Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church located in Kernersville, North Carolina. Let's begin with the truth and the life. Excuse me. Verse one.
Let not your heart be troubled, which is what we talked about last week. Ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there ye may be also. All God's people said?
That's fantastic, isn't it? Verse four, he says this, And whither I go, ye know, and the way ye know. But Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whether thou goest. And how can we know the way?
Interesting. Jesus says, You know this and you know this. And Thomas says, I don't know this and I don't know that.
So we got a little bit of a problem. So verse six, Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the father, but by me.
And on this particular part of the I am statements, I am the way, the truth and the life. Last week we talked about the really the theme of this chapter. Let not your heart be troubled. I thought I just hit somebody.
Let not, these glasses are not working well. Let not your heart, I'm sorry, sir, but let not your heart, let not your heart be troubled or ma'am, whatever I can't really tell. But today on part two, as we finish this, our theme for today is this, Lord, we know not. Lord, we know not.
Jesus said, Let not your heart be troubled. And he explained why it shouldn't. But everything that he explained, Thomas comes back and Thomas wasn't, I don't think, being belligerent here. He just wanted to know.
I mean, he was just a person that really wanted to understand. And he said, Lord, we know not. So that's what we're going to talk about today. Lord, I love you.
Thank you for all that you've done. Please bless your word as you always do. In Jesus name we pray.
Amen. Lord, we know not. Thomas had questioned both where Jesus was going and what was the way to get there. Now, according to what Jesus said, they would have needed no answer if they had really understood because they didn't need to know where he was going and they didn't need to know the way because they knew him. And he was the way. He was the truth. And he was the life. And they knew the Father.
And he was the end. And they knew Jesus. And he was the way. And therefore, that's why Jesus said, Whither I go, ye know, and the way ye know. Because where I go, ye know the Father.
But the way ye know is me. And so that's what he was talking. So Christ is our way to salvation. He's our way to heaven. He's our way to redemption. And he is ultimately our way to the Father.
And Thomas said, Lord, we know not. So Jesus answered with this. Number one, he said, I am the way. I want you to understand something today and I'm going to develop this, but Christ is the way. Not just is Christ the way.
I want you to get this. Christ was his own way. You see, Christ is not just our way, but he was also his own way. I mean, how in the world could he be our way? If he wasn't able to be his own way?
I want you to notice this verse, Hebrews chapter 9, verse 11 and 12 on the screen. He maintained eternal redemption for us. He entered by his own blood. So in order for him to be our way, he had to be his own way.
And he was. So Thomas says this, Lord, we know not whether thou goest. And how can we know the way? You see, in Christ, God and man are brought together. And I want you to know something today. If you do not know Jesus Christ, you have no way to God the way.
You have no way to the Father. You have no way to the destination if you don't know Jesus who is the way to the destination. Does everybody understand that so far? Say amen.
But I want you to notice this. First, he addresses our very, and this is almost something that if you're not careful, you could read this passage and not see this. But Jesus addresses something in Thomas that is something you and I, we all have. And it is our human instinct to want to know where we're going. Where we're going before we start. Thomas said, Lord, we know not where you're going and we don't know the way.
How can we know the way? You see, the disciples wanted to know the next step, the next turn. They wanted to know the ultimate destination of this journey. They wanted to know where it was leading and they wanted to know what was gonna happen on the way to get to where this was leading. They wanted to know. They wanted details.
They wanted some assurances. Now you and I, when we have a long trip, often we wanna turn on our GPS and I did this quite a bit in these past three days. And we wanna turn on our GPS and with our technology nowadays, it'll kinda tell us loosely how long it's gonna take to get there. And I have found one thing that oftentimes GPS is not gonna give you the best route to go.
I mean, I followed it one time and it went to preach somewhere and I'm gonna tell you something, it took me, I mean, eight turns to get to something that was a block away. You can't always trust your GPS, but we'll turn on a GPS because we wanna kinda know how long it's gonna take to get there. We wanna know if there's traffic jams and our little GPS technology now, you can see where traffic is kinda backed up and you can also see where there's construction and where they're working on the roads.
And you can see where traffic is not flowing and we wanna know how long it's gonna take and we wanna know if there's any obstacles in the way. And we wanna know kinda what we're gonna face and we kinda know where we're gonna stop and get gas and we wanna know where we're gonna eat, praise God, the most important part of any trip. And we wanna know all these details. And Thomas was looking for some kind of information. I mean, first, Jesus, we wanna know exactly where this is gonna end. I mean, they thought he was gonna set up his kingdom on earth and now he said he's going to the Father.
