May it please God to bless us
together this morning as we meditate in His Word. Let us turn to the
Gospel of John, chapter 14, and we'll read verse 6. The Gospel of John, chapter 14,
and reading verse 6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the
way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. These words which Jesus spoke
were in response to the question that Thomas asked. And the question
was, Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know
the way? And that was, following on from
the words of the Saviour, the gloriously wonderful words which
open this chapter, when the Lord said, Let not your heart be troubled,
ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are
many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you, I
go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again. and receive you unto myself,
that where I am there ye may be also. And then he says, and
whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. And it was really
that which therefore evokes the question from Thomas and the
answer that Jesus gave. And again, just to remember the
scene here that the Lord was speaking to his 11 disciples
in the upper room having introduced the Lord's Supper and having
partaken of the Passover for the last time. And only just
a few hours, literally, before the Saviour was to be crucified
upon that cross at Calvary. So they are very wonderful words
that we are able to read of the Saviour. And were very important
then They are very important to us today. To realise Jesus
said, I am the way, the truth and the life. And when we think
of those two words, I am, it really directs us way back to
the time of Moses when he was able to write the initial five
books of the Bible, and there he tells us of the experience
that he had. And this is Moses' concern when
he was to lead the children of Israel. And Moses said unto God,
Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall
say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you,
And they shall say to me, what is his name? What should I say
unto them? And this, of course, is in Exodus
3, now verse 14. And these were the wonderful
words that God spoke unto Moses. And God said unto Moses, I am
that I am. And he said, thus shalt thou
say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you. And of course that directs us
to the greatness of God, who He says, I am. He always was,
He was then, He is today, and He always will be the great God. And it's set forth in just these
words, I am. So that occurred in the days
of Moses when he was commanded to go and lead Israel out of
Egypt. with that conscious discernment
that he needed a confirmation from God and God gave it to him
in these very words. And so here we have this statement,
I am the way, the same God that was with Moses, the same God
that directed Moses all those years, the same God that has
directed the church of God, the same God that by his grace directs
us today. What a mercy it is to know that
we have such a God who doesn't change. I am the Lord, I change
not. Therefore you sons of Jacob are
not consumed. And he also says that I am the
same yesterday and today and forever. I am the way. Well, Thomas asked, And that's
what the Lord answered to him. I am the way. So this morning
do we realise that the Lord is the way. He directs us in the
way of life. He directs us in the way to glory. He directs us for our life here
below. He directs us to acknowledge
what we are before a holy God and not to pretend that we are
a wonderful person, but to come and to bow down before Almighty
God and acknowledge we are a sinner, a black sinner, a deep sinner,
a sinner that needs salvation and a sinner that desires to
follow the wonderful way that the Lord Jesus sets before us
in the Word of God. And of course, the New Testament
is full of direction for us. as you and I now walk upon this
earth. The Lord gave us much instruction
in that what we term the Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew
5, 6 and 7. He tells us throughout
that wonderful account, that wonderful sermon, how we should
walk and what we should do relying upon our God. And he tells us
so many things in that he tells us how to pray. He says, when
you pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think
that they shall be heard for their much speaking. And of course,
we do need direction when we pray, realizing we're praying
to the great God, the holy God, the creator of all things, Not
a God like ourselves, but one who is almighty. People today
treat God as though he's on their own level. Well, God graciously
comes down to our level. He comes down to us individually
and personally. But he is, as Isaiah saw him,
high and lifted up. He is a great and holy God. And so the Lord speaks, be not
