Let's return to John chapter 14, as we continue this upper-room discourse. John chapter 14, we've been dealing with the angst of the disciples, as Jesus has told them that he will soon be departing from them, as Judas has left their midst, as there has been a prediction now of not only Peter's direct accusation of his betrayal, that he would betray them before the cockcrows three times, but generally they all would disperse. And they would all run away from their faithful devotion to Christ. And so we find the disciples vexed by this information. We find them troubled, and now they begin to have questions that they're bringing to the Lord. He seeks to comfort them, as we studied last week, by saying that where he is going, he will prepare a place for them, and that there will be room for all who desire to come there with him. There is no limit to the rooms as it were in the Father's house. The one who enters into the labors in the field early in the day, and the one who arrives just before the closing of time, all will find access to the Father's house. And in this time of comfort that he is giving them, they want to go with him. Peter, of course, first asked, Lord, where are you going? And then he wants to go immediately. Why can't I follow you now? And Jesus then is replying to him that he would not be able to go, but he is not the only one with questions, as we find now, John 14, verses 5 through 7. Let's read together these verses of Scripture from God's Word for it is God who speaks to us. 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 and the truth in 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. The Lord blessed the reading of his Word and the hearing of his people. The disciples here, Jesus, say that he is leaving. And he's comforted them saying that though he is leaving, ultimately they will not be separated. Not only will he bring them to him, but later we will discover that he will send them a comforter saying that he will not leave them orphans, but he will continue to abide with them. So within the context of the whole framework of this discourse, they will not only have the promise that they will actually go to be with Jesus, but that he will remain with them in spirit even after physically he has departed. But here we are in the midst of the discussion, and he has comforted them with the words that the separation will not be permanent, and Thomas begins to reflect for just a moment. And he realizes in that reflection that while Jesus is saying that they will eventually be with them, he still hasn't answered the initial question of where is he going and how will he get there and how will they follow him if they actually do not know the way. Here we see clearly the need for the work of the Holy Spirit to regenerate and illumine our minds as teacher and guide, for they are not able to grasp yet the spiritual truths which Jesus is giving them, though in giving them, he provides a way for them to reflect and understand what he has taught. There are today teachings that would presume that there are many ways to salvation. We hear it phrase this way, there are many paths up the mountain, but that is clearly directly contradictory to Scripture. Proverbs 14-12 says, there is a way that seems right to a man, but his end is death, and Matthew 7, 13 and 14. Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide, and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who inner by it are many, for the gate is narrow, and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those that find it are few. I suppose if we were interested in climbing a mountain, then there would be many paths going to the top of the mountain, but I am not interested in climbing a mountain, I am interested in being with the Father. And so Jesus has told them the goal to be with God. He told them, I am going to the Father, and I will prepare a place for you. I am going to the Father, and you will be there with me, so there you have the goal simply stated to be with God, but He is also telling them the way. So He has told them the what and the how, however we choose to phrase it, the goal and the way, He has told them the goals to be with God, and the way is by He Himself. This is, and this exchange of comments between He and the disciples, one of the most exclusive claims yet, by Jesus, that He is going to be the only way of salvation. This is, if you're keeping up with them, number six, in the I am sayings that we have explored, and our study of the Gospel of John, and 635, we read, I am the bread of life. In 812, Jesus said, I am the light of the world in 10, 7, and 9, I am the good shepherd, or I am the gate. In John 10, 11, He said, I am the good shepherd, I am sorry, in 10, 7, and 9, I am the gate. In John 11, 25, He said, I am the resurrection and the life. These words and contemporary culture are offensive, aren't they? There's only one way of salvation, Jesus Christ, and we find when those fall on the ears of contemporary listeners, they are offensive, they are judgmental, they are exclusive, and exclusivity is not permitted in today's culture. It offends, generally speaking, or broadly speaking, two groups of people, the first are easy to classify, those that are anti-Christian. What I mean here are those that we consider to be universalists, which is not Christian teaching, and universalists would hold all are saved, and they don't necessarily have to go through Christ, so therefore if we say Christ is the only way, and there will be those who aren't saved, because they are not in Christ, that's offensive to those who hold non-Christian teaching. It's offensive to Muslims, it's offensive to Buddhists, it's offensive to Hindus, but it's also offensive to a larger group, if you can believe that there is a larger group, and in here I'm not really talking directly about atheists or agnostics, I'm talking about those who today choose to live and are comfortable living in a place of ambiguity. We might call them post-modernists, we might call them Gen-Xers, you might call them any number of things, but the point is that they are living in an area that they believe to be gray, and they like living in the area that they believe to be gray. What is some of the evidence we see of this? You can see where