The Way the Truth and the Life
By Mike Taylor
John 1.1-5: "In the
beginning was the
Word, and the Word
was with God, and
the Word was God.
The same was in the
beginning with God.
All things were made
by him; and without
him was not any
thing made that was
made. In him was
life; and the life
was the light of
men. And the light
shineth in darkness;
and the darkness
comprehended it
not."
The world at large
has trouble with
explaining who Jesus
of Nazareth was and
is, Christian and
unbelievers, as
well. Who was this
Man, called Jesus of
Nazareth, called the
Christ (Messiah) and
how is He different
than all the other
so called holy men
of other religions?
When asked by
non-believers why
they believe in this
historical Man, many
have trouble
explaining why they
believe except to
say, "Jesus was the
Son of God."
That statement is so
very true, but to an
agnostic or atheist,
it doesn’t explain
why we put so much
trust in a person
who lived 2000 years
ago.
Many of these
doubters believe
that Jesus was a
myth, or that He was
something other than
what we know and
believe that He was
who He said He was.
As John opened his
book in the Gospels,
in five verses he
encapsulated who
Jesus Christ was.
John called Him, the
Word. Before time
began for human
beings, "The Word
was with God, and
WAS God." Before
Jesus who was God
becoming a Man and
lowered Himself to
becoming flesh and
empting Himself of
His glorious nature
and becoming a
servant in the form
of sinful flesh, the
incarnate Christ was
God, from
everlasting to
everlasting. Without
time, without the
constraints that you
and I experience,
and was called the
great I AM, that I
AM when He appeared
to Moses in the
burning bush.
There is much
written about this
Man who lived 2000
years ago. Most of
it is found in the
many witnesses who
wrote about Him in
your Bible.
Historically,
Josephus wrote of
Him, but only to
witness that Jesus
was indeed, a very
real person in his
time. First we have
to decide, do we
believe their
witness from
different men who
saw, touched, and
lived with Jesus for
3.5 years during His
ministry on earth?
Each of these men
tell the same story,
but from a different
perspective. The
Bible is a record of
the prophecies that
concerned a coming
Messiah that began
in Genesis and runs
through the whole of
the Bible until the
end of man’s rule
recorded in the last
book of the Bible,
Revelation.
The Bible was
written for one
reason and one
reason only. It was
written as a
prophecy and a
witness to the
coming of the
Messiah to redeem
man from his fallen
state. It’s all
about Jesus the
Christ. It’s God’s
plan for redeeming
mankind from the
fall of our first
parents, Adam and
Eve who chose to
believe the lies of
Satan and choose
their own will,
instead of being
obedient to the will
of God. In Genesis,
you will find the
first prophecy
concerning the
coming of the
Savior.
Genesis 3.15: "And I
will put enmity
between you and the
woman, And between
your seed and her
seed; He shall
bruise you on the
head, And you shall
bruise him on the
heel."
A major theme of the
Old Testament is the
coming of the
Messiah. From
Genesis 3:15 through
Malachi 4:2,
prophecies of the
coming of the Savior
fill God’s Word, the
gospel writers show
time and again how
Jesus fulfilled the
prophets predictions
in His actions or in
the actions of those
around Him. Matthew,
especially, makes a
conscious point to
highlight many Old
Testament prophecies
that were fulfilled
in Jesus’ life. Of
all the prophecies
in the Old Testament
account, and there
was 250 plus
prophecies of a
coming Savior of
mankind, Jesus
fulfilled every one
of them. The
probability of one
man fulfilling every
prediction and every
detail about His
birth, His life, His
death, and His
resurrection have a
improbability of
infinity of being
fulfilled by one
Man. But Jesus
certainly did.
In our Bible, we
have 66 books,
written by 40
different authors,
spanning nearly 2500
years and all with
one theme, the
coming of the
Messiah and the
redemption of
mankind. To have
such a harmony
between books,
between authors, the
majority of who
never met, gives
strong evidence that
there is only one
Author, and that is
Almighty God.
HOW IS JESUS
DIFFERENT?
When a person makes
a comparison of
other "holy men" and
compares that man in
another religion
with the Messiah of
the Bible, the
differences are
striking. Men of
other religions, no
matter whether it’s
Buddhism, Islam,
Hinduism, Taoism, or
whatever ism, each
try to have the
person raiseed to a
higher plane of
consciousness to
save themselves by
works of piety or
sacrifice. Only
Jesus Christ is
different. When the
disciple Thomas
asked Jesus to show
us the way to the
Father, Jesus stated
plainly:
John 14.6-7: "Jesus
saith unto him, I am
the way, the truth,
and the life: no man
cometh unto the
Father, but by me.
