 Let's begin reading together here in John 14 at verse 1. I'll read to verse 6 and we'll get into our study John Chapter 14 beginning at verse 1 reading to verse 6 Jesus says let not your heart be troubled to 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're going and how can we know the way and Jesus said to him Shut up You bother me. No, he said to him. I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the father but by me so as We look at this let me give you a little bit of a backdrop so we can see what's taking place here in chapter 14 And then we'll look at the first six verses We know that in chapter 13 John is recorded that Jesus has just celebrated Passover with his disciples and After the supper had ended John records how he began to share with them and to teach them because their world is about to change They're about to become confused and anxious over events that will soon take place You see the things that he was saying was to prepare them for the events that would follow Now he had just given them a few things to think about for example in chapter 13 verse 18 He had said to them that one of them would betray him He also told them that he would soon be leaving them in chapter 13 verse 33. He said little children I shall be with you a little while longer You will seek me and as I said to the Jews where I am going you cannot come so now I say To you So as he's sharing these things he went on to tell the apostle Peter that the apostle would deny him Three times in verse 38. Will you lay down your life for my sake? Jesus said to him most assuredly I say to you the rooster shall not crow till you've denied me three times And so all of this that he's saying to them has combined to produce anxiousness in their hearts as He had been there celebrating Judas had left abruptly and Jesus continued speaking and now he's been saying uncomfortable things He had said as mentioned a moment ago where I'm going you cannot come and that caused the apostles to become Agitated confused and even a bit concerned, but when he said you will all deny me it disturbed them It especially struck the apostle Peter in verse 37 Peter said in chapter 13 Lord Why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for your sake, so it especially bothered the apostle Peter Now in Peter's defense He wasn't the only one who said something like this Matthew 2635 tells us that Peter said to him even up I have to die with you I will not deny you and so said all the disciples so it wasn't just the apostle Peter It was saying that he'd lay his life down the others who were there said the same kind of thing Now they should have been prepared Jesus had been teaching about this more than once From the beginning he had made it clear that he would die yet He'd be resurrected all the way at the beginning of his ministry as recorded in John chapter 2 verses 19 through 22 Jesus had said destroy this temple and in three days. I'll raise it up The Jews said it's taken 46 years to build this temple and will you raise it up in three days? But he was speaking of the temple of his body Therefore when he had risen from the dead his disciples remembered that he had said this to them And they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had said now He had been teaching them, but they hadn't grasped what he was saying in Mark chapter 9 verse 10 Jesus had spoken about the Son man being risen from the dead and in Mark 9 verse 10 They began to question what the rising from the dead meant so Jesus was teaching them and preparing them But they were yet to understand what he's saying So in light of the fact that they didn't yet understand Jesus keeps preparing them He took into account their limitations. He understood them and that's one of the things by the way that I'm blessed about with our Lord Is he knows what we are? He understands he knew what you would do when he gave you his gospel He knew when you got saved what you would do with his gospel and yet he gave it to you anyway, didn't he? He trusted you anyway, didn't he he gave you that message the only message that people need to adhere to to believe Trust in completely rely on in order to have eternal life and yet he entrusted that to us He knew what we were going to do because he knows us Psalm 103 verse 14 says he knows our frame. He remembers we are dust Well, it's now time for him to lay down his life He knows his men are gonna be devastated and that's why he says in chapter 14 verse 1 let not your heart Be troubled that word troubled is an interesting Greek word The word troubled speaks of being tossed and agitated. It's a picture of water that he's being driven by wind With that we remind ourselves of the time Jesus and his men were in a storm on a lake It's recorded in Mark chapter 4 Jesus had said to them let us cross over to the other side So they were making their way and as so as doing so a windstorm had arisen the water began to fill the boat The men began to panic their hearts were filled with fear So they woke up Jesus who was asleep at that moment. They said teacher. Don't you care that we are perishing? Well, his response was to stand up and rebuke the wind and see and he commanded the sea to be still and Then he asked why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? Well, this time he needs to steal the storm in their hearts. He's able to steal the storm on on the sea But it's more difficult to steal the storm in a human heart He saw their troubled hearts Again, he speaks a word of comfort He didn't want them overcome with sorrow and anxiety. So he says in verse one, let not your heart be troubled When he says let not that gives to us insight that we can allow Our faith to be overcome. Let not speaks about control that I have I don't have to Concern myself I choose to And that's why he says to them let not your heart be troubled. Don't allow fear and anxiety to overrule So what he's doing is he's he's teaching them something and he's encouraging them and he's saying to them Let not your heart be troubled. Here's the remedy. This is this will strengthen you