| Vol. VI Number 8 | February 24, 2002 |
John 14:1-6
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
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.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
In our life sometimes we get off track and have a little trouble finding the way. Like when we are on the road we get out the road map to help us find the way. At other times we stop and ask directions when we are totally lost. In the above scripture we see that Jesus is the way.
When we are off track and are searching for the way we need to remember that Jesus is the way. As Christians there are times that we need to be reminded that there is only one way for us to go. That one way is to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ the Lord. Jesus Christ is the only way for the Christian. There is no other way except by Jesus.
When a Christian gets off track he needs to get back into the way. The only way is for the Christian to seek the Lord Jesus with all of his heart. No matter how hard you try on your own you cannot get back on the way without the Lord Jesus Christ's help. For without consulting Jesus' map, you will stay lost and without hope.
Jesus is also out only hope, whereas the world depends and trusts in their assets, the Christian has all of his hope and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. For without being on the path that Jesus has put you on, you will find yourself hopelessly lost and without any hope. Jesus is our only hope for he is the only way.
The only way for the Christian to be in the proper way is when he follows the Lord Jesus with all of his heart. When you are following Jesus with all of your heart you are following in his footsteps. In other words you are living the life that Christ and his disciples lead. You aren't living a life of sin and debauchery, but are living a life of righteousness serving the Lord with all of your heart.
Romans 1:17-32
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
If you are living in the way that the Apostle Paul described in the above scripture as living in sin, then you have lost your way and you need to seek the Lord Jesus and ask him to set you back on the road of righteousness. Only Jesus can set you back on the path of righteousness, for when the Devil gets his claws around the Christian and leads him down the paths of sin, wickedness, and despair, only the Lord Jesus Christ can pull you out. Even if you are just feeling the pull of Satan's temptation, it is time for the Christian to seek the Lord with his whole heart.
Thus when Jesus says he is the way, it means a lot more than what the most of you think of Jesus being our savior, but we are to also walk the path that Jesus walked.
Jesus is the only truth that we have to follow. Whereas the world will tell you all kinds of lies about lifestyles, addictions, phobias, and whatever excuse that the world creates up to justify their sin, Jesus still is the only truth. The world will tell you that the homo sexual was born that way, the addict cannot help himself, abortion is not murder, and many other lies. But if you follow Jesus you will realize that the world is filled with nothing but lies and Jesus has always told the truth. Jesus is the truth whereas the world is nothing but a lie. The lies that the world tells has many convinced that the world has all of the answers for its problems. Those who follow Jesus are considered freaks because they refuse to follow the ways of the world.
Jesus is the truth for our lives. There are many whom he has delivered from all sorts of addictions when the world was telling them there was no hope for their addiction. For instance, Jesus delivered me from the evils of smoking, where the world's method is to replace the cigarette with a concentrated nicotine patch, thus replacing one addiction with another. When the Lord delivered me from cigarettes, he took away the desire and the temptation. When the Lord delivers you, you are truly free!
With the Lord there is no cover-up or camouflage, the Lord gives you what you really need. With Jesus there are no lies or half truths. Jesus gives you the whole truth for he is the truth and in him there is no lie.
John 8:32
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
With Jesus as the truth you are free from the enslaving lies of the world and Satan. Jesus gives you freedom from the lies that offer death and destruction. When you know Jesus you know the truth.
With Jesus you have life whereas the world tells you that you have life with them. Let's look at the life that the world offers. First there is abortion which is taking an innocent human life and destroying that life before it ever has a chance. That life may have been destined to be the next great leader, or a great inventor. But because of abortion that life was snuffed out before it ever got a chance. The world offers you one addiction for another like the nicotine patch for the cigarette. What is the difference? Both are addicting with the same drug only one is absorbed through the skin while the other is absorbed through the lung. Is this life trading one addiction for another? When Jesus delivers you from an addiction then you are truly made free.
John 1:1-4
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
When you follow Jesus you have a real life and not a phony life that the world promises. Jesus gives you life that is real and eternal where the world only gives you an empty promise. The ways of the world only lead to death and despair, but Jesus gives you a life filled with peace and joy.
The conclusion of all this is that if you have lost your way, or are seeking the truth, or wanting a life Jesus is the answer for everything that you have been seeking. When you follow Jesus you have found that the way is clear. The truth is alive and not hidden. And finally you have found the life that you were always seeking.
3014 E Street Philadelphia, PA 19134 Church Office Phone: (215) 634-3637 Published by: Rev. LeRoy D. Cressy (215) 535-4037
Services:
Sunday School . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11:30 AM
Sunday Morning Worship . . . . . . . . . . 12 NOON
Sunday Evening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:30 PM
Wednesday Evening . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:30 PM
Copyright © 2002 LeRoy D. Cressy
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