Christian images are tattooed on rock stars, arms, crosses, big gold or Nate crosses, or home from athletes next, we see Christian symbology treated in the most irreverent of ways. You can see that also in the way people approach their worship in the most irreverent of postures and dispositions, blending as it were in this gray area, the sacred and the secular, and that is where they're most comfortable, living in this place of ambiguity where it's neither this nor that, and you can't say it's all this or it's all that, instead they seek to blend secular and sacred together. I've been reading through a book and I have not watched the music videos so I'll simply take it on a good authority in the book, but apparently in some of the modern music videos, particularly by one of the rock stars I guess now waning would be Madonna, but she has taken a particular interest in blending sensual music with sacred images. I want to be in Catholic churches and to carry rosaries while wearing a negligee or she might provocative lyrics at the same time that she's standing next to a statue of one of the saints or next to a crucifix in the church. This blending of sacred and secular, this tearing down of absolutes is mainly now a mainstay of a generation of people, but why shouldn't it be? We've essentially taught them and they have experienced that nothing is solid anymore, and there are no boundaries. I was reading someone's blog the other day who said, I hate worship, but I love to study religion. I hate worship, but I love to study religion. We live in a time which is historically unlike any other time in history, and it's a time where history itself seems to validate this ambiguity that people enjoy living in. We know that man can't fly and yet somehow man has walked on the moon. Where are the boundaries? Where are the absolutes? We've told that there are those people of noble character who are elevated to high position, and then we study in history of Nixon's Watergate, and most of us have fresh in our mind, Clinton's Monica Gate. We wonder where is the character and where is the nobility of people who are our leaders, and so once again boundaries are broken down, and that which is supposed to be special, and noble is made common and filthy. We are told that life is precious and we're created in the image of God, and yet if you were of the Vietnam era, you've learned that we could send people to war and come home having not accomplished really no stated purpose and content to let things go the way they were, or perhaps you're keeping up with the abortion statistics, and you're considering the millions in that holocaust that have been killed. And so life is special, the church says, but culture teaches life is cheap, so once again the boundaries have been broken down. The church is where we find truth, and yet from Jimmy Swaggart to the Roman Catholic pedophiles, we find that there too, truth is no longer sacred, and the church. You can take that all the way to denominationalism, to where people would say with so many translations and so many denominations, what is truth? And so rather than calling everybody wrong, they simply are content to say everybody is right, and therefore there must be many paths to truth. And a world in culture like ours is there any room left for absolutes. Let me read to make this point further, some events that have unfolded at a domination that we know quite well. Do we really need to take time to focus on the fundamental axiom of Christian testimony, that there is a truth, and that axiom is that Christ alone saves? Do we really need to take time to do that? Can't we assume that in this fellowship and with like-minded churches, that all would hold that and believe that to be true? After the church was established, wasn't it clear that Christ alone is the way of salvation? Apparently, large bodies of Christians have forgotten or left that. At a 2000 year 2000, that is, a pastor at peace conference sponsored by the PCUSA Church in Orange, California. The Reverend Dirt Faka, who's from Chicago, said, God's ability to work in our lives is not determined by becoming a Christian, so what's the big deal about Jesus? In that same conference, there was a comparison of evangelism to ethnic cleansing because evangelism was seeking to destroy other faith groups and make all people Christian. In there, he said that he wants Christian to abandon their, quote, instrumental, end quote, view, that salvation comes solely through Jesus and that Jesus himself is the good news and that the goal of the Christian faith is the establishment of Christendom. Have they learned anything since then? In November 2006, a consultant to the same denomination, and I'm taking up this because the events are so closely related to us, that being the church we came from, but they're not alone, so this is not simply the scathing indictment against the denomination, this is a talking, this is rather speaking of the perception of modern people in a mainline church. In 2006, a consultant to the denomination, Reverend Robin, said, there are many paths to God and there is no capital T in truth, not even Jesus has claimed to be the way the truth and the life, and she writes horizon Bible studies, which are taken up and used as study material by many, unknowing where the source of material comes from. A survey taken in that denomination, do we wonder if the leaders have an effect? Reports that one third or actually 28% of that denomination strongly agree that all the different religions are equally good ways of helping a person find ultimate truth. One third of those who sit in the pews and worship and sing hymns like we do each Sunday believe that Christianity is just one of many ways. This is in a mainline denomination, we could have named another one, I just have more access to this information. Martin Luther the great reformer said the world is so blind and stupid that it always seeks to explore other ways, it is goalable in willing to follow where anyone directs and leads it, it will try and rely on any method or work suggested to it. Martin Luther certainly understood the preciousness of the gospel. Martin Luther who was not a particularly religious man who because of being saved he felt by God, providentially it