and keep you from being Overwhelmed by anxiety. You believe in god believe also in me Don't allow yourself. He's saying to them be overwhelmed by the things that you're seeing and the things that are about to take place Let not your heart be troubled Like the like the waves of the sea and the wind that tosses them and and all you need to be still and know that I am god You you can resist yielding to anxiety. It's an act of your will You see it's not that they have no faith But they must direct it towards the lord Now by now they should have known that he could do whatever he said he would do John records various things that he'd been doing in front of them They saw him turn water into wine. He'll a nobleman's son He'll a crippled man They saw him feed five thousand They saw him walk on water He'll a man born blind And to top it off. They saw him raise Lazarus from the dead of all people His disciples should have been able to trust him to keep his word You see in our times of confusion fear and sorrow. It's always best to turn to the lord and trust in him Psalm 56 3 says whenever i'm afraid i'll trust in you And that's what we're supposed to do Now as jesus is speaking here i want to point something out here again in verse 1 notice how he says you believe in god Believe also in me. I want you to look at that with me. I'm going to develop something with you for just a moment You see those who think that he was only a prophet or a miracle worker or simply a good man or teacher They have to pause at this place Because jesus just told them to have the same kind of faith in him that they have in god He's literally saying trust god and trust me put your full confidence in me If god is worthy of complete and committed faith he's saying then so am i Now as a rabbi he would never have been encouraged his disciples to dishonor the lord as a teacher He would not encourage any to give to him what only belongs to god I mean the old testament. I say a 42 verse 8 says it clearly I am the lord that is my name and my glory. I will not give to another nor my praise to graven images We're not to give honor and glory to any but the lord our faith is to be deposited in god himself Yet here he is commanding has been to believe completely in him He's pointing to himself as the object of the same faith given only to god John told us in chapter 5 verse 23. They are to honor him even as they honor the father And that's what jesus is doing here. You believe in god? Believe also in me. He's not simply a prophet. He's not simply a good man He's not simply a teacher. He is claiming equality with god and commanding That believers trust him the way they trust god That's what he's saying here But he goes on in verse 2 and says 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 In my father's house. There are many mansions the word mansion is a literally dwelling place This is speaks of a house It speaks of a resting place So when he says in my father's house, well, he's speaking of heaven Because heaven is the habitation of god In psalm 11 verse 4 the lord is in his holy temple. The lord's throne is in heaven So he's speaking concerning his father's house in my father's house And he's speaking in that in that place of heaven Now it's interesting. I want to show you something. There's another place where Jesus uses the phrase my father's house That's found in john 2 In john chapter 2 verse 16 He uses that phrase when he cleanses the temple in john 2 16 He said to those who sold doves take these things away Do not make my father's house a house of merchandise So he used the phrase to speak to us concerning the holiness of the temple So in using that phrase my father's house. Jesus is making it clear that heaven is for genuine worshipers It's not for the impure, but for those who have been cleansed Heaven is not inhabited by those who are not believers in the true god There's so many people and I know that it it rains on people's parade when people like me point this out But it's true There are people who think that the only thing to go to heaven that is required of an individuals for them to die Everybody goes to heaven right you go to heaven Everybody goes to heaven dogs go to heaven. I don't think cats do but dogs do You know everything goes to heaven And that's true. I mean you'll see some rock star. He was well known for whatever he used to do and He dies and then people will be talking about him how he's up there looking down at us because they think Everybody goes to heaven, but does the bible teach that and is that what jesus would teach and the answer quite obviously is no Jesus is making it clear that heaven is for genuine worshipers. It's not for the impure But for those who've been cleansed and heaven is not inhabited by those who don't believe in the true god through christ In the book of revelation last book of the bible in chapter 22 verse 15 John said outside the city are the dogs the sorcerers sexually immoral murderers idle worshipers And all who love to live a lie None of them are entering in Heaven is not inhabited by those who are not true believers in christ But jesus is making it clear that there's plenty of room in heaven There is enough room for all who desire to be with him to come to heaven But part of the requirement for entrance is revealed by your desire to be with them You know some want heaven, but they don't want him And so the invitation is for those who want him In matthew 11 28 through 30 jesus gave invitation He said come to me all you who labor in our heavy laden I will give you rest take my yoke upon you learn from me For i'm gentle and lowly in heart you'll find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden Is light so the stipulation is that we believe in him you believe in god believe also in me Now people need to be told that they don't automatically go to heaven when they die There are those who believe that there are many ways to enter into heaven, but jesus didn't teach that He taught that you need to be born again to enter into the kingdom of heaven In matthew chapter 7 verses 13 and 