John 14, 4, he says to his disciples, and
whether I go, you know, and the way you know. Now, Thomas would
immediately say, we don't know the way. We don't know where
you're going. Why did he say to Thomas, you know the way? when Thomas
said he didn't. Because if you know Christ, you
know the way. Thomas knew the way because he
knew him who is the way. The Lord's reply, Jesus saith
unto him after he said, we do not know the way, Jesus saith
unto him, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. No man cometh to the Father,
but by me. I've entitled this message, the
claims of Jesus Christ. This is the speech of one with
a narcissistic or histrionic personality disorder with a deranged
delusion of grandeur and self-importance Or this is the most significant
statement ever uttered. I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. In this statement, there's
not even One two-syllable word, and yet eternity itself will
not be enough time to unfold all that this means. I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. What claims? What if I said something
like that? Why, it would be hilarious at
best. If you said that, how meaningless
that would be. But here he says, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. No man comes to the father. but
by me. Now what do the claims of Christ
say on the very surface? On the very surface, I have no
way to God of myself. I am ignorant of the truth. Ignorant. I have no life in and
of myself. I'm dead in sins. Says that on the very surface.
Do you see it? The way you were born into this
world, you had no way to God. You forfeited the way. You're
ignorant of the truth. You have no life before God. Christ says, I am the way. Not a way, but the way. The way that excludes all other
ways. No man comes to the Father, but
by me. There are no other ways. Have you ever heard of comparative
religions? I'm sure you have. It's where you compare religions
and see what parts are similar and what parts are not. Did you
know that there are 4,300 recognized religions in the world today? 4,300. But let me simplify that. There are only two religions. The religion of what is said
here, Christ, as the way, the truth, and the life, and everything
else. And there is no similarities
between the two. The religion of works, that represents
4,299 of those religions. And the religion of grace, the only true religion. All other religions are false
religions. Now, how can you say that? Did
Christ say anything less? These are not my words. These
are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, no man comes
to the Father but by me. Every other way is what Christ
called some other way. And he said with regard to those
some other ways, all that ever came before me are thieves and
robbers. Strong language. Thieves seeking
to rob God of glory. Robbers seeking to rob you of
salvation. All other ways. Anything that
comes before Christ, well, doesn't your free will come before Christ
once you decide to accept Him? That's a thief and a robber.
All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers. All other religious leaders say,
I'll show you the way. I'll take your hand and guide
you along the way. I'll help you stay on the way.
Jesus Christ says, I am the way. The way is how to get from point
A to point B, the road from one place to another. A lot of the
smaller towns in central Kentucky have what they call Lexington
Road, several of them. It's the way to Lexington. In any other way, you can be on the way but not at
the destination. I'm on the Lexington Road headed
toward But if you're in Christ the way, you've already arrived
at the destination. You're there. If he's there,
you're there because you are in the way. When he says, no
man cometh to the Father but by me, that's a preposition,
by, that's also translated through and in. No man comes to the Father, but
by me. No man comes to the Father, but
through me. And no man comes to the Father,
but in me. He's in the Father's presence.
Everybody in him is in the Father's presence right now. Seated together, we just read
in Ephesians chapter two, seated together in the heavenlies in
Christ Jesus. If you're in Christ, you're in
the way. If you're in the way, you're
already there, though you're sitting right here. Somebody
says that's mysterious. Yes, I agree. but it's the truth. I am the way. When he ascended into heaven,
into the Father's presence after that 40 day period, after his
resurrection, he did so according to Psalm 24 as the Lord of hosts. Hosts are a lot of people. And
when he went back into the Father's presence, he went with all the
hosts of all of God's elect. Christ the way to the Father. He's the way to God. No other
way can be called that. There is no other way. The only
way you're going to get into God's presence is if He brings
you into God's presence. It's not even you say, I'm trusting
Him only. I hope you do trust Him only.
But you don't get into His presence because you trust Him only. You
get into His presence because you're in Him, and He brings
you into the presence of the Father. It's like one of our
women expecting children. When they walk through that door,
somebody else walks in with them, the person that's in them. That
is how someone gets into the Father's presence, through Christ
the way. He's the way of truth. All other
ways are lies. He's the way of righteousness.
