Major Concepts between 3:21-26
But Now, Righteousness
Law, Law and Prophets
Faith, All
Sin, Glory of God
Justified Freely ,
Grace, Redemption
Propitiation, Blood
Demonstrate ,
Justified, Justifier
Faith in Jesus
The Ledger Illustration—put this sheet in your Bibles and keep it
One of the great misunderstandings among professing Christians is with how to interpret the Old Testament, discern between the different covenants in the OT, and how this all applies to believers in Christ today.
There are two great witnesses to the eternal unfolding of the plan of salvation, the Law and the Prophets.
1. What does the Bible mean when it talks about “The Law and the Prophets?”
a. First, it refers to the written Law and Prophets
(1) Not conscience
(2) Not Nature
b. The Old Testament (by our understanding) consists of either two or three parts, sometimes called “The Law, The Prophets, and the Writings,” “Moses and the Psalms and Prophets, “but the New Testament usually refers to it as “The Law and the Prophets.”
c. The Law—the five books of Moses
(1) A History of creation—Gen 1:1-25
(2) A History of the human race—Gen 1:26-11:8
(3) A history of one family—Gen 11:10-Gen 50:22
(4) The history of the founding of a nation and the laws of that nation—Exodus
(5) The worship of the nation—Leviticus
(6) The two censuses of the nation—Numbers
(7) The second giving of the Law of the nation, and future prophesies about that nation— Deuteronomy
d. The Prophets—all of the rest of the OT
(1) The Historical books—Joshua—Esther
(2) The Poetic books—Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon
(3) The Prophetic Books—Isaiah to Malachi
(Luke 24:25-27) "Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself
2. The First Witness—“…being witnessed by the Law …”
a. How did the Law testify before hand to God’s Righteousness apart from works? Answer: The books of Moses were full of shadows, prophecies, and promises that pointed forward to God’s plan of salvation
b. The promises and shadows of the Law teach us of God’s salvation
(1) The Promise of the Seed, the animal skins provided— (Gen 3:15) "And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.""
(2) The Promise of Blood Sacrifice—(Gen 3:21) "Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them."
(a) A point often missed—where did God get the animal skins?
(b) By the shedding of blood. Heb 9:22 "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."
(3) Abel’s righteousness (which cannot be of his own design, but just be imputed by God!): (Heb 11:4) "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks."
(4) Noah’s Righteousness—(Heb 11:7) "By faith Noah, … became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."
(2 Pet 2:5) "…Noah… a preacher of righteousness”
(5) Abraham:
(a) God’s Covenant with Abraham—a universal message (Gen 12:3) "I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.""
(b) The Imputed Righteousness of Abraham
(Gen 15:6) "And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness."
(6) The Sacrifice on Mt. Moriah (Gen 22
(a) The location: probably the future temple
(b) The Sacrifice—“…your only son…”
(i) The Faith of Abraham—“God will provide Himself a sacrifice…”(Heb 11:17-19) "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called," 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead…”
(ii) The helpless sinner ready to be executed
(iii) The voice of God calling out
(iv) The Substitute with his horns caught in the thicket (held there by his strength)
(7) The Passover Lamb showed not only that the blood of the acceptable sacrifice would turn aside death, but the application of the blood formed a Cross in every Hebrew doorway.
(8) Moses spoke of the Prophet “like him” that was to come. (Deu 18:15) ""The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,"
3. The Second Witness—“…being witnessed …by… the Prophets…”
a. The Prophets, sometimes referred to as the writings and the prophets, takes in the whole OT except the five books of Moses.
b. The Doctrine of God’s righteousness, produced by Him alone, is taught in the books of the Prophets. Here are a few references from the Psalms and Isaiah.
(1) The Psalms are full of praise for God’s Own Righteousness—(Psa 51:14) "Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness."
(Psa 71:15) "My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness And Your salvation all the day, For I do not know their limits."
(Psa 71:16) "I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only."
(Psa 71:19) "Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?"
(Psa 71:24) "My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long; For they are confounded, For they are brought to shame Who seek my hurt."
(Psa 89:16) "In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they are exalted."
(Psa 119:142) "Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth."
(Psa 145:7) "They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness."
(Psa 145:17) "The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works."
(2) The righteousness of the Messiah, as connected with salvation, is the constant theme of the Prophets, especially of Isaiah
(3) (Isa 45:8) ""Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, And let righteousness spring up together. I, the LORD, have created it."
(4) (Isa 45:25) "In the LORD all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory.'""
(5) (Isa 46:13) "I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory."
(6) (Isa 51:7) ""Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law..."
(7) (Isa 61:11) "… the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations."
c. But it is in the prophesies about God’s salvation plan that Truth burns the brightest.
d. A Few Selected and specific Prophecies of Messiah
(1) Messiah’s eternality —(Micah 5:2) ""But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.""
(2) The Messiah—The Son of God—Ps 2:7 "I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'" 10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him."
(3) Messiah’s Deity—(Isa 9:6) "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
(4) Messiah’s virgin birth—(Isa 7:14) ""Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."
(5) Messiah’s Forerunner, John—(Mal 3:1) ""Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," Says the LORD of hosts
(6) The character of Messiah’s ministry— (Isa 9:2) "The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined." (Isa 61:1) ""The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;"
(7) His entry on Palm Sunday—(Zec 9:9) ""Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey."
(8) The Suffering servant—(Isa 53) "… 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. …”
(9) His disciples were initially scattered after His death—(Zec 13:7) ""Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion," Says the LORD of hosts. "Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones."
(10) He was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver—(Zec 11:12) "Then I said to them, "If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain." So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver."
(11) They pierced his hands and feet—Ps 22:16 “…The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;…”
(12) Not a bone of his was broken, because He was the Real Passover Lamb—(Exo 12:43-46) "And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. 44 "But every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. 45 "A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. 46 "In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones." (John 19:36) "For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken.""
(13) They stared at His emaciated state, and they gambled for His clothing—Ps 22:17 ff “…17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots…”
(14) They gave Him Gall mixed with vinegar to drink—(Psa 69:21) "They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink…” (Mat 27:34) "they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink."
(15) He was mocked while on the Cross—Ps 22: 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 "He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!"
(16) He was forsaken for us on the Cross as He cried out this opening verse—(Psa 22) "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
(17) He was buried in a rich man’s tomb—Is 53:9 “…His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth…”
(18) He did not stay in the grave long enough to decay—Psa 16:10) "For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."
(19) He is Seated at the right Hand of the Father—(Psa 110:1) "The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.""
4. But Some Prophesies Are Still Pending
a. The Day of the LORD, as Joel said, has yet to begin (Joel 1:15)
b. The Time of Jacob’s Trouble has not come Jer 30:7
c. Much of Daniel’s prophecy has yet to be fulfilled
d. The Lions and the Lambs have not yet laid down together (Is 11)
e. The small child has yet to play with cobras unharmed (Is 11)
f. God has not yet taken revenge on His enemies—Is 61:2
g. The Messiah coming back to rule and reign
(Psa 24:7-10) "Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory…"
(Zec 14:3) "Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle."
(Zec 14:4) "And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south."
(Zec 14:9) "And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be; "The LORD is one," And His name one."
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
God's Way of Salvation, Part 1. Rom 3:21
Reading, 3:19-26
From the sin of our first parents, the human race has been wracked with guilt—the natural result of being a rebel against a Holy and Righteous God.
How do people deal with guilt? The 21st century thinks it has come up with some new ways, but they are all of the same things that our ancestors tried, with the same amount of success—none.
Some, like Adam and Eve, first try hiding their sin. Interestingly, their son Cain did the same thing when he murdered Abel.
Then, again like Adam and Eve, they try shifting the blame, even blaming God for the problem
Cain, indeed, is a study in guilt. First, Cain and Abel were both guilty—how do I know this? They were both making sacrifice to God for their sins—people without guilt do not find the need to sacrifice anything. But Abel, taking God’s example from the animal skins his parents were given by God, understood that blood is required, and his sacrifice was accepted. When God did not accept the inappropriate sacrifice of Cain, then the first persecution of true believers took place with this murder.
Some people deal with guilt by going on rampages of murder, pillaging, conquering, and so on, seeking to become so powerful or rich and powerful that they can escape their guilt.
Some turn to drink, or drugs, or perverse lifestyles, crying out to the darkness, “I must have relief!”
Others pay huge sums to secular therapists who tell them that their guilt feelings are misplaced, and that all of their problems are the fault of someone else.
The Truth is, that what all of these folks need is salvation, and they need to understand and believe that, “The Just Shall Live By Faith…”
The cure to guilt is to be justified by faith, to be discipled to understand Justification by Faith, to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, and to serve God with a full heart.
1. “…But now…” , “two words upon which all of history rests.”
a. “But now…” These two words bridge the gap between the Old Testament and the New
(1) In the old times, men were still considered guilty of sin…Paul tells us in Romans 1 that they are without excuse…
(2) But God was patient, and had not destroyed the human race and judged it for its rebellion against a Sovereign and Holy God.
(3) But now…..Acts 17:30-31
(4) God’s patience has gone on since the beginning of the human race, but now no more, because He has appointed a day--Acts 17:31
b. But Now, The Plan of God: God’s plan was determined before the foundation of the world, and was manifested in God’s time
(1) God had a Redeemer—1 Pet 1:18-20
(2) He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world—Rev 13:8, 17:8
(3) God Promised redemption before time began—Titus 1:1-2
(4) Before time began, God the Father promised God the Son, “If you will be their Redeemer, I will give you a people, I will give them eternal life!”
c. God’s plan is a mystery to us, revealed a piece at a time—Rom 16:25-27
(1) Paul often refers to the Gospel as a mystery—1 Cor 2:7, Col 1:26-7, 1 Tim 3:16
(2) The Gentile nations were cut off, but now…Eph 2:11-13
(3) The old covenant was good, but now there is a new covenant…..Heb 8:5-6—
(4) The old sacrifices never paid for sin, only put off the reckoning from year to year—but now—Heb 9:24-28
(5) Once we were lost, but now….1 Pet 2:9-10
(6) God’s plan will come to full fruition
2. “…The righteousness of God…”
a. Definition of God’s Righteousness
(1) Righteousness—is the character of God Himself who is right in all that He does
(2) Righteousness—a standard for righteous behavior, set down in writing in the Law, but personified in the character and person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(3) Righteousness—the result of a legal declaration by substitution and imputation
(4) Righteousness—the inclination and growth in grace and walked-out faith of one who has been declared righteousness, worked from within by the power of the Holy Spirit
b. Author of God’s Righteousness—God—
(Phil 3:9) "and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;"
(Isa 45:8) ""…let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, And let righteousness spring up together. I, the LORD, have created it."
(1) This is not some plan hatched in a theological seminary.
(2) Calvin, Luther, and Knox did not sit down one day over a pot of coffee and say, “Imputed Righteousness—that’s it!”
(3) This is the plan and mystery of God from before the foundation of the world, manifested and brought forth in our time—Mat 25:34
c. Nature of God’s Righteousness imputed to our account—this is IMPUTED Righteousness—Rom 4:6-8. Imputation is one of the most important words in the New Testament—the entire fourth chapter of Romans is dedicated to expositing the concept of imputed righteousness.
d. Source of the Righteousness of God—
(1) the righteous life and infinite being of our Savior.