14 he said it like this He said enter by the narrow gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction There are many to go in by it Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the is the way which leads the life and there are few Who find it you know when I first got saved I was 20 years old and I was at a friend of mine's house and He had asked somebody to come in and do some work on his home And so this young man who was close to my age Had come over to do some work And i'm a brand new christian. I haven't been a christian more than just a few weeks at the most And I had been taught share your faith and I was curious about what this guy believed in and all and And so I still remember he was there in the front room and And I asked him do you believe in jesus christ? And he said yes, I do I said great. You're a christian. He says no. I'm not a christian I said you're not He goes no, he says i'm involved in what is called self realization. I'd never heard of it Self he said i'm part of the self realization fellowship and I said You know i've never heard of that and what is that? He says we take the teachings of every great master and we apply them to our lives He said so we believe what jesus said. We also believe what buddha said and muhammad said and Krishna and all of those he said we see them as all being equal every one of them having truth that they communicate to us And we embrace and believe and trust in the things that they say. That's what I do I said so I said I have to be honest with you. I'm i'm a new believer in christ. I I don't understand I said so i'm going to ask you to clarify for me to help me because I I wasn't wanting to argue I just wanted to know why he said he could believe in all of the things Especially and again, I was brand new christian, but I knew there were contradictions there and how do you embrace contradiction? I wasn't wise enough to do that. So I asked him How do you embrace everything and say it's equally true? He says because truth is universal and all truth is true I said that maybe so does that mean that That you believe everything jesus said and he said yeah, I believe everything jesus said So I said jesus said i'm the way the truth in the life No man comes to the father, but by me Now how is it that you say you trust in buddha and muhammad and christina? When jesus said those guys can't get you to heaven only he can now i wasn't arguing with him I wanted to hear his reasoning and I wanted to know why you can say that when it's an obvious contradiction So when I said that to him he looks at me and he says I don't want to argue And I said neither do I jack I just want to know Why do you Say this when jesus said that I just want to embrace. I want to understand. What are you talking? How can you believe everybody's true? Listen a long time ago. C. S lewis a great christian thinkers said either jesus christ is a liar He's a lunatic or he's the lord you can't have all three And the things that jesus said is that they're true or they're not true And if they're not true don't embrace it if they are true you'd better embrace it You see that's what I was raised up with and that's what I teach him believe to this day Jesus christ is the way the truth in the life and without him you can't see the kingdom He made it clear. So when I was speaking to him about this He said I was arguing with him which I have found to be a very common thing now When people don't have an answer to a question. They just start getting mad at you for asking the question Which is what took place here. So I just scratched my head and I wondered how you could believe things like that Because jesus christ made it very clear So either you embrace what he said or you reject it, but there's no neutrality with it And this is what he's doing here. He's speaking concerning truth Again entered by the narrow gate. Why does the gate in broad is the way that leads to destruction? There are many who go in by it because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life There are few who find it. So he says you believe in god believe also in me Now when he said you believe in god believe also in me Simply believing that there is a god is not what he's referring to Because simply believing that there is such a one as a god is not saving faith. That has been called devil faith Because devils know who jesus is you might find that interesting In mark 1 23 and 24 A man possessed by an evil spirit was in the synagogue. He began shouting Why are you bothering us jesus of nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are the holy ones sent from from god and james 2 19 Here we go You believe that there is one god you do well Even the demons believe and tremble That's called devil faith You believe there's one god that's good. But don't you understand devils believe too and they tremble You see the faith that gains us entrance into heaven is saving faith in jesus christ In romans 4 verses 4 and 5 when people work their wages are not a gift Workers earn what they receive But people are declared righteous because of their faith Not because of their work And so jesus is saying you believe in god Believe also in me and then says 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 If it were not so i would have told you if there were another way Or a way that is yet to come I would have told you But there is no other way So he's saying that they must trust and believe in him You can believe me he's saying as i'm telling you the absolute truth Heaven is open for you Now notice he speaks of many mansions There's plenty of room for all who would enter in my faith in him One of my favorite scriptures revelation 7 9 and 10 listen to this John says after these things i looked at behold A great multitude which no one could number of all nations tribes peoples and tongues Standing before the throne and before the lamb Clothed with white robes with palm branches in their hands crying out with a loud voice saying Salvation belongs to our god who sits on the throne And to the lamb what i love about this and i