I once heard a man preach a sermon on the Christian walk being a lot like climbing a mountain. The farther along the trail we go, the steeper and rougher the terrain becomes. After reading John chapter fourteen and thinking about this mans statements; I got a picture in my mind of God sitting above a high mountain speaking to the multitudes of people standing around the base of the mountain looking for a way to the top. And I heard the Lord saying to them, "There is only one path that leads up to the mountain top and there is a guide at the beginning of the trail to assist you on your journey through the rugged terrain. If you will follow the directions of the guide, you can reach the top safely; but, if you do not follow my instructions and attempt to reach the top some other way, failure awaits you." I also saw many other people around the base of the big mountain yelling back and forth to one another, "I see a way that leads to the top. "Come follow me, and I will show you the way" - completely ignoring the advice of the One who sat above the mountain. I also saw only a few of the people around the base of the mountain listening to His instructions and go in search of the right path. Even though there was what seemed like a multitude of people who found the entrance to the narrow trail; many of them gave up after only a short while. They complained to one another that the terrain was too steep and rugged and the climb  too strenuous. They became feint of heart, returned to the base of the mountain and told others, "The way to the mountain top is just too hard, and too dangerous to climb." Thus, many others who had not yet begin their ascent heard their discouraging words, turned away, and went to look for an another way to the top.

 

Many people who call themselves Christian do not understand that God is above all, sees all, and is in the position to direct our steps up the steep trail of the mountain before us. He never promised it would be easy. In fact, Jesus told us in [John 16:33b] "In this world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (Or made a path for you to follow.) The way is certainly hard, rugged, and dangerous, but He has not only provided a way to heaven, He has also provided the Holy Spirit to act as our guide to keep us on the right path all the way to the Pearly Gates. God has promised us the Holy Spirit will never leave us nor forsake us during our journey. [Hebrews 13:5] He will be there with us every step of the way. Not only will He assist us, He will encourage us to continue our journey. We may even experience times when He has to literally pick us up and carry us part of the way, but if we do not give up; the Holy Spirit will see to it that we make the trip with the least amount of difficulty as possible. We have God's Word on it.

 

Thomas said to Jesus in [John 14:5] "You are going (away), and how can we (the disciples) know the way (to eternal life)?" To which Jesus responded, [John 14:6-7] "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." These statements coupled with a teaching He had given to His disciples a short time before. [John 6:51] "I am the Living Bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." And in [John 6:54] "Whoever eats my flesh, and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." Jesus hinted very strongly in this first teaching that to get to heaven people would have to realize He was the way there. If they wanted eternal life they would have to understand that He was the Living Bread (the Word of God) which came down from heaven; and that the earthly body He was in (Jesus) would have to die and His blood be spilled; and in turn, His pure (untainted by sin) blood would then cleanse them of all their sins.

 

When the time came for the fulfillment of this teaching, Thomas was the only one bold enough to ask Him, "Where He was going?" In response to Thomas, Jesus said, clarifying once and for all - for all people, "I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE." NO ONE comes to the Father except through me."  He could say this because He is the WORD OF GOD that took on an earthly body that God the Father named Jesus, the flesh and bone body that would be sacrificed for the sins of the whole world, raised from the dead, once again take up (reside in) His earthly body with the nail holes in its hands and feet, and the spear wound in its side, establish a church following, ascend to heaven, and promise to return for His followers on a given date, rid the world of all sin, make a new heavens and a new earth that would be sin free and fit for the habitation of the children of God, and who would rule and reign with the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS forever and ever.

 

No other person who has ever lived promised their followers they were going away to prepare a place for them, and when that place was completed they would return for them and take them to be where they are. None of the deceivers has been raised from the dead. Their dead bodies are still in the grave awaiting judgment; and all they left behind was their ideas on how to live a life good enough to qualify them for heaven.  For the followers of Christ, our God is alive. He isn't some statue, or beast, or bird, rat, or any other thing. He is above all, but yet He can live in our very being and make His home among men. He isn't angry at us, and we don't have to sacrifice animals, or our children to apease His anger. He has made it as simple as possible for a person to find Him, but we have to do it His way. He gave His life that we might live. How much easier could it be than accepting the finished work He did in our behalf. We cannot work our way into heaven, God tells us in [Ephesians 2:4-10] "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, (by grace you have been saved), and raised up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." What this is telling us is that all we have to do is repent, turn away from our wickedness, ask His forgiveness and follow after Him. We call Him daddy; not out of disrespect, but out of a loving heart that is fully attached to His heart.

 

My dad was the mayor of the small town I grew up in. I didn't call him mayor because I knew him intimately and personally. Those who didn't know him as well or wanted to do business with him, called him Mr. Mayor. Of a truth, that was his title, and out of respect for the office he held, they called him Mr. Mayor, but to me and the rest of my brothers and sisters, he was dad. God is worthy of the office He holds, and He demands respect for His office, and to all those that don't know Him as anything other than The Almighty, address Him as God, but to those who are born again into His family know that He is indeed God, the Creator of all, but to us He is daddy. Like most heads of households, He holds a dual office as God Almighty, and as Father of a multitude of children who adore Him. This is the way it should be in every household. The husband is the provider and deserves to be respected for that position, but the provider is also a father who loves his children. So he also holds a dual role in life - that of provider and that of father to his children. Is one role more important than the other. To some people it is, especially to those who only know him professionally, but to his children the roles are equal in that they respect him for what he does for the family, but they also enjoy his love, fellowship, and guidance. OTBP