Now I wish to begin this evening
a relatively brief series of messages entitled, Simple Signpost
to the Celestial City. Taking the term the Celestial
City from John Bunyan's term for heaven in his immortal work,
The Pilgrim's Progress, I plan to preach on some of the most
simple and clear gospel texts given to us in the scriptures. And my aim in doing this is quite
straightforward and uncomplicated, and it is basically a two-fold
goal. First and foremost, I want to
proclaim by means of these texts, these simple signposts to the
celestial city, that gospel which is the power of God unto salvation. And I desire to do so with the
prayer, and I trust some measure of expectation, that God will
make that preaching of the gospel, with these texts as our sphere
of reference, the very power of God unto salvation to some
who sit among us. And then my second goal is that
I want to furnish you, the people of God, with a working acquaintance
with some of these most crucial texts which ought to be part
and parcel of every mature Christian's stock in the trade of witnessing
to others. the kinds of texts that you ought
to be able to sit down and open up to son or daughter or to neighbor
and work associate as God gives the opportunity in seeking to
set forth the message of life and salvation in our Lord Jesus
Christ. So without any further words
of introduction, I direct your attention to the first of these
simple signposts to the celestial city, it is verse 6 of John chapter
14. Jesus saith unto him, I am the
way, and the truth, and the life, no one cometh unto the Father
but by me. In this marvelously simple and
yet subtly profound text, We have our Lord Jesus Christ telling
us, in His own words, who He is, what He came to do, and the
weighty implications of these things as they relate to each
and every one of us. Note with me, first of all, in
these words of the Lord Jesus, what I am calling the amazing
personal claims of Jesus Christ. And those claims are with respect
to three things. Look at the text. Jesus saith
unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. First of all, our Lord Jesus
claims to be the way. Now this word, way, is used in
a figurative sense. A way is a path or a road leading
from one place to another. And in the context, Jesus had
just spoken of the Father's house, heaven, the celestial city. And in this particular personal
claim, the Lord Jesus Christ is declaring that He is the way. That is, all of the building
materials needed to construct a road from earth to heaven for
sinful men, all of those materials are to be found in the Lord Jesus
Christ, himself. He is the way. And in the context,
he is the way with reference to the question that was asked.
Thomas said to him, Lord, we don't know where you are going.
How can we know the way? If we don't know where you're
going, how can we find the road that gets there? Jesus has been
speaking of where he is going. He will, in a few short days
subsequent to the horrible ordeals of Gethsemane and Gabbatha and
Golgotha, He will be laid in Joseph's tomb. He will come out
of the tomb in triumphant resurrection life, And according to Acts chapter
1, he will go back into the presence of the Father, and he says with
reference to the one and only path that leads from earth to
heaven, I am the way. But then the second aspect of
his amazing personal claims is that he claims to be the truth. Here we have no figure of speech. Truth is an accurate statement
of reality. And therefore when Jesus in this
text makes this amazing personal claim not only to be the way,
but the truth, He is saying in the context with reference to
the great issue of man's ultimate destiny. making one's way to
the many dwelling places prepared by the Lord Jesus, that everything
pertaining to how one is fit for those dwelling places, how
one obtains a title to those dwelling places, how one can
actually arrive at one of those many abiding places, in Jesus
Christ is the truth with respect to those great and all-important
issues of heaven or its opposite, hell. But then thirdly, His amazing
personal claims culminate in this claim, I am the life, the
life. Now the term life is not mere
existence. But in this passage, when Jesus
said, I am the life, he is speaking of life in its rich and highest
biblical connotation, which means nothing less than realized communion
with God himself. Life, in terms of Jesus' definition
of it in John chapter 17, where in his high priestly prayer in
verse 3 he says, This is life eternal, that they should know
thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus
Christ. What is life? What is life eternal? What is that life which was forfeited
by our first father and mother, Adam and Eve, and can only be
realized in and through the person and ministry of Jesus Christ? It is nothing less than life
known and experienced in the realm of communion with the living
God. The knowledge of God, delight
in God, this is the very essence of life. And the Lord Jesus in
John 10 in verse 11 said, I am come with reference to my sheep
that they may have life and that they may obtain life and have
it more abundantly. Now these are the amazing personal
claims of the Lord Jesus. This is not something a prophet
said would be true about the one to come. nor an apostle looking
back, speaking about the One who had come. This is Jesus in
the days of His flesh, gathered with the eleven in that upper
room, and making this claim, I am the way, the truth, and
the life. Then consider with me, secondly,
not only the amazing personal claims of Jesus Christ, but secondly,
the sobering conclusion drawn from these claims by Jesus Christ. Look at it. No sooner does He
say, I am the way and the truth and the life, there are the amazing
claims, now the sobering deduction, conclusion, No one cometh unto
