John 14, Morning Praise (3)

February 24, 2013 · John

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Series · John · Week 10 of 43

Scripture referenced 10 passages

The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.

John 3:16 named as probably the most famous verse in John

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

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John 14:6

the main verse of the sermon: Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.

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John 12:36

identified as the turning point from public to private ministry

36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become children of light.” Jesus said these things, and he departed and hid himself from them.

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John 13

end of chapter 13 where Jesus foretold Peter's denial

1 Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his time had come that he would depart from this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,

3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he came from God, and was going to God,

4 arose from supper, and laid aside his outer garments. He took a towel, and wrapped a towel around his waist.

5 Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6 Then he came to Simon Peter. He said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”

7 Jesus answered him, “You don’t know what I am doing now, but you will understand later.”

8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”

10 Jesus said to him, “Someone who has bathed only needs to have his feet washed, but is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.”

11 For he knew him who would betray him, therefore he said, “You are not all clean.”

12 So when he had washed their feet, put his outer garment back on, and sat down again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?

13 You call me, ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord.’ You say so correctly, for so I am.

14 If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.

16 Most certainly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his lord, neither one who is sent greater than he who sent him.

17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

18 I don’t speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen. But that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me.’

19 From now on, I tell you before it happens, that when it happens, you may believe that I am he.

20 Most certainly I tell you, he who receives whomever I send, receives me; and he who receives me, receives him who sent me.”

21 When Jesus had said this, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, “Most certainly I tell you that one of you will betray me.”

22 The disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom he spoke.

23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was at the table, leaning against Jesus’ breast.

24 Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom he speaks.”

25 He, leaning back, as he was, on Jesus’ breast, asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

26 Jesus therefore answered, “It is he to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

27 After the piece of bread, then Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”

28 Now no man at the table knew why he said this to him.

29 For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus said to him, “Buy what things we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor.

30 Therefore having received that morsel, he went out immediately. It was night.

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.

32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him immediately.

33 Little children, I will be with you a little while longer. You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you can’t come,’ so now I tell you.

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another.

35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you can’t follow now, but you will follow afterwards.”

37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

38 Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for me? Most certainly I tell you, the rooster won’t crow until you have denied me three times.

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John 14:1

let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me

1 “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.

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John 14:2

in my Father's house are many mansions, I go to prepare a place for you

2 In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you.

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John 14:31

Jesus tells disciples to rise and go, beginning the walk to the Mount of Olives

31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father commanded me, even so I do. Arise, let us go from here.

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John 8:58

before Abraham was, I am, cited as the I am statement without a predicate nominative

58 Jesus said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM.”

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John 8

Pharisees reacted when Jesus said my Father, accusing him of making himself equal with God

1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 Now very early in the morning, he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him. He sat down, and taught them.

3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the middle,

4 they told him, “Teacher, we found this woman in adultery, in the very act.

5 Now in our law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What then do you say about her?”

6 They said this testing him, that they might have something to accuse him of. But Jesus stooped down, and wrote on the ground with his finger.

7 But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.”

8 Again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.

9 They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the last. Jesus was left alone with the woman where she was, in the middle.

10 Jesus, standing up, saw her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?”

11 She said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”

12 Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

13 The Pharisees therefore said to him, “You testify about yourself. Your testimony is not valid.”

14 Jesus answered them, “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from, and where I am going; but you don’t know where I came from, or where I am going.

15 You judge according to the flesh. I judge no one.

16 Even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent me.

17 It’s also written in your law that the testimony of two people is valid.

18 I am one who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me.”

19 They said therefore to him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me, nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”

20 Jesus spoke these words in the treasury, as he taught in the temple. Yet no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

21 Jesus said therefore again to them, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sins. Where I go, you can’t come.”

22 The Jews therefore said, “Will he kill himself, because he says, ‘Where I am going, you can’t come’?”

23 He said to them, “You are from beneath. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world.

24 I said therefore to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”

25 They said therefore to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.

26 I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you. However he who sent me is true; and the things which I heard from him, these I say to the world.”

