The Bible tells us in II Timothy 3:1-5, “But know this, in the last days perilous times will come.” What does that mean? The Bible is saying to mark this down, realize this, understand this, and you can be certain that in the last days, terrible, difficult, hard and violent times will come. We are living in the end times.
Man today is basically searching for three things: Some direction (the way), something that is real (the truth), and something that will last forever (life). Jesus summed it up in one verse, John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” All of man’s questions of life are answered in this verse.
Let’s look at these three areas. First, some direction, the way. It is vacation time, and there are many ways to travel: Highway, back roads, bus, train, plane, etc. The world tells us that there are many ways, or roads, to reach God: Go to church, be a good person, list of do’s and don’ts, different religions, etc. They say there are lots of directions to reach heaven. Whatever feels best to you, do whatever is right in your own eyes. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” The world says the road is wide open. You get to choose which path is right to get to God. But the Bible says something very different. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.” (Matthew 7:13) Jesus did not tell his disciples about the way or show them the way or guide them along the way, but he said, “I am the way.” How can we know the way to God? It’s only through Jesus. He is the way because he is both God and man. The only way is to get saved, get right with God, and to be “born again.” Some people argue and say that this way is too narrow, but in reality, it is wide enough for the whole world to receive, if one chooses to accept him. Instead of people saying that it sounds too limited to have only one way, they should be saying “Thank God He made a way for us to get to Him!” God is always there, whispering into our souls and speaking to our hearts. He is there when we are angry, confused, scared, running from him and too busy for him. He shows us the way, if we choose to look for it.
Man today is also searching for something that is real. Truth. We need to hear the truth today. People don’t want something phony, artificial, a fad, a movement or a whim. People want something genuine and real. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth.” Truth is a person, not a concept. This means that we can never know the truth of our circumstances unless we have first heard from Jesus. Remember the story about the disciples in the storm? They thought they were perishing. They were fishermen who knew the sea, and they knew what conditions they were in. They had allowed their circumstances to convince them that the truth was their imminent death. But they were wrong: “Truth” was asleep in the back of the boat. When Jesus spoke to the disciples, they saw the real truth of their situation. Jesus had power over nature. Often we, when we face a frightening situation, we panic and say “Lord, save me! I’m perishing!” God will remind us of his provision, saying “I can handle this situation too, and you will know more of me because of it.”
Finally, man is searching for something that will last forever: Life. We wish life, utopian life, would never end. When we go on vacation, we wish the time would never end. We wish we would win the lottery so that we would be set for life. This is life. This is what it’s all about. No, my friend, Jesus is life. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Jesus said: “I am the bread of life, I have the words of eternal life, whoever finds me finds life, whoever believes in me has eternal life, and whoever believes in me his name will be written down in the lamb’s Book of Life.” Our money will perish, our vacations will end, our beauty will fade, but Jesus will never end.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Everything that you are looking for can be found in him. All of your questions can be answered by him. Don’t look to the world for the answers you seek. Turn to him while he may be found. Whatever it takes, turn to God while you still have an opportunity. We are living in the last days. You don’t want to miss the way, the truth, and the life. For more information, read life’s instruction manual, the Bible!
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