Day 3 - Week 24 - John 14:6 "Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

It's funny how different words hit you when you read a verse and you think, "hmmm...now just why was that word used?"  I did that with the word "through" in this verse and it made me wonder what the original text was and what the intent was of using that particular word in this particular verse.  For I believe that the Bible is very intentional, and that when we dig, sometimes we come up with real treasures of insight.

So let's just look at "through" in this week's verse...first step is going to www.biblestudytools.com and looking up the verse in the King James Version and making sure that we have checked the box next to Strong's Numbers so that we will be able to find the actual Greek word used.

First off, you'll notice that in the KJV "through" isn't used as the translated word. In KJV the text reads, "no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."  When you click on "by" to go to the Strong's translation, you find that it was translated from the Greek word, "dia", which could be translated in several different ways:

through, of place, with, in, of time, throughout, during, of means, by, by the means of, the ground or reason by which something is or is not done, by reason of, on account of, because of,  for this reason, therefore, on this account.

Personally, I think "because  of" would be a very good translation of "dia" into our language in the context of the verse..."No one comes to the Father except because of Me."  Except because of Jesus, we are unable to approach God the Father.  Except because of Jesus, we have no legitimate claim to be called children of God.  Except because of Jesus, there would be no way, we would have never heard the truth, and we would have no hope for eternal life.  Except because of Jesus, we are doomed.

Jesus, our Savior, name above all names...He IS the "because of" that makes all the difference for mankind.  I am so glad that I can say,  "Because of Jesus, I am saved.  Because of Jesus, I am no longer standing in my ability to please God, He has done everything to please God on my behalf.  But because of Jesus, I want to do everything in my Spirit-powered ability to please my God, who loves me so."

Because of Jesus, I pray that you will examine His words and hear His call.  

Day 2 - Week 24 - John 14:6, "Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to Father except through me.'"

At first I thought, "It's not really necessary to memorize the "Jesus told him" at the beginning of this verse...the important part is what He actually said." 

But then I thought, "But it is there, so it must be important and vital."  And when you start to think about it, it really is...for we are not told that this statement was made by the disciples after coming to their conclusion about Jesus based on what they had seen of Him...no, we are told, "Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth and the life..."

We are told that Jesus confidently and boldly stated that He was the only way to obtain access to God the Father.  So we are left, as C. S. Lewis poses, to decide whether Jesus was a legend, a liar, a lunatic...or the Son of God. 

In his famous book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes this statement,

"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg--or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us."

"Jesus could only have been one of four things: a legend, a liar, a lunatic--or Lord and God. There is so much historical and archaeological evidence to support his existence that every reputable historian agrees he was not just a legend. If Jesus were a liar, why would he die for his claim, when he could easily have avoided such a cruel death with a few choice words? And, if he were a lunatic, how did he engage in intelligent debates with his opponents or handle the stress of his betrayal and crucifixion while continuing to show a deep love for his antagonists? Christ said he was Lord and God. The evidence supports that claim."

Think about it --- Jesus made bold claims.  We each, individually, have to decide what we think about those claims...whether Jesus was telling the truth, or whether He was a fraud, establishing a false ministry that against all odds would survive for the next 2,000+ years, despite multiple eras of  full-scale persecution.

My personal conclusion---Jesus was who He said He was and only because of His absolute truth, His Way has been preached to all corners of the earth and His message has survived throughout the centuries.  The Holy Spirit continues to empower those who believe in His name as the only means of eternal salvation. 

Acts 4:12  "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Jesus is THE way --- don't allow this world to confuse you with its accusations of narrowness...Jesus is the way for ALL who will accept Him as their Lord, as God's Son and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead.  (Romans 10:9)

Day 1 - Week 24 - The weeks sure go by fast, don't they!

I can't believe it's Tuesday once again...the weeks seem to fly by!  Even when we're in the middle of the hottest summer in recordable history!  Usually I hate to see summer leave, but this year I will be most grateful for fall's arrival!

Let's go through our verses and then we'll find out which verse of assurance we will add this week....

