Sola Christus: Jesus Alone

Transcription

1 Sola Christus: Jesus Alone GREETING and DISMISSAL of CHILDREN If you have children with you birth through three years old they are dismissed to go to the nursery if you d like. If you d like to keep them with you that is great too. If you re here for the first time I would like to welcome you to the Grove. I m thrilled that you re here. This week we have many of our members who are home for Spring Break. We also have a handful who are serving across the country on mission trips with different organizations. Let s take a moment to pray for them. Lord, you are good and compelling. You draw us to yourself by your calling. I ask that everyone serving on a mission teams would experience your kindness. I ask that you would save lost people through our Lord, Jesus Christ. May every deed give great glory to Jesus and strengthen your church. Provide them with safe travels as they serve you. Show us today that there is a giant mission field right here in Southeast Kansas. Give us glimpses of your kingdom coming like it is in heaven. We ask that you would guide this church in everything it does. Make us one. Protect us from the enemy. Keep us focused on the task of making disciples of Jesus. May we do everything under the authority and power of his name in which we ask these things. Amen. SETTING UP THE SERIES

2 We are four weeks into this five-week series on the five alone statements that are foundational to who we are as a church, as a denomination and as committed followers of Jesus. We first began with Faith Alone. We are justified before God by faith in the finished and completed work of Jesus. The work of Jesus is finished and perfect. We then moved forward to the total sufficiency of God s word. We looked at its power, perfection, pervasiveness and perseverance. Everything that we need to know about God in this evanescent [passing by quickly] life is found in what he has revealed in his written word. We have assurance about God and the covenant he has made with us through his son in the word of God. Last week we looked at the grace of God in its unmerited, undeserved, unifying and unapologetic nature. You have in no way earned God s favor. We certainly didn t deserve it. Yet he has united us with himself through the sacrifice of his son and reserves no apologies about it. If you are a Christian, you have received the unlimited riches of the kindness of God. If you aren t a Christian and you re here today, I pray today you would be accepted by Jesus in his loving-kindness and experience his grace through faith that he gives generously. These five statements craft a foundation and canopy that guides us in how we see God and what we believe about him. We have a deep foundation in the word of God. Upon his word stands three pillars: Faith Alone, Grace

3 Alone, Christ Alone. And the canopy over all is Soli Deo Gloria: The Glory of God Alone. We will finish up next week by talking about the astounding glory of God that guides everything we do and everything that we strive to be. INTRODUCTION TO THE SERMON Leonard Ravenhill famously said, Don t pray that God would fill a building with people. Pray that God would fill people with Jesus. Everything, every person created, every event in history, every book of the bible is about Jesus for the glory of God. The purpose of the Grove church is not to build giant crowds in order to have a bigger church. Our aim is to see Jesus followed by lost people and see Jesus worshiped and adored more deeply by those who know him. So, we will work diligently to see men, women and children follow Jesus as their lord and master. In order for us to see him as master we must see him as our advocate and attorney before a holy God who judge the living and the dead. I have been to court once in my life. I know what some of you are thinking, Amateur. It wasn t even for anything cool. My neighbor hated my dog and called about him barking too much. So, this doesn t even gain me any street cred. I was 18 years old. I made the decision to represent myself. My neighbor had paid an attorney. But there I was 18 years old, ignorant and I chose to represent myself. I was clueless. Here s the crazy thing. I won the case. When the judge announced the verdict, I was in complete

