The Gospel Truth
Jesus is our Healer, 18 February 2018
18 02 18
Jesus is our Healer
Series— The Gospel Truth
James 5:13-15
Series Overview: The purpose of this series is to distinguish between the biblical gospel and the various misunderstandings of the word, specifically the difference between Jesus as Savior and Lord. We will use the Fourfold Gospel as our outline.
Big Idea: Jesus still heals, even if it’s not always on our timetable.
We live in a broken world. There are wars. There are famines. There are hurricanes and natural disasters. There are bankruptcies and divorce and homelessness and hatred and hopelessness. There is disease.
We’ve come a long way from the Garden of Eden where God repeatedly saw that our world was good. Since sin entered our world, each of us has been in need of healing of one kind or another. As we live between the first and second coming of Christ, we neither experience perfection nor despair in this life, knowing that Jesus is our healer.
We’re in week three of a four-week series called The Gospel Truth. We said “gospel” means “good news” and in a word, the gospel is Jesus. In three, the gospel is Jesus is LORD. We are invited into the story, but first and foremost the gospel is all about Jesus. The Bible is all about Jesus. Our church is all about Jesus.
In week one, we examined Jesus as our Savior. He came to earth, died on the cross to reconcile us to God and forgive our sins, and he continues to seek and save the lost.
In week two, we looked as Jesus as our Sanctifier, setting us apart from sin and to God. Even the most mature Christian is still a work in progress, ideally becoming more like Jesus each day.
Today we look at perhaps the most controversial of the Fourfold Gospel components of A.B. Simpson, our church’s founder. Jesus is our Healer.
We could easily do a series on healing, but for now we’ll try to cover some of the most common questions related to healing.
What is healing?
Often the first thing people think of when it comes to healing is physical. When we are physically sick, we often take medicine or go to the doctor. God heals through medicine. God heals through doctors. In fact, the writer of the books of Luke and Acts in the Bible was a doctor. Some religions frown upon such things, often to their own detriment. I, for one, am grateful for medicine and doctors, but when someone is physically sick, ideally the first doctor to consult is Jesus.
Our bodies are not the only thing in need of healing. Often our finances are a mess. God cares about our material needs—don’t forget he fed thousands of people on more than one occasion—and I can tell you many stories of God providing for me and my family in miraculous ways. Of course, running up your credit buying a new luxury car and the biggest TV you can fit inside it might not create the optimal conditions for God to bless you with unexpected wealth! But with the help of wise counsel such as Dave Ramsey, I’ve seen God do great healing in the area of finances.
Sometimes we find our relationships in need of healing, especially marriages. God is available to reverse the path to divorce, and I’ve seen it many times. It rarely occurs instantly, but God uses many resources—including Christian counselors—to heal relationships.
Perhaps the most controversial of healings involves mental and emotional brokenness. Earlier this month a prominent Christian leader posted this on Twitter:
We will find mental health when we stop staring in the mirror, and fix our eyes on the strength and beauty of God.
Good grief! That sounds so spiritual, but it amazes me how many people will see a doctor for the flu or cancer, yet ignore their mental health.
Why am I sick?
Now let me stop and say we often have a role in our brokenness…and healing. Driving drunk, running into a tree, blaming God for your broken neck, and demanding an instant healing might not be the most responsible thing to do! In the same way, there are mental and emotional and financial and relational illnesses we cause, exacerbate, or extend.
But sometimes our condition is not our fault. It’s not necessarily God’s, either. It may be the result of living in a sinful word. For example, if someone else’s drunk driving caused your neck to break, the pain would be just as real, but the blame far different.
In Jesus’ day, it was assumed the sick were that way due to their own sin. One time a man blind from birth was brought to Jesus with this question:
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. (John 9:2b-3)
Sickness often is the result of sin—Adam’s, ours, or that of others. Sometimes God allows satan to make us sick, as is the case of Job. In trials, we learn and grow in ways we could never otherwise experience. When we are sick, we must seek God’s will even while we beg God for healing.
But sickness is not necessarily the result of your sin. Your depression might have something to do with watching Fox News all day, comparing your body to Photoshopped magazine models, or refusing help or friendship from loving people concerned about you. But it also may stem from brain chemistry, childhood trauma, or abuse. Ignoring pain rarely heals and often makes things worse, whether it’s a toothache or a heart ache. We are to…
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30)
Each of those areas can be broken…and healed. Sometimes it’s instant. Usually it involves time…and the help of others.
Because Jesus cared for the whole person, not just the spiritual, we want to do the same.
We care about your physical health. We partner with Cherry Street to serve meals, have outings to promote fitness, and are even shopping for Purell for the lobby!
We care about your relational health. Married People and Parents’ Night Out are just two of the tools we have to strengthen families.
We care about your financial health. This is an extremely generous church and we have blessed countless people with assistance in the midst of true crisis. We have and I hope will again offer Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University.
We care about your mental and emotional health, too. In April, we are launching Celebrate Recovery, a biblical and balanced program that helps us overcome our hurts, hang-ups, and habits. It is based on the actual words of Jesus rather than psychological theory and has brought healing to countless people worldwide.
Did Jesus Heal?
This question sounds basic, but the answer is yes. The Bible is filled with accounts of miracles, including healing for the blind, lame, sick, and even dead! We could spend all morning reading accounts of Jesus’ miracles, many witnessed by crowds of people.
Why did Jesus heal?
Jesus healed for several reasons. He did it to show his compassion and love. Miracles authenticated the message of Jesus…and the Messenger. Healing proved his authority to forgive sin. Also, the physical healings proved He is the LORD of our whole lives, not just the spiritual. God created you heart, soul, mind, and body…and He cares about all dimensions of your life.
Does Jesus heal today?
Absolutely. But first, a question: do you want to be healed?
One of the most fascinating stories in the Bible involves Jesus encounter with a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6)
‘Ya gotta wanna, and some people don’t want to be healed. They can’t imagine life without their addiction, their ailment, their disease. It seems obvious to everyone around them but they are unwilling to take the necessary steps to get well, be it prayer, asking for help, calling a Christian counselor, visiting a doctor, or attending a seminar.
We live in this space between Jesus’ first visit to our planet and his promised return. The kingdom of God is coming, but it’s also here right now. There are brilliant moments when heaven touches earth. Jesus taught us to pray, “On earth as it is in heaven.” Healings here are a kind of down payment on what is to come, the now and the not yet. We have something but not everything that will someday be ours. This applies to health, too.
Some have suggested miracles ceased when Jesus ascended into heaven, perhaps based on their own disappointments with God and his failure to respond to their prayers as they desire. Jesus himself told his friends,
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)
Here's an excerpt from the Alliance Statement of Faith:
Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body.(25) Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age.(26)
[25] Matthew 8:16–17, [26] James 5:13–16
The power to heal comes from Jesus. We do not believe in faith healing. We are called to exercise faith in Christ, but any healing power is from God. When God chooses to heal, payments to televangelists are not required! You don’t have to be in a special place or do special things except ask. Jesus healed in a variety of ways, sometimes even healing people who were not in his presence.
The purpose of divine healing is to glorify Jesus. God loves us, but His glory is the top priority, not our happiness. We ask in faith…and wait. Sometimes we wait for moments, others for years.
Pastor and author Mark Batterson recently announced miraculous healing in his body after forty years of prayer. Forty years! That’s perseverance. That’s patience! He had severe asthma, unable to go a day without his inhaler for four decades until he realized a day had passed…and then several days…and then weeks and months. He even ran a marathon!
God’s timing is perfect and can be trusted, even when it’s so different from our timing. Mary and Martha wanted Jesus to heal their brother, Lazarus. Jesus waited…until Lazarus had died, yet Jesus was glorified by raising Lazarus from the dead.
Jesus is glorified in Mark Batterson’s healing from asthma.
Jesus is glorified when we are healed.
It’s all about Jesus!
What if I’m not healed?
It’s great to hear stories about healing, but what about those unanswered prayers?
I believe many times healing doesn’t occur is because we simply don’t ask. How many times have you had a headache and grabbed the medicine bottle before praying? I do it all the time! Again, God can and does use medicine and doctors, but He is also able to do the miraculous.
But what happens when you do pray and nothing seems to happen? Don’t give up. On New Year’s Eve, we heard Carol tell of God bringing relief to her migraines after 25 years, and even then they are not fully cured. Why would God allow her to suffer? Why does she still suffer? Why relief after 25 years? Only God knows. It’s often hard to understand how God can love us, be sovereign and in control, and yet allow us to suffer.
Paul, the man who wrote much of the New Testament, never received the healing he sought. He wrote of his thorn in the flesh
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:8-9)
Our family spent nine years in five states getting help for our daughter. I can’t tell you how many prayers I prayed, how many times I asked, “Why?” She is doing well today but is far from “cured.” Looking back, we can see how God used her dreadful health to do great things, but it was a long, awful process. That’s why God provides us with family, spiritual siblings to pray, encourage, support, and heal. I know this: God can be trusted…and He can handle all of your questions and doubts, too. Honest to God.
But maybe after decades of prayers, your healing will finally come today.
So What?
Are you in need of healing today? Jesus’ half brother wrote these words:
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. (James 5:13-15)
Each Sunday our elders make themselves available to pray over you and anoint you with oil. We have invited other church members to join them in prayer to be a blessing to you. While elders possess spiritual authority, all followers of Jesus have access to the healing power and authority of Jesus Christ. We simply must ask.
We have seen God heal through these prayers. We celebrate when he says, “Yes” to our requests for healing and would love to pray for you.
We have also seen God say, “No” or “wait.” We don’t know why, but his timing is perfect. It is during that waiting that we often experience the most growth.
Remember, all healing is temporary. If you get over a cold, there’s no guarantee you will never have another cold. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but he ultimately died again. As long as we live in this world, we will have troubles of various kinds—physical, emotional, relational, financial, spiritual…but even in the most dire of situations there is hope with Jesus who said
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b)
In this life, all healing is temporary. Not matter how many times we may experience transformation, we will all someday die…and followers of Jesus are promised eternity with him and new, resurrected bodies. Hallelujah! One day
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
Until then, let’s pray for one another, mourn with those who mourn, grieve with those who grieve, find ways to serve one another, and invite God’s power to come and heal.
Credits: Some ideas from A.B. Simpson and John Soper.
For the Alliance statement regarding Jesus our Healer:
https://www.cmalliance.org/about/beliefs/healer
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
Series— The Gospel Truth
James 5:13-15
Series Overview: The purpose of this series is to distinguish between the biblical gospel and the various misunderstandings of the word, specifically the difference between Jesus as Savior and Lord. We will use the Fourfold Gospel as our outline.
Big Idea: Jesus still heals, even if it’s not always on our timetable.
We live in a broken world. There are wars. There are famines. There are hurricanes and natural disasters. There are bankruptcies and divorce and homelessness and hatred and hopelessness. There is disease.
We’ve come a long way from the Garden of Eden where God repeatedly saw that our world was good. Since sin entered our world, each of us has been in need of healing of one kind or another. As we live between the first and second coming of Christ, we neither experience perfection nor despair in this life, knowing that Jesus is our healer.
We’re in week three of a four-week series called The Gospel Truth. We said “gospel” means “good news” and in a word, the gospel is Jesus. In three, the gospel is Jesus is LORD. We are invited into the story, but first and foremost the gospel is all about Jesus. The Bible is all about Jesus. Our church is all about Jesus.
In week one, we examined Jesus as our Savior. He came to earth, died on the cross to reconcile us to God and forgive our sins, and he continues to seek and save the lost.
In week two, we looked as Jesus as our Sanctifier, setting us apart from sin and to God. Even the most mature Christian is still a work in progress, ideally becoming more like Jesus each day.
Today we look at perhaps the most controversial of the Fourfold Gospel components of A.B. Simpson, our church’s founder. Jesus is our Healer.
We could easily do a series on healing, but for now we’ll try to cover some of the most common questions related to healing.
What is healing?
Often the first thing people think of when it comes to healing is physical. When we are physically sick, we often take medicine or go to the doctor. God heals through medicine. God heals through doctors. In fact, the writer of the books of Luke and Acts in the Bible was a doctor. Some religions frown upon such things, often to their own detriment. I, for one, am grateful for medicine and doctors, but when someone is physically sick, ideally the first doctor to consult is Jesus.
Our bodies are not the only thing in need of healing. Often our finances are a mess. God cares about our material needs—don’t forget he fed thousands of people on more than one occasion—and I can tell you many stories of God providing for me and my family in miraculous ways. Of course, running up your credit buying a new luxury car and the biggest TV you can fit inside it might not create the optimal conditions for God to bless you with unexpected wealth! But with the help of wise counsel such as Dave Ramsey, I’ve seen God do great healing in the area of finances.
Sometimes we find our relationships in need of healing, especially marriages. God is available to reverse the path to divorce, and I’ve seen it many times. It rarely occurs instantly, but God uses many resources—including Christian counselors—to heal relationships.
Perhaps the most controversial of healings involves mental and emotional brokenness. Earlier this month a prominent Christian leader posted this on Twitter:
We will find mental health when we stop staring in the mirror, and fix our eyes on the strength and beauty of God.
Good grief! That sounds so spiritual, but it amazes me how many people will see a doctor for the flu or cancer, yet ignore their mental health.
Why am I sick?
Now let me stop and say we often have a role in our brokenness…and healing. Driving drunk, running into a tree, blaming God for your broken neck, and demanding an instant healing might not be the most responsible thing to do! In the same way, there are mental and emotional and financial and relational illnesses we cause, exacerbate, or extend.