(2) Christ fulfilled every precept of the Law—He lived a life of perfect conformity to God’s will.
(a) Mat 5:17-20
(b) Rom 3:28-31—The Law is upheld and recognized as Holy and True—Isa 42:21,
(c) Heb 4:14-15—He had no sin, He knew no sin, He did no sin, yet Christ suffered the penalty of the Law.
(i) By His infinite Being
(ii) By His absolute power and righteousness
e. Extent of God’s Righteousness—it is total!
(1) The righteousness of God is infinite, as the One who wrought it on our behalf is infinite.
(2) This is not some righteousness wrought for a temporary fix, the blood of Christ covers all our sins—Heb 7:25, Jn 10:27-28
f. Duration of God’s Righteousness—There is no end to the Righteousness of God. ‘everlasting righteousness,’ Daniel 9:24, Psa 119:142, Isa 51:6-8, Heb 9:12
g. Influence of God’s Righteousness
(1) God’s righteousness destroys the guilt of Sin—Heb 9:26
(2) God’s imputed righteousness is the basis of our fellowship and relationship with Him—Eph 2:13
(3) This righteousness has eternal consequences —Heb 9:27-28
(4) This righteousness enables us to live for Christ—Col 1:13-14 , Eph 5:8
3. Righteousness is apart from the Law—3:21
a. Righteousness is not against the Law, it is apart from it
b. Examples of uses of “Law: in the Bible
(1) “Law” as self-righteousness—Luke 18:9, Phil 3:4-9, Rom 10:1-4
(2) “Law” as one of the two or three divisions of the Old Testament—Mat 22:40, Lk 24:44
(3) The Law of Moses—Luke 2:22, John 1:17
(4) The Law written on hearts, i.e., the human conscience—Rom 2:15
(5) The Law written in nature—Ps 19:1-6
(6) The economy, or dispensation of Law as opposed to the economy or dispensation of Grace—Rom 6:14
4. The Revelation of Righteousness—3:21c “…law is revealed…”
a. Something previously hidden and veiled in types and shadows is now revealed fully.
b. But it is something that always existed
(1) How were the Old Testament saints saved? By believing the Gospel—Gal 3:8-9. The Gospel in Gen 12:1-3—How is this statement considered to be the Gospel? “...in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
(a) God said it was the Gospel
(b) Well, the only aspect in which Abraham can be said to touch ALL the families of the earth is that Abraham is the ancestor of the Messiah—every family will be represented in Heaven—Rev 5:9 “…You … have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
(c) Gal 3:6, 7, 16—Abraham believed the promise of God, WHICH INCLUDED the coming Redeemer--and, as we see later when we look at Hebrews, Abraham saw God’s plan “afar off”, and God put it to his account for righteousness—
(d) Abraham was saved by IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS—Rom 4:1-8, 4:17
c. Old Testament Salvation
(1) Salvation is Salvation--The real answer to how Old Testament believers were saved is this: "God's people in the Old Testament were saved the same way that people are saved in New Testament times, that is, by grace, through faith in the sacrifice of Christ."
(2) The Revelation of Christ Well, it is true that Christ was not fully revealed until He came in the flesh, but try the following mysterious passage on for size! Heb 11:24-26
(3) The Eternal Christ—Job 19:25-27—Most scholars believed that Job lived in the times of Abraham--several hundred years before even Moses. How could Job know about the Redeemer?
(4) How could Job know that the Redeemer would be God Incarnate--God the Son? There are some liberal theologians around today who read the Bible from cover to cover and can’t figure out that Jesus is God! Job had no Bible!
(5) The answer has to be, because there is no other answer, that God revealed to Job sufficient information for Job to have faith in what God was going to do. Job did not know the all details, though he knew a lot more than others, but Job believed in God's promise of redemption, because God had apparently revealed it to him in some way.
d. The only way of salvation was always salvation by Grace through Faith.
(1) The Law was a parenthesis in the history of God's dealings with the human race. Grace, which was the only way of eternal salvation even in times of Law, was the heart of the covenant with Abraham, which came 400 years before the law! Gal 3:17-18
(2) The purposes of the Law
(a) To teach us the horrible nature of our sinfulness and our inability to save ourselves--The Law could never save, only condemn—Rom 3:19-20
(b) To prepare Israel for the Coming of the Redeemer; the Law is our tutor to lead us to Christ—Gal 2:16-3:29
5. Two Witnesses—“…being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,…” Lk 24:25-27
a. Witnessed by the Law, i.e., in this context, the five books of Moses……The books of Moses were full of shadows that pointed forward to the Cross
(1) The Promise in the Garden: the Promise of the Seed, the animal skins provided
(2) Abel’s knowledge of blood sacrifice: Heb 11:4
(3) Noah sacrificing after the Flood
(4) The Sacrifice on Mt. Moriah (Gen 22), and the other sacrifices of the Patriarchs
(5) The Passover Lamb
(6) Imputed righteousness was taught in the books of the Law--Genesis 15:6, 2 Peter 2:5; Hebrews 11:7.
b. Imputed righteousness was taught in the books of the Prophets
(1) Psalms 51:14, Psalms 71:15, 16, 19, 24, Psalms 85:10, 13, Psalms 89:16, Psalms 119, 142, Psalms 145:7.
(2) The righteousness of the Messiah, as connected with salvation, is the constant theme of the Prophets, especially of Isaiah. Isaiah 42:21, Isaiah 45:8, Isaiah 45:24, 25, Isaiah 46:13, Isaiah 51:5, 7, Isaiah 61:11, Isaiah 54:17, Isaiah 56:1, Isaiah 61:11, Isaiah 62:1, 2.
(3) The other prophets also refer to these “New Covenant” themes—Jeremiah 23:5, Daniel 9:24, Hosea 10:12, Malachi 4:2.
From the sin of our first parents, the human race has been wracked with guilt—the natural result of being a rebel against a Holy and Righteous God.
How do people deal with guilt? The 21st century thinks it has come up with some new ways, but they are all of the same things that our ancestors tried, with the same amount of success—none.
Some, like Adam and Eve, first try hiding their sin. Interestingly, their son Cain did the same thing when he murdered Abel.
Then, again like Adam and Eve, they try shifting the blame, even blaming God for the problem
Cain, indeed, is a study in guilt. First, Cain and Abel were both guilty—how do I know this? They were both making sacrifice to God for their sins—people without guilt do not find the need to sacrifice anything. But Abel, taking God’s example from the animal skins his parents were given by God, understood that blood is required, and his sacrifice was accepted. When God did not accept the inappropriate sacrifice of Cain, then the first persecution of true believers took place with this murder.
Some people deal with guilt by going on rampages of murder, pillaging, conquering, and so on, seeking to become so powerful or rich and powerful that they can escape their guilt.
Some turn to drink, or drugs, or perverse lifestyles, crying out to the darkness, “I must have relief!”
Others pay huge sums to secular therapists who tell them that their guilt feelings are misplaced, and that all of their problems are the fault of someone else.
The Truth is, that what all of these folks need is salvation, and they need to understand and believe that, “The Just Shall Live By Faith…”
The cure to guilt is to be justified by faith, to be discipled to understand Justification by Faith, to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, and to serve God with a full heart.
1. “…But now…” , “two words upon which all of history rests.”
a. “But now…” These two words bridge the gap between the Old Testament and the New
(1) In the old times, men were still considered guilty of sin…Paul tells us in Romans 1 that they are without excuse…
(2) But God was patient, and had not destroyed the human race and judged it for its rebellion against a Sovereign and Holy God.
(3) But now…..Acts 17:30-31
(4) God’s patience has gone on since the beginning of the human race, but now no more, because He has appointed a day--Acts 17:31
b. But Now, The Plan of God: God’s plan was determined before the foundation of the world, and was manifested in God’s time
(1) God had a Redeemer—1 Pet 1:18-20
(2) He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world—Rev 13:8, 17:8
(3) God Promised redemption before time began—Titus 1:1-2
(4) Before time began, God the Father promised God the Son, “If you will be their Redeemer, I will give you a people, I will give them eternal life!”
c. God’s plan is a mystery to us, revealed a piece at a time—Rom 16:25-27
(1) Paul often refers to the Gospel as a mystery—1 Cor 2:7, Col 1:26-7, 1 Tim 3:16
(2) The Gentile nations were cut off, but now…Eph 2:11-13
(3) The old covenant was good, but now there is a new covenant…..Heb 8:5-6—
(4) The old sacrifices never paid for sin, only put off the reckoning from year to year—but now—Heb 9:24-28
(5) Once we were lost, but now….1 Pet 2:9-10
(6) God’s plan will come to full fruition
2. “…The righteousness of God…”
a. Definition of God’s Righteousness
(1) Righteousness—is the character of God Himself who is right in all that He does
(2) Righteousness—a standard for righteous behavior, set down in writing in the Law, but personified in the character and person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(3) Righteousness—the result of a legal declaration by substitution and imputation
(4) Righteousness—the inclination and growth in grace and walked-out faith of one who has been declared righteousness, worked from within by the power of the Holy Spirit
b. Author of God’s Righteousness—God—
(Phil 3:9) "and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;"
(Isa 45:8) ""…let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, And let righteousness spring up together. I, the LORD, have created it."
(1) This is not some plan hatched in a theological seminary.
(2) Calvin, Luther, and Knox did not sit down one day over a pot of coffee and say, “Imputed Righteousness—that’s it!”
(3) This is the plan and mystery of God from before the foundation of the world, manifested and brought forth in our time—Mat 25:34
c. Nature of God’s Righteousness imputed to our account—this is IMPUTED Righteousness—Rom 4:6-8. Imputation is one of the most important words in the New Testament—the entire fourth chapter of Romans is dedicated to expositing the concept of imputed righteousness.
d. Source of the Righteousness of God—
(1) the righteous life and infinite being of our Savior.
(2) Christ fulfilled every precept of the Law—He lived a life of perfect conformity to God’s will.
(a) Mat 5:17-20
(b) Rom 3:28-31—The Law is upheld and recognized as Holy and True—Isa 42:21,
(c) Heb 4:14-15—He had no sin, He knew no sin, He did no sin, yet Christ suffered the penalty of the Law.
(i) By His infinite Being
(ii) By His absolute power and righteousness
e. Extent of God’s Righteousness—it is total!
(1) The righteousness of God is infinite, as the One who wrought it on our behalf is infinite.
