Well, we're going to begin our worship by singing to God's praise. We're going to sing in Psalm 96a,
on page 126 of the psalm books. We're going to sing from verse 1 down to verse 9, the tune is Argyle.
Psalm 96a on page 126.
We'll sing a new song to the Lord. Sing praises to his name and his salvation. Day by day, let all the earth
proclaim. We'll sing from verse 1 to 9, and we stand to sing to God's praise.
Amen.
SONG CONTINUES
And now, thank you so much.
And now, thank you for the difficulty.
All the others Jerks
SONG CONTINUES
The Lord made their elders high.
O power and majesty are his.
He dwells in glorious light.
All nations to the Lord has cried.
The glory that is true.
Glory and strength has cried to all.
And grace is in the new.
Enter his course with joy and reign.
And no other being with you.
Worship the Lord in holy care.
All earth before him now.
Let's come to God in prayer.
Let us pray.
Lord our gracious God as we bow in your presence at this time we are reminded in these words that
we have sung of the reason why we come with that need to bow in your presence to bow before you
and to know Lord how we are to humble ourselves before you that you might lift us up for we
cannot be proud in and of ourselves we cannot bring our own sacrifice as it were to you we
cannot bring our own works to you we cannot bring our own righteousness to you for they are just like
filthy rags as your word says and because we come to a holy God become we come to the one who has made
the heavens and the earth we come to the one who to whom all glory is due as the psalmist says
and help us so we might come in that right spirit that we might come with that in our minds Lord that
we come not just out of duty or habit but that we would come delighting to be in your presence to be
near to you to hear your word to unite our hearts together as a people here and lift up our voices
and praise to you and to join even in online and know that you are with us to know that together we
come to praise our Lord and our God and we come to a living God one who has shown us the way to life
the one who has given us life through sending your own son Jesus Christ into this world and we thank
you that we know that you sent him with a purpose that he came to seek and to save the lost and we
thank you Lord that that was done for us and for your people down through all the generations for your
people even yet unborn until the day of the Lord's return we thank you that there is that gospel hope
that all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved and we thank you that in a world in which
there is so much idolatry even as it was in the day of the psalmist as we read here of the other gods
that were worshipped the gods of wood and stone the gods that could not answer or had no power
we thank you that we come to the God of all power the God of all truth the God of all grace and mercy
and so Lord help us to come humbly before you anew this night knowing our sins as you know them
knowing that we cannot hide them from you knowing yet too that there is forgiveness for all who will come
confessing their sin and help us even tonight Lord to come with that sense of confession but also
repentance to turn from our sin and to turn to walk closely with you that you would be the one who
helps us and guides us and who keeps us along the way and we do thank you that throughout our town and
our island our nation and this world today that you have your people near and far that you have
your church your gathered people who come to praise your name and in so many different circumstances and
places even in so many different languages and tongues we thank you oh Lord that your name is
praised that you are glorified among many and we pray for your witness Lord throughout this world
in a world where there is so much sorrow and sadness we are reminded of it constantly
help us to be reminded too
you know in the beauty of this day
you know in the glorious sunshine that we see
to remember the glorious light of the gospel
the good news of Jesus Christ
and the joy that there is to be found in him
that joy of salvation that joy of assurance that joy of hope for life and for eternity
and we thank you that your gospel is like that sunshine that we see it gives light oh Lord it gives warmth
it gives hope to us even as we see new growth around us Lord in the ground and on the trees and in the fields
around us at this time Lord we see new life in so many different ways and we thank you that life is from you
and that you are the one who has given your son that we might have life and have it to the full
and we pray Lord that as your gospel goes out this day near and far that it will bring life to many
that it will bring growth into people's hearts
that it will give a sense of assurance and comfort
help
security and all that it can bring to us Lord that you will
bless your word
as it is ministered
through the preaching of your word
that your spirit will be with us Lord and with all your people
to apply it to our hearts
we do thank you for the work of the gospel
we thank you for it here in our own congregation and for all
