God Yes, But Why Jesus? Part 2 #2

Looking to Jesus. People accept the fact of only one speed of light is only one way to God say that your ignored best worst claim of Jesus to be the exclusive eternal life forces a decision, do I go with my instincts or do I go with Jesus today make a choice from the Moody Church in Chicago. This is running to win with Dr. Erwin lutes are clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line lutes or as you wrap up your brief series on God yes why Jesus give us your bottom line the bottom line is simply this. Don't put Jesus on the same shelf as Krishna Howell Mohammed or some other religious leader Jesus Christ stands alone. There may be other prophets.

But Jesus is the only one who's a Savior who can take us all the way to the father my friend today. I think it is so important that we understand this and would like to make this resource. These sermons available to you for a gift of any amount here is what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Remember, the topic is God, yes, but why Jesus you yourself and others need to know the answer to that question. And now we go to the pulpit of Moody church where we continue that very, very important message, and then Jesus continues to astound us verse seven if you really knew me you would know my Father as well. From now on you know him and I what Philip says Philip says, Lord, show us the father and it's enough for us to show us the father and will be satisfied frequently." Augustine Lord. It is said that no man can see the live may I die I might behold by phase, let me see the father and then Jesus makes a statement that should cause a shiver to go down our spines if we are aware and fully conscious, he says, have I been so long time with you Philip. Anyone who has seen me has seen the father was God who came to that Jewish peasant home. It was God who was tempted in the desert.

It was God who died on the cross. He that have seen me hath seen the father.

Now what are you going to do with this Jesus, I say to you skeptics where you go to do with this Jesus.

Nobody has made claims like this.

They are beyond belief. Look at Hitler, he made some astounding claims about the Third Reich that would last a thousand years only lasted 12 but he predicted it would last a thousand years and yet Hitler never said I am the resurrection and the life he will believe in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believe it in me shall never can I say it one more time, I say. Too often, but I got a Savior while, then I think of Landon Lennon said that if if Russia accepts communism will be bread on every table. But Lennon never had the nerve to say I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger. He leaves in me shall never thirst. I think for example of Buddha who claimed enlightenment, but he never said I am the light of the world. He who fall with me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Freud remember him. He said that psychotherapy would bring peace to the human heart.

By the way, did you know it hasn't worked in time magazine years ago said that psychotherapy was itself on the couch need of therapy and resurrection, but he never said peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, only God can talk like that only God can talk so I want you to do is to understand two inescapable conclusions today. The first is that there is an unbridgeable gap between Jesus Christ and all other religious options. There is an unbridgeable gap. Let me tell you, university students, you already know this. Most people think that all the religions of the world are essentially the same and only superficially different but the opposite is true. Most religions of the world are essentially different and only superficially the same because the gap between Jesus and all others is infinite and unbridgeable.

As I mentioned last time, there is no one else out there who's able to take us to the father. They don't have the requirements they don't have the holiness of the father, they can't give to us that that holiness that the gift of righteousness.

I was explaining this to a car mechanic 10 days ago I was explaining to him the gift of righteousness. And he says well he said I don't understand that mice at both you understand the concept of marriage, and he said yes I understand the concept of merit and I said I want you to know today that the only way we get into heaven is through the merits of Jesus being applied to us as sinners, and the only person who is married see accept our Christ. I met somebody was that what you know, I've moved beyond Christianity. What I want you to know today that you can move beyond Christianity without abandoning it. There are those who say what you want to add to it. You can add to it without subtracting from it. So I want to combine it with other religions, and you can't combine it with other religions, unless you totally, completely missed understand it, there is no one else out there. Alexander Severus was one of the Roman emperors, and it was he, you know who thought that, by the way, we were in Rome this summer and if you've ever gone to Rome and seen the pantheon. It's really worth the price of the ticket just to be there. The Pantheon is one of the oldest buildings in Rome and it was the it goes back to the first and early second century. Unbelievable in its construction and it was the one that housed all of the Roman gods.

