Why is there only one way to God?

There are many different roads but one final destination that everyone hopes to arrive at. If we want to end up in Detroit but take the bus to L.A. can we truly be upset with the bus drive when we arrive at the final destination.

We cannot say, “Why am I here?”

Not all roads lead to the same location, and not all religions or beliefs lead to the same end outcome.

John 14:1–11 ESV

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 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 authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

The Great question “How can we know the way?”

There is a real honesty with this question, admitting ignorance. “I don’t know show me the way.”

Thomas is saying “If we do not know the address, how are we supposed to know the route?”

Saint Augustine said “I loved my own ways not yours… The blindness of humanity is so great that people are actually proud of their blindness.”

Coming to Christ takes humility

The Great answer from Jesus “I am the way”

Jesus’ response brings enlightenment. Through out the Gospel we read of Jesus’ coming From the Father, revealing God, bringing new life and returning to the Father.

But Here the Focus is on Jesus’ role as the one who leads people to the Father.

Why Do we need a way at all?

We believe If I’m a good person I will make to heaven, If I live a good life, If I do more good then bad, If I just follow the ten commandments, If I follow the “Good Book”, If I am a religious person.

This is blindness that is so great we get proud of it-

We believe that our merit or our works can gain us access into Heaven- This place where Jesus is preparing

This Gospel message is offensive because it boldly declares “there is no other way”

It says “my best efforts are but filthy rags.” - Isa 64:6

John 3:18 ESV

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.

Those who do not believe and trust in Christ have neither a positive nor a neutral standing before God. They stand condemned already before God for Their sins because they haven’t trusted God’s solution for their guilt, Jesus Christ the only Son of God

Charles Spurgeon writes, “ If you were Perfect, and had never broken God’s law at all, then you might be saved by the law; but one sin breaks the law...”

John 3:18 and John 14:6 both refute the belief that a sincere or good person following any religion can have eternal life with God

The Better question is Why is there any way at all?

Why would God not only allow but also provide a way?

Spurgeon “There is no way to heaven but by Jesus Christ; Come! both from your works and your sins; look to Him and live; look to Him, and see your sins forgiven; look to Him, and behold your penitence accepted, and a gracious answer given.”

Penitence- the action of feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; repentance

Charles Spurgeon writes:

It was but one day this week I went into a Romish cathedral, and there, to my disgust and horror, I saw poor women on their knees, going entirely round the cathedral, having as a penance to pray before a whole set of pictures that were exhibited upon the walls. Well, I thought, if this be acceptable to their God, I am sure it would not be to mine. To give these poor women the rheumatism, or something worse, in order that God might be pleased with them, is the most extraordinary way of going to work that I know of. What a God must theirs be, that is pleased with poor souls when they torture themselves.

Behold the monk—if he would gratify his god, he must not wash himself; for their god is a god of filth, and according to their own confession, cleanliness is not acceptable to him. Again, he must fast—their god is a god of starvation; it is quite clear he is not our God,—for he is a God of bounty. The poor monk must flog himself: he must flagellate his poor back till the blood runs down in streams; their god delights in the blood of his creatures, evidently, and nothing pleases him so much, according to their own confession, as for his creatures to torture themselves. Happily however, their god has nothing whatever to do with our God. Their god is an old Romish pagan demon that was cursed of old and is cursed now; but our God is a God who takes delight in the happiness of his creatures; who, if there be any merit anywhere, would sooner see it in our happiness than in our sorrow; although, mark you, there is no merit in either... there is but one way of offering acceptable penitence to God, and that is through Jesus Christ our Lord

1 Timothy 2:5–6 ESV

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

The Gospel is Exclusive

Jesus’ clam doesn’t allow any other ways to get to Father- eternal life- and the authority by which Christ speaks is the authority of God Himself

Here Christ is Revealing Himself as the God of Truth, and Life

Jesus Says, “Believe in God Believe also in me.”

Christ identifies Himself as God through His “I am” Statements.

He tells Phillip “If you have seen me you have seen the Father”

Again he says, “Believe on the account of the works themselves.”

John 14:6 ESV

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

Jesus doesn’t just show us the way; Jesus is the only way. There is no other Foundation that can be laid other than the one that Jesus Christ laid. There is no other road to be taken other then the one that Christ has paved with His blood.

The Gospel declares “no man can come to God except through Jesus.”

Charles Spurgeon, “All Charity of which some men talk is deceitful and valueless. We can have no hope for those who receive not Christ. We pity them, we love them, we pray for them, we plead for them, that they may be brought to this; but we dare not deceive them, we dare not tell them that God will hear their prayers, if they will not come to Him through Jesus Christ.

