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Feb 03, 2013

In Tune with the Truth

Passage: John 14:1-6

Category: Law and Gospel, Theology, Christian Walk

Keywords: jesus, truth, way, life, gospel, christian universalism, hell, eternal, fire, unquenchable, life, ecclesiastes, gospel, salvation

Summary:

What is the way to heaven? How can we be sure? Where is the proof? What are the options?

Detail:

In Tune with the Truth

Text

John 14:1–6 (NASB95)

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

    1   “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

    2   “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.

    3   “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.

    4   “And you know the way where I am going.”

    5   Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”

    6   Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Exposition

There really is a lot here in this little passage. I think to properly exegete this, which is just Bible nerd for “unpack”, in order to unpack this fully, I think we really need a lot more than one Sunday morning. Firstly, maybe you noticed the first heading “Jesus comforts his disciples.” Why does it say that? Well, in the previous chapter He un-comforted them. He said something that discombobulated them. That is they were in a state of combobulation and then he discombobulated them. The previous chapter here is about “The Last Supper”. Judas commits himself to his sinful course and well, let’s read the text, shall we.

John 13:21–27 (NASB95)

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

  21   When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.”

  22   The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking.

  23   There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.

  24   So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.”

  25   He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”

  26   Jesus then answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

  27   After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”

And Judas does, he leaves and none of the disciples really know what just happened there. Jesus makes some over the top dramatic statement, “One you guys is going to betray me” and after accusing one of them of being a devil. Maybe they are thinking it’s Peter because in another part of the journey, didn’t Jesus say to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan?” My point is He is God and they just don’t understand a lot of what He says or means at the time. But maybe that’s why Peter asks John to ask Jesus who it is and he does, Jesus tells him, John goes to the guys, tells them what Jesus said. Mutter, mutter, mutter and while they are further discussing the matter, the transaction takes place, Judas takes the morsel from Jesus and the disciples quit muttering just long enough to hear Jesus say, “What you do, do quickly.” And as far as they are concerned, Judas is off to Walmart to get more Communion wafers. Contextualization, stay with me. This scene really is comic and tragic at the same time. And the great author writes this beautifully. There is a lot of emotion here and most of it isn’t from the disciples. It’s from Jesus. They don’t know what’s going on, He does. The text, itself doesn’t communicate that very well. We see the red letters and we put them on a plaque and maybe we read the words in some ethereal King James way they are not just the Word of God, they are the words of God in red letters. And I wouldn’t want to strip Christ of His divinity, but I also think its important not to strip him of his humanity. In Bible school they teach us that Jesus was 100% God and 100% God. No, they don’t teach math at Moody Bible Institute. It’s what we call the Hypostatic union. And even though I’m making lighty of it…I do embrace and endorse the concept. Like I said, I don’t think I could properly exegete this in 40 minutes, but I might be able to dramatize in five to ten. Now, c’mon, you saw this coming. I mentioned drama and scene like three or four times,  you knows I gotta do this. Now before I do this, keep in mind, what I’m not trying to do is, present what really happened. I’m trying to get across an emotional element or dynamic so that you can get a different perspective than you get from someone more standard issue than myself. So, lets imagine that I’m Jesus and you are the disciples. I need a few people who would be OK if I made direct eye contact, they can keep a neutral demeanor. OK, you’re Peter, you’re Thomas and you’re Phillip. Sweet. Judas has just left the building

Story Telling

Jesus: (standing) Don't worry about him. He's uh . . . Well then. Now the Son of Man is Glorified and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately (trailing off). Look guys, I'm just going to be here a little longer. Remember when I was talking to the Jews? Where I am going, you cannot come. So then, while I'm gone I give you a new commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you will also love one another. This how everyone will know you are mine, if you have love for one another.

