We're continuing our series on the Jesus's seven "I am" statements in the Gospel of John. We're on his sixth one, found in John chapter 14, verse 6. But I want to read the context around this text, so I'm going to start reading from John chapter 13, verse 33, and then John chapter 14 up to verse 6.

Starting from verse 33. "O children, I am 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 am going, you cannot come.'" Verse 36. "Simon Peter said to him, 'Lord, where are you going?' 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?'" Chapter 14, verse 1.

"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. 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?'" And in response to that, Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." Let's pray and then we'll jump into the message.

Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning wanting to hear your voice. We pray, Father God, that you would give us eagerness to listen, a mind that is open to hear your voice and a will that is willing to surrender. I pray that you would ordain this time for the purpose of glorifying your Son and sanctifying your church.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen. All right, so again, I forget whether it's six weeks or seven weeks that we've been in quarantine and to be honest, sometimes I wake up and I don't know if it's Monday or Saturday and the only way that I gauge what day it is because of the sermons coming up.

And so when I have to put on my suit, then I know it's Sunday. So I don't know what it's like. I know many of you guys are still going to work, but I think I ask my kids, "What's the first thing that you want to do once quarantine lifts?" And obviously, they want to get together with their friends, maybe go out to eat, maybe hang out, whatever that may be.

And I thought once this thing completely opens up, obviously the first thing that I look forward to is to see the whole church back at church, to be able to have worship together, to sing together, maybe go to a nice restaurant and actually sit down and eat a meal instead of just taking it out or just eating at home.

Some of you guys have mentioned that your first thing that you want to do is to run to Disneyland. I don't understand you, but I know some of you guys are looking forward to some of these things. I want to ask you a bigger question than that. Once we pass through this temporary life, and when we think of heaven, what is it that you look forward to the most?

What is heaven that you imagine that causes you to think that, "I can't wait to get there"? The statement that Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me," he says that in the context of him promising them that he's going to the Father's house to prepare a place for them.

In other words, he's talking about heaven. He says to them, "Where I am going, you cannot come." They were very disturbed. In chapter 14, verse 1, it says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled," because they were asking, "Why can't we go with you?" This sixth statement, and we have one more statement of Jesus, "I am divine," before he leaves, but these last two statements are specifically directed toward his disciples to prepare them for his leaving.

He says that to actually give them comfort, because he has been making it clear that he's leaving. He's leaving, and so it's starting to dawn on him, "This doesn't make any sense. You told us to follow you. Now you're telling us that you're going to leave, and we can't follow you." In response to that, Jesus says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled.

Where I am going, I need to go in order to prepare a place for you in my Father's house. When it is the right time, you will be able to come. Right now you can't come, but at the right time, you're going to be able to follow me." Then Thomas responds, "No, we do not know where you are going.

How do we know the way?" It is in response to this distressful question that Jesus responds and says, "I am the way. I am the truth, and I am the life, and no one comes to the Father but through me." Even before we get into understanding what he is saying here, we need to understand the emphatic nature of this statement, because we know that all of the "I am" statements, even if Jesus said nothing else other than to say, "I am, I am, I am, I am," we know that he was basically saying he is God.

Even if he said nothing other than "I am." So the "I am" statement alone, without what comes after, stands by itself, and that in and of itself would have been shocking. How can you be "I am," because clearly he was pointing to the fact that the way God of the Old Testament in Exodus introduced himself and Jesus saying, "I am." Not "I was," not "I will be," but "I am." It is an emphatic statement on its own.

But along with that, he says, "I am the truth. I am the way. I am the life." And this article "the" in front of it is something that we need to pay attention to, because he wasn't saying that he is a way. He's the best way. He says, "No, I am the way." So maybe a better way for us to understand it is him saying, "I am the only way.

I am the only truth. I am the only life." And so obviously he's saying all of this is because he is preparing a way for them. And when he's talking about where he's going, he's talking about heaven. So if you connect these two things together, what Jesus basically is saying, "I am the only way to heaven.

