Passion Week 2026 | The Way

Amen. Amen. Thank you, Jeff. And praise team

as well. Thank you for leading us in song today.

And Jeff, thanks for being willing to share the

Passion Week series. And especially on today

of all days. The triumphal, what are we calling

it, TM? Grant had a new TM, new trademark. We'll

see. But no, I'm grateful. I think it's going

to be a great series. And it's not because of

us. It's not because of humans. It's because

of the source material. As Jeff shared, there

is no greater topic to focus on from the pulpit

than the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen. Every

believer needs to be encouraged. Every unbeliever

needs to be hearing about this good news in Christ.

As Jeff was reading the Valley of Vision, were

you listening well? I know it's old English.

But were you listening well? The appeal for responding

rightly to the gospel call. Those truths are

the same. The human heart remains the same. The

appeal that you heard in that reading, it is

not very different from the disciples who struggled

to comprehend what this gospel would mean for

their lives, especially in the face of Jesus'

impending departure during that Passion Week.

That's what we're going to pick up today. with

the disciples being prepared for the cross. Now,

let's think about it for a moment. The disciples

were with Jesus roughly three and a half -ish

years, right? Many of you grew up hearing Jesus

saying, follow me, to the fishermen, right? Now,

whether you read that in John chapter one, Matthew

chapter four, Mark chapter one, Luke chapter

five, all four of the gospels, they record. many

ministry moments that Jesus had on this earth

with his disciples. I think sometimes during

that earthly ministry, though, those three and

a half years, people often focus a lot on his

miracles, a lot on the works that Jesus did.

Think about what John said, though. You remember

our Gospel of John series, and we titled it very

purposefully, That You May Believe. that you

may believe and that in believing you may have

eternal life. That's what John says, why these

things have been written and recorded. I'm going

to make a case today that Jesus was here to be

with his disciples more than he was here to perform

miracles. Gasp. Ah, think about that. Now the

miracles, they validated his message, but the

message was for what? For people. For people.

And that's a critical point. Jesus didn't just

show up and wonder who would follow him. He came

at an appointed time to an appointed people with

an appointed purpose. You see the intentionality

there? He was not with his disciples as a result

of random chance, like he just shows up and,

I guess these are the guys I got with me. He

shows up at the right time, the right place,

to the right people with the right purpose. It

was divine intention, not random chance. And

the disciples who responded faithfully to Jesus'

call to follow him, they were loved. They were

chosen. They were protected by the Savior. But

even in that special position that they had,

to be those first ones to walk with Jesus, they

still struggled. How many of you remember Peter's

calling? You can raise your hand in church. It's

allowed. If you don't remember, I'm going to

assume that I'm talking to the majority of you

now. You don't remember, I'll remind you. Okay,

Jeff remembers. Thank you, Jeff. Now, I'll be

honest. Few things in the Gospels get me teary

-eyed like that event for me. I know there's

a lot of extra biblical oddities in that Chosen

TV series, so I'm not recommending it. But one

thing I think they captured well was that moment.

I think they captured that moment well. But for

the real event, you can turn to Luke 5 if you

want, or you just listen. as I tell you about

it. The disciples, they've been, they weren't

disciples at that moment, just to be clear. These

men, they'd been fishing all night. They'd been

laboring, working hard. They're weary, they're

tired, and have they caught much? No. But I don't

think it was just about fishing. They've been

waiting. God's people have been waiting for the

Messiah. Hardworking day laborers, Jews like

Peter, they wanted to be rescued. They were growing

weary. God had been silent for so many years.

His people had been so disobedient. Now they're

suffering under Roman rule. Sure, they're back

from the deportations. They're in the promised

land. But this cannot be the goodness that was

told to them that was coming. This is not eternal

glory. Now, it's in that season of tumult and

uncertainty that Jesus arrives on the scene.

And the context of Peter's calling was Jesus

preaching to a crowd around the shore of Galilee.

After so many years of God's silence, you have

first John the Baptist, right? John the Baptist

comes. Then comes this teacher, this rabbi. And

he captivated people with his explanations about

God and God's kingdom. And so the crowd is listening.

And these fishermen who'd been working all night,

who were now very tired, they're listening to

this amazing teacher. They didn't know him as

Lord. They didn't know him as Savior yet, but

they were captivated. And so Jesus gets into

Peter's boat because he's preaching to the crowd.