(2) This is not some righteousness wrought for a temporary fix, the blood of Christ covers all our sins—Heb 7:25, Jn 10:27-28
f. Duration of God’s Righteousness—There is no end to the Righteousness of God. ‘everlasting righteousness,’ Daniel 9:24, Psa 119:142, Isa 51:6-8, Heb 9:12
g. Influence of God’s Righteousness
(1) God’s righteousness destroys the guilt of Sin—Heb 9:26
(2) God’s imputed righteousness is the basis of our fellowship and relationship with Him—Eph 2:13
(3) This righteousness has eternal consequences —Heb 9:27-28
(4) This righteousness enables us to live for Christ—Col 1:13-14 , Eph 5:8
3. Righteousness is apart from the Law—3:21
a. Righteousness is not against the Law, it is apart from it
b. Examples of uses of “Law: in the Bible
(1) “Law” as self-righteousness—Luke 18:9, Phil 3:4-9, Rom 10:1-4
(2) “Law” as one of the two or three divisions of the Old Testament—Mat 22:40, Lk 24:44
(3) The Law of Moses—Luke 2:22, John 1:17
(4) The Law written on hearts, i.e., the human conscience—Rom 2:15
(5) The Law written in nature—Ps 19:1-6
(6) The economy, or dispensation of Law as opposed to the economy or dispensation of Grace—Rom 6:14
4. The Revelation of Righteousness—3:21c “…law is revealed…”
a. Something previously hidden and veiled in types and shadows is now revealed fully.
b. But it is something that always existed
(1) How were the Old Testament saints saved? By believing the Gospel—Gal 3:8-9. The Gospel in Gen 12:1-3—How is this statement considered to be the Gospel? “...in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
(a) God said it was the Gospel
(b) Well, the only aspect in which Abraham can be said to touch ALL the families of the earth is that Abraham is the ancestor of the Messiah—every family will be represented in Heaven—Rev 5:9 “…You … have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
(c) Gal 3:6, 7, 16—Abraham believed the promise of God, WHICH INCLUDED the coming Redeemer--and, as we see later when we look at Hebrews, Abraham saw God’s plan “afar off”, and God put it to his account for righteousness—
(d) Abraham was saved by IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS—Rom 4:1-8, 4:17
c. Old Testament Salvation
(1) Salvation is Salvation--The real answer to how Old Testament believers were saved is this: "God's people in the Old Testament were saved the same way that people are saved in New Testament times, that is, by grace, through faith in the sacrifice of Christ."
(2) The Revelation of Christ Well, it is true that Christ was not fully revealed until He came in the flesh, but try the following mysterious passage on for size! Heb 11:24-26
(3) The Eternal Christ—Job 19:25-27—Most scholars believed that Job lived in the times of Abraham--several hundred years before even Moses. How could Job know about the Redeemer?
(4) How could Job know that the Redeemer would be God Incarnate--God the Son? There are some liberal theologians around today who read the Bible from cover to cover and can’t figure out that Jesus is God! Job had no Bible!
(5) The answer has to be, because there is no other answer, that God revealed to Job sufficient information for Job to have faith in what God was going to do. Job did not know the all details, though he knew a lot more than others, but Job believed in God's promise of redemption, because God had apparently revealed it to him in some way.
d. The only way of salvation was always salvation by Grace through Faith.
(1) The Law was a parenthesis in the history of God's dealings with the human race. Grace, which was the only way of eternal salvation even in times of Law, was the heart of the covenant with Abraham, which came 400 years before the law! Gal 3:17-18
(2) The purposes of the Law
(a) To teach us the horrible nature of our sinfulness and our inability to save ourselves--The Law could never save, only condemn—Rom 3:19-20
(b) To prepare Israel for the Coming of the Redeemer; the Law is our tutor to lead us to Christ—Gal 2:16-3:29
5. Two Witnesses—“…being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,…” Lk 24:25-27
a. Witnessed by the Law, i.e., in this context, the five books of Moses……The books of Moses were full of shadows that pointed forward to the Cross
(1) The Promise in the Garden: the Promise of the Seed, the animal skins provided
(2) Abel’s knowledge of blood sacrifice: Heb 11:4
(3) Noah sacrificing after the Flood
(4) The Sacrifice on Mt. Moriah (Gen 22), and the other sacrifices of the Patriarchs
(5) The Passover Lamb
(6) Imputed righteousness was taught in the books of the Law--Genesis 15:6, 2 Peter 2:5; Hebrews 11:7.
b. Imputed righteousness was taught in the books of the Prophets
(1) Psalms 51:14, Psalms 71:15, 16, 19, 24, Psalms 85:10, 13, Psalms 89:16, Psalms 119, 142, Psalms 145:7.
(2) The righteousness of the Messiah, as connected with salvation, is the constant theme of the Prophets, especially of Isaiah. Isaiah 42:21, Isaiah 45:8, Isaiah 45:24, 25, Isaiah 46:13, Isaiah 51:5, 7, Isaiah 61:11, Isaiah 54:17, Isaiah 56:1, Isaiah 61:11, Isaiah 62:1, 2.
(3) The other prophets also refer to these “New Covenant” themes—Jeremiah 23:5, Daniel 9:24, Hosea 10:12, Malachi 4:2.
Man Cannot Save Himself
Sinners Can't Save Themselves
Rom 3:9-20
1. We Are All Sinners—Rom 3:9
a. The Previous Charge – (Rom 3:9
b. “…..they are all under sin.”
(1) I am a sinner
(1 Tim 1:13) "although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief."
(1 Tim 1:15) "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."
(2) You are a sinner
(3) You may be a saved sinner, growing in the Grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, or you are a lost sinner standing in need of salvation, but you and I were born sinners.
2. No One Is Righteous—Rom 3:10 "As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one…”
a. As it is written—
(1) A perfect tense, something that is settled and sure, set in stone.
(2) Paul quotes from at least seven OT passages
(3) Why do I do so many cross references?
(a) First, that is how Jesus, Peter, Paul, John, and the other apostles preached—as this passage!
(i) Humanly, Romans is a thorough exposition of the Old Testament Text, Hab 2:4, “…the just shall live by faith…”
(b) Secondly, the cross references I use show that the expository Truth I am preaching is backed up by the Bible as a whole, and they give us additional insights to insure that we can clearly understand the Word.
b. What is “righteousness?” The word refers to perfect negative and positive right-ness toward God—to be so right before Him that we can fellowship with God.
(1) Negative—there can be no sin at all
(2) Positive—the person must have holiness, which is a presence of right-ness, not just the absence of sin.
(3) Look at the first man—he enjoyed fellowship with God—Who “gave the bride away” at Adam’s wedding! What happened after he sinned—he went and hid from God.
(4) The Standard is perfection, the Bible is plain that among mere men this does not exist.
c. First, the Biblical Contexts Ps 5:9, Ps 14:1-3, Ps 36:1, Ps 53:3, Ps 140:3, Ps 10:7, Is 59:7 are all quoted here—Paul is making his case from the Old Testament
d. Doctrinal Implications of No, Not ONE
(1) No one (excepting the God-Man) is or has been righteous
(2) To those who worship her—Mary is not righteous—except by substitution—Even she recognized God as her Savior—(Luke 1:46-47) "And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior."
(3) No mere man or woman can be righteous unless that righteousness is provided by someone else.
(4) The Greek here begins a three part reiteration
NOT, there is one righteous
NOT there is one who understands
NOT there is one who seeks God
3. Why Can’t Man Save Himself?
a. Lost Man cannot know nor understand God —Rom 3:11 “…There is none who understands…”
(1) The Greek is powerful— “Not there is one who understands…” The natural man in incapable of understanding—1 Cor 2:14
(2) The Natural mind cannot relate to God—Rom 8:6-7
(3) The lost are blinded by Satan—2 Cor 4:3-4
(4) The Lost are under the power of Satan—Eph 2:1-3, 2 Tim 2:19—captured at Satan’s will
b. Man is unable and unwilling to seek God on his own—Rom 3:11 “…There is none who seeks after God…”
(1) The Same verbal construction—NOT, there is one seeking…
(2) The Lost Will Not Seek—Isaiah 64:6-7
(3) Only those who are drawn will come—John 6:44-47, 63-65
c. Man has turned from God by his own choice—3:12 “…They have all turned aside; [This means the same in the original as that they have deserted during wartime]
(1) They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.""
(2) This is also from Psa 53:3 “…Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one…”
(3) The word “unprofitable” in the Greek, corresponds to the Hebrew word for “corrupt”, and it means “useless, like soured milk….”
d. Man reveals his depravity by his tongue
(1) Man cannot really even talk a good game, but people slander, destroy, trap, deceive, and exercise unbiblical dominion over people by the poison of the tongue, and they curse God and man.— Rom 3:14-15
(James 3:5-8)
e. Man is a “Killer Angel…”
(1) 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood…” Surely our modern day teaches us this. Man is not getting better, he is getting worse
f. 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways; There is one universal human factor in all societies—war, mass killings, and all that goes with them.
Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon, Hitler, Mao, Stalin….
g. 17 And the way of peace they have not known." Mankind is incapable of long-term peace: the best he can do is to slow things down for awhile. The history of mankind has been written with a sword dipped in blood.
h. 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes." And this is the real motivating factor—man’s mindset is violent because man’s mind set is to ignore God or claim He does not exist.
Gen 6:5, Gen 8:21
4. The Law’s verdict—3:19-20
a. Whatever the law says—“let God be true, and every man a liar…..” Rom 3:4
b. Those under the law—this is everyone!
(1) The Jews had the law written on tablets of stone—Exodus 20
(2) The Gentiles had the law engraved on their hearts—they had the conscience that God gave them—(Romans 2) they had the witness of the book of nature (Ps 19)
c. The Law of God tells us to shut up
d. And finally, the statement toward which Paul has been heading since the beginning of Romans—(Rom 3:20) "Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
e. Man Cannot save himself in any way, shape or form, and to any measure whatsoever.
f. But—God can Sinners, and He WILL, and He DOES!
g. God Saves Sinners!
(Rom 3:24)
(Rom 3:28)
(Rom 4:4-5)
(Rom 4:6-8)
(Rom 5:1)
(Rom 8:1)
(Rom 8:38-39)
Rom 3:9-20
1. We Are All Sinners—Rom 3:9
a. The Previous Charge – (Rom 3:9
b. “…..they are all under sin.”
(1) I am a sinner
(1 Tim 1:13) "although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief."
(1 Tim 1:15) "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."
(2) You are a sinner
(3) You may be a saved sinner, growing in the Grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, or you are a lost sinner standing in need of salvation, but you and I were born sinners.
2. No One Is Righteous—Rom 3:10 "As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one…”
a. As it is written—
(1) A perfect tense, something that is settled and sure, set in stone.
(2) Paul quotes from at least seven OT passages
(3) Why do I do so many cross references?
(a) First, that is how Jesus, Peter, Paul, John, and the other apostles preached—as this passage!
(i) Humanly, Romans is a thorough exposition of the Old Testament Text, Hab 2:4, “…the just shall live by faith…”
(b) Secondly, the cross references I use show that the expository Truth I am preaching is backed up by the Bible as a whole, and they give us additional insights to insure that we can clearly understand the Word.
b. What is “righteousness?” The word refers to perfect negative and positive right-ness toward God—to be so right before Him that we can fellowship with God.
(1) Negative—there can be no sin at all
(2) Positive—the person must have holiness, which is a presence of right-ness, not just the absence of sin.
(3) Look at the first man—he enjoyed fellowship with God—Who “gave the bride away” at Adam’s wedding! What happened after he sinned—he went and hid from God.
