Living In The Kingdom 7
Scripture: John 3:13; 14:6; First Peter 2:4; Hebrews 4:15
Last week I shared with you what Jesus said about Himself fulfilling the Law and the Prophets. I told you in that message that this morning I would explain to you why Jesus was able to make the statements that He made in His sermon on the mount. He was able to make those statements about what our attitudes should be as His members of His kingdom; how we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world; and that He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets because He was the Son of God. This morning we are going to look at what the Word says about Jesus being the Son of God and the only way into heaven.
I shared with you a few weeks ago that there was a recent survey conducted that included some Christians. In the survey, the question was asked if the participants believed that Jesus was the only way to God and into heaven. Of those who proclaimed to be Christians; who believed in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior; who believed in His virgin birth; who believed that He died on a cross for their sins; and who believed that He rose again on the third day to reign forever at the right hand of God; of these professed Christians, seventy percent professed to believed that Jesus was not the only way into heaven. Seventy percent who believed He was the Son of God did not believe that He was the only way into heaven. I personally do not understand how you can accept Christ as your personal Savior Who died for your sins but not the sins of everyone else who believed something different. Either Christ, and only Christ, died for the sins of the world and was resurrected on the third day or He didn’t. There are many religions in the world that teach “resurrection” in some form or another, but what I want to focus on this morning is what Christians believe and why. I am not trying to convert someone from another religion to Christianity in this message. However, I am trying to make sure that if you profess to be a Christian that you understand fully what you should be believing as it relates to Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior. These beliefs are truly non-negotiable. I want to start with what Jesus said about Himself.
Jesus said, “…..I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6) Jesus said “I am the way.” Jesus said “I am the truth.” Jesus said “I am the life.” New Light, these are definitive statements. These statements, and believing them, are non-negotiable for a Christian! Why do I say they are non-negotiables? Wee, without Jesus, there is no way to the Father. Without Jesus, truth does not exist. And, without Jesus, there is no eternal life. Either of these three statements alone would be enough to cause the religious mind of some to tilt with unbelief – like it does today, but that shouldn’t be for a Christian who believes that Jesus is truly the one and only Son of God! The word “no” in this verse removes all doubt that this is exactly what Jesus meant. It’s the Greek word “ou” and it means “absolutely not.” So, here Jesus is saying “That because I am the only way, because I am the only truth and because I am eternal life, no one, nobody, not one single person will ever spend eternity with My Father without accepting Me as their Lord and Savior first. No exceptions!”
This morning I want to focus your attention on Jesus saying that He is the only way to heaven. For some people this exclusive statement may confuse, surprise, or even offend them, but it is true nonetheless. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He said He is the only way, why would you think that He is not? Jesus told His disciples that He fulfilled the Law and what He said was true – because that is who Jesus is. He was the only one who could do it. The whole Law pointed to Him. The Bible teaches that there is no other way to salvation than through Jesus Christ. He is not a way, as in one of many ways; He is the only way. No one, regardless of reputation, achievement, special knowledge, or personal holiness, can come to God the Father except through Jesus. Jesus is the only way to heaven for several reasons.
1. First and foremost it’s because He is truly the Son of God! You have heard what Jesus said about Himself, but I want to read a confession from an unlikely source who stated that Jesus was the true Son of God. Remember, when Satan tempted Him he kept saying “If you are the Son of God…” so as to sow or cast doubt about this deity. However, when Jesus came upon two men who were demon-possessed, they made a different statement. Matthew 8:28-29 records the following interaction between Jesus and the men. “When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. 29And they cried out, saying, ‘What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?’” These demons knew that Jesus was the Son of God and was concerned that He had come early to torment them. Just so you don’t miss this, the demons knew Who Jesus was; they knew that one day they would be tormented for their rebellion against God; and if you read the rest of the story, they knew they had to obey Him!!! Jesus’ command outweighed the devil’s command even with those who were the devil’s servants. Regardless of what the devil had given them as an assignment, when Jesus spoke they had to obey! Christians do not understand that they too, in Jesus’ name, can cast our demons. There is no other Name in which a demonic spirit will obey! And don’t forget John 3:16 which says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” This verse does not say there is another way to eternal life does it? Let’s move on.
