Five Solas (part 4) - [Galatians 2:15-16]

Well, I along with you dear congregation do not like error. We do not like theological error. We don't like Lies or falsehoods, but we like truth. God has put it in our heart to love truth and and veracity verity.

But good things can come out of bad error. I Think of the Reformation and what happened there was a swirling kind of cesspool of. Every man pretty much did what was right in his own eyes. And if there were no Bible for the lay people they could say whatever they want.

God says this. God said that. God said that. Nobody had an authority. People said well yet Jesus is fine. But you know there are other mediators that may be who are nicer and by the way. It's a lot of faith plus a lot of works.

And you never know if it's just you and God working together or just God alone and Therefore we could kind of give each other glory to get to heaven, but in the middle of the Reformation God raised up other faithful men like pastor Bob who for years would say.

Even though there's truth and error and we must fight and it's no fun to fight theological error. It's not a great joy, but as you see Paul fight for truth. Jesus fight for truth. Jeremiah fight for truth.

Good things can happen if someone knocks at your door, and they say we're here to talk about spiritual things. We have free literature for you by the way. That's cut back a lot during kovat right you don't get those people at your door.

But when they did come to your door, and they'd say you know Jesus is the Son of God. He but he's not God it probably propelled you into thinking well. You know what they seem to have a few verses for their side of the story, but I need to study more.

I need to dig in because I need to understand for myself. And that's exactly what happened with the Reformation. And that's what we want to do as well today as we finish our series on the five solos of the Reformation.

While there's air Theologically out there error. It's good for us because then we have to say what do we believe? Not what does pastor Mike believe not what does the church believe, but what do you believe about Scripture?

What do you believe about Jesus? What do you believe about grace? What do you believe about faith? What do you believe about God's glory and so today? We're going to finish our series on the five Solas of the Reformation while there was error in that time in the 1500s and earlier.

The Lord raised up men to say we need to combat this error so for our series. While we're normally in a book going verse by verse next week. I hope to start Ephesians in going chapter by chapter. Today we're going to look at the five solos of the Reformation.

Old Testament passage in each Sola. New Testament passage in each Sola. And what I like to do when I preach is I like to get you into the Bible quickly. We call that in preaching class TTT Time to text and I fail students if they take 10 minutes in review and not get to the text.

But since I'm the professor today I might have to take 10 minutes of review. Before we get to the text because I want you to understand what's going on with the Solas. So I think the bottom foundation of the Solas is Sola Scriptura, and that's the first one we looked at remember Scripture alone.

It is the final authority. There are other authorities in life. And maybe you think the Apostles Creed is an authority and it is but it's not the final authority. What pastor Mike says might be an authority, but it's not the final authority.

Our statement of faith is 1689 London Baptist Confession is an authority, but it's not the final authority. So what the Reformation did is said. You know what traditions what the Pope said what the Anabaptist said it doesn't matter.

It's Scripture alone, and we look at Psalm 19. And we look at 2nd Timothy chapter 3 verses 15 and 16 to put that baseline there the foundation for everything is Scripture alone. Hence the name Bethlehem Bible Church.

And if there are three columns in this Greek architectural building with the foundation Scripture the middle column We've looked at is what Solas. Okay, good. Well last week. We weren't very vibrant either with pastor kind of back and forth.

I I feel like I should probably call on someone to stand up and give the five souls. I wonder if anybody could do that. I won't embarrass you it is Christ alone. Not church not self not any other mediator one day.

You'll stand before God and like pastor Bob you'll die and stand before God, and you're gonna need someone to be next to you. You'll need an advocate. Who do you want to represent you before a thrice holy God and the scriptures answer of course is in Job 9?

Right we looked at Job 9. It's the Lord. Jesus. He has to be truly God and truly meant to be our representative while the scriptures teach that the final authority is the scripture at the center of the Scriptures is the sinless life of Jesus as his Substitutionary death pays for all the believers sins.

We don't want to add to the gospel. And we don't want to subtract from the gospel. Since it is the Reformation of five solas. I'll give you some more Latin if you'd like Christus pro nobis Christ for us you know Christian with Christ alone, it's Christ is for you.

I'd like to have Christ against you. Remember. We were thinking about Revelation chapter 19 and Jesus coming back in judgment. What if he was after you versus dear Christian? He's for you. He's your advocate.

