At our Easter Gathering in 2015, Pastor Ronnie preached a sermon called Is Jesus Really the ONLY Way? The big idea of the message was “Jesus really is the ONLY way IF Jesus really rose from the grave.” Ronnie recaps some of the truths we looked at on that Easter Sunday in this post.

We explored the 3 “I am” statements contained in John 14:6, where Jesus made 3 claims about WHAT He believes He came to do, WHO He believes He is, and WHY He believes He can do it.

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6

The WAY

Jesus claims to be the WAY, which communicates WHAT He believes He came to do. According to Bible, Creator God created people in His image, to live in relationship with Him, and bring Him glory…then sin entered and messed it up. Sin is not just mistakes - Sin IS a violation against Creator God Himself, His created intent for us, and His will for us. Sin is NOT just what we do – Sin IS who we are. Sin IS so much bigger than what we make it to be.

According to Bible…

Sin doesn’t make us immoral – It makes us guilty before creator God.
Sin doesn’t make a little blemished in God’s eyes – It makes us completely detestable to a holy God.
Sin doesn’t evoke God’s mercy – It evokes a just God’s wrath.
Sin doesn’t make us bad – It makes us dead.
Sin doesn’t hurt our relationship with God – It completely separates us from God, and creates a BARRIER between us and God in this life and the next.

According to Bible, we all need SAVED. There is no amount of morality or goodness we can muster up to earn our way to Him. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves…God Himself has to make a WAY. Jesus claims to be the REDEMPTIVE WAY of forgiveness for our sin. This differentiates Christianity from every other religion. Instead of creating a path for us to hike to get to God, He hikes down to us and heaps our sin upon His back.

The TRUTH

Jesus claims to be the TRUTH, which communicates WHO He believes He is. According to Scripture only God Himself can make a WAY. In the Bible, God is called THE TRUTH and truth is not just a concept: truth is a person...it is God himself...it is who He is. When Jesus claims to be the truth, He is essentially saying “I am God himself, and this is the reason I can be the WAY.”

Once again, this is different from every other religion. All other religions are about how man gets to God - there is only one where God comes to man and becomes a man. All other religions are about what man has to do to work his way – there is only one where God does the work for us. He does it for one reason: LOVE. God’s love outweighs his wrath – Jesus came because God loves. There is only one God who loves you enough to come for you, sacrifice Himself for you, passionately pursues you, and longs to forgive you.

The LIFE

Jesus’ claim to be THE LIFE communicates WHY he believes he is the way and truth. Earlier, in John 11:25 Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” He is saying, “I am not only the way of forgiveness from God – I am also the way back to God and the life only He can give in this life and the next.”

The truth of Jesus’ claims and Christianity are based on 1 event…not the cross on Friday, but the empty tomb on Sunday – Jesus rising from grave. If this 1 thing didn’t happen, everything Jesus claimed is false and Christianity a hoax. If this 1 thing happened, it changes everything.

If this one thing happened…

Jesus’ claim that his sacrifice on cross on Friday as redemptive WAY for forgiveness of sins is TRUE.
Jesus’ claim that He is TRUTH…that He is God himself is TRUE.
Jesus’ claim that He IS resurrection and life so He can give "it" is TRUE because He defeated death and the grave.
Finally…if this one thing happened, then it is TRUE that Jesus is the ONLY way to the ONE true God.

Jesus really is the only way if Jesus really rose from the grave

You must ask yourself, “Did this one thing really happen – did Jesus really rise from the grave?” If you conclude it did, it should change everything. Therefore, the most important question I can ask you today is, “Have you come to God through Jesus?” We put our faith in Jesus by asking Him to be the Forgiver of our sins and Leader of our lives.

If your answer is NO, what is stopping you from putting your faith in Jesus today? The reality is…no person who has ever put faith was totally comfortable, had all their reservations gone, or all their questions answered. Their questions just became less important because they came to the point of believing “this is true” and that changed everything. What’s at stake are not your unanswered questions, but the implications of what Jesus’ claim means for you.

If your answer is YES, are you living in such a way that proves you believe this to be true? Are you living the truth of SUNDAY everyday? Don’t just believe…FOLLOW. And by following, share His love. The resurrection should change everything, and many live like it hasn't. I challenge you to fully surrender and repent.

Do you believe Jesus rose from the grave? If so, what does that mean for you today?

New LIFE starts today because of THE resurrection and LIFE…Jesus! Wherever you are today, say YES to Jesus!

Pastor Ronnie