John 14:1-6: I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

John 10:7–10 Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Intro

How do you get to Heaven?

Where do you find the road map to eternal blessing and rest?

That is the question because that is the question that determines you eternity.

Heaven or Hell.

Contrary to popular belief, not everyone gets into heaven.

We live in a culture that says there are many paths to God.

Many ways to get there.

But that’s not true.

There are not many ways to God… there is only One and His Name is Jesus Christ.

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

Some of the hardest and most offensive words Jesus has ever said… especially to the religious pluralism of our day.

Exclusivity and Grace

But for us who believe this verse is not just a verse about the exclusivity of Christ… about how Christ is the only way.

For those that recognize their sin and have been saved by God’s sovereign and merciful grace… this is a verse that makes us wonder why God would provide any way at all!

Much less that way being the sacrifice of His only Son!

The Promise of Salvation and the Great Grace of God… those are the two things we see in this verse.

Our Big Idea for today is…

Jesus is the Way, the truth, and the Life and the only way to the Father is through faith in Him.

Let’s start with John 14 verse 1 where Jesus says…

John 14:1–5 “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, 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. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

The Disciples were troubled.

Its the eve of Jesus crucifixion and Jesus had just said that one of them was going to betray Him.

That He was going to leave and where He was going they could not come but would follow afterward.

And Peter… the leader of the disciples… the bold was going to deny Christ before the sun even came up.

On that side of the cross, their whole world was crashing down.

But Jesus said don’t be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.

I might be going away, but I’m going away to prepare a place for you.

And I’m not going to abandon you… I will come again and take you back to myself that where I am you may be also.

Place

Well what is this place?

Jesus says In My Father’s House their are many rooms.

Now usually when we read these verses our minds just automatically go “Heaven”… and that’s definitely in view.

But the emphasis of the passage is not just Heaven as such but its reconciliation and communion with God asa whole and eternal blessedness with Him.

Its the goal of all the covenants: I will be their God and they will be my people.

Father’s House

In fact its interesting, that the only other time Jesus uses the words My Father’s house is in John 2:16 talking about the Temple.

Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.

Well what is the Temple.

Its where God dwells with His people…

We draw near to God…

And have our sins forgiven.

And in that passage, Jesus said destroy this Temple and I will raise it up in three days… speaking of the Temple of His body (John 2:19-22).

So Jesus was going to prepare a place, die on the cross and rise again three days later to reconcile us to God and draw us near to Him forever!

He wasn’t saying Heaven was under construction.

He was saying He was going to prepare the way to the Father to bring us into God’s house… God’s family as beloved sons and daughters of God.

And the many rooms is the idea of more than enough rooms in God’s House.

Its the hope and assurance that every weary soul that trusts in Christ will surely be saved with not one missing, lost, or left out.

John 6:37–40 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

That’s what Christ is promising here: I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

This is the resurrection.

The future hope of glory.

The day Christ will return and make all things new where we will live forever in Heaven with God and He will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:4).

And Jesus even gives them His solemn promise: If it were not so, would I have told you?

Calvin rightly says that in these words Jesus is promising the disciples that His going… His going to the cross and exaltation… would surely and effectually save the disciples.

Atone for their sins and draw them near to the Father.

Comfort

So Jesus’ words are words of comfort.

Jesus is saying I go to prepare a place for you and will come again to take you to myself.

We will be together again.

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe!

Believe in God… believe also in me.

I go to atone for your sins and I will return to bring you into the fullness of your salvation.

And not a single one of you will be lost.

And this comfort covers their entire lives and the entire life of the church.

If Christ goes to prepare a place and He promises to return to take us to Himself that we might be where He is with the Father… then surely He will care for us and watch over us for everywhere in between!

No matter what happens… our eternal destiny is secure and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever both now in the Spirit and then in fullness (Psalm 23:6).

But speaking for the disciples, Thomas said Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?

The where is clearly to the Father in the context of verse 6 and John 13:3: knowing...that he had come from God and was going back to God.

