Well, a good evening to you. A good cold evening to you. But I'm glad that you are here. And I know this, that because you are here, God has something specifically for you. I don't know what it may be. It may be something I say specifically. It may be something that I don't say, but triggers your mind about something that the Holy Spirit wants to get at you. And I'm confident that God will do His work because we are looking at His Word. And it will go forth. I'm praying that tonight you don't hear my voice, but you hear the voice of the Lord. because His is the voice that has authority, mine does not. You're going to forget all about me, and it's probably good that you do, but you don't need to ever forget what you hear tonight, because tonight is the difference, honestly, between life and death. If I can be just as blunt as I can, this afternoon, sometime this afternoon, We are on our way back to the house, almost back to the house, when we had to pull off to the side of the road. For there was a four-door sedan car up on its side, up against an embankment, or kind of up around the road. We thought it had just been abandoned, but then we saw movement inside the car. Two sisters in their seventies are in that car. We came upon it four or five minutes after the accident. They're still in there. It's the first time I've ever been a part of the first responding group. Some other cars pulled up behind us and we all went and were there to try to help. And praise the Lord, the Lord preserved their life, and it appears other than just probably a lot of soreness and some fear, no doubt, next time, or any time they close their eyes for the next few days. The next time they might get behind the wheel of a car again. But other than that, they seem to be doing okay. And we rejoice in the goodness of God. But as I stood there and as the ambulance came and the police and all the others there to help, I couldn't help but stand and watch and think this thought, in a moment, your life can be over. These dear sisters, they had no idea that their life was going to be greatly altered this afternoon. They're just driving along. From what we can tell, not too fast, but lost control of the wheel. And before you know it, car flipped. It's on its side. Their life could have ended. God was gracious. God was kind. Demonstrated His kindness in that way in keeping them alive. And as I stood there, I thought, we are but a heartbeat from eternity. You may not be in a car accident, and I hope you never are going forward. I don't know if you've been in before, but I hope you're never in one. It doesn't have to be a car accident, it can be anything. You and I are but a heartbeat from eternity. So I'm so glad you're here tonight, because I want to take us to one statement that the Lord Jesus, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave, It is a statement that now is the time, before you get into those situations, now is the time to ask yourself hard questions. What happens to me the moment I die? Will I find myself in the presence of God? Will I find myself banished from the presence of God? Will I be in heaven? Will I be in hell? Is there a heaven? Is there a hell? Is there an afterlife? What happens to me the moment after I die? Well, the Bible teaches very clearly that there is a heaven and there is a hell, so therefore I believe it. But Jesus is going to say something tonight to us, to you, that you must hear before you die. It is what I consider to be the most scandalous statement Jesus ever made. It is the most outrageous statement that Jesus ever made. It is the most explosive statement Jesus ever made. And maybe for your heart, certainly for most hearts in our western world, it is the most intolerant statement Jesus ever made. It's found in the Gospel of John chapter 14. You may have a Bible. You may not have a Bible. It's okay. It's a real easy verse to understand. I'm going to read it to you. John 14 and verse 6. Jesus said to him. The him is one of his disciples named Thomas. Jesus said unto him. Here is the statement of Jesus. I am the way. the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me." This statement will get you in trouble. No man comes to God except through Jesus. This is Jesus' unmistakable claim to be the only, the exclusive way to God. Jesus gives in this one statement no room for a different religion. He gives no room for a different root. He gives no room for another road to get to heaven or to get to God. Truly, he says, only Jesus gets an individual to God. So what does that mean? Well, I can tell you right now, you are here sitting gathered with free Baptist church. May I tell you, the Baptist church can't get anybody to God. The Muslim faith can't get anybody to God. The Jewish religious system can't get anyone to God. Humanitarian efforts, good people, as we think of it, can't get themselves to God. The religions of the East, the Eastern religions, can't get anyone to God. Only Jesus gets you to the Father. Now, I don't want to be misunderstood, and I don't want Jesus to be misunderstood, for He teaches a lot about love. And so therefore, the church of Jesus Christ, we must love people from all faiths. And may I say this from non-faith too. We must love all people. We must listen to them. Interact with them with love and patience and understanding and grace. We should not be upset that they don't believe in God. Of course they don't believe in God. We must interact with grace and understanding, but we must love Jesus more. our Lord and Savior. And if Jesus said He is the only way to God, then we must, without apology, say the same thing. And so let me be as clear as I possibly can. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, is the only way to God. And we will declare Him as such, even if we will be labeled intolerant or ignorant. Maybe you sit here tonight and you're offended a bit by what you believe to be such an intolerant, hateful statement. How can you say such a thing? How do you know Jesus really ever said that? If so, that's understandable, but don't turn Jesus off just yet. Even secular historians tell us that Jesus was the most influential person in history. So give Him a hearing, hear Him out, and then decide whether or not you will believe. But listen to Him. So this is what I want to do. I want to take this scandalous statement, and folks, it is an outrageous statement. I want to take this scandalous statement of Jesus, and I want to do everything I can to just kind of pick it apart, help you think about it a little bit tonight. And I'm praying the Holy Spirit of God would open up your heart to believe this, because I can't reason you to faith. And I'm not going to try. But I do want to lay out what Jesus is teaching here. I want to give you three realities about Jesus' controversial statement, alright? This is good stuff. We're going to look here, number one, Jesus' statement about being the only way to God, His statement is clear. You can't misunderstand Him. He just bottom lines it right here. It is as though, you know, we have three children, my wife and I. And sometimes, they're 12, 10, and 7, or 8, excuse me, one just had a birthday. Sometimes they don't pay attention real well. Can you believe that, kids? I can't. They don't pay attention, and so my wife, very lovingly and very patiently, very unlike me, will come next to them, will get down on her knees, as it were, and put her hand on their faces, and she will say, focus. You need to hear my very clear statement. That's what Jesus is doing here in verse number 6 of John 14. He is saying to you, pay attention. You must not misunderstand what I am saying. I want to be as clear as I possibly can focus on what I'm saying. He says here, I am the way, the truth, and the life. So let's take these three parts here briefly. He says, I am the way to God. I am the way. Notice he does not say a way, he says the way to God. Over in my country, in America, they have a statement. Maybe they have this here. I don't know where it came from. Have you heard this statement before? There's more than one way to skin a cat. I have no idea if that's true or not. I'd like to try." No, I don't know if that's true. But isn't that true just about everything? There's always more than one way to do anything. There's more than one way to get to the number four. There's more than one way to log on the internet. There's more than one way to drive a car. There's more than one way to get to Edinburgh. There's more than one way to fix a burger. There's more than one way to play a game. There's more than one way to talk. There's more than one way to read a book. There's more than one way to sing. There's always more than one way to do everything. There's more than one way to die. And that's what makes Jesus' statement so stark. He says there is not more than one way to God. There's one way. An exclusive way. A narrow way. And according to Jesus, it is Him. He is the access to God. Any other way that you try to get to God, or make God like you, or make God accept you, is a faulty way. Now I have in my wallet here, I have a key card. You know what a key card is? It's a card that's a key. My church building back in the United States, we went away from the actual keys that you go, and we put up a box, you know, right by the outside doors that has a code in it, or a scanner in it. And all we have to do is, if you have a key, a key card, you're supposed to go to the door, put up the key or the card here next to that keypad, And the code in this, the access code, is activated and guess what happens? The door is unlocked and I get to go into the building. It's a wonderful system, alright? This is wonderful. Now every time I come up, I hit it. the code is activated and I can get in. What if, and that's not the only card I have in my wallet though, I have my bank card in my wallet, all right? The United States flag on there, all right? I've got my bank card. What if I went to, I want to get into my church building? All right, it's locked up. Oh, I don't have the key. I've got this card though, it has an access code on it. It's connected to my bank account. I take my bank card, I go up next to it. What's going to happen? Am I going to be accepted? No. Very good. I'm not going to be accepted. Why? But it's got an access code. Yeah. It's a faulty access code. It doesn't go with the particular building. All right. Well, I got other cards in here as well. I got my library card. All right. It's got a code on it. It's got a barcode. What if I put my library card next to it? Nothing's going to happen. It's denied. I can try card after card after card, but unless I try the only card that will work, I will never be let in. All the other cards are faulty access codes that will always be denied. Maybe I am speaking to someone here tonight that in your heart you are trusting and you are using and trying in your own heart a faulty access code to get into heaven one day. Oh, you hope that one day when life is all done, And when you die, you believe in God, you stand, you go, you know, when I'm done with life, and I want God to let me into heaven. And I know I'm not a perfect person, but I'm a pretty good person. And at the end of my life, you know, I kind of hope that there are more, my goodness weighs more than my badness. So if I