Sola Series - Solus Christus 22 October 2017 Ross Lester MBC AM and BBC PM Intro: Sanibonani, Dumelang, Howzit. We are in week 4 of our Sola series. Looking at the 5 Sola s of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformers (who were varied and diverse across a few centuries) felt it essential to secure for the church the basis of salvation for people, so that it was wrestled away from the grips of institutional church and thrust back into the desperate grubby paws of common sinners like you and me. They were prepared to die (and many of them did) to protect the fact that: o Scripture alone teaches us the path to salvation, and so it must be put in the hands of, and read by, ordinary men and women. o That salvation - as revealed in Scripture - is by grace alone. It is never, in any way dependent upon our work, but always and only depends on the grace of our Lord. o The mechanism through which that grace is accessed is faith alone. It isn t works, or sacraments or sacrifice, but faith. o That faith - as we will see today - must be directed towards the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. I am terribly ill-equipped to even begin to describe the marvel and magnitude of our Lord. When Spurgeon spoke on the text that I am going to hook us into today, on May 21 st, 1882, he said in his intro: I want, at this time, as it were, to let Jesus Christ speak for himself. I cannot speak for him as he can speak for himself. Shall I hold my candle to the sun, as if he needed it in order to reveal his light? No, certainly not; and, therefore, I shall, with studied 1
plainness, try to set the text itself before you, and so to speak of it that you may not such remember what I have said of it as that you may remember the subject itself. 1 So, my hope is that even though I will teach with perhaps alarming and frustrating simplicity today, that when I am done, your eyes will be fixed more firmly on Jesus Christ, and your hearts will be rejoicing more certainly in his work. What do you think about when you think about Jesus? Pretty much everyone does: o Jesus in pop-culture This obscure carpenter from Nazareth continues to capture the imagination of people today. From Madonna to Kanye to powerful political parties, everyone wants to lay claim to him. Everybody wants Jesus on their side. o Jesus in other religions Can t dispute his existence, so try to explain him away. New age spiritualists: He is an enlightened being, well except for when he speaks about hell and judgment, which he does more than anyone else. Jehovah s Witnesses: An important arch-angel, but a created being not worthy of worship. Mormons: Also, a created being, possibly the half-brother of Lucifer. Buddhism: An enlightened man, just like the Buddha. Islam: He was a man, one of the great prophets, but inferior to Mohammed. 1 C.H. Spurgeon: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol 45, pg 387. From the sermon preached on May 21st, 1882. 2
But we aren t immune. We have some faulty views of Jesus that are pervasive even in church and Christian circles today. o Mistaken views of Jesus in Christianity For many he is nothing more than a life coach when you boil it down. A smiling Scandinavian who works around with a sheep under his arm, dispensing fortune cookie sayings and never offending anyone. He will frustrate that view if you read the gospels. For some on the other extreme, he has become primarily a political revolutionary, speaking truth to power and undercutting systems of injustice. He will frustrate that view if you try keep him in that box. For some, he is a cause for sympathy. Like he is the nice one in the Trinity who has to go and pay for our sins. He will frustrate that view too, for the joy set before him, endured the cross and scorned its shame. We need a bigger view of our Lord. Hebrews 1. Please stand with me for the reading of the Word (as the ancients always did). It reminds us of the gravity and weightiness of the Word. Gives us a posture of showing that we are engaged and listening. Passage: 1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right 3
hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 2 It is no secret that I am a big fan of The Chronicles of Narnia. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the children and their crew are in terrible trouble being led into the midst of a deadly storm. Lucy cries out quietly to Aslan the great lion, saying, If you ever did love us, please send help. Only Lucy hears the circling albatross that just says, Courage, dear heart. And as she hears it, she hears the voice of Aslan, and knows all will be well. That s my hope today. That in this text and others, you will catch a glimpse of the work and voice of Aslan, and you would feel courage in your dear heart. That passage in Hebrews describes so clearly three roles that Jesus plays that we see right through Scripture. Jesus is the ultimate prophet. Jesus is the ultimate priest. Jesus is the ultimate king. And we need to see him playing all of them. Let me show you 1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, Prophet whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. King 2 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), Heb 1:1 4. 4
