Amen. Amen. Thank you, Jeff. And praise team
as well. Thank you for leading us in song today.
And Jeff, thanks for being willing to share the
Passion Week series. And especially on today
of all days. The triumphal, what are we calling
it, TM? Grant had a new TM, new trademark. We'll
see. But no, I'm grateful. I think it's going
to be a great series. And it's not because of
us. It's not because of humans. It's because
of the source material. As Jeff shared, there
is no greater topic to focus on from the pulpit
than the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen. Every
believer needs to be encouraged. Every unbeliever
needs to be hearing about this good news in Christ.
As Jeff was reading the Valley of Vision, were
you listening well? I know it's old English.
But were you listening well? The appeal for responding
rightly to the gospel call. Those truths are
the same. The human heart remains the same. The
appeal that you heard in that reading, it is
not very different from the disciples who struggled
to comprehend what this gospel would mean for
their lives, especially in the face of Jesus'
impending departure during that Passion Week.
That's what we're going to pick up today. with
the disciples being prepared for the cross. Now,
let's think about it for a moment. The disciples
were with Jesus roughly three and a half -ish
years, right? Many of you grew up hearing Jesus
saying, follow me, to the fishermen, right? Now,
whether you read that in John chapter one, Matthew
chapter four, Mark chapter one, Luke chapter
five, all four of the gospels, they record. many
ministry moments that Jesus had on this earth
with his disciples. I think sometimes during
that earthly ministry, though, those three and
a half years, people often focus a lot on his
miracles, a lot on the works that Jesus did.
Think about what John said, though. You remember
our Gospel of John series, and we titled it very
purposefully, That You May Believe. that you
may believe and that in believing you may have
eternal life. That's what John says, why these
things have been written and recorded. I'm going
to make a case today that Jesus was here to be
with his disciples more than he was here to perform
miracles. Gasp. Ah, think about that. Now the
miracles, they validated his message, but the
message was for what? For people. For people.
And that's a critical point. Jesus didn't just
show up and wonder who would follow him. He came
at an appointed time to an appointed people with
an appointed purpose. You see the intentionality
there? He was not with his disciples as a result
of random chance, like he just shows up and,
I guess these are the guys I got with me. He
shows up at the right time, the right place,
to the right people with the right purpose. It
was divine intention, not random chance. And
the disciples who responded faithfully to Jesus'
call to follow him, they were loved. They were
chosen. They were protected by the Savior. But
even in that special position that they had,
to be those first ones to walk with Jesus, they
still struggled. How many of you remember Peter's
calling? You can raise your hand in church. It's
allowed. If you don't remember, I'm going to
assume that I'm talking to the majority of you
now. You don't remember, I'll remind you. Okay,
Jeff remembers. Thank you, Jeff. Now, I'll be
honest. Few things in the Gospels get me teary
-eyed like that event for me. I know there's
a lot of extra biblical oddities in that Chosen
TV series, so I'm not recommending it. But one
thing I think they captured well was that moment.
I think they captured that moment well. But for
the real event, you can turn to Luke 5 if you
want, or you just listen. as I tell you about
it. The disciples, they've been, they weren't
disciples at that moment, just to be clear. These
men, they'd been fishing all night. They'd been
laboring, working hard. They're weary, they're
tired, and have they caught much? No. But I don't
think it was just about fishing. They've been
waiting. God's people have been waiting for the
Messiah. Hardworking day laborers, Jews like
Peter, they wanted to be rescued. They were growing
weary. God had been silent for so many years.
His people had been so disobedient. Now they're
suffering under Roman rule. Sure, they're back
from the deportations. They're in the promised
land. But this cannot be the goodness that was
told to them that was coming. This is not eternal
glory. Now, it's in that season of tumult and
uncertainty that Jesus arrives on the scene.
And the context of Peter's calling was Jesus
preaching to a crowd around the shore of Galilee.
After so many years of God's silence, you have
first John the Baptist, right? John the Baptist
comes. Then comes this teacher, this rabbi. And
he captivated people with his explanations about
God and God's kingdom. And so the crowd is listening.
And these fishermen who'd been working all night,
who were now very tired, they're listening to
this amazing teacher. They didn't know him as
Lord. They didn't know him as Savior yet, but
they were captivated. And so Jesus gets into
Peter's boat because he's preaching to the crowd.
