The Danger of the ‘Simple Prayer’: Why Decisionism Fails

• The Context of [John 14](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14&version=KJV) 00:00:00 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor sets the scene of the Last Supper, highlighting the 'bad news' Jesus delivers to the disciples regarding his departure and their impending abandonment and denial.
• Six Promises for Troubled Saints 00:02:47 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor outlines six specific promises Jesus gives to believers: a place in heaven, his return, greater works through the Spirit, answered prayer, the Holy Spirit's presence, and peace.
• The Exclusivity of Christ 00:07:13 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor addresses the cultural resistance to Jesus' claim of exclusivity, arguing that Americans reject this due to a culture of options and universalism, whereas the Bible presents Jesus as the only way.
• Jesus as the Way and Manner of Life 00:10:51 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor unpacks the Greek word 'hadas' to explain that Jesus is not just the direction to God, but the manner and style in which believers live with God, serving as the necessary intermediary before a consuming fire.
• The Unapproachable Light and Human Inability 00:13:01 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes God as an 'unapproachable light' and uses biblical examples (Moses, Daniel, Peter, John) to show that humans are 'undone' or fall apart when facing God directly, establishing the need for an intermediary.
• Christ as Mediator 00:16:02 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor argues that while everyone 'gets to God' through death, the problem is standing before Him. He identifies Jesus as the necessary mediator who stands between frail humans and the holy God, citing 1 Timothy 2:5.
• Christ as Righteousness 00:17:09 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that human good works are insufficient ('filthy rags') and that believers stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ received by faith, citing 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Philippians 3.
• Christ as Advocate 00:18:31 ▶️ 📄
  > Using the analogy of a traffic court judge, the pastor illustrates Jesus as the advocate (defense attorney) who stands with believers before the Judge of the soul, citing 1 John 2:1.
• Christ as Truth and Interpretive Filter 00:22:07 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor defines truth not merely as facts but as revelation and interpretation. He argues that Jesus serves as the 'interpretive filter' through which believers understand reality, distinguishing the Christian view of the universe's glory from the secular view of human insignificance.
• Jesus as the Lens of Truth 00:27:09 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that Jesus is the lens through which believers understand the world, their neighbors, and reality, contrasting this with the confusion of those not in Christ.
• Jesus as the Source of Life (Zoe) 00:30:14 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor distinguishes between biological life (bios) and divine, abundant life (Zoe), illustrating that Jesus is the connection that activates purpose and vitality in a believer's life.
• Exclusivity of Salvation 00:33:06 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor asserts that Jesus is the exclusive means of salvation, citing Acts 4 and 1 John 5, and addresses the objection regarding other religions by explaining they all believe in Jesus on their own terms, which is insufficient.
• Universal Knowledge of God and Human Responsibility 00:37:26 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor addresses the question of those who have never heard of Christ, citing Romans 1 to argue that all people have sufficient knowledge of God through creation to be without excuse, making the issue one of standing before God with or without Jesus' righteousness.
• The Call to Personal Decision 00:40:46 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor invites the congregation to make a personal decision to receive Jesus, confess Him as Lord, and trust Him as their way to the Father, emphasizing that the prayer itself does not save but is an act of receiving grace.
• Relationship with Jesus 00:39:52 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor asserts that everyone has a relationship with Jesus, ranging from ignoring or mocking Him to receiving Him as Savior.
• Salvation and Grace 00:40:59 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor clarifies that salvation comes from the blood of Christ and the grace of God, not the prayer itself, emphasizing the necessity of receiving this grace.
• Personal Decision for Christ 00:40:46 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor invites the audience to make a personal decision to receive Jesus, providing specific words for confession and prayer.

• Sermon Illustration 00:00:30 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts the biblical narrative of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples, including Judas, before announcing his departure and the disciples' betrayal and denial.
• Sermon Illustration 00:09:42 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of modern American consumerism, specifically citing Burger King's 'Have it your way' slogan and the availability of 16 different burger options for $7, to illustrate why Americans struggle with the concept of exclusivity in religion.
• Sermon Illustration 00:13:19 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor lists biblical examples of people falling apart or fearing God's presence: Moses hiding his face at the burning bush, Daniel falling to the ground, Peter asking Jesus to depart because he is a sinful man, and John falling as dead at Jesus' feet.
• Sermon Illustration 00:18:45 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts a personal anecdote about being pulled over for speeding and using his identity as a 'local pastor' to convince the judge to let him off with a warning, illustrating the concept of having an advocate.
• Sermon Illustration 00:23:37 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses a humorous analogy about his wife interpreting his shorts on the floor as him being a 'pig,' while he interprets it as saving her work, to illustrate how different people interpret the same facts differently.
