I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

Seated. Thank you. We wanted to start the service off with that declaration of he is the one that we are gathered to worship today. He is holy and and he is worthy of our praise. Amen. We're glad you're here today is a is a kind of a special week because this past Friday we as a church we came to our fourth anniversary of our very first service.

Our first service was September 20th of 2020 in our home and we didn't know if anybody was going to show up. And God has just continued over the past four years to prove his faithfulness through difficulty.

Many of you have been here for much of that time and and we've gone through struggles sickness joy people coming and going all along. Christ has been building his church and we we trust that he is going to continue.

We are overwhelmingly grateful for what he has done and we are looking forward to see what King Jesus is going to do with his bride moving forward and we trust him. Don't we church we we we rest in the providence of the triune God.

But welcome to the Lord's Day gathering. I want to say a special welcome to our Covenant members. Of course thank you for using your gifts. I know we've got a number of people out today. We set up a few fewer chairs today because we knew we were gonna we were gonna be kind of low.

So for those of our Covenant members that are elsewhere this morning watching online we know that's not church but we're at least glad you get to be a part of us in that way. But I also want to say a special welcome to our guest today.

Many of you if your first-time guest you you got a bag at the beginning and there's a there's a connect card that's inside that bag. We would like to get to know you. We'd like to be able to answer any of the questions that you might have about what is this church.

What are we about. What do we believe. And then also there's a section on the back it just says how can we pray for you. Everybody needs prayer. I know I need prayer every once in a while probably to pull one of these cards out and hand it in fill out prayer requests.

Because we gather on Tuesday mornings which by the way members if you have opportunity every Tuesday morning this building is open from 7 to 8 a .m. And there is a group of us that gather around the the chairs over there and we pray.

We pray for those needs when you ask for prayer and then we can get to know you through that card. So we look forward to getting to know you. We're glad you're here. We pray that all of us would grow in the fear and knowledge of the triune God today God the Father who set his love upon us God the Son who came and redeemed us by blood ransom.

And God the Holy Spirit who now seals us as a guarantee of that inheritance. And oh boy is he worthy of worship. And so we are glad that all of you here we've got some announcements. Actually before we jump into to worship for you to know about the family picnic is coming up.

I guess you are welcome to come to this. We would love for you to it's gonna be October 5th. We're meeting at pavilion 5 at Craig Head Forest Park. We're gonna have some food and and and we would love for you to be able to RSVP if you're gonna come.

There's a number on there. I believe that is Jamie's number. If you've got Jamie's number you can just text her. But if not you can jot down this number up here and send a text. Just say hey there's gonna be two of us.

Gonna be five of us gonna be 20 of us. Whatever it may be. That way we can prepare for food. We're gonna go and play some games enjoy hopefully some fall weather by October 5th. But you never know in Jonesboro right.

It could literally be 90 degrees or it could be 20 degrees and anything in between. So it's kind of a shot in the dark but we will have fun. Nonetheless a next announcement that we have this morning is if you join us on at our doctrinal training on Wednesday nights as adults we we've been walking through different studies and we just this next Wednesday we're wrapping up 12 weeks and the doctrines of grace and that has been a if y 'all enjoyed that that study that's been a good study.

I believe it's been very helpful for us. But instead of jumping into a specific study for a specific set of time we just thought we'd open up the the questions. Many of many of us just have questions about about faith life in Christ about doctrine theological questions.

You see some examples up there whatever that question may be as it pertains to the Christian life and doctrine. Please text that's my number up there actually so if you don't have my number jot it down save it.

You've got my number. And you can text preface your question with question. And we're just gonna spend a week a Wednesday at a time just answering those questions and dealing with them. Nothing is too practical and nothing is too too heady and theological.

We will try and address as all and as many as we can. And the next one that we have is membership class. If you are a guest if you have not covenanted with this body and you are interested in saying hey what is 12 five church about.

Like what do they actually believe and how do they function. What does it mean for me to covenant with them. I'm not sure what all that means. Well this is a perfect chance for you to come. This is the first steps towards membership.

