“The Way”
The I AM Statements of Jesus
FCC – September 9th, 2007
Text: John 14: 1-6
Introduction: Wow…on this 8th birthday of our church, we celebrate our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the incredible claims that He made while He was here on this earth. We’ve been looking at the I AM statements of Jesus. So far we have look at five statements by Jesus:
• I AM the Bread of Life
• I AM the Light of the World
• I AM the Door
• I AM the Good Shepherd
• I AM the Resurrection and the Life
Today we are looking at probably the most controversial of all the I AM statements. Before we do that, let’s look at the context that Jesus is speaking. John 14:1-5 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
Next to Psalm 23, I think this is one of the most used passages for funerals. Jesus was talking about His death and the disciples were trouble. He said that they were not to let their hearts be troubled, but to trust in God. Losing Jesus, or anyone who knows the Lord, should not trouble our hearts because Jesus is going to prepare a place in heave for all who know Him and then He is going to come back and get us! This passage provides us with incredible comfort. But it was doubting Thomas who confessed His confusion about where Jesus was going and how they could possible know the way. That’s when Jesus told them how to get to heaven.
Jesus said in John 14: 6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus makes the bold claim to be the only way to the Father and to heaven.
Paul would make the same claim about Jesus in Acts 4:12 (NIV): Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. This was a controversial claim in Jesus’ day and possibly even more so in our day. Christians often are embarrassed in the public square to confess that Jesus is the only way. It seems to many to be so narrow-minded. But we must remember, that when we make this claim, we are not giving our opinion, but quoting Jesus.
Let’s look at who Jesus claimed to be. Jesus is…
1. The Way: The only road to God. When Jesus said He was the way, He was referring to the way to walk and the path to righteousness. He was saying that He was the only road or path to God. In the OT you have references to walking in the way of righteousness.
Isaiah 30:21 (NIV) Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
Isaiah 35:8 (NIV) And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.
This claim is extremely controversial in an age where diversity is king. If you are unsure of what I mean, let me show you a video that I found on God-tube. I’m don’t want to run down an individual or a particular show, but wanted to show you a typical conversation in the public square…that gets fairly heated. Let’s watch a short segment from Oprah:
www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=f21d69cdddeefb792a
According to Oprah and many others in our culture of diversity, there is no way that there could only be one way. In fact, Oprah says that there are millions of ways. If we make the claim that Jesus made, we will be accused of being naïve, arrogant or exclusive. To claim that Jesus was the only way would be considered a cultural faux pas. I actually read one person on the internet who said that you are a potential terrorist if we believed that Jesus was the only way to heaven.
Early Christians were actually known by following this bold claim. Acts 22:4 (NIV) I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,
Jesus is the only road to God, and He is…
2. The Truth: The accurate understanding of God. The mantra of today’ culture is that truth is relative…that there is no such thing as absolute truth…and you can’t really know truth. Or sometimes you hear people say, “That’s great if it’s true for you, but it’s not true for me.” How can intelligent people say that? “2 + 2 = 4 for you and for me.” Regardless of what you think about it. Or another common supposition of folks today is the only thing that really matters is that you are sincere. When I step off a cliff gravity works well on me regardless if I’m liberal or conservative, sincere or insincere. If something is true…it’s true for all.
I believe it was Henry Blackaby of Experiencing God fame that I first heard the phrase: Truth is a person. Jesus made the incredible claim that He was truth. He’s not just a religious system but He is the only accurate understanding of God. He is truth. John 8:32 (NIV) “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
1 John 3:19 (NIV) This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence
Others would say that by demanding Jesus is the only true, accurate understanding of God, we are intolerant or narrow-minded. Is “2 + 2 = 4” narrow-minded? Truth is usually intolerant of error. And most religions actually contradict one another. You don’t need math or philosophy to understand the law of non-contradiction. It basically states that if two statements about one particular idea contradict one another there are only two possibly answers: one of them is false or both of them is false. They can’t both be true if they contradict one another. All religions view Jesus differently so logically they can’t all be true. If Christianity is true, than all religions that contradict cannot also be true?
Some would say Jesus was a good teacher, even if not everything He said was true. It was C. S. Lewis who wrote in response to this claim in his famous book Mere Christianity. He wrote: "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His
being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us."
Jesus was more than a good teacher…He did more than teach truth. He embodied truth. Truth doesn’t waver or change. Truth is truth…and ultimate truth is a person. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and…
3. The Life: Our source of our existence. All of mankind is on a search for the meaning of life. Or they are on a search for what will make them happy in life. Basically everyone is looking to how they can better or enhance their lives. Religions develop around ideas about bettering this life and the next. The problem is, according to the Bible, all sources of life dry up…all but one. Jesus says He is Life. Remember He’s used other similar metaphors. Jesus claimed to be the Bread of Life and Living Water. He is our very source of existence on two levels.
First He is the very source of existence in this life. Isaiah 42:5 (NIV) This is what God the Lord says--he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:
Secondly, He is the very source of existence in the next life. John 5:21 (NIV) For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. Jesus is the giver of life—in this life and in the next.
Jesus is life…everything else is a distraction.
Conclusion: Jesus claim to be the way, the truth and the life…the only way to God seems intolerant to our postmodern ears. Tolerance used to mean that you were respectfully and kind to those you disagreed with…even when we believe they are wrong. But today’s idea of tolerance means that we must never regard anyone’s else’s opinions as wrong. As followers of the Way we have to accept Jesus exclusive claim. Jesus went on to say that no one comes to the Father except through Him.
Paul wrote this: 1 Tim. 2:5-6 (NIV) For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time.
Jesus did make a bold exclusive claim, but I submit to you that Jesus was the most inclusive person that ever lived. If you define inclusiveness as intentionally including those who marginalized and on the fringe of culture, Jesus was very inclusive! He reached out to the poor, the lepers, the outcast, the women, the children…those on the outside of society.
In Luke 14 Jesus told about a banquet and shared all the excuses why people didn’t respond to the invitation. Luke 14:21-23 (NIV) "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ’Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ " ’Sir,’ the servant said, ’what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ "Then the master told his servant, ’Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. But we can’t ignore the invitation.
Hebrews 2:3 (NIV) how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
A story is told of a missionary to a remote village to train leaders of the local church. A guide was selected to take him to the village because the way to reach this remote place was to walk through the jungle. The journey started out without much of a problem; the path was good and easy to follow. Soon, however, the path literally disappeared as the guide cut away at the over-gown jungle with the machete. The missionary grew concerned and asked, “Where is the path?” The guide smiled; looking back he told the missionary, “I am the path.” (borrowed from Greg Ebie—Sermon Central)
Like Thomas you may say today: “Jesus show us the way.” And Jesus simply says, “I am the way.” Let’s pray.
