence. The second clause is the Lord's

distinct personality. He is God.

Now I just have to make this point quickly.

This doesn't mean he's God the Father.

This doesn't mean there's one in the Godhead.

There are three that bear record in heaven.

There's three in the Godhead. There is God the Father, there

is God the Son, there is God the Holy Spirit. 3 separate

personages in the Godhead. And when the Bible says these

three are one, it means they work together.

They work in unison. They agree in one, absolutely.

But there are three separate personages all with a different

role. That's what that means.

OK, so Emzer says it like this. The phrase the word which is

Jesus was God is said on the basis that God is the family

name of deity. In other words, Jesus is deity

too. Hence any member of that family

would rightfully take that name, just as any member of the Smith

family is a Smith. We got a Smith in this audience.

I know some Smiths. There's a bunch of Smiths.

Are they the same person? No, but they all have the family

name Smith in heaven. The family name for deity is

God. Three separate personages all

working together. Jesus is God too in that regard.

You know, Jesus is actually called God in the Old Testament,

in Isaiah 9 and 6. For under us a child is born, we

know who that is. Under us a son is given, we know

who that is. And the government will be upon

his shoulder, and his name will be called.

Wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of

Peace, that's all talking about Jesus.

And by the way, that's why in the New Testament the phrase or

the name Church of Christ and Church of God is often used

interchangeably talking about the same place.

Notice Acts 20 and 28. Therefore take heed to

yourselves and all the flock among the which the Holy Spirit

has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of God,

which He, Jesus, purchased with His own blood, used

interchangeably. And how do we know that all of

us is talking about Jesus? Go back to John 1 and 14.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld

His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,

full of grace and truth. Yes, the Word of God is truth.

Have you ever heard somebody say there's really no such thing as

truth? Is there such a thing as truth?

I'm gonna let Jesus answer, Can't we do that?

Let's do that. When Jesus was praying to his

Father, he answered the question I just gave Is there truth?

John 17 and 17, Sanctify them by your truth.

Your word is truth. Now sometimes people do this.

They cherry pick scriptures. I like this one over here.

I'm going to stick on that one and neglect the rest of the

Bible. I like the one that says believe

in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved.

I like that one. So people think, well, all you

got to do is believe. What about the rest of it?

What about the other things? What about repentance,

confession and baptism? What about that?

What about living a faithful life?

What about that? Let me give you Bible.

It's all included. It all matters.

Let's go to the psalmist David in Psalm 119 and 60.

Notice the entirety of your word is truth.

That's all of it. You can't just pick and choose.

The entirety of your word is truth.

Sometimes people say this. What's true for you is true for

you, and what's true for me is true for me.

Got a friend that I studied with for, I don't know, a couple

years. Every time we got together, we

wanted to talk Bible. I love that.

And we talked about what the Bible says in order to be saved

and what the Bible says about what God wants from your life in

serving him. You know what he said?

I see it. I've read the verses.

I understand what you're saying. And yes, the Bible says that,

but I'm just going to choose to think this instead.

I'm going to say, well, God is love and acceptance, and I'm

going to just believe that nothing's required of me and I'm

going to raise my family in the same way.

That's really sad, isn't it? Because it says the entirety of

your word is truth. That's the standard, folks.

It's not my truth. I'm nothing.

It's the word of God. So can a person determine what's

true for them? And that's OK.

Let's go to the Bible set First Thessalonians 2 and verse 13.

For this reason, we also thank God without ceasing, because

when you receive the Word of God, which you heard from us,

notice you welcomed it not as the word of men, not as the word

of men, but as it is in truth the Word of God, which also

effectively works in you who believe.

What's that truth going to do for us?

It's going to make us free. Can it agreed to be free?

John 832 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make

you free. Free from what?

John 8 and two, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ

Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

The truth makes me free from sin.

Wow. And that's the same truth that

brings me to heaven, having your name written in heaven and the

Bible calls it the book of life. You know how sometimes people

say membership has its privileges?

There's commercials like that. Membership has this privilege,

membership is great. What if you got your name

written in heaven in the book of life?

The Revelation letter calls it the Lamb's Book of Life.

Notice in Philippians 4 and verse 3.

And I urge you also, True Companion, help these women who

labored with me in the gospel with Clement also, and the rest

of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life.

You know, the phrase book of life is not new or exclusive to

the New Testament or yet about heaven in the new from a New

Testament perspective. It actually goes all the way

back to the Old Testament and it was used to describe God's

covenant people. Exodus chapter 32, beginning in

Exodus 32 · chapter mention

verse 32. Notice yet now if you will

forgive their sin, but if not, I pray blunt me out of your book

that you have written. And the Lord said to Moses,

whoever has sinned against me, I will blot him out of my book.

So those that overcome though, guess what, we're going to stay

in the book. He who overcome shall be clothed

with white garments, and I will not blot his name from the book

of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before

his angels. That phrase right there.

He who overcomes is the same thing as being faithful unto

death that we've already noticed.

That's all that means. Be faithful unto death.

Don't quit. Don't turn your back.

Ian Zerr says it this way. It is a universal practice for

institutions that consist of individual membership to keep a

record of its names in a book. That fact is a basis for the

figurative idea of a book of life in which the Lord keeps a

list of His people. The point is that all whose

names are there may be considered in good standing with

the Lord. OK, now got to throw in the

negative part. Just got to do it because that's

what the Bible says. But, you know, we also find if

we're not faithful, the flip side is we're blotted out.

We don't want that, right? Give your Bible real quick.

Second Thessalonians chapter 1. And to give you who are

2 Thessalonians 1 · chapter mention

troubled, rest with us. When the Lord Jesus is revealed

from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking

vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not

obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, these shall be

punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of

the Lord and from the glory of His power when He comes in that

day to be glorified in His Saints and to be admired among

all those who believe because our testimony among you was

believed. I'm just going to ask you a

question today. And by the way, every

relationship that we have is reciprocal or it doesn't work

and we get it. How many marriages would last or

how many marriages would you say is a good marriage if one person

did all the given and the other person did all the taking?

And it'll work. And we understand that in every

single relationship that we have, all our relationships, we

get it right, no problem. But when it comes to religion,

people want it to be often times all Jesus.

He did all the work. He died for my sins, and there's

really nothing that I need to do and I could just benefit from

what He did for me. Folks, please listen, that is

not a relationship. The greatest and most important

thing you could ever have is a relationship with Jesus.

But that's twofold. So let me ask you this.

And when you do have that relationship, you are written in

the book of life. Let me ask you, are you in the

book? Are you in the book?

It's a very important question because Revelation 20 and 15

says anyone not found written in the book of Life was cast into

the lake of fire. So Jesus is the way.

He's the way to God in heaven. He is the truth that leads us

away from sin and brings us to salvation.

But finally, the last one, and this is quick and we're almost

done. Guess what?

He's the life. He's the spiritual life that

we've been talking about early in our lesson. 4 things about

Jesus. Now 4 things.

Why is he the life? Well, first of all, John one and

three, He's the creator. He was in the beginning with

God. Let us make man in our image.

Genesis 126 He's the creator, He was there in the beginning.

That's number one. Number two, in him Jesus was

life. John one and four, he upholds

all things by the word of his power.

Hebrews 1 and verse 3 Finally, in in him all things consist.

Colossians 1 and 17 in Romans chapter 6, verse 23 for the

Romans 6:23

wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life

through Jesus Christ our Lord. This death, by the way, is a

spiritual death, a separation from God.

We know that without Jesus there's a spiritual separation

from God. We get it, OK, but in Jesus

Christ, the gift is given is eternal life through Jesus our

Savior and our Lord. Now He's the only one that

brings eternal life and it is a gift.

But the gift has a cost. OK?

The ultimate cost and price that was paid was by Jesus Christ

himself on the cross. But guess what folks?

We got a price to pay too. Our price is our obedience.

Our obedience we're going to get specifically how you actually

start that journey in just a second.

But notice if we want the gift, Jesus died for our sins to have

a gift, but we have to have our part, which is our obedience.

That's our price. Notice in John 10 and 10, I have

come that you may have life and that you may have it more

abundantly. I love this word abundantly.

It means overflowing, rich fullness.

You know, I got to say, a religion that makes a man look

sick will not cure the world. Diana calls that a Frankism.

I've been saying that for years ago.

That's one of the Frank isms. A religion that makes a man look

sick won't cure the world. Christianity is not a life of

being miserable. I heard one brother say one

time, unless you look a little miserable, you're not

successfully living a Christian life.