And Peter's willing because he's listening to

this teacher who's unlike any other. He's never

heard a teacher like this. Jesus tells him then,

put down your net. And Peter doesn't say, sure.

He doubts. He's still willing, but he doubts.

Verse 5 out of Luke 5 says, Simon answered and

said, Master, we labored all night. We caught

nothing. But at your word, I will let down the

nets. Now, even in his willingness to let down

the net, he's not expecting a catch. Can you

see that? He's like, I'll do it. Nothing's going

to come up. That's his heart disposition before

the teacher. He's trying to appease him, but

he doesn't really believe him or trust him. Now

we know what happens with that great catch of

fish and the people are marveling at the work,

but Simon Peter has a unique response. Instead

of marveling, instead of just being in awe, Peter

broke. They catch the fish and he falls down

to his knees. And look at verse eight, Luke 5,

eight. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down

at Jesus' knees saying, go away from me, Lord,

for I am a sinful man. Think about Peter. When

witnessing the power of God, Peter didn't go

and ask for his power. Peter didn't ask for any

special blessing. He saw something miraculous

and what did he do? He confessed his sinfulness.

That was his response. The simple act of multiplying

fish revealed to Peter the identity of who Christ

was. His response was humility, shame of sin,

a recognition that holiness was not part of his

identity. What did Jesus say to him when he says,

go away from me? Did Jesus say, you're right.

Get away from me. Did Jesus say, come back to

me when you're clean? I mean, he'd be working

on it. He's probably pretty sweaty. Let's be

honest. No, he didn't say that. Jesus gave hope.

He gave a new calling. He told them not to fear.

The other gospels record Jesus as saying, follow

me. Follow me. I'll give you a new purpose. We're

not going to be fishing for fish. We're going

to be fishing for men. And so my statement earlier

that I think the coming of Jesus was far more

about people than miracles holds true. He's not

fishing for miracles. The miracle of the fish

is for the people. That sets the stage for John

14. Because these disciples in various ways,

in various moments, they all saw the majesty

of the Lord on display. They walked with him

day by day. They ate with him. They witnessed

many other things. You know, John 21, the end

of the gospel says, the world itself could not

contain the books that could be written about

his time with the disciples. That's just a little

bit of stuff, right? You get the sense of how

much was happening? So I want to impress upon

you the nature. of that relationship between

Jesus and the disciples, they were so close and

so much happened, more than we even have recorded.

Yet no matter how much time Jesus spent with

his disciples, no matter how intentional he was

to teach them, day and night, they still struggled

to trust him. They still were often confused.

You wonder why? Because they're human just like

us. They could be seated literally across from

the Savior in the same room, listening to him

teach. They could even be leaning up against

him, touching him, and still struggle to comprehend

his statements and instructions. Think about

that. Think how many of us have said in our hard

moments, in our hearts, in our prayers, that

if only we could be with Jesus, we would understand.

That if only he would reveal himself to us in

some way that would make everything okay. Friends,

the presence of Christ, even for the disciples,

it was not a surefire safeguard for hope and

for trust. We need to caution our hearts so that

we don't think that Christ's presence is more

precious than his purpose. The nearness of the

Lord is not the only thing. The Lord, he is the

one. That might be hard for us to comprehend.

We're going to see more of this and dig in more

to understand the nature of the struggle. Several

times leading up to the crucifixion, really throughout

his entire ministry, Jesus predicted and foretold

of his impending departure, of his need to suffer,

to die. And it was puzzling for the disciples.

They didn't understand. And it wasn't until that

final week, what we call Passion Week, that it

really started to set in. Because before it was

just down the road. You know, kick the can down

the road. Sure, Jesus is saying that. I don't

really understand what it means. Okay, it's coming.

It's coming. It's coming. Now we're at Passion

Week. He's like, it's here. It's here. Now they're

starting to get a little worried. It's not making

the same impact that it was before. Before it

was a glancing blow. Now it's starting to pierce.

Starting to set in and trouble is overtaking

the disciples' hearts. Jesus was faithful to

declare to them what was going to happen, but

they couldn't fathom what needed to take place

because we're human. We have our ideas about

who the Savior should be, what the Messiah should

be, what a king should be. And Jesus breaks all

of that. But we shouldn't blame them. We would

have been no different. And that's what I'd like

to show you this morning from God's word, that

we have so many similarities with those disciples

leading up. to Jesus's crucifixion and his death.