And Peter's willing because he's listening to
this teacher who's unlike any other. He's never
heard a teacher like this. Jesus tells him then,
put down your net. And Peter doesn't say, sure.
He doubts. He's still willing, but he doubts.
Verse 5 out of Luke 5 says, Simon answered and
said, Master, we labored all night. We caught
nothing. But at your word, I will let down the
nets. Now, even in his willingness to let down
the net, he's not expecting a catch. Can you
see that? He's like, I'll do it. Nothing's going
to come up. That's his heart disposition before
the teacher. He's trying to appease him, but
he doesn't really believe him or trust him. Now
we know what happens with that great catch of
fish and the people are marveling at the work,
but Simon Peter has a unique response. Instead
of marveling, instead of just being in awe, Peter
broke. They catch the fish and he falls down
to his knees. And look at verse eight, Luke 5,
eight. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down
at Jesus' knees saying, go away from me, Lord,
for I am a sinful man. Think about Peter. When
witnessing the power of God, Peter didn't go
and ask for his power. Peter didn't ask for any
special blessing. He saw something miraculous
and what did he do? He confessed his sinfulness.
That was his response. The simple act of multiplying
fish revealed to Peter the identity of who Christ
was. His response was humility, shame of sin,
a recognition that holiness was not part of his
identity. What did Jesus say to him when he says,
go away from me? Did Jesus say, you're right.
Get away from me. Did Jesus say, come back to
me when you're clean? I mean, he'd be working
on it. He's probably pretty sweaty. Let's be
honest. No, he didn't say that. Jesus gave hope.
He gave a new calling. He told them not to fear.
The other gospels record Jesus as saying, follow
me. Follow me. I'll give you a new purpose. We're
not going to be fishing for fish. We're going
to be fishing for men. And so my statement earlier
that I think the coming of Jesus was far more
about people than miracles holds true. He's not
fishing for miracles. The miracle of the fish
is for the people. That sets the stage for John
14. Because these disciples in various ways,
in various moments, they all saw the majesty
of the Lord on display. They walked with him
day by day. They ate with him. They witnessed
many other things. You know, John 21, the end
of the gospel says, the world itself could not
contain the books that could be written about
his time with the disciples. That's just a little
bit of stuff, right? You get the sense of how
much was happening? So I want to impress upon
you the nature. of that relationship between
Jesus and the disciples, they were so close and
so much happened, more than we even have recorded.
Yet no matter how much time Jesus spent with
his disciples, no matter how intentional he was
to teach them, day and night, they still struggled
to trust him. They still were often confused.
You wonder why? Because they're human just like
us. They could be seated literally across from
the Savior in the same room, listening to him
teach. They could even be leaning up against
him, touching him, and still struggle to comprehend
his statements and instructions. Think about
that. Think how many of us have said in our hard
moments, in our hearts, in our prayers, that
if only we could be with Jesus, we would understand.
That if only he would reveal himself to us in
some way that would make everything okay. Friends,
the presence of Christ, even for the disciples,
it was not a surefire safeguard for hope and
for trust. We need to caution our hearts so that
we don't think that Christ's presence is more
precious than his purpose. The nearness of the
Lord is not the only thing. The Lord, he is the
one. That might be hard for us to comprehend.
We're going to see more of this and dig in more
to understand the nature of the struggle. Several
times leading up to the crucifixion, really throughout
his entire ministry, Jesus predicted and foretold
of his impending departure, of his need to suffer,
to die. And it was puzzling for the disciples.
They didn't understand. And it wasn't until that
final week, what we call Passion Week, that it
really started to set in. Because before it was
just down the road. You know, kick the can down
the road. Sure, Jesus is saying that. I don't
really understand what it means. Okay, it's coming.
It's coming. It's coming. Now we're at Passion
Week. He's like, it's here. It's here. Now they're
starting to get a little worried. It's not making
the same impact that it was before. Before it
was a glancing blow. Now it's starting to pierce.
Starting to set in and trouble is overtaking
the disciples' hearts. Jesus was faithful to
declare to them what was going to happen, but
they couldn't fathom what needed to take place
because we're human. We have our ideas about
who the Savior should be, what the Messiah should
be, what a king should be. And Jesus breaks all
of that. But we shouldn't blame them. We would
have been no different. And that's what I'd like
to show you this morning from God's word, that
we have so many similarities with those disciples
leading up. to Jesus's crucifixion and his death.
