Now if you would turn with me to the Gospel of John in the 14th chapter. I want to read through the first 18 verses of that chapter, and we will be concentrating upon verse 6 this morning. John chapter 14, again the Word of God. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And 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. And where I go, you know. and the way you know. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way, 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 know him and have seen him. Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us. Jesus said to him, have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me. The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does the works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me, or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also. The greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. And if you ask anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray to Father, and he will give you another helper, that he may abide with you forever. The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him, But you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you." Thus far, the reading of God's most holy word. You may have noticed that the title of my sermon today is The Race Is On. That was the theme for Vacation Bible School this past week. Now, normally when we think about a race, the idea that is involved in a race is the idea of going somewhere, having a particular course to run. Perhaps you're running around a track or a certain direction. And then along with that is often the idea of when you've arrived, especially in certain races, if you're the first one, you receive a prize. Now there's also some races that are more about the participation rather than the arrival. So there's the notion of seeking others, like a walk-a-thon or a race for cancer or something of that nature. so that everyone might have the experience. Now, the race which we are talking about here is quite different. It is, in fact, in reference to the life of the believer. The path is the Christian life. The prize is eternal life. And so this race is on is not just kind of a clever way to encourage some people to get involved, to do something extra, perhaps learning about something or getting involved in some service project, or even maybe to get more children interested in coming to Bible school. Now, all of that is OK. It's fine if we want to use it that way, if that's what's intended. But the race which we are talking about is simply what it means to be a believer. It is the race which every believer, not just some special opportunity, but it's a race which every believer is running in. It's not just an opportunity to sign up for a particular race. So this is about the gospel, the Christian life. And so we simply begin with the question, are you in the race? Are you in the race? And as basic as that is, along with the question, are you seeking and are you rejoicing in others joining in and receiving the same prize from running in the race? If Jesus is the way and the truth and the life, are you engaged in the race? You'll quickly say, at least someone might quickly say, Well, now wait a minute. I thought that to be a Christian meant that I can't do anything, that Christ has done it all for me. And that would be correct. But let us understand what Jesus has, in fact, done when we say we believe in what Jesus has done for us. As we look at this, let us be careful looking at Again, particularly verse 6. And let us notice the words. They're probably quite familiar to you. But notice this. He says, I am the way. I am the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. It's not just a race. It is the race. It is also the path to the Father. Now, we want to be careful here. The illustration, particularly the illustration that I'm bringing to this this morning, can be easily misleading. Again, back to the normal ideas that we have in mind in terms of a race. There is the idea of a race is someplace where you are going to try to get to. And until you have actually run the race, whether it's a two mile or whether it's a marathon or whether it's two blocks, you have to put one foot in front of the other. Or you have to have some means of transportation to get yourself there. And if you stop halfway or quit the race, you're not going to get there. In other words, that illustration lends the idea that it is all about you and what you are doing with respect to the end line. You must get yourself there. That's not the case with what Jesus is talking about. Let me be clear about that. It's not the case. To be in the race, which we are speaking about here in terms of I am the way and the truth and the life, to be in the race is to already be by the Father. In other words, It is to come to the Father. Jesus is not here giving steps. Jesus is not saying, now, I have some directions for you. I can tell you the way. If you follow these directions, you're going to be able to get there. He's not here to tell us, I have a lot of truth. If you listen to what I say, you might be able to use some of that. We'll help you understand things better in the world. And you know what? I could even provide life for you if you do this. No. When He says, that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is telling what knowing the Father it is. It is to have these. Notice very specifically that He says that we must first of all understand the Way, the Truth, and the Life. So even though we are talking about participating in a particular race, what Jesus is making clear is that He has taken it all the way for you. He has gone the way. He has supplied the truth. And He is the life. Because Jesus is the way, your faith in Him, not the steps that you might take along the way, but your faith in Him restores you to the Father. Because Jesus is the truth, you stand perfect before Him. As we noticed earlier, righteous. Because Jesus in the life, you now live eternally before Him. In this statement, Jesus is responding to the question of Thomas. When Jesus has talked about His ascension, which is what He mentions here in the first part, He says, I'm going to go away. I'm going to send the Holy Spirit. And Thomas says, wait a minute. If you go away, how do we know where to go? How are we going to get there? Where should we go? You see, it is the common question. And it is