Can You Believe What Jesus Said?
Pastor Glenn Newton December 28, 2003
Text : John 14: 5-14
You know folks we are becoming a cynical kind of people. Let me explain what I mean to
you.
What would you say to me if I told you I knew of a company that would give you $250
just for filling out a survey? That couldn’t be true could it? There’s a catch, right?
This week I read a email that said I could get 250 color business cards for free, just for
going to their web site and signing up..... FREE..... How come I haven’t done that yet?
Maybe you’ve heard about this pill.......... this pill supposed to be able to do amazing
things for your body........... (some of you are thinking about a different pill!) .. This pill is
supposed to keep your body from aging..... Do you think that’s true?
We are a people who have been so over exposed to claims that we know just can’t be
true, that we really don’t want to believe in anything unless we can see it for ourselves, or
see some facts that would back it up. Our culture says, “Prove it to me first, then I might
believe it.” Right?
This morning I want you to really concentrate with me on our passage, and the life
changing Truth that we can apply to our personal lives and the Life of our Church as we
get ready to move into new territory together.
As we approach Scripture, I want you to ask yourself a question. We realize that the
world we live in is Cynical, it’s a world that needs to see something to believe it... one
reason it’s like that is because of dishonest people who have taken advantage of people
who have trusted them..... So we get a culture that doesn’t trust.
How does that attitude affect you when you read the Word of God? I’m not a
psychologist, my wife would say I need one, but that’s another story....., But I would
guess that if our tendency is to not trust what we read or hear in everyday life... then we
probably bring that same attitude to Scripture when we read it........ We read it..... We
know in our mind that it’s God’s Word.... but we sure would like to see it work before we
believed it...
This morning as we dive into the Word of God.... I want you to ask yourself... Do I really
Believe What I read in God’s Word? In my heart of hearts?
Let me tell you quickly what is going on around our passage, Jesus has just shared some
disturbing news with His disciples.... and to be honest with you, I don’t think they wanted
to believe it. Jesus has told them about His betrayal and his death on the cross, but Jesus
is now in Chapter 14 He is telling them that He is going to raise from the dead and go to
heaven and prepare a place for them, and that He will be with the Father..... Listen
in....Listen to what the disciples say.... I think there kind of like us.....
v.5 JN 14:5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so
how can we know the way?"
Can you hear the doubt in his voice.... It’s kind of like, Lord.. were really glad
your going to the Father... but we want to come with you, how do we get there, How can
we be with the Father too?
Read V. 6 -7 JN 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would
know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
Jesus is beginning to teach the disciples an important lesson here that we need to catch
also.... Jesus wants His disciples to understand and know that Knowing Him is the same as
Knowing the Father, because they are one.
Thomas asked in verse 5, “Lord how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I
am the way and the truth and the life.”
Jesus wants us to know the same truth today....Are you looking for the way to
Heaven? Jesus says, I Am the Way.
Are you searching for the Truth today? “Jesus said, “I am the Truth..”
Are you lost and looking for what this life is all about? Do you want to know why
your on planet Earth? Jesus said, I am the Life.” Friend, Jesus gives meaning and
direction and purpose to your life... there’s nothing else out there that can make sense out
of this life, except knowing Jesus as your personal savior.... Friends... We live in a messed
up world... Why? Because people have no direction..... Have you ever played a game and
had no idea what the rules were? Can you imagine how confusing... how useless that
would get after a while... How would you know if you were winning without rules?
My girls will sit down at my chess game, and they will start moving the pieces
around taking each other’s pieces off the board.... I can’t even watch.. it drives me crazy,
they don’t know the rules there just making them up as they go along.........
HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU KNOW THAT ARE MAKING UP THE RULES OF
LIFE AS THEY GO ALONG BECAUSE THEY REALLY DON’T KNOW WHAT
THERE DOING?
Today I celebrate 35 years of life..... I can remember how miserable I was for
those 2 years that I ran from what I knew God wanted in my life... I ran from Him. I
thank God that I at least knew where I needed to turn to..... But I was absolutely
miserable. I have no earthly idea what I would be like if I would have continued to run
from God and play the game of life without purpose... I don’t know if I would have made
it to 35 or not to be honest. I thank God Today that I found the “the way and the truth
and the life” when I turned to Jesus and repented and put my faith in Him. I found my
purpose.... I found the rule book.... Life makes sense now...... How about You?
