1689 London Baptist Confession (part 15)

Heavenly Father, we thank you and praise you for The many kindnesses and Just the goodness you have shown us by sending the Lord Jesus Christ Second person of the Trinity to live a perfect life Die a substitutionary death and be raised on the third day that we might Have our sins forgiven be declared righteous and look forward to spending spending eternity in your presence.

Father as we look to your word look to what it says about you and about us. Would you bless each one here? We pray in Jesus name. Amen. Well, we we spent last week talking about covenants and You know, I wanted to find a skippy chart With covenants in it and I didn't really find one that I liked so so you don't get a chart.

Sorry. And we're talking about the the covenant of works the covenant of redemption the covenant of grace and really we focused on the covenant of grace and We're going to get to talk about Jesus this morning, which is always good.

We're gonna start just by Reviewing momentarily and then finishing off the section about covenants. And See We talked about the fact that there is a single covenant of grace in all the ages. And what does that mean?

That means that God has always saved and what I asked the question last week has God always saved in the same way and There is the idea that there was a separate way of salvation for the Jews. That salvation came by what how were people saved in the Old Testament by?

Obeying the law and that the problem with that is who obeys the law. Just police officers. Nobody else. Oh, that's if somebody could fully keep the law that would Jesus have to die. If somebody had the ability to keep the law then would Christ have to die and the answer would be no.

I mean God could still do that. But that the point is that nobody can keep the law and we talked about how? It is a tutor, you know, it's used to show us our Sinfulness, and it was interesting. I Facebook is kind of an interesting thing.

Somebody was a Semi-famous pastor was opposed to this Nashville cut statement. How many heard about the Nashville statement came out last week? Several of you but basically all the Nashville statement did was this.

It affirmed that all good country music comes from no it did not sound so silly. The Nashville statement affirmed Biblical biblical sexuality it said Basically God approves of sex between a man and a woman within the covenant of marriage period right everything else is sinful and You know people are like well, why should he make a statement like that went this pastor?

I think he's down in North Carolina Said that he didn't like the statement and here was his rationale. That he is about building Bridges and not walls and I thought okay now I Don't want to get political, but that sounds like something a politician might say I'm about building bridges not walls, you know, just kind of lame.

This isn't. And his his point was, you know, he didn't want to cut anybody off specifically the homosexual community. So I got into this discussion with a person not this pastor, but with this person who's saying, you know, I'm like We have to understand what the bad news before we get The good news.

Well, why is that? Why do we have to give the bad news before we give the good news? The good news isn't good news unless there's bad news, right? I mean who cares what the stock market's doing if you know your investment of baseball cards is tripling daily.

You know, you don't care. Is it tripling daily Corey? Okay. The point is and and this is the point of the law because nobody can keep the law. Nobody can keep the Covenant of Works. Nobody can do that.

So therefore We need good news. We're all lawbreakers in this Nashville statement. All it was really saying was everybody who's Having sex outside of the Covenant of Marriage is a lawbreaker and they need to repent believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Right, they need repentance. So this whole idea, you know that that's building walls not bridges we should reach out and everything and I'm like this person ultimately said that She was one to Christ through diplomacy and tact and I thought Well, I don't know who anybody who was ever one to Christ so to speak.

You know by just being beaten about the head and shoulders, you know. You know Westboro Baptist. I don't think they get a lot of converts running around Doing what they do for those of you who know who they are.

They're the people who protest funerals and stuff like that. But is it really diplomacy and tact that wins somebody to Christ is it being nice to them and you know not pointing out their sin that brings them to Christ and the answer is No, what brings them to Christ now?

We don't want to be offensive, right? We don't want to unnecessarily offend someone like carrying signs that say God hates This group or that group of the other group. I mean the truth is does God hate homosexuals more than he hates other people?

And you're like God hates people. Yes. The psalmist says so he hates people who are in patterns of sin, etc, etc. So does he hate homosexuals more than he hates other people and the answer is no, right?

And he wants all people to come repentance on all those things are true but the truth is if you're dealing with a person who's a homosexual a gambler an alcoholic an Adulterer a liar, whatever their sin is.