But sometimes our condition is not our fault. It’s not necessarily God’s, either. It may be the result of living in a sinful word. For example, if someone else’s drunk driving caused your neck to break, the pain would be just as real, but the blame far different.
In Jesus’ day, it was assumed the sick were that way due to their own sin. One time a man blind from birth was brought to Jesus with this question:
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. (John 9:2b-3)
Sickness often is the result of sin—Adam’s, ours, or that of others. Sometimes God allows satan to make us sick, as is the case of Job. In trials, we learn and grow in ways we could never otherwise experience. When we are sick, we must seek God’s will even while we beg God for healing.
But sickness is not necessarily the result of your sin. Your depression might have something to do with watching Fox News all day, comparing your body to Photoshopped magazine models, or refusing help or friendship from loving people concerned about you. But it also may stem from brain chemistry, childhood trauma, or abuse. Ignoring pain rarely heals and often makes things worse, whether it’s a toothache or a heart ache. We are to…
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30)
Each of those areas can be broken…and healed. Sometimes it’s instant. Usually it involves time…and the help of others.
Because Jesus cared for the whole person, not just the spiritual, we want to do the same.
We care about your physical health. We partner with Cherry Street to serve meals, have outings to promote fitness, and are even shopping for Purell for the lobby!
We care about your relational health. Married People and Parents’ Night Out are just two of the tools we have to strengthen families.
We care about your financial health. This is an extremely generous church and we have blessed countless people with assistance in the midst of true crisis. We have and I hope will again offer Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University.
We care about your mental and emotional health, too. In April, we are launching Celebrate Recovery, a biblical and balanced program that helps us overcome our hurts, hang-ups, and habits. It is based on the actual words of Jesus rather than psychological theory and has brought healing to countless people worldwide.
Did Jesus Heal?
This question sounds basic, but the answer is yes. The Bible is filled with accounts of miracles, including healing for the blind, lame, sick, and even dead! We could spend all morning reading accounts of Jesus’ miracles, many witnessed by crowds of people.
Why did Jesus heal?
Jesus healed for several reasons. He did it to show his compassion and love. Miracles authenticated the message of Jesus…and the Messenger. Healing proved his authority to forgive sin. Also, the physical healings proved He is the LORD of our whole lives, not just the spiritual. God created you heart, soul, mind, and body…and He cares about all dimensions of your life.
Does Jesus heal today?
Absolutely. But first, a question: do you want to be healed?
One of the most fascinating stories in the Bible involves Jesus encounter with a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6)
‘Ya gotta wanna, and some people don’t want to be healed. They can’t imagine life without their addiction, their ailment, their disease. It seems obvious to everyone around them but they are unwilling to take the necessary steps to get well, be it prayer, asking for help, calling a Christian counselor, visiting a doctor, or attending a seminar.
We live in this space between Jesus’ first visit to our planet and his promised return. The kingdom of God is coming, but it’s also here right now. There are brilliant moments when heaven touches earth. Jesus taught us to pray, “On earth as it is in heaven.” Healings here are a kind of down payment on what is to come, the now and the not yet. We have something but not everything that will someday be ours. This applies to health, too.
Some have suggested miracles ceased when Jesus ascended into heaven, perhaps based on their own disappointments with God and his failure to respond to their prayers as they desire. Jesus himself told his friends,
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)
Here's an excerpt from the Alliance Statement of Faith:
Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body.(25) Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age.(26)
[25] Matthew 8:16–17, [26] James 5:13–16
The power to heal comes from Jesus. We do not believe in faith healing. We are called to exercise faith in Christ, but any healing power is from God. When God chooses to heal, payments to televangelists are not required! You don’t have to be in a special place or do special things except ask. Jesus healed in a variety of ways, sometimes even healing people who were not in his presence.
The purpose of divine healing is to glorify Jesus. God loves us, but His glory is the top priority, not our happiness. We ask in faith…and wait. Sometimes we wait for moments, others for years.
Pastor and author Mark Batterson recently announced miraculous healing in his body after forty years of prayer. Forty years! That’s perseverance. That’s patience! He had severe asthma, unable to go a day without his inhaler for four decades until he realized a day had passed…and then several days…and then weeks and months. He even ran a marathon!
God’s timing is perfect and can be trusted, even when it’s so different from our timing. Mary and Martha wanted Jesus to heal their brother, Lazarus. Jesus waited…until Lazarus had died, yet Jesus was glorified by raising Lazarus from the dead.
Jesus is glorified in Mark Batterson’s healing from asthma.
Jesus is glorified when we are healed.
It’s all about Jesus!
What if I’m not healed?
It’s great to hear stories about healing, but what about those unanswered prayers?
I believe many times healing doesn’t occur is because we simply don’t ask. How many times have you had a headache and grabbed the medicine bottle before praying? I do it all the time! Again, God can and does use medicine and doctors, but He is also able to do the miraculous.
But what happens when you do pray and nothing seems to happen? Don’t give up. On New Year’s Eve, we heard Carol tell of God bringing relief to her migraines after 25 years, and even then they are not fully cured. Why would God allow her to suffer? Why does she still suffer? Why relief after 25 years? Only God knows. It’s often hard to understand how God can love us, be sovereign and in control, and yet allow us to suffer.
Paul, the man who wrote much of the New Testament, never received the healing he sought. He wrote of his thorn in the flesh
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:8-9)
Our family spent nine years in five states getting help for our daughter. I can’t tell you how many prayers I prayed, how many times I asked, “Why?” She is doing well today but is far from “cured.” Looking back, we can see how God used her dreadful health to do great things, but it was a long, awful process. That’s why God provides us with family, spiritual siblings to pray, encourage, support, and heal. I know this: God can be trusted…and He can handle all of your questions and doubts, too. Honest to God.
But maybe after decades of prayers, your healing will finally come today.
So What?
Are you in need of healing today? Jesus’ half brother wrote these words:
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. (James 5:13-15)
Each Sunday our elders make themselves available to pray over you and anoint you with oil. We have invited other church members to join them in prayer to be a blessing to you. While elders possess spiritual authority, all followers of Jesus have access to the healing power and authority of Jesus Christ. We simply must ask.
We have seen God heal through these prayers. We celebrate when he says, “Yes” to our requests for healing and would love to pray for you.
We have also seen God say, “No” or “wait.” We don’t know why, but his timing is perfect. It is during that waiting that we often experience the most growth.
Remember, all healing is temporary. If you get over a cold, there’s no guarantee you will never have another cold. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but he ultimately died again. As long as we live in this world, we will have troubles of various kinds—physical, emotional, relational, financial, spiritual…but even in the most dire of situations there is hope with Jesus who said
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b)
In this life, all healing is temporary. Not matter how many times we may experience transformation, we will all someday die…and followers of Jesus are promised eternity with him and new, resurrected bodies. Hallelujah! One day
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
Until then, let’s pray for one another, mourn with those who mourn, grieve with those who grieve, find ways to serve one another, and invite God’s power to come and heal.
Credits: Some ideas from A.B. Simpson and John Soper.
For the Alliance statement regarding Jesus our Healer:
https://www.cmalliance.org/about/beliefs/healer
Jesus is our Sanctifier, 4 February 2018
04 02 18
Jesus is our Sanctifier
Series— The Gospel Truth
John 15:1-8
Series Overview: The purpose of this series is to distinguish between the biblical gospel and the various misunderstandings of the word, specifically the difference between Jesus as Savior and Lord. We will use the Fourfold Gospel as our outline.
Big Idea: Jesus is our Sanctifier, making us holy and set apart for God’s glory.
Introduction
Last Sunday we began a new series, The Gospel Truth. Our church’s founder, A.B. Simpson, described four unique aspects to Jesus: he is our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King. This is known as the Fourfold Gospel. Gospel means “good news” and if I were to describe the gospel in one word, it would be Jesus. In three words, Jesus is LORD. The gospel involves us, but it is first and foremost about Jesus—his life, death, burial, resurrection, appearances, ascension, and promised return.
Is Jesus your Savior?
Unlike other religions which teach if you are good enough, you can go to heaven when you die and spend eternity with God, the Bible teaches none of us is worthy of God’s perfect standard which is why He sent Jesus to our planet to live a perfect life and die for us. He took our punishment on the cross if we receive his gift of salvation. As a gift, you can’t earn it, you can’t do enough religious things to work for it, you simply have to believe and receive.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:17)
Luke wrote
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Jesus died for you…and rose from the dead. Is he your Savior? If not, I invite you to simply trust Jesus today. Surrender your life to him. Thank him for his life, death on the cross, and resurrection. He paid for all of your sins—past, present and future—on the cross. He wants more than anything to know you, love you, and spend eternity with you. They way to heaven is simple—believe in Jesus. Here’s a sample prayer:
Jesus, thank you for your death and resurrection. I believe you love me and died for me and I want to receive you into my life. I want you to be my Savior and LORD. I want to follow you from this moment forward and let you lead my life. Amen.
There is nothing magical about that prayer, but it can be the beginning of your spiritual journey. However, it’s only the beginning. Tragically, many people stop with Jesus as their Savior and go about their normal lives with the benefit of “fire insurance.” Beginning your faith adventure is much like being born. Actually, Jesus says to be “born again.” A newborn baby has not reached the end of their life, but rather it has just begun. In the same way the life of a new believer is just beginning. They need to grow from infancy to spiritual maturity, with Jesus as the ultimate example.
Have you been underwhelmed by the change in your life since you were “saved?” Many have done a great disservice to people in “sharing their faith,” communicating false hope that if you just “pray a prayer and receive Jesus,” you’re done. You’re saved…and when you die, you’ll go to heaven. End of story.
Perhaps you have begun your spiritual journey and you are “saved” but, like the man in the video, you haven’t experienced the abundant life Jesus spoke of in John 10:10.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10, ESV)
Perhaps you know Jesus is your Savior—our topic last Sunday—and you know you’ll go to heaven when you die, but you wonder if there is any value to your faith before you die.
I’ve got great news for you! Jesus is not only our Savior, he is our Sanctifier.
Jesus is our Sanctifier
The word “sanctify” is another one of those often misunderstood words like “gospel.” It simply means to make holy, set apart as sacred, to purify, to consecrate. In a word, sanctification means separation.
- Separation from sin: “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:15-16.
- Separation to God: “(He) has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father…” Revelation 1:6.
Some believe sanctification occurs the moment we are saved, when we receive Jesus. A baby Christian is made holy and set apart. Others believe sanctification is a lifelong process of growth and maturity, something no newborn can possess. Our understanding as a church and the Alliance movement is it is both.
The Alliance Statement of Faith says
It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly,(22) being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service.(23) This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion.(24)
[22] 1 Thessalonians 5:23, [23] Acts 1:8, [24] Romans 6:1–14,
The Laver—or basin—represents the daily cleansing from sin by the power of the Holy Spirit. To clarify three theological words,
- I have been saved: Justification
- I am being saved: Sanctification
- I will be saved: Glorification
God’s Will
Do you want to know God’s will? I hear people often say they are trying to discern God’s will for their lives. After all, Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done.” Paul wrote to the church in Thessaloniki, Greece these words:
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified:(1 Thessalonians 4:3a)
It is God’s will for you to be sanctified. That’s pretty clear. He continues to elaborate on what sanctification looks like.
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6a)
To stress the importance of sanctification, Paul adds:
The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 4:6b-8)
It is God’s will for you to be sanctified, to be set apart, to be holy, to become like Jesus.
We can only become like Jesus if we know him, spend time talking with him in prayer, spend time learning about him through the Bible, and spend time surrendering our lives to God the Holy Spirit. That requires…time! It requires intentionality. It doesn’t just magically happen any more than your body just magically grows muscles or your mind just magically earns college degrees. Growth—except, perhaps, for your belly—requires discipline, training, effort, and dare I say work. All relationships take work. If you’re waiting for me to have you over for dinner, maybe you should invite me over for dinner. If you want me to send you an e-mail, perhaps you should initiate and send me one. And just like it takes time to truly know me or a friend, it takes time—a lifetime—to know Jesus.
And you are your friends. Over time, it is almost a certainty you will become like your friends. If you hang out with Philadelphia Eagles fans, you’re likely to become an Eagles fan. If you hang out with people who work out or ride bikes or watch movies, it’s likely you’ll be inclined to work out, ride bikes, or watch movies. If you hang out with Jesus, you will become like Jesus.
When we receive Jesus as our Savior, we also receive the Holy Spirit, the most underrated Member of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit draws us to God and then leads us to mature in our faith. The reason so many people call themselves Christians and act nothing like Jesus is because they are not filled with the Spirit, connected to God, following Jesus our Sanctifier.
In today’s text, Jesus paints a beautiful picture of what it means to truly be a Christian.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (John 15:1-4)
When I was a young boy, I was fascinated by a large tree in our front yard. I was equally fascinated with the discovery of a hatchet amongst my dad’s tools in the garage. For some reason, I thought it would be great to use the hatchet on the tree!
I don’t think I ever thought of actually chopping down the tree with the hatchet. I knew that would take hours, but if memory serves correct, I used the blade to carve my name in the trunk of the tree. When my parents saw what I was doing, they were horrified and sent me a not-so-subtle message to stop. Fortunately the tree survived after some treatment, but imagine what would’ve happened to the tree if I had chopped it down. Would it grow? Would branches grow? Would leaves grow? Without a connection to the trunk, the entire tree would die. The trunk and roots supply food to the branches as well as stability in storms. It is impossible for fruit to grow on a dead tree.
