|
WEEKLY
Volume 2 Number 16
16 September 2007
Jesus Is the Way,
the Truth and the Life
(Message delivered by Rev Hien
Nguyen at the Sunday Worship Service, 2 pm, Sep 9, 2007)
Text:
John 14:6
We can find different ways or several ways from our home to the airport.
There is a saying, “All ways can lead to Rome.” That is true in physical
sphere, but that is not the truth for our salvation. Sadly, many accept
that concept for their salvation. If sinful human beings were able to
find a way to save themselves and lead them to Heaven, our Lord Jesus
Christ would not have needed to come into this world to die and to save
sinners. If all religions were able to lead sinners to God and Heaven,
we would not need to evangelize or contend for God’s Truth. Many people
nowadays are very “open-minded” and “tolerant,” believing that all
religions are good, and all ways can lead them to God or to Heaven. This
mindset promotes a one-world religion or the ecumenical movement. They
welcome all religions regardless of idolatry or unbiblical doctrines,
gathering to worship God and pray to God together! Why do they have that
mindset? Because they are still in spiritual darkness and cannot discern
the truth from falsehood and right from wrong. We have learnt that the
Lord Jesus Christ is our true Light and we do need Him to shine His
Light into our hearts and open our eyes to see the truth in His Word
with spiritual discernment. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Truth, God’s
Word is Truth and the Holy Spirit is Truth, then following the Lord and
His Word we are safe and never regretful. The Lord Jesus Christ confirms
that there is only one living and true Way that leads us to God and
Heaven. And that Way is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who says, “I
am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but
by me” (John 14:6). What does it mean to say that Jesus Christ is
our Way, our Truth and our Life?
Background of the Statement
In John chapter 13, the Lord Jesus, knowing that it was time for Him to
“depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his
own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end…, and that he
was come from God, and went to God” (vv 1-3), He humbled Himself and
washed His disciples’ feet like a servant to teach them to humbly serve
one another. Then, our Lord disclosed that one of His disciples would
betray Him, that where He would go, they could not come, and that Peter
would deny Him thrice despite his strong confidence. All these things
made His disciples’ hearts troubled or frightened. Therefore, our Lord
encouraged them in John chapter 14, “Let not your heart be troubled:
ye believe in God, believe also in me” (v 1). This is the same
command as verse 27, in the present, passive, denoting, “Never let
anyone or anything frighten you.” Why?
(1) Exactly as we believe in the almighty, all-wise and loving God, we
are commanded to keep on believing in the Lord Jesus Christ equally as
He is the same God (v 1). Then whenever we are afraid, just look unto
the Lord Jesus Christ alone and trust in His sovereignty, His might,
wisdom, and sufficient grace;
(2) The Lord Jesus went to prepare a better place for us in Heaven and
will come back to receive us unto Himself, that where He is, there we
may be also (vv, 2-3). This is our blessed and living hope, so just let
this precious hope comfort us and encourage us to follow Him faithful
unto death despite difficulties, hardship, trials or persecutions;
(3) Our Lord is the Way, the Truth and the Life to the Father and
Heaven, so following Him, we are not afraid of being misled or deceived
(v 6);
(4) Our Lord will not leave us comfortless, as the Holy Spirit, the
Divine Comforter, abides with us forever (v 16-18), and being filled
with or controlled by the Holy Spirit, we will have His fruit of
“love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance” (Gal 5:22-23), and our heart will not be frightened;
(5) God the Father and the Lord Jesus abide with us, “If a man love
me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come
unto him, and make our abode with him” (v 23), and God’s loving
presence will cast out all our fear;
(6) Our Lord Jesus gives us His own peace, “Peace I leave with you,
my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let
not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (v 27); and
(7) Satan, the prince of this sinful world, is the defeated enemy (v 30;
cf. 1 John 3:8), so let not our heart be frightened. Then, dear friends,
God’s command is still for us today and always, “Let not your heart
be troubled,” so we should not let Satan, wicked people, the
enemies, situations, trials, persecutions or anything frighten us. Just
look unto the Lord Jesus Christ and keep on believing in Him in all
things.
Jesus Is the Living and True Way
Our Lord Jesus Christ just said to His disciples, “In my Father’s
house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go
to prepare a place for you” (v 2), and it is clear that Jesus would
go to His Father to prepare a place for them in Heaven, but Thomas still
wondered, “we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the
way?” (v 5), so Jesus confirmed, “I am the way, the truth, and
the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (v 6).
Dear friends, the Lord Jesus Himself, the living and Divine Person, is
our living and true Way to the Father and Heaven. Having Him, following
Him, obeying Him, and keeping a living fellowship with Him, we are on
our true way to Heaven and have boldness to come to our heavenly Father,
“unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace
to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16).
Our Lord Jesus did not teach or show His disciples a way to the Father
or to Heaven, but He Himself, who is the living and true Way. Following
His teaching is not enough, but we must have the Lord Jesus Himself and
a living fellowship with Him.
