Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 942
Delivered on Lord’s-Day Morning, July 24, 1870
“Jesus said unto him, I am the way.” John 14:6.
THE most precious things lie in the smallest compass. Diamonds have much value in little space. Those Scriptural sayings which are fullest of meaning are many of them couched in the fewest words. Who shall measure the depth of that sentence, “God is love”? Or that other, “God is light”? Who shall know the lengths and breadths of this declaration, “Christ is all”? How clearly is the whole Gospel condensed into that line, “By Grace are you saved”! There are many more Divine Words of a like character, all short, and as sweet as they are short, precious beyond comparison, and as brief as precious. Our text, with its four words, and those all monosyllables, and none of more than three letters, is among the chief of these Bibles in miniature. “I am the way.”
It were difficult, and it were as wicked as difficult, to be otherwise than simple in preaching such a text as this. May God grant that some of you may be reached by my simple testimony, and led in the way to Heaven. May those who are already in the way be strengthened, comforted, and quickened in it. And may God be glorified and sinners converted— then our hearts shall be exceedingly glad.
I. We shall go at once to the text, and consider, in the first place, HOW JESUS CHRIST IS THE WAY, AND HOW HE COMES TO BE SO. How is He the way? A way supposes two points—from which and to which. Christ is the way from man’s ruin to the Father. Our Lord was speaking of man’s coming to the Father, so we know where the way leads, and we know very well that the way were of no service unless it came to where we are by nature, and that is in the place of ruin and of wrath. Christ is the way that leads from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City—from the ruin of our father Adam right up to the glory of our Father who is in Heaven.
Christ is the way, then, first, from the guilt of sin to the Father. The great difficulty was—How is sin to be put away? Many attempts have been made to remove it, but there is no way of our escaping from the guilt of sin except by Jesus Christ. Some have hoped for pardon by future good conduct, but as we all know, the payment of a future debt can by no means discharge a past debt. So even the perfect future obedience of man, could he achieve it, could not touch his past sins. Self-righteousness, therefore, even if it could reach perfection, would not be “the way.”
Some hope much from the mercy of God, but the Law knows nothing of clearing the sinner of guilt by a Sovereign act of mercy—that cannot be done. For then God’s Justice would be impugned, His Law would be virtually annulled. He will by no means clear the guilty. Every transgression must have its just recompense of reward so that the absolute mercy of God as such is not the way out of the guilt of sin. That mercy is blocked up by avenging Justice, and over the face of that star of hope called absolute mercy there passes an eclipsing shadow because God is righteous as well as gracious.
There is no way by which a sinner can escape from the guilt of sin but that which is revealed in Jesus Christ. God has sent forth His Son, His only Son. The Word was made flesh and came under the Law—upon that mysterious Being who combined both Godhead and manhood in one Person, the Lord has laid the iniquity of us all. By imputation the transgressions of His elect have been laid upon their Covenant Head, so that He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many. He voluntarily undertook to be the Substitute and Covenant Surety of His chosen.
And in this way, by the transferring of sin from the sinner to Christ, the sinner ceases to be regarded as a sinner, and his guilt is removed. Here is the way for that sinner to approach the Father. His sin is laid upon Christ, who became the Substitute for all sinners that ever have believed or ever shall believe on Him. The whole mountain mass of the sins of Believers lies not on them any longer, but on Christ. He has taken their transgressions, He has borne their iniquities, their sins are moved from them and laid on Him.
Now listen! The only way in which sin can be taken from any one of us is by this method. It is not imputed unto us, it is imputed unto HIM. But think not that the sin which was laid upon Christ of old lies upon Christ now. It does not, for the day came when the punishment for all that sin was demanded. The sword of vengeance awoke against human sin, and it would have destroyed all the flock, but the Shepherd came into the place of the flock, and He bore the strokes of the sword. And there upon yonder once accursed, but now forever blessed, tree, the Savior endured the fullness of Divine wrath on account of sin.
Now, where is the sin of His people? He has cast it into the depths of the sea. By bearing its punishment He has caused it no more to exist. It is as though it had never been. It is annihilated, it is gone! If it is searched for, it cannot be found. Jesus Christ, by His taking the sin and then discharging all the liability that was due to God from that sin, has forever finished transgression—mark the word—made an end of sin, and brought in everlasting righteousness for His people.