Preached by Gregory W. Lee
10 February 2008
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Acts 4
1. The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people.
2. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.
3. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day.
4. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
5. The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem.
6. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family.
7. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"
8. Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people!
9. If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed,
10. then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
11. He is "`the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. '
12. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
-- in the days following 9-11, people in this country were looking for answers and looking for hope -- and in the process, many of them turned to the government -- many turned to their families -- but many turned to the supernatural -- to the spiritual -- to find hope and comfort in the midst of this national tragedy
-- in response to this national cry for spiritual guidance and help, Oprah Winfrey organized an ecumenical gathering on September 23, 2001, at Yankee Stadium in New York City -- this gathering, which occurred less than two weeks after the horrific events of 9-11, was attended by thousands of people -- it was broadcast on the four major TV networks, and was covered by C-Span, CNN, and other news channels
-- this was truly a gathering of religions, as representatives from each of the major religions in our country spoke and participated in the service, including protestant Christians, Roman Catholics, Jews, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, and Greek Orthodox
-- this service was heralded by many as a step forward in the face of tragedy -- as a progressive movement by which all peoples of faith, regardless of their particular beliefs, could come together as one to pray for our nation and to humbly entreat God to triumph over evil -- this was, they said, America at its best
-- but, did you know that not everyone applauded the service? -- there were cries of protest against this gathering from all across the nation
-- why? -- who would protest a gathering of all the major religions in this country? -- atheists? -- agnostics? -- in the face of the tragedy of the events of 9-11, who would actually stand up and complain about this truly ecumenical service?
-- it may come as a surprise to you to find out it was Christian leaders who stood up and protested this gathering at Yankee Stadium by all these religious groups -- the question is, "why?" -- why would they speak out against it? -- what possible reason could they have to complain?
-- I think Rev. Wallace Schulz, the national second vice president of the Missouri Synod of Lutherans summed it up for all the Christian leaders who spoke out against this gathering -- "To participate with pagans in an interfaith service and, additionally, to give the impression that there might be more than one God, is an extremely serious offense against the God of the Bible."
-- The Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once said, "There is only one religion,though there are a hundred versions of it." -- in other words, "all religions lead to God" -- and it was with this understanding that these religious leaders gathered together on September 23, 2001 at Yankee Stadium
-- this thought -- this theology -- is the basic belief of many of the people that you know -- people that you pass at work or at school or in the world -- even many people who sit in our pews on Sunday morning -- but this is not the theology of the Christian faith
-- out of all the truth claims of Christianity, there are none more condemned or controversial than this one -- that the only path to Heaven lays through the person of Christ Jesus -- this is foundational to our beliefs as Christians -- so the question to you this morning is, "how do you respond to a friend who comes up to you and says, 'I think all religions lead to God?'"
II. Pluralism
-- I think that before we can answer this question, we must first understand what our friend means by this statement when they say that all religions lead to God
-- this idea is called religious pluralism -- and it means that all religions, no matter what their beliefs or their teachings, are all equally valid and right
-- pluralism teaches that there is only one God -- and that each religion just views God in their own unique way and have found their own path to God -- so, it doesn't matter what religion you belong to -- it doesn't matter what doctrines or creeds you believe in -- ultimately, all of us are going to be saved and all of us are going to end up in heaven with God
-- think of it like this -- you are walking down a trail and all of a sudden you see hundreds of trails branching off from the main trail -- each trail has a sign that says "To get to God, follow me" -- a person who believes that all religions lead to God would say it doesn't matter which trail you take, they are all going to end up in the same place
-- some of them might wind around more than others -- some might take a long time -- some might be shorter -- but, in the end, they all lead to God
-- this belief is very common in our day and age, especially among our young people and our youth
-- several years ago, we had a young lieutenant who was deployed in Saudi Arabia -- when he came back, our boss asked him to give a talk about his experiences in this foreign country -- he told us about the food and about the people and about the culture -- but one thing stood out to me -- he said that the people there were all Muslims and believed in Allah -- which was just another name for our God -- in other words, this lieutenant believed that the Muslim religion and the Christian religion were basically the same and that both led to God -- we just followed different paths and had different names for Him
-- this idea of religious pluralism -- that all religions lead to God -- is a natural offshoot from our current trend towards diversity and tolerance and the acceptance of other faith systems
-- I think you need to be aware that the word "tolerance" has undergone a change in meaning over the past 10-15 years -- for my generation and the generations before me, the word "tolerance" meant that we treated other beliefs or other religions with respect -- we might not agree with what another person believed, but we recognized their right to believe this and did not discriminate or hold this against them
-- however, in our younger generations, the word "tolerance" has taken on a completely different meaning -- instead of just respecting another's beliefs, now to be tolerant means that you have to accept them as valid and right on their own -- in other words, you can't say that another person's beliefs are wrong and that your's are right -- this would be intolerant
-- using this definition, it's easy to see how people would claim, in the name of tolerance, that all religions lead to God
-- but, is this true? -- as people who name the name of Christ, how do we respond to our friends who come to us and tell us that all religions lead to God
-- in order to answer this question, I would suggest that we see what God has to say on the subject -- so, let's look again at the passage we opened with
-- before we begin, let me give you the context of this passage
III. Scripture Lesson
-- immediately before this passage, Peter and John have just come upon a beggar at the Gate Beautiful leading to the temple -- this man was crippled from birth and every day, he was placed at this gate by his friends so he could beg in order to support himself
-- as he saw Peter and John approach, he asked them for money -- but instead of money, they gave him something else -- they gave him Christ
-- in Acts 3:6, Peter said to him, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." -- and immediately, the man's ankles and feet were made strong and he was totally and completely healed
-- he jumped to his feet and went with Peter and John into the temple -- walking and jumping with joy as he praised God for his healing
-- in the midst of the commotion, a crowd gathered around the three of them and Peter began to preach and to explain to the people that it was through Jesus that this man had been made whole
-- flip back to Acts 3, verse 12
12. When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
13. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.
14. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.
15. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
16. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
-- now skip down to verse 22
22. For Moses said, `The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you.
23. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.'
-- now, I don't want you to miss what is going on in this passage -- Peter and John had come into the temple -- the seat of power of Judaism -- the most holy place for the Jews -- and had healed a crippled beggar in the name of Christ Jesus
-- and now they are proclaiming something that rippled through the temple grounds like a shock wave -- this Jesus was not only a prophet sent by God -- but He was the Holy and Righteous One -- He was the promised Messiah
-- and it is only through Him that healing comes -- it is only through Him that eternal life comes -- and if the people refuse to believe in faith in Jesus, then they will be cut off from the promises of God
-- in other words, Peter and John are claiming that there is only one way to Heaven, and that is through Jesus alone
-- now this is something that the religious rulers in their day could not tolerate -- so Peter and John were arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin -- a group of 70 men comprised of the rulers, elders, and the teachers of the law as well as the high priest
-- as the high priest and the elders interrogated them, Peter and John defended themselves and declared once again that salvation came only through Jesus
-- flip over to Acts 4, verse 12
12. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
-- the Bible is clear -- there is only one path to heaven -- there is only one way to salvation -- and that is through faith in Jesus -- in His atoning death on the cross and His resurrection on the third day
-- there are not many paths to God -- there is only one -- and that is Jesus
-- we see this claim made throughout the Scriptures -- not only by the apostle and the believers in Christ -- but by Jesus Himself
-- in John 14:6, Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -- Jesus claimed to be the exclusive way to God and to salvation -- there is no other way -- there is no other path -- there is no other religion -- there is only Christ
-- Jesus said that He was the light of the world -- that He was the narrow gate -- that He was the good shepherd -- make no mistake, Jesus did not believe that all religions led to God -- He taught that He was the only path and the only way to salvation
-- Paul made it clear that he believed this as well -- in 1 Tim 2:5 he said, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" -- and in Colossians 1, he taught that it was Jesus who reconciled the world to God through His death and resurrection
IV. Closing: Our Response
-- so, how can we respond to our friend who believes that all religions lead to God?
-- the best way is to explain what we believe and why we believe that Christ is the only path to salvation
-- start off by telling them that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives -- Jesus said in John 10:10, "I came that you might have life, and have it abundantly"
-- God wants us to enjoy life -- to live happy and abundant lives here on earth -- lives free from sadness and sorrow and suffering
-- but it's obvious that most people aren't experiencing that type of abundant life? -- why?
-- it's because of sin -- we are sinful and have become separated from God -- therefore, we cannot know and experience God's love and plan for our lives -- the Bible tells us that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God
-- we were created for fellowship with God -- but because of our sin, we have allowed a wall to come up between us and God -- we keep trying to make it to God on our own -- trying to live the abundant life that we so desperately want -- but we just can't seem to make it -- we always fail
-- the only way to take down that barrier between God and us is through Jesus -- the Bible tells us that the penalty for sin is death -- and the only way that our sins could be removed was if someone without sin died in our place -- if He took our punishment on Himself so that we could go free
-- Romans 5:8 says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us -- and 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 says, "Christ died for our sins -- He was buried -- and He rose from the dead on the third day"
-- because Jesus was God in the flesh -- God with skin on -- He was able to die for our sins and to bridge that gap between us and the Father
-- no one but God could do that -- not Mohammad -- not Buddha -- no man -- only Christ
-- that's why Jesus Himself said that He was the only way to God -- that's why Peter said that there was no other name under heaven by which men might be saved
-- we can only find forgiveness of sins and salvation through Jesus alone -- not through any other religion -- only through Him
-- finally, we need to share with our friend that they can receive salvation and know and experience God's love and plan for our lives by receiving Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior
-- John 1:12 says, "To those who received Him, He gave the right to become children of God" -- we have to do more than just believe -- we have to receive Him and accept His free gift of grace and forgiveness for our sins
-- receiving Christ means repenting of our sins -- turning from our own path and our own ways -- and trusting that His death and resurrection has paid the price for our sins and has opened up the path to heaven and eternal life with Him
-- let us pray
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