the different ways in which we reach out with your
your gospel your glorious truth
we pray for your help in it
in everything that we do
we thank you Lord that we see encouragements around us
we see people
coming along to different
events that we have on
we thank you for the Friday of the Free
and for all who have helped there and attended over these past number of months now
Lord we thank you for the blessing it's been and the encouragement that we've had
we thank you for the connections that have been made and for conversations being had
among the many who come through our doors
and we thank you to be able to invite them not just to
to come and enjoy food with us Lord but to come
and hear the gospel and we pray that through all our
endeavors to reach out
to our people that the gospel will be at the heart of all that we do
and so we pray Lord that
you would help us to
have courage at times and
to speak clearly to them
of the need of the gospel
we thank you for all the young people who come to Sunday school and creche and explorers during the week
thank you for all who help in these activities from week to week
we do pray your blessing on each one and
we thank you as we've heard today as well for
the fact that there is a need for new help
we see this as a blessing Lord that
there have been encouragements and growth in so many ways and
we know that that brings with it many great burdens to us and we just pray that
it'll be a burden that'll be shared among us as a people
that you will lay burdens on our hearts to serve
you in whatever way we can
and we pray Lord to see
people coming to help with Sunday school even though it's
it can seem a task beyond many of us at times
we thank you for the way
that you have always used
ordinary people
we think even of our own
Sunday school teachers over the years
we thank you for each one of them and for the way that
you brought them from many different backgrounds and walks of life and used them for your glory
and help us not to be afraid Lord that
we are inadequate but that we would know
that as we serve
that you will help
and that you will give us
the words we need when we need them
and the courage
and the strength that we need
in all that we do in your name
so we do commit that to you in prayer
we remember the wider work of
the
denomination in terms of youth work as well
with the
the camps taking place over the summer
we ask your blessing on that
thankful for the day
training day in Inverness yesterday
and
pray for leaders that are still required for some of the camps too
that there will be those who will come forward
to help
we do commit Lord our
Thursday evening endeavors as well as we
look forward to that
beginning in a new way this coming week with
the
the big questions sessions
we thank you for those who helped there
especially
Roddy and Calla who have helped
with it for many years now and
we do pray Lord that there will be a sense of
your spirit working
in us and through us
and that we will be
confident to invite others along to these
these evenings
to explore your word and
the great questions of life
and all that it means
and the challenges that we face
Lord we pray that you will
give us that prayerful spirit going into this week ahead
and that we would see
your hand upon us for good
we do commit ourselves and into your hands at this time
Lord remember us
as a people remember us in our homes and our families
those who are unwell
in hospital and homes
those who are confined to their own homes
Lord those who
we need you in particular ways at this time
Lord we thank you
for your constancy
your presence promised
and we pray
for each one of us Lord
that we will remember
and encourage one another
as we are commanded
to do
so hear our prayers Lord
go before us now
and
we ask all things
for the forgiveness of our sins
in Jesus name
Amen
I will again sing to God's praise
this time in Psalm 5
in the Scottish Psalter
page 203
Psalm 5
page 203
we'll sing from verse 7
down to the end of the Psalm
Psalm 5 at verse 7
we'll sing from verse 7
down to the end of the Psalm
to God's praise
but I into thy hearts
will come
in thy love
the days
that I will worship me
I fear
to pour
thy holy place
because
of those
my enemies
Lord
in thy
righteousness
to love
thee
to love
thy way
make straight
before
thy face
all in their
power
there is
no truth
thy
heart
is
still
their
throat
shall
open
say
your breath
their tongue
not
lad
still
come
not
but
still
O
God
is
mine
and
let
the
thee
my
own
castle
dwell
and
for
the
many
saints
cast
has
many
cast
for
forgiveness
he
remember
but
let
all
join
but
let
all
join
that
trust
in
thee
and
still
we
shall
be
good
for
a
endless
state
let
all
that
love
thine
in
may
he
rejoice
for
Lord
unto
the
righteous
man
thou
wilt
thine
sing
here
with
favor
thou
wilt
come
God
blessed
him
about
us
with
a
shield
we
turn to
read
God's word
together now in the New Testament reading in the Gospel of John
in chapter 14
John chapter 14
we read from the beginning down to verse 24
John 14
I'm reading from the beginning of this chapter
let
not your hearts be troubled
believe in God
believe also in me
in my father's house are many rooms
