Keys To Your Father's House

Keys to Your Father’s House
John 14: 1-6
June 27, 2021 (PM)

George Orwell, famous British novelist and author of the book, Animal Farm in 1984, once said, “we have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men”

Thinking about that in the context of what seems like a host of nationwide religious surveys, which I summarize this way…
• Americans of every stripe overwhelmingly believe that they are all good people who are going to heaven…
• However, you and I know that the Bible doesn’t say that at all.

I’m going to take Mr. Orwell’s advice and restate the obvious when it comes to Jesus’ claim of being the one and only and exclusive way to get into heaven.

I’m going to support that biblically and then take time to unpack objections perhaps some of you may have, but more likely, those you encounter when you share your faith.

I sometimes wish you could be a fly on the wall of my office so you could understand how many people question various things that God has said directly to them. The questions are often intended to state a position.

In our text, Jesus meets Thomas in John 14, one of His disciples – and if you know anything about Thomas, it is probably his famous nickname, Doubting Thomas. What differ-ence does Jesus’ words from 2000 years ago make in your life today?

Remember – all this is happening during the last supper and the subject of heaven comes up and here is what Jesus said…

Why is it so important to review these foundational stories in our bible? I am convinced that these foundational truths about God’s word to us build our faith at a time when our culture finds truth offensive. I’m sure many other reasons come to mind, but for me, these stories also –

• Remind us that Jesus works through ordinary people.
• Equip us to share our faith with confidence and conviction.
• Affirm our responsibility as an Ambassador.
• Bless our lives, our marriages, our legacy.

I. Nothing Plus Jesus Equals Everything

Jesus tells us there is a real place called heaven that real people go and He’s prepared a place for us there. Jesus talked about heaven all time…

Without Him in our life, we find our culture, our society, our educational system – all of it – fills us up with nothing. Add Jesus’ life, work and promises and we have everything. Nothing plus Jesus equals everything.

v1; “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

John 6:38; For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

Matthew 5:11-12; “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

A. Our Father’s house is a promise

Luke 23:43; And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, to-day you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Many people would like to change what Jesus said on the cross to that thief to something like this…
• Catholics – today, you will be with me in purgatory.
• Seventh Day Adventists – today, you will be with me in soul sleep.
• Hindus – today, you will be reincarnated.
• Buddhist – today, you will be reabsorbed into the cosmic all.
• Atheist – today, you will be blown out like a candle.
• Jewish people – today, your guess is as good as mine.

Jesus said none of these things to the thief on the cross, did He – however, He said today, you will be with me in para-dise, in heaven.

What if I don’t believe there is a real place like heaven – what if I believe…heaven and hell are right here and you make your own way…What do you think about that?

Entitled to your opinion, but the problem is Jesus Christ said you’re wrong – Jesus is the only one who has been to the other side and back, described it and gave testimony to it – believe what you want but I’ll stick with Jesus.

vs4 Thomas, And you know the way where I am going.” – he questioned it, then – vs6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.…

Here we have the clearest statement Jesus ever made about going to heaven…what does He say – through Him alone, personal faith in Him, not through sincerity and religious zeal.

Lots of zealous Catholics, who go to mass every day – a lot of sincere Jewish people who keep kosher and go to synagogue everyday, or Muslims who pray 5x day and pilgrim-age to Mecca or Hindus who touch no beef products and bathe in the Ganges,…

John vs6, Jesus declares without apology the only basis God grants entry into heaven is not sincerity or religious zeal but active reliance on His blood to pay for our sin in the sight of a holy God…

B. Christ’s blood is the bedrock of Christianity

Constant, unbroken message in Bible.

Acts 4:12; And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.”

Summary forms the true Bedrock…

John 14:6; Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

Bedrock of Christianity – Namely, He declares without apology that heaven is the only achievable on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ’s.

II. God’s Word is Truly Our Sword

People in our world struggle with this single POV – that there is only one way to get to God and to get into Heaven – people chaste over this. The arrogance of Christians!

Let’s settle it from the Bible today –
What does God’s word say? What does God say about people who are outside of Christ in their life?

You should carry many of these verses we are calling out in your phone, so you can recall them during those moments you’re thinking, I wish I had a couple of verses to share with this person.

John 3:36; The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

1 John 5:11-12; And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

Acts 4:12; And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.”

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might (NIV)

Now this is a verse you do not want to be on the receiving end of! Yet God says this is the fate of all those outside of Jesus Christ.

Of course, some have objections, the Gospel is offensive to many. Does that mean we hide it?

Luke 8:16; “Now no one lights a lamp and covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in may see the light.

A. Objections to the Gospel opens the door

Here are some objections some may have or certainly you have encountered them if you share your faith –

1. This one-way to heaven is an incredibly intolerant position from Christians.

2. Why would God be unfair to people who are outside of Jesus Christ?

Romans 5:12; Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned —

Adam & Eve brought a flaw upon all of humanity – resulting in the sin nature we all have…a defective gene we all have.

Ephesians 2:1; And you were dead in your offenses and sins

John 3:18; The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Illustration about LASIK Eye Surgery?

If someone doesn’t want to listen to what God says about getting into heaven it’s not about being unfair, it’s about being foolish.

3. What about those who have never heard about Jesus Christ?

Romans 1:20; For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

• Creation apologetics – enough revealed to us everywhere – a thinking person ought to be able to discern God is at work – “restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intel-ligent men”
• I was a student in college 1979 and came face to face with God’s truth in His word, I already believed He existed, just not accepting in a personal way.

4. A person looks at the natural world but they don’t live in America, so they turn to the religion of their closest re-ligion? Aren’t they Sincerely seeking God? Will God take them in heaven?

v6; Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

1 John 5:12; The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

5. If these people sincerely seek God through their religion, can God credit heaven/blood of Christ for them? Couldn’t God just take them along to heaven without them know-ing it?

God can do anything He wants but remember, He and His word does not contradict Himself – so He will not do as the question poses.

Romans 10:9; that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

The point is for a person to confess Jesus is Lord from his/her mouth and that He was raised…someone told him/her the Gospel and they knowingly and willingly believed and followed Him.

Romans 10:17; So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

• Until that person hears the facts about Jesus’ birth, deity, death, resurrection and believe it, that person is lost…this is what the Bible says without hesitation….this is the truth of the Bible.

What difference does this make in your life?

Well, depends on where you stand with Christ!
As we talked about earlier, you came to Jesus with nothing but the world and the dead ends it has to offer – you added Jesus to your life and now you have everything, everything of eternal significance.

– Believers – every single person you pass every day is separated from God and headed for disaster in eternity unless they have Christ – only hope they have is someone like us must open our mouths to tell them – so do we really believe what we believe is really real – a revival if we act on it.
• The more confidence you have in the truth of the Gospel, the more confidence you have in the power of Christ in your life, the more we all will be willing to share Him with others.

2 Timothy 1:8; Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,

• A Question to leave you with as a believer – what is holding you back to be a more outspoken witness about Christ?
• fear, embarrassment, lack of confidence, still have doubts, what is it?
• And are you willing to ask God to help you overcome these things.

Here today and have never asked God to come into your life. That’s a different conversation – it means you are fully ex-posed to what the bible says about eternity for those who choose or reject Christ in their life – not on your way to heaven – means no amount of effort will remedy – only your willingness to transfer your trust onto the cross and Christ’s blood shed for you.