Is Jesus the ONLY way?
I recently had the opportunity to speak at my church, and the message I taught feels prophetic for where we're at as a country right now. You see, the enemy has always attempted to fight against the truth of scripture, and as more time passes culture and Jesus seem to be drifting further and further apart. Because of this, we as Christians regularly have to look at what culture teaches and compare it to scripture. If we aren't careful, we'll end up swallowing the doctrine of today as truth. And while that's fine for the average person, as a follower of Jesus I'm to compare everything to Jesus' standard and what scripture teaches. No matter how much culture changes and screams 'its truth', if Jesus is my Lord, I am to follow His way and believe His truth.
Unfortunately, the sneaky thing about today is that much, if not most, of what culture is preaching sounds good, and it even has some elements of truth to it. But the more you dissect it, the more dangerous it becomes. Over the next few blogs, I'll be unpacking the scripture John 14:6 and the words of Jesus. You'll see that He draws some clear and distinct lines--lines that culture wants to redefine and even replace.
John 14:6 (ESV) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
There is a war waging in our culture today over these three things:
What is THE WAY we're supposed to live? Can I live any way I want?
What is THE TRUTH we're going to believe? Does truth change based on my opinion and experience?
What is THE LIFE we're going to pursue? If I chase after what I want, will I find happiness and fulfillment?
See culture and Jesus have very different views on these three topics. So let's unpack the agenda the enemy is pushing through culture, and what God has to say about it!
'The way' in this context means a code of conduct. And in scripture we find that Jesus shows us that code of conduct by modeling how to live. In short, he is the standard. He is the standard of a life that pleases God. How he loved people pleased God. How he forgave people pleased God. How he rebuked people pleased God. How he surrendered his will to God, pleased God. And there's no better picture of THE WAY Jesus lived than in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Luke 22:42 (NLT) "Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine."
Jesus lived a life that was pleasing to God by surrendering his will to God's standards. Everything Jesus did was in submission to and in obedience towards His father. And the great thing about Jesus is that he doesn't just tell us what he expects of us, but he models it for us!
Luke 9:23 (NLT) Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.
It's laid out simply--to follow Jesus means to give up your way of living.
Proverbs 14:12 (ESV) There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
The scripture above spells out plainly that there are two ways of living. There is my way that ends in death, and there's Jesus' way. His way is better!
Missing the Mark vs. Changing the Target
Jesus is the bullseye of a life lived that is pleasing to God. Therefore, God has called us to live like Jesus. But every time we miss that mark, we do what the Bible calls sin. The word sin comes from an archery term, and it simply means to miss the mark.
We've twisted sin into this oppressive and condemning word. A better picture of how God views sin is a father standing next to his son teaching him to hit the bullseye on a target. A good father doesn't get mad every time his son misses the bullseye; he would simply give his son some instructions and encourage him to try again. This is how God is with us. When we miss the mark, He says it's ok if you miss it, but let's admit it and try again. He wants to teach us to be like Jesus!
On the flipside, culture doesn't admit to missing the mark; instead, it simply moves the target. Rather than saying, "I missed it, so let me try again," culture says whatever you want to do is fine. There's no need to hit the bullseye of a life that is pleasing to God but simply aim at whatever you want and celebrate whatever part of the target you hit.
And listen, I get it. No one likes being told that they're wrong. But just because I don't like the standard doesn't mean I get to change it. I don't get to move the bullseye because I don't like it.
"Much of our difficulty as Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and to bring Him nearer to our own image." AW Tozer
Again, as followers of Jesus, we don't get to set the standard, we are simply responsible to follow the standard.
What Would Jesus Do?
This was a catchy phrase some years back that included all the homeschooled kids getting some bracelets that said WWJD and wearing them all the time. And if you were super radical, you went to public school and wore one. While, "What Would Jesus Do?" is a good question, an issue occurs when culture attempts to answer it based on its own standard instead of the Bible's. All the time, people who don't follow Jesus and haven't read more than a few verses of scripture want to speak as authorities on what Jesus would do. The struggle is, the Jesus in many people's minds simply isn't the Jesus of the Bible. The picture of Jesus that many people have resembles a half-stoned hippie who used to float around giving out hugs. While that's a funny picture to consider, that just isn't the Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus many people think of would never have been crucified. In reality, the real Jesus was so hated for what He said and the way He lived that a group of religious people had Him brutally murdered.
Tolerance and Jesus
We see the same violent attitude and hatred of truth nowadays in the tolerance movement. You would think tolerance means that you and I should tolerate each other. We should be able to disagree without hating each other and name-calling. You would think the most tolerant of us would be able to agree to disagree. But this just isn't the modern-day tolerance movement. Instead, this movement says you have to agree with the way I've chosen to live, and not only that, but you must also celebrate my personal lifestyle choices. No matter what God says, no matter what the Bible says, you are labeled a bigot if you have a different opinion. But my problem with that mindset is that it's the opposite of the Gospel and the opposite of the way Jesus lived.
John 7:7 The world can't hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil.
Jesus regularly told people their way is not the best way. He repeatedly told people to "repent" and change the way they think and to change the way they are living. And that's not because He's some mean dictator but because His way is better. His way of living is better!
If I just look at you and say, "Who am I to judge? You do whatever you want and whatever makes you happy!", that's NOT love. If Jesus' way is better, love would tell you about that way. Sometimes real love is tough. Sometimes love cares more about telling you a hard truth than stroking your ego. Love says I care more about your freedom than your feelings because it's the truth that will set you free! I'm going to speak that truth in love because I'm here to build you up, not beat you up, and because I care about you! It's easy for me to say, "you do you." It's hard for me to say, "let me help you walk a new way!" It's easy to say that ANY WAY will do. It's hard for me to say that there is ONE WAY. And that way is Jesus Christ!
You have some decisions to make. Some tough ones with some large consequences. Is culture’s way a better way? Or is the way Jesus asked us to live the better way?
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! Deuteronomy 30:19 (NLT)