First Baptist Church of El Dorado - Sermons
Tune in each week as Pastor Taylor Geurin leads us into a study of God's Word.
First Baptist Church of El Dorado - Sermons
Autobiography: Embracing Jesus as the Way, Truth, and Life in Today's World | John 14:1-11
How do you navigate the tension between exclusive religious claims and a world that values inclusivity? Discover how John 14's powerful teachings can offer clarity amidst this cultural conundrum. Join us as we explore the profound words of Jesus, who presents himself as "the way, the truth, and the life," and the comforting promises he shared with his disciples during their most uncertain moments. This episode promises to provide insights on sustaining faith during life's challenges and offers the hopeful reassurance of a prepared place in God's house.
We tackle the intriguing discussion on how Christianity balances its exclusive path with an open invitation to all. Drawing on insights from Tim Keller, we challenge the contemporary perception of truth as relative and subjective, emphasizing the definitive claim that Jesus is the only way to the Father. We encourage listeners to reflect on how this duality fits within modern culture, examining how personal and absolute truths intersect and the unique invitation extended to everyone, regardless of their background or beliefs.
As we wrap up, we focus on how your understanding of Jesus's teachings can shape your daily life and faith journey. Worship transcends beyond Sunday rituals, becoming a lifestyle of gratitude for salvation. Meanwhile, evangelism isn't reserved for the devout few; it's a daily calling for everyone to share the good news. We discuss the missionary call to live out faith in everyday settings, from workplaces to community spaces, and how each of us plays a vital role in spreading the transformative message of the gospel. Join us as we explore practical ways to live as active participants in God's mission.
1st Baptist, baptist El Dorado, will you join me now in listening to our sermon from this week? Open with me to John, chapter 14. John, chapter 14. I'm going to quickly read verses 6 and 7. Jesus said to him I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also, and from now on, you do know him and have seen him. Let's pray together. Lord Jesus, we thank you for this morning. We thank you for an opportunity to open your word together. Lord, holy Spirit, would you speak through me? Would your words ring out? Would your words reign true? Would your words speak to our hearts? Let us learn from your word this morning. We ask this in Christ's name, amen.
Speaker 1:As we're already in mid-November, which is somewhat unbelievable mid-November, you may have already started to do your Christmas shopping or maybe you laugh at the idea that you would have already started at this point, but maybe you've already started and you've been to certain stores or you've been online. You've gotten on Amazon and ordered some things and you know, as you see a lot of commercials this time of year advertising a certain sale. You get a lot of emails more emails than you want advertising a sale or a certain coupon, or 15% off here or 30% off there. You'll often see this term, maybe stated out loud, or stated in bold or maybe, you know, stuck in a little more fine print this term Exclusions may apply. Have you seen this term on your coupons in a commercial Exclusions may apply. I don't know about you, but for me, I don't know how it's possible that 100% of the time the exclusion applies to the thing I'm buying. It's a whole store. There's five things I'm interested in. As a matter of fact, those five things, they're excluded. They're excluded from the sale. You get up to the register, the fine print. If you're 34 years old and live in El Dorado, I'm sorry, you are excluded from this sale. I don't know how they do it.
Speaker 1:I think our culture, we all, have a love-hate relationship with exclusions, with exclusivity. We love exclusivity when we are part of the inside, when we're inside and maybe there is an outside but we're in, we're okay with exclusivity. When we're on the outside, looking in, we don't love it so much. Today we come to John 14, and we see what is a very exclusive phrase by Jesus. Exclusive phrase by Jesus, a phrase of absolute exclusivity.
Speaker 1:I am the way, the truth and the life, and so this morning, for a few minutes, I want us to break down what that means and what it means for us. So go to John 14, starting in verse 1. I want to look at that very first phrase let not your hearts be troubled. Let not your hearts be troubled. We'd say amen to that, jesus. That is my desire to. Let not my heart be troubled. But we could argue. Sometimes in life that's much easier said than done. Sometimes it's very easy to let not our hearts be troubled when things are going okay, but there's oftentimes when the world is swirling around us and, I'll be honest, my heart's a little bit troubled. But that's not a surprise to Jesus, even in the moment he's writing this.
