Dinner with Jesus - Week 2
September 14, 2008
Jesus, Are You the Only Way?
1 Cor. 15:1-11 

Last week, we answered the question, “Who is Jesus?"
Today, the question probes a bit deeper, “Is Jesus really the only way to God?”

PRIDE OR PREJUDICE

Nothing seems to upset people more than this simple claim. I remember meeting with a couple that was visiting the church I pastored. They were wanting to join, but I felt strongly that I needed to visit with them personally first. As the couple sat down on the couch in my office, I settled in my wing backed chair and the conversation began. I asked about their spiritual journey. The husband spoke up first and told me about growing up in a Christian home, wandering during his college days but later coming to a place of trusting in Jesus. He attended a respectable Bible Church in the community while he attended law school. As he was talking, I noticed that his wife sat there silently listening. She made no comment or injected any thoughts. When he was finished then I turned to her and said, “So tell me about your spiritual journey.” She had grown up overseas. Her father was an Ambassador of the US and was born and raised Muslim. Her mother was an American born Christian, but she grew up in a predominately Muslim household. I could tell that she struggled with the conversation and even her own personal walk with God. Then he turned to me and said, “You say something that really bothers me!” “What is it?” I said. “Well, You say that Jesus is the only way to a relationship with God, and I just don’t believe that!” I looked at her husband, who now sat quietly with a embarrassed look on his face, as if the cat had now come jumping out of the bag! “Why do you feel that way?” I asked. At this point I could tell she was getting more agitated and she sat up on the edge of the couch. “Because, to say that Jesus is the only is hubris. It’s arrogance. It’s prideful. How can anyone say that their way is the only way.”

I have often reflected on that conversation. Her response to the claim that Jesus is the only way is in line with how many people feel about this exclusive claim. For the lady in my office, it was sheer pride and arrogance to claim that Jesus was the only way. For others, such as claim is seen as prejudice. Rabbi Schumley Boteach -  “I am absolutely against any religion that says that one faith is superior to another. I don’t see how that is anything different than spiritual racism.” For a lot of people, the claim that Jesus is the only way comes from either pride or prejudice.

Maybe that’s you. You have been struggling with this issue. Maybe you have always seen Christians as narrow minded or even condescending to other religions. If you have had those thoughts, you are not alone.

We live in an ever growing pluralistic culture. With technology and diversity, our world is shrinking and cultures are blending in a way that has never taken place in the history of our nation! Today, when you leave this place you can go eat authentic Mexican food, German food, Italian food or Chinese. We love options. We love experimenting. If you go to Olive Garden, they have an option – “build you own pasta”, where you can created your dish to suit you taste. And many people take the same approach with their spiritual appetites. They love sampling all kinds of spiritual options. And they like building their own understanding of God, customizing him to fit their own tastes and preferences. We live in a day were all truth is truth – where any idea is never wrong – where every religion must be embraced. This is the wave of our culture.

John Lennon – “I believe that what Jesus and Mohammad and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It’s just that the translations have gone wrong.”

Mahatma Gandhi – “All paths leading to God are equally good.”

Homer Simpson – “I’m gonna die! Jesus, Allah, Buddha – I love you all!”

Even the most powerful influencers in our country are preaching this pluralistic message. And the culture shapers in America are rejecting Jesus as the only way. Watch this! [video of Oprah] Oprah would have agreed with the woman on the couch in my office. But what does Jesus have to say about this?

JESUS EXCLUSIVE CLAIM

When you just look at the words of Jesus, he made it crystal clear that he was the only way to reconciliation with God.

We have all heard the famous verse of John 3.16. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (but keep reading) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.”  John 3.16-18

“I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins."  John 8.24

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”  Matthew 7.13-14

“Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14.6

The Early Church also held to the “one way” position.

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4.12

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” I John 5.11-13

You see, God wants you to know Him. He wants you to know his forgiveness. He wants you to be confident and sure that you will be in heaven when you die. But the only way to know Him, is to know Jesus. 

But people don’t like hearing this from Jesus. They love Jesus as long as he is healing the sick, caring for the poor, holding children in his lap, feeding the hungry, but the minute he starts to claim that He is God’s Son and the only way to be right with the Father, then all that love comes to screeching halt. That is when people begin to get hostile toward Jesus.