the Father but by me. No one cometh unto the Father
but by me. You see, it is often been said
in days past, and is said right down to the present hour, that
people have no complaints with Jesus as a good man, a good teacher,
But it is the narrowness of his followers, the fanatical claims
his followers make, that unless you believe as they believe,
you're lost and damned and will roast in hell. People say, that's
the offense of Christianity. It's not Christ. The meek, the
gentle, the loving, tender Jesus went about doing good. taught
us the Golden Rule, gave us the Sermon on the Mount. We've got
no complaint with Jesus. It's these fanatical, bigoted,
narrow-minded followers who go far beyond Jesus and say, unless
you believe as we believe, you'll roast in hell! Our problems with
those characters. Oh no, no, my friend, if you've
bought into that nonsense, you listen to Jesus. Listen to the
meek, lowly Jesus. This is not something I'm saying
about Him. This is something He says about
Himself. And this is what He says. The sobering conclusion,
drawn from those amazing personal claims, is this. Here it is. No man cometh unto the Father
but by or through Me. Note in this conclusion that
it is universal in its scope. It says, no one, no one comes
to the Father but through me. No one! This is Jesus' own conclusion! Based upon his amazing personal
claims, it is universal in its scope. It touches every single
one of us in this building. You, and you, and you, and you,
and the preacher standing in this pulpit. It's universal in
its scope. Now notice, it is undeniably
exclusive in its intent. It is undeniably exclusive in
its intent. Look at the language of Jesus.
No one comes to the Father but through me. Now what does he
say? Surely he is not saying no one
will see the Father as judge in the last day. Because that
would contradict the rest of Scripture and many other statements
of the Lord Jesus. Acts 17.30 says, God commands
all men everywhere to repent. Why? Because he's appointed a
day in which he will judge the world. Romans 14.12 says, so
then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Yes,
you will in that sense come to the Father. You will see God
in the day of judgment. and see His approval at having
His own Son as the appointed judge seated upon His throne
when the books are opened. Yes, you will have dealings with
God, but what Christ is saying is this, none can come to God
as Father and find Him a welcoming God. a pardoning God, a receiving
God, a gracious God, none can come to the Father and find forgiveness
for all of their sins, for all of their iniquities, acceptance
and welcome. No man or no one cometh unto
the Father but through me. That is, through me as the way
to the Father, through me as the truth concerning how sinners
can approach the Father, through me as the life who alone can
impart that knowledge and saving relationship to the Father. In other words, Jesus is giving
the most explicit, simple affirmation that he is the exclusive mediator
between God and man. Listen to old Bishop Ryle, how
the old bishop could hit the nail on the head in some of his
comments on gospel portions. Commenting on this very text,
the old bishop said, we should mark in these verses how expressly
the Lord Jesus shuts out all ways of salvation but himself. He declares, no man comes unto
the Father but by me. It avails nothing that a man
is clever, learned, highly gifted, amiable, charitable, kind-hearted,
and zealous about some sort of religion. All this will not save
his soul if he does not draw near to God by Christ's atonement
and make use of God's own Son as his mediator and Savior. God
is so holy that all men are guilty and debtors in his sight. Sin
is so sinful that no mortal man can make satisfaction for it.
There must be a mediator, a ransom payer, a redeemer between ourselves
and God, or else we can never be saved. There is only one door,
one bridge, one ladder between earth and heaven, the crucified
Son of God. Whosoever will enter in by that
door may be saved, but to him who refuses to use that door,
the Bible holds out no hope at all, for without the shedding
of blood there is no remission. Let us beware, if we love life,
of supposing that mere earnestness will take a man to heaven, though
he knows nothing of Christ. This idea is deadly and ruinous
error. Sincerity will never wipe away
our sins. It is not true that every man
will be saved by his own religion, no matter what he believes, provided
he's diligent and sincere. We must not pretend to be wiser
than God. Christ has said, and Christ will
stand to it, no man cometh unto the Father but by me. Having looked at this text under
the two headings, first of all the heading of the amazing personal
claims of Jesus Christ. Secondly, the sobering conclusion
drawn from these claims of Christ. Now thirdly and finally, I want
to give you some searching personal questions based upon Jesus' claims
and his own conclusion. I want you to envision that we
dismissed the whole congregation and set up appointments, that
they had to go through the next three to four days, and each
one of us were able to go into the back room where the elders
meet for prayer. And you were sitting down three
feet away, and no one else was there, not even your husband
or wife. And I looked you straight in the eye, and I asked you these
questions in the light of this text. I want you to conceive
of yourself as in that setting, and I'm asking you with Judgment
Day earnestness. and intensity and tenderness. Hear these questions. Answer
honestly in your heart. Question one. Have you, not your
wife, husband, son, daughter, father, mother, cousin, uncle,
aunt, no. Have you come to the conviction
that your own condition is such that you can have no safe dealings
with God? apart from Jesus Christ. Have you come to that conviction?