ye therefore like unto them. for your Father knoweth what
things ye have need of before ye ask him and then he gives
us a wonderful illustration something that we refer to as the Lord's
Prayer many people are familiar with it but how many people really
consider what it says our Father which art in heaven hallowed
be thy name that means God's name is a holy name God is a
holy God. He's not a God to be treated
in any other way than one who is almighty. And he says, Thy
kingdom come. The kingdom of God on this earth,
thy kingdom come and then thy will be done in earth as it is
in heaven. Not man's will, but God's will. What a good thing it is if you
and I pray for God's will to be done. And sometimes that will
is very opposite to our will. It's very contrary to our plans,
but we can be sure that God's way, His will is best for us. Thy will be done in earth as
it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our debts As we forgive our debtors and lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. It would be a good
thing, wouldn't it, if we were able to really pray this prayer
from our heart every day. The Lord would forgive us all
our sins and give us grace to forgive all those who sin against
us. To not bear any malice, but to
have a truly forgiving spirit to follow the wonderful example
of our Saviour the words that He sets before us and then to
lead us not into temptation but to deliver us from evil there
are many evils about today what a blessing it is to pray that
we may be delivered from them for Thine is the kingdom and
the power and the glory forever you see people today don't recognise
the greatness of God. That God is all-powerful, that
power belongeth unto God, that God is all-glorious, that glory
belongeth unto God, and that not just now, but forever. The way. I am the way. What all mercy it is for God
to direct us, and just following on He won't go through the whole
sermon, but on this sixth chapter, it does speak to us. And it tells
us, moreover, but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither
will your Father forgive your trespasses. So again, following
on from what I just said, it is so important that we have
a forgiving spirit. Moreover, when you fast, be not
as a hypocrite of a sad countenance now you young people I know you
had a Bible study on Friday on fasting well I hope the things
that James was able to speak to you you remember and here
we have something about fasting which James no doubt mentioned
when you fast be not as a hypocrite of a sad countenance for they
disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have
their reward. See we don't want to gain credit
from people. We don't want to act so that
people say, well there's a good person, he's really doing that
which is right. We want to walk before God in
a right way. Acknowledging that he is our
Lord and our Master. And so the Saviour goes on to
tell us, but thou when thou fastest, anoint thine head wash thy face
that thou appear not unto men to fast but unto thy father which
is in secret and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward
thee openly I am the way the Lord directs us you see here
in the right way and as you and I read the Word of God let us
understand it is there for us to learn to be directed not to
follow men but to follow the word of God and then he tells
us about treasure lay not up for yourselves treasure upon
earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break
through and steal well it's very natural for us all to lay out
for ourselves things on this earth but we need to be very
aware that we should not be concerned so to do because we're told moth
and rust doth corrupt and thieves break through and steal and we
see so many times in the media people who are burgled and lose
their treasures what a shame it is but how sad it is if that
is all they possess whereas the Word of God tells us but see
we are not left in a vacuum we are not left in a negative position
we are given a negative statement and then a very positive one
and it's good for all of us young and old but lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven what is a treasure in heaven? a treasure in heaven
is the knowledge the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. To know that the Lord Jesus Christ
has died to atone for our sins. The Holy Spirit has directed
us to recognise we are a sinner, a great sinner, and need a great
salvation. Then to be directed then to the
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. His great work, His finished
work It's not a work which wasn't completed. He completed that
work upon the cross at Calvary. And what a glorious work it was. Let us rejoice in it today. The Lord Jesus Christ died to
redeem our souls. What a wonderful truth it is.
