LOTS OF PEOPLE SAY THEY LIKE THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS.
BUT WHAT DO YOU DO WITH HIS TEACHING
THAT HE’S GOD IN HUMAN FLESH
AND THAT HE’S THE ONLY WAY TO GOD THE FATHER?
IT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION ANYONE CAN ASK
AND WE’LL EXAMINE IT, ON TODAY’S
TRUTHS THAT TRANSFORM.
WELCOME TO TRUTHS THAT TRANSFORM,
A PRODUCTION OF CORAL RIDGE MINISTRIES, WHERE WE ARE
I’M PASTOR ROB PACIENZA.
AS EASTER APPROACHES IN JUST A FEW WEEKS,
THERE’S NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN UNDERSTANDING
WHO JESUS IS AND WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR US.
THIS MONTH ON TRUTHS THAT TRANSFORM,
WE’LL DIVE INTO THAT,
AND TODAY WE’LL FOCUS ON
ONE OF JESUS’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL CLAIMS:
THAT HE IS THE ONLY WAY TO GOD.
AND WE BEGIN WITH A LOOK AT THE KEY QUESTION IN ALL OF THIS.
CHRISTIANITY IS BASED ON HISTORICAL EVENTS.
PAUL TELLS US THAT IF JESUS DID NOT LIVE, DIE,
AND RISE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD, OUR FAITH IS USELESS.
BUT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE
THESE THINGS ARE HISTORICAL TRUTHS?
YES, AND WITH GOOD REASON.
HERE’S OUR VERY OWN DR. JERRY NEWCOMBE WITH MORE.
IF ONE WANTS TO DECIDE THAT
THE NEW TESTAMENT IS HISTORICALLY UNTRUSTWORTHY,
THEN ONE MUST BE WILLING TO BECOME
A COMPLETE HISTORICAL AGNOSTIC.
WE HAVE MORE BIBLICAL MANUSCRIPTS
THAN ANY OTHER OF THE ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS.
WHAT IS REMARKABLE THAT CHRISTIANITY WAS ABLE TO
GET OFF THE GROUND TO BEGIN WITH,
JOSEPHUS REPORTS, THAT MESSIANIC FIGURES
WERE A DIME OF A DOZEN IN HIS DAY
THE LIFE, DEATH, AND RESURRECTION
OF JESUS CHRIST CHANGED THE WORLD.
YET SOME SCHOLARS TRY TO MINIMIZE THESE EVENTS
BY CLAIMING THEY WERE “SPIRITUAL”
BUT NOT “HISTORICAL.”
WHEN I TALK TO CHRISTIANS,
I FIND THAT A LOT OF THEM HAVE A NON-BIBLICAL VIEW OF TRUTH.
THEY KIND OF THINK OF CHRISTIANITY AS
APPLYING TO THE SACRED AREA.
CHRISTIANITY'S TRUE IN THAT REALM,
BUT IS CHRISTIANITY REALLY TRUE IN THE SECULAR REALM?
IS IT TRUE ABOUT THE WORLD?
INDEED, IS CHRISTIANITY TRUE IN ACTUAL HISTORY?
CONSIDER THESE FACTS ABOUT THE JESUS
AND THE FOUR 1ST CENTURY GOSPELS,
MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, AND JOHN....
VIRTUALLY ALL SCHOLARS AGREE,
EVEN THE VERY SKEPTICAL ONES THAT THE GOSPELS WERE WRITTEN
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 20 AND 65 YEARS AFTER THE LIFE OF JESUS.
SO RELATIVELY SPEAKING,
THE GOSPELS ARE RECENT ACCOUNTS OF JESUS COMPARED TO HIS LIFE.
SCHOLARS NOTE THAT THERE ARE MANY,
MANY COPIES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT,
FAR MORE THAN ANY OTHER BOOK OF ANTIQUITY.
WE HAVE 6,000 BIBLICAL MANUSCRIPTS AND MANY OF THEM
ARE VERY, VERY CLOSE TO THE ORIGINAL TIME THEY WERE WRITTEN.
WE HAVE MANUSCRIPTS IN THE SECOND CENTURY
VERY CLOSE TO THE TIME OF JESUS.