the wrong question. Same old question the rich young ruler asked, what must I do to be saved? It's based on a concept of salvation. It is a concept that it's not only dealing with the disciples. For them, it meant kicking out the Roman government and having their own kingdom here on Earth. For most today, it is, what must I do? What are the steps that I have to take? What gets me to heaven? And the answer is, it's not about what you do, where you go, what you look for. Jesus is all about what I have done. I am the way, the truth, and the life. It's not for you to find the way. If you seek to find your own way, you will absolutely be lost. It's not for you to discover the truth. If you do, you will never find it. It's not for you to gain eternal life. It will be a false life. You see, Jesus is God. And when you come to Jesus, you have already come to the Father. Salvation is not about finding some way, some steps to get there. It is simply seeing Jesus, and upon seeing Jesus, which means trusting and believing in what He has done. You know, when God created Adam and Eve and He put them in the Garden, He created man in His own image, they had life. They had a life in which to live fully in the very presence of God. Because of sin, They and you and I, all of us with them, were put out of the garden. No longer with life, no longer having any truth, no longer having the way to God. But this is the point that Jesus makes. He has put us back in the garden. He did not come to show you how that you can get in, the path to get in the garden. He says, I put you into God because I am the way. I have given you the truth because I am truth. And I restored you to that life. In the beginning of the book, this book of the Gospel of John, the Apostle John tells us in the story of the coming of Jesus, he tells us that Jesus is the Word. He is not just some great philosopher. He's not just someone from whom you can learn a lot. He is the truth, which means there is none other. He is the standard by which all truth is measured. You know, when Satan convinced Eve, and in fact convinced Adam, that they didn't have to listen to God. He said, you can be your own gods. You can say for yourself what truth is. they blinded themselves, turned away from God, and had no truth, only blindness. That's the falsehood of the world. Jesus came and dwelt among us so that man might again have truth, because he is truth. You know, the common thinking of the day, I've already alluded to it, the common thinking of the day was that the hope of salvation had to do with the hope of a restoration of an earthly kingdom of Israel, getting rid of the Roman government. In other words, the common idea was that if only certain things would happen here on Earth, that then they could have life. What a great life it would be if we could just get rid of those Romans. How many similar thoughts do we have today? If only this and this would happen. Man, how good life would be. If only this would take place. If only even God would do this for me, I could really enjoy life. Well, God created man and placed him in the garden with life. That's what life is. It was lost in the fall when Christ did the work of the second Adam The life was restored. We call Christ the second Adam because what the first Adam failed in his disobedience, Christ did by his obedience and going to the cross, paying for our sins. And when Christ rose again from the tomb and He walked forward in new life, All those, you and I who believe in Him, walk forward with Him. We have life. That's why I said that the illustration with the race is not about how you get to somewhere where you can get to the Father. To be in the race is to be by the Father. It is to have life. The question remains, where does the whole concept then of race come in? There is still a race to run. But what is that? I said earlier, as soon as you are in the race, you already have come to the Father. You already have life. You already have received the prize, if you will. The very definition of true faith is to have eternal life. But you're still in a race. What are we running for? Again, just to be very clear, I've stated this. Jesus is the life, so with Jesus in you, you have life. You are living. In the same regard, you have the direction, the way, because Jesus is the way. You have truth. Finally in this, you have come to the Father. So if it is all accomplished, what is left? Do you just now exist and wait for the day in which you can be with the Lord in eternity? What does coming to the Father really mean? Remember, in this whole section, there is this discussion raised by Thomas. Lord, if you leave us, where are we going to go? What's going to happen to us? Jesus is ascending into heaven. They had the idea, you will remember, that at one time two of the disciples had this discussion with each other about who would have the privilege of sitting in the most exalted place on the right hand of Jesus, the King, and who would have the privilege of sitting. They had this idea that to be in the kingdom was simply to soak in all of the benefits of being in the kingdom. Just existing there. They wanted to have the privilege. of being kingdom citizens. The very same idea is prevalent in much of Christianity today. It's all too true for even those who give a very credible profession of faith. Someone says, yes, I really love Jesus. I know and believe that I am a sinner, that I can't go to heaven unless I have Christ's, but I believe He paid for my sins. I trust in Him. I really do want to be with Him eternity. I also know that I should be in church when nothing else gets in the way, and I participate in worship. But in the meantime, well, we just kind of have to wait for that. After all, I need to make a living. There are many things to do to enjoy your life, and there's nothing wrong with that. Well, remember, we're talking about restoration. Coming to the Father. Adam and Eve certainly had everything in the garden, but they did not just sit there and enjoy it. They were placed in a garden to take care of it. That's what restoration is. Let's remind ourselves of the last thing Jesus said to disciples before he ascended to heaven. He's talking about the fact here that he's going to leave. Well, we read in the first chapter of Acts when Jesus is about ready to ascend, and he tells the disciples, go and bear witness of me. That was specifically directed to those disciples, but it spoke to this notion of just waiting around for Jesus. They had asked the same old question, are you now going to restore the kingdom? And essentially what Jesus said to them is, I'm going to put you to work. And with you, by my spirit, we're going to restore the kingdom. But I'm going to use you under that end. So also following the statement in our text, we find a very important discussion. takes place here between Jesus and Philip. Let's listen again carefully. Verses 7-11. Jesus said, If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also, and from now on you know Him and have seen Him. Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father. And it's sufficient for us, Jesus said to him, have I been with you so long? And yet you have not known the Father, have not known Me, Philip, He who has seen Me has seen the Father. So how can you say, show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am the Father and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak in My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. You see, the question is, have you really seen Jesus? It's important to talk about Jesus being my Savior or to confess Him, to join the church. Please understand, I am not diminishing that one bit. I call upon all of you to have that faith. But this statement begins with you. Are you right with God? Are you right with Him now? The implication being, what is your life all about? Are you living in His presence? In reality, restoration is to new life. To have come to the Father is to be back by faith in the Garden. All of your life is unto Him. All of your life is given over to be guided by His truth. Again, the words, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Now, Jesus goes on to say, And here's where the real point is with respect to the race. Verses 12 through 14. It says, most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also. Did you catch that? Jesus says, he who believes in me, the works that I do, what Jesus does in building the kingdom, you, that's the race, will do also. because I go to my Father and whatever you ask in my name, I will do. And the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it." It begins with your life. Are you living as though you really have come to the Father? Are you living according to the truth? Are you in fact living the eternal life? The race you are running is 24-7. The works that I do, Jesus says, He that is the believer, that's you, will also do. Are you engaged in the work of the church? That is the race that a true believer runs. Not everyone runs it as well as others. Not everyone stays on the track all the time. But it is going down the path which Christ has already gone down for you. Because He has gone down the path as your Savior, you are now with Him in the race. Now when Jesus actually says, the works that I do, you will do also, the work of Christ is building his kingdom. He made it very clear in chapter 6 of this gospel, John, that he came with a particular assignment from the Father to save all that had been given to him and to lose none. By the power of the Holy Spirit, you are the servants, the instrument that he uses to accomplish this. Let me make a couple of quick applications. Why Bible school this past week? We could have a lot of discussion about the effectiveness of Bible school and all the other things that we ought to be doing or could be doing and need to be doing in our homes and the church and so on for the children. But the question is simply, What does it mean that the church, beginning with parents, but the whole church is interested in serving Christ and making sure that our children are on the racetrack with us? That means by which the way, the truth, and the life becomes theirs through you. Yes, we rely totally on the accomplishment of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, but it's through you that Jesus does this. But it doesn't stop there. Why do we desire to see growth here in our midst? And I most certainly trust that we do. I happen to believe that the best thing that we could be doing for that every member would pray every day that in the future when we are worshiping in that building, the day would come when it's full. Not just so that we can count the numbers and say, look what we've accomplished. but because there's people out there who are not in the race. Very simply because there are those who do not have the way, the truth, or lie. Why should we seek to plan mission works in Omaha and Denver, hopefully in Montana? After all, it will cost money. It will take manpower. Why the Philippines? I mean, that's on the other side of the world. Let me be clear that it's not about numbers or accomplishments, again. We are engaged in what Christ has already done. Yes, the numbers are fantastic in the Philippines, even difficult to comprehend. But the reality is simple as this. The way, the truth, and the life is the race already accomplished by Jesus. You, the church, it is not just me, the one going. It is the church by which part of the race that you are already engaged in is by which the kingdom will be brought to its fullness. Yes, it is Jesus who gathers His sheep. It is by the power of His Holy Spirit. But you are the instrument by which He uses unto that end, by means of your running the race. It involves more than just talking the Gospel. And that's a whole other sermon or series of sermons about all the things about being engaged in the work of the church involved in. But the race is about being in the kingdom. When you have Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life, you will know and be excited to be part of the race by which all those for whom Christ Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Even as Jesus speaks to the disciples about the particular situation of leaving them, as he goes to the Father, so he speaks to you, to us all, to the church today, The challenge to all of us this morning is first, are you in the race? Absolutely. Have you seen the Father? Then do you understand that you are in the race? You have a race to run. That's what Jesus says to the church. Remember, we are made up of many different parts. Everyone has this particular part. I'm sure that you will be relieved to know not everyone is called upon to fly to the Philippines. But in some aspect, you are all in the race. Indeed, for all of us, the race is on.