JOHN14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
A preacher was traveling to another state and as he boarded the airplane and sat in his seat, the gentleman next to him began conversing with the minister. After the initial greetings the man asked the preacher what he did for a living. Instead of saying he was a minister which he knew caused instant judgment amongst people, he chose to say he was a writer. “Oh really what kind of writing do you do” the man asked. The preacher answered “Mostly Christian inspirational.”
The man responded “Oh so are you a preacher?” The preacher responded “Yes I am.” “I used to go to church and all that stuff, but when the preacher would say that there is only one way to heaven, that really turned me off because I don't think it is true,” the man said. The preacher thought for a moment and then responded “Imagine if this airplane were to crash right now and the flight attendant came to you and said that the only way we all could survive the crash would be through an opening at the back of the plane. Would you argue with the flight attendant and say 'I don't believe that is the only way' or would you trust their word and follow them to your safety?” The man was speechless and really did not have a retort.
That is exactly how we should think of salvation. The Bible says there is only one way that we can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and that is through the sacrificial death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way. There is no other door. There is no other method. Jesus is the only way for us to be forgiven of our sins, to be reconciled with God again, and given the gift of eternal life. The Bible calls it a gift because it cannot be earned. We read this in Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Our good works can't buy us a ticket into Heaven because in God's eyes they are as filthy rags. Eternal life can't be earned by being good or by doing good because if that were possible then the Lord Jesus died in vain. Earning salvation is impossible because God's standard is so high that we could never reach it. That is why salvation is called a gift. (Acts 4:12) (Isaiah 64:6) (Galatians 2:20-21)
God wishes to give us His blessings, He wishes to impart His goodness and He waits to welcome us in to be with Him, but we must ask the Lord to be redeemed and reconciled back with Him again before we can receive any of these gifts. So do we believe God's Word and trust that Jesus is the only way or do we believe what the world says and trust that there are many ways to the same destination? The question is ours to answer, but what we must fully understand is that our eternal soul weighs in the balance. For me personally I stand with Joshua who unashamedly said “As for me and my household we will serve the Lord.” There is no better decision that one can make in their lifetime than to have the Creator of the universe reside within their heart. The Lord is faithful to answer those who seek after Him. (Joshua 24:15) (Ezekiel 18:32) (Luke 12:31-34)
May we each live eternity minded and do our absolute best to serve the Lord, to minister to the brokenhearted, to lead by example, to love others as God loves us and to simply be a living witness and example that the Lord Jesus set for us when He was on the earth.
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Psalm 103:10-14 “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.”
Romans 10:9-11 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.”
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Philippians 2:9-11 “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Luke 15:10 Jesus declares “I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
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SERMONS