I am the only truth to heaven. I am the only life that leads you to heaven. There is no other way." And so with that, we want to look at these three statements. And if you have the children's outline, some of you parents, under each one of these statements, "I am the way, the truth, and the life," I divided it into two parts under each title, because Jesus says this to, first of all, give them comfort, because they were very distressed.

And then secondly, he's saying this to them to prepare them for what's coming, the trials that are coming. So one is to comfort them, and second is to equip them. And I think every truth that we learn in scripture really falls into those two categories. Every truth that we have, it first causes us to be comforted.

When we hear about God's sovereignty, his nature of who he is, his sovereignty gives us comfort because we know that he is completely in control. That even in this pandemic, he didn't lose control. Even with all the famine and with all the distress that we see around the world, God hasn't lost control.

But at the same time, he is equipping us to recognize in order for us to be the true light in the world, we need to recognize that he is sovereign, not us. So it equips us to strengthen us for the work that he has given us to do to be the light.

So we're going to look at each one of these things in these two categories. And the first one is, Jesus says to comfort them, "I am the way. I am the only way." You can imagine how the disciples must have felt when they left everything to follow Christ. Remember, in the first "I am" statement, "I am the bread of life," Jesus says, "If you do not eat of my flesh and drink of my blood, you cannot be my disciples." And in John chapter 6, 66, all of the disciples begin to turn away from him.

All those people who ate the miraculous feeding of the fish and the bread, they turn away and they leave him. And Jesus turns around and says, "Are you going to leave too?" He says, "No, we can't leave you. We left everything to follow you." Well, they've been following him with threats of death, beating, isolation, hunger, and even with a deadly storm that came upon them.

But as long as they were with Jesus, they felt safe. But now Jesus is saying, after he told them clearly, "One of you are going to betray me," and then prior to that, he's been repeatedly saying to them that, "I'm going to be caught. I'm going to be crucified.

I'm going to die. And though I will resurrect on the third day," he told them clearly what was coming. But right before the most difficult part of his ministry is about to happen, Jesus says, "I'm leaving." Right? They don't fully understand what's going on. "We left everything to follow you.

What do you mean that we cannot follow you?" Well, he is saying this, again, not to say, "I'm going to go hide and seek and see if you can come and find me." In Joshua chapter 1, 9, as he was commanding, as God was commanding Joshua to go conquer this new land, fortified, right, with a bunch of soldiers who were wandering in the desert for 40 years.

And they're not trained soldiers. They don't have the proper equipment. They have their family and their children tagging along with them. How are they going to conquer this great land? So if anybody was in distress, you can imagine the distress that Joshua was in, and God promises him this, "Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous.

Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." In other words, God's promise to Joshua was, "Do not worry. I am with you. I am with you." Just like Jesus was in the storm with the disciples, and as they were afraid for their life, and Jesus said, "You of little faith, do you not believe who I am?" And in essence, Jesus was comforting them in the same way.

Even though I am going, I am not leaving you, right? In fact, later on, we won't be going through this today, but he says, "I'm not going to leave you. I'm going to be sending a comforter, and he's going to guide you. He's going to remind you of everything that I've said." So the first statement, "I am the way," is Jesus comforting them and reminding them, "I'm not leaving you." Matthew 28, 19-20.

As he gives the Great Commission, we have a tendency to focus on, "Go therefore, make disciples, baptizing them, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." But the essence of the Great Commandment isn't the instruction of going, baptizing, and teaching. Even though those are the specific things that he has called them to do, he says, "I am with you," at the end of verse 20, "even to the end of the age." So any of you who've ever studied that passage, you know that he begins by saying, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Therefore go and make disciples." And then he concludes it by saying, "Don't worry, I am going with you." So the first reason why he makes this statement to us and to the disciples is to give us comfort. That he didn't just leave us and say, "Hey, I hope you guys can make it.

It's going to be a long journey. There's going to be a lot of trials, persecutions, hardship, famine, pestilence. May come your way, but I hope you guys can make it." He was reminding them that he will never leave us or forsake us. The path that we are to take, he's not just pointing us to the path.