THIS IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE ANCIENT
OTHER ANCIENT WRITINGS LIKE PLATO.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY WRITINGS OF PLATO UNTIL
1300 YEARS AFTER HE LIVED.
NEW TESTAMENT SCHOLARS HAVE AN EMBARRASSMENT OF RICHES WHEN
IT COMES TO THE MANUSCRIPTS, UH, THE MATERIAL THAT WE HAVE TO
DEAL WITH SCHOLARS OF CLASSICAL LITERATURE, CLASSICAL GREEK,
CLASSICAL LATIN TEXTS, UH, HAVE A DEARTH OF EVIDENCE
BUT CAN WE BE SURE THAT THE COPYING
OF THESE MANUSCRIPTS WAS ACCURATE?
WHEN IT COMES TO THE COPYING OF THE GOSPELS,
WHAT WE HAVE IS A TRADITION OF WRITING.
AND SO SOMEBODY'S WRITING SOMETHING DOWN.
THE NEXT PERSON IS LOOKING AT IT
AND HIS INTENTION IS TO GET IT EXACTLY RIGHT.
IT IS NOT TO GARBLE IT.
WE HAVE MANUSCRIPTS FROM,
FROM THE SECOND CENTURY THAT TELL US WHAT, WHAT WAS SAID.
AND WE SEE HOW LITTLE THE TEXT HAS CHANGED FROM THE SECOND,
ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE 15TH CENTURY.
OF COURSE, THE 15TH CENTURY
WAS WHEN GUTENBERG DEVELOPED PRINTING.
COPIES OF ALL BOOKS BEFORE THAT WERE “MANU-SCRIPTS”
AS IN WRITINGS WRITTEN BY HAND.
MEANWHILE, THERE ARE OTHER EARLY WRITINGS,
CHRISTIAN AND NON-CHRISTIAN, THAT ATTEST TO JESUS.
SOME PEOPLE MIGHT NOT KNOW THAT JESUS HIMSELF,
AS A HISTORICAL FIGURE IS
REFERENCED BY SEVERAL NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES.
THERE ARE JEWISH SOURCES THAT REFER TO HIM.
MOST OF THE WITNESSES THAT WE HAVE ARE CHRISTIAN WITNESSES,
BUT AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT WITNESSES IS JOSEPHUS,
WHO IS A FIRST CENTURY JEWISH HISTORIAN WHO LIVED
RIGHT AFTER THE TIME OF JESUS
HE WROTE THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS
FROM EARLIEST TIMES TO THE PRESENT.
AND HE HAS A PARAGRAPH ABOUT JESUS,
WHERE HE DESCRIBES THAT HE WAS A VERY VIRTUOUS MAN.
HE WAS VERY MORAL AND HE HAD MANY FOLLOWERS.
HE WAS THEN PUT ON TRIAL BY PILATE, CRUCIFIED
AND HIS DISCIPLES SAID THAT THEY SAW HIM 3 DAYS LATER
AND JOSEPHUS SAYS
PERHAPS HE WAS THE MESSIAH THAT THE PROPHETS SPOKE ABOUT.
ALL THE CORE ELEMENTS OF JESUS’ LIFE NOT THE DETAILS
BUT THE CORE OUTLINE VERY MUCH JOSEPHUS SAYS.
WE HAVE LITERATURE WRITTEN BY SECULAR OR NON-CHRISTIAN
HISTORIANS AROUND THE TIME OF JESUS.
SO SHORTLY AFTER JESUS, YOU HAVE TACITUS, JOSEPHUS,
LUCIAN, AND MARA BAR SERAPION
IN ADDITION, WE FIND THAT MODERN ARCHAEOLOGY
ATTESTS TO THE RELIABILITY OF THE BIBLE.
WHEN I BEGAN MY ACADEMIC CAREER, WE COULD ONLY TALK ABOUT
20 OR 25 BIBLICAL PEOPLE, BIBLICAL NAMES
THAT HAD BEEN VERIFIED THROUGH ARCHEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY.
WELL, NOW THE NUMBER IS LIKE 85, THE NUMBER JUST KEEPS GROWING.
KEEP IN MIND, WE'VE ONLY EXCAVATED
FIVE OR 6% OF THE BIBLICAL WORLD.
WELL, AS WE KEEP EXCAVATING,
THAT'S WHY THESE NUMBERS KEEP GETTING BIGGER.
