Let's take our Bibles again and
turn with me to the gospel according to John 14. John 14. I'd like
to deal with verses 4 to 6. And coming up to this passage
of Scripture, the Lord had given His apostles some blessed consolation
for their troubled hearts. He told them in verse 1, He said,
Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. That was
not just a mere speculation. He was telling them something
that he knew for a fact. You believe in God. He had given
them faith to believe. That's the only way they could
believe in God. You believe in Him who is Spirit. You believe in Him who rules. and reigns in heaven and earth. You believe in Him who is sovereign
in creation, in providence, in salvation. You believe in the
triune God. Believe also in Me, for I am."
He told him, he said, the One that you're looking at. The One
that you're hearing. The one that speaks to you. I'm
God. I am almighty God. As I said last Sunday, I'm the one that wrote in the
stone to Moses. I'm the one that was in the cloud. I'm the one that parted the Red
Sea. I'm the rock that followed Israel
in the desert. You believe in God, believe also
in Me. Don't let your heart be troubled. My Father's house is going to
be your eternal home. Where I am, That's where you're
going to be. Don't be afraid. And then our Lord says, speaking
to His blessed and troubled disciples that He knew. He knew they were
hearing His words. They knew that there was a heaven. They knew that He was going back. He told them, I'm going to prepare
a place for you. They knew that their eternal
soul was going to be united with an eternal body. They knew that
as He was going away, He's preparing a place in that place of many
mansions. They knew that. But right now,
Something was getting ready to come up. Just a few minutes, they were
going to watch Him go to the cross. Not long. Verse 4, He said, Whether I go,
you know, and the way you know. Now remember, He knows. He knows that They're going to
watch him be taken into the hands of evil men. He knows that very
soon they're going to see him mocked. They're going to put
a crown of thorns on his head. He's telling them, he said, I'm
going to prepare a place for you. Now, whether I'm going,
you can't go. Of course, Peter questioned him. The others questioned
him in their hearts, I know. He's telling them, don't. Don't
be troubled. They're going to watch Him lay
down His life in just a little while. He's
going to suffer and die for them. They're going to actually witness. They're going to actually have
their eyes set upon that which Zechariah had predicted through
the Spirit of God. Zechariah 13.7 says this, Awake, O sword, rise up, stir
up, O sword of my justice. When he lays down his life for
the sheep, no man is going to take it from him. He's telling them, don't be troubled. What you're going to witness,
what you're going to see, don't be troubled. Let not your heart
be troubled. Awake, O sword, against the shepherd. And against the man that is my
fellow. Just told them, you believe in
God. Believe in me. I am God. And what they will witness in
just a little while would shake their very foundation. I know it did. It was only by
the grace of God that they didn't leave for good. I know after
the Lord was crucified, died, buried, what did Peter say? I'm going fishing. I'm going
back to fishing. The other said, well, we'll go
with you. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God,
believe in me. Wait. Continuing in Zechariah,
smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered. And I will
turn mine hand upon the little ones." Now, here's what the Lord
said in that last, "...smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall
be scattered." And they did. "...And I will turn mine hand
upon the little ones." Jehovah, that is to say, will cover with
His hand in preserving grace all for whom Christ has died. So now he reminds them, knowing
that they're going to see Him die, knowing that they're going
to see God's mercy and grace in the redemption of His people.
They're going to see the glory of God. The Lord Jesus Christ
in the 17th chapter that we'll look at, Lord willing, here in
the next few weeks. The Lord praying that high priestly prayer.
He said, Father, glorify Thy Son. that thy Son may glorify thee."
Father, glorify me as your Lamb. Glorify me as the substitute
of the sheep. Glorify me, making me sin. That's what the Scripture says.
For He, the Father, has made Him the Lord Jesus, sin. The Father made Him sin. Father, glorify Me as the Redeemer. Glorify Me as the One who alone
puts away the guilt that Thy Son may glorify Thee as the electing
God. Father, all that You've entrusted
Me with, All that You've given me to save. All that You've given
me to redeem. Lord, the only way, the only
way is for me to drink of the cup of Your wrath. The cup. The lot. The lot. If there's
any way that this cup, this lot, That passage of Scripture has
always amazed me. Here's the one that knows. He
must lay down. And he asked that question in
absolute perfection. There was no doubt. I know that. I know that. I'm just talking to you now.