4 surprise. Not guilty. Somehow I managed to pull off a great upset win in the courtroom. In Revelation 20:11-15 John prophesies about the judgment throne of God where God pronounces judgment on mankind. Here s what you need to know. Here s why Christ Alone matters. You are not capable of representing yourself before God s throne. Your only hope is having Jesus as your advocate and substitute. He is the no other name under heaven by which men must be saved (Acts 4:12). Notice Peter doesn t say, might be saved, could be saved, should be saved or there he is one of many names that can save men. He is the sole and only way by which you can be saved from your sins and the penalty your sin demands. He is the only suitable substitute and advocate for you upon your death and judgment. We ll spend the remainder of our time talking about why it is Christ Alone and only Christ Alone. When the Refomers stood against the Catholic Church they spoke with the bible a resounding, no. Martin Luther, John Calvin, William Tyndale and John Knox sought to recover the one true saving gospel of Jesus Christ. They fought against Jesus and Instead, they fought to expose from the word of God it is not Christ and It is Christ Alone. SERMON Pt 1 Jesus is one with God We have seen over and over again that we are alienated by nature with God. While we are estranged and hostile toward God, Jesus is

5 one with God the father. Fully human. Fully God. It has been argued by some that Christ never claimed to be God in the flesh. To keep this sermon from going three hours long I ll save that for another day. In John 8:48-59 Jesus is the target of the religious elite that ends in an altercation about his teachings and how they fit with all of the old covenant to the very beginning with Abraham. 48 The Jews responded to him, Aren t we right in saying that you re a Samaritan and have a demon? 49 I do not have a demon, Jesus answered. On the contrary, I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and judges. 51 Truly I tell you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. 52 Then the Jews said, Now we know you have a demon. Abraham died and so did the prophets. You say, If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham who died? And the prophets died. Who do you claim to be? 54 If I glorify myself, Jesus answered, my glory is nothing. My Father about whom you say, He is our God he is the one who glorifies me. 55 You do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say I don t know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad. 57 The Jews replied, You aren t fifty years old yet, and you ve seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said to them, Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am. 59 So they picked up

6 stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple. Jesus is greater than Abraham. Why? Before Abraham was Ego eimi I am. Jesus response is akin to the experience Moses had in Exodus 3. Moses asks God, Who am I supposed to say sent me here? God s reply, Tell them I am that I am sent you. This is a clear a direct proclamation to Jesus oneness with the Father. He is making an ontological confession here about himself. Pt 2 Jesus is the only Son of God Jesus is the only son of the father. Latter Day Saints believe Jesus and Lucifer are brothers. Jehovah s Witnesses teach that Jesus was Michael the archangel. They also deny the trinity. New Agers teach that Jesus is an avatar for the universe s energy. However, in John 3:16-17 the truth is clear, 16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Jesus is not an adopted son. He is God s one and only son. Whoever trusts in his completed work as a substitute for their sins will be saved through him! Pt 3 Jesus is our mediator to God

7 In May of 1890 Charles Spurgeon was preaching to the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London when he said, In order to be saved both feet must be planted on the Rock of Ages. There s no foot-in-foot-out situation. This is total trust, total faith, in the completed and perfect work of Jesus. He went on to say, It is not written, He that believeth on Jesus nine parts out of ten, and on himself for the other tenth. No! Whosoever believeth on him on him alone. Jesus will never be a part Saviour. We must not rest in part upon what we hope to do in the future, nor in part upon the efficacy of an outward ceremony. No! The faith must be on him. Total belief must be in Christ. He finished by saying, If thou puttest one atom of trust in thyself, thou hast no faith; if thou dost place even a particle of reliance upon anything else but what Christ did, thou hast no faith. If thou dost trust in thy works, then thy works are antichrist, and Christ and antichrist can never go together. Christ will have all or nothing; he must be a whole Savior, or no Savior at all. Could you say today that all your trust and belief is in Jesus? Is he all? Is he everything? He demands to be all. So, we must trust in him entirely. He lacks nothing. What Jesus did was not a base for you to build on. It is not the framework for you to fill in. It is complete. In 1 Timothy 2:5-6 Paul says, 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a herald,

