Toronto UBF Bible Study : I AM the Way

Bible Study Materials

I AM the Way

by Daniel Massey 09/03/2023

Message

I AM the Way

John 14:1-21

Key verse 14:6

Todays message is the next in my sermon series on Jesus , the Great "I AM" passages from Johns gospel. "I AM" is the tetragramaton and it is the same name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush on mount sainai in the book of Exodus. Here Jesus declares "I AM the way and the truth and the life" "I AM the only way to the "My Fathers House." He wants us to know how much he really loves us and how everything he said and did was to finally bring us home to our Fathers House to be together forever. He wants us to believe his promises that he will be with us every step of our great journey and that he will not leave us as orphaned children but send us the Counselor, the Spirit of truth, to comfort and guide us home.

Part I My Fathers House

Look at verses 1-3"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my fathers house are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am."

Leonardo Da Vinci painted this picture of the last supper. This is the context of John 13, 14, 15 and 16 known as the upper room discourse. Everyone seems quite relaxed lounging and enjoying dinner. Think about the disciples. They were his called chosen and faithful followers in the way. They left everything to follow Jesus. They no longer belonged to the world after having such a great awakening and felt a terrible lonliness and existential crisis. Who am I, where do I belong ? what now ? Am I next ? I am troubled and confused Lord. Moreover they really loved Jesus whom had loved and served them tenderly for 3 years and had pinned all their hopes on Jesus. Now it finally was sinking in that Jesus was leaving. It means he would be executed and nailed to a cross to die and with him all their hopes would die. More importantly he would be gone. They would be abandoned like orpaned children. If Jesus loves me how can he let this happen to me ? Their hearts were consumed with terrible anxiety, darkness, frustration and horrible gloom. They would be abandoned. In this situation Jesus words broke through like rays of sun through a dark cloud of depression and anxiety. "Do not let your hearts be troubled, Trust in God;trust also in me." In this world few people are trustworthy but where there is love there is also trust. Trusting God is the key to the dark dungeon of anxiety, fear and depression. This trust is what makes us more than conquerors. Romans 8:28 says "In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Jesus wanted them to understand that in the midst of their crisis he was working for their good. look at verse 2 "In my fathers house are many rooms;if it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." It was for their good that Jesus had to die on the cross to save them from going to the worst place of eternal suffering separated from God forever. It was for their good to go away in order to prepare an eternal home in the Fathers house for them. look at verse 3 "and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am..." Everything Jesus did was for them, was for me. He loves us and he promised to come back and get us and be with us forever. Many students and young people suffer in crippling depression and anxiety. They are the ambitious ones with great dreams and asspirations. succeed or fail everyone still feels like an orphan abandoned child inside. One young woman put all her hopes and dreams in the love of a man and when that man was unreliable and untrustworthy became consumed with dark depression. One young man thought he could overcome anything through financial success. trying to build a highway to the sky through business success untill all his hopes and dreams crashed down around him leaving him bitter dark and resentful shaking his fist at God. It is the most noble and beautiful thing to help people learn to trust in God, solve their inner life problem and find life direction to the Fathers house through Jesus. By Gods grace we are not only going to Gods house but we are allowed to invite as many guests as we want ! Lets invite many guests to my fathers house. ! I was encouraged by shepherd Ians effort to invite many guests to a bbq at his house. May our houses always be like our Fathers house welcoming all kinds of guests with love and make sure they know how to get there !

Part II I AM the way the truth and the life

when we went to Chicago for ISBN I drove allot. Missionary Sarah doesnt really trust GPS and became anxious when I missed a turn off. I said, dont worry, trust GPS We finally made it home even through all night rain storm by Gods grace. I looked up my fathers house today on google maps. Its not there. That is because Jesus is our spiritual GPS to the Fathers House. Look at verses 5-6 "Thomas said to him, Lord, we dont know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered "I AM the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me." Thomas had no idea where Jesus was going or how he could follow. His words typify the general confusion and directionlessness of all fallen humanity. Human being in a fallen state are totally depraved and their life direction is to follow the cravings of the sinful nature with its passions and desires. They are lost. They pretend to be clever and proudly claim to know the way. Most men are too ashamed to ever admit they are lost on a journey. My brother in law came to visit me. He is very smart and won gold medal at U of M computer science. I told him Jesus is the way,,,I am sure. He said "I am agnostic" I cannot know the way with any certainty. I met a man at YMCA. He said "I am spiritual" I am on a path to God, there are many paths, I am even a god myself. I met a woman who thought I was very critical and narrow minded when I told her plainly if she didnt find Jesus she was on the road to hell and was a child of Satan. She was shocked that I didnt follow the Canadian gospel which is "Im alright your alright, lets be tolerant." Jesus said "I am the way..." When we personally meet Jesus along the journey of life we woke up to the realization that Jesus is the way. Nothing can convince us otherwise. We shouldnt argue. we should pray earnestly that the revelation of Jesus Christ the way be manifested to them and in them and reveal Jesus in the pages of scripture and by our example. It is not an easy way but it is the only way. Acts 4:12 says "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved." At the ISBC one testimony was shared and the man said "I didnt really like the missionaries who always say "repent" and "lets go fishing." Or "deny yourself." It is tempting to try and find another way, an easier way. It is also easy to get distracted or lose our way as in John Bunyans pilgrims progress book where the city of "vanity fair" the slough of despondency" hindered pilgrims journey. Living by the teachings of Jesus is a narrow way and the only way. Mathew 7:13-14 says "..wide is the gate and broad the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and few find it." Most people think a loving God will be generous and magnanimous granting salvation universally to all, even various religeons and at least including good people like themselves. It is not. It is a narrow road. It is calvarys road. May God have mercy on us to make every effort to enter into the narrow gate following Jesus the way.