He says, "No, I am the path." Years ago, I was in Knoxville, not Nashville, but Knoxville. Nashville is where all the city is and big buildings, and that's where they have the SING conference, but I was in Knoxville to take care of some business. What business that is, I don't have time to explain right now.

But I was in Knoxville and I had to meet some people and I had to do some stuff. And after I took care of my business, I was on the way back to my hotel. This is before GPS. And I got lost. And anybody who's been in Knoxville, it's like Big Bear without the houses, basically.

And you have one building maybe every two, three miles. And I got lost. And it was 2, 3 in the morning and I just couldn't find out. I was like, "Oh my gosh, am I getting deeper into the woods and we're running out of gas?" No GPS. And back then, we didn't have...

I don't remember. I don't think I had cell phones at that time. So I remember just being anxious, being in the middle of nowhere. And I remember seeing a light from way off in the distance, Walmart. Here Walmart is not 24/7, but over there, Walmart is everything. Like if you want to get your car fixed, you go to Walmart.

You want to buy meat, you go to Walmart. Computer, you go to Walmart. So Walmart was everything. So as soon as I saw Walmart, I went and I asked. They were very friendly. They told me how to get back home to the hotel. And I remember being so relieved.

Some of you guys may remember before we had GPS, being lost on the road. Let's say if you're going to your friend's house that you've never been to, and then you got lost, the only way that we can find a pullover, find a phone, make sure you have enough change, put it in there.

Hopefully he's by the phone so you can pick it up and then he gives you the instruction. Hopefully you have pen and paper, you can write it down. And then you go and then if that doesn't work, you got to pull over again and ask somebody. That's what life used to be like.

Imagine if we were going to a friend's house and we got lost in a place like Knoxville and you're distressed, you're running out of gas, middle of the night, and there is no Walmart. Then all of a sudden you see your friend standing by the side of the road.

And the moment that you see your friend, your anxiousness is gone. You're no longer lost, even though you have no idea where you're at. You're no longer lost. Because you're going to your friend's house and your friend is on the road. So as soon as he gets in the car, you're not looking anymore.

You don't need the GPS. There is no time crunch. You don't have to worry about which road. He tells you to make a left, you make a left. He tells you to make a right, you make a right. And even if you end up going nowhere, you're already there.

Because you're going to see your friend and your friend is already in the car. I'm saying this as an illustration because that's exactly what Jesus is saying to his disciples. You're worried about getting to heaven. He says, "I am the way. If you are with me, if you are with me, you don't need to strive.

You don't need to be lost." All that feeling of anxiousness, time crunch, purposefulness, instantaneously is answered when Christ is in your car. See, that's what he was saying. The first and most important part of the statement, "I am the way," is reminding his disciples, even though I will physically be gone, I will not leave you.

I am with you. I am the way. But the second part of this is to prepare them for what was coming. John 13, this is a passage that we read in the beginning. It says, "Simon Peter said to him, 'Lord, where are you going?' Jesus answered, 'Where I go, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.'" Peter, he's the outspoken one.

He's the guy that is like, "No." He's the guy with the extra testosterone. He's not going to be like these other guys. Like I will die for you. What do you mean we can't follow you? I will follow you. I got my knife. I will follow you. Lord, why can't I follow you?

I will lay down my life for you. And I don't think Peter was just talking. I think Peter really meant it. And the reason why I say that is because when the soldiers came to get Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter actually took out the sword, and he actually swung it, even though he actually missed it.

Obviously, he was a fisherman. He was not a soldier. But the fact that he was willing to do that, and even though they probably were outnumbered, maybe 100 to 1, at least that's what the records say, probably they were outnumbered, at least 100 to 1. Peter meant it. Even though he meant it, he didn't know himself as well as Jesus did.

Jesus had answered, "Will you lay down your life for me?" In other words, you will not. "Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny me three times." So again, remember, he's saying this in the context of him reminding them, "I am the way.