So salvation, communion with God, and forgiveness of sins.

And rather than answer speculations about Heaven and what its like there… Christ focuses on something far more pressing.

How we may follow Him and share in that blessing.

No One

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The way to the Father… the only way to the Father and reconciliation with God…

The only way into God’s presence… blessing… salvation and eternal rest is faith in Jesus Christ.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

These are some of the most exclusive and countercultural words of our faith.

Jesus is the only way to the Father.

The only way to be saved.

The only way to be forgiven of your sins.

This goes against everything our world and our culture says today.

Cultural Pluralism

Our world says there are many ways to God…

Many ways to heaven….

Many ideas of truth.

With not one more valid or better better than the other.

This is what we call “Religious Pluralism.”

That all religions, faiths, worldviews are equally valid… equally true… and all lead to salvation.

But according to Christ that’s not true.

There’s only one way and its faith in Him.

I AM/Yahweh

Christianity is not one religion among many…

Jesus is not one God among many gods.

He is the One True God.

We even see it in our verse… I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Jesus uses I AM… Yahweh… God’s own Divine Name.

We’ve seen this several times with the I AM statements in the Gospel of John.

When God revealed His Name to Moses He said I AM has sent me to you (Exodus 3:14).

And in the context of God appearing to Moses in the Burning Bush that was burning and yet not consumed, and in calling Moses out to deliver His people, I AM… Yahweh… carries the Idea that God is Almighty, Sovereign, Eternal God and Covenant Keeping Lord of Salvation (Exodus 3:2).

Both ideas which are true in Jesus Christ.

He is Almighty, Sovereign, Eternal God and the Covenant Keeping Lord of Salvation who laid down His life to establish the New Covenant.

The Covenant of Grace where God says they shall all know me… talking about our reconciliation with God and I will remember their sins no more where Jesus died in our place for our sins to forgive us our sins once and for all.

He is Lord and Savior.

The One True God.

You can almost hear what the world would say.

That’s so bigoted…

That’s so narrow-minded…

That’s so arrogant!

How can you possibly say Jesus is the only way?

And the answer is because Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and there is no salvation outside of Him.

Let’s look at each of them individually.

First…

I. Jesus is the Way

Jesus is the Way means that He is the only road or path to the Father.

That’s He’s only way from point A… dead in our sins… to point B… reconciled to God.

Jesus as the Way is actually the emphasis of this passage.

Jesus says You know the way to where I am going (John 14:4).

Thomas asks, Lord we do not know where you are going… How can we know the way? (John 14:5).

And Jesus says I’m the Way.

The emphasis is Christ and only Christ.

All the blessings and promises of God are yes and Amen in Him (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Jesus is the only way to be saved and forgiven of your sin.

And He doesn’t just lead the way… or show the way… or point to the way…

He Himself is the way by His perfect and sinless obedience and once for all sacrifice.

Starting Point

Our starting point on this way is sin.

We are Lost… blind… spiritually dead…

The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, [indeed He cannot] understand them because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14).

We are hopeless and helpless left to ourselves…

Unwilling and unable to draw near to God as slaves of sin.

No Way Back

In other words we are so sinful… so guilty… so dead in our trespasses and sins… that there is nothing we can do to reconcile ourselves to God.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and now… the way is closed to us (Romans 3:23).

God’s Law demands Perfect… Perpetual obedience.

That means we must keep all of God’s Law and fulfill every single command if we are to be righteous in His sight.

And to break God’s Law… even one!… is to bring eternal condemnation and death.

For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

And For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it (James 2:10).

Psalm 24 says…

Psalm 24:3–5 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?

In other words who will draw near to God?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

And so if you would draw near to God… if you would enter heaven you must have hands that have never sinned…

A heart that has never had one impure though…

And lips that have never spoken or sworn deceitfully… not one single word.

None of course, can reach this standard (Philipps, John, Vol. 2, Reformed Expository Commentary 206-207).

No one is righteous, no, not one…

No one seeks for God.

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.

In their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.

There is no fear of God before their eyes (Romans 3:10-18).

