I normally preach verse by verse, but I
came to verse 6 in the course of our studies, and this is so
profound what our Lord says here. that we need to do a three-part
message on these three things our Lord says about himself here. Profound, yet I want to preach
this in a way that the youngest child in here can understand what our Lord says. Look at it. John 14, verse 6. Christ speaking to Thomas, Thomas
saith unto I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me." So I want us to look at this first thing that our
Lord says. He says, I am the way. Christ the way. I am the way."
Three things, if you're taking notes. Three things. What is a way? What is this thing of a way?
Secondly, how is Christ the way? And lastly, it may sound like
the second one, but it's a little different. What kind of way is
Christ? or describing Christ the way.
All right, what is a way? Christ says, I am the way. What does he mean by this word
way? I am the way. Well, first of
all, a way is a road or a path. It's a road or a path that goes
from somewhere to somewhere. Let me illustrate. Route 40 west out here is a way. It's a road. It's a path. It leads from, depending on which
direction you're headed, from Rocky Mount to Farrum, or from
Farrum to Rocky Mount. It's a way. It's the road or
path from somewhere to somewhere. Now secondly, a way can mean
the way you travel that road, or the means you use to get there. Are you with me? They make it simple for a child
to understand. I need to make it simple so an
adult can understand. The way or the means of transportation. Let's put it that way. I came
to church by way of an automobile. OK? You understand? A way means
either a road or path from somewhere to somewhere. A way also means
the means of transportation, the way you travel that road,
like a car. All right? That's the first point.
What is a way? Secondly, how is Christ the way? Now, I'm going to spend a little
more time on these next two points. If you were counting, the reason
I don't like to give all my points, I've got so many points because
people start counting. Well, the second one is over.
One more. So if you thought, well, the
first one is over in two minutes, hey, we're going to get out of
here quick. on a second degree. How is Christ the way? A way
is a road or a path that leads from somewhere to somewhere.
It's the means of transportation by way of a car, train, plane.
How is Christ the way? How is Christ the road or path
from somewhere to somewhere? Well, the Scripture says that
Christ is the way to pass from death to life. Scripture says man is dead in
trespasses and sin. Christ says, and God is life. How is man who is dead going
to get to God life. Christ is the way. He's the way. If you want to get to God from
here in this world, this earth, this life of body of death, there's
one way. Jesus Christ. Let me, let me
clarify that now. God is spirit. That means he's invisible. God's
invisible. But God took a body. God put on a robe of flesh, the
Scripture said. God put on a body to make himself
visible. His name was Jesus Christ. Scripture says, a body hast thou
prepared me. Christ put on a body. He who
is spirit, invisible, he clothed himself in flesh so that we could
see God. We're flesh. We're flesh. God took a body. And he spoke
to us. He's called the Word. He spoke
to us. He revealed himself. God became
a man, and God revealed what God is like. God's invisible. Nobody's ever seen God, nor can
see. He's invisible. So what's flesh
going to do? Flesh can't do anything. But
God became flesh and dwelled among us, and we beheld his glory. He told us about himself. All
right? Secondly, God is holy. God is spirit. How are we going
to get to God? God is going to come to us through spirit. God
is holy. God is just. Listen to me now. I say these things over and over
again, particularly on Sunday morning, because this is the
heart of the gospel. God is holy. God is just. God
loves only holy things. God is not only invisible or
spirit, but God is holy. And God loves only holy things,
holy people. God loved Jesus Christ as a man. Why? Because he was a holy man. There's never been a holy man.
I don't care what they say about that fellow over in Rome. He's
not a holy man. No, he's not. There's only been
one holy man to ever walk this planet, and that's the Son of
God. And God loved him, all right?
And the Scripture said, now, God who is holy, imputed. Children, what does that mean,
imputed? You've heard me say that so many
times, sir? What does imputed mean? God imputed the holiness
of Christ to God's people who are sinners. What does that mean?