(4) The Standard is perfection, the Bible is plain that among mere men this does not exist.
c. First, the Biblical Contexts Ps 5:9, Ps 14:1-3, Ps 36:1, Ps 53:3, Ps 140:3, Ps 10:7, Is 59:7 are all quoted here—Paul is making his case from the Old Testament
d. Doctrinal Implications of No, Not ONE
(1) No one (excepting the God-Man) is or has been righteous
(2) To those who worship her—Mary is not righteous—except by substitution—Even she recognized God as her Savior—(Luke 1:46-47) "And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior."
(3) No mere man or woman can be righteous unless that righteousness is provided by someone else.
(4) The Greek here begins a three part reiteration
NOT, there is one righteous
NOT there is one who understands
NOT there is one who seeks God
3. Why Can’t Man Save Himself?
a. Lost Man cannot know nor understand God —Rom 3:11 “…There is none who understands…”
(1) The Greek is powerful— “Not there is one who understands…” The natural man in incapable of understanding—1 Cor 2:14
(2) The Natural mind cannot relate to God—Rom 8:6-7
(3) The lost are blinded by Satan—2 Cor 4:3-4
(4) The Lost are under the power of Satan—Eph 2:1-3, 2 Tim 2:19—captured at Satan’s will
b. Man is unable and unwilling to seek God on his own—Rom 3:11 “…There is none who seeks after God…”
(1) The Same verbal construction—NOT, there is one seeking…
(2) The Lost Will Not Seek—Isaiah 64:6-7
(3) Only those who are drawn will come—John 6:44-47, 63-65
c. Man has turned from God by his own choice—3:12 “…They have all turned aside; [This means the same in the original as that they have deserted during wartime]
(1) They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.""
(2) This is also from Psa 53:3 “…Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one…”
(3) The word “unprofitable” in the Greek, corresponds to the Hebrew word for “corrupt”, and it means “useless, like soured milk….”
d. Man reveals his depravity by his tongue
(1) Man cannot really even talk a good game, but people slander, destroy, trap, deceive, and exercise unbiblical dominion over people by the poison of the tongue, and they curse God and man.— Rom 3:14-15
(James 3:5-8)
e. Man is a “Killer Angel…”
(1) 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood…” Surely our modern day teaches us this. Man is not getting better, he is getting worse
f. 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways; There is one universal human factor in all societies—war, mass killings, and all that goes with them.
Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon, Hitler, Mao, Stalin….
g. 17 And the way of peace they have not known." Mankind is incapable of long-term peace: the best he can do is to slow things down for awhile. The history of mankind has been written with a sword dipped in blood.
h. 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes." And this is the real motivating factor—man’s mindset is violent because man’s mind set is to ignore God or claim He does not exist.
Gen 6:5, Gen 8:21
4. The Law’s verdict—3:19-20
a. Whatever the law says—“let God be true, and every man a liar…..” Rom 3:4
b. Those under the law—this is everyone!
(1) The Jews had the law written on tablets of stone—Exodus 20
(2) The Gentiles had the law engraved on their hearts—they had the conscience that God gave them—(Romans 2) they had the witness of the book of nature (Ps 19)
c. The Law of God tells us to shut up
d. And finally, the statement toward which Paul has been heading since the beginning of Romans—(Rom 3:20) "Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
e. Man Cannot save himself in any way, shape or form, and to any measure whatsoever.
f. But—God can Sinners, and He WILL, and He DOES!
g. God Saves Sinners!
(Rom 3:24)
(Rom 3:28)
(Rom 4:4-5)
(Rom 4:6-8)
(Rom 5:1)
(Rom 8:1)
(Rom 8:38-39)
Saturday, January 12, 2008
He Has Declared Him John 1:18c
Jesus Is The Last Word,
Period—Part 3
John 1:18
The Greatest Sermon Ever Lived
He has declared Him."
Introductory Thoughts
- As a race, we were created to know God, to be spiritually alive beings able to relate to God, but our parents fell, and with the fall, our natural spiritual ability to relate to God died.
1 Cor 2:14 "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
- Therefore, we live in a world that does not know God, nor much about Him.
-- The orthodox, Biblical view of God:
“Eternal, Invisible, God Only Wise, in Light inaccessible, hid from our eyes; most Gracious, most Glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, Victorious, Thy Great Name We Praise…”
--- The all-powerful, all-knowing, Sovereign, Holy, loving, eternal Jehovah God of Glory, who saves, keeps, and delivers
- The difficulty of speaking accurately about God’s nature.
-- Our minds are too weak to fully comprehend God.
-- The Scriptures are clear and true, but of necessity, they are not complete—we could not comprehend complete revelation, human words could not express it.
-- Our problem is that we not only need to know about God, we need a relationship with Him, we need mediation, redemption, salvation.
-- God has provided all of these and more, in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God the Son.
-- Into this world that does not know God, God has sent His Son, and He has made the Father known.
- We have looked at the invisibility of God, and at the Holy relationship between Father and Son. Now we will look at one of the little-appreciated aspects of the Person and Work of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: The Revelation of God.
- John 1:18- No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him."
1. Christ Has Declared God— He has declared Him."
a. Declared—exegeomai: to consider out (aloud), i.e. rehearse, unfold.--declare, tell.
Luke 24:35 "And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread."
Acts 15:14 ""Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name."
(1) This is the same thing that is done in Biblical preaching, what we call exegesis, or exposition.
(2) Neh 8:8 "So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading."
b. What is required for exegesis.
(1) Head Knowledge—This is essential. You cannot unfold, explain, bring out, develop, apply, and declare Truth unless you know it.
(a) For Christ, this required no study. Since He was in very nature God (Phil 2:6), He had no need to study.
(b) For the preacher, the preacher must study. A man of God who is not a man of the book dedicated to study is a contradiction. You cannot faithfully fulfill the position of teaching pastor unless you study and know.
(2) Heart Knowledge—Head knowledge is not enough. There must be real, experiential knowledge, or there can be no true exposition. An unsaved, un-spiritual preacher is no preacher at all.
(a) Again, Christ is the source of spiritual life—He is the Fountain of Life, the Light of Life; His heart knowledge is equal to His head knowledge, which is to say, infinite.
(b) But for the pastor-teacher, he must be a man twice called: once to salvation and once to service. Without both calls, a man is not fit to preach. There must be real, experiential knowledge, or there can be no true exposition. An unsaved, un-spiritual preacher is no preacher at all; a saved but un-called man is no preacher at all.
c. What Happens in Exegesis—four ways that Christ has revealed the Person of the Father.
(1) Verbal Declaration— Neh 8:8 "So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; In declaration, the Word is read plainly, clearly, and in context. In declaration, the obvious and main Truths are stated clearly.
(a) Christ verbally declared the Person of the Father hundreds of times. There are 158 references alone of Christ referring to His heavenly Father in teaching, and many more indirect references.
John 3:35 ""The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand."
John 5:17-23 "But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." 18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. 19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 "For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. 21 "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 "that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him."
John 5:26 ""For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,"
John 5:36-37 ""But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish; the very works that I do; bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form."
John 6:27 ""Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.""
John 6:32 "Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven."
John 6:37 ""All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."
John 6:39 ""This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day."
(2) Explanation—and they gave the sense, In explanation, we systematically lay out the meaning, organize and tie together the doctrine, deal with questions that arise, and in general make an organized presentation of Truth.
Mat 11:25-27 "At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. 26 "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 27 "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
John 6:44-46 ""No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. 46 "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father."
(3) Illustration— and helped them to understand the reading."
(a) Illustration involves techniques of verbal, mental, or physical illustration to help people understand fully the meaning of doctrine which is taught.
(b) Jesus told parable after parable to illustrate Truth.
(c) Jesus Lived the Supreme Illustration of the Truth
(4) Application—Application explains the “do” which is required by the doctrine taught.
(a) In the case of the people of Nehemiah’s day, they realized from what they were taught that the sacred feasts and assemblies required by the Law were not being observed, and they obeyed the teaching immediately.
Neh 8:16-18 "Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. 17 So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness. 18 Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner."
(5) In the Person of Christ, His life is an illustration and application of the Person of the Father.
2. The Revelation of God in Christ
a. Christ Declared the Father Before, in Christopanies
(1) The Man who came to see Abraham at Mamre
(2) The Burning Bush
(3) The Angel of the LORD
(4) The Man in the fiery furnace.
b. Christ Declared The Father During His Earthly Ministry
(1) Declaration— In ministry, in Word
(2) Explanation—In teaching and preaching
(3) Illustration—By His life example and by many parables.
(4) Application—
c. In personal holiness—the perfect Lamb
(1) He showed us that the Father is morally incorruptible.
(2) He showed us that the Father is truly lawful—
(a) The Law as it is, not man’s interpretation.
(b) The Law in all its fullness, not selective
d. In power
(1) He demonstrated power over the elements.
(2) He demonstrated power over disease
(3) He demonstrated power over demon spirits
(4) He demonstrated power over life and death.
e. In Sacrifice
(1) He showed us the Father’s hatred of Sin.
(2) He showed us the Father’s love for man.
(3) He showed us the Father’s Sovereignty, omniscience, and omnipotence, as the Plan was brought to fruition.
f. In Resurrection
(1) He showed us the Father’s absolute power over life and death.
(2) He showed us the Father’s faithfulness.
g. In Ascension
h. In Illumination (inspiration of the Scriptures through the Holy Spirit.
(1) He showed us the Father’s commitment to Truth.
(2) He showed us the Father’s desire to reveal what we need.
i. Christ Declares God in Intercession
(1) His intercession is authoritative—Rom 8: 33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."
(2) His intercession is effective—Heb 7:25 "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him,
(3) His intercession is eternal—since He always lives to make intercession for them."
(4) His intercession is personal—Heb 7:25 "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."
3. Christ Will Declare God in Ultimate Victory
a. Christ is Returning
(i) The second coming of Christ is a cornerstone of Biblical doctrine.
(ii) It is not possible to be considered orthodox and evangelical unless you believe Jesus is coming back.
(iii) Our Lord promised it, the apostles confirmed it, and the entire book of Revelation celebrates it. Below are just a few examples of the verses that establish this fact.
Acts 1:11 "who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.""
John 14:3 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.
1 Th 4:16-18 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words."
Mat 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
b. The Doctrine of His Return
(1) The return of Christ will be visible. He will not come in secret; He will not come "mystically," or only to those with eyes to see Him. All humanity will witness His coming, and those who do not belong to Him will be terrified. Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
(2) The Second Coming of Christ will be Bodily. He will not come "spiritually," He will return in His Body. He has a body now, a glorious body, witnessed by the apostle John (Rev 1:12-16), and when He comes in clouds of glory, it will be in that glorious body.
(3) He will come in Power and Glory--unlike His first coming, His true nature will not be concealed. He will come at the head of a heavenly army, as the conquering Sovereign that He is.
c. Every Knee Will Bow
Phil 2:9-11 "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Period—Part 3
John 1:18
The Greatest Sermon Ever Lived
He has declared Him."
Introductory Thoughts
- As a race, we were created to know God, to be spiritually alive beings able to relate to God, but our parents fell, and with the fall, our natural spiritual ability to relate to God died.
