What if It’s True – May 31

I was reading an op-ed the other day when I came across a quote that I think perfectly captures the time we’re living in. The author wrote,

“Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed.”

Yeah. That’s exactly what it feels like in 2026 America.

• In a time when AI slop and deepfakes make it impossible to know what’s real anymore,

• When billionaire business owners bend scientific data to increase their profit margins,

• When politicians seem utterly incapable of answering a question with a straight answer,

• And when every one of us is locked in a tribalistic echo chamber being served our own version of reality by all-powerful algorithms…

Facts are having a rough go of it these days. Truth really is stumbling in the streets. And it does sometimes feel like honesty itself has been outlawed.

If you’re like me, this stuff can really wear you out. It’s exhausting living in a world where you don’t even know what’s real anymore.

Now, in such a contentious time, I probably shouldn’t say who wrote this quote. Let’s just say they’re something of a firebrand.

Alright, I tell you. The person who wrote that was the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament. Isaiah 59.

He wrote this “op-ed,” so to speak, at a time not so different from our own. Sure, the technology was different, but the lies, the corruption, the injustice, and the murkiness of his day was very much the same as ours, even among those claiming to follow God.

Now on one hand, this is really discouraging to think about. 2500 years later and we are still struggling to find truth?!?

But there is also something encouraging about this. The fact that what we are feeling now - this yearning for something real, for something true - is not a new phenomenon.

In fact, Isaiah’s words make it clear that our core longing for truth is something that all humans share. And it’s our topic for today.

SERIES RECAP

Welcome back to “What if it’s true?” A sermon series exploring 7 fundamental yearnings at the heart of every person. Our deep desires for things like beauty, love, justice…

Now, not everybody agrees on why we have these longings. Every religion has a different answer, secular humanism and philosophy have their answers, evolutionary biology has its answers.

And I’ll be the first to say that that each of these traditions have a lot of valuable perspectives to consider. Nerd and world-traveler that I am, I love learning how other traditions and cultures make sense of our shared humanity.

But of course, at Grace we’re followers of Jesus and we believe that every one of these core yearnings are ultimately pointing to him. Our longing for freedom, spirituality, power, etc. all find their fulfillment in Christ.

In this series we’re not trying to undermine other perspectives or bash you over the head with theology. We’re simply inviting you to consider, “What if it’s true?”

How might your life and your world change if it is?

Our text for this series is the gospel of John, which is all about the life and the ministry of Jesus. So let’s turn to it now and see what he has to say about our desperate longing for truth.

Please turn with me to John 14 While you’re turning there, I’ll pray for us.

THE FATHER’S HOUSEHOLD

What we’re about to read takes place at the Last Supper, the final meal Jesus shared with his disciples before he was crucified and resurrected.

He’s already washed the disciples’ feet (including the feet of Judas, his betrayer!), which Maron talked about a few weeks ago. And now he’s just told them that he’s leaving, which freaks them out.

Let’s read how he responds to their agitation.

John 14:1-3

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”

Let’s pause here for a moment. Jesus is essentially saying, “Guys, don’t freak out. I’m going to get things ready for you in my father’s home.” Or, more literally, my father’s “household.”

Now, growing up, I thought Jesus was describing some giant mansion in the sky where God lived, and where all good Christian boys and girls would go to live like royalty in a disembodied heaven after we died.

Today I realize that is probably not what Jesus actually had in mind.

For one thing, this might surprise you, but nowhere does the Bible describe our future destiny as floating around like angels with harps on the clouds.

The real future of our world, according to Scripture, is of everything being made new - of creation itself being resurrected. The real biblical afterlife is a New Creation where heaven - God’s realm - and earth - our realm - become one.

Where God’s rule and reign will be complete - on earth as it is in heaven. Where what he says goes. What that means is a world where injustice will be made right. Where violence will cease. Where love will be the law of the land.

And that’s where this “household” image comes in. In the ancient world, most families were arranged around a single, authoritative father figure. What the Romans called a

paterfamilias - the male head of a household or family

The paterfamilias was not just responsible for his wife and children. He was also looking out for his extended family - grandchildren, siblings, nieces and nephews, elderly parents… Even servants and hired help were considered a part of the household.

My point is, when Jesus speaks about preparing room in his father’s household, he’s not talking about a building. He’s talking about a new reality - a kingdom, if you will - where our God - the Father of love, mercy, justice, and life has the final say.

That’s the “household” of God, and there is a lot of room within it.

So to put things simply, Jesus is the Son of God. He belongs in his Father’s household. And because of his sacrifice, so too do we.

THE WAY

Ok, so… interesting. But what does this have to do with truth, our topic for today? Well, let’s keep reading and I’ll show you.

Jesus says in verse 3, “you’ll always be with me where I am.” And then he says,

John 14:4-7

“And you know the way to where I am going.”

“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

Alright, let’s break this down. Jesus says, “you know the way to where I am going.” In Greek, the word for “way” is

ὁδός hodos - a way, road, journey

It’s describing a path or the means by which you reach another place. This is a very, very common image in Scripture. And while it does sometimes mean a literal way that someone’s walking, most often it’s describing a way of life.

Obviously in verse 5, Thomas assumes Jesus means the former. “We don’t know the physical location where you’re going, so how can we know which road to take?”

But Jesus is not describing a literal pathway. He’s describing a person - himself. “I am the way,” he says.

I am the road to the Father. Why? Because, verse 7. “If you know me, you know who my Father is.” In other words,

When we look at Jesus, we are seeing the Father.