And then once we put ourselves in their sandals,
then I think we can focus on why he said that
he is the way. So grab your Bibles and let's
turn to John 13. I know you're like, why aren't
we in John 14? Just go with me for a sec. I know
I've set the stage, but we need a little bit
of context because Jesus didn't just speak in
John 14 out of nowhere. It came from the context
of the conversation that was taking place. in
the upper room. Now throughout chapters 13 through
17 of John's gospel, we have what's commonly
referred to as the upper room discourse. It's
that time when Jesus was with his disciples celebrating
Passover. During that time, we call it the last
supper that occurs in that upper room as well.
Now John's gospel contains the most testimony
about that time. And think about it. It's the
final gathering that Jesus has with his disciples
before his death. Don't worry. I know it's Palm
Sunday. We're jumping ahead. Just track with
me. You're like, wait, aren't we talking about
Palm? Yes, we're in the upper room. John 14.
So just go with me. We'll finish on Palm Sunday.
I'll tell you that. Okay. We'll finish on Palm
Sunday. We're going to read in verses beginning
in verse 33. of chapter 13, and we're gonna go
all the way to John chapter 14, verse six. Let's
do this, though. Let's go ahead and stand for
the reading of God's word. And you can follow
along as I read. John chapter 13, beginning in
verse 33. Little children, I'm with you a little
while longer. You will seek me, and as I said
to the Jews, now I also say to you, where I'm
going, you cannot come. A new commandment I give
to you, that you love one another even as I have
loved you, that you also love one another. By
this, all will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another. Simon Peter
said to him, Lord, where are you going? And Jesus
answered, where I go, you cannot follow me now,
but you will follow later. Peter said to him,
Lord, why can I not follow you right now? I will
lay down my life for you. Jesus answered, will
you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly,
I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you
deny me three times. Do not let your heart be
troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.
In my Father's house are many dwelling places.
If it were not so, I would have told you. For
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 to myself, that where I am, there
you may be also. And you know the way where I
am going. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not
know where you are going. How do we know the
way? Jesus said to him, I am the way and the
truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
but through me. Amen. You may be seated. As I
said earlier, my aim this morning is to first
show our similarities with the disciples and
then we'll focus on Jesus as the way. There are
so many good studies on the identity of Christ,
doctrinal positions on salvation. This is one
of those plugs I can give Jeff at Oak Hill Bible.
He will lead you in a good way if you want to
know more about the identity of Christ from those
great works. But our focus this morning is much
more narrow. It is much more narrow this morning.
We are focusing on the context of Jesus' statement
in the upper room in John 14, specifically what
led up to him stating that he is the way, the
truth, the life. And we're zeroing in on Jesus
as the way. And there are three ways that I see
the disciples missing Jesus. Necessitating that
response from him where he says, I am the way.
And we're going to cover all three by the time
we wrap up today. Now in verse 33 of chapter
13, did you see what Jesus said? He said, where
I'm going, you cannot come. And he says the same
thing again in verse 36. And in between those
two statements about his departure, that he's
going somewhere, the disciples not being able
to follow him, Jesus gives a new commandment.
A new commandment. And he'll explain that more
in depth later that same evening. What's that
new commandment? Love one another. What do we
say at the end of our services? You know that
one better than the new commandment. We might
need to switch that. Love one another. You know
what's interesting though? He gives a new commandment,
but did the disciples ask about that new commandment?
Now, instead of questioning Jesus about that
new commandment, Peter says, Lord, where are
you going? So the Lord replies. He even gives
a distinction of time, right? And his second
response is, where I'm going, you cannot follow
me now, but you will follow later. Now, again,
Peter could have asked about that new commandment.
I mean, how often does a new commandment come?
Is that a normal thing? Like Jesus just throwing
around new commandments all the time? I don't
think so if you read through the Gospels. But
Peter's laser focused on not being able to follow
Jesus right now. Then he gets bold. I'm going
to lay down my life for you. Now, we need to
not be unfairly hard on Peter, right? Yeah, he's
the bold one. He's the one who often has that
foot -shaped mouth, right? But he's also the
first one to declare Jesus to be the Messiah.