Some people pray a prayer to receive Jesus as Savior and expect to instantly bear fruit, to immediately be changed. Sometimes miracles occur at one’s spiritual birth. Some people trust Christ and instantly lose their desire for alcohol or temptation to be violent, but regardless of the sanctification at the moment of surrendering to Jesus, there is a need for ongoing maturity and sanctification which takes time…a lifetime. I have never met a person who has become perfect. We are all in process, growing one day at a time…if we remain in Jesus, if we follow Jesus, if we confess our sins daily and invite the Holy Spirit to fill us with the fruit of the Spirit.
…the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23, NLT)
One of my favorite questions at the end of the year to ask myself and others is are we more like Jesus than at the beginning of the year. Look at this list. Are you growing in love? What about joy? Are you becoming more peaceful? Would those around you say you are becoming a more patient person? Kind? Good? Faithful? Gentle? Self-controlled?
Jesus continued in the fifteenth chapter of John:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:5-8)
If we remain, abide, do life with Jesus, we will bear fruit.
John 15:7 is a popular verse:
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:7)
This does not mean God is a genie who does whatever we want. On the contrary, when we do what God wants, when we follow Jesus, we will desire only what God wants to give us.
Many Christians understand Jesus as Savior. They know he died on the cross to save them from the punishment of their sin. But they do not experience the ongoing sanctifying work of Jesus Christ in their lives. God is not in control of their lives.
The book of Romans has incredible truths about God and his wisdom and power and chapter twelve begins:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1)
Worship is not just singing songs. It’s a lifestyle. It’s surrender, sacrifice, sanctification. That might not sound as fun as a trip to Cedar Point or an evening of binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix, but actually following Jesus, abiding, remaining, doing life with Jesus offers more than a temporary thrill or a momentary distraction from the pains of life.
Knowing Jesus brings love. I have experienced God’s unconditional love, and it’s amazing. I know I don’t deserve it, but God’s loves me—and you—because he created us and wants more than anything else a relationship with us—forever.
Knowing Jesus brings joy. Our founding fathers believed in the pursuit of happiness, but joy is so much more. It’s deeper and not so temporary.
Knowing Jesus brings peace. I sleep well at night knowing God is in control and I’m not.
Knowing Jesus brings patience. I’m certainly not the most patient person but Jesus has all of the time in the world. I can trust his perfect timing.
Knowing Jesus brings hope. I know regardless of what happens today, one day I will spend eternity with Jesus in a perfect world.
I could go on and on.
Steps To A Spirit-Filled Life
The path to the Spirit-filled life involves faith-filled risks that always involve change.
- Surrender: You cannot make yourself holy any more than you can make yourself saved. Romans 6:11; Romans 12:1–2
- Accept: Christ is your Sanctifier in the same way that He is your Savior! Colossians 2:6; Galatians 2:20
- Abide: Maintain a continuous relationship with Jesus through obedience to His Word. John 15:1–11
Here’s artist and author Lecrae describing what it means to experience Jesus as Savior and Sanctifer.
So What?
Jesus is our Sanctifier. He has set us apart to live holy lives. Sanctification is a process of becoming like Christ as we surrender our will to God’s and are filled with the Holy Spirit who produces fruit in our lives.
It could be said that in contrasting Jesus as Savior and Sanctifier…
Savior: Deliverance from penalty of sin
Sanctifier: Deliverance from the power of sin
Savior: Freedom from death
Sanctifier: Freedom to live
Savior: Release from the guilt of the past
Sanctifier: Equips for the temptations of the future
Savior: Christ’s righteousness is imputed (credited) to us
Sanctifier: Christ’s righteousness is manifest in us
Savior: Jesus lives in us
Sanctifier: Jesus lives through us
Is Jesus your Savior? Have you received the gift we celebrate today in communion, his body and blood broken and poured out for you on the cross?
Is Jesus your Sanctifier? Are you seeking to live your life for the glory of God? None of us is perfect, but true believers are growing, abiding, remaining, doing life with Jesus and looking increasingly like him.
Jesus said,
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15:9-14)
Credits: Some ideas from A.B. Simpson and John Soper.
For further study, listen to Thomas George’s sermon at FAC on January 22, 2017.
http://www.factoledo.org/?page_id=162&sermon_id=298
For the Alliance statement regarding Jesus as our Sanctifier:
https://www.cmalliance.org/about/beliefs/sanctifier
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
Series— The Gospel Truth
John 15:1-8
Series Overview: The purpose of this series is to distinguish between the biblical gospel and the various misunderstandings of the word, specifically the difference between Jesus as Savior and Lord. We will use the Fourfold Gospel as our outline.
Big Idea: Jesus is our Sanctifier, making us holy and set apart for God’s glory.
Introduction
Last Sunday we began a new series, The Gospel Truth. Our church’s founder, A.B. Simpson, described four unique aspects to Jesus: he is our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King. This is known as the Fourfold Gospel. Gospel means “good news” and if I were to describe the gospel in one word, it would be Jesus. In three words, Jesus is LORD. The gospel involves us, but it is first and foremost about Jesus—his life, death, burial, resurrection, appearances, ascension, and promised return.
Is Jesus your Savior?
Unlike other religions which teach if you are good enough, you can go to heaven when you die and spend eternity with God, the Bible teaches none of us is worthy of God’s perfect standard which is why He sent Jesus to our planet to live a perfect life and die for us. He took our punishment on the cross if we receive his gift of salvation. As a gift, you can’t earn it, you can’t do enough religious things to work for it, you simply have to believe and receive.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:17)
Luke wrote
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Jesus died for you…and rose from the dead. Is he your Savior? If not, I invite you to simply trust Jesus today. Surrender your life to him. Thank him for his life, death on the cross, and resurrection. He paid for all of your sins—past, present and future—on the cross. He wants more than anything to know you, love you, and spend eternity with you. They way to heaven is simple—believe in Jesus. Here’s a sample prayer:
Jesus, thank you for your death and resurrection. I believe you love me and died for me and I want to receive you into my life. I want you to be my Savior and LORD. I want to follow you from this moment forward and let you lead my life. Amen.
There is nothing magical about that prayer, but it can be the beginning of your spiritual journey. However, it’s only the beginning. Tragically, many people stop with Jesus as their Savior and go about their normal lives with the benefit of “fire insurance.” Beginning your faith adventure is much like being born. Actually, Jesus says to be “born again.” A newborn baby has not reached the end of their life, but rather it has just begun. In the same way the life of a new believer is just beginning. They need to grow from infancy to spiritual maturity, with Jesus as the ultimate example.
Have you been underwhelmed by the change in your life since you were “saved?” Many have done a great disservice to people in “sharing their faith,” communicating false hope that if you just “pray a prayer and receive Jesus,” you’re done. You’re saved…and when you die, you’ll go to heaven. End of story.
Perhaps you have begun your spiritual journey and you are “saved” but, like the man in the video, you haven’t experienced the abundant life Jesus spoke of in John 10:10.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10, ESV)
Perhaps you know Jesus is your Savior—our topic last Sunday—and you know you’ll go to heaven when you die, but you wonder if there is any value to your faith before you die.
I’ve got great news for you! Jesus is not only our Savior, he is our Sanctifier.
Jesus is our Sanctifier
The word “sanctify” is another one of those often misunderstood words like “gospel.” It simply means to make holy, set apart as sacred, to purify, to consecrate. In a word, sanctification means separation.
- Separation from sin: “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:15-16.
- Separation to God: “(He) has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father…” Revelation 1:6.
Some believe sanctification occurs the moment we are saved, when we receive Jesus. A baby Christian is made holy and set apart. Others believe sanctification is a lifelong process of growth and maturity, something no newborn can possess. Our understanding as a church and the Alliance movement is it is both.
The Alliance Statement of Faith says
It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly,(22) being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service.(23) This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion.(24)
[22] 1 Thessalonians 5:23, [23] Acts 1:8, [24] Romans 6:1–14,
The Laver—or basin—represents the daily cleansing from sin by the power of the Holy Spirit. To clarify three theological words,
- I have been saved: Justification
- I am being saved: Sanctification
- I will be saved: Glorification
God’s Will
Do you want to know God’s will? I hear people often say they are trying to discern God’s will for their lives. After all, Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done.” Paul wrote to the church in Thessaloniki, Greece these words:
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified:(1 Thessalonians 4:3a)
It is God’s will for you to be sanctified. That’s pretty clear. He continues to elaborate on what sanctification looks like.
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6a)
To stress the importance of sanctification, Paul adds:
The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 4:6b-8)
It is God’s will for you to be sanctified, to be set apart, to be holy, to become like Jesus.
We can only become like Jesus if we know him, spend time talking with him in prayer, spend time learning about him through the Bible, and spend time surrendering our lives to God the Holy Spirit. That requires…time! It requires intentionality. It doesn’t just magically happen any more than your body just magically grows muscles or your mind just magically earns college degrees. Growth—except, perhaps, for your belly—requires discipline, training, effort, and dare I say work. All relationships take work. If you’re waiting for me to have you over for dinner, maybe you should invite me over for dinner. If you want me to send you an e-mail, perhaps you should initiate and send me one. And just like it takes time to truly know me or a friend, it takes time—a lifetime—to know Jesus.
And you are your friends. Over time, it is almost a certainty you will become like your friends. If you hang out with Philadelphia Eagles fans, you’re likely to become an Eagles fan. If you hang out with people who work out or ride bikes or watch movies, it’s likely you’ll be inclined to work out, ride bikes, or watch movies. If you hang out with Jesus, you will become like Jesus.
When we receive Jesus as our Savior, we also receive the Holy Spirit, the most underrated Member of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit draws us to God and then leads us to mature in our faith. The reason so many people call themselves Christians and act nothing like Jesus is because they are not filled with the Spirit, connected to God, following Jesus our Sanctifier.
In today’s text, Jesus paints a beautiful picture of what it means to truly be a Christian.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (John 15:1-4)
When I was a young boy, I was fascinated by a large tree in our front yard. I was equally fascinated with the discovery of a hatchet amongst my dad’s tools in the garage. For some reason, I thought it would be great to use the hatchet on the tree!
I don’t think I ever thought of actually chopping down the tree with the hatchet. I knew that would take hours, but if memory serves correct, I used the blade to carve my name in the trunk of the tree. When my parents saw what I was doing, they were horrified and sent me a not-so-subtle message to stop. Fortunately the tree survived after some treatment, but imagine what would’ve happened to the tree if I had chopped it down. Would it grow? Would branches grow? Would leaves grow? Without a connection to the trunk, the entire tree would die. The trunk and roots supply food to the branches as well as stability in storms. It is impossible for fruit to grow on a dead tree.
Some people pray a prayer to receive Jesus as Savior and expect to instantly bear fruit, to immediately be changed. Sometimes miracles occur at one’s spiritual birth. Some people trust Christ and instantly lose their desire for alcohol or temptation to be violent, but regardless of the sanctification at the moment of surrendering to Jesus, there is a need for ongoing maturity and sanctification which takes time…a lifetime. I have never met a person who has become perfect. We are all in process, growing one day at a time…if we remain in Jesus, if we follow Jesus, if we confess our sins daily and invite the Holy Spirit to fill us with the fruit of the Spirit.
…the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23, NLT)
One of my favorite questions at the end of the year to ask myself and others is are we more like Jesus than at the beginning of the year. Look at this list. Are you growing in love? What about joy? Are you becoming more peaceful? Would those around you say you are becoming a more patient person? Kind? Good? Faithful? Gentle? Self-controlled?
Jesus continued in the fifteenth chapter of John:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:5-8)
If we remain, abide, do life with Jesus, we will bear fruit.
John 15:7 is a popular verse:
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:7)
This does not mean God is a genie who does whatever we want. On the contrary, when we do what God wants, when we follow Jesus, we will desire only what God wants to give us.
Many Christians understand Jesus as Savior. They know he died on the cross to save them from the punishment of their sin. But they do not experience the ongoing sanctifying work of Jesus Christ in their lives. God is not in control of their lives.
The book of Romans has incredible truths about God and his wisdom and power and chapter twelve begins:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1)
Worship is not just singing songs. It’s a lifestyle. It’s surrender, sacrifice, sanctification. That might not sound as fun as a trip to Cedar Point or an evening of binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix, but actually following Jesus, abiding, remaining, doing life with Jesus offers more than a temporary thrill or a momentary distraction from the pains of life.
Knowing Jesus brings love. I have experienced God’s unconditional love, and it’s amazing. I know I don’t deserve it, but God’s loves me—and you—because he created us and wants more than anything else a relationship with us—forever.
Knowing Jesus brings joy. Our founding fathers believed in the pursuit of happiness, but joy is so much more. It’s deeper and not so temporary.
Knowing Jesus brings peace. I sleep well at night knowing God is in control and I’m not.
Knowing Jesus brings patience. I’m certainly not the most patient person but Jesus has all of the time in the world. I can trust his perfect timing.
Knowing Jesus brings hope. I know regardless of what happens today, one day I will spend eternity with Jesus in a perfect world.
I could go on and on.
Steps To A Spirit-Filled Life
The path to the Spirit-filled life involves faith-filled risks that always involve change.
- Surrender: You cannot make yourself holy any more than you can make yourself saved. Romans 6:11; Romans 12:1–2
- Accept: Christ is your Sanctifier in the same way that He is your Savior! Colossians 2:6; Galatians 2:20
- Abide: Maintain a continuous relationship with Jesus through obedience to His Word. John 15:1–11
Here’s artist and author Lecrae describing what it means to experience Jesus as Savior and Sanctifer.
So What?