want you to see this i read it again A great multitude which no one could number of all nations tribes peoples and tongues There's room for everybody Heaven is not segregated It's fully integrated We go based on our faith in jesus christ So there's not a you know room over here for people of a certain ethnicity and then a place over here for others and then Place over here for others. It's all one. We're all one. Now. How can I illustrate this? Well, here's something interesting I thought of it this morning. I'll share it again I had my ancestry done Wanted to know what I am Turns out i'm human So I did while back now and so I am one percent italian and nine percent english five percent portuguese My last name rossales Is from spain right on the portuguese border There's a region there called rossales So that's where my last name comes from So my last name comes from that region. So I didn't surprise me five percent portuguese two percent Basque No wonder I like highlight 33 spanish 42 native american no wonder when it's dry I go outside and dance Did I say two percent ban too from africa? So guess what? I'm every nation So are you So are you You've got some irish in you some italian in you swedish in you You've got english in you native american in you So who are we to run around saying you don't belong here when we're all messed up We all are Every nation right here in this room every nation is in this room And you have many nations in you right now Because of your ancestry and we all come from adam and eve It all comes from them and that's how it works And so when people run around saying i'm better and you're less That's just not true. There's no way that that's true. And so I love the idea That every nation every tongue every tribe every people is welcome into heaven And jesus said in my father's house are many mansions. There's enough room for every person But there's a requirement the requirement is believe in god believe also in me You don't go in because you're a good person. You don't go in because you try hard You don't go in because you're very religious You don't go in because you believe that there's such a thing as a god You enter in because you've trusted jesus christ as lord and savior You go in because you've cast your sins upon him and he has forgiven you and you're born again. That's how it works See that's called christianity And today a lot of people don't want to hear that message They don't they get mad. They don't want to hear that but that's what jesus taught It's not exclusive in the way. They said it's inclusive Anyone can come to christ Anyone can come to faith in him if they desire If they allow the holy spirit to work and to convict and draw them they can be saved everyone And so jesus made it very clear there's plenty of room You simply need to have faith in me and then he says in verse three Then he goes he said 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 I go that you might have a place in heaven. You're anxious. Do not let your heart be troubled You're anxious about many things But you need to understand that if I don't go you can't come You know in a short while he's about to be placed on the cross. He's gonna die And they're going to have anxiety of heart. So he says let not your heart be troubled Trust me like you trust god You see my death and resurrection will make it possible for you to go to heaven to be in those many mansions And you have sorrow And though you have sorrow now your sorrow will turn to joy Do not be troubled because heaven is your home In colossians one five that first speaks of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven Of which you heard before in the word of truth of the gospel In the book of philippians chapter three verse 20 paul said our citizenship is in heaven From which we also eagerly wait for the savior the lord jesus christ You see heaven is a guaranteed and promised home of a believer Somebody says what happens when my believing mom or dad or friend my relative dies? What happens? 2nd corinthians 5 6 through 8 paul tells us We are always confident knowing that while we are at home in the body We're absent from the lord for we walk by faith not by sight We are confident. Yes. Well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the lord There are those who are so in love with the earth But heaven is to be preferred Heaven is filled with the love of god and comfort There are no tears. There's no sorrow sickness. There's no pain In revelation 214 god will wipe away every tear from their eyes There shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying There shall be no more pain For the former things have passed away I've been at the bedside of more than one person who passed into eternity and have to tell you The sorrow of their departure has been very great in my life And the sense of loss for a believer is very intense Sometimes you may feel that you don't have much faith Because you sorrow so deeply But you know what god has given to believers a greater capacity to love Now when you have a greater capacity to love you also have a greater capacity to hurt But that's not sorrow of the world We do not sorrow as those who have no hope That's not our sorrow. It's just a deep sense of missing them And that's what happens But the bottom line is I mean heaven, there's no tears I don't think joy. There's no sorrow. There's no more pain I watched my mom as she went through great pain And I rejoiced when mama went to be with jesus no more pain No more tears No more sorrow And so I could actually rejoice so I I would miss my mom and on occasion I think of her and I do Same with my dad. I loved my dad Daddy went to be with jesus But you know what I didn't lose him. I know where he's at. I didn't lose my mom. I know where she's at And one day we'll be together and that's a promise we have jesus said in my father's house are many mansions I go and prepare a place for you There's room for you They'll be glad reunions by the way When you go to heaven, you're gonna go in there and you're gonna look and you're gonna see people