WAY - TRUTH - LIFE

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Download of church today:

Jesus said: 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no man comes to the Father except thru Me."

That's a pretty radical thing to say - and it's a pretty radical thing to embrace in 2008, because there is a definite mindset out there that says ALL the teachings and ALL the doctrines and ALL the churches and ALL the theologies and ALL the writings throughout ALL the religions of the world are just different paths up the same mountain that arrive at the same destination – they're just different options. And if they all get to the same ending, then what DIFFERENCE does it make which road you’re on? As long as you're sincere, that's what really counts.

Perfect. But then Jesus has to go and mess up that great theory by saying in Matthew 7: "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

This is really TOUGH, because we would rather believe that the majority are ending up in heaven – but that’s not what Jesus taught here. And gradually, we’ve created our own system of right and wrong and WE’VE determined how we’re all going to get to heaven.

But so many of the other World paths - Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam - even Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret," promoted so heavily recently by Oprah Winfrey - are all exactly the OPPOSITE of Christianity.

Christianity acknowledges that at the end of the day – after we’ve pulled up our boot straps and rolled up our sleeves and tried our very hardest and we lay our heads on the pillow at night – and we are miles from the standard a holy, Almighty GOD has set – we are still sinful people who have fallen short. NO person can store up enough Karma, meditate enough or be good enough to DESERVE God’s forgiveness, love and mercy. Can’t happen.

So here’s the great heart of Christianity … GOD is the all-powerful, all-loving Creator of the world – who loved us so much He sent JESUS – His one and only Son – into the world to love us and find us and die on the cross in our place.

The other religions are all ‘do THIS and do THAT – earn favor – earn love – earn heaven.' To use a popular illustration, all OTHER religions are spelled “D – O.” That is, they are based on people DOING something – thru their struggling and striving – to somehow EARN the good favor of God … give to the poor, perform good deeds, chant the right words, follow some religious drills … ALL attempts to reach out to God.

But Christianity is spelled “D – O – N – E” because it’s based on what Jesus Christ has ALREADY accomplished for us on the cross. Because He is the perfect Son of God, He is qualified to offer Himself as payment for our wrongdoing. No leader of any other major religion even PRETENDS to be able to do that.

It is “DO” vs. “DONE.” And those TWO messages … the message of WORKING OFF your past wrongs / "DO" ... and God’s message of GRACE / "DONE" ... are fundamentally incompatible. God provides ONE and ONLY ONE path for us to follow in finding Him – and THAT is His Son, Jesus Christ – the Way, the Truth and the Life.

And be blessed.