It's a four-week class starting October 9th and so we walk through an introduction. Then we go through the statement of faith. Then we go through the church structure and then finally the membership covenants.

And we would love for you to come and hear what it is what it means to be a part of this covenant body. So these are our announcements. That being said that leads us and membership class to one of our favorite things that we do around here on the Lord's Day is the recognition of new covenant members.

Wilson family. Would you mind coming on up here. Alrighty. So I'm gonna make sure to get this right all right. Zoe Anna. Right. Okay. Sylvia. I got it. Okay. Adeline. Adeline. Adeline. Okay. I got it all right.

Joseph. That's my son's name. Joseph. That's a good name. And Timothy. And this is Matt and Bethany Wilson. Matt has served. You served for what two years in Harrisburg as as a pastor there and and you are now a chaplain at st. Bernard's and and so Matt and his family have been coming for a while.

Many of y 'all know them have gotten to know them. Well I hope and pray that all of us can get to know them even better. They've gone through the membership class. They've gone through all of it and they have been extremely thoughtful about what it means to come and covenant with this body and so they they understand what they're signing up for believe it or not.

Right. They're crazy like us. They've committed to it and so we are excited to present them. We as the elders have met with them many times and talked and answered questions and walked through that and we feel confident to present this family to our church family for the affirmation of bringing them into this covenant.

And so church if you remember and you affirm this family to become a member. Matt and Bethany. And then they are bringing along their children for them to be a member of this church. Please stand in affirmation.

Amen. Amen. If everyone would stand please let's let's pray together over this family and well where God is going to use their gifts for the betterment of this particular body. Dear Heavenly Father Lord we come before you now and we are thankful King Jesus you build your church you place every block you are strategically building this temple building this body building this church exactly as you prescribed and see fit and Lord I I have no doubt that your hand is in this with with Matt and Bethany Lord we we see giftings in them.

We see that the giftings from you and both of them. And we ask and pray that you would you would use those gifts to your glory Lord. That we as a body would benefit from those gifts and grow in sanctification and strength.

Father. I pray for the children. I pray for these these wonderful children that you would raise them up in the fear and knowledge of you. That you would allow them to see the beauty of your bride here in this in this present darkness in the midst of a dark world.

That they would see the light shining from your body the bride. Lord we thank you for them. Bless them bless us as a church. That we would honor you with our lives. We thank you. We are grateful for all that you were doing in Christ's name.

We pray all of this. And everyone said amen guys that's always a wonderful time. Yeah watch your step coming off of here. It's kind of hard to see here. Yeah it's a good idea. Well before we go to a call to worship to officially start off our our Lord's Day gathering.

We always pray for another local church. Right. Another church that's gathered today to to honor Christ to to come together and worship him on his day. And so today we have First Baptist Church of Walnut Ridge.

We just want to bow before the Lord and ask that he would work in their midst that he would work in their leadership and in their people and and do kingdom work through that body. So please pray with me Lord.

We thank you once again. We ask for our brothers and sisters at First Baptist and Walnut Ridge. We ask that you would work through and in them as you do us father. I pray for their leadership Lord. I don't know the pastors there Lord but you do.

And I ask that you would allow them to grow in you to fear you to love you to to be in all of you to love your word to proclaim it with boldness and clarity. That they would proclaim the full counsel of God.

That they would not fear man in any way Lord. I pray for their people that they would have a hunger for your truth and that they would be used to share the gospel in that community. That you would raise them up as a people of your word as a people of your truth.

That they would be doers of the word and not hearers only. We thank you for them. We pray that they would be blessed this Lord's Day in Christ's name. We pray this. Well guys let's start off our service.

We we have a call to worship from Psalm 119 verses 41 through 48. And for those of you that are guests we are called to worship is is typically a psalm. It's always scripture and it's a read and a response and so you can see this the screen is split and so I will read the first part of the verse and you as a church will declare the next section of that verse as we go through because you will see that here at 12 five worship is not a the active participants from the stage and then the recipients worship.

Well you're the worship team we're it we're all. This is a response and so that's why we we structure this way. But but coming from Psalm 119 starting in verse 41 the psalmist says. Let your steadfast love come to us O Lord.

Then shall we have an answer for him who taunts us and take not the word of truth utterly out of our mouths. We will keep your law continually and we shall walk in a wide place. We we will also speak of your testimonies before Kings or we find our delight in your commandments.

We will lift up our hands towards your commandments which we love. And all God's people said amen amen. Let's go to our our God in a prayer of adoration before we sing to him father God who is above all creation setting enthroned in the heavens.

May your great name be magnified in the hearts of your people today that that through though our worship falls short of of your transcendent glory may it be a sweet-smelling aroma rising into your your throne room not due to any righteousness of our own but but because of your great love which you have shown us.

You've done so through the imputation of your son's righteousness that covers us and presents us to you in perfection and the glorious power of the Holy Spirit that it dwells and leads us to worship in spirit and in truth.

Oh because of this we find our delight in your truth and your commandments. Because we now love your law we've been given the ability to love your law. We desire today to meditate on your statutes for they allow us to see a glimpse of your glory.

May our emotions and affections be aligned to your truth this Lord's Day. That as we come into your presence as your children our very lives would be a reflection of your radiant splendor.

The presence. Let's go now to a prayer of confession. The people of God have always.

We come into faith with a repentant heart because of the repentant heart that was given to us. We continue a life as we are in the flesh and we how we are prone to wonder how we are praying disobey the Lord.

And I would ask to at this moment that if you have not yet this day confessed your sin and your your inadequacy before the Lord I would encourage you in your heart to go to the lay that before him as we your precepts as we ought best that our lips speak both blessings and cursings we pray for our brothers and sisters and then gossip of about them in the next breath.

We often preach of unity but reek of division. We acknowledge that all our material goods come from you yet continue to spend our resources on frivolous temporal things our minds.

Wonder from your law and meditate 19 through 23 the writer of Hebrews great.

Comfort. We're resting in our own righteousness and perfection to come before the Holy Triune God. This morning we would all be burned at the at the spot we stand. We would not be able to come before the presence of the Almighty now without the blood of Christ.

Oh but we come boldly can't we. So please bow with me as we continue. A prayer a prayer of assurance. Father even we.

Continue to worship you in this time of giving. I pray that you prepare hearts to receive from you and your words. This morning is forever never and everybody.

Said running through. Explain what we're getting ready to do before pastor Keith comes up to preach. We do this fairly regularly but maybe not as often as we should. A lot of times we tie it into the sermon but sometimes it's good for us as a people to stop and pray a prayer of illumination.

It's a prayer for the Holy Spirit to to open our eyes and our minds up to the immense depth and goodness of. And so if if you would please with with me bow and. And we will go to the Lord and ask for for this very thing as we prepare to hear the Word of God.

For pray that our that our worship thus far through prayer our worship through singing our worship through reading of your word our worship through unity of the Saints has been used to further mold us into conformity to your will.

That our love and all of you has widened that our knowledge and fear of you has deepened and that our faith has been strengthened. Do you once again with a prayer as a plea for the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds to the endless eternal truths of your word.

Great power that we we learned about last week that raised Lazarus from the dead is the same power that raised us who were once dead in our trespasses and sins to spiritual life. With eyes that could see with ears that could hear and a heart that could receive the glorious gift of not yet been awakened.

By that power we ask that the Holy Spirit would blow through like a mighty wind and breathe spiritual life into them so they may see the truth for those of us who have been awakened. May you prepare our minds to hear your word preached with clarity and boldness that we may be doers of the word and not hearers only.

I say you be with pastor Keith as he proclaims it. May he do so with conviction precision and trembling. And we ask all of this boldly in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. People.

Said I forgot the first time I got up to preach. I told my son who's running sound I'll turn it on. And I was a sound man and forgot. So anyways good morning everybody. If you were here last week you saw that through speaking just three words.

Three words Lazarus come out. The resurrection of life proved beyond a shadow of the doubt that death does not have the last word he does. We saw that Jesus was teaching the two sisters the disciples and the Jews that Jesus alone was a source of resurrection power and eternal life.

