Jesus often shocked people with things He said: The first will be last.Rejoice in persecution.Pray for your enemies. It’s better to give than receive. Turn the other cheek.But by far, the most outrageous assertion Jesus ever made, his most politically incorrect claim of all, was when He said: “I am the way and the truth and the life.No one comes to the Father except through me.” This claim rankles people like no other.It has been called arrogant, narrow-minded, and snobbish. For people who don’t yet believe in Jesus, this is often a difficult one.

     But Jesus was telling the truth when He said it. And He said it out of great compassion, not arrogance. It actually makes ultimate sense when we look more closely at it.In fact, this statement is one of the most important pieces of information there is for you and me.So why is it so controversial?One reason is that it strikes at the core of three great myths about religion.So, to examine this statement, we need to take a look at these three common misconceptions.

     The FIRST myth is that All Religions Are Basically the Same.You’ve probably heard people say that even though there are minor differences between the various world religions, they all fundamentally teach the same thing – the brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity and the universal fatherhood of God – so it doesn’t really matter which one you follow.Now, there is some common ground between many of the world’s religions, especially concerning basic values and morality.But there are significant differences, too.In fact, with this one outlandish assertion, Jesus boldly puts Christianity in a separate class by itself.If the path to God is through Jesus, then Christianity cannot be reconciled with any other religion!

     Every other religion says people must do something to somehow earn the favor of God.They say people have to use a Tibetan prayer wheel or go on pilgrimages or give alms to the poor or avoid eating certain foods or pray in a specified way or go through a series of reincarnations. These are attempts of people to reach out to God.But Jesus Christ is God reaching out to us!Jesus taught the opposite of what all other religions teach!He said nobody can do anything to earn heaven, so we need to give up trying!

     He said we’re all guilty of wrongdoing – and that’s consistent with our experience, isn’t it?Would anyone here claim to be perfect?I don’t think so!And Jesus said that our wrongdoing separates us from our holy and perfect God – and again, that’s consistent with our experience.Has your conscience ever bugged you?Have you ever felt distant or disconnected from God?Of course you have!Because God is a righteous Judge, our wrongdoing has to be paid for!But because God is also a loving God, Jesus voluntarily offered Himself as our substitute to pay the penalty that we owed for our sin!And by dying and rising again, He reunited us with God for all eternity!He took our sins away and gave us perfection!

     All the other religions are spelled “D-O,” because they teach that people have to do a bunch of things to try to please God.But Christianity is spelled “D-O-N-E” because Christ has done it all on the cross for us!It is a gift for us – one that’s undeserved!This distinction is demonstrated by comparing a parable taught by Jesus with a similar story found in Buddhist literature.Both stories involve sons who became rebellious and left home, but who then saw the error of their ways and decided to come back and be reconciled with their families.In the Buddhist story, the errant son is required to work off the penalty for his past misdeeds by spending years in servitude!But you know how the Christian parable of the Lost Son ends – with the repentant son being warmly welcomed home by his loving father and being given undeserved grace and forgiveness – with no strings attached! So all religions are not the same!And while other religious leaders can offer wise sayings and helpful insights, only Jesus Christ – because He is the perfect Son of God – is qualified to offer Himself as payment for our wrongdoing.No other religious leader even pretended to be able to do that!

     The SECOND myth is that Christianity is Just One Philosophy Among Many.In other words, even if there are differences between religions, they all have equal claims on the truth.You have your truth and I have mine!This myth is appealing because we want to be tolerant, right?In our country, all religious viewpoints are equally protected.People can believe whatever they want.But, just because different views are equally protected, are they equally valid?

     A few years ago, Mike Royko, a journalist, wrote an article in which he said he was a member of the Church of Asylumism.He said this church believes that there was an advanced civilization in a distant galaxy millions of years ago, but a few hundred of these aliens ate some tainted veggie dip and a virus scrambled their brains.When treatment failed, they were taken to an uninhabited planet that would serve as an asylum and where they could roam free and act goofy.That planet, he said, was Earth, and we’re all descendants of these aliens.Royko said to doubters: “You want proof?Read history books.Look at the newspaper and TV news.Then tell me this isn’t one big loony bin!”Now, Royko was kidding, but since people have the right to believe whatever they want, the Church of Asylumism would be protected as much as any other religious institution.But that doesn’t mean that its teachings are true!

     Everybody is free to make the claim, as Jesus did, that they are the way, the truth, and the life, and that nobody can come to God except through them.But that wouldn’t make it true!The question is, how do we know Jesus was telling the truth?Well, Jesus backs up his claim with unique credentials that make Him uniquely credible.As we mentioned last week, Jesus fulfilled hundreds of centuries-old prophecies against every mathematical odd!Jesus performed miracles that backed up his claim.And best of all, Jesus fulfilled his own prediction by rising from the dead in an event witnessed by more than 500 people!Jesus didn’t just claim He was the only Way to God, but He validated his claim like nobody else in history!