and you're gonna say to them How'd you get here? I didn't think you were gonna make it And they're gonna look at you saying, uh, well, I could say the same about you. How'd you get in here? But the bottom line is there's plenty of room for us. It's a place filled with joy In psalms 16 verse 11, you will show me the path of life in your presence is fullness of joy At your right hand are pleasures forevermore Heaven is a place that's filled with glory behind beyond description In romans 8 18 paul said I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing With the glory that will be revealed in us Heaven is a place that we finally will have the bodies that we wish we had, you know A lot of people are going to be making new year's resolution You know, I'm going to go work out at the gym and you're going to go Just man, they're going to hit those weights and then the next day you're going to wake up in your body It's going to be screaming and pain and you're going to say well, you know, I don't have to go today And that'll be the rest of it for the rest of the year. Well, I tried Well in heaven we have the bodies we wish we had in Philippians 3 21 He will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body According to the working by which he's able even to subdue all things to himself In heaven we receive heavenly reward Remember salvation is a gift But rewards are given for service In revelation 22 12 jesus said behold, I'm coming soon My reward is with me and I will give to everyone according to what he has done So with the knowledge that we receive reward That provokes us to discipline paul said it in first Corinthians 9 24 through 27 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run but one receives a prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things Now They do it to obtain a perishable crown But we for an imperishable crown Therefore I run thus not with uncertainty Thus I fight Not as one who beats the air But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection That's when I preach to others. I myself should become disqualified So we discipline our lives You see those who do not go to heaven Very often don't go because they don't want to They reject jesus. They refuse his invitation. They dismiss the opportunity But jesus said in verse 3 I will come again and receive you unto myself That where I am there. You may be also Now notice. He doesn't say he's coming to earth to establish his kingdom He says he's coming to take us to be with him that speaks of the rapture He's taking believers from earth to live with him in heaven paul says something of that in first acelonians 4 13 through 18 I don't want you to be ignorant brethren concerning those who have fallen asleep Lest you sorrow as others who have no hope For if we believe that jesus died and rose again Even so god will bring with him those who sleep in jesus For this we say to you by the word of the lord that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the lord Will by no means precede those who are asleep For the lord himself would descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of an archangel with the trumpet of god The dead in christ will rise first Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the lord in the air And thus we shall always be with the lord therefore comfort one another with these words He says i go to prepare a place for you if i go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to myself Now where i am there you may be also in verse 4 where i go you know And the way You know I've taught you this path. I've taught you the way to heaven. I've done so for all of these years You know the way Here we go with thomas Thomas said to him in verse 5 lord We don't know where you're going How can we know the way? We don't know where you're going How can we you just said where i'm going you cannot come And now you're saying you're going to come and get us. Can you please clarify this for me? And then jesus said it like this verse six i'm the way the truth and the life No one comes to the father except Through me When you read the gospel of john he has what are called the seven i am statement seven times in the gospel He refers to himself using the term i am He says i'm the bread of life for example. I am the light of the world I am the door of the the sheep I am the good shepherd. I am the resurrection and the life This is his sixth. I am statement I am he says the way the truth and the life So he's saying i am the way To god i and i alone And there is none beside me I am the way not a way not one of the ways i am the ways. What are you saying? You know, there is a way that seems right into a man, but the end there of is the way of death Somebody can think i'm religious or i try to be holy. I try to do good things. I'm very generous or i go to church go to synagogue go to Whatever and and i'm trying to be a very religious person and they think that that's what god requires of them And that isn't what he says No, it's not it's not all the good things that you try to do It's the fact that he's done something on my behalf But i can have a way that is right in my own eyes and it is the end in the end there of is a way of death The other day my wife marina I Were we went off to the beach and we were coming home And i was running out of gas so i pulled off the freeway and started looking for a gas station I was in the left excuse me left turn lane And i took my left we're talking i took my left turn And i'm and there were five lanes and so i went to the outside But i was i was going to the outside i see an island that's on my right side And i say to myself You're going in the wrong direction I'm not used to seeing five lanes of traffic coming in the same way so i'm assuming by going all the way to the end like that that i'm on the right place but The car there's a car starting to honk Like that at me as i'm going up and i see this whole line of cars coming directly at me And i looked to marie for a moment and she's she she she she was doing a rosary. I mean she went all the way All the