Jesus said, I am the

Way, the Truth, and the Life

Adapted from “I Am” series by K. Edward "Ed" Skidmore

http://www.sermoncentral.com/print_friendly.asp?SermonID=74673

John 14:1 ESV "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also

in me. 2 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? 3 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.

4 And you know the way to where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 6 Jesus

said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my

Father also.

From now on you do know him and have seen him." 8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is

enough for us." 9 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'?

10 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.

Of all the I AM statements Jesus made, this one is the most controversial to

the world in which we live. Folks today are willing to see Jesus as “A way, a truth, and a life” but not as “the way,

the truth, and the life.” Our culture cannot abide Jesus saying that he is

the only way to the Father. We need to understand why he said that, and what

it means for us.

Jesus told his 12 apostles “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” at the

Last Supper.During the meal, Jesus was saying

some important final words to his men. Jesus was preparing them for his

coming death, but they didn’t understand what he was saying,

In John 13:33 he said Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, 'Where I am

going you cannot come.' ESVJohn 13:36 ESV Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am

going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward."

37 Peter said to him, "Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." 38 Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not

crow till you have denied me three times.

All through the Last Supper and into the Garden where Jesus prayed before his arrest we notice two things about

Jesus disciples:They understood that Jesus was

troubled and under great pressure. They wanted desperately to reassure

Him that they would be loyal no matter what happened.

They did NOT understand what Jesus was telling them about his upcoming arrest, torture, trials, and death. They

couldn’t get it, or maybe they just didn’t want to get it. It was unthinkable that the Messiah they had waited for so

long would die before he could establish His kingdom.

They had another reason to resist the predictions Jesus was making. They were concerned not only that Jesus

might be killed but that they might be killed along with him. When Jesus said,

“Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”

He was trying to reassure them that they would not be killed by the Jews at

the time of his death.

Sadly, they understood nothing about what he was attempting to explain to them. The more He talked of going away to a place where they would

follow later, the more frustrated they became. Was He going to Galilee?

To Samaria?

Was he going to hide from the Jewish Leaders in the desert, or maybe in

Egypt? Finally, in exasperation, Thomas summed up the feelings of the

whole group. “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know

the way?”

Jesus used that one desperate question to answer all the questions of desperate people throughout the ages. His response was not detailed, but it was personal. His solution was not a

recipe; it is a relationship. (Frank Gaebelein)

Jesus didn’t just claim to know the way, the truth and the life as some kind of formula or philosophy. He claimed to

BE the way, the truth, and the life. He actually claimed to be the answer to

human problems.

In that statement, Jesus answered the questions that every person eventually

asks about life. It is common to all people that we long for purpose and meaning. Any thinking person will eventually ask some fundamental

questions about life.

One question people tend to ask is Where am I going? Many people ask

that question over and over in life without ever finding an answer that

lasts. They are going to get a degree or to get a promotion or to take a dream

vacation or buy a dream house. But as every temporary goal is attained the

question remains: Where am I going? To that question, Jesus answers: I AM

the Way.

Where am I going?I AM the Way

Jesus was telling the apostles that where He is going is ultimately where they are going. He was talking about Heaven, the ultimate destination for

every believer. In John 14:2 He said, 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?

The Greek word translated “rooms” actually comes from a verb that means

“abide” or “remain.” This is not a temporary shelter. It is a place that

continually abides and that remains for all eternity.

Speaking of Heaven, I like this quote from D.L. Moody. He said, “We believe

it is just as much an actual place as New York City, and a good deal more;

because New York will pass away, while the heavenly city will abide forever. It has foundations whose builder and maker is God.” (Classic

Sermons on heaven and Hell; Wiersbe, p. 9)

The attack on the twin towers showed us that even the greatest of cities can

crumble and fall in an instant. Only God’s eternal city will last forever. And

that is where we are going … IF we know the way.

A story is told of a missionary who was traveling to a remote village deep in a jungle region. A guide was selected to

take him because the only way to reach the village was to walk through the

tropical forest. The journey started out without much of a problem; the path

was good and easy to follow.

Soon, however, the path literally disappeared and the guide was forced

to cut away at the overgrown jungle with his machete. As time went by, the missionary grew concerned and asked, “Where is the path?” The guide smiled,

looked back at the missionary, and said, “I am the path.”

