I visit Brandon Aiken to be a guest on, "Get A Life Podcast."

John 10:10 and the Purpose of the Podcast

Welcome back to another episode of the get a life podcast with Pastor Brandon. This podcast is Based on the biblical truth of John 10 10 where it says the enemy is out to steal kill and destroy. But I came to give you life.

That's Jesus words that he came to give us life and we want to talk about how to get that life and every episode that we Do if you're familiar with the episodes on Tuesday. We always take an opportunity to sit down with someone and dig dig into the scriptures and just have a little chat with them.

Is Jesus Really the Only Way?

And so this week we have Robert Knife with us and he's gonna be sharing with us and talking to us. We're gonna be talking about the question Is Jesus really the only way so? That's what we're gonna be talking about today.

But Robert it's good to have you with us today. If you want to take a few minutes and just share your heart about your ministry and the things that you do. I know you have a lot going on with social media.

If you want to just tell the viewers who are listening about what you have going on for the Lord.

Thank you, Brandon. I really appreciate you Asking me to join you. I appreciate the fellowship and I appreciate what God and Is doing through our ministries and allowing us to reach out to the community.

If if you want to see what I'm doing, I can't remember the website I need to fix it. But it has a whole bunch of numbers in front of it and then it says truth and truth and love WordPress calm maybe Brandon can give you a link on his site.

But you can find it on Facebook truth and love network and we do live videos. And then I extract the audio put it on to a podcast. So I hope you'll check it out and I hope you'll be edified by by the content that I I'm doing.

Yeah, and we'll post all of those links to this podcast as well. So you can So how you can get connected with what brother Robert is doing for the Lord as well, so we're just We're just excited For what you're doing and we're excited for you to be a part of this podcast today on the get a life podcast today our question that we're going to focus on is is Jesus really the only way and you may say well in America where Some most people identify in some way to a Christian Protestant Church, why would you ask a question?

So simple is Jesus the only way and the reason I ask is because there's a there's a lot of different theology that's getting mixed in in our culture with different theologies and we just want to dissect through some of those things and we'll start off With the most simplest one and that is who is Jesus and I don't just mean who is Jesus in the Bible But also we I feel like we need it.

Also a lot of times we worship some Jesus that we made up and that's why we need to stick close to what the Bible says about Jesus and not what I Say about Jesus or what? My grandma says about Jesus anything that you hear me and Robert talking about today.

Just don't Believe us where you know, that's right. Sometimes people get aggravated when you want to fact-check them. You can fact-check us We'll be okay with that. But Robert we'll go ahead and start off with the first question Who is Jesus and why is he important?

The Identity of Jesus Christ

Well.

I thought this was really gonna be a short podcast because you said is Jesus the only way and I was gonna say yes. And I could we get in there because that's that's the answer. Yes is the answer to every question.

But who is Jesus and why is he important?

I.

Found this article if you want to check this website out. It has a lot of great resources calm see our carm .org and The article is who is Jesus. Let me just read you the sentence. Jesus is the central figure of Christianity and its founder.

He was born of a virgin lived a perfect life died on the cross for our sins and three days later He rose from the dead. That's a good basic summary of who Jesus is. But let me give you some other aspects of who Jesus is.

Jesus is the second person of the Trinity the Godhead God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus his form is also known as the Hypostatic Union and that's a big word that just simply means Jesus is fully God and fully man 100 God and 100 man.

And as I stated earlier Jesus never sinned. He lived a a sinless life. He obeyed the Father perfectly. And just some scriptures to go over with you. Some other aspects of who Jesus is. We learned we learned in John 1 1 that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and then in verse chapter 1 verse 14, it says the Word became flesh.

So Jesus is the Word and The Word was God and he became flesh. So we know that Jesus is God himself second person of the Trinity, um. And I think we'll look at this verse later. But Jesus says I am the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through me.

So I won't elaborate on that. If you look at Exodus chapter 3 verse 14, it says. And God said to Moses. I am who I am. And we find especially in the gospel of John Jesus Uses that title for himself over and over just one example is John 8 58.

Jesus said to them truly I say to you before Abraham was I am. So Jesus Claimed to be God himself and we know that what he says is true. First Peter 2 22 is just a verse that Shows us that Jesus didn't sin he who committed no sin nor was any deceit found in his mouth.

Here's another good one. Colossians 1 chapter chapter 1 verses 13 through 20 Says for he rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have redemption and forgiveness.

Colossians chapter 1 is really Really a good chapter to look at who Jesus is a good summary with a lot of good explanation. He delivered us from the domain of darkness Delivered us into the kingdom of his beloved Son whom we have redemption the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God the firstborn of all creation verse 16 by him all things were created both in the heavens and the earth and there's. There's another good aspect of his character and who he is he he created Jesus He is our Creator everything but the heavens and on earth visible and indivisible whether thrones or dominions rulers or authorities all things have been created through him and For him.

So he's he's God second person of the Trinity. He's sinless. He's fully God fully man. He's our Creator and the list could go on and on. He's King of Kings. He's Lord of Lords. He's our Savior. He is he's all those things and he's he's wonderful and he's precious to us.