     The THIRD myth is that Christians are Narrow-Minded and Snobbish when they claim Jesus is the only way to heaven.Now, I’d agree Christians would be narrow-minded if there really were lots of paths to God and they were saying theirs is the best way.But they’re not saying that.They’re saying that the truth of the matter is that someone has to pay the penalty for our obvious wrongdoing that keeps us away from God!And Jesus, by virtue of his sinlessness and divinity, is the only One qualified to be our substitute!Is that narrow-minded?

     Let me draw you an analogy.A newborn baby girl develops jaundice, a liver disorder that causes the baby’s skin and eyes to turn yellow.The doctor told the parents that this is a potentially devastating disease but it’s easily treated.You just put the baby under a special light for a while and this would stimulate her liver properly and she’d be alright.Now, the parents could have said, “That sounds too easy!How about instead if we scrubbed her with soap and dipped her in bleach?If we worked hard enough, I’m sure we could get her normal coloring back.”But the doctor would have said, “No, there’s only one way to handle this.”They could have replied, “Well, how about if we just sort of ignore this and pretend everything’s OK?You know – the jaundice is your truth, Doc, not our truth.And if we sincerely believe that, things will work out for the best.”The doctor would have said, “You’d jeopardize your baby if you did that.Look, there’s only one way to cure her.You’re hesitant because it sounds too easy, but look at the credentials hanging on my wall.I’ve got a degree and cured countless babies like yours!”

     Now, would anybody accuse those parents of being narrow-minded if they trusted that doctor and followed his path of treatment?Of course not!Well, we all have a terminal illness called sin, and the reason we cling to Christ is He is the Doctor with the only cure!We can try to scrub away our sin with good deeds, but it won’t work.We can ignore it and hope it goes away, but it won’t.We can sincerely think there’s another way of dealing with it, but we’d be sincerely wrong.The truth is that only Jesus offers a treatment that will erase our stain of sin.When we turn to Him, we’re not being narrow-minded; we’re doing the only thing we can!

     And it’s not snobbish to believe what Jesus taught about being the only way to God. Because Christianity is anything but snobbish!Let’s pretend there are two country clubs.The first one only admits people who have earned membership.To get in, you’ve got to have superior wisdom or fulfill a list of demands and requirements.Despite their best efforts, lots of people just won’t make the grade and will be excluded.Friends, that’s what other religions are saying by teaching that people have to work their way to God!But the second country club says, “Anyone who wants can come in because Jesus has already paid for your membership!Rich or poor, black or white, regardless of your ethnic heritage or where you live, we would love to include you!Entry isn’t based on your qualifications.All are invited!None are turned away.”That’s Christianity!Now, which club is being snobbish?Christians aren’t better than anyone else.We’re just beggars telling other beggars where to find food!

     Jesus Christ is the only Way to God – True or False? TRUE!And this is great news!It brings much more joy than guilt!There was once a 14-year-old boy home alone painting with oil paints in the finished basement of his family’s home.Oil paints take forever to dry.The boy became impatient and did something unwise – he plugged in some heat lamps to dry the paintings faster.Before long, a fire broke out among the rags soaked with turpentine and the table and the corner of the basement were immediately engulfed in flames.He called the fire department.The fire got out of control, with flames climbing the walls and ceiling.He knew that if the fire burned through, the whole house would be destroyed!So he grabbed a bucket of water from the laundry room and threw it on the fire, but that didn’t help.He started choking on the fumes and was becoming disoriented.He couldn’t see the stairs anymore – the lights went out and the smoke was thick.That’s when the horrible realization hit – he couldn’t save himself.

     Fortunately, a police officer soon arrived, opened the door to the basement, stepped onto the stairs, and began shining around a big flashlight.“Police officer!” he called out.“Anyone down there?”Now, if the boy stayed in the basement much longer, he would die from the smoke and fire.But the police officer knew the one and only escape route.He was fully capable of leading the boy to safety.He also had a big flashlight to light the way!So, either the boy could ignore the officer because he didn’t like police or was just stubbornly independent, and try to get out on his own.OR, the boy could let the officer rescue him by the one way to safety… Following the light, he wisely let the officer put his arm around him and carry him to safety!

     Spiritually, we can’t save ourselves.We would have to face the consequences of our wrongdoings, the fires we have set.We need someone to save us!Jesus has offered to pay the penalty for our sins, and if we reject his offer, we would remain separated from God forever.But God doesn’t want that to happen.That’s why Jesus has been calling out to us, and reaching out to rescue us!He is fully capable of leading us to safety!He knows the way to eternal life; in fact, He is the way.And He doesn’t even need a flashlight, because, as He said, “I am the light of the world…he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

     Here is your comfort from God’s trustworthy Word:Jesus is the way – He is the one way to forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation with God.He is the bridge between us and God!Jesus is the truth – He is the one thing we can count on and trust without any hesitation – we can fall back in his arms and trust Him implicitly – He has done everything for us!And Jesus is the life – He, and He alone, can give you confidence for your future for all eternity!Amen.

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