The Way to Heaven

From our Easter Sunday service on April 5, 2026, Psalm 1; Matthew 7; John 14; Luke 23-24. Watch the full message: The Way to Heaven on YouTube.

You know me: I like to do things a little differently on Easter. I like to talk about the resurrection, but I like to tie it in in ways people don’t usually see. I’ve been studying in preparation for writing a book in the future called People of the Way, and I’ve spent a lot of time studying this concept of “the way.” You’ve probably seen it pop up in a couple of my messages. So I’ve titled this message “The Way to Heaven.”

The early church understood that life is about choosing a path. Easter is about how God made a way when we couldn’t. When you hear the words “the way,” the word in the original languages meant something along the lines of a road: a pathway, a road, a street, any kind of area designed for travel. This message ties together this concept of the way all across Scripture. When you think about the way, you may remember John chapter 14, where Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” That’s the way we’re talking about today.

The early church understood this connection. If you read the book of Acts, you’ll see time and time again that the Christians are called those who follow the way. The early church presented us with this concept of the way, and Easter is all about how God made a way where we could not.

Two Ways

There are two ways in life. There is one that leads to life. Jesus made that way through his death and resurrection. But there’s also a way that leads to death, and that is the natural path we walk through life when we are born and live under our sin.

The Didache was a church manual written by the early Christians, likely in the late first century. It’s one of the earliest Christian writings that isn’t included in the Bible. In the Bible, we have a Christian creed in 1 Corinthians, but outside of the Bible, the Didache was one of the first developed church manuals. And this manual of the Christians started with this statement: “There are two ways, one of life and one of death, but a great difference between the two ways.”

Today I want to present these two ways and share with you why you want to be on the way to life with Jesus, and why you don’t want to walk the way to death, because there is a great difference between the two ways. This manual presents us with two ways. The first is a way of life, which represents a transformed life brought about through salvation by faith in Jesus Christ: a life that is led by the Spirit into morality and purity. The second is the way of death: a life of sin and mistakes brought about through natural desires, a life led by carnal human instinct into greed, lust and self-destruction.

Jesus Christ came to this world so that we could walk the way of life. During this season of Easter, we remember his death, burial and resurrection, which enable us to walk the path he’s paved for us.

God wants you to know that Jesus is the only way to heaven.

What Is the Way? (Psalm 1)

The first thing we need to know is where this concept of the way comes from in the Bible. Surely Jesus didn’t just show up and talk about being the way. There had to be some prophecy or words about it. So we’ll look first at what the way is, in Psalm 1. I like to call this psalm the psalm of the two paths.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Psalm 1:1–6

Psalm 1 introduces all the Psalms with one concept: two choices, the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly. This passage isn’t the first appearance of the concept of the way. It draws on Deuteronomy chapter 30, where the children of Israel sat outside the promised land, and Moses says, “Before you stands a choice: to do what God said and be blessed, or to go against God and be cursed to your own destruction.” Throughout all of Scripture there have always been two ways to walk: a way of life and a way of death.

We Can’t Walk It on Our Own

Here the psalm says the way to life is to follow the laws of God: the standards God set, the morality God set. There’s one problem with walking that way. How many of us have ever walked consistently, 100%, in what God said to do? I know I haven’t. I’ve messed up even this week. I may have unknowingly messed up this morning. There’s no way for us to walk the path on our own. We’re not perfect.

It says that sinners will not stand in the judgment, and all of us are sinners. Who here can say, “I’m a sinner. I’ve stolen. I’ve lied. I’ve cheated. I’ve done wrong”? All of us are going to stand before God, and all of us are sinners. So what does that mean for us? All of us are destined to walk the path of death if we walk in our own ability.

But there is a way of life. The psalm says that’s the person who wants to live in God’s law, to follow his instructions for wise living. That person will be firm and secure, like a tree planted by a nice, fresh water source. That tree has everything it needs to thrive, and that’s what we want to be like. Who wants to say, “I want to thrive in everything I do. I want to be blessed by God in my walk”? I think most of us would.

But the truth is, there is a way of death, and that’s the person who chooses to ignore God’s law, to ignore his standard. This person has no security. They have no root. They’re like dust in the wind, destined to be blown away into their own destruction.

The Way Is God (Luke 3)

But the story doesn’t end with the idea that we need to be perfect all the time to walk the way of life. The concept continues in Luke chapter 3. We see that the way is God, and he is coming to save us. This is an Old Testament prophecy fulfilled.