God imputed. It means charged to. It means
to. It's like if your mother has
a charge card with your dad's name on it, she goes down and
imputes everything she buys to his account. Right? And your
dad, his name's on the line. He's going to have to pay for
it all. Well, if that isn't just a real
simple, plain illustration of imputation. You understand what
impute means? Charge to. Your mom goes down
and buys something. She charges it. She imputes it
to your dad. All right? Now, he's going to
have to pay for it. And God Almighty, since he's holy, and he can't
love anybody but holy things, holy people, God imputes. what Christ did as a man. Christ
lived the holy life. And God took that holy life and
imputed it to this old sinner. Charged it to me. Charged it
to me. God took my sins and imputed
them to Christ. Charged them to him. You understand
that? That's what it means. God put
Christ's holiness on me, and God put my sins on Christ. And Christ paid for it all. He
paid for all those sins, every one of them. God gave me the
holiness of Christ and gave Christ my sin. And he paid for it. All right? There's only one way
that a man can be pleasing to God. There's only one way that
a person, a young person, can be pleasing to God. There's only
one way for God Almighty to love a human being, and that's for
them to be in Christ, to have his holiness imputed to them.
Do you understand that, little children? Heather. Little children. Amy. Do you
understand that? One way God can love a human
being has nothing to do with us. We can't do anything to make
God love us. God's holy, all right? One way
that God can love us is for Christ to impute his holiness. All right,
God is just. And I just said that. God is
just. God must punish sins. That's
what makes him God. And that's the reason religion
today, they've dethroned God. God is no longer a judge. God
is no longer just. God is all love. There's no justice. Read for yourself Isaiah 59 sometime. Drop that down. Go back and read
Isaiah 59. It says justice is gone, way
backward. There's no justice. God's not just, Henry, today.
He's not going to punish your sin. He just loves everybody.
He's not going to punish sin. Yes, he will. All right, he's going to punish
my sin. Every one of my sins. Scripture says every sin shall
receive a just, recompensive reward. Every sin's got to be
paid for. Jesus Christ is the way that
God punishes my sin. Jesus Christ is the way that
God punishes the sins of the people he saves. They don't do
it by repentance. They don't do it by turning over
a new leaf. Christ did it all. God hath laid
on him the iniquity of us all, all the iniquity of all his people. God put all the sins of all his
people on Christ And God killed Christ, because that's what God
said. The shedding of blood, death, the soul that sinneth
must surely die. And Christ shed his blood and
paid for every one of those sins. So why is God going to receive
me into heaven someday? It has nothing to do with me. I didn't live a good life to
earn it, and I didn't die to pay for my sins. Christ said,
I'm the way. No man comes unto God who is
spirit. No man comes unto God who is
holy and just. But by me, I am going to have
to do it all. I am the way." Do you understand
that? Be way. He doesn't say, A way. Be way to holiness. Be path to
God. All right? I said that a way is not only
the road, and it's not, and when I say that Christ is the way,
it's not us living like Christ, either. People get this all confused. They say, well, now Christ just
shows us the way. No, sir, that's not what he said,
did it? He didn't say, I'll show you
the way, did it? He didn't say, if you walk like
me, you'll get there. He didn't say that at all. He
said, I am the way. It's not us living like he did.
No, no. It's him living for us. It's not us walking the way Christ
did. Now, believers will. Believers will. Every child of God will walk
like Christ walked, not perfectly, but they will endeavor to walk
as Christ walked. Right? That's right. But that's not what's going to
get them to heaven. That's not what's going to save them. No,
it's not us walking the way Christ walked. No, no, Christ is the
way. A woman called me on the phone
the other day. as I was preparing this message,
right in the middle of it. And she was asking for a handout.
And I told her what she needed. She said she needed her light
bill paid. I said, You need your sins paid. I said, You are a
sinner, aren't you? She said, Well, no, I go to church regularly
and faithfully, and I don't drink or cuss or And all along she
went, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't. She finally ended up
by saying that. She said, I believe God, you want to accept me the
way I am? I said, no. Christ is the way. Christ is the way. She didn't
need Christ, you see. She said God would accept her
the way she is. No, he won't. God will accept
you or me or whoever he accepts only one way. Christ said, I'm
the way. That's what Paul meant when he
said over in Philippians, O that I might be found in him. Not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, or me doing, being a good, you know, moral,
upright Not having, oh, I want God to be, I want to be found
someday having that rag of righteousness. I want to be covered. If I'm
the inscribed, I'm covered. Totally covered. Christ said,
I am the way. All right, now, I said that the
way, or a way, is the means of transportation to get somewhere. OK? the means of transportation
to get somewhere, a ship, an automobile, an airplane. Here's
a real good illustration. There's only one way that a man
or a woman or a young person is ever going to fly. How can a man or a woman or a
young person fly through the air? You say, dive off a cliff. No, you don't fly. You sink. You sink is only one way to fly,
and how's that? Airplane, right? You have to go up in an airplane,
right? A man can't fly. He's not a bird. He's bound by
the flesh. He's bound by gravity. This thing
called gravity pulls us to the earth. off the highest bridge
or cliff. You can't fly. Flap your wings
or your arms as hard as you can. You're not going to fly. You
can't. It's impossible. With man, it's
impossible. But now with God, all things are possible. Man
can't fly. Man can't get to God. who's in
the heavens, and we're on the earth. We can't get there. God
who's invisible, God who's spirit, man is flesh, man is earthbound,
man is sightbound, can't see God, can't know God, can't get
to God. He's just bound by this earth
and by his sin and all that. Scripture says, Can a leopard
change its spots? Turn over to John chapter 6.