As I shared earlier in the calling of the disciples,
he was the one who humbled himself before the
Lord and recognized his sinfulness. He was the
one. Peter's hubris, though, it's a lesson for
us all. Paul says, 1 Corinthians 10, we'll be
there in 2028. Therefore, let him who thinks
he stands take heed, lest he... And the wonderful
thing is that Peter eventually learned, you can
read in his epistles, what changed in his outlook
as a disciple of Christ. And I'm teasing, Jeff,
we'll be there whenever we're ready. I would
be excited if it's 2028. I'm in it for however
long Lord has. Now here in John 13, Jesus shares
something though that must have shocked and shook
Peter. He publicly questions his allegiance.
He tells Peter that he's going to deny his master
not once, not twice, but three times. And how
quick? Before the next morning. Think about that.
Peter's saying, I'm going to die for you, Lord.
And Jesus is like, no. Before tomorrow morning,
you're going to deny me three times. Now, Mark
14 gives a little more information about the
disciples' response to this. He tells us that
Peter and the disciples, they kept insisting
that they would follow Jesus even to the death.
So Jesus tells Peter this, and then Peter and
the disciples are like, no, no, no, we really
would. We would die for you. We're going to live
for you, whatever you need. But we know how it
turned out, don't we? We know the end of that
part of the story. Peter would indeed deny knowing
Jesus three times, would he not? Before the rooster
crowed, like Jesus said. And then he would weep
bitterly. Because he turned his back on the Savior
of his soul in the most trying hour for Jesus.
That's what happened. Do you see yourself in
Peter? Think about it. Externally professing
faith unto death. I'll die with you. Inwardly
though. Struggling with a feeble faith at times.
You fear earthly consequences for things more
than you fear the Lord who is over. I think in
that moment, Peter made it more about his work,
his response, than the work of the Lord. Don't
we do that as well? We struggle to comprehend
that Jesus alone saves. We try to insert our
own merit. We say with our mouths, our songs,
our sermons, only Jesus. And we say in our hearts,
but I've done this and I've done that. I deserve
this. Like Peter, we can make much of ourselves.
Sadly, in response to the great things the Lord
has done, we make our lives about what we think
we should do. We fill our time with all manner
of vapid things. We try to justify the few holy
Christ -like things we do with those. As if a
few moments of service every week is going to
erase all the selfishness that happens throughout
the week. Friends, we don't just need part of
us washed clean. We need a new heart. We need
resurrection from life to death. What an amazing
truth that Jesus provides his merit for us. The
way forward when we miss Jesus and we make things
about what we've done or we think we can do is
to go back to that first response of Peter when
Jesus called him in Luke 5. The prayer should
be something like this. Lord, I'm a sinner. I'm
unworthy of your presence. Nothing I can do can
atone for my sin. Rescue me. Save me. Redeem
me. Give me a heart of flesh. Renew a steadfast
spirit within me. Guide me by your word. Strengthen
me by your spirit. Encourage me by your people.
That should be our response every time that we
are tempted to miss Jesus for our own personal
merit. What a grace, though, that we're not judged
by what we do. For those who are in Christ, you're
judged by what he has done. If you're not in
Christ, that judgment stands square on your shoulders.
That's the grace. But think of this. Having walked
with Jesus for all those years, as loyal as Peter
was, even Peter didn't have the ability to remain
steadfast to Jesus during the trial and crucifixion.
Even Peter. We would not have fared any better.
We need something greater than our works. We
need someone greater than our works. We need
a savior. After Jesus rebuked Peter, and even
after he and the other disciples were insisting
that they were willing to follow Jesus unto death,
it became apparent to the Lord that the disciples
were troubled. Their self -confidence, it was
shaky at best, and rightfully so. Because if
Jesus said that the boldest of them was going
to deny him three times before the next morning,
would any of them do any better? So in response,
you know, you can just get a sense that they're
just blustering. No, no, no, we will, we will,
we will, surely we will. No, no, they won't.
Jesus told his disciples in John 14, 1, don't
let your hearts be troubled. He saw their resolve
for what it was. They had confidence in the flesh.
They didn't have conviction and faith. Now the
answer from Jesus was to deal with a heart troubled
by his departure was simple. Replace your fear
of man with right faith in God. That's the answer.
Replace your fear of man with the right faith
in God. And now that faith in God is the same
as faith in who? Jesus. Now, I know you might
say this is just too simple. Don't be troubled.
Just believe, right? I can't tell you how many
people I've sat with who have wrestled with that
thought. I can't tell you how many times I've
prayed with, encouraged, walked with people through
scripture. 20 plus years in ministry, I've seen
similarities among all kinds of people. The issue
here in John 14, one, is that Jesus is gonna
depart. And the disciples aren't so sure that
everything's going to be okay. That's the tension.