27 They didn’t understand that he spoke to them about the Father.

28 Jesus therefore said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught me, I say these things.

29 He who sent me is with me. The Father hasn’t left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

30 As he spoke these things, many believed in him.

31 Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples.

32 You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s offspring, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How do you say, ‘You will be made free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is the bondservant of sin.

35 A bondservant doesn’t live in the house forever. A son remains forever.

36 If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

37 I know that you are Abraham’s offspring, yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you.

38 I say the things which I have seen with my Father; and you also do the things which you have seen with your father.”

39 They answered him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.

40 But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham didn’t do this.

41 You do the works of your father.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father, God.”

42 Therefore Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love me, for I came out and have come from God. For I haven’t come of myself, but he sent me.

43 Why don’t you understand my speech? Because you can’t hear my word.

44 You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own; for he is a liar, and the father of lies.

45 But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe me.

46 Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

47 He who is of God hears the words of God. For this cause you don’t hear, because you are not of God.”

48 Then the Jews answered him, “Don’t we say well that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?”

49 Jesus answered, “I don’t have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.

50 But I don’t seek my own glory. There is one who seeks and judges.

51 Most certainly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will never see death.”

52 Then the Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets; and you say, ‘If a man keeps my word, he will never taste of death.’

53 Are you greater than our father, Abraham, who died? The prophets died. Who do you make yourself out to be?”

54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is…

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Colossians

Paul says Christians can make up that which was lacking in the death of Christ, meaning spreading the message

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Recap

The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.

This message walked through John 14:1-6, one of the most well-known verses in the entire Gospel, paying close attention to what Jesus was actually doing when He said it. Pastor set the verse inside the farewell discourse Jesus gave to His believing disciples in the upper room, arguing that understanding who was in the room and why changes everything about how the verse lands.

What was said

The farewell discourse, running across several chapters in John, is Jesus's private conference with His closest friends on the night He was betrayed. Judas had already been dismissed. Peter had already been warned he would deny Jesus three times. These were believing disciples, and Jesus was preparing them for what life would look like without His physical presence. The instinct to go back to fishing, to fall back on what they knew before, was real, and the whole discourse was aimed at keeping them from doing exactly that.

Verse one opens with a direct command: "Let not your heart be troubled." The preacher pointed out that the command rests on something Jesus treated as established fact, not a hope. You believe in God, you believe in me, and that is the ground for refusing to be troubled. The assurance that Jesus was going to prepare a place and was coming back was stated in the strongest possible terms, with no ambiguity left in the tense or voice of the verbs.

Thomas's interruption is what draws out the famous verse. He wanted a map. He was listening carefully enough to notice that Jesus had said "where I am going you cannot come" and then "you know the way," and he was honest enough to say that did not add up. Pastor gave Thomas credit for paying attention and for a realism that was also present when he was willing to follow Jesus toward Bethany even if it meant death.

Jesus's answer begins with "I am," and the preacher spent considerable time on why that matters. In both Spanish and Greek, dropping the explicit subject pronoun changes the weight of the sentence. The Greek "ego eimi," where we get the word ego, is not a neutral statement. For a Jewish listener who knew the Old Testament, hearing a sentence begin that way called directly back to God's words to Moses: "Tell them I am sent you." This is the sixth of the seven "I am" statements in John that carry a predicate, and every one of them is a strong claim to deity.

Each of the three things Jesus names, the way, the truth, and the life, carries a definite article. Pastor was firm that these are not three ways of describing one thing. John puts "and" between each one intentionally. He is the way, not a way among others. He is the truth, meaning anything outside of Him is by definition a lie, however attractive or sincere. He is the life, the only life lived without sin, which gave Him the right to eternal life, a right He voluntarily gave up and transferred to anyone who believes.

The closing clause, "no one comes to the Father except through Me," is as exclusive as language can be. The preacher noted that Jesus says "the Father," not "my Father" or "our Father," pointing to the singular reality of the one God. He also noted the grammar of the verb: no one brings himself before the Father. There is no ground to stand on before God on your own. The exclusivity of the statement was not softened, but Pastor kept returning to the context: Jesus was saying this to people He loved, out of love, because it matters what you believe and where it leads.