way back to fear Just kidding she had her eyes closed Ah, we were just talking about she could when marie gets scared she'll just make a little whimper sound you go And that's what she did she goes like that. So i made a quick you now see when my father What my father was a truck driver And my father didn't like to admit when he was going the wrong way He wouldn't he just wouldn't because he drove that was his job He was always driving so he's all he knew every you know the map was really like the back of his hand But there were times when my father went in the wrong direction And my mom would be sitting there in the passenger side and she'd look at him and she'd say frank Are you lost And my dad would always say the same thing no no i'm not lost I've i've always wanted to know what this street looks like That's what my dad would say i've always wanted to know what the street looks like He was lost We don't like to admit we're lost Men don't like to admit maybe women the same way i don't know but you ladies maybe you can say yeah husbands Who needs a map who needs a nav you know i can do it i got it all in here right that kind of thing And then we get lost then you say do you know where you're going well? That's what happened I turned left and i made a u-turn and i said you know i always wanted to make an illegal u-turn in front of my mom coming I'm coming traffic Man those cars are all freaking out those people whose drivers honk honk honk And i'm making this u-turn and went back and reads all like what do you do? What did you do? I said i don't know I said i i said i i got confused we're talking and i wasn't paying attention and it looked like i went I had all the excuses, but there is a way that seems right into a man And the end there of us a way of death There is a way And it's the right way and there are a lot of people who think they're going the right way and jesus Not You're going towards head-on traffic. It is going to kill you the end there of us a way of death You think you're going in the right direction. You're not you're going in the wrong direction It's going to end up with tragedy And so he says i'm the way not a way one of the ways He's saying i am the way i am the exclusive way It's like what paul later says in first timothy 2 15 There's one god and one mediator between god and man the man christ jesus Then he says i am the truth i'm not one dimension of truth i'm not someone with a little bit of truth i am truth God is light And in him is no darkness God is truth And jesus reveals this So jesus's words must be believed because he's exposing the lie of the enemy and then he says i am the life I am eternal life. I am resurrection life. It's all wrapped up in me I am the giver of life. I'm the source and originator of it because i am it In john 11 25 through 27 jesus was speaking to martha and he says i am the resurrection in the life He who believes in me will live even if he dies And everyone who lives and believes in me Will never die Do you believe this? She said yes lord I have believed that you are the christ The son of god Even he who comes into the world It's one thing he makes this dogmatic statement. I'm the resurrection in the life believe in me. You will never die That's a statement But with the statement comes a question Do you believe? Because there are a lot of people who can go to a catechism class and write the right class, you know the answer to the question I learned to do that many of you did too. I learned what they said They said this is the answer to that. I had my little missile my booklet whatever it was and I memorized the things and So I I'm in the class and they say this is what this means and then we would take our little test We get a little gold or silver star at the end And that's what we did. So I was able to answer questions because I memorized answers But there's a difference between actually believing or simply parroting Is the difference between saying what you think others want you to say because it's a right And believing it so that it doesn't matter if anybody else believes it. It's right And so jesus said I am the resurrection in the life Do you believe this? And that's a powerful question Yes, lord, I believe That's what we all need to say. How are we going to get into heaven by saying God i'm a sinner I need your blood to wash me of my sin that cleans me of my unrighteousness I was born in sin. I live in sin. I sin because it's natural And god i'm so tired of it and i'm so fatigued and i'm so worn down by this life God forgive me a sinner. I need some help forgive me That's what I did december 27th 1970 48 years ago That's how I got saved and that's how you got saved when you said god Forgive me a sinner. I believe and I am All in it's like I'm in you know card game and have all these chips And i'm not keeping a couple stacks to myself. I'm all in I push it all in i'm completely in totally Everything is on this promise I believe Fully committed following you. You're the way You're the truth You are the life And no one comes to the father except through you So to be saved requires faith in jesus alone Because he is the exclusive way to god Acts 412 nor is there salvation in any other? There is no other name under heaven given among men By which we must be saved So christmas Santa Claus no reindeer no Jesus yes jesus Remember that that infant that was placed in a manger was placed on a cross Was placed in a tomb And is now seated at the right hand of the father That's the one that we worship that baby grew up To lay his life down. He didn't stay an infant. He grew to be a man And he laid his life down for us and he's saying I am the resurrection in the life Do you believe and my response is yes lord? I believe you are the king of kings. You are the lord of glory You are my savior and one day I will see you face to face You have a place that you've set for me a mansion that I one day will dwell in and I will be with you I will see my mom. I'll see my dad. I'll see my loved ones That's what it is And that's why and that's why we can say Merry Christmas