How needful it was. How needful it is for us today
to understand that the Blessed Saviour died for us, gave His
life that we might live. Now this is treasure. This is
far more valuable than gold that perishes. It's far more valuable
than all the things that you and I can have in this life. And you young people might say,
well, why is it more valuable? Well, very simply, it's like
this. all the things that you and I have on this earth which
we may be pleased to have nothing wrong in receiving those things
God has given us but to realize one day we'll have to leave them
all one day we shall be no more on
this earth and all those things that we've considered valuable
and important become of no value well we've been reminded haven't
we of that headmaster who died so suddenly he had to leave everything and
we don't know of course where he really stands spiritually
but God knows we do know that he went to Samarish regularly
we know he was there last Sunday but the important thing is that
we may therefore recognise this great truth that Jesus is the
way and he directs us in this statement then but laugh yourselves
treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt where thieves do not break through
and steal for where your treasure is there will your heart be also
so this is the real question isn't it if we have treasure
in heaven it means that the things of God the things of a Savior
those things which are very precious and eternally valuable because
they'll never lose their value because we have before us an
eternal life which will never cease will never finish and what
a mercy then for us today if we possess a treasure in heaven
well these words then become surely more powerful as we consider
them when Jesus said I am The great God is the way. And so today, are we following
Jesus in the way? Are we following Jesus in His
way? His way. And His way is to follow
Him. And His way is to not follow
the world, not follow the things of time but his way
is to follow him to follow the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord Jesus
Christ naturally to mankind was not attractive he wasn't attractive
to the people when he lived on the earth we saw his miracles
there were only a few who saw the Savior attractive generally
speaking He was not attractive. They turned their back upon the
Lord Jesus Christ. And so today, how many people
do just that? They hear about the Lord Jesus
Christ. We've just passed through what
we term the Christmas period. How many people have really thought
about Jesus? How many people have really thought
what it meant for Jesus the Almighty God to be born in this world. How many people realised what
it meant for Jesus to live that life on this earth and then to
die that sin-atoning death? Well, some did. Some we're thankful do, but many,
many did not. Forgotten all about Jesus. Many
people didn't even realise what Christmas was about. And so to
realise, I am the way. The blessed way Jesus sets before
us. It is to be a true follower of
the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's not to follow Jesus
afar off. Many people don't want to get
too close. They don't want to be too involved. They want to follow afar off. Well, we read together in this
chapter, if you love me, keep my commandments. That's the way
that Jesus directs us in. And it will be an infinite mercy
if you and I love the Lord Jesus. And you and I will only love
the Lord Jesus if we have the evidence that he has loved us. And if he's loved us, what a
blessing that is. No greater blessing you and I
can receive than to know that Jesus loved us and that with
an everlasting love. And if so, we have a direct statement
concerning us, because if the Lord has loved us, we will love
him. We love him because what he's
done for us. We love him because He came to receive us. He came to die that we might
receive the gift of eternal life. And surely that should direct
us then to love Him for His great love toward us. And then the
Lord tells us to keep my commandments, to follow the wonderful example
the words of the Lord Jesus Christ we spoke didn't we last Sunday
morning about the words of Jesus how glorious they are come unto
me all ye labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest
take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly
in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls a very clear
and simple direction a very wonderful command Jesus said under him
I am the way well this morning I wonder if we realize the great
truth of that there are many scriptures to direct us and in
the Hebrews which is again a wonderful book of encouraging direction
to us In the 9th chapter we read about the direction that you
and I should be looking to the Saviour. Jesus speaks through the Word
that the Apostle wrote in the 9th chapter. And we're told now,
when these things were thus ordained, that means the Old Testament
Tabernacle was there now when these things were thus ordained
the priest went always into the first tabernacle accomplishing
the service of God but into the second that's the Holy of Holies
the high priest alone went once every year not without blood
which he suffered for himself and for the errors of the people
the Holy Ghost this signifying that the way into the holiest
of all was not yet made manifest while as the first tabernacle
was yet standing the high priest went into the holy place once
every year the holy of holies that was the way directed by
God as he spoke to Moses and Moses to the people as they constructed
the tabernacle and that which it contained and in the Holy
of Holies was of course the Ark of the Covenant and there the