FURTHERMORE, THE BIBLICAL GOSPELS SERVE AS
RELIABLE GUIDES FOR ARCHAEOLOGISTS,
THAT IS NOT THE CASE FOR LATER PSEUDO “GOSPELS,” LIKE THOSE
DAN BROWN MADE FAMOUS IN HIS BEST-SELLER, “THE DA VINCI CODE.”
WELL JUST IMAGINE RECRUITING 100 PEOPLE WHO SPEND $3,000 EACH
TO FLY TO ISRAEL AND STAY IN A HOTEL FOR A FEW WEEKS
AND YOU DIG IN THE WRONG PLACE
AND YOU MOVE 40, 50 TONS OF EARTH AND ROCK.
AND THERE'S NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT.
THAT'S A HUGE DISASTER.
SO ARCHEOLOGISTS NEED TO KNOW WHERE TO DIG AND
HOW TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY FIND.
SO THEY ALWAYS LOOK AT
MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, JOHN, THE BOOK OF ACTS
AND THE JEWISH HISTORIAN OF THE FIRST CENTURY, JOSEPHUS, ALWAYS.
ABOVE ALL, THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS FROM THE DEAD ATTESTS
TO THE RELIABILITY OF JESUS AND THE REDEMPTION
HE BRINGS TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE.
AND YET THE FIRST SKEPTICS OF THE RESURRECTION
WERE THE DISCIPLES THEMSELVES!
WHEN THE WOMEN REPORT THAT THE TOMB IS EMPTY,
THE CHURCH LEADERS DON'T BELIEVE THEM. OKAY.
THEY THINK YOU'RE SUFFERING FROM WHAT I CALL
A POST CRUCIFIXION SYNDROME.
IF YOU'RE INVENTING A STORY, WOULD YOU INVENT A STORY THAT
HAS YOUR LEADERS BE INCREDULOUS ABSOLUTELY
INCREDULOUS ABOUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN YOUR FAITH?
UNLIKELY.
SCHOLARS NOTE THE IRONY THAT THE FIRST EYEWITNESSES
OF CHRIST RISEN FROM THE DEAD WERE WOMEN.
A WOMAN'S TESTIMONY IN THAT TIME WAS NOT HIGHLY REGARDED.
IN FACT, JOSEPHUS, THE JEWISH HISTORIAN SAYS THAT A WOMAN'S
TESTIMONY WAS ABOUT AS VALUABLE AS THAT OF A THIEF AND A ROBBER.
THIS IS REMARKABLE.
IF YOU ARE INVENTING A STORY ABOUT A RESURRECTION,
SOMETHING THAT'S ALREADY GOING TO BE VERY DIFFICULT
FOR MOST PEOPLE TO BELIEVE,
WHY ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE IT DOUBLY DIFFICULT
BY HAVING YOUR PRIMARY WITNESSES,
BEING WOMEN WHO ARE NOT REALLY HIGHLY REGARDED.
FOR THE DISCIPLES, A CRUCIFIED MESSIAH IS A FAILED MESSIAH.
IF THE MESSIAH COMES AND IS CRUCIFIED,
IT SHOWS YOU THAT HE REALLY WASN'T THE MESSIAH.
THAT'S THE REASON THAT THE DISCIPLES RUN AWAY.
IN THEIR MIND, THEY THOUGHT HE WAS THE MESSIAH,
BUT HE CAN'T BE, IF HE DIES ON THE CROSS,
IT'S TOO SHAMEFUL A DEATH.
AND THEY HAD NO IDEA ABOUT THE RESURRECTION.
AS MANY TIMES, AS JESUS TELLS THEM,
I'M GOING TO BE RESURRECTED.
THE DISCIPLES ARE STILL SHOCKED
WHEN THE RESURRECTION ACTUALLY HAPPENS.
ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING THINGS IN THE HISTORY
OF RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS
I THINK IS THE SUCCESS OF CHRISTIANITY
BECAUSE JESUS IS, HE'S NOT, HE TEACHES NONVIOLENCE,
TELLS HIS DISCIPLES, TURN THE OTHER CHEEK.
HE TELLS HIS DISCIPLES PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU.
HE TEACHES HIS DISCIPLES, IN A NUTSHELL, DON'T EXACT
VENGEANCE AGAINST PEOPLE WHO HARM YOU, INJURE YOU, CURSE YOU.