can just have more good than bad, well then I'll get to go up into heaven, and I won't have to go down. That's a faulty access code. Your goodness is going to get you to God? I'm sorry, the Bible says there are none that does good. No, not even one. There is none righteous. All of your goodnesses are but filthiness in the sight of a holy God. So yeah, go ahead and trust your goodness. You're going to be denied. That's a faulty access code. You say, well, I know I'm not good. That's why I went after religion. Man, I've joined a church. I've attended church services. I've been baptized. I've taken, you know, communion. I've done the sacraments. I've gone to confession. I've tried to help my fellow man. I've tried to love other people. I've done the religious things. And you're hoping one day that God will, that makes God like you and God accept you and make you right with God. My friend, that's yet another faulty access code. It's not the way to God. According to Jesus, the only access to God is Jesus Himself. All the other access codes will always be denied. But Jesus says, I am the access code that gets you into God and you will never be denied. Where does it say that? Ephesians 2.18. It is through Christ we have access by one Spirit to the Father. Romans 5 and verse 2, by our Lord Jesus Christ we have access, we have a way to the Father, into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice and hope of the glory of God. Jesus is the access to peace and joy and heaven and to God. Jesus is the way in and you will never be denied access if you go through Jesus. You sit here tonight and you say, well, that's good for you. I'm glad for all you religious people that you have found peace in religion. Well, good for you. I actually don't believe there is a God. I don't believe that there is a God or a future. You know, I'm just living life right now. My life is good. Don't bother me with your religious oppression. I'm good. Don't you... Fine. I mean, that's fine. That's your prerogative. But don't you see you're just like the religious people? You have found out a way for you to be okay. You see that? You've determined how your life works. Good for you! What's going to happen when you die? You say, well, I just don't believe that anything's going to happen when I die. This is all there is to life. Fine, good for you. But you still, you have come up with your own way to deal with life and to deal with eternity and to deal with death. And according to Jesus, you're no different than the religious person who has found a religious way to live life. The only way to live and to get to God, and the only way to live this life before Him is through Jesus Christ. You say, well, you know what? That's good for you. You believe there's a God. I don't believe there's a God. You believe there's a way to God through Jesus. I don't believe there is, and anybody can know that. Well, that's fine. But the truth is, this is the truth. For what does Jesus say in verse number 6? I am the way, I am the truth. You can sit here and say that what you think is the truth, but it doesn't change this fact. Jesus is the true access. All these other ways are faulty codes. John 1.14, Jesus is full of grace and truth. John 1.17, the law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 18.37, everyone that is of the truth hears my voice. He is truth. Now that means this, Jesus will not lie to you. Jesus cannot lie to you. He tells you the truth about that which is true. He deals in true facts. So therefore, the statement that there are many ways to God or there are no ways to God, either one of those is a satanic lie from the father of lies. For we read in John 8.44, the devil, Satan, was a murderer from the beginning and, don't miss this, abode not the truth For he is a liar and the father of lies. So what do we see here? Jesus is the truth Satan is the lie Everything that comes out of his mouth is tainted with a lie Again, you sit here and say, well, that's true for you, but many roads to God is true for me, or for others, or maybe no road to God is true for me. Well, I'm sorry, it simply doesn't work that way. Just because you say something is true for you doesn't make it absolutely true. Just because also I say that you are believing a lie that you have concocted of your own heart, doesn't make me guilty of hate speech either. I mean, think about this. Is it hate speech for a father to go to his teenage daughter and breaks the news that that cute boy she met online is actually a 46 year old man? Is that hate speech? No. That beautiful, special lie is going to destroy her. Now, she may call Dad a monster. She may say, Dad, you're a hater. You have no idea what you're talking about. You don't know or care how I feel! But He loves her so much that He is willing to go through her calling Him names so that she will not be destroyed by a predator online. no matter what she currently believes. So is it hate speech to tell you that you are trusting a lie that will destroy you? No. It is a loving thing because it is attempting to protect you from destruction. This is not my truth. This is the truth of God that He has given to us. So let Jesus be abundantly clear. If you are trusting anything but Jesus to get you to God, you are trusting a lie that will destroy you. You say, how arrogant, how hateful, how intolerant. You're the reason why there's so much bigotry. You're the reason why there's so much discrimination. You're the reason why there's so much hatred in this world. Doesn't your God say to love? Yes, He does. In fact, John 13 talks all about love, right before John 14. But my God also says, I am the only way to God. I