if it were not so would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you
and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and will take you to myself that where I am you may be also and you know the way to where I am going
Thomas said to him
Lord
we do not know where you are going
how can we know the way
Jesus said to him I am the way and the truth and the life no one comes to the father except through me if you had known me you would have known my father also from now on you do know him and have seen him
Philip said to him
Philip said to him Lord
show us the father and it is enough for us
Jesus said to him have I been with you so long and you still do not know me Philip
whoever has seen me has seen the father
how can you say show us the father
do you not believe that I am in the father and the father is in me
the words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority the father who dwells in me does his works
believe me that I am in the father and the father is in me or else believe on account of the works themselves
truly truly I say to you whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do and greater works than these will he do because I am going to the father
whatever you ask in my name this I will do but the father may be glorified in the son if you ask me for anything in my name I will do it if you love me you will keep my commandments and I will ask the father and he will give you another helper to be with you forever even the spirit of truth in the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him you know him for he dwells with you and will be in you
I will not leave you as orphans I will come to you yet a little while and the world will see me no more but you will see me because I live in you and because I live you also will live in that day you will know that I am in my father and you in me and I in you
whoever has my commandments and keeps them he it is who loves me and he who loves me will be loved by my father and I will love him and manifest myself to him
Judas not Iscariot said to him Lord how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world
Jesus answered him if anyone loves me he will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come to him and make a home with him
whoever does not love me does not keep my words and the word that you hear is not mine but the father's who sent me
so on and may God bless to us that reading from his word before we turn back and look at this passage
together we're going to sing again to God's praise in Psalm 56 sing psalms version page 73
of the psalm book we'll sing from verse 7 down to the end of the psalm tune as Stuttgart let them not escape
your anger bring the nations down oh lord in your book write write my entreaties in your scroll
my tears record and the psalmist goes on and then describes the way we find that refuge in him for you
you have kept my feet from stumbling and from death you set me free so that i may walk before you
and the light of life may see we'll sing from verse 7 down to the end of the psalm to God's praise
let them not escape your anger bring the nations down oh lord in your book write my entreaties in your scroll my tears record and the psalmist goes on and then
when i call on you to help me
then my foes will turn aside
this is how i will be certain
that my God is on my side
in the Lord
whose word
in my God
I praise his word
I will just stand
not be fearful
what can
man do
to me
Lord
I have taken
last before you
to my God
I will be true
I have taken
last before you
to my God I will be true
sacrifice and soft
I'm giving
I will now bring it to you
for you
for you kept my feet from some way
and from death you set me free
so that I lay hope before you
for you
and the light of life may see
well we can turn back together to a reading in the gospel of john chapter 14
we just read again at verse 5 and 6
Thomas said to him that's to Jesus Lord we do not know where you are going how can we know the way Jesus said to him I am the way and the truth and the life no one comes to the father except through me
we all have many questions I'm sure in our hearts and there are times when we think we have all the answers in life as we go on in our years in this world we go through these different stages of life through teenage years when we maybe think we've got all the answers we go on get older we realize we don't have all the answers nobody really does and we start groping around looking for answers to all
our different questions and very often our questions and very often our questions can lead us back to perhaps one of the most common answers that we give as children when we're asked questions especially if we think of a Sunday school setting or children's talk either in church or in school if minister asks the question well surely the right answer would be Jesus and it happens to myself regularly I'm sure it happens to many who are working with
children if you ask the children if you ask the children if you ask the question and a hand goes up and you ask well what's your answer ak'lthe answers you can't be wrong can you hell is what the question was Jesus is a question of faith MY'REσ
sereness….
