Truth and Salvation #1

I would invite you to the gospel of John chapter 14 as we continue our series on the entire principle of truth hello and welcome once again with Don green founding pastor of truth Community Church in Cincinnati Ohio Pineville right today. Don continues teaching God's people.

God's word is going to take a sobering look at the danger of watering down the deadly effects of sin done as part one of a message called truth and salvation and dawn. It seems as though there are far too many pastors preaching kind of a warm and fuzzy Kumbaya approach to Christianity. Rather than warning people to turn from their sin, but God's word is crystal clear about steering clear of a feel-good gospel is Jesus's own words can protect us from being misled on this point. And, you know, my friend, is your listening to today's broadcast.

Just remember that Jesus said I did not come to bring peace but a sword. And he also said a man's enemies will be the members of his own household. Let's difficult and sad to contemplate, but it shows us an important aspect of truth is that the gospel is not always going to feel good.

Jesus said in this world you will have tribulation. The call of Christ is to repent of sin and to follow him. So there's just a lot about the gospel that makes us uncomfortable, but we have the blessed joy when we follow Christ of being in fellowship with him and that's our focus for today. As we returned to our series in defense of truth. Thanks, Don, and friend.

If you have your Bible handy. Let's join our teacher. Now, with today's lesson from truthful you know when we walk around feeling the weight of sin. That's a genuine reality. The world tries to define away guilt and to explain it away into brought people with messages of self-esteem in order to minimize the effect of guilt on the human soul that's deadly that is wrong. That is the worst possible thing that we could do is to minimize guilt to people who are one day going to stand before a holy God. The biblical approach for dealing with guilt is to see the provision that God has made in order to resolve it in order to remove it.

In order to forgive it. There is reconciliation available, but it's not through your own works and it's certainly not through protesting that you are a good person. We must come to grips with sin and seek the divine method of deliverance from it and it is to those vital questions that Jesus speaks look at verse six with me again in our text. Jesus said to him said to Thomas, he said I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through me. No one comes to the father but through me.

The idea of going to the father of being safe in the father's hands are being delivered into salvation and and away from Santa being safe in the presence of God is the core of what Jesus is addressing in this text and during his ministry, as we see in the Gospel of John, Jesus spoke often about going to the father.

Look at John chapter 7 with me shall turn back just a few pages in your Bible John chapter 7 in verse 33 John seven verse 33 we read Jesus said for little while longer.

I am with you. Then I go to him who sent me. Jesus speaking about an earthly departure to go be with his father again in heaven turn over to John chapter 8 verse 21, where you see Jesus talking about this departure again this going away in John chapter 8 verse 21 he said again to the Jews. He said I go away and you will seek me and will die in your sin, where I am going, you cannot come. Jesus saying I am going the way I'm going to my father I'm I'm going to depart from this world. He had been inculcating.

He had been teaching that idea and developing it in the minds of his disciples throughout his ministry as its recorded force in the gospel of John, and he even return to that theme. On the night prior to his crucifixion.

Look at John chapter 13 John chapter 13 in verse 33.

Remember, this is on the night prior to his crucifixion as he speaks to his disciples, he says, little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek me and as I said to the Jews. Now also I say to you where I am going, you cannot come. Jesus reminding them of what he'd said earlier in the Gospels and saying I've been saying all along that I'm going away my time here on earth was never permanent. It was not his purpose to establish the kingdom in that first Advent he came he had a work of redemption to do but he said when the work is done. I'm going to go away. Now the word for go you know, we use a little word like that so commonly that we don't often stop to think about what it means.

But here it's important for us to do so. The word that is used here for translated go. It conveys the idea of going away or leaving it indicates someone is proceeding from a departure point to somewhere else. Jesus is here on earth is he speaking this is my departure point. I'm going to go away on going some where else. And I'm not going to be with you any longer. Now for the disciples. This was not news this was not something that they wanted to hear, even though was coming from the lips of their lords. They resisted the idea they loved Jesus. They depended on Jesus.

They were learning from Jesus. He was the source of their blessing. The source of their fellowship. The source of the love which had transformed their souls and so put yourself in the shoes are in the sandals of the disciples and understand that the idea of Christ going away. The idea of Christ departing from the only realm in which they had known him with something that was quite concerning to them of Peter questions him. He quizzes him in what follows, but he does not get anywhere in the discussion.

Look at verse 36 in Simon Peter this is John 1336 Simon Peter said to him, Lord, where are you going Jesus answered where I go you cannot follow me now you will follow later. You can see in Simon Peter's question. Where are you going, there's this note of urgency.

This this desperation longer talking about going away and I don't I don't understand, and so I want you to explain it to me.

Tell me where you are going and Jesus kind of deflects the question. He says where I go you cannot follow me now. That's not the time is not now for you to be with me as I depart going to depart by myself and you can't join me in this departure, but you'll follow me later Peter isn't having it. Peter said to them there in verse 37. The idea of separation from Christ.