John chapter 6. Scripture says, can a leopard
change its spot? Can the Ethiopian change his
skin? Can the leopard change its spots?
He said, neither can we do. Can you do good which are accustomed
to doing evil? Look at John chapter 6. Look
at verses 38 through 40. Christ said, I came down from
heaven. not to do mine own will, but
the will of him that sent man. This is the Father's will which
has sent me, that of all which he hath given me, chosen, elect,
all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing." Particular redemption? You'd better believe it. That's
exactly what that's saying. All which he hath given me, all
that I lay down my life for, all that I pay the penalty for,
I should lose nothing." That's God's will, and God's will will
be done. Now read on. "'Of all which he hath given
me, I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day.'" Look
at verse 40, "...and this is the will of him that sent me,
that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may
have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
Look at verse 44, "...no man can come to me except the Father
which hath sent me draw him, and I will raise him up." at
the light. There ain't no footprints in
the sand. We don't walk to heaven, we fly. You say, but I can't, I'm a man.
Christ can. If we're going to heaven, we're
going to have to fly there. And Christ said, I'm the way. Scripture says we'll mount up
as on wings of eagles. Whose wings? Are we going to
sprout wings like that dude in the movie? People don't do that. Whenever
you see something like that, that's the reason I believe the
Lord's return is so imminent, so soon. Because all this absolute
blasphemy that's going on against God, against his holy angels,
against the devil, he's coming soon. I'm telling you, he's going
to wipe this thing out. It can't go on much longer like
it is. All blasphemy has been turned
loose. Michael the archangel. You know what I'm talking about,
don't you? Don't you dare support that kind of thing. But we're going to be on wings. It's not going to be ours. Christ
has the wings. He's the way. He's going to take
us to God. Like I said, there are no two
sets of footprints in the sand. Bull on that. Isaiah 40 says
he carried us all the way from the cradle to the grave. He says
he carried us the whole way. Didn't put us down for a moment. We can't walk. Why Mephibosheth
can't walk? He's lame on both legs. All right,
well, he's saved now. He can walk, can't he? Mephibosheth,
get up from the table. Take a step, take one step. I
can't. So David says, pick him up, carry
him wherever he needs to go. Christ is the way. We're not
going to get to glory except by Christ doing what he did for
us. We're not going to get to glory
unless Christ takes us there. We're just not going to get there. I'm the way. All right, last
point. What kind of way is Christ? What
kind of way is Christ? He said there in our text, I
am a way. I am a road. I am a path. There
are many roads and many paths that lead to God. I'm just one
of them. Oh, some will go my way and some
will go their way, but we'll all end up there if you're sincere
enough." Is that what he said? I'm the one. Now listen to this. I'm quoting from our Roanoke
Times newspaper, a quotation by one whom men esteem
to be an angel from heaven. Billy Graham. Galatians 1.8 says, Though we
or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel, God damn him. That's what it means, anathema
marinatum. God damn that man. It's the only way you can use
those two words in conjunction and do it reverently. God damn
the man who preaches another way. Listen to what he says. Listen very carefully. "'I fully
adhere to the fundamental tenets of Christian faith for myself
and my ministry,' said the Rev. Billy Graham. But as an American,
I respect other paths to God. He's a liar, and Jesus Christ
is the truth. Don't place your soul in the
hands of Billy Graham, he'll damn you. He's a liar. Christ said, I am the way. I don't care if an Islamic fundamentalist
is so sincere and devoted and diligent about his prayers or
her prayers or whatever they do. If they don't come to God
by Christ Jesus the Lord, they're not going to get there. Because
Christ said, I'm the way. Boy, I could camp there a minute.
