5th sunday after the Resurrection 5/22/11 John 14:1-14
5th Sunday after the Resurrection
5/22/11
John 14:1-14
Title: I Am the I Am
Yesterday at 6pm the world was suppose to come to an end. Well it does not appear to have happened. That means one of two things. We were left behind or the end of the world prediction was false. What do you think?
People love to make predictions, I do too, so my in Friday Thought for the Day email I made a prediction concerning what will happen until the end of the world, as we know it comes to an end. I guarantee you that is a true prediction.
The Bible will still have all the answers; Prayer will still be the most powerful thing on Earth; The Holy Spirit will still move; God will still honor the praise of His people and Jesus will save the lost when they come to Him.
While we may want to laugh at the followers of Herold Camping, for believing that the end of the world was coming to an end yesterday they sincerely thought it was. Thousands bid farewell to loved ones. Many sold homes and businesses. Others quit jobs and gave away all they owned. Millions of dollars were spent on getting the word out across the world.
They believed in the words of a false prophet, one of many that that have come and will come in the future. They believed and last night at 6pm in whatever time zone his followers were in all hopes were dashed. As of this morning Mr. Manning has not come up with a good reason why his prediction was wrong, but I have a feeling he will soon.
What heartache and sorrow he has left his true believers in as they try to figure out if they can trust him again. Ridicule, financial failure, broken relationships, and I am sure, for many severe depression has set in. It is sad, for they were Christians our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. They don’t need our ridicule. They need our prayers.
If only they had known. If only they had been taught the truth about Jesus, who is the only truth, the only way, and the only life in a way that they could have understand they would not have followed a false teacher who, as we learned last week did not come into God’s Christian Church through the door of Jesus but came in through other means to mislead people who did not know the truth.
Truth, what is truth? Most people today would say that that there is no such thing as truth, for truth is only what each person or group of people believe truth is. They would say that the truth is that there is no truth. That is the truth they would say. Of course by their saying that there truth is the truth they have defeated their own argument against truth.
I can’t even imagine a world without truths. Think about what it would be like if the law of gravity was not true. What if sometimes things drop while other times they don’t? It would be really weird that is for sure. . We live our lives according to certain truths whether we like to admit it or not. There is without a doubt truth.
What has happened or maybe I should say what did not happen Saturday makes the Gospel reading even more relevant for us and the entire human population this morning. Every day thousands, if not millions of people die in the world without believing and trusting in the truth of Jesus Christ and his saving act.
Notice I said believing and trusting in the truth of Jesus Christ and his saving act. I said believing and trusting because there is a wide difference in those two words even though we commonly say they have the same meaning.
You can believe and not trust, for believing in something is an intellectual act. We read or are told about something, it could be anything and if it makes sense we believe in it. Trusting in something goes beyond believing in it, for as I just said you can believe in something without trusting in it. Trust is having faith, that sixth sense God gives those who belong to him, in something in such a way that you put your very being, your core belief on the line.
A quick example might help here. It is an old illustration that I am sure that most of you have heard before. In June of 1859 a Mr. Blondine, a tightrope walker strung a cable over the Niagara Falls. He walked across it. He even cooked a meal while standing on the rope. He did all kinds of wonderful feats, but his biggest feat was when he carried his manager across in a wheelbarrow.
Rumors have circulated ever since that Blondine had asked for a volunteer from the crowd, but could not get anyone to ride in the wheelbarrow. You see everyone but the manager while believing that he was capable of doing what he said he would do did not trust him to do it.
That my dear brothers and sisters in Christ is the difference between just believing and believing and trusting in something. That day no one except the manager trusted in Blondin to get them across safely and did not lose out on anything. They all went home back to their regular lives.
But it does make all the difference in our lives whether we just intellectually acknowledge; that is believe in Jesus as our Savior and believe and trust in him in as our Savior, for we stand to lose everything. Our very lives are on the line. We must know him; that is believe and trust in him, for Jesus in the Gospel reading says to us today, just as he said to his disciples that day, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
That takes care of any other ways of being saved from the damnation we deserve doesn’t it? Jesus who willingly put himself on the cross to save all people is saying that he is the only way to be saved. Now the common belief today even among many Christians is to say that Jesus’ death is our way to forgiveness and eternal life, but there are other ways to God. they might not admit it, but many believe it. The problem with believing that is that they are saying that what Jesus is saying is not the truth when it is the truth.