And then once we put ourselves in their sandals,

then I think we can focus on why he said that

he is the way. So grab your Bibles and let's

turn to John 13. I know you're like, why aren't

we in John 14? Just go with me for a sec. I know

I've set the stage, but we need a little bit

of context because Jesus didn't just speak in

John 14 out of nowhere. It came from the context

of the conversation that was taking place. in

the upper room. Now throughout chapters 13 through

17 of John's gospel, we have what's commonly

referred to as the upper room discourse. It's

that time when Jesus was with his disciples celebrating

Passover. During that time, we call it the last

supper that occurs in that upper room as well.

Now John's gospel contains the most testimony

about that time. And think about it. It's the

final gathering that Jesus has with his disciples

before his death. Don't worry. I know it's Palm

Sunday. We're jumping ahead. Just track with

me. You're like, wait, aren't we talking about

Palm? Yes, we're in the upper room. John 14.

So just go with me. We'll finish on Palm Sunday.

I'll tell you that. Okay. We'll finish on Palm

Sunday. We're going to read in verses beginning

in verse 33. of chapter 13, and we're gonna go

all the way to John chapter 14, verse six. Let's

John 14 · chapter mention

do this, though. Let's go ahead and stand for

the reading of God's word. And you can follow

along as I read. John chapter 13, beginning in

John 13 · chapter mention

verse 33. Little children, I'm with you a little

while longer. You will seek me, and as I said

to the Jews, now I also say to you, where I'm

going, you cannot come. A new commandment I give

to you, that you love one another even as I have

loved you, that you also love one another. By

this, all will know that you are my disciples,

if you have love for one another. Simon Peter

said to him, Lord, where are you going? And Jesus

answered, where I go, you cannot follow me now,

but you will follow later. Peter said to him,

Lord, why can I not follow you right now? I will

lay down my life for you. Jesus answered, will

you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly,

I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you

deny me three times. Do not let your heart be

troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.

In my Father's house are many dwelling places.

If it were not so, I would have told you. For

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. And you know the way where I

am going. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not

know where you are going. How do we know the

way? Jesus said to him, I am the way and the

truth and the life. No one comes to the Father

but through me. Amen. You may be seated. As I

said earlier, my aim this morning is to first

show our similarities with the disciples and

then we'll focus on Jesus as the way. There are

so many good studies on the identity of Christ,

doctrinal positions on salvation. This is one

of those plugs I can give Jeff at Oak Hill Bible.

He will lead you in a good way if you want to

know more about the identity of Christ from those

great works. But our focus this morning is much

more narrow. It is much more narrow this morning.

We are focusing on the context of Jesus' statement

in the upper room in John 14, specifically what

led up to him stating that he is the way, the

truth, the life. And we're zeroing in on Jesus

as the way. And there are three ways that I see

the disciples missing Jesus. Necessitating that

response from him where he says, I am the way.

And we're going to cover all three by the time

we wrap up today. Now in verse 33 of chapter

13, did you see what Jesus said? He said, where

I'm going, you cannot come. And he says the same

thing again in verse 36. And in between those

two statements about his departure, that he's

going somewhere, the disciples not being able

to follow him, Jesus gives a new commandment.

A new commandment. And he'll explain that more

in depth later that same evening. What's that

new commandment? Love one another. What do we

say at the end of our services? You know that

one better than the new commandment. We might

need to switch that. Love one another. You know

what's interesting though? He gives a new commandment,

but did the disciples ask about that new commandment?

Now, instead of questioning Jesus about that

new commandment, Peter says, Lord, where are

you going? So the Lord replies. He even gives

a distinction of time, right? And his second

response is, where I'm going, you cannot follow

me now, but you will follow later. Now, again,

Peter could have asked about that new commandment.

I mean, how often does a new commandment come?

Is that a normal thing? Like Jesus just throwing

around new commandments all the time? I don't

think so if you read through the Gospels. But

Peter's laser focused on not being able to follow

Jesus right now. Then he gets bold. I'm going

to lay down my life for you. Now, we need to

not be unfairly hard on Peter, right? Yeah, he's

the bold one. He's the one who often has that

foot -shaped mouth, right? But he's also the

first one to declare Jesus to be the Messiah.

As I shared earlier in the calling of the disciples,

he was the one who humbled himself before the

Lord and recognized his sinfulness. He was the

one. Peter's hubris, though, it's a lesson for

us all. Paul says, 1 Corinthians 10, we'll be

there in 2028. Therefore, let him who thinks

he stands take heed, lest he... And the wonderful

thing is that Peter eventually learned, you can

read in his epistles, what changed in his outlook

as a disciple of Christ. And I'm teasing, Jeff,

we'll be there whenever we're ready. I would

be excited if it's 2028. I'm in it for however

long Lord has. Now here in John 13, Jesus shares

something though that must have shocked and shook

Peter. He publicly questions his allegiance.

He tells Peter that he's going to deny his master

not once, not twice, but three times. And how

quick? Before the next morning. Think about that.

Peter's saying, I'm going to die for you, Lord.

And Jesus is like, no. Before tomorrow morning,

you're going to deny me three times. Now, Mark

14 gives a little more information about the

disciples' response to this. He tells us that

Peter and the disciples, they kept insisting

that they would follow Jesus even to the death.

So Jesus tells Peter this, and then Peter and

the disciples are like, no, no, no, we really

would. We would die for you. We're going to live

for you, whatever you need. But we know how it

turned out, don't we? We know the end of that

part of the story. Peter would indeed deny knowing

Jesus three times, would he not? Before the rooster

crowed, like Jesus said. And then he would weep

bitterly. Because he turned his back on the Savior

of his soul in the most trying hour for Jesus.

That's what happened. Do you see yourself in

Peter? Think about it. Externally professing

faith unto death. I'll die with you. Inwardly

though. Struggling with a feeble faith at times.

You fear earthly consequences for things more

than you fear the Lord who is over. I think in

that moment, Peter made it more about his work,

his response, than the work of the Lord. Don't

we do that as well? We struggle to comprehend

that Jesus alone saves. We try to insert our

own merit. We say with our mouths, our songs,

our sermons, only Jesus. And we say in our hearts,

but I've done this and I've done that. I deserve

this. Like Peter, we can make much of ourselves.

Sadly, in response to the great things the Lord

has done, we make our lives about what we think

we should do. We fill our time with all manner

of vapid things. We try to justify the few holy

Christ -like things we do with those. As if a

few moments of service every week is going to

erase all the selfishness that happens throughout

the week. Friends, we don't just need part of

us washed clean. We need a new heart. We need

resurrection from life to death. What an amazing

truth that Jesus provides his merit for us. The

way forward when we miss Jesus and we make things

about what we've done or we think we can do is

to go back to that first response of Peter when

Jesus called him in Luke 5. The prayer should

be something like this. Lord, I'm a sinner. I'm

unworthy of your presence. Nothing I can do can

atone for my sin. Rescue me. Save me. Redeem

me. Give me a heart of flesh. Renew a steadfast

spirit within me. Guide me by your word. Strengthen

me by your spirit. Encourage me by your people.

That should be our response every time that we

are tempted to miss Jesus for our own personal

merit. What a grace, though, that we're not judged

by what we do. For those who are in Christ, you're

judged by what he has done. If you're not in

Christ, that judgment stands square on your shoulders.

That's the grace. But think of this. Having walked

with Jesus for all those years, as loyal as Peter

was, even Peter didn't have the ability to remain

steadfast to Jesus during the trial and crucifixion.

Even Peter. We would not have fared any better.

We need something greater than our works. We

need someone greater than our works. We need

a savior. After Jesus rebuked Peter, and even

after he and the other disciples were insisting

that they were willing to follow Jesus unto death,

it became apparent to the Lord that the disciples

were troubled. Their self -confidence, it was

shaky at best, and rightfully so. Because if

Jesus said that the boldest of them was going

to deny him three times before the next morning,

would any of them do any better? So in response,

you know, you can just get a sense that they're

just blustering. No, no, no, we will, we will,

we will, surely we will. No, no, they won't.

Jesus told his disciples in John 14, 1, don't

let your hearts be troubled. He saw their resolve

for what it was. They had confidence in the flesh.

They didn't have conviction and faith. Now the

answer from Jesus was to deal with a heart troubled

by his departure was simple. Replace your fear

of man with right faith in God. That's the answer.

Replace your fear of man with the right faith

in God. And now that faith in God is the same

as faith in who? Jesus. Now, I know you might

say this is just too simple. Don't be troubled.

Just believe, right? I can't tell you how many

people I've sat with who have wrestled with that

thought. I can't tell you how many times I've

prayed with, encouraged, walked with people through

scripture. 20 plus years in ministry, I've seen

similarities among all kinds of people. The issue

here in John 14, one, is that Jesus is gonna

depart. And the disciples aren't so sure that

everything's going to be okay. That's the tension.