But as Calvin says, Christ has opened the way that has been closed off to us. (Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on the Gospel according to John, vol. 2 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 83).

Active Obedience

He lived a perfect and sinless life.

He fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the Law on our behalf.

He lived the life of perfect, perpetual obedience we failed to live as a man.

Passive Obedience

And He went to the cross as a man and paid the penalty for all our sin.

He suffered the wrath of God on our behalf.

He fulfilled both the Righteous Requirements of the Law and the Penalty of the Law our sins deserved and in doing so opened the way to salvation for all who trust in Him.

Look at…

Hebrews 10:19–22 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

The Holy Places are the heavenly Holy Places…

The True Temple and True Holy of Holies where the presence of God dwells.

And the Author of Hebrews Christ has opened this New and Living Way through the veil… through the curtain, that is, through His flesh.

That’s His incarnation.

His Active Obedience to the Law and His Passive Obedience to suffer the wrath of God on our behalf we just talked about.

Christ went to prepare a way for us and He opened that way through His death.

So that now… through faith in Him our hearts are sprinkled clean and our bodies are washed with pure water.

In other words we are clean inside out.

We are saved, forgiven of all our sins.

Veil

In His death the actual veil of the Temple was ripped in two.

Matthew says it was torn from top to bottom to show that the way to the Father was open (Matthew 27:51).

There was no longer a veil keeping us separated from Him.

We were welcomed in and by the blood of Christ brought near.

Summary

Jesus is the Way.

And He’s the only way.

Because His righteousness and His sacrifice is the only one that is sufficient to save us from all our sins.

There are no good works and there is no other sacrifice other than the perfect work of Christ.

He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:5–6).

Our way to heaven… salvation… and eternal life with the Father is open because Christ’s way was suffering… agony… condemnation and death.

It is His righteousness and His sacrifice that is the only way through the curtain into the glory of the Father.

Number 2…

II. Jesus is the Truth

Jesus as the Truth says He is the truth of God incarnate in human flesh.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Without Jesus we would be ignorant of God and His salvation.

In our sin we are lost in darkness… we have no light.

We are blind groping our way in the dark (Deuteronomy 28:29, Job 5:14, 12:25, Isaiah 59:10, Acts 17:27).

Ignorance

And in Ephesians 4:18, Paul says one of the Major Problems of our sin is our own ignorance.

Ephesians 4:18–19 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

Notice what it says we are alienated from the life of God… because of the ignorance that is in us.

And this ignorance leads to all kinds of sin. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality.

Greedy… Greedy! to practice every kind of impurity.

We have exchanged the truth for a lie and worshiped and served the creature… even if that creature is our very own selves… rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen (Romans 1:25).

And in our ignorance of the Truth… of who God is… of who we are… sin, righteousness, and eternal life…

In our ignorance of all those things we have made ourselves slaves of sin doomed to die and perish in our sin under the wrath of God.

And without Christ… the Truth incarnate in Human flesh… we would all be lost.

He is the only way to know God and His salvation.

The only Light… the only Truth.. the only Prophet who can overcome the darkness and ignorance of our sin and lead the way into salvation and eternal life (John 8:12).

Sure and True Word

Related to this… as the Truth… Jesus is God’s only sure and true of Salvation.

In John 3, Jesus said to Nicodemus who was searching for the Truth…

John 3:11–13 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

In other words, no one has ever gone to heaven to bring back from God’s own mouth a sure a true word of salvation for how we might be saved.

No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended… the Son of Man.

The Word of God incarnate in human flesh… God’s own word from God’s own mouth of how we might be saved.

Every other religion… every other philosophy… every other worldview or faith is at best man’s best guess.

Maybe these good works… these acts of worship…

maybe this way of living and being as a “good person”…

Or these religious sacrifices can save us.

No.

Jesus alone is the Truth.

He alone is the light.

He alone is God’s own Word from God’s own mouth.

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son… (Hebrews 1:1–2).