Is everything going to be okay? They don't want
him to go. They don't know what's going to happen
next. So that idea of just believing, there's
a tension there. Even though Jesus had already
shared that he has a place for them, an eternal
dwelling with the Father, that he's going to
go get things ready. Just think about that for
a moment. You put yourself, just try to bring
the analogy down to your, to our level. It's
like a friend who's telling you, hey, before
you come over, I'm going to go back home and
I'm going to make sure that I have clean sheets,
a towel. I'm going to get some snacks for you.
And then, and then, right, then you can come
over. And I'm not trying to make that goofy,
but do you understand how very basic that is
for the Lord to say, I'm going to go and get
this ready. And then when it's ready, then I'm
going to bring you. He says in verse 14 too,
he's going to get the place ready. And in 14
.3, the very next verse, he says, I'm going to
come back and receive you myself. So he's not
even just going to go to his house and get things
ready and then be at the front door waiting for
you to arrive. He's going to go to the house,
get things ready, and then he's going to come
and get you and make sure you get there. He's
going to bring you to his place. And so he says,
don't worry. Don't worry. Don't be troubled.
He has the confidence that you won't get lost.
So you don't need that confidence. You need your
confidence to be in him. And he tells his disciples,
you know where the eternal resting place is.
But in verse 5, Thomas, like Peter, like the
disciples, like us, he expresses his trouble.
Lord, we don't know where you're going. How do
we know the way? Now, Thomas struggled more than
that moment. Some of you know Thomas, Doubting
Thomas, as we sometimes call him, right? He was
a disciple after Jesus' resurrection. He would
maybe boldly or foolishly, depending on the way
you look at it, claim that he would not believe
that Jesus rose from the dead unless he felt
the pierced side and the pierced hands. You know,
poor Thomas. Let's not be too hard on him either.
If we're not going to be hard on Peter, let's
not be too hard on Thomas. He's like that guy
who just always wants the GPS location, you know?
He doesn't want to just be pointed in the right
direction. He doesn't just want the compass.
He wants the detailed, turn -by -turn directions
for how to get to Jesus. Now, maybe you're blessed
and you're not directionally challenged. I mean,
but how many of you appreciate a good map set?
I do. I think that's a grace. You don't have
to raise your hand. We trust. Especially if you've
never been there, especially in LA. Good grief.
Now, I'm old enough. to remember that when I
learned to drive in those early years, we had
those printed Thomas guides. Yeah, all right.
Some of you know that. Thank you. But it wasn't
for every city, right? Like, not every city had
one. So I grew up in a small town. We didn't
have one. So that was a whole other thing. But
I had it when I got out of the small town. I
think MapQuest was a thing back then, too. Remember
going on MapQuest and you inputted things? You
printed out. So you had like 18 pages with like
three turns on each one. It was... It was rough.
What a day, right? What a day. Now imagine in
that day, if you got lost, whoo, gasp, you had
to ask somebody. You had to talk to a human.
Wow. Or you didn't, and then you just stayed
lost, or you were blessed and you eventually
found the place. You got back on track. Back
in that day, you couldn't text someone, and you
couldn't call them either because cell phones
weren't even a thing. I think I got one after
I learned how to drive. but we weren't even allowed
to text on it because texting was like a per
cost thing. It was lame. Now it's like free text
and data, all that. Now, people didn't keep the
phone next to them, even if you did have a cell
phone. It's not like it lived on them like today.
It's in our pockets all the time. Back then,
it was the landline in the house. If they weren't
sitting by it, heaven forbid, you don't get a
hold of them, right? Imagine such a day. I can
understand Thomas's desire for a step -by -step
direction to the Lord. I think all of us, you
know, to a degree, want that. I'll be honest,
to this day, I use GPS for everything. My wife
teases me. She's over here not judging me because
I use it even for places that I've been, even
places around town. Anyways, enough about me.
Now, Thomas' statement, though, that they don't
know the way, that wasn't exactly truthful. In
fact, it was a bold -faced, disobedient lie.