The real question here is WHY.  WHY did Jesus say he was the only way?  WHY have his followers held this belief for thousands of years? WHY did Jesus’ closest followers give their life because they would not change their conviction? WHY even to this day, do  Christ followers suffer in labor camps in China, or are hacked to death in Muslim countries, or are ostracized by their families in India because they have come to embrace Jesus as the only way. Why? Why would they do that? The answer is wrapped up in one word. I want to show you, turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 15.1-11

ONE WORD

Before I go any further, you have to understand what I’m about to read. The Apostle Paul, who wrote most of the letters to churches that are compiled in the New Testament of our Bible, was writing to a church in Corinth. And in this passage, Paul is stating in just a few words, what Christians believe. In fact, this section is known to be one of the earliest Christian creeds, often recited in worship in the first century. As you read it, you will hear one word that sets Jesus apart, and validates why Jesus is the one and only way to reconciliation with God.

The one word that sets Jesus apart for any other religious leader is the word – resurrection. The claims of Jesus and the Christian faith stand or fall on the resurrection of Jesus. It is this historic fact, that Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again from the dead, that makes Jesus the only way!

• Thomas Arnold (professor of modern history in Oxford) “No one fact in the history of mankind…is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort than the fact that Christ died and rose from the dead.”

• Billy Graham – “The entire plan for the future has its key in the resurrection.”

So I want us to take a good look at this passage that speaks about Jesus’ resurrection. There are four historical facts that set Jesus apart as the only way to God.

FOUR FACTS

Fact #1: Jesus died on the cross

“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…” (v3) The Bible is very clear that Jesus died. He was executed by Roman crucifixion somewhere around 33 A.D. His crime was claiming to be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus was apprehended by a squadron of Roman soldiers during the night. He was quested in a hostile secret trial. He was dragged before Herod and Pontius Pilate, the Governor of Palestine at the time. He was scourged; his back ripped to shreds with a whip made of leather, embedded with rocks and glass. He was beaten beyond recognition. He was crucified by a professional executioner that later declared him dead. Just to be sure, they trust a spear into his side and blood and water flowed out of him. There is no historical evidence from inside the Bible or secular historians to point to anything other than the fact that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was killed on that cross. But Paul adds two statements here that are important. Jesus died “according to the scriptures”. That is, his death was foretold thousands of years prior to Jesus walking the earth. When you go back and read the prophets, when you read the Psalms, you will discover that details out his crucifixion were predicted. That he would be beaten, wiped, disfigured, crucified, stabbed in the side – all these things were predicted thousands of years before. It was done “according to the scriptures”. And Paul adds, Jesus died “for our sins”. The Bible tells us that Jesus died as a substitute for you and for me. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. And when we live our own life, go our on way without any regard for God’s laws, God’s plan, then we sin against a Holy God. The Bible says that everyone of us has sinned. “There is no one righteous, not even one.” Romans 3.10.  “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Romans 3.23 You see, every time you sin, there is a price to pay. With every infraction of God’s standard, there is a penalty. And that penalty is death. Death in this life and eternal separation from God. And that is why Jesus died. He came to this earth for one reason, and that was to pay the price for your sins. To died in your place. In the OT there was a tradition. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would bring a goat out before the people, and he would put his hands on the head of that goat and pray. In this way, God transferred the sins of the people onto the goat, and later the goat would be offered as a sacrifice, for the forgiveness of the people. That was a foreshadowing of what God did with Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross, God took all of your sins – your waywardness – your rebellion – your bad choices –all the things you have to answer to God for – and he transferred them onto the back of Jesus. And Jesus died for your sins. He died for my sins. No one else in all of history has paid for your sins by giving his life for you – only Jesus!

Maybe you are here today, and you desperately need forgiveness. You know that you are far from God. You understand that you have sin in your life. And you want to be clean in God’s presence, you want to be right with God. You can be right with God, because God made a way for your sin to be paid for by someone else – Jesus. And at the end of this service, I am going to give you a change to ask God to forgive you, clean you, restore this broken relationship with you forever!