Hanya's…
WAKE
WAKEذا…
Well just…
Jesus isn't the right answer always but that's dependent on what the question is that you're asking…
.
Police say…
For example…
Some will ask a question and do ask the question in life…
can I make money? When you think of all the different ministries in the world, not all of
them are honoring God in that sense of being for the glory of God. It's for self and for self gain
and prosperity ministries have become rife throughout the world because they've asked
the question where Jesus is the answer, but it's the wrong question. The question is, how can I make
money? Asking questions is always important for us and looking for the right answers is always
important for us, but we have to start by asking the right questions. As I said in the
in Demetrius at the start, that's the theme for this evening as we think of
exploring the life's big questions. Even as you look at this leaflet, you maybe think, well,
what's it all about? Is it for me? Is it for me to give to somebody else? Well, it's all of these
things. What is this leaflet actually saying to us? Even at a first glance, you see a lighthouse,
you see a stormy sea, but in the midst of that, you see all these questions that are scattered
around. And it's these kinds of questions that we want to explore together as we come together on
these Thursday evenings. But there's so often questions that come up in our preaching as we're
going through the Word of God. And it's questions that we maybe always don't have the opportunity to
explore or to ask for ourselves. How many of these questions that you see on the leaflet are questions
that you want answered just now? Here or tuning in online, are these the questions that are really
burning within your heart? Are these the questions that you look at them and you think, I've got the
answer. Is God real? No, he's not. Well, let's come and think about your answer to that. You're saying God
is not real. Why? Why is that your answer? Where has that answer come from? Has it come from studying?
Has it come from looking at God's Word or considering what people have to say around that question? Or is
it just your own understanding of this world? God is not real.
Other questions that you see there, what happened when I die? Again, what's your answer to that? Is it
just that's it, the end, there's no more? Or do you think, well, there's got to be more to it than that?
Well, again, what does the Bible say? Questions are so important for us. Jesus is the answer to many
of them, but we've got to be asking the right questions. Questions are good for us. They bring
discussion. They stimulate our thinking. They make us ponder and look more deeply into the questions of
life and eternity. Death and everything that life brings our way. And when you look at the gospel
here before, as the gospel of John, as you go through the Word of God, you see just how important
questions are. And you think, you know, this passage that we've read, verse 1 to 24 in chapter 14,
how many questions have been asked? How many different people have asked questions?
You see, Thomas asks a question there in verse 25, but there's others who are asking questions as
well. Philip is there as well in verse 8. And so it goes on. As you read through, you find that there are
many people asking questions of Jesus. And we shouldn't be afraid to ask our questions. You know, some would
have looked at Thomas and said, what a stupid question to ask. Why are you asking that of Jesus?
Other disciples who were with him at this time would have probably frowned upon him. And yet, as Jesus
gives the explanation, the answer to his question, they wouldn't have been frowning. They'd have been
marveling at the answer that he gives and realizing they didn't know the answer. They didn't understand
the answer that he gave. They didn't know the way until Jesus explained it to them in this wonderful
way. And so it can often be the case for ourselves. We think someone asks a question, what a silly
question to ask. But then we hear an answer given and it wasn't the answer we had in mind.
And we begin to realize how silly we can be at times to think of questions as unimportant.
They help us to understand more and more. And that's what Jesus is doing here with his disciples
here in chapter 14. He is gathered with his disciples. Such a well-known passage to many of us,
I'm sure. But here is Jesus not long before he is going to go to the cross. He's gathered with his
disciples in this place in the upper room, as it's called. They've been having a meal together.
He's been explaining what lies ahead of them. He's been telling how one is to betray him and all that
lies ahead of the cross. And they're astonished by what they're hearing. And they've got all these
questions buzzing around in their heads. And Jesus begins this chapter 14 by saying,
let not your hearts be troubled. He calms them. And that's so often what Jesus does for us. He calms us.
