Only One Way to God? - Challenging our doubts - Steve Ferris

Hello, everyone. I'm excited to speak with you today. We're in a series where

you're challenging doubts to our faith.

We have people in our life who we care for. They're struggling with these doubts right now.

We have some of us here, we follow Jesus, but we still struggle with some doubts.

So we're hoping that through exploring some of these very common doubts that

many people struggle with, that we will end with some stronger foundations,

some more assurance, some more faith in the claims of the scripture,

in the words of Jesus, so we can devote ourselves to them, so we can give a

defense for them when we're asked for them.

So today we're going to be talking about how can you say there's only one way to God?

But first, let me tell you about the missionary church.

Of copyism. Anyone heard of this one?

Missionary Church of Copyism. It is a religious group centered here in Sweden,

and they believe that copying and

sharing information is the best and most beautiful thing that there is.

They have a few creeds, all knowledge to all, the search for knowledge is sacred,

they say the circulation of knowledge is sacred, and the act of copying is sacred.

So copyright religion, they say, is our absolute opposite.

They say copy, download, upload, all knowledge to all.

So this is a religious foundation that was set up around digital piracy.

How's that for novelty? Okay. And it's more of a philosophy.

If you look into it, it's a little bit tongue in cheek.

And what they've tried to do is as Sweden and the world was cracking down more

on illegal pirating of digital materials, they tried to see if they could get

some safeguards in there, saying this was part of a sacred religious practice.

So you couldn't really come down on them as hard for their torrents and for

sharing stuff like that, because they were actually doing something sacred.

So they are actually acknowledged in Sweden as an official religious organization,

but they are not about the law, and they will still get in trouble when Sweden

finds that they are sharing stuff illegally.

Now, I don't share that specific example to say any other faith that's not Christianity

is a complete joke. So don't assume that I've done that for that reason.

But I just want to show that you never would have thought that there would be

someone setting up an ideology and religion around digital piracy.

No, and it just sort of speaks just to how, how broad and how vast the scheme

of beliefs in this world really are.

And if you think about it, humanity has always had it in us to worship us.

The more and more we discover, we find historical findings and civilizations

that have been in the past,

we see that there is this innate desire to worship something bigger than ourselves,

to understand some kind of spiritual realm that is just out of our reach.

But we have this deep, deep kind of knowing sense that it's there and I want to know.

I want to know it. And depending on who you ask, this range of belief systems,

it can be between 4,000 or so all the way up to 10,000.

If you, depending on how you look at it. So while that sounds like an amazing

diversity, it gets a little less amazing when you see that 92% of humanity sort

of follows one of five major religions.

So the first one is Christianity, 2.4 billion or so.

It's the largest and it's the most geographically diverse religion in the world.

Behind that is Islam with 1.9 billion followers.

It's the fastest growing major faith. We have Hinduism, 1.2 billion or so.

And it's the oldest world religion, major religion we have in the world.

You've got Buddhism with about 5 million followers, and it's the only non-theistic major religion.

They aren't focused on a single deity.

Then you have Judaism, which is about 15 million or so, and it's the smallest

number, but it's actually foundational to some of the other major ones.

We know Christianity and Islam have a look to it.

But then there's also a large chunk that's unaffiliated.

And this is quite sizable. Between 1.3 and 1.9 billion people globally would

say that they're irreligious or they're secular.

But it's not just like they believe in nothing. They believe in,

well, some of this could be atheism or agnosticism.

The belief that there is no God or like there's a God but it can't really be known.

Or secular humanism, which is very common in Sweden.

This is a belief that human reasoning and ethics, they should guide our life

without divine intervention.

And then there's the like spiritual but like not religious people.

It's a massive growing category in sweden and usually they're carrying a yoga

mat around with them so but that if you think if you think about this we just

said there's a lot of different beliefs out there and i think that creates i think for us.

And for any other religion that has some exclusive claim, that creates some

friction in this culture that we're in.

Because we're in a culture right now that values inclusivity,

respect for individual convictions, about ourselves, about reality.

There's a cultural sensitivity.

And I'm not going to point those out and say these are things that we should scoff at.