There is no other righteousness. His righteousness is the only
righteousness. He's the way of peace. Any peace you might have that
doesn't come from him being the way is a false peace. You'd be better off getting rid
of it. It will not do you any good at all. He is the way of
salvation. All other ways are ways to destruction. He's the way into the holiest.
There is no other way into the holiness, but Christ the way. He's the narrow. He's that straight
gate narrow way. Now I love the narrowness of
the Lord Jesus Christ. He's so narrow that if you have
anything but him, you can't get through the gate and you can't
stay on the road. You're too big. You got to get
rid of it. All you can have is him to walk along the narrow
way. If you're going to try to bring
your works or your experience along with you, you can't get
through. All you can have is Him. Do you
know what that means? To where all you have is Jesus
Christ. Now, the Broadway, the wide gate, got plenty of room
for the religious and the unreligious. They can both walk on this road.
The moral and the immoral can walk hand in hand on this road. The liberal and the conservative. The Republican and the Democrat,
the Calvinist and the Armenian, the Pentecostal and the Presbyterian,
the Baptist and the Buddhist, the Hindu and the Hottentot,
traditional worship, contemporary worship, Reformed, unreformed,
there's plenty of room on this way for everybody, if you want
to go that way. But he is the narrow way. I love the way he's called in
the book of Hebrews, the new and living way. New means freshly
slaughtered. You know, the blood of Christ
is always presently poignant to the Father. He is the living
way as opposed to a dead way. He's the living way. The living
Christ presents his own blood right now before the Father. And he's my way. I love it when
the Lord said to Bartimaeus, go your way. He followed Jesus
in the way. That's my way. Christ the way
to the Father. And He's the way that excludes
all other ways. And if I don't see Him as that,
the exclusive way, the only way, there is no other way. If I balk
at that, I'm not in the way. One thing I know for sure, if
you know he's the way, you know he is the only way to the Father. Do you know that? Do you know
that Jesus Christ is the way? What's he say next? I am the
truth. This is either a statement of
incredible, unsufferable arrogance. I am the truth. Or this is the truth. I am the truth. Not I'll show you the truth.
Not I'll teach you the truth. Not even I'll tell you the truth. I am the truth. Anything that doesn't line up
with me being the truth is a lie propagated by the father of lies,
the devil. I am the truth. I am the truth of scripture,
the Lord says. Now listen to the scripture.
This is the Lord's very words spoken in John chapter five,
verse 39. He said to those people listening
to him, you search the scriptures. And in them you think you have
life. If I can just figure out what this book is saying and
live by the book, I'll be in good shape. If I can just follow
the rules of this book, you search the scriptures, in them you think
you have eternal life. And they are they which testify
of me. Every single scripture has this
testimony. He is the truth. He's the meaning of all scripture.
You don't understand the scriptures if you don't understand. I don't
understand the scriptures if I don't understand that they
all testify of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every single one of them. He is the truth of scriptures. For this cause, Paul said to
the Thessalonians, in 2 Thessalonians 2, 11 and 12, for this cause,
because they received not the love of the truth, God shall
send them strong delusion. Did it really say that? Yeah.
God shall send them strong delusion. that they should believe a lie,
that they all might be damned who believed not the truth. The truths of persons, it's more
than a proposition. This is why it's so bad to not
believe the truth. This is who he is. It's not just saying,
I don't agree with that proposition. This is more than that. He is
the truth. He is the truth of Holy Scripture. When he says, I am the truth,
he's saying, I'm the truth concerning the character of God almighty. He went on to say in this very
chapter in John chapter 14, he that has seen me, hath seen the
father. He didn't say, it's as if you've
seen the father. He didn't say that at all. You
see, all you're ever going to see of the father is the son.
All you're ever going to see of God is the son of God. In
Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are, this is spoken to
every believer, you are complete. You lack nothing. You have all
that's needed to stand before God, holy and unblameable and
unapprovable because of me. He said at the opening in this
chapter in verse one, John chapter 14, let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me. And that also is quite
often translated, even so you believe in God, even so believe
in me. Do you believe God is absolutely
sovereign in control of everything? That's me. Do you believe that
God is all-powerful? That's me. Do you believe that
God is immutable? That's me. Do you believe God
is all-wise? That's me. Do you believe God
is utterly independent, having no needs? That's me. All that
God is, I am. I'm the truth regarding man.