AND PAUL SAYS THAT, WE BLESS THOSE WHO CURSE US.
SO THIS IS A NONVIOLENT MOVEMENT.
THERE IS NO EVIDENCE IN THE FIRST 300 YEARS OF THE EXISTENCE
OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF ANY KIND OF ARMED INSURRECTION,
ANY KIND OF ARMY,
ANY KIND OF ATTACK AGAINST A CITY
PERSECUTED SOMETIMES INTENSELY AND YET
SPREADS THROUGHOUT THE ROMAN EMPIRE
AND CAPTURES THE ROMAN EMPIRE WITHOUT ANY VIOLENCE,
WITHOUT A SHOT FIRED.
IF IT WERE NOT FOR THE RESURRECTION,
WE WOULD BE JUST LIKE THOSE OTHER 20 OR 30 CLAIMERS TO
THE MESSIAHSHIP WHO EVENTUALLY JUST FAILED AND WENT AWAY.
YOU SEE IF JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD ITS GAME SET MATCH,
CHRISTIANITY IS TRUE, PERIOD.
JESUS IS SIMPLY LIKE NO OTHER FIGURE WHO HAS EVER LIVED.
EVERYTHING HINGES ON THE HISTORICAL REALITY
OF HIS LIFE, DEATH, AND RESURRECTION,
AND THERE ARE EXCELLENT HISTORICAL REASONS FOR
BELIEVING THE BIBLE’S ACCOUNTS OF THESE TRUE EVENTS.
NOTHING COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT, BECAUSE EVERYONE’S
ETERNAL DESTINY INCLUDING YOURS HANGS IN THE BALANCE.
THAT’S BECAUSE ONLY JESUS MAKES THE WAY FOR US TO COME TO GOD.
IT’S A CONTROVERSIAL CLAIM, BUT A TRUE ONE,
WHICH I SHARED RECENTLY WITH OUR CONGREGATION
HERE AT CORAL RIDGE,
AS WE LOOKED AT “JESUS, THE ONLY WAY TO GOD.”
TODAY, WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT
THE FOUNDATIONAL TRUTH OF JESUS, THE ONLY WAY TO GOD.
AND TO DO SO, WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT A SEMINAL PASSAGE,
FAMILIAR TO MANY, I'M SURE, IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN CHAPTER 14.
JESUS HAD JUST FINISHED THE MEAL, THE LAST SUPPER,
HE IS ABOUT TO BE BETRAYED AND ARRESTED.
HE'S TELLING HIS DISCIPLES THAT HE IS ABOUT TO DEPART FROM THEM
AND IT THROWS THEM INTO A VERY DISTRESSED STATE
AND THEY WANT TO KNOW, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
YOU ARE LEAVING, WE’RE STAYING, AND WE WANT TO KNOW THE WAY.
AND THESE ARE THE WORDS OF COMFORT THAT JESUS OFFERS
MEN WHOSE LIVES HAVE JUST BEEN TURNED UPSIDE DOWN,
LOSING THEIR SAVIOR, THEIR LEADER, THEIR MESSIAH.
THESE ARE THE WORDS THAT HE CHOOSES TO SHARE WITH THEM,
JOHN CHAPTER 14 VERSES 1-6.
THE GRASS WITHERS AND THE FLOWER FADES
BUT NOT THE WORD OF OUR LORD.
THE WORD OF OUR LORD STANDS FOREVER. AMEN.
IS IT REASONABLE, IS IT RATIONAL IN THE 21ST CENTURY
TO BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO GOD?
IS IT REASONABLE AND RATIONAL IN THE 21ST CENTURY
TO BELIEVE THAT CHRISTIANITY IS THE ONLY TRUE RELIGION?
HERE’S THE DEAL.
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS UNBELIEVERS.
EVERYONE BELIEVES IN SOMETHING.
THERE’S BELIEVERS AND BELIEVERS.
EVERYONE HERE TODAY AND WATCHING ON AT HOME,
REGARDLESS OF YOUR FAITH SYSTEM AND YOUR DOCTRINAL STANCE
YOU BELIEVE IN SOMETHING AND I PRAY THAT TODAY
AS YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MESSAGE OF JESUS AND HIM ALONE.
THAT YOU WOULD BE FIRMLY CONVINCED
THAT JESUS IS TRULY THE ONLY WAY TO GOD.