mercy seat on the Ark and there the High Priest came and sprinkled
blood and there God came and met with the High Priest and
granted that atonement for the sins of the people well that
was the way which was directed then in those days but it signified
a better way and it signified the way that you and I today
are privileged to come and approach unto God because this verse here
tells us Jesus said unto him I am the way and the truth and
the life no man cometh unto the Father but by me this is the
wonderful way that God has ordained the Lord Jesus Christ is the
way that you and I can approach unto the majesty on high and
again the Apostle picks it up further in the 10th chapter to
the Hebrews and he tells us in the 19th verse having therefore
brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus
now in Old Testament days no one could often enter into that
holy place if they did they would have been struck down dead only
the high priest and now we realize today there is this great and
glorious way and this is what the Bible tells us in verse 20
by a new and living way which he has consecrated for us through
the veil that is to say his flesh and having a high priest over
the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith. That means believing in our prayers
as we pray to God, believing He will hear and He will answer. And we approach to our Father
in heaven through our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore
we're told here, let us draw near with a true heart. Not a false heart, not a wrong
heart, but a believing heart in full assurance of faith. Full assurance of faith. What a mercy when you and I are
blessed as we come to God in prayer, believing our prayers
do enter in to the holy place. The Holy of Holies in glory to
the Father through this great high priest, our Lord Jesus Christ. full assurance of faith it's
a very positive statement how good it is when you and I are
blessed in prayer to come boldly unto the throne of grace that
we may find help in time of need what wonderful invitations there
are and so what a wonderful statement this is I am the way He is the
way unto the Father, the only way. No other way. Whenever we
come in prayer to our Father, it must be through Jesus Christ. It is important, therefore, when
we conclude our prayers to say, for Jesus Christ's sake, because
our prayers will be accepted through Him. Not because of what
we say, not how beautifully we might think we've said them,
they may appear to be very poor they may appear to be a bit of
a jumble but nonetheless the Lord Jesus presents them they
will be accepted let us not then forget this great statement by
a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through
the veil that is to say his flesh What a mercy it is to have this
full assurance of faith. And so the Apostle goes on. Let us hold fast the profession
of our faith without wavering. Let us hold fast these great
truths. They are important for us and
it's a great blessing if we understand them because we have this access
and it's really through the Lord Jesus Christ who is a wonderful
mediator. You know the Apostle, he does
concentrate on this so often and it's so important for us
to recognize the truth. And in the letter that he wrote
to Timothy, it's good to read what he tells us. He was speaking
to his son in the faith and he says, I exhort therefore And
he goes on to give a little list and he comes down to this fifth
verse in the second chapter of the first epistle. For there
is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. It's important for us to realize
the importance of Jesus Christ, to realize that you and I cannot
directly pray unto God the Father. It's through the merits of our
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our great and wonderful
mediator, who gave himself a ransom for all. Yes, he gave himself
that you and I might be blessed with this access at the throne
of grace. How vital prayer is. No prayer,
no life. Bless God. if he gives us prevailing
prayer to come to confess our sins it's so important to confess
our sins because the Lord says if we confess our sins he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness and no unforgiving sinner will ever
enter into glory Because there is no sin in heaven. Heaven is
a holy place. May we then come and recognize
the wonder of this statement, I am the way. No man cometh unto
the Father but by me. And then he says, we've just
jumped across, of course, Jesus said unto him, I am the truth. In the day and age in which we
live, we find there are so many untruths many lies we don't really
know what to believe from the media and so many people speak
lies as though it's truth but how thankful we should be today
that we have the Bible which is truth I am the truth and Jesus
said himself when he prayed to his father in that 17th of John
and the 17th verse he said thy word is truth therefore everything
that you and I read in the Bible is true we don't have to question
it we don't have to doubt it we don't have to think well is
this true yes it is true and don't turn away from the truth
of God's Word the devil always wants to question the truth of
God's Word he did in the Garden of Eden he said to Eve Hath God
said. And he will say to you and me
today, well, don't believe that word. Don't believe what God
says. Hath God said is what he does. He sows a seed of doubt in our
minds. Hath God said. Yes, you can retaliate
and you can tell him, yes, God has said the word of God is true. Jesus said, I am the way, the
truth. I am. the truth what an amazing