After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 3 Priest So, let s double click each one of those and see how important and profound it is. Main Points: 1. Jesus is our ultimate Prophet, teaching us all we need to know a. The role of the prophet was to speak to people on behalf of God. b. God himself describes this role in Deut 18 when he promises a replacement for Moses and says, I shall put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. c. This is the primary way that God communicated with his people for millennia, and then, after a period of 400 years of prophetic silence, God sent his ultimate prophet. Different from the others, a fulfillment of the others. d. Look at how John describes it. John 1. 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. He is not a subject of his time or restrained by his context in any way like other prophets. He always was. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 3 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), Heb 1:1 4. 5
He is not limited on any piece of information in the universe, because he made the universe. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 4 Down to verse 16 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father s side, he has made him known. 5 e. The prophets of old essentially did 5 things, and Jesus does all of them. i. They spoke up for the outcasts. (Samaritans, woman in adultery) ii. They pointed out religious hypocrisy. (7 woes in Matt 23) iii. They brought rebels to repentance. (Zaccheus) iv. They announced new eras. (Luke 4) v. They predicted the future. (Temple destruction) f. How many of us continue to look for fresh revelation/new insights/ wisdom from the world, and yet we neglect the prophetic ministry of Jesus and in so doing don t live as if what he said was true. g. Like when he tells us: i. That God loves us, which is why he came. ii. That the meek will inherit the earth. 4 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), Jn 1:1 5. 5 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), Jn 1:9 18. 6
iii. That our enemies are supposed to be loved by us, and our neighbors, and our neighbors aren t people we think they are. iv. What comprises a marriage. (Matt 19) v. That we shouldn t worry about tomorrow. vi. That we should be his witnesses. vii. That without him we can do nothing. viii. That the happiest and most content we will ever be is when we abide in him. h. The fullness of God s truth. Brought to us in Jesus, our ultimate prophet. i. Friends, are you listening to him? Are you trusting him? Are you reading his book? Are you obeying his instructions? j. Courage, dear heart, Christ is our ultimate prophet. You can believe him. 2. Jesus is our ultimate Priest, giving us ongoing access to God a. The role of the priest was to stand between a sinful people and a holy God and to make representations for the people so that access to the presence of God could become available again. b. Prophets represented God connecting with man. Priests represented man connecting with God. c. They were chosen and set apart from amongst the people for this specific function, but they had a problem. They were sinners like the people, and so they needed to serve to purify themselves before they could ask for purity for the people, and they needed to do it again and again. d. But Christ doesn t suffer from this. In our Hebrews 1 text, it says that after he made purification for sins, he sat down. He was done. The writer of the Hebrews picks this up again in Hebrews 10. Look at this. 7
11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. 6 e. Now we struggle with this a great deal, because we know that Christ didn t offer the blood of a goat or a bull to pay for our sin. The sacrifice was his own life. And then we read verse 14 and we go, I aint perfected and sometimes it doesn t feel like I am being sanctified. f. So where does that leave me? g. Well look at what sort of priest he is for us. 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 7 (emphasis added). Oh, my goodness! When we are weak - Jesus knows how that feels. When we are tempted, Jesus knows how that feels. o Tempted to despair - think he wasn t? o Tempted to dial out of a routine life - think he wasn t? o Tempted to lust? Think he wasn t? 6 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), Heb 10:11 14. 7 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), Heb 4:14 16. 8