He lived for you. You could say Jesus lived for me. Jesus died for my sins. Jesus rose for me and Jesus is my savior. And the New Testament passage We looked at was 1st Timothy chapter 2 where Jesus gives himself a ransom for all because he is the one Mediator.

Luther said I must listen to the gospel it tells me not what I must do. But what Jesus Christ the Son of God has done for me. The Son of God has come to seek and save that which was lost. God demonstrates his own love toward us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

What do I claim before God? Nothing except my own sin which leads me to sola gratia. That's the third one. We've got scripture Christ at the center. Another pillar is sola gratia, which is grace alone.

It's not cooperation God. We did it you you do a little bit, and I'll finish your work. God you did 99 I did 1 No, it is Christ alone. I don't cooperate with God because I'm sinful and I need to be rescued.

Sometimes we'll think you know what and it was years ago. I think 20 years ago I saw someone drowning over here in Clinton, and I used to be a lifeguard, and I thought okay. Do I call 9 -1 -1 first. Do I get in the water?

What do I do. Don't let them drown me? But should I help them. So I thought I'll call 9 -1 -1 first and then go in. So I called 9 -1 -1. And they transferred me to the Boston Harbor. I'm like oh so by the time I was getting ready to be brave and rescue someone's life.

Someone else jumped in and did it for me. But they rescued the man. That's not a good sign though of the scriptural Salvation. It's not like the guys on top of the water bobbing up and down help me. And he reaches out his arm which he did and the man who came over in a boat pulled him up.

That's not a good picture. Grace alone would teach this. We're at the bottom of the lake, and we've been there for 40 years. You can imagine a body at the bottom of the lake for 40 years. We're dead. Resuscitation is not needed.

New birth is needed. We need to be born again. We have no claim on God yet. He did it on his own and sola gratia is important because if we were good enough to contribute that might be one thing. But since Romans 3 teaches us that no one's righteous.

We have to be saved by God's work alone. So that's sola gratia. Christ alone is the Savior. Christ alone is the Savior who gives us grace. Grace isn't a medicine or a substance. Grace is incarnate the Lord Jesus, then we went to sola fide did we not.

So we've got the The platform or the foundation of Scripture Christ in the center grace, and then how do we receive this. It's by faith alone, sola fide true or false. The doers of the law will be justified.

I could just keep going with these tricks. You get to heaven by works. Christ works. You get to heaven by his works. That's true. So before you kick me out you always have to like wait for that pregnant pause to be over.

The doers of the law will be justified. The answer is true. That's Romans 2 13. So how are you doing? As we like to say. So you can get to heaven two ways perfectly obey the law. Because the doers of the law will be justified.

Why would God judge you if you never sinned? But because of Adam and now our own sin, that's Impossibility if you if we could do it we'd get to heaven, but now it's impossible. So we need someone else to be a doer of the law and we receive that doing by faith.

Alone and last week remember we looked at numbers 21 remember that great scene. Where there's a snake up on a pole and all you have to do to be saved from your snake bite your poisonous snake bite. Your fatal poisonous snake bite is what?

Look just to believe take God as his word. He said look at this Unclean thing up on a pole and you will live and of course Jesus wasn't unclean. But they sure treated like him like he was unclean and Jesus said in John 3 as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.

So must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes in him that sola fide may have eternal life. For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Sola fide, but we need a New Testament passage. And so please open your Bibles to Galatians chapter 2. What we're doing is we're looking at the five solas in this topical yet textual Series and we're looking at an Old Testament passage and a New Testament passage for each sola because one mind of God one author.

He writes the Old and New Testament. There's no difference there in terms of divine author and now we go to Galatians and Galatians is one of these books that when you first read it you think Wow Paul was adamant.

Paul was firm. Paul was Not abnormal his normal self because people were messing around with Jesus and if you mess with someone's bride Good husbands will stand up and in a similar sense this intense book Galatians that happens.

Let me read verses 15 and 16 for our passage for the New Testament in sola fide. See if you can count how many times faith or believe is used and not of works. I think it might surprise you. We ourselves Galatians 2 15 are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners.

Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ so we also have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ and Not by works of the law.

Because by the works of the law no one will be Justified not anything in us not anything wrought by us. Faith says it's outside of me, and I'm looking By the grace of God to see that Jesus Christ is my Savior that Jesus Christ has done everything that's now irrevocable.

I Accepted by faith. I don't perform. I don't do it by works, and you see don't you three times? Faith Believed by faith, and you also see three times not by works of the law not by works of the law not by works of the law.

