John 14, three statements of Jesus, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
As we finish with life, let's pray.
Gracious God, we thank you that you are the source of all life,
and you also came to redeem us to give us life as you have life forever.
We pray that as we gather this morning, and especially as you speak your word of life to us,
that we might come alive in Christ.
And we ask for your miraculous work to be done by your spirit through your word now in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Juan Ponce de Leon was a Spanish explorer and a governor of Puerto Rico in the early 16th century.
Quite significant things back in those days.
But what he is known for broadly outside of Puerto Rico is for his search for the fountain of youth.
A spring that restores youth to anyone who drinks from it or anyone who bathes in it.
Unfortunately, he never discovered the fountain of youth, but he discovered Florida instead.
And perhaps somewhat ironically, the mecca for retirement for US citizens.
Today, however, some scientists are keeping his dream alive.
These thinkers believe that genetic engineering or the discovery of anti-aging drugs
could extend human life far beyond its current natural course.
And so in 2015, it was reported that Google was throwing its might and its billions of dollars
into a project to slow the aging process.
I assume mainly for Mark Zuckerberg, but as a young guy, he just sees much more of a world to conquer.
Now, researchers think it's possible for humans to live until they're a thousand years old.
Now, this project, while it has its positive sides, has many philosophers and ethicists deeply concerned.
They're seeing that there are enormous amount of negatives to living so long.
There's the prospect of boredom as your daily routine drags on and on and on and on and on and on.
The prospect, in fact, of having too many memories to remember them all
and the really important ones from your early days actually being forgotten by the time you get to 800, 900 years old.
There's also the problem.
They figure that if your life hasn't got purpose at 70, it's not going to have purpose at 700.
And there's also the unappealing prospect of a thousand-year reign for the likes of King Jong-un of North Korea.
But what if you could?
What if you could have life?
I mean, real, enduring life.
Life without pain, without fear, without bondage, without failure, without the constant feeling of disappointment.
That would be different.
You know, a thousand years of life as it currently is, that's not so appealing.
And for Mission Month, we've been wrestling with three of these outrageous claims of Jesus.
John 14, 6.
Jesus claims to be the way, the truth, the life.
And today we're looking at the final one, the life.
He's claimed to be the life.
And in John 10, 10, just before he says this, he says that Jesus says,
I have come that you might have life and have it to the fullest.
And so there's four things that I want to say about this claim to Jesus' life.
Normally three, today four.
It's not going to go longer, however, so just put that at rest.
Firstly, why Jesus claims to be the life.
Secondly, his life challenges our minds.
Thirdly, his life gives us hope.
And finally, his life gives us purpose.
So firstly, why Jesus claims to be the life.
The Bible declares that God is eternal.
Even if the Bible doesn't declare it, if there is a creator, he, by nature, has to be eternal.
Philosophers agree with that.
God's life has no beginning.
It has no end.
And the God of the Bible claims to be that God who has no beginning, no end.
In fact, a psalm that was written by Moses helps us to see God as always living.
Before the mountains were born, or you brought forth the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
God never needed to be made.
God always is.
Not just always was, but always is.
In a brief 120 years, unless of course Google intervenes, this planet will be populated by more than 10 billion brand new people.
And the current 7.6 billion of us who occupy the earth at the moment will have vanished off the face of the earth, but not God.
Never had a beginning, therefore depends on nothing for his existence.
He doesn't depend on resources of this world or the universe for his existence.
God doesn't need air to breathe or food to eat or water to drink.
He doesn't need help for the work that he decides to do.
God always has, within his own life, everything he needs for being.
Everything he needs for who he is as God and for doing all that he chooses to do.
Everything in this world needs God, but he doesn't need anything in this world.
This God does not have it within himself, by nature, to go out of existence.
Just as we do not have it in our nature to not go out of existence.
We do not have it in our nature to live forever.
We all age, we all die, because that is our present nature.
And that is the case for everything in this world.
Increasingly so.
Once upon a time, you could buy a TV and it would be a family investment.
For years.
Now, two years warranty.
If you're lucky.
God continues forever unchanged because it is his eternal nature.
God is self-existent.
That is, he has life within himself.
And God is also self-sufficient.
He has everything he needs for his life in himself.
And that is why Jesus claims to be the life in John 14.
It's the natural extension of his claim to be God.
Jesus claims to be the life because he is the God who is self-existent and self-sufficient.
Last week, we took a quick glimpse at John chapter 1.
And there, John asserts that Jesus is the son of God.
He is equal with God.
