November 9, 2014
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
Sermon Series:
The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 7 of
Series:
“I Am the Way,
the Truth and the Life”
John 14:1-17 NIV
Bible
Acts 4:12 NIV
Bible
“Show Me The Way. . . ”
Let us pray. . . Pray
for the Spirit’s leading and that God’s word would be heard. . .
Each
time we come together for church, we spend our time praising God for what He
has done through Jesus Christ. We praise God for how He is involved in our
lives. We spend time in prayer with one another thanking Him for how we have
seen what He has done in our lives and in the lives of others. We bring our
joys and our sorrows to God as we pray for ourselves and for others. It is a
time when we are able to be there for one another in their sorrow and despair. We
comfort one another with our prayers and our hugs we may give to each other. When
we are lost. . . we can be found within our church communities. . .
Now
I want you to picture this. . . Jesus’ followers felt as if there world was
falling apart. They felt lost. . . with no direction. They must have been
afraid because the One who had showed them by example how to live their lives
was not going to be there anymore. Jesus has just told them that He was leaving
and they couldn’t come with Him. As they are in their time of despair and
sorrow, Jesus speaks words of peace and then makes a statement that just
astounds them. I Am the Way, the Truth
and the Life. . .
We
are continuing that Season where we begin to journey towards a manger. . . the
Season that we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ.
As prepare for the pilgrimage we are looking at the seven “I Am” statements
that Jesus made while He walked among us. I pray that as we do, we will realize
what really happened that day, how that one day changed the tide of sin and
death. You see. . . it’s all about the name and what goes along with that very
same name. . . not just who a person is but also what that name implies.
We
have talked about the name I Am and that Jesus, the Great I Am, is always with
us even when we don’t feel His presence with us in those times when we feel we
are walking in a dark tunnel and not seeing the light at the end. Jesus is The
Bread of Life and Jesus fills us spiritually so that we never will hunger again
for those Spiritual things that we need for our faith walk. He is “The Light of
the World” giving us light for the journey. He is “”The Gate” that keeps us
safe in the pasture of His love and grace. Being the perfect gate. . . Jesus truly
is “The Good Shepherd” who shepherds us with His love and peace. We came to the
realization that Jesus is also the Resurrection
and the Life last week and it is
through Him that we rise again and have life eternal. It is He who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. . .
In
the scripture I read this morning, Jesus states that He is “The Way, the Truth and the Life” that no one comes to the Father
except through Him. What does that mean to and for all believers Jesus? What
that means is that there is no other way into the presence of God. It means
that by accepting Jesus’ death and resurrection, we believe that the payment
has been made in full for our sins. Peter tells us in Acts 4:12 that Salvation is found in no one else, for there
is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.
It means that Jesus is the only remedy that has been provided for the
forgiveness of sin. He is the only Way
to eternal Life. This is the Truth of God’s Word. . . There is Hope in Jesus.
Now.
. . some people may think that we, as
Christ followers, may be a little narrow minded as we proclaim that Jesus is
the only way to God. But. . . this is how I see it. It is only by living the way that Jesus taught and exampled that
we live in the truth that he taught
and still teaches by the Holy Spirit given to us that we can have that eternal life that is promised to all who
believe. . . just saying. . .
Looking
back at the scripture this morning is where we can find such hope. Jesus tells
us what He will be doing while He us away. He is preparing a room for us so
that we can be with Him in Heaven. As He is preparing this room for us He is
also preparing us to be with Him. As we follow His way and believe in the truth
He taught we are being prepared daily to be with Him. . . to have that life He
offers us. . . life eternal. We are being prepared to be with Him as we use our
gifts and talents for God’s glory. . . doing what Jesus did and even greater
things that we have been prepared to do since the foundation of the world. . .
So
now. . . with all this being said. . . how do you want to live your life? Jesus
offers us a better way to live our
lives. It is by following His ways that
we learn the truth of the Gospel of Grace.
As we live into that truth, we will do what He did when He walked among us. . .
even greater things that have been prepared for us to do. And through this
living and knowing we are given eternal life
in that room He is preparing for you and me. So what will it be? Will we live a
life that is lived out in truth or a life that is lived out in the lies and
deception of the world? Maybe if humanity started living in truth instead of
chaos and deception there really could be a change in the truth in which we
live. Perhaps if we prayerfully decide to follow Christ we would see the truth
that sets us free. Free to live a life of love. . . free to live a life of hope.
. . free to live the life the Way. . . the
Truth and the Life. . . our Risen Lord Jesus Christ intended for His
disciples to follow all the long. Maybe. . . just maybe. . . perhaps we would
do all those things that were prepared for us in Christ Jesus long ago. . . Think
about the kind of life that would be. . .
Pray about Jesus being
the Way, the Truth and the Life. . .
Amen!
====
November 9,
2014
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 7 of
Series: “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”
John 14:1-17
(NIV)
Acts 4:12
(NIV)
children’s
message
– mystery box
–
sermon – “Show
Me the Way. . . “
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
November 9,
2014
&
All Saints Sunday
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 6 of
Series: “I Am the Resurrection”
John 11:25-27
John 11:17-27
(The Message)
John 3:16b
remembrance of
the saints
communion
children’s
message
– mystery box
–
-
candle
and sunglasses
-
on
Halloween we dress up
-
But
Put on Jesus every day
sermon –“Rise
Again”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
November 2,
2014
&
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 5 of
Series: “I Am the Good Shepherd”
John 10:11-16 (The
Message Bible)
children’s
message
– mystery box
– shaker of salt
sermon
–“Goodness and Love”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson Memorial
United Methodist Church
October 26,
2014
&
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 4 of
Series: “I Am the Gate”
John 10:1-9
CEB
Matthew
7:13-14 CEB
children’s
message
– mystery box
– soccer shin guards, soccer cleats, water shoes, and a basketball
-
Pastor
Ruth talked about the protective gear God provides,
-
the
armor of God –
-
Ephesians
6:10-17
sermon –“The
Straight and Narrow”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
October 19,
2014
&
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 3 of Series: “I Am the Light of the
World”
John 8:22
(CEB)
John 12:35-36
(CEB)
Matthew
5:14-16 (CEB)
The Name Game
by Shirley Ellis
song, “Here I
Am To Worship”, by Chris Tomlin
children’s
time – mystery box – mirror
sermon, “Light
For Our Eyes”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
October 12,
2014
&
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 2 of
Series: “I Am the Bread of Life”
John 6:35
John 6:26-51
The Name Game
by Shirley Ellis
Exodus 16:15
children’s
time – mystery box – a throat drop and a candy mint
sermon, “Bread
of Heaven”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
World
Communion Sunday
October 5,
2014
&
Fall Sermon
Series: The I Am Statements of Jesus
Sermon 1 of
Series: “I Am”
Revelation
22:13 CEB
Matthew
16:13-16 CEB
Exodus 3:12-15
CEB
The Name Game
by Shirley Ellis
Children’s
message – mystery box
-
green
maple leaf and a colored maple leaf
-
the
green color is not the true color
-
we
are fed and nurtured in the spring and summer with the word;
-
we
shine our true colors in autumn
sermon, “The
Name Game”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
Stetson Memorial
United Methodist Church
September 28,
2014
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