What's that Peter?  . . . Peter, no. You can't go with me now, later, you will, later.  .  . Really, Peter? You'll lay down your life for me? No, Peter. What's going to happen is this, by tomorrow morning you will have denied that you even knew me, THREE TIMES! Ok, Ok, Ok, somebody get him back up. Look, everything is going to be alright. Don't be afraid. Believe in God, believe also in Me. This isn't it, in my Father's house there are many dwelling places, if it weren't the case, I wouldn't bother telling you about it. I'm going to set that place up now and I'll come back and we'll be together again but you already know the way there. . . . Directions? Thomas? Directions? I'm the directions, I am the way, you can trust me, I'm the truth, and I'll prove it to you because I'm the life. I'm the only guy who can get you there. It's up to me. No one comes to the Father but through me. Of course, you should know this already. If you've known me, you've known the Father. Don't you get it? You now know God and you've seen Him. . . What is it with you guys? Phillip, don't you know me, if you've seen me, you've seen God. If I had a driver’s license, it would say God on it. Never mind, hasn’t been invented you. But why do say, 'show us God?" I'm it! What do you think I meant when I said, I'm in the Father and the Father is in Me? Did you think I was just making that up? Those are God’s words, and their my words. You don't get to God without believing in me. Don't believe me just because I say so, look at what I've done. The Father and I are one. Look at my works but here's the good part, if you can buy into all this, you'll do more of those works than I did. Because I'm just one guy on this earth and when I go to back to the Father, it's your turn. Whatever you ask in my authority, I'll make it so and if you love me, you'll do just that and keep all my commandments.

 

Curtain.

 

 

Lesson

Opening Comments

Obviously, I took a little dramatic license and threw in some interpretation nuances that might be new to you. Here’s why, they who spent three years living with this guy, didn’t get it. You do have an advantage on the actual disciples, hindsight and the Holy Spirit. We know how the story plays out, we know what Jesus means when he keeps on talking about going somewhere they can’t go. We know, I think, what Jesus meant about He and the Father God being one and the concept of The Holy Trinity. That alone, The Trinity, it took the church few hundred years to really map that one so that we can teach it Sunday School. But it’s all here and we can see because thousands of other Godly men with the Holy Spirit have done all the work, arguing, and schisms over it. And that’s the advantage we have over the disciples—lots of other people’s work.

I’m just focusing on John 14:6 here. I want you tune into these for concepts:

 

  1. Jesus is the way—we all want a method or strategy for a better (fill in the blank), whether it a five minute solution to belly fat or a guaranteed strategy to achieve our vocational goals and raise perfect children.
  2. Jesus is the Truth—there are so many aspects of our lives that seem random and out of our control. We want to be sure that we’re heading in the right direction with our lives, that we have the right guiding principles and foundations.
  3. Jesus is the Life—where the rubber meets the road, the action that speaks louder than words and that proves both the method and the merit.
  4. Only Jesus—There is no other name by which a man or woman or child can be saved including ignorance.

The Way

Jesus is the way. What does that mean? Well, when your born, you have parents of some sort and they show you, hopefully, how to survive. They demonstrate by supplying your needs—food, shelter, clothing, socialization, a means for education, etc. As you get older, you are given rules that, hopefully, are based on more than the whims of mom or dad. And from those rules for living, socializing, eating, there are values attached. You develop preferences for what types of food you like eating, what types of clothes suit you, what kind of people you like to be around, the type of toys you want to play with, the type of housing you are accustomed to. And this is apart from any specific religion. So, you are released into the world with all these values handed down and taught to you by your parents. And then, you get to decide what the point is. Maybe that was also taught to you, maybe it wasn’t. BUT, as an adult you get to decide. Will you live for pleasure? Will you live for power? Will you live for love? Your job? Perhaps, you can decide that life is not worth living. Now, we could explore all these concepts and many more, examining the pros and cons but a much wiser man than me has done that. Solomon wrote the book on life’s pursuits—Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes is book where the wisest man in the Bible, apart from Christ—evaluates every pursuit under the sun—pleasure of all kinds, possessions, wisdom, knowledge, folly, toil—all is vanity, a chasing after the wind. Solomon was a powerfully rich king who had no enemies or wars fight. This man had the means to explore everything this earthly life had to offer and the wisdom to explore them to their fullest extent.