Speaker 1:If you look at the context of John 14, where are they at in John 14? They're in the upper room. Jesus and the disciples have just had dinner together. Jesus has washed their feet. But really, where are we? We're just a few hours away from a betrayal and an arrest. We're just one day away from a trial and Jesus being put on a cross. That's where we're at in this moment, even in this room.
Speaker 1:If you go to John 13, verse 21 through 30, jesus is saying this that one of you in the room is about to betray me. And then, in that moment, judas gets up and walks out. Even a few verses later, 36 through 38, jesus lets Peter know before the rooster crows you're going to deny me three times. And so that's the feeling in the room at that moment. Morale's probably not super high. And then, into that moment, jesus says this let not your hearts be troubled. And so we can surely say, jesus, that's a lot easier said than done. But why or how? Let not your hearts be troubled? Believe in God, believe also in me.
Speaker 1:In verse 1, there's something here that Jesus wants us to see that the reality of the object of our faith can speak into the current circumstances that would tempt to trouble us, current circumstances that would tempt to trouble us. That even in troubling circumstances, the object of our faith can be an anchor for us In this moment. Believe in God, believe also in me, now, with that idea, believe in God, believe also in me. What is Jesus getting at? He's really getting at what he's going to get at throughout this whole passage that he wants us to see that Jesus and the Father are one. And so really he's saying believe in God, believe in me. But in one sense that's very much the same thing. We believe in Father, son, spirit, three persons one. But the belief here enters into even the troubling situation, so that truly we can say, because of the object of our faith, even in trouble we don't have to let our hearts be troubled.
Speaker 1:Verse 2, in my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I not have told you that I go to prepare a place for you, you that I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, and where I am, you may be also so. Next, not just the object of our faith informs us during those troubling moments, but the future reality informs a present troubling circumstance. Our future reality can inform our present troubling circumstance. Jesus looks towards the future. In my Father's house there are many rooms. And if it were not so? But I've told you I go to prepare a place for you. You've probably heard these verses before. You've probably been greatly encouraged by these verses before. These have probably been spoken over you at a funeral service, maybe following a loss, but really any time, these are words of great encouragement.
Speaker 1:In my Father's house are many rooms you may remember the old King James translation in my Father's house are many. What Mansions? In my father's house are many mansions you may have heard it that way many rooms. And I'll be honest, we hear this and we're tempted to if we're just being honest and we can be we're tempted to start wondering well, what's my room going to look like? If Jesus is preparing me a room, I'd love a little sneak peek on what my room is, what my room looks like and how close is my room to Jesus' room. You know where do I stand in all this? What's the mansion waiting for me? But the reality is this In this verse, the emphasis is not on the room.
Speaker 1:The emphasis is the fact that the room is where it's in my Father's house. Right, it's the location of the room. That means everything that Jesus is telling us. This is what our future looks like. This is what your future looks like. It's a future that is wrapped up in God, the Father, and being in his house, and so that is what awaits you and that's the joy that you can have, even in this present troubling moment Because Jesus even knows this things are about to get more troubling.
Speaker 1:I mean, in just a few hours again, the guy they've been following for three years is going to be arrested. The next morning he's going to face a trial. At 9 am that morning he's going to be put on a cross and by 3 in the afternoon that day he's going to be dead and being placed in a tomb. So whatever troubling moments they have now, it's only going to get more troubling. And yet Jesus reminds them something's happening, that somewhere is being prepared, even in this moment and as we see that, jesus says I go to prepare a place for you. He's actually talking about the preparation of even what is about to unfold on the cross and the resurrection that that gospel work is the preparation that the Father's house can be ready because of the gospel work that is unfolding even before your eyes. In the next 24 hours, in the next three days, there's gospel activity happening, and not just for the disciples in the upper room, but for you and I In our present moments, our present suffering, the here and now, the good days and the very difficult ones. If you are in Christ Jesus, your future is secured. If you are in Christ Jesus, the Father's house is open for you and your future dwelling is with Him and Him with you. That's the joy we see. We talked about it last week in Romans 8, verse 18, where Paul says I consider my present circumstances are not worth comparing to what's ahead. The Father's house is what is ahead.