If ye had known me,
ye should have known
my Father also: and
from henceforth ye
know him, and have
seen him."
Jesus plainly stated
that there is no way
that a man can come
to God the Father,
except through Him.
No amount of
meditation, no
matter amount of
good works, and no
holy man of other
religions can make
you acceptable
before a Holy God.
Why is there no
other way to come to
be in the same
existence as
Almighty God and
come into His
presence?
Paul
proclaims it and it
agrees with what
Jesus declared in
Romans3.22-26:
"Even the
righteousness of God
which is by faith of
Jesus Christ unto
all and upon all
them that believe:
for there is no
difference: For all
have sinned, and
come short of the
glory of God;
Being justified
freely by his grace
through the
redemption that is
in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set
forth to be a
propitiation
(substitution)
through faith in his
blood, to declare
his righteousness
for the remission of
sins that are past,
through the
forbearance of God;
To declare, I say,
at this time his
righteousness: that
he might be just,
and the justifier of
him which believeth
in Jesus."
The Bible is full of
declarations such as
those mentioned
above. All profess
and proclaim that
there is no other
way to salvation and
enter into the
presence of the
Ancient of Days, God
the Father, but by
this one Man.
I call these
declarations found
in your Bible,
nuggets of the
saving grace of our
Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ. Each
should be used to
introduce the only
chance a person has
to be forgiven of
their sins, and
should be shared
with all who will
listen given by the
believer in Jesus
Christ, called the
Christian.
Let’s examine
just a few of the
many, many
Scriptures that
could be shared with
that loved one, that
co-worker, or that
friend who asked
you, "Why do you
believe in Jesus
Christ?"
God’s Saving Plan of
Grace
Ephesians 2.8-10:
"For by grace are ye
saved through faith;
and that not of
yourselves: it is
the gift of God: Not
of works, lest any
man should boast.
For we are his
workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which
God hath before
ordained that we
should walk in
them."
Faith’s importance
to salvation is
accentuated by this
verse. Faith plays a
role in the entire
process until we
enter God’s Kingdom.
It is the sum of
what God is doing in
our lives: "Jesus
answered and said to
them, "This is the
work of God that you
believe in Him whom
He sent" (John
6:29). In the fourth
and fifth chapters
of Romans, we read
Paul mentioning
faith a dozen times,
almost all
concerning
justification, being
made righteous or
having access to
grace, and thus,
having the hope of
the glory of God.
When Jesus was
speaking to
Nicodemus (the
Pharisee who came to
Him by night), He
proclaimed His
mission:
John 3.11-18:
"Verily, verily, I
say unto thee, we
speak that we do
know, and testify
that we have seen;
and ye receive not
our witness. If I
have told you
earthly things, and
ye believe not, how
shall ye believe, if
I tell you of
heavenly things? And
no man hath ascended
up to heaven, but he
that came down from
heaven, even the Son
of man which is in
heaven.
And as Moses lifted
up the serpent in
the wilderness, even
so must the Son of
man be lifted up:
(the cross) that
whosoever believeth
in him should not
perish, but have
eternal life. For
God so loved the
world, that he gave
his only begotten
Son, that whosoever
believeth in him
should not perish,
but have everlasting
life.
For God sent not his
Son into the world
to condemn the
world; but that the
world through him
might be saved. He
that believeth on
him is not
condemned: but he
that believeth not
is condemned
already, because he
hath not believed in
the name of the only
begotten Son of
God."
The root and the
trunk of the born
again doctrine found
in the Bible is
found in John
chapter 3.
The other
gospel writers do
not expressly say
it, but provide
supporting evidence
of this essential
truth. In this
gospel, John starts
by proclaiming the
divinity of Jesus
Christ, as Jesus
talks of light,
darkness, baptism,
and the Temple of
God in the first
three chapters of
the Gospel of John.
