[0:00] The chapter we had, John chapter 14. John 14. We can look this day at verses 1 down to verse 19, but just for our text, we can take verses 5 and verse 6.
[0:20] John 14 verses 5 and verse 6. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life.
[0:35] No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Every time we're together in the morning, I keep saying we're carrying on our series.
[0:46] In a sense, we are, but our series just takes place once a month. We're working through our series, looking at the I am sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of John.
[0:57] And here we are at the, as we were, the penultimate, the second to last of the I am sayings. And we have that here in our text in verse 6. Last time we were together, we looked at Lazarus, where Jesus declared, of course, that he is the life.
[1:14] That he is the resurrection and the life. For some context, here we are in John 14. And Jesus and the disciples were in the upper room. They're upstairs and they're gathered around.
[1:28] They're aware of their last meal together. As part of this upper room discussion, this upper room discourse, we find our chapter and we find our text.
[1:41] His time of earthly ministry is almost at its end. He's come and he's done all that needs to be done. And he's approaching slowly his final act on the earth.
[1:54] His whole life of perfection leading up to this final few days, these final few hours really, as he makes his way towards the cross.
[2:07] And here he is with his friends, with his disciples, with those who have been with him for his years of service. And he's preparing them. He's beginning at least to prepare them for their time without him.
[2:20] John writes at the start of chapter 13 in such beautiful, beautiful words. The first verse of John 13.
[2:33] Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
[2:50] We see then in verse 2, the supper's ended, so after dinner we're just having a discussion, we're talking together. He's with those he loved in this world. And he loved them until the very end.
[3:05] Well here we are at the end. He's just washed his disciples' feet. We see that in the previous chapter. He's washed their feet. He's told them, one of them would betray him.
[3:16] The disciples of course are clearly troubled by what's being said to them. They're confused. They don't quite understand what's being said. And we see that again and again. They don't quite grasp what Jesus is saying.
[3:27] They can't. No one of us could. They have no real sense of what's about to take place. Dear friends, at the start of our chapter, at the start of chapter 14, we find our room full of confused, anxious, scared disciples.
[3:47] Normal men, fishermen, workers, who are about to lose their saviour, at least for a time, in their minds, in their reality, in their perception.
[4:00] They're about to lose their friend and their saviour, their Lord. They're about to be left without, as far as they understood it, without wanting to lead them, wanting to guide them. They're about to see him captured, tortured, killed.
[4:15] They're about to witness all that and see all that in the next few hours, next day or two after this. And if we're being very honest, there's times that we can find ourselves very much in chapter 14.
[4:29] Very much like the poor disciples here in this upper room. We gather together, yes, and we understand we're here, but we find ourselves gathered and not quite understanding what's happening.
[4:40] Gathered and not quite sure what's going on in our experience, or indeed in our life. Like we said in the children's talk, the reality is sometimes life can be a bit bumpy.
[4:57] Life can be a bit rough. Like the disciples here in chapter 14, sometimes we aren't quite sure what's taking place. And we need reassurance. We need proper reassurance.
[5:10] We find that in this chapter. We find the disciples receiving reassurance and the one who can give true reassurance. True help. We see as we come to verse 6.
[5:23] In verse 6 we see in our text, we see Jesus addressing, dealing with, working through the worries, the miseries, the questions, the hard truths the disciples are wanting to work through.
[5:40] Their pains and their anxieties, Jesus answers them in verse 6. And for a short time today we can look at this verse together. Brother, dear brother, dear sister, our last time together we looked at Lazarus and we looked at the reality that Jesus is not distant.
[5:59] He's not uncaring. He's not unaware of our pain and of our worries and of our struggles. As we look today at our statement here, at the great truth of verse 6, we can see how the beauty of what Christ says here.
[6:12] It offers real support, it offers real help, it offers real truth to those who are struggling, to those of us who need that encouragement. And we all do.
[6:23] We all do. Looking again at verse 6, Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.
[6:34] So see this in three very broad ways. Looking first of all how it's in Jesus alone we must follow. Follow Jesus alone. And then trust Jesus alone.
[6:46] And then life in Jesus alone. Follow Jesus alone. Trust Jesus alone. And life in Jesus alone. So first of all looking at verses 1 down to verse 6.
[6:59] Roughly looking at follow Jesus alone or following Jesus alone. Very first verse of chapter 14. Jesus addresses the disciples quite simply, quite honestly, quite plainly.
[7:15] Let not your hearts be troubled. Do not worry. Believe in God. Believe also in me.
[7:26] Let not your hearts be troubled. And the reasoning he gives that. The reasoning he gives them for not letting their hearts be troubled. The help he gives them is he reminds them of the reality that they have a place where.