And especially as we come to consider what he has to say to us and what he had to say to the disciples,
he is speaking to ourselves as well. And you see the disciples, you think, they must have understood
all about Jesus. They must have understood everything that he was going to do and all that lay ahead for
them. We think that of others ourselves, others who are maybe more mature Christians. Oh, they must know all the
answers. We don't. They don't. The disciples didn't have all the answers. You see that in the questions that they ask
here. But through asking these questions, Jesus gives them these answers, answers that help them
to understand life's big questions, to understand more of what life entails. And Thomas's question here
in verse 5 is not a silly question. It's such an important question. It's a question we're going to think
about how Jesus answers it this evening. In verse 5, Thomas said, Lord, we do not know where you are going.
How can we know the way? There's so much in the question and there's so much in the answer that Jesus gives.
Jesus is the answer here. And what's important is that the question was asked. And that's what's
important for ourselves as well, to ask the questions that lead us to further understand ourselves and the
gospel, who God is, that he is real, what he has done for us in giving his son. And even as you read on
here, the great promise, as we were looking at last week, not in this passage, but elsewhere, we were
thinking about God with us always. How he has promised never to leave us or forsake us. You have the promise
of the helper, the Holy Spirit, in these verses that we read too. And it is through that that we want to
come together and explore these questions and to think of, well, my heart maybe feels troubled. I'm anxious.
I'm worried with all that's happening in this world. It feels like we're in a storm at sea.
No direction, no help, fearful of what lies ahead. But what you see on the front of this question of
the leaflet, there's a light, there's a beacon, there's a place. And it ties in with what we have
here in the gospel of John chapter 14. Jesus' response says, I am. I am the way, the truth,
and the life. And this is so often in the gospel of John how Jesus answers the big questions.
The text on the front of the leaflet is from John as well. John 8 verse 12, Jesus said,
I am the light of the world. Jesus the answer, but what's the question? Well, through asking questions,
we see Jesus explain just who he is and the importance of looking to him. And his response
to Thomas' question gives us three things just to briefly look at this evening. And it reminds us of
the power of questions, the power that there is in questions. And really behind Jesus' response,
where he says, I am the way, the truth, and the life, is an answer to Thomas that is an answer to us all,
where we ask, well, what is life about? How do we get direction? Where do we go in life? And the answer
really gets to the heart of three questions that we can all have. And Thomas' question makes us think
about this. It stimulates our thinking. Like Thomas, he's saying, how can we know the way? It's that
question we so often have ourselves. How can we find our way in this life? Well, Jesus' response
shows us. It makes us think, well, what are we asking? What do I have to do in this life? What
can I change in myself to give me hope? What needs does this world have when we see the chaos that
surround us? The first answer that Jesus gives us, he says, I am the way. And really that's answering a
burning question in our hearts so often. How can I be saved? How can I be saved? Can I be saved?
Is one of the questions there on the front of the leaflet. Well, behind Thomas' question is,
how can we be saved? How can we be saved? And it's a question I'm sure many of us have. If we don't,
is a question we should have. Because the gospel is about salvation. Jesus came to seek and to save
sinners. So how can I be saved? Well, Jesus says, I am the way. I am the way. The answer is Jesus.
How can I be saved? I am the way. Since the days of Adam and Eve, when sin came into this world,
people have been struggling to find their way. You find it throughout the Old Testament and the New
Testament. You find it in every generation of life. You find it in our own generation so much today,
where we're going off in different directions, trying every new thing once again under the sun.
Things that the Bible already speaks about. Things that the Bible has told us already that there is
nothing new under the sun. We keep going through this cycle of thinking, we've got the answers.
We know what we need to do. We know the way we are to live. And that way is without God.
That's the answer. But Jesus says, no, it is not the answer. The answer is not pushing God's word out.
The answer is found in him. He is the way, the truth, and the life.
But everybody in this world has the answer. All of these questions on the front of the leaflet,
you'll answer in some way. Is God real? Well, your answer is only one of two things, yes or no.
Can I be saved? Maybe you're saying, I can't. I'm just too far gone. But the gospel is for hope.