Symbolism is
used to illustrate
the spiritual with
the physical. Many
symbols Jesus used,
were understood by
the people He spoke
to. but Nicodemus
was one who could
not understand the
concept of being
"born again." Notice
what Nicodemus says
when Jesus tells
him, "Ye must be
born again":
John 3.3-8: "Jesus
answered and said
unto him, Verily,
verily, I say unto
thee, except a man
be born again, he
cannot see the
kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto
him, ‘How can a man
be born when he is
old? Can he enter
the second time into
his mother's womb,
and be born?’ Jesus
answered, Verily,
verily, I say unto
thee, except a man
be born of water and
of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into
the kingdom of God.
That which is born
of the flesh is
flesh; and that
which is born of the
Spirit is spirit.
Marvel not that I
said unto thee, Ye
must be born again.
The wind bloweth
where it listeth,
and thou hearest the
sound thereof, but
canst not tell
whence it cometh,
and whither it
goeth: so is every
one that is born of
the Spirit."
Nicodemus was
thinking in the
physical, not the
spiritual
application of what
Jesus was saying. He
did not understand
that this physical
body must be changed
from mortal into an
immortal when raised
from the dead, or
changed at His
coming in the
twinkling of an eye.
Notice how Jesus
says we will be when
He changes us in
verse 8? We will be
like the wind that
blows through the
trees. Jesus when He
was raised from the
dead was able to
walk through walls,
but could eat and
drink. So it will be
with us. Till we
become immortal, we
have the promise of
the redemption of
our bodies into
immortality by the
indwelling of the
Holy Spirit.
Nicodemus did not
understand the
concept of being
born of Spirit and
water. Water, being
the symbolism of
being baptized by
immersion into a
symbolic grave. We
are lowered into the
water, as symbol of
the grave, buried
with Jesus Christ
and raised to
newness of life, a
new creature that we
should walk in
obedience to the
commands of God as
spoken by Jesus.
When Jesus
proclaimed the
spiritual truth in a
physical way to the
masses in the
synagogue at
Caperneum:
John 6.54-58:
"Whoever eats My
flesh and drinks My
blood has eternal
life, and I will
raise him up at the
last day. For My
flesh is food
indeed, and My blood
is drink indeed. He
who eats My flesh
and drinks My blood
abides [or "lives,"
or "dwells," or
"continues"] in Me
[That is, He is
saying that it is a
life-giving
substance.], and I
in him. As the
living Father sent
Me, and I live
because of the
Father, so he who
feeds on Me will
live because of Me.
This is the bread
which came down from
heaven—not as your
fathers ate the
manna, and are dead.
He who eats this
bread will live
forever.
Thinking in physical
terms, this idea
repulsed most of the
disciples and those
who heard and many
left Him, as they
didn’t understand
the spiritual
application of the
New Covenant of His
death and
resurrection and
symbolized when we
take the bread and
the wine at the
Lord’s Supper and
commemorating this
act of total
surrender for our
redemption.
If you want to know
the Man, Jesus
Christ, you need to
start at the gospel
in the New Testament
that proclaimed His
divinity, His
earthly ministry,
and His death
leading to His
resurrection, as the
first born of the
dead. That Gospel is
John. John uses the
last days of Jesus
ministry leading to
the cross to
illustrate who Jesus
was, and what He did
for all mankind. If
you wish to
understand how God
the Son came down
from glory and
became a man with
only one mission, to
save mankind, then
you must start at
John and study the
witnessed account of
the life and
ministry of Jesus
the Christ up close
and personal. Then
read the surrounding
gospels that support
it, and read into
the Pauline epistles
of the man who met
Jesus in His
glorified state and
how it changed his
life.
Paul continues the
story in his
epistles when he
spoke of Jesus in
Romans 5:6-9:
"For when we were
yet without
strength, in due
time Christ died for
the ungodly. For
scarcely for a
righteous man will
one die: yet
peradventure for a
good man some would
even dare to die.
But God commendeth
his love toward us,
in that, while we
were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.
Much more then,
being now justified
by his blood, we
shall be saved from
wrath through him."
Paul mentions in
verse 6, that we
were yet without
strength. Without
strength means
"powerless." Before
our justification by
Christ’s sacrifice
in blood, we had no
way to appeal to God
for vindication. In
our guilt, we could
not stand before
Him. The death
sentence was upon
us, till we were
justified by His
blood by believing
on God’s only
Begotten Son.
God made a way,
through Jesus that
we could be
justified.