word that is and how condescending of God to grant us such a word
to encourage us today in the age in which we live an age of
lies an age of untruth to have such a word of God which is so
solid so true and we can rely upon it everything it contains
it directs us in our life on this earth. It directs us naturally. It directs us spiritually. And
there are so many glorious words in the Word of God. Seek and
ye shall find. Yes, we can pray. Believe and
we shall find God. Believe and we shall receive
answers. And we are to pray, believing. Well, here we have then, thy
word is truth. I am the way, the truth. Well,
this morning, may it be our blessing to recognise and to know that
as we read the Word of God, as we meditate on it, we can rest
in its truth. It's that which will lead us
and that which will guide us through life. We won't make mistakes
if we follow the Word of God. You will make mistakes if you
follow the words of men. Follow the words of Jesus. It's a very sure and a very safe
place and it will lead us safely through life and bring us home
at last to glory. So Jesus said, I am the way,
the life. He is our life. What a mercy if Jesus is your
life and Jesus is my life. Yes. The Word of God tells us,
Christ in you, the hope of glory. See, if Christ is not in us,
and if we are not in Christ, then there will not be the blessing
of glory. But what a mercy today, if we
have the evidence that we are in Christ. You may say, How do
I know if I have the evidence that I am in Christ? And indeed that therefore He
is my life. The evidence is when the light
of the Gospel shines into our soul. And the light of the Gospel
shines into our soul when we stand as it were in faith before
the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross at Calvary and we have
a very wonderful picture which John Bunyan tells us of in the
pilgrims progress and we have the picture of pilgrim a Christian rather that pilgrim
coming to the cross and Christian comes to the cross and what's
he got? He's got a great burden on his
back and what is that burden? It's a great burden of sin and
he can't shake it off himself and there he is trudging on with
it but he comes to the cross and he looks to the cross and
by faith views the Saviour dying upon that cross to atone for
his sin And what happens? The light of the gospel shines
into his heart and the great burden of sin falls off, falls
off into the pit to be seen no more forever. What a blessing,
my friends, it is then. If you and I today have faith
to look to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, I am the way, says
the Word of God. I am the way, the truth and the
life. What a mercy then if you and
I today are blessed with spiritual life as it is conveyed to us
as we look to the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, as all our
hope. And there's no hope anywhere
else. It's only in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, what a mercy that will
be and we read it really in this 14th chapter of John and the
17th verse tells us, Even the Spirit of truth, who the world
cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him,
but ye know him. For he dwelleth with you and
shall be in you. Christ in you. the hope of glory
and earlier in this same epistle in the fifth chapter of this
epistle and the 21st verse we read then they willingly received
him what a mercy today if we willingly receive him for as
the father in the fifth chapter of the 21st verse for as the
father raises up the dead and quickeneth them, that means makes
them spiritually alive, even so the Son quickeneth whom he
will. Well, what a mercy today if we
know that Lord Jesus Christ is our life, that he has come and
made us spiritually alive. And it's something which is known
between your soul and my soul and God. No one else. What a
mercy it is, therefore, if you and I are blessed with this wonderful
favour. And the Apostle Paul, when he
again confirms this truth, really, so many times in the Apostle's
writings, but in the Romans, 6th chapter, the Romans, as we
come down to the 11th verse, we read this, Likewise reckon
you yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in
your mortal body, that ye should obey it and lust thereof, neither
yield ye your members, as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin,
but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from
the dead. I once was dead, but now I see. Alive from the dead, and you
are members of instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin
shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the
law, but under grace. So blessing then, if we are able
to trace out the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, giving
us spiritual life, as we are blessed with faith, to look to
Calvary, to look to the suffering Saviour, to look to that great
finished work which He did on Calvary's cross when He said,
It is finished. It was complete. The Lord had
done all that was necessary to fulfil the law of God, to fulfil
that work which his Father had given him to do. Well, may we
rejoice today in what Christ has said. Jesus saith unto him,
and may he say unto us today, with power from on high, I am
the way, know the way. I am the way, the truth. Bless
God for that. And the life. To possess the
life of God in our souls is the greatest blessing we can have,
the gift of eternal life. No man cometh unto the Father,
but by me. So may we praise God today for
the shed blood of the Savior, the death of the Savior, for
the life the Saviour gives, and to therefore look forward by
His grace to that day when we shall be with Christ, which is
far better. Amen.