[7:40] Well, verse 2 and verse 3. They have a place with Jesus in eternity. The reality that in his father's house there's plenty of room for them.
[7:53] The incredible reminder that he will one day come and take them to be with them. He's going to prepare a place for them. He begins to calm as it were their anxieties and their worries.
[8:07] And this is the first thing he reminds them. As he begins to comfort his poor disciples. As he begins to show them for the final time that he is the one who knows them and who loves them and cares for them.
[8:19] He begins by reminding them that they have a place with him. He's going to prepare that place for them. And dear brothers and dear sisters, as we look at these verses today, that's our first reminder.
[8:33] This day, that's our first reminder that we have a saviour who's gone to prepare a place for us. A place for us in eternity. This is not just some vague hope that gets us through the week.
[8:48] It's not just some vague hope we have. Some vague assurance. This is the very living words of our saviour. He tells us he has gone to prepare a place for us.
[8:59] This is a promise from the saviour of our souls. Of course, he uses the imagery here to help the disciples understand. To understand what he's saying.
[9:11] That through the unbearable pain of the cross. That through the wrath of the Father being poured out onto him. That through the hours of suffering and misery and pain that lay ahead of Jesus in the day to come.
[9:28] That as he faced the wrath of all the sins of all his people. As he became sin for the sake of his people. As he was treated as sin for the sake of his people.
[9:40] As he was punished with the full wrath of the eternal Father. He was doing all that. But why? Why? Because he would go there and prepare a place for them.
[9:56] He would take on their punishment. Take on the punishment they deserved. Take on the punishment that you and I, dear brother and sister in Christ. That we deserve.
[10:08] Because he would have us with him. Because he would have us with him. Because he would have us with him. Because he would have us with him. Because he would have us with his own people. Because he would have us with his own people.
[10:19] Because he would have a people of his own possession. You and I, brother and sister in Christ. That is us. He goes to prepare a place for us.
[10:30] All this is done so that we might dwell with our Saviour forever. Of course, then we see, of course, poor Thomas. And commonly and culturally, some would call him doubting Thomas.
[10:44] I don't know if that's too fair a name for Thomas. I think we give Thomas a bad name, really. Questioning Thomas, maybe. Honest. Honest Thomas. He asks the questions I'm sure all of our disciples had in their minds.
[10:58] He asks the question that every one of us would ask when Jesus says, you know where I'm going. At the end of verse 4. Wherever I go, you know.
[11:09] And the place you know. And Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we don't know. Where are you going? How can we know of a way? Thomas is honest. You say we know of a way, but we don't.
[11:25] Of course, Jesus has told them. He's just told them in the upper room that he's going to make a place for them. He's just told them that through his death and resurrection, they would be with him.
[11:38] He would purchase or wear that place for them with the spilling of his precious blood. He's told them all that again and again and again through his whole time with them. And here we are at the end and we still don't quite grasp what's taking place.
[11:51] But Jesus lovingly, carefully answers Thomas' question. He reminds them once more of the text we have in verse 6. Jesus saith unto them, I am the way, the truth and the life.
[12:08] He reminds them it's only through him and only through him alone do they have access to the Father. He alone clears the path for them as it were.
[12:18] He alone is the only one who knows the way through the wilderness of life that leads to the promised land. He alone is the only way to go for salvation.
[12:33] I am the way. Dear friends, those who as of yet don't know Jesus for yourself. And again, I'm getting to know some faces, but many faces I still don't know.
[12:43] I don't know where you stand. If as of yet you do not know Jesus for yourself, it's by following him and following him alone that you will ever know God.
[12:56] And we're so prone, and we know this, but we have to be reminded we're so prone to thinking. And we never word like this. We're smarter than that.
[13:07] We're so prone to thinking that somehow we can impress God. We live a life that's just good enough. We attend here enough. We're just nice enough to those around us.
[13:19] That somehow God has just let us in as it were at the end. There's only one way to know God. Only one way to God.
[13:31] Only one way to the Father. It's only through Jesus. I am the way. It's only following him we will ever see or know the Father.
[13:45] The truth is, if you're not following Jesus today, you're still following, as it were, the way of the world. I think it was last week you had Mr. MacLeod Scott with you, and I saw you preaching for Ephesians and Ephesians 2, and the reality is that you're still following the way of the world.
[14:04] You're still following the prince of the power of the air. You're still following, and dear friends, this is solemn, and it's not easy to say, I assure you, if you still follow the way of the world, you are still following the way of Satan.