simply was by God, by a lightning strike prayed out ironically not to God but to St. Anna that he would be saved from that and promised to give himself to the monastery and to Christ work in the monastery as a monk. And as he entered into that monastery he was the type of personality who couldn't be satisfied until every stone was overturned and everything was clear to him concerning salvation. And so he put himself through incredible physical torment, he put himself through confessing sin day after day, moment after moment and excruciating detail and no sooner would he leave the confessional but he would come back afraid that perhaps he had forgotten some other sin. Waring his confessor out he finally came to understand the gospel that we are justified by faith alone so his self-flagulation, his flugging himself, his starving himself, his being nearly naked in freezing weather seeking to suffer enough to earn God's pleasure in merit. He saw God as angry and as judgmental and unapproachable and was never sure of his salvation but he wasn't content with a lack of assurance. And as he began to teach in the University of Vittenburg and as he began to teach through particularly the Psalms and then on into Romans he came across the idea that we are justified by faith alone. With that background then listen to his words and they should mean so much more knowing where he is coming from when he says it. For even if a man devotes much thought to this and tries to pursue all sorts of ways to heaven this is all a vain and futile of effort. As I have said a Carthusian builds a road on which he wants to come to heaven saying I will forsake the world which is evil and impure. You hear here is reflection on his monastic experience. I will forsake the world it is evil and it is impure. I will crawl into a corner fast daily of stain for meat and torture my body. God will surely view such an austere spiritual life with favor and save me. Another monk or priest also aspiring to live spiritually builds himself a different way saying if I read so many masses, if I pray, clothe myself in wool and go barefoot I am on the right way. Here you hear his priestly experience as he then says no matter how many religious functions I perform I can't receive assurance of salvation. All of these are ways he says of human design and judgment. They are founded on our own acts indeed which pertain to this life only. They are all physical matters and works that even non-Christians can perform. How sobering. When we begin to think about the walk in the pace of our Christian life do we realize that non-Christians could perform most of the Christian duties that we draw our assurance from? It doesn't take belief to attend a meeting. It doesn't take belief even to sing a hymn. It doesn't take belief to read the apostles are nice and creed. It's hypocritical not to believe it but it doesn't take belief to do it and could it be that someone would have a false assurance because of their religious activities and traditions and time spent in sacred halls and how it assemblies? Even if such people do their utmost in all sincerity it is still utterly evil utterly corrupted because it is all done without faith in Christ as though Christ were lying when he said that he is the way and the truth. The very fact that people seek such a variety of ways devising one after another is ample evidence that they are ignorant of the right way. Do we not live in the same times that Martin Luther spoke of? Do we not live in a time of such incredible ambiguity where there is such an intense interest in all things spiritual and yet such an utter rejection of the claim of Christ? It's offensive but it shouldn't be offensive. We shouldn't be offended and upset that Jesus said he is the way we should marvel that God has provided any way at all. He has provided a way but rather than rejoice we are offended by the work of God in providing a way. Rather than protest that Jesus is the only way I say again we should marvel that God has provided any way at all. James Montgomery boys points out three privileges that have been lost that Jesus is addressing that could be retained. Three privileges in the Garden of Eden that were lost in the fall, constant and unimpeded communion with God, being able to be in the presence of God, being able to abide with Him and speak with Him, being able to enjoy the presence of God. The second one was that they knew God in truth, who He was with unveiled eyes, they knew the truth of God, maybe not exhaustively, we don't know the limits of their understanding but what they did know of God they knew truthfully concerning God and they were spiritually alive with eternity within their view, the promise of everlasting life attainable to Adam and Eve but lost. In the fall, the fall forfeited all of the privileges, they lost communion, they believed a lie and they knew death and this is the condition we are born into, isn't it? Alienated, ignorant and condemned. Jesus is speaking now of making things right again. I am the way and the truth and the life. I will take the alienated and I will reconcile them to God. I will take the ignorant and I will give them spiritual vision that they may know the truth concerning God and I will take the condemned and I will bring them back and I will give them life. Man is on a spiritual quest and the history of religion and humanity testifies it in one form or another. Man has sought spiritual peace and unity and wholeness and has always done so. John Owen, another great minister of theologian said by nature, since the entrance of sin no man has communion with God. He is like we are darkness and what communion has light with darkness. He is life and we are dead. He is love and we are enmity and what agreement can there be between us? Men in such a condition have neither Christ nor hope nor God in the world as Ephesians 2-12 teaches being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them. And so Thomas is asking Jesus a question and Jesus is now speaking not only about the immediate context but he is speaking more broadly about the reconciliation that we have in him. Out of the four questions the disciples ask this one helps us to understand that which is to come. Notice their questions if you reflect on