Turn to the Gospel of John, chapter 14. John 14, the Gospel. We'll read from verse one all the way to verse 14. John 14 from verse one up to verse 14. These are just the last hours of the Lord Jesus Christ before He goes to the cross. And He's having kind of a last meeting with His disciples to comfort them, to encourage them, to stir them up, to keep it up with the battle that is soon approaching and even after. The Lord says this, "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him." Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do because I'm going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it." It is Thursday evening. Like I said, Christ is soon going to the cross. They're just about to arrest Him. And these are the last words to His disciples or apostles as He encourages them. Obviously, they're worried. They've been with the Lord for the last three years or so. And the Lord has been kind of a father to them, the one that they lean on all the time, the one that they ask questions, the one that is a Rabbi to them, their teacher. And the Lord is clearly now showing them that soon He'll be parted from them. They're worried. And Christ's task is to comfort them, to give them comfort, to give them strength—strength to face the imminent trial that is just about to happen and, of course, a strength so that even after the cross they can be able to prosper the gospel to other ends of the world. We are interested here in verse six. If you concentrate on verse six together with me, then you'll be fine at the end of the preaching. So don't let your mind worry a lot, just think verse six. From verse four, the Lord says this, "You know the way to where I am going." That statement that the Lord made in verse four raised concern, even the more. It raised concern in the disciples', in the apostles' hearts. A concern to which they respond, especially through Thomas: "Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can we know the way?" So there is a back and forth conversation between the disciples and Christ. And of course, in verse five, Thomas is kind of speaking on their behalf. And response of Thomas raises another concern in the Lord. "How do you say that I should show you the way? You do not know the way, Mr. Thomas? All this while you can still stand as a representative of all these other guys and say, 'We do not know the way.' Are you truly right in your mind? For the last three years, you can still ask that I show you the way? Anyway, I'll remind you. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Period. Sit down, Thomas. That's enough. And you see the confidence with which Jesus Christ makes those statements is unflinching. He's so sure. The statement is so sure that He's not doubting anything, and He would rather the disciples not doubt in that statement either. So He's saying nothing, nothing but the truth, that He is the way, He is the truth, He is the life. So I want us to look at those three things that He says about Himself: the way, the truth, and the life. We begin with the way. So imagine Christ emphasizing this to their disciples, "I am the way." It means there's no any other way. There's no any other way, Thomas. In case you thought that I'm going to point you to somebody somewhere that he is the way, there is no any other way except this man, Jesus Christ, speaking to you. The one and only, I am. And you see that statement of "I am the way" truly, up to today, we can argue amongst ourselves for the sake of Christianity, we can say that this word of "the way," "I am the way," is what makes Christians proud people today. Why are we proud, and why should we be proud in the world? Not only in Australia, in the world, Christians should be proud for this reason: Many people out there are still searching for the way. And they're searching for the way in a wrong place. In a wrong place. As, we've found the way. Those who believe in Jesus Christ have found the way. Others are still trying to find the way in their own way, but as, we found the way. Did you play hide and seek when you are a little kid? And the first person to find the one hiding feels very proud as he looks at others still searching around and running. "I'm the first one to find the way, to find where he is hiding." That is our pride, that as the world still seeks to find this way, we have found the One who said, "I am the way." Many are beating themselves out there, seeking to find this way. Many are punishing their bodies, wanting to find this way, but it's all in vain. We have found the way in Christ. And this is why even in Antioch, if you read the book of Acts chapter 11, verse 26, we were proud to be given that name, "the way." You know, First Church of Nazarene, then "the way," of course, Christians followed. And we are truly the way, and we are happy to be given that badge on our back, saying, "These are the men of the way." We've just mentioned about Islam. They have their own way, which is not the way. They think they'll go to heaven because of their way, but the Lord is saying He is the way. I believe you have Buddhism even here in Australia. We have them in Kenya. They're seeking to find the way by