People can’t live much of life without wondering (and even worrying) about the future. When we ask WHERE AM I

GOING? Jesus answers, I AM THE WAY. Follow Him, and you will end up

at the eternal city where he has already prepared an abiding place just for you.

But we’re not there yet. And meanwhile, people also can’t help asking, Why am I here? For many

people, life seems pointless. Some say we should just eat, drink and be merry

for tomorrow we die. Others say we should renounce all earthly pleasures and take up meditation, chanting, or

yoga.

People follow gurus and philosophers of all types. They listen to celebrities and rock stars and professors and

politicians and sometimes even preachers.

All in a search for TRUTH.After all that searching, they come up

empty.

In 1969 Peggy Lee sang “Is That All There Is” on the Dean Martin show.

If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing,

Let's break out the booze and have a ball,

If that's all there is.

Unfortunately that sums up the way too many people feel.

People spend all their lives searching for a definitive answer to an essential

question:WHY AM I HERE?

If only they will listen to Jesus, they will hear the answer. I AM the truth.

Why am I here?I AM the Truth

Jesus is the truth because He has the power to make life one coherent experience. Life is full of ups and downs. Only Jesus can put it all

together into something with purpose and beauty.

On the night of the Last Supper, the Apostles had every reason to wonder what purpose their lives could have. If

Jesus died, like he kept saying he would, everything they had given their lives to for the last 3 years would be

completely meaningless.

How could it possibly be TRUE that Jesus was going to die? He had done

nothing wrong. Besides that, He had all the power of Heaven at his disposal. And yet Jesus kept saying he would

soon die. They knew the Jewish leaders were set

on arresting him. They knew they would seek the death penalty. They

knew the danger was real. But Jesus was telling the disciples what is

REALLY REAL.

When he said I AM the Truth he was telling them, AND US, that no matter

what anyone says, and no matter what circumstances come our way, we can always know the TRUTH if we know

HIM. If we take our eyes off the current circumstances and look to him, we will

know WHY WE ARE HERE and our lives will be filled with true purpose.

Because Jesus is the truth you can have light for the journey. You can see clearly to follow the path. As long as

you hold to the truth, you don’t have to fear going the wrong way. The WAY is

illuminated by the TRUTH. And both are found in JESUS.

When we ask WHERE AM I GOING? Jesus answers,I AM THE WAY.

When we ask WHY AM I HERE? Jesus answers, I AM THE TRUTH.

But all of us need to know more than our destination and our purpose for

living. We have a need to understand an even more basic question: WHO AM

I? To this question, Jesus answers: I AM the Life.

Who am I?I AM the Life

The interesting thing is that WHO I AM has everything to do with WHO HE IS. It

is through Jesus that we understand our own identity. Jesus is the life

because he lived here on earth. But more than that, he is the life because He still lives. Jesus died in order to

conquer death.

In an earlier sermon, we spoke about Jesus as the resurrection and the life. Jesus is the life because he alone has authority to bring life out of death. We

don’t have that authority within ourselves. But if you put your trust in Jesus, you will have “the life” within

you.

People talk about living The Good Life. (Or if not that, then maybe Livin’ La

Vida Loca.) Many years ago there was a TV sit-com called “The Life of Reilly”

Some of you may remember the phrase, “He’s living the life of Reilly.”

This implied that someone was living a great life full of pleasure and

enjoyment.

Jesus explained to his men that knowing and being connected to Him was the good life. It was life to the full.

Jesus said that he is the way, the truth, and the life. And then he finished with

this astounding claim: no one comes to the Father except through me. Because he is the way, the truth and the life, he

is the only means of reaching the Father. Jesus was not being arrogant

He was making the only possible deduction from the fact that He is the

unique and only Son of the Father.

Jesus is the only authorized revelation of God in human form, and he is also the only authorized representative of

humanity to God. When Jesus said, 7 “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him

and have seen him.” He was explaining that he had completely represented the Father in his own

person.

In vs. 9 he said, Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

In vs. 10 he said, “I am in the Father, and the Father is in me.”

The personality of Jesus is the very personality of God himself. The life of

Jesus is the life of God.

Are you asking the question, Where am I going? Your future is assured in

Jesus Christ.He is the way.

Are you asking the question, Why am I here? Real purpose is found only in

Jesus ChristHe is the truth.

Are you asking the question, Who am I? Your true identity is found only in

Jesus ChristHe is the life.