1 Cor 2:14 "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
- Therefore, we live in a world that does not know God, nor much about Him.
-- The orthodox, Biblical view of God:
“Eternal, Invisible, God Only Wise, in Light inaccessible, hid from our eyes; most Gracious, most Glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, Victorious, Thy Great Name We Praise…”
--- The all-powerful, all-knowing, Sovereign, Holy, loving, eternal Jehovah God of Glory, who saves, keeps, and delivers
- The difficulty of speaking accurately about God’s nature.
-- Our minds are too weak to fully comprehend God.
-- The Scriptures are clear and true, but of necessity, they are not complete—we could not comprehend complete revelation, human words could not express it.
-- Our problem is that we not only need to know about God, we need a relationship with Him, we need mediation, redemption, salvation.
-- God has provided all of these and more, in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God the Son.
-- Into this world that does not know God, God has sent His Son, and He has made the Father known.
- We have looked at the invisibility of God, and at the Holy relationship between Father and Son. Now we will look at one of the little-appreciated aspects of the Person and Work of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: The Revelation of God.
- John 1:18- No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him."
1. Christ Has Declared God— He has declared Him."
a. Declared—exegeomai: to consider out (aloud), i.e. rehearse, unfold.--declare, tell.
Luke 24:35 "And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread."
Acts 15:14 ""Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name."
(1) This is the same thing that is done in Biblical preaching, what we call exegesis, or exposition.
(2) Neh 8:8 "So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading."
b. What is required for exegesis.
(1) Head Knowledge—This is essential. You cannot unfold, explain, bring out, develop, apply, and declare Truth unless you know it.
(a) For Christ, this required no study. Since He was in very nature God (Phil 2:6), He had no need to study.
(b) For the preacher, the preacher must study. A man of God who is not a man of the book dedicated to study is a contradiction. You cannot faithfully fulfill the position of teaching pastor unless you study and know.
(2) Heart Knowledge—Head knowledge is not enough. There must be real, experiential knowledge, or there can be no true exposition. An unsaved, un-spiritual preacher is no preacher at all.
(a) Again, Christ is the source of spiritual life—He is the Fountain of Life, the Light of Life; His heart knowledge is equal to His head knowledge, which is to say, infinite.
(b) But for the pastor-teacher, he must be a man twice called: once to salvation and once to service. Without both calls, a man is not fit to preach. There must be real, experiential knowledge, or there can be no true exposition. An unsaved, un-spiritual preacher is no preacher at all; a saved but un-called man is no preacher at all.
c. What Happens in Exegesis—four ways that Christ has revealed the Person of the Father.
(1) Verbal Declaration— Neh 8:8 "So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; In declaration, the Word is read plainly, clearly, and in context. In declaration, the obvious and main Truths are stated clearly.
(a) Christ verbally declared the Person of the Father hundreds of times. There are 158 references alone of Christ referring to His heavenly Father in teaching, and many more indirect references.
John 3:35 ""The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand."
John 5:17-23 "But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." 18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. 19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 "For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. 21 "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 "that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him."
John 5:26 ""For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,"
John 5:36-37 ""But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish; the very works that I do; bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form."
John 6:27 ""Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.""
John 6:32 "Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven."
John 6:37 ""All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."
John 6:39 ""This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day."
(2) Explanation—and they gave the sense, In explanation, we systematically lay out the meaning, organize and tie together the doctrine, deal with questions that arise, and in general make an organized presentation of Truth.
Mat 11:25-27 "At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. 26 "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 27 "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
John 6:44-46 ""No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. 46 "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father."
(3) Illustration— and helped them to understand the reading."
(a) Illustration involves techniques of verbal, mental, or physical illustration to help people understand fully the meaning of doctrine which is taught.
(b) Jesus told parable after parable to illustrate Truth.
(c) Jesus Lived the Supreme Illustration of the Truth
(4) Application—Application explains the “do” which is required by the doctrine taught.
(a) In the case of the people of Nehemiah’s day, they realized from what they were taught that the sacred feasts and assemblies required by the Law were not being observed, and they obeyed the teaching immediately.
Neh 8:16-18 "Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. 17 So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness. 18 Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner."
(5) In the Person of Christ, His life is an illustration and application of the Person of the Father.
2. The Revelation of God in Christ
a. Christ Declared the Father Before, in Christopanies
(1) The Man who came to see Abraham at Mamre
(2) The Burning Bush
(3) The Angel of the LORD
(4) The Man in the fiery furnace.
b. Christ Declared The Father During His Earthly Ministry
(1) Declaration— In ministry, in Word
(2) Explanation—In teaching and preaching
(3) Illustration—By His life example and by many parables.
(4) Application—
c. In personal holiness—the perfect Lamb
(1) He showed us that the Father is morally incorruptible.
(2) He showed us that the Father is truly lawful—
(a) The Law as it is, not man’s interpretation.
(b) The Law in all its fullness, not selective
d. In power
(1) He demonstrated power over the elements.
(2) He demonstrated power over disease
(3) He demonstrated power over demon spirits
(4) He demonstrated power over life and death.
e. In Sacrifice
(1) He showed us the Father’s hatred of Sin.
(2) He showed us the Father’s love for man.
(3) He showed us the Father’s Sovereignty, omniscience, and omnipotence, as the Plan was brought to fruition.
f. In Resurrection
(1) He showed us the Father’s absolute power over life and death.
(2) He showed us the Father’s faithfulness.
g. In Ascension
h. In Illumination (inspiration of the Scriptures through the Holy Spirit.
(1) He showed us the Father’s commitment to Truth.
(2) He showed us the Father’s desire to reveal what we need.
i. Christ Declares God in Intercession
(1) His intercession is authoritative—Rom 8: 33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."
(2) His intercession is effective—Heb 7:25 "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him,
(3) His intercession is eternal—since He always lives to make intercession for them."
(4) His intercession is personal—Heb 7:25 "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."
3. Christ Will Declare God in Ultimate Victory
a. Christ is Returning
(i) The second coming of Christ is a cornerstone of Biblical doctrine.
(ii) It is not possible to be considered orthodox and evangelical unless you believe Jesus is coming back.
(iii) Our Lord promised it, the apostles confirmed it, and the entire book of Revelation celebrates it. Below are just a few examples of the verses that establish this fact.
Acts 1:11 "who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.""
John 14:3 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.
1 Th 4:16-18 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words."
Mat 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
b. The Doctrine of His Return
(1) The return of Christ will be visible. He will not come in secret; He will not come "mystically," or only to those with eyes to see Him. All humanity will witness His coming, and those who do not belong to Him will be terrified. Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
(2) The Second Coming of Christ will be Bodily. He will not come "spiritually," He will return in His Body. He has a body now, a glorious body, witnessed by the apostle John (Rev 1:12-16), and when He comes in clouds of glory, it will be in that glorious body.
(3) He will come in Power and Glory--unlike His first coming, His true nature will not be concealed. He will come at the head of a heavenly army, as the conquering Sovereign that He is.
c. Every Knee Will Bow
Phil 2:9-11 "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Lost Religious People Rom 2:17-25
Lost Religious People
Rom 2:17-25
The context—Paul is proving that man cannot save himself.
The last two weeks we looked at your typical heathen moralist who thinks he is better than others while essentially doing the same things.
This week, we look at Lost Religious People
The problems of the religious Jews of Paul’s day: self righteousness and surface compliance with the Law of God
The Faith of their fathers was not defective—their hearts were!
A word about self-righteousness: it is a door that goes in both directions
-Some self-righteous folks have a self-made religion which is strict to a fault
-Some self-righteous folks have a self-made religion that is watered down to the point where it means little.
-But they all share this concept—they think they are fine, based on some religion they have manufactured or adopted, but their religion is shallow and false.
-They are lost religious people
1. The Self Concepts of the Lost Religious Person
a. “2:17 "Indeed you are called a Jew…” A lost religious person is proud of their affiliation
(1) The self-righteous person proudly bears the name of his denomination
(2) “We have Abraham for our Father…” Mat 3:9
(3) As they proudly (and erroneously) said to Jesus (John 8:33) "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. "
b. “…and rest on the law…” A lost religious person is proud that they possess the written Word
(1) Interpretation—they had the Law, the Gentiles did not. They rested on The Law, they were proud of the Law.
(2) They argued over the fine points and minutiae of the Law, and ignored the basic teachings of the Law. The law was not the center of their life—Dt 6:4-9
c. “…and make your boast in God…” A lost religious person is proud that they believe in God
(1) (James 2:19) "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe; and tremble!"
(2) They thought they had the real God as their God, but they were not part of His Kingdom, and they did their best to keep others out. tried to exclude others from having any part of Him
(3) They did not know and love the One True God of the Bible—they claimed Him as their own, but their life did not show it—(Titus 1:16) "They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him…”
d. “…18 and know His will…”A Lost religious person is proud that they know what God wants—if you don’t believe it, ask them! —
(1) They don’t know Him, but they claim to know His will
(2) They claim to know what God wants, but they have not committed five minutes of real prayer to God, and they have never said, “Thy will be done,” and really meant it.
e. “…and approve the things that are excellent , being instructed out of the law…” A Lost religious person Claims to know what is right and wrong—even when they don’t have a clue
(1) They did not understand the true meaning of the Law—as given by Jesus in Matt 5:17-48
(2) They did not understand obedience, nor did they obey, often even at the surface level of their understanding.
f. …2:19-20—“19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law.” The Lost Religious person is confident that they know how to tell everyone else what to do and what to believe.
(1) It is one thing to not know and to know you don’t know…it is another to think you know
(2) What is result of self-made religion? (2 Tim 3:5) "having a form of godliness but denying its power. ..”
2. Paul’s challenges to the lost religious person
a. The Basic Charge: Lost Religious people are spiritually clueless
(1) —“…21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? “
(a) The Rich Young Ruler said it best, in describing his own surface knowledge: “…The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"
(b) The Rich Young Ruler’s understanding of God and His Law was so shallow that he imagined that his surface obedience to the Law would suffice.
(2) The Law’s requirements are impossible to meet—(Gal 4:21) "Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?"
b. Example #1: Some Lost Religious People have only a surface understanding of theft
(1) they steal, but it is white collar crime, a shrewd business deal, perhaps even technically legal—
(2) “You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?” The answer, incredibly, is “yes.”
(Mat 23:14) ""Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation."
(3) “…no wonder that these men preferred Barabbas, a thief and a robber, to Jesus Christ….” Dr. John Gill
c. Example #2— Some lost religious people have a surface understanding of adultery—(Rom 2:22) "You who say, "Do not commit adultery," do you commit adultery?…"
(1) The True Definition of adultery. (Mat 5:28) ""… I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
(2) And, perhaps many had actually committed the sin of adultery—see John 8:1-11
(a) Where is the dude? If they caught her in the very act, they would have gotten the man as well.
(b) What is Jesus writing in the sand?