To him was was unthinkable at the time and and he's a little bit you know I mean it's superficial here. We know that in just a few hours he'll deny Christ three times with curses so Peter is kind of riding the wave of emotion here rather than settled conviction, but you have to appreciate the, the urgency of the presence of Christ. To him the presence of Christ was was something serious and valuable to him, something that you know we might do well to reflect on how important the presence of Christ as manifested in his word is manifested in the practice of prayer is to us.

Peter says to him in verse 37, he says, Lord, why can I not follow you right now I will lay down my life for you. You know the superficial intentions of his heart were were in the right place. He says I don't know I don't want to be separated from you for a moment. Why can I go with you. Now you're who I want your who I want to be with and Jesus again deflecting the question and exposing the you know the the shallow nature of Peter's confession of faith. At that point in verse 38, he answered and will you lay down your life for me. Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny me three times and so the whole point of everything that we said so far is that Jesus has been emphasizing going away, going to the father going to be where the father is at and he is done this repeatedly throughout the course of his ministry and now as he approaches the cross he comes back to that theme is he's instructing his disciples in the upper room now without we go to chapter 14 and the chapter break unfortunately suggests that there is a change in subject or a change in dialogue and so very often when people will read from will read this text. There's no consideration of the context, I suppose.

I probably done that a time or two myself, but here in this time were taking some more time to look at the this text with greater care and greater detail. Understand that the chapter break is something that was added many centuries later, after the original text was written in the original text.

There were no chapter breaks and that's very important here to understand that the same subject of Jesus going away to the father.

The context is carrying into John chapter 14 verses one through six is not being changed, Jesus is talking about the same point about the presence of the father in here in John 14 one through six. You can you can see that the broader passage begins with the father and it ends with the father. Jesus says in chapter 14 verse one believe in God believe also in me. In other words, believe in the father, believe also in me. Then he is explicit in verse two in my father's house are many dwelling places he's talking about his father and what is there at his father and and why it's necessary for him to go there and he says if it were not so I would've told you. And now he starts to open up the purpose of his departure for them with more detail. He says, for I go, there's our word again I go to prepare a place for you. I am leaving I am. I am moving away from this departure point in order to be with my father and I am doing that in order to prepare a place for my disciples to be with me. Verse three you see again the concept of going if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

Then in verse six, Jesus says I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the father but through me.

And so in the six verse passage, Jesus is speaking about the father at the beginning and at the end he speaking in the middle about going the whole the whole emphasis here is that Jesus is going away in order to be with the father and is clarified for his disciples that he is doing something for their benefit, as he does that when he goes to the father. He'll be preparing a place to be with him forever. Now the question then becomes so urgent to us all. The question it's urgent for mankind. The question that surgeon for you and me in this room is, is this question and Jesus is answering this question in what he is saying here.

Who is it who is it that can go to the father can can just anyone go and be with God the father is it a matter of indifference what your religion is to all paths of every religion lead to God were the with a hardened unrepentant Pharisees who were about to participate in his crucifixion. Were they also on their way to see the father, were they going to the same place that Jesus was, what about you and me is it not that important to know the truth. Is it not that important to know who Jesus Christ is, is not that important to know what constitutes true worship is not that important to know what the. The mark of a Christian is as shown in the. The doctrine of perseverance kind wasting our time focusing on these things. Why can't we just eat drink and be Marion and let God sort it all out in the end, but doesn't work that way. Not everyone goes to the father Scriptures made that so abundantly clear and and who goes to the father. That's what we must see in this text.

There is a departure point and there is an arrival destination, departure and a destination in those two points are separated geographically and spiritually. You could say in the question is, is how do you get from point a of the departure on earth to point B the arrival in the father's house. What is it that joins those two together. How can that gap be bridged. That's what Jesus is saying that's what we must see in this text. Look at John chapter 14 verses four and 64 through six and notice the word way the word way that is there in each verse John chapter 14 verse four Jesus says to the disciples. You know the way where I am going Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you're going, how do we know the way Jesus said to him, I am the way and so see that that that the use the repeated use of that term shows us what the emphasis is Jesus is explaining to them. Here in verse six he is explaining the way from the departure point on earth to the destination point in heaven, and there is a way to get from point a to point B, but it is an exclusive narrow road in order to find it.