The preacher closed by playing a short video of S.M. Lockridge preaching about Jesus, and offered it as doing better than he could what the whole sermon was building toward: describing who this Jesus actually is.

Doing a Bible study?

Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.

The pastor described Jesus's private conference with the disciples as preparation for life without him physically present, and noted that even after it, they went back to fishing. What does that tell us about how hard it is to let go of what we knew before following Jesus, and where do you see that pull in your own life?
The pastor pointed out that John 14:6 is often used as an evangelistic verse, but in context Jesus was speaking to believers, reassuring and equipping them. How does knowing Jesus spoke these words to his own friends, out of love and concern, change the way you hear 'I am the way, the truth, and the life'?

and 3 more questions in the guide

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0:01 Today, you all know that we're in a study on John and of all the verses in John that are famous, there are tons of them. We've been through a whole lot of them. John three sixteen probably is the most famous, what most well known. But John fourteen six is not too far along behind that and that's it right there. The period of conference, it starts transitioning in.

0:27 Last week when Eric Basie was here and he was preaching, he was talking about this period of conference that he got and going. It's Jesus in the upper room with his disciples. Now, a couple weeks ago, we did the a story of Mary anointing the feet of Jesus and that was kind of the crisis moment. It is the beginning of the hour has come for the son of man to be glorified, Jesus said. He said it several times but then, instead of being public ministry from then until the cross, what we see is Jesus's private ministry with his disciples, his friends, with Christians for the most part.

1:02 This is a picture of a barn. Looks like a barn, a church in Rio Bravo, Mexico. When I start reading, a lot of times I'll read in English, then I'll read in Spanish, then I'll read a little bit just to see if anything sheds a little different light on something. We used to take teams in, and this is the first thing that you get to coming into the town we lived in in Mexico. And when people we bring teams from Georgia and Alabama and Florida and all over everywhere Mid Midwest too.

1:29 But a lot of the Alabama teams especially would look at it and say, Jesus is an El Camino. Is the way. That's what it means. Who knows why Chevrolet decided to call El Camino the way? It's unless you wanted a Malibu and a pickup truck, couldn't decide between the two.

1:58 But Jesus es del Camino. For avoiding missteps, lies, and death in this life and the next, Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. And so that's what we're gonna go on. And I think this is a short sermon. Donnie said, don't ever tell him it's a short sermon just in case it doesn't turn out to be true.

2:17 I have a short sermon, then I have a short sermon on top of it to share with you that's from an older preacher who I think cast great light on this verse in particular. So it transitions from the period of crisis in chapter twelve thirty six. That's where it turns in Jesus. It's after the Greeks have been seeking Jesus and he does a long exposition about his death publicly. Apparently, with the Greeks listening and then they retire back to the upper room.

2:44 If you pay attention to the other gospels too, Jesus sent a couple of the disciples ahead, not Judas to set up the room where they would meet. He didn't send Judas and he didn't let Judas know where it was because at this time Judas had already made his deal with the authorities. And so he sends ahead a couple of disciples and they go find this room and it's a little bit covert because Jesus wanted for this meeting place to be a quiet, secret place that he could share with his friends. So when he let's go. The conference with his believing disciples begins about a chapter later.

3:18 That's after the foot washing. After he washed Judas' feet knowing that he would betray him as Eric was telling us last week. After he served him in that way, he dismissed him and, you know, go and what you must do, do quickly. He knew he had a limited time. Now, in John, it looks like, must not have been too limited.

3:40 It's three chapters long. It is three chapters of Jesus's conference with his disciples. What he was doing during this conference is preparing them who had been those who had been walking with him for three years. He was preparing them for what it was going to be like. What is life going to be like without me physically here with you?

3:59 We look and we've had the benefit of being able to read to the end of the story and see that what Peter do, what did the other disciples do when Jesus was gone? In between time, even though he had this period of conference, they went back to fishing. What else are they going do? That's what they did before they met Jesus. That's all they knew how to do.

4:14 So, that's what they did. They went back to fishing. Jesus was preparing them during this conference not to go back to the religiosity and religion that they had known. And so this is where this verse comes in. This is a continuous farewell address given by Jesus equipping.

