How small do you feel compared to God? How does anyone approach and make contact with the Creator of the universe? Who is this Supreme Being who spoke our world into existence and who formed us out of the dust that He created? Who is the One who holds all power and has unquestioned authority? Our human minds simply do not have the capacity to fully comprehend Him. He is not bound by the limits of our reasoning, and He can’t be confined or contained in any box that we try to put Him in. So what hope is there that we could ever relate to Someone who totally overwhelms us in comparison?
The hope is found in God’s Son. Jesus is God made into human form and He gives us an easier context with which we can relate to God the Father. He is the bridge between us and the Father and and we can confidently approach the Father through His Son. All of this is possible because Jesus chose to limit Himself to human form and to experience life the same way that we know it. He felt the joy and happiness that life can bring and He is also familiar with the darker side of life. He had a group of friends who loved Him and followed Him, but He was also lied about and experienced rejection. He performed miracles for people and from some received an outpouring of thanks and from others complete ingratitude. He knew what it was like to work hard and do a fantastic job and be exhausted at the end of the day. He had family members who were amazed when they realized who He was and some who refused to believe Him. Although He was completely without sin, He knew what it was like to encounter unrelenting temptation. He had a true taste of what it feels like to walk the human road and to live as humans live.
This life is filled with many different roads all leading in various directions. The choices are endless. If a person wants to reach a certain destination, there are roads that will lead to that place. But how many of those roads lead to God - to a relationship with Him and to an eternity in Heaven? There is only one road and one way that leads to eternal life. Jesus says that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one can come to the Father except through Him. There are no other options and it is not up for debate. Placing complete faith and trust in Jesus and believing in Him is the only doorway to enter the road that leads to eternal life. Jesus made an incredible sacrifice to open up that way and is reaching out to anyone who wants to join Him and other believers on that road.
Once a person decides to trust Jesus with their lives and their future, they not only have a saviour, but they literally have a friend for life. Jesus will travel with us on the sometimes rocky, sometimes pleasant road that leads through the remaining days of our lives on this earth. An easy or trouble-free journey is not promised, but what is guaranteed is someone who will walk with us through this life, step-by-step, moment-by-moment, day-by-day. We have the assurance that He will never leave us, and Jesus is a friend who can be trusted with any situation that we invite Him into. He understands pain and hurt and can handle anything that a traveler may encounter along the way because He walked the very same roads during His own journey on Earth. Anyone who chooses to stay close to Him will have the strong arm of a faithful shepherd to help navigate and guide them through the course of their days.
Walking with the Lord day-by-day requires living by faith, and doing that is not always easy. Some days His presence is felt strongly and His voice is heard clearly, but on other days there seems to be more fog and confusion and circumstances can reach out to claw at us and try to shipwreck our journey. Those days require a lot more faith and determination and an unwavering belief in what has been clearly revealed in the Bible. We are confined in this life to living by faith and not by sight, but someday faith will become sight and what is unseen now will be undeniable then. It will be a day like no other when those who have faithfully walked, and trusted, and hoped will actually be able to see with their eyes Who was there all along.
God the Father is not a distant Being who is trillions of miles away and cannot be reached by those who hunger for a relationship with Him. He sent His Son to Earth to live among His creation and to build a bridge for those who will take that step by faith and cross over to Him. Jesus is the one and only way to the Father and He offers His hand to anyone who will reach out and take hold of it.
Conversation Starter
What does the media say about Jesus? How do your friends or family feel about him? What do you think?
Discussion Questions
Question 1: In this week’s message, you heard Pastor Scott say that secular historians agree on many things about Jesus. “Good”, “wise”, and “teacher” are words often used to describe him by the secular world. What do you think is the critical difference between being “good” and being God?
Question 2: Read John 8:54-55
What claim(s) is Jesus making about himself in this passage? Why is it significant?
Question 3: Read John 14:6-7
What claim(s) is Jesus making about himself in this passage? Why is it significant?
Question 4:
Do you agree with Jesus’ claims of being the sinless Son of God and the only way to the Father? Why or why not?
Question 5:
Supposing that Jesus’ claims of being the Son of God, living a sinless life, and being only way to God, how is that relevant to us as believers today?
Question 6:
What are some ways we can begin to more accurately reflect Jesus to the world around us in our everyday lives?
Prayer Focus:
Ask God for a clear and accurate view of who Jesus is and a deeper understanding of all that means for us as believers. Pray that your faith in Jesus would be strengthened and that you would begin to reflect him more and more each day.