One Way Home
by Jason Lovelace
Key Scripture:
John 6.29 –
Jesus answered and said unto them, “This is the work of God, that ye
believe on him whom he hath sent.”
John 10:7-9 – Then said Jesus unto them again, “Verily, verily,
I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are
thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if
any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come
that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
John 14:6 – Jesus saith unto him,“I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”
Here’s the scenario: you are in a burning building. The fire is so bad, that
just about every exit is blocked. There is one way that you know for sure will
get you out of the building. Will you take that route to safety? Many
people, unless they are suicidal, will naturally go the way that they know will
save their lives. In fact, most people will tell everyone around them of that
way to escape to safety without hesitation. If people are injured or cannot
escape to this route by themselves, many people will help the disabled to get to
safety, disregarding safety to themselves. Yet, the glaring truth is, when it
comes to eternity and where someone will spend forever, most people reject the
one way that is offered for sure entrance into heaven. What is this one way?
What is the difference between religions that preach one way and Biblical
Christianity?
Many Ways – No Escape!
Religions in this world offer many, many ways to get to heaven. Buddhism offers
the nine-fold path and the seven-fold way. Hinduism offers any one of 300
million gods, all of which offer a path to heaven. Islam has the five pillars of
faith, demands five strict times for prayer, and various and many other
works-based acts. Judaism offers the Talmud, the Pentateuch, the Old Testament,
and other works and ways to get to heaven. Even religions that call themselves
Christians (for example, Roman Catholicism) place strict works and many ways to
get into heaven. The sad and troubling truth of religion is that though many
ways are offered to get to one version of heaven or another, none of them truly
state clearly that the religious adherent will even get into heaven, even after
following all of the ways, rules, dictates, and works. Buddhism and Hinduism
state that a person will live again after this life here on Earth until, at some
undetermined point in the future, the adherent is accepted into Nirvana (for
Buddhism) or Brahmin (for Hinduism). Islam states in the Qu’Ran that Allah may
or may not accept the devout Muslim into heaven after death. Followers of
Judaism must make sure that they do enough good works to outweigh their bad
works, make enough sacrifices, and memorize enough scriptures in order to get
into heaven. Even Roman Catholicism states that the devout Roman Catholic will
have to spend some time in Purgatory before he or she is allowed into heaven. It
seems that though religions offer many paths, many ways to get into heaven,
there is no for sure way that the devoutly religious can get into heaven. Where
is the hope for the religious?
The Unlocked Prison Door…
There is a story of a king, who wished to be benevolent. Going to the Prison,
the king announced to one of the prisoners in the dungeon, “We are moving you to
a new prison cell. This new cell will have a way out. If you can find the way
out of the new cell by sunrise, you will get your freedom!” The prisoner was
moved, and the king left for the night. Feeling along the wall in the darkness,
the prisoner found a secret door. Elated with joy, he stepped through the secret
door, but found that the passageways went in many different directions, most
seemingly going virtually nowhere. Time and time again, the prisoner found
numerous secret doors, various secret passages, and many different ways, which,
eventually, offered no escape. At last, just as the sun was rising, the prisoner
went through one last door…which led him straight back into the prison cell. A
moment later the king stepped in, and cried, “You have failed! Now, you must
spend the rest of your life here in prison!” Frustrated, angry, and full of
despair, the prisoner cried, “O King, you have lied to me! There is no way out
of the prison cell as you promised!” Laughing, the king stated, “Oh yes, my
friend, there was a way out! After I walked out of your cell, I left the door
open! You could have walked out a free man in mere minutes!” Does this story
sound a bit similar? Does this sound like many of the religions of this world?
Do they seem to offer many good, decent paths and ways to reach heaven, but in
reality, lead nowhere?
The Door REALLY IS Open!!!!
The sad reality of this story of the king and prisoner is that it is true!!!!
Adherents to religions of this world work, do, offer, sacrifice, chant, offer
mantras, and do everything else in their power to find that way to heaven.
Though it seems to be just around the corner, or behind the next work or mantra,
it is always seemingly elusive and slippery to get. It makes one wonder how many
adherents to religion have stepped in front of God, accusing him of lying, just
as the prisoner did to the king in the story above, about heaven? All the while,
God has been holding out his hand, through the open door, offering the eternal
way of escape. That way, that door of escape to heaven is none other than Jesus
Christ! Despite this truth, many, many people in the world follow religion,
which offers only more works, more self-aggrandizement, more “do” and less
“trust”. Jesus Christ offers the only way to heaven, and there is really only
one work in order to get to heaven.
Believe and Receive!!!!
Our first key scripture above is the only “work” that anyone need do to get to
heaven: believe! Its just like the open door left by the king as he walked out
of the prison cell in our story above. Believe and, as Christians say, receive.
Receive what? Receive the forgiveness of God that he gives through Jesus Christ!
There is no work that anyone can do to earn the right to get into heaven. The
Apostle Paul says this in his letter to the Ephesians:
quote:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
– Ephesians 2:8-9
Paul also writes this in his letter to the Romans:
quote:
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
– Romans 6:23
Paul further says this in Romans:
quote:
And if by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise, grace is no more grace. But
if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
– Romans 11:6
Unlike world religions, which offer the adherent works, duties, and actions in
order to receive the possibility of doing more works after death,
or of returning to this life to try again, God through Jesus Christ offers the
gift of salvation and eternal life, and it isn’t just a possibility as religions
offer. Consider:
quote:
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God;
that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name
of the Son of God. And this is the confidence we have in him…
– 1 John 5:13-14
You, friend, can know and have confidence that heaven awaits you if you will but
receive the gift of God that Jesus Christ brings.
But Wait!! Don’t Those Who Follow Jesus Christ Do Works???
Yes, to answer this question, we do…but for a different reason than those who
adhere to a religion: we do works for Jesus Christ not so that we will attain
heaven, but to show that we are already saved and going to heaven.
A Bible-believing Christian never does works in order to gain merit, reward, or
standing with regards to eternal life. Eternal life is already ours. Instead, we
should do the good works that we do in the same way that Jesus Christ did good
works: to show God to the world. We do good works for this reason:
quote:
We love him because he first loved us.
– 1 John 4:19
Bible-believing Christians do good works to show the faith that we already have
in Jesus Christ:
quote:
…I will shew thee my faith by my works.
– James 2:18
Works Will Not Save; Good Actions – No Matter How Many – Will Never Allow
Access to heaven…
The sad truth of following a religion is that no matter how many good works a
person does, he or she will never see the inside of heaven. Consider this verse
from Isaiah:
quote:
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags; and wed do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken
us away.
– Isaiah 64.6
No matter what religion says about doing good works, without Jesus Christ, they
are meaningless, no matter how much good comes of them. The person doing the
good works in the name of a religion will get his or her reward here, on earth.
When it is time for this person to stand before God, the good works done in this
life will have no meaning if Jesus Christ is not in the heart and life.
Religions teach that in order to erase sins or to get into heaven, the follower
must do more good works. This doctrine is from the devil, Satan himself, as it
leads a person deeper and deeper into bondage of religion. It is no wonder that
many young people here in
Japan, in the West, and in most other
technologically advanced countries are leaving religion of one form another
behind in droves: what hope can they truly offer? There is a myriad of works,
and even then it is up to that religion’s god or gods to ultimately decide
whether or not the follower gets in. Works cannot save, and Jesus Christ himself
states clearly that the only work that can truly save is trusting in Him (see
John 6.29).
Conclusion – There Really Is ONLY ONE WAY!!!!
Friend and reader, are you following a religion where it looks like there is no
end to the duties, works, and rituals that you must do in order to get to where
you want to go? Are you in a faith that teaches good works must be done again,
and again, and again in order to outweigh your sins and misdeeds of the past?
Are you following a philosophical code that makes life terribly boring and dull?
Please understand that Jesus Christ came to give life, and to give life more
abundantly (John 10:9)! He came to set us all free from the enslavement to
religion, which demands more than we can ever give! He came and died to cover
our sins with his blood, and to wash our hearts and lives clean! Do you want to
stand in front of God, hoping that you’ve done enough to cover up the sins?
Wouldn’t you rather stand in front of God with your heart clean, with your
conscience clear, and with Jesus Christ right beside you, declaring you to be
his (see 1 John 1:7)??? There is only one way to the Father, to Heaven, as Jesus
states in John 14:6, and it is through him, and him alone. Works can and never
will save you. Good deeds will never give you the merit, the worthiness to enter
into heaven. Only the precious, shed blood of Jesus Christ can fully erase the
sins that we all have (see Romans 3:10,23). Won’t you, reader, come to Jesus
Christ today, and throw off the bonds of the religion you are following,
burdening you with works that are too impossible for you to do alone? Jesus
Christ waits for you! I beg you: Come to Jesus Christ today! He who cometh to
Jesus, he will in no wise cast out (John 6:37)!!! Let’s Pray!
Prayer – Father, we thank you this day for the gift of Jesus Christ,
which you fully bestow on all who will receive! We thank you, Father, that we
can work for you, and do good deeds, in order to show this dying world that you
are alive, that you reign, and that you save and heal! We pray right now,
father, for the reader of this lesson that he or she will consider the religion
s/he is following. We pray, Lord God, that you will show them that there is a
better – yes, a BETTER – way: Jesus Christ! We pray that each and every person
who reads this lesson will come to know you, Lord, in a deep, real, and personal
way. We pray, Father, that all who read this will begin to see that you are not
a code of rules, a set of demands, or a cacophony of rules…but that you, Lord
God, our Father, are alive, and that you will come and speak to whomever will
receive! We bless Thy Name today, O Lord!!! There is none but Thee!!! We pray
this in Jesus’ Precious Name, Amen!
Verse to Remember:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
– Ephesians 2:8-9
