THE WAY, THE TRUTH & THE LIFE
Based on the message by Blake Bradley
OVERVIEW
How do you decide what is actually true?
Every day, you are surrounded by voices telling you what to believe, what is normal, what is right, what is wrong, and what kind of life is worth pursuing. Those voices come through friends, school, social media, entertainment, relationships, and your own thoughts and feelings.
Jesus makes a claim that leaves no room for Him to simply be one voice among many:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Jesus is the only way to the Father. He is the Truth by which every other idea must be measured. And He is the only source of true and eternal life.
But hearing that truth is not the same as building your life on it.
Jesus said the wise person hears His words and does them. Blake challenged us to recognize the danger of mixture: taking some of what Jesus says while also accepting beliefs, values, and behaviors that contradict His Word. A life built on Jesus cannot be built by simply adding Him to whatever else we want to believe.
Following Jesus means allowing His Word to correct us. It means obeying when His way is different from what our friends believe, what culture celebrates, or even what we personally want.
The question is not only, “Do I know what Jesus says?”
The question is, “Will I build my life on it?”
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
Read → Respond → Reflect → Pray → Live It
Read each passage carefully and pay attention to what Scripture actually says.
Respond from the Bible. Do not answer based only on what you have heard someone say about Christianity. Go to the Word and find the answer.
Reflect honestly. Consider the voices shaping what you believe, the choices you make when no one is watching, the pressure to fit in, and whether your everyday life agrees with what you say you believe.
Pray about what the Holy Spirit reveals, then live it. Truth is meant to be obeyed, not simply known.
SECTION 1 — JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY
FOCUS
Jesus did not claim to be one possible way to God. He said He is the Way and that no one comes to the Father except through Him.
Salvation cannot be earned by being a good person, growing up in church, knowing Bible verses, or comparing yourself with people who seem worse than you. Salvation is found in Jesus alone.
Following Jesus also means accepting His way rather than expecting Him to approve whatever way we have already chosen.
READ
John 14:1–6; Acts 4:10–12; John 10:7–10
RESPOND
- What three things does Jesus say He is in John 14:6?
- According to Jesus, who can come to the Father apart from Him?
- What does Acts 4:12 say about salvation in any other name?
- What does Jesus call Himself in John 10:7 and 9?
- According to John 10:9–10, what does Jesus offer those who enter through Him?
REFLECT
- Is there a difference between believing Jesus exists and actually following Him as the only way? What would show the difference?
- Where do you hear the idea that all beliefs are equally true as long as someone is sincere?
- When following Jesus costs you popularity, a relationship, an opportunity, or the approval of friends, what reveals whether you really believe His way is better?
- Are there areas where you want Jesus as Savior but resist allowing Him to determine how you live?
- What would surrender to Jesus as Lord change about your choices right now?
PRAY
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any area where you have wanted Jesus to follow your way instead of surrendering to His. Ask for courage to trust that His way is good even when it is different from the way people around you are living.
LIVE IT
Identify one area where following Jesus requires a different choice than the one you would naturally make. Obey what He says this week, even if another way seems easier.
READ MORE
Matthew 7:13–14
SECTION 2 — JESUS IS THE TRUTH
FOCUS
Pilate stood in front of Jesus and asked, “What is truth?”
The answer was standing in front of him.
Truth is not determined by what is popular, what gets the most likes, what your friends accept, or what feels right at the moment. Jesus is the Truth, and His Word gives us a standard for recognizing what is true.
If something contradicts what God has said, changing the source does not change the truth. A friend, influencer, teacher, podcast, video, or personal feeling does not become the standard simply because we trust it or agree with it.
READ
John 18:33–38; John 8:31–32; John 17:14–17
RESPOND
- What question does Pilate ask Jesus in John 18:38?
- According to John 8:31, what does Jesus say His disciples will do?
- What does Jesus say His disciples will know?
- What will the truth do?
- According to John 17:17, what is truth?
REFLECT
- Which voices have the greatest influence on what you believe about relationships, sexuality, success, identity, right and wrong, and what makes life meaningful?
- When Scripture challenges something you already believe or want, are you willing to change your thinking, or do you look for someone who agrees with you?
- How can repeatedly watching, listening to, or laughing at something begin to make what once seemed wrong feel normal?
- How can you tell whether a belief you hold actually comes from Scripture or simply from the people and culture around you?
- Are you willing to let God’s Word correct you even when obedience makes you different?
PRAY
Ask the Holy Spirit to expose beliefs you have accepted without measuring them against God’s Word. Ask Him to give you a love for truth that is stronger than your desire to fit in or be affirmed.
LIVE IT
Pay attention this week to a message you repeatedly hear through social media, entertainment, friends, or school. Instead of automatically accepting or rejecting it, find out what Scripture actually says about it.
READ MORE
Romans 12:1–2
SECTION 3 — BUILD YOUR LIFE ON THE ROCK, NOT MIXTURE
FOCUS
Jesus described two people who heard His words. One built on rock. The other built on sand.