It's saying you can. If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved. Jesus is the answer.
He is the way. And so often in our life, it comes down to these two ways of thinking.
Two ways that Jesus makes so clear in the gospels for us again and again.
In Matthew 7, verse 13, Jesus says,
Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction.
And those who enter it are many.
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.
He says there's two ways.
Which way are you going to go?
How are you going to answer these big questions in life?
Are you going to say, is God real?
No, he's just a fairy tale. We don't need him.
Well, you're on the broad road that leads to destruction.
But there's a narrow way.
And the way of faith, the way of Jesus,
as we put our trust in him,
he is the way.
He is the only way to the Father.
There was a missionary who went to Africa
who told a story after coming back.
And he said,
it was the very early days of missionary going into parts of Africa.
He was telling how he had helpers to go with him,
going from village to village,
bringing the gospel.
But that they were going to this certain part of Africa.
He was journeying into the wilderness, as it were,
into the thick forest area
and struggling to find their way.
But they came to this village
and all of a sudden the helper she had said,
we're going no further.
We cannot go past this.
It's too dangerous.
We don't know where we're going.
We don't know what lies ahead.
We've just heard things to say
that there's trouble along that way.
But the missionary was determined to go on,
to reach to as many as he could with the gospel.
And he asked in the village that they'd stopped
and if there was anyone who could help him,
if there was anyone who could take him further into the jungle.
And the chief of that village summoned a man to come.
And the man came and he was tall.
He was full of scars.
He was carrying a large axe.
And they came to an agreement
that this man would go with the missionary,
that he would lead him on.
And the next morning they set off
and they carried on into the jungle.
And the way was becoming rougher and rougher
as they were going on.
There was almost no path at all that there seemed to be.
And eventually it came to the point
where the missionary said,
stop.
We can't go on.
Do you really know where we are going?
Do you know the way to where we are going?
And the man looked at the missionary and he said to him,
look, you see this axe in my hand.
You see the scars on my body.
With this axe, I made a trail from the village
to which we are going to.
I came from there
and these scars are from coming from there.
You ask if I know the way.
Before I came, there was no way, he said.
I am the way.
It reminds us of what Jesus has done for us.
How he came into this world
where there was no way for us
to get back to God.
Where we couldn't do it of ourselves.
But where we see that Jesus is the way.
We see it through the cross,
through his scars, as Isaiah describes it,
through his stripes, his wounds,
we are healed.
Through him, he is the way,
as he says here.
No one comes to the Father
except through me, except by me.
Jesus is the way.
Can we be saved?
Yes.
If we believe in the one who is the way.
Let not your hearts be troubled.
Believe in God.
Believe also in me, he says.
But if we think of the way,
there's that second thing then.
When we think of Thomas
as being one of Jesus' disciples,
you'd think he'd be sure of things.
And yet what we see with Thomas
and with so many others in the scriptures
is this uncertainty,
this doubt,
this anxiety that so often comes in.
And how much they need comfort.
And how Jesus gives them comfort.
And when Thomas asks this question,
Lord, how can we know the way?
Behind that, as well as saying
how can we be saved,
is the second question.
How can we be sure?
How can we be certain?
And Jesus' answer tells us.
He is the truth.
I am the way.
I am the truth.
Truth, as we were hearing this morning,
is something that so often
is neglected and just cast away.
But we have the truth in the word of God.
And Jesus says,
I am the truth.
J.C. Ryle, interestingly,
put in one of his commentaries,
he said,
Believers are apt to say they know nothing
because they do not know everything.
Does that describe you this evening?
where you are afraid to say anything
about God's word or God's truth
because you don't know everything.
Believers are apt to say they know nothing
because they do not know everything.
We don't know everything.
But through exploring the questions
that we see before us,
we begin to learn more and more.
We realize we don't need to know everything.
We will never know everything.
But that in Jesus,
we have enough.
He says,
I am the truth.
And truth is a word often used
in the gospel of John.
