The Way - October 30, 2016 sermon

By Pastor Greg

Before we begin, watch this video, and then we will talk.
You and I are the man in the hole.  We are trapped by sin.  Death holds us captive.  Most of humanity understands this (except the fool who says “there is no God” – Psalm 14:1).  Therefore, most people seek a religion that will help them make it through life and assist them in discovering the way to heaven.  I mean, think about most of the religions in this world.  Don’t they all offer a way to heaven (or Nirvana, as some call it)?  Well, we could add Christianity to the list as well.  Open your Bible to John chapter 14 and look at what Jesus claims.

At the end of the Last Supper, Jesus pulls back the curtain of death and reveals a momentary glimpse of life beyond the grave.  He talks about Heaven, the place where He would soon be going.  He even insists that the Apostles know how to get there.  ⁴ “And you know the way where I am going,” He says.  Thankfully, our beloved Thomas asks the question on all our hearts.  ⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”  In other words, Thomas asks, “How do we get to Heaven?  How do we end up in the Father’s House, especially if we do not know the way?”

You know, Thomas asks a very odd question here, especially since he was Jewish.  From his childhood, Thomas would have been instructed that all Jews go to Heaven.  The Teachers of the Law would have taught him to follow God’s commands so God would not reject him.  That is why the Pharisee’s were so strict with the Law.  They did not want to give God an excuse for excluding them from Heaven.  So something must have happened during his time with Jesus that dismantled this understanding – this way to heaven – causing Thomas to question his beliefs.  “At one point, I thought I knew the way to heaven,” he says, “but now I am not so sure.”

As Thomas (and perhaps you and I) wrestled with the question about the way to heaven, Jesus gives an answer that has rankled people for nearly 2,000 years.  Jesus answers the question by saying, “⁶ I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.  ⁷ “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

Wow.  Jesus says that He is the way.  If a person wants to get to Heaven, they must go through Him.  If a person wants to know God, they must know Him. The way to salvation is through Him.  There is no other way. [Later, Peter will insist that “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)]

People have called this statement snobbish, bigoted, and narrow-minded.  In our world, there is no room for a single choice.  People want options.  People see snippets of truth in other religions and conclude they are just as valid.  However, when someone claims there are many paths to Heaven, they claim Jesus is a liar.  Either what He said here is the truth, or it is a lie.  There is no gray area.

Either Jesus lied, or He was a lunatic.  Or He told the truth.  And as we are processing our answer on this, He suggests we evaluate His claim based on what He said and what He did (verse 11).   ⁸ Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”  ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  ¹⁰ “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me?  The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.  ¹¹ “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves” (John 14:4-11).

So, what makes the claims of Jesus different than all the other religions in this world?  Why can Christians confidently claim that Jesus is The Way?  Consider what Jesus did to prove the truth of His words.  Think about the signs and wonders.  No other person who walked the face of this earth gave the kind of proof Jesus did.  The blind could see.  The lame could walk.  Demons were driven out of people.  A huge crowd was fed.  And all of this was done in front of many people, not in secret.  Jesus taught among the people.  His “enlightenment” did not happen in a secret cave.  He did not come to the people and say “An angel gave me these clay tablets.”  Jesus spoke to the crowds and said: “I say to you” (compare Matthew 5:28).  Among all the religious leaders in this world (Confucius, Mohammad, Buddha, Abraham, Joseph Smith, Krishna, etc.), only Jesus died in our place.  He alone rose from the grave (seen by many witnesses).  He is the only religious figure to ascend to Heaven (again, in front of many witnesses).  If you think there are many ways to heaven, then consider this: Every other religion in the world will tell you how to work your way to Heaven.  They merely point the way “out of the hole.”  However, Jesus is the only One to say “I am the way.”  Among all the religious leaders in this world, only Jesus offered His life as a ransom.  And that is what makes His claim so unique.

The point Jesus makes here is that rather than sitting in Heaven waiting for us to work our way there, God sends Jesus to rescue those who want to get out of the hole.  Instead of just pointing out our problem, Jesus offers to solve our problem – our problem of sin and death.  Jesus did not pull back the curtain and tell us to work our way to the Father’s House.  He said, “I will come and get you” (John 14:3).

The way to get where Jesus is going (verse 4) is to trust in Him.  We place all our hope in Jesus.  We place our life in His hands.  We do not get to the Father’s House by being good or by doing more good things than bad things.  We do not end up in the Father’s House because we kill enough unbelievers.  We are not rewarded Heaven because we convert a sufficient number of people.  Entrance to Heaven is not gained by meditation or holy thoughts.  The way is through faith in the promises of Jesus.

“Believe in God, believe also in Me,” says the Lord (John 14:1).  “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).  Yes, “God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. ¹⁹ It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

And I can’t think of any other religious figure who can make that claim.  That is why Jesus is The Way.