• Sermon Illustration 00:27:43 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that he only wears glasses on stage to read verses from a back screen, joking that it helps him 'cheat' to look more intelligent, to illustrate how Christ provides clarity and definition to reality.
• Sermon Illustration 00:27:43 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses an analogy of wearing glasses to explain how Jesus provides clarity and definition to reality, contrasting the confusion of those without Christ with the clarity of those who have the 'lens' of Jesus.
• Sermon Illustration 00:27:53 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about wearing glasses on stage to 'cheat' and read verses from a back screen, illustrating his struggle with distance vision and how the lenses bring clarity.
• Sermon Illustration 00:31:24 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a smartphone to illustrate the difference between biological life (bios) and divine life (Zoe), explaining that just as a phone is useless without a network connection, a person is spiritually inert without the connection to Jesus.
• Sermon Illustration 00:29:23 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the biblical account of Jesus appearing to the disciples behind locked doors in Luke 24, where He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, illustrating how faith brings clarity to the Bible.

• Pastoral Charge 00:01:55 ▶️ 📄
  > The congregation is commanded to cease being troubled in their hearts.
• Pastoral Charge 00:06:54 ▶️ 📄
  > The congregation is instructed to place their faith in Jesus to receive the promises.
• Pastoral Charge 00:08:14 ▶️ 📄
  > The congregation is instructed to write down the doctrine that access to God's promises is exclusively through Jesus Christ.
• Pastoral Charge 00:16:02 ▶️ 📄
  > Write down the theological point about mediation.
• Pastoral Charge 00:16:14 ▶️ 📄
  > Write down the statement that Jesus is the mediator.
• Pastoral Charge 00:22:07 ▶️ 📄
  > Write down the definition of truth as revelation and interpretation.
• Pastoral Charge 00:40:37 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor commands the congregation to bow their heads, close their eyes, and pray a specific prayer of confession and reception of Jesus.
• Pastoral Charge 00:40:37 ▶️ 📄
  > Receive Jesus through a personal decision.
• Pastoral Charge 00:40:49 ▶️ 📄
  > Confess Jesus as Lord.
• Pastoral Charge 00:40:57 ▶️ 📄
  > Recite a prayer of faith.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] Part 7 of I Am. The Way, the Truth, and the Life. Okay, we're going to John 14, verse 1. Let's talk about this text in its context. It is the Last Supper. John chapter 13, 14, 15, 16. Four chapters. The Last Supper of Jesus. And Jesus is telling the disciples some bad news. First off, He's just washed their feet. I always find this amazing that Jesus washed the feet
[00:00:30] of not just the 11 disciples who remained faithful, he washed the feet of Judas.
[00:00:35] You ever think about this?
[00:00:37] Because Judas leaves after the feet-washing moment.
[00:00:41] And then he tells the disciples, I'm going to go.
[00:00:43] I'm leaving.
[00:00:45] And I'm going to come back, but you can't come right now.
[00:00:48] And then he tells them, and by the way, you're all going to abandon me.
[00:00:52] You're going to flee.
[00:00:53] Peter is distraught at this.
[00:00:55] He says, Lord, I want to go wherever you're going, and I will never give up on you.
[00:00:59] And then Peter says, and no matter what, even if I have to die for you, Lord, I will be with you.
[00:01:04] And Jesus says, I'm sorry to tell you this, but you're going to deny me three times that you know me tonight. Tonight, you're going to let me, you're going to let me down in the biggest way
[00:01:11] possible. Bam. I'm leaving. Bam. You're going to leave. You're going to abandon me. Bam. Peter, you're going to deny me. Bam. And one of you betraying, is betraying me tonight. Bam. Like hit after hit after hit. I don't know who has been through a season of life where it just seems like
[00:01:32] it's just one hit after another. Anybody ever been through a season like that? Well, good news for all of those who have ever been in that season. The message of Jesus in John 14 is the message
[00:01:46] for you. Let not your hearts be troubled. In the midst of the hits, Jesus offers peace. Amen.
