People often assume that religions across the world are similar, but in reality, they arent. World religions aren't close to what they believe and yet we hear analogies like the mountain illustration. You have heard this haven’t you? God is on top of the mountain and there are many paths to get to the top of the mountain. Your path might be Christianity, another’s path might be through Islam but in the end we all make it to the top of the mountain and all of us no matter which path we take will spend our eternity with God.
Sounds nice but it is also very wrong. According to the Bible there is only one path that gets you to the top of the mountain and don’t get mad at me for saying that because I didn’t. Jesus did in John 14:6.
Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus did not say he is a way. He didn’t say there are many ways and if you want to come my way that would be great. No. Jesus said there is no other way to get to God except through me so the question is, “Is that true? Is Jesus the only way to get to God?” Can Jesus back up that claim?
Jesus said in John 14:9 “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” And in John 10:30 Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.”
Mohammad did not claim that he was God and neither did Confucius or big old Buddha so the question is can Jesus back up that claim? Let’s see. The first thing I want you to know is,
1. Jesus’ character was flawless.
What that means is Jesus never sinned but don’t believe me, believe his friends who hung around with him 24 hours a day. Look at what they wrote about Jesus.
Peter wrote, "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." 1 Peter 2:22-23
Of course, Peter is going to say that because he was his friend. Let me ask you a question. Would you ever say that about one of your friends? If you said that you would look like a fool. Everyone has sinned but Peter says Jesus never did.
What did Jesus' enemies say about him? The Pharisees who couldn’t stand Jesus said, “Teacher we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth." Mark 12:14
When Jesus stood in front of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, who eventually sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion, he said this about Jesus. "I can find no fault in this man." Luke 23:4
The writer of the book of Hebrews says that "Jesus was tempted in every way yet was without sin." Hebrews 4:15.
Sounds like God to me.
2. Jesus also performed miracles.
Confucius never performed one miracle and neither did Buddha or Muhammad but Jesus walked on the water, fed 5,000 men with only 5 small loaves of bread and two fish. He healed the sick, the blind, the deaf and the lame. He brought back to life a widow’s son and a ruler of the synagogue’s daughter.
Jesus also had power over nature. He told the seas to calm down and the wind to be quiet and they obeyed. Jesus had power over demons. They would beg Jesus not to throw them in the abyss.
3. Jesus saw into people’s lives & predicted the future.
Confucius or Buddha never claimed to have that ability. There’s a hint that Muhammad made a couple of general predictions about what his troops were going to do in battle from time to time, but nothing all that noteworthy.
Jesus could read the hearts and thoughts of people. One time he was sharing some water with a woman at a well. They were having a spiritual conversation, and the woman happened to mention in the course of conversation that she wasn’t married. Jesus said,
Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." John 4:17-18
And what was the woman’s response? She said, 19 "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.”
How did Jesus know she had been married five time and was currently living with her boyfriend? Jesus knew everything about a person. He knew Peter would deny him three times after he was arrested, he knew Judas would betray him with the betrayer’s kiss in the garden of Gethsemane and he knew the disciples would flee after he was arrested to save their own necks.
Jesus also predicted his own death years before it happened.
Jesus is the only one to rise again from the dead.
When Confucius died, he stayed dead and so did Buddha and so did Muhammad. You can go to their grave sites. Their bodies are right there. They didn’t even make a claim to rise again.
When Jesus was hanging on the cross within moments of his death, it looked like his death was going to prove that he was just another wanna be messiah and not the real deal.
In fact, when He died and they put him in a tomb, rolled a huge stone over the opening and all that followed him left disillusioned and distraught. His followers went into hiding for fear that they would be next. To be killed.
But then came resurrection day. The stone was rolled away. Jesus rose again from the dead and conquered death and the grave. Next week I’m going to share a ton of evidence for Jesus’ resurrection.
Listen. Buddha, Confucius, and Muhammad could not pay the price for your sin because they themselves had sinned. Only Jesus could pay the debt that you and I owed God because he was the perfect lamb of God, the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.
And if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved.
Some 47 days after Jesus rose again from the dead Peter found himself in a bit of trouble with the Jewish Sanhedrin. They were questioning Peter and telling him to no longer share with others that Jesus has died for our sins and three days later rise again from the dead. I want you to see what Peter said to those men.
Peter said, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:10,12
Some of you are thinking aren’t we being a little narrow minded about Jesus being the only way to get to God. I mean if people are sincere about what they believe I think that is good enough?
You do realize don’t you that you can be sincere and be sincerely wrong. Jesus says he is the only way to be made right with God. I want you to imagine a blind man standing on the edge of a cliff who turns to you and asks, "Which way should I step?" Would it be best if you were to respond, "I really shouldn't say that one direction is better than another." That would be wrong to do. I mean the man’s life is on the line. You have to speak up for the truth. Walk this way because if you don’t, you are going to die.
It’s the same way with Jesus. You know the truth and you need to and I need to, help people understand that there is only one way to be made right with God and that is through asking Jesus to forgive us of our sin and to put our faith and trust in him.
One more thought before I shut up. If there were more than one way to get to God then why would God send His only Son to earth to live a sinless life and die a terrible death through crucifixion? If there is another way to God, then why crucify your only son. The truth of the matter is all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Because of our sin we owe God a payment for our sin and he requires our death to appease his holiness so Jesus saw the mess we were in and came and died on our behalf and paid our sin debt, a debt so big we could never pay for it ourselves. He who knew no sin took on our sin so that we might be made right with God.
There is only one who has died for us. There is only one who has conquered death and the grave and has risen again and he says, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” So today what do you believe? Have you been walking blindly almost off the cliff? Have you been ok, with not telling others around you but not realizing the eternal risk at cost? We need to ask ourselves who do we serve, what do we believe today?
©2024 Sagebrush Church
