Can Jesus Be True For You But Not For Me?

Announcements

–How was movie night?

–Don’t forget about Family Night on August 28th! Youth Group will be different that evening. Bring your families. You guys will be greeting, serving, and hopefully singing too.

Review

We have been discussing lots of questions about what everyone should be able to ask, and answer about Christianity.

What was the question we talked about last week? Someone give me some insight into a reflection they had about that this week.

Introduction

Tonight we’re still talking about diversity, but we’re going to focus on religious diversity. In most countries, it’s ok to say that you’re a Christian as long as you leave other people alone.

Would someone read John 14:6?

I’m allowed to believe that Jesus is the way the truth and the life John 14:6

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.

As long as they keep it to themselves. But if Jesus is “the way, and the truth, and the life” for everyone everywhere, that’s seen as offensive.

The question we’re going to be asking is, “Can Jesus be true for you, but not for me?”

Pray

Elephant in the room

I’m going to start with a kind of parable to introduce this evening. I’m calling it “the elephant in the room.” There are bumper stickers out there that say “coexist” regarding religions or “my God is too big for any one religion.” People often talk that way too.

There’s a story about an elephant that walks into a village where everyone is blind. One villager touched the elephant’s leg and said it was “like a tree.” Another touched its trunk and said “it was like a snake” and another touched its ear and said it was “like a fan.” This happened with the other various parts of the elephant. Soon they began to argue. They had all felt different parts of the elephant and discovered a piece of truth about it. But, because they were blind they could not see the whole elephant and therefore didn’t see how it was put together.

In the same way, people claim that all religions hold various truths about God and ultimately point to God.

But there are problems with this story.

The villagers are all blind except for one person in this story. The person who can see the elephant. How else can the story be told? It may sound respectful to Christians, muslims, buddhists, but it ultimately says that they can’t see the big picture. They are all blind, and you alone can see!

What about people who change their beliefs? What about my friend Brian who was a humanist who came to faith in Jesus? Does he still not see the “whole elephant?”

The final problem is that all of these religions are seen to be on an equal playing field. In fact, these religions contradict one another and not in just small ways.

Jesus died on a cross and was raised from the dead. If this is not true then our faith is not true 1 Corinthians 15:17

1 Corinthians 15:17 ESV

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Without the resurrection, our faith has no meaning.

In Judaism and Islam, we find that they both disagree with this fundamental claim that Jesus rose from the dead. Jews believe that He stayed dead and Muslims believe that he just appeared to die but didn’t die and was taken up into heaven.

Christians believe that He rose again 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

Our faith hinges on the resurrection of Christ. Either Jesus was raised from the dead, or He wasn’t. These religions all differ on this point.

Jesus doesn’t fit

In our time, 3 out of 4 people belong to 1 of 4 religions.

31% are Christians

24% are Muslims

15% are Hindus

and 7% are Buddhists

In Jesus’ time things looked quite different. There were a plethora of gods and most people believed in more than one (polytheists). Multiple gods were the norm. It’s called poly theism (poly=many, theism=gods). The idea of there being only one God is called monotheism today (mono=one, theism=god) but in Jesus’ and in the first century of the church it was called atheism. Because Christians and Jews didn’t worship any Roman gods they were considered atheists. If Jesus had only claimed to be “a god” instead of “the God”, he would have fit right in.

Most people today don’t believe in many gods (unless they’re way too into Marvel movies). They do, however, believe in many ways to God and that God means different things to different people.

Some people even claim that Jesus never claimed to be God, but that he was just a good teacher. But Jesus was teaching that He was the Son of God! He taught that He could forgive sins! Mark 2:5

Mark 2:5 ESV

5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Mark 2:10 ESV

10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—

Some Jews believed in the resurrection after death (Pharisees) but Jesus also claimed to be the resurrection.

John 11:25 ESV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

Jesus even claims that if we have seen Him we have seen God.

John 14:9 ESV

9 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’?

C.S. Lewis once wrote that Jesus was either a liar, lunatic, or Lord. Either everything he taught, including His divine sonship, is true, or it should be completely rejected, but it can’t be that Jesus is purely a “good teacher.” He is who He said that He is.

If Jesus means what He says and the boat is sinking...

in 1912, thousands of people boarded the Titanic (Approx. 2229) to sail from England to America. In the middle of the voyage, the ship hit an iceberg and sank. It was not an abrupt sinking though. Lots of people, specifically women and children, were able to board lifeboats once the announcement was made. 706-709 people survived. That also meant that those who remained on the boat could not survive. There simply weren’t enough boats to accomodate everyone.

As the boat was sinking, the cruise ship dinner band played this hymn:

Nearer My God to Thee:

1 Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee! E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me, still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to thee; nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

2 Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down, darkness be over me, my rest a stone; yet in my dreams I'd be nearer, my God, to thee; nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

3 There let the way appear, steps unto heaven; all that thou sendest me, in mercy given; angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to thee; nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

4 Then, with my waking thoughts bright with thy praise, out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise; so by my woes to be nearer, my God, to thee; nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

5 Or if, on joyful wing cleaving the sky, sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I fly, still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to thee; nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!

United Methodist Hymnal, 1989

They were proclaiming both salvation from the sinking of this boat by announcing where the lifeboats were and to run to, and they were proclaiming their faith in Christ as they knew they would not survive. They knew that there were those on this boat who did not know Jesus, and they wanted their faith proclaimed as a last act of obedience.

Jesus doesn’t say “there aren’t enough lifeboats for all of these people!” He says “ John 11:25

John 11:25 ESV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

He commands us to tell everyone Matthew 28:18-20

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

It is offensive and unloving NOT TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS AS THEY KNOW THAT THEIR LIFE IS ABOUT TO PASS.

Respect and Persuasion

Should we tell everyone in our schools about Jesus by yelling down the hallway “The boat is sinking!?”

Just like in Matthew 28:19, we should share our faith. Christians need to share their faith like fish need to swim in water guys. Sometimes that means preaching in the streets, but often people are more willing to listen if they trust us.

I had some people I was around for a while who were street evangelists. I joined them a handful of times. We would head to a place called “Old Town” in a city called Fort Collins. There were a lot of bar hoppers there, and we would handout free cookie cards for a local bakery if people would talk with us. Honestly, some of the conversations were great. It’s scary at first, but the adrenaline of sharing your faith takes over after a few times. We would ask questions about their faith, and were surprised at how people were willing to engage with us. People really do want to talk about what they believe.

Afterwards, one of the guys would setup a mic and portable speaker and preach to the bar lines. They were so long. Lots of drunk people would get agitated, but they heard the gospel.

I have mixed feelings about the second part, but no matter what it caused people to make a stir and those who were preaching were living out their faith.

My best experiences of sharing the gospel are with those I already know though. Even young Christians will listen to those who they trust more than some guy preaching at them (especially in a bar line DON’T DRINK).

We are taught to treat others with gentleness and respect

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

We should also not just reach people out of our own strength, but out of Christ’s love.

2 Corinthians 5:11–14 ESV

11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;

We’re not saying we’re better than others either. Even Paul dismissed himself as being the “worst.”

1 Timothy 1:15 ESV

15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

In countries all around the world believers are being persecuted or killed for sharing their faith in Christ. That Jesus is the only way to God and that His sacrifice is the only means of salvation from our sin and death.

Why is it hard to share your faith?

It’s hard to talk about our faith with others for fear of being rejected, losing a friend, offending someone, or appearing arrogant or ignorant of someone.

But if we really love our friends, we need to tell them the truth. Jesus is the only way, the truth, and the life.