[00:01:55] and and the scripture here is a direct command like this is stop stop being troubled now i want to let you know it's not a sin to be troubled like this is not a universal command in fact
[00:02:09] jesus was troubled we talked about this last week at the tomb of lazarus and he will be troubled in the garden of gethsemane when he prays before the father before being arrested everybody gets troubled even Jesus in his humanity was troubled being troubled is not a sin staying troubled is
[00:02:29] a problem being troubled happens staying troubled is not our issue in Christ here's why from this text forward Jesus offers six six promises for those who are in Christ Jesus in the midst of trouble let me let me walk through them very quickly for you um first off he says believe in
[00:02:47] God believe also in me and here's what I need you to understand about what I'm doing he says in my father's house there are many rooms and i'm going to prepare a place for you promise number one
[00:02:57] jesus is preparing a place for us in heaven isn't that good no matter how jacked up your life is or how jacked up the world is good news christians this is not the end we are pilgrims passing
[00:03:12] through there is a glorious future for everyone who puts their faith in jesus second promise he says i go to prepare a place for you and if i go i will come again and i will take you to myself
[00:03:25] jesus is coming back he's bringing us to the father that is our hope eternally in christ skipping down to verse 12 of the chapter jesus says that you are going to be able to do greater
[00:03:40] things than i have done because i go to the father in other words the potential for the church is unlimited because Jesus Christ has accomplished our salvation and sent the Holy Spirit. That's another promise. He also gives us access to God in prayer. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will
[00:03:59] do. The Father will hear your prayers if you pray in my name. Now let's just talk about this real quick. In my name does not mean abracadabra, whatever you ask, you get. In my name actually
[00:04:11] refers to the Lord's model prayer back in Matthew chapter five, six, when Jesus said, when you pray, say, our Father in heaven, what's the next line? How it would be your name. In other words, I'm
[00:04:24] going to preface every request of mine with a desire for your name to be glorified. So understand your prayers are always heard and always answered with the express intent of glorifying the name of God. Father, get glory out of my story, no matter what I'm experiencing in my life. Amen,
[00:04:46] somebody. So you're going to have answered prayers because he goes to the Father. You ask anything in my name, I will do it. And then another promise later on in the text, he says, I will ask the
[00:05:00] Father. He will give you another helper. Another means just like me, someone who's going to come, a person who's going to be with you forever the spirit of truth the holy spirit is coming into
[00:05:14] you so you don't have any reason to be troubled because the god that that created you and the god who died for you is also the god who now lives inside of you through his spirit and the world
[00:05:27] doesn't have him but you have him and then fast forward all the way to verse 27 and check this passage out the last promise peace i leave with you and notice the qualifier my peace not the
[00:05:40] world's peace not as the world gives no no no it is a peace the world doesn't understand the world can't offer the world can't take away and then notice he recaps brings us back to the original
[00:05:52] command let not your hearts be troubled need to let them be afraid so understand how to read this text, six promises for failing saints. The disciples are about to abandon him. Peter is about to deny him. It's going to be the worst moment in their life. And it's recorded in Holy
[00:06:13] Scripture for us to remind us that if you've ever been troubled, if you've ever been in a bad place, can I tell you, even when you fail the Lord, he doesn't fail you. Let not your hearts be troubled.
[00:06:27] That's the glorious promises that we have in Christ Jesus. Isn't that good? Now, here's the qualifier. You must believe on Jesus. These are promises only for his people. And it brings us to the central text we're dealing with today. It is a text that modern Americans really don't like.
[00:06:54] verse six jesus said to him to thomas's question i am look at the direct articles the way i am the truth and i am the life and if jesus had just stopped there well maybe we wouldn't have a hard
[00:07:13] time with this text he doesn't stop does he he says no one comes to the father except through me he is the way the truth the life and you don't get to God outside of Jesus this is what we're
[00:07:30] dealing with in our text today and I'm going to deal with the in our message today but here's the underlayment of what we're talking about the the troubles of life are bound to come getting troubled is a fact of life staying troubled is optional if you have Christ
[00:07:49] you do not have to stay troubled amen so write this down no one gets the presence power and privilege of god's promises without or apart from the person of jesus christ no one gets the presence the power the privilege of god's promises apart from the person of jesus christ
[00:08:14] that's what jesus is saying that is where this text that we have a problem with this modern modern americans that's where it's embedded in the promises of the house in heaven um him coming again the holy spirit the peace of god the the spirit of god living inside of you it all comes
[00:08:31] in the context of this statement now let me tell you why americans have a problem with this exclusive statement you've probably heard this why is christianity the only way uh why are you people so narrow-minded surely god is more open than that and they have a problem with
[00:08:48] they say, Christians, you're so closed-minded. And here's what you say as a Christian. Great, great debate point. I don't encourage debate, but this is what you can say. You can say, I didn't say it. Jesus said it. Take your issue up with him. Now, here's why we have a problem
[00:09:10] as a modern American audience is because we, and I want to say something that's going to come across a little bit mean, but maybe you just need to hear it. The reason why Americans have a problem
[00:09:19] with this statement is because Americans are spoiled, rotten brats. We have so many options for anything and everything. I mean, for about $7, you can go out of the church today and buy burgers and a Coke and fries from 16 different places. Maybe about $14 now, thanks to inflation,
[00:09:42] but you get the idea. In fact, one of those burger places made a killing on one statement in the 1990s. Have it your way right away at Burger King. Yeah? Your way. And for 50 plus
[00:10:00] years, Oprah Winfrey has been baptizing American culture into universalistic ideas about how to get to the Father. And because you have options about where to eat, surely you have options about how to get to heaven. And I want to let you know that is a product of modern Americanism that is
[00:10:17] not the reality of most of the world throughout human history. This is an exclusive claim.