am the only truth of God. Why? Because He says, I am the only life of God. You know what this means? He says, I am the life. I am the life of God. That means I share the same life that God has. That tells us, among other things, that Jesus is God. You see, this is no mere mortal man giving out his wisdom. No, this is the eternal Son of God who has always existed. And He makes this claim, I am the God who has life eternal. I am eternal life. We talked about that, by the way, on Sunday night across the hall over there. I have the life of the Father. But I also know this is talking also specifically about what He did upon the cross and after the cross. For if you know anything about Jesus, here He is the eternal Son of God, possessing the life of the Father. He comes into this world and takes on flesh and bones like you and I. And He lives the life, a life of perfect obedience to God. A life you can't live, or I can. And He went to the cross and wicked men hated Him and killed Him. Sinful men did this to Him. And there on the cross, Jesus suffered the wrath of God that was meant for you. He took responsibility for your sin. Have you ever noticed that when something goes wrong, nobody wants to take responsibility for it? You know, it's not my fault. Well, Jesus, who had done no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth, when we had ruined ourselves in sin, Jesus said, I'll take responsibility for it. Not only did He take responsibility for sin, He took the guilt of sin upon Him. Your sin and mine. And there on the cross, He suffered the wrath of God. The fury of God was poured out on Him that should have been poured out on you. Jesus died as a substitute in your place. And He was buried, and three days later, He rose again to life! He is the life! Jesus beat death. Jesus conquered death. Jesus is alive. To this very hour, He is alive, for He is God! He is the eternal Son of the living God! This is what Christ has done. My Lord died, but my Lord came back to life. And He has made this promise to all who believe in Him. Because I live, you shall live also. That's in John 14 and verse 19. Because I live, you shall live also. You see, this is why Jesus is the only way to God. The only way to eternal life with the Father is Him who has eternal life and has beaten death. This is what He offers you. You say, well, you know, let Him be abundantly clear. No one gets to God except by Jesus. And you can say, well, I don't believe that. Alright, let God be true, but every man a liar. This is the truth of the Lord Jesus. It's your responsibility to believe it or reject it. But you have to face this. So that's the first one. Now can I say that I had three realities about Jesus' controversial statement? That one is longer than the next two combined. Okay? Here's number two. Not only is Jesus' statement clear, Jesus' statement is also comforting. It's very comforting. Because John 14 begins with these words, let not your heart be troubled. Don't be troubled in your heart. Calm your heart down. You see, He has just revealed again to His followers, He's about actually to go to the cross, and He's telling His followers, I'm about to die. I'm going to be leaving you, but you are okay. Because you have Me, you will end up where I am going. I'm going to the Father. You're going to go to the Father because you have me. So calm your heart down. Thomas, if you look at verse number 5, Thomas said unto him, Lord, we know not whither you go. How can we know the way to get to where you're going? And here's the comforting statement. Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. Thomas, calm down your heart, because you have found the true and the living way. Oh, my brother or sister in Christ, because you have received Jesus. Calm your heart down. You're good. You have received the only way to get to God. Stop running around worrying if you've done everything right for heaven and right for God. Stop worrying if you prayed the right words or if you meant it enough like you could do anything to save yourself anyway. You can't save yourself, only Jesus can. And He has done for you what you could never do for yourself on the cross. He is the one who makes you good with God. And when you receive Him by faith, you have the true and the living way to the Father. 1 John 5, 11 and 12. This is the record. God had given to us eternal life. This life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life. But he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I have a good friend. He's a brother in Christ. He was a pastor back home in America, in the state that I live in, the state of Indiana. Fifty-seven years of age. He was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. And when his doctor revealed the diagnosis to him, he hopped off the table that he was sitting on, and he gave the doctor a bear hug, as if to say, it's okay doc, my God's got this. I preached for him and his church a couple more times in the last eight or nine months that he had to live on this earth. The last time I saw him alive was about 10 or 11 days before he died. It was Easter Sunday, I'm sorry, he would want me to call it Resurrection Sunday of 2016. I went into his office to pray before I was to go out and preach for that Resurrection Sunday service. He was very frail in a whole great amount of pain, and he said to me, I'm in so much pain, and I cannot wait to go home to heaven, because I know the moment I die, I'm going to be in His presence. And I know that my God is going to take care of my wife and daughter that's still at home. But I'm ready to go." He was not ready to go because he's a pastor. He was ready to go