I know that there was no doubt in his mind. And when he asked
that question, it was according to God's perfect leadership direction,
perfect faith, perfect. I know that. Father, if it be
possible, that Scripture says to God's
people, there's no other way. There's no other way. Salvation
is totally through the substitute himself. The One that laid down
His life for the sheep. Here's the Lord Jesus Christ.
The only way. The only way to the Father's
house. Where I'm going, you know. The way, you know. He told them that before. Luke
9.22, saying, the Son of Man must suffer many things and be
rejected, and the elders and chief priests and scribes, and
be slain and be raised the third day. He told them that. Then when He comes to this time
right here, He says in verse 4, whether I go, you know. You
know. In the way you know. And Thomas
in verse 5, saith unto him, Lord, we know not whether thou goest.
How can we know the way? That was nothing short than the
honest admittance of our frailty. Thomas just absolutely Saying, Lord, I believe you. I know what you're
saying is true. I'm not trying to contradict
your words. But Lord, we don't know where you're going. And Lord, how can we? He voiced what every true believer
is going to voice. I see through a glass darkly. I know in part. Let me ask you
this. What actually happened at the
cross? I can tell you everything I know
about it. He laid down His life for His sheep. I know that. He was made sin. I'm lost in that one. I can't even truly, fully, completely
tell you what sin is. As I've said before, sin is a
transgression of the law. Explain that to me. You tell
me what really happened. These are things that are so
indescribably wonderful and marvelous and mysterious that Almighty
God has been pleased to not reveal them in their totality to His
people. We walk by faith. What happened
at the cross? I can tell you this, based on
His Word, He finished my salvation. I know this, He put away my guilt.
I know this according to Romans 8.1, There is therefore now no
condemnation to those that be in Christ Jesus. I know that.
But what happened between the Father and the Son when Almighty
God put darkness on the face of this earth for those hours
of His suffering and humiliation? God was dealing with God. on
behalf of His people, and in absolute, perfect obedience. Our Lord laid down His life and
suffered an eternity of wrath and judgment, and His people
staid by one sacrifice. And I know for a fact, based
on God's Word, He has perfected Forever! Them that are set apart
for God, sanctified. Thomas, he's just honest. Don't just love people that are
honest. People that are honest with you.
Tell you the truth. Just tell me the truth. Just
be honest with me. We know not whether thou goest,
and how can we know the way? It's enough that He knows the
way. That's the comfort. If you know where you're going
and I don't know where we're going, as long as I know you
know where we're going, I'm okay. If you know the way we're going,
I'm fine. I settle down. But if I think
you're lost, I can't settle down. Thomas said, we hear your words,
and I declare my lack of understanding. They've been told. But you consider
all these precious truths that are being revealed, set forth. Here's one that the Lord prophesied
through the prophets. Look at Isaiah 42. Here's a blessed
truth. It was being fulfilled. Isaiah
42. Isaiah 42, verse 1. Behold My servant whom I uphold,
Mine elect, and whom My soul delighteth. I have put My Spirit
upon him. He shall bring forth judgment
favorable verdict. He shall bring judgment to the
Gentiles. Verse 6 and 7, I the Lord have
called thee in righteousness. I will hold thine hand and will
keep thee, give thee for a covenant of the people, for a life of
the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners
from the prison, Them that sit in darkness out of the prison
house. Where is He going? He is going to accomplish this
very thing right here. I go to prepare a place for you. He must go to the cross. He must suffer. He must die. The Lord set forth in that glorious
declaration of His substitution, the hidden mystery. that must
be revealed. Oh, the preciousness of hearing
His Word. Resting in Him. Beholding His
glory and His honor. We're weak creatures of His mercy. Sheep without a shepherd. What can we do? Lord, we know
not whither Thou goest, And how can we know the way? And then
our precious Savior, back in John 14, states this blessed passage of
Scripture that we so often quote. Jesus saith unto him, I am the
way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. Here is absolute truth from Him
that is truth that says this. This is what He said. Salvation
is all of grace. Man has absolutely no part in
it. I go to prepare a place for you.
