3/26/23 - I am the Way the Truth and the Life - John 14:1-7 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6  This Sunday we’re going to look at what might be the most controversial statement spoken by Jesus. It’s the very thing that had him killed. If you ask people living in the Valley what they think about Jesus, most will tell you they like him. From what they understand, Jesus seemed to be peaceful, loving and kind. This was his message to others so the world could use a little more Jesus - right? The Doobie Brothers speak for many - “Jesus is just alright with me.” (That dated me.) If this is the case, then why did the people in Jesus’ day crucify him? There have been many famous leaders who preach the message of love and kindness but they didn’t end up nailed to a cross. Why Jesus? I submit to you that if Jesus was walking the earth today as he did 2000 years ago, many people would dismiss him fast. Why? Because of the claims he made about himself.  Perhaps no statement is more confrontational than what he spoke in John 14:6. I use the word confrontational because that’s exactly what it is. Jesus did not leave any safe middle ground. In other words, his posture was, “You will either have to crown me or you will have to kill me, but you can’t simply say that I’m just a good person. This notion that I’m some kind of safe middle ground is not an option. You either accept me for who I say I am or you’ll have to say that I am the world’s greatest liar or I’m some kind of crazy person.” Some say Jesus is being too exclusive. Let me give you a different perspective… Christianity is the most inclusive thing in the world and here’s why…Many believe that only the good find God. As long as your good outweighs your bad, then you’re in the heaven club. This is the basis for all the world’s religions - earn your way to God by doing good things. Do you not see how incredibly exclusive this is? No one is consistently good. If we projected all of your secret and private thoughts on the big screen over the course of just the last 24 hours you would be horrified. You would die inside. Only the good find God; no, that’s way too exclusive for me. I prefer this: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. It’s not just the good people that can have eternal life, it’s “whoever believes.” When we follow Him in “the way,” we can be assured of following Him all the way to heaven!