Sermon Central
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Jesus Said, "I Am The Way."
Contributed by Jack Harris on Mar 13, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: With all the options available to mankind via technology, the one true Way has never changed or beeen improved upon. This way is perfect, available and eternal!
JESUS SAID, “I AM THE WAY…!”
Int. One of the greatest things Jesus ever said was in response to a question of a doubting man.
Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, was a man who would never say that he understood when in reality, he did not understand. He was far too honest and far too much in earnest to be satisfied with something that was not too clear to him. Thomas had to be sure.
Jesus had said: “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 responded by saying: “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
In Jesus’ answer, He took the three basic ideas of the Jewish religion, and made the amazing claim that in Him, all three found their full realization and their full expression,
Moses (Deut. 5:32-33) “So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.”
Isaiah (Isa. 30:21) 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.”
David (Psalm 27:11) “Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.”
Jesus’ use of the word way is important because as everyone knows, the word way suggests two points, from and to. The way of which Christ spoke leads from sin to salvation, from death to life, from darkness to light, from earth to Heaven. We know from other Scriptural references that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Author and the Finisher of our faith, the Yea and the Amen.
When someone asks for directions, it is because he does not know the way. If someone provides instructions, that may help, but if someone says “follow me and I will lead you there,” it is much better. This is what Jesus does for us. He does not only give us advice and directions and counsel, but He takes us by the hand and leads us; He walks with us; He strengthens us and guides us and directs us personally every day. He does not tell us about the way, He is the WAY!
An African-American preacher by the name of S. M. Lockridge, wrote one of the most beautiful tributes to Christ Jesus that I have ever read outside the Bible. He entitled it, “That’s My King.” Among other things that he said, were these words about Christ as the Way. He said, “Christ is the Doorway of Deliverance, the Roadway to Righteousness, the Highway to Holiness, the Pathway to Peace and the Gateway to Glory.” I would like to borrow this outline and follow it as we examine the Scriptures concerning CHRIST as the WAY.
I. CHRIST IS THE DOORWAY TO DELIVERANCE.
In John 4, We have the record of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. Her life had been entangled in several marital affairs, which no doubt left her feeling helpless as far as a better life was concerned. Then Jesus introduced her to a way of joy that went beyond anything she had ever known.
Psalm 3:8 – “From the Lord comes deliverance.”
Luke 4: 18-19 -“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
2 Cor. 1:10 – “He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,
2 Peter 2:9 – “The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials.”
The Samaritan woman was given the Living Water from the well Jesus opened with His words. Her life was changed so much that the people of Samaria were led to conversion. As she lay down to sleep that night, perhaps tears of joy slipped from her cheeks to her pillow. And she kept saying, “thank you, thank you, thank you, Dear God, for loving an outcast.”