The word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Luke 3:2–6

Here we see that John the Baptist was preaching that we need to prepare the way of the Lord. In Isaiah there was a prophecy that the way of God would come and live among us. This way wasn’t something we did in our own ability. It was something completely external to us, because it said the way would come, and it says the way is God.

So here we see a prophecy about the Messiah: the way of righteousness is not something we have in our own human ability. It’s something external to us. It is God himself who is the pathway to heaven. He is the one who makes the crooked paths straight and the rough paths smooth. He makes the road we need to travel walkable for us.

In the book of Hebrews, we talked about how you run a race, and how you need to remove those sins or you’ll trip up on your race down the road. Here Jesus is the one preparing the road for us to walk. He’s the one who removes the obstacles out of the way so that we can walk faithfully. We see that the way of life is not just a philosophy of life. It’s not just some idea of what a righteous life looks like. The way is actually a person: the Messiah, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh.

The Way Is Narrow (Matthew 7)

In Matthew 7, we learn that the way is a narrow path. Verse 12 says:

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Matthew 7:12

This starts off by introducing the concept of following the laws of God. Psalm 1 presents the way as a moral and just life lived under the law of God, and Jesus brings that introduction in here. Then he continues in verses 13 and 14.

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Matthew 7:13–14

Not All Roads Lead to God

Many people will tell you there are many pathways to God. I will tell you today that is not what the Bible teaches. There are not multiple pathways to God. There is one way. There is one road. There’s a saying that all roads lead to Rome. That might be true about Rome, but not all roads lead to God. There is one path.

Now, there are many ways you can get on that path in your life. There are many things that can point you to the right path, and there are many points at which you may enter that path. But there is only one road to heaven, paved through Jesus Christ.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is telling people about these two paths of the Old Testament. He’s clarifying that the two paths are very different. The way to life is narrow. It’s strict. It’s not wide. There aren’t a lot of ways to walk this path. Think of those natural paths in a forest, trampled by people walking through. They’re very narrow. You can’t fit two people next to each other. You can’t deviate from the path. If you want to use the path, you have to stick to it. Jesus is this narrow path. There is only one path, and there’s only one way to walk it.

Few There Be That Find It

He says it’s narrow and few people will find it. This is the sad truth today: many people are going to think they found a path to heaven, but when they get there, they’re going to realize that path wasn’t the right path at all. They’ll think, “Isn’t the path to heaven wide? I made more good moral choices in my life than bad ones. I believed in Allah. I believed in the Buddha. Why can’t I get into heaven? I had beliefs, and they line up with what Jesus said about morality.”

I’m sorry, but the path to heaven is not about morality. It’s about submission to Jesus Christ, saying, “My works are like filthy rags. All the good I do is like nothing compared to what God wants for me. It’s like a pile of trash rotting in a dump. I want nothing to do with it. I reject it in pursuit of Christ.”

How to Find the Way (John 14)

If so many people are on the pathway to death, the question becomes: how do we make sure we choose to walk on the good road? Next, let’s see how to find the way, in John chapter 14. Jesus is preparing for his pathway to the cross, which is what we’re talking about today, and he encourages his disciples with these words. This passage should be very familiar to you all.

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:1–6

Jesus tells his disciples, “I am going ahead of you to prepare the way to my Father’s house.” The disciples think he’s speaking literally: “I’m going to go prepare a trip for you guys, and you need to meet me someplace.” Thomas is confused: “You’re going to prepare a pathway for us, but where’s the destination? Are we going to Caesarea? Capernaum? Bethlehem? Nazareth? What’s the location? Where’s your Father? I need to know the way.”

Thomas misses the picture Jesus is drawing from the Old Testament about the way of life and the way of death. He says, “We don’t know the way.” Jesus says, “You know the way. I am the way. I am the path to God.” Because your righteousness isn’t good enough to walk the path to God. Your righteousness is like a curving, twisting road. You’ll never make it to heaven, because your righteousness isn’t good enough to get you there.

Jesus clarifies for Thomas. Thomas says, “How can we know the way?” Jesus says, “I am the way, Thomas. I am the truth. I am the life. The way of the righteous leads to life, Thomas, and it’s me. And I need to prepare the way.” By saying that, he wasn’t talking about a physical road. He wasn’t talking about a philosophy. He was talking about how he would soon need to go to the cross to pay for our sins. Jesus says, “I am quite literally the way to heaven. I am the road one must take to make it to heaven. I’m not a way. I’m not one of many ways. I am the only way.”

