Only One Way? Series

Only ONE WAY?

Is Jesus the Only Way to Heaven?

Debunking the Myths of Christianity

John 14:1-14, Acts 4:12

Joke Jim Miller told about deer hunting preacher, doctor, lawyer. In one ear and out the other

1 "Don’t be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. 2 There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. 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 where I am going and how to get there." 5 "No, we don’t know, Lord," Thomas said. "We haven’t any 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. 7 If you had known who I am, then you would have known who my Father is. From now on you know him and have seen him!" 8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and we will be satisfied." 9 Jesus replied, "Philip, don’t you even yet know who I am, even after all the time I have been with you? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking to see him? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of what you have seen me do.

During an exclusive golf outing for top business and entertainment executives on October 9, 2006 Tiger Woods was put on the spot by an evangelical guest of Nike.

That day, 30 people gathered at the Trump golf course in Los Angeles for the 2006 “Tee It Up with Tiger Woods” event, which included a private golf session and lunch with the living legend. During the lunch, there was a question-and-answer session with Tiger. Most people asked about their swings or golf questions.

However, one guest of Nike stood up and asked two questions: “Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? And if not, prayerfully, would you?”

A source present at the lunch said later: “You could have heard a pin drop. People were mortified. But Tiger was as unflappable as he is on the golf course.”

Tiger said, “My father was a Christian—of course Christianity was part of my life. But my mother is Asian, and Buddhism was also part of my childhood. So I practice both faiths respectfully.”

We live at a time in which people think that there are many ways to God. But, there is only one way. That is what Jesus says in the Word of God today.

I The Myth - All Paths lead to God and Heaven - Jesus is a good one

A. Many Ways to Heaven and God -Pluralism

The major world religions were Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. These five were the classic “world religions.”

With so many world religions today, the question that many people wrestle with is,

“Which religion is right?”

Dr James Montgomery Boice suggests that there are three ways of dealing with this question.

A. All Religions Are More or Less Equal

The first way of dealing with this question is to suggest that all religions are more or less equal—at least if they are pursued sincerely.

But here’s the thing: under our Constitution, all religious viewpoints are equally protected. People can believe whatever they want. But some people jump to the erroneous conclusion that because different philosophies are equally protected, they must be equally valid. And that’s just not the case.

B. All Religions Have Some Value, but Some Are Better than Others

The second way of dealing with this question is to suggest that all religions have some value (at least to their adherents), but some are better than others.

This view allows everyone to think that his religion is superior to other religions. There may even be one religion that is superior to all others. Nevertheless, each religion does have some value in the eyes of those who hold this view.

C. Only Christianity Is Right, and All Other Religions Are Wrong

The third way of dealing with this question is that only Christianity is right, and all other religions are wrong.

In this view there is only one way to God, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ. This is an exclusive claim.

B. Only Christianity claims to be the exclusive way-thus intolerant -