We saw that worked out and we learned that not only does Jesus have resurrection power over physical death but he also has resurrection power over spiritual death. Christ alone can bring life out of spiritual death and that is spiritual life.

And we can have that spiritual life not only through what Jesus did on the cross but through the working of the Holy Spirit through regeneration. If you would please go ahead and turn to John 14. That's where we'll be.

Our main text will come from today. And actually in starting in John 13 chapter 13 and running all the way to the end of chapter 17 is what scholars refer to as the upper room discourse. Jesus is sitting in the upper room with his apostles and he's gathered them for the last time before he goes to his death.

And you would think with time being so short and time running out that some of the things are all the things that Jesus says to his apostles would be some of the most important topics that he would want to get across to them because he was soon to leave them.

Chapter 13. And we're not going there. I just want to tell you this begins on a Thursday. It's Thursday. The next day the feast of the Passover begins. We're told the next day on Friday Jesus will become the sacrificial lamb.

So just try to imagine try to imagine the stress the pressure the anxiety that Jesus is facing knowing that tomorrow his time has come. He's gone from a triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Monday. And the very next day the same people will be calling for his crucifixion.

And the apostles think about what they're thinking now. They're seeing their dreams their hopes their aspirations of an earthly messianic kingdom crumble before their eyes. They thought that Roman rule would be swept away and that they would reign in glory with Jesus Christ.

And now he was telling them he is leaving them and then packed on top of all of this Jesus tells them that one of them will betray him. One of their own will betray him. On verse 32 of 13 it says. And they looked at one another uncertain of who he spoke.

They didn't even know who it was that was going to betray them. They had to ask him who he was talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing. There is the perfect example of it. Well in chapter 14 verses 1 through 6 where we're going to be today this is where we find Jesus addressing his apostles for the last time before he dies before he comes back from resurrection.

And it says. Starting in verse 1 through 6 he tells them. Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my father's house are many rooms. If it were not so what I but what I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you.

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. And you know the way to where I am going. And Thomas said to him Lord we do not know where you are going.

How can we know the way. And Jesus said to him I am the way I am the truth and I am the life. No one no one comes to the father except through me. If you would have known me you would have known my father also.

And from now on you do know him and have seen him. So we see right off the bat that the apostles are troubled. Jesus knows this. And he tells them let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.

And in the Greek what this is actually saying. He's saying stop being troubled. Haven't I taught you yet my time will come that I am in control of all things. And then he goes on to tell them believe in God.

And what he's saying is that you believe in God somebody I mean God who you don't see. You believe in him. And then he goes on to say believe in me. And this is an imperative statement. It's a command.

If you believe in God that you don't see believe in me someone that you do see. What he's trying to get them to understand is what will you believe when I am no longer here. When I go in the title of our series who will you say that I am.

That's what he's trying to get them to understand. In verse 7 he tells them if you had known me you would have known my father also. And he's not saying that they don't know him. He's making a statement here to get their attention.

And he's saying from now on you do know him because you have seen him. What Jesus is telling them is the truth about the father cannot be obtained except for the true knowledge of the son. You see me you see God.

You know me you know God. This is one of the most important things he's trying to leave with them. He is God manifest in the flesh. And Paul tells us in Colossians 2 9. For in him the whole fullness the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.

He is God in the flesh. Now Jesus makes them a promise. In verse 2 and 3 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. 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 now when we look at Thomas's statement the question we'll see in a minute. Most likely these apostles were thinking that Jesus was going to the temple that was known as the father's house. They were confused.

Where where are you going they've asked. But in Matthew 23 37 after Jesus told the seven woes to the scribes and the Pharisees he's rebuking them. What he says is your house is left to you desolate. Your house is left to you desolate.

And he walks away and goes to the Mount of Olives and gives the Ovilette discourse. Most scholars feel that when he left the temple that was the dividing line. God's presence was no longer in the temple literally and spiritually.

So that wasn't where he was going. Of course we know that he's going to heaven. And if heaven is called many names in Scripture. But the important thing isn't what it's called. The important thing isn't where heaven is.

