Skeptical Week 2
In a world filled
with other religions, Christians make the striking claim that Jesus is the only
way to receive eternal life. Our culture makes the claim that every religion
leads to salvation, but this is simply not the case. We were made to know the
One true God and to glorify Him alone. We must understand that Jesus is God in
flesh, and He alone is everything we could ever need. The bottom line is this:
Jesus is not one of many; He is the one and only.
John
14:1-11
“Let not your
hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house
are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a
place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the
way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you
are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and
the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you
had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him
and have seen him.”
8 Philip said to
him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 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’? 10 Do
you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that
I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in
me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in
me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), John 14:1-11.
John 14 comes as
Jesus’ time on earth is drawing near. As Jesus is preparing to leave, He is
preparing His believers for His departure. In this conversation between Christ
and His disciples we are given some of the deepest revelations in all of
scripture about who Jesus is and what Jesus can do for us. Let’s examine these
truths in the reverse order they are presented in the text.
Jesus is
God in the flesh.
Toward the end of
the conversation, as the disciples are discouraged by the announcement of
Christ’s leaving and confused by His proclamation that He goes to make a place
for them, Phillip cuts right to the heart of their trouble and confusion.
Phillip asks Jesus to show them the Father. If the disciples can see the
Father, then their troubles will melt away and their confusion will give way to
clarity.
Jesus’ answer to
Philip is staggering. “Phillip, have I been with you so long and you don’t know
me?” Do not miss what Christ is saying. Jesus is not saying that He is the
Father, but Jesus is saying that He is the perfect revelation of God the
Father. Everything you need to know about the Father you can know by looking at
Jesus. You cannot get to God, but God, in Christ has come to you. There is no
God behind the back of Jesus. Look to Jesus and you will find God!
This revelation
makes the first revelation of Christ in John 14 easier to understand:
Jesus is
everything we could ever need.
Earlier in the
conversation, Thomas asks Jesus how he could know the way to this place Christ
was going to prepare. Jesus’ answer is simple, yet profound. “I am the way, and
the truth, and the life.”
Jesus is making
clear to Thomas, the way to eternal life is found by looking at Him. The truth
you need to believe to have eternal life is found by looking at Him. The life
that you are after, on earth and in eternity, is found by looking at Him. This
is a call to recognize the sufficiency of Christ. He is all we need in this
life and in the next!
Questions for
Discussions
Why does Jesus
anticipate that the disciples’ hearts will be troubled? In what ways does
Jesus’ absence make our hearts troubled in this life? What are some things
making your heart troubled this week?
How does the
promise that Jesus goes to prepare a place for us impact the way that we live
our lives in the here and now?
If you had to
summarize what it means that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life, what would
you say?
How does Jesus' claim to be the ONLY Way, Truth, and Life rub against the culture that we live
in?
Why is it important
that Christians understand the exclusive nature of Christianity and the
salvation that Jesus offers?
What does it mean
that we can look at Jesus and know the Father?
END
Teacher Notes:
But then he came out and addressed his critics:
There are a lot of hard questions out there that Christians and non-Christians are asking and we must always remember 1 Peter 3:15, which says "... Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"
Regarding hell, C.
S. Lewis once wrote,
“There is no
doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this if it
lay in my power. But it has the full support of Scripture and, especially, of
Our Lord’s own words; it has always been held by Christendom; and it has the
support of reason. If a game is played, it must be possible to lose it.” Jesus
taught frequently about hell — in fact, we learn far more about hell from
Jesus’ words than from any other part of Scripture.
What makes
Christianity different from every other religion in the world?
In what ways is
Christianity exclusive and in what ways is Christianity inclusive?
In understanding
the exclusivity of Christ for salvation of man, we must understand two things
very clearly.
1.
We should not be shocked that God only offers people one way into heaven.
It should not surprise us that God says you
can only come to heaven by Jesus Christ. Instead, what should surprise us is
the fact God offers a way to heaven at all. The God of the universe was under
no obligation to offer salvation to humans. Yet, He did so in the life, death,
and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That Jesus is the only way to heaven is not
restrictive to humans, it’s a gift of mercy and grace to humans.
2. We must understand Jesus is the only way to heaven because Jesus has done
what no one else could, to offer what no one else can.
Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and died a
sinner’s death so we could live a sinner’s life and die a righteous person’s
death. Simply put, Jesus is the only way to heaven because Jesus Christ alone
fulfilled the requirement of God’s righteousness and paid the price for our
unrighteousness so we could go to heaven. Jesus is the only way to heaven
because Jesus loved you enough to do what no one else could ever do for you.
Yes, Jesus is the
only way to heaven, and for that we are thankful.
3
Scripture Verses to Focus on:
John 14:6, Acts
4:12, 1 Timothy 2:5
John 14:6
Jesus said to him,
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me.
How does Jesus’
claim to be the ONLY Way rub against the culture that we live in?
I am – In the Greek
language, “I am” is a very intense way of referring to oneself. It would be
comparable to saying, “I myself, and only I, am.”
These words reflect
the very name of God in Hebrew, Yahweh, which means “to be” or “the
self-existing one.” It is the name of power and authority, and Jesus claimed it
as His own.
Peter reiterated
this same truth years later to the rulers in Jerusalem…
Acts 4:12
Salvation is found
in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by
which we must be saved.
What does it mean
that there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved?
The English name
Jesus comes from the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name Yeshua, which
literally means: “Yahweh is salvation” or “The Lord Saves.”
Simply, there is no
other person who can save us.
Only
Jesus Saves.
John 3:16–17 tells
us: “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. For God did not send
His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through
Him.”
He is not a way, as
in one of many; He is the way, as in the one and only. 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:
- Jesus was “chosen by God” to be the Savior (1 Peter 2:4).
- Jesus is the only One to have come down from heaven and returned there (John 3:13).
- He is the only person to have lived a perfect human life (Hebrews 4:15).
- He is the only sacrifice for sin (1 John 2:2; Hebrews 10:26).
- He alone fulfilled the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17).
- He is the only man to have conquered death forever (Hebrews 2:14–15).
- He is the only man whom God has “exalted . . . to the highest place” (Philippians 2:9).
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one
God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,
Jesus represents
those who have placed their trust in Him before God’s throne of grace. He
mediates for us, much as a defense attorney mediates for his client, telling
the judge, “Your honor, my client is innocent of all charges against him.” That
is true for us also. Some day we will face God, but we will do so as totally
forgiven sinners because of Jesus’ death on our behalf. The “Defense Attorney”
took the penalty for us!
Conclusion
People get into
heaven by Jesus Christ, or they do not get in at all.
In a world filled with other religions, Christians make the striking claim that Jesus is the only way to receive eternal life. Our culture makes the claim that every religion leads to salvation, but this is simply not the case. We were made to know the One true God and to glorify Him alone. We must understand that Jesus is God in flesh, and He alone is everything we could ever need. The bottom line is this: Jesus is not one of many; He is the one and only.
END