Jesus, False Religions, and a Works-Based Gospel

So when we answer the question or we're asking the question right now, but is Jesus the only way we first have to realize You know who Jesus is and what why Jesus is important and from what what. Brother Robert as this told us and told us through Scripture that Without Jesus there is no salvation plan and so that's the that's the important part that we hope that you're listening can take away from that is that that we need Jesus and and we also need the Biblical Jesus not some Jesus that we sometimes make up in our own theology or our own minds our own.

Way of life.

But um also Robert as we look at in the in the American culture I've already touched on it how there is a lot of mixed theology in a blender sometimes. And and I'm not speaking of I know there's different denominations I'm not speaking of that but I'm speaking where people have strolled in Karma, which is a Hindu right theology sometimes and then there's different religions that actually offer their own way, right?

So let's just talk for a few minutes about those different things and how they offer a way, but it's not the way, right?

So what's your thoughts on that? Well, God tells us something in the Old Testament that kind of. Goes back to what we were talking about first. Who is Jesus and why is he important and then it bleeds over into this next question discuss the different religions?

God says God says of himself. I am the Lord your God Who brought you out of the land of Israel and there is no other. There is no other God and Jesus himself is God the second person of course of the of the Godhead the Trinity and he says there is no other like you said and There all others are false.

They don't exist even the ones we we make up and we we do that unknowingly like you just said. In aspects. That was a perfect example using karma, I mean people think you know, it's it's innocent you know and unknowingly want to.

Apply.

Karma to their life, but it's not biblical and it's not the way of Christ. And so you we therefore add things to Jesus that he doesn't. Tell us that's who he is and so we therefore we creating a new Jesus a different God.

But you have all kinds of different religions.

You have.

Islam you have. Buddhism you have. Hinduism you have. I can't can't think of one that I thought about earlier. Har Krishna, that's one. There's so many others you have. You have cults like Mormonism Jehovah's Witness And things like that and they all a lot of them have.

What they call Jesus? You have. You have Islam who says Jesus was a Was a prophet a good teacher. You have. You know Hinduism. And and Buddhism who don't really have a problem with Jesus because they just add him to the list of other gods that they have.

So.

They'll just put him up on their shelf, right? Let's see Mormonism and Jehovah's Witness. They'll use the name Jesus, but they they describe him in a different way. Therefore. He's a totally different Jesus.

And so The that's why they're so tricky when you when you try to speak with them. They'll use the a lot of this a lot of similar terminology but When you get down to it and dig in a little bit deeper deeper They're describing a completely different Jesus than the one the Bible describes.

And so you have a different Jesus you have a different God and you don't have the gospel and you don't have salvation. That's what that's why it's so important. You're exactly right.

And.

Kind of Going in the direction that you're going we can we can stick our nose up and and we can call out all these other religions. And so they have a different Jesus. Yeah, but even even for those of us who you know This is what we would claim on paper.

I am saved by grace through faith. And I believe that and I stand firm on that. However Sometimes how we how we live and how we think Is showing us that we ourselves are making up an own our own gospel in our mind.

And let me share this with you. Um, Pastor Tommy Hullett. It has this discipleship manual. And let me read this to you real quick. He says when you messed up Parentheses sin, you're guilty and you know it.

How do you tend to try to make it? Many hide in shame. Some beat themselves up others make excuses to try to convince themselves that whatever they did wasn't that big of a deal? It's so easy to blame other people or your circumstances still others are quick to try to strike bargains with God.

Making promises to do better if he would just forgive them so what happens is is when we sin we forget the gospel is so therefore we try to hide in shame or We will beat ourselves up try to punish ourselves for for the sin that we just committed.

Well, we'll blame somebody else. Well We'll try to make up for it. Make like you said make a bargain with God God if you'll if you'll get me out of this or you'll forgive me I promise I'll do better or I'll do this and what we're doing even those of us who claim I believe in grit I believe in salvation by grace through faith.

No works. We still make up our own gospel in our mind. When we forget the gospel and and practice such things as these. We forget that Jesus Paid it all and we forget that Jesus forgave it all and when we're forgiven when we're born again God therefore sees Jesus Instead of us and When he looks at us, he sees the perfect Righteous life that Jesus lived and he see the forgiveness that Jesus purchased for us.

And when we try to bargain with God or hide in shame. We forget that now our identity is in Christ and not our own. Yes.

Yes, definitely some good good points to take away there and We just want to help help you see who's listening today that. That there there's a lot of different counterfeit ways. But there's really just one one real way and that's at the top of the show.

Robert answered the question is Jesus the only way. Yes, and that kind of ends everything else, but we do we did want to take a moment to kind of look at the different religions and Look at different ways.

There's even as you mentioned already brother Robert. There's even different cults that.

Would look.

Christianese on the outside until you started to peel back some of the layers and so and so. I think you probably already answered this but. How does Jesus offer us? How does his way offer us differently?