Actually, the heart behind those things is quite noble.

There's actually good intentions behind those, to be inclusive,

to make room for our neighbors and people in our community, to respect people

for their beliefs and to not be so quick to dismiss and to demean them and to look down on them.

So there is something valuable there, but it's played up. It is so much in our culture.

There's a lot of pressure. You really can't stand out much stronger than what

they say is allowed. And if you're rooted in that type of culture,

these exclusive claims of Christianity are going to be very unacceptable.

And there's no denying that Christianity has some exclusive claims.

I'm going to read just a few for you today.

So the first one is that Jesus is the way. So we're saying John 14,

Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

Pretty narrow. Just one person.

He says that he's the narrow gate. Matthew 7, verse 13, 14 says,

Matthew 7:13

Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide, and the way is easy that leads to destruction.

And those who enter it are many.

For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard that leads to life,

and those who find it are few. Thank you.

And then later on, the apostles echo the same thing.

In Acts 4, verse 12, it says, and there is salvation in no one else.

Acts 4:12

For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

And then there's not really a range of outcomes. It's actually quite binary.

There's only two outcomes. It's either you get eternal life or you get eternal death.

And in John 3.36, it says, Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.

Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

So I've just took some time to let you know about the modern sensitivities of our culture.

And I've just read the exclusive claims of Christianity.

Do you feel the tension?

Do you feel kind of the, uh-oh, I don't know if I want to say this in this group of people.

I don't think I want to. I think this could be received quite poorly with this friend.

And I think if you're here and you're not a believer, maybe you're in that place

where you're like, I'm not sure about that either.

And we want to take time to actually speak to these things.

You know, I think part of the reason why there's this tension is because I think

most of us, we're not from Sweden.

We've come from somewhere else. And we've had opportunity between homeland and here.

We've seen other parts of the world. We've met other types of people.

And I think there's one kind of universal thing we come to is that the world

is quite beautiful. Humanity is quite beautiful.

When you meet people in different walks of life, there's something about humanity.

Just them. If you think about it, if these are creations of God,

they're to marvel that, all of humanity.

So, and if you've encountered these people around the world,

you find that there are people who are kind, people who are moral,

they're loving, they have many creeds and beliefs, but they've blessed you.

They've come into your life and you've enjoyed the richness of their fellowship

and the joy of their friendships.

So I guess the question could be like, so why are we going to condemn them?

Why would we do that? Why are we going to exclude them or view them as like

having an inferior truth?

Why would we do that? That's what we're challenged with.

And so many have actually come to the conclusion that these exclusivity claims

of our faith in Christianity cannot be accepted.

And then here's the three common reasons that we're going to explore today.

The three reasons why these people say these claims cannot be accepted.

First, some would say, these claims are arrogant claims that you're making.

The second is, all faiths see the same thing just a little bit differently.

The third is, religion drives violence.

So I want to spend some time addressing those.

Just real quick, has anyone here, has someone bring these concerns up to you? They're like, yeah.

All right, so is exclusivity arrogance? Let's look at that.

And as we go into this, I want you to have a picture of two items or two scenarios,

a ladder and a rescue mission.

Now, most belief systems, they function as ladders.

So, in a sense, you do more, you do better, you rise higher.

So that could look like you pray more you fast

more you restrict more pleasure in your life

or you give more of your money and resources and then

you have a greater morality as a result of all this and christianity actually

actually functions as a rescue mission if you look at what actually says who

we are what god has done it actually says that you are lost even dead,

you're not on a ladder.

It says that God came down to lift you up when you had no hope and you couldn't do anything.

That's what he's done. Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9, it says,

Ephesians 2:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing.

It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

The thing is, if it's works-based, if it's one of these ladder systems,

it can create a lot of arrogance and a lot of boastful behavior because you've actually done the work.

You apply yourself and you've done something and you can say,

look, I've achieved something.

I did this. This is where I am. You have not.

Pretty clear. It's a system that I think if we look at anything in the world,

whether it's merits and we begin to, you can climb, you can achieve more,

whether it's careers or a video game that you put too many hours into.