So we wanna know exactly what you're talking about. And if that's the ultimate destination, Jesus, then we wanna know how we get there. We wanna know the details and we wanna know every step of the way and that's exactly how you and I are. We want Jesus to explain things and by this statement, when Jesus said, I am the way, Jesus is making it clear that they nor we will know the defined way we're supposed to travel in life. Jesus does not owe us the details of the journey. Jesus is not a GPS. He does not need to tell us how long and he does not need to tell us where we will stop and he does not need to show us where there's going to end up being problems and you oughta thank God he doesn't tell you that. So let us watch Jesus daily and realize that he is the way.
Does everybody understand where I'm going with this? Do you know when we abide in him, we will not know a defined course but we can rest in the comfort of our faith that he is going to lead us exactly where we need to be? In other words, he does not tell us the way.
He simply is the way. See, you and I as God's children can get frustrated sometimes. May I say you and I should not have to hear any explanation from Jesus. We should not have to know details before we launch out to serve him. We should not require for Jesus to give us facts and info and explain everything before we're willing to take our next step of faith in our life. Lord, we know not and so many times you and I as we get down on our knees we're saying the exact same thing to Jesus, Lord, we don't know and explain this and why are you doing this and I don't understand this.
Lord, we know not. Can I ask you something this morning? What is it that you do not know today? What is it that you're frustrated about because God hasn't told you what you need to know? What details of your journey are you upset that God hasn't filled you in on?
In what area are you frustrated because God has not told you exactly what you're going to go through and exactly what he's allowing and exactly what he's accomplishing in your life. You see it's easy for us to say, hey, Jesus is the way to heaven. Yeah, that's absolutely true, but he's the way to your life.
He is the way. You and I think for some reason we're going to scurry God's word that may be out of God's word and in some verse that God's going to explain to us what he's doing and dear friend, may I say this, he doesn't owe us any explanation of what he's doing. All he asks is that you and I would acknowledge that he's the way and we don't need to know all the details of the way and we don't need to know all the directions of the way and we don't need to know what's going to happen in the way and what's not going to happen in the way and what problems might be in the way. Our only task is trusting that he is the way.
I kind of feel like you and I are not getting it yet this morning. Do you know that if God gave you the details then you would trust yourself to get where you're going. Instead of giving us an entire list, and by the way, if Jesus told you everything that you were going to face, look at me, let's think with our brains this morning. If Jesus gave us all the details of our journey, do you know what you and I would do? We would work hard to manipulate, to try to avoid some of the areas we don't like of the list he gave us. Well, if you're going to follow me, Jesus says, you're going to go through this and you're going to go through this in your life and you know what? You're going to face a divorce and you know what? You're going to have a child that's going to, he's going to go off on the deep end and he's going to this and you know what you and I would do? We would take that little list and we would try to manipulate and change things our way so that maybe we could avoid those areas so that somehow we could reroute and could get to the destination a different way than Jesus had planned. Instead of giving us that list and leaving us to plan our own trip.
I love this. Jesus simply says, follow me, trust me, believe me and I'll get you there. You see, Jesus is the way to salvation. Jesus is the way for salvation and Jesus is the way after salvation. He didn't just say he's the way only to heaven, he is the way to every area of your life. You and I do not get saved and then immediately go to God the father. Jesus is the only way to get to the father but Jesus is also the way for our life until we get to the father.
How am I going to pay these bills? He's the way. How can I decide what I need to do? He's the way. How can I determine what I'm going to do in this situation? He's the way.
How do I decide who I'm going to marry? He's the way. How do I get over this addiction in my life? He's the way. How do I get this marriage put back together? He's the way.
How can I learn to fix some relationship in my life? He's the way. How can I get my children or my loved ones to return to the Lord? He's the way. He's not just the way to heaven. He's not just the way to the father. He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the only way to anything in your life.
You and I make such a mess because we think there are other ways to get to other places in our life and there's just not. You know it's interesting in John chapter 10, you don't need to turn there. Jesus compares himself to a shepherd and he says that you and I are his sheep. And we all know as I've said before that sheep are the dumbest animal that's ever been created. Of all the animal kingdom, that's who Jesus decided to say we were. Thank you Jesus.