John 6.44-46: "No
man can come to me,
except the Father
which hath sent me
draw him: and I will
raise him up at the
last day. It is
written in the
prophets, and they
shall be all taught
of God. Every man
therefore that hath
heard, and hath
learned of the
Father, cometh unto
me. Not that any man
hath seen the
Father, save he
which is of God, he
hath seen the
Father. Verily,
verily, I say unto
you, He that
believeth on me hath
everlasting life."
God in His
sovereignty draws
whom He wills to Him
via His Holy Spirit.
To reject that call
is to endanger your
spiritual condition.
Will the call come
again? Will you have
a chance to believe
on Jesus a second
time around? God
knows, but we do
not.
Hebrews 9.26-28:
"For then must he
often have suffered
since the foundation
of the world: but
now once in the end
of the world hath he
appeared to put away
sin by the sacrifice
of himself. And as
it is appointed unto
men once to die, but
after this the
judgment: So Christ
was once offered to
bear the sins of
many; and unto them
that look for him
shall he appear the
second time without
sin unto salvation."
The time of the open
window for accepting
Jesus Christ is
coming to a close in
this dispensational
age, the Age of
Grace. To enter into
the next
dispensation of
God’s wrath has
untold amount of
suffering and
tribulation. Jesus
made a statement in
John that God has
given Him full
authority to enact
judgment because of
His willing
sacrifice as
announced in John
3:16.
John 5.26-29:
For as the
Father hath life in
himself; so hath he
given to the Son to
have life in
himself; and hath
given him authority
to execute judgment
also, because he is
the Son of man.
Marvel not at this:
for the hour is
coming, in the which
all that are in the
graves shall hear
his voice, and shall
come forth; they
that have done good
(accepted Jesus
Christ), unto the
resurrection of
life; and they that
have done evil, unto
the resurrection of
damnation." (Denied
His invitation of
salvation.)
The Holy Spirit
convicts each person
that He will, and
knocks upon the door
of the individual’s
heart, as noted in
Revelation chapter 3
when addressing the
Laodecian church of
the last days.
Behold, I stand at
the door, and knock:
If any man hear my
voice, and open the
door, I will come in
to him, and will sup
with him, and he
with me. To him that
overcometh will I
grant to sit with me
in my throne, even
as I also overcame,
and am set down with
my Father in his
throne" (Revelation
3:20-21).
Not just a Holy Man,
but a Holy God that
is different from
any "holy man" from
any other religion
who is proclaimed as
their leader. All
others will land you
short of heaven’s
door, but unlike as
it is with the
spokes of a wheel,
each spoke leading
to the axle, other
religions, other
spokes of an axle do
not lead to that one
source (God). There
is only one way to
spend eternity with
God, and that is
believing on Jesus
Christ, as the Son
of God who lived,
died and rose again
to ascend to the
right hand of God
the Father and has
all authority in
heaven and on earth
to bring men out of
their graves, some
to eternal life,
some to everlasting
torment. Which side
will you choose?
I call upon all who
read this message,
who is Jesus Christ
in your life? Is He
just some enigma
that you find unable
to understand with
your mind? Do you
use His name rarely
except in an
expletive? If He is
so unimportant to
you and the world,
why is the world so
consumed by Him,
unlike other "holy
men?" Could it be
that He was right,
and the Bible is
true? If it’s not
true, why do you not
just dismiss it, but
see you can’t,
because He is a part
of us all. How, you
say? He created you
and me. He longs for
His creation and He
longs to spend
eternity with you.
God has this in mind
for all who will
believe and who will
not believe:
2 Peter 3.9-10: "The
Lord is not slack
concerning his
promise, as some
count slackness; but
is longsuffering to
you-ward, not
wishing that any
should perish, but
that all should come
to repentance. But
the day of the Lord
will come as a
thief; in the which
the heavens shall
pass away with a
great noise, and the
elements shall be
dissolved with
fervent heat, and
the earth and the
works that are
therein shall be
burned up."
He wants you in His
family. Won’t you
hear His voice and
make that decision
to believe on the
"One whom God has
sent?" Because Jesus
IS the Savior of the
world, even you, if
you let Him.
This is Pastor Mike
Taylor praying God’s
salvation for your
life. If there is
anything I can help
you with, pray with
you about, counsel
you with, or just a
listening ear, drop
me a line at
realteam1999@sbcglobal.net
or visit me online
at
www.churchofgod-usa.org.
God bless you, till
we meet at Jesus’
feet.