Many of us have had the experience of following the directions of one person who we thought knew the way to where we were trying to get to, only to find ourselves more lost. Even with GPS, our directions can get messed up, and we end up in the wrong place. Sometimes GPS has sent people to buildings that are no longer there, or even right into a pond. Old-fashioned maps aren’t always reliable, as they can get out of date. Arriving at the wrong location can be a big disappointment, and sometimes it can even be dangerous. Our life is a journey, and our final destination is important. Everybody, if they think about it, wants to end up in heaven when this life’s journey is over. In order to reach that destination, though, we have to know the correct way. When it comes to our eternal destination, getting on the wrong road would be the worst mistake we ever make. Our Scripture for today, from God’s own Word the Bible, gives us directions that we can trust in how we can reach the Lord God, and a place in heaven.
On the night before Jesus would give His life as a sacrifice for sin upon the cross, He gave words of comfort and instruction to His disciples. In the opening verses from Chapter 14 of John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us about a place that He is preparing for those who believe God and believe in Him, God’s only begotten Son (vs. 1-4). According to Jesus’ words, one of His top priorities after returning to heaven has to do with preparing a place for His followers, His brothers and sisters. As a place that God Himself is preparing, it must be something special! In Bible times, a young man would prepare a house for his bride-to-be. Then he would come and get her, and bring her to that home. One day Jesus will return, and take us, His bride, to the place He has prepared. We can look forward to this eternal home, because Jesus has promised it to all who believe in Him.
After these words of Jesus, the Apostle Thomas asked Him how they could know the way to this place He is preparing for all who believe in Him (vs. 5). This is important. As mentioned above, if we want to correctly and safely get to a certain location, it is important to have accurate directions. Who better to give directions than the person who lives at that location? Jesus came from God the Father in heaven, so we can definitely trust His directions to get there.
Jesus responded to Thomas’ question by stating unequivocally that He, and He alone, is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no one can get to the Father, to God, except through Him (vs. 6). Jesus declares that He is the way to God because He is the truth of God, and the life of God. As the way, Jesus is our path to the Father. As the truth, Jesus is the reality of all of God’s promises. As the life, Jesus joins His divine life to ours.
I remember many years ago hearing someone say that just like there are many paths to the top of a mountain, there are many ways to God. That is a very false, and eternally fatal belief. Unlike what many people believe, all roads do not lead to heaven. There is only one way, not many ways, that exist to God, and that is through Jesus Christ. Apart from Jesus and His saving work on the cross, there is no other way home to God. God’s Word, the Bible, states beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is the only way to know God the Father. There is no other path that leads to God but only through Jesus.
Jesus had told His disciples earlier in His ministry about the need to enter into heaven by the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13-14). The truth is very narrow. It is not just what anyone or everyone says it is. There are many false doctrines and religions, each giving their own way to God, but like those false directions to a location you may have been given, these false religions will not lead you to heaven. The only way someone can come to the Father is through Jesus. Those who enter by the narrow gate of faith in Christ find the peace and joy of a relationship with Him, and will bring them to their eternal home in heaven.
If we listen to the wrong voices, and follow the wrong directions, we will end up in the wrong location. When it comes to our eternal destination, it is so important to be listening to the right voice. God, Himself, gave us the right directions to find our way to the home He is preparing for us. We can trust His directions, and they clearly state that Jesus is the only way, and that no one can come to Him except through Jesus. Don’t waste your life getting lost by following some other way through a false religion! We can thank God that He provided a sure way to get to Him, and that is through Jesus Christ!
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