2. Jesus was “chosen by God” to be the Savior. First Peter 2:4 says, “To whom coming, as unto a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious.” Jesus is our foundation, the first stone of which everything else is built upon. The Apostle Peter’s statement shows that he did not judge himself, but Christ, to be the rock on which the church was built. Jesus was rejected by men at that time and in truth, He is still being rejected by men today. Not only by some Jews, but even by some who call themselves Christians, who continue to live in sin, or who hope to be saved by their own works. Jesus was chosen of God - from all eternity, to be the foundation of His church. The word “precious” is the Hebrew equivalent of the word we see in Psalms 114:15 which says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” The word means “extremely costly, a value that indeterminable.” God chose the most costly and valuable person He had to offer as the atoning sacrifice for the human race – His only Son!
3. Jesus is the only One to have come down from heaven and returned there. John 3:13 says, “And no man has ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man Who is in heaven.” No man, no prophet, no “saint”, or anyone else who has ever walked the earth ascended up to heaven as Jesus did. And what is so important that many people miss is that Jesus is also the only one who came down from heaven to die on a cross for the sins of the world. No other “prophet” or religious leader can make this statement. Remember I talked about the word “no” in the previous verse, which means absolutely not? That’s the same word that is used here as well. The question for all of us is, “Do we believe the Bible when it says Jesus is the only one who both came down from heaven and then went back to heaven?” If you believe this how could you also believe there are other ways to heaven besides Jesus?
4. Jesus is the only person to have lived a perfect human life. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses; but was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.” Jesus is the only person ever to walk this earth and not sin. It is for this reason that He was and is the perfect sacrifice for mankind. And hear me on this important fact: Jesus was tempted just like we are tempted and He was not God when He was tempted. He was human just like you and me. A temptation is not a sin. Temptation becomes sin when we give into it. This is how I know that it is possible for Christians, who have the same life in them that Jesus has in Him, not to commit sin.
5. Jesus is the only sacrifice for sin. First John 2:2 says, “And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Jesus was and is the atoning sacrifice by which the wrath of God is appeased. For our sins and for the sins of the whole world – for all those who believe! Hebrews 10:12-14 says, “But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, 13waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. 14For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” Prior to Jesus death and resurrection, sacrifices were made by the priests on behalf of those who sinned. Jesus became the final sacrifice, sacrificing Himself for the sins of the world. For those who have accepted Him, we now receive forgiveness through grace when we repent from our sins and ask forgiveness.
6. He alone fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. We talked about this last week. Jesus is the only one who could fulfill the Law and the Prophets as both pointed the way to Him. They did not point to another prophet or religious leader, but to Jesus! The Bible is full of Messianic prophecies. One mathematician, Peter Stoner counted the probability of one person fulfilling even a small number of them. He concluded that the chance of a single man fulfilling “just” 48 of the prophecies found in the Old Testament would be 1 in 10×157! In other words, that is 1 followed by 157 zeros! How many prophecies did Jesus fulfill? Jesus fulfilled more than 324 individual prophecies that related to the Messiah! So, the probability of one man fulfilling 324 prophecies must be a number beyond comprehension for anyone! It would be close to1 followed by 1060 zeros!!! And that’s if just one person fulfilled all those prophecies. The probability that more than one person could fulfill even 48 prophecies is impossible because the prophecies pertained to only one person. Jesus is the one. He fulfilled all the prophecies pertaining to Him and in doing so fulfilled the Law and the Prophets.
7. He is the only man to have conquered death forever. Hebrews 2:14–15 says, “Since then the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. 15And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” The children are partakers of flesh and blood because they are human beings. And being human beings, they have fallen and are to be redeemed. In order to be qualified to redeem them by suffering and dying in their stead, Jesus, Himself took part of the same. He became incarnate (flesh); and thus He who was God with God, became man with men. Jesus became flesh “by choice” so that He could die on a cross and redeem man back to God. But do you see what the passage does not say? It is very specific in identifying what part of the human experience Jesus took. He did not take humanity’s sinful nature. That’s why God says in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman, and between your seed (which contains sin) and her seed (which will be sinless); He (the seed, Jesus) shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” We know that a female does not produce seed. Seed is produced by the male. Now, I want you to think very carefully about this next question. If all religions lead to God, why would it be necessary for Jesus to “choose” to leave His Father’s side and come to the earth and die on a cross? If all religions lead to God, this would not have been necessary. Also, what other man/woman prophet or religious leader existed in heaven and chose to leave heaven to come and walk the earth as a man? There is a reason why Jesus is the only way to God!