What do you do? During the course of the time that you're evangelizing them. You're eventually going to be even if you're not specifically confronting their sin. You're going to be confronting their sin by presenting what?

The truth or the truth about what? God's law. God's standard God's holiness right and his justice. And so therefore because God is holy because God is just. Because he has set this standard and you don't meet it.

Therefore you need the gospel. It's always been the case. There's never been anybody in the history of the world. Who's been saved other than by grace. You don't get saved by works not by your works anyway.

You get saved by the works of Christ and I guess by our sign this morning. We're to find that out this morning. But there is there's always been one way of salvation. That is to say by grace. By trusting in God that he would provide a means for salvation.

Before the cross that is to say for the Old Testament Saints. It was by faith in a Redeemer whose name they didn't know. Now we know and we understand exactly the means we understand the crucifixion on Calvary so now we get it so all that said always been a covenant of Grace that is to say that God would forgive if we believe.

Okay. So now I can turn the page. Just a couple of closing notes about that let's look at Luke 17. Luke 17 verses 5 to 10 and if somebody would read that please Luke 17 verses 5 to 10. So I I mean they're in in a kind of veiled way because that's what parables do right they they veil the truth.

But what do you suppose the what's the point of what Jesus is saying there? Is there ever a time where? We can say to God, you know for forgiving us for saving us and everything well God. You know what?

You really only did what was right. I Sort of had that coming. So Nobody that's just a bizarre idea, right? I mean, what is grace if grace is unmerited or demerited favor that we can never say. Well, you know it took you long enough to recognize how good I am.

But you know, hey the whole idea of kind of a Self-esteem or self Value or or whatever in in terms of Christianity is it backwards? The idea that God might be indebted to us or that he might see something worthy in us.

And therefore he saves us is just loopy, I mean what it. How did it conclude there? And This is kind of the idea that we ought to have about ourselves no matter what we're doing. At the end of the verse there we are unworthy servants.

We have only done. What was our duty? We're never worthy we're just Recipients of grace who then go out and exercise The the grace that's been granted to us. Basically, you know, that's what we do in everything.

The Christian life is about doing what it's about. Living in light of what has been done for us out of gratitude. And it concludes talking about The covenant of grace he says God's covenant is a matter of voluntary Condescension in order to bestow a gracious reward.

Divine condescension again the idea that God would owe us anything. No, in fact, he doesn't owe us anything, right? He stoops as it were to grant us his favor. So everything that he does is a matter of grace.

Any questions about the covenants? I mean, I really do need to find a skippy handout. I thought about doing a quiz, but we're not going to do that this week. Because I I want us to understand the concepts of you know Covenant of works and covenant of grace and those kind of things any thoughts or questions.

If not, okay, then we'll talk about Christ the mediator the person of Jesus Christ and It's interesting and you'll see why this is true. But I'll go ahead and ask it anyway. Why do you suppose? That the nature of Jesus Christ would consume Scholars and theologians for the first eight centuries of church history.

Why would there be so much debate over the nature of Jesus Christ? You're like I didn't even know there was eight centuries with it. Well, probably because you haven't been watching the Discovery Channel.

Pastor Bob is exactly right and let me just kind of summarize what he said. He said and I haven't my notes. Well, I wrote a little bit different. The idea of Jesus is so mind-boggling because what do people try to do when they don't understand something?

Compare it to something they do know so here we have Jesus Christ who is Truly God and truly man. And so the error pastor Bob was talking about is they try to make him like Just like one of us or they try to make him so transcendent that he's nothing like us and both are wrong.

And the way I wrote it here was he is here are the errors, you know, he is God but God only He is man, but man only He is not God and man but he's in other words separate natures, but he he's God and man the nature's mixed with some result that he's Neither fully God nor fully man.

So he's like 65 God. He's a demigod or he's you know, semi-human or however you want to describe him. But the truth is he's the God man. Truly God and truly man one person with two distinct natures, you know the way people Describe it is he's 100 God and 100 man.