The Way Announced (John 12)

As we continue, we see the way confirmed. In John 12:31-33, Jesus announces the preparation of this way.

Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.
John 12:31–33

This is in the same context as our other verse, as Jesus is preparing to go through Passion Week. He says, “If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me. I will point everyone to the path of life.”

Many Ways onto the Road

Like I said, there are many ways you can get onto the path of life. There are many ways you can come to know Jesus. Some people have a dream, or they see Jesus. If you go talk to missionaries in Muslim countries, they’ll tell you about Muslims who have never heard the name of Jesus, but they had a dream, and Jesus said to them in the dream, “I am the way to heaven.” They go out searching and find a missionary who tells them the gospel.

Sometimes people find Jesus through addiction. They get to the end of their rope and say, “I’ve got nothing left to give. I don’t value my life. Maybe I’ll try giving it to someone who wants it.” And they get on the road to heaven that way. Some people grow up in church, and at five or six years old they find out about Jesus, realize their need of a Savior, and hop on that road a little earlier. There are many ways to get onto the road to walk this way to heaven. But the only road is Jesus Christ, and the only way onto it is through faith in him.

Here Jesus announces that he’s going to finish the work that was started all those millennia ago. He is going to prepare the way to heaven. And if he was lifted up on that cross, then all of humanity would be drawn to Christ and become aware of that pathway to heaven.

The Way Was Not Easily Made (Luke 23)

Turn to Luke 23. That’s where we’re going to be for most of the rest of our message. We’ll be jumping around as we go through the passion narrative. The way to heaven was not an easily made path. Jesus went through great difficulty to prepare the way for us to go to heaven.

Condemned

In Luke 23:1-4, we see Jesus condemned to death.

And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it. Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.
Luke 23:1–4

Here we see the beginning of the cross. The religious leaders had turned Christ over to Rome. They had rejected their salvation, their Messiah, who had come to save their people. The religious leaders didn’t like what Jesus had to say. They didn’t like the message he had to deliver. So they said, “Jesus says he’s the Messiah, and the Messiah is going to be the King of the Jews. So we’ll go to the Roman governor and say he wants to overthrow Caesar because he wants to be king of the Jewish people.”

They go to Pilate, turn Jesus over and say, “We found this man saying you shouldn’t pay taxes to Caesar.” That was a lie. Jesus had specifically told the people to pay taxes to Caesar. They said, “This guy claims he’s the King of the Jews. He’s the Messiah.” Pilate asks him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And Jesus says, “Thou sayest it. You’re right. What you said is accurate. I am the Messiah.” But Pilate looks at this man and says, “I see no man of insurrection. I see no man who’s come here to overthrow Caesar. Let him go.” Pilate found no crime committed by Jesus. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be enough. Pilate tries to make the problem go away, but eventually Jesus comes back to him.

Continuing down in verse 20:

Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.
Luke 23:20–22

Pilate didn’t want anything to do with killing Jesus. Jesus was innocent. He was popular among the people for his teachings. He’d given the Sermon on the Mount and all these teachings that inspired the people. The last thing Pilate wanted was an uproar in the Roman Empire. Caesar didn’t tolerate chaos, and Pilate didn’t want to lose his job. But the people just kept pushing and pushing: “Crucify Jesus. Kill Jesus. Put him to death.” And Pilate says, “For what? What has he done? He’s told you to be good and moral people. He’s rebuked you for your hypocrisy. What sin has he committed?” But the people didn’t listen.

Verses 23-25 continue:

And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.
Luke 23:23–25

Every effort Pilate made to calm the people had failed. They wanted Jesus crucified, and they weren’t going to stop until it happened. Pilate, fearing he would lose his role as governor of Judea, gave in to the unrest of the people and their demands, and he ordered Jesus to be put to death on a cross, a punishment reserved only for the worst criminals in society.

Crucified

Jumping down to verses 33 and 34, we see Jesus crucified.

And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.…
Luke 23:33–34

Jesus was taken through the city streets of Jerusalem. He was bruised and beaten, having been whipped with a cat-o’-nine-tails. His flesh was exposed, and with his exposed flesh and blood loss, he was forced to carry his own cross outside the city gates.