We don't know where you're going. How can we know? And here is
truth that you and I at this side of the grave will never
fully perceive. But by faith, we believe. We're
learning. We're learning. God's teaching
us. As we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and
Savior, we're learning. And it's a precious thing to
be able to learn. I need to hear this again. I
am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. No man cometh
unto the Father but by me. For my Lord's answer I think
we all can safely conclude that that one that is not satisfied
with Christ alone, Christ alone, nothing else, what must be added
to him for salvation? Nothing. It is not Christ and
baptism. It is not Christ and church membership. It is not Christ and anything
else. Nothing else. I am the way. Whosoever strives after something
other than absolute perfection, Him is going to perish. To try to add something to Him degrades His honor. To try to add something to Him
is to say He's not enough. He can't do it. He's not able. Whoever believes that any part
of salvation is connected with man's will or effort is blind
to the mercy and grace of God. I am the way. He is the beginning and the end. I am Alpha and Omega. Our Lord didn't reveal what He
was doing in going to prepare a place. But he said, I will. I go to prepare the place. It wasn't needful for us to know.
I am the way and that's enough. That's enough. Do I have any lot in that right
there? Let me ask you this. Do you need
anything else beside Him? Anything other than Him? It's
false. I am the way. It's not Him plus
my faith. My faith added to Him does not
save me. I believe Him by faith. Without
faith, it's impossible to please God. But my faith did not save
me. As I said before, faith didn't
die for me. Faith was not my substitute.
Christ is my substitute. And the gift that's given to
believe Him is faith. But faith is not my salvation. Christ is my salvation. I am
the way. No work, no thought, no intention
will ever span the gulf of separation between me and God. Christ is
my mediator. Christ is my Redeemer. Christ
is my Savior. Christ is my Redemption. Christ
is my Lord. He's my Husband. He's my King. He's my Lord. Christ. I am the Way. I'm the Truth.
And all men are liars. If He didn't say it, it's a lie. If He didn't say it, it's a lie. He's the final Word, the final
revelation from Almighty God and everything that's in opposition
to His Word, His will, His choice, His purpose, His counsel, His
decree is untruth. He's the truth. You want to know
what truth is? What did Christ say? What did
God have to say? He's the cornerstone upon all
which God builds. He's the life. The way of the
wicked is as darkness, Proverbs 4.19 says, and they know not
at what they stumble. Christ as the truth reveals God. How do I know that God elected
a people? Christ said it. All that the Father giveth me?
Christ said that. How do I know that the Lord only
laid down His life for the sheep? Who did Christ die for? Everybody? No. How do you know that? Because
the truth said, I lay down my life for the sheep. How do I know? That God absolutely
is going to save His people. Absolutely, without a doubt. How do I know that? Because the
truth said it. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. How do I know that they're not
going to wind up in hell? Because the truth said, I give
unto them eternal life. And they shall never perish. And neither shall any man pluck
them out of my hand." He's the truth. He's the truth. And men
can say, well, I think that, well, it doesn't matter. It just
doesn't matter what you have to say. It doesn't matter what
I have to say if it's not according to this Word. If it's not according
to this Word, it's a lie. It's a lie. He's the truth. To know Him by faith is to have
no confidence in myself. and no confidence in anything,
he's the truth. And he said, I'm the life. I'm
the life. In the garden, man died spiritually.
And the day you eat thereof, you're going to die. And he died.
Where is there life? Life is Christ. I am the life. You that are alive in Christ,
Christ liveth in you. liveth in you. He lives in you. Christ liveth. In Him was life, and the life
was the light of man. Left to a man's self, to his
own will, his own way. He's dead spiritually. He's going
to die physically. Then God's going to put him eternally
in hell. Life is given. The gift of God. I am the way,
I'm the truth, the life, and no man cometh unto the Father
but by Him. Try to come any other way and
you won't make it. Try to make it by any work Any
way? Any decision? I'm telling you. What do you think I ought to
do, preacher? I'd hear Him. Based on the Father's command. I started to say recommendation.
I scratched that word real fast. Based on the Father's command.
This is My beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. You hear Him. The Lord had to say. This is
why we study, we hear. Make much of hearing the Word
of God. Make much of seeking God in His
Scriptures. Make much of asking the Lord. Lord, teach me of Yourself. I'm
the way, the truth, the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. Lord, that I might be found in You. that I might
know you, who to know is life eternal, for Christ's sake.