I was trying to think of a worse animal but I really don't, you know, at least they look okay. Listen to me. He said I'm the shepherd, you're the sheep and here's what's interesting. Sheep don't choose their own path to safety and protection because they're just not smart enough to do so. So sheep have to rely on the shepherd to guard them and sheep have to rely on the shepherd to protect them and sheep have to rely on the shepherd to feed them and sheep have to rely on the shepherd to lead them in order to be safe. We have to trust the shepherd. We would wander off on our own if we didn't have the shepherd. When you and I follow Jesus, we just need to follow him.
We don't need to know the details. We just need to know him. Because he's the way. He doesn't just share the way with you.
He is the way. When I was a child, as we get ready to go on to the next one here, when I was a youngster growing up, obviously you all know I grew up on the road in evangelism. Sometimes you'll hear people like singing groups or whoever they'll get up wherever and they say you know good to be here and you know what I almost got to think a minute where I'm at.
Been so many places and wherever the case might be and people kind of laugh at that think it's a joke. But I'm telling you as a kid I remember many times getting up on a Sunday going into a church not knowing what state I'm in. I mean we were in a different church every week sometimes two or three in a week. You just didn't know where you were going to wake up. And what would happen when I was a child is that they would get up early to travel to the next meeting on a Saturday and often times they would just leave me in bed in the Airstream. I mean if we had had a wreck imagine that.
Wouldn't that have been great. Thanks for taking care of me mom and dad. You know kind of a thing. I've told you often when I was a youngster you know I remember my dad had a suburban with a front bench seat. I remember often times traveling in evangelism as a little guy I would be standing up there in the front seat and I'd have kind of one arm over here on dad's shoulder and one arm over here on mom's shoulder we'd be singing going down the road. If there had been a wreck I'd have been the first one through that windshield.
It's great being loved and protected it really is. But often times they would get up leave me in bed and somewhere along the way they'd stop for gas somewhere and then mom would come back and check on me. And what if something had happened to me?
Often times I would get up and where are we at? You see in evangelism here's something interesting I realized I didn't need to know exactly where we were going. I didn't need to know what roads we were going to turn on and what interstates we were going to take. I didn't have to in those days before GPS I didn't have to get that big triple A map and I didn't have to map everything out and try to you know measure the distance and that would tell you kind of how long it is.
I learned how to do that even as a young child because that's what we did every week of our lives. But I didn't have to map that out. I didn't have to know where we were going to stop for gas. I didn't have to know exactly how long it was going to be there. I didn't have to worry about what route we were going to take.
All I knew is when I was a kid my dad knew where we were going so I was just going to get in the car. That's what it means that Jesus is the way. He doesn't have to give us a map. He doesn't have to tell us everything we're going to face and let's face it if we knew everything we were going to face we wouldn't even want to travel. But He's the way. And I want to encourage you today. He's the way. If I could only get some of our young people to understand that you think that there is things in this world that is the way and it's not the way.
It's a dead end. Number two. He says this.
All right. You say you don't know where I'm going and you don't know how to get there. You don't know the way.
You want all these details. Well number one I'm the way. Number two He said I am the truth. He's the truth.
So what all does this mean preacher? Well truth is opposed to whatever is false. That's what truth is. Truth and lies are on opposite ends of the spectrum. So anything that's going to be true cannot be a lie. Anything that is true is not false.
Can I have an amen right there? Christ the Bible says is literally the substance of the Old Testament illustrations. They were called types in the Old Testament. There would be things that would speak that the Messiah was coming but they were just types of Him.
But He was the real deal. Hebrews chapter 9 I want you to look at this verse. Verse 24 the Bible says this for Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true. You see they weren't really all truth. They were just figures of the truth that was to come.
Notice this but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us. So Jesus is not a figure of what is true. He is the truth.
Now I can get up here and I can teach you the truth and speak to you about the truth and I can show you the truth but I cannot claim to be the truth. You know why? Because I've told a lie before in my life. You know why?
Because there's some things in my life that honestly if we really got down to it's probably a little bit hypocritical. And by the way there is in your life too. Listen to me Christ the Bible says is the true manna. Christ is the true tabernacle. He's the true water. He's the true bread. He's the true high priest.
He's the true lamb. Everything in the Bible that were a type of Christ they were a type of what would be true. Jesus was not a type of anything.
He was the thing that all the types were made of. He is the truth. It means he doesn't just teach truth he is truth. He doesn't just show us truth he shows us himself. That's why the Bible says in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. You see as you and I learned the Bible we are not just learning truth we're learning Jesus.