[00:10:25] There is one way to the Father. Jesus is that way. And we have to come to God not on our terms.
[00:10:36] We come to God on his terms. That's basically what Jesus is saying here. And so I want to unpack this text. The way, the truth, and the life with four points. Ready? Write this down. Number one, Jesus
[00:10:51] is the way to God and the way to live with God. Jesus is the way to God we've talked about.
[00:10:58] He is the exclusive way. Now, in every I am statement, Jesus has made an exclusive claim.
[00:11:06] John chapter 6, he says, I am the bread of life. In other words, there's no other bread of life outside of me. He actually says, unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in
[00:11:16] you. In John chapter 7, he says, I am the light of the world. In John chapter 10, I am the door for the sheep. I am the gate to heaven. Matthew chapter 7, enter by the narrow way that leads to
[00:11:31] life. Jesus is the narrow way. Now it is for anybody who hears, but it is one way to the father he is the way to god that speaks of direction and the word for way in in greek is
[00:11:44] hadas hadas is a word that means highway or road or path now somebody say hadas you know you're saying it right if a little spit comes out of your mouth okay hadas means the direction but there is
[00:11:58] another semantic range for the word way here that i want to unpack it actually it actually can refer to the means, the manner, the style. In other words, people can say, well, this is the way I live,
[00:12:13] the manner in which I carry myself. Jesus is not just the direction to God and the door to God.
[00:12:22] He is the manner by which we live with God. Let me tell you why that's so important.
[00:12:31] The scripture says in Hebrews chapter 12, verse 29, that our God is a consuming fire.
[00:12:38] Think about that definition of God. Consuming fire. In other words, you burn up in his presence.
[00:12:45] Now, the fact of the matter is, God is incredibly unapproachable. In fact, scripture actually tells us this in 1 Timothy. It says in 1 Timothy that God alone dwells in immortality, and he dwells in
[00:13:01] unapproachable light. In Exodus chapter 19, when God comes down on the mountain of Sinai, the Bible says that the people of Israel get so scared, they walk away. They want Moses to go up on their behalf. They're like, Moses, you get killed by God. We don't want to be killed by God.
[00:13:19] Moses goes up. He survived. He is an intermediary between God and people. And time and time again in scripture, you see that when people came face to face with God, they were undone. They were
[00:13:31] undone. Moses chapter three of Exodus says he fell on his face, put his face in the dust when he met God at the burning bush. Daniel, a righteous man, when he heard God's voice, scripture says he put
[00:13:45] his face on the ground. The scripture says that when Peter experiences the Lord, after he catches the great catch of fish in Luke chapter 5. He comes to Jesus, falls on his face and says,
[00:13:55] depart from me, Lord. I'm a sinful man. In Revelation chapter 1, John the Revelator, it says when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet as though dead. And yet God laid his hand, his right hand. Jesus laid his hand on him and said what? Fear not. I'm the first and the last.
[00:14:13] What we see here is a picture of intermediary of Christ that before God, we all fall apart.
[00:14:21] How are you going to stand before God? And this should cause, this does strike fear in the hearts of people. I always get a kick out of people who say, well, when I get to heaven, I'm going to
[00:14:36] explain myself to God. My friend, you can't even explain yourself to your wife. You're going to explain yourself to the God of the universe. Like we can't even look at the sun. Go outside. You
[00:14:50] can't even look at the sun for more than a few seconds. Maybe you can just glance and just turn away. It's that bright. Scripture says he lives in an unapproachable light. And the God that we
[00:14:59] believe in, he breathed that sun into existence. And that sun is not even the brightest star in the universe. How are you going to stand before God? And let me say something that might seem
[00:15:10] off, but it's true. Getting to God is not the problem. Getting to God is not the problem.
[00:15:23] Everyone gets to God. If you think about it, what I'm saying is true. The only thing required to get to God is to wait. Eventually you will die and your soul will stand before the unapproachable
[00:15:40] one, the righteous judge of all the earth, and you will face the judgment. Jesus said the dead, the good and the bad will be raised in his voice and stand before him in the judgment. Let me say
[00:15:55] getting to God is not the problem. The problem is what are you going to say when you get there?