Thomas came to know Jesus
because he came to see him as truth
and to know him as truth
in a world that was full of lies.
But not everyone received him as truth.
In John chapter 1,
it says he came to his own
and his own people did not receive him.
They didn't want him.
He was truth.
And yet they cast him out.
They were more settled in their darkness,
even though light had come,
the light of the world.
But in John chapter 1,
it goes on to say in verse 14,
the word became flesh and dwelt among us
and we have seen his glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
We have seen Jesus
and he is full of grace and truth
because he is truth.
But they wouldn't believe.
They weren't looking for him.
They were doubting him.
They were believing the Old Testament
so much that they were saying,
a Savior is coming,
but they couldn't believe that he was here.
And so many in life are looking for hope.
They're looking for the answers
to all the big questions,
but finding their answers
in all the wrong places.
All the wrong places.
And you see,
your world is full of lies.
And why is that?
Well,
because the father of lies,
as he's described in John's Gospel,
chapter 8,
the devil is prowling.
How it speaks of him
in John 8 is this way.
It speaks of the devil.
He was a murderer from the beginning
and has nothing to do with the truth
because there is no truth in him.
When he lies,
he speaks out of his own character
for he is a liar
and the father of lies.
The devil is at work
to take away all truth,
to convince us of what is a lie.
And the world in which we live
is more and more convinced by lies.
But we have truth.
And truth is found in Jesus.
In John 8,
again you go there in verse 31,
Jesus said to the Jews
who had believed in him,
if you abide in my word,
you are truly my disciples
and you will know the truth
and the truth will set you free.
We're looking for the answers
in this life that will set us free.
But they don't.
They merely hold us in chains.
But Jesus says,
I have truth.
I am the truth.
And this truth will set you free.
Why would we settle for lies?
Why would we be convinced by lies
when the truth is before us?
An interesting quote I read this week was,
if you believe the wrong gospel,
it doesn't matter how sincere
you are in your belief,
you are merely sincerely wrong.
And how easy it is
to be led astray
even by the gospel
when it's presented in the wrong way,
when it's presented as a lie.
You can be sincerely wrong.
But Jesus says,
come.
Come to me.
I am the way.
I am the truth.
There is truth in him.
So what do you believe
in this world?
John's gospel towards the end,
it says,
these were written
so that you might believe
that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God.
Is that what you believe?
Jesus is the Christ,
the Messiah,
the Savior,
the Son of God.
Do you believe it's real?
We must.
Because that is the truth
that he is.
He is the Son of God
who came to save us
from our sins.
The final thing we see here too
is Jesus' response
says that he is the life.
And what's behind that?
Again, it comes to Thomas' question,
how can we know the way?
How can I be saved?
Was the first one.
How can I be sure
we have the way
and the truth?
How can my life be full?
How can my life go on?
Because Jesus says,
I am the life.
And again,
this is something
that we find so often
throughout the Gospel of John,
the theme of life.
Jesus came
that we might have life
and have it to the full,
he says.
But what is life
to the full?
Do you have life
to the full
or life
to the max?
So often,
people are looking for
in this world,
I want to live
life to the full.
Maybe some of you
will remember back in the,
I think it was the early 90s,
as is the case today,
there were advertising
so many different things
and you'd be watching television
and the adverts would come on
and there was an advert
for a new drink
that Pepsi
were bringing out,
Pepsi Max.
And the theme
of this advert
was that there were
so many people
looking for all
the thrills in life,
the adrenaline rushes.
They were canoeing
down rapids,
they were jumping
off cliff edges,
it was all of these
activities that they were doing
to try and find
life to the max.
And Pepsi
were saying
to know life
to the max
is to drink
Pepsi Max.
Live life
to the full,
it was saying.
life to the max.
And if you were to say
to people,
life to the full,
living life to the max
is found in Jesus,
what would their response be?
More often than not,
just laugh in your face.
And yet if you're
a Christian here,
do you not seek God
in that way?
To know life
to the max,
life to the full,
because that is why
Jesus came.