And that he is God's agent for creating all that is.
And it also says this in verse 4 of John 1.
In him was life.
And that life was the light of all mankind.
And a couple of chapters later, in John 5.26, that claim is expanded and clarified.
As the father has life in himself, he has granted the son also to have life in himself.
Jesus is the life because he shares in the self-existing life of God.
That's the first reason why Jesus claims here to be the life.
But secondly, as you go through John's gospel, what you notice is that John's main concern
is that this self-existing life of Jesus, because he's God, is in fact light for humanity.
That is, John's main interest in Jesus being the life and the light is for the salvation of humanity.
Jesus is the source of eternal life.
Jesus has come to impart his life to us.
In John 3, Jesus explains his death on the cross in terms of it being salvation and eternal life to all who believe in him.
So Jesus is the life, firstly because he's the God who always existed and from whom all life and existence flows.
And because he's the savior of humanity and the source of eternal life for those who believe in him.
In fact, he makes this claim specific in John 11.25.
I am the resurrection and the life.
See what he's saying there?
What he's saying is my life conquering death means life for you.
The one who believes in me will live even though he die.
And whoever lives by believing in me will never die.
His resurrection guarantees our life.
And so all of his claims here in John hang on the resurrection of Jesus.
If he didn't come back from the dead, then all of his claims to be the life are null and void.
The apostle Paul said the same thing.
If the resurrection didn't happen, then Christianity is pointless.
It's useless.
It's a fallacy.
And so what I want to do now is I want to jump back into Mark 16.
And allow the resurrection of Jesus to challenge us, to give us hope and to change the course of our lives.
This word of challenge for our minds is there in Mark 16 verse 6.
Now that verse there is a challenge to our minds.
Jesus, that is the challenge is that Jesus came back to life after he was executed by the Romans.
The Bible says that after Jesus was killed, he came back to life and he appeared to his followers.
The Bible says that the reason why the followers of Jesus didn't go home after his execution
and the reason why Christianity exploded to become dominant in the Roman Empire within 200 years
and today the largest and most widespread of all religious faiths on the planet today
penetrating every culture
is because Jesus rose from the get.
And yet, this is Chatswood, 2018
in increasingly secular society
and most people around us just don't believe that
and I get that.
And so in challenging
our minds
it's so crucial for us here
not to be intellectually lazy.
Before we reject the resurrection
some thought
needs to be given to alternative
historically plausible explanations
as to the reason why things the way they are.
Now a general trend in our society
is rather than looking at the evidence
what follows instead is accusations
that the texts
like for instance Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
are not reliable.
That's a general trend in our society
is to
you can't trust anything
that was
you know
from the past.
So in
to justify ignorance
there's a temptation to call
the historical documents
legends
made up by
gullible people
and so Mark challenges that
here for us.
In fact, three times in eight verses
in Mark
15 verse 40
in 15 47
and in 16 verse 1
Mark
specifically
writes down
the names
of the eyewitnesses
who saw
it all
and Mark
writes down the name
Mary Magdalene
Mary
the mother of
James
and Salome.
so why
why three times
does he mention it?
Three times he mentions
these names
and the answer
of one New Testament
scholar
who understands
a whole lot more
about this stuff
and historical
ancient
historiography
than I do
which is not hard
says that
that the way
this is written
is the marks
of ancient
historians
not legend
even ancient
historians
outside of the Christian faith
not legend
these women
are clearly
described
as eyewitnesses
and so if you look
at 15 verse 40
some women
were
watching
again
in 15 47
Mary Magdalene
and Mary the mother
of Ioses
saw
where he was laid
then in 16
verse 4
when they
looked up
they saw