Salvation by Grace Through Faith

This is a little simpler and more condensed answer. And I've repeated this verse already I think twice. Ephesians 2 8 9 for by for by grace you've been saved through faith. And this is not of yourselves.

It is a gift of God not a result of works so that no one can boast. All these religions have different names. Yeah, but they all have one thing in common. They're all works based. Yeah, even Catholicism is works based.

Yeah, you you've got to be a member of the church to go to heaven or your anathema. You've got to you know. Take communion. You've got to Do your Hail Mary's you've got to do your penance you got to go to confession.

And and I could you know go through each of the different religions and cults. But each one of them is work based you have to do something to earn God's favor. Yes Christianity biblical Christianity is the only one that says The work has been done it is finished you just said it on the cross it is finished.

You don't have to work anymore. Yes, it's done. It's over with Jesus. Satisfied the wrath of God on our behalf. He he died on the cross in our place and he rose from the dead on the third day. Sealing that victory.

And now Jesus is reigning as king and we can have that salvation Through him if we repent of our sins and put our trust in him, right. And so biblical Christianity is not work based. Well, it is the work of Christ, right?

Yeah, and all the other religions are work based on us. Yes, and that's the difference. Yes.

And that's also the difference between The spiritual and sometimes it's hard for us to wrap our minds through the spiritual because it doesn't make sense to Life here because life on earth is work based a lot of times if you don't work you don't need.

And so so but it's hard to think that someone is going to give me a free gift. Because even in this culture if somebody gives you something you're like what's the catch? And then but God is offering us a free gift in his son Jesus.

And.

So you already mentioned it but John 14 6 also supports this is Jesus the only way and this is Jesus Jesus's own words and I know you touched on it again, but there's something you want to add to John 4 6.

14 6. Well when I was looking at that verse.

It stood out to me that each one of those three Characteristics of who Jesus is supports the other so if you look at the verse Jesus I am the way the way. For what the way of what? Truth and life. Jesus I am the truth the truth.

About what? The way and the life Jesus says I am the life. What life. The way and the truth each each characteristic supports the other right and and they're they're foundational and Jesus is each one of those fully and completely for us.

Yes, and and being the only God He is the only way yes. If no other gods exist Then he is the only way to the father.

Yes.

And so it's important to know his word. Know how he how he wants us to approach him. How he wants us to come to him and how he wants us to live for him, right?

Yeah.

Really really important verse and of course he starts it off by saying I am Speaking of himself. Yeah with that title that God gave himself in the Old Testament. Yes.

Yeah, and of course. You can find that in John. I believe what seven different times or so. There's different I am statements. I am statements. Yeah, and it keeps connecting to the passage you already referred to in Exodus where Moses meets Yahweh or God for the first time right.

Assurance, Repentance, and Spiritual Checkup

And then to this in this Podcast with brother Robert with us here. How do I know I'm going the right way? So we are established. Jesus is the way the only way. But how do I know that I'm going the right way brother Robert.

For people are listening who maybe be struggling their faith today. Maybe they're not where they want to be. They don't maybe they don't feel sold out. How do they. How do they know if they're going the right way or how do they know how to get back on the right?

Way, right.

First question I would ask is has God saved you? Yes Jesus is on the way the truth in life. No one comes to the father, but through me, you know, that's that's gospel. That's salvation that that's the goal.

That's the aim and so has God saved you. How do I know I'm on the right way has God saved you you need to answer that question. And to answer that question have you repented of your sin and Put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

Yes if you have Bible promises that you have Been brought out of death into life. He is chance Colossians 1 again He has transferred you out of the domain of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved son.

Then you you know that you're on the right way. Yes. More evidence that you God has saved you and more evidence that you've repented of your sins and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Ask yourself these questions.

Are you abiding in him which means remaining in him? In other words, you're not you're not going back or going away from him On these other paths or your own path. Are you remaining in him in his Word?

Do you see that as evidence in your life are you bearing fruit as Evidence of a body in him, right? Are you bearing fruit the fruits of the Spirit? Do you are those evident in your life? Has your relationship With sin changed the the sin you once loved do you now hate?

Has your relationship with Jesus changed is Jesus now precious to you, right? All these things are just they're not how to get saved their evidences of you being saved. So the the real question is Has God saved you and all those other things were just evidences, you know.

If God is working in your life, if you don't have those evidences in your life You need to reflect. The Bible says make your calling and election sure. So it's good to reflect in your own heart and mind as God saved me.

Am I bearing fruit if not The Bible commands us to repent of our sin and put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Yes, and he promises he will save us.

Yes, and brother rubber has gave us a lot of good information today and it's all in the in the Bible. It's all you can you can fact-check him. It'll be there. And so we think you've read Robert for your time and it'll the last question Do do I know that I'm going the right way?

Robert gave us some Questions to ask ourselves so hopefully we can do some spiritual checkup today to make sure if you're listening this and you're not sure then you can be Sure, and so we thank you right Robert for being with us on the ghetto life podcast today.

And we'll have him back real soon. And we thank you for listening. This has been the ghetto life podcast with pastor Brandon. Okay, awesome. You did awesome. Thank you.