I'm the truth regarding Scripture. All Scripture is of me. Moses
wrote of me. Everything. I'm the truth regarding
the true character of God, His justice, His sovereignty, His
power, His omniscience. I'm the truth. And I'm the truth
concerning man. Now what's that mean? You put the best man you've ever
known and put him beside the Lord Jesus Christ and what is
he? Wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. I love it when Paul said, there's
no difference. You take the best man and you take the most degraded
man. There's no difference. Not in
God's sight. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. No difference between one man
and another. Look, I'm all for good men, as
far as that goes. I want to be one. As far as somebody
that you can count on, somebody that's honest, somebody that
pays his bills, somebody that's good to his family, somebody
that's faithful. I want to be all that. But you take the best
man to ever live, put him beside Christ. what they turned out being. Let's
take this a little further. Christ was put to death on a
cross. Yes, it was God's purpose. It
was God's eternal purpose. Everything men did, it was determined
before by God for them to do that. Every event was under the
control of the Lord Jesus Christ. He demonstrated that when they
came to arrest him. Whom seek ye, Jesus of Nazareth? I am. They fell backwards. The Lord's
gonna let them know I'm in control of this situation, not you. I'm
no victim. He is. God the Son, that you
look at the cross. Yes, it was God's purpose, but
men did what they wanted to do, and if God left me and you to
ourselves, we'd be doing the exact same thing. That's how
bad you are. Don't look in your heart, or
don't even look at the things you've done. Look at the cross,
and that will tell exactly what you're really like before God. That's it. That's how sinful
you and I are. He's the truth with regard to
man, and he says, I'm the truth. regarding salvation. Simeon understood
this. Lord, now lettest thou thy servant
depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Jesus Christ is God's salvation. He's the purpose of salvation. It's for his glory. That's his
purpose, his own glory. What about us? What about you? It's for his glory. He's the reason for salvation.
He's the reason for election. Now, somebody says, I don't believe
in election. You don't believe the Bible, then. Anybody that
really believes the Bible believes that God chose who would be saved
before the time began. Somebody says, I don't believe
that, then you don't believe the Bible. If you believe the Bible, you believe
in election. What's the reason for election, Jesus Christ? God
didn't look at you and, I'm gonna choose that one. No, all of God's
elect were chosen in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the
world. He's the reason God accepts you.
If you're accepted, we're accepted in the beloved. He's the reason
for justification. We're justified by his righteousness.
He's the reason for redemption. It was his blood that was shed.
He's the reason for forgiveness. Ephesians 4.32 says, be kind,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's
sake has forgiven you. Why did he forgive you? For Christ's
sake. Not because you asked for it. Not because you were sorry.
You ought to ask for it. You ought to be sorry. That's
not why he forgives. He forgives for Christ's sake. He's the reason for the new birth.
If you're born again, it's because He purchased the reason for you
to be born again. He sent His Spirit to give you
the new birth. If you're preserved, it's because
you're preserved in Christ Jesus. Faith and repentance are His
gifts. And not only are they His gifts,
He is the object of them. He himself is the truth and anything
that's not this is a lie and cannot bring you to the Father. He is the truth. And he says, I am the life. Now what's that mean? Do I have
life? I'm breathing. I've got some
measure of cognitive ability. Blood's pumping in me. I've got
desires and aspirations. What does he mean? I am the life. I love the way he says this.
He does not say, I'm going to show you how to live. He does, but that's not what
he says. He does not say, I'm the one who gives you life. Though he does. What does he
say? I am the life. The only life that God will accept
is mine. Did you hear that? The only life
that God will accept Is mine the only way you can get to the
Father? Is if my life is your life before
God. Paul said to the Colossians,
when Christ our life shall appear, then shall you appear with Him
in glory. No other life will be accepted. Now do you hear that? Would you
bring your life to the Father? Would you bring your best to
the Father? Would you bring your faith and your repentance and
your good works and your holy living? Would you bring your
motives? Would you bring the best thing
you ever did? Would you bring that to the Father? Oh, you'll
be rejected. It won't be good. It won't be
good. His life is the only life that
God will accept. Now, many try to bring their
life. You know, the Lord said, many, not just a few, many shall
say unto me in that day, that day of judgment, Lord, Lord,
you remember us? Why? We preached in your name.