Look at verse six of our Gospel reading again. Let’s read it together. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Notice that Jesus does not say, “I show you the way,” as Moses did when he gave the Commandments to the people; but, “I am the way.”
Nor is he saying, “I have the truth,” like Elijah did as proclaimed the truth of God’s Word; but, “I am the truth.”
Nor is he saying, “I lead to life,” as his Apostles did as they wrote down the Word of God for us; but, “I am the life.”
Jesus, the Word become flesh, the Son of the identical essence with the Father and born of the virgin, made man, sent and came on his mission as the one mediator between God and man, in all that he is and that he does.
The moment we discount this and make it less, as when we believe that there are other ways to God we are in trouble.
God tells us in Isaiah 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--everyone--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Only Jesus, this One Way, takes us to the Father. The astounding thing is that this Way is a person, the one person. This is not a dead-end road that one travels with his own strength, but a Way such as never existed on earth. This Way picks us up in its arms and carries us to the destination. His Way is the cross that stretches across the great chasm of life to the Promised Land.
You know, as I think about it there are only three ways to understand Jesus, as being the true way to eternal life. One, Jesus is delusional. He only believes his is the true way to eternal life. Two, Jesus is a liar. He does not really believe it, but wants to mislead us into thinking he is the true way to eternal life, or third Jesus is who he says he is "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Which is he? You must decide, for everything depends on it. I pray that you have decided or will decide that he is your Savior the Way to the Father. For without the way there is no going; without the truth there is no knowing; without the life there is no living.
While this teaching is exclusive his dying was inclusive, for he died in the place of all, even those who reject him. The truth of the matter, is, even though you might wish that there were different ways to reach God there is only one way, for no one comes to the Father except though Jesus.
I don’t know why people can’t except that, for anyone that has ever been lost in a forest or other wilderness knows that taking the wrong path makes a person even more hopelessly lost. So it is with the spiritually lost. Only one way leads to safety, to salvation; Jesus. Amen.
5/22/11
John 14:1-14
Title: I Am the I Am
Yesterday at 6pm the world was suppose to come to an end. Well it does not appear to have happened. That means one of two things. We were left behind or the end of the world prediction was false. What do you think?
People love to make predictions, I do too, so my in Friday Thought for the Day email I made a prediction concerning what will happen until the end of the world, as we know it comes to an end. I guarantee you that is a true prediction.
The Bible will still have all the answers; Prayer will still be the most powerful thing on Earth; The Holy Spirit will still move; God will still honor the praise of His people and Jesus will save the lost when they come to Him.
While we may want to laugh at the followers of Herold Camping, for believing that the end of the world was coming to an end yesterday they sincerely thought it was. Thousands bid farewell to loved ones. Many sold homes and businesses. Others quit jobs and gave away all they owned. Millions of dollars were spent on getting the word out across the world.
They believed in the words of a false prophet, one of many that that have come and will come in the future. They believed and last night at 6pm in whatever time zone his followers were in all hopes were dashed. As of this morning Mr. Manning has not come up with a good reason why his prediction was wrong, but I have a feeling he will soon.
What heartache and sorrow he has left his true believers in as they try to figure out if they can trust him again. Ridicule, financial failure, broken relationships, and I am sure, for many severe depression has set in. It is sad, for they were Christians our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. They don’t need our ridicule. They need our prayers.
If only they had known. If only they had been taught the truth about Jesus, who is the only truth, the only way, and the only life in a way that they could have understand they would not have followed a false teacher who, as we learned last week did not come into God’s Christian Church through the door of Jesus but came in through other means to mislead people who did not know the truth.
Truth, what is truth? Most people today would say that that there is no such thing as truth, for truth is only what each person or group of people believe truth is. They would say that the truth is that there is no truth. That is the truth they would say. Of course by their saying that there truth is the truth they have defeated their own argument against truth.
I can’t even imagine a world without truths. Think about what it would be like if the law of gravity was not true. What if sometimes things drop while other times they don’t? It would be really weird that is for sure. . We live our lives according to certain truths whether we like to admit it or not. There is without a doubt truth.
