I AM THE WAY THE TRUTH & THE LIFE

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1 ï» I AM THE WAY THE TRUTH & THE LIFE John 14:6 In the day in which we live...a day of religious pluralism and tolerance, this exclusivity claim of Jesus is politically incorrect and considered a verbal slap in the face of other belief systems. You see, we live in a culture where there are endless options in virtually every arena of life. And people expect there to be options in the spiritual arena as well. They think of Christianity as just one more option on the spiritual buffet table of life. Many people these days believe that it is okay to think you are right but not okay to think others are wrong. I mean most people don t mind your saying that Jesus is God. But they do get upset when you say He was the ONLY God! You see, other religious systems are essentially DO-IT-YOURSELF propositions. Follow this way of life, they say, and you stand a good chance of gaining favor with God and eventually achieving salvation. Well DO and DONE are opposite concepts! Both could not come from the same GOD. After all, God isn t schizophrenic. It would be unlikely that a God who embodies love and TRUTH would go to one side of the planet and say, PSST! Let me tell you how you can become reconciled with Me. and then go to another spot on the globe and describe a completely contradictory way for humans to understand and worship Him. It makes much more sense that God would act according to His nature as the author of all truth and provide ONE Path...ONE Way...for ALL of us to follow! The Setting of the Statement begins in Chap 13: The Reassurance is Promised let not your hearts be troubled 2. The Residence is Prepared Not referring to building our mansion- "Are" He spoke of CALVARY He spoke of the CROSS! 3. The Route is Provided THIS STATEMENT IS An EXCLUSIVE CLAIM Christianity Is Exclusively Inclusive A bulldogmatic statement.- Jesus is not the BEST way-or the most POPULAR way but the ONLY way! The Way is not a recipe, a religion, or rules; it is a found in a relationship. The Way is not a plan or a program or a perspective; it is a Person! Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

2 Jesus isn t just Arrogant.Jesus is just Accurate! He is either a LIAR, a LUNATIC or LORD!!! No in between! Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Imagine a married man boasting, I have the most beautiful wife in the world! You might smile at the man s affection, Such exaggeration is forgivable, and is the stuff of good marriages even though it s not reliable information about this woman. Now picture that same man s wife walking up to you and stating, without the least hint of exaggeration, I am the most beautiful woman in the world. You would most likely have an entirely different reaction, thinking her arrogant or at least terribly confused [especially since you know that your wife is the most beautiful woman in the world].... If she were to summon you to debate the claim, you might not know where to start but you would definitely know she was wrong. That is the exact same reaction that people have to the claim that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Them s fightin words. When I agree with Jesus that He is the only way, I am also saying that everyone else who chooses a different pathway is wrong. What gives Him the right to make that bold and arrogant claim? I am President George Bush, and I authorized this ad. Is that a bold and arrogant statement for George Bush to call himself the President of the United States? No! He is the President of the United States. It s no more arrogant for him to state that than it is for me to state that I am the pastor of FBC and the husband of Karen, both of which I am very proud to declare, but neither of which is a prideful statement. They are both true. They are statements of fact about who I am! In India there is a proverb that says, Once you cut off a person s nose, there is no point in giving him a rose to smell. We must not be rude or ugly about this fact. I Peter 3:15 says, Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with meekness and fear GENTLENESS and RESPECT. Nowadays thought the problem is in the other direction!!! Today I saw an Ad for the United Methodists No one has the right to judge another It s emphasis is to Embrace diversity It stressed having An open mind regarding truth. That doesn t sound like Jesus words to me!...b/c they are NOT!

3 THIS STATEMENT IS An EXPRESSIVE NAME We want to consider this verse not only for what it means to the non-christian, but we also want to think about this verse for what it means to us as believers. If we take this verse strictly as a salvation verse, we miss a whole lot of it s meaning. I. HE IS OUR TRANSPORTATION "the way Think of the geographical goal of this verse. cometh to the Father. Christianity is a ONE WAY street!!! Any other way is the WRONG way!! In New York, just before undergoing surgery, a patient was receiving some oxygen. But the tank became empty, and the doctor used a new tank labeled "oxygen" and proceeded with his work. Almost immediately the patient died. The surgeon and staff called for an investigation, and it was discovered that the tank labeled "oxygen" contained carbon dioxide. Someone mislabeled the tank before it reached the hospital. The manufacturer was sincere, the hospital was sincere, the doctor was sincere, the patient was sincere, but they were sincerely WRONG. Many things are mislabeled "salvation." Some say that all roads lead to heaven. Is this a true or false statement? Do all roads lead to Disneyland? Acts 9:2, 19:9, 23 "way" name for the movement and also the man The "Way" - (i.e. manner) of thinking, feeling, deciding. "Way I see it- way I feel" A. Jesus is the Way to Paradise. Rom 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Luke 16 there was a "great gulf fixed" between paradise and hell. B. Jesus is also the way to the Father in prayer. As sinners we have no right to access God in prayer. He is holy, we are not. He is sinless we are not. Before Jesus came there was a great, thick, curtain around the holy of holies, where the presence of God was in the temple. Only the priest was able to enter there once a year with a blood sacrifice. Mark 15:38 - And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