Whatever weakness and whatever temptation we feel in this life, we have a High Priest right now, who never needs to offer sacrifices for himself because he never failed, but also never lacks empathy because he knows the feeling. The writer of the Hebrews says that this means we can approach the throne of grace with confidence, knowing that we will receive mercy and find grace there. But not only do we have a priest who can sympathize, but one who has paid the price. o If you into a confessional and confess your sins to a human priest, you will hear him say. You shouldn t have done that, so now here is what you need to do in order to experience absolution. o When you go to the throne of grace, Christ says, you shouldn t have done that, but I know how strong that temptation is, so now remember what I have done and enjoy absolution. Christ is there, and he now is designated as your priest, your advocate, your older brother who knows what you are going through and will never leave you or forsake you, and that my friends should give us the confidence because we are certain, that our King Jesus is there on our behalf, interceding for us as Hebrews tells us. The only one who could condemn us, intercedes for us! You don t need another priest. You don t need greater justification before God. There is one mediator, the man Christ Jesus. So, what do you think about when you think about Jesus? Imagine the courage if you saw him as he really is right now. Seated next to Father, interceding and praying for you, sympathizing with you when you are weak, absolving you when you fail, preparing a place for you for your arrival. Courage, dear heart. Christ is your ultimate priest. 9
3. Jesus is our ultimate King, ruling and reigning over our lives a. The role of the King was to rule the people in such a way that they could and would freely worship and honor God as a nation. b. When Jesus is crucified, they put a crown of thorns on his head and mockingly titled him The King of the Jews. They didn t realize they were crucifying the King of Kings. c. Look with me quickly at Psalm 2. It spoke hundreds of years before Christ of what sort of King was coming. 1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, 3 Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us. Man, we aren t in a unique passage in history in many ways. It has always been the desire of mankind to rage against God and against his anointed Son. We see so much of this today, both on a macro and on a personal level. o Macro: We see rulers of the world seeking to go against God and his teachings. Raging against them, raging against his anointed Son Jesus. How many of us have been distraught at politics and politicians? How many of us put our confidence in political outcomes, only to have them shattered? Psalm 2 tells us not to put our hope in kings and nations. They have set themselves and continue to set themselves against the King of Kings. Don t worry, God has some words of warning for world leaders in the Psalm. o Personal: We still don t like being told what to do and deep down most of us think of God s instruction to us as cords and bonds that we don t really want. Like the nation that raged against God s anointed, we do the same thing. We want all of the blessings of the 10
Kingdom grace, mercy, love, favor but we don t want the instructions of the Kingdom. I still rage against God like this every time I sin and that is still alarmingly frequent. I say to God, my way looks more-free and more-full of joy than your way. I am a better architect and manager of human flourishing than you are. You know what s sad? I have never once regretted obeying God. And yet I still rage. o How does God respond to man s desire to dethrone him? 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. God s response? He laughs at our desires to dethrone him. Then he reminds us one thing. I have set my King. He is there. Nothing can move him. God the Father is very certain in the work of His Son. He is not fretting like us. Let s let CH Spurgeon speak on the matter: Is not that a grand exclamation! He has already done that which the enemy seeks to prevent. While they are proposing, he has disposed the matter. Jehovah's will is done, and man's will frets and raves in vain. God's Anointed is appointed, and shall not be disappointed. Look back through all the ages of infidelity, hearken to the high and hard things which men have spoken against the Most High, listen to the rolling thunder of earth's volleys against the Majesty of heaven, and then think that God is saying all the while, "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion." 7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 11
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter s vessel. 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 8 Friends, I find my anxiety melt when I read this. It can feel like Jesus has lost control of the world. It can feel like there is another king on the throne of my own life. But there isn t. He is bringing all things under his glorious and righteous rule. ALL THINGS. It is just a matter of time. In the meanwhile, serve the Lord, and rejoice. He has set His Son on Zion s hill and nothing will unseat him. Courage, dear heart. Christ is King of your life. Conclusion: Jesus is the ultimate prophet, priest and king. We need all three. He speaks truth, he intercedes, and he rules and reigns. This king came for you, died for you, and is currently preparing a place for you. Courage, dear heart. Behold, King Jesus. 8 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), Ps 2:1 12. 12