4:30 A lot of times, the verse that we're going to go over in particular days, John fourteen:six, you'll see it used evangelistically and that's fine to do that. But in this context, Jesus was really assuring, reassuring, and equipping his disciples with a very exclusive message. That sounds harsh in today's pluralistic society. I'll come back around to it a couple of different times, but it's a farewell address. It's interrupted only by the disciples' questions.

4:59 We hear from Thomas. We hear from Philip. We hear from Peter while he's trying to tell them, okay, this is what it's gonna be like. This is the game plan. Woah.

5:07 Woah. Woah. A second. I have a question. You hear that a couple of different times.

5:11 I will go over the context again. Always good when you're studying scripture to figure out who it is, when, where, and why. Who is it? It's the believing disciples. This is after he dismissed Judas.

5:27 It's actually after he had told Peter that he would deny him three times. He'd already given Peter that heads up in the end of chapter 13. When was it? It was the night that he was betrayed. So, when he dismissed Judas, he knew that Judas would be coming back for him.

5:43 If you're looking at where, it starts in the upper room but around fourteen thirty one or somewhere, Jesus says, alright, let's get up from here and go. He knew that there had been enough time for Judas to get to this chief priest and come back And so he gets up and they go en route to the Mount Of Olives Garden Of Gethsemane. So they're walking from the upper room, maybe through the temple, maybe through the temple grounds, but they were on their way to the Mount Of Olives. And the why is equipping. Now the what is the actual content content of the discourse.

6:15 And since I'm only gonna cover one verse really today, I'm gonna go through six verses, but the one that I'm really gonna concentrate on is fourteen six. Read that. It's so good. It's so so good especially if you'll read it thinking, this is Jesus to a beloved disciple. If you consider yourself a friend of God, if you consider yourself to be a Christian, then Jesus is speaking to you in these three chapters and it's really, really encouraging.

6:42 If you look at it with those lies, I mean, I mean, A lot of times when we read the scripture, we're like, I know I ought to read the Bible. So I'm gonna read it. And you get to a chapter and you're just reading through it going, yeah, don't know what that means at all. But I know I'm supposed to read the Bible. Sometimes the words are just jumping off the page.

6:59 Sometimes the key to unlocking it, making making the things jump off the page, getting that pray for illumination, and then ask God, Who is this speaking to? Is this speaking to me? This is speaking to us as Christians. It was motivated by love and concern for them and for us and for others. The evangelistic use of the scripture is not a misuse of it, but it tends to be what people say.

7:23 When I was a teenager in Shiloh, Georgia, Manchester, Georgia was the nearest town before we bought groceries, nearest town with a red light. And when we went there, they had like a youth Jackson Hole Youth Alliance. They had a youth alliance that we started and it was called the way and it was based on this verse and it was all about reaching the unreached kids for Christ in the community. Bring em in. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

7:46 I think that that's fine to use it that way but the way that he was using it, he was assuring them of the truth of it. So this is the verse. I am the way and the truth and the lie. I love the microphone being on my head so I can walk around like this. John fourteen one through six is what we read.

8:08 So John fourteen one. This is right after, immediately after, he was speaking to Peter about his denial. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. That first verse, do you believe in God, believe also in me?

8:30 Both of those are I'm a grammarian. Here it goes. Both of those are in the indicative tense, but because of the peculiarity of that verb, it can also be a command. Just like in English, we say, I believe or believe with your fingers. Believe.

8:47 So Jesus says, right before that, the let not your hearts be troubled. That's a direct command. He's saying it directly to the disciples. He's saying it directly to you. Whatever it is that's bothering you, don't let that bother you.

9:00 Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. He's saying, you believe in God. That's indicative. It is just indicates the truth.

9:11 You believe in God. And he's speaking to his disciples. He's speaking to Christians before they were known as Christians and he said, you believe in me? Why in the world would your hearts be troubled? You believe in God.

9:24 You believe in me. You have within you the power of God living in your heart. You believe in God. You believe in me. Now, most modern English translations go, believe in God, believe in me and that's why we end up using this as an evangelistic passage but he's speaking directly to his beloved disciple.