The way of works is dead!

How can sinners ever hope to get to heaven? Through Christ! There is no other way but through Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ is the only way between God and sinners.

In Luke 15:11-24 Jesus Tells the story of the Prodigal Son, which shows a life trying to find away apart from the only way; much like those who try to find any other way other than Jesus Christ.

The Boy was Lost Luke 15:24- “He was Lost”

The Boy was ignorant Luke 15:17- “When He came to himself

The Boy was dead Luke 15:24- “For my son was Dead”

He was Lost, much like we were, But Christ is the Way; He was ignorant to the truth like we were, But Christ is the Truth; and He was dead just like we were (Spiritually), but Christ is the Life!

He arrived at the Father’s house when he repented and returned.

Spurgeon, “There is no way to heaven Whatsoever our hopes may be, but through Christ. O spirit of man, there is no way to the gates of pearl but through the bleeding side of Jesus. These are the gates of paradise- these bleeding wounds. If you wouldst find your way to God’s bright throne, find first your your way to Jesus’ shameful cross; if you would know the way to happiness, walk in that path of misery which Jesus walked”

How can a Gracious God send People to hell?

This is offensive to us, and this is the reason why we hold God in contempt. He can’t be gracious and condemn people. This doesn’t make sense to us.

The thing that we hold God in contempt for, is the very thing that we desire more than anything when someone has wronged us. We demand justice.

You hurt me or someone I love you must Pay. The very reason why Christ came was to deal with the very thing that causes us judgement- Sin!

Sin isn’t just a bad thing that we do, it is against a Holy and righteous God.

Sin is breaking God’s commandment

God is just, and justice cannot endure a sin. God is pure and Holy: He would sooner cease to be God than cease to be pure. How can we sinners, un-pure approach this Holy God?

God describes Himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7

Exodus 34:6–7 ESV

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

 Many question how a gracious God can send people to hell? But the real question is why a Holy God gives sinners a way to repent and find forgiveness?

Jesus was God in the flesh, and as He walked this earth He subjected Himself to mocking, ridicule, beatings, and eventually one of the most grotesque forms of execution for the reason of “seeking and saving” sinful and wicked people.  The Cross shows us how gracious and merciful God truly is, all the while displaying His justice against sin.

Because God is a God of justice He deals with the real issue which is sin, sin that separates us from true life. God chose the cross as the means to bring this about.  The cross is where God’s wrath, justice, love, and grace all collide.

Wrath- We are all sinners, and sin is against God.  Romans 1:18, “ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”  God’s wrath is His love in action against Sin.

Justice- God doesn’t leave sin unpunished.  There is a price that must be paid for the wrong that has been done. There is a consequence for sin, and sin must be paid for. Romans 6:23, “ For the wages of sin is death”,  Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Love- God out of love sent His Son to be the perfect sacrifice for us, not when we were righteous, but when we were still dead in our trespasses.  Romans 5:8, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Grace- God gave us what we didn’t deserve, which was forgiveness and being made righteous. Eph 2:5, “even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.”

The cross speaks that I am a sinner more than I could ever know.  I sinned against a Holy and righteous God!

My debt was one that I could never pay. I was dead in my trespasses with no means of ever being free from that bondage.

The cross also speaks that I am loved more than I will ever know. My sins were so great and the debt I owed was so great, but God being rich in loved sent the only sacrifice that could break the bondage of sin and bring redemption, Himself.

2 Cor 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Why is there only one way?  Because the gospel is the only way sin is dealt with.  The wrath of God is satified because Christ took our place

Jesus is the only way to the Father because He was the only one who could truly atone for the sins of man and satisfy God’s wrath against sin.

The perfect sacrifice was God

Charles Spurgeon said “Come, now, you that have nothing to bring; come to Christ this morning, you perishing, you who are guilty, and you who are lost. God’s ambassador stands before you, and as though Christ did woo you, He pleads with you to come to Jesus now. You who are under conviction of sin, and want salvation, believe on Him now. In your heart poor sinner say-

“Just as I am, without one plea,

But that your blood was shed for me,

And that thou bidd’st me come to thee,

O Lamb of God, I come.”

The invitation is freely given, and the proclamation is open made- Christ call is “Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”

You see my God is not a God of anger; He is a God of love. He bids us who are thirsty, who are longing to see His face, he bids us to now come; and he says to us and confirms this oath Ezk 33:11

Ezekiel 33:11 ESV

Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

The Bible is Clear that God will punish sin, but at the same time, God feels sorrow over the punishment and death of creatures created in His own image

This invitation here is Ezekiel 33:11 to repent, anticipates the gospel invitation