Now, I'm not being harsh on Thomas. I'm just
being accurate. Look at what Jesus said right
before Thomas in John chapter 14, verse 4. And
you know the way where I am going. Let me ask,
was Jesus lying? Did he tell the disciples they
knew the way, but in reality they didn't know
the way? Thomas' answer, he essentially tells
Jesus he's a liar. Thomas argues with the Son
of God. He tells the Savior of souls that he's
wrong. That's what Thomas did. How often do we
do the same? What about when we're uncertain
about what God's going to do with our temporary
future? With our trials, with our conflicts,
with our suffering? Don't we often say we don't
know what he's doing? Boldly at times? Don't
we demand to know the details of our lives? The
turn -by -turn directions for salvation rather
than entrusting ourselves? to the true north
compass that is Christ himself? Like Thomas,
don't we demand proofs for God's work in our
lives? Lord, give me a sign that I'm going the
right way. I know we're all tempted like Thomas.
We'd all rather see before believing, would we
not? I get it. I'm tempted too. Wouldn't life
be wonderfully easy if we had a roadmap to all
the bumps and the turns displayed before us?
We can go to the next slide, but I think we do
often miss Jesus because we are so very demanding
of all the details. Maybe if we had all those
turn -by -turn directions, maybe life would be
easier. I don't know. You know, I actually don't
think it would be. If you knew what was going
to happen, then you'd fret and worry over that.
And then you spend all your time knowing what's
going to happen, worrying about what's going
to happen, but you can't stop it from happening?
Would that really be better? You're like, maybe.
I don't know. You know what it would lack, though?
It would lack dependence. It would lack dependence.
When we chase the details, we miss depending
on the Savior. He never promised to easily chart
our lives. What he did promise was to never leave
us, to never forsake us. He promised that those
whom he saves would be saved until the end. He
promised that he would rescue those who humbly
call upon his name for salvation. He promised
redemption for the repentant. And none of that,
none of that requires that we know all the details
of our lives. Like Thomas, we need to learn that
The compass of Christ is more important to believing
than the chart of life's twists and turns. This
is why the cure for a troubled heart is trust,
belief, faith. Christ calls us to believe in
him and to believe in God, to depend on him as
we follow his way because the details are in
his hands. The compass direction is in ours.
See that? But even if we're pointed in the right
direction, even if we have that compass, we still
can get lost, right? We need to pivot briefly
from John 14. I told you we're gonna end on Palm
Sunday and we'll come back to John 14 as well.
But we need to look at the nature of Palm Sunday.
I am not trying to argue with Jeff, by the way,
on this. We actually don't disagree on the interpretation.
We agree, okay? I just don't have an issue with
the designation. That's the only difference.
But we agree, it's a tradition, and it's one
that does not break fellowship. How does it relate
to our study so far, though? How does it relate?
Let's set the stage for this. Prior to that upper
room, that upper room happens later in the week,
but prior to that, there's a situation that happens
that many of you are familiar with. Jesus raises
Lazarus from the dead. Incredible feat. Literally,
dead for days, and he raises him to life. And
he does that in the city of Bethany, not too
far. I'm going to leave the map stuff to Jeff,
so I didn't even bother with that one. Green,
purple, orange dot. I don't know. He'll figure
it out for you. But it's not very far away. And
he raises Lazarus from the dead in Bethany. Remember,
Lazarus has two that we know of, siblings, Mary
and Martha. Good job, Martha, Martha, Martha.
Some of you know that. Well, I could tell who
was laughing at that one because you younger
people didn't know that one at all. Yeah, it's
Marsha, Marsha, Marsha. Anyways, okay. This is
right before his entry into Jerusalem. He raises
Lazarus from the dead, and then he stays with
them, and Mary anoints his feet with that costly
oil. Remember that one of the disciples was very
burdened by the cost of it? Now, a crowd had
gathered at the home because Lazarus was dead.
They had already, it was already a done deal,
and then he's raised alive. They want to say,
is this true? They wanted to see this prophet
who brought a man back to life. Now Lazarus,
he drew heat from those priests, those chief
priests. They wanted to put Lazarus to death
even because they didn't want proof of this amazing
miracle. They weren't just believing in Jesus
because Lazarus was raised. They were believing
in Jesus because Lazarus was giving testimony
about who Jesus is. Both that miracle and coming
back to life, the one who did it. So that crowd's
there. This is important for us to note. It's
that crowd who was there to see this Jesus and
this miracle that he did that lays down these
branches, that lays down their coats, that says,
Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord, even the king of Israel. Do you
remember what Hosanna means? Save us. Save us.
The people were hearing this incredible testimony
of a man who was brought from death back to life.
They're getting ready for Passover. They've been
struggling under Roman rule. They're so weary,
God has been silent. They cry out for salvation
to the right person because there's no other
name given under heaven by which we must be saved.
but what happens to Jesus in just a few days?
On Palm Sunday, they welcomed him like Zechariah
9 says. Even though John is clear, he says, it
wasn't until after Jesus' ascension that we understood
this. Zechariah 9 says, Rejoice greatly, O daughter
of Zion. Make a loud shout, O daughter of Jerusalem.
Behold, your king is coming to you. He is righteous
and endowed with salvation. lowly and mounted
on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a pack
animal. He was welcomed like a king on Sunday,
but by Thursday night, he would be betrayed,
arrested, and put on trial. And by Friday, less
than a week, Jesus, the son of the living God,
the one to whom they cried, save us, Hosanna,
just days earlier, by Friday, the crowd's chance,
the same crowd would change from save us to crucify
him. How tragically quick did those cries change?
From salvation to condemnation in less than a
week. Friends, are we that different? I'm not
trying to imbue you with false guilt or to engender
some kind of emotional response right now. I'm
just appealing to your own sense of self. Are
we not just as fickle? In our moments of hardship,
we beg the Lord to rescue us. We even offer him
deals for his mercy. Lord, if you heal me, if
you get me through this, if you rescue my loved
one, I'll do anything for you. I'll come to church
regularly. I'll serve regularly. I'll read my
Bible daily. I'll tell people about you. You
know what? The Lord is so kind to us. Not because
of the deals that we make. No, in spite of those.
He just tends to be more kind than we can imagine
because we often get through the hardships. We
often get through the difficulties and then what
about those promises that we made under duress?
We forget. We go on being selfish, continuing
in some kind of sin. We presume upon the kindness
of the Lord. We expect him to forgive because
how could he even expect us to fulfill our end
of the deal? Sometimes, friends, Jesus... He
shows us exactly who he is and what he's doing.
Like in the case of Lazarus, bring the dead to
life. The case of his earthly ministry, healing
the sick. Cleansing sinners. And we still, we
still, we get this beautiful picture of his declaration
from his lips, by his actions. And we still get
lost. You know, the crowd wanted a good thing.
They wanted their conquering king who would free
them from a life of misery. But they didn't know
what they were asking for. And go to the next
slide, Josiah. And their excitement over Lazarus
returning from the dead, they really forced an
opportunity to crown Christ. But the crowd, they
only crowned him for that day. They didn't crown
him in their hearts. That's true. You know, sometimes
we want the right Jesus, but for the wrong reason.
We think our way is best. We want to usher Jesus
into a situation to rescue it, to redeem it.
And we miss that he didn't come to this earth
and live a perfect, obedient life and suffer
egregiously as an innocent one to be put to death
and to rise again just so our situations could
be a little bit better. He didn't come to make
our pathway in life easier. He came to obey the
father. He came to make a way for his people,
the people that his father has chosen to be saved.
And he did it. People want Jesus to be king in
their hour of need, but people, people like us,
we get lost. We lose our sense of direction,
even when it's given to us. That's our heart.
That's our struggle. That's why Thomas would
even consider with Jesus, like, come on, dude,
why would you argue with him? Right? But wouldn't
we do the same? Haven't we done the same? But
Lord, did you really say this? Can I really be
saved from that? Will I endure and get through?
So we find ourselves back in John 14 as we wrap
up. Jesus responding, to Thomas. John 14, 6,
Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth
and the life. No one comes to the Father but
through me. Throughout this morning, we've seen
how we miss Jesus by focusing on merit. We've
seen how we miss Jesus by demanding details and
how we miss Jesus by getting lost. How do we
see Jesus as the way? Believe. Trust and obey.
Some of you know that song, There's No Better
Way. You say, shouldn't there be more to it?
Aren't there more turn -by -turn GPS directions
to this? Look at John 14 .1. Do not let your
heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also
in me. The cure for a troubled heart that's wondering
where Jesus is, what he's doing, trust him. Believe
him. He's not only preparing the place for you,
he's gonna come back and ensure that we get there.
So why are you so worried? Why are you so troubled?
