TPC Connections

Sermon Notes

The 7 “I Am’s” of Jesus
Pt 5
“I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”

John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life: no man comes to the Father but by me.”
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This 5th powerful “I am” statement Jesus made is packed with meaning.

If you jump back to chapter 13, Jesus has just instituted the first Lord’s Supper.

After that He washed the disciple’s feet.

He then informed the disciples that He would soon be leaving them to return to the heaven He came from–which they didn’t understand.
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Then in chapter 13:21 He dropped a bomb–“One of you shall betray me.”

We’re told in verse 2 of chapter 13 that the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray him.”

Then, mere moments after announcing his upcoming betrayal, Jesus turns to Judas and says, “What you do, do it quickly.”–13:27

It says Judas “went out immediately; and it was night.”–13:30

Jesus then turns to his disciples and tells them he is about to be glorified, and that “Where I am going, you cannot come…”–13:33

This statement immediately peaks the interest of Peter, who asks “Lord, where are you going?”

To which Jesus replies, “Where I am going you can’t come now, but you will come later.”–13:36
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Thomas then speaks up and says, “But Lord, we don’t know where you’re going; and how can we know the way?”–13:5

And that question from Thomas is where we get our text–Jesus responded:

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life: No man comes to the Father but by me.”

So with this “I AM, the Lord dropped three important things about who he is to us as our Lord and God.

HE IS:

The WAY
The TRUTH
The LIFE
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I. The way

Remember, Thomas said “We don’t know where you’re going, and we don’t know the way!”

So Jesus uses an emphatic THE!

I’m not merely one WAY among many ways;

I am THE one and only way–THE narrow, exclusive way.

Way where? To the Father!

And in saying this, Jesus slammed shut all other doors claiming to be the way to God!

Buddha is not the way
Mohammad is not the way
Confucius is not the way
Self-help is not the way
Good deeds are not the way
Good intentions are not the way

He’s it, the one and only way to God and heaven!

FACT:

You can go to Heaven without health,
without riches,
without honors,
without learning,
and without friends–
but you can never go there without Christ!

As I thought about this it struck me that Jesus is the Way in so many ways!

He’s…

the way to the Father,
the way to a fulfilling life,
the way to forgiveness,
the way out of sin,
the way to God’s peace,
the way out of hell, and
the way into heaven!

He’s the narrow way that leads to life:

The high-WAY to holiness
The WAY-maker when there is no other way

When you’re in trouble he’s the Way out,
When you want heaven he’s the Way in,
When you need a path he’s the path-WAY

And when you want to truly know the God of all creation:

Jesus is the WAY,
the one and only,
exclusive,
narrow,
non-negotiable,
undeniable,
perfect,
absolute,
choice and chosen way!

“No man comes to the Father but through Jesus!”

There is no other!
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And then, He claimed to be:

II. The Truth

“I am…the truth…”

The word for TRUTH here means “true to fact, reality, the opposite of illusion.”

And notice he again uses an emphatic “THE.”

He is not ‘a’ truth,
one of many truths,
He is THE TRUTH.
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I have debated with a fair number of non-Christians and atheists online, and they like to refer to Jesus as my “imaginary friend.”

They say that we Christians are like children that believe in fairy tales, unicorns, and tooth fairies.

In other words, something that is NOT REAL.

But Jesus is the opposite of an illusion!”

Peter wrote, “For we have not been telling you fairy tales when we explained to you the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and his coming again. My own eyes have seen his splendor and his glory:”–2 Pet 1:16
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Jesus is the TRUTH–the summation, essence, and perfection of all that is called TRUE.

And as THE TRUTH, he always TELLS the truth!

One of his favorite openings when speaking was “Truly, Truly, I say to you…”

Jesus tells us the truth about…

heaven, hell, God,
morality, finances, marriage,
relationships, forgiveness,
love, hate,
sin, eternity,
humanity, you, me…everything!

So in a culture where Biblical truth is on the devil’s hit list,

Where God’s truth regarding–marriage, gender, the sanctity of life, and the origin of the universe has been,

inverted,
twisted, and
assaulted,

Yet the truth found in Christ Jesus and God’s word still stands tall and will survive all attacks!

1 Pet 1:25 “…but the word of the Lord stands forever.”
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Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, and lastly:

III. The Life

“I am…the LIFE.”

We’ve all seen a movie or been with someone, say, on a beach in some tropical location,
sitting in a lounge chair enjoying the sea breeze when they say,

“Ahhh, this is the LIFE!”

Well, it’s for sure a great experience IN life, but it’s not THE LIFE Jesus talked about.
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The fact is that, for most of the human race, life is not a tropical paradise by any stretch!

Most people today don’t have LIFE, they have EXISTENCE.

They’re drawing their breath and drawing a salary, but not enjoying true LIFE.

And I have noted through the years that people with no faith in God often hold a very negative view of life!

–The literary genius Shakespeare wrote, “Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.”

–The guitar genius Jimi Hendrix said in one of his songs that, “Life is but a joke.”
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Some college students were once asked to give their definition of life for the school news paper:

One wrote, “Life is a joke that isn’t even funny.”

Another said, “Life is a disease and death is the cure.”

One more said, “Life is a jail sentence that we get for the crime of being born.”

No wonder so many poor souls these days are checking out!

Yet the Bible says of Jesus, “In him was LIFE; and the LIFE was the light of men.”–John 1:4
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Now, if I were to ask you to define LIFE, how would you answer?

–You might say, “Well, life is when you’re biologically alive–your heart is beating, you’re breathing, you’re alive…that’s LIFE!”

But being biologically alive is not what Jesus meant by LIFE.

–Then someone else might say,

“I feel alive when I achieve a GOAL,
get that new JOB,
purchase the HOUSE of my dreams,
get that hot CAR I’ve always wanted…
for me that’s the LIFE!”

But Jesus said, “Real life and real living don’t come from the many things you own.”–Luke 12:15
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So what kind of LIFE was Jesus talking about?

FIRST, life starts with Him!

In Acts 3 Peter told a crowd including the religious leaders gathered in Solomon’s porch:

“You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.”–3:15

Jesus authored, was the creator of all living things!

Col 1:16 “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”
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SECOND, Jesus promised ABUNDANT life!

John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

The ABUNDANT LIFE Jesus promised is superabundant in QUANTITY,
and superior in QUALITY,

Rich, full, fulfilling–the opposite of empty, meaningless, and dull.
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And the life Jesus promised is also ETERNAL life!

Jesus literally RESURRECTS a person from spiritual death and makes them ETERNALLY ALIVE by pouring the Holy Spirit and the love of God into their heart!

Eph 2:1 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,”

So that…

2 Cor. 5:17 “…anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
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Jesus is the WAY to God
The TRUTH of God, and
The LIFE of God!