Sermon for Lord's Day September 17, 2023 The Exclusivity of the Christian Religion

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Sermon for Lord's Day September 17, 2023 The Exclusivity of the Christian Religion

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In the psalms we read and hear the psalmist declare, O Lord, our
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Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. And that is the cry of our hearts this morning as we come before your throne, dear
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God, as we worship you today, magnifying you and the great work that you have done.
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Lord, you are creator, redeemer and sustainer. You made the heavens and the earth by the power of your own word.
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You gave your son to be the propitiation for our sins. He died on that cross bearing the weight and the guilt of our sin, bearing the wrath of God on our behalf.
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And Lord, we know according to the word that he was risen and we know according to the word that you were raised on the third day,
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Jesus, and we worship you. Lord, we recognize that according to your word that you ascended, when you ascended on high, you laid captivity captive.
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You gave gifts unto men. You sent the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to lead and to guide and to direct us.
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And so, Holy Spirit, we worship you. Lord, we pray that the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts would be acceptable in your sight today as we stand once again,
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God, to try to proclaim your word. Keep a guard on my heart and my mind.
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Lord, I pray at the same time that you would give me clarity of thought, liberty with my mouth to speak forth the word of God, that the lost might be saved, that the saint would be edified, exhorted, and encouraged, and that we as a body would be built up together, a body as is indicated in your word, fitly framed together, and that we come to a more excellent and a better knowledge and understanding of who you are and what you have done, that we might be,
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Lord, we might proclaim the gospel rightly to those who would hear it.
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For it is in Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen. Stand with us, if you would, to honor the reading of God's word this morning.
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Luke chapter 24, verse 44 through verse 51.
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These are the words of the living God. Then he said to them,
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These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the
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Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them,
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Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem.
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You are witnesses of these things, and behold, I am sending the promise of my father upon you, but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.
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And he led them out as far as Bethany and lifting up his hands, he blessed them, and while he blessed them, he departed from them and was carried up into heaven.
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Thus far is the reading of God's holy word. You may be seated this morning. You're taking notes and would like to put a header on your notes this morning.
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The header that I've placed on my notes this morning are this.
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It is a statement and then a parenthetical statement for specificity, but the general title is the exclusivity of the
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Christian faith. The exclusivity of the Christian faith. And in parentheses,
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Judaism and Christianity are not the same. So the exclusivity of the
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Christian faith. Yes, I recognize that we did not really exposit or talk much about the verses in this body of text that we read last week and that we read today.
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Particularly last week, we focused on the ascension itself, but again, it is very important that we do our best not to leave any exposition out or undone.
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And so our focus, our intent today is as we look particularly and primarily from verse 45 to verse 49 in general, in specific this morning, we want to think about this and think about the importance of the fact that the
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Christian religion, the Christian faith is an exclusive faith.
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It is not an inclusive faith, meaning any and all and everything goes.
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So in our text today, we see the message that was, we see the message that is to be proclaimed as well, and we see that the message that is to be proclaimed is a simple message.
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Antinomianism, two words here I want you to make note of, antinomianism, which means no law, and legalism, which means basically all law.
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So no law and all law, antinomianism and legalism are both ditches.
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They are ditches that sit on opposite sides of the road and being in either of these ditches will lead to the death of your soul.
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It's very, very important that this is clear. If you live like there is no law, if you live like an antinomian, if you live like there is no law, you will be denying the goodness of God himself who gave us his good law.
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And if you live like there is only law and no grace, then you are guilty of trampling underfoot the shed blood of our savior and counting it as an unholy thing.
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So you see the ditches, antinomianism, no law, legalism, all law, both will lead the soul to death.
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But the biblical message of salvation, as we see in this text particularly, the biblical message of salvation is wholly and completely this.
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That people are justified by faith alone. You are justified and made right before God by faith alone.
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No one, no one is justified in the sight of God by works and no one is justified in the sight of God by works plus faith in Christ alone.
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You are justified before God based solely and only upon the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
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Having made that statement, I would ask you a question. Can a person be justified or considered righteous by keeping the law?
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The answer is no, correct. Law keeping and this term, and a lot of times folks will say, we're using scare quotes here, but this is important that we make a specific and intentional observation of this statement.
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Law keeping for salvation is a term that is used much by many outside of Christian circles.
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When you look to any religion in the world, you will find that the non -Christian religions always have it so that the responsibility on you is to do this or to do that in order for you to be considered right in the sight of God.
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So law keeping is a term used much outside of Christian circles. However, it is also, it is also seems to be the focus of talking some
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Christian circles today, which ought not to be so. The time for broad brushing and the time for speaking of anyone who calls himself a church or calls himself a
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Christian should come to an end. It ought not to be that Christian men, women, boys, and girls assume that just because somebody says they're
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Christian that they are Christian or just because a church claims to be a
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Christian church that they are a Christian church because it comes down to this.
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What is the message that is proclaimed? Is it the message of the
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Bible that the man is justified by faith alone in Christ alone? Or is it a message that says you must believe in Christ and do this?
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It is simply believe in Christ. So the time for broad brushing and calling everybody
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Christian should come to an end. Vance Hapner said this. Vance Hapner said, sleeping in a garage does not make you an automobile.
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Does everybody know that? Does anybody ever sleep in the garage? No, good. All right.
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That's one of those trick questions like we asked this morning during catechism in the email class. Just as being able to dribble a basketball and shoot, it doesn't mean that you're
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Michael Jordan, right? And just because a group or an individual tags the name
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Christian onto themselves does not make them Christians. It comes down to this.
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Are you saved by the grace of God and that alone? Because if you're trusting your faith plus works, you have no hope.
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You are carrying a load upon yourself that is unnecessary because the gospel is this, believe in Christ.
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That's it. So when I say that terms like this should not be used by the
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Christian church, this idea of law keeping for righteousness, for example, the
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Seven Day Adventist movement. Some people think that the Seven Day Adventist movement is a
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Christian church. They are not a Christian church. And I will tell you why today.
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The Seven Day Adventist movement is not Christian because they do not preach and proclaim justification by faith alone.
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Don't take my word for it. Let me read you what they say. They say this concerning the keeping of God's law and the saving work of Christ.
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This is a direct quote from the church. They say the keeping of these commandments comprises the whole duty of man.
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Sounds good so far, right? And it presents the conditions of eternal life.
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They go on. Now, the question is, will man comply with these requirements?
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Will he love God supremely and his neighbor as himself? There is no possible way for a man to do this in his own strength.
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Can we not say amen to that thus far? There is no way for a person to do this in their own strength.
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But listen closely to the follow -up statement. This statement is short, it's concise, and it's deadly.
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They say this. The divine power of Christ must be added to the effort of humanity.
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They are proclaiming a works -based salvation. Now, if you are a history buff, you know that this idea is not something novel.
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It's not something new. It's not something that's just come about. The Roman Catholic Church has taught this for hundreds of years.
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As a matter of fact, in the Council of Trent in 1563, in Canon 9, which has been recently affirmed by the
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Roman Catholic Church, they say this. If anyone says that by faith alone, the impious man is justified, in such a way as to mean that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to the obtaining the grace of justification, and that it is not in any way necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will, let him be anathema.
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What the Roman Catholic Church is saying is this. Let the person be damned who says they are saved by justification alone, apart from works.
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That is not the message of the Church that the Lord Jesus Christ established.
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The message of the Church of Jesus Christ, that the Lord Jesus Christ established, that we have preserved for us in the
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Word of God, the 66 books of the Old and the New Testament, is this, that man is justified by faith alone, apart from works.
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And this is what we intend to demonstrate to you today. Just on a personal note,
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I want to say that if ever there was a damnable doctrine, it is the doctrine of works -based salvation.
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It makes me want to throw up when I consider this doctrine.
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Literally, it makes me sick to my stomach. Why? Because the shed blood of Jesus Christ is belittled and he is demeaned.
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The work that he did on the cross, the life that he lived, the death that he died, the life that he rose to, the ascension to the
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Father, it is a belittling and a demeaning of what Christ has done.
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And if ever there is anything that ought to be treasured and ought to be cherished and ought to be clung and held closely to us, it is that death, burial, and resurrection of our
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Lord Jesus Christ. Going on, the trend in the church at large today, the trend in the church at large today seems to be leading toward a return to law -keeping as a means of measuring the righteousness of a nation and therefore a measurement of righteousness of individuals.
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First of all, point one here, first of all, a nation is made up of individual people.
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And that being said, with it being made up of individual people, each and every individual, including me, you, and everybody else that is breathing air today, we are inherently sinful.
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Plain language, we are rotten to the core. So, therefore, if each of us individually are sinful, then it becomes an absolute impossibility for the nation itself to be corporately considered righteous.
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Individuals are declared righteous before God. My righteousness does not count for you.
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I wish it could. Your righteousness does not count for me. I wish it could.
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But it cannot. Our righteous standing before a holy
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God depends solely upon Jesus Christ and him alone.
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The Apostle Paul writes to the Galatian church in Galatians chapter 5, beginning in verse 1, and this is what he says.
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And just for context here, the Galatian church was a church where folks, men and women, boys and girls,
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I'm assuming there, got saved by the grace of God, but they were constantly trying to fall back to the
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Jewish law. They were constantly trying to return to the
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Jewish law. And the Apostle Paul in chapter 5, verse 1, makes this statement. He says, for freedom,
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Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
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He's referring here to the law itself. The law itself, outside of the grace of God, brings nothing but death.
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Why? Because we are unable to fully keep the law, the holy righteous standard of God.
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It is a bondage. It is a yoke of slavery, Paul says. But Paul goes on to say, look,
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I, Paul, say to you that if circumcision, the practice of circumcision was included in the law, he said if you accept circumcision,
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Christ will be of no advantage to you. It's either the law or Christ, is what he says here.
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He goes on to say this, I testify again to you, every man who accepts circumcision, that he is obligated to keep the whole law.
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You are severed from Christ, who would be justified by the law.
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You have fallen away from grace. Again, this is not a statement that says they were saved and then lost.
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It's a statement that says if you hold to the law as righteousness, you have fallen so far away that there is no salvation for you because you keep wanting to cling to the law.
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When the grace of God has been given and shown forth to you. Going on, he says this, for through, or he says this, you who are severed from Christ, you would be justified by the law.
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You have fallen away from grace for through the spirit, through the spirit, that's through the work of the
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Holy Spirit, by faith, we learned in catechism this morning, right?
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That faith is what is given by God in the effectual call. We ourselves eagerly await for the hope of righteousness.
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And Paul goes on here and he says, for in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything.
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In reference to circumcision, he's talking about the Jew. In uncircumcision, he's talking about the
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Gentile. He says, it doesn't matter if you're circumcised or not circumcised. When it comes to your standing before a holy
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God, it is that are you justified by the grace of God? And he says, you were born so well, who hindered you from obeying the truth?
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This persuasion, and Paul makes again, very, very accusative, strong statement here.
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This persuasion is not from him who calls you. This persuasion is not from God who hindered you from obeying the truth.
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He said, a little leaven leavens the whole lung. But I have confidence that you will take no other view and that the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is, because there were false teachers teaching a return to the law.
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But if I brothers, Paul said, if I brothers still preach circumcision, why am
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I still being persecuted? I mean, he was being hammered day in and day out for preaching
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Christ Jesus and him crucified. So Paul says, if I'm preaching circumcision, then
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I wouldn't be persecuted. And in that case, the offense of the cross would have been removed.
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So Paul says, I wish those who unsettle you, who are trying to shake you loose from the foundation, the simplicity of the gospel of Christ.
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I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves. Very strong language.
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The apostle Paul was very much intent on making sure that the Galatians understood, understood this, that being born into a
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Jewish family and following the Jewish practice of circumcision did not play, capital
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A, capital N, capital Y, did not play any role in their right standing before God.
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Well, my mom and daddy say that must be not in. No, that's not how the scripture teaches that it works.
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You are saved on an individual basis by faith alone in Christ alone.
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Nothing else, not on the merits of mom and dad, not on the merits of grandma and grandpa, not on the merits of husband or wife, not on the merits of mom or dad.
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You are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone.
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So in other words, for the Jewish believers, believing in the death, believing in the burial, and believing in the resurrection of Christ, plus keeping the law for these
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Galatian Christians, which did include circumcision, was what was necessary to be made right in the sight of God.
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And so Paul has to come in and continually and constantly point them back to the fact that the work of Christ alone was sufficient.
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So that is why we add that specific phrase in the title of the message, the exclusivity of the
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Christian faith, and to say this, Judaism and Christianity are not one in the same.
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The question might be asked like this, what about the Messianic Jews? Are they not considered to be
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Christians? Again, when you begin to research, you begin to read, and you begin to look back historically, anybody who claims to be saved by works plus Christ is not biblically saved, because they are depending to whatever degree on their own works of righteousness for salvation.
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So as the Messianic Jew said, the Messianic Jew believes that Jesus was the Messiah, as most of the national
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Jewish religion teaches that Jesus was not the Messiah, that Jesus still hasn't come.
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But the Messianic Jew says, I believe in Jesus, but I also think that I have to keep the law.
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I also believe that I have to hold to the standards that have been set for 4 ,000 years.
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And by doing so, by doing this, by having this mindset, by following this practice, the great danger and the great heresy of practicing law keeping means that they think this is a means of justification.
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But church, I know, and you may be thinking, why, why the strain, why the stress on this issue?
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Because church, we must stand firm on the word of God, because men and women will die lost and go to hell on good intention.
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Christ does not save you based on your intention. Well, I intended my life to be this, or intended to do the right thing.
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Christ or salvation is based not upon your intention, but the intention of Christ himself.
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And what did Christ intend to do? He intended to atone for the sins of this world by dying on the cross at Calvary, by being buried and being raised again on the third day, and by ascending to the
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Father where he ever lives. He intended to do that, and what he intended has been accomplished.
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It has been done. So this is not, this law keeping is not the doctrine of justification by faith alone.
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The doctrine of justification by faith alone is set forth plainly in the text of scriptures from Genesis to the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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It's set forth there plainly in simple form. It's set out in Ephesians chapter two, verse eight and nine.
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For by grace are you saved, and that not of yourselves.
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It is not of your own doing. It is the gift of God. And in case you missed it, as if Paul is saying this, in case you missed it, it is not of works.
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Amen. So that no one may boast. We all know people that are good, right?
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I mean, we know people that we hold them in high regard, and godly people should be held in high esteem.
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But know this, it's not their goodness the reason that they're saved.
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They're saved by the grace and the goodness and the mercy of God. They are saved by that.
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In his systematic theology, Louis Burkhoff wrote this concerning the ascension as we move into exposition of the text here.
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In his systematic theology, Louis Burkhoff wrote this concerning the ascension. The ascension clearly embodied the declaration that the sacrifice of Christ was a sacrifice to God, which as such had to be presented to him in the inner sanctuary, that the father regarded the mediatorial work of Christ as sufficient, and therefore admitted him to the heavenly glory.
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And Burkhoff writes this, and that the kingdom of the mediator was not a kingdom of the Jews, but a universal kingdom.
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It was a universal kingdom. Christianity is wrongly, sometimes intentionally, but most times unintentionally,
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Christianity is wrongly understood to be some sort of a revamped Judaism.
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It is true that to have a right understanding of the context of scriptures that we must comprehend the impact of Judaism throughout the history of the canon of scripture.
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However, we must also be able to identify the difference between Christianity and Judaism.
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The practices of Judaism were never intended to be perpetuated as an example of perfected religion.
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I'm going to state that again. The practice of Judaism was never intended to be perpetuated as an example of perfected religion.
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For they themselves, the laws, were types and shadows that pointed to the eternally perfect one,
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Jesus Christ, who himself fulfilled the law that was given to the
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Jews. So what is done does not need to be done again.
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It is not necessary to be repeated again and again and again.
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For Christ died once and for all sin, the scriptures tell us.
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Let me make this clear as well. I was, as I was preparing the message,
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I was so nervous. And I want to make this state, let me make this clear.
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I am not, I am not promoting anti -Jewish sentiment.
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With this line of thought, I am, however, making a marked distinction between Judaism and Christianity.
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And I am wanting to be forthright and plain and say this. Judaism is not
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Christianity. And Christianity is not Judaism. Christianity is not part
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Judaism and part Christianity. Christianity is all Christ and nothing else.
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In an article written by a fellow who was writing a doctoral thesis, I think this was back in 2007, his name is
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Mark Belt. He said this, throughout the first three centuries of church history, Christian attitudes towards the
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Jews were built on an underlying foundation of dependence and appreciation. And the occasional outbursts against the
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Jews were the consequence of the church father's awareness that absorption back into Judaism was a constant threat for religion so reliant upon its
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Jewish legacy. Again, I want to reinforce what I stated earlier. Jewish legacy is important for us to understand
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Jewish legacy and Jewish history to understand the Old Testament scriptures. But as we move into the
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New Testament, we must understand that as the New Testament interprets the Old, we see the fulfillment of those things and the completion of those things.
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It's not a national ethnic group that Christ came to save.
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Christ came to save those who were lost. Whether you were born a
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Jew or you were born a Gentile, whether you were born African or you were born in New Zealand, wherever you were born, whoever you are,
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Christ died for your sin. Not so that your nationality could be pitted up against another nationality.
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Jesus, S .M. Lockridge said this, Jesus is not only the king of the Jews, but he's also the king of the
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Gentiles. He said, my king was born king. The Bible said my king is a seven way king.
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He's the king of the Jews. That's a racial king. He's the king of Israel. That's a national king. He's the king of righteousness.
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He's the king of the ages. He's the king of heaven. He's the king of glory. He's the king of kings.
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And he alone is the Lord of Lords, is what Lockridge said.
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Concerning the previous statement, it is very important for us as Christians to understand this very controversial truth.
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That truth is that Christianity is an exclusive faith. For while the world is scratching and clawing to include anyone and everything and to make even the
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Christian faith an inclusive faith, where everyone is accepted and pretty much anything goes, we, church, must be willing to contend for the faith that was once and for all handed down to the saints.
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This is why, upon first and foremost being sola scriptura, that we hold that the scriptures alone are the infallible standard and rule of our faith.
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That there is nothing on equal level to the scripture. But underneath, we are confessional as well.
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We hold to the historic confessions of the church throughout the centuries. For example, the
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Apostles Creed. There are many of you who have the Apostles Creed memorized. You've memorized it from a child.
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You teach it to your children as well we should. The Apostles Creed states this, I believe in God, the
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Father Almighty, the creator of the heavens and the earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only son, our
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Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate.
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He was crucified, buried, died and buried. He descended into hell and on the third day, he arose again from the dead.
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He ascended into heaven and he is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.
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And from there, according to the Creed, from there, he will come to judge both the living and the dead.
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And the Creed says, I believe in the Holy Spirit and the Holy Catholic Church, the universal church, the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and of life everlasting.
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My friend, the church ought to holler, Amen, right there. That's the truth right there.
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But what is being brought in and what is being pawned off as Christianity is nothing but sewage.
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For example, even these creeds are being taken and perverted. And people who call themselves churches are twisting.
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They've twisted first and foremost the word of God, but they're twisting even these historic creeds.
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Listen to this. I believe in the non -binary God, whose pronouns are plural.
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I believe in Jesus Christ, their child, who wore a fabulous tunic and had two dads and saw everyone as a sibling child of God.
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This is from an LGBTQ, quote, unquote, church. Made national headlines.
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A congregation made up mostly, and sadly, you didn't see many young people in this crowd.
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Most of them were old people and they were just nodding and affirming as they decided this. It goes on to say this.
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I believe in the rainbow spirit, who shatters our image of one white light and refracts it into a rainbow of gorgeous diversity.
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I believe in the church of everyday saints, as numerous, creative, and resilient as patches on the
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AIDS quilt. Whose feet are grounded in mud and whose eyes gaze at the stars and wonder.
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I believe in the call to each of us that love is love. So beloved, let us love.
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I believe, glorious God, help my unbelief. This is what's being passed off.
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This is what's being accepted. This is what is being perpetrated. And it's things like this that we must be able to, as a body, to biblically refute these things.
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To be appalled at these things. To stand up and to say, no way, no how, not my
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God. You're not going to talk about him like that. John Flagle wrote these words in his book called
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The Fountain of Life. The general nature and necessity of Christ's priesthood shows the incomparable excellency of the
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Christian religion above all other religions known to be or professed in the world.
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What other religions seek, the Christian religion alone finds. It finds even a solid foundation for true peace and settlement of conscience.
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While the Jews seek it in vain in the law, the Mohammedan in his external and ridiculous observances, and the papist in his own merits.
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The believer, however, only finds peace and settlement of conscience in the blood of Christ's great sacrifice.
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This and nothing less than this can pacify a distressed conscience laboring under the weight of its own guilt.
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Brothers and sisters, the Christian faith is exclusive. The Christian faith is not
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Judaism, and Judaism is not Christianity. And we must not try to make a syncretism of the two.
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So you might be asking yourself right about now, what do these statements that we just heard have to do with the text?
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What do these have to do with the text? The question, I have to admit as I anticipate this question,
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I have to say the question is relevant. And so my responsibility was, it is to give you both a relevant and a robust, a full answer in response.
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So that's why I went into such great detail there. But in verse 45 through verse 47, this is what we read.
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Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. And he said to them, thus it is written that Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem.
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In these verses, we read what Jesus says before these disciples, who also keep in mind, who now, by the way, are not as fearful as they once were.
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We touched on that, I know last week. They were not as fearful as they once were. And the clear, they were not as unsure, unsettled on the specificity of the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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So why is this the case? Why were the disciples no longer fearful?
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And I would answer that according to the scriptures, because they had been given assurance beyond doubt.
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They'd been given assurance beyond doubt. Number one, that their redeemer lives.
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Five times on this Easter Sunday, Christ appears to the disciples.
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He makes it clear that he is alive. Peter declared in his sermon on the day of Pentecost that Jesus showed himself, or Luke states this, that Jesus proved himself to be alive by many infallible proofs.
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Matter of fact, one of those proofs that Jesus resurrected appeared to above 500 people, all at the same time.
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And it's never been said that 500 people, because this is the hallucination period, it's never been known that 500 people have ever hallucinated at the same time and had the exact same hallucination.
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Christ is alive. Number two, the content of his message is simple.
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The content of his message to the disciples to proclaim, the content of that same message that we have to proclaim is clear and it is simple.
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Christ suffered and died for our sin. That he rose on the third day and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to who?
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To all nations, the scripture states. Beginning at Jerusalem.
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So that's the context. Here we see the immediate context of the passage is in relation to the disciples and the proclamation of the message itself.
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We see this. Next, thirdly, we see the responsibility that Jesus placed upon his disciples here.
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Notice in verse 48 what Jesus states to them. He said, y 'all are witnesses.
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You are witnesses. All of y 'all are witnesses.
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For in front of the 11, he told them all.
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So not one of them could say, oh, I didn't hear. Or I wasn't aware. Or I didn't know.
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Or I missed that. No, they were accountable one to another. Meaning this, they were accountable for two things.
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They were accountable for what they heard and they were accountable for what they had seen.
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For they saw with their own eyes. John states in his gospel, for we've seen and touched and tasted and handled the word of life.
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They were accountable for what they seen and what they heard. The Puritan William Grinnell said this in his book,
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The Christian in Complete Armor. He said the Christian life should put his minister sermon in print.
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He should preach that mystery every day to the eyes of his neighbors, which the minister preaches to their ears.
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Why do we take the time together? Number one, it glorifies God. Why do we take the time together?
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Number two, because each and every one of us need to be reminded the simplicity of the gospel message.
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And we need to be reminded the importance of proclaiming this gospel message to a world that is lost and dying and stands in need of salvation.
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So what were they witnesses of? John Gill lays this out quite nicely. John Gill said this, they were witnesses of the truth of Jesus' humanity.
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They were witnesses of the truth of Jesus' humanity. For having seen and heard and handled him both before and after his resurrection from the dead.
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And of all that he did, they were witnesses of all that he did. The miracles that he wrought in Jerusalem, the things that he did in Judea and Galilee.
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They were there when he was transfigured on the mount. So likewise, they were not only witnesses of these things, but they were witnesses of his sorrows in the garden.
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And they were witnesses of his sufferings in the palace of the high priest. For Peter and John were there when
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Jesus was standing before Herod and being accused and being mocked and being tortured.
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They were witnesses of these things. They were witnesses also of his death and his resurrection in the same body, keep in mind, to whom he showed himself alive by many infallible proofs.
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He did so by showing them the print of the nails in his hands and his feet and by being handled by them.
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He also demonstrated to them the reality of his resurrection because he ate right in front of them.
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It wasn't like what you see on Ghostbusters, right when the ghost drinks and you see the liquid go through him. He was a body, a human glorified body standing before them that was able to eat and to drink.
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They were witnesses of these things. And now the charge, the command that they were being given was to testify, to testify to the work of Christ and to proclaim this message that you should turn from your sin.
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You should repent and that you should believe on Jesus Christ because Christ died for your sin.
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And you can know, you can know with assurance based upon the assurance of the
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Holy Ghost witnessing to you and in your life that you have been passed from death unto life, that you no longer have to be in the dark, but you've been translated out of the darkness into God's marvelous and his glorious light.
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How beautiful is that gospel? So they were to testify of this doctrine. The scope of their message was not any less or any more than this, the death, burial and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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The apostle Paul continued in his writing to the Galatian church. I know there's a lot of scripture today.
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It's very, very important. But the apostle Paul in writing to the Galatian church calls them on the carpet for trying to return to Judaism after having been saved out of that very works -based religion.
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He said this in Galatians chapter one, verse six, I am astonished.
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I am amazed. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel, to another gospel.
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And then he clarifies, not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to destroy the gospel of Christ or pervert the gospel of Christ or change the gospel of Christ or add to the gospel of Christ or take away from the gospel of Christ.
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There are those among you who would distort that gospel. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preach to you, let him be accursed.
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As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
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For am I now seeking the approval of men or God, or am I trying to please man?
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If I were still trying to please man, then I would not be a servant of Christ.
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For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached of me is not man's gospel.
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For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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And that, my friends, is how you get saved. When God himself opens to you the scriptures, when
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God himself opens your eyes so that you are understanding, you are aware that you have been saved.
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And it's not the revelation of man. It is not something that the Pope can declare for you.
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It's not something that your pastor and elders can say, all right, let's slap you on the back.
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You got it, you're good to go. No, you must work this out between God. But be sure this
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God will give assurance. Galatians 3 verse 1, Paul said,
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O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.
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Let me ask you only this. Did you receive the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?
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Plain question, right? Did you receive the spirit by keeping the law or by believing by faith?
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And he goes on. Are you so foolish? Having begun by the spirit, that was a kind of rhetorical question that he asked, right?
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He said, if you began by the spirit, then are you now being perfected by the flesh?
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Did you suffer so many things in vain, if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?
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Just as Abraham believed God and he was counted to him as righteousness. Know then that it is not those who are of the sons of Abraham and the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the
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Gentiles by faith, that he preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham saying, in you shall all the nations be blessed.
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So then those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
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For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, for it is written, cursing is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them.
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Now it is evident that no one, no one is justified before God by the law for the righteous shall live by faith, but the law is not of faith.
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Rather, the one who does them shall live by them. But Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.
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For it is written, cursing is everyone who hangs on a tree. So that in Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham might come to the
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Gentiles so that we might receive the promised spirit through faith, not by the keeping of the law.
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Next in verse 49, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to be given to them. And what we're going to read to you in our closing passage here, just a closing scripture text, supporting text in a moment, is beautiful because the spirit was just not promised to them, but he has been given to us.
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Who are his people? Alexander McLaren said this, the order in which promise and command occur here shows how graciously
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Jesus considered the apostles' weakness. Not a word does he say of their task of witnessing till he has filled their hearts with the promise of the spirit.
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He shows them the armor of power in which they are to be clothed before he points them to the battlefield.
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Waiting times, McLaren said, are not wasted times. Overeagerness to rush into work, especially into conspicuous and perilous work, is sure to end in defeat.
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Till we feel the power coming into us, we had better be still, is what
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McLaren said about that. These, my friends, are wise words.
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Jesus told, commanded the disciples to wait to witness until you are clothed with power from on high.
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The power of the Holy Ghost gives life to the sinner. The word of God, keep this in mind, the word of God is always alive.
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It doesn't come alive. The word of God is always alive.
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The word of God has power in and of itself, for it is, according to Hebrews, quick and powerful.
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The word of God is sharper than a two -edged sword. The word of God is capable of making such a distinction as is humanly impossible.
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The book of Hebrews states that the word of God can divide the soul and the spirit, the joints and the marrow.
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The word of God is able to discern the thoughts and the intentions of the hearts of men.
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We see this, we have seen this demonstrated throughout Luke's gospel. We see it demonstrated throughout all of the gospels.
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So a reasonable question for us to consider today as we close, a reasonable question for us to consider today is this.
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Did the promise of the Father come upon the church at Pentecost?
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The answer there is yes. The next question, were the apostles clothed with power from on high as Christ had promised them?
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The answer is yes. The next question, is the promise of the
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Father given to all those individuals who by faith alone believe on him?
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The answer is yes. If you are saved, then you have been imbued.
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You have been clothed with power from on high for the express purpose of being a witness to the saving work of Jesus Christ our
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Lord. This is so encouraging.
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Oh listen, when we talk to others about the exclusivity of the
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Christian faith, the idea and the general go -to of individuals is they say, yeah, but what about so -and -so?
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What about Kenneth Copeland? What about Benny Hinn? What about Claude Ramey?
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What about Kenny Christopher? They're not very good examples of the faith. The beautiful thing is, your response should be this.
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I don't have to give an answer for Kenny Christopher. And I'm not able to give an excuse for Claude Ramsey.
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All I can tell you is this. I once was lost, but now I'm found. I ain't perfect.
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I ain't got it all figured out. But I do know the work was done. And I do know this, my only hope is in Jesus Christ and his shed blood on the cross at Calvary.
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My only hope is in his death, in his burial, in his resurrection. To reinforce that last answer that I gave,
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I just want to read to you John chapter 17. John chapter 17, Jesus' great high priestly prayer in the garden, we have this.
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Preserved for us in God's word, John chapter 17, Jesus prays, Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted his eyes to heaven, and this is what he said.
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Father, the hour has come. Glorify your son, that the son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh.
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You've given him authority over all flesh. Listen, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
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And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true
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God. And Jesus Christ, whom you have sent, I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
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And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you from before the world existed.
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I manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world.
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Yours, they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
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Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you, for I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have perceived them and have come to know in truth that I came from you, and that they have believed that you have sent me.
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And listen to the words of Christ here, I am praying for them. Specifically here, he's speaking about these disciples.
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I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
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All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.
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And Jesus goes on, and he says this, I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world.
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And I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
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While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me.
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I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost, except the son of destruction, that the scripture might be fulfilled.
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But now, Father, I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
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I have given them your word. I have given them your word.
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And the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
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I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
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They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth, for your word is truth.
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And as you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
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And for their sake, for their sake, I consecrate myself that they also may be sanctified in truth.
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And then here is one of the most beautiful passages and parts of the
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New Testament, where Christ states this, I do not ask for these only.
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I do not ask for these 11 here only. I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.
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That they all may be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you. That they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
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The glory that you have given me, I have given to them. That they may be one, even as we are one,
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I in them and you in me. That they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them, even as you loved me.
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Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
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Oh, righteous Father, even the world does not know you. But I know you and these know that you have sent me.
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I made known to them your name and I will continue to make it known that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them.
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Church, Christianity is exclusive. Believers, be encouraged in the faith of the gospel.
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It is not so high that the smallest child cannot attain understanding or ability to communicate it.
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And it is not so low or mean that the highest would say, there's got to be more than that.
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It is what it is. Christ died for our sins, was buried, rose again, on the third day, ascended to the
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Father and is coming back. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.