Is everything going to be okay? They don't want

him to go. They don't know what's going to happen

next. So that idea of just believing, there's

a tension there. Even though Jesus had already

shared that he has a place for them, an eternal

dwelling with the Father, that he's going to

go get things ready. Just think about that for

a moment. You put yourself, just try to bring

the analogy down to your, to our level. It's

like a friend who's telling you, hey, before

you come over, I'm going to go back home and

I'm going to make sure that I have clean sheets,

a towel. I'm going to get some snacks for you.

And then, and then, right, then you can come

over. And I'm not trying to make that goofy,

but do you understand how very basic that is

for the Lord to say, I'm going to go and get

this ready. And then when it's ready, then I'm

going to bring you. He says in verse 14 too,

he's going to get the place ready. And in 14

.3, the very next verse, he says, I'm going to

come back and receive you myself. So he's not

even just going to go to his house and get things

ready and then be at the front door waiting for

you to arrive. He's going to go to the house,

get things ready, and then he's going to come

and get you and make sure you get there. He's

going to bring you to his place. And so he says,

don't worry. Don't worry. Don't be troubled.

He has the confidence that you won't get lost.

So you don't need that confidence. You need your

confidence to be in him. And he tells his disciples,

you know where the eternal resting place is.

But in verse 5, Thomas, like Peter, like the

disciples, like us, he expresses his trouble.

Lord, we don't know where you're going. How do

we know the way? Now, Thomas struggled more than

that moment. Some of you know Thomas, Doubting

Thomas, as we sometimes call him, right? He was

a disciple after Jesus' resurrection. He would

maybe boldly or foolishly, depending on the way

you look at it, claim that he would not believe

that Jesus rose from the dead unless he felt

the pierced side and the pierced hands. You know,

poor Thomas. Let's not be too hard on him either.

If we're not going to be hard on Peter, let's

not be too hard on Thomas. He's like that guy

who just always wants the GPS location, you know?

He doesn't want to just be pointed in the right

direction. He doesn't just want the compass.

He wants the detailed, turn -by -turn directions

for how to get to Jesus. Now, maybe you're blessed

and you're not directionally challenged. I mean,

but how many of you appreciate a good map set?

I do. I think that's a grace. You don't have

to raise your hand. We trust. Especially if you've

never been there, especially in LA. Good grief.

Now, I'm old enough. to remember that when I

learned to drive in those early years, we had

those printed Thomas guides. Yeah, all right.

Some of you know that. Thank you. But it wasn't

for every city, right? Like, not every city had

one. So I grew up in a small town. We didn't

have one. So that was a whole other thing. But

I had it when I got out of the small town. I

think MapQuest was a thing back then, too. Remember

going on MapQuest and you inputted things? You

printed out. So you had like 18 pages with like

three turns on each one. It was... It was rough.

What a day, right? What a day. Now imagine in

that day, if you got lost, whoo, gasp, you had

to ask somebody. You had to talk to a human.

Wow. Or you didn't, and then you just stayed

lost, or you were blessed and you eventually

found the place. You got back on track. Back

in that day, you couldn't text someone, and you

couldn't call them either because cell phones

weren't even a thing. I think I got one after

I learned how to drive. but we weren't even allowed

to text on it because texting was like a per

cost thing. It was lame. Now it's like free text

and data, all that. Now, people didn't keep the

phone next to them, even if you did have a cell

phone. It's not like it lived on them like today.

It's in our pockets all the time. Back then,

it was the landline in the house. If they weren't

sitting by it, heaven forbid, you don't get a

hold of them, right? Imagine such a day. I can

understand Thomas's desire for a step -by -step

direction to the Lord. I think all of us, you

know, to a degree, want that. I'll be honest,

to this day, I use GPS for everything. My wife

teases me. She's over here not judging me because

I use it even for places that I've been, even

places around town. Anyways, enough about me.

Now, Thomas' statement, though, that they don't

know the way, that wasn't exactly truthful. In

fact, it was a bold -faced, disobedient lie.