(c) When Jesus said, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone…”, the words in the original can be translated, “let he who is without THIS sin cast the first stone…”
(3) The following comment by Dr. Gill is interesting here. He said that the historical writings of the rabbis of the period showed that sexual sin was a huge problem among the religious leaders themselves…
“…an iniquity which greatly prevailed among the Jews at this time of day; hence Christ calls them “an adulterous generation”, (Matthew 12:39 16:4 --Mark 8:38); …, cases of this nature being so very numerous: and this sin prevailed …among their [religious leaders]…” Dr. John Gill
d. Example #3—Some Lost Religious People Rob God, a surface understanding of giving—“…You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?...”
Commit sacrilege. — “The word here used literally applies to the robbery of temples, for which the Jews had many opportunities, as well as of appropriating to themselves what was devoted to religion…and of robbing God in tithes and offerings…” (Haldane)
The Pharisees tithed every plant in the garden but did not understand that giving must be from the heart or it is of no avail.
(2 Cor 9:7) "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver."
(Mat 6:1-4) ""Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them… when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 "that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."
(1) God does not want our money—He wants US—our stewardship will follow.
e. Example #4—Lost Religious people put out empty hot air supposedly devoted to God—but no obedience “…23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?”
(James 1:22) "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
f. “…24 For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you…" Example #5—The Lost Religious person often leads a double life, and everyone in town knows it.
(1) “The church house discussed at the ale house,” as the Puritans like to say—
(2) their hypocrisy had given God a bad name among the “unreligous,”
3. What Does God Really Want? He Wants US
a. Not Ceremony, but Reality— (1 Sam 15:22-23) "Then Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…”
(1) Celebration of ceremonies without reality was revolting to God—“…25 For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision…”
(2) Interpretation—they were relying on the outward ceremonies of the Law to save them, but they had missed the essence totally—
(a) God wanted THEM—
(b) God demanded heart obedience, not empty sacrifices.
(c) God demanded justice and mercy (in their lives), not empty ceremonies.
b. Even the New Covenant’s Worship and Ordinances can become Empty ceremonies
(1) Worship without spiritual reality
(2) èBaptism, when performed on someone not truly saved
(3) Vain preaching, from ungodly, untaught, and uncalled men fit and able only to tickle ears
(4) People vainly attending church, watching their watch, wanting gentle, ear-tickling preaching, wanting to get their hour of “worship” in, so they can check that mark off the list.
(5) The Lord’s Supper, Church membership…when these are practiced by lost people, they are a stink in God’s nostrils.
c. What does God want? What does God Seek?
(John 4:23) ""But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."
(1) Only those who have been born again and who have the indwelling Holy Spirit can worship in Spirit
(2) Only those who have been brought up and discipled in “The faith once delivered to the saints…” Jude 3, can truly worship in Spirit.
(3) And only those wonderful, saved, discipled saints can know the peace that passes understanding, and only then can they really experience the true Worship of Walking With Jesus
(a) Walking in Him
(b) Walking in His Love
(c) Walking in His Truth
(d) Walking in ObedienceWalking in Power, to fight spiritual warfare
Rom 2:17-25
The context—Paul is proving that man cannot save himself.
The last two weeks we looked at your typical heathen moralist who thinks he is better than others while essentially doing the same things.
This week, we look at Lost Religious People
The problems of the religious Jews of Paul’s day: self righteousness and surface compliance with the Law of God
The Faith of their fathers was not defective—their hearts were!
A word about self-righteousness: it is a door that goes in both directions
-Some self-righteous folks have a self-made religion which is strict to a fault
-Some self-righteous folks have a self-made religion that is watered down to the point where it means little.
-But they all share this concept—they think they are fine, based on some religion they have manufactured or adopted, but their religion is shallow and false.
-They are lost religious people
1. The Self Concepts of the Lost Religious Person
a. “2:17 "Indeed you are called a Jew…” A lost religious person is proud of their affiliation
(1) The self-righteous person proudly bears the name of his denomination
(2) “We have Abraham for our Father…” Mat 3:9
(3) As they proudly (and erroneously) said to Jesus (John 8:33) "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. "
b. “…and rest on the law…” A lost religious person is proud that they possess the written Word
(1) Interpretation—they had the Law, the Gentiles did not. They rested on The Law, they were proud of the Law.
(2) They argued over the fine points and minutiae of the Law, and ignored the basic teachings of the Law. The law was not the center of their life—Dt 6:4-9
c. “…and make your boast in God…” A lost religious person is proud that they believe in God
(1) (James 2:19) "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe; and tremble!"
(2) They thought they had the real God as their God, but they were not part of His Kingdom, and they did their best to keep others out. tried to exclude others from having any part of Him
(3) They did not know and love the One True God of the Bible—they claimed Him as their own, but their life did not show it—(Titus 1:16) "They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him…”
d. “…18 and know His will…”A Lost religious person is proud that they know what God wants—if you don’t believe it, ask them! —
(1) They don’t know Him, but they claim to know His will
(2) They claim to know what God wants, but they have not committed five minutes of real prayer to God, and they have never said, “Thy will be done,” and really meant it.
e. “…and approve the things that are excellent , being instructed out of the law…” A Lost religious person Claims to know what is right and wrong—even when they don’t have a clue
(1) They did not understand the true meaning of the Law—as given by Jesus in Matt 5:17-48
(2) They did not understand obedience, nor did they obey, often even at the surface level of their understanding.
f. …2:19-20—“19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law.” The Lost Religious person is confident that they know how to tell everyone else what to do and what to believe.
(1) It is one thing to not know and to know you don’t know…it is another to think you know
(2) What is result of self-made religion? (2 Tim 3:5) "having a form of godliness but denying its power. ..”
2. Paul’s challenges to the lost religious person
a. The Basic Charge: Lost Religious people are spiritually clueless
(1) —“…21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? “
(a) The Rich Young Ruler said it best, in describing his own surface knowledge: “…The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"
(b) The Rich Young Ruler’s understanding of God and His Law was so shallow that he imagined that his surface obedience to the Law would suffice.
(2) The Law’s requirements are impossible to meet—(Gal 4:21) "Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?"
b. Example #1: Some Lost Religious People have only a surface understanding of theft
(1) they steal, but it is white collar crime, a shrewd business deal, perhaps even technically legal—
(2) “You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?” The answer, incredibly, is “yes.”
(Mat 23:14) ""Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation."
(3) “…no wonder that these men preferred Barabbas, a thief and a robber, to Jesus Christ….” Dr. John Gill
c. Example #2— Some lost religious people have a surface understanding of adultery—(Rom 2:22) "You who say, "Do not commit adultery," do you commit adultery?…"
(1) The True Definition of adultery. (Mat 5:28) ""… I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
(2) And, perhaps many had actually committed the sin of adultery—see John 8:1-11
(a) Where is the dude? If they caught her in the very act, they would have gotten the man as well.
(b) What is Jesus writing in the sand?
(c) When Jesus said, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone…”, the words in the original can be translated, “let he who is without THIS sin cast the first stone…”
(3) The following comment by Dr. Gill is interesting here. He said that the historical writings of the rabbis of the period showed that sexual sin was a huge problem among the religious leaders themselves…
“…an iniquity which greatly prevailed among the Jews at this time of day; hence Christ calls them “an adulterous generation”, (Matthew 12:39 16:4 --Mark 8:38); …, cases of this nature being so very numerous: and this sin prevailed …among their [religious leaders]…” Dr. John Gill
d. Example #3—Some Lost Religious People Rob God, a surface understanding of giving—“…You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?...”
Commit sacrilege. — “The word here used literally applies to the robbery of temples, for which the Jews had many opportunities, as well as of appropriating to themselves what was devoted to religion…and of robbing God in tithes and offerings…” (Haldane)
The Pharisees tithed every plant in the garden but did not understand that giving must be from the heart or it is of no avail.
(2 Cor 9:7) "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver."
(Mat 6:1-4) ""Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them… when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 "that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."
(1) God does not want our money—He wants US—our stewardship will follow.
e. Example #4—Lost Religious people put out empty hot air supposedly devoted to God—but no obedience “…23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?”
(James 1:22) "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
f. “…24 For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you…" Example #5—The Lost Religious person often leads a double life, and everyone in town knows it.
(1) “The church house discussed at the ale house,” as the Puritans like to say—
(2) their hypocrisy had given God a bad name among the “unreligous,”
3. What Does God Really Want? He Wants US
a. Not Ceremony, but Reality— (1 Sam 15:22-23) "Then Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…”
(1) Celebration of ceremonies without reality was revolting to God—“…25 For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision…”
(2) Interpretation—they were relying on the outward ceremonies of the Law to save them, but they had missed the essence totally—
(a) God wanted THEM—
(b) God demanded heart obedience, not empty sacrifices.
(c) God demanded justice and mercy (in their lives), not empty ceremonies.
b. Even the New Covenant’s Worship and Ordinances can become Empty ceremonies
(1) Worship without spiritual reality
(2) èBaptism, when performed on someone not truly saved
(3) Vain preaching, from ungodly, untaught, and uncalled men fit and able only to tickle ears
(4) People vainly attending church, watching their watch, wanting gentle, ear-tickling preaching, wanting to get their hour of “worship” in, so they can check that mark off the list.
(5) The Lord’s Supper, Church membership…when these are practiced by lost people, they are a stink in God’s nostrils.
c. What does God want? What does God Seek?
(John 4:23) ""But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."
(1) Only those who have been born again and who have the indwelling Holy Spirit can worship in Spirit
(2) Only those who have been brought up and discipled in “The faith once delivered to the saints…” Jude 3, can truly worship in Spirit.
(3) And only those wonderful, saved, discipled saints can know the peace that passes understanding, and only then can they really experience the true Worship of Walking With Jesus
(a) Walking in Him
(b) Walking in His Love
(c) Walking in His Truth
(d) Walking in ObedienceWalking in Power, to fight spiritual warfare
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Who Can Stand?Works Won’t Work At the Great White Throne Rom 2:7-16
Remember the grand context—Rom 1:16-18, 3:9-20—Man Cannot Save Himself
We can be saved only by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Why is it that it is only by faith that one is righteous?
(1) Because of the wrath of God at the sin of man, which we find out in Rom 3:9-12 is universal.
(2) How then can anyone be considered righteous? How can anyone face the judgment and come out clean? No One CAN!
We are condemned by our heritage (ADAM’s Sin Rom 5:12) and by our own works.
There are a couple of solid doctrinal issues that must be studied in conjunction with this passage, and Lord Willing, we will address those issues next Sunday morning.
We need to take a look at God’s system of judgments, to see that there is no such thing as one general judgment.
We also need to take a careful look at the issue of conscience.
Today, however, we will concentrate on the central message of this text: The righteous judgment of God.
The controlling verse in this passage is the bottom line—Rom 2:16. As in other places, Paul makes the point that the day of judgment is coming; the day of wrath, the great white throne—
1. Judgment Day is Coming—(Rom 2:12) "For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law…(parenthesis)… 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel."
a. Let’s Look at this great verse— “…16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel…”
b. This lays all out into four basic points about the Great White Throne
(1) The Day
(2) The Judge and the Judged
(3) The Standard
(4) The Gospel
2. “…The Day…”—this is the day toward which history has been pointing since Creation.
a. The Day of the LORD, a whole Bible Concept—and it is not only one day, but an entire program of events that stretch out over a long period in the end times.