[00:16:02] That is why Jesus is the way, the means by which you live with God. Write this down so I know you're getting it. We do not need just direction to God. We need mediation before God. We need
[00:16:14] somebody who will stand between us, frail, temporary, finite people, and immortal, unapproachable, light-dwelling, eternal creator, God. And Jesus is that mediator. Write this down. He is our mediator before God. Letter A. This is what Paul says to Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 2. There is one God
[00:16:38] and there is one mediator. Somebody say mediator. Now what does that mean to be a mediator? It's somebody who mediates. Two people are in a disagreement. The mediator comes and settles the disagreement. Jesus is our mediator. The man Christ Jesus who gave himself as a ransom for all.
[00:16:55] Letter B. He is our righteousness. How are you going to stand before God? Let me tell you. You're not going to be able to stand before God based on your good works. Scripture says in Isaiah 64 that
[00:17:09] your good works are as filthy rags before the Father. They're not good enough. Nothing you do is good enough to appease a holy and righteous God. The good news of the gospel is that on the
[00:17:21] cross, Jesus took your sins and you get his righteousness. Second Corinthians 521, it says, he for our sake became sin so that in him we could become the righteousness of God let me tell you
[00:17:36] how you stand before a righteous holy God you clothe yourself not in your good works friends not in your American I'm a good personism you deny all that you reject your good works you stand humbly before the father receiving the righteousness that is yours through faith in
[00:17:56] Christ Jesus Paul the apostle in Philippians chapter 3 says I stand before God not in a righteousness of my own based on the law I stand before God in the righteousness that comes from him that is a gift by faith we all stand in the righteousness that is ours and that's why
[00:18:13] scripture says clothe yourself in Christ that when God looks upon you on the day of judgment he sees the righteousness of Christ clothing you letter c he is our advocate the word advocate means lawyer. Now, I don't know if you've ever stood before a judge, but it is a fearful thing
[00:18:31] to stand before a judge. I have not stood before a judge. I have sat before a judge in traffic court. Because as I have confessed to you on many occasions, I do have a lead foot.
[00:18:45] Pray for me, don't judge, okay? And on occasion, I've been caught. Many times I've been let off with a warning, thank God. And sometimes I've been written up. And so what I do is I always
[00:18:56] contest the fee, even though I have no case. I know I'm speeding. I know I am. That's how I am.
[00:19:01] I'm sorry. I'm not going to go and lie to the judge. I'm a pastor for heaven's sakes, but I've got a game plan when I stand before the judge. And the game plan is very simple. The first words
[00:19:12] out of my mouth are always, well, judge, I'm a local pastor. I've done this so many times. I cannot tell you. I hate to tell you this. And one of them caught on real quick. And I'll never
[00:19:28] forget this. I said, well, judge, I'm a local pastor. And this is true. I was on my way to the hospital to go visit one of my parishioners. This was true. I was not lying. And he said,
[00:19:42] he caught on real quick and he just said, stop. He says, do you deny the speed? And I was caught.
[00:19:52] And I said, well, now he knows I'm a pastor. If I deny the speed, I'm lying because they caught me, right so now what kind of pastor lies about the speed so i said i do not deny the speed and he
[00:20:03] says okay just don't do it again and he wrote me off and he let me go and i was like praise the lord god almighty my point is is that i had an advocate lie my advocate was pastor let me say
[00:20:16] let me throw pastor in as quickly as i can okay when you stand before the judge of your soul you better have the advocate the lord jesus christ at your side this is what john the apostle says
[00:20:32] in first john 2 1 if anyone does sin and in anybody is anybody here a sinner i'm worried about the people who aren't raising their hands maybe you're writing notes down good for you praise the lord um but you you have an advocate you have a look you have a defense attorney
[00:20:49] before the unapproachable, light-dwelling creator of the universe. And that is Jesus Christ. And everyone stands. I'm trying to say, it's not a problem getting to God. Everybody gets to God.
[00:21:02] All you got to do is wait. The problem is, what are you going to say when you stand before him?
[00:21:08] And if you're in Christ, can I tell you, the enemy can throw all his accusations against you.
[00:21:13] You can have an accusing heart that's inside of you. But if you've got the blood of Jesus Christ, Having washed away your sins and the righteousness of Christ wrapped around you and the Lord Jesus
[00:21:25] Christ standing beside you on the judgment day, the father says, welcome home, my son or daughter.
[00:21:33] The Lord Jesus has washed away all your sins. That is your hope in getting to God.
[00:21:43] You understand why it's so important we understand that Jesus is the way, the way to the father.
