The Only Way: Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." But how can Jesus be the only way? Many people wrestle with the exclusivity of Christianity. This claim rests on the totally unique identity and work of Jesus — there is no one is like him. But once you see that the Christian faith is a real relationship with a real person, how could it be any other way? Recorded on Feb 11, 2024, on John 14:1-14 by Pastor David Parks.

Finding Life in Jesus’ Name is a sermon series on the gospel according to John in the Bible. Have you ever felt unsatisfied with your life? Or, even when things were going well, something was still missing? Many people sense there must be something more. But what?? John, one of the closest friends of Jesus, believed that Jesus came into the world so that we may have life and have it to the full. Jesus turned John’s life upside down, and John claims this new life — marked by God’s power, presence, and purpose — is available for all who believe.

Sermon Transcript

Well, all year, we’re working through The Gospel According to John in a series called Finding Life in Jesus’ Name. Today, we’ll be working on John chapter 14 if you’d like to start heading there in your Bibles/apps, and we’ll consider the exclusivity of the Christian faith. In his sixth of seven “I AM” statements, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” But how can this be, and does this still work? In 2024? To claim that there is only one way to God? Because, we live in a pluralistic society with many different people claiming many different ways as the right way. I know a number of people who would look at this exclusive claim of Jesus as being narrow-minded at best and hateful at worst. There’s a modern phrase that captures this desire to be fully inclusive: “You do you.” This phrase means that any way you want to follow is good if it’s good for you as defined by you. And on the surface level, this sounds like wisdom. But is it true? Does it work? It doesn’t seem to work at all. In many ways, we’re more liberated from traditional rules/norms today than ever before. And this has led to some good things. But do we now have peace, individually or as a society? Not at all. We seem to have only ever-increasing anxiety, division, and conflict. And this is all very discouraging and depressing. The so-called progress of our progressive culture seems to be doing more harm than good. Now, I’m not saying we need to bring back all the traditional rules/norms. But there must be a better way. Well, according to the Bible, there is a way that God has made that is openly offered to all, no matter your background, ethnicity, morality, or class. Young and old, rich and poor, all are invited. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to John 14:1. We’ll read through this and unpack it as we go.

John 14:1–5 (NIV), “1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Ok, let’s pause here. If you’ve been with us for the last few weeks, you’ll know that this teaching of Jesus is happening on the night before the cross of Christ. This is the Last Supper, which began with Jesus washing his disciples’ feet to demonstrate humble service. Then Judas left to betray Jesus, while Jesus gave the remaining eleven the new command to love one another just as he had loved them. But at the end of chapter 13, Jesus started talking about his departure, saying, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now,