Jesus Said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life" - Part 2
By Iverna Tompkins
Transcribed by Jane Vaughn
 

Jesus said, “I am the way.” 

“I am!” – reminds me of the name God gave to identify Himself when Moses inquired at the burning bush (Ex.3:13,14).  Moses asked, “Who shall I say sent me to them (the captives in Egypt)?  How shall I respond to Your people, the Israelites?” And God declared, “I AM.  I AM WHO I AM.”  Here in John 14, Jesus says, “I am the way.”  He’s not only the way in to the Kingdom of God.  He’s the way out of our quagmires! 

        1.  He is the only way out of sin.  We sing it: “Oh, the blood of Jesus… that washed me, white as snow.” But we think: “Oh, you don’t know what I have done …”  It doesn’t matter what or when or that.  He is the way out of past habits.  He is the way out of our old patterns of thinking, living, being.  He is the way.

        2.  He’s the way out of our failures.  It’s through Jesus that we dare get up, stand up, and go again after we’ve been downed by our circumstances! (Mic.7:8; Pr.24:16).  He extends His holy hand to help us rise again (Ps.37:24).  He lifts our faces to be able to see the love in His face and move on (Ps.3:3).  The Lord is ever-present (Ps.46:1; Deut.4:7; Ps.145:18); He is there to deliver (Ps.34:17-19).

        3.  He’s the way out of our sicknesses and all disease.  Never has there been a day when we more needed to be reminded of that than today with all the crazy diseases.  They just find a cure for one thing and some stranger thing comes along.  Whoever thought we’d be scared of a little mosquito? (West Nile Virus)   We can turn to Him for all our physical needs (Ps.107:20; Pr.4:20-22). 

What’s the way out of all these things?  Jesus is.  He said, “I am the way.”  Church, there has never been a more opportune moment in history to witness to the practical power of God than there is today.  Jesus is the way.  He is the only way. 

        4.  It is His love expressed through His people, His own children, whereby we can possibly minister to the unloved, the unlovely, the most down-trodden, the homeless, or addicted.  How else could we embrace the “rejects” of our society?  It’s simply not “natural” for us to encounter them let alone reach out to them in love.  Too many, even Christians, would ask, “Why don’t they just get a job and, you know, work…?”  How do you love people like that?  Jesus is the way.   Yes, He’s even the way out of our deeply seated, pre-conceived ideas – our prejudices.  Yes or no?

        5.  Moreover, He’s the way out of our self-designed problems.  Do you know how hard it is to get out of something you designed?  I understand that because if I design it, I only design the way in.  I don’t think of all the details ahead of time, like how to get out of it.  That comes after we are in the maze or mire or mess of our negatives and then wonder, “How did I get from over there to where I am now?  Oh, woe is me!”

“Woe is me” is a good prayer!  That’s a freedom prayer.  You know – when God replies, “Finally!” and I throw myself on the Rock!  “I can’t take it anymore!”  And all heaven says, “Hal – le – lu – jah!”  When we really understand, from a fresh perspective, and say, “God, I got myself into this predicament, how am I going to…?”  You cannot get yourself out completely.  Jesus said, “I’m the way.  Follow Me and I will make you to become…”  I love it!!  When will we learn that He is our every way?

Paul says, “Follow me as I follow Christ” (1Cor.11:1).  What does he mean?  He’s actually saying, “I found the way.”  I greatly, deeply resent the churches that called themselves The Way – and then went so far astray from God’s Truth – brutalizing children and all the rest – until we’re afraid to use the word – the term – “The Way.”  We had that movement here in Phoenix.  They called themselves a denomination. Not so.  They were a cult!  And Horrendous!  The Way.  They weren’t the way – Jesus is the Way!

        6.  He’s the way out of discouragement.  He’s the way out of depression.  Say His precious name: “Jesus.”  Whisper it.  Shout it.  Just walk around the house saying, “Jesus.”  “Well, I just don’t know what to pray, or how to pray.”  I have had so many hours of that – when I truly have not known what to pray.  After I’ve done all the things I know to do or say, and I don’t know what else to pray, I run out of words.  I run out of thoughts.  I just don’t know – and lots of times, my prayer just becomes a soft whisper, “Jesus.  Jesus.  Jesus.  Jesus.  Jesus.”  And I feel something break for the one I am holding in my mind and heart of intercession.  There’s power in the Name of Jesus, because of what it represents, because of who He is! (Jn.17:21,23).

        7.  He’s the way out of our past reputations.  We should never allow these words come out of our mouths again: “Everybody knows I’m…”  Alright, maybe you were a cheat – or a liar – or whatever you were.  Scripture says, “And of these – all of these….” and it names other things – “were some of you” (1Cor.6:9-11).  Were.  Were.  How did you get out of those ways of life? 