When the Romans did crucifixions, they always did them right outside a city gate, so that those traveling to and from the city could look on the shame of these criminals. These were people who had murdered, people who had become insurrectionists. Maybe one was a zealot who thought he could overthrow Rome, or had assassinated a centurion. They would nail these people to a cross, putting a nail through their wrists and through the sides of their feet, to put them onto a tree and hang them there. They would be in agonizing pain for hours as people passed by. And above their heads they would put a word with their conviction: murderer, thief, would-be assassin, insurrectionist. People walking into the city would look at them and the centurions around them and say, “I don’t want to mess with Rome. That looks horrible.”

The people who died on the cross wouldn’t die from their wounds. They would die from suffocation. To stay alive, they would have to lift themselves up by the nails in their bodies just to take a breath. When you died from crucifixion, it wasn’t from blood loss. It was from suffocation, when you no longer had the energy to lift yourself up. It would take hours and hours of excruciating pain before you passed. Why did they do this? So that everyone would see the suffering and say, “I don’t want to be like him.”

And Jesus, a man who committed no crime, who had no sin, was taken down to the city gates to suffer such an excruciating death for us. Jesus was different from the other criminals on these trees. The others chose that fate when they chose the crimes they committed. But Jesus committed no crimes. He was the Son of God, the Messiah, and all he had done was call his people to follow him.

A Dying Faith

In all this, we see a wonderful testament of a dying faith, in verses 39-43. “Malefactors” means criminals.

And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Luke 23:39–43

Outside the gates of Jerusalem, at least one man had clarity of mind. One of the criminals being crucified next to Jesus saw the people mocking Jesus, laughing at him, telling him to save himself, because if he was the Messiah, surely he could have. And this man, being crucified himself, who from a human perspective obviously had far more important things to worry about, takes the energy from his dying body to defend Jesus Christ.

Think about it. You’re being crucified on a tree with nails in your hands and feet, suffocating to death. Breaths are very valuable. And yet what does he use his breath to do? He says, “What are you doing? This was a righteous man. This truly was the Messiah.” He believed in faith that Jesus was who he said he was. He sees Jesus, and he chooses to become one who walks in the way.

We know a few things about him. He says his sins were wrong, and he repents of them, knowing he’s getting the punishment he deserves. How do we know that? He says, “Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.” This man had repented of his sins. He knew they were wrong, and he knew he was getting the punishment he deserved.

Lord, Remember Me

But that’s not enough to walk in the way of life. Knowing you’re wrong is just that: knowing you’re wrong. He also needed to put faith in Jesus. He looks at Jesus and says, “This man hath done nothing amiss.” And then he says to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” Here he professes Jesus Christ as the Messiah. He calls him Lord. Not sir, not preacher, not prophet, but Lord, his Savior. He says, “My sins are not good enough. Jesus, you are good enough. You are the Messiah. Remember me.”

Why did he say, “Remember me”? Because he knew he had never lived a good enough life to walk in the way of life. He knew his works were like filthy rags, and that he was walking straight into the pits of hell. But when Jesus turns and looks at him, what does he say? “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

The way to heaven was being paved, and that man was going to die after Jesus. Jesus wasn’t going to make it to the point where they break the legs and make them die of suffocation early. Jesus died early. So this man would have died after Jesus, after the way to heaven was already paved. This criminal, this convict who had nothing in his life to offer, who never had a chance to do a good deed, who never had a chance to turn his life around, was one of the first people to step on the way of life and walk into the gates of heaven. Why? Because he knew he wasn’t worthy to walk the way of life himself, and he knew Jesus was the only way to get on that road. Because of that criminal’s faith, he too would be with Jesus in heaven.

Into Thy Hands

Next, we see Jesus’s death, in verses 44-46.

And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
Luke 23:44–46

Here Jesus says, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,” because Jesus, being God, couldn’t die unless he willed it to be so. Those people could hang him on a tree. They could put the nails in his hands and feet. They could whip him and beat him. But Jesus was still God. The only way he could die for our sins was if he willed it. So as his final act before his death, he says, “God, I surrender my life as a sacrifice for sins.” Having said that, Jesus died around 3:00 p.m. that day. By 6:00 p.m., he was placed in a tomb, because the Sabbath began at sundown and no body could stay on the cross.

He Is Risen (Luke 24)

Fortunately for us, that is not where the story ends. In Luke 24:1-7, we see the resurrection.