Can you Believe What Jesus Said?
I love reading the Bible, and one of my new year commitments this year will to spend
more time reading and studying His Word.... one of the reasons I love it is because it’s so
honest.... look at Philip in verse 8.
JN 14:8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
Philip is like us I think.... it’s kind of like this..... Glenn’s paraphrase... “Jesus.... I heard
what you just said, but since we live in such a cynical world, if you would just show us the
Father.... that will be enough for us...”
Jesus shows extreme patience with these men that He loves and has been with for three
years now.... but don’t you know it’s a little frustrating to even God, that He has proved
Himself over and over to his disciples and they still seem to need more proof..... that’s not
how we act is it?
Listen to His response. V.9JN 14:9 Jesus answered: "Don’t you know me, Philip, even
after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen
the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am
in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my
own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when
I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the
evidence of the miracles themselves.
I wonder if by the way we live our lives....... by the way we don’t quite Trust God with
everything in our life.... I wonder if by the way we don’t quite obey everything we know
He want’s from us........ I wonder if He says to us......... “Don’t you know me, Glenn,
even after I have been with you such a long time?”
I know how you are... It’s OK as long as it’s my name in that sentence..... This time put
your name in the sentence. I will read the sentence a couple of times, you put your name
in there and see if that is not God speaking to your heart..... Don’t you know me,
_______, even after I have been with you such a long time?” Repeat..
Do you believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life? Are you living your life like
you believe what He says in His Word is true?
Jesus says just a couple of verses later in chapter 14, “If anyone loves me, he will
obey my teaching.”
Do you love God? Or do you just say you love Him? There’s a big difference.
Maybe this morning your not a Christian, you know your not..... maybe you would say
that your searching for the Truth... your weighing your options.... I have Good News and
I have Bad News..... which one do you want first?
Let me give you the Good News First,..... This morning You have heard the Gospel Truth.
Jesus said this..... JN 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through me. The Good News is that you have been
exposed to the Truth this morning.... You know where to turn to find what your looking
for.... It’s Jesus Christ, He will make sense out of your life... no matter what’s going on..
He has answers for you.
Now the bad news...... This morning you have Heard the Truth.... so from this day
forward you are accountable for what you know..... The Bible teaches us that one day we
will all face the judgment.... and we will give an account for our lives..... You will not be
able to say that you didn’t hear the message, you won’t be able to say.... I didn’t know the
truth.
Christians... We have a great responsibility to the Truth also.... Our relationship with God
is Through Faith, but that Faith is Dead without obedience to His Word. Our Love, just
like our Faith cannot be separated from Obedience...... Jesus said, If you love me, you
will obey my commands.
Can You Believe What Jesus Said? Do you believe what the Word says
today?
You need to respond today to what you have heard to be true..... It does us no good to
hear the truth and nod our heads but it have no effect on our hearts or lives..... We need to
respond to His Truth.... This morning you can respond to the Truth by getting out of your
comfort zone and stepping to the front to pray.... pray to God and tell Him what ever it is
you need to tell Him...... Do you need to ask Him Into your life, to be your Savior, you
can come and make that your prayer, I would be glad to pray with you if you would like
me too.
Christians..... Just because your a Christian doesn’t mean we stop responding to the
message that we hear, in fact, we should be more responsive to the Holy Spirits leading
when He shows us areas of disobedience... when he shows us shortcomings... whatever it
is that He points too, we need to be willing to respond, and out of our love for God.... we
pray and ask for forgiveness, ask for help and guidance, pray for strength to now move
away from Him..... Will you respond this morning?
Next Sunday...... The message I thought I was going to preach to you today.... it will be
next Sunday.... You don’t want to miss it.....I will challenge you for the new year.... Do
you believe in miracles? Do you believe that Jesus will give us anything we ask for if we
ask for it in His name? That’s what the Word says....Next Sunday, you don’t want to
miss.