Ecclesiastes 2:2–11 (NASB95)

    2   I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”

    3   I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives.

    4   I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself;

    5   I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees;

    6   I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees.

    7   I bought male and female slaves and I had homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem.

    8   Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men—many concubines.

    9   Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me.

  10   All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor.

  11   Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.

It’s a good book. Some people say that when starting to read the Bible, that one should start in one of the Gospels even the Gospel of John. In a lot of cases, I would recommend Ecclesiastes. Solomon explores all the options, universally, they are not really religion specific. He talks about the merits of all of life’s possible directions and this is his conclusion:

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 (NASB95)

  13  The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.

  14   For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

And I think cultures from all over the world have a sense of God, there is something else to live for besides all that we can experience with our senses and earthly relationships. This manifests itself in religion—man’s attempt to reach God. True atheists are few and far between, even those that claim that faith are not all atheists.

My point on this point is that once we get past to the end of what we can perceive and enjoy with our natural senses, we long for the way to God and through religion, man attempts to reach God through methods, rules, and rituals. A really perverse twist on this is , Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein--, its about a man who creates a monster from other dead men and then this man is pursued by the monster who is actually quite intelligent and constantly asks the question, “Why did you make me?”

Why all the rules? God gave us the Ten Commandments to show us the futility of trying to impress Him with our holiness. The ten commandments weren’t new when they were given except maybe for two of them. See, man already figured out that it was a bad idea to steal, lie, be jealous, sleep with your neighbor’s wife, murder, insult your parents, or not rest periodically. That stuff wasn’t new at the time. God was just simplifying and ratifying. The key things that God added to the list were not to have any other Gods but him and to not reduce God to something you could create with your hands.

 You won’t make it to heaven by trying to follow all the rules and rituals not even the ten simple ones the God gave us. I said it, “it’s not that you can’t, it’s that you won’t.” Prove me wrong, I dare you.

We still say, “why all the rules?” And God says, “exactly my point. I didn’t want you to have all the rules, but you couldn’t just accept that I love you. You wouldn’t believe it. You had to know the difference between good and evil and your actions accused me of not loving you, so I had to show you that I did. I gave you rules to show you that you needed me and then when the time was right I gave you my Son.”

Since following the rules won’t do get us to God…what will? Thomas asks the question, “how do we get to where you are going (Heaven).” And Jesus tells him that He is the way. What Jesus means is that belief in Him is the only way to get to God? He is the only one who followed who impresses God with His holiness, so much so that his death on the cross and subsequent resurrection paves the way to God for us. That was important, I’ll say it again. Christ’s death and resurrection pave the way God for us.

The Truth

The classic line from this film is “You can’t handle the truth.” I think that is very evident from our scene in the gospel here. The disciples don’t recognize the truth when they see it and subsequently can’t handle it when it is given.

How many of you check the weather frequently? How many do so by watching the news? How many check it on their computer before they leave the house? How many have an app for it on the phone? Me too. Traffic conditions, stock prices. Those facts although variable and not complete, will cause us to change our behavior. The truth of the red light causes us to stop a one ton vehicle from moving. By faith, the truth of a green light will allow us confidence that we’re not going to be creamed by another one ton vehicle. That light is green which means the others must be red and you’re not even looking left or right as you pass through the intersection. In fact, you might even be texting while doing so.

We use truth and faith daily. We know the truth that we need money to pay our bills to provide our needs. If we don’t work, we don’t get money, we die. That is a truth that is kind of oppressive. What about the good kind of truth.