Blake used sand as a picture of mixture: combining God’s truth with beliefs and practices that contradict it.
Mixture can sound like, “I follow Jesus, but I’m going to decide for myself what parts of His Word apply to me.”
The danger is that mixture can look stable until pressure comes. Jesus calls His followers to build completely on Him.
READ
Matthew 7:24–27; Psalm 106:34–39
RESPOND
- What does the wise person do with Jesus’ words?
- What foundation does Jesus compare that person to?
- What happens when the storm hits the house built on the rock?
- According to Psalm 106:34–35, what did Israel fail to do, and whom did they begin mixing with?
- What happened after they began learning the practices of the nations around them?
REFLECT
- Where are you most tempted to combine following Jesus with beliefs or behaviors that contradict His Word?
- Have you ever known something did not line up with Scripture but continued doing it because it seemed normal among your friends?
- Are there things you would never do around church leaders or your family but feel comfortable doing with certain friends or online? What does that reveal?
- Who has enough influence in your life that being accepted by them could tempt you to compromise what you know is true?
- If pressure hit your friendships, reputation, relationships, or future plans, what would your choices reveal about the foundation you are building on?
PRAY
Ask God to reveal mixture in your life. Give Him permission to confront beliefs, relationships, habits, entertainment, or choices that do not agree with His Word.
LIVE IT
Identify one place where you have been trying to hold onto Jesus and something that does not agree with His Word. Stop feeding the mixture. Make one concrete change that puts your life back on the Rock.
READ MORE
2 Corinthians 6:14–18
SECTION 4 — HEAR THE WORD AND DO IT
FOCUS
Both people in Jesus’ story heard His words. The difference was obedience.
It is possible to attend church, know Scripture, listen to sermons, go to student ministry, and still ignore what Jesus says when it affects your actual choices.
Knowing truth without doing truth does not build a strong foundation.
Obedience is where what you believe becomes visible in how you live.
READ
Matthew 7:24–27; James 1:22–25
RESPOND
- What two things does the wise person do in Matthew 7:24?
- What does the foolish person do differently?
- According to James 1:22, how can someone deceive himself?
- What comparison does James make with someone who hears the Word but does not do it?
- What does James say about the person who continues in God’s Word and becomes a doer?
REFLECT
- What is something you already know Scripture says but have been avoiding actually doing?
- Does your behavior with friends, in relationships, online, and when you are alone match what you say you believe about Jesus?
- Is there an area where you keep asking God for direction even though you already know what Scripture tells you to do?
- When obedience could cost you something you want, what usually wins: what Jesus says or what you want?
- What would change if you stopped measuring spiritual growth by how much you know and started looking at whether you obey what you know?
PRAY
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you have become comfortable hearing truth without obeying it. Ask Him to empower your yes to God.
LIVE IT
Do not choose something new to learn this week. Choose something you already know Jesus has told you to do and actually do it.
READ MORE
Luke 11:27–28
SECTION 5 — JESUS IS THE ONLY LIFE
FOCUS
Jesus did not say He could help us find life. He said He is the Life.
There are countless things promising a better life: popularity, relationships, experiences, achievement, money, attention, appearance, sports, entertainment, and whatever comes next.
Those things may be enjoyable, but none of them can give what only Jesus gives.
Standing outside Lazarus’ tomb, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Life is found in Him.
READ
John 11:21–27; John 10:10
RESPOND
- What does Martha say she believes about Lazarus in John 11:24?
- What does Jesus declare about Himself in John 11:25?
- What does Jesus promise concerning the person who believes in Him?
- According to John 10:10, what does the thief come to do?
- Why does Jesus say He came?
REFLECT
- What messages do you hear about what you need in order to have a good or meaningful life?
- How can a good thing like friendships, sports, achievement, dating, or future plans become something you expect to give you what only Jesus can?
- What choices would reveal that you actually believe life is found in Jesus rather than simply saying it?
- If following Jesus meant giving up something you deeply wanted, would you still believe His life is better?
- Where might you be searching for life somewhere other than the One who said, “I am the life”?
PRAY
Ask Jesus to expose anything you have begun looking to as your source of life apart from Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you know Jesus, not simply know things about Him.
LIVE IT
Notice what gets your attention, excitement, time, and pursuit this week. If something has begun taking a place that belongs to Jesus, change how you are relating to it and intentionally give that space back to Him.
READ MORE
Romans 6:4–11
FINAL ENCOURAGEMENT
Jesus is the Way. Jesus is the Truth. Jesus is the Life. Following Him means more than agreeing with those words. You will encounter ideas that contradict His Word. You will feel pressure to accept what everyone around you accepts. You will face moments when obedience costs something and mixture would be easier.
That is when your foundation matters. Do not simply hear the Word. Do it. Do not reshape truth to fit the culture around you. Allow the truth of Jesus to reshape you. Know His Word well enough to recognize what is false. Obey Him when His way is unpopular. Refuse mixture. Build your life on the Rock. “He is the only way to life. To know Him is to know truth. To know Him is to know the way to the Father.”