And when you look
in the scriptures,
what do you find
with God's people?
They lived life
to the full.
Yes,
in all their different ways,
just like us,
so many faults,
so many mistakes
along the way.
But they lived it
for God.
You think of Moses,
how many mistakes
he made in his life.
And yet he lived life
to the full,
leading the children
of Israel
through the wilderness
for 40 years.
You think of David
faced up to Goliath.
Think of Jonah
who went on the run
from God
and ended up
in the belly of a fish.
Think of Paul
and his disciples,
with him
who traveled
around so many
different places
through storms,
imprisonments,
all of these things.
You think of God's people
who live today
in so many different
situations,
persecution
and fear
and all of these things.
And yet,
if you ask them
if life is dull
as a Christian,
no,
it's not.
Life as a Christian
is life to the full.
Life full
and life
with hope
for eternity
as well
as he's preaching
in this passage.
Let not your hearts
be troubled.
Believe in God.
Believe also in me.
He's going to prepare
a place
for his people.
And he's going to come again
to take us
to be with him.
And that's where
Thomas' question
comes from.
We don't know
the way.
We don't know
the way to life,
to the full life,
to the max
while it's in Jesus.
He is the way
and the truth
and the life.
And how do we live
this life?
We live it by faith.
We believe in God
that he is real.
We believe
that he gives life
in the midst of death.
We believe
that we can be saved.
We know that God
knows us
in all our different needs
and yet he says,
come and follow me.
And what does that entail?
It entails
taking up our cross
and following him.
In Luke 9,
he said to all,
if anyone would come
after me,
let him deny himself
and take up his cross
daily and follow me
for whoever
would save his life
will lose it.
But whoever
loses his life
for my sake
will save it.
in him
we have life
and life
to the full.
I have come
that they might have life
and have it
abundantly.
Jesus
is the answer.
And what's the questions
that we are asking
of him?
What are the answers
that we are giving?
so many of our own answers,
they'll still have a doubt,
there'll be a question mark
after them.
But somebody once said,
where God places
a full stop,
let no man
put a question mark.
And what we have here
is an answer
with a full stop.
Thomas is saying,
I don't know
the way.
We don't know
the way.
But Jesus says,
I am the way
and the truth
and the life.
Full stop.
It is all
in Jesus.
Comfort,
real comfort
is found
in asking
the right questions
about Jesus
and seeing
how Jesus
is
the answer.
Thomas is asking,
how can I be saved?
Jesus says,
I am the way.
Thomas is asking,
how can I be sure?
Jesus is saying,
I am the truth.
Thomas is asking,
how can my life
be full now
and for eternity?
Jesus says,
I am the life.
Let's come
and explore
life's big questions.
Let's come
and look
into God's word
and by the power
of God's spirit
know more
of Jesus
as the answer
to these questions
that we might
find in him
the one
who is
the way,
the truth
and the life
and live life
to the full
through him.
Amen.
May God bless
these thoughts
to us.
We're going to
conclude
by singing
to God's praise
in Psalm 73.
Psalm 73,
the Scottish Psalter
version,
page 316,
verse 23 to 25,
these three stanzas.
Psalm 73
at verse 23,
Nevertheless,
continually,
O Lord,
I am with thee.
Thou dost me hold
by my right hand
and still
upholdest me.
whom have I
in the heavens
high,
but thee,
O Lord,
alone,
and in the earth
whom I desire
besides thee,
there is none.
We'll sing
these three stanzas
to God's praise.
We'll stand to sing.
Lord,
O Lord,
I am with thee.
Thou dost me hold
thy right hand
and still
thou holdest me.
Thou wilt thy counsel
while I live
wilt be long
of the night
and still
thy glory
after all
receive me
to abide.
thy para-
what
is
our
Christ
and still
is our
is
our
is
our
is
our
after the benediction I'll go to the main door
we'll close with the benediction
now may grace, mercy
and peace from God, Father
Son and Holy Spirit rest
upon and abide with
you all now and forevermore
Amen