because he had Jesus. He wasn't ready to go and die because he was a Baptist. Oh, I'm glad he was a Baptist. That's what I am. But that's not why he was ready. It's because he had Jesus. Are you ready to die? Have you received Jesus Christ? If so, calm your heart down. You don't need to worry if you've done everything right, because Jesus has done it all. Okay? So that's a comforting statement. And number three, Jesus' statement not only is clear, He is the only way to God, the only truth of God, the only life of God, not only is it comforting, but may I say this, Jesus' statement is also compelling. You know what that means? You've got to do something with it. If it is true that Jesus is the only way to God, and it is, then it is imperative that you find Him and you trust Him today. You must do something with Jesus. Oh, you sit here tonight and you say, well this is all interesting, and I'm glad that you're so sure about it. I'm not so sure about it. I just don't think I'm going to do anything with it. Oh no, you just did something with it. You rejected it. Say, I haven't rejected it yet. Well, you can either receive Jesus or you can reject Jesus. You cannot be neutral. You can't like Jesus as you do on social media. You either hate Him or you crown Him. What will you do with Jesus' statement tonight? Will you believe it or will you push it off again? You must do something with this statement. Let these words of Jesus sear upon your conscience. No man comes unto the Father but by Me. So how do I get to God through Jesus? Well, Jesus said this, repent and believe the gospel. Basically that means this, to repent is to turn away from your sin, your sinful lifestyle, your sinful pursuits, and the punishment and the penalty, not the punishment, ultimate punishment of your sin, that of hell and banishment from God. It is to say I no longer want my sin. And it is to believe on Jesus. To say, Jesus, You died in my place on the cross. Jesus, I can't save myself. Oh, save me! Rescue me! I can't do it. The very fact that Jesus, the Son of God, entered into our world is proof that we couldn't save ourselves. We needed Him to come. And He has. You must repent and believe, wholly depend on Christ's sacrifice and resurrection for our sin. I wish you could meet my son. He is 10. Well, a few years ago, not that many years ago, he was sick one day over a night, and so he didn't go to school classes the next day. He was legitimately sick. Well, our church has a school that's attached to it, so it is a school with Christian teaching in it, along with reading and writing and math and science and all of that. So he has a Bible class that he was a part of that year. And so at the end of the school day that he did not go to, his teacher gathered up all of his school work and homework and gave that so that we could pass it on to him so he wouldn't fall behind. So here he was, he was already feeling better, he was on the mend, when he started doing his homework and he started doing his work for his Bible class. And I don't remember what he was doing, but it was some project that told the life story of Jesus. And at the very end, after His death and resurrection, this one question was on the last part of His project, and the question was this, is Jesus your Savior? Now my son had been asked that question before, but God's Spirit pressed it on his heart that day. Is Jesus your Savior?" He got up and went and found his mom, and he said, he was much younger then, but he said, Mommy, Jesus isn't my Savior. And she said, let's go get Daddy. And wherever I was in the house, she grabbed me and the three of us sat down, and I said, now His name is Drew. I said, Drew, Who is Jesus? Oh, Jesus is the Son of God. What did Jesus do? Well, He died on the cross. Why? Because I'm a sinner. Did Jesus have to die for your sin? Yes. What if Daddy died for you? Will that help you? No. Because Daddy has sinned. We went through the whole story once again just to make sure he understood. And when we got done, He bowed his heart, he actually bowed his head, we got down on our knees as well, and that day my son called on the name of the Lord, as the Scripture says. He began to talk to God, and he said these words, God, I don't want my sin, and I want Jesus to take away my sin. And the Bible says, whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. My son, been to church a lot. My son could sing a lot of the hymns. My son could give you a lot of the right answers. But that day, it moved past the facts and he took it for himself. Have you? Is Jesus your Savior? See, you got to do something with Jesus' statement. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes unto the Father but by Me." Will you receive Him? Will you reject Him? You can't be neutral. You've got to choose. What are you going to do with Jesus tonight? In the name of Jesus, the resurrected and living Jesus, I thank you for this day. I thank you for this truth. And I pray that you'd help us by the Holy Spirit to believe this. Oh, there are brothers and sisters in Christ here. Oh, calm their heart down that you have done everything. that is needed for salvation. And I pray they would rejoice in their salvation. But I pray also for a friend here, a child, an adult, I don't know hearts, I don't need to know hearts, but you do. Holy Spirit, they have not yet received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. They're still thinking on it. Or they have dismissed Him in the past. Oh, be patient, be gracious, Open up their hearts yet tonight. Don't let them leave without the Lord Jesus tonight. It is truly a matter of life and death. And I thank you for this. Amen.