9:43 So, you believe in God. He's assuring them. Believe in me. That's verse one. Verse two, in my father's house are many.

9:53 What does your version say? Mansions. Mansions, mansion used to be like motel or room and it snuck in through the Latin Vulgate into William Tyndale's translation in the fourteen hundreds. This is a long time back that we have it as mansions. It's really more like rooms, cells, not like in jail cells.

10:15 Like in a monastery cells. Places that are rooms. And if you look at this, in my father's house are many this is New King James, so it says many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

10:29 In Jewish custom, according to the times, a father would have a house and as a bridegroom would prepare for his bride, he would add on to dad's house. He'd go you know, the betrothal period is very official. He comes back out of dad's house and he starts building on a place for he and his bride to live out their days in his family. So when Jesus says to his disciples, I'm going to prepare a place for you. He's saying, this is like, you know, we we get it through Paul, the the bride of Christ and the the body of Christ and all of those different analogies.

11:07 We we get that. But this is very early on. It's before the cross. When when he's speaking to the disciples, he's given them something that they would have known. I'm going to prepare a place for you.

11:17 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself. There's no doubt about it. The tense of verbs there, the voice of verbs there. It is I myself am going and I myself am coming back. No doubt.

11:30 Bodily return of Christ. That where I am, there you may be also. And where I go, you know, and the way you know and then Thomas interrupts him. Thomas is always a realist. We call him doubting Thomas.

11:49 Thomas pays attention to what's going on. Thomas is looking for what's going on. When Jesus had warned them ahead of time, if anybody comes to you pretended to be the question, Thomas actually does. When he comes back after the resurrection, he said, nope, not till I put my hands in the wounds. We call him doubting Thomas but think of the faith that it took.

12:09 You remember a couple chapters back when they were down and Jesus said, okay, let us go up to Bethany. And Thomas says, alright. Even if they're gonna kill us, let's go with him. He was willing to follow him even unto death. So, Thomas, we give him a bad rap but he's he's pretty good especially it shows he's listening.

12:27 Listen to what he says. Thomas said to him, lord, we do not know where you're going. A little earlier, a couple chapters back, Jesus had foretold his death in the end of chapter 12 and he said, where I'm going, you can't go with me right now but I'll come back for you. Where I'm going, you can't go but I'll come back for you. And he says again, he said, lord, we don't know where you're going.

12:51 And how can we know the way? He's a realist. He wants a map. He wants a map quest printout that has been proven. He's used it before.

13:01 No. And Jesus said to him, this is the context of this very famous verse. I am the way and the truth and the life. I'm saying that in Spanish now, in Greek. Spanish and Greek.

13:21 No one comes unto the father except through me. Now, this is where we just break this verse down, and it is straight up grammar. I am. Y'all remember this dog? This dog never would have been famous if he actually said that.

13:37 Quiero Taco Bell. He never would have been famous. You wouldn't know who he was right now. But what did he actually say? Yo, Quiero Taco Bell.

13:47 That's different. That's a totally different thing, and it transmits even into English. In Spanish, Quiero Taco Bell means I want Taco Bell. That's what it means. So does Yo Quiero Taco Bell.

13:59 That's exactly what it means. I want Taco Bell. But you can't even add exclamation points to this because it's like, yeah, I want Taco Bell. Might as well. They haven't left Jackson yet.

14:11 This this is years ago. You have to think back. But is in fact, it deserves an exclamation point because in the peculiarities of the Spanish language as well as the Greek, when you say, I want, you can just say it as. And in Greek, you can say, hey, me. That means I am.

14:34 Now, when you put the ego, like where we get our word ego from, when you put ego, ego, I, the I part. When you put ego in front of Amy, it means, I am. It screams it. So, when Jesus says, I am. He says, in all of these places, Ego and me.

14:56 For us, it's not that big a deal, big deal. I am. But for Jews, familiar with the Old Testament, to hear I am, start something off with the Ego in front of it. It calls back to the Old Testament's I am. Tell them I am sent you.