I am the truth." In other words, he's telling Peter, "Peter, I'm going. You're not going to be able to follow me. You are not going to be able to follow me." In other words, no matter how determined you are, your loyalty, your desire to do good, your talent, your ability, your experiences, you will not be able to follow him.

Remember what Jesus said? "Where are you going?" "I am going to my Father's house, to heaven, to prepare a place for you." No. Is heaven not ready? When Jesus came down, did he just lay the foundation? He's going back. He's like, "I got to prepare the room." And Jesus has a hammer and nails, and he's preparing a room.

For the last 2,000 years, he's been working at it. And when the rooms are ready, right, a million rooms, maybe that's why it's taking 2,000 years, right? There's a lot of rooms. What does he mean by he's preparing a room for them? He's not preparing heaven for the people.

He's preparing people for heaven. Let me say that again. He's not preparing rooms because they're undone. He didn't leave heaven incomplete. He came down here to prepare us for heaven. And what he was telling Peter was, "Peter, you cannot follow me. That's why I go to prepare." He's talking about the cross.

And the first thing that Peter needed to learn was that way is not you. It's not your determination. It's not your ability. It's not your loyalty. It's not even your love for me. I go to prepare a way for you. So he was preparing the disciples for what is coming.

He's going to go to the cross, and they may not fully understand at this point, but once he dies and he resurrects, that they will remember that Jesus is the way. That's why it says in Luke 9.23, "And he was saying to them, 'Oh, if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.'" We live our whole lives trying to find ourselves.

Am I an introvert? Am I an extrovert? Do I like this? Do I like that? What kind of gift? What's my gift? That's one of the, even as Christians, we're always looking for, "What's my gift?" And in a way, we're all trying to find ourselves. Like, "Who am I so that I can live and I can have a purpose?

I can do this and I can do that?" But the primary thing that the Bible tells us is to lose ourselves, to die to ourselves. As Peter is saying, "No, I'm going to lay down my life." He's like, "Will you truly do that, Peter? Will you truly do that?

Will you truly serve me? Will you truly sacrifice? Do you really think you can do that?" So the first thing that they need to be comforted by and also reminded by, it is not you. I am the only way. Christ is the only way. Now, if you're out there listening and you're not a Christian, you don't believe this, I mean, that's an arrogant thing to say, especially in this pluralistic postmodern culture, for you to stand there and say, and not just me, anybody who's teaching the Bible will say the same thing.

He is not just saying, "He's a good way." He says, "I am the only way." In fact, we have more and more people, even people who claim to be Christians, saying that it's arrogant for us to say, "He's the only way." You can say, "He's a good way." Maybe you can even say, "He's the best way." That's an arrogant thing to say, but maybe you can even say that.

But to say, "He's the only way," it sounds arrogant. In fact, it seems a lot more humble and gracious to say that, "He is my way," but maybe not your way. And the reason why there's less and less people who are able to say this emphatically is because they themselves are not sure.

Either they have weak faith or they have no faith, because you never run into a burning building and say, "Hey, I have three options for you." You could believe that it's burning, and you could believe that you can believe you can go through this door and you'll save your life, but I'm not going to judge you.

That sounds kind of arrogant. Depending on the message, the message has to be crystal clear, and Jesus made that crystal clear. And the reason why he says that is not arrogant. It's because it's true. He's telling people who are under the condemnation of God, and the only way to heaven is through Christ.

That's what he was saying. "I am the way, the only way." And the disciples needed to know that because every stage of their ministry, they will be challenged by the pagan world that they're going to evangelize. Every city that they go to, "How dare you say Jesus is the only way?" We have thousands of other idols, and you're saying of all the thousands of idols, you this puny little nation of Israel, that your Messiah supersedes Caesar?

Of all the other gods that we've been worshiping, you're saying all of that is nullified and only Jesus is the only way? That's exactly what Jesus was saying. So he was not only comforting them, he was preparing them for what was to come. Secondly, and again, the most important point was the first one, but the second, he said Jesus is the truth.

Not only is he the only way, he's the only truth. He comforts them in John 14, 18. "I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you." And then he promises them the Holy Spirit, and the primary work of the Holy Spirit is not feeling, is not louder worship.