that the stone
which was very large
had been rolled away
and then in verse 5
of chapter 16
as they entered the tomb
they saw
and then in the
verse 6
see the place
where they laid him
it's pretty obvious
that what Mark
is doing here
is he's seeing
these women
specifically
as eyewitnesses
to the death
to the burial
and the resurrection
of Jesus
this in itself
is slam dunk proof
that the resurrection
is history
not legend
according to historians
one of the strongest
early arguments
however
against the truth
of Christianity
is that the accounts
of the resurrection
of Jesus
historical accounts
of the resurrection
of Jesus
are based
on the eyewitness
testimony
of women
that's one of the big
arguments against it
a second century
philosopher
named
Celsus
was one of the early
opponents
of Christianity
and he wrote
that the resurrection
of Jesus
was a lie
because
it records
historically
that women
were the eyewitnesses
and women
according to this guy
are hysterical
and unreliable
and people went
oh Celsus
that's a good point
yes they are
yeah yeah
unreliable women
that's a real
problem for
Christianity
it was
it was an
incredibly strong
argument
because in
ancient cultures
women were
marginalized
and it was
hard to believe
in their
testimony
and so people
like Celsus
said
Mark
Matthew
Luke
John
these guys
have all made
it up
they've all
made it up
but
this is the
very culture
that Mark
Matthew
Luke
John
are writing
into
and if
Mark
was making
it up
then he would
never have
put women
down
and specifically
emphatically
included women
as the eyewitnesses
to Jesus
empty tomb
unless of course
they actually
were
the only
way to
account
historically
for the
women
being
recorded
as
eyewitnesses
to the
resurrected
Jesus
is that
they were
in fact
eyewitnesses
to the
resurrection
Jesus
this is
never
written
not
written
as
legend
at all
so
Mark
is
challenging
our
world
view
here
he has
written
this
as
an
historical
documentation
of
actual
accounts
events
that
challenge
the way
we see
the world
and at
this point
it's easy
for
some
to say
okay
well
this
stuff
is
written
as
history
but
you know
they
kind of
got the
facts
a little
muddled
ancient
people
were
kind
of
gullible
they're
not
like
us
modern
people
we
don't
get
fooled
by
it's
easy
for us
to
assume
that
these
people
were
just
you know
open
to
the
idea
of
resurrection
where
we're
not
open
to
it
we
got
modern
science
where
they
didn't
have
it
let's
not
be
too
quick
to
assume
that
they
were
ignorant
and
they
were
gullible
one
thing
you notice
as you
read
through
Mark's
gospel
is that
Jesus
tells his
disciples
quite
clearly
that
I'm
going
to
die
and
I'm
going
to
rise
again
on
the
third
day
is
it's
there
in
chapter
eight
twice
in
chapter
nine
and
again
in
chapter
10
which
for
Mark
who
spares
ink
on
paper
that's
a lot
of times
to
emphasize
it
the
weird
thing
is
the
third
day
arrives
and
no
one's
expecting
the
resurrection
no
one's
anticipating
the
resurrection
of
Jesus
the
blokes
aren't
around
the
women
had
in fact
bought
spices
for
to
anoint
a
dead
body
you know
on the
Friday
as they
wheeled
their
trolleys
through
woolies
and
you know
they went
past the
spice section
and they're
all on
sale
they went
oh darn it
we're not
going to
need that
they're
like
yes yes
spices
for a
dead
body
we need
spices
to
anoint
Jesus
dead
body
he'd
only
just
you know
they didn't
know
they
hadn't
cottoned
on
he'd
only
borrowed
the
tomb
for
three
days
and
on
the
third
day
the
disciples
are
sitting
around
having
breakfast
without
bacon
thinking
hey
guys
it's
the
third
day
do
you
think
we
should
just
down
the
road
and
have
a
look
can't
hurt
let's
just
go
and
see
let's
go
and
have
a
look
no
one's
expecting
the
resurrection
and
when
they
got
to
the
tomb
the
only
thing
they
hadn't
thought
of
was
who's
going
to
open
the
stone
for
us
they
were
discussing
that
on
the
way
they
never
expected
an
empty
tomb
the
resurrection
took
everyone
by
surprise
it
was
as
impossible
for
them
to
believe
as
it
is
for
us
today
and
the
first
thought
at
seeing
the
empty
tomb
was
not
that
Jesus
was
true
to
his
word
and
come
back
to
life
but
that
someone
had
stolen
his
body
the
point
is
that
you
know
if
you
have
doubts
about
the
resurrection
so
did
they
but
they
allowed
the
evidence
which
is
evidence
there
for
us
today
as
well
to
challenge
their
worldview
it's
normal
to
question
the