15:16 I am that I am, God almighty. So, the seven I am statements of Jesus in John. This is the sixth one. This is the sixth one that has a predicate nominative. This is the sixth one that has an object, the I am, and he tells what he is.

15:32 But when he starts off with I am, it's a very, very strong claim to deity. I am the bread of life. He is our sustenance. I am the light of the world. And then later on in Matthew, he says, we you are the light of the world.

15:48 He spreads the light to this world. I am the door. That's gonna come back later on. I am the good shepherd. I am, he says to Martha and Mary at the raising of Lazarus right before he proves it.

16:05 I am the resurrection and the life. And right here he says, I am the way, the truth, the life. We'll see next week, I am the true vine. But don't forget this one. This one does not have that predicate nominative.

16:20 This one doesn't have anything that says I am anything. This one, there's no doubt about whether this is claimed to be it or not because most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. Ultimate being. No doubt about it. No past.

16:35 No future. He is outside of time completely. He is. Always. John eight fifty eight.

16:43 Now the way. It does not say I am a way or not. In today's society where we live, it is not politically correct to press down on or to claim that anyone's beliefs or religion are not true and valid. Whatever you believe is okay. That's what our government would tell us.

17:07 Whatever you believe is okay according to the government. Like, whatever you believe is fine according to our society. That's alright. But where will it get you? That's what Jesus is speaking to with the disciples.

17:20 Now, at this time, religiosity had been their past. Jewish religiosity having to do the right things at the right time in the right way in order to atone for sin which we find out that the blood of bulls and goats never did atone for. So they had to do the right thing the right way. Does that remind you of any other religions in the world today? Every other religion in the world today.

17:46 Jesus does not claim to be a way. All roads lead to the same place. I would agree with that statement if they would qualify just a little bit. All roads except one lead to the same place. The way.

18:03 Originally Christians were not called Christians. They're called Christians for the first time in Antioch. What they were called for a long long time and still today in some places they're called followers of the way, not a way, a certain way. That's a cult if it's just a following of a way, following the way. So anything outside of the way is a misstep.

18:24 It is by very definition off of the way, the path, El Camino. It is undoubtedly an error and it has grave consequences. Jesus speaks about the wide and the narrow road. Wide and the narrow path. There is a narrow path.

18:41 He is in. The way. Off of that is the wide road. Where does that lead? Destruction.

18:48 Destruction. Perdition on the way to destruction. It will not get you where you wanna go. It will it's not like Visa. It's everywhere you wanna be.

18:57 It it will it will not get you where you are. So the next thing is and a lot of people and all a lot of the commentaries and a lot of reading I've done on this, they say the way is the big thing and then truth points back to it and says he's the true way and then life means he's the way of life. No. They're separated. John separates them with an and in between each one.

19:17 This is a grammarian sticking point, but I'll admit to it. Have you all ever seen that comma that goes before the and? You know what that's called? That's called an Oxford comma. I am a big fan of the Oxford comma.

19:28 I like that little comma before the and because red comma, white and blue is different from red comma, white comma, and blue. No nobody in here cares except for Joe Sickle. There's somebody right there. Yes. I get a hand.

19:42 I also see that hand. Alright. It is a different thing to have the comma between white and blue because white and blue could be a mix of white and blue. Red, white, and blue. Jesus is the way and the truth and the life.

19:57 He's not saying I'm the way that's true and it's the one that leads to life. No. I am the way and I am the truth and I am the Now, anything that's outside of the truth, by very definition, is a lie. He's speaking to guys who grew up a certain way and tradition is sticky. It sticks to us like crazy.

20:20 He's speaking to guys who he knew had done the right things in the right way as best they could. No matter how attractive that is to feel like you're doing something to atone for your sins. In Mexico, people used to climb to the top of mountains because every step along the way to that cross that's up at the top of the mountain, every step along the way dropped a sin behind them. It's just religiosity. It's not in the Bible.

20:43 Nothing like that in the Bible. But it's attractive to think I can do something to rid myself of sin. It's a lie. No matter how attractive, no matter how inspiring, it is just a lie. And as harsh as this sounds in our modern day and age, it applies to all other religions and all other philosophies.