He said the primary reason why the comforter is going to come to you is that he's going to remind you of everything that I have taught you. That's what he says. The primary duty of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin and to remind the Christians continually of the truth of Jesus Christ.

He says, "I am the truth." Again in John 6, 66, when Jesus turns to his disciples, when all the other were leaving, are you going to leave too? As a result of this, many of his disciples withdrew and were not walking with him anymore. So Jesus said to the 12, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life." You have the words of eternal life. I may not fully understand you, and you've just said some crazy stuff about eating your flesh and drinking your blood, so I don't really fully get what you're doing. You say you're going to the cross and be crucified.

Why would you do that? You're the Messiah. Who's going to sit to the left or to the right? That's what the disciples were concerned about. That's what they were debating and fighting over. I don't fully understand what you're doing, but we believe you. You have the words of truth.

In 1 Timothy 2, 5-6, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the one Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time." There's only one mediator. There's only one path. There's only one truth. You know, that ought to bring tremendous comfort for all of us because the truth doesn't change.

But it also equips us to be able to live in this relativistic society. You know, more and more you hear people saying, "There is no absolute truth. It's only relative truth." Relative truth, that statement alone is an oxymoron. Relative truth. Like jumbo shrimp. These are oxymorons. Those two words really don't go together.

Either it's truth or it is relative. By nature, truth does not change. When you say that that's truth, it does not change. Truth by nature is inflexible. If you say it's truth, but it's flexible, it's no longer truth. It's opinion. It's maybe your thought. It could be a philosophy, but it's not truth.

The term truth by the nature of the word is inflexible. It does not change based on culture. Like, "Oh, that truth was good in the poor areas. That truth was good 2,000 years when they didn't know all of this other stuff, all these other facts, but now it's no longer true today." If it was truth then, it has to be true now.

That's the nature of the word truth. Truth does not change based on generation. You know, you teach the gospel this way to the old people, but to the new generation who's computerized, and you know, the gospel needs to change for them. They're not going to accept this. By nature, if we say it's truth, truth does not change.

It is inflexible. It's not based on preference. Truth is truth. You know, one plus one equals two. It's not two for two-year-olds and three for five-year-olds and then 10 for 30-year-olds. One plus one used to be two 10, 20 years ago, but 50 years from now, it's going to be four.

No, then it's not fact. It's not truth. By nature, truth is inflexible. It does not change by preference, by culture, by generation, by age. Therefore, truth is never new. Because truth is inflexible, it has been true all along. Truth, because it is inflexible, is the foundation upon anything that we build.

You don't build a building that you want to last on sand. Because the sand always changes. It shifts. One day, one part of sand will be there, and then when the waves come at night, there's a different part of sand there. And then when the waves come in, a different part of sand there.

And when it's wet, it feels different. When it's dry, it feels different. So the sand is always shifting, always changing. That's why the Bible tells us not to build our house upon sand. Because sand always changes. But the truth, whenever we build something, what do we build it on?

We build on something that does not move. That's why we pour concrete. Because we don't want it moving. Even if everything around it moves, we don't want the foundation to be moving. That's why Jesus is called the cornerstone. That's what he means when he says, "I am the truth." We don't anchor our boat, if we don't want it to move, we don't anchor it on something that is also moving.

Because then you're not anchored. To be anchored in something means you are hooking your boat onto something that's going to remain the same no matter what happens. Whether it's a big wave or a small wave. Whether it's calm waters, that you're going to sit there two, three hours later, four, five days later, you're going to be in the exact same place.

That's why the whole book of Hebrews is to be anchored in Christ. And if Christ is not the truth, we can't anchor with him. Because we don't know where that's going to take us a year from now or ten years from now or whether we're young, whether we're married, or whether we're old, or whether we're retired.

That's what he means when he says that we are anchored in Christ, that he is the truth. And he is preparing them. He's preparing them because they will be challenged over and over again. Remember what Paul says in Corinthians, chapter 122 to 24, "For indeed, Jews ask for signs, Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.