Think about it like this. Our friend, he left
here to go get his place ready. And you're so
worried he's not going to come back. But don't
you know him? Don't you know him? He always tells
the truth. He never lies. He cares for his people
more than we care for ourselves. We can just
start walking in the direction. We know it's
that way. Let's just start walking because before
we know it, he's going to be coming back, picking
us up, and we're going to arrive at the right
time, at the right place, by his purpose. Now,
even if trouble befalls us along that way, even
if that journey has all kinds of twists and turns
that we didn't anticipate, we can trust that
he will help us see it through to the end because
he's faithful. Because he's faithful. When you
think about Jesus as the way, I think it's that
last part of John 14, 6 that necessarily explains
it well. He says, No one comes to the Father
but through him. And so if you've heard none
of those three main points that are on the screen
today, that's fine. I labored very hard on those.
I want you to know. But for the Lord, if you
just want that simple tagline to understand that
Jesus is the way, it's the one that I preemptively
showed you already. Jesus came to show us the
direction to secure our destination. Or in other
words, Jesus is the way to the Father's eternal
glory. Now I know some people struggle with the
exclusivity of Jesus as the only way. And maybe
they want multiple options for their loved ones
who do not know Jesus as Lord. But the exclusivity
of Jesus should not bring fear or a troubled
heart. It should bring hope. Think of how overwhelming
a menu like Cheesecake Factory is. is like so
many things. What do you choose? You don't know.
If you haven't been, go, and then you'll see
what I'm talking about. Now, maybe you have less
risk of getting it wrong if you go to In -N -Out,
right? You're narrowed, right? But with Jesus,
it's even more clear. There is one way. One way.
Do you wonder how one can be saved and rescued
from this world? You want that answer? Wonder
no more. Wonder no more, it's through Christ.
Do you long for all the wrongs to be made right?
Are you yearning for that day? You don't need
to long anymore. Turn to Jesus. Do you want to
see eternal days without any sin? Is that what
you want to aim for? Such a desire is fulfilled
by the Messiah. Come, follow him. The uniqueness
of Jesus is the only way. That's a safeguard
for all hope. There's only one way to the everlasting
Father, and it is through Christ. As we've gone
throughout this morning looking at the disciples
struggling with his departure, which will be
very soon, and the crowds being so fickle with
their demands, I really pray that you've considered
yourself. I know I have. I know I saw myself.
I know I saw my shortcomings, how I miss Jesus.
The question is, how will you follow him? So
to the fellow church members and believers here,
let's help one another keep our compasses pointed
the right direction. Let's encourage one another
when we don't have the MapQuest turn -by -turn
directions. Let's remind one another where we're
going, who we're following. Now, if you're new
here this morning, new to our church, or new
to the idea of Jesus is the way, Please, come
talk to one of our elders. They're the really
tall, older guys. Myself, Jeff, a younger, tall
guy over here. Come talk to any church member,
too. Please, church members, be willing to talk
to anyone new about this. Because today could
be the day that you begin to walk in Jesus' way.
And I would pray that that would be the case.
Now, you guys have gotten used to it in Ecclesiastes,
so I figured, why not? Why not give you some
questions at the end? Because it's fun, right?
So there's some questions on the end for you
to consider. Take a screenshot or memorize it.
But think about what we've walked through today.
And in a moment, I'm going to pray for us as
we transition to songs of response and praise.
All right, friends, let's pray. God, we ask that
you would help us see how we miss Jesus. We know
the disciples struggled similarly and we are
no exception. So please, would you help us? Help
us with our blind spots. Help us with what we
don't see and allow us to see. Allow us to see
the Savior rightly. And more than seeing even,
Father, help us. to trust when we don't see.
Help us to believe when we don't have the ability
to touch and to see right here, right now. Help
us to take you at your word and to believe you
at your word. Help us to be more okay going your
direction than knowing all the twists and the
turns of our lives. Help us to faithfully walk
towards Christ because we know where he's going
to lead us. to that eternal dwelling. So would
you grow our faith this Passion Week that we
would be more confident in Jesus than we ever
have been, not because of us in spite of us,
but because of him, he is able. Break our hearts
from our sin and those things that tear us away
from your way and then build us up in Christ.
Strengthen us by your spirit. Instruct us by
your word. And help us to hope, to hope in Christ.
We will not be put to shame if our hope is in
him. So help us now even to allow our tongues
to confess. But more than that, may our lives
show that Christ indeed is king. And he's king
according to his declaration, not our perception.
May we learn what that means, that he is the
only way to an eternal hope. We pray this in
his name. Amen.