Speaker 1:Many of you know that just this week we lost a dear saint in our church family, miss Linda Shipp, and I think about her because I think about over 50 years. Let me say that again Over 50 years of serving with our two-year-olds over in the CLC. Over 50 years she's been in that class and you've dropped your kids off with her and some of you are adults and your mom and dad dropped you off with her when you were a little bitty. And Brian and I had the privilege of just standing by her graveside yesterday and speaking to that faithfulness and what I think about even this morning, even in this moment, that one week ago that dear saint was in the Lord's house serving these two year olds. And here we are, seven days later and at this moment she is in her father's house.
Speaker 1:There's hope in that that, when, when, when we face trials, when we face loss, when we arrive at a funeral, when we, when we walk through any difficult circumstance, that doesn't necessarily mean there's not sorrow or not tears and not pain. Of course, that's all there. But the joy is this there is a future ahead that, while this moment is hard, this moment does not define all moments, but there is a greater moment that will speak back into all these hard moments and we will say it was all worth it as we look to the weight of glory that's being revealed In my father's house. There's many rooms. In verse four, jesus says this and you know the way to where I am going. Jesus says you know how to get there.
Speaker 1:And then Thomas speaks up. Really for all of us. Thomas speaks up often, but he does so here. Verse five Thomas said to him Lord, we do not know the way to where you're going. How can we? How can we know the way? We don't know how to get there. Jesus says you know how to get there. Thomas speaks up we don't have a clue. Thomas is thinking in terms of GPS directions. It's funny.
Speaker 1:When we first moved here, so many people and I'm so thankful for this tried to help me get places and I still need that some. But what so many would do and I appreciate this and I honor this but they would look at me and they would say, hey, you're going to go down this road and you're going to turn a left here, like four miles that way, and then make that right. You're going to see, you know, this sign or this, whatever this is, then turn a left at that thing and then you're going to see a tree with three branches and four leaves and then turn it right there and all these directions. And I appreciated it and I listened as best as I could, but I did what you probably do too. I knew in the back of my mind I said I'm just going to plug it in the phone that just give me the name of the destination, give me an address and as long as my phone has a little bit of battery, I will get there just based on that.
Speaker 1:In this moment, thomas wants just a GPS direction. Jesus, just tell us where to go, just tell us how to get there. But Jesus has to show Thomas. We're not talking geography, we're talking theology. It's deeper than this. Verse 6, jesus said to him I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Thomas says show me the way, how do I get there? And there steps Jesus with our sixth I am statement. I am the way. You're not looking for coordinates, you're not looking for an address, you're looking for a person, you're looking for me. I am the way. I am how you get there. Secondly, I am the truth. The truth.
Speaker 1:In John, chapter 18, something very interesting happens. Three kind of haunting words are stated. Jesus is at his own trial and he's standing before Pilate, who very much would hold his fate in his hands. And verse 37, pilate said to him so you are a king. Jesus answered you say that I'm a king and for this purpose I was hands. And verse 37, pilate said to him so you are a king. Jesus answered you say that I'm a king and for this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. And Pilate says these three words, these three haunting words. He says this what is truth? What is truth? The reality is this, those three words that Pilate stated.
Speaker 1:What is truth are three words that are still uttered all over the place in our culture. What in the world is truth? Can we find truth? You may know this, but we live in a day now where our culture and our world would say that the truth is something that can be molded and shifted and changed. You hear terms talking about how truth can be relative, that what's true for me and what's true for you might be two different things, and culture would say that's okay. You even might hear a phrase like your goal is to find your truth and mine is to find my truth, as if truths are these things that can be different things for different people.