The Living and True Way: Many human religious
leaders might claim to find the truth or a way to God or to Heaven, but
it is only human empty claim and imagination. They are only sinful human
beings and are bound to sin and death, waiting for the Judgment Day.
They have never been to Heaven nor seen God the Father, how can they
know the way? But our Lord Jesus is the very God in Heaven, who humbled
Himself to die for sinners, and He rose from the dead and said, “I am
he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,
Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Rev 1:18) and
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the
blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for
us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Heb 10:19-20).
Dear friends, having the Lord Jesus Himself, we do have the living and
true way. There is no other way.
The Narrow Way that Leads to Life: People usually
prefer the easy way or the broad way as they feel comfortable with that.
They do not like the strict discipline of God’s Word, to be limited to
and be constrained by the boundaries of God’s Word; “There is a way
which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of
death” (Prov 14:12). Our Lord Jesus confirms, “Enter ye in at the
strait gate: for broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go in thereat” (Matt 7:13). Many “Christian”
leaders are proud of their Gospel or Crusade Campaign with costly
advertisements, ear-soothing messages and worldly music that may bring
hundreds or thousands to Christ! However, people cannot go to the Heaven
by just repeating the leader’s prayer except if each of them comes to
the Lord Jesus Christ personally in repentance and submission! Our Lord
Jesus confirms, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matt 7:14).
Dear friends, would you prefer the only one narrow but Divine Way or
many human broad ways?
The Way to Salvation: Our Lord Jesus alone is the living
and true Way to the Father, to Heaven and to our salvation, not through
any human beings, even Mary, the saints, the Pope, or the church,
traditions, rituals, sacraments, etc. Our Lord Jesus states clearly,
“no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (v 4). The Bible
confirms, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none
other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”
(Acts 4:12). Then, you and I should not be deceived by any other way or
a different gospel or a different Jesus or a different spirit (2 Cor
11:4). We can be sure that those who assume that there are many ways to
be saved are still walking in darkness without any spiritual
discernment, and we should not follow their strange voice. Believing
that there is salvation only through Jesus Christ, we shall be moved to
share this good news to our loved ones and to the unsaved.
The Way to Spiritual Blessings: Many think that Jesus
Christ is a blessing among many other blessings from God, so they are
still seeking many other blessings besides the Lord. God’s Word confirms
that all these blessings are from, by and in Christ only: “Grace be
to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ… he
hath chosen us in him… unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ… he hath made us accepted in the beloved… In whom
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins… In
whom also we have obtained an inheritance… in whom also after
that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise”
(Eph 1-13). May God help us see this truth and wisely seek the Lord
Jesus first in all things.
The Way to Our Victory: Many books have been written about
how to live a victorious life over sins, temptations, and difficulties
or problems in life. However, if they are not about the Lord Jesus
Himself, they are only human ways, ideas, methods, or secrets that will
never help due to the sinful and depraved nature of human beings. It is
easy to say or to write about good things, but how to perform it does
matter. Paul shared his helplessness and hopelessness about himself as
well as his victory in Jesus Christ alone, “For I know that in me
(that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present
with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not… O wretched
man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank
God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 7:18, 24, 25), and “Now
thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and
maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place” (2
Cor 2:14). Dear friends, we can only have true victory when we humbly
trust in and submit to the Lord Jesus and God’s Word. There is no other
way.
Jesus Is the Truth
Jesus also says, “I am the truth” (v 6). Through Him we may know
the truth about God and man, His loving salvation for man and what God
expects man to do. As Jesus is the Truth, the Spirit is Truth (1 John
5:6), and God’s Word is Truth (John 17:17), it is wrong when many
“Christians” just “believe” in the Lord Jesus but ignore or question
God’s Word or just seek the Holy Spirit’s spiritual gifts but ignore the
Lord Jesus Christ and God’s Word. Our Lord Jesus says, “Believest
thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I
speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in
me, he doeth the works” (v 10) and “And ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free… If the Son therefore shall make you
free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:32, 36). The Lord Jesus
Christ, the Holy Spirit and God’s Word can make you and me free from the
slavery and bondage of sin, sinful nature, Satan and worldliness and we
have the true freedom in Him as long as we trust in and submit to the
Lord Himself and His Word.
Jesus is the Life
Jesus says, “I am the life” (v 6). Thank and praise God that our
Lord Jesus is “our life” (Col 3:4), a living and Divine Person.
Having Him, we have life, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he
that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:12). He is not
only our Way, our Truth but also our Life to the Father and to Heaven.
He does not only guide us in His narrow way and show us His truth, but
also gives us His divine life and strength so that we may obey God’s
truth and follow Him faithfully unto the end.
Conclusion
Dear friends, our Lord Jesus
Christ Himself is our Way, our Truth and our Life to God the Father, to
Heaven as well as to our salvation, all spiritual blessings and
victorious life. There is no other way. May God help us keep on trusting
in and submitting to Him and His Word so that we may have true freedom
and strength to follow Him faithfully until the end. Amen.
Top
/ Back
|
