One way to God John 14:1-6

Vintage Jesus, “One way.” John 14:6

Intro… there is really only one right way to fix things…(goofy things guys do when trying to fix stuff)
• Vintage Jesus series…this is a HUGE one…
• Contrary to what some people think, all religions or paths don’t lead to God…
• It sounds good and “politically correct” to think that all paths lead to God…but in reality, there is only one way to God.

Big Pic: Jesus makes the claim the he is the only way to God. What each person does with that claim will determine their eternal destiny.

Text: John 14:1-6
There are a lot of people today who don’t know where they are going. They may know what their career is, where they should live, etc. but when it comes to eternal things…

Let’s look at some of the key statements Jesus makes leading up to John 14:6
v. 1 “Don’t let you hearts be troubled, trust in God, trust also in me.”
• Life is troubling, times are hard, things can get confusing….trust in God.
• That’s the first step, being willing to trust in God…
• The way to eternal life, though unseen and tough at times is secure.

v. 2-3 Heaven is full of rooms and Jesus is preparing those rooms or house for us.
• Since the way to eternal life has been prepared, the only question is are you willing to believe Jesus’ words?

v. 4-5 Jesus reminds the disciples (us) that they/we know the way, yet doubting Thomas says, “How can we know the way?”

v. 6 Then Jesus makes it very simple and clear:
• “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
• Isaiah 45:21


"Are you saying Jesus Christ is the only way, and that if someone doesn't believe in Him they're actually going to hell? That's so narrow! So insensitive! So intolerant!"
• I’m not saying it, Jesus said it in John 14:6. So…we’ve all got to deal with that statement.

Well, all religions basically say and teach the same thing. They're all true. And besides, if a person is really sincere in what they believe, they'll get to heaven."
• “They’re in a better place…”
• You can’t make the most important decision of your life based on feelings and opinions.
“If a person truly is sincere in what he believes and tries to live a good life, then he will get to heaven.”
• So Adolf Hitler is in heaven, right? He sincerely believed what he was doing was right.
• "No!" you protest. "He is not good!" Really? According to whose definition?
• Why is it wrong to lie, steal and murder? As much as we may hate to admit it, it's because God said it.
• Sincerity is never enough. We have to have a set of absolutes to live by. We can't simply make up the rules as we go along. You may want to believe that "all roads lead to God."

It helps if we distinguish between "matters of truth" and "matters of taste."
• Taste: In-N-Out has the best burgers in SD. I love the Dave Matthews Band. SDA is the best high school in north county.
• Truth: Barack Obama is our current president. The Titanic sunk into the icy waters of the Atlantic on April 15, 1912 about 2:20a.m. Over six million Jewish men, women and children perished in the holocaust.
• Matters of truth require us to make a decision anytime the "mass of evidence or weight of reasons point in one direction rather than another.”

So…with all due respect, all religions don’t teach the same thing. We don’t need to get ugly about it or argumentative, just take a look at the facts.

Let’s look at three basic areas:
• The existence of a personal God. Buddhists deny it altogether. Hindus believe that God is formless and abstract, taking the form of a trinity as well as millions of lesser gods. In Christianity, the Bible teaches that God is a personal deity, who created man in His own image, loves us and wants to have a relationship with us.
• Salvation. Buddhists believe salvation comes by self-effort alone – with no personal God to help or guide you. Hindus believe you achieve salvation by devotion, works and self-control. Muslims insist that man earns his own salvation, pays for his own sins, and that you can never be certain if you have achieved salvation or not. In Christianity, the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and if we will turn from our own way and follow Him, we can be forgiven and have the hope of heaven.
• Jesus Christ. Buddhists believe Jesus was a good teacher, but less important than Buddha. Hindus believe Jesus was just one of many incarnations, or sons of God. They teach that Christ was not the one-and-only Son of God. He was no more divine than any other man, and He did not die for man's sins. Muslims will tell you that Jesus Christ was only a man, a prophet equal to Adam, Noah or Abraham, all of whom are below Muhammad in importance. Christians believe that Jesus is God, was crucified for our sins and rose again.

They can’t all be true.
Acts 4:12, 1 Tim. 2:5

Christianity does not teach that only Christians deserve to go to heaven.
• It teaches that no one deserves to go to heaven, because we have all done wrong during our lives (Rom 3:23…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God).

We can gain admittance to heaven by repenting of our wrongs, accepting Jesus Christ's death as payment for our wrongs and deciding to follow and worship him as Lord.
• John 14:6 reminds us that Jesus is the only way to God, not any particular church or denomination. (John 6:40).
• Salvation is accessible to everyone and is intended by God for everyone: “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 45:22)

Actually all paths do lead to God, but all paths don’t lead to heaven.
• Everyone of us will stand before the judgment throne of God..
• Unfortunately for many, God won’t be pleased with them.
• Some will get Grace. Some will get what they deserved.

Conclusion:
C. S. Lewis "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. ... You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to" ("Mere Christianity," 52).

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