100 plus 100 equals 100 which is confusing and that's why 800 years were spent debating it. And we still have heretics today and we'll get into a little bit more about that. But first we have to understand the deity of Christ.

So some truths about that. He received worship. Let's look at John 9 34 to 38. John 9 34 to 38. The man born blind and this is the conclusion of that whole Pericope because I just like to say that word as often as I can.

Anybody want to spell pericope never mind, okay John John 9 34 to 38. Would somebody read that please? Okay now This is this is after the man born blind has been cast out of the synagogue he's been unsynagogued and Jesus goes and finds him and and talks to him and The man worships Jesus now if Jesus is not God.

What should be his response when the man worships him, okay, and if he failed if he again just go with the Condition here if he's not God and he fails to stop that man. Then he's sinning and therefore He's not God, right?

He disqualifies himself from being God because he sinned and he can no longer be the sinless sacrifice who dies on behalf of others. So, I mean there's a lot involved there, but the truth is he receives that worship.

Why? Because he's entitled to it. Because he's entitled to it as God. As referred to with divine titles in Scripture Divine works and characteristics are attributed to him. Several proves of Deity. Let's go to work we're gonna kind of do a little Bible study time here quickly.

Let's do first John 520. First John 520 some. You know WD 40 as Pastor Mike likes to say On our scriptures first John 520. And we're gonna start from the back and work our way forward. I mean, there are many places we could go to see this but first John 520 and who has that?

Okay, Jesus Christ is the true God and eternal life. Let's go to. Well, I mean Philippians 2 5 6 we could say that this shows Equality with God is the thing not a thing to be grasped. He is equal with God.

Let's go to Hebrews 1 8 9. Hebrews 1 8 9 so again Deity is attributed to the Sun there Titus 2 13, I mean there are a multitude of passages we could go to. I'm just going to a smattering of them and You know now we have forever smattering on the internet, so Titus 2 13.

Okay. There you go. Link together there with the Granville Sharpe rule. Great God and Savior. Okay, so enough. Well, I mean we can demonstrate the deity of Christ in a number of places. But important that we understand that he is clearly Delineated as God in Scripture.

Now, let's talk about the humanity of Christ. The humanity of Christ and Waldron gives us seven arguments for the humanity of Christ. I mean I did a Sunday school series about that book from dr. Bruce Ware, but just I like his summary of it.

He first notes the that Jesus Christ is man because the Old Testament promised us the Old Testament prophets promised us a Human being as a Savior and I mean we can start with Genesis 3 15, right? We've gone to that verse over and over again where God is addressing Satan and What does he what does he tell him there?

Why would we presume that it's going to be a human being. Our Savior is going to be a human and it's right in Genesis 315 addressing Satan. God says I will put enmity between you Satan and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring.

He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. So the offspring of Eve meaning not having the Human DNA of Adam as it were is going to be the Savior. How about Micah 5 2. Micah 5 2. Micah 5 2 who has that who's an Old Testament scholar.

Pauline. Well, she you raise your hand so I presume. Okay, so it's not hard to see that when we read, you know, this Christmas verse here. We would read that and see that from Bethlehem. Bethlehem with the last name.

That the ruler of The the future ruler of Israel would be and the ancient of days here Would be a human being somebody born in Bethlehem. Isaiah 714 we know that one another Christmas verse. Isaiah had nine six and seven another one.

Let's go to Isaiah 52. Isaiah 52 and I'll read this one here because it's a little lengthy if You get to Jeremiah you've gone too far. Isaiah 52 starting in verse 13. Behold, my servant shall act wisely.

He shall be high and lifted up and shall be exalted as many. Were astonished at you. His appearance was so marred beyond human semblance and his form beyond that of the children of mankind. So shall he sprinkle many nations.

Kings shall shut their mouths because of him for that which has not been told them They shall see and that which they have not heard they understand. Who has believed what he has heard from us and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a tender or like a young plant. I want to read the NAS and like a root out of dry ground. He had no form or majesty that we should look at him and no beauty that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men a man of sorrows and Acquainted with grief and as one from whom men hide their faces. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he has our he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows yet.