This happens. We're used to this concept. But in a rescue mission,

you lose all your ability to pride yourself on your performance.

Today I was watching the Olympics at home. Anyone else watching the Winter Olympics

right now? They had the women downhill skiing.

And there was a horrific accident and the woman was in pain and she was laying

there on the slopes and she had to have rescue people come in to get her situated,

to get her secured on a stretcher. She had to have a helicopter come in.

She had to have someone rappel down the helicopter and they had to strap it in.

They had to bring her to an ambulance. In that whole process,

she did nothing to get herself into that ambulance. Right.

There's nothing she can say at the end of the day. And it's like,

you know, the only reason I'm in this hospital is because I've done.

She can't say anything. That's a good picture of what we as Christians,

what we have been the recipients of. A generous act of rescuing.

So a Christian who actually knows their faith, they'll be the most humble people on the earth.

Have people seen arrogance in you beloved

church it's easy for it to come up because i think there's there's an innate

there's an innate sorry innate sense of wanting to elevate ourselves wanting

to get on the ladder and prove that we've done something and it follows us even into Christianity.

So if you're a believer, I would ask you today to just remind you to guard your

heart and to repent of any pride and arrogance right now.

Because if we really know our faith, we should not be being seen as arrogant, boastful people.

So I wouldn't say it is arrogant.

Second argument is that all faiths, they see the same thing just a little bit differently.

And I think one of these, and a close argument to this, or a close point to

this, is sometimes people will say, well, you only have your faith because of where you were born.

You were born into this, you know, where you were at. Your family was Christian,

so you became Christian.

A lot of Christians are where you're from, so that's why you're Christian.

So geography, in a sense, dictates your faith. and we get this a lot in the

West where Christianity is more common but the same skeptics they think that

it's not genuine sometimes,

and it is true there is such thing as someone being a cultural Christian someone

being a cultural Muslim there's no deep conviction it's just what they are because

that's what they're allowed to be.

That's what makes life easy where they're at. And yes, in some religions,

especially in Islam, Hindu, and Buddhism, they are heavily tied to their place of origin.

So if you look at them, the native language and culture are central into actually

following those practices.

And I think from a rational point of view, that should actually be a red flag.

Because if truth is actually truth, it should be universal. So it shouldn't

be predominantly applied to one area of the world more than the other.

If you were a deity trying to give a message to humanity, it should be something

that all humanity can take and process where they're at.

It shouldn't have to all conform to one single culture that's another part of the world.

And I think that is something we can actually, intellectually,

we can think through that. But I want to point out right now that Christianity

is one of the most diverse religions in the world.

So the worshipers and the Christians around the world, they can receive these

truths into their context, and they don't have to give up who they are.

If you've had the chance to celebrate or to worship in other cultures, you know this.

It's happening right downstairs right now. Nehemiah is worshiping right now.

And they received Christ, they received the gospel, and they are celebrating

it, sharing it in a way that's culturally relevant to them. It's theirs.

I had the opportunity to be in small churches in India, and I've seen they do

the same thing. It's theirs.

So, it is a truth that's gone into all the world, and it actually celebrates

the best of each culture.

However, the belief that all religions are the same, that's also a product of

being born in a modern Western secular culture.

That's not an idea that is prevalent around most of the world,

that, you know, all religions are the same.

So, I think for a person who would want to discount a religion because of its place of origin,

or say that that's actually, you know, geography has something to do with why

someone believes that, they have to apply that to themselves.

Their own skepticism is actually a byproduct of them being in this part of the world.

And while they may be quick to discount those things,

they also need to be just as willing to put their skepticism in a place where

it can be questioned, in a place where there's some room for a conversation,

because it's not quite authentic, if you're seeking for truth,

to discount things for those reasons.

And there's the idea of omnism.

This is that all religions are valuable. They have shared truths. There's wisdom.

And while no specific religion has all the truth, they have some.

No one has a total truth.

And I think I've heard this myself from many people.

And one of the stories that is used, it's been used around the world in different

places, is the story of the blind men and the elephant.

And the story, it originated in India, and it's been used in a few different

writings of different cultures.

But I'll give you just a short kind of abbreviated version because no one wants

to sit here. Let's do a long story about blind guys and elephant.

So blind guys are checking out

an elephant, right? And each of them are touching a different part of it.

So first guy, he touches the side of the elephant. he says the elephant's like

a wall the other guy says he touches the trunk of the elephant he says the elephant

is like a is like a snake someone touches the tusk and says the elephant is

like a spear someone touches the leg they say huh the elephant is like a tree,

someone touches the ear they say the elephant is like a fan,

And someone touches the tail, and they're like, oh, the elephant is more like

a rope. And then they begin to argue about whose perception is right.

And then in the story, the Raja, who's in his palace, he hears this commotion,

he wakes up, and he goes out, and he sees what's happening, and he tells them,

listen, the elephant is a big animal.

Each of you guys have touched one part of it. You need to come together with

your parts to figure out what it is. Okay.

So in a sense, it's sort of like made like a level playing field.

But I would just want to say right now, we'll talk more about this later,

Christianity's claim is not about human discovery.

It's about divine revelation. And that's something you're actually limited in

your capacity to actually make happen.

So it's not going to be you grasping around in the dark.

There is a point where actually God does come in in Christianity and he does

begin to illuminate our perception.

We can see things we didn't see before.

But in the story, there's this hidden assumption that the person who's espousing

this idea, the person who likes the idea that we all see the same thing differently,

there's this really hidden, sinister angle in it that they may not even have picked up on.

And that is that they see the whole picture,

so in a sense Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha they only had a piece of the truth but

this person who holds this conviction,

they're seeing the whole picture now if that's not arrogance,

I don't know what is it is one of the most arrogant claims to hold and it sounds

quite noble when you say it but We think a little deeper and we see just how

prideful of a stance that that person has taken.

And it's not just that it's arrogant, it's also extremely self-serving.

So because since the observer, they don't have to refute anyone.

They don't have to actually question anyone's belief. They get to say,

hey, you're all the same.

It's very dismissive. But then

at the same time, they get to place themselves in a position of judge.

They get to stand in judgment over everyone else saying, oh,

there's no part of it. I know that there's something bigger that you're probably not savvy to.

And instead of kind of addressing someone who's blind, maybe they're addressing

the uneducated masses, people who are without reason, education, intelligence.

This is what they're addressing. And some hold this idea that by having this

kind of viewpoint, I'm making room to honor other cultures and their faiths.

And it also seems noble again. But this is speaking for myself.

You can take this point or leave it.

I think this is just a nicer smelling form of contempt and patronage.

I think it's because the person feels it's unkind to challenge the reasoning

convictions of others while they secretly believe the reason they don't want

to do it is because there's no match.

They think they're the stronger one. They think they're the smarter,

more reasonable, more intellectual person, and it almost seems unfair to challenge

the person of faith for what they're doing.

And I guess when you look at that point of view, you may think,

can we also have enough conflict as it is, why do we want to use religion to

actually help us create more?

That brings us to the next challenge. Religion drives violence.

And some critics, they had this strong conviction that religion is mainly a

source of division and mainly a source of harm.

And there's definitely case studies throughout history you can point to and

say, yeah, it definitely did harm there. No doubt about it.

So, I mean, we'll speak more on this in another weeks.

There was the Christian Crusades. You know, maybe between one and six million

people died as a result of those.

There was the whole history of Islam And how they used the conquering force

to spread Maybe between 10 and 20 million Depending on who you ask,

But history also shows that Secular, atheist regimes They actually dwarf those

numbers completely Their cruelty is something far more something else.

In those regimes we're talking numbers between 85

million and 125 million people dead

as a result of those governments who believe

that we do not need religion in

our society would actually run better without it

and the reason why it's so

much so devastating is i think that so those things those examples are happening

in more recent history when you have modern technology and the removal of any

moral restraints as to what is okay for you to do to another human being.

You allow for killing on an industrial scale.

And I think even now, as we look around the world and we see a brutality,

we see this insensitivity kind of rising up different parts of the world,

there is some fear that I hope we're not going back to that again.