You see the father's presence is a destination to which you must go to which you must arrive. The kingdom is not found here on earth in this in this era, and so we have to be conscious of the fact that there is a there is a separation between us and the father. There is a separation geographically. He's in heaven where on earth there's a separation spiritually. He is holy. We are sinful. There is a unconquerable chasm between us and God and how can we get there. None of you none of you in your natural state. None of you none of you in your apart from Scripture have any idea how to get to heaven from Earth. None of you have the power to do that you cannot find it. You can't search it out with a telescope. And even if you could could join in a a rocket mission. It could never take you to heaven. Were you don't know where God dwells. You don't know where how to get to and from here to there. So you see that there is this unconquerable chasm between us and him this is that this is a great problem with especially when you put it in the context of the many warnings of Scripture that it is appointed for man to die once and then to face judgment. Death is going to carry us away. Death is going to carry us away from this realm and what's going to happen to you when it does, what a miserably lost position we find ourselves in. Apart from Scripture apart from Christ. Thomas sees the problem with his question in verse five.

Look at it with me again.

Thomas sees the problem and he sometimes derisively referred to as doubting Thomas but but he he saw the problem and he said, Lord, we do not know where you are going.

How do we know the way I want to be with you and yet you say that your departing you tell me that you're going to the father's house, and I don't know how to get there.

I don't have the power to do that II it's hard for me to even know what you're talking about Jesus. How can I go to a place that I cannot see, I've never tried to do this. I wish I'd thought of it before the message to dial in God's heaven in your GPS and see what it says to the GPS can't take you there. We are lost. Yet as we contemplate these things apart from Christ. And so Thomas is is crystallizing the issue for all of mankind. Where are you going we don't know the way and how are we going to get there now.

Jesus then is answering that question in verse six is been talking about going away is been preparing his disciples for it is been talking about a departure point in a destination point and now in verse six, he's about to answer this colossally important question, not just for Thomas in the circle of disciples there before all men of all time.

This is this is universal in its import. Universal in its consequence. So Jesus now answering Thomas's question, where are you going, how do we know the way and there's that there's that desperate urgency intent Thomases doubting mind Jesus now is going to answer the question.

He says in verse six Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through me. Now, beloved, sometimes the most important observations are the ones that are easiest to overlook and here in verse six. I want you to understand that Jesus is making an emphatic statement and he is making an exclusive statement this verse demolishes the idea that all religions lead to God. Jesus leaves no room for other religions leading to God. He leaves no room for other paths or ways to God they're all planes going to the wrong destination. Jesus says in verse six look at it with me.

It begins emphatically. I am the way and it concludes emphatically. No one comes to the father but through me.

I am the way I and I alone Jesus is saying in the way and no one comes to God the father except through me. If you reject me, you have close the door to hope if you reject me, you have no alternative way to get there there's not another.

There's not another train on the schedule.

There's not a second chance after death.

You either receive Christ in this life or you are eternally lost and judged and condemned in hell forever. And so Jesus is is emphatic about this. One of the reasons that were doing this series on truth is that it is such a it is such a confrontation with the spirit of our age that doesn't even care about truth that if it thinks about religion at all. Says it's really a matter of indifference. Your opinion is as good as mine, Scripture, the Lord Jesus Christ has none of that and it is as it is in plain English there in your text in words us almost exclusively single syllable site whose meaning cannot be evaded or denied.

Jesus says I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through me. You know you look at what Jesus said they're the only world with more than one syllable is the word father.

Everything else is a single syllable word. This is an complex.

This is simple enough for the youngest child in this room to be able to understand and to grasp the significance of what Jesus is saying, you know, when we think about the way to get somewhere. We think about the road that were going to take.

We think about the past that were going to walk on the sidewalk that will take to get from point a to point B you go to the store.

You go from your car to to the entrance of the story are going to walk across the parking lot.

There is something physical and tangible that we are used to associating with going from the departure point to the destination point, whether it's a car or train a plane. Whatever it is were used to something taking us there and having a having a physical reference point to get us to where we are going. It's something different here. Jesus rather than pointing to a bridge that leads to God a literal bridge of some kind. Rather than pointing to something physical and tangible. He points to himself and he says I am the way, he says, in my person by myself and the way to God and there is no other way to get to him only Christ is the path of destination to the father.

Only Christ has the power to bring you out of sin and into the family of God. Only Christ can take you from earth to heaven. No one else is able to do that no one else has the power to do that. Beloved, if it was possible for man to do this they would be doing it all the time they be selling tickets you know the rich people who want the opportunity to circle in space. What would people pay to get to heaven, but the bankruptcy of man the inability of man to concoct a way to get to God's dish is shown by the fact there is nothing like that you can get on a spaceship and go into the stratosphere, but you can't find any earthly vessel to take you to heaven. Only one way exists to heaven and it is through Jesus Christ men.

Thank God for his son Jesus Christ. It is in him alone that we find everlasting life.

Thank you so much for joining us today on the truth pulpit with Don green if you'd like to find out more about our ministry. We invite you to visit the truth. Pulpit.com. Once again, that's the truth. Pulpit.com out of time for today on Bill right inviting you to join us again next time.

As Don green continues teaching God's people. God's word here on the truthful