Recap
Title: Do All Roads Really Lead To God?
Series: Discovering The Real Jesus
Key Text: John 14:6
Key Message:
As we continue our series ‘Discovering The Real Jesus’ studying the New Testament book of John, we come to chapter 14 and another of the seven ‘I am’ statements of Jesus.
John 14:6 records one of the most famous sayings of Jesus, as He proclaims to His disciples ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ Now these few words of Jesus are considered some of the most controversial words He spoke.
As we consider whether all roads really do lead to God, Jesus claims that He alone is ‘the way, the truth and the life’ are of huge significance. For if they are true, they have eternal implications for each one of us.
Jesus is the way (Matthew 7:13)
You Can’t Be Saved By Your Own Efforts
You Can’t Be Saved By The Law
You Can’t Be Saved By Anyone Else
Jesus Is The Truth (John 15: 1-2, 6; Hebrews 12:11)
Cutting off
Cutting back
Jesus Is The Life (John 15:5, 8, 16, Acts 11:26)
Abundant fruit
Lasting fruit
Apply
Jesus Is The Way
So many people have lost their way in life. Maybe you feel you’ve lost your direction. Jesus shows us the way to live. He shows us which direction we should go in.
(Matthew 7:13) Jesus says there are two paths: one path leads to life and one to death. As much as there is a path to eternal life, equally there is a path to destruction, and many are on it.
You Can’t Be Saved By Your Own Efforts
(Ephesians 2:8-9) Perhaps you’ve thought that if you do enough good deeds or try to live a good life, that’ll be enough to please God, but good works alone won’t bring restoration with God. Also,
You Can’t Be Saved By The Law
(John 5:39-40) The Jewish leaders were so caught up in trying to live out every tiny detail of the law that this legalism only hardened their hearts and blinded them to the fact that Jesus who was speaking with them was the only way for them to come into real relationship with God.
You Can’t Be Saved By Anyone Else
(Acts 4:12) (John 14:7) Jesus declares that ‘If you really know me, you will know my Father as well’, saying that the only way to have a relationship with God the Father is through accepting Jesus His Son: you cannot reach the destination of God by any other path.
And Jesus’s claim that He is ‘the way’ is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions. Some religions believe in one god, some in many gods and some in no gods. Jesus makes this claim that He alone is the way to the only living God, we have to understand what that means and then decide what we’re going to do about it.
Do you know that you are on the right path? Don’t just assume that you are now because you were in the past. Have you gotten lost along the way or come off the right path? Because Jesus is the only way.
Jesus Is The Truth
Just as Jesus declared that He is the way, He also said He is THE truth.
Jesus powerfully declared that all truth is found in Him. Not a version of the truth or one of many relative truths. Not even that He is someone who could show us how to find the truth, but that He Himself is the total embodiment of all truth.
(John 1:14) Truth is not something but rather someone that we know, and that person is Jesus Christ. (John 8:32). The only truly free people in the world are those who have accepted Jesus in their lives. (1 Timothy 4:6-7) We have to guard our minds against being captured by the latest fashionable thinking, or things that just sound spiritual, and hold tight to the truth of Jesus which is found in the Word of God, the Bible.
It is so important to know what you believe and that your beliefs are shaped by the teaching of the Bible, not by modern culture, media and an education system that is often very anti-God.(John 16:13-14)
The Holy Spirit brings revelation and teaches us through the Word, which is why it is so important that we pray and invite Him to speak to us as we read the Bible each day.
Do you know that Jesus is the truth? You may know something close to the truth, or maybe you’re living far away from the truth of Jesus. But truth is Jesus therefore you need to follow Him, and know His words.
Jesus Is The Life
John consistently writes that Jesus is the life because it’s true! Many people wrongly think they have to give up the good things of life in order to follow Jesus. But God came and lived among us so that we can have fullness of life! (John 10:10)
God doesn’t just want you to be alive: He wants you to enjoy life in abundance. You cannot have real satisfying life without Him. But with Him you can have the best life both on this earth and for eternity afterwards in Heaven.
And do you know His life? Do you know about Jesus or do you have the life of Christ in you.