In your name, we cast out demons, and in your name, we've done
many wonderful works. Then shall I say unto them, depart
from me ye that work iniquity. All those works you count wonderful, works of iniquity. I never knew
you. seems a thing impossible. How can it be? How can his life
be my life? I won't be saved if it's not.
He says, I am the life. No man comes to the Father apart
from my life being his or her life. How can that be? How can the life of Jesus Christ
be my life before God? So that when he sees me on judgment
day, he says, well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter
thou into the joy of thy Lord. Now, you know, in and of yourself,
he couldn't say that to you, in and of yourself, but he could
say to his son, How can his life be my life before God? Well, why was he nailed to a
cross? Because my life became his life. That's why he was nailed to a
cross. Because my life became his life. My uncleanness, my selfishness,
my pride, my self-righteousness, all the wickedness that dwells
in my heart was in that cup that he drank. And he drank the cup
of my life on Calvary's tree, who bare our sins in his own
body on the tree. Now listen to this. If he bore
my sins in his own body, sin can't be two places at once,
can it? If he bore it, I don't bear it.
It is not mine. He bear our sins in his own body
on the tree. Now I can't bear somebody else's
sins because I've got sins of my own. If my daughter committed a crime
that she was gonna be put to death for, I could say, I'll
take her place and I'd like to do it, but would the law allow
that? No. I didn't do it, she did. The
one who committed the crime must be punished for the crime. He didn't have any sin of his
own. That's why he could bear my sins. God can do this. You see with God, nothing is
impossible. He can take my sin off of me and put it in that
cup and Christ can drink that cup and his sinless life becomes
mine. His life as my life, that's how
I'm gonna be judged. You see, my sin was punished.
I was judged. He took my filth and bore it. And that's why I cried out, my
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? That's what I deserve. I
deserve to be forsaken, cut off eternally. He was, he bore the
full equivalent of eternal hell on Calvary's tree and put it
away so that his life, just as my life became his, his life
becomes mine. So I stand before God. That's
my life. That's my history. That's the
truth with regard to me. Now, he's not a way, he's the
way. He's the way that excludes all
other ways. And if somebody has a hard time
with that, it's because you don't see Christ as the only way. You
see some other way. Anybody who really sees him as
the way knows for sure that he's the only way and there are no
other ways. I am the truth that excludes
all other truths. I am the life that excludes all
other lives. No man comes to the Father but
by me. Now let's close by reading Hebrews
chapter 7, verse 25. Would you turn with me there? I want you to see this with your
own eyes. And I think maybe this will give us a greater understanding
of this verse than we've had in the past. Verse 25. Wherefore, he is able also to
save them to the uttermost. You know, I don't even know how
to define that word. It goes beyond description. Come up with a word, it fails. He's able to save them to the
uttermost. It doesn't get any better than
that. He's able to make it to where
you're plumb saved. He is able to save them to the
uttermost that come to God by him. I'm coming by Him. Yes, I'm pleading only Him, but
I'm coming by Him. I'm coming in Him. I'm coming
through Him. Now, I'm thankful we're going
to have a baptism. And that is the great illustration
of how one comes to the Father. When Jesus Christ lived, I lived
because I was in Him. When Jesus Christ died, I died.
I was crucified with Christ, with Him. When He was raised
from the dead, I was in Him, I was raised just as well. As
He ascended back to the Father, I did too. Every believer were
saved by being in Him. I am the way, the truth, the
life. No man comes to the Father but
by me. Believers, baptism. I bet there
are several people here that says, well, I've been baptized
three or four times. No, if you've been baptized once, you might've
been dunked three or four, 10 times. Tadpoles might know your
name. But you've only been baptized
once. because it's believers' baptism. And this is the believers' confession
of Christ. I'm confessing to the world. I'm repudiating salvation by
works altogether. And I'm looking to Christ only. My only hope is that when he
lived, I lived. When he died, I died. When he
was raised, I was raised. And I've accepted in him. Let's
sing a closing hymn.