Speaker 1:I'm thankful this morning that you and I don't have to wonder where truth is and don't have to wonder how reliable truth is or don't have to figure out how is, and don't have to wonder how reliable truth is or don't have to figure out how we need to shift truth or change truth, but instead we have truth before us. We don't have to wonder where the truth is. Jesus says I'm the way and the truth, and so Jesus is the truth. What he speaks we can take to the bank as truth, the actions he does. That is truth. The word God has given us is the truth, and so my job is not to come to this word and see how I can twist it or maybe rip it from context or figure out what I can make it mean. My job is to say this is truth. How do I align myself with the truth of God? But I'm thankful that we have the truth, we have the way, we have the truth and we have the life. We saw this also last week.
Speaker 1:Jesus says John 11, I am the resurrection and the life. We've said this throughout this series, but in these I am statements. Jesus is not reaching into his bag to give us something he's giving us himself. Life is not something that I can take and I can hand over to you as if it's separate from me. Jesus says life is me. Jesus says I am the way, the truth and the life. Now, I said this at the very beginning of this whole series. But if Jesus could have changed one word in that whole phrase, our world and our culture not only would they not mind, they would celebrate Jesus. If he could have just said these words that I am a way, I am a truth, I am a life, the world does not mind Jesus being one among many. The world doesn't mind Jesus being one way, one opportunity, one option, so long as all the other options are before you as well.
Speaker 1:Now, when Jesus really gets in trouble, it is further. He takes it a step further in verse 6, no one comes to the Father except through me. What already was an exclusive statement gets even more exclusive. There is one way, and so when our culture and often they will do this looks at Christianity, what they say is it is just too exclusive. How could they claim that there is only one way? I'll tell you, someone really helped me with this, understanding this idea of the exclusive nature of Christianity. There's a pastor in Manhattan, in New York, for many years. Tim Keller passed away just a few years ago, but he talks about the exclusive nature of Christianity, and he's very helpful because is Christianity, is the way to Jesus, exclusive? Well, yes, it is. There is one way. I am the way. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Speaker 1:But Tim Keller talks about this, just about everything in our world has some sort of exclusivity attached to it, doesn't it? Think about it. Everything is exclusive in some way. So think about this your home where you live. It's exclusive and that's an okay thing. It's exclusive to you. You live there, your family lives there. I do not live there. You love your pastor. Well, you might give me a guest room for a night or two, but then you tell me let's hit the road. It's exclusive to you and your family and that's a beautiful thing and that's a good thing, and you use your home to the glory of God, but it is exclusively yours.
Speaker 1:Think about any school in our area Barton Junior High. You think about it. That's an exclusive establishment, extremely exclusive. Who is excluded? Everyone who is not in seventh or eighth grade or a faculty, a teacher, everyone else is excluded. If I went to Barton tomorrow and said I'd like to enroll, they'd probably look at my junior high transcripts and say come right in. But in reality they'd say you're not welcome here, you're not in seventh or eighth grade. Everything has some sense of exclusivity with it.
Speaker 1:Now Tim Keller says this. Once we're on that ground, then we can see it this way that out of all the exclusive things in our world, christianity is the most inclusive. Now, that word inclusive again, that's a word in our culture that has got a lot of baggage, and there's a lot there. I just mean literal definition to be able to be included. Out of all the exclusive things in our world, christianity is the most inclusive. What do I mean by that? Christianity? It's exclusive.
Speaker 1:There's one way to the father exclusivity and now inclusivity. Hey, everyone come by's. One way to the Father exclusivity and now inclusivity. Hey, everyone come by. The one way to the Father. He's the way, the truth and the life. There's no way outside of Him. And now anyone and everyone who would like to come, experience the Father through Jesus Christ can come. All of a sudden that sounds a lot less exclusive than I thought. Right, there's one way exclusivity. All are welcome, all can be included in this.