[00:21:50] Number two, Jesus is the truth by which we know God. He is the truth by which we know God. Now, the understanding of truth in this text is so important because it's not about facts. It's not
[00:22:07] about just knowing details. That's not truth. Truth is a matter not just of details and facts, but it's a matter of interpretation of those facts. Let me have you write something down so I know you're getting it. Truth is not just a matter of information. It's a matter of revelation
[00:22:25] and interpretation. It's not just a matter of information. You can know information, but how you, and if you think about this, it's true. If you think about it, everybody interprets information differently. This is what divides us as a country. How do you interpret the news,
[00:22:48] one way or the other and there are news networks that will interpret it according to that way truth is a matter not just of information but of revelation and interpretation and this is a this
[00:22:59] is a fact of um human existence and why we sometimes don't get along and this is why marriage can be so difficult because people i want to tell you who said amen right there because men and women
[00:23:19] can see the same facts and interpret those facts differently. So in my house, I leave my shorts on the floor and I see them and I say, I'm saving those for later.
[00:23:37] I also think I'm saving my wife work by not putting them into the wash so quickly because they've got three or four wares left. That's the interpretation of shorts on the floor for me. My wife sees shorts on the floor and says, my husband is a pig. That's how it works.
[00:24:12] Now she's wrong and I'm right. That is also my interpretation. But the fact of the matter is everybody is interpreting everything around them on a regular basis. The question is, what is your interpretation filter that's the deal so let me talk about facts that actually matter
[00:24:33] for instance the fact is is that the earth is actually very small in relation to the solar system yeah this is a fact that we have learned over time and the solar system that our earth
[00:24:47] resides in is actually very small in comparison to the galaxy yeah and even our galaxy as incredibly immense. That is incredibly small in relation to the myriad of galaxies in the universe.
[00:25:00] These are facts that we have come to know over time. And in the 1900s, scientists, because of Albert Einstein, a theory of relativity, discovered that the universe had a beginning.
[00:25:12] And it has been expanding ever since. And it's expanding still to this day.
[00:25:17] Now, friends, those are facts. Not the interpretation of those facts. The secular mind says about those facts, interpretation, you see how very insignificant we are.
[00:25:31] Humans don't matter. In fact, humans are just highly evolved species that took a hundred billion years to become what we are. Now, that's not fact. That's interpretation of facts. Got it?
[00:25:47] The Christian goes to Scripture and through the lens of truth understands that the Scripture says in Psalm 19, the heavens declare the glory of God. So when we see the vast, expansive nature of the universe, we don't look at ourselves and say how insignificant we are. We look at God and
[00:26:07] say how glorious he is. It's the same facts. It's a different interpretation. When Christ comes into your life, he becomes the interpretive filter through which you see everything around you and everything about you this is so important because jesus says in john 1 what jesus doesn't say this
[00:26:32] john actually said it no one has ever seen god god the only son who is at the father's side has made him known he in he reveals the father to us before christ you were running from god christ
[00:26:50] found you saved you turned around now you're running to god amen same facts there's a god your response to him changed based on the revelation of jesus as the truth colossians 2 3 says in christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge he's the lens through
[00:27:09] which you understand the world god your neighbor when you're not in christ your neighbor is just some other human being when you're in christ your neighbor is someone that god has called you to love
[00:27:24] and serve and share the gospel with. Amen? It changes how you see other people. It changes how you see yourself. It changes how you see reality. Let me illustrate another way. I'm wearing glasses right now. And you might ask, you know, Pastor, you only wear glasses when you're
[00:27:43] on the stage. Okay, I'm going to give you a little insight to me, just so you understand. And it might take your respect level for me down a notch, and I don't care. I only wear glasses on the stage
[00:27:53] so that they can help me cheat to see my back screen there. And I can read the verses off of the back screen and look a little bit more intelligent than I really am. I struggle with
[00:28:03] seeing things far away. Now I can see just enough far away to get my license, but not far and not the speed limit signs and not that sign. That's what I can't see. And so, but the lenses come on
[00:28:16] and now I can see here's the reality. Uh, unsafe people just don't have the lenses on save people have the lenses on and God brings clarity God brings definition listen he brings definition to every fact of your life because human beings are all wrestling with the same
[00:28:39] questions why is there good why is there evil what is it with suffering how do we handle the what is the purpose of life why am I here what is my purpose for living everybody has those
[00:28:52] questions. The question is not, do you struggle with those realities? The question is, do you have the lens of Jesus Christ that gives you definition about all of those questions?
[00:29:04] Most importantly, and some of you can attest to this, especially recently saved believers, the moment the lens goes on, this book becomes clear. It says about the Lord when he comes into the disciples' presence after the resurrection, he enters into the secret room. They're behind
[00:29:23] closed doors they've locked the doors they're scared jesus shows up peace be with you and it says in luke chapter 24 he opened their minds to what understand the scriptures when you come to christ this book is no longer an old dusty book that you debate and argue with and demean and
[00:29:41] despise no this book becomes the father's voice into your heart the lenses come on definition I'm not saying that you understand everything.
