Thanks be to God for another opportunity to post the Weekend Sermon. I am glad to be with you this week, and I pray that all is going very well for you.
Work is going pretty well, at least it is right now. There's nothing really new to report on that front. I am very grateful to have a job. I am also thankful that I was able to make good progress on the book that I am working on. Everything is on target for publication next year.
During your prayer time this week, please pray for peace in this troubled world. Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Libya and Yemen are still facing conflict. There are also still many ongoing health crises in Africa that need our prayers.
Over the last few weeks, we have also been praying that the Gospel would reach several nations of the world where there are not very many Christians. In this regard, let us pray for Mali, Mauritania, Japan and Oman that the message of the Lord Jesus would reach people in these countries.
For the last few weeks, we have been in a series of messages looking at the "I Am" statements of Jesus. We continue with this this week as we study Jesus' statement, "I Am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
This statement of Jesus' is the statement that causes great offense to people. Many people are willing to accept Jesus as a great teacher, but when this verse is quoted, you will find that many people become angry. People in general do not want to accept the fact that Jesus is the only way. Let's look at Jesus' statement.
In this statement, Jesus says three things about Himself as the divine Son of God. First of all, Jesus says that He is the way. What does this mean? If you recall, Jesus said that there are two ways that people travel on in this life. There is a broad road that leads to destruction, and many people are walking along this path. There is also a narrow way that leads to life, and only a few find themselves on this path. Jesus is the narrow way that leads to life.
Jesus Christ is the only person who has ever lived a perfect, holy and sinless life. He lived in such a way that He is our perfect example. He demonstrated for us the way that we ought to live. Those who would live a life that is pleasing to God need to look to Jesus and emulate the things that He did. The follower of Jesus needs to ask what Jesus would do in each situation that they face in this life.
Jesus is also the way that leads to salvation. We will have more to say about this in a few moments.
Jesus also says in this statement that He is the truth. When Jesus was before the Roman official Pilate, Pilate asked Jesus what is truth without realizing that the embodiment of truth was standing right in front of him. Jesus is the truth that confronts the lie of this world's system. The lie of this world's system is that people are good in and of themselves and they can obtain favor with the God of the universe through their own efforts.
Jesus' life exposes the lie of this world for what it is. When we see Jesus, we immediately notice that our lives and actions do not measure up to His perfect life. We realize that because of this, we cannot save ourselves because we do not measure up to God's righteous standard lived out in the person of Jesus Christ.
Everything that Jesus taught and said also exposes the lies of this world. Jesus showed the true path by standing up for peace and justice in a world of violence and exploitation. Jesus preached a message of love and acceptance in a world that is filled with hate and exclusion. Jesus preached a message that said that God loves the world and wants everyone to come to Him through His Son.
Because Jesus preached the message of truth that is opposed to the value system of this world, those in this world tried to kill Him and silence His message. However, the Father demonstrated that all that Jesus said was true when Jesus Christ rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. The resurrection demonstrates that Jesus is the truth.
Jesus also said that He is the life. The world in which we live in is dead in trespasses and sin. Those in this world are walking in darkness. They are spiritually dead. However, Jesus the Light of the world, came to shine His light and drive away the darkness. He came to give light and new life. If a person will turn to Jesus in repentance and faith, that person will become a new creation in Christ Jesus. All of the old will pass away, and everything will become new.
Jesus provides abundant life to all those who will believe in Him and follow Him in His way. You will find no better way of life than making Jesus the Lord of your life and following the Good Shepherd wherever He may lead.
Now the statement that so many despise. "No one comes to the Father except through me." In this statement, Jesus makes it perfectly clear that He is the only way of salvation. There are many religions in this world that claim to offer a path to God. Jesus said that He is the only way. Peter said the same thing in his sermon in Acts. As Peter said there is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved.
One can only find forgiveness of sins and eternal life through trusting in the finished work of Christ on Calvary and believing that Jesus arose again from the dead. Trusting in Jesus Christ alone is the only means of salvation.
You cannot earn your way to salvation through doing good works. You cannot find the way to God through one of the world's other religions. Jesus said "I Am the way, the truth and the life. No comes to the Father except through me."
If you have been trusting in yourself or in some other religion to find the answers to life, I urge you to turn to Jesus today. Only the Lord Jesus provides salvation and new life. Whoever would come to Him, He will in no way cast out. Whosoever will may come to Jesus and find new life today.
Next week, we will continue our study on the "I Am" statements of Jesus. I will post the verses on Monday, and I hope to have a review to post on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment