Profaning The Sacrifice Of Christ--Morality

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All right, what are we going to do today? I�m thinking about the death of Christ. I�m thinking about proper sacrifices and it�s all stemming from the

Malachi series here at Bethlehem Bible Church in central Massachusetts. And Malachi is after priests who receive lame, blind sacrifices from the people.

They should have said, you know, can�t accept these and you�ve got a heart problem if you�re trying to give a sacrifice that�s improper.

We won�t take these, bring us a good sacrifice. And so, as I preach,

I mean, I could just talk about Israel all day and Judah and sacrifices and Leviticus and Torah and Deuteronomy, same thing.

But I�m thinking also as a New Testament person, as a Christian, what does this tell me about the sacrifice of Jesus?

I don�t want to think in a way that would defame what Christ did.

I mean, it is the most amazing event in the universe. It is a historical event, yes, dust and wood and blood and darkness, right, centurion, people, nails, but it�s also a theological event.

And so, we have to think rightly about the death of Christ. If there�s anything to think rightly about, wouldn�t it be the death of Christ?

Now, you might say, �Well, I�ve got to think rightly about sin first because if I think sin is a disease, an illness, then

I�m not going to need the Savior.� Well, that�s true, but the one event that you need to make sure you get theologically, that you understand, is the death of Christ.

And of course, I would not minimize his life because he had to do this and live, he had to perfectly obey,

I understand that, but just theologically speaking, his passive obedience, his death on the cross, needs to be thought of properly.

And so, today is part three, how not to profane the death of Christ. What not to do.

I mean, there�s nothing you could do, it�s already done, of course, but in terms of thinking about it, the object of your faith is

Jesus Christ, and what he did at Calvary is very, very important. It�s the pinnacle.

Even death, he became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross, as Philippians 2 would talk about.

So, today we�re going to talk about profaning the death of Jesus, profaning the sacrifice of Christ, if you treat it as not needed, if you treat it as unnecessary.

Now, we�ve talked in the past about evacuating the love of the Father when it comes to the sacrifice of the

Son, we�ve talked about Jesus Christ� death is profaned when you think it�s not adequate, there�s something else you need to do, something else needs to be done to you, so if you�ve got the mass or purgatory, and today we�re going to talk about if you teach the death of Christ as not needed, as unnecessary, kind of like you can get to heaven without it.

And the main way this happens in Evangelicalism today is through moralism, so we�re going to talk the rest of the show about moralism and how we want to avoid that blemishing of the death of Christ.

And so, the best place to start is Galatians chapter 2, verse 20 and 21.

Paul writes, �I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, if you could be right with God through doing something, then

Christ died for no purpose.� So if you could get to heaven by being good, why kill

Jesus? That would be dumb, that would be stupid to use the

ESV study Bible, that�d be pointless. You just go out there and merit your own salvation.

You just get your own salvation. You could earn your own salvation.

And so, what happens today? Most Evangelicals, of course, they�re going to say they believe in the death of Christ, but their preaching betrays their belief in the death of Christ, because their sermons are a continual regurgitation of moral improvement.

And so we�ve got human behavior that needs to be altered, and so you give moral instruction, but not from the gospel, not because of the gospel, not powered by the gospel.

See, moralism, you might recognize, is found in the Bible. Where was moralism found in the

Bible? I mean, you know, Mike, you�re going against moralism, but it is found in the Bible. Well, it�s found in the

Bible, in Matthew 23, by the Pharisees. They�re the ones who do it. They�re the ones who teach it.

They�re the ones who are outwardly beautiful, but internally full of dead men�s bones and uncleanness, and they appear outwardly as righteous, but inwardly full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

And so we have people today who teach moralistic messages.

And I think to myself, who were the people who killed

Jesus? Immoral ones? Of course it�s the ultimate immorality to kill Jesus, but as John MacArthur says, immoral people didn�t blaspheme and cry for Christ�s death.

Immoral people didn�t plot His execution. The harlots, thieves, and murderers didn�t do it. The religious people did.

That�s the curse of morality. Moral, religious, self -righteous people, confident they are holy in themselves, are utterly deceived into believing that Satan has nothing to do with them, and they have no vigilance or protection, and they can be swarmed by demonic hosts.

So what�s moralistic preaching? You�ve got a pastor, and he makes some application, some things to do, and if you do these things you�re going to be all set.

We are wanting some behavior, righteous behavior, moral behavior, without talking about the death of Christ as necessary, without discussing the expectations of these things in light of the cross of Christ.

That�s what moralism is. Of course you can tell people to do something, to be something.

I can get that. I understand that. But if you just tell people simply every week, here�s how you are to be honest, here�s how you�re to be a good husband, here�s how you�re to tell the truth, here�s how you�re to be a good citizen, here�s how you�re to do such and such.

I mean, don�t they get that at the Unitarian Church? Don�t Muslims talk about that?

Isn�t that true? Yes, it�s true. So we�ve got to make sure we tie moral imperatives to the gospel, to the work of Christ.

Because if not, why do you even need it? Why do you even need the death of Christ? Just tell people to be honest and whatever particular bit of morality that you find hot for the day, talk about it.

John Owen, the great Puritan Congregationalist, who had some Baptistic tendencies, in my opinion, he writes about moralism in his book,

The Mortification of Sin. �Many who have more light and knowledge of the gospel also insist on and prescribe the same false teachings about mortification.

They have their outside endeavors, bodily exercises, self -performances, and mere legal duties without the least mention of Christ or His Spirit.

In the swelling words of vanity, they press over the only means for the true mortification of sin.

They show their deep -rooted blindness to the power of God and the mystery of the gospel. This is one of the most important reasons for this discourse, the mortification of sin.�

I almost said a spin. Who�s on that show? �Can sin be truly killed ,�

Owen goes on, �without an interest in the death of Christ and the work of the Spirit? If such directions should prevail to change men�s lives, as seldom they do, they never will reach to the change of their hearts.

They just make men self -justified or hypocrites and not Christians.� So, what do we do?

Do we ever give a command from the pulpit? Of course we do. I�m not saying that.

That�s not the point. But we need to make sure we�re proclaiming Jesus Christ, as Phil Johnson would say, proclaiming

Christ as the center and focus of everything God�s Word has to say.

And so, how do you profane the death of Christ? You just preach it as you don�t even need it. So, what do you do?

Well, you maybe talk about Jesus at the very beginning, and then you never return to Him or His death.

It�s kind of like the national anthem at a sporting event. They don�t return to the national anthem back in the third quarter, fourth period, second half.

No, you got to get that out of the way. That�s like the preliminary. And so, if you�re preaching morality all the time, even if it�s a biblical morality, right?

Husbands love your wives. You tie it to the death of Christ as Christ loved the church, Ephesians chapter 5.

When you say, �Be honest and tell the truth and don�t lie.� Those things in Ephesians chapter 4 are in a context of, here�s who you are in Christ, right?

Chapters 1, 2, and 3 exist. Billy Sunday was a famous personality.

I almost called him a preacher, but I don�t know. And he wrote a sermon or preached a sermon called Boston Booze.

And you know, I live close to Boston, and I gave up booze. Who talks like that?

Who calls it booze anymore? I gave up booze until they repealed the 18th amendment.

No, until they didn�t repeal it, they gave the 18th amendment. Is that right? 18th amendment? I think that�s the 18th amendment because I used to go to a bar when

I was a younger boozer called the 18th amendment. I think we celebrated. In the old

Bibles, by the way, I have some old family Bibles that I purchased over the years. And they actually have a temperance pledge.

So you pledge to be temperant, temperant, temperant, temperant, temperant, temperant.

And oh, anyway, you can drink if you like.

I just, I know my personality. I don�t, I can�t do it. I can�t just have one, just a bullet of coffee for me, that�s it.

So Billy Sunday is preaching a sermon about booze and minimal Jesus, minimal sin, minimal grace.

I will read some of his sermon. By the way, to preach a sermon, you don�t really have to say anything about Jesus.

Sunday, the saloon is the sum of all villainies. It is worse than the war or pestilence.

It�s the crime of crimes. It is the parent of crimes and the mother of sins. It is the appalling source of misery and crime in the land and the principal cause of crime.

It is the source of three -fourths of the taxes to support that crime. And to the license such an incarnate fiend of hell is the dirtiest, low -down, damnable business on top of this old earth.

Insert my, my moving in a funny caricature way of Billy Sunday that�s no caricature if you�ve seen him live.

There is nothing to be compared to it, Billy Sunday. So morality is going to manifest itself as, you know, once in a while probably talking about Jesus, but he�s kind of like a therapist, he�s kind of a

Dr. Phil, he�s an example, he solves problems, but he�s not portrayed as prophet, priest, and king.

We have to make sure that we discuss who Jesus is, for as Hoekstra said, a sermon without Christ is no sermon.

I�d much rather focus on who Jesus is, as John Calvin did in the preface to Olivetan�s 1535 translation of the

Bible. Calvin, without the gospel, everything is useless and vain.

Without the gospel, we are not Christians. Without the gospel, all riches is poverty, all wisdom, folly before God.

Strength is weakness, and all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God.

But by the knowledge of the gospel, we are made children of God, brothers of Jesus Christ, fellow townsmen with the saints, citizens of the kingdom of heaven, heirs of God with Jesus Christ, by whom the poor are made rich, the weak strong, the fools wise, the sinners justified, the desolate comforted, the doubting sure, and slaves free.

Calvin says the gospel is the word of life and truth. It is the power of God for salvation for all those who believe, and the key to the knowledge of God, which opens the door of the kingdom of heaven to the faithful by releasing them from sins, and closes it to the unbelievers, binding them in their sins.

Blessed are all they who hear the gospel and keep it, for in this way they show that they are children of God.

Woe to those who will not hear it and follow it, because they are the children of the devil.

So in light of that, let's make sure that we tether all moral exhortations to the work of Christ.

