Your Ticket To Heaven

DSC00035 morning light

John 14:1-3

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” When everything is ready, I will come and get you so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going….”

“No we don’t know Lord.” Thomas said. “We have no idea where You are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus told him, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The mysteries of the Kingdom seemed like riddles to the disciples as they listened to their Master’s teaching. His mysterious Truths often left their heads spinning as they tried to untangle His thoughts and spoken words to make sense out of it all.

Jesus had just predicted Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial in the previous verses of Chapter 13. Jesus, had been troubled Himself on three occasions, 11: 33, 12: 27, 13: 21) however His confidence in God allowed Him to face the crisis. Faced with the upsetting words of 13: 33 the disciples confronted similar feelings. Now Jesus spoke of going away to prepare a place for them, and coming again to receive them unto Himself. Then He said, “Where I go you know, and the way you know.” But Thomas didn’t know. He walked and talked personally with One who called Himself the Way, The Truth and the Life. However, He didn’t get it at all, even after walking and talking with Jesus, He didn’t have a clue what on earth Jesus was talking about Verse 5. He didn’t know where Jesus was going and He certainly didn’t know the way.

Do we get it?

The “I am” phrases that Jesus purposely uses in the Gospel of John depict His identity and make His listeners think of the Old Testament name for His Father, ‘God’. Exodus 3:14, “I Am who I Am.. I Am has sent you.” Here Jesus tells His puzzled disciples, “I am the way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father, except through me.” Perhaps you’ve had the privilege of a rich Christian heritage that instructed and helped you form a solid Spiritual foundation. Perhaps you’ve sat under many godly, Bible scholars and professors and have been enlightened in Biblical truths. If so, then you know that we must believe and receive the Truth of Christ’s atonement to cancel out our sin debt and set us free from sin’s penalty of death! We must see our need to have our sins forgiven and allow the sinless, shed blood of the spotless Lamb of God, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness in order to bring salvation and forgiveness of sin.

If this is your first time in hearing the gospel or perhaps, as a beginner with Christ you may have questions and feel confusion, just as Thomas did, but hear Christ’s words today, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Christ spoke of rooms in His Father’s house and this word ‘room’ is related to the Greek verb meaning to abide, or dwell. Jesus promised His followers that He would have a place for them to dwell alongside Him, wherever He would be. Later, of course, after His death and resurrection, this dwelling becomes a place of ‘indwelling’ as Jesus makes His home in His follower’s hearts, through the Spirit. 14: 23

Friends, if Christ dwells within you, He prepares another place for you. He prepares an eternal home for those who have believed on His name. He gives a blessed, eternal Hope to those who call upon His name and accept His gift of salvation through repentance. He will come again for His followers, to take each one to be with Him in glory but there is only one way to enter heaven and claim the promise of the hope of eternal life after death. There is only ticket to heaven and Jesus identified Himself as the only way to God! Don’t be fooled by false teaching or wolves in sheep’s clothing!