John 8:31–32 (NASB95)

The Truth Will Make You Free

  31   So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

  32   and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

When I was a much younger man, 18, I hung out with a rougher crowd. I hung out a guy named Bill who I worked with. He was fugitive from Canada, beat up his mom’s boyfriend. Anyway, one night Bill and I tried to gain entrance to dance club. I was 18 but I my driver’s license was temporary and didn’t have a picture. I was denied entrance and Bill got in. So, I went back and crashed at his place. Later on, Bill comes back with some young lady on his shoulder. We’re all talking and I find out that she knows some heavies from my neighborhood, bad characters. I perceive that she is bad news. She hits the bathroom and Bill says to me, “what are you still doing out here?” So I go back to one of the rooms to crash. They’re not very quiet with their activity. I wasn’t in the same room but I could perceive two things about whatever it was they were doing and that was 1. It was appropriate that I wasn’t in the room and 2. It was of mutual consent. This is key. Because a few hours later in the middle of the night, I hear the sound of a door slamming. A while after that, it’s cold in the room, the lights are on and the windows are open and Bill is being handcuffed charged with a violent crime. The cops ask me what I know. I dummy up. I’m not telling anything I know because what I know, I fear, may get Bill into more trouble. So Bill goes to jail. He loses his job. I pick him up the following week. The charges had been dropped. But in the meantime, Bill had to face the other inmates. At that time, violators of women and children weren’t treated very nicely by the other inmates. Bill insisted on his innocence the whole weekend with not only the police but also with his cellmates. One guy in his cell believed him and stood for Bill and so he didn’t get jumped. When I picked Bill up, he was cross with me because I dummied up and didn’t tell what I knew. His reasoning was that his grandfather always told him that “the truth will set you free.”

The truth set Bill free but lie of the promise of quick love caused him a lot of loss. So, Bill definitely benefited from the truth applied at a key moment in his life, but shouldn’t Bill have been leaning on that truth for all his life and not just when he was in a fix? He might have kept his job and not have nearly been jumped.

Have you ever wondered at your own life? Are you in the right job? Did you marry the right person? Did you pick the right phone, car? What is your guiding principles in life? What governs your decision how much money you’re going to plop down on a house or entertainment system? Pastor John will tell you about man who helped Mosaic start as a church by donating the ten thousand dollars he was going to spend on an entertainment system for his family. That guy obviously has a different set of guiding principles that probably differ from what the salesman at Best Buy would want him to have.

John 18:36–38 (NASB95)

  36  Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

  37   Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

  38   Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”

And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.

What is Truth? My Aunt Merriam and Uncle Webster say

truth ˈtrüth noun

plural truths ˈtrüṯẖz, ˈtrüths [Middle English trewthe, from Old English trēowth fidelity; akin to Old English trēowe faithful — more at true] before 12th century

1    a archaic : fidelity, constancy

b : sincerity in action, character, and utterance[1]

Jesus is sincerity in action, character, and utterance.

Jesus said earlier in

John 10:17–18 (NASB95)

  17   “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.

  18   “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

Jesus tells people that He is going lay down His life and then take it up again. That is a heck of claim don’t you think. And he’s not talk about a quick explosion or cyanide pill that is quick and efficient. He knows what kind of 12 hour interrogation, humiliation and torture He is going to endure before He has the opportunity to take up his life again. If Jesus doesn’t follow up his utterance with sincerity and action, he is a liar and not to be trusted. When he says I’m going to prepare heaven for you, there needs to be something more than his words for me to believe it. I need to see action.

When Pilate asks Jesus, what is truth? Jesus doesn’t answer . . . with words. He answers by dying on the cross like he said he would. I would say that Jesus, therefore, should be reliable, trustworthy . . . the truth. I can’t say that unless he completes what He said he would do and that is “take up his life again.” It doesn’t count unless He raises from the dead because then he’s just mostly true. If he doesn’t do the whole thing, He was at best, mistaken. And if He was mistaken about that, how can I really trust that he’s not mistaken with a whole lot more including heaven? Are my sins really forgiven?

John 19:28–30 (NASB95)

  28   After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.”

  29   A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.

  30   Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

John 19:41–42 (NASB95)

  41   Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.

  42   Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

The Life

John 20:1–18 (NASB95)

The Empty Tomb

    1   Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb.

    2   So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

    3   So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb.

    4   The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first;

    5   and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in.

    6   And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there,

    7   and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself.

