Study inJohn’s Gospel

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Jesus: The Way, The Truth and

The LifeChap 14v5-6

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IntroductionWhen Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life," he was making another remarkable claim. He claims to be the only way to God. He claims to be the truth about God, being himself the truth; and he claims to be spiritual life, not merely the way to life.

Having made this claim Jesus says the same thing again in different words, lest we misunderstand his intended meaning. He says, "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

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Only Through JesusTaken together, these phrases form an exclusive claim. People sometimes suggest that Christians are narrow-minded to say that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. Well, this is precisely what we are at this point. We are as narrow as the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus says very clearly that there is no other way to God! This is not simply the teaching of a single verse. Other passages teach exactly the same truth e.g. Acts 4.12

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

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Only Through JesusFor further examples cf. 1 Corinthians 3:11 "Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ“ and 1 Timothy 2:5-"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus."

Some believe that perhaps Jesus Christ is a way to God but not the only way to God. This is a common view among Buddhists. Buddha taught that there are many paths to the top of the mountain and it doesn’t matter whichone we take. But Jesus contradicts this view, according to his teaching, he is the only way to God and thereforeany attempt to find another way is folly and will result in despair.

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The Fool Has SaidFirst, consider the foolishness of trying to satisfy one’s spiritual appetite while rejecting the very means that God has provided for doing so. This is the folly that Jesus unpacks in the parable he told concerning a rich farmer who thought that the way to enjoy fullness of life was through the accumulation of material things. In short, he had no timefor God or for any kind of spiritual enquiry.

He spent his life pursuing his material goal. A succession ofgood harvests drove him to build bigger and better barns. When his barn became too small for what he was accumulating, he said, "I'll tear down my old barn and build a bigger one that can hold my possessions."

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The Fool Has SaidGod intervened in the man's life saying, "You fool, this very night your life will be demanded from you then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" Luke 12:20. God calls men fools for refusing to come to him, fools for thinking that their spiritual appetites can be satisfied through the accumulation of material things.

Why do men refuse to come to God by the path that he has provided? Surely, because they are distracted by their desire to construct a quite different road. And wherever else their road leads it does not lead to God. And so Jesus says, “Look, I am the path you need, the road you are looking for. I am the way. Do not foolishly reject me because your foolish heart thinks it knows a better way.”

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No Way ThroughSecondly, such a person is not only foolish; they have also become a passenger on a road to despair and disappointment. If Jesus is right when he says, "I am the way, ... no man can come to the Father, but by me," then clearly no other way exists that can guarantee spiritual blessing. The Father is the source of all spiritual blessings and the way to the Father is through Jesus.

If you are trying to find another way, you are never going to experience those spiritual blessings. To take any other route than the one set out by Jesus is to embark upon a journey that leads to the dead end of despair. There is no way through!

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Paul spells this out in the book of Romans, pointing to the different ways men and women try to reach God. There are three categories.

First, there is the way of natural theology. Think of the man who takes long walks in the countryside and says, "I do this in order to commune with God in nature." Or, consider the man who says, "I worship God on Sunday afternoon while I play out playing golf."

Paul teaches that this route is a dead end. Nature cannot reveal the grace of God. It does not make it clear if, God is kindly disposed towards me or, if he is indifferent to my existence.

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No Way Through

Of course you can learn several things about God in nature. The epistle to the Romans tells us that nature reveals two things about God. It reveals his ‘eternal power’, and it reveals his “divine nature," [Rom 1v19-20] that God is the designer behind the universe. That is all that can be known of God in nature. Those who think they can find God in nature will be sadly disappointed. You cannot worship an impersonal power, or a law of nature.

Indeed, to say, "I'm going to worship God in nature," is often using nature as an excuse to avoid confronting a personal God. Such people often have no wish to hear God’s Word preached for they find it disturbing.

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No Way Through

A woman involved in a beach mission engaged some surfers in conversation about God. They said they worshiped God in nature. She asked, 'And what is God?' One replied, “My surfboard is my god.” There is honest paganism and idolatry for you!

Are you trying to find satisfaction in material things? It makes no difference whether it is a surfboard, wealth, a house, a car, or whatever other thing has become your goal for living. Your search will end in despair, for these things are destined to perish. Elsewhere Jesus asks,

"What shall it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" Mark 8:36.

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No Way Through

Secondly, some try to find God down the road of human morality. They say, "God likes good people; therefore, I'll be good, and I'll get to him that way." This approach will also lead to despair. Why? If God loves good people - and it is true that he does - how good do they have to be? The answer is - absolutely good, perfect, because God can settle for nothing less. But no one is perfect!

If you think that you can please God by getting better and better, then even if you could achieve the maximum goodness possible for man, you could never get to God by that way because you could never be good enough -99% is not a pass mark! In God’s sight to be99% perfect is to be imperfect!

God requires 100% perfection!

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No Satisfactory Alternative

What standard condemns mankind? God's standard is the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are not as good as Christ who was sinless. But even lesser standards produce the same condemnation. Do you keep all of the Ten Commandments? No? Then you are condemned by that standard. Do you observe the Golden Rule – by being as good to other people as you want them to be to you? No? Well, you are condemned by that standard.

Pick any standard you want, and you are condemned by it. If you think you are going to get to God by your own goodness, you will soon discoverthat despair is your destination!

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No Satisfactory Alternative

When the church, in an attempt to curry favour with people who do not like being described as sinners, says, ‘man is basically good, he just needs a bit of fine tuning’, then the discerning world knows that this is not true. People like the philosopher Jean Paul Sartre leap to their feet and say,

"If the church is not going to tell the truth, we are going to tell the truth! We know that when you scratch beneath the veneer of mankind, when you get rid of the social conventions, when you get rid of the desire to be acceptable with other people by matching up to certain pre-established patterns of behaviour, what you find beneath the surface is garbage. You find a sewer of corruption."

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No Satisfactory Alternative

Next, in Romans 2:17-29, Paul identifies a third way that people try to find a path through to God. It is the way of religious formalism. This person says, "If I cannot be righteous, at least I can engage in the kind of religious duties that I believe God likes”. Today, in some parts of the world people might say, “I'll be baptised. I'll go to communion. I’ll attend worship.”

While in other parts of the world they might say, “I’ll fast and pray, go on a pilgrimage, give alms to the poor…”. Paul says that this route also leads to despair. Why? Because it is based on a false conception of God.

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No Other Route

It suggests that God will settle for externals. Does He? No! People may settle for externals, but not God. He looks on the heart. God sees that although you can go through all sorts of external religious rites like baptism, this does not mean a thing if your heart is not cleansed.

People may attend and participate in a communion service, but that does not mean a thing unless they have first fed on Christ by faith and have a saving relationship with him. Whatever path you take other than that of the Lord Jesus Christ,whatever other way you might consider following will lead to despair. Jesus says, "Turn from everything else, and come to me."

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No Other Route

Come… ComeHow foolish it would be to turn our backs upon Christ. How much despair is experienced by those whose perverse response to him says, “Yours is a very interesting claim but I'm very happy with the road I’m on” or “I’m still going to continue to look for another route to eternal life."

Today is the day of salvation! This may be the last opportunity for some! I cannot promise that you will ever hear the gospel again. I cannot promise that the Holy Spirit will ever speak tenderly to your heart again. If he is speaking at this moment then heed the invitation and come!

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