There was a God you wanted to buy something. I got if you wanted to sell something. Some of those gods later made their way into Christendom and then note when Severus came along. He said you know there's been too much persecution of the Christians. Too many of them are being thrown into liens. Let's give tolerance to Christianity and let's do the Christians a favor and put a statue of Jesus in the Pantheon. I thought all of the Christians would say great. We have finally arrived. Jesus in the Pantheon with other gods, what did the Christians say they said no take him out. You're not doing us a favor, you don't put Jesus in the Pantheon with other gods, King of Kings and Lord of lords, none other like him, you do not identify him and put him on the same shelf is an unbridgeable gap. I was on a radio interview one time and this person said that no I think what you believe is essentially what I believe and he was giving a works religion and I said no I said and I exaggerated a little bit but I wanted to get his attention. I said I want you to know that the gap between you and me is infinite and unbridgeable, and any hint of similarity is a total misunderstanding of what I'm saying wow it was my way of helping him to say you know I'm not saying what you think I'm saying gap is unbridgeable.

Secondly, inner witness. We must always point people to Jesus. We must get them to Jesus quickly. How does this work out.

I've had this happen so many times and I look forward to it happening you're on a plane.

Maybe somebody asks what do you do.

They like to ask me that I always say that I'm a minister and then they want to find out you know which franchise reworking for and I always ask them you know if you're to die today, and God were to say to you, why should I let you into heaven say, and I would say 9/10 times that something like this. Well I figure as long as I'm a good now what I usually do is play with that a little bit which they will how good you think you have to be aware of God's standards are a little higher than you think they are what he demands absolute total perfection, which is of course what he does. But most people don't know that they think that they can slip under with a C+. One time I said to a man I said what is your opinion, he's always said there's no question but that if you do the best you can. You can get into heaven. I said well I said if that's true, we certainly have to get this message out. I said I'm on the radio I write. I said maybe we could do something to get this message to the masses. He was very impressed. I said, but before I do that I said I do have a question I need to ask you.

He said what's the question I said how do you know what I said I just my opinion and I playfully took my pencil and threw it in the air.

Believe it your opinion. I said don't you realize that you are speaking on behalf of God.

Only God would know what his requirements were, so I thought you're gonna tell me you had a revelation from God. How else could we possibly know what the requirements are endless. Got to tell us he said well he said why is your opinion better than mine and I said of course it is a nice world like ants on a Rembrandt painting seen the roughness of the canvas and the change of color beneath our feet, but we have no idea what the whole painting is about. We don't have the wisdom to put it together.

I said you know what we really need and buy that he was all ears. I said we really need somebody who knows God who can bridge the gap somebody who can speak on behalf of God and is qualified to do so to help us solve the question of how God can be known and what the requirements are for.

I got an immediately after that to Jesus I don't know if I told you the story or not. I say let's get to that point. I remember vividly a woman sitting next to me who was a member of a liberal mainline church denomination and she said one thing is sure. Now when you see an older woman and she must've been. She is considerably older than I am worried were just talking generalities here when she knows something, having lived that long for sure I'm all ears. I want to know what is it that you know for sure in a world where so little that we know for sure what you know for sure she knows for sure that there isn't a hell because God would never send anyone to help. She said of that, the confident again you always smile and remember that I said to her I said, you realize that predicament that you are putting me I should you have any idea of the dilemma you know you're pushing me into a corner here.

I said, you realize you realize what you're doing is that you're really forcing me here to make a decision all really yeah big time because my question is now do I go with you or do I go with Jesus, who spoke more about hell than he did. Heaven, so I'm facing a decision here, lady. You really put me in a corner said I like to do want to hurt your feelings but you know what I'm going with Jesus, I'm going with Jesus real with me this morning. Or am I alone appear I say to you, university students, college students follow the political correctness slunk out witness for Jesus.

You have a higher calling than to pass your exams and to get a degree and I say to you, working in universities and hospitals and factories, and banks were ever God has planted you witness for Jesus even if it cost you a promotion.

There are thousands and tens of thousands of people who have given a lot more for that because of Jesus would lay down their lives and they are our heroes and we looked at them and we say what price.

Can I pay to witness for Christ and I am delighted to pay any price for Jesus because there's something more important than this world. I tell you there's nobody else out there like them number of years ago many years ago actually win the first President Bush was president. The elder Bush I was in Washington DC and I was at a seminar actually teaching a seminar and preaching in a Sunday church service, and a Secret Service agent came to me later and said you know the president is out of town because of the memorial day weekend and I could take you into the oval office tomorrow if you and your daughters came on Monday and he told me where we could meet and I'll tell you something.

This farmboy was not going to say no to that opportunity never noticed there are some things that you don't even have to pray about somehow know yeah this is God's will. So we showed up Monday morning where the guards are there first guardhouse I was with two daughters Rebecca and our youngest daughter was not able to come along. And so my daughter opened her purse. I think it was the daughter saying this morning, Lori. She opened the purse for the for the Secret Service agents that are there.