AND THAT THE MESSAGE OFFERED IN CHRISTIANITY IS THE
ONLY REASONABLE AND RATIONAL EXPRESSION OF TRUE FAITH.
SO WHAT IS THIS CLAIM?
WHAT IS THE CLAIM OF CHRISTIANITY,
ONE OF THE CARDINAL TENETS,
ONE OF THE KEY DOCTRINAL TRUTHS
THAT IS SO CONTROVERSIAL
AND DEEMED BY MANY AS COUNTER CULTURAL.
WELL THEY SAID THE CONTEXT JESUS IS GETTING READY TO DEPART.
JESUS SAYS I AM GOING UP THERE AND YOU’RE STAYING DOWN HERE
AND THOMAS WHO AS I SAID IS ALSO REFERRED TO AS DOUBTING THOMAS,
WANTS TO KNOW.
JESUS YOU TALK ABOUT THIS AS IF WE KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING.
WHERE IS THIS WAY?
AND IT’S INTERESTING JESUS’ RESPONSE.
JESUS RESPONDS IN VERSE 6.
BY NOT ONLY DECLARING THAT HE IS THE ONLY WAY TO GOD.
BUT HE SAYS I AM ALSO THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.
JESUS WANTED TO MAKE IT CRYSTAL CLEAR THAT THE ONLY REASON
I HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO SAY THAT I AM THE ONLY WAY TO GOD
IS BECAUSE I AM NOT ONLY A PURVEYOR AND TEACHER OF TRUTH,
BUT I AM TRUTH INCARNATE.
SO, CHRISTIANITY, UNDERSTANDABLY SO,
GETS PEOPLE A LITTLE FIRED UP.
IT RUFFLES SOME FEATHERS BECAUSE
WE ARE SAYING THAT NOT ONLY IS JESUS THE ONLY WAY TO GOD
BUT THAT CHRISTIANITY AND THE MESSAGE
THAT IS OFFERED IN THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES
IS THE ONLY TRUE SYSTEM OF FAITH.
YOU SEE, THE REALITY IS EVERYONE,
REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN,
HAS AN EXCLUSIVE FAITH.
EVERYONE CLAIMS SOME LEVEL OF EXCLUSIVITY.
EVEN THE PERSON THAT SAYS
THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS ABSOLUTE TRUTH
IS MAKING AN ABSOLUTE CLAIM THAT SOMEHOW THEY HAVE SURVEYED
ALL TRUTH OF ALL WORLD RELIGIONS AND THEY SOMEHOW HAVE
ARRIVED TO THE POSITION THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO MAKE
THE DECLARATION IN THE CLAIM THAT THERE'S NO ABSOLUTE TRUTH.
IF IT IS TRUE,
THAT CHRISTIANITY IS THE ONLY TRUE FAITH SYSTEM.
WHAT IS THE ARGUMENT FOR CHRISTIANITY?
WELL, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE SPECTRUM TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT MAKES CHRISTIANITY SO UNIQUE.
ON THE ONE HAND YOU HAVE WORLD RELIGION IN GENERAL,
WORLD RELIGION TEACHES THAT THERE ARE A SET OF TENANTS,
THAT THERE ARE A SET OF RULES THAT IF YOU
ABIDE BY THEM AND ACHIEVE THEM WELL ENOUGH,
YOU CAN BE SAVED THAT YOU CAN SOMEHOW ACHIEVE YOUR
VERSION OF THE AFTERLIFE BY SIMPLY ADHERING TO THESE TENETS.
THAT'S WORLD RELIGION ON THE ONE HAND.
ON THE OTHER HAND, WE HAVE SECULARISM,
WHICH PREACHES A MESSAGE OF TOLERANCE
OR BELIEVE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO BELIEVE
AS LONG AS IT MAKES YOU HAPPY AS LONG AS IT FEELS RIGHT TO YOU.
BUT DO NOT MISS THAT THOSE THAT ARE CLAIMING THAT
CHRISTIANITY IS TOO NARROW OR TOO ARROGANT
OR TOO PRIDEFUL ACTUALLY HAVE IT IN REVERSE.
THEY ARE THE EPITOME OF PRIDE AND ARROGANCE AND INTOLERANCE
BUT IN THE FACE OF BOTH WORLD RELIGION AND SECULARISM,
THERE IS ANOTHER WAY.