That you can have no safe dealings with God apart from Jesus Christ. Why do I say safe dealings with
God? Well, you're going to have dealings with God, my friend.
You're having them right now. Whether you think of God or not,
he thinks of you. He knows your every thought,
every idle word. He knows every unclean, dishonest
thought. He knows every mean, petulant,
selfish, ungodly word that comes out of your mouth. He sees the
envy of your heart. He knows our thoughts from afar.
Every one of us is having dealings with God right now, and every
one of us will have dealings with God in the day of judgment.
But you see, Hebrews 10.31 says it's a fearful thing, a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God. That's not
a safe dealing with God, to fall into His hands, to have God deal
with you in judgment, and cast you into hell, saying, depart
from me, I never knew you. Now my question is this, fellows,
girls, men and women, teenagers, have you come to the conviction
in your own heart that you can have no safe dealings with God
apart from Jesus Christ. Second question, have you come
to the conviction that only the Christ of the Bible, only the
Christ of the Bible can secure your acceptance with the Father?
Have you come to that conviction? If I do not lay hold of and have
answering for me the Christ of the Bible, I can have no safe dealings with
the Father. Have you come to the conviction
that only the Christ of biblical revelation can secure your acceptance
with the Father? that your acceptance is not in
yourself, it's not in your deeds, it's not in your prayers, it's
not in your sighs, it's not in your groans, it's not in your
church attendance, it's not in your participation in the sacraments,
it's not in rituals and forms. It is outside of yourself in
a person, and that person is Jesus Christ. And faith is the
casting of yourself, I say it reverently, into the arms of
Christ, that He might present you to the Father. It is laying
hold of Christ as the pierced one, the resurrected one, saying,
Lord Jesus, be my mediator with the Father, with the incensed
Godhood that has righteous anger against my sins. Lord Jesus,
be my propitiation, the one who turns away the wrath of the Godhead
from me, because you bore that wrath. instead of sinners upon
the cross? Have you come to the conviction
that only the Christ of biblical revelation can secure your acceptance
with the Father? Well, then I come to the cruncher
of the third and final personal question. Is Jesus Christ right
now your way, your truth, and your life? Is Jesus Christ right
now your way, your truth, and your life? Can you say to the
best of your knowledge, yes, I have turned away from ever
hoping to find in all the universe the raw materials that will make
a way to God? I believe they are all in Jesus
Christ. in the uniqueness of His person
and in the perfection of His work, I am convinced He is the
way, so convinced that I've placed the whole weight of my soul upon
Him. I've put the feet of my soul
upon Him as the way, the only road that leads to the Father. I joyfully acknowledge that He
is my way. Is he your truth? Have you embraced
him as the one who speaks the words of God, whose truth makes
free and liberates from the tyranny of men's silly notions about
life, the meaning of life, death, and what lies beyond the grave.
Take all of the theorizing of the most profound, insightful,
intellectual philosophers of all the ages, and on the most
simple issues that a little child asks, Mommy, what happens when
I die? Where do I go? And take all that
the philosophers have said and pile it up, and it's nothing
more than a dumb heap of human ignorance. A dung heap of human
ignorance! Christ is the truth! Is He your
truth? Do you cling to Him with a death
grip in terms of His Word? You say, reality is what Jesus
says it is. No more! No less! Christ is my
truth. Is He your truth? Your truth about yourself? But
you're a sinner. Your truth about God, that He's
holy? Your truth about the only way that sinners can be made
right with a holy God, through the bloodshedding of the incarnate
God, the Lord Jesus, through the triumphs of His resurrection,
through the impartation of His Spirit? Is He your truth? And is He your life? Can you say, I know I have passed,
in the language of John, from death unto life. Do you know
what it is to say, I once was dead? As the father said of the
prodigal, this my son was dead, but now is alive. He was dead
in terms of communion with his father, dead in terms of delight
in his father's presence, in his father's ways, in his father's
rules. But when he came back with the
disposition of desire to see His Father's face and live in
His Father's presence and live under His Father's government.
The Father says, My son was dead and is now alive. And so it is
true when Christ becomes our life. We love the Father's face. We love the Father's fellowship. We love the Father's rules. Is
Christ your life? Is He your way, your truth, and
your life?