Speaker 1:But there's even another way to think about the exclusive claims of Jesus. Again, so often our culture says why in the world does Jesus claim there's only one way to the Father? What about those of other religions who believe differently? What about those of other religions who believe differently? What about those who are good, upstanding people in their community? They give to charities, they run for office and they lead well, and they do all these things, but they don't know Jesus. Are you telling me they're on the outside looking in. That doesn't seem fair. It seems too exclusive, taylor. That just doesn't seem fair. It seems too exclusive, taylor. That just doesn't seem right. But I think the question shouldn't be why is Christianity exclusive? Or how is Jesus the only way? And I want to tell us what the better question is.
Speaker 1:But first think about us. If we're honest with ourselves, think about the weight of our own sin outside of Christ. Think about our own rebellion against a holy God. Remember two weeks ago, when Isaiah comes before the throne of God and sees the Lord on the throne and the picture of his holiness, and what does he say? Woe is me. I'm a man of unclean lips. I live among a people of unclean lips. I live among a people of unclean lips. He immediately realizes his unworthiness. Think about our own sin, where Paul says you were dead in your trespasses and sins. Think about your own broken nature where, outside of Christ, not only were you in sin but you were actively rebelling against a good and loving God. Think about that situation. Think about who you were outside of Christ.
Speaker 1:And here's the better question. The question is not you know how in the world could Jesus be the only way? The really good question here is is how is there a way at all? The better idea is not to say isn't Jesus a little too narrow with saying I'm the only way, and instead falling to our knees and saying praise God that a way has been opened at all, because I don't deserve it, I'm dead in sins, I'm broken seemingly beyond repair, and yet the Father's house, the gates have been opened wide for me. The idea is not that there's only one way that's so narrow, it's this there is a way, and that's beyond what any of us deserve. And yet there is a way. Verse 7,. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you do know him and you have seen him. You can keep reading. We won't do it this morning, but Jesus more and more makes this point that I and the Father are one.
Speaker 1:Do you want to know what God is like, the God that we can't see up in heaven? Do you want to know what he's like? Colossians 1.15,. He is the image of the invisible God, he talking about Christ. If you want to know the character of God, dive into his word and see, but also, within his word, look at the person of Jesus, Michael Reeves in his book I've stated this before says there's no God in heaven who is unlike Jesus.
Speaker 1:Again, we often think of Jesus, the kind and loving, merciful one who came. But you know, if we're tempted to think there's a kind of a god, the father up in heaven, that's a little more grumpy and and and a little more kind of waiting to get us if we get out of line, no, no, there's one God, and if you see the person of Jesus and his character, you have seen the character of God that, as we think of our God, father, son and Spirit three persons, one God, and we see the character as revealed in Scripture, you see the character of the God you serve, the God who gave himself up for you, the God who died for you, the God who says there is only one way to be saved, but the God who opened the doors wide, offering you the way to be saved through his cross and through the resurrection. This is the good news, and so I want to send us out with really two points, with two points of where we come from here, as we think about Jesus being the way, the truth and the life. Number one is this the way, the truth, the life. It should shape our worship. It should shape our worship Again.
Speaker 1:The idea is not that there's only one way. The idea is that there is a way. And if we walk in this room every Sunday morning at 10.15 and we walked in and we found our pew and we sat down and we began to ponder upon the fact that we were dead in sins and yet the God of the universe made a way for us that reshapes our worship, but it also reshapes our worship in a way that is far beyond this room, because we all know worship is not just music, it's not less than that, but it's so much more that we would live lives of worship that we, when we realize we were once dead and now we are alive, you're going to tell people that story. You, you're going to let people know and that's number two the way, the truth, the life, it should shape our evangelism. Evangelism, what does that mean? Simply to share the good news, to share the gospel, to tell people that there is a way, is a truth, is a life, to tell people that there is a Savior who died and rose again, that you can be forgiven because of that sacrifice, you can live eternally with Him. That is evangelism, to tell that story and we who were once dead and now alive, we ought to be telling that story loud and clear to all who can listen.