(1) This day will come after the watchmen are gone. 1 Thes 4:13-5:4
“The only way this day could break unexpectedly upon the world is to have it begin immediately after the rapture of the church. It is thus concluded that the Day of the Lord is that extended period of time beginning with God’s dealing with Israel after the rapture at the beginning of the tribulation period and extending through the second advent and the millennial age unto the creation of the new heavens an new earth after the millennium.” J Dwight Pentecost Things to Come—page 230
(2) The Day will culminate with the destruction and reconstruction of the universe.
(2 Pet 3:10) "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up."
(Rev 20:11) "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them."
(Rev 21:1) "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea."
b. This day will include great destruction and great struggles
(1) (Isa 2:12) "For the day of the LORD of hosts Shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up; And it shall be brought low;"
(2) (Joel 1:15) "Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty."
(3) Peter mentioned it at Pentecost—(Joel 2:31) "The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD."
(4) (Joel 3:14) "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision."
(Acts 2:20) "The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD."
(2 Pet 3:12) "looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?"
2. The judge and the things judged “…when God will judge the secrets of men…”
a. God is the righteous judge
(Gen 18:25) ""….Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?""
(Psa 50:6) "Let the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is Judge. "
(Psa 75:7) "But God is the Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another."
(Psa 94:2) "Rise up, O Judge of the earth; Render punishment to the proud."
(Isa 33:22) "(For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King; He will save us);"
(2 Tim 4:8) "Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing."
(Heb 12:23) "…to God the Judge of all…”
(John 5:22) ""For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,"
b. The Secrets of Men
(1) God is a God who reveals secrets and who knows all.
(Dan 2:27-28) "Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, "The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. 28 "But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. …”
(2) Sin will not remain concealed.
(Num 32:23) ""… you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out."
(Job 12:22) "He uncovers deep things out of darkness, And brings the shadow of death to light."
(Eccl 12:14) "For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil."
(Luke 12:22) "Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on."
(1 Cor 4:5) "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God."
(Psa 19:12) "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults."
(Psa 90:8) "You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance."
(3) Cain thought his sin was hidden, but his brother’s blood cried out
(4) Joseph’s brothers cruelly kept their sin hidden for many years, but the famine brought it to light.
(5) Judas thought his little deal was secure, but the hound of Heaven would not let him rest—and he went out and hanged himself.
(6) Achan hid his spoil under his tent—but God discovered it
(7) David thought he’d gotten away from it, but the thing did not please the LORD
(8) No matter how you cut it, all of the secrets will come out, and you will answer for each one, unless they are hidden in the blood of Christ
c. The White Throne Judgment—Rev 20:11-15
(1) First, the dead are summoned from every conceivable place
(2) The Books Will Be Open
(a) The secrets will all come out
(b) The things in the books will be open for all to see
(3) Some will attempt to mount a defense—(Mat 7:21-23) ""Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"
(4) But those who are in attendance at the Great White Throne will have no way of escape. The blood of Christ is not available to the ones judged here—their doom is sealed, and the Book of Life is there as an authoritative witness that their names are not found there.
(5) The Doom is Inescapable for those who do not know Him, they will die in their sins
3. The Exemplar of Judgment “…by Jesus Christ…”
a. The Standard is Perfection—2:7-10
(1) “…by patient continuance…” – In other words, like Christ—immutable, the “same yesterday, today, and forever…”
(2) By patient continuance “…in doing good…” It is NOT in avoiding evil or sin—it is “in doing good…”
(3) by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;
(a) The MOTIVE has got to be pure at all times as well! We have to be seeking only the things of God continually
(b) We have to seek to attain to His Glory, which no one has done nor can do—Rom 3:23
(4) Only One has ever kept this standard—Jesus—Heb 4:15-16
4. According to WHAT? “…according to my gospel…”
a. But I thought the Gospel is about Good News!
b. How can this word of judgment be good news?
(1) First, it glorifies the truth and the honor of the Righteous Judge, who has been attacked and maligned by ungodly men, and who has spoken all of these words and many more through His prophets
(Jude 1:14-15) "… "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 "to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.""
(2) Second, it glorifies God’s justice and holiness by taking seriously man’s violations against the Laws of the Righteous Judge—The Law is upheld, and Good triumphs
(3) Third, this day exalts the Lord Jesus to the place where He deserves to be, worshipped by all of the universe—“Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess, that Jesus is Lord, to the Glory of God The Father…” Phil 2:11
(4) Fourth, this day exalts the love of God who has sent His only-begotten Son to save sinners.
(5) And there may be many more things to be added, but this passage about this day shows again the Love and Mercy of God, because you are hear, alive, and able to hear and respond before it is everlasting too late.
c. According to the Gospel preached by Paul, you have been warned—flee from the wrath to come!
We can be saved only by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Why is it that it is only by faith that one is righteous?
(1) Because of the wrath of God at the sin of man, which we find out in Rom 3:9-12 is universal.
(2) How then can anyone be considered righteous? How can anyone face the judgment and come out clean? No One CAN!
We are condemned by our heritage (ADAM’s Sin Rom 5:12) and by our own works.
There are a couple of solid doctrinal issues that must be studied in conjunction with this passage, and Lord Willing, we will address those issues next Sunday morning.
We need to take a look at God’s system of judgments, to see that there is no such thing as one general judgment.
We also need to take a careful look at the issue of conscience.
Today, however, we will concentrate on the central message of this text: The righteous judgment of God.
The controlling verse in this passage is the bottom line—Rom 2:16. As in other places, Paul makes the point that the day of judgment is coming; the day of wrath, the great white throne—
1. Judgment Day is Coming—(Rom 2:12) "For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law…(parenthesis)… 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel."
a. Let’s Look at this great verse— “…16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel…”
b. This lays all out into four basic points about the Great White Throne
(1) The Day
(2) The Judge and the Judged
(3) The Standard
(4) The Gospel
2. “…The Day…”—this is the day toward which history has been pointing since Creation.
a. The Day of the LORD, a whole Bible Concept—and it is not only one day, but an entire program of events that stretch out over a long period in the end times.
(1) This day will come after the watchmen are gone. 1 Thes 4:13-5:4
“The only way this day could break unexpectedly upon the world is to have it begin immediately after the rapture of the church. It is thus concluded that the Day of the Lord is that extended period of time beginning with God’s dealing with Israel after the rapture at the beginning of the tribulation period and extending through the second advent and the millennial age unto the creation of the new heavens an new earth after the millennium.” J Dwight Pentecost Things to Come—page 230
(2) The Day will culminate with the destruction and reconstruction of the universe.
(2 Pet 3:10) "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up."
(Rev 20:11) "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them."
(Rev 21:1) "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea."
b. This day will include great destruction and great struggles
(1) (Isa 2:12) "For the day of the LORD of hosts Shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up; And it shall be brought low;"
(2) (Joel 1:15) "Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty."
(3) Peter mentioned it at Pentecost—(Joel 2:31) "The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD."
(4) (Joel 3:14) "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision."
(Acts 2:20) "The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD."
(2 Pet 3:12) "looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?"
2. The judge and the things judged “…when God will judge the secrets of men…”
a. God is the righteous judge
(Gen 18:25) ""….Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?""
(Psa 50:6) "Let the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself is Judge. "
(Psa 75:7) "But God is the Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another."
(Psa 94:2) "Rise up, O Judge of the earth; Render punishment to the proud."
(Isa 33:22) "(For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King; He will save us);"
(2 Tim 4:8) "Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing."
(Heb 12:23) "…to God the Judge of all…”
(John 5:22) ""For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,"
b. The Secrets of Men
(1) God is a God who reveals secrets and who knows all.
(Dan 2:27-28) "Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, "The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. 28 "But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. …”
(2) Sin will not remain concealed.
(Num 32:23) ""… you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out."
(Job 12:22) "He uncovers deep things out of darkness, And brings the shadow of death to light."
(Eccl 12:14) "For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil."
(Luke 12:22) "Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on."
(1 Cor 4:5) "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God."
(Psa 19:12) "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults."
(Psa 90:8) "You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance."
(3) Cain thought his sin was hidden, but his brother’s blood cried out
(4) Joseph’s brothers cruelly kept their sin hidden for many years, but the famine brought it to light.
(5) Judas thought his little deal was secure, but the hound of Heaven would not let him rest—and he went out and hanged himself.
(6) Achan hid his spoil under his tent—but God discovered it
(7) David thought he’d gotten away from it, but the thing did not please the LORD
(8) No matter how you cut it, all of the secrets will come out, and you will answer for each one, unless they are hidden in the blood of Christ
c. The White Throne Judgment—Rev 20:11-15
(1) First, the dead are summoned from every conceivable place
(2) The Books Will Be Open
(a) The secrets will all come out
(b) The things in the books will be open for all to see
(3) Some will attempt to mount a defense—(Mat 7:21-23) ""Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"
(4) But those who are in attendance at the Great White Throne will have no way of escape. The blood of Christ is not available to the ones judged here—their doom is sealed, and the Book of Life is there as an authoritative witness that their names are not found there.
(5) The Doom is Inescapable for those who do not know Him, they will die in their sins
3. The Exemplar of Judgment “…by Jesus Christ…”
a. The Standard is Perfection—2:7-10
(1) “…by patient continuance…” – In other words, like Christ—immutable, the “same yesterday, today, and forever…”
(2) By patient continuance “…in doing good…” It is NOT in avoiding evil or sin—it is “in doing good…”
(3) by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;
(a) The MOTIVE has got to be pure at all times as well! We have to be seeking only the things of God continually
(b) We have to seek to attain to His Glory, which no one has done nor can do—Rom 3:23
(4) Only One has ever kept this standard—Jesus—Heb 4:15-16
4. According to WHAT? “…according to my gospel…”
a. But I thought the Gospel is about Good News!
b. How can this word of judgment be good news?
(1) First, it glorifies the truth and the honor of the Righteous Judge, who has been attacked and maligned by ungodly men, and who has spoken all of these words and many more through His prophets
(Jude 1:14-15) "… "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 "to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.""
(2) Second, it glorifies God’s justice and holiness by taking seriously man’s violations against the Laws of the Righteous Judge—The Law is upheld, and Good triumphs
(3) Third, this day exalts the Lord Jesus to the place where He deserves to be, worshipped by all of the universe—“Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess, that Jesus is Lord, to the Glory of God The Father…” Phil 2:11
(4) Fourth, this day exalts the love of God who has sent His only-begotten Son to save sinners.
(5) And there may be many more things to be added, but this passage about this day shows again the Love and Mercy of God, because you are hear, alive, and able to hear and respond before it is everlasting too late.
c. According to the Gospel preached by Paul, you have been warned—flee from the wrath to come!
Having Your Mind on Heaven and Your Feet on the Straight and Narrow
Col 3:1-3
On Being Heavenly Minded: Keep Your Eyes On The Prize—Col 3:1-4
We must strive to be heavenly minded!
What we have here is a wealth of doctrinal teaching and one set of instructions.
The doctrinal teaching is in most of 1, and 3, and the clear instruction is in part of 1 and in verse 2.
1. Doctrine of Identification with Christ—Col 3:1
a. Is there an “if” here?