Jesus is our Sanctifier. He has set us apart to live holy lives. Sanctification is a process of becoming like Christ as we surrender our will to God’s and are filled with the Holy Spirit who produces fruit in our lives.
It could be said that in contrasting Jesus as Savior and Sanctifier…
Savior: Deliverance from penalty of sin
Sanctifier: Deliverance from the power of sin
Savior: Freedom from death
Sanctifier: Freedom to live
Savior: Release from the guilt of the past
Sanctifier: Equips for the temptations of the future
Savior: Christ’s righteousness is imputed (credited) to us
Sanctifier: Christ’s righteousness is manifest in us
Savior: Jesus lives in us
Sanctifier: Jesus lives through us
Is Jesus your Savior? Have you received the gift we celebrate today in communion, his body and blood broken and poured out for you on the cross?
Is Jesus your Sanctifier? Are you seeking to live your life for the glory of God? None of us is perfect, but true believers are growing, abiding, remaining, doing life with Jesus and looking increasingly like him.
Jesus said,
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15:9-14)
Credits: Some ideas from A.B. Simpson and John Soper.
For further study, listen to Thomas George’s sermon at FAC on January 22, 2017.
http://www.factoledo.org/?page_id=162&sermon_id=298
For the Alliance statement regarding Jesus as our Sanctifier:
https://www.cmalliance.org/about/beliefs/sanctifier
Jesus is our Savior, 28 January 2018
28 01 18
Jesus is our Savior
Series— The Gospel Truth
Romans 3:21-26
Series Overview: The purpose of this series is to distinguish between the biblical gospel and the various misunderstandings of the word, specifically the difference between Jesus as Savior and Lord. We will use the Fourfold Gospel as our outline.
Big Idea: Jesus is our Savior, saving us from sin and death.
Introduction
In the classic film The Princess Bride, Vizzini the Sicilian repeatedly calls things “inconceivable.” After hearing it said several times, Inigo Montoya utters a line which has become iconic among moviegoers. He says,
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Often, we use words we don’t fully understand. Take, for instance, the gospel. What is the gospel?
Today we begin a series entitled, The Gospel Truth. I think we all understand the concept of truth, but what is the gospel? The Greek word is euaggelion and it literally means “good news.”
When I was working on my doctorate, I interviewed several leaders in our neighborhood. I wanted to know what it would look like to bring the gospel to UpTown Toledo. Recognizing how odd it would be to ask strangers, “What would be the gospel for our community?” I asked, “What would be good news here?”
Parenthetically, nearly everyone said development, new businesses and housing to bring new life to Toledo…something we are doing through Claro Coffee Bar. I’m pleased to say there are many in our neighborhood grateful for First Alliance Church and our investment on Adams Street.
What is the gospel?
Here's rapper/pastor/artist Trip Lee's take on the gospel.
What is the gospel?
Perhaps like me you’ve heard the gospel is Jesus died so you can go to heaven when you die. It’s a get out of hell free card. The gospel is about being saved.
Let me give you the slightly longer version of what many have called the gospel:
- God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.
- People are sinful and separated from God, so we cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.
- Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin, and through him we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.
- We must individually receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord in order to know and experience his love and plan for our lives.
These four statements are from a booklet called The Four Spiritual Laws written by Bill Bright in 1965 and has been shared around the world in hundreds of languages. I’ve actually shared it with people in both English and Spanish over the years. There is good news in those statements and elements of the gospel are found here, but calling this the gospel would’ve seemed odd to the first Christians. It would’ve seemed odd to great church leaders like Finney and Wesley.
What is the gospel?
I think a good place to start might be the Bible. Here’s what Paul said…
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)
Paul says this is the gospel:
- Jesus died
- Jesus was buried
- Jesus was raised from the dead
- Jesus appeared to people
What is Paul’s focus when he describes the gospel? Jesus. He says it again to Timothy.
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, (2Timothy 2:8)
The gospel is about remembering Jesus is the Messiah, raised from the dead. The gospel is first and foremost to the story of Jesus, not the story of how to get saved.
Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, and Bill Bright—the three Bills—talked a lot about salvation, our topic for today. But before we focus on soteriology—salvation—I want you to understand the gospel is first and foremost about Christology…it’s all about Jesus.
The gospel is all about Jesus. In a word, the gospel is Jesus. In three words, the gospel is Jesus Is LORD.
In Acts 2:14-36, Peter declares the gospel is all about Jesus.
In Acts 10:34-43, Peter again declares the gospel is all about Jesus.
The Bible declares the gospel is all about Jesus.
There’s a temptation in our USAmerican culture to make the gospel all about us.
God loves us.
We sinned.
Jesus died for us.
We need to believe.
These are all true. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying salvation is not important or we’re not important, but simply that the gospel begins and ends with Jesus.
Jesus is the King.
Jesus is the LORD.
That’s the central gospel of the New Testament. We need to focus on Jesus, not how we can be happy when we die or what happens when we die. The story is not about us. It’s about Jesus and we are called to tell this story. In fact, the first four books of the New Testament—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—are called gospels because they tell the story of Jesus.
For the next four weeks, we are going to examine Jesus. Actually, every Sunday is an opportunity to learn about, get to know, and become like Jesus. But this new series, The Gospel Truth, borrows from something called the Fourfold Gospel.
Our church was founded by a remarkable man, Albert Benjamin Simpson. He influenced not only the launch of our church but also the Assemblies of God, the Foursquare Church, and our denomination, the Christian & Missionary Alliance.
Perhaps you’ve seen the logo of the Alliance. It depicts Jesus as our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King.
Jesus is our Savior
What does it mean for Jesus to be our Savior? As we saw earlier, our sin separates us from God. Sin leads to death, including the death of our relationship with a perfect, holy God. Jesus came to this earth to show us what it means to be human and also to die—instead of us—for our sins.
None of us is perfect and righteous like God, but Jesus is fully human and fully God, holy and without sin.
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)
That’s quite a passage! Here it is in a slightly more modern translation:
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. (Romans 3:21-22, NLT)
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. (Romans 3:23-26, NLT)
This is, indeed, good news.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)
Many have heard of John 3:16, but the next verse is powerful, too. Jesus came to save us…from our sins, from ourselves.
Peter, one of Jesus’ best friends, proclaimed…
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
This is why Jesus is such a big deal. It’s why we don’t believe all religious roads lead to God. If we get to heaven by being good, Jesus was stupid for being crucified. Instead, he alone suffered and died for you and me. Paul wrote,
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
We praise him for his sacrifice on the cross, for salvation, for God’s gift of Jesus.
Conclusion
Many the gospel is about going to heaven when you die. I would like to suggest the gospel is going to heaven before you die. If heaven is where God is, we can experience God in the here and now. Through the Holy Spirit, God is present here with us, living inside of every believer.
Do you love Jesus? I’m afraid we’ve often turned Jesus into a product to sell so people can avoid hell. Believe these propositions, pray a prayer, and you’re done. Jesus never said make decisions. He said to make disciples. He said to follow him, not merely be a fan.
Although the gospel is more than just salvation, Jesus is our Savior and that’s a wonderful truth. No matter your past, Jesus loved you, and he proved that love by dying on the cross to offer forgiveness for all of yours sins and mistakes—past, present, and future.
Jesus is our Savior. Hallelujah!
Credits: Some ideas from Scot McKnight.
You can listen to this message and others at the First Alliance Church podcast here.
Series— The Gospel Truth
Romans 3:21-26
Series Overview: The purpose of this series is to distinguish between the biblical gospel and the various misunderstandings of the word, specifically the difference between Jesus as Savior and Lord. We will use the Fourfold Gospel as our outline.
Big Idea: Jesus is our Savior, saving us from sin and death.
Introduction
In the classic film The Princess Bride, Vizzini the Sicilian repeatedly calls things “inconceivable.” After hearing it said several times, Inigo Montoya utters a line which has become iconic among moviegoers. He says,
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Often, we use words we don’t fully understand. Take, for instance, the gospel. What is the gospel?
Today we begin a series entitled, The Gospel Truth. I think we all understand the concept of truth, but what is the gospel? The Greek word is euaggelion and it literally means “good news.”
When I was working on my doctorate, I interviewed several leaders in our neighborhood. I wanted to know what it would look like to bring the gospel to UpTown Toledo. Recognizing how odd it would be to ask strangers, “What would be the gospel for our community?” I asked, “What would be good news here?”
Parenthetically, nearly everyone said development, new businesses and housing to bring new life to Toledo…something we are doing through Claro Coffee Bar. I’m pleased to say there are many in our neighborhood grateful for First Alliance Church and our investment on Adams Street.
What is the gospel?
Here's rapper/pastor/artist Trip Lee's take on the gospel.
What is the gospel?
Perhaps like me you’ve heard the gospel is Jesus died so you can go to heaven when you die. It’s a get out of hell free card. The gospel is about being saved.
Let me give you the slightly longer version of what many have called the gospel:
- God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.
- People are sinful and separated from God, so we cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.
- Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin, and through him we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.
- We must individually receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord in order to know and experience his love and plan for our lives.
These four statements are from a booklet called The Four Spiritual Laws written by Bill Bright in 1965 and has been shared around the world in hundreds of languages. I’ve actually shared it with people in both English and Spanish over the years. There is good news in those statements and elements of the gospel are found here, but calling this the gospel would’ve seemed odd to the first Christians. It would’ve seemed odd to great church leaders like Finney and Wesley.
What is the gospel?
I think a good place to start might be the Bible. Here’s what Paul said…
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)
Paul says this is the gospel:
- Jesus died
- Jesus was buried
- Jesus was raised from the dead
- Jesus appeared to people
What is Paul’s focus when he describes the gospel? Jesus. He says it again to Timothy.
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, (2Timothy 2:8)
The gospel is about remembering Jesus is the Messiah, raised from the dead. The gospel is first and foremost to the story of Jesus, not the story of how to get saved.
Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, and Bill Bright—the three Bills—talked a lot about salvation, our topic for today. But before we focus on soteriology—salvation—I want you to understand the gospel is first and foremost about Christology…it’s all about Jesus.
The gospel is all about Jesus. In a word, the gospel is Jesus. In three words, the gospel is Jesus Is LORD.
In Acts 2:14-36, Peter declares the gospel is all about Jesus.
In Acts 10:34-43, Peter again declares the gospel is all about Jesus.
The Bible declares the gospel is all about Jesus.
There’s a temptation in our USAmerican culture to make the gospel all about us.
God loves us.
We sinned.
Jesus died for us.
We need to believe.
These are all true. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying salvation is not important or we’re not important, but simply that the gospel begins and ends with Jesus.
Jesus is the King.
Jesus is the LORD.
That’s the central gospel of the New Testament. We need to focus on Jesus, not how we can be happy when we die or what happens when we die. The story is not about us. It’s about Jesus and we are called to tell this story. In fact, the first four books of the New Testament—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—are called gospels because they tell the story of Jesus.
For the next four weeks, we are going to examine Jesus. Actually, every Sunday is an opportunity to learn about, get to know, and become like Jesus. But this new series, The Gospel Truth, borrows from something called the Fourfold Gospel.
Our church was founded by a remarkable man, Albert Benjamin Simpson. He influenced not only the launch of our church but also the Assemblies of God, the Foursquare Church, and our denomination, the Christian & Missionary Alliance.
Perhaps you’ve seen the logo of the Alliance. It depicts Jesus as our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King.
Jesus is our Savior
What does it mean for Jesus to be our Savior? As we saw earlier, our sin separates us from God. Sin leads to death, including the death of our relationship with a perfect, holy God. Jesus came to this earth to show us what it means to be human and also to die—instead of us—for our sins.
None of us is perfect and righteous like God, but Jesus is fully human and fully God, holy and without sin.
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)
That’s quite a passage! Here it is in a slightly more modern translation:
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. (Romans 3:21-22, NLT)
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. (Romans 3:23-26, NLT)
This is, indeed, good news.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)
Many have heard of John 3:16, but the next verse is powerful, too. Jesus came to save us…from our sins, from ourselves.
Peter, one of Jesus’ best friends, proclaimed…
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
This is why Jesus is such a big deal. It’s why we don’t believe all religious roads lead to God. If we get to heaven by being good, Jesus was stupid for being crucified. Instead, he alone suffered and died for you and me. Paul wrote,
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
We praise him for his sacrifice on the cross, for salvation, for God’s gift of Jesus.
Conclusion
Many the gospel is about going to heaven when you die. I would like to suggest the gospel is going to heaven before you die. If heaven is where God is, we can experience God in the here and now. Through the Holy Spirit, God is present here with us, living inside of every believer.
Do you love Jesus? I’m afraid we’ve often turned Jesus into a product to sell so people can avoid hell. Believe these propositions, pray a prayer, and you’re done. Jesus never said make decisions. He said to make disciples. He said to follow him, not merely be a fan.
Although the gospel is more than just salvation, Jesus is our Savior and that’s a wonderful truth. No matter your past, Jesus loved you, and he proved that love by dying on the cross to offer forgiveness for all of yours sins and mistakes—past, present, and future.
Jesus is our Savior. Hallelujah!
Credits: Some ideas from Scot McKnight.
Jesus our Coming King, The Gospel Truth, 29 March 2015
30 03 15
Series Overview: The purpose of this series is to distinguish between the biblical gospel and the various misunderstandings of the word, specifically the difference between Jesus as Savior and Lord. We will use the Fourfold Gospel as our outline.
Big Idea: Jesus is our Coming King.
King
Jesus is a king. He’s THE King! He’s the King of kings. At least three times we are told He is the King of kings and LORD of lords (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16).