[00:29:54] There's still things you struggle with.
[00:29:56] I get it.
[00:29:56] But it starts to open up to you.
[00:30:01] That is what Jesus means when he says, I'm the truth.
[00:30:06] I'm the way you see the world.
[00:30:07] Number three, Jesus is the life of God for us and in us.
[00:30:14] He is the life of God for us and in us.
[00:30:18] Now, let me talk about this word life, because this word life, there's two words in Greek in the Greek text of the Bible, the New Testament for life. The first is bio or bios. And this one,
[00:30:30] which is Zoe. Now some of you know that I have a precious little dog named Zoe. And that's why this word is so precious to me. But bios is the basic of life. Anything that has life and we study
[00:30:44] it, we call that study biology. We get that from the word bios, the study of life. Anything that breathes, anything that moves, anything that lives. We study it, biology. Now, this word Zoe is not
[00:30:58] that kind of life. This is a vitality of life. This is a dynamic expression of life. This is a different level of life. What Jesus says in John chapter 10, verse 10, he says, I came that they
[00:31:12] may have life, Zoe, and have it abundantly. Now, the way I can illustrate this is everybody has one of these things in their in their hand or in their in their pocket or in their purse it's a
[00:31:24] it's a smartphone and we call this a smartphone which which is really kind of interesting a couple of decade maybe about a decade ago um an advertisement for a cellular network was was huge it exploded with one phrase it said this a phone is only as good as what as the network it's on
[00:31:42] i guess it didn't explode as much as i thought but i remember that line a phone is only as good as a network is on. In other words, if you're not connected, the phone is no good. Some of you know
[00:31:53] this firsthand because you have a panic attack when you lose cell service. And then you suddenly realize that this is basically just a useless brick without connection. Yeah. I have one game on this phone, one game that I play only when I have no cell connection. It's called blocks. It's
[00:32:15] a boring version of Tetris. It's stupid. And there's no point to that game. And it's the only time I bring it out is when I don't have connection. But when I have connection now, all of the apps open up. The GPS on the maps opens up. I know where I'm going. I know how to get
[00:32:32] there. Listen to me very carefully. Without Jesus, you're just a dumb phone. He is the connection.
[00:32:41] He is the Zoe.
[00:32:42] He is the vitality that makes your life move in purposeful ways.
[00:32:50] The abundant life that Jesus offers.
[00:32:53] I'm the way, I'm the truth, and the life.
[00:32:55] Now, the last statement we have to deal with.
[00:32:59] No one exclusively comes to the Father except through me.
[00:33:05] Write this down in number four.
[00:33:06] Jesus is the exclusive means of eternal salvation.
[00:33:15] Again, verse 6, no one comes to the Father except through me.
[00:33:19] Again, Jesus said it, we didn't.
[00:33:22] But the apostles, the disciples, picked up on it real fast.
[00:33:26] In Acts chapter 4, Peter, standing before the Sanhedrin, he says, there is salvation found in no one else.
[00:33:34] For there is no other name.
[00:33:36] Somebody say, no other name.
[00:33:37] There is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved.
[00:33:43] And John writes in 1 John 5, verse 12, he says, whoever has the Son has life, and whoever does not have the Son, what? Does not have life.
[00:33:52] Zoe.
[00:33:54] So people will say, well, I don't like that.
[00:33:57] I want religion on my terms.
[00:33:59] Okay, well, let me just say it like this.
[00:34:00] What about all the other religions, right?
[00:34:02] What about all those other religions?
[00:34:04] What about Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam?
[00:34:07] What about Taoism, Zen Buddhism?
[00:34:09] You know, let's have a conversation about this.
[00:34:13] Okay, something that you might not be aware of is that all of those religions believe in Jesus.
[00:34:20] They all do.
[00:34:22] For instance, Islam believes Jesus was born of a virgin, taught God's word, was a prophet, performed miracles.
[00:34:29] They also believe he went to heaven and Muslims believe he's coming back.
[00:34:35] They just don't believe that he died on the cross, atoned for our sins and is the son of God.
[00:34:40] Hindus believe Jesus was a prophet and he taught the ways of God, but he was just one of 300,000 gods that exist.
[00:34:49] Buddhists believe that Jesus was the Buddha in his generation.
[00:34:54] Tibetan Buddhism believes that Jesus was the Dalai Lama in his generation.
[00:34:58] Mormons believe that Jesus was the Son of God.
[00:35:01] He was born a man, became God.
[00:35:04] He was not eternally God, and he died for our sins, and he's coming again.
[00:35:07] But they deny the eternality of the preexistent Son of God.