AND IT IS THE WAY OF CHRISTIANITY BECAUSE
CHRISTIANITY IS THE END OF RELIGION BECAUSE
IT IS CHRISTIANITY AND CHRISTIANITY ALONE THAT SAYS,
NO, YOU DO NOT CLIMB UP THE LADDER TO GOD.
BUT IN FACT, GOD HAS COME DOWN FOR TRAIN WRECKS
AND SINNERS LIKE YOU AND LIKE ME.
IT IS CHRISTIANITY ALONE, BEING THE END OF WORLD RELIGION,
THAT SAID IT IS BY GRACE ALONE.
SO, I ASK YOU, WHICH IS THE MORE HUMBLE POSITION?
TO SAY AS THE WORLD RELIGIONS, SAY, YOU CAN ACHIEVE SALVATION?
OR AS SECULARISM SAYS,
YOU CAN BELIEVE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO BELIEVE?
OR TO BELIEVE IN A GOD THAT HAD TO COME DOWN BECAUSE
WE WERE SO MESSED UP AND OFFERS HIMSELF BY GRACE ALONE?
IT IS THE MESSAGE THAT SALVATION IS BY GRACE ALONE
THAT MAKES CHRISTIANITY UNIQUE.
RELIGION SAYS I HAVE THE TRUTH
AND I CAN BE SAVED BY PERFORMING THAT TRUTH.
CHRISTIANITY DECLARES TO US THAT THE TRUTH HAS COME DOWN
AND THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST TO SET US FREE.
WE DON'T HAVE TO LIVE WELL ENOUGH TO BE SAVED.
IN FACT, JESUS LIVED PERFECTLY AND DIED AND ROSE AGAIN SO THAT
WE MIGHT HAVE LIFE TO THE FULL BOTH NOW AND FOREVER MORE.
SEE, THIS IS THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTIANITY.
AND WHEN YOU BOIL IT DOWN, ULTIMATELY,
THIS WORLD PROVIDES US WITH ONLY TWO OPTIONS.
ONLY TWO TRUTH CLAIMS.
WHEN YOU BOIL IT ALL DOWN,
EITHER YOUR SALVATION IS ACHIEVED BY YOUR EFFORTS
AND YOUR MERITS AND YOUR PERFORMANCE,
OR YOUR SALVATION IS ACHIEVED THROUGH THE EFFORTS
AND MERITS AND PERFORMANCE OF JESUS CHRIST.
IT'S NOT A MATTER OF AVOIDING TRUTH CLAIMS.
IT'S A MATTER OF ADHERING TO THE TRUTH CLAIM
THAT ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE AND OFFERS REAL HOPE.
ISN'T IT AMAZING THAT IN THIS MOMENT IN JOHN 14,
IN THEIR MOMENT OF DISTRESS, NEEDING A WORD OF COMFORT,
JESUS DOES NOT LOOK AT THE DISCIPLES AND SAY,
BELIEVE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO BELIEVE,
AS LONG AS IT BRINGS YOU COMFORT,
AS LONG AS IT MAKES YOU HAPPY.
HE TELLS THEM THE MOST EXCLUSIVE MESSAGE
THIS WORLD HAS EVER HEARD.
WHY? BECAUSE HE UNDERSTOOD.
THEY DIDN'T NEED TO HEAR WHAT THEY WANTED TO HEAR.
THEY NEEDED THE ONLY THING THAT COULD BRING THEM TRUE RESCUE.
STUDENTS, COLLEGE STUDENTS, YOU ARE ABOUT TO BE CONFRONTED
WITH PROFESSORS THAT WILL CRITIQUE YOU AND CONDEMN YOU
AND JUDGE YOU FOR BELIEVING IN JESUS CHRIST.
AND THEY WILL CONVINCE YOU THAT YOU NEED TO SOFTEN YOUR MESSAGE,
BROADEN YOUR MESSAGE, SOMEHOW BACKPEDAL ON THE MESSAGE.
DO NOT FALL FOR IT.
IT IS THE MOST HUMBLE POSTURE TO SAY,
I AM A CHRISTIAN AND I AM SAVED BY HIS GRACE ALONE.
DO NOT BACK DOWN BECAUSE THIS WORLD NEEDS YOU
TO BE A LIGHT IN THE MIDST OF THE DARKNESS.
AND ISN'T IT AMAZING, THE RESULT, YOU WOULD THINK,
IF YOU WERE TO LISTEN TO THE WORLD,
THAT IF YOU PREACH THIS NARROW MESSAGE,
NOBODY'S GOING TO FOLLOW YOU.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE CHURCH IN THE FIRST CENTURY?
IT EXPLODES.
THE WORLD IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN.
IN A MOMENT, YOU HAVE WOMEN WORSHIPING WITH MEN.
YOU HAVE JEWS WORSHIPING WITH GENTILES,
AND WE ARE TOLD THAT PROSTITUTES AND TAX COLLECTORS
ARE STREAMING TOWARDS THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
THE EXCLUSIVE MESSAGE OF CHRISTIANITY
PRODUCES THE WORLD'S MOST RADICAL INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY
WHERE ALL SINNERS ARE WELCOMED.
THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT DIE,
BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.
ISN'T IT AN AMAZING THAT AT THE SAME TIME,
THE GOSPEL IS THE MOST EXCLUSIVE MESSAGE
THAT YOU WERE SAVED THROUGH JESUS ALONE
BUT IT PRODUCES A RADICAL INCLUSIVITY THAT
ALL ARE WELCOMED, WHO CONFESS THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST?
HI, I’M JENNIFER KENNEDY CASSIDY.
AS YOU JUST HEARD FROM DR. ROB PACIENZA,
JESUS MAKES THE AUDACIOUS CLAIM THAT HE IS THE ONLY WAY TO GOD.
AND MANY PEOPLE WERE AND ARE OFFENDED BY THAT CLAIM
BECAUSE THEY THINK IT’S ARROGANT TO SAY
THAT THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY TO GOD.
BUT IT’S NOT ARROGANCE IF JESUS IS, IN FACT,
GOD IN HUMAN FLESH, AND TRUTH INCARNATE.
IT’S JUST TRUTH.
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS WAS PROVED BEYOND ALL DOUBT
BY HIS RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD,
WHICH WE CELEBRATE DURING THIS EASTER SEASON.
AND ITS ETERNALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE CLARITY ON WHO JESUS WAS,
AND HOW WE CAN KNOW.
THAT’S WHY MY FATHER,
DR. D. JAMES KENNEDY, WROTE THE BOOKLET,
WHO IS THIS JESUS: IS HE RISEN, ALONG WITH DR. JERRY NEWCOMBE.
AND WE’D LIKE TO SEND IT TO YOU AS OUR THANKS FOR
YOUR GENEROUS DONATION TO THE ONGOING WORK OF THIS MINISTRY.
DISCOVER FOR YOURSELF WHY THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS
IS A HISTORICAL FACT.
THIS BOOKLET GUIDES YOU THROUGH THE MAZE OF THEORIES
THAT SKEPTICS OFFER UP TO EXPLAIN AWAY
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS AND SHOWS YOU WHY THEY’RE WRONG.
AND IF YOU ARE ABLE TO GIVE A GENEROUS DONATION
OF $60 OR MORE,
WE WILL SEND YOU THE BOOKLET PLUS THE DVD VERSION
OF OUR EYE-OPENING DOCUMENTARY SPECIAL,
WHO IS THIS JESUS: IS HE THE ONLY WAY?
THIS OUTSTANDING PROGRAM FEATURES EXPERTS, SCHOLARS,
AND PASTORS LIKE MICHAEL YOUSSEF, ERWIN LUTZER,
H.B. CHARLES, AND MANY MORE.
IN RECENT DECADES, THE BIBLICAL ACCOUNTS OF JESUS’S LIFE, DEATH,
AND RESURRECTION HAVE BEEN UNDER ASSAULT FROM SKEPTICAL SCHOLARS.
BUT IN THIS SPECIAL PROGRAM, YOU’LL DISCOVER
WHY THE NEW TESTAMENT DOCUMENTS ARE
THE MOST RELIABLE DOCUMENTS FROM ALL OF ANTIQUITY.
YOU’LL SEE WHY ONLY THE BODILY RESURRECTION OF JESUS
FITS THE FACTS OF THE CASE.
AND YOU’LL LEARN WHY THE CULTURE’S VIEW
THAT ALL ROADS LEAD TO GOD IS WRONG
AND THAT WE CAN ONLY BE SAVED BY
THE JESUS CHRIST OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.
YOU’LL WANT TO GET THESE RESOURCES FOR YOURSELF, AND
YOU’LL ALSO WANT TO SHARE THEM WITH CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN.
THAT’S THE BOOKLET
WHO IS THIS JESUS: IS HE RISEN?
BY DR. D. JAMES KENNEDY AND DR. JERRY NEWCOMBE,
AND THE BOOKLET PLUS THE POWERFUL DOCUMENTARY,
WHO IS THIS JESUS: IS HE THE ONLY WAY?
AS OUR THANKS FOR YOUR DONATION OF $60 OR MORE.
YOUR GIFT ENABLES US TO PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST,
IN PROGRAMS JUST LIKE THIS,
ON BROADCAST OUTLETS ALL OVER AMERICA.
IT ALSO ENABLES US TO BRING A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE
TO THE CENTRAL CULTURAL ISSUES OF OUR DAY, THROUGH TELEVISION
AND RADIO, PODCASTS, DIGITAL CONTENT, AND MORE.
SIMPLY WRITE TO US AT CORAL RIDGE MINISTRIES:
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THESE DAYS, IT’S COMMON FOR PEOPLE TO SAY
THEY LOVE OR RESPECT JESUS AND HIS TEACHINGS,
BUT CONSIDER HIM JUST ONE OF MANY RELIGIOUS LEADERS.
SOME MIGHT APPRECIATE WHAT JESUS SAID,
ESPECIALLY THE PARTS ABOUT CARING FOR THE POOR
OR TREATING OTHERS WELL,
BUT STILL REJECT CHRISTIANITY AS A WHOLE.
THE PROBLEM WITH THIS VIEW IS,
YOU CAN’T SEPARATE JESUS FROM HIS MESSAGE.
USUALLY, WHEN PEOPLE SAY THEY LIKE JESUS’ TEACHINGS,
THEY’RE REFERRING TO THINGS LIKE THE GOLDEN RULE
OR HIS EMPHASIS ON CARING FOR OTHERS.
AND THAT’S GREAT JESUS TAUGHT SOME AMAZING,
WORLD-CHANGING THINGS.
BUT HERE’S THE THING:
IF YOU THINK JESUS WAS A GREAT TEACHER OR MORAL LEADER,
YOU HAVE TO CONFRONT THIS REALITY:
HE TAUGHT HIS FOLLOWERS THAT HE WAS GOD IN HUMAN FORM.
NOT ONLY THAT, BUT HE ALSO SAID
THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH HIM.
SO IF YOU LIKE JESUS’ TEACHINGS, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THAT?
IF HE REALLY IS GOD AND THE ONLY WAY TO THE FATHER,
THEN JUST ADMIRING HIS WORDS ISN’T ENOUGH.
WE’RE CALLED TO WORSHIP HIM.
C.S. LEWIS, A BRILLIANT CHRISTIAN AUTHOR,
POINTED OUT THIS ISSUE IN A FAMOUS QUOTE
THAT STILL RINGS TRUE TODAY. HE SAID:
THIS IDEA IS CALLED THE "TRI LEMMA"
JESUS IS EITHER A LIAR, A LUNATIC, OR LORD.
THERE’S NO MIDDLE GROUND.
SO, JUST LIKE THE PROPHET JOSHUA CHALLENGED THE ISRAELITES,
“CHOOSE THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE...
BUT AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD.”
CORAL RIDGE MINISTRIES IS
IF YOU’RE EVER IN SOUTH FLORIDA,
WE WELCOME YOU TO JOIN US FOR SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP HERE
AT CORAL RIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,
OR YOU CAN ALWAYS JOIN ON LIVESTREAM AT:
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THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US,
AND HERE’S A LOOK AT THE NEXT TRUTHS THAT TRANSFORM.
JESUS IS THE ONLY MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MAN,
IF IT WERE NOT FOR JESUS COMING AND BECOMING FLESH,
WE WOULD BE PEOPLE WITHOUT HOPE
THAT'S NEXT WEEK
THIS HAS BEEN A PRODUCTION OF CORAL RIDGE MINISTRIES