And I think as Christians, it's something that we need to be praying for actively.

Something we need to be acknowledging that actually the world does need,

Jesus. The world does need a vibrant church. It's full of love.

It's willing to be a voice that is gentle when everyone else is loud and angry.

So the issue is not really actually the belief systems. We've seen that religions can do harm.

We've seen that non-religious systems also do harm. But there's something there

going on in the human heart.

So in our faith, we believe sin is actually missing the mark of God's holiness.

And it's a condition that we're born with. And it existed before any kind of religion.

And so even if you remove God, the sin remains. It's still there.

So there's a specific problem. And that is, our sin has separated us from God.

And it needs a specific solution. And that is, God, a person,

came as a perfect man to pay an unpayable debt and reunite humanity with himself.

That's a solution that we believe had to happen. There's no other way to do it.

And so there's this kind of paradox within Christianity that we ourselves have

to sit with, and we have to be ready to communicate to others,

that yes, there's an exclusive claim here. Won't deny it.

The door to God is Jesus, and it is narrow.

The other side of that, why it's a paradox, is that it's an inclusive invitation.

But that door, as narrow as it is, is wide open for every kind of a person.

So the good mom and the murderer can both come through that door.

That person in the C-suite at the huge company and that homeless person who

has never done anything right in their life, they both get to come through that door.

The person who's been loved their whole life And the person who's been rejected

their whole life Both get to come through that door,

No one is excluded In Romans 3, verses 22-24 We read That the righteousness

Romans 3:22–24

of God Through faith in Jesus Christ For all who believe,

There is no distinction For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

and are justified by His grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

So we've gone through these arguments And I've done an amazing job With each

of them Maybe Maybe I did Maybe I didn't But even if I did Even if I did the

best anyone could ever do,

Belief isn't guaranteed For

someone who struggles with these things I want to bring us to this point,

It's not on me Or any other Christian To change anyone's mind,

it's actually it's God's work alone he will use us

in different ways but ultimately the job of changing a heart belongs to him

and so there's something that we need to remember in one of these conversations

that there is something about a divine initiative that needs to take place in someone's life.

So faith, trusting in this unseen Jesus, and having hope in an unseen future,

in eternity, living with God, we don't see it.

There's still some gray area.

We don't have all the details we'd like to know, to know that this is absolutely,

I know exactly what to expect.

There's still some things that are a little, that are, can leave us feeling a little uncertain.

And that's the space where faith comes in. And it's not something that's self-manufactured.

It isn't, you need to go and have some more faith.

It isn't, hey, unbeliever, you need to just go ahead and start believing.

Because it actually says that faith is actually a gift from God. He gives it to us.

And God does a few things. God draws us in these kind of conversations,

and we're starting to have them with people.

They can open up people's minds and start contemplating these things.

That's the value of them.

They can begin to contemplate these things, and that begins to kind of set things

in motion to where they begin to meditate on them.

And during this time, when the soil of someone's heart gets to the point where

it's ready for harvest, it's ready for a seed of salvation to be planted in

there, the Holy Spirit is actually involved.

The Holy Spirit begins to stir a desire to pursue God and a conviction that they need a Savior.

Now, if you're in this room and you've not experienced that,

I'm telling you, you don't need to feel guilty.

You just, because you do need to know this is something that God does of his own will.

And I think the most powerful prayer people pray all the time is,

God, if you're real, show me.

God, if you really want to draw me to you, draw me to you.

And because, again, that's what you would say if you were at the pit,

in the bottom of a pit seeking rescue.

You're not trying to climb your way up. There is a point where you say,

if you've got a rope, I'll take it.

Just simple submission of, if it's there, drop it here.

And God actually opens up the heart of those people. And we experience this

openness and this willingness to accept something that can't be proven 100%.

We step into this realm of faith.

And I think this is one thing we need to be mindful of.

When we're getting into conversations about reasoning, and we're using all of

our mental faculties, walking through a conversation.

There is a point where someone needs to actually step into a realm of faith

to actually get to where the payload is actually delivered.