[14:17] You're still following the way that leads only to death, and only to hell. Only by following Jesus will you see the kingdom.
[14:31] Know the kingdom. See the place that's been prepared for his people. What's the entry requirements to this place? What's the special requirements for you to get in?
[14:48] It's not time for this discussion, but it was interesting, locally, down in Graver, a few weeks ago, talking to a couple in the village, and they have recently moved up, a few months ago now, and they don't attend church, and in fact they have no idea what takes place in the building in Graver.
[15:05] No idea what the church is, or who it's for. I was invited them to church, and just in conversation, and they're saying, oh, we didn't know we were allowed to come to church.
[15:18] They genuinely thought we were something like the Masons, like the Freemasons. Some kind of procedure, some kind of, some strange procedure to take place before they could even come. They thought that genuinely. But the truth is, many of us have that same thinking when it comes to Christ.
[15:32] We must do this. We must do that. I have to know more about Him first. I have to understand the Bible better first. Dear friends, there are many, and we say this carefully, we know it's true.
[15:46] There are many who have gone, and who have died, and passed away, who have lost eternity. Many who have died not knowing Jesus, who know their Bibles far better, perhaps, than many Christians even here today.
[15:58] Many who have died not knowing Jesus, who know their catechism and their confession, off by heart. Who attended this building more faithfully, perhaps, than any of us will ever do. But they did not die following Jesus.
[16:12] They did not know Him. Only by knowing Jesus, by following Him, do we see eternal life. Brothers and sisters, as we go through life, we're faced, of course, with a reality that we encounter many alternative paths.
[16:28] Again, the children's talk before, of the cliche, when we got lost by following the wrong path, how true that is in life. And at times, even as Christians, if we're honest, we'll find ourselves losing our way.
[16:43] We will find ourselves going, because of sin, because of situations in life, perhaps, because of things outside our control. We find ourselves losing a way for a short time.
[16:53] We find ourselves wandering away for a short time. Quite simply, we find ourselves in a dangerous situation, because we stop following the only path, which is, of course, Jesus.
[17:07] We must keep our eyes on Him. Keep following the path that He has laid out for us. He alone leads to salvation. He alone leads to safety.
[17:23] If you find yourself this day, like Thomas, perhaps, even quietly in your hearts, find yourself wondering and asking the question, I don't know where you're going.
[17:35] I don't know where you're going. Show me the way. Lord, where do I go? Lord, what do I do? Beloved in the Lord, please listen to the words of your Savior.
[17:47] He says to you, He says to Thomas and his disciples, I am the way. We follow Him this day. We follow Him this new week. We follow Him this month. We keep following Him day after day, after day, after day, until the end of time.
[18:05] And we do follow Him. And we know as we follow Him, we have the assurance, the full assurance He will lead us home, to be with Himself, to spend all time with Him.
[18:18] So we must follow Jesus. That's how He first assures disciples. We must follow Him and follow Him alone. Then we must believe or trust Jesus alone.
[18:31] Verses 7 down to verse 14, we see that being shown to us. We must trust in Jesus alone. Brothers and sisters, just as there's many paths which we might find ourselves walking down at times, away from the true way, we find ourselves being distracted and led away because of sin, and because of our own various issues, and because of various reasons, the same can be said for truth.
[18:58] There are many around us who follow many different so-called truths. Now, we can't kid ourselves, and there's no time. I've seen times going.
[19:08] There's no time even today. There's no time in a hundred sermons, and it's not the time for it today. But we can't kid ourselves, and we all know this, that we live in a time, we live in an age, even the last 10 years, if not five years, where truth and the reality of so much truth is just being worn away.
[19:34] Where things which were once set in stone, as clear and obvious, truths no longer are regarded as such. There's hundreds of examples we could look to for that. We live in a time where the very idea of set truth is something that itself is questioned.
[19:53] When that comes to biblical truth, it's not even questioned, it's just plain out ignored, and we know that ourselves. We live in an age, and we must not kid ourselves, indeed, in an island, where the gospel is not known.
[20:06] We have all the statistics, yes, we still many attend church, yes, but in your own villages here, in your own area here, of your neighbours, those around you, how many know the gospel?
[20:17] How many have a clue what it is we believe, or why we're here today? There's many in this area, many in my own villages, in my own area, who have no idea, no idea as to who or what the truth really is.
[20:34] Perhaps today, more so in the last three or four hundred years, we find such distrust, and such just cluelessness, as to the truth of the gospel.
[20:47] The reality is, in Jesus, we have truth. We have total truth. All things are measured against his truth.