The idea of a king is foreign to us. We enjoy tremendous freedom and independence in our nation, choosing our leaders at local, state and federal levels. Furthermore, no single person possess’ total power. The president and congress must work together in conjunction with the Supreme Court in guiding our society.
A king is different. Often a king is sovereign, in control. There is no vote, no argument, no debate. Obviously a good king is good for the people, able to make swift decisions and ensure the care of the citizens. A bad king, however, can ignore the interests of his subjects.
It’s interesting how in the Old Testament God chose Abraham to be the father of a great nation, Israel, but God remained their King…until the people begged for a human king like their neighbors. Saul wasn’t the best, David was pretty good, Solomon was distracted, and then everything fell apart. The book of 2 Kings is especially filled with the history of good and mostly bad kings that led God’s people. It has been said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Which brings us to Jesus. It’s hard to imagine the oppression of the Jewish people when God became one of us as Emmanuel. Generations had heard the Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah, but few recognized Jesus as that Messiah. At one point—a day we celebrate today on Palm Sunday—a group of people desperate for relief from Caesar and the Roman Empire—proclaimed Jesus as king.
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” (Matthew 21:1-3)
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” (Matthew 21:4-5)
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. (Matthew 21:6-8)
The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matthew 21:9)
Hosanna literally means, “Save now!” The people were desperate. Perhaps they had crowned others as king, hoping they would bring relief to their oppression. So here we see King Jesus, but He’s riding on a donkey, a very unexpected form of transportation.
Imagine the disappointment and horror days later when King Jesus, their greatest hope for a better future, is proclaimed king with a sign that hung above His dying, beaten body. It wasn’t just Jesus who died, but the hopes of the Jews. Although we know the rest of the story, the Good Friday characters must’ve been devastated beyond imagination. Their king is dead. Their hope is dead.
At the risk of spoiling the ending (!), Jesus conquers sin and death, is resurrected, and several weeks later stands on the Mount of Olives.
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. (Acts 1:9)
Jesus left them twice, once to death and then to the clouds. What must they have been feeling? Loss? Disappointment?
They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11)
I stood on the Mount of Olives where Jesus ascended into heaven. Our guide told us to look up, since that space was not only where the ascension occurred, but it is also where He will return.
I couldn’t help but chuckle when I saw the nearby gate of Jerusalem. As if to keep Him away, the gate has been filled with brick and a cemetery sits in front of it!
The Good News is Jesus. Jesus is LORD. Jesus is King. Jesus is alive!!!
There’s more good news. King Jesus is coming back!
Coming King
Anticipation. Just speaking the word makes me excited! What are you waiting for? What are you anticipating? Think of a time when you said, “I can’t wait for…”
I’ve had a lifetime of anticipation moments, waiting for Christmas, birthday parties, vacations, graduation, my wedding, the birth of our kids, dates with my wife, big concerts…
Presently, I’m anticipating our son’s graduation, a 25th anniversary cruise my mom is generously providing for us, and our Envision DR mission trip in July, among other things.
The longest I’ve ever waited for anything is…probably the 21 years prior to getting married.
Followers of Jesus have been waiting over 2000 years for His return. Jesus said,
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3)
Jesus promised to return. The physical return of Jesus has been the subject of speculation and controversy since His ascension into the clouds. Admittedly many missed His first visit to our planet, so it should come as no surprise that there is great confusion concerning His return. I’ve probably had people ask about Revelation and the End Times as much as any other subject, and to be honest there’s so much I don’t know or understand. There are a few things I can state boldly, however.
1. Jesus will return
This is what Jesus said:
“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. (Mark 13:26-27)
2. We must be ready
Someday every human will face the judgment seat.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)
We need not be afraid of this judgment if we have made Jesus our Savior and LORD.
Someday satan and evil will finally be destroyed.
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)
King Jesus will be vindicated in the eyes of the entire race that saw Him crucified.
“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen. (Revelation 1:7)
All of creation will be liberated from the curse of sin.
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:20-21)
As we said last week
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
I can’t wait! Maranatha! Come quickly, LORD Jesus! This leaves one simple question unanswered.
When will King Jesus Return?
For generations, people have made predictions, something we were warned to avoid doing. Jesus said
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matthew 24:36)
So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:44)
The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. (Mathew 24:50)
I know one thing for sure: we are one day closer today than yesterday!
Jesus is coming soon, which is obviously not soon to us! In fact, it was said two thousand years ago people would grow impatient. Peter wrote
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8-9)
He continues
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. (2 Peter 3:10)
One verse has special meaning to the Christian & Missionary Alliance as we seek to proclaim Jesus to the world. Jesus said,
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)
I have more questions than answers about the end times, the return of Christ, and Revelation, but I do know Jesus is our Coming King. The King will return when the task is complete. We are working to bring back the King!
Are you ready?
Credits
Some material taken from The Fourfold Gospel, a C&MA/DNA publication.
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Big Idea: Jesus is our Coming King.
King
Jesus is a king. He’s THE King! He’s the King of kings. At least three times we are told He is the King of kings and LORD of lords (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16).
The idea of a king is foreign to us. We enjoy tremendous freedom and independence in our nation, choosing our leaders at local, state and federal levels. Furthermore, no single person possess’ total power. The president and congress must work together in conjunction with the Supreme Court in guiding our society.
A king is different. Often a king is sovereign, in control. There is no vote, no argument, no debate. Obviously a good king is good for the people, able to make swift decisions and ensure the care of the citizens. A bad king, however, can ignore the interests of his subjects.
It’s interesting how in the Old Testament God chose Abraham to be the father of a great nation, Israel, but God remained their King…until the people begged for a human king like their neighbors. Saul wasn’t the best, David was pretty good, Solomon was distracted, and then everything fell apart. The book of 2 Kings is especially filled with the history of good and mostly bad kings that led God’s people. It has been said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Which brings us to Jesus. It’s hard to imagine the oppression of the Jewish people when God became one of us as Emmanuel. Generations had heard the Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah, but few recognized Jesus as that Messiah. At one point—a day we celebrate today on Palm Sunday—a group of people desperate for relief from Caesar and the Roman Empire—proclaimed Jesus as king.
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” (Matthew 21:1-3)
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” (Matthew 21:4-5)
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. (Matthew 21:6-8)
The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matthew 21:9)
Hosanna literally means, “Save now!” The people were desperate. Perhaps they had crowned others as king, hoping they would bring relief to their oppression. So here we see King Jesus, but He’s riding on a donkey, a very unexpected form of transportation.
Imagine the disappointment and horror days later when King Jesus, their greatest hope for a better future, is proclaimed king with a sign that hung above His dying, beaten body. It wasn’t just Jesus who died, but the hopes of the Jews. Although we know the rest of the story, the Good Friday characters must’ve been devastated beyond imagination. Their king is dead. Their hope is dead.
At the risk of spoiling the ending (!), Jesus conquers sin and death, is resurrected, and several weeks later stands on the Mount of Olives.
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. (Acts 1:9)
Jesus left them twice, once to death and then to the clouds. What must they have been feeling? Loss? Disappointment?
They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11)
I stood on the Mount of Olives where Jesus ascended into heaven. Our guide told us to look up, since that space was not only where the ascension occurred, but it is also where He will return.
I couldn’t help but chuckle when I saw the nearby gate of Jerusalem. As if to keep Him away, the gate has been filled with brick and a cemetery sits in front of it!
The Good News is Jesus. Jesus is LORD. Jesus is King. Jesus is alive!!!
There’s more good news. King Jesus is coming back!
Coming King
Anticipation. Just speaking the word makes me excited! What are you waiting for? What are you anticipating? Think of a time when you said, “I can’t wait for…”
I’ve had a lifetime of anticipation moments, waiting for Christmas, birthday parties, vacations, graduation, my wedding, the birth of our kids, dates with my wife, big concerts…
Presently, I’m anticipating our son’s graduation, a 25th anniversary cruise my mom is generously providing for us, and our Envision DR mission trip in July, among other things.
The longest I’ve ever waited for anything is…probably the 21 years prior to getting married.
Followers of Jesus have been waiting over 2000 years for His return. Jesus said,
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:1-3)
Jesus promised to return. The physical return of Jesus has been the subject of speculation and controversy since His ascension into the clouds. Admittedly many missed His first visit to our planet, so it should come as no surprise that there is great confusion concerning His return. I’ve probably had people ask about Revelation and the End Times as much as any other subject, and to be honest there’s so much I don’t know or understand. There are a few things I can state boldly, however.
1. Jesus will return
This is what Jesus said:
“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. (Mark 13:26-27)
2. We must be ready
Someday every human will face the judgment seat.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)
We need not be afraid of this judgment if we have made Jesus our Savior and LORD.
Someday satan and evil will finally be destroyed.
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)
King Jesus will be vindicated in the eyes of the entire race that saw Him crucified.
“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen. (Revelation 1:7)
All of creation will be liberated from the curse of sin.
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:20-21)
As we said last week
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
I can’t wait! Maranatha! Come quickly, LORD Jesus! This leaves one simple question unanswered.
When will King Jesus Return?
For generations, people have made predictions, something we were warned to avoid doing. Jesus said
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matthew 24:36)
So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:44)
The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. (Mathew 24:50)
I know one thing for sure: we are one day closer today than yesterday!
Jesus is coming soon, which is obviously not soon to us! In fact, it was said two thousand years ago people would grow impatient. Peter wrote
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8-9)
He continues
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. (2 Peter 3:10)
One verse has special meaning to the Christian & Missionary Alliance as we seek to proclaim Jesus to the world. Jesus said,
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)
I have more questions than answers about the end times, the return of Christ, and Revelation, but I do know Jesus is our Coming King. The King will return when the task is complete. We are working to bring back the King!
- Because Christ is coming, we need to be ready. We need to live pure, prayerful lives.
- Because Christ is coming, we need to finish the task He gave us to do: make disciples of all nations.
Are you ready?
Credits
Some material taken from The Fourfold Gospel, a C&MA/DNA publication.
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Jesus our Healer, The Gospel Truth, 22 March 2015
22 03 15
Series Overview: The purpose of this series is to distinguish between the biblical gospel and the various misunderstandings of the word, specifically the difference between Jesus as Savior and Lord. We will use the Fourfold Gospel as our outline.
Big Idea: Jesus is our Healer. He created us and is able to recreate us.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “healer?”
I usually think about the miraculous physical healings Jesus performed. Here are a few mentioned by Matthew:
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. (Matthew 4:23-24)
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. (Matthew 9:35)
Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. (Matthew 12:15)
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. (Matthew 14:14)
Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. (Matthew 15:30)
Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. (Matthew 19:2)
The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. (Matthew 21:14)
These are just the general mentions of healing from Matthew. They don’t include any of the specific encounters Jesus had with the sick, blind, lame…or even dead!
Jesus healed. That’s clear to everyone…except those who disbelieve miracles and the Bible!
But our topic today is Jesus our Healer. Does God still heal today? Does He only do it on TV with wild preachers and people falling down? Why don’t we go to U-M and St. Joe’s hospitals and close them down through prayers of healing?
In The Beginning
In the beginning…God created…and it was good. Sure, it wasn’t good for man to be alone, but God remedied that and therefore Adam and Eve lived in a pain-free, disease-free paradise called Eden.
And then all hell broke loose, quite literally.
The serpent got Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit and God said to Eve,
“…I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16)
God said to Adam
…“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. (Genesis 3:17)
Pain entered the world that horrific day. It was the consequence of sin. It came under the influence of our enemy, satan, who comes
…only to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10a)
As a result, we live in a broken world, a world with broken bodies, broken relationships, broken finances, broken souls, broken governments, broken homes, broken…toilets! You get the idea!
It will not always be like this. Someday…
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
I can’t wait! Maranatha! Come quickly, LORD Jesus!
But what do we do in the meantime? How do we deal with pain and brokenness?
1. First, God does still heal today. I will attempt to prove it shortly! It does not require a televangelist or sending money to help buy a private jet for a faith healer. God heals, but sometimes chooses to say wait or no when we ask.
On the one extreme there are those who do not believe in healing or miracles. There are Christians who believe healing was only for biblical times; we have the Bible so we don’t need the power of God. I’m overstating, somewhat, but the essence is they believe the Holy Spirit is on vacation. There’s plenty of recent and historic evidence to suggest healing is real today. I believe there are many doctors who once believed only medicine could heal, only to experience miracles first-hand with no explanation.
On the other extreme there are those who believe God always heals and any sickness is the result of the person’s personal sin…or lack of faith. This is a common message today in the “name it and claim it” movement that essentially says if you’re not healthy and rich it’s because you need more faith. It’s your fault! This is nothing new.
His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. (John 9:2-3)
The entire book of Job is about a righteous man who experienced horrific pain.
Jesus, the most righteous Person in history, endured the most horrific suffering.
Pain and sickness is the result of sin, but not necessarily the sin of the sick. For example, hospitals are filled with the innocent victims of drunk drivers. It has been alleged that some allergies are caused by man-made chemicals and pollution.
Jesus was a healer and He continues to heal today.
Even during His years on earth Jesus gave others the authority to heal.
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. (Matthew 10:1)
Perhaps the most radical statement on healing is found in the fourteenth chapter of John.
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)
He was going to the Father and would send the Holy Spirit.
2. The power to heal comes from Jesus
We do not believe in faith healing. It’s not from our faith, but from Jesus. Faith is a precious gift from God, but we are not healed by our faith. We are healed by God. Jesus healed in a variety of ways. Sometimes He spoke, sometimes He touched, sometimes He simply announced healing for a person not even in His presence. He still heals in a variety of ways today. In some instances faithless people are healed through the prayers of others praying for them. Healing can occur through the laying on of hands and the anointing of oil. Sometimes it comes through medicine, doctors, and other health care tools.
