TRUTH Part 3 – THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE

How often do you stop to think seriously about the end of your life? Since 2020, a lot of things have happened. Our lives have been turned around; our everyday activities have been changed suddenly. In my lifetime, I’ve never seen and experienced so much grief, sadness, and fear. It’s only during the pandemic.

How often do we shut our systems down long enough to set priorities by asking ourselves some tough questions? What is truly important? The night before Jesus was crucified, He stripped matters down to what is essential. He talked about His life and death and that which was most important to others. He talked in terms of four priorities. He talked about the WAY to live and die. He talked about the TRUTH about living and dying. He talked about the way to live LIFE. And He talked about how to have a healthy CONNECTION WITH GOD.

WORD

John 14:1-7 – “1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 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. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 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 know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”” (NIV)

DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED

Why did Jesus say, “Do not let your hearts be troubled? These words were spoken on the last night before the crucifixion, during the Passover meal with the disciples. By this time tomorrow, Jesus would have been crucified and placed in a tomb. 

John chapter 13 records the scene in the upper room. Judas has been identified as the betrayer and has been sent out. Jesus is left with the other eleven apostles. After telling them to love one another as Jesus has loved them, He tells them that He is going away and where He is going they cannot come. Peter wants to know why they cannot follow Him and Jesus responds by asking if they are ready to lay down their lives for Him. This is where we pick up the account as we begin John 14. 

The news that Jesus is leaving their presence is troubling the hearts and minds of the disciples. But Jesus gives the solution for troubled hearts. John 14:1 – “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me (NIV).” The answer for the troubled heart is faith in Jesus. Just as the disciples believe in God, they are to have the same faith in Jesus.

There is so much comfort in these words as Jesus explains why He has to leave them. Jesus has to go so that He can secure the destiny of all who believe in Him. Jesus is going to do something for His disciples. It’s a powerful hope so that our hearts are not troubled while living on this earth. Jesus is making abundant provisions so that there is more than enough space for every disciple to join Jesus in His Father’s home.

Man today is basically searching for three things: Some direction (which is the way), something that is real (which is the truth), and something that will last forever (which is life). All of man’s questions about life, Jesus summed up in one verse, John 14:6 – “I am the way,  and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me (NIV).”

I AM THE WAY

As Jesus tells His disciples that He is the way, there are multiple meanings involved. He addresses our very human instinct to know where we are going before we start a journey. The disciples wanted to know the next step, the next turn, the ultimate destination of where this journey in faith would lead them.  

When we have a long trip ahead of us, we want to turn on our GPS and get an idea of how long it will take and the roads we will travel on to get there.  We determine the best, fastest routes and then start our journey. This is why I love to use Waze when I’m driving. I want to know ahead what streets I’m going to pass by to reach my destination.  This thinking sparks a question from Thomas. He asks, John 14:5 – “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way (NIV)?” Thomas was looking for the same kind of information. 

However, Jesus makes it clear that they and even we won’t know the detailed way we are supposed to travel in life.  As sinful people, we’re naturally in need of direction. We’re created to wander, misbehave, question, and fail. Jesus desires for us to simply know and trust Jesus daily, walking in faith that HE is the way.  We can rest in the comfort that Jesus will lead us exactly where we need to go as we walk in Him.

The world tells us that there are many ways or roads to reach God: Go to church, be a good person, list of do’s and don’ts, different religions, etc. They say there are lots of directions to reach heaven. Whatever feels best to you, do whatever is right in your own eyes. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” (NIV)  The world says the road is wide open. You get to choose which path is right to get to God. But the Bible says something very different. Matthew 7:13 – “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” (NIV) 

Jesus did not tell His disciples about the way or show them the way or guide them along the way, but He said, “I am the way.” How can we know the way to God? It’s only through Jesus. Jesus is the way because He is both God and man. The only WAY is to get saved, get right with God, and be “born again.” Some people argue and say that God’s way is too narrow. But in reality, it is wide enough for the whole world to receive, if one chooses to accept Him. Instead of people saying that it sounds too limited to have only one way, they should be saying, “Thank God He made a way for us to get to Him!” God is always there, whispering into our souls and speaking to our hearts. He is there when we are angry, confused, scared, running from Him, and too busy for Him. God shows us the WAY, if we choose to look for it.

I AM THE TRUTH

Man today is also searching for something that is real. We need to hear the truth today. People don’t want something fake, artificial, a fad, a movement, or a whim. People want something genuine and real. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth.” Truth is a PERSON, not a concept or idea. This means that we can never know the truth of our condition unless we have first heard from Jesus. 

Each of us is capable of knowing the truth, but none of us can claim to actually be THE TRUTH.  There are too many things we don’t know, and too many things we get wrong throughout our lives. Yet Jesus claims to be THE TRUTH, and in doing so claims to be one with God.  The words of John 1:1 set the stage for this very fact: John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (NIV)

In this passage, John is proclaiming Jesus as the Word, which says that He is the beginning and the end of all that has been true throughout eternity. From this verse, it implies that seeking the truth leads us to seek Jesus. When we seek to figure out what is the truth and what is a lie, we can measure it against the words of Jesus, who Himself is the truth.

I AM THE LIFE

Finally, man is searching for something that will last forever: Life. We wish life, idealistic life, would never end. When we go on vacation, we wish the time would never end. We wish we would win the lotto so that we would be set for life. This is life. This is what it’s all about. But no, my friend, Jesus is life. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (NIV).” Jesus said, John 6:35 – “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty (NIV).” Our money will perish, our vacations will end, our beauty will fade, but Jesus will never end.

If Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, why do Christians still struggle in life?  Why do we still endure pain and heartache? You know why? Because this life is not the point. This life is not our ultimate goal and does not contain the entirety of who we are.  This life is a mere drop in the ocean of eternity and serves as the starting block on the marathon that leads us to our goal of eternal life.  We can slow it down, we can spend time, money, and energy working to fight against it, but we can’t stop it from marching forward. 

Jesus is teaching us that what we are to really be concerned with is not this life, but eternal life.  The Scriptures often speak of the life to come after our life on this earth. We can live this life in such a way that we are not chasing things that don’t last but chasing the things that do last and have eternal meaning. This type of life has an eternal impact not only for us but for others around us.

 

LIFE GOUP DISCUSSION:

1) What is your takeaway lesson on the message, “The Way, The Truth, and the Life”?

2) Share about a time you were forced to choose between God’s way and your way. What did you choose? Why?

3) How are the way, the truth, and the life related? How do these three ideas interconnect in your experience of following Jesus?