Jesus Christ saves through faith. It's not even faith that saves faith relies on another and if I had to summarize all the doctrine of justification our sola fide I could probably just pick this one verse verse 16.

It's amazing. This is Paul's doctrine of justification in a nutshell. Some say some say verse 16 is the most important verse in this entire epistle three times by faith believed by faith. How do I receive God's mercy and God's favor and God's forgiveness and the answer is by faith?

Alone. People say well of course is by faith alone. We'll take a look at chapter 3 and I might say of course with you because of these verses look at chapter 3 verse 10. If you any of you are here, and you'd like to get to heaven.

There's one way. Then through Jesus by faith alone because look at the other option verse 10 of chapter 3. For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse for it is written curse it be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and Do them?

Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law for There it is from Habakkuk 2. Do you see it the righteous shall live by faith? But the law is not of faith rather the one who does them shall live by them.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us for it is written curse. It is everyone who is hanged on a tree right through. Right right right from Deuteronomy. True or false you're saved because of faith you sure.

You're saved because of faith. At least Cory got it right his court. Is that Cory's voice? I recognize Cory didn't Cory do a good job the other day. He walked past me after his message on Christmas Eve, and I said kind of like this.

I said a for the message. F for the socks. Some kind of Gomer pile socks on or something. I don't know what it was. You're not saved because of faith. Ephesians who says you're saved because of the great love of God himself.

You're saved through faith. It's an instrument. It's not because of well. I had faith and my friend doesn't have faith. That's why I'm saved. Did you know even the faith that you have has been given to you?

That's why it's by faith or through faith. By faith or through faith. It's a means. It's not the ground of this is not the cause. You don't get to heaven and say God. God were to ask you. Why are you gonna come to heaven?

Because I believe. No because of your grace because of the Lord Jesus and you even granted me not only salvation. But you granted me faith. God's rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our transgressions.

He made us alive together with Christ. Romans 3 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ. We contribute nothing. God even gives us the faith. God looks down the quarters of time. He sees Mike believing in 1989 and says therefore.

I'll choose him a. That's not true and be that wouldn't be predestination. That would be post destination. Which we'll talk about next week. God sees he learns. God doesn't look down the quarter of time and learn and says now I choose Mike he knows everything.

And he says I if you were to look down the quarters of time He'd see Mike at the bottom of that lake right over there and needing not resuscitation. But to be given life. You say well, but I did believe.

That's true. Acts 18 27. Why did you believe dear Christian? It says in Acts 1 18 27. He helped greatly those who had believed through grace. You don't get to heaven and say I'm here because I believed.

Say I'm here because of what Jesus Christ did and you even granted me saving faith. Spurgeon said it's not thy hold on Christ that saves thee it is Christ. It's not thy joy in Christ that saves thee it is Christ.

It is not even thy faith though. That be the instrument it is Christ blood and merit. I Could put it this way. Horatius Bonar would say things like this. Did faith live a perfect life for you. Did faith die in the cross for you.

Was faith buried for you. Was faith raised from the dead for you. Did faith ascended into heaven for you and his faith pleading for you now making intercession for you. And the answer is what? No it's the Lord Jesus faith has an object a little faith a weak faith a Sinful faith a less than perfect faith in the great object who is not sinful who's not weak.

It's enough. Remember saving faith is knowledge ascent. And what? Trust knowledge ascent and trust. Well what happened in the Reformation the Latin Bible talked about making people righteous instead of declaring people righteous and of course remember they thought I'm going to receive grace like a medicine or a substance or Like a monster drink.

I'm tired and I need some energy and so therefore I'll have some of that substance but grace is a person and That person doesn't make us righteous. To start he actually declares us righteous. But here's the here's the rub even in evangelicalism today.

That's dangerous. You mean to tell me if I simply believe in the Lord Jesus Christ knowledge ascent and trust. No matter what happens in the future no matter what I say or do our sin or not. I'm safe.

That's dangerous. There has to be some kind of corral here because once that camel gets its nose in the tent you know what happens. And In Rome said of the Protestants you will have a bunch of licentious people.

They're gonna run around and go crazy and do things because if it's faith alone and not faith plus works the faith plus works things. Will keep Christians civilized. The Council of Trent 1546. Roman Catholic doctrine that still exists today.

Canon 9. If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone. Meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification. And that it is not in any way necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the action of his own will let him be Anathema.

If you believe faith alone, you're damned. That's doctrine from them. Canon 12. If anyone says that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in divine mercy. At least they understood the issue because that's what we're saying.

Faith is confidence in divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake. Or that it is confidence alone that justifies let him be anathema. Canon 14. If anyone says that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified because he assuredly believes himself absolved and justified by faith alone let him be anathema.

And so what happens is Justification. A declaration of God's righteousness. Turns into sanctification. Am I living a holy life. And of course for us? We are declared righteous and therefore we want to live a holy life and God sanctifies us, but the two don't come together.

They're separate. Sola fide is dangerous. It could lead to unholy living, but it's scriptural. Paul knew it. Romans 6 what should we say then are we to continue in sin. That grace might abound? By no means how can we who died to sin still live in it actually faith alone promotes sanctification.

It's the greatest motivation for holy living. Jesus said did he not her sins which are many have been forgiven. For she loved much because he who is forgiven little. Loves a little. Can you imagine how God saved you died for all your sins.

Does that have you pour out with gratitude and praise? Obedience. Martin Lloyd-jones, there's a very good test of gospel preaching next time you preach the gospel to one of your loved ones. Here's a test that you should ask yourself to take.

If my preaching and presentation of the gospel of salvation does not expose it to this month misunderstanding. Then it's not the gospel. Let me show you what I mean if a man preaches justification by works.

No one would ever raise the questions of Romans 6 1. Nobody would ever say shall we continue in sin? That grace might abound. Did you get that? If you stand before God based on your works and Jesus's works.

Would you ever have to think you know what? Shall we continue in sin. That grace might abound because you would say what no possible way because it's me and God. But when the free gospel the gospel of grace is preached.

It is dangerous, but it's true and when we're saved we want to respond with fruits of thankfulness. What must we do to be saved. Act 16 30. Sirs, what must I do to be saved verse 31? Believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved you and your household.

That is sola fide. There's a man named Finney Charles Finney, and he said this the doctrine of an imputed righteousness is another gospel for sinners to be forensically pronounced just is impossible and Absurd.

The doctrine of an imputed righteousness is founded on the most false and nonsensical assumption. Representing the Atonement rather than the sinners own obedience. Here's what Finney said you stand before God.

It's not Christ Atonement. It's your works. By the way that will probably get you up in the morning sadly to do a bunch of more works. I hate to be mean to people, but when sometimes the Jehovah's Witnesses come to my house I think they're here to sell my family spiritual strychnine, and if we believe what they say we're going to hell.

I'm not gonna offer them water or or anything else. Sometimes I say to them listen if only hundred forty four thousand make it in. I've had a lot of Jehovah's Witnesses that seemed a lot more dedicated than you, and I think you better get going.

You're gonna be left out. Just think of that treadmill just think of the gerbil on the treadmill. Running you are here today by the way for many reasons. Here's one. You with me live in a works world, and we think we are measured by works.

Including with God, and I'm here to tell you you don't stand before God today based on your good works. You stand before God based on Christ's work. Christian God accepts you. God loves you. You're his children.

I know some fathers and mothers who are kinder than some pastors preach about God the Father and the Son. If I've got a son and three daughters, which I think I do and they do something against me. I Chastened them, but I don't say you're no longer an Avendroff.

But we live in this evangelical world where if we sin maybe some mortal sins. Maybe some bad sins, and we do something. We really ought not to then people are Questioning and wondering and like I have been separated from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

I used to not be condemned. I'm condemned now because of what I've done and so the worship service we serve God by giving singing preaching listening to sermons. But God serves us by his word to say Christian.

Keep trusting. You're okay. And I know what some of you're thinking pastor every week you tell people Christian God is not angry with you. You're okay. No matter what you've done this week what you'll do next week.

You're okay with God. That's going to lead to more sin. May it never be that should motivate you to think. I Know that God knows every skeleton in my closet yet. He loves me anyway. And I know that I trust in the Lord Jesus, but even that trust is a gift.

Philippians 129. It's almost too good to be true. Think a thief on the cross. What was he saved by. What kind of works did the repentant thief? Have to give to the Lord Jesus and yet Jesus said. When asked remember me when you come to your kingdom Jesus said I tell you the truth today you will be with me.

What in paradise. Truly truly, I say to you. Jesus said whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Jesus said to her I'm the resurrection life.