We esteemed him stricken Smitten by God and afflicted but he was wounded for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace and with his stripes.

We are healed all. We like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet. He opened not his mouth.

Like a lamb that is led to slaughter and like a sheep that before it shears is silent. So he opened not his mouth by oppression and judgment. He was taken away and as for his generation who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living stricken for the transgression of my people and They made a grip made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death.

Although he had done no violence and there was no deceit in his mouth. We and I could go on and on but the point is this is obviously describing the life of a man. But it's also describing the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So we have the promise of a man. He had to be a man in order to fulfill Old Testament prophecy. Second argument is he has the designation of a man. In other words, he's given the title of a man and he remains a Human fully human even after the resurrection.

Let's look at. Let's go to the book of Acts and we'll start with Acts 2 22. Who wrote the book of Acts by the way? Pastor Bob you can't answer that question. You can yes Luke is correct. I Keep waiting for somebody say acts, but you know good for you guys that you didn't you didn't say that.

Well, I mean, you know who wrote the Gospel of John. John who wrote the Gospel of Mark. Mark, you know. Who wrote the book of Acts acts? Okay, this is gonna Acts 2 22. Okay. So again Given the the designation as a man.

Nobody would dispute that. Let's look at just a couple more quickly. We'll just stay in the book of Acts. How about acts 1338? Okay true this man. And One last one, how about Acts 1730 this would be on Mars Hill Paul's sermon up there.

And I'll just read this one. He says the times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands All people everywhere to repent and then that must be a typo because it should be 1731, right? Or did I read it wrong?

Yeah, it's a typo 1731. Because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man. Whom he has appointed and of this he has given assurance by raising him from the dead so again clearly designated as a man and also We have the resurrection resurrection there.

Okay, so that's the second argument promise of a man designation of a man and now the consciousness of a man or Just the mindset of a man. He notes Waldron does that Jesus uses the title of himself son of man 80 times 80 times and Let's turn to John chapter 8 to see this mindset of a man that Jesus in fact Thinks like a human being does Thinks of himself as a man.

I guess we should say I should say Acts or I'm sorry, John 8 39 and 40 and who would read that place? John 8 39 and 40. Okay. So again, he just refers to himself as a man. So fourth argument he also has the appearance of a man.

So people don't perceive him as being anything other than a man. What are the woman at the well. Say to when she figures out who Jesus is and she goes into her village. There what does she say to them?

I'll just give you a hint. It's in John 4 29. She says come see a Man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ? Let's look at John 7 verses 46 to 51. John 7 46 to 51. The officers answered quote.

No one ever spoke like this man. The Pharisees answered them. Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.

Nicodemus who had gone to him before this is the teacher of all of Israel and who was one of them meaning one of the Pharisees said to them does our law judge a man. Without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does so clearly others who interacted with him perceived him as being a man.

Fifth argument. He had the body of a man. Mark 14 8 says. When he is anointed with oil. He says she has done what she could. She had anointed my or has anointed my body. Beforehand before burial he had a body.

Argument number six. He had the soul of a man. Soul of a man. He's gonna prove this and this. Well He'll get to the importance of it in a minute, but let's just establish the fact that he had a soul. He suffered.

Spiritually he suffered in Gethsemane now. This is not where he suffered for sins, but let's look at Matthew 26. And I say that only because the Mormons believe that this is where he suffered for sins.

Did he suffer yes? But his suffering here is emotional and internal not eternal internal. Matthew 26 verses 36 to 39. Would somebody read that please? 26 36 to 39. Okay now Waldron cited that because he wants to make a specific point.

Why is it important that he has a soul. Jesus says that he has a soul. Why. Let's look at James 2 26. James 2 26. And he and he pulls an implication out of here that is absolutely correct, but it's probably not something we would ordinarily consider James 2 26.

Okay now this is this is kind of hard. There's a gold star in this for somebody who gets this right? Why what does this verse have to do with the idea that? Jesus had a soul, and why is this important?