beating their bodies, harming their bodies, that they may find the way to heaven. That is not the way. The Hare Krishna, that is not the way. The SDA, that is not the way. Those who seek the way through mortal priests, that is not the way. The way that we are declaring is immortal priest. The One who has done it and finished it and has sat down, work done. That's the way we are talking about here. Not going to confess your sins through mortal man and saying that through this mortal man, my sins will be forgiven, and this is the way therefore the Lord God will receive me. It's all wrong. It's not through mortal priests. We have one that the book of Hebrews tells us is immortal, and He did the work of priesthood on our behalf that we may be ushered into the kingdom of heaven. The only and one way. Some are laboring in terms of good works, that that is the way that will usher them to the Father. I like when Paul confronts his fellow Jews on this. As he prides in the Gentiles that the Gentiles have actually found the way while the Jews are still clamoring to find the way. And he tells the Jews this... let me just read it word for word, like I've said, it's not through good works. Neither is it through keeping the law if we must find this way to heavenly glory. He tells the Jews who were so strict in keeping the law that this will make them right with God. This will give them the way to heaven. Paul rebuts that, and he says this to fellow Jews in the book of Romans chapter 9. Let me just read from verse 30. Romans 9: "What shall we say then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith. But that Israel, who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness, did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone." They pursued the way through works. And if you want one who perfectly, quote, pursues the way through righteousness, find a Jew. And Paul says, "No, that will still not give you the way. It will not." So you see, the point I'm trying to make is that people are consciously aware that there's a way. People are consciously aware that there is God. And this is why we always say atheism is an impossibility. It is not possible to be an atheist because your conscience tells you there's God. You are working against your conscience. Your conscience tells you that there's a mighty being that you must relate well with. And you are refusing that. So man is born a worshiper, man is born a seeker of this righteous God. And he strives to seek this God and to make his ways right through whatever means. But where they get it wrong is trying to seek the wrong way or finding the wrong path to relate well with God, including keeping the laws, which Paul says will not help you. So any other way is not the way. You miss the point, you miss the path. We are talking of only one way. In this world of GPS, trying to find a location, you'll be told you can approach it from this end, you can approach it from this end, you can approach it from this end, but still, you'll actually come to Camden Valley Baptist Church. GPS gives you options, but you'll still arrive here. We are not talking of a GPS here. There is only one way to God. And that is the Lord Jesus Christ who says, "I am the way." Yet He goes on and says, "I'm the truth. I'm the truth." If you are taking notes, this should be your second point on this matter. He is the truth. Let me pause here and warn this kind of thinking that is prevalent today. There is a philosophy that says truth is relative. It's called relativism. The way you see it is true, it may not be true to me. The way I see it is true, it may not be true to you. So there's no truth. It depends on how you perceive it. How you perceive it is the truth. I may not perceive it the same way you are, therefore it's not truth to me. And people have borrowed or bought into that to an extent that there's no wrong, there's no right, it all depends on you. The Lord is saying it's not a matter of relativism. He is the truth. He is the truth. If it is black, it's black. It's not white. You must see it as black. If He is the truth, He is the truth. There's no any other truth. "Verily, verily, truly, truly, I say to you..." That's very emphatic. It just means that there's no any other truth apart from what He is saying. I want you, dear ones, to appreciate that God who never lies is the one who is speaking here. God who created you, God who knows much, much more than you do know, is the one speaking here. He's the one telling us this is the truth. You can't challenge that. You know, when Paul talks of teaches the doctrine of election, he in Romans 9 he says, you know, "Who are you, O man, to question God? Who are you, O man? You're just a clay. Can a clay pick a conversation with the potter? Can a clay claim to know the truth more than the one who is truth Himself, who created him?" And He is the one saying here, "I am the truth." God never lies. He's here saying that He is the truth. Therefore, to be trusted. Secondly, we can say that He's claiming to be the truth in the sense that, when you look and you read, study the Old Testament, there are figures in the Old Testament, there are events in the Old Testament, that we call types of Christ. For example, Moses in Deuteronomy 18, he says that, "Well, for me as Moses, I can speak to you and you can say nonsense, we'll not obey Moses. But the Lord will raise for you a prophet. That one, you must listen to Him. And you have no any other way." That prophet that Moses promises in Deuteronomy 18 is Christ Jesus. He becomes the truth in Christ Jesus. The type that Moses is talking about becomes Christ, the antitype, fulfilled in Christ, the prophecies. You remember the bronze serpent that was lifted up and if you look to this bronze serpent, you'll be healed from the bite of the snake. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself in John chapter 3, the gospel that we are reading here, He Himself said that that was a type of what we read in Numbers 21 was a type of Christ that will be lifted up. And if you look to Christ on the cross, then you'll be healed. That was a shadow of Christ, but in Christ, we find the truth of that shadow. And that's why it's right to argue that all prophecies find their fulfillment in Christ Jesus. All prophecies are not truth until you find the truth in Christ. Read Isaiah 53, you will not have found the truth in Isaiah 53 until you look to Christ that that book was looking forward to. You will not find the truth in the Passover lamb in Exodus until you see it in Christ. All these could only be fulfilled in the way, in the truth, the Lord Jesus. But then, thirdly, he says he is life. Let me now bring your attention as we look at this third claim. Let me bring to your attention, we've alluded to this already, but let me now emphasize it, that when you read verse 16, where he says, "I am the way and the truth and the life," you see, sometimes, not sometimes but always, when you are taught how to study the Bible, how to exegete the Bible, you are told that the grammar is important. Take into consideration grammar. Now there's a grammar here that speaks a lot, especially the article, "the." Notice that those three claims have "the." He's not just saying that "I am way, I'm truth, I'm life." He's not saying that. To each of those three claims, there is the article "the," which means again that there is no any other. He is the way par excellence, He is the life par excellence, He is... you cannot find any other, including trying to find life. There is no any other apart from the One that He gives. You see, John again, let's just rest there though this can be proven even from other passages. When Christ says, "I'm the truth, and the way, the truth, and the life," John is going round and round this particular thing called life in the entire book of John. Look at chapter one, the Gospel. Let's just pick it from verse four, chapter one. Okay, let's read from verse three, John. "All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made." Verse four, "In Him was life." In Him was life. In Himself, of course, we are talking of God here, unless you are reading Jehovah's Witness Bible. But, no, in Christ is life. This same person who is saying in verse 14 that "I'm life," in Him was life. John begins by telling you that. In fact, he ends by telling you that He is life. John ends by telling you that he is life. Look at chapter 20, verse 30. Let me read that again. "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name." The same person that says, "I am the life, you may have life in His name." You can decide even to flip back again to chapter 3. John still zeros in on this thing called life. Verse 16, and this is always a passage that is known by almost everyone, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." So let's say you are reading chapter 20, you are reading chapter 1 verse 4, and let's say you are reading chapter 3 verse 16 before you even read chapter 14. And you are asking yourself, "What is this life that John keeps on ping-ponging on back and forth, life, life?" Then you're wondering what is this that John is talking about. Then you come to chapter 14 verse 6, "I am the life. I am the life. I'm the life that you've been chasing, or John has been chasing in this book. And if you find Me, you find eternal life. If you find Me, you find life that is Me." And truly He is life. If you want to see more of this, you can turn to Romans chapter 5. We will not read it, but there, Paul argues about the first Adam that brought death verses the second Adam who brought life. First Adam who brought condemnation, and we all share in that. Then he argues for the second Adam, who is Christ Jesus, who gives us life and gives us eternal life, as opposed to the first Adam who gives condemnation and some condemnation eternally who will not believe in Christ Jesus. Christ is life. If you find Christ, you find life. You find eternal life. And this is why we started by seeing how people are trying to find the way to life, eternal life, in wrong places until you find that eternal life in Christ Jesus. You will search and search and search, you will not find. Lastly, let's look at the "I am" statement there. All those claims: the way, the truth, and the life. All those claims find their foundation on the "I am." Their foundation is on the "I