Romans Road to Salvation
Romans 3:23  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Romans 5:8    But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 10:9  If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 12:1  Therefore, dear brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.  This is your spiritual worship.

The Gift of Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16  All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correction, for training in righteousness.

Joshua 1:8   This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth, you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it.  For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.

Psalm 119:11  I have treasured your words in my heart so that I may not sin against You.

Deuteronomy 6:4-6  Listen O Israel: The Lord your God, the Lord is One.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength.  These words I am giving to you today are to be in your heart.

Deuteronmy 6:7  Repeat them to your children.  Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Hebrews 4:12  The Word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joints and marrow.  It is a judge of  the ideas and thoughts of the heart.

The Gift of Prayer

Hebrews 4:16 Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.

1 John 5:14  Now this the confidence we have before Him, whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

1 John 5:15  And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.

The Gift of  God's Assurance

1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

1 John 5:12-13  The one who has the Son has life, the one who doesn't have the Son of God, does not have life.  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know you have eternal life. 

John 14:1  Your heart must not be troubled.  Believe in God, believe also in Me.

John 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  (KJV)

John 14:3  And if I go to prepare a place for you, I wiill come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am, you may be also.

Oh my - sometimes I am just overwhelmed with the peace that God desires for us.  He has given us so many words of promise and comfort, and so often we just let these words glide by and not stay in our hearts.  Hear what He is saying...He loves us!  He has gone through so many preparations in order to bring us home to Him so that we can have the most wonderful life beyond our imagination. 

The news of the day can be troubling (and it was today as we saw the stock market take another tumble!), but we have an absolute assurance that our lives consist of so much more than the dollars that we may have put away, or the futures we may have had planned here on earth.  We can know that the God of the universe has much bigger plans for our eternal souls.  He is preparing a place for us!  Isn't that just about mind boggling?

He wants us with Him and He has made the perfect way to ensure that we find our way to Him...He sent His Son to tell us and to give us life...the perfect lead-in to this week's verse,

John 14:6, "Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"

Thomas a' Kempis (c. 1380 – 25 July 1471), a late Medieval Catholic monk and the probable author of The Imitation of Christ, which is one of the best and oldest Christian books on devotion,.said, "Without the way, there is no going; without the truth, there is no knowing; without the life, there is no livng."

I love that...isn't it amazing that a Christian brother of over 600 years ago can share his words of faith with us today!

Day 7 - Week 23 - John 14:3 "If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am, you may be also."

Last night to think about Christ's return for us to take us home to our new, beautiful place of life with Him.

In this one verse we have the assurance of God's love for us....

   Jesus came for us!

We have the assurance that He will return for us...

   He has promised to come back and claim us as His!

We have the assurance of a forever home with Him...

 

   He has left us to prepare a place for us where we will live with Him forever!

This is a great verse of assurance...God does not want us to live lives of doubt and insecurity.  He wants us to be assured of our future.  Just as our previous verse in 1 John 5:13 stated, "I write these things to you that believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life", Jesus left His disciples giving them words of assurance so that they would know their future was secure with Him.

Even though Jesus is not presently "with" us physically here on earth, He wants us to know that He will come back for those who love Him.  We can live confidently and securely knowing that no matter what comes our way, ultimately our Savior is coming our way..to take us home...to our real home...and what a home it will be!

1 Corinthians 2:9, "However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"--"

Day 6 - Week 23 - John 14:3 "If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am, you may be also."

After spending 3 days in Red River, I'm again amazed at the absolute beauty of God's creation. And yet, as beautiful as this world is in the most beautiful of it's many places, we know that we have a place waiting for us that will make all of earth's beauty pale in comparison.

And after spending these days with the sweetest of friends, I know that I have a place waiting for me that will offer eternal relationships that will surpass all of the most special times that we enjoy in the here and now.

For in that beautiful place we will have fellowship not only with our family of Christian brothers and sisters, but with God Himself and with Jesus our Redeemer. We will be with Him in the place He has prepared for us and longs for us to enjoy with Him.

I woke up this morning singing, "I Know My Redeemer Lives" in my head...and I do know that He is now living where I will one day live with Him. It will be beautiful beyond measure, more than we can imagine!