Now, I'm not being harsh on Thomas. I'm just

being accurate. Look at what Jesus said right

before Thomas in John chapter 14, verse 4. And

John 14:4

you know the way where I am going. Let me ask,

was Jesus lying? Did he tell the disciples they

knew the way, but in reality they didn't know

the way? Thomas' answer, he essentially tells

Jesus he's a liar. Thomas argues with the Son

of God. He tells the Savior of souls that he's

wrong. That's what Thomas did. How often do we

do the same? What about when we're uncertain

about what God's going to do with our temporary

future? With our trials, with our conflicts,

with our suffering? Don't we often say we don't

know what he's doing? Boldly at times? Don't

we demand to know the details of our lives? The

turn -by -turn directions for salvation rather

than entrusting ourselves? to the true north

compass that is Christ himself? Like Thomas,

don't we demand proofs for God's work in our

lives? Lord, give me a sign that I'm going the

right way. I know we're all tempted like Thomas.

We'd all rather see before believing, would we

not? I get it. I'm tempted too. Wouldn't life

be wonderfully easy if we had a roadmap to all

the bumps and the turns displayed before us?

We can go to the next slide, but I think we do

often miss Jesus because we are so very demanding

of all the details. Maybe if we had all those

turn -by -turn directions, maybe life would be

easier. I don't know. You know, I actually don't

think it would be. If you knew what was going

to happen, then you'd fret and worry over that.

And then you spend all your time knowing what's

going to happen, worrying about what's going

to happen, but you can't stop it from happening?

Would that really be better? You're like, maybe.

I don't know. You know what it would lack, though?

It would lack dependence. It would lack dependence.

When we chase the details, we miss depending

on the Savior. He never promised to easily chart

our lives. What he did promise was to never leave

us, to never forsake us. He promised that those

whom he saves would be saved until the end. He

promised that he would rescue those who humbly

call upon his name for salvation. He promised

redemption for the repentant. And none of that,

none of that requires that we know all the details

of our lives. Like Thomas, we need to learn that

The compass of Christ is more important to believing

than the chart of life's twists and turns. This

is why the cure for a troubled heart is trust,

belief, faith. Christ calls us to believe in

him and to believe in God, to depend on him as

we follow his way because the details are in

his hands. The compass direction is in ours.

See that? But even if we're pointed in the right

direction, even if we have that compass, we still

can get lost, right? We need to pivot briefly

from John 14. I told you we're gonna end on Palm

Sunday and we'll come back to John 14 as well.

But we need to look at the nature of Palm Sunday.

I am not trying to argue with Jeff, by the way,

on this. We actually don't disagree on the interpretation.

We agree, okay? I just don't have an issue with

the designation. That's the only difference.

But we agree, it's a tradition, and it's one

that does not break fellowship. How does it relate

to our study so far, though? How does it relate?

Let's set the stage for this. Prior to that upper

room, that upper room happens later in the week,

but prior to that, there's a situation that happens

that many of you are familiar with. Jesus raises

Lazarus from the dead. Incredible feat. Literally,

dead for days, and he raises him to life. And

he does that in the city of Bethany, not too

far. I'm going to leave the map stuff to Jeff,

so I didn't even bother with that one. Green,

purple, orange dot. I don't know. He'll figure

it out for you. But it's not very far away. And

he raises Lazarus from the dead in Bethany. Remember,

Lazarus has two that we know of, siblings, Mary

and Martha. Good job, Martha, Martha, Martha.

Some of you know that. Well, I could tell who

was laughing at that one because you younger

people didn't know that one at all. Yeah, it's

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha. Anyways, okay. This is

right before his entry into Jerusalem. He raises

Lazarus from the dead, and then he stays with

them, and Mary anoints his feet with that costly

oil. Remember that one of the disciples was very

burdened by the cost of it? Now, a crowd had

gathered at the home because Lazarus was dead.

They had already, it was already a done deal,

and then he's raised alive. They want to say,

is this true? They wanted to see this prophet

who brought a man back to life. Now Lazarus,

he drew heat from those priests, those chief

priests. They wanted to put Lazarus to death

even because they didn't want proof of this amazing

miracle. They weren't just believing in Jesus

because Lazarus was raised. They were believing

in Jesus because Lazarus was giving testimony

about who Jesus is. Both that miracle and coming

back to life, the one who did it. So that crowd's

there. This is important for us to note. It's

that crowd who was there to see this Jesus and

this miracle that he did that lays down these

branches, that lays down their coats, that says,

Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name

of the Lord, even the king of Israel. Do you

remember what Hosanna means? Save us. Save us.