[21:01] When we see things around us, we're unsure about, we find ourselves confused, and questioning, even as Christians, we find ourselves, not quite sure what to believe, about this or that anymore, we come back to Christ, again and again, come back to verse six, the one who is, the truth.
[21:20] Everything else seems so grey, so unknowing, so unsteady, we look to him, and him alone. Come to believe, and love Christ, dear Christians, we are set free, in the truth.
[21:33] All things, begin to make sense, don't they? I was talking to a friend, the other day, and he was recounting, his own story, of coming to know Jesus, and, he's been a Christian, for twenty odd years, and he was saying, he still remembers, the first morning, he woke up, he was saved the night before, woke up that first morning, and things just, made sense.
[21:56] He's had a hard life, since that. Many tough providences, that he's had to work through, and live through. But he sort of remembers, that moment waking up, and realising, everything now, just makes sense.
[22:09] He now knows, the one who is truth. Because that reality, is now in his life, he understands, and sees the world, really as it is. All things make sense, when they're viewed, through the truth, of our Saviour.
[22:24] John 8, and verse 31, then Jesus said, to the Jews, who believed him, if you abide, in my word, you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know, the truth, and the truth, shall make you free.
[22:40] Brothers and sisters, God is not a man, that he should lie. We don't, and we should not, underestimate the reality, that these are not, popular words, we're sharing just now. To the world, these are dangerous words, we're sharing just now.
[22:55] To declare, that Jesus alone, is the truth. To declare, verse 6, is a dangerous, dangerous, phrase, dangerous verse, to the world, a hated verse, to the world.
[23:07] There's no salvation, outside of Jesus. No other faith, no other religion, no other make, believe, or self-made Saviour, Jesus alone.
[23:20] There's no other truth, apart from Jesus. And to declare, that as we do right now, is an unpopular truth, that outside of Jesus, there's only death, outside of Jesus, there's only misery.
[23:34] Again, it's dangerous, in a sense, to hold these truths, to believe these truths, but we do, and we love it. We love these truths. Of course, currently, we're fortunate, in our country, the worst we could have, really, is a knock on the door, and perhaps, a fine in some situations, for declaring, these wonderful truths.
[23:52] But as we prayed for, there are many in the world, brothers and sisters, those we love, those we care for, those we know, in a sense, brothers and sisters, who are suffering just now, because they maintain, the truth of verse 6.
[24:06] And they proclaim, in their countries, they proclaim right now, from their prison cells, they proclaim right now, not knowing their future, what it holds for them. And they're in these places, of prison, and in their darkest of cells, because they hold, publicly, to the truth, of verse 6.
[24:25] Dear brothers and sisters, they know, the truth of Jesus, and they're willing, to hold to that truth, even in the face, of situations, we won't ever begin, to understand. We hold on, to the hope, and the truth we have, in verse 6.
[24:41] And the truth of verse 6, the truth, that we find in Jesus, is true, regardless of a situation, regardless of, the providence, within ourselves, and regardless, of even how we're feeling.
[24:52] And if we're honest, for a second, we all do, at times. We let, and we feel, ourselves, putting our feelings first. We affirm things, we understand things, we believe in things, but when our feelings, or when we feel different, it's hard to actually, grasp what it is we're saying.
[25:13] We often let our feelings, as we're, triumph, or trump over, truth itself. But because Jesus is, truth, we can know for certain, that all he says, of course, is also true.
[25:26] All he says about himself, is true. And because he is true, we know that he has gone, to prepare a place for us. And if he's gone, to prepare a place for us, it means he will come, to receive us again, unto himself, in verse three.
[25:40] We come to know Jesus, we come to know, truth. Again, dear, friends, as I hate to know Jesus, as long as you, keep listening to the world, as long as you keep listening, to the, to the half truths, to the lies, that sound like truth, but there are lies, at the end of the day, the lies, and the half truths, and the untruths, of the world around you, you will never know, the reality of truth, as found in Jesus, as in him, alone.
[26:11] Very, very briefly, we come to our final point here, verses 15, down to verse 19, we have life, in Jesus alone, verses 15, down to verse 19, life, in Jesus, alone.
[26:24] So before, our last time together, we're looking again, at Lazarus, and we see that Jesus, alone has life, he alone gives, through, everlasting, life. For all those who come to him, he promises, eternal, life.
[26:38] This gives us hope. Christ reminded his struggling disciples, his anxious disciples, with the truth, that in him, they will live.
[26:50] It gives us hope this morning, it gives us hope, this day, that we live lives, with one, who is truly, life himself. I am the way, the truth, and the life.
[27:06] Because I live, you also, will live. That's the promise of our Saviour, to his people. We worship a living Saviour, this morning.