To Jews, a stumbling block and Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God." You know why Paul was saying this? Is because there was constant, constant complaint. Paul. Maybe if we went to this next city, right?

You know, we went to Philippi and we got beaten up and thrown into jail. So maybe next time we go to Athens, maybe we try a different method, right? Because they want some power. I mean, Paul, you're an apostle. I mean, you can raise people from the dead. You can, you know, like open their eyes.

Wisdom, man, your disciple was Gamaliel. I mean, you're one of the most educated person in Israel and you are the most powerful. So my guess is there was constant temptation to say, you know what? Man, I'm so tired of getting beaten up in the cities. You know, and sometimes it seems like there's a lot of fruit and sometimes they're still like nobody cares.

Let's try something else. Jews ask for signs, right? Although it was the other way, right? Jews ask for wisdom, right? And the Gentiles look for power, signs. But he said, no, we preach Christ crucified. What seems foolishness to you, it is the power of God unto salvation. And that's what Jesus meant.

I go to prepare a way for you. These signs and wonders may tickle their ears and may be sensational for a period, but it has no power to save you. The only way that we can be prepared to go to heaven is Christ crucified. That's why Paul says, though they want signs, though they want wisdom, we preach Christ crucified.

Third and finally, Jesus is the life. Again, to comfort them in John 14, 19, he says, after a little while, the world will no longer see me, but you will see me because I live, you will live also. Now, obviously the disciples didn't clearly understand what he was saying because after Jesus resurrects, they don't even go to the tomb.

Because as long as he lives, I mean, Jesus says some crazy stuff. Walks on water. Oh, we don't have bread. Just give it to them, right? We don't have money to pay taxes. You know, open that fish's mouth and there's some gold in there. I mean, he does some crazy stuff.

So even though we don't get him, as long as he is living, as long as he is with us, we have hope. But after Jesus dies, even though he made it very clear, resurrection wasn't part of their paradigm. Because miracles they can see because they've seen it. Walking on water, calming the storm, paying bills out of fish's mouth, feeding thousands of hungry people, that's within their paradigm.

I mean, their paradigm got stretched by watching and walking with Jesus, but death is final. So even though Jesus made it very clear he's going to resurrect on the third day, they lost hope when he died. And they were distressed. They were confused. And they were in fear. If they can kill him, clearly they can kill us.

We left everything to follow Jesus. You know, whether it's the disciples or it's us, we follow Jesus because we think it's a good investment. Nobody follows Jesus and says, "You know what? I'm going to be crucified, and for eternity I'm going to be crucified." Nobody. We pick up our cross and follow him because following him means there's glory on the other side.

The disciples left everything to follow Jesus because he's the Messiah, because they thought at some point, if they put in their time, if they keep with him, that they're going to also see glory. And they weren't wrong, because Jesus did say that. He did say glory was coming. But what he did say was glory was going to come through the cross.

That's why they were distressed. We followed you because we thought at the end of this road there was going to be better life. But if you go to the cross, what does that mean? If you die, what hope is there? So Jesus is comforting them. I am the way.

I am the truth. I am the life. There is no other path. If you go another path, there is no path of life by being a great fisherman. There's no path of life by becoming a Sanhedrin. No amount of wealth is going to get you into the kingdom. John 4, 13 to 14, "Jesus answered and said to her, the woman at the well, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst.

But the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water, springing up to eternal life.'" And he's comforting them. Yes, I'm going to prepare a way for you. Yes, I will die. But I will resurrect. And you will also die. But you will also resurrect.

He was preparing them for the hardship that's coming. Even in death, you will live. John 11, 25 to 26, "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even if he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

Do you believe this?'" This is the crux of the matter right here. Everything that you've heard about Christianity really can be summed up by this statement and this challenge. That even if you die, you will live. Do you believe this? It's like, "Well, I believe Jesus is a great guy.

I believe Jesus is going to prepare a way for heaven. I believe he answers my prayer. He loves me unconditionally. I trust him." You can say all of these stuff and all of these things are true, but all of that is founded upon this statement, "Even if you die, you will live.