If we’re trying to find God, his Son is the way to do that.

Now, not everybody buys this claim, but as followers of Jesus, we believe that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. The divine walking among us.

That’s why, as Jesus goes on to say in verse 6, he is also “the truth, and the life.”

He’s the life because God’s life-giving power flows through him. Just look at all the people he healed. Look at the resurrection he made possible for all of us.

But more importantly for today’s topic, Jesus also claims to be the truth.

Now this is interesting, because in this time of lies and tribalism and AI slop and deepfakes, truth is something we are all so desperate for.

Isaiah 59:14

Truth stumbles in the streets and honesty has been outlawed.

Amen, Isaiah. Every one of us has a core yearning for truth. For something real to build our lives upon.

Ah, but as we’ve already covered, every religion and philosophy in the world claims to be the truth, right? So isn’t Jesus just another religious figure making claims of exclusivity? When he says in verse 6,

John 14:6

No one can come to the Father except through me.

Isn’t that just arrogance?

Well, at Grace Church one of our core values is “We go there.” It’s a fair question, so let’s talk about it.

THE TRUTH

To begin, we need to go back to this idea of the Father’s “household.” To this ancient concept of the paterfamilias whose rule and reign over his family is total.

Jesus says he is going to prepare a place for his followers in that household. That he is the way to his Father’s home. To God’s kingdom.

Now, if he really is describing here getting some kind of entry ticket into a luxurious, exclusive afterlife, then yeah. This is just another religion’s claim to be the truth. Jesus is just the bouncer at the door of heaven’s club.

But I don’t think that’s what he’s saying.

Towards the beginning of the gospel of John, Jesus puts things this way:

John 3:17

God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

To save us from what? Well, from all the brokenness and sin that we’ve brought into our world. The violence, the injustice, the hatred, the lust, the greed, the isolation…

Just take a look at the headlines and you can see what horrors we are capable of inflicting on one another.

We’ve turned God’s good creation into a wasteland of suffering and despair. That’s our kingdom. This is our household.

But according to Jesus, God was not content to let us waste away. So he entered into our story as one of us and offered us an alternative to our self-destruction.

Jesus offers us a different way. A different household to join. He offers us a way to return to the lives God originally designed for us. As Jesus says elsewhere,

John 8:31-32

You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

What truth? Well, the truth about who God really is.

In our twisted world of lies and confusion and self-absorption, we have bought into some terrible lies about the divine.

That God is judgmental. That God endorses genocide and holy war. That God takes the side of the elite and powerful.

Or, let’s make this personal. That God hates you. That God wants you to be full of shame. That God doesn’t care about your suffering. That you don’t belong in God’s family.

How many times have you heard God represented that way? Like some kind of horrible deepfake.

No wonder our world is broken. No wonder truth stumbles in the street. Because we have allowed falsehoods about our Creator to take root in our world and in our hearts.

We’re trapped and we need the truth to set us free. Which is exactly what Jesus is offering.

John 14:6

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

In other words, if you’re trying to reach God but your understanding of him is based on lies, you’ll never find the way on your own. No one can come to the Father that way because that’s not actually the Father!

But if you listen to the teachings of Jesus, model your life on his, and put your trust in him to save you, you’ll discover the truth. The truth:

That God is a champion of the downtrodden.

That God loves his enemies and gives his own life away for them.

That God desires peace, joy, and abundance for humanity.

Or again, to make things personal. The truth:

That God adores you.

That God wants to rescue you from your shame.

That God wants to bring you home as a beloved child.

That’s what we see revealed in the person of Jesus. His life and ministry and teachings reveal the true nature of God. And that is a truth worth building your life upon.

John 14:1-2

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.

My point is this: Jesus is not cutting off access to the Father. “NO ONE comes to the Father except through me!”

No. Jesus is opening the way. A way that we would never be able to find on our own in this confused, murky, deepfake-filled world.

When truth is stumbling in the street, Jesus is the way of mercy, compassion, justice, joy, generosity, humility… The way for our world to be healed.

I could be wrong, but I believe that Jesus offers us the truth that we’ve all been yearning for.

When we look at Jesus, we are seeing the Father. And he is a Father who longs for us to come home.

WHAT NOW?

Obviously, there is so much more we could unpack about all of this. How to discern the truth about God through Scripture, or how to respond when Christians today champion a deepfake God who seems very impressive but looks nothing like Jesus.

There’s a lot to dig into. But for now, all I want to do is raise a simple question. Specifically for those of you who are not currently walking with Jesus.

Maybe you’re a skeptic, or an agnostic, or an atheist. First of all, if that’s you, I love you and you are so welcome here. It took a lot of courage for you to be here today.

My question for you today is this: “What if it’s true?”

What if Jesus really is God’s self-revelation? What if his way really does offer an alternative to this brutal, murky, hate-filled world?

What if the deep, desperate longings of your heart really are met in him? Not in religion. Not in labels. But in him. The person of Christ. The way back home. What if it’s true?

Look, as a deep skeptic myself, I am the last person who is ever going to buy the pat answers or go along with hollow religiosity just because.

But I have found in Christ a truth that makes sense of our broken world, a truth that astounds me with its beauty, and a truth that gives my life more meaning now than it ever did before I started asking the hard questions.

I’m not saying it’s easy. Really following Jesus means surrendering your life, loving the unlovable, and being relentlessly devoted to self-sacrifice.

But according to Jesus, following him is the way to heal our broken world and to heal your broken heart. Maybe it’s time for you to find out for yourself if that claim is true.