Do you see why this fundamental gospel, this Armenian gospel
today is absolute damnable doctrine? This man is the Pope, the Pope
of modern fundamental Christianity today. He said there are other paths
to God. I'm going to listen to the most high-potent type, the
King of kings and Lord of lords, who said, I'm the way. You're
not going to get there by me. He's the way. One hope of your
calling. Ephesians 4 says there's one
hope of your calling. How's that? If he calls you. One Lord, one faith, one faith. Jesus Christ is the
object of our faith. Did you read with joy over there
in Isaiah 35, what kind of way is Christ? He's a highway. Did
you read that? A highway? Highway. The word highway, I
looked that up. The word highway means the main
road for use by common people. Listen up, Joe. He said it's
for use by common people under, this is wonderful. This is just the dictionary.
the main road used by common people under the direction that
it was built by, or for, and under the protection of the king. That everybody who went this
way would be under the protection of the king. Common folk. Not royalty, They didn't travel
that way. Common folk went that way, and
the king directed it, the king built it, had it built, and the
king protected it and said, everyone that goes this way, they'll be
safe. Christ is the highway. All that
go this way shall make it to God. All that come to God by
Christ. That's what he said. He'd receive
all that come unto him. It's a safe way. It's under the
king's peace. You're thinking highway, you're
thinking high, highway, aren't you? Highway, well, this is what
the next, the next, well, there's a word I didn't write
it down. Why didn't I write that down? I remember, causeway. Christ
is a causeway. You ever gone over a causeway?
and Carol, you're going to go over a causeway when you get
to Florida and you start traveling over those swampy places and
water. To get over water, you've got
to go over a causeway. That means it's a high place
built in order to travel over water. We just studied about a deliverer
making the way for people to go through. Christ is the causeway. What about a freeway? The West Virginia Turnpike is
not a freeway. Believe me, I've spent $1,432.58
getting to Asheville, Kentucky. I know it's $3.75 one way. It is not a freeway. I've paid
for it personally, by myself. It's not a freeway. A freeway
means there's no toll, none. I'm not a dime. There used to
be a bridge in Russell, Kentucky that they'd charge you a dime
to get over it. And I remember times when I was
a sixteen-year-old boy, and don't ask me why I was going across
that bridge. But I was going across it, and there was a little
toll booth there, and it cost a dime. I didn't have a dime. I couldn't get over it. I didn't
have one pen dime. Or rather, I didn't have it coming
back. Coming back is when I didn't have it. But I couldn't get a
car. I had to go another way, or try to, anyway. You see the
picture? Christ is the freeway. He says,
Come all ye without money, without price. This way is only for those
who have nothing to pay. bankrupt sinner. They come to
God and say, In my hands, no price I bring. They come to Him
and say, Not by works of righteousness. I have no morality, no righteousness,
no goodness, nothing about me. The blood, the precious, priceless
blood of Christ. Or rather, he says it. He comes
forward and says, I plead my blood. It's paid. Will it get us across? Oh, my. Oh, my. It's a freeway. And lastly, it's a straight and
narrow way. Christ said, broad is the way,
the road that leads to destruction, wide is the gate There's a way
that seems right in the man the end is destruction is a wide
gate way Broadway and most men and women and young people traveling
Broadway way that they think is right. You just do good. You know, you'll get there. No,
you won't. No, you won't. Christ is straight
as a gate. Narrow is the way that leadeth
unto life. Few there be that find it. Christ
is the straight way. You can't turn to the right or
the left. You've got to come straight to Christ. Straight
to Christ. Straight gate. Christ is the
narrow way. Somebody said it's so narrow,
there's some entrances over in the Middle East that are like
little, just little bitty holes to go in. They're so narrow.
They say it's so narrow that you've got to almost strip off
all your clothes to get through. And that's a good illustration.
Because we come to Christ the way, we're going to have to strip
naked. We're going to have to come naked
to God. We're going to have to bow down.
It's a low way. You've got to bow down to get through. Christ
is the way. I am the way. All right, Brother
Joe, you'll come lead us in a closing hymn.