Trustworthy

And because of that, Jesus is wholeheartedly true… dependable… and trustworthy.

What that means is because Jesus is… The Truth… you can cast all your hope… all your faith… all your life on Him.

Everyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame (Romans 10:11).

Summary

Jesus is the Truth who answers all the ignorance of our sin… reveals God and makes Him known (John 1:18).

As Colossians 2:3 says [In Him] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

True wisdom, and true knowledge of God, salvation and eternal life.

And that takes us to point number 3…

Jesus is the Way… the Truth… and the Life…

III. Jesus is the Life

Life for John is a very specific word that John uses throughout the Gospel of John for Eternal Life.

And Eternal Life is something that communicates something so much more than just the idea of “living forever.”

Its fellowship and communion with God.

Look at Jesus’ own definition.

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Eternal Life is knowing God and His salvation.

And this knowledge of God is not just some intellectual knowledge somewhere out there that God exists.

Its a close, personal, intimate knowledge.

Its a knowledge of Fellowship and Communion.

Friendship and blessedness with the Lord.

Separated

But because of sin we were separated from Him.

Where we were made to know and worship God and in knowing and worshiping God find all of our life in Him…

Because after all… the Creature is most satisfied in fulfilling the purposes of the Creator…

Instead of knowing and worshiping God we became hostile in mind and alienated from Him.

God’s enemies under God’s condemnation and wrath.

But in saying that He’s the Life… that He is Eternal Life… Jesus is saying that He is the fullness of salvation and the forgiveness of sins.

Reconciliation with God… our Creator… the fountain of living waters (Jeremiah 2:13).

Even there you get this picture of joy… satisfaction… thirst-quenching water for a thirsty soul whose soul purpose and desire is to know and worship their Creator.

The Bible calls it the fullness of joy… the life abundant (Psalm 16:11, John 10:10).

So when Jesus says He is the Life… He is the fullness of Grace.

The fullness of salvation…

The full forgiveness from from all our sin.

Saved From Wrath

Jesus as the Life is a promise that all who trust in Him will never come under the condemnation of their sin.

We will never face the wrath of God, because all of God’s wrath was poured out on Him.

He drank the cup on our behalf.

On the cross, Jesus said My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Psalm 22:1).

All of our sin was laid on Him.

And He suffered the alienation, condemnation, and wrath our sins deserved.

He drank the cup of God’s wrath down to the dregs and He died that we might live (Psalm 75:8).

He is the Life because He gave His life and died in our place for our sins.

He Himself became a curse for us and bore our sins in His body on the tree (Galatians 3:13, 1 Peter 2:24).

And through faith in Him we are saved. We are reconciled to God and have eternal life.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and the only way to the Father is through faith in Him.

Mediator

He is the only way because He is the One, True Mediator between God and men.

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

As a Man Jesus was able to die for our sins and as the Holy Son of God He was actually able to pay for them by His infinite person and worth.

The One True Sacrifice.

The Spotless Lamb of God.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29).

Only Jesus can save us from all our sin.

And only Jesus can save us because there is no other mediator between God and Men.

No one who… like Job said… might lay a hand on us both and make peace by the blood of His cross (Job 9:33, Colossians 1:20).

All Together

When you put all these together… the Way, the Truth, and the Life… Christ is:

The Way.

The Bridge between a holy God and sinful man.

He is the Truth.

The only sure and true word of salvation that can be wholeheartedly trusted.

And He is the Life.

Eternal life… communion with God and the full forgiveness of all our sins.

In short, there is no other way to God.

Every other path leads only to death and destruction.

Jesus is the only way to be forgiven of your sins and draw near to God the Father.

Prophet, Priest, and King

He’s the only Priest who can reconcile you to God and open the way for salvation.

The only Prophet who can reveal the Truth of God and His salvation.

And the only King who can save us and deliver us from the Goliath of Sin, Satan, and Death.

God’s Grace to Make a Way!

We talked earlier about how the world hears this and asks, “How can you be so narrow minded?”

How can you be so arrogant… proud… bigoted… to say Jesus is the only way?