It should be noted that healing is not always a physical change. Our sinful world has left many of us broken spiritually, emotionally, financially, and relationally. We are blessed to have godly biblical counselors available to help people heal from a variety of pains and struggles, trials that can be every bit as wounding as a car accident or cancer.
3. The purpose of divine healing is to glorify Jesus.
Jesus’ miracles authenticated the message and the Messenger. He also healed to show His compassion. Furthermore, Jesus healed to show salvation now. The Kingdom of God is here now…but we haven’t experienced it all yet. It’s like a down payment on what is to come, the now and the not yet. We have something, but not yet everything that will be ours when Christ returns.
My Story: Rachel Schneemann
When this subject came up, I immediately knew who I wanted to speak on this subject, our daughter Rachel.
What comes to mind when you think of Jesus our Healer?
Has God healed you? How? Have you participated in the healing process?
Why doesn’t God instantly heal every person who asks for healing?
Is sickness the result of sin? Unbelief?
Has God only healed you physically?
What would you say to someone who wants to be healed?
So What?
Do you want to be healed? Why?
When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6)
If you want to be healed,
1. Ask
Jesus’ half brother James wrote,
You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. (James 4:2)
He added
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. (James 5:13-15)
2. Confess.
Some brokenness is the result of sin. Bitterness, for example, has been shown to have physical consequences. The passage from James continues…
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)
3. Persevere. Sometimes God says, “Yes.” Sometimes He says, “Wait.”
As a dad, I don’t instantly give my kids everything they desire. Sometimes I do, but sometimes I say no or later.
Rachel’s story has involved years of prayers.
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)
As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. (James 5:11)
In discussing prayer, Jesus said
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:9-10)
4. Trust. Daddy knows best. He can be trusted. His timing is never late but rarely early!
Why Doesn’t God Heal Everyone?
Great question! It’s in my top ten questions for God!
Paul had a thorn in the flesh. We don’t know what it was, perhaps an issue with his eyesight. Three times God said no to his request to have it removed. (2 Corinthians 12:6-10)
The purpose of healing is always about the glory of Christ.
Whether in giving or witholding, it’s about His glory.
Often it’s about His timing. The sisters of Lazarus thought Jesus was 4 days late to the scene, yet the delay facilitated a resurrection that brought greater glory to God than a conventional healing (John 11).
We live in the now and the not yet. There are beautiful moments when heaven touches earth, when God reveals His presence and power in amazing ways, giving us a taste of and a deeper longing for heaven.
Jesus promised us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b)
He is with us…always. I don’t pretend to understand why He says “no” or “later,” but I know God is good, He is faithful, and nothing is impossible with our God.
“Healer” (reprise)
Prayer
For Further Reading
Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller
Pain, The Gift Nobody Wants by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey
Where Is God When It Hurts? By Philip Yancey
Credits
Some material taken from The Fourfold Gospel, a C&MA/DNA publication.
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Big Idea: Jesus is our Healer. He created us and is able to recreate us.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “healer?”
I usually think about the miraculous physical healings Jesus performed. Here are a few mentioned by Matthew:
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. (Matthew 4:23-24)
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. (Matthew 9:35)
Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. (Matthew 12:15)
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. (Matthew 14:14)
Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. (Matthew 15:30)
Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. (Matthew 19:2)
The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. (Matthew 21:14)
These are just the general mentions of healing from Matthew. They don’t include any of the specific encounters Jesus had with the sick, blind, lame…or even dead!
Jesus healed. That’s clear to everyone…except those who disbelieve miracles and the Bible!
But our topic today is Jesus our Healer. Does God still heal today? Does He only do it on TV with wild preachers and people falling down? Why don’t we go to U-M and St. Joe’s hospitals and close them down through prayers of healing?
In The Beginning
In the beginning…God created…and it was good. Sure, it wasn’t good for man to be alone, but God remedied that and therefore Adam and Eve lived in a pain-free, disease-free paradise called Eden.
And then all hell broke loose, quite literally.
The serpent got Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit and God said to Eve,
“…I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16)
God said to Adam
…“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. (Genesis 3:17)
Pain entered the world that horrific day. It was the consequence of sin. It came under the influence of our enemy, satan, who comes
…only to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10a)
As a result, we live in a broken world, a world with broken bodies, broken relationships, broken finances, broken souls, broken governments, broken homes, broken…toilets! You get the idea!
It will not always be like this. Someday…
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
I can’t wait! Maranatha! Come quickly, LORD Jesus!
But what do we do in the meantime? How do we deal with pain and brokenness?
1. First, God does still heal today. I will attempt to prove it shortly! It does not require a televangelist or sending money to help buy a private jet for a faith healer. God heals, but sometimes chooses to say wait or no when we ask.
On the one extreme there are those who do not believe in healing or miracles. There are Christians who believe healing was only for biblical times; we have the Bible so we don’t need the power of God. I’m overstating, somewhat, but the essence is they believe the Holy Spirit is on vacation. There’s plenty of recent and historic evidence to suggest healing is real today. I believe there are many doctors who once believed only medicine could heal, only to experience miracles first-hand with no explanation.
On the other extreme there are those who believe God always heals and any sickness is the result of the person’s personal sin…or lack of faith. This is a common message today in the “name it and claim it” movement that essentially says if you’re not healthy and rich it’s because you need more faith. It’s your fault! This is nothing new.
His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. (John 9:2-3)
The entire book of Job is about a righteous man who experienced horrific pain.
Jesus, the most righteous Person in history, endured the most horrific suffering.
Pain and sickness is the result of sin, but not necessarily the sin of the sick. For example, hospitals are filled with the innocent victims of drunk drivers. It has been alleged that some allergies are caused by man-made chemicals and pollution.
Jesus was a healer and He continues to heal today.
Even during His years on earth Jesus gave others the authority to heal.
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. (Matthew 10:1)
Perhaps the most radical statement on healing is found in the fourteenth chapter of John.
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)
He was going to the Father and would send the Holy Spirit.
2. The power to heal comes from Jesus
We do not believe in faith healing. It’s not from our faith, but from Jesus. Faith is a precious gift from God, but we are not healed by our faith. We are healed by God. Jesus healed in a variety of ways. Sometimes He spoke, sometimes He touched, sometimes He simply announced healing for a person not even in His presence. He still heals in a variety of ways today. In some instances faithless people are healed through the prayers of others praying for them. Healing can occur through the laying on of hands and the anointing of oil. Sometimes it comes through medicine, doctors, and other health care tools.
It should be noted that healing is not always a physical change. Our sinful world has left many of us broken spiritually, emotionally, financially, and relationally. We are blessed to have godly biblical counselors available to help people heal from a variety of pains and struggles, trials that can be every bit as wounding as a car accident or cancer.
3. The purpose of divine healing is to glorify Jesus.
Jesus’ miracles authenticated the message and the Messenger. He also healed to show His compassion. Furthermore, Jesus healed to show salvation now. The Kingdom of God is here now…but we haven’t experienced it all yet. It’s like a down payment on what is to come, the now and the not yet. We have something, but not yet everything that will be ours when Christ returns.
My Story: Rachel Schneemann
When this subject came up, I immediately knew who I wanted to speak on this subject, our daughter Rachel.
What comes to mind when you think of Jesus our Healer?
Has God healed you? How? Have you participated in the healing process?
Why doesn’t God instantly heal every person who asks for healing?
Is sickness the result of sin? Unbelief?
Has God only healed you physically?
What would you say to someone who wants to be healed?
So What?
Do you want to be healed? Why?
When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6)
If you want to be healed,
1. Ask
Jesus’ half brother James wrote,
You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. (James 4:2)
He added
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. (James 5:13-15)
2. Confess.
Some brokenness is the result of sin. Bitterness, for example, has been shown to have physical consequences. The passage from James continues…
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)
3. Persevere. Sometimes God says, “Yes.” Sometimes He says, “Wait.”
As a dad, I don’t instantly give my kids everything they desire. Sometimes I do, but sometimes I say no or later.
Rachel’s story has involved years of prayers.
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)
As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. (James 5:11)
In discussing prayer, Jesus said
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:9-10)
4. Trust. Daddy knows best. He can be trusted. His timing is never late but rarely early!
Why Doesn’t God Heal Everyone?
Great question! It’s in my top ten questions for God!
Paul had a thorn in the flesh. We don’t know what it was, perhaps an issue with his eyesight. Three times God said no to his request to have it removed. (2 Corinthians 12:6-10)
The purpose of healing is always about the glory of Christ.
Whether in giving or witholding, it’s about His glory.
Often it’s about His timing. The sisters of Lazarus thought Jesus was 4 days late to the scene, yet the delay facilitated a resurrection that brought greater glory to God than a conventional healing (John 11).
We live in the now and the not yet. There are beautiful moments when heaven touches earth, when God reveals His presence and power in amazing ways, giving us a taste of and a deeper longing for heaven.
Jesus promised us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b)
He is with us…always. I don’t pretend to understand why He says “no” or “later,” but I know God is good, He is faithful, and nothing is impossible with our God.
“Healer” (reprise)
Prayer
For Further Reading
Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller
Pain, The Gift Nobody Wants by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey
Where Is God When It Hurts? By Philip Yancey
Credits
Some material taken from The Fourfold Gospel, a C&MA/DNA publication.
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Jesus our Sanctifier, The Gospel Truth, 15 March 2015
16 03 15
Series Overview: The purpose of this series is to distinguish between the biblical gospel and the various misunderstandings of the word, specifically the difference between Jesus as Savior and Lord. We will use the Fourfold Gospel as our outline.
Big Idea: Jesus is our Sanctifier, making us increasingly holy like Himself.
Introduction
This week we continue our series The Gospel Truth. We began last week looking at Jesus as Savior. Today we continue our look at the Fourfold Gospel examining Jesus as Sanctifier.
It’s not uncommon for song lyrics and passages of scripture to contain unusual words. Sanctifier is one of those Christianese words that few outside of the faith understand…and few inside the faith understand! When we say Jesus is our Sanctifier we are expressing that He makes us like Himself. A year ago we said that followers of Jesus are “in Christ.” What can be said of Jesus can be said of us in the eyes of our heavenly Father, not because we are God or perfect like Christ, but because we essentially wear Jesus’ uniform. His blood purifies our sins and we can stand before a holy God who cannot tolerate sin, not because of what we’ve done but because Jesus is our Savior which we studied last week.
Sanctification then is that God wants to make us in reality what we’ve already been declared to be in Christ. In other words, following Jesus is more than praying a prayer to ask Jesus into your heart so you’ll go to heaven when you die. Following Jesus is just that—following Him. Jesus is perfect. We are to be perfect. Jesus is holy. We are to be holy. Jesus has power and authority. We are to have power and authority.
To be sanctified is to be holy, set apart. In one sense it occurs when we surrender our lives to God, yet it is a progressive process in which we become increasingly like Him—separated from sin and evil.
Right about now you may be asking, “Why don’t I look like Jesus?” or “How is it possible for me to be like Christ?” That’s our topic today: sanctification, becoming holy and set apart like Jesus.
Fruit
What is your favorite food? Although my favorite dessert is ice cream, my favorite food is fruit. I love fruit! I’m not sure if it’s because most fruits are sweet or colorful or uniquely shaped or the texture but I love fruit. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a fruit I didn’t enjoy…unless it was bad fruit!
Where does fruit come from? Meijer! Believe it or not, it does not just appear in the produce section!
The Bible is filled with organic metaphors. God created our world, so it should come as no surprise He would use physical things to help us understand spiritual realities.
Gardening is a powerful way to understand life. I’m an expert gardener…in growing weeds! I admire people who understand soil and plants and who can grow things other than weeds!
Last week I listened to a brilliant podcast interview with Christine Sine in which she described the numerous parallels between the cultivation of her garden and the cultivation of her soul. Producing beautiful fruit requires preparation of the soil, generous fertilizer and water, enough sunlight, protection from hungry creatures, and the eradication of weeds that can choke the plants.
Likewise if we want our lives to bear fruit we must confess our sins, flee temptation, fill our minds with the Word of God, feed upon Jesus, the Bread of Life, receive support from godly brothers and sisters, and pursue a deeper relationship with God and others. Jesus said it plainly in the fifteenth chapter of the gospel of John.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (John 15:1-4)
How do we become like Jesus? We know Him.
How do we know Jesus? We spend time with Him.
How do we spend time with Jesus? We pray. We study the Bible. We spend time with people who know Jesus.
They say many old couples look alike after years of marriage. They can finish each other’s sentences. They know what the other is thinking. That’s what happens when two people do life together, spend time with one another, know each other, and grow together. That’s what happens when we do life with Jesus—we begin to resemble Him!
It takes time. It requires intentionality. It involves effort.
When I placed a wedding ring on my bride’s finger nearly 25 years ago that wasn’t the end of our relationship. It was a tremendously significant moment, yet it was just the beginning. More than two decades later we’ve both invested in our relationship, and it has produced fruit (including three amazing children!). I didn’t just say vows and then tell her, “Have a nice life!” Over the years I have grown to be like her, and she has grown to be like me. We are both works in process, becoming like one another, but most of all both seeking to be like Jesus.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
It’s great to ask What Would Jesus Do? It’s far better to know Jesus so intimately and be so filled with the Holy Spirit that you don’t stop and ask—you instinctively do it! It’s natural. That’s sanctification. Jesus is our Sanctifier means He wants us to become like Him. He wants us to become Christians—little Christs. He wants us to love Him and love others, re-presenting Him to our desperate world.