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
Luke 24:1–7

“The first day of the week” is that Sunday. Jesus’s death was so sudden that the women didn’t have time to prepare his body for burial. He had to be buried before sundown. He died very close to sundown, so they hadn’t prepared his body to be buried. They just threw him in the tomb and said, “We’ll have to do it on Sunday.” When the women got to the tomb, they were shocked, because the stone that sealed it was gone, and Jesus wasn’t there either. They saw two men standing by, and they didn’t know what that meant. These were angels, and they said, “What are you doing? Why are you looking for Jesus here? He’s not dead. Didn’t you hear the prophecy? He rose from the dead. Go and tell the disciples what has happened.”

He has paid for our sins. God raised Jesus from the dead as a sign that Jesus was who he said he was: that he truly was God in the flesh, that he truly was going to pay the price for our sins, and that he really was the way, the truth and the life.

The Witnesses

These aren’t the only witnesses we have. 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 lists some of the other witnesses of the resurrection. It is one of the earliest testimonies we have written about the cross, because it was written before the Gospels. This is Paul writing:

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
1 Corinthians 15:1–8

The early church was aware that there were many recorded witnesses of Jesus’s resurrection. The resurrection isn’t like some historians say, that there were no witnesses and they just made it up. This was written at a time when most of the witnesses were still alive. The scholars will agree it was written early, only a couple of decades after Jesus rose from the dead. And the author is saying, “I can list names of people you can go talk to who met Jesus after he died. If you don’t believe by faith, go talk to them.” So we have 500 witnesses, and he says most of them are still alive: “Go to Jerusalem. They live there. If you don’t believe this story, go talk to them. They’ll all tell you the same thing: we saw Jesus rise from the dead.”

Willing to Die for It

This is important because these people were going to go around the world preaching that Jesus had died and risen, to the point that they would lose their freedom and ultimately their lives. They were willing to risk everything to preach the truth that Jesus was alive.

If you read the writings of the Roman governors who interrogated Christians, they would torture them. I think it was Pliny who records his methodology. He took two deaconesses from a church and tortured them for hours, and he said, “If you just recant Jesus, I’ll let you go. If you just say he didn’t rise from the dead, I’ll let you go.” They didn’t do it. So he tortured them again and said, “Okay, if you recant that Jesus is God, if you worship the idols of Rome instead, or even if you go back to Judaism, I’ll let you go.” They said no. So they tortured them again, and a third time gave them the option to recant that Jesus had risen from the dead. They said no, and ultimately they were put to death for it.

These were not Christians who had no opportunity to back off what they said. The Roman philosophy was, “If they repent of their belief in Christ, we will let them live.” And yet time after time after time, these people said, “No. I can’t disagree with what I saw. Christ is alive, and what he said is true.”

If Christ Be Not Risen

Paul says in verses 13 and 14:

But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
1 Corinthians 15:13–14

The early Christians didn’t say, “Don’t be doubting the resurrection. Don’t think about it too hard.” Paul says, “No, think about it hard.” Why? Because at the time this was written, they had indisputable evidence from living witnesses that it was true. The Bible tells us to question it a lot, because at the time it was written, there were eyewitnesses there to prove what happened. He says that if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then all this is for nothing. But the evidence shows that Christ is alive forevermore.

Because of this, he says in verses 20-22:

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:20–22

Man’s path is the way of death. It has been that way since Adam sinned in the garden. Since he failed to obey God’s command, all of mankind has been walking the way to death: that broad way, with many ways to end up in hell forever. But Jesus alone made the path to life. He is the way to heaven.

A New and Living Way

This passage should be familiar to most of you from Hebrews 10. We have an exhortation, an encouragement, to follow the way.

Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:18–22

“Remission” means forgiveness. Boldness to enter into the holiest by what? “By a new and living way.” The author of Hebrews says that Jesus has completed the path to heaven. He has consecrated the road through his death on the cross and accomplished for us what we could not accomplish on our own. He dedicated that pathway through his own blood and purified us to walk in it as well. So we must choose to respond to this with faith. We too, like the thief on the cross, can choose to walk the way to life and be forever with Jesus.

Will You Follow Him?

In the end, the message of Easter is simple. There are two ways, but only one of them leads to life. We could never make that path ourselves. But the good news is that Jesus did. Through his death and resurrection, he opened the path to the Father.

Today the choice is ours. Will we follow the wide road that leads to death and destruction? Or will we seek Christ and walk the narrow road that leads to eternal life? Like the thief on the cross, we don’t need a lifetime of perfection to find eternal life in Jesus. We just need true faith in the one who is the way to life.

Jesus is the only way to heaven. Jesus has made the way. So the question today is: will you follow him on his path?