The important thing is who resides there. And that's the father. Hebrews 924 says. For Christ has entered not into holy places made with hands which are copies of the true things but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God.

And why. On our behalf our mediator he's going to the father. And he makes this this great promise. If I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and take you to myself that where I am you may be also.

This is the second coming of Jesus Christ. This is our blessed hope that he's talking about. He will come again. And what will he do. He will take us to himself. We will have our glorified bodies fit for eternity.

And as John said in his first epistle we will see him like he is in all his radiant glory. Amen. I mean wow what a promise he goes on in verses four and five. And he says. And you know the way to where I'm going.

I mean he makes this flat statement. You know where I'm going. But Thomas said to him Lord we do not know where you are going. They didn't know where you going. How can we know the way he tells them. But this question that Thomas is asking he's asking the question all of them were I wanted to ask.

He asked it for him. But it's not really the question that he's asking what he's really asking. Jesus is take us with you wherever you're going. They didn't want to be separated from Jesus. And what they had so much trouble understanding was that the way that Jesus was going to the father was not the way that they would go to the father.

Jesus's way was through the cross. Theirs is not. So he answers Thomas in verse 6 Jesus said to him I am the way I am the truth and I am the life. That's the positive the negative. No one comes to the father but through me.

This is the sixth great I am statement in our who do you say that I am series. He's making a profound statement here and notice that he's not given directions to the father's house. He's given directions to the father himself.

So in this declaration this claim of Jesus this statement Jesus is stating I am the only way to God. I am the only truth from God and I am the only life in God. So our first section is I am the only way to God.

And that is through what he did on the cross and provided justification for us. So picture Adam and Eve. They're being driven from the garden where they fellowshiped with God. They walked with God they talked with God.

But because of Adam's sin they were separated from God. They were driven from the garden. They were driven from his presence. And we suffered the same thing. We could not go into God's presence. We were separated from him when we were born.

This separation included one important thing spiritual death. God had promised them if you disobey me you will die. But he was talking about two deaths spiritual death and physical death. In Romans 3 23 it says.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified. That's a very important word. Justification by his grace is a gift through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God put forward as a propitiation.

It's a big word but that what that means is appeasement by his blood to be received by faith. Three important things here that lead up to justification. Grace is a gift by his grace is a gift to be received by faith.

It can only be received by faith through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. What is Paul saying here. By grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. That is how we are justified before God.

Now this being justified or justification. This is a legal term. It's an act of a judge declaring a person to be right according to the principles of legal justice. It is God's attribute of being just.

It's a dramatic reversal of the legal status of a sinner. We were guilty. We were guilty in our sins and justification turns that around. Now there's a basis for this justification. It's extremely important.

Without this very important condition we could not be justified before God. And what is this condition. Christ's righteousness. Without that we could not come into the presence of God. We could not be justified before God.

It's the righteousness in Jesus Christ. That's this basis for our justification. Now before I get to talking about Jesus Christ's righteousness in order for us to understand that we need to understand our darkness just where we were before this justification in Ephesians 5 8.

And I'm only going to use a couple of words. You were darkness. We know that we've heard that Wednesday nights we went all the way through Ephesians. So the question is being darkness or sin. How can we become justified.

How can we become light. That's the big question. How can we be reconciled to God. Well the answer is God us into his son. And by doing so makes us partakers in the reconciliation that is in him. We are reconciled to God.

Now let me explain this a little bit deeper. But first I think a really good place is Isaiah 53 4 and 6. It talks about where we were and what happened. And listen how many times it talks about our or us.

It says. Surely he has borne our griefs carried our sorrows. Yet we esteem him stricken smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace reconciliation.

And with his wounds we are healed. Our sin is healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone and all. Here is all. Everyone is everyone to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He has laid our sins on Jesus Christ all our iniquities. And then later in verse 11 Isaiah says. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall be satisfied by his knowledge. Shall the righteous one my servant Jesus Christ make many to be accounted righteous.

He shall bear their iniquities. What a marvelous statement we see here. There's an exchange going on. There's an exchange of sin for righteousness. The sins of the elect are placed on Jesus Christ. There it's called imputed the doctorate of imputation.