Are you connected to the vine? Do know know what God is saying to you? Are you obediently following Him?
If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:6-8)
If you know anything at all about plants, you know every branch must be connected to the trunk which must be connected to the roots. Any disconnect will result in poor or no fruit.
When I was a kid I remember enjoying a pretty substantial tree in our front yard. One day I had the brilliant idea of taking a hatchet and carving my name into the tree. When my parents realized what I had done, they weren’t very pleased! Fortunately I did no permanent damage to the tree, but I could’ve killed it!
Like many of you, I witnessed first-hand the destruction of trees by a very small bug known as the emerald ash borer. The nasty beetle from Asia was first formally identified in Canton, Michigan in 2002, believed to be introduced by overseas shipping materials. They attack ash trees through larval feeding that disrupts the flow of nutrients and water. This small bug is responsible for the destruction of literally tens of millions of ash trees and threatens to kill most of the 8.7 billion ash trees throughout North America.
What a perfect metaphor for sin! Small, unsuspected sins invade our life, slowly disconnecting us from our source of life, Jesus. Sure, robbing a bank or killing your neighbor will damage your relationship with God—and keep you away from others as you sit in prison—but most often it’s small temptations that cause us to drift from our nourishment. We get too busy to pray, too busy to study the Bible, too busy to attend worship and Life Groups, too busy to share Jesus with others. We get greedy, buying things we don’t need until we can no longer be generous and serve those in desperate need. We compromise in small things like taxes, speed limits, truth-telling, and pride until we are able to rationalize the most blatant of sins.
A Healthy Tree
The first words of the Psalms paint an entirely different picture.
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3)
That’s what I want my life to depict!
What kind of fruit are you bearing? It could be no fruit, the result of disconnect from Jesus. It could be bad fruit such as
…sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. (Mark 7:21-22)
Or it could be the fruit of the Spirit:
…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23a)
If we abide in Jesus, if we devote ourselves to Him, we will bear much, good fruit.
The Alliance website says it like this:
Many Christians understand God’s promise of salvation but do not experience the ongoing sanctifying work of Jesus Christ in their lives. For those who neither understand nor allow the Holy Spirit's control in their lives, the results have a profound effect.
Unsuccessful struggle against sin and a lack of power in life and ministry frustrate those who have asked Jesus to be their Savior but not their Sanctifier, resulting in a lack of joy in their walk with Christ. At the point when we are born again, we become members of God’s family. We believe He paid the price for our sin and that his followers are—set apart from those are not born again—and are seen as holy because of what Christ has done.
The Bible is filled with biological metaphors. We are a family—brothers and sisters. We are dead in our sins and resurrected with Christ as beautifully illustrated through baptism. In the book of Romans we read these powerful words:
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:11-14)
Some mistakenly think Christianity is a morality-based religion in which we are supposed to do good and be good. They see Jesus as someone who makes bad people good. Friends, the reality is Jesus came to make dead people come alive! Following Jesus is not merely an exercise in doing the right things. It is a vibrant, joy-filled journey in which possess—and are possessed by—the Holy Spirit. How?
Semi-circle
Most of us live busy lives. God created us to work, but also to rest. Most people work hard during the week and crash on the weekend. We are designed to work from a place of rest, not rest from work.
The semi-circle depicts a pendulum moving from rest to work and back. There are daily, weekly, monthly and annual rhythms of rest and work. When Jesus speaks in John 15 of remaining or abiding, He’s speaking of resting in Him. We need times of rest and recreation with Jesus and our our families. If we ignore Sabbath and rest with God, we will eventually crash. If we allow Him to prune us and renew us as we abide with Him during times of rest, we will bear much fruit when we work.
Are you abiding in Christ? Are you resting with Him? Are you spending quality time with Jesus, letting Him invite you into a deeper life of intimacy and faith while challenging you to greater levels of obedience and trust?
When we talk about Jesus as fully God yet fully man, it’s easy to think since Jesus was God He was never really tempted. Sure, Hebrews 4:15 says He was tempted in every way like us, but didn’t He brush it away like a mosquito and then do all of His magic tricks, healing the sick and opening the eyes of the blind and raising the dead?
Jesus said no to temptation and did supernatural works because He was filled with the Holy Spirit…the same Holy Spirit available to you and me. If we abide with Jesus, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will change. We will grow. We will bear fruit. We will look increasingly like Jesus.
Paul wrote these words to the Church in Corinth:
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
That’s remarkable!
Conclusion
Dallas Willard famously referred to those seeking salvation apart from sanctification and lordship as “vampire Christians” who only want a little blood but have no interest in following Jesus now. It’s one thing for Jesus to be our Savior and another to be truly LORD.
A few weeks ago we said one of our family rules is the Make Disciples. Disciples are students or imitators of their discipler. We are to be students and followers and imitators of Jesus.
It’s a life-long process, but if we hunger after God, if we ask the Holy Spirit to fill us, if we confess our sins and surrender our will, and if we abide, He will make us new. He will transform us into new creations like Jesus. He is able to take whatever mess we offer Him and make it beautiful. That’s our Sanctifier!
Credits
Some material taken from The Fourfold Gospel, a C&MA/DNA publication.
Semi-circle LifeShape from Mike Breen and 3DMovements.com.
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Big Idea: Jesus is our Sanctifier, making us increasingly holy like Himself.
Introduction
This week we continue our series The Gospel Truth. We began last week looking at Jesus as Savior. Today we continue our look at the Fourfold Gospel examining Jesus as Sanctifier.
It’s not uncommon for song lyrics and passages of scripture to contain unusual words. Sanctifier is one of those Christianese words that few outside of the faith understand…and few inside the faith understand! When we say Jesus is our Sanctifier we are expressing that He makes us like Himself. A year ago we said that followers of Jesus are “in Christ.” What can be said of Jesus can be said of us in the eyes of our heavenly Father, not because we are God or perfect like Christ, but because we essentially wear Jesus’ uniform. His blood purifies our sins and we can stand before a holy God who cannot tolerate sin, not because of what we’ve done but because Jesus is our Savior which we studied last week.
Sanctification then is that God wants to make us in reality what we’ve already been declared to be in Christ. In other words, following Jesus is more than praying a prayer to ask Jesus into your heart so you’ll go to heaven when you die. Following Jesus is just that—following Him. Jesus is perfect. We are to be perfect. Jesus is holy. We are to be holy. Jesus has power and authority. We are to have power and authority.
To be sanctified is to be holy, set apart. In one sense it occurs when we surrender our lives to God, yet it is a progressive process in which we become increasingly like Him—separated from sin and evil.
Right about now you may be asking, “Why don’t I look like Jesus?” or “How is it possible for me to be like Christ?” That’s our topic today: sanctification, becoming holy and set apart like Jesus.
Fruit
What is your favorite food? Although my favorite dessert is ice cream, my favorite food is fruit. I love fruit! I’m not sure if it’s because most fruits are sweet or colorful or uniquely shaped or the texture but I love fruit. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a fruit I didn’t enjoy…unless it was bad fruit!
Where does fruit come from? Meijer! Believe it or not, it does not just appear in the produce section!
The Bible is filled with organic metaphors. God created our world, so it should come as no surprise He would use physical things to help us understand spiritual realities.
Gardening is a powerful way to understand life. I’m an expert gardener…in growing weeds! I admire people who understand soil and plants and who can grow things other than weeds!
Last week I listened to a brilliant podcast interview with Christine Sine in which she described the numerous parallels between the cultivation of her garden and the cultivation of her soul. Producing beautiful fruit requires preparation of the soil, generous fertilizer and water, enough sunlight, protection from hungry creatures, and the eradication of weeds that can choke the plants.
Likewise if we want our lives to bear fruit we must confess our sins, flee temptation, fill our minds with the Word of God, feed upon Jesus, the Bread of Life, receive support from godly brothers and sisters, and pursue a deeper relationship with God and others. Jesus said it plainly in the fifteenth chapter of the gospel of John.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (John 15:1-4)
How do we become like Jesus? We know Him.
How do we know Jesus? We spend time with Him.
How do we spend time with Jesus? We pray. We study the Bible. We spend time with people who know Jesus.
They say many old couples look alike after years of marriage. They can finish each other’s sentences. They know what the other is thinking. That’s what happens when two people do life together, spend time with one another, know each other, and grow together. That’s what happens when we do life with Jesus—we begin to resemble Him!
It takes time. It requires intentionality. It involves effort.
When I placed a wedding ring on my bride’s finger nearly 25 years ago that wasn’t the end of our relationship. It was a tremendously significant moment, yet it was just the beginning. More than two decades later we’ve both invested in our relationship, and it has produced fruit (including three amazing children!). I didn’t just say vows and then tell her, “Have a nice life!” Over the years I have grown to be like her, and she has grown to be like me. We are both works in process, becoming like one another, but most of all both seeking to be like Jesus.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
It’s great to ask What Would Jesus Do? It’s far better to know Jesus so intimately and be so filled with the Holy Spirit that you don’t stop and ask—you instinctively do it! It’s natural. That’s sanctification. Jesus is our Sanctifier means He wants us to become like Him. He wants us to become Christians—little Christs. He wants us to love Him and love others, re-presenting Him to our desperate world.
Are you connected to the vine? Do know know what God is saying to you? Are you obediently following Him?
If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:6-8)
If you know anything at all about plants, you know every branch must be connected to the trunk which must be connected to the roots. Any disconnect will result in poor or no fruit.
When I was a kid I remember enjoying a pretty substantial tree in our front yard. One day I had the brilliant idea of taking a hatchet and carving my name into the tree. When my parents realized what I had done, they weren’t very pleased! Fortunately I did no permanent damage to the tree, but I could’ve killed it!
Like many of you, I witnessed first-hand the destruction of trees by a very small bug known as the emerald ash borer. The nasty beetle from Asia was first formally identified in Canton, Michigan in 2002, believed to be introduced by overseas shipping materials. They attack ash trees through larval feeding that disrupts the flow of nutrients and water. This small bug is responsible for the destruction of literally tens of millions of ash trees and threatens to kill most of the 8.7 billion ash trees throughout North America.
What a perfect metaphor for sin! Small, unsuspected sins invade our life, slowly disconnecting us from our source of life, Jesus. Sure, robbing a bank or killing your neighbor will damage your relationship with God—and keep you away from others as you sit in prison—but most often it’s small temptations that cause us to drift from our nourishment. We get too busy to pray, too busy to study the Bible, too busy to attend worship and Life Groups, too busy to share Jesus with others. We get greedy, buying things we don’t need until we can no longer be generous and serve those in desperate need. We compromise in small things like taxes, speed limits, truth-telling, and pride until we are able to rationalize the most blatant of sins.
A Healthy Tree
The first words of the Psalms paint an entirely different picture.
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3)
That’s what I want my life to depict!
What kind of fruit are you bearing? It could be no fruit, the result of disconnect from Jesus. It could be bad fruit such as
…sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. (Mark 7:21-22)
Or it could be the fruit of the Spirit:
…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23a)
If we abide in Jesus, if we devote ourselves to Him, we will bear much, good fruit.
The Alliance website says it like this:
Many Christians understand God’s promise of salvation but do not experience the ongoing sanctifying work of Jesus Christ in their lives. For those who neither understand nor allow the Holy Spirit's control in their lives, the results have a profound effect.
Unsuccessful struggle against sin and a lack of power in life and ministry frustrate those who have asked Jesus to be their Savior but not their Sanctifier, resulting in a lack of joy in their walk with Christ. At the point when we are born again, we become members of God’s family. We believe He paid the price for our sin and that his followers are—set apart from those are not born again—and are seen as holy because of what Christ has done.
The Bible is filled with biological metaphors. We are a family—brothers and sisters. We are dead in our sins and resurrected with Christ as beautifully illustrated through baptism. In the book of Romans we read these powerful words:
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:11-14)
Some mistakenly think Christianity is a morality-based religion in which we are supposed to do good and be good. They see Jesus as someone who makes bad people good. Friends, the reality is Jesus came to make dead people come alive! Following Jesus is not merely an exercise in doing the right things. It is a vibrant, joy-filled journey in which possess—and are possessed by—the Holy Spirit. How?
- We thirst. We desire God, or at least want to want God.
- We ask. Invite the Holy Spirit to fill you. Daily. Maybe hourly!
- We surrender. In essence, let go and let God. This means letting go of your time, talents and treasures. It means placing everything on the altar. Open your hands!
- Abide. Love is spelled T-I-M-E. There are no shortcuts.
Semi-circle
Most of us live busy lives. God created us to work, but also to rest. Most people work hard during the week and crash on the weekend. We are designed to work from a place of rest, not rest from work.
The semi-circle depicts a pendulum moving from rest to work and back. There are daily, weekly, monthly and annual rhythms of rest and work. When Jesus speaks in John 15 of remaining or abiding, He’s speaking of resting in Him. We need times of rest and recreation with Jesus and our our families. If we ignore Sabbath and rest with God, we will eventually crash. If we allow Him to prune us and renew us as we abide with Him during times of rest, we will bear much fruit when we work.
Are you abiding in Christ? Are you resting with Him? Are you spending quality time with Jesus, letting Him invite you into a deeper life of intimacy and faith while challenging you to greater levels of obedience and trust?
When we talk about Jesus as fully God yet fully man, it’s easy to think since Jesus was God He was never really tempted. Sure, Hebrews 4:15 says He was tempted in every way like us, but didn’t He brush it away like a mosquito and then do all of His magic tricks, healing the sick and opening the eyes of the blind and raising the dead?