21:05 It is bold and it is inherently exclusive. So this could sound really, really, really, really ugly if it's not motivated by love to dear friends, to Christians, to those followers of the way. What he's saying is this matters. There is an urgency to what you believe. Don't go back to what you knew before.

21:26 You can go back to fishing, but don't go back to what you knew before. And the life. The life. Each of these is the. It's a definite article, not an indefinite article.

21:38 It's not a life. It's one way to go. It's an alternative lifestyle. It is not. It is the life.

21:44 It is the way. It is the truth. The life, Jesus was the only one that lived a perfect life. His life was the only one that God can look at and say, he did it correctly. He did it right.

22:00 He had the right to eternal life. Since he held the right to eternal life and he voluntarily gave that up in death, he transferred to anyone who would believe, he said, over and over and over, he said, if you believe in me, if you put your trust in me, if you have faith in me, I will give to you my right to be called the son of God. Children of God is what he has given to us. So, anything outside of the life will just end in death. That's harsh.

22:35 It's both physical and spiritual. That's harsh too. But when we're singing, oh death, where is that sting? Oh death, where is that victory? This is what we're singing about because Jesus had the life and he chose to give up the life and the only perfect sacrificial death.

22:56 If life ends physically and spiritually, that is eternal separation. We have another thing that is not terribly popular. There are even Christians and a movement of Christians who are trying to say, no, that's not true. Everyone will eventually be saved. It will be purged away.

23:14 No. Anything outside of the life is death. And it is eternal separation from God and eternal suffering. And that is very very hard if it's not motivated by love. But knowing this, what did his disciples do with the way, the truth, and the life?

23:35 They were inspired to go out and change the world. Just before this, Jesus had told them that they would do greater things. This was before the cross. When he went to the cross, he's the only one that could do that but Paul says in Colossians that we as Christians can make up that which was lacking in the death of Christ. That which was lacking in the blood of Christ.

23:54 The only thing that's lacking in the blood of Christ is people knowing about it. He's given it to us to transfer the message to the world and these guys did. Every single one of the disciples was eventually murdered. None of them turned back. None of them went apostate.

24:11 Outside of Judas, I'm talking about the eleventh. Okay. Continuing with our grammar lesson. No one brings himself before them. The translations almost always say, no one comes before the father except through me.

24:24 The verb there, this is ridiculous, but the verb there is deponent. Meaning, it started in a middle voice of three people that care. Middle voice means, I myself or I have done something for myself. I do this. Now, somewhere in the history of the Greek language, they started, well, it's always something that you do for yourself.

24:45 When you come somewhere, you're always bringing yourself there. So, it became just a normal thing and they call it the opponent rather than middle. This one's truly middle. Jesus says, No one brings himself before the Father. You have no leg to stand on before the Father.

25:04 Except well, except through me. The other thing that's interesting here is it's not just the way, the truth, the life, it is the father. You remember earlier? I think it was chapter eight where he said, my father, oh my goodness. The Pharisees had a fit.

25:20 Oh, he says, my father, father, he makes himself equal with God. They would have all said, our father. He doesn't say our father and he doesn't say my father. He says, the father. The way, the truth, and the life said, the father.

25:34 There is but one God. Everything else is anointed. The father. No one brings himself before the father. You do not have a leg to stand on except through me.

25:49 But no one there is in fact, he didn't have to say it the way that he did, but he said, no one screamed it except through me. We're gonna sing this next, there's a video and it is of SM Lockridge and he's talking about Jesus and he's saying, that is my key and I can't do it any better than him. So, I'm going to let him do it. It's a YouTube video. Larry will swap this over here in a minute but if you would just listen to it, I don't just kind of scour Internet looking for sermons and and videos, but this one is fantastic.

26:23 So if you would appreciate it, six minutes and fourteen seconds long. Go ahead, Larry. It takes about five or six seconds before it really crank up. People don't talk that way about Allah. They really don't.

32:27 Jesus was a personal guy who was also almighty God. If you don't know him today, I think right now there's a room full of encouraged Christians for you to grab hold of. Grab one of them while we're singing this last song and say, wanna know that guy. That's my kid.

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