Speaker 1:Now we're tempted to think about evangelism as if it's something that you know a certain group of people do, that there's some that maybe have the gift of evangelism and I think there are some that are very gifted and the Holy Spirit has gifted them in evangelism. That doesn't mean we're off the hook. We're tempted to think about evangelism is that's what the missionaries do. Evangelism is what happens on the mission field, and I will agree with that. Evangelism happens on the mission field. But here's the good news for us this morning we all live on the mission field.
Speaker 1:I'm tempted at the end of the year you know oftentimes if reports you send to the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, the Southern Baptist Convention, just to, they like to get a report from churches. You know what do baptisms look like. You know different numbers and statistics, not because we're caught up on numbers, but you know souls saved we love that, and so you send the numbers and all that. And so send the numbers and all that I'm tempted to send in and tell them just the great news that I imagine would stop them in their tracks. That and just say this that First Baptist, elder Raider, we, in 2024, we have sent out 300 missionaries. I'm tempted to tell them that and they'd say, oh, my goodness, how many do you average on a Sunday morning? I tell them 300. I tell them that's the number. I say, well, where in the world are you sending these people? And I tell them I'll tell you exactly where I'm sending them. It just so happened.
Speaker 1:I've got missionaries. I've got missionaries to Ideal Construction I've got a couple there. I got missionaries to First Financial and I've got missionaries to the 1988. And we've got missionaries we're sending out. I got one over at Shelly's Shoes and we've got missionaries that we're sending out all over town. I've got missionaries you won't believe this on the Eldorado High School football team, the cheerleading squad. I've got missionaries you won't believe this on the chess club at school. I've got them there. On the elementary playground, I've got missionaries right there At all of these places. At the South Park baseball team, I've got missionaries in place. They are equipped and ready. I've got missionaries all over the town.
Speaker 1:Why? Because you are the people who do the ministry. You are those sent and sent with the gospel and sent with the news that there is a Jesus and he is the way. I remember this quote and I love this quote. I'm not mad at this quote, but you've heard it too that always preach the gospel when necessary, use words. Have you heard that? Always preach the gospel when necessary, use words. I love that. I'm not mad at it. It's beautiful. It's getting at the idea of let your life kind of speak that gospel message. Let your life show people that there is a difference in your life. I'm all on board with that. But at some point you've got to speak the gospel.
Speaker 1:I can promise you no one has ever been saved because of Taylor's good works.
Speaker 1:That might have helped start a conversation.
Speaker 1:I praise God.
Speaker 1:I can promise you no one has ever accepted Taylor's good works into their heart.
Speaker 1:They haven't done that. They need the gospel and all of you are uniquely placed, right where God has you, right where you are. You're right where you are supposed to be to make much of Jesus, to show a broken and lost world that there is a way, there is truth and there is life. You are equipped. The Holy Spirit, if you are in Christ, dwells in you, and it may be that the person who needs to know that there is a way will hear about it through you. Is the message of Christ exclusive? Yeah, it is. There's one way. And guess who can come? Anyone. Let me pray.
Speaker 1:Lord Jesus, we thank you for this morning. We thank you for your word. We thank you for offering us a way when we were hopeless, for offering us life when we were dead in sins. Let us never get over the reality of that gospel and let us never fail to tell others what you've done. Lord, as anybody may need to respond, would they do so? Holy Spirit, would you stir in that person's life that just needs to come have a conversation about who you are? Maybe this morning they want to come join this faith family. Maybe they want to come to know you, the way, truth and the life for the first time. Lord, however, they need to respond. Would you stir it into their hearts to respond, lord, we thank you for the gospel. Lord, however, they need to respond. Would you stir it into their hearts to respond? Lord, we thank you for the gospel. Pray all this in Christ's name, amen. Would you stand now? We'll continue to worship as we do. I'm going to be right down front. If you'd like to respond in any way, I'll be there.