You know what I thought? How sad it is that you just said

that. I feel so bad for you.

That is not what it means to be a Christian.

A Christian has a life that is more abundantly.

And I'm going to tell you right now, I ain't got time to have a

bad time. I enjoy life and there's nothing

in the world wrong with that. Nothing in the world wrong with

that. Kaufman says it this way.

How grotesque and unreal are the ideas of those who think the

Christian leads a life of boring inhibition, sitting out his

years in the chilly twilight of monastic gloom, forbidden to do

anything that anyone else wants to do, and always cowering in

the fear of an angry God. On the contrary, the Christian

life is the happy life, free, abundant and overflowing,

adventurous and exciting beyond any other kind of existence.

Why can't men believe their Creator to the effect that the

the way of Christ is the way of joy and fulfillment?

So it's the greatest life ever. It's the greatest life ever.

In conclusion, Jesus says I'm the way, the truth and the life.

Here's the rest of the story though.

He says this, No one comes to the Father except through me.

Now that is exceptive in the statement and it means this all

and only. So in other words, we get the

first part. All who come through Christ will

get to the Father. We get it.

But remember this too, only it's all same way.

Only those that go through the Son or through Jesus will get to

the Father. I know that making a decision to

follow Jesus is a big decision, and I know sometimes it takes us

time to prepare and get ready to make the ultimate decision.

But just remember this years ago in a sermon that I used to

preach 25 years ago, I don't preach anymore.

I had a little illustration. It was about a preacher, an old

preacher. And one day he sat down 1

evening and he's writing a sermon and he got tired and he

fell asleep. And when he slept, he dreamed

that there was a demon's council where all the demons got

together just to talk about stuff.

And they decided, what can we do to get more people to reject

Jesus and not come to Jesus? And how can we get more people

to not go to heaven? And one of those demons said, I

got it, send me to the earth. You know what I'll do?

I'll go tell everybody there is no God.

And they thought I don't work. That might work.

The second one said, no, I got it, send me and I'll tell him

Jesus was not who he claimed to be.

He was just a man and he was a fraud in all his claims.

And they thought, well, maybe that'll do it too.

Then there was a third one. He said, no, I got it, I'll go

tell him the Bible is a lie, it's not true and you don't have

to follow it. But finally #4 another rose up

and he was the while. He was the wise old devil

himself. You know what he said?

He said, no, send me and I'll go to the world and I'll tell

everybody there is a God and I'll tell them that Jesus Christ

is his Son and he died for their sins.

I'll tell them that the Bible is true and that you have to follow

the word of God. And I'll tell them you got to be

baptized to be saved and live a Christian life.

I'll just tell them, not now, not today, I'll tell him, put it

off, you got plenty of time. Jesus said, Come unto me, all

you that labor are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I meek and lowly at

heart, and you shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke is

easy, and my burden is light. Dear friend, today Are you ready

to follow Jesus? How do you do it?

Romans 10/17 you got to hear the word of God.

So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

After hearing the word of God, you got a choice.

Hebrews 11 and six says you got to believe with all your heart.

Without faith it's impossible to please Him, for he that comes to

God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those

who diligently seek Him. But then I got to do something.

I got to change some stuff. I got to repent of my sins.

Acts 17 and 30. Truly, these times of ignorance

God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent

upon these steps. Now you're willing to make the

confession, the greatest thing you will ever say, confess Jesus

Christ as the Son of God. Acts 837 Then Philip said, if

you believe with all your heart, you may.

And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the

Son of God. Upon taking these steps, you're

a fit candidate to go to the point of salvation, to contact

the blood of Jesus, and that's to be baptized for the remission

of sins. Mark 1616.

He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does

not believe will be condemned. Is it necessary for salvation

first? Peter 321 the like figure where

to even baptism death also now save us, not the putting away

the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience

toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

If you will do that and you're ready to follow Jesus, you'll

have your name written in the book of life and you will have a

relationship with Jesus. If you've never taken these

steps of obedience, we'd love to assist you in that today.

Maybe you have. Maybe you've drifted away.

Maybe they're just some correction you need to make.

Just do it. We'll pray with you and for you,

and God will forgive and restore.

Be one of either class. Please just come forward while

we stand and while we see.