am" statement in that verse six. They're preceded by the "I am" statement. This is the sixth "I am" statement out of I think the seven ones. You remember in chapter 6, "I'm the bread of life." Chapter 8, "I'm the light of the world." Chapter 10, you read of "I am the door, I am." And in chapter 10 verse 11 and 14, we read of "I am the good shepherd." It's always lovely to look at "I am the good shepherd" against the shepherds that had been condemned in Ezekiel, how they're bad shepherds. And Christ says, "Forget about those bad shepherds. You'll find the good one. I am the one." And He becomes the good shepherd on the "I am" statement because He is God. Because He is God. And that's why I'm saying that even these three claims: the way, truth, and life, find their foundation, they're anchored on the "I am" statement. You remember where we first find the "I am"? It's in Exodus chapter 3, when Moses, the burning bush, "Oh, go back, release Israelites from captivity." "Oh God, what will I tell them? Who has sent me?" "I AM has sent you." I AM is saying here that He's the way, the truth, and the life. In other words, we had the privilege last Sunday of Tom, a brother, exposing to us the deity of Christ from John. Here is another statement that proves His deity. So all those three sayings we are looking at in verse six find their foundation on God. The one speaking claiming these things is God, equal to the Father, making claims that the Father Himself would make, making claims that the Holy Spirit would make. And He even says in John 8, "Before Abraham was, I am." "You young man, now we know you are mad. You're just about 30 years, you're telling us before Abraham was, you were?" And that is blasphemy. But again, those people who wanted to stone Him based on what He said that before Abraham was, he was, or I am, didn't understand that with those claims they were going to stone God. That is what Christ was saying, that He lived before Abraham. We are looking at God in these statements, in verse six. We are looking at God speaking to the disciples. We are looking at God saying that He is the only way God to God. He is the God that leads you to God. He's the God of truth that is speaking the truth to you. He's the God that gives life, that is speaking to you that He gives life. He's claiming truth about Himself. He doesn't need a witness in this. He's a witness to Himself, as God. And that's why those three statements are factual, unchangeable, unshakable, worth believing, and acting upon. And so in all this, dear ones, our response should be, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." That should be your response. "Have mercy on me, a sinner. I've been sinning by rejecting your offer, the offer of Yourself, seeking to find my own way, or even rejecting that You are not there. Have mercy on me, a sinner." And help me to find You in the right place. And He has promised that He will in no way drive away anybody who prays that prayer, who pleads that plea, "Have mercy on me, a sinner." He will respond in kind and save them. He has provided one and only way to wash our sins to glory, to heaven. My first profession was agriculture. I'm an agriculturalist. And when we are being trained as agricultural officers, as you enter the farms of the college, there was a bath, you know, you have to... if you are driving, you have to drive over that disinfectant so that you don't bring disease into the farm. If you are walking, you have to disinfect your feet. And I've seen that even here in Australia, you are known for farming, very big farms. And you see, there's a farmer, and all farmers will not say that, "Okay, this path is where the bath is, but you can also use other roads that leads into the farm but you don't have baths there." A serious farmer will strict you and restrict you to the path that leads to his farm through the bath. That's where you leave all your dirt before you infect the farm. Oh, today, the One we are talking about is the one who washes you to glory. It's Christ Jesus. And He is the only way that cleanses you, that washes away your sins, that becomes your body bath, your soul bath, to heaven, Christ Jesus. Enter through Him. Seek Him and you'll find Him. Don't seek Him through your own way. Seek Him through His own way. Don't abuse the way that He has provided by saying you can provide your own way. You will not. Paul has said even to the Jews who are very good at good works, who are very good at keeping the law, would still not get to heaven through that. What do you think, or who do you think you are that you can find your own way? This is the only way. Christians, we are very proud of this. I've got a friend who used to tell us that, you know, when he thinks that he's a Christian, he wants to bounce around the street with shoes loaded with springs. Just to let everybody know that I'm a Christian. Hallelujah. This is your pride. You found the way. When people are being harassed out there, you have your rest in Christ Jesus. And we wait for the day of glory, when all these things will be by sight, and we'll remember to thank Him forever and ever, eternally, that by His grace He saved us. Amen. Amen.