validity
of
something
like
the
resurrection
but
if
you
do
at
least
for
integrity
sake
for
your
own
integrity
sake
then
you
have
to
come
up
with
an
alternative
historically
plausible
reason
why
this
ragtag
group
of
cowards
exploded
to
all
corners
of
the
globe
and
penetrated
vastly
different
cultures
and
has
changed
the
world
for
20
centuries
a
hoax
doesn't
do
that
if
we
reject
the
resurrection
we
have
to
come
up
with
an
alternative
historically
plausible
explanation
of what
happened
with the
body
of
Jesus
and
the
Christians
in the
first
century
the
Romans
and
the
Jews
every
single
one
of
them
every
single
one
of
them
historically
all
agree
that
the
tomb
of
Jesus
was
empty
you
can
go to
a
Jewish
historian
you
can
go to
a
Roman
historian
and
they
will
say
exactly
the
same
thing
the
tomb
of
Jesus
was
empty
so
what
happened
with
the
body
if
we
reject
the
resurrection
then
we
have
to
come
up
with
an
alternative
historically
plausible
reason
why
hundreds
of
people
claim
to
have
seen
him
resurrection
why
the
opponents
of
Christianity
could
not
and did
not
produce
a
body
and
why
these
early
Christians
most
of
whom
were
cowards
before
the
crucifixion
joyfully
gave
their
lives
to
proclaim
the
message
of
the
resurrection
of
Jesus
after
so
his
life
challenges
our
minds
but
if
we
allow
his
life
to
challenge
our
minds
then
his
life
will
give
us
hope
his
life
is
in
fact
mercy
to
us
that's
the
point
of
John
when
he
talks
about
life
and
light
it
is
God's
mercy
to
us
his
grace
to
our
hearts
look
at
this
wonderful
word
you
can
just
slip
across
it
not
even
notice
it
in
chapter
16
verse
7
go
tell
his
disciples
and
Peter
he's
going
ahead
of you
into
Galilee
and
there
you
will
see
him
just
as
he
told
you
to
understand
what an
incredible
word of
grace
and hope
this is
let's
consider
what
wasn't
said
to
the
disciples
and
Peter
he
didn't
say
to
the
women
you
go
and
tell
those
faithless
backstabbing
cowards
those
guys
who
deserted
me
who
denied
me
that
I
might
see
them
if
they
grovel
and
frankly
they
better
grovel
that
of course
would have
been
warranted
given
what
they
did
to
him
instead
what
we
see
here
is
a
word
of
grace
Jesus
is
in fact
forgiving
them
and he's
calling
them
back
to
himself
even
before
they
have
repented
this
is
a
word
of
grace
it's
a
word
of
mercy
it's
a
word
of
forgiveness
it's
a
word
of
hope
and
the
biggest
word
of
grace
and
hope
is
simply
the
name
Peter
why
signal
out
Peter
go and
tell
my
disciples
and
Peter
why
is
this
so
special
it's
because
at
the
end
of
chapter
14
Peter
does
what
he
promised
he
would
never
do
and
he
denied
Jesus
three
times
he
emphatically
denied
Jesus
he
abandons
Jesus
he
is
it's
a
terrible
betrayal
by the
head
guy
of
the
disciples
he
turns
his
back
on
God
and
runs
to
save
his
own
skin
and
so
if
the
word
to
the
women
was
simply
women
go
and
tell
the
disciples
Peter
in
that
moment
could
well
have
concluded
this
is
not
a
word
for
me
this
does
not
apply
to
me
not
after
what
I've
done
for
him
this
does
not
apply
to
me
I've
abandoned
him
and
therefore
he's
abandoned
me
Jesus
specifically
says
to the
women
through
the
angel
I
have
plans
for
my
disciples
even
Peter
the
biggest
screw
up
even
for
him
he
becomes
the
biggest
of the
leaders
of the
early
church
he
screw
up
the
biggest
his
repentance
is the
deepest
and his
grasp
of
grace
becomes
the
greatest
the
good news
of
Christianity
is that
salvation
is by
grace
it's not
by works
it's not
by effort
or it's
not by
strength
salvation
comes to
us by
the
weakness
of
Jesus
dying
for
us
on
the
cross
salvation
eternal
life
comes
to
us
by
Jesus
when
we
admit
our
inability
when
we
admit
our
weakness
when
we
admit
our
failure
when
we
admit
we
need
a
saviour
Jesus
is the
saviour
we need
forgiveness
and life
is offered
to Peter
in this
word of
grace
and it's
offered
to us
in the
resurrection
of
Jesus
you
see
when
a
criminal
gets
convicted
and
they're
sent
to
jail
and
they
complete
their
jail
sentence
fully
completely
they
totally
satisfy
the
sentence
and
when
they
walk
out
of
prison
the
law
has
no
longer
has
any
claim
on
them
anymore
they
are
free
Jesus
Christ
came
to
pay
the
penalty
for
our
crimes
against
God
it
was
a
huge
penalty
it
was
a
huge
sentence
it
was
a
crime
against
God
that
requires
death
and
he
who
is
the
source
of
all
life
the
self
sufficient
in his
own
life
self
existent
in his
own
life
surrendered
that