8. Jesus is the only Mediator between God and man. I want you to focus on that word “only.” The word “only” is “used to indicate the one thing or person that solely or exclusively happens or is involved in a situation.” In other words, that person is the sole source! First Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” The Bible says that Jesus is the only mediator between God and man. No one else is listed. No one else is mentioned. If Jesus is the only mediator, then it would make sense that He is likewise the only way to God. Not just anyone can be a mediator. This person has to be chosen and remember we read under the second point in this message that Jesus “was chosen by God”?
9. Jesus is the only man whom God has “exalted . . . to the highest place.” Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name. 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Jesus is the one and only person that God has chosen to exalt. EVERY person, dead and alive, will one day bow down before Jesus and acknowledge Him as Lord. One final point I want to share before I close.
10. Jesus was mentioned by a prominent non-Christian, Jewish historian. The historian Josephus wrote about Jesus and His crucifixion in his work, Testimonium Flavianum. One 16th century prominent historian said this of Josephus: “Josephus is the most diligent and the greatest lover of truth of all writers; nor are we afraid to affirm of him, that it is more safe to believe him, not only as to the affairs of the Jews, but also as to those that are foreign to them, then all Greek and Latin writers; and this, because his fidelity and his compass of learning are everywhere conspicuous.” In other words, based on “how” thorough Josephus was in his documentation of historical facts, it could be trusted that what he wrote was actually truth. That being said, this is what Josephus documented about Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior: “Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call Him a man, for He was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to Him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned Him to the cross, those that loved Him at the first did not forsake Him; for He appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning Him. And the tribe of Christians so named from Him are not extinct to this day.” I want to point out that Josephus wrote this as a historical fact, not as a believer of Christ. He never publically confessed a belief that Jesus was the Christ. He wrote this to deliver historical truth because he thought it not lawful for him to deceive. His writing this as a “non-believer” further cements the testimonies given in Scripture. And remember this from Jesus’ crucifixion, a Roman official sealed Jesus’ grave to prevent anyone from stealing His body and creating a hoax about Him rising from the grave. Also, the world’s best soldiers were guarding the tomb and their officials would have put them to death if they had fallen asleep on watch. And yet the tomb was found empty and Jesus’ wrappings were stacked neatly inside. Finally, many people saw Him alive after His death. This can be said of no other religious leader! When they died, they ceased to be. Jesus, not so!
I believe what the Bible says – Jesus is the only way to God. I believe what the Bible says – Jesus is the only way into heaven. If you are a Christian, how can you believe anything else? At the time that Jesus delivered His powerful Sermon on the Mount, His teaching was new. His teaching went against the conventional wisdom and teachings of the day. But Jesus taught as one having the authority to do so. When He quoted Scripture, He quoted it because He knew it. When He walked the earth, the only thing He asked of those who would accept Him was to believe that He was who He said He was. Their belief in Him opened the door for everything else that followed. Their initial belief in Him required faith because they had not “learned” enough or “seen” enough from Him to believe based on evidence – and that is what Jesus wanted. Jesus told them the truth and left it to them to decide if they believed. He never tried to convince anyone that He was the Son of God. What He did was state the truth openly and honestly and allowed the people to make up their own minds.
Well, we have that same opportunity. Jesus said that He came to fulfill the Law and the prophets. Both, the Law and the Prophets, pointed the way to Him. Jesus spoke about obedience, being obedient and teaching others to do so. The person who does this would be called great in heaven. Those who did the opposite would be called least in heaven. There are many people who believe that being a good person and living a good life is all you need in order to get into heaven. You do not need to follow any religion or choose one specific one. All you need to do is do live right, do good and be a good person and you shall die and go to heaven. If you are one of those who believe this, please know that the Bible does not bear this out. There are other religions that support this theory, but not Christianity – even if there are Christians telling you this. Jesus said plainly that “….except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
I want to leave you with what Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome. He said in Romans 10:1-3, “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” This is the world that we are living in today. People are creating their own rules of “righteousness” and ignoring God’s. As we continue through this series, I want you to hear the words of Jesus as if He was speaking directly to you about you because He is. Hear the words as coming from His mouth to yours ears because moving forward we will begin getting into the deeper things about relationships. When I return, we will look at what Jesus says on certain topics versus what the people had been taught based on the Law. The key words you will hear in the next message of this series are, “You have heard that it was said to those of old….” With these words Jesus begins to expand their understanding of what it means to live in His Kingdom!
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
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