[00:35:12] by the way they believe that when you die you will be given a universe of yourself and you will be for yourself and you will become a god and it's kind of interesting that here's the thing here's
[00:35:21] the thing and i want you to catch this from what we said very early on in the message all the other religions of the world believe in jesus on their own terms they want jesus their way and here's
[00:35:41] the fact you can't have Jesus on your terms. You don't, you don't, you don't let that happen for your own personal life, do you? When people misinterpret you, you do everything in your power to make sure they know the real you. You don't want let, you don't want people to think
[00:36:01] the wrong things about you. Amen, somebody? Anybody with me on this? I don't want people to think the wrong thing about me. They need to know who I am. Friends, this is why Jesus came.
[00:36:09] He didn't want you to be misunderstood about who God is. God is the one who is willing to suffer and die and bleed on a cross 2,000 years ago for your sake and for mine, so that you take the goods
[00:36:23] that he has, and he takes the judgment you deserved. Moreover, to express the idea that there is some other way to God outside of Jesus is an insult to the blood that was shed on the
[00:36:37] cross 2,000 years ago. Remember what Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane? Do you remember what he prays? He gets on his face before the Father, and he prays, Father, if there be any other way.
[00:36:54] In other words, if you can save these people by any other means, please do it. I don't want to go to the cross. In his humanity, he wrestled with the cross, but in his divinity, he surrendered his
[00:37:02] humanity to the will of the father and said, yet not what I will, but what you will. He, if, if there's another way to the father outside of Christ, then Christ died for nothing. And some
[00:37:15] people will say, well, what about those who have never heard of Christ? I've got an answer for you from the Bible. Do you want to hear it? Not many of you want to hear it because not many of you
[00:37:26] are going to want to hear it, but it is scriptural. Um, and the Bible does address this in Romans chapter one it says the wrath of god is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and right
[00:37:38] unrighteousness of men who by their unrighteousness do what who by their unrighteousness suppress push down avoid run from the truth for what can be known about god is plain to them because god has shown it to them for his invisible attributes his eternal power divine nature have been clearly
[00:38:01] perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made. Here's what Paul is saying. He's saying everyone can know there is a God through the created order. Everyone can know there is a God in heaven through what is clearly visibly seen. And then he sums it up by
[00:38:18] saying, so they are without excuse. In other words, no one's getting before the Father and say, and is able to say, I didn't have enough information. The issue, again, is not about getting to God. Everyone is naturally religious. Everybody. The issue is, how are you going to
[00:38:39] stand before him? And if you do not have the advocate, the mediator, the righteousness of Jesus, you will stand condemned before him. But the good news of the gospel, the reason why Jesus suffered on that cross, the reason why his blood was shed and he faced rejection and mockery and
[00:39:06] they pulled his beard out and they spit on him and they pierced his hands and his feet and they set a crown of thorns on his head and his blood poured down from the wood of that cross onto the
[00:39:17] ground and still flows into the hearts of men and women around the world to this day. The reason why that happened is so that you do not have to stand before God on your own. You stand before God with
[00:39:30] the blood of Jesus Christ as your inheritance to be accepted eternally into the home of heaven.
[00:39:40] So we've been answering this question, who am I? All series long. Today I want you to write this down. If Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, then the only question left is who am I
[00:39:52] in relation to him? Listen to me. Everybody has a relationship with Jesus. Everybody has a relationship with Jesus. It's just not always a good one. Some people ignore him. Some people run from him. Some people criticize and question him. Some people mock him. Some people use his name as
[00:40:18] a curse word. But to everyone who bows the knee to him, to everyone who receives him, John chapter one says, to them he gives the right to be called children of God. Isn't that beautiful?
[00:40:37] That's the good news of the gospel. I want to give you a chance to receive Jesus right now with the head bowed and eyes closed at every location. Heads bowed, eyes closed.
[00:40:46] This is a personal decision.
[00:40:49] I want to give you words to confess Jesus as Lord right where you are.
[00:40:54] And if that's you, you know you need Jesus.
[00:40:55] I want you to say a simple prayer after me.
[00:40:57] It's not the prayer that saves you.
[00:40:58] No, no, no.
[00:40:59] It's the blood of Christ that cleanses you from sin.
[00:41:02] It's the grace of God that brings you close to the Father.
[00:41:05] But you've got to receive it.
[00:41:07] Right where you are, you can do that now.
[00:41:09] Would you say after me a simple prayer?
[00:41:11] Say it quietly, but say it from your heart.
[00:41:14] Say, Heavenly Father, today I receive Jesus.
[00:41:21] for the forgiveness of my sins.
[00:41:25] Today I confess Jesus as Savior and Lord.
[00:41:33] And today I trust Jesus as my way to you.
[00:41:42] Thank you for dying for me.
[00:41:45] Thank you for rising again.
[00:41:47] In Jesus' name.