Do you believe this?" Because if we don't believe this, we will see Jesus as an avenue, as a means, that if we follow him, maybe he'll answer our prayers, maybe he'll make us great, maybe he'll keep our children safe, and maybe he'll bless our business, and he'll pay our bills, and that we can have a nice, peaceful, long life, raise good children in a nice place, because that's how we'll see Jesus.

But that was not his invitation. He said to pick up your cross and follow me, because even if you die, you will live. Do you believe this? So all the other things that we obey Christ is founded upon this truth, "Do I believe this?" Because if I believe this, and I no longer fear death, it frees me to be able to live the life that Christ wants me to live.

But as long as I am afraid to die, we will always be bound by this fear. Our obedience will always have a limit to where we will go. Our life will always be limited by the boundaries that are set because of this fear. If you believe me, even if you die, you will live.

Do you believe this? Let me conclude with this, and I'm going to skip two verses and get to Colossians 3, 4. It says, "When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory." There's a couple of things that we need to recognize here.

First of all, that Christ is our life. He says, "Christ, who is your life? Is he our life? Is he a part of our life? Is he a source of life? Or is he our life? Do we live because we're with him? Is he the one that we pursue?

Is he the way? Is he the truth? Is he our life?" But along with that, what the statement says is, "Christ, who is our life, when he is revealed, you also be revealed with him in glory." In other words, he's saying, "This is not your life." So your pursuit of this world, pursuit of recognition, pursuit of comfort, pursuit of safety, pursuit of retirement, pursuit of whatever it is that we're looking for, he said, "No, that is not your life.

When Christ, who is your life, when he appears, glory is coming." And that's what makes us Christian, because life is not here. Whether we are quarantined for the rest of our lives, or whether we come out and flourish and have the freedom to do whatever we want, Paul says, "I have learned the secret of being content in every and all situation." Whether he has plenty, whether he has little.

Whether he's sitting in prison or whether he's free to do whatever he wants, he's learned the secret of being content. And that secret of being content is Christ being his life. Because his life doesn't come with safety, his life doesn't come with health, his life isn't connected to whether he's in a prison or whether he's outside a prison.

His life is Christ. And no matter what circumstance he's in, they can't take that away from him. What can separate us from the love of Christ? Is Christ our life? The disciples needed to not only be comforted by this, they needed to be equipped with this. Because God was, Jesus was going to send them into very difficult situation.

And all of them are going to be killed with the exception of one. And even the one that wasn't killed, it would have been easy for him if he just ended his life, if you know what happened to Apostle John. Every single one of them, not only did they understand this, but they believed it with all their heart.

And they were willing to give their life that other people may have this as well. So this sixth statement, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." And let me encourage you this morning with this. I want to, I'm not asking you to sing this song.

So if you know, you can sing it. But the next, I have a video that I want you to watch and sing along internally. But if you look at the song, there's six separate circumstances that people are in. And the conclusion of each of this is Christ. Weak and wounded sinner, lost and left to die.

Oh, raise your head for love is passing by. Come to Jesus, come to Jesus. Come to Jesus and live. Now your burden's lifted and carried far away and precious blood has washed away the stain. Sing to Jesus, sing to Jesus, sing to Jesus and live. And like newborn baby, don't be afraid to crawl and remember when you walk, sometimes we fall.

So fall on Jesus, fall on Jesus, fall on Jesus and live. Sometimes the way is lonely and steep and filled with pain. So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then cry to Jesus, cry to Jesus, cry to Jesus and live. Oh, when the love spills over and music fills the night and when you can't contain your joy inside, then dance for Jesus.

Dance for Jesus, dance for Jesus and live. And then finally at the end of our lives and with your final heartbeat, kiss the world goodbye. Then go in peace and laugh on glory side and fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus and live. I pray that this song will minister to you.

And as you listen, and hopefully it would be your prayer. I'm just going to ask you to listen to that and then our worship team is going to lead us in our final praise afterwards.