He's the word. It's funny after Jesus had been arrested he found himself standing before Pontius Pilate. He was the governor of Judea and Jesus had been accused of blasphemy.
He'd been accused of stirring up people to a revolution. And it was rumored that he had called himself a king and so as he stands before Pontius Pilate Pontius could find no evidence or even fault of anything in his life but he was fascinated by what Jesus had to say about being a king and his kingdom. Notice in John chapter 18 as in the words will be on the screen for you.
The Bible says Pilate therefore said unto him, Jesus answered thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born and for this cause came I unto the world that I should bear witness unto the truth. That's why I'm here to show everyone the truth. And what did he mean by that? He was there to show everyone him.
Notice this. Jesus says everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, what is truth?
And that's the last thing he says. What is truth? You know what's interesting his response kind of comes in the form of a question and it's the same question that America and the world is asking in 2020. What is truth? So in John chapter 14 Jesus answered what truth is.
It's Jesus. He's the truth. That means this Jesus can testify to the truth and teach the truth because he was the truth. And by the way for Jesus to say I am the truth not just I teach truth I say truth I act truth. For Jesus to say I am the truth that means he is automatically saying that there is nothing in him that is not true.
Do you understand this? For a person to say I am the truth means that there can be nothing false in him or he can't say that he is truth. He could only say that he speaks truth like me because there's things false in my life. But Jesus said I am the truth and that is saying automatically Jesus is saying there is nothing in me that is not true. There is nothing false. There is no lie in me at all.
Wow. It means that there has never been anything but truth in him. The Bible says Jesus is truth and the Bible says that Satan is the father of lies.
This means that Jesus is the only pure sacrifice for our sins. Do you understand what he's saying here when he says I am the truth? He is saying this that if Jesus wasn't the truth he could not have been the sacrificial lamb for our sins. Because if he was not the truth then there would be sin in his life. And if there was sin in his life he would not have been the perfect lamb slain from the foundation of the world for our sins. But because he was the truth he became the lamb that taketh away the sin of the world.
Now there's a lot of people that will give you other ways to heaven. And of all these ways how do you know what is true? Jesus said I am the truth.
Listen to me. He is the way because he is the truth. If he wasn't truth then he wouldn't be able to be trusted as the way.
I'm going to do that whole Did you get that? If he was not truth then he couldn't be the way. How could you trust the way if he wasn't truth? Interesting. Do you know this?
Listen to me. Jesus is not just truth. He is truth about who he is but Jesus is also the truth about who you are. Look at this verse 1 John 5 verse 19 and 20. And we know that we are of God and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
That's who we are. And we know that the son of God has come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true. And we are in him that is true.
Even his son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. You see Jesus is the truth about who we are. We were sinners in darkness this Bible says. And Jesus is also the truth about he is.
He is the true and living God. And so this is also the truth about what you and I are now. We were sinners that were in the darkness but now you and I are in him who is the truth. So there is a whole lot more to it than for Jesus just to say hey I'm the way. I'm the truth. Oh there is a whole lot more in it than that. He is the truth. Listen to me.
I want you to get this before I go on to the next one. We know that Jesus is the way because God's word says he is and God's word is true. In the beginning was the word the word was with God and the word was God. So Jesus is the way because the word of God says so. And the word of God was written by Jesus and Jesus is truth so the word of God is truth and that's how we know that he is the way and the truth. You'll get that later.
Number three. I am the life. I don't know about you this is quite an answer. In one little sentence he writes volumes. He is the life. You know Romans chapter six tells you and me that we are alive unto God only in and through Jesus Christ. Christ is the Bible says the resurrection and the life. The verses that we just read it says literally that he is the true and living way.
He is the life. Listen to me. Christ said I am the way the truth and the life. That means this.
Listen to me. He is the beginning the middle and the end. In him we must begin. In him we must continue and in him we must finish. I'm the way the beginning.
I'm the truth the middle. I am the life the end the ultimate destination. It means this as the truth he is the guide of our way. As the way he is the author of our way and as the life he is the end of our way. Eternal life with the father.
Hebrews chapter 10 verse 19 notice this. Having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the veil that is to say his flesh. He is the life because he was the way. His own flesh. So his own flesh he was the way which made him the life and he is the truth which means you can trust him as the way and you can trust him with your life. I know you might feel a little bit confused but listen to me. He is the true way to life and he is the only true way to life. Other ways may seem right but the Bible says the end of those ways are the ways of death. John 1 4 this verse is on the screen. In him was life. The Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you.