8 an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. There is one mediator between God and humanity Jesus. A modern definition of a mediator is a person who attempts to make people involved in a conflict come to an agreement. God, being holy and perfect, is at odds with sinful human beings. Our greatest need is the salvation of our soul. Salvation means to be saved from something and to something. Everyone must be delivered from impending doom. Have you ever asked yourself, What am I saved from? We must be saved from God himself. We must be saved from the wrath of God. There is only one who can save you from God and make you at peace with God and that is God himself, Christ alone. Psalm 5:5-6 CSB, 5 The boastful cannot stand in your sight; you hate all evildoers. 6 You destroy those who tell lies; the Lord abhors violent and treacherous people. Look at the language here. God hates evildoers. He abhors violent and treacherous people. So, God, rich in mercy, saves you from himself to himself. Lost people go to hell. But have you ever thought, Who sends wicked people to hell? The hold Judge, God almighty. God is just and your sin must be dealt with. I understand this is hard teaching. Listen to what the Psalmist says in Psalms 7:11-14 CSB, 11 God is a righteous judge and a God who shows his wrath every day. 12 If anyone does not repent, he will sharpen his sword; he has strung his bow and made it ready. 13 He has prepared his

9 deadly weapons; he tips his arrows with fire. 14 See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil, conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit. God is holy and perfect. If one refuses to repent he takes action against them. He has no choice. He sharpens the sword and draws his bow against his enemy. God does not miss his mark! He must deal with iniquity! The only hope is in Jesus alone. In John 14 Jesus is having a conversation with his disciples when he says, 4 You know the way to where I am going. 5 Lord, Thomas said, we don t know where you re going. How can we know the way? 6 Jesus told him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him. Jesus makes the explicit claim that he is the way (singular) to the Father. No one comes to the Father except through him. To touch back on what Paul said there is one sole mediator between God and men. It s Jesus. Mary cannot communicate for you. The saints cannot communicate for you. You can communicate with God through Jesus Christ. You approach him through Jesus. The reason this is possible is Jesus being the only sacrifice that appeased God the Father. In Isaiah 53:10 it says, 10 Yet the Lord was pleased to crush him severely. When you make him a guilt offering, he will see his seed, he will prolong his days, and by his hand, the Lord s pleasure will be accomplished. God was only pleased in the

10 crushing of Jesus. The holiness of Jesus was the only sufficient substitute by which God could justly atone for the sins of the totality of humanity from Genesis 3 to his returning at the end of time. Christ alone now stands as the sole mediator between mankind and God. Pt 4 Jesus is the only source of salvation for humanity How can a sinner find peace with an infinitely holy God? Christ Alone. There is no way you can modify your behavior or further action you can take that would bring you peace with God. Hebrews 4:1-11 says, Therefore, since the promise to enter his rest remains, let us beware that none of you be found to have fallen short. 2 For we also have received the good news just as they did. But the message they heard did not benefit them, since they were not united with those who heard it in faith. 3 For we who have believed enter the rest, in keeping with what he has said, So I swore in my anger, They will not enter my rest, even though his works have been finished since the foundation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in this way: And on the seventh day God rested from all his works. 5 Again, in that passage he says, They will never enter my rest. 6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news did not enter because of disobedience, 7 he again specifies a certain day today. He specified this speaking through David after such a long time: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your

11 hearts. 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God s people. 10 For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience. The promise to have rest remains. Notice the difference between hearing and hearing in faith. The unrepentant will not enter his rest. Christ alone has brought you reconciliation that today of all days you could trust him. BEELINE CALL TO ACTION Regardless of what you walked in here looking for Christ is all you need If you re the person who says you trust Jesus but live your faith as if it s all about you trust in what he s done for you today. PRAYER OFFERING & ANNOUNCEMENTS PASS OFFERING Bus Ministry- Mulberry and Arcadia Men s Ministry- March 25 th at 10. Breakfast Bombs. 12 for 12 sign up- Missions, Missions, Missions! Membership Class Sign Up New Service Time starting April 2 nd with cookout afterward

12 BENEDICTION Galatians 2:20-22