And that's something we can't do on our own.

So in reality, in our reality, there's often only one way things work.

My TV remote only takes AAA batteries.

Last I checked, we can only breathe oxygen.

You could probably try to read the other stuff, but you won't do well for too long.

And the cross of Christ is the only thing that's going to successfully address

our sin guilt, God's justice, and the restoration of peace with God.

So I'm going to end with John 1, verse 12.

John 1:12

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right

to become children of God.

And we're so grateful. Those of us who know deep in our heart that we are a

child of God, we're so grateful.

Because we know that we didn't deserve it.

We know it was really an act of God's grace, God's kindness,

God's own work that resulted in us being able to change our status from what

he calls a child of wrath to being a child of God.

And there may be some of you here, and I know there's some people in our lives

right now, they're missing that title.

They're not recognized in heaven as a child of God yet.

They are a creation of God. But they have not been accepted into the Father's

house because they've not come through Jesus, that narrow way.

And I think, if you're in that spot and you have this sense that I know I need

to come closer, I actually, I feel like I'm still, I haven't quite made it in.

I feel like I'm kind of around the outside of the house, but I don't feel actually

I'm in the Father's house yet.

I need some confirmation. I want some assurance where I actually,

I need to make a confession of faith.

You can do on your own, but it's best to let us pray for you,

to walk through that prayer, because actually there's a journey that you would need to embark on,

journey of walking in faith, journey of laying aside an old way of life and

learning how to pick up a new one. It's not entirely intuitive.

And this is why God calls us into fellowship. God calls us into a body,

into a family, because we need to learn from each other.

If we try to do this on our own, it's going to be a long, hard road.

If we do it together, we'll move a lot faster with less resistance.

And there's so many more resources available to us because God has deposited

gifts into each of the people around us to help us.

So today, we just want to pray that the Spirit of God draws the people who we

know are close, the people who we know are far away.

We just want to pray that God draws them, that God would help us to be effective witnesses,

to be able to speak confidently to the questions and doubts that they have,

but then ultimately that God would continue to do His work, that He would begin

to progress to the next stage in preparing them for salvation.

So yes, the way, it is narrow. But God's grace is quite wide.

And the invitation to Christ is always open.

We're going to have some time today to do communion. And Sarah might fight you up.

And as we do that, we're going to take some time before we do that.

Just take a moment to pray, to meditate. There's a few things here we want to

be looking into our hearts about.

I spoke to the fact that Christians who know their faith will be the most humble people on the earth.

So one of the things we're going to be taking in this moment just to check our

hearts is for the pride, for the boastfulness, and maybe even the arrogance

that we've demonstrated to the people around us.

Whether in person or online, it's really easy to get there.

Those are things that actually are against what our Savior actually guided us to do.

We have repented those things. Some of us also have actually,

we've been all called to be a witness, but we have actually not paid any attention to being a witness.

No thought to it, no strategy about it. We've kind of assumed that God will

work it out a bunch of other ways, but not through us.

When we've been called to actually be a part of that process.

Sometimes you can effectively have dismissed a direction that you're king, has given you.

And there's some repentance we can do for that. God, forgive me for being a lazy witness.

I'll pray that today. As we go into communion, we're acknowledging that we've

come through this narrow way.

And as we repent, and we kind of reflect, and we kind of like,

we recommit ourselves to following this way.

I think sometimes there's a tendency to try to want to widen it for ourselves

to make it more comfortable. But it is narrow.

So I think as you pray, ask God, where have I been widening some parts of my

life, God, that is actually narrow, but I've tried to make myself more comfortable on this walk.

Forgive me, Lord, of those.

And ultimately, before we take the blood and the body of Christ,

and we remember our unity with him.

I want you just to take a moment just to recommit yourself to following him.

Take a moment to reaffirm your unity with him.

He's your source. He's your strength. As you're taking the time right now to

pray through these things, find those areas where you need to repent.

Joyfully receive forgiveness that he has for you today and come take communion as you're ready.

We hope that this sermon has encouraged you. If you'd like to learn more about

us, visit us online at gracechurch.se.

Thanks for listening.