3 Exclusives in Jesus

by | May 27, 2021 | Pastor's Corner

“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

Christians are narrow minded. Have you ever heard or received that accusation before? It’s true, we are narrow minded. Sometimes we do a disservice to our brothers and sisters in Christ as well as others in this world, and we have great convictions about our views and opinions. For example: Can the communion bread have leaven in it or not? Can a Christian have a drink with alcohol? What is appropriate attire for church? We can become narrow minded if we impart our grey area opinions and convictions on others. Read Romans 14 to get God’s perspective on these discretionary areas. “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions… Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:1, 4)  Sometimes we are narrow minded for the right reasons, because God has clearly revealed His truth in areas that does not allow for differing views to be correct. For example, John 14:6, Jesus declares that He is THE only way to heaven, that He says is THE truth, and He is THE only source of full life. Let’s briefly dig into those…Jesus is The Way“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Jesus and the rest of the New Testament are very clear in the exclusivity of Jesus as the only way, the “narrow door” to get into heaven, to have eternal life, to have our sins forgiven. As followers of Christ, these clear Scriptures should encourage our faith in Him. As followers of Christ, this should break our hearts for the 75% of this world (~6,000,000,000 people) who are currently alive, and are seeking peace with God apart from Christ. What does God want you to do to be salt and light to the lost He has brought in your path?Jesus is The Truth“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)The ultimate source of truth in this world is God. He is the one who defines what is truthful and what is not. Everything that Jesus spoke and revealed to us is and was truth! We can stand on His promises. We can rely on the truth about who we are in Christ. This world has a variety of perspectives on what the truth is, and a variety of means by which they arrive to the conviction about what the truth is. They are unfortunately deceived by Satan, and until they place their faith in Christ, it doesn’t matter whether or not we can change their convictions about reality. How regularly to you turn to God to reveal to you the truth and His wisdom? How often do you turn to God asking Him to reveal His truth to the world?Jesus is The Life“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live'” (John 11:25) Jesus is the only source of true life. Yes, we are biologically living, breathing creatures, but apart from Christ, we are spiritually dead and all heading toward eternal punishment and separation from Him. He has given us newness of life, we are new creations in Christ, we now have the ability to not sin, but that ONLY comes through the empowerment of Christ. The world lies to us, and we have bought into many lies. “Pick yourself up by your bootstraps.” Apart from God and His grace we do not have that ability to pick ourselves up and give ourselves a new life. Or perhaps we look for “life” (satisfaction, contentment, fulfillment, pleasure, happiness, etc.) apart from Christ. I once had a person who pushed for divorce tell me, “It’s now my time to live.” We have all been there, seeking the pleasures that this world has to offer, outside of Christ. They don’t fulfill. What areas of your life are you seeking satisfaction, contentment, fulfillment, pleasure, happiness, etc. outside of Christ?

Pastor Brian