    8   So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed.

    9   For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.

  10   So the disciples went away again to their own homes.

  11   But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb;

  12   and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying.

  13   And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”

  14   When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.

  15   Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”

  16   Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher).

  17   Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’ ”

  18   Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.

I’ve always found it interesting how in some translations it says, “Don’t touch me” as if her touching Him would make Him unclean or something. I think this has a different nuance than that. I think it is more of Him just wanted to get back to the Father. It’s like Rocky at the end of the second film? who does he want to see? He wants to see the person who’s gave him the inspiration to win, Adrian. Jesus wants to be reunited with the Father. It’s like any major accomplishment in one’s life but more. You want the people you have the closest fellowship with you to experience that victory with you. Jesus wants to be with His father.

Jesus shows us his indomitable life. The proof is in the resurrection. Since He pulled off this impossible feat, we can now trust him. His life is the proof. Now we can trust everything He says. Because anybody and everybody dies but not everybody raises from the dead to never die again. His resurrected life is proof that we will have a resurrection.

John 11:25–26 (NASB95)

  25   Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,

  26   and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Do you believe this?

The context of this last scripture is interesting in John 11, it’s about he raising of Lazarus:

John 11:23–24 (NASB95)

  23   Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

  24   Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

Then Jesus I am resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.

He confirms the truth of her words. But as a preview and proof of his authority to say such words, He raises Lazarus from the dead that very day, not on the last day. All of the great works that Jesus did during His life, healings, the feeding of the five thousand, and even the water turned into wine, were to validate himself as the messenger.

Does Jesus still do miraculous healings and does He raise the dead? Sure. At least spiritually also physically. It’s not normative. I don’t think it’s normative because physical suffering and death are not the ultimate problems. If that was normative, then Jesus would be regarded as no more than a vending machine. Why do I need my brokenness dealt with when I’m not feeling the effects of the world’s brokenness? Eliminating the symptoms doesn’t defeat sin and death.

Mark and Kathleen Benton have served in Japan as missionaries in Japan for over thirty years. They were helpful to my family while we lived in Japan and served at their church in Nishinomiya. The year we left, Kathleen was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. And she fought it really hard for five and half years. Seems like such a short time. The doctors in Japan kept on insisting that she just die. They did not want to treat her and were amazed how hard she fought. She fought so hard because she had three adopted kids to raise still including one, who never be able to live independently. The doctors in Japan were amazed at the lengths she would go to and the tens of thousands of dollars in extra missionary support Mark was able to raise to keep her going. Round after round of aggressive chemotherapy and all the yummy side effects that go with it. When I saw her in 2011, I was able to encourage her to keep on fighting for the sake of the kids. And she did for another year and half until she succumbed this last month. To live is Christ, to die is gain.

Now, what if Mark, decided to pray for her resurrection. She’s up in heaven with Jesus and He turns to her and says, “guess what, you got to back down and die again so that you get back up here and truly live again.” I think she’d slap the heck out of Mark.

My point is that the resurrection on the last day whether it’s ours or the worlds, is not a consolation prize, it’s the real deal. Jesus is the cure for cancer. When a loved one in Christ dies, we suffer, not them. To live is Christ, to die is gain. Yes, I said that twice for a reason.

Jesus mission was not about solving world hunger or healing all disease. His desire was to solve the cause of world hunger and disease—sin. Let’s be generous and assume that the world’s population is 25% saved. If we put all our energy into solving world hunger and healing every disease, the fruits of our labor are that 5.2 Billion people go to hell with full stomachs and healthy bodies.

Jesus, himself says, the poor will always be with you. I think that is why we support the missions of City Gate and Cup of Cool Water with meals. Those are places that share the gospel. The food is a draw that brings people into contact with believers who will share the love of Christ with sincerity in action, character, and utterance.

Why the urgency?