Fact #2: Jesus’ tomb was empty

“…that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures….” (v4) But the story of Jesus doesn’t stop with his death. Jesus also was buried and rose again from the dead three days later. Seven hundred years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah wrote that the Messiah would be killed and would be buried in a rich man’s tomb. (Isaiah 53.9) And that is exactly what happened. Though Jesus didn’t have much money, a man named Joseph of Arimathea requested the body of Jesus and made provisions for his body to be buried in an above the ground tomb, sealed with a large stone in the front. Later, when the Jewish leaders were fearful that his followers might try to steal the body of Jesus and claim he rose from the dead, a platoon of Roman soldiers were dispatched to seal the tomb and stand guard over it 24-7. But the Bible makes is very clear that on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead, terrifying the guards and rolling away the huge stone that covered the grave. When the disciples were notified that the body of Jesus was missing, they rushed to the tomb only to find the gave covering there was no body. He was gone. And again Paul uses the phrase, “according to the scriptures”, citing his resurrection was again foretold years before. 

Fact #3: Jesus appeared alive after his death

“…and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time…” (v5) The mission body of Jesus did turn up, but not as a lifeless corps but as the living Jesus! Acts 1.3 “After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared tot them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” The appearances of Jesus are profound proof of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus appeared to his core disciples in closed rooms, but he also appeared to many people – up to 500 at one time – over a 40 days period of time - proving convincingly that he was alive! He ate with them, he walked with them, he talked with them. Thomas the doubter touched his hands and his pierced side, fell to his knees and declared, “My Lord and my God.” Mary clung to him, his disciples touched his feet! These people knew Jesus and they saw Jesus alive again. It’s interesting to me that Paul claims that many of these people who saw Jesus are still alive and are available to back up his testimony. “Go ask them yourselves if you don’t believe me” he was saying. 500 plus witnesses is powerful evidence!

Fact #4: Jesus transformed people

The people that encountered the risen Jesus, were dramatically transformed! There are several people mentioned specifically here. Peter was mentioned. When Jesus was being interrogated and crucified, Peter was afraid. He hid. He denied he ever knew Jesus. He was terrified of being found out. After seeing Jesus alive, Peter was transformed into a powerful bold witness about Jesus and his resurrection. He preached in the public streets on Pentecost and later was crucified upside down in a Roman Coliseum because of his devotion to Jesus. Peter was changed! The “twelve” are mentioned. Each one of these men were radically changed by seeing Jesus alive from the dead. And each one (except one) died a martyr’s death, convinced that Jesus was the Messiah who rose again from the dead. James was mentioned. James was the half brother of Jesus who was a hardened skeptic. But once he saw Jesus alive from the grave, he became a powerful leading in the early church and was later stoned to death by Jewish leaders because of his faith in Christ. And then Paul mentions himself.  “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.” (v10) Paul used to be a hater of Jesus, he used to imprison Christians and even put some to death. But Paul himself encountered the risen Jesus and his life was completely turned upside down! Paul went from being a persecutor of the church to an on-fire preacher of the gospel! And because Paul was convinced that Jesus died, rose again, and showed himself alive – he suffered greatly. He was imprisoned, beaten, stoned, whipped and later he was beheaded in Rome - all for his conviction that Jesus really was the risen Son of God and the only way to heaven! These men who saw Jesus alive, were forever changed –transformed!

JESUS, THE ONE AND ONLY

What sets Jesus apart, what makes him the only way is the fact that only Jesus died on a cross for your sins, only Jesus rose again in power – conquering death, proving himself to be the Son of God, only Jesus appeared to his followers, only Jesus has transformed lives! Only Jesus! Buddha never claimed to be God and he died like every other man. Mohammad never claimed to be God and he died like every other man. Confucius never claimed to be God and he died like every other man. Moses never claimed to be God and he died like every other man. Jesus claimed to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, and he was crucified, buried, and rose again from the dead, appearing to hundreds of people transforming lives of men and history forever!

And this Jesus stands today offering you a new start, forgiveness and life forever with him in heaven. Paul’s words at the beginning of this passage are now so powerful. “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word preached to you.” (I Corinthians 15.2) Have you been saved? Saved from your sin? Has there been a time when you asked Jesus to forgive you and lead your life? Jesus said, “"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.” (John 11.25) Jesus has made a way for you to know God. But you must receive Jesus for yourself. You have to accept his gift of eternal life!