But the issue isn’t, “Why is Jesus the only way?”

Its that, why is there even one way?

Why would God ever send His Son to save sinners?

Why would God be gracious to us and yet pour out His wrath on His only begotten Son?

The world is scandalized that there is only one way to salvation… but the thing that should scandalize us is that there is even a way to salvation at all…

And that by the sacrifice of God’s only beloved Son.

Abraham

Remember how with Abraham in the sacrifice of Isaac… who ultimately wasn’t sacrificed, but God provided a substitute…

God said I want you to take your son… your only son… your beloved son Isaac… the son whom you love and I want you to sacrifice him there (Genesis 22:2).

And Isaac was only a type… a shadow of the Father’s love for Christ.

And yet where God spared Isaac… He did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all (Romans 8:32).

The fact that there is any way to salvation should make us marvel at the wonderful love and grace of God!

That God would give up His only Son that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life! (John 3:16).

No Other Way

There is no other way.

If there were then why did the holy Son of God ever have to die?

If there was another way then surely God would not have given up His only begotten Son.

But the fact that He did speaks to:

The impossibility of our salvation without the grace of Christ.

And the Love and Grace of God to save any single one of us from our sins at the price of His holy Son.

There is no other foundation than the one God has laid which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11).

Any man that tries to draw near to God on the basis of self-righteousness, ignorance, or their own good works will hear God say as Sinclair Ferguson so poignantly put it…

I sent My Son to be sacrificed on the cross. I laid the sins of the world on His shoulders and poured out the righteous wrath of heaven upon Him.

I heard Him cry, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.”

My Son… My only Son… the Son of My Love.

Do you think I would have done that if there had been another way?

I heard My Son pray, “My Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me.”

Let them be another way to bring them to heaven apart from the cross… apart from bearing the curse of sin.

But I said, “My Son… there is no other way…”

“Their only hope is you.”

“Their only hope is if you drink the cup they’ve filled up and bear the punishment of their sin.”

What Christ says to us… God said to Him… “There is no other way.”

And anyone that tries to draw near the Father outside of Him, God will say, “Do you not think that if there had been another way, I certainly would have found it? Why have you despised me and My Holy Son?”

(Adapted from Ferguson, Lessons from the Upper Room, 75).

That God provided a way testifies to the Love and Grace of Christ.

Far from pushing us away No one comes to the Father except through me draws us in.

It invites us to say, “God thank you for saving me. Thank you for forgiving me.

And when there was no other way to be saved and forgiven of all our sin… providing that way in your precious Son, Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and there is no other way to the Father except through faith in Him.

There is no other way to be reconciled to God.

Jesus said You know the way to where I am going (John 14:4).

He had been telling His disciples this whole time.

They had heard it again and again in His teaching.

And its the same way for us.

You must be born again… born from above… born of God (John 3:3, John 1:12).

You must come to Christ and believe in Him.

Jesus said I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst (John 6:35).

There is no other way.

Jesus doesn’t hand road map of religious good works, or tell us to go and clean ourselves up before we can come to Him.

He says Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28–29).

Salvation… cleansing… forgiveness of sin… and eternal life… all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus called it a gift… and that’s exactly what it is (John 4:10).

A gift of God’s kind, merciful grace.

The most precious gift of all… His holy beloved Son given as a substitute for you!

Without Jesus… there is no other way to heaven.

There is no other Savior or other religion that can light our way to the Truth.

And there is no other life.

Outside of Christ there is only death, misery, and destruction.

Application

So as the Way, the Truth and the Life… we must follow Him.

As the Truth we must believe in Him… hold fast to Him… take hold of Him with the full weight and faith of our souls.

And as the life we must abide in Him and find all of our joy… satisfaction… and all the living water for our thirsty souls in Him and Him alone.

There is no other way.

There is only one Way.

One Truth.

One Life.

And its the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Its Christ and Christ alone.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Let’s Pray

Related Media

Related Sermons

Earn an accredited degree from Redemption Seminary with Logos.