Someone way say "who is this Jesus to make such an audacious claim about himself "I am the way and the truth and the life." It is interesting to note that in every religeon everyone acknowledges Jesus and points to him while Jesus only points to himself. I AM the way and the truth and the life. Look at verse 7 If you really knew me, you would know my father as well. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Jesus is uniquely qualified as the way the truth and the life because Jesus is in very nature God. Everything Jesus did revealed his true identity as God incarnate. still Philip didnt get it. Look at verse 8"Phillip said,"Lord,show us the father and that will be enough for us." aparantly all the amazing miracles Jesus performed were not enough for Philip. Like most people, acknowledging that Jesus was God just baked his noodle. Maybe he wanted the version of God from the OT with loud trumpets, blazing blasts of lightning and thunder and earthquaking. This shabby clothed penniless preacher with no place to lay his head God man just wasnt enough to compel him into full dedication to the way. Kind of reminds me of a bunch of poor immigrant sewing machine operators living in a beat up old house at 386 sherbrook st here in winnipeg all with shining faces. Look at verses 9-11"Jesus answered "dont you know me, phillip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the father. How can you say "show us the father? Dont you believe I am in the father and the father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather it is the father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the father and the father is in me, or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves." It is important to note that the first proof of Jesus divinity is the work of God revealing his holy word through Jesus. It is only through his word that the revelation of Jesus the great I AM is manifest. Teaching the bible doesnt seem like a great thing but Jesus says it is even greater than performing miracles. Look at verse 12 "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the son may bring glory to the father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." Hold on a second, that must be a typo. Did Jesus really say we will do even greater things than him if we have faith !! yes. the apostles did perform many miracles latter on. for example Peter and John healed a crippled man just like Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit once Jesus had gone to the father saying "silver and gold we do not have but in the name of Jesus get up and walk." Jesus also raised my bible student from death through my hand after being poisened. His fingernails were blue and eyes rolled back and no pulse or breath on my cheek. It was amazing ! yet, would it not have been greater to stay with him through life studying the bible until he could see the father, walk in the way and enter the narrow gate ? When we have faith in Jesus all things are possible and we may see a great salvation work in our bible students because Jesus is with the father and intercedes on our behalf. when we pray and ask in Jesus name he will do whatever we ask for the glory of God.

Part III Jesus promises the Holy Spirit

look at verse 15-17a" "If you love me you will obey what I command. And I will ask the father and he will give you another counselor who will be with you forever-the Spirit of truth." here we see the relationship between obedience to Jesus words and living a spirit filled life. The Spirit of truth. When we obey he comes to us. The way to have the Holy Spirit with us forever is to walk in the way, to walk in obedience to Jesus teachings. When a person submits themselves to discipleship the Holy Spirit will come. He is the counselor. He replaced earthly Jesus as the teacher. When we study or hear a sermon message we are taught from within by the Holy Spirit with wondrous revelation knowledge. The counselor also may guide us to know where he wants us to go and even inspire us and quicken the word we should preach from within. look at verses 17b-21 "the world cannot accept him because it neither sees him or knows him. But you know him for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you. Before long the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me, because I live you also will live." The world cannot accept the counselor. People often think we are dillusional because they cannot see him feel He is outside of their realm of experience. They do not know him. They think we are saying "Im superior to you." It is through the Holy Spirit that we have a loving union with God the father and the son and partake of the divine nature. The Holy Spirit assures us that we are not abandoned by Jesus even after 2000 years. Most importantly the Counselor guides us into the heart of Jesus. look at verse 21-22 whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." We can show Jesus how much we love him by obeying his commands. The greatest command is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. This is expressed in obedience to the world mission command. When we obey Jesus shows himself to us. I believe Jesus disciples could know him even more deeply through the Holy Spirit than during his earthly ministry. When John lived an obedient life he was blessed with the Revelation of Jesus Christ. He wrote in Rev.1:17a say"when I saw him I fell to the ground as though dead." God always accepts a broken spirit and a contrite heart but the proud are turned away empty. My prayer for each of us is that we may keep it broken before Jesus like this. Oh Lord Jesus show yourself to us like this! It is the place where our troubles anxieties and fears melt away like the winters snow in the spring sun. It is the place where we can love the Lord with all our heart. It is the place of overwhelming grace where we can obey. sadly, for most it takes a crisis to drive us to our knees. sickness, financial anguish, broken relationships, a devouring addiction. May we find this place willingly, Amen However we get there, on our faces before Jesus is a really good place to be. It is the place of trust and faith in Jesus promise to come and bring us to the Fathers House.

Do not let your hearts be troubled, Trust in God, trust in Jesus the way the truth and the life.

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