GRATEFUL for the WAY!

Introduction

In his book, Rebuild Your Life, Dale Galloway tells a very interesting story about a little boy and a little boat.

This little boy, who lived on the coast, built a small toy boat to sail upon the water. After much hard work and joyful labor, this young boy took his boat and sailed it upon the coast of clear, blue water, tethered by a string.

It skimmed along as the gentle breeze blew its sails across the rippling waves, when suddenly a gust of caught the boat and snapped the string the boy was holding.

Further and Further out the boat went, until at last it vanished out of sight. The boy was heartbroken and returned back home.

Weeks and then months went by since this incident, when one day the boy passed by a toy shop in town and something caught his attention…Could it be? Was it really? He looked closer. IT WAS! There in the store window display was his own little boat.

He rushed in and told the store owner about the boat and that it really belonged to him, after all, he had made it hadn’t he?

“I’m sorry,” the shopkeeper said, “but it’s my boat now. If you want it, you’ll have to pay the price for it.”

Sad at heart, the boy left the store, but he was determined to get his boat back, even though it meant working hard and saving until he had enough money to pay for it.

At last the day came. Clutching his money in fist, he ran to the store, walked into the shop, spread his hard-earned money on the counter and said, “I’ve come back to buy my boat.” The clerk counted the money. It was enough. The shopkeeper reached into the display, took the boat, and handed it to the little boy.

His face lit up with a big smile as he held his boat in his arms and said, “You’re mine…twice you’re mine. Mine because I made you, and now mine because I bought you!”

Aren’t you grateful this morning that the One who made you, determined Himself to also pay the ultimate price to pay your sin debt and buy you with His precious blood?

Aren’t you grateful this morning that when you come to know Jesus and place your faith in Him, He scoops you in His arms and says, “You’re mine…twice you’re mine. Mine because I made you, and now mine because I bought you!”

I am so grateful that He has provided the way for us to be born again and to be His forever and always!

John 14:6 ESV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1) The Way is Exclusive!

John 14:6 (ESV)

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus is the only way to God, to Truth, and to Life.

Good works, different religions, being spiritual, simply believing God exists, gaining knowledge, being kind to others, universalism, etc. are not the way to the Father and to transformational, eternal life…There is only one way…it’s through Jesus.

All roads don’t lead to Heaven. Every road but one leads to eternal hell and rightful damnation for our sins before a holy God.

Being genuine, sincere, and authentic about your faith will not bring you eternal life with the Father, unless that genuine, sincere, and authentic faith is placed in Jesus and you are surrendered to Him and He is Lord of your life…

When He is Lord, then He is Savior!

2) The Way is Inclusive!

John 3:16–18 “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Jesus is the only way, but He is the only way for everyone!

John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

Galatians 3:27–29 “27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

You don’t have to be of a certain nationality, race, gender, or belong to any particular social order. Jesus is available to all!

He is available to all with same openness.

The person who is poor is welcomed just the same as the one who is rich.

The person who is Middle Eastern is welcomed just the same as the one who is European.

The person who is from a Hindu background is welcomed to Jesus just the same as one who is from an Amish background.

The person who is born in sub-Saharan Africa is welcomed to Jesus just the same as the one who is born in suburban America.

Revelation 7:9–12 “9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.””

No matter your background, no matter what had identified you before you came to Christ, once you come to Jesus, the only thing you embrace as defining for your life…the only thing you cling to and look to for direction and perspective is Jesus!

3) The Way is Elusive!

While the Way to eternal life with our Creator is exclusively found in Jesus, and while it is inclusive of every person, in reality it is Elusive to most people.

One of the definitions of elusive means, “Hard to find”.

Unfortunately, many people find the Gospel hard to find because they find it hard to follow The WAY, His Way.

Luke 18:18–30 ESV

18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’ ” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” 28 And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” 29 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Luke 9:23–25 ESV

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Even though everyone can come to Jesus, many will not because it requires surrendering our brokenness and our broken way of doing things, over to Him and embracing His way of living. We can only come to God on His terms.

Matthew 7:13–14 ESV

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV

18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:22–24 ESV

22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Many stumble over the Gospel and will fail to embrace the Gospel. Many will find the Gospel difficult to embrace and therefore real life, eternal life, abundant life will always be elusive to them.

We can grateful that the way is elusive because it legitimizes the way.

Matthew 13:44–46 ESV

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Because the way demands for us to lay down our lives and to carry our cross, because the Way demands for us to come the Father on His terms, because the Way demands for us to be fully dependent on Jesus and independent from ourselves, it proves to be a precious treasure that is fully worth recklessly abandoning the dead ways of this world and embracing THE WAY to transformational, eternal living with our Creator!

CLOSING

We should be abundantly grateful for the Way Jesus has provided for us to be saved and to follow Him. In our gratitude, we must be sure and point others to Jesus as well, but we must make sure that we are pointing them to the Way, His Way!