What has happened or maybe I should say what did not happen Saturday makes the Gospel reading even more relevant for us and the entire human population this morning. Every day thousands, if not millions of people die in the world without believing and trusting in the truth of Jesus Christ and his saving act.
Notice I said believing and trusting in the truth of Jesus Christ and his saving act. I said believing and trusting because there is a wide difference in those two words even though we commonly say they have the same meaning.
You can believe and not trust, for believing in something is an intellectual act. We read or are told about something, it could be anything and if it makes sense we believe in it. Trusting in something goes beyond believing in it, for as I just said you can believe in something without trusting in it. Trust is having faith, that sixth sense God gives those who belong to him, in something in such a way that you put your very being, your core belief on the line.
A quick example might help here. It is an old illustration that I am sure that most of you have heard before. In June of 1859 a Mr. Blondine, a tightrope walker strung a cable over the Niagara Falls. He walked across it. He even cooked a meal while standing on the rope. He did all kinds of wonderful feats, but his biggest feat was when he carried his manager across in a wheelbarrow.
Rumors have circulated ever since that Blondine had asked for a volunteer from the crowd, but could not get anyone to ride in the wheelbarrow. You see everyone but the manager while believing that he was capable of doing what he said he would do did not trust him to do it.
That my dear brothers and sisters in Christ is the difference between just believing and believing and trusting in something. That day no one except the manager trusted in Blondin to get them across safely and did not lose out on anything. They all went home back to their regular lives.
But it does make all the difference in our lives whether we just intellectually acknowledge; that is believe in Jesus as our Savior and believe and trust in him in as our Savior, for we stand to lose everything. Our very lives are on the line. We must know him; that is believe and trust in him, for Jesus in the Gospel reading says to us today, just as he said to his disciples that day, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
That takes care of any other ways of being saved from the damnation we deserve doesn’t it? Jesus who willingly put himself on the cross to save all people is saying that he is the only way to be saved. Now the common belief today even among many Christians is to say that Jesus’ death is our way to forgiveness and eternal life, but there are other ways to God. they might not admit it, but many believe it. The problem with believing that is that they are saying that what Jesus is saying is not the truth when it is the truth.
Look at verse six of our Gospel reading again. Let’s read it together. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Notice that Jesus does not say, “I show you the way,” as Moses did when he gave the Commandments to the people; but, “I am the way.”
Nor is he saying, “I have the truth,” like Elijah did as proclaimed the truth of God’s Word; but, “I am the truth.”
Nor is he saying, “I lead to life,” as his Apostles did as they wrote down the Word of God for us; but, “I am the life.”
Jesus, the Word become flesh, the Son of the identical essence with the Father and born of the virgin, made man, sent and came on his mission as the one mediator between God and man, in all that he is and that he does.
The moment we discount this and make it less, as when we believe that there are other ways to God we are in trouble.
God tells us in Isaiah 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--everyone--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Only Jesus, this One Way, takes us to the Father. The astounding thing is that this Way is a person, the one person. This is not a dead-end road that one travels with his own strength, but a Way such as never existed on earth. This Way picks us up in its arms and carries us to the destination. His Way is the cross that stretches across the great chasm of life to the Promised Land.
You know, as I think about it there are only three ways to understand Jesus, as being the true way to eternal life. One, Jesus is delusional. He only believes his is the true way to eternal life. Two, Jesus is a liar. He does not really believe it, but wants to mislead us into thinking he is the true way to eternal life, or third Jesus is who he says he is "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Which is he? You must decide, for everything depends on it. I pray that you have decided or will decide that he is your Savior the Way to the Father. For without the way there is no going; without the truth there is no knowing; without the life there is no living.
While this teaching is exclusive his dying was inclusive, for he died in the place of all, even those who reject him. The truth of the matter, is, even though you might wish that there were different ways to reach God there is only one way, for no one comes to the Father except though Jesus.
I don’t know why people can’t except that, for anyone that has ever been lost in a forest or other wilderness knows that taking the wrong path makes a person even more hopelessly lost. So it is with the spiritually lost. Only one way leads to safety, to salvation; Jesus. Amen.
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 3:25 PM
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