The people were hearing this incredible testimony

of a man who was brought from death back to life.

They're getting ready for Passover. They've been

struggling under Roman rule. They're so weary,

God has been silent. They cry out for salvation

to the right person because there's no other

name given under heaven by which we must be saved.

but what happens to Jesus in just a few days?

On Palm Sunday, they welcomed him like Zechariah

9 says. Even though John is clear, he says, it

wasn't until after Jesus' ascension that we understood

this. Zechariah 9 says, Rejoice greatly, O daughter

of Zion. Make a loud shout, O daughter of Jerusalem.

Behold, your king is coming to you. He is righteous

and endowed with salvation. lowly and mounted

on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a pack

animal. He was welcomed like a king on Sunday,

but by Thursday night, he would be betrayed,

arrested, and put on trial. And by Friday, less

than a week, Jesus, the son of the living God,

the one to whom they cried, save us, Hosanna,

just days earlier, by Friday, the crowd's chance,

the same crowd would change from save us to crucify

him. How tragically quick did those cries change?

From salvation to condemnation in less than a

week. Friends, are we that different? I'm not

trying to imbue you with false guilt or to engender

some kind of emotional response right now. I'm

just appealing to your own sense of self. Are

we not just as fickle? In our moments of hardship,

we beg the Lord to rescue us. We even offer him

deals for his mercy. Lord, if you heal me, if

you get me through this, if you rescue my loved

one, I'll do anything for you. I'll come to church

regularly. I'll serve regularly. I'll read my

Bible daily. I'll tell people about you. You

know what? The Lord is so kind to us. Not because

of the deals that we make. No, in spite of those.

He just tends to be more kind than we can imagine

because we often get through the hardships. We

often get through the difficulties and then what

about those promises that we made under duress?

We forget. We go on being selfish, continuing

in some kind of sin. We presume upon the kindness

of the Lord. We expect him to forgive because

how could he even expect us to fulfill our end

of the deal? Sometimes, friends, Jesus... He

shows us exactly who he is and what he's doing.

Like in the case of Lazarus, bring the dead to

life. The case of his earthly ministry, healing

the sick. Cleansing sinners. And we still, we

still, we get this beautiful picture of his declaration

from his lips, by his actions. And we still get

lost. You know, the crowd wanted a good thing.

They wanted their conquering king who would free

them from a life of misery. But they didn't know

what they were asking for. And go to the next

slide, Josiah. And their excitement over Lazarus

returning from the dead, they really forced an

opportunity to crown Christ. But the crowd, they

only crowned him for that day. They didn't crown

him in their hearts. That's true. You know, sometimes

we want the right Jesus, but for the wrong reason.

We think our way is best. We want to usher Jesus

into a situation to rescue it, to redeem it.

And we miss that he didn't come to this earth

and live a perfect, obedient life and suffer

egregiously as an innocent one to be put to death

and to rise again just so our situations could

be a little bit better. He didn't come to make

our pathway in life easier. He came to obey the

father. He came to make a way for his people,

the people that his father has chosen to be saved.

And he did it. People want Jesus to be king in

their hour of need, but people, people like us,

we get lost. We lose our sense of direction,

even when it's given to us. That's our heart.

That's our struggle. That's why Thomas would

even consider with Jesus, like, come on, dude,

why would you argue with him? Right? But wouldn't

we do the same? Haven't we done the same? But

Lord, did you really say this? Can I really be

saved from that? Will I endure and get through?

So we find ourselves back in John 14 as we wrap

up. Jesus responding, to Thomas. John 14, 6,

Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth

and the life. No one comes to the Father but

through me. Throughout this morning, we've seen

how we miss Jesus by focusing on merit. We've

seen how we miss Jesus by demanding details and

how we miss Jesus by getting lost. How do we

see Jesus as the way? Believe. Trust and obey.

Some of you know that song, There's No Better

Way. You say, shouldn't there be more to it?

Aren't there more turn -by -turn GPS directions

to this? Look at John 14 .1. Do not let your

heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also

in me. The cure for a troubled heart that's wondering

where Jesus is, what he's doing, trust him. Believe

him. He's not only preparing the place for you,

he's gonna come back and ensure that we get there.

So why are you so worried? Why are you so troubled?

Think about it like this. Our friend, he left

here to go get his place ready. And you're so

worried he's not going to come back. But don't

you know him? Don't you know him? He always tells

the truth. He never lies. He cares for his people

more than we care for ourselves. We can just

start walking in the direction. We know it's

that way. Let's just start walking because before

we know it, he's going to be coming back, picking

us up, and we're going to arrive at the right

time, at the right place, by his purpose. Now,

even if trouble befalls us along that way, even

if that journey has all kinds of twists and turns

that we didn't anticipate, we can trust that

he will help us see it through to the end because

he's faithful. Because he's faithful. When you

think about Jesus as the way, I think it's that

last part of John 14, 6 that necessarily explains

it well. He says, No one comes to the Father

but through him. And so if you've heard none

of those three main points that are on the screen

today, that's fine. I labored very hard on those.

I want you to know. But for the Lord, if you

just want that simple tagline to understand that

Jesus is the way, it's the one that I preemptively

showed you already. Jesus came to show us the

direction to secure our destination. Or in other

words, Jesus is the way to the Father's eternal

glory. Now I know some people struggle with the

exclusivity of Jesus as the only way. And maybe

they want multiple options for their loved ones

who do not know Jesus as Lord. But the exclusivity

of Jesus should not bring fear or a troubled

heart. It should bring hope. Think of how overwhelming

a menu like Cheesecake Factory is. is like so

many things. What do you choose? You don't know.

If you haven't been, go, and then you'll see

what I'm talking about. Now, maybe you have less

risk of getting it wrong if you go to In -N -Out,

right? You're narrowed, right? But with Jesus,

it's even more clear. There is one way. One way.

Do you wonder how one can be saved and rescued

from this world? You want that answer? Wonder

no more. Wonder no more, it's through Christ.

Do you long for all the wrongs to be made right?

Are you yearning for that day? You don't need

to long anymore. Turn to Jesus. Do you want to

see eternal days without any sin? Is that what

you want to aim for? Such a desire is fulfilled

by the Messiah. Come, follow him. The uniqueness

of Jesus is the only way. That's a safeguard

for all hope. There's only one way to the everlasting

Father, and it is through Christ. As we've gone

throughout this morning looking at the disciples

struggling with his departure, which will be

very soon, and the crowds being so fickle with

their demands, I really pray that you've considered

yourself. I know I have. I know I saw myself.

I know I saw my shortcomings, how I miss Jesus.

The question is, how will you follow him? So

to the fellow church members and believers here,

let's help one another keep our compasses pointed

the right direction. Let's encourage one another

when we don't have the MapQuest turn -by -turn

directions. Let's remind one another where we're

going, who we're following. Now, if you're new

here this morning, new to our church, or new

to the idea of Jesus is the way, Please, come

talk to one of our elders. They're the really

tall, older guys. Myself, Jeff, a younger, tall

guy over here. Come talk to any church member,

too. Please, church members, be willing to talk

to anyone new about this. Because today could

be the day that you begin to walk in Jesus' way.

And I would pray that that would be the case.

Now, you guys have gotten used to it in Ecclesiastes,

so I figured, why not? Why not give you some

questions at the end? Because it's fun, right?

So there's some questions on the end for you

to consider. Take a screenshot or memorize it.

But think about what we've walked through today.

And in a moment, I'm going to pray for us as

we transition to songs of response and praise.

All right, friends, let's pray. God, we ask that

you would help us see how we miss Jesus. We know

the disciples struggled similarly and we are

no exception. So please, would you help us? Help

us with our blind spots. Help us with what we

don't see and allow us to see. Allow us to see

the Savior rightly. And more than seeing even,

Father, help us. to trust when we don't see.

Help us to believe when we don't have the ability

to touch and to see right here, right now. Help

us to take you at your word and to believe you

at your word. Help us to be more okay going your

direction than knowing all the twists and the

turns of our lives. Help us to faithfully walk

towards Christ because we know where he's going

to lead us. to that eternal dwelling. So would

you grow our faith this Passion Week that we

would be more confident in Jesus than we ever

have been, not because of us in spite of us,

but because of him, he is able. Break our hearts

from our sin and those things that tear us away

from your way and then build us up in Christ.

Strengthen us by your spirit. Instruct us by

your word. And help us to hope, to hope in Christ.

We will not be put to shame if our hope is in

him. So help us now even to allow our tongues

to confess. But more than that, may our lives

show that Christ indeed is king. And he's king

according to his declaration, not our perception.

May we learn what that means, that he is the

only way to an eternal hope. We pray this in

his name. Amen.