the questions they have asked revolve around these issues. Peter and Thomas asked questions related to communion with God, whereas Jude and Philip also called Jesus concerning the revelation of the truth about God and to answer these questions Jesus in each case points to himself. He says, I am the way. It is the dominant idea in the three terms. I am the way and the truth and the life. The two that follow most would feel serve actually to explain the first. I am the way and truth and life help Aluminum and explain the first. Truth is God revealed in holiness and love. Life is God communicated to the soul and truth and life are granted in Jesus. So he is the way that the soul gains interest to the father's house where truth and life reside. Just that it is by a path that we make our way to a place. It is by Jesus that we make our way to the father. The difference is that someone shows the way to travel on a road where Jesus is the way to salvation. That's the fundamental misunderstanding with the idea of a path going up a mountain. Jesus isn't a guide. He actually is the path. And so if there are many paths going up a mountain only one path is Christ. And so it's not a question of arriving at the top of the mountain. We can't access the top of the mountain. It is the path which is Christ that we go. So what is the way? What is the way? Let's boil this down in our closing moments and simply answer these three questions. What is the way? The way is reconciliation. We are all guilty not only in Adam but in our own sin as well. We have affirmed the sin of Adam over and over again our lives or a testament to our being born in sin and deserving God's wrath. That sin is removed by Christ who enters into a covenantal union with His people. And we are so identified with Him that His cross is our cross. His death is our death. His resurrection is our resurrection. Our sins are forgiven and they are cast into the depths of the sea and forgotten as Scripture teaches. What then is truth? Truth is the illumination of God's will and God's way and God's person to our mind. Pilot asked Jesus as He was interrogating what is truth but in an ironic and in a tragic moment He turns and doesn't wait even for Jesus to answer but acknowledging that in His own mind there is no absolute truth. He simply asked the question and turns and walks away the same as the culture does today as if to say you speak of truth there is no absolute truth. Jesus is the word of God made flesh. He is the manifestation and the embodiment of truth that is eternal. The goal of illumination is to know truth. And the object of truth is God and God is revealed in His word which was once made flesh and spoke to reveal the way of salvation to our man. Jesus is not only the way He is the right and true way. Once we profess faith in Christ we have to continue in Christ. Luther rather let's go to AWPing. The whole Bible bears solemn witness to the fact that the natural man is spiritually lifeless. He walks according to the course of this world he has no love for the things of God. The fear of God is not upon him nor has he any concern for his glory. Self is the center and circumference of his existence. He is alive to the things of the world but dead to heavenly things. Regeneration is life. What is life? It is simply to be born again. It is to be regenerated with the hope to live eternally in Christ and only those who are in Christ have spiritual life. Luke 1524 when the prodigal returned the Father said this is my son who was dead and his alive again he was lost and he was found. Christ grants life to all who come to Him and then He is their life. He grants it and then He becomes their life and dwelled by the Holy Spirit. They live more and more to Christ and less and less to self. As we near the end of life on earth we see deaths best stand seeking to block our way to the eternal but Jesus says remain in me. I am the life. Death will not take you in the end. Increasingly we hear his voice above the roar of the world and we learn that life's purpose is the same as Christ to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Christ came to give life. He didn't come to confuse. He didn't come to provide a different way. He came to reveal the only way, the only way there has ever been. He came to make that which was impossible possible. Like the Israelites as they approached the red sea with the army and the sword behind them and sea and the potential of drowning in front of them Jesus makes a way through to life. As when Moses raised his arms and God parted the sea that they would pass through on dry land to the other side to salvation so it is with Christ. As he raises his arms on the cross and offers to us a way to eternal life and salvation. And so we have the sword behind us as death pursues us and we have that our physical demise in front of us which would seem to be our end and yet Christ makes a way and He is the way. Have you entered into the way? Have you come to Christ and heard His call, not the way of the world which leads to death but the way of Christ which leads to life? He is not a way. He is the way. Luther noted that when Christ is preached, multitudes run forward to hear the sweet and the comforting message of grace and forgiveness. But then they don't continue on with Christ. Thus proving the parable of the soils of Matthew 13 to be true that some grain will fall on rocky soil and spring up but lacking roots and lacking proper soil it withers away. The life of a Christian is one of sacrifice and frightening circumstances. It is one of persecution and service facing the sword and the lives of the devil, the child of God will cling to Jesus as the way and the truth and will not turn back. Have you indeed not just come to religion but come to Christ? Are you in the way, not just hearing of the way? Is your life testimony that you are clinging to Christ as you pass through the parted red sea with towering columns of waters on the side and an army at your back are you fleeing to Christ each and every day holding on to truth and not taking any other road along the way so that you may arrive at the other side to receive the promise of life? Already given in spirit but waiting eternally in the place prepared by Christ to which we will go.