That's all we have to do. And as Colossians says, him we proclaim,

Colossians 1 .28, that's what Paul does. Him we proclaim. I mean, it was years ago,

Ladies Home Journal, Rick Warren scores a monthly column in that journal.

I don't think it's still there, but the March column back in the day was Learn to Love Yourself.

We have Rick Warren, the most famous pastor in maybe the world, Saddleback Community Church, and the column is

Learn to Love Yourself. Here's how the column begins. This is all moralism, by the way. Self -esteem still wobbly after all these years, these five simple truths will show you that you don't need to be perfect to be priceless.

That is profaning the sacrifice of Christ, makes a blemish on his sacrifice.

Oh, what are the five you say? Rick Warren, Ladies Home Journal, Accept Yourself, Love Yourself, So Far By The Sea, by the way,

I'd much rather have boo sermons. Be true to yourself, forgive yourself, believe in yourself, and here's how the article ends.

I mean, this is just sick, it's pathetic. You can't believe what others say about you, or you can't believe in yourself as God does, who says you are truly acceptable, lovable, valuable, and capable.

There's not one soul on earth who talks like that, that I respect.

That is moralistic, psychological, drivel, dribble, whatever word you want to use, that is awful.

That's moralism. That's a damning thing. Accept yourself, love yourself, be true to yourself, forgive yourself, believe in yourself, and you know what?

And yourself don't need no Jesus dying on the cross. Paul, Him we proclaim.

It's a constant, present tense, Colossians 1, ongoing, habitual, we proclaim

Him. Timothy, Paul, Epaphras, we proclaim

Him. That's the difference between the false teachers at Colossae and Paul and his cadre.

They, Paul and his men, they proclaim Christ. The false teachers don't.

What's the sum of the ministry of a Christian preacher, of an evangelist? Him we proclaim.

Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the Mediator. Jesus is the Advocate. Jesus is the

Captain. Jesus is the Savior. Barnhouse, if Satan really were to take over a city, the following would happen.

The bars would close. No alcohol would be sold. There would be happy marriages and well -behaved children.

No crime. Everyone would be in churches on Sunday where Christ is not preached.

So we give the indicatives of the gospel. As Mason said, the triumphant indicatives, these are statements of fact about what

Jesus did. And in light of that, here's what you are to do. And we just keep preaching the same thing over and over and over.

Luther, we always preach Jesus, the true God and man. This may seem a limited and monotonous subject, likely to soon be exhausted, but we are never at the end of it.

And so I was reading a blog quite some time ago by a guy named Thorne. And I forgot his first name.

Jim, maybe? And he talks about when you are discussing moral things, how do you tie in the gospel to these, you know, be honest, be faithful, tell the truth, work hard.

You know, there are some things like that where, of course, we as Christians need to be told about those things. He gives some good little hints.

One is Jesus atoned for our failure in this command. So when we don't tell the truth, make sure you tie it in to say,

Jesus did tell the truth. I mean, excuse me, Jesus did die for that sin of not telling the truth. Secondly, Thorne says,

Jesus fulfilled this command for us. And so he's our righteousness, 1 Corinthians 1, verse 30.

And so he did tell the truth. So Jesus, number one, paid for our sins of not telling the truth.

Secondly, he told the truth in our place and we get credit for those things, right? That Jesus did in our place as a representative man,

Jesus, alive in him, my living head, as Wesley would say.

And thirdly, Thorne says, Jesus empowers us to live out this command. And so that comes through Jesus's spirit, the

Holy Spirit. You can live a godly life, a holy life because of the power of Jesus and his life.

And so, no compromise radio today. We've been talking about the deadly sin of moralism.

Just telling people what would Jesus do, that could be moralistic. And more specifically, not announcing

Jesus Christ, not proclaiming him, just telling people to do things.

And again, I think most evangelical churches, there's going to be a cross in the church and they're going to say something about Jesus.

But if you're not careful, you take the Bible and it's now, as Horton says, turned into a handbook for life.

And it's a question and answer kind of thing. You know, like the Pharisees would go to Jesus. It's a trivial pursuit game.

Hey, somebody got married, somebody got divorced. Can they remarried? What about husband one, two, three, four, five, six?

Hey, who really is the sinner here? Did this guy sin? Did his parents sin? Did somebody else sin?

Did society sin? Is it a lack of medicine? Let's just find all these things out versus talking about the gospel of the

Lord Jesus Christ and that he is the one that the Old Testament pointed to and the

New Testament obviously proclaimed. We just go around telling people to be moral, to tell the truth, to be a good neighbor.

Don't bully people. We're going to sound like Muslims. We're going to sound like Hindus. We're going to sound like Jews.

We're going to sound like all kinds of people. One man said, you must not exhort your congregation to do whatever the

Bible requires of them as though they could fulfill the requirements on their own, but only as a consequence of the saving power of the cross and the indwelling sanctifying power and presence of Christ in the person of the

Holy Spirit. All edificational preaching to be Christian must fully take into consideration

God's grace in salvation and sanctification. To that, yes and amen.

My name is Mike Abendroth. This is No Compromise Radio. See you on Twitter at NoCoRadio. See you at Facebook.

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