It's imputed on Jesus Christ and in return his righteousness is counted towards them. It's imputed to them so that they share in his vindication. That is what Jesus has done for us so that we might be justified before God and be able to come into his presence.

That's why he says I am the only door we talked to that about that when we were talking about the Good Shepherd. I am the only door. But justification. It's not just some mechanical or impersonal event.

Then it's his benefit. It's a benefit of our union in Jesus Christ. We are justified in Christ. We were condemned by the disobedience of one man the first Adam. And we are justified by the obedience of one man Jesus Christ the last Adam.

Romans 5 19. Paul says this plainly. For as by one man's disobedience the many were made sinners. It's original sin. We were made sinners because of the action of one man. So by the one man's obedience the many will may be made righteous.

One man who paid the price for us. See people can disagree. They and they often do about one man's disobedience making us guilty. Well if you disagree with that you're gonna have to disagree with what the last Adam did.

Did you think about that. If you can't accept this you surely can't accept that either. So justification it's a change in our relationship with God. We can come into his presence now because we're accounted righteous when he looks at us.

No sin no darkness. It's a judicial act of God acquitting believers. It's turning them around. They're now innocent before God. It's complete. There's no different degrees of justification. You are justified.

It cannot be lost. It's instantaneous. It happens. It gives the right to eternal and abundant life. And it's by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Jesus is the only way to God the only no one can come to the father.

But through him. The second section is I am the only truth from God. And this is Jesus as being the revelation of God in John 8 verses 31 and 32. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him. If you abide in my word you are truly my disciples.

And you will know the truth. And the truth will set you free. The truth will set you free from what. What will the truth set us free from. It will set us free from the wages and the effects of our sin.

We were under the grip of sin. Adam fell prey to the devil's lies. And ever since then man has lost his ability to accept and understand the truth. Okay. That's important because of original sin. When we became spiritually dead we could no longer accept or understand spiritual truths.

This was a spiritual understanding that Adam was created with. He had that spiritual understanding. He walked with God he talked with God he understood God. He could think about spiritual things. But then he lost that because of spiritual sin.

And man is typically referred to in scripture that is lost because of this is the natural man. He's devoid of spiritual understanding. And we'll go deeper into this in just a little bit. But truth is literally used when you see it in scripture to refer to the revelation of God that Jesus Christ brings.

He's the truth because he is God incarnate. He embodies the supreme revelation of God. He himself narrates God and Jesus Christ does exclusively what God tells him to say and what God tells him to do.

And that's what Hebrews 1 1 2 says long ago at many times in many ways God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days he has spoken to us by his son whom he appointed heir of all things through whom also he created the earth.

It is amazing. Here we are back at the beginning once again through whom also he created the world. And that's not just thrown in there as a parathetical statement that there's a reason why it's there.

And this is an important doctrine that we have to understand. Jesus communicates spiritual truths when God speaks through him. When he's the revelation of God that leads to spiritual life. He communicates spiritual truths that leads to spiritual life.

He is a self-disclosure of God himself. And why. Because God declares it so and God created it so. See creation leads to the truth. That's why Hebrews is telling us this through whom also he created the world because of inexhaustible knowledge.

God and Jesus Christ who he created the world through has inexhaustible knowledge because they created everything out of nothing. That is the only entity only God that has inexhaustible knowledge about everything.

That's why all of our knowledge should be based on him as the truth. And that's where we get the term biblical view. When you say oh I don't have a worldly view I have a biblical view. What you are saying is God is presupposed.

Is I don't know where Jeremiah is presupposition. I presuppose God as the truth. He is my foundation of the truth. I go to him for the truth. The reason why truth can never change. And we learned at the very first sermon one of the foundational truths is God never changes.

He's always the same I am that I am he says I am always the same. I'm immutable. If truth changes then what was before was a lie. It's no longer the truth. It's a lie. You just gained more knowledge about it.

God cannot gain more knowledge about himself. He knows everything. Truth is that which stands against a lie. And one of the biggest lies that Jesus is addressing here is that there's many ways to the father.