4 This meant that was now access into the presence of God because the veil was torn. So, now we have access to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. John 14: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. C. Jesus is also the way to peace. Romans 5:1 - Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Jesus gave His bequest of peace for the believer in John 14 verse 27 Are you in the way? Bartimeaus "followed Jesus in the way" or IN THE WAY?? II. HE IS OUR EDUCATION "the truth John 18:37-38a - Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. [38] Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? Talk about STARING TRUTH IN THE FACE!!! (i.e. what is true is relative to what you want to believe). Truth IS A Relative!! Greek word "alethia" I went out with a girl named that- she was in rebellion. When you take tests there is always the dreaded TRUE /FALSE questions- hard because they will prove whether you know the truth for real or not!!! TRUTH is TERRIBLY INTOLERANT of ERROR! The Devil is a LIAR! John 8:44-46 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? The Puritans called Satan "the great ape" not King Kong- they meant to imitate- imitators. All others fake sinless lives- Jesus really was. Sept. 14, 2001 National Cathedral A prayer was offered to the God of Abraham, the God of Muhammad, and the Father of Jesus Christ. Following the attacks on September 11th, New York Mayor, Rudy Guilliani spoke before the United Nations. And in his speech he mentioned that on a typical weekend he will visit an Islamic mosque on Friday and a Christian Church on Sunday. Then he commented that both groups worship the same God, but in different ways. What s WORSE.. Our current president has said similar!!!

5 Many choose to follow Buddha- Muhammed, Joseph Smith and the Mormon church. The Bahai faith tries to seeks a total synthesis of all of world religions by taking elements of the different doctrines and blend them into one. Bahai! I thought it was motorcross! Bahahi Mt. Dew Each of these religions believes that Jesus lived. They don t reject his existence. However, none of these follow what Jesus taught. Instead, they either ignore the teachings of Jesus, or twist them to their teaching. TRUTH BE TOLD- the truth isn't being told!!! What is rightwing today was mainstream 20 years ago! Truth hasn t changed! We are experiencing a major pendulum swing in our culture! What was truth 20 yrs ago is now outdated and what was outlandish 20 yrs ago is now updated! Today, truth is defined by the individual, it is subjective and situational. There is no room for tolerance in science or mathematics! 2 +2 = 4 is very narrow, but it s also very right. The solution of any mathematical problem is either exactly right or it is totally wrong! PHARMACY -- If you Mix the wrong medicine get hearse in place of your headache! Law of Gravity I have made a mistake- and now I am going to make a manhole Onboard an airplane we want the pilot to land on the runway, not the highway. We want him to be narrow-minded. Truth may be out of fashion, it may be out of favor, it may be out of friends, but it is never out of date; it is eternal! III. HE IS OUR REGENERATION "the life A missionary was going to a village to preach the gospel, and he was accompanied by an unsaved friend. Coming to a fork in the road, the friend asked, "Which way shall we take?" Seeing a tomb alongside the road, the missionary suggested, "Let's ask the dead man."

6 "Why," asked the unsaved traveler, "should we ask a dead man, when we can go to that house and ask the living people?" "Exactly," said the missionary. "That's why we ask the Lord Jesus the way of life - He's living." John 10 " I have come that they might have life" 1 John 5: And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. John 3:16; John 5:24-25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. All others, as good as they may SOUND as nice as they may SEEM- lead to death. "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." "I'll find.. I ll go my own way" Frank Sinatra did it HIS WAY Only the goats don t get it. You say He is the only way- they start "Butting" "But what about the heathens what about those " etc. Fireman- imagine the big heavy black and yellow firesuit Jogger- rayon jogging suit.businessman- nice 100% wool suit..knight in Shining armour- see it shine Here's the scenario- a nearby building is on fire and a child is trapped inside. Who am I sending in to save a child from the burning building? They argue- "My suit works just fine! My suit is trustworthy- it has always kept me just fine. Hey it's always worked!" Only one will work! Only one suit knows the essence of fire. You mean you're gonna chose the fireman because he s the only one whose suit can save the child?" Let me think- YEAH! "Wait a minute! That s not fair! There are four choices! All the others are equally interested! You're just prejudiced because he s wearing a fire suit!" So he marches off to the chagrin of all the others- and SAVES the child!!! He doesn t stand outside and say "C'mon out!" He goes in and rescues the child. HE IS THE WAY!!! A legalist believes they get to heaven because of their deeds---so does the Liberal- one by what they DO one by what they DON T DO!!! NEITHER ONE WILL DO!!!! It's not a GAME- try your luck not a GOAL- works it's GOD!!!!! And GOD ALONE!!!

7 THREE CLAIMS ONE CHOICE! Jesus is the ONLY way and HE is the OPEN way! CONCLUSION: Saint or sinner. Every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess