THE SON OF GOD 131 1633 A THE DISCOURSE IN THE UPPER ROOM Jn 131 1431 5 The Promise of Residence 1413 6 The Way to the Father 1446 Read Jn 144 ID: 630476
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Slide1
IV.
THE DISCIPLES’ PREPARATION BY
THE SON OF GOD (13:1 – 16:33)
A.
THE DISCOURSE IN THE UPPER
ROOM (Jn 13:1 – 14:31)
5. The Promise of Residence (14:1-3)
6
. The Way to the Father (14:4-6
)
Read
Jn 14:4
.
~
“The way”
is the means by which the
disciples
are brought to the Father
.
~
Jesus means, “You know
Me
;
I
am
the
way.”
Slide2
The
statement is also a veiled invitation: “Come to the Father by means of this way.
”
Read
Jn 14:5
.
~
His objection
also reveals his
devotion
to the Lord – He cannot bear
the
thought that Jesus is leaving
.
~
In effect Thomas means to say: “How
can
we be expected to know the way
when
we do not even know the
destination
?”
Slide3
~
The objection raised by Thomas
contains
an element of truth:
he who
does
not know the destination will
not
know the way.
Read
Jn 14:6
.
This is another of the seven great I AM’s of John’s
Gospel.
“
I am the way.”
Jesus
does not merely show the way; He is
Himself
the way. Slide4
Christ
is God
.
~ God
is equal to each of His attributes,
whereas
He “possesses” each
attribute
in an infinite degree
.
~
So also Christ is the way:
in every
act
, word, and attitude He is the
Mediator
between God and His
elect.
Notice
also the pronoun
“I”
.
~
In the
final
analysis we are not saved
by
a principle or by a force
but by a
person
.
Slide5
~
Therefore, it is not strange that
apart
from
living fellowship with the
Person
, Jesus Christ, who exists in
indissoluble
union with the Father,
there
is no salvation for us
(cf. Rom
5
:1, 2)
.
Now
Jesus is the way in a twofold sense (cf. also Jn 10:1, 7, 9).
~
He is the way
from God to man
– all
divine
blessings come down from the
Father
through the Son (
Matt 11:
27
)
.
Slide6
~
He is also the way
from man to God
.
Jesus
is both God and man, knowing intimately our experience and our needs
.
~
Our personal relationship with
Christ
links us to God
.
“
I am . . . the truth.
”
~
Jesus is the very embodiment of the
truth
:
He is the truth in person
. Slide7
~
Jesus is the truth because He is
the
real
, and therefore, dependable
source
of redemptive revelation
.
~
Jesus is the truth, because He
embodies
the supreme revelation of
God
(Jn 1:18; Jn 5:19ff; 8:29; Jn 1:1;
20:28
)
But
just as the way is a living way, so also the truth is living truth.
~
It is
active; it
takes hold of us and
influences
us
powerfully
. Slide8
~
It sanctifies us, guides us, and sets us
free
(Jn 8:32; cf. 17:17).
~
Basically, not
it
but
He
is the truth, He
Himself
in person
.
Jesus
is our source of intimate knowledge of the Father
.
~
Our response should be to believe
in
Him and put into practice what
He
taught
.Slide9
“
I am . . . the life.
”
~
life
as
opposed to death
~
All God’s glorious attributes dwell in
the
Son of God (see Jn 1:4)
.
~
And because He has the life within
Himself (Jn
5:26), He is the source
and
giver of life for His own (see Jn
3:16
; 6:33; 10:28; 11:25)
.
~
And just as death spells separation
from
God, so life implies communion
with
Him (Jn 17:3)
. Slide10
~
Christ proves that He is “the life”
because
God, with whom is “the
fountain
of life”
(Ps 36:9)
, cannot
be
enjoyed in any other way than
by
Christ
.
Jesus
gives us life both now and eternally
.
~
He promises to join His life to ours.
~
There is no other source of life beside
Him
. Slide11
~
Our response should be to receive
that
life and allow it to work itself
out
in our daily experience.
How
are these three related
?
~ All
three concepts are active and
dynamic
.
~
The way
brings
to God; the truth
makes
men
free
;
the life
produces
fellowship
.
~
Jesus
is the way to God, precisely
because
He is the truth of God and
the
life of God.
Slide12
~
He so mediates God’s truth and
God’s
life that He is the very way to
God
, and therefore the One who
alone
can say,
“No one comes to the
Father
but through Me.
”