Jesus said no to temptation and did supernatural works because He was filled with the Holy Spirit…the same Holy Spirit available to you and me. If we abide with Jesus, if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will change. We will grow. We will bear fruit. We will look increasingly like Jesus.
Paul wrote these words to the Church in Corinth:
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
That’s remarkable!
Conclusion
Dallas Willard famously referred to those seeking salvation apart from sanctification and lordship as “vampire Christians” who only want a little blood but have no interest in following Jesus now. It’s one thing for Jesus to be our Savior and another to be truly LORD.
A few weeks ago we said one of our family rules is the Make Disciples. Disciples are students or imitators of their discipler. We are to be students and followers and imitators of Jesus.
It’s a life-long process, but if we hunger after God, if we ask the Holy Spirit to fill us, if we confess our sins and surrender our will, and if we abide, He will make us new. He will transform us into new creations like Jesus. He is able to take whatever mess we offer Him and make it beautiful. That’s our Sanctifier!
Credits
Some material taken from The Fourfold Gospel, a C&MA/DNA publication.
Semi-circle LifeShape from Mike Breen and 3DMovements.com.
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Jesus Our Savior, The Gospel Truth, 8 March 2015
09 03 15
Series Overview: The purpose of this series is to distinguish between the biblical gospel and the various misunderstandings of the word, specifically the difference between Jesus as Savior and Lord. We will use the Fourfold Gospel as our outline.
Big Idea: Jesus is our Savior, saving us from sin and death.
What is the gospel? It is good news.
Many have said the gospel is the plan of salvation. It often goes something like this:
I literally spent years telling a version of that story to students in both the United States and Bolivia. Pray to receive Christ and you’re guaranteed a “Get Out Of Hell Free” card.
That is certainly good news, but the gospel is more. Much more. Pastor Bruxy Cavey defines the gospel with these thirty words:
“The gospel is the good news that God has come to us through Christ to show us His love, save us from sin, set us in community, and shut down religion.”
Last week we noted scholar N.T. Wright’s description of the grand story of history as a play with multiple acts:
Act 1: creation
Act 2: the Fall
Act 3: Israel
Act 4: Jesus
Act 5: New Testament and the people of God (the Church)
Some have suggested we are in Act 6, with Act 7 being the new heaven and new earth mentioned in Revelation.
If we skip Act 3, we miss a huge part of human history. Jesus was, Himself, a Jew, after all.
One of my professors wrote
“…the word gospel was used in the world of Jews at the time of the apostles to
announce something, to declare something as good news — the word evangelion
always means good news. “To gospel” is to herald, to proclaim, and to declare
something about something. To put this together: the gospel is to announce good
news about key events in the life of Jesus Christ. To gospel for Paul was to tell,
announce, declare, and shout aloud the Story of Jesus Christ as the saving news of
God.” (Scot McKnight, King Jesus Gospel)
In three words, the gospel is Jesus is Lord. In one word, the gospel is Jesus.
Today we begin a new series, The Gospel Truth, looking at Jesus.
The Fourfold Gospel
Last week I mentioned A.B. Simpson, the founder of The Christian & Missionary Alliance, our denomination. After doing some research on his life a few years ago I was surprised to learn his influence not only in the C&MA but also the founding of the Assemblies of God and Foursquare denominations.
The Fourfold Gospel is the Christological summary on which the core values of The Alliance is based. Simpson saw Jesus as not only Savior—our focus today—but also his Sanctifier and Healer and Coming King. As we saw in the video earlier, it’s all about Jesus.
Who Is Jesus?
Last Sunday CNN began a series called Finding Jesus. I was pleasantly surprised at both its research and results. Part 2 will be shown tonight at 9 PM and you can view episodes at CNN.com.
Our faith is built upon Jesus—not a dream, not an idea…not even a book. It’s built upon a Person. I realize most of you are familiar with Jesus. If you’re like me you might be overly familiar with Him. This is a huge danger in any relationship. We can become so familiar and so comfortable with someone—a parent, spouse, child, friend—that we take them for granted and forget just how unique and special they are to us. That’s why we remember them by celebrating their birthday, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, or some other occasion.
Who is Jesus? So much can be said about Jesus. In fact, John concluded his biography of Jesus by saying
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (John 21:25)
There are, in fact, four biographies of Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We refer to them as the four gospels because they are good news. They are about Jesus.
Savior
This week I was talking with our daughter about her favorite names for children. People name their kids after movie stars, athletes, biblical characters, and for a host of other reasons. Ancient Hebrews chose names that would speak prophecy about the mission or character of their children.
When my parents named me Kirk, they liked the sound of the name, but also its meaning: “church dweller.” They were quite prophetic!
In a similar way Jesus was not simply a name Mary and Joseph liked, but one carefully chosen to convey His mission. An angel of the LORD came to Joseph and said of Mary:
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)
He is our Savior, saving us from our sins. Luke expressed this, as well, quoting Jesus:
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)
Romans 3:21-26
The third chapter of Romans provides us with one of the clearest portraits of Jesus as Savior.
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)
God loves us. We all sin and fall short of His standard of perfection. Jesus shed His blood and died on the cross to save us, to forgive us, to enable us to be reconciled to a perfect and holy God.
Because Jesus is our Savior.
That’s quite a list! Which is the most meaningful to you?
Universal and Exclusive
Jesus is both a universal Savior and an exclusive Savior. John 3:16 says
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
God loves the whole world and died for the whole world, but salvation is for those who believe in Jesus.
By the way, believe is not something simply done in your head, like you might believe in the Easter Bunny or that the Detroit Lions will win the next Super Bowl. Biblical belief requires action. It’s like believing a parachute will work and therefore you jump out of the airplane. You believe the odd-looking food is nourishing so you eat it. Faith is never passive.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Contrary to what contemporary culture tells us, there are not multiple paths to God. There is only one—Jesus Christ. Only One died for us. Only One conquered sin and death. Only One is alive thousands of years later!
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
This is, admittedly, politically incorrect. It can be downright offensive, except for the fact that Jesus died of all. He offers Himself as a gift to all…who receive the gift.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (John 1:9-13)
In his book Radical, David Platt tells of a conversation outside a Buddhist temple in Indonesia with a Buddhist leader and a Muslim leader. One said, “We may have different views about small issues, but when it comes down to essential issues, each of our religions is the same.” Platt said, “It sounds as though you both picture God (or whatever you call god) at the top of a mountain. It seems as if you believe that we are all at the bottom of the mountain, and I may take one route up the mountain, you may take another, and in the end we will all end up in the same place.” They smiled as I spoke. Happily they replied, “Exactly! You understand!” Then I leaned in and said, “Now let me ask you a question. What would you think if I told you that the God at the top of the mountain actually came down to where we are? What would you think if I told you that God doesn’t wait for people to find their way to him, but instead he comes to us?” They thought for a moment and then responded, “That would be great.” I replied, “Let me introduce you to Jesus.”
This is the gospel. The gospel is Jesus. He is our Savior who lived and died and rose for us. He offers each of us Himself as the greatest gift, a gift we can reject or receive.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
We don’t deserve it; that’s grace, unmerited favor. It’s amazing!
You can listen to this message and others at the Scio podcast here. You can also subscribe to our podcast here.
Big Idea: Jesus is our Savior, saving us from sin and death.
What is the gospel? It is good news.
Many have said the gospel is the plan of salvation. It often goes something like this:
- God loves you.
- You sinned and are separated from God.
- Jesus died to reconcile you to God.
- If you pray to ask Jesus into your heart you’ll go to heaven when you die.
I literally spent years telling a version of that story to students in both the United States and Bolivia. Pray to receive Christ and you’re guaranteed a “Get Out Of Hell Free” card.
That is certainly good news, but the gospel is more. Much more. Pastor Bruxy Cavey defines the gospel with these thirty words:
“The gospel is the good news that God has come to us through Christ to show us His love, save us from sin, set us in community, and shut down religion.”
Last week we noted scholar N.T. Wright’s description of the grand story of history as a play with multiple acts:
Act 1: creation
Act 2: the Fall
Act 3: Israel
Act 4: Jesus
Act 5: New Testament and the people of God (the Church)
Some have suggested we are in Act 6, with Act 7 being the new heaven and new earth mentioned in Revelation.
If we skip Act 3, we miss a huge part of human history. Jesus was, Himself, a Jew, after all.
One of my professors wrote
“…the word gospel was used in the world of Jews at the time of the apostles to
announce something, to declare something as good news — the word evangelion
always means good news. “To gospel” is to herald, to proclaim, and to declare
something about something. To put this together: the gospel is to announce good
news about key events in the life of Jesus Christ. To gospel for Paul was to tell,
announce, declare, and shout aloud the Story of Jesus Christ as the saving news of
God.” (Scot McKnight, King Jesus Gospel)
In three words, the gospel is Jesus is Lord. In one word, the gospel is Jesus.
Today we begin a new series, The Gospel Truth, looking at Jesus.
The Fourfold Gospel
Last week I mentioned A.B. Simpson, the founder of The Christian & Missionary Alliance, our denomination. After doing some research on his life a few years ago I was surprised to learn his influence not only in the C&MA but also the founding of the Assemblies of God and Foursquare denominations.
The Fourfold Gospel is the Christological summary on which the core values of The Alliance is based. Simpson saw Jesus as not only Savior—our focus today—but also his Sanctifier and Healer and Coming King. As we saw in the video earlier, it’s all about Jesus.
Who Is Jesus?
Last Sunday CNN began a series called Finding Jesus. I was pleasantly surprised at both its research and results. Part 2 will be shown tonight at 9 PM and you can view episodes at CNN.com.
Our faith is built upon Jesus—not a dream, not an idea…not even a book. It’s built upon a Person. I realize most of you are familiar with Jesus. If you’re like me you might be overly familiar with Him. This is a huge danger in any relationship. We can become so familiar and so comfortable with someone—a parent, spouse, child, friend—that we take them for granted and forget just how unique and special they are to us. That’s why we remember them by celebrating their birthday, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, or some other occasion.
Who is Jesus? So much can be said about Jesus. In fact, John concluded his biography of Jesus by saying
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (John 21:25)
There are, in fact, four biographies of Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We refer to them as the four gospels because they are good news. They are about Jesus.
Savior
This week I was talking with our daughter about her favorite names for children. People name their kids after movie stars, athletes, biblical characters, and for a host of other reasons. Ancient Hebrews chose names that would speak prophecy about the mission or character of their children.
When my parents named me Kirk, they liked the sound of the name, but also its meaning: “church dweller.” They were quite prophetic!
In a similar way Jesus was not simply a name Mary and Joseph liked, but one carefully chosen to convey His mission. An angel of the LORD came to Joseph and said of Mary:
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)
He is our Savior, saving us from our sins. Luke expressed this, as well, quoting Jesus:
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)
Romans 3:21-26
The third chapter of Romans provides us with one of the clearest portraits of Jesus as Savior.
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)
God loves us. We all sin and fall short of His standard of perfection. Jesus shed His blood and died on the cross to save us, to forgive us, to enable us to be reconciled to a perfect and holy God.
Because Jesus is our Savior.
- Our sins have been forgiven. (Colossians 1:14)
- We have peace with God. (Romans 5:1)
- We have been declared righteous. (Romans 5:19)
- We are new creatures. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
- We have eternal life. (John 3:16)
- We have been adopted by God. (Ephesians 1:5)
- His Holy Spirit lives in us. (Galatians 4:6)
- Jesus is our advocate. (1 John 2:1)
- Nothing can separate us from God’s love. (Romans 8:35)
- Death has no more power over us. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)
- We have an inheritance that can never perish. (1 Peter 1:3-5)
That’s quite a list! Which is the most meaningful to you?
Universal and Exclusive
Jesus is both a universal Savior and an exclusive Savior. John 3:16 says
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
God loves the whole world and died for the whole world, but salvation is for those who believe in Jesus.
By the way, believe is not something simply done in your head, like you might believe in the Easter Bunny or that the Detroit Lions will win the next Super Bowl. Biblical belief requires action. It’s like believing a parachute will work and therefore you jump out of the airplane. You believe the odd-looking food is nourishing so you eat it. Faith is never passive.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Contrary to what contemporary culture tells us, there are not multiple paths to God. There is only one—Jesus Christ. Only One died for us. Only One conquered sin and death. Only One is alive thousands of years later!
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
This is, admittedly, politically incorrect. It can be downright offensive, except for the fact that Jesus died of all. He offers Himself as a gift to all…who receive the gift.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (John 1:9-13)
In his book Radical, David Platt tells of a conversation outside a Buddhist temple in Indonesia with a Buddhist leader and a Muslim leader. One said, “We may have different views about small issues, but when it comes down to essential issues, each of our religions is the same.” Platt said, “It sounds as though you both picture God (or whatever you call god) at the top of a mountain. It seems as if you believe that we are all at the bottom of the mountain, and I may take one route up the mountain, you may take another, and in the end we will all end up in the same place.” They smiled as I spoke. Happily they replied, “Exactly! You understand!” Then I leaned in and said, “Now let me ask you a question. What would you think if I told you that the God at the top of the mountain actually came down to where we are? What would you think if I told you that God doesn’t wait for people to find their way to him, but instead he comes to us?” They thought for a moment and then responded, “That would be great.” I replied, “Let me introduce you to Jesus.”
This is the gospel. The gospel is Jesus. He is our Savior who lived and died and rose for us. He offers each of us Himself as the greatest gift, a gift we can reject or receive.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
We don’t deserve it; that’s grace, unmerited favor. It’s amazing!
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