The guards and and he never even looked entity similarity with him and he pointed to the Secret Service agent and he said yeah and we said yeah he simple and just go on and when you get to the door the White House there more guards. They look at us.

They looked at the Secret Service agent and they said you're with him just go on in when you get into the White House in one of the hallways. As I remember, there are more guards and a metal detector and I remember we set it off because we had umbrellas with us and I said oh you're with him just go on and and then as you're walking along the hallway. Finally, you can just already barely out of the corner of your eyes see the oval office with just one more guard standing bear at the door. He looked at us looked at the agent and he said you can go on in that we couldn't go to the president's desk, we could just step inside the oval office. Now I want you to imagine something. And since 9/11, it is more easy to imagine this than it used to be, let us suppose that we all died together in some great calamity and we as believers now discover that Jesus is on the other side of the curtain to take us all the way to the father. That's her destination is the father. And so, as were going along. I want you to visualize that there are centuries angels that are posted as guards all way to the heavenly city so we come to the first group of angels, and they look at Jesus and they look at us and they say you're with him go on and then we get to another group of angels, and they look at Jesus and they look at us and they say here with him go on and then in the distance. We now see God. For the first time. The Bible says that God dwells in unapproachable light and now for the first time we see the Almighty and his beauty and his holiness and he's more holy than we ever visualized him to be. He's more beautiful and he's more grandeur and then we begin to think of the sins that we committed on earth and we have flashbacks because among us there.

Those were guilty of sexual sins. There are those who who stole their those who destroy the lives of others. There were those who before their conversion were into alcoholism and drugs in an awful thing so we all say to ourselves, we can week. We can go because now we see him in his glory.

And it's much more than we thought it was. But there's an angel uses to us here with you. Go on. When we gather together is a great company of believers.

Now the father is speaking to the son and the father says to the sun. Thank you so much for bringing my children home because I love them so much and I want to be with them I love them. In fact, is much as I love you. Thank thank you and then the father says to the sun and furthermore I have investigated them all very, very carefully, and I find no fault in them no fault to see friends. That's why we sing closed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne that is the gospel and Jesus is the only one who can do it. Oh Jesus, show us the father take us to the father. I am the way, I am the truth I am the life. No one comes to the father except through me. Let's pray our father today want to thank you that the issue is not the greatness of our sin. The issue is the beauty of the righteousness that you give to repentant sinners who trust you. Therefore, we thank you that no matter who has been listening no matter what their sins and their past has been that is not the issue. The issue is whether they will believe in a Savior, who is able to save and to take them all the way to the father yesterday father that many will do it, whether in this sanctuary are listening by other means drop people today. Father we pray now before I close this I want you to pray skeptic that you are filled with excuses. What is your excuse now for not believing in Jesus. Would you open your life to him and say okay Jesus you win this one.

I receive you is mine. I acknowledge my sinfulness and I trust you is the only qualified Savior, I embrace you today say that to them right now. Father do as long work in the lives of those who been listening as you need to do until they have embraced you a Savior and have come to full assurance of faith, because the more we believe in Jesus, the more certain we are grant that we ask God in Jesus name.

This is certain. My friend, I want to have a personal word with I believe that these messages on God, yes, but why Jesus are the most critical for our culture, our confused culture and I believe that perhaps you need to listen to these messages again but you also have children and grandchildren you know of students in our university who are constantly challenged about their faith in Jesus Christ. I believe that these messages would be of great help for gift of any amount they can be yours so that you can listen to them again and again you go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or I'm going to be giving you a phone number in just a moment.

But let me emphasize again that the critical issue in today's confused religious world is who is Jesus and why is he unique, and I really do believe that these messages will be of tremendous help in you defending the faith once delivered to the saints, and we can't concede we cannot compromise on this issue for gift of any amount they can be yours have already mentioned RTW offer.com. Now here comes the phone number 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us have run into when 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614. Many asked why seemingly good people turn bad. How can someone turn violent after a lifetime of apparent normalcy. The answer lies in understanding our fundamental human nature. The issue is accepting the truth about who we really are. Next time I'm running to win. We begin a series that explains why good people do bad thing.

Our journey will begin with our self perception.

Join us on our next broadcast as pastor loots or finds us all lost in a house of mirrors running to win is sponsored by the church