We already know that he had a soul, but why is it important that he had a human soul yes Cory? I need a gold star. Without a soul he could not die. Because if imagine let's put it this way if he's only God and he doesn't have a human soul.

Then what happens on the cross an empty body basically dies. But God still lives the human soul had to die that he might be a sacrifice. Says for as the body apart from the spirit is dead so Body and soul are divided right that's death.

That had to happen otherwise Jesus didn't really die a human death. He also any questions about that it's a little little bank shoddy, you know a little implication stuff. Let's look at John 19 verse 30.

John 19 verse 30. Yes. Yes, that would be helpful, or you know actually I believe the ushers are handling out Signal flares if you all right John 1930 and who would read that please and gave up his spirit not just you know he didn't he didn't give up the fight.

He didn't you know just stop his human existence. He experienced that separation of body and soul. Okay, so he had the soul of a man. He also had and This falls under the soul of a man how many he was being fully human he had human emotions.

Some of the emotions we see. From the life of Jesus. Can you think of any? Some of the emotions that are demonstrated to us in Scripture. Yeah Jesus wept John 1135 every you know if you're paying your kids to memorize Scripture.

That's their favorite verse. Yes. Yeah, it's a it's easy money right other emotions compassion. Right I what does he say about or what does Scripture say about when the rich young ruler leaves? What's that?

Jesus is grieved for him right because he has compassion for me. Has affection for him. What are their emotions do we see out of the Lord Jesus Christ. Anger anger you know no is it righteous anger or sinful anger.

Anything else how about exasperation you ever get exasperated? Yeah, I mean, I think yeah, I think that's fair to say stress. Let's look at mark 8 12 mark 8 12 well effect. Let's read 11 because we we need to set up.

You know for the punchline the Pharisees came and began to argue with him seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him and He sighed deeply in his spirit and said why does this generation seek a sign?

Truly I say to you no sign will be given to this generation. What do you think is kind of? Signified there I Just think he's kind of. You know he sighed like it's kind of like really are we really doing this again.

You know. So that's the really you know he had that emotion to really. Was he tempted and why why is it important that he had a soul in terms of temptation. Let's look at James 1 13 and again. This is an implication, but I think it's a necessary implication of the text James 1 13 and when somebody read that please.

You know this side really has not been pulling its weight here this morning. Yes, okay, God cannot be tempted by evil. What do we know about Jesus? That he was tempted so he had to have a human soul in order to be Tempted if he was simply God then there would be no temptation.

God cannot be tempted. We also know that his human soul developed. He learned and grew and and all that I Don't want to Cover that one in particular again, so he had a human soul and the seventh argument that Waldron makes for the The fact that he was a man is he had the limitations of a man voluntarily entering his creation and subjecting himself to Human limitations.

Can you think of some of the limitations he subjected himself to? Fatigue he got tired right hunger thirst. I Mean we could I mean I I just think you know there are a number of things that he gentler.

Yeah. One place I mean you know just like the rest of us one place at a time even though He never ceased being God, and you know presumably he could have been Universal at the same time he was all in one location.

I mean this is the this is the reason why people argued for eight centuries is because The the nature of Christ is kind of mind-boggling. I mean I well let's put it this way. Here's another one you know true or false Jesus was bound by gravity.

It's mostly true, right? It's mostly true, but I think when he walks on the water you have to say well wait a minute. You know they're. You know he wasn't exactly always limited by gravity. But yeah, he took on the limitations of a of a human being.

I think we'll stop there any questions or comments before we close. Because I don't want to go on to the next section here. Okay, let's close father. We just Thank you as we consider the nature of Jesus Christ his Willingness.

Even we might say his eagerness to submit himself to your will and to Humbly come to earth and take on An additional nature as a man to subject himself to the limitations that we all have Even to temptation and yet to never give in to temptation to to remain sinless father truly the nature of Jesus is Amazing to think fully God Fully man truly God truly man the sinless Sin bearer the one who the substitute who would pay the price for our sins father.

We praise you for him and Lord would you bless each one here as we consider? What a great Savior we have in Christ Jesus, and it's in his name. We pray amen.