My earnest prayer is for you to grasp this – deeply within your souls.  Jesus’ disciples didn’t really get it while He stood there with them in the flesh.  He goes through this whole discourse with them and they still said, “No.  We don’t know the Father.  We never saw Him.” (Jn.14:8. implied).

Too many people do a similar thing in churches today.  The Lord will move in such a glorious way – through a great altar service – with such power.  Always there will be those people who don’t get anything!  They walk out of the building saying, or at least thinking, “When Pastor did this… or said that… I missed it.  Didn’t do anything for me.”  That is more than sad.  Actually, it’s sin!  It’s like they’re dull of understanding and don’t perceive God’s presence.  It reminds me of something we read in Hebrews 5:11 and 12:  “…since you have become dull of hearing.  For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again… and you have come to need milk and not solid food.”  This speaks to us of spiritual food and spiritual growth.  God expects us to grow up. (See also Mt.13:13-15).

“Well, I prefer it when so-and-so sings.  Then I really get blessed.  I just don’t like all these new choruses.”  That’s the voice of a “crib-Christian” (Heb.5:13-14).  Jesus said, “I’m the way.  You want to know how to get there?  It’s Me.  It’s through Me.  It’s by Me.  I am the way to where you are going.”

Jesus is more than the Way…  He is…

The Truth

Let’s turn to the second attestation in the same verse: He said, “I am the Truth” (Jn.14:6). 

I love that today more than I’ve ever loved it.  I’m so sick of being lied to.  They have a fancy name for “lying” these days.  They call it “spin.”  Political spin.  That’s when the powers that be make everything sound like you want it to sound.  It’s nothing but a bold-faced lie!  I’m hungry for truth – aren’t you? 

I’m sick of “cutesy” too.  Cutesy sermons – you know, the ones that entertain and tickle the ear (2Tim.4:3, The Message).  These speakers sort of throw ideas up there in the air with such timidity – “and if any of you just feel like praying, that’d be fine.  Bless your heart.”  “No, pastor!  That just does not make the grade.  There are some things that are not optional!”

What’s so wonderful about Jesus saying, “I am the truth?”

        1.  The first thing I see here is that His teachings are reliable.  You can count on the Book.  We may not be able to count on our own interpretation of what we have read – until the Holy Spirit straightens us out – but we can count on every word God has spoken.  If God said it – He promises He will do it (Num.23:19).  So, why do we doubt?  It’s because it doesn’t happen in our time frame.  We figure He always means “right now.”

I think I almost always believe Him when He first promises something – when I first become aware of some promise in the Word.  I really do.  “That’s for me, Lord!”  There’s faith in my heart because it’s His faith that declares it. 

A man spent 38 years – couldn’t get off his bed – a filthy pad he laid on (Jn.5:2-9).  Jesus walks along and says, “Rise.  Take up your bed and walk.”  The man gets up, picks up his pad, and walks away.  How come?  He couldn’t move for 38 years.  Why is it he can get up now?  What was different on this particular day? 

I believe it is this: when Jesus spoke, He always coupled His words with a “now” faith that if not acted on quickly does not last.  When it is His faith – His word – in that /kairos/ moment with Him activating His faith, we can operate based entirely on His powerful faith.  We hear His voice, take Him at His word, and move out in faith – His faith.  His faith will activate anything on the spot.  And then, as He determines the time frame, responsibility (think – “the ability to respond”) for faith transfers from Him to us.  That is, responsibility for the “faith-to-receive-it” (the promise) transfers from His faith to the intended recipient (you or me) after it has been spoken.

That’s why at times you have done exploits (Dan.11:32) – because right then, when He spoke the Word – you did it acting on His faith and it worked!  And then, when you went home, that /kairos/ moment passed.  The promises and the word did not change, but the responsibility for faith is now transferred to you to hold fast to that which has been given.

On another occasion, Jesus said to a blind man, “Go down and wash at the pool of Siloam (Jn.9:1-7).  The man goes there, finds the pool and does as he was instructed, based upon the words of Jesus.  Suddenly, he can see.  Why?  It’s the faith of Christ working at that moment.  It isn’t the man’s own faith.  He was still walking, acting on the active faith of the living and powerful word of Jesus (Heb.4:12).  He didn’t wait a week to see if Jesus had anything else to say, he moved in the appointed moment.  He acted on Jesus’ words because they are true.

Part 3 will continue with this subject – Jesus is the Truth.

                                                                                                                          Go to Part 3