It Doesn't Matter What You Believe

Me

All roads lead to Nashville

Collene getting lost

All roads do not lead to Nashville

ie. I-90, 14 or 61

All roads lead to home

Not where I grew up

One way to get home

All roads do not lead to the same destination

Transition: We have all been faced with this same issue in one form or another

We

Career/Relationships

If I take this road, it’s not going to get me to where I want to go

We also face this in our spiritual lives

There are many that believe that “It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere”

Feel Good Theology

Equivalent of saying “All Roads Lead to God”

God Never Said That

Purpose of series is to dispel some of the things that people attribute to God, but God really didn’t say it

Transition: God does have much to say about this. Let’s look at what He teaches us.

God

John 14:1–6 NLT

1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Jesus teaches us that all roads do not lead to God

One Destination

The destination we are aiming for God’s House (Heaven)

One Truth

One true God

It doesn’t matter how sincere you are, you can still be sincerely wrong

One Way

There is only one way to get to this one destination, and that is through Jesus Christ

Transition: If we believe this way and put it in to practice what will happen to us?

You

John 14:11–15 NLT

11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do. 12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! 15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.

If we believe in Jesus we can

1. Do greater works than He has done

Greater (Megas in Greek)

Means great or loud

Think of all the things that Jesus did

Made the blind see, the lame walk, multiplied food, raised the dead

Jesus says you can do all of this and more

Romans 8:11 NLT

11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

2. Ask anything in His name and He will do it

Matthew 7:7–11 NLT

7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

Caveat: If we truly love Him and have His desires in mind…and we obey His commandments

Agape love

Love without limits or restraints

Transition: Wouldn’t it be great if our spiritual lives went beyond just believing in Jesus?

We

1 John 2:3–6 NLT

3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 4 If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. 5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

Matthew 7:21–23 NLT

21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

True belief in Jesus requires obedience to God’s laws and a desire to follow in Jesus’ footsteps

All roads do not lead to the same destination

Which road are you on?

Is your route drawing you closer to Jesus or farther away?