“I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”
John 14

Introduction

• John 14:1a…Let not your heart be troubled:
• A person who loves you can sense trouble. People who love one another can sense that you are upset or worried. They to become worried and upset.
• Christ had sat down for supper with His disciples before the “Feast of the Passover” in the upper room.
• The disciples were troubled, and Christ was troubled.
• The trouble, tenseness, upset, worried spirit had filled the room and Christ knew (Being God in the flesh) they needed comforting.
• Another trait of people who love one another…they will comfort one another.
• Before we leave this first part of the verse we must first see that Jesus said… “Let not your heart… be troubled.”
• Everything we do or say comes from “the heart.” (Like Jesus had said earlier in Matthew 12:34…O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.)
• Jesus knew by the way they were talking and questions they were asking Him that they were troubled.Before too much tension set in, Christ knew that he had to calm them down in order to understand the deeper things He had to tell them.   
• Now look at the second part of the verse in John 14:1b…ye believe in God, believe also in me.
• If you love someone, you will believe them. This is why you must tell the truth at all times. When you tell lies, your heart is not of God, but of the devil because you become a deceiver.
• A deceiver makes themselves look good and does not glorify (make God look good) God.
• The comforting news that Jesus told His disciples was this in John 14:2…
• “In my Father’s house are many mansions:” He is explaining to His disciples about the splendors of Heaven and what His Father’s house (heaven) has in it.
• “…if it were not so, I would have told you.” Jesus here is telling His disciples that He does not lie. He tells the truth always (We’ll get into that later).
• “…I go to prepare a place for you.” Now Jesus gets into the part of the reason why He is leaving…to prepare a place for each one of them as individuals. Now, this is personal. “…for you!”
• “ 3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
   Jesus says “If I go” (which he does), “I will come again,” (which He will) and the comforting news is that He will always be with them…forever.
• “ 4) And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.” Here is the assurance of the Holy Spirit who will teach them what “ye know.” The Holy Spirit is what teaches us, comforts us and guides us in the paths of righteousness.
• To show you the normal mind set of Christ’s followers look at verse 5) Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
• There are still people today and have been since Thomas, who do not understand the words of Christ, the Bible, the Word of God.
• Thomas is saying “We don’t even know where you are going!” then He asks “How do you expect us to know the way to get there if we don’t know where you are going?”

I. I Am The Way

A) Only one way

• John writes here under the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit in John 14:6…Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 6) If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
• These disciples had followed Jesus for three years and still did not “know” Him completely.
• The amazing thing to me is that even today, people who have claimed to follow Jesus for 30 years really do not “know” Him.
• What do we mean by “know Him?” Have an intimate relationship with Him.
• There are many ways to work, many ways to church, many ways to get an education, many ways to travel, and many ways to celebrate.
• But there is only “One way” to heaven.
• Jesus said here in John… “I am the way.” He did not say “I am one way” or “one of the ways” to get to the Father. He said “I am THE way” meaning that there is only ONE WAY to heaven.’

B) Life, a two way street

• Jesus also said in Mathew’s gospel chapter 7:13…Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
• One way on the street of life is the “Broad Way.” meaning a wide path, and you have a lot of “wiggle room” to do whatever you want on that road.
• Too much “wiggle room” allows too much to happen that causes pain.
• By the term “wiggle room” we mean that there is plenty of room for you to do whatever you want, however you want, wherever you want, whoever you want to do it to, and whenever you want. That’s a lot of “wiggle room!”
• Note that Christ said this is the way… “that leadeth to destruction,” This means that those who chose to go down this street are headed for destruction. Their life and soul will be destroyed.
• This “BROAD WAY”is the way of many religions and many gods. It is a selfish way, a proud way, and a devilish way.
• This is the way also that Jesus said “and many there be which go in thereat:”
• The SECOND WAY is found in Matthew 7:14…Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
• This side of the street is the “NARROW WAY.” there is no “wiggle room.” You cannot do what you want, go where you want, or think what you want. You cannot worship who you want or behave like you want.
• Christ said… “If you love me, Keep my commandments.” The “broad way” does not follow the road signs, but do what they want.
• The “narrow way” says be obedient to the road signs and you will live.
• Christ said that very few people will be driving on this side of the street.

II. The Truth

A) What is the truth?

• Back to our text this morning of John 14:6…Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
• God created every human being to seek Him. He created us to seek the truth.
• The problem is…not many seek Him, not many want to know the truth.
• The “truth” in Webster’s dictionary means…1) sincerity and honesty in character, action and speech. 2) agreement with the facts. 3) a true principle or law.
• Truth means NO LIES! No falsehood and no deceit.
• Christ is the TRUTH. Everything Jesus said in this book called the Bible which is God’s word…is TRUTH. No lies.
• You can mark it down, take it to the bank, it is true, it will happen, and you must accept it as truth.
• David said in Psalm 33:4…For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.
• Solomon said inProverbs 3:3… Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
• John’s gospel tells us in…John 4:24…God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
• John 8:32…And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
• And Jesus said in His prayer for the apostles and those who chose to follow Jesus in John 17:17…Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18) As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19) And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

III. And the Life

A) The “bread” of life

• In closing let us go back to our text of John 14:6…Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
• We are also born with a desire to fight for life. A desire to seek that which gives us life.
• No one enjoys talking about death unless they are demented.
• Having said that, Christians should be demented in that area. Talking about death should not be drudgery. It should be exciting!
• Note what Jesus said in John 6:48…I am that bread of life. 49) Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50) This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51) I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
• The Israelites received an earthly bread (Manna) sent from heaven to keep their earthly bodies alive, But now in the New testament age God sent from heaven a spiritual bread (Jesus) from heaven to keep our spiritual bodies alive.
• Christ gave His life for us on the cross which is “…the bread that I will give is my flesh.”
• When Christ said “…if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever:” Many of the Jews at that time did not understand Him and thought he was nuts. “Who is going to eat another man’s flesh?”
• What Christ meant was “that whoever believeth in me shall not perish but have… what? “Everlasting life.”
• Satan is DEATH, Christ is LIFE.
• Which road do you drive on today? The “broad way” or the “Narrow way?”