life
so that
we
deserving
of
death
might
have
life
forever
he
who
is
the
source
of
life
self
sufficient
in
his
life
surrendered
that
life
so that
we
deserving
of
death
might
have
life
forever
just
like
his
life
forever
death
and
he
must
have
satisfied
the
penalty
fully
because
he
walked
out
alive
and
free
never
to
die
again
death
could
not
hold
him
down
in
Jesus
God
has
stamped
paid
in
full
right
across
history
so that
no one
misses
it
it's
because
Jesus
was
raised
from
the
dead
God
can
come
to
us
with
the
word
of
grace
and
offer
us
life
forever
just
like
his
forever
life
and
so if
we
allow
his
life
to
challenge
our
minds
and
then
his
life
will
give
us
hope
and
then
lastly
his
life
will
give
us
purpose
to
our
life
and
in
fact
what
I
would
suggest
to
you
on
mission
month
it
reshapes
the
way
we
live
now
the
purpose
I
speak
of
is
captured
in
one
little
word
go
in
Mark
16
go
and tell
people
about
the
resurrected
Jesus
go
and
communicate
in
every
way
possible
that
Jesus
offers
us
life
forever
we
who
deserve
death
have
been
given
life
forever
it's
why
I
think
verse
8
the way
Mark
16
ends
is so
shocking
it's a
shocking
way to
end
this
gospel
account
trembling
and
bewildered
the women
went
out
and fled
from the
tomb
they said
nothing to
anyone
because
they were
afraid
the
resurrection
is so
magnificent
news
how
could
we
not
shout
it
out
the
resurrection
is the
answer
to our
deepest
longing
every
one of
us
wants
to live
forever
maybe
not
for a
thousand
years
with our
current
ills
burdens
pains
maybe not
I'd agree
with that
come Lord
Jesus
but every
one of us
wants to
live forever
there's
something in
us that
wants to
live
it's why
baby boomers
still wear
jeans
because we
want the
fountain of
youth
to exist
and because
Juan
Ponce de
Leon
did not
find it
we think
Levi's
might have
it
we want
to be
young
and vibrant
and healthy
because those
were the
days before
crippling
emotional
pain
responsibility
and frailty
we want
to live
and we
want to
live
well
and one
of the
main
reasons
why it's
so hard
for us
to suffer
in this
life
is that
we think
this physical
world
is it
and when
you lose
it
you lose
the best
and most
precious
thing
that's
why it's
so hard
for us
to suffer
resurrection
means that
it's not
it
there's
more to
come
resurrection
means that
God is
going to
perfectly
remake this
world
the resurrection
changes
everything
it's the
hope
for the
wheelchair
bound
for the
person
with
crippling
emotional
pain
no
religion
in this
world
mark
this
no
religion
in this
world
no
philosophical
system
in this
world
except
biblical
christian
faith
promises
us new
and perfect
minds
hearts
and bodies
forever
only in
the gospel
of jesus
christ
do people
find so
much hope
for life
the resurrection
of jesus
changes
everything
you see
if you know
that this
is not
the only
tangible
concrete
life
who cares
what people
do to
you
the resurrection
makes you
free
from this
life
enough
to be brave
to be courageous
sacrificial
and generous
and patient
and joyful
the resurrection
means that you
can face the
worst that this
life throws at
you with joy
and with hope
according to
1 corinthians
15
which is the
resurrection
chapter in the
bible
the resurrection
means that you
can give yourself
fully completely
serving god
in this world
with purpose
and meaning
and joy
in fact
it ends
with saying
serving the
lord
is not
a vanity
oh man
to get to
the end
of your
life
and say
it has
all been
worth it
to get to
the end
of your
life
and say
none of
it's been
a vanity
and the
only way
that you
can have
that
is life
in jesus
to finish
it and to
say
it's
all had
purpose
it's
all had
meaning
the resurrection
means
life
forever
with joy
not just
a thousand
years
jesus promises
eternal joy
the end of the
bible has got
this goal
of all things
god dwelling
with his people
no more tears
no more death
no more mourning
no more crying
no more pain
to the thirsty
he promises
water
without
cost
from the
spring
of the
water
of life
free access
to the
water
of life
not the
fountain
of youth
jesus
came that
we might
have life
and have
it to
the
fullest
one
ponce
de leon
never
found it
but jesus
purchased it
he purchased
it for us
and he
offers us
never ending
life
to us
jesus said
i am the
way
the only
way
the only
truth
and the
only
life
no one
comes to
the father
except
through
me
i
because
he
we
i
as
a
au
every
baby
while
i