Only Jesus

Because Jesus is the only way. If people don’t know about Jesus, they spend eternity separated from God. No one comes to the Father except through me says Jesus. Before that He talks about preparing a place for them to go to spend eternity with God. This implies there is a place that is apart from God also. The wicked, whose sins are not forgiven, where will they spend eternity? In Hell. I said it, I’m not hater. Some will say, “how can a loving God sentence people to eternal suffering.” Who could more loving then a God who spared not even His own son suffering so that you wouldn’t have to? Who could be loving than Jesus who willingly does lay down His life? Yet, who talks about Hell more than anyone else in the Bible? Jesus. How is hell described? Hellish, of course. Hot, painful, a threat that Jesus uses often, and it’s forever. That’s what the Bible teaches on the subject.

There’s no tricks by scribes and translators on this one.

Matthew 25:41 (NASB95)

  41   “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;

Mark 9:43–50 (NASB95)

  43   “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,

  44   [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]

  45   “If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell,

  46   [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.]

  47   “If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell,

  48   where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

  49   “For everyone will be salted with fire.

  50   “Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Ok, maybe it’s just the fire that’s eternal but the um wicked are extinguished in that everlasting flame.

Revelation 14:11 (NASB95)

  11   “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Why am I belaboring the point? There are some who would want to believe that because Jesus’s payment for sin is enough for everybody, than it’s there whether people choose to believe or not. So, essence, some would believe that “love wins out” nobody suffers eternally. This is heresy and harmful.

There is so emphasis on choosing Christ to inherit eternal life:

John 3:16–18 (NASB95)

  16   “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

  17   “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

  18   “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

So, if we were to accept the premise that all saved whether they believe in Jesus or not John 3:16 looks something more like this. This the “What The Heck Is That Version”

John 3:16–18 (WTHITV)

  16   “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that nobody whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

  17   “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might will all be saved through Him.

  18   “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe is not judged either has been judged already, because ultimately it doesn’t matter if he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

If it’s true that to receive eternal life instead of eternal punishment, you don’t even have to believe, then really, the most efficient form of ending suffering on is genocide, mass murder, eugenics, and definitely lose religion or talk of God because we don’t want to hurt people’s feelings if it isn’t necessary.

And Foxe’s Book of Martyrs would becomes Foxe’s Book of Fools. Really, Peter? Crucified upside down, that was cute but stupid and unnecessary because love wins. Yes love wins but death, and all the acts associated with it, loses.

Application

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, no comes to the Father but by He.

If you want the most fulfilling life you can have on this earth including that moment where you stand before God, align yourself with Him because His way is perfect, He is truth and He is life.

My first pastor when I started walking with the Lord as an adult, told me that if I wanted to grow in Christ, that is to be aligned with Christ and His truth , I needed to be in the Word every day. That can be reading, that can be listening to Christian music, that can be sermon on a podcast or the radio or partaking in a Bible study. Take two verses and call in the morning.

In Tune with the Truth means in the Word of God. Everyday if possible.

The Book of James says, be not hearers only of the Word, but doers. He who reads the Word and does do what it says, is like a man who looks in a mirror and forgets what he looks like.

In Tune with Truth means applying the Word of God to your life.

Worship. God inhabits the praises of His people. Part of loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind is not merely keeping  the Word near you but also proclaiming it. We do that in song here on Sunday morning. It’s not just singing, “God you are good” over and over again. It’s proclaiming why. That’s why one of our Worship music  is to always have a hymn in the mix because usually they are more theologically sound.

In Tune with Truth means reciting it…declaring it…telling others about it.

Fellowship. Spend time with other believers talking about, I don’t know, Jesus. Jesus says, whenever two or more are gathered in His name He is with them. Bear one another’s burdens, confess your sins, sicknesses and share your joys and victories as well. Or, just have fun, watch the Super Bowl and shun the GoDaddy ads.

In Tune with the Truth means being around other believers.

So what are the results of all that. What cookies do you get from all that? The more you align yourself with the one who gave His life for you, the more you will become the redemptive force He created you to be. That’s what you get for yourself. You get more of Jesus. Amen.

 


[1] Inc Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary., Eleventh ed. (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003).