[27:18] We worship a living Saviour, who, as we heard before, right now, reigns and arose, of the right hand, of the Father, who has life, in and of, himself. So the promise is, as long as, he has life, as long as, he lives, we will have life.
[27:36] And that promise is glorious, isn't it? Because how long, does our eternal Saviour have life? When he'll be answered.
[27:47] Our eternal Saviour lives forever. Because that's true, we know for certain, that we will be with him, forever. Because we have, our life, which comes, from him.
[28:00] Brothers and sisters, that's our hope. That's our hope this morning, as we seek to follow our Saviour, we will follow one, who is, life. Even this week, as you, feel yourself, so, slow.
[28:17] Feel yourself, so, far away. And feel yourself, just so distant. Feel yourself, perhaps so lifeless. As true as that feeling is, no, the reality is something, quite different, dear Christian, dear brother, dear sister.
[28:34] The reality is that, you have life. You have eternal life. Yes, the body will die, we know that, but your soul will live, for all time.
[28:44] The day is coming, and coming soon, when with new body, perfected body, you will live with him, for, all, time.
[28:58] and the most, as I were, perhaps, popular, well-known verse of scripture, at least in the culture around us. John 3, 16, for God so loved the world, that what?
[29:12] He gave his only son, that whoever believes in him, should not perish, but what? But have eternal life. In Jesus alone, we have the hope of eternal life.
[29:28] Again, for any here, who don't yet know Jesus, you have life, yes, you live, and you move, and you do your daily, activities, but you don't have, eternal life.
[29:44] You have no hope, that the rest of your eternity, will be spent, with the one who made you, and who knows you, and who loves his people. Come, and this day, come and know him.
[29:56] Come and have a full assurance, of verse 6. Come and know the one, who is the way. Come and know that, no matter what life, as it were, throws at you, whatever happens to you, whatever happens around you, that you are following, the true, captain of your faith, the true one, who only knows the way.
[30:17] Come and know the one, who is the truth. Who, and even the world around you, is telling you such lies, when nothing feels certain, when life itself, feels uncertain, come and know, in him, you have a saviour, who is only ever through.
[30:31] And come and know the one, who gives life, who gives eternal life. Come and know the assurance, that the Christians here have today, that we have the sure, and certain knowledge, that because he lives, we also shall live.
[30:49] Come and know that hope. I say this every time, but if you forgive me, I'll say it again, we get so comfortable, so happy in our routine, so happy in it, myself very much included, so happy in our actions, so happy Sunday by Sunday, Lord's Day by Lord's Day, doing the same actions, coming and going from this building.
[31:07] this is real, this is serious, this is the living word of God, talking to us today. We've heard today, that in Christ alone, we have a way, in him alone, we have certain truth, in him alone, we have life.
[31:25] Please, don't ignore, that reality any longer. Come and know him, cry out to him, talk to the, Christian family and friends, talk to the elders. Please don't waste, any more time.
[31:38] Christians be encouraged, as you're reminded today, as Christ reminded, his anxious disciples, his, his fearing, his terrified disciples. Let's also us be, assured, by the same promise, he gave them, the same hope, he gave them, that because we have a saviour, who is the way, the truth and the life, we know our steps are certain.
[31:58] As we sang, as we're about to sing, in Psalm 139, he knows a way, he knows our way exactly. He knows, everything we are. Because we have a saviour, who is the truth, we know that by following him, we know the truth.
[32:14] Even the world, tells us otherwise, day by day, we know that in him, we see the reality, of things. We have a saviour, who is life. We have a sure, hope, the real hope, the eternal hope, that we will never die.
[32:30] We will live, with him, for all time. Let's bow our heads now, a word of prayer. Lord God, we ask you again, you'd be with us, as we conclude our time together.
[32:44] We thank you Lord, for the time we've spent. Thank you for the time, around your living, and your perfect word. Lord, we ask you Lord, to speak to us, what we heard, who would, Lord, be real to our minds, and real to our hearts.
[32:57] Help us, to not just be hearers, but to be doers, to put into practice, in our own lives, day by day, what it is we're hearing, from your word. Lord, do you forgive anything, that was said, not in accordance to your word.
[33:08] We give you praise, that the power is not, in the jars of clay, we stand up here, Lord, the power is in you, in you working, through your word. Help us, even as we come to sing, our final item of praise, to do so, of hearts and minds, full of understanding, and full of praise, as we sing about, the wonder and majesty, of you the God, who knows all things, about his people.
[33:27] It's got all these things, in and through, and for Christ's name's sake. Amen.