(1) If—1st class condition—“since”
(2) “you were raised…”—aorist, since you have been raised—a snapshot
(3) When were you raised with Christ?
(4) Before time began, God planned it—and what God plans, He completes—Eph 1:3ff!
(5) Because of Substitution, we died with Him on the Cross, and we were raised for our justification—Rom 4:25.
(6) In your life, there was a time when He made you spiritually alive. Which of these things does this aorist refer to?
(7) How about all of them? I think so, but primarily it is talking about our personal experience!
b. What is it to be raised with Christ?
(1) We were dead in our sins
(2) We were blind, deaf, dumb
(3) We were slaves to sin.
(4) Christ has given us life!
(5) Rom 6:1-11!!!
(6) Rom 8:1-4!!!
c. Where is Christ now?
(1) “Where Christ is,” and “…sitting at the right hand of God…” are separate thoughts—we are where He is, and where He is, is Heaven!
(2) “is” –present tense—continuous
(3) sitting—present nominative participle
(4) In God’s mind, we are with Him in Heaven now!
d. How?
(1) “you died”—aorist
(2) “is hidden…” perfect passive—this is a done deal, and you did not accomplish it!
(3) With Christ, in God--! What power!
(a) “sun” the little Greek word—we are not just hidden, we are hidden with Christ
(b) furthermore, we are “with Christ, in God.” “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing!”
(4) Christ IS our life! We don’t life FOR Jesus, we live IN Jesus—He lives through us!
(5) This is possible because of Who God Is—Rom 4:17!!!
e. Location—Where is Jesus Now? “…above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God….
(1) While Christ will be even more greatly exalted on That Day, He is even now at the right hand of the majesty on high. There are many references to this fact.
(2) Old Testament—Ps 110! This psalm is often quoted in the NT.
(3) Jesus prophesied his future location at God’s Right—Mat 26:64, Mark 14:62
(4) The Disciples saw Him go —Mark 16:19
(5) Peter preached about it—Acts 2:33-34, Acts 5:31
(6) Stephen had a vision of it—Acts 7:55-56
(7) There is deep doctrinal and practical significance to the fact—Rom 8:34See also—Heb 1:1-3, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2.
(8) And the principalities and powers are subject to Him! 1 Pet 3:22
(9) And we are there as well! Eph 1:1-18!
f. Identification—We have died and been resurrected already, and this is not JUST “positional truth.” We are spiritually alive, or we do not belong to Christ!
(1) “Since…” this is so if you belong to Him.
(2) “you were raised…” aoristè a done deal
(3) Salvation is a spiritual death and a spiritual resurrection—Gal 2:20
(a) It happens initially when we are made alive by God’s power in regeneration—Eph 2:1, 6
(b) But it starts as a death, as an identification with Christ in His death, 2 Tim 2:11, Rom 6:1-11
(4) It continues through our lives—Rom 8:11 "But if [“since,” 1st class condition]
(5) 1 Pet 2:24
2. Instruction: What do we do with this wonderful and deep doctrinal Truth? Col 3:1b, 2
a. “seek”—“keep on seeking—imperative mood, present tense—we are commanded to seek and keep on seeking! Same usage elsewhere: Mat 6:33, Mat :7
b. “things which are above…” è the upper things—
(1) Not the lower things which tie us down—it takes no effort for them to show up and intrude.
(2) The upper things, the things about Truth, Heaven, Hell, Eternity, Jesus, Salvation, Yes!
c. ‘Set your mind”—again, a present imperative, we are commanded to have a Christlike mindset on a continual basis!
(1) Illustration—down this week, struggling with sin and with faithlessness. Showed up at church with my chin dragging the floor. The Wednesday sermon was on justification, thoroughly Biblical. By its end, I was far better—this stuff works!
(2) Other uses of the same construction:
(a) 2 Cor 13:11 Phil 2:5ff—Note that Paul does not give them a list of things to accomplish, he tells them to have a Godly mindset!
(b) Phil 3:13-15
3. “Whenever” When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
a. This is the force of the Greek here—
(1) Aorist—a point in time
(2) Passive—He will appear at the time set by the Father
(3) Subjunctive—this shows the undefined aspect of the appearing.
(4) At a point in time unknown to us, he will appear.
b. Doctrine: The appearance of Christ and translation of the church\
(1) MacArthur has an interesting perspective here—that Paul was not primarily concerned with the theology of eschatology, but mainly with its use in a pastoral context, to comfort believers.
(2) This pastoral use was exercised by Paul and others elsewhere:
(3) In Mat 24, John 14:1-3, and other places, Jesus used the doctrine of His return to comfort and warn believers.
(4) Paul had similar uses for the doctrine of Christ’s return for His people—1 Th 4:13-18, 1 Th 5:1-6,
(5) Peter and Jude had similar uses for the Truth—2 Pet 3:1-15, Jude 24
(a) And so here, Paul uses the Truth about Christ’s return for the church to excite believers to the blessed hope, reassure them, comfort them, and spur them on to holy living—2 Pet 3:11 ,Mat 24:44, 1 Th 5:23, 1 Tim 6:14, 1 John 2:28, Luke 12:35-36, Titus 2:11-13
(b) He will be revealed (phaneroo)—that is, His sudden return will be a real revelation, in the absolute sense. This is described in many of the passages above, but the personal impact on us, and our share in the joy and glory is also taught in several places: 1 Pet 5:4, 1 John 2:28, 1 John 3:2
On Being Heavenly Minded: Keep Your Eyes On The Prize—Col 3:1-4
We must strive to be heavenly minded!
What we have here is a wealth of doctrinal teaching and one set of instructions.
The doctrinal teaching is in most of 1, and 3, and the clear instruction is in part of 1 and in verse 2.
1. Doctrine of Identification with Christ—Col 3:1
a. Is there an “if” here?
(1) If—1st class condition—“since”
(2) “you were raised…”—aorist, since you have been raised—a snapshot
(3) When were you raised with Christ?
(4) Before time began, God planned it—and what God plans, He completes—Eph 1:3ff!
(5) Because of Substitution, we died with Him on the Cross, and we were raised for our justification—Rom 4:25.
(6) In your life, there was a time when He made you spiritually alive. Which of these things does this aorist refer to?
(7) How about all of them? I think so, but primarily it is talking about our personal experience!
b. What is it to be raised with Christ?
(1) We were dead in our sins
(2) We were blind, deaf, dumb
(3) We were slaves to sin.
(4) Christ has given us life!
(5) Rom 6:1-11!!!
(6) Rom 8:1-4!!!
c. Where is Christ now?
(1) “Where Christ is,” and “…sitting at the right hand of God…” are separate thoughts—we are where He is, and where He is, is Heaven!
(2) “is” –present tense—continuous
(3) sitting—present nominative participle
(4) In God’s mind, we are with Him in Heaven now!
d. How?
(1) “you died”—aorist
(2) “is hidden…” perfect passive—this is a done deal, and you did not accomplish it!
(3) With Christ, in God--! What power!
(a) “sun” the little Greek word—we are not just hidden, we are hidden with Christ
(b) furthermore, we are “with Christ, in God.” “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing!”
(4) Christ IS our life! We don’t life FOR Jesus, we live IN Jesus—He lives through us!
(5) This is possible because of Who God Is—Rom 4:17!!!
e. Location—Where is Jesus Now? “…above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God….
(1) While Christ will be even more greatly exalted on That Day, He is even now at the right hand of the majesty on high. There are many references to this fact.
(2) Old Testament—Ps 110! This psalm is often quoted in the NT.
(3) Jesus prophesied his future location at God’s Right—Mat 26:64, Mark 14:62
(4) The Disciples saw Him go —Mark 16:19
(5) Peter preached about it—Acts 2:33-34, Acts 5:31
(6) Stephen had a vision of it—Acts 7:55-56
(7) There is deep doctrinal and practical significance to the fact—Rom 8:34See also—Heb 1:1-3, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2.
(8) And the principalities and powers are subject to Him! 1 Pet 3:22
(9) And we are there as well! Eph 1:1-18!
f. Identification—We have died and been resurrected already, and this is not JUST “positional truth.” We are spiritually alive, or we do not belong to Christ!
(1) “Since…” this is so if you belong to Him.
(2) “you were raised…” aoristè a done deal
(3) Salvation is a spiritual death and a spiritual resurrection—Gal 2:20
(a) It happens initially when we are made alive by God’s power in regeneration—Eph 2:1, 6
(b) But it starts as a death, as an identification with Christ in His death, 2 Tim 2:11, Rom 6:1-11
(4) It continues through our lives—Rom 8:11 "But if [“since,” 1st class condition]
(5) 1 Pet 2:24
2. Instruction: What do we do with this wonderful and deep doctrinal Truth? Col 3:1b, 2
a. “seek”—“keep on seeking—imperative mood, present tense—we are commanded to seek and keep on seeking! Same usage elsewhere: Mat 6:33, Mat :7
b. “things which are above…” è the upper things—
(1) Not the lower things which tie us down—it takes no effort for them to show up and intrude.
(2) The upper things, the things about Truth, Heaven, Hell, Eternity, Jesus, Salvation, Yes!
c. ‘Set your mind”—again, a present imperative, we are commanded to have a Christlike mindset on a continual basis!
(1) Illustration—down this week, struggling with sin and with faithlessness. Showed up at church with my chin dragging the floor. The Wednesday sermon was on justification, thoroughly Biblical. By its end, I was far better—this stuff works!
(2) Other uses of the same construction:
(a) 2 Cor 13:11 Phil 2:5ff—Note that Paul does not give them a list of things to accomplish, he tells them to have a Godly mindset!
(b) Phil 3:13-15
3. “Whenever” When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
a. This is the force of the Greek here—
(1) Aorist—a point in time
(2) Passive—He will appear at the time set by the Father
(3) Subjunctive—this shows the undefined aspect of the appearing.
(4) At a point in time unknown to us, he will appear.
b. Doctrine: The appearance of Christ and translation of the church\
(1) MacArthur has an interesting perspective here—that Paul was not primarily concerned with the theology of eschatology, but mainly with its use in a pastoral context, to comfort believers.
(2) This pastoral use was exercised by Paul and others elsewhere:
(3) In Mat 24, John 14:1-3, and other places, Jesus used the doctrine of His return to comfort and warn believers.
(4) Paul had similar uses for the doctrine of Christ’s return for His people—1 Th 4:13-18, 1 Th 5:1-6,
(5) Peter and Jude had similar uses for the Truth—2 Pet 3:1-15, Jude 24
(a) And so here, Paul uses the Truth about Christ’s return for the church to excite believers to the blessed hope, reassure them, comfort them, and spur them on to holy living—2 Pet 3:11 ,Mat 24:44, 1 Th 5:23, 1 Tim 6:14, 1 John 2:28, Luke 12:35-36, Titus 2:11-13
(b) He will be revealed (phaneroo)—that is, His sudden return will be a real revelation, in the absolute sense. This is described in many of the passages above, but the personal impact on us, and our share in the joy and glory is also taught in several places: 1 Pet 5:4, 1 John 2:28, 1 John 3:2
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