Whoever believes in me though he died yet. He shall live. Jesus said to him have you believed because you have seen me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Whoever believes in him Jesus says may have eternal life.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Those are all from the Gospel of John. If our salvation yours and mine depended on what we would do or say. We'd never make it. We're debtors. But even though our sin is great and our guilt is great Jesus paid it all even that song.

And you know God's so gracious. How do you respond for years? I'd sing my kids to sleep put my hand on their chest and just Rub and sing. Jesus paid it all. What's the next line? I guess I'll go sin a lot.

That doesn't rhyme though. No, Jesus paid it all. What? All to him I owe sin has left a. And he washed it white as snow and then finally soli deo gloria. Soli deo gloria, you've got the foundation scripture.

Christ is a center pillar. Grace is next to Christ as it were because we receive Christ benefits by grace alone. Faith alone and now to God be glory alone. This is the umbrella. This is the roof. This is the canopy.

Robert Schuller said the Reformation aired because it was God-centered rather than man-centered. If you don't know who Robert Schuller is good and quite. Interestingly the Crystal Cathedral now that was multi multi multi multi million dollars is a Roman Catholic Church.

Because that's what he preached is Roman Catholicism. Essentially you probably know soli deo gloria before you even a Christian many of you if you're in music. If you go to life's sake and go to the organ there Soli deo gloria is carved into Bach's organ.

He would sign his works SDG as many other Composers did to God alone be the glory either our salvation is man-centered Anthropocentric or Theopocentric. God-centered theocentric rather excuse me. And If it's Jesus plus if it's grace plus in my cooperation if it's faith faith plus some sacraments.

Then it's not quite solely deo gloria. It's God gets glory, but not alone or only. These kind of all go together one leads to another. If you seek to yourself, oh, yeah. Sola deo gloria is the logical outcome.

It's the fruit of these other solos. If everything's been done by God, then he's going to get all the glory. Only the scriptures teach us the doctrine of salvation and they teach us that Christ accomplished everything for salvation.

We receive things because of God's grace. Through faith then of course God alone gets the glory. Keith Matheson said soli deo gloria is both the beginning and the end of the other four solos. The Holy Spirit inspired the scriptures to the glory of God alone.

Christ humbled himself to the point of death and was raised and exalted to the right hand to the glory of God alone. Grace and mercy are offered to rebellious sinners to the glory of God alone and Justification by faith alone is to the glory of God alone.

Therefore soli deo gloria is central. So we have an Old Testament passage and a New Testament passage. And we're going to go to the Old Testament Passage first. Psalm 50, please. Psalm 50. Now if I say the word glory what goes into your mind if I say the word glorify what goes into your mind?

This is kind of a complex subject. Glory or to glorify. Did you know God is called the king of glory? You know, he's called the majestic glory so you can use the word glory as a name for God. Jesus Christ is The Lord of glory.

The Father is the glorious Father. Jesus is the radiance of God's glory. So you could say, you know, what it's like the name of God it could be used. It also could be used of kind of a summary of all God's Perfections is what we call attributes how he displays himself that could be called God's glory that the brilliance and the splendor of God associated with all of his attributes.

Because do you know the word glory? Means in the Old Testament heavy. It means weighty. I Used to go to my grandmother's grandmother's house, and she collected little elephants. Be one thing if she collected elephants, but small little elephants and The elephants that I like the most were made of pewter.

Why? Because they were heavy. That's some weight for a young boy with a crew cut age 5 weight. God has so much weight. God has so much glory. He has so much gravitas. That's where we get the idea of that.

He's got clout. So you think when he shows himself you kind of see that glory. So the word glory could be God's intrinsic nature that he has and that he shows. But when we talk about glory a lot of times it's when we recognize that.

Remember God says I won't give my glory to another so when I say God, I glorify you I praise you I thank you is God getting better. Is he getting more glory? He had end glory. Now he gets n plus one glory because I says I because I say I glorify your name.

No, no his intrinsic weight his cavode his his presence. Pewter like nature as it were heavy. I don't give anything. I just recognize it. And that's what Soledad glory is talking about how we recognize who God is.

I mean you could say well God's glory sometimes He's just present. The tabernacle is filled with his glory. That's true, but here it's our response you go to the doctor and they take a Little mallet with some rubber at the end and they hit your joints and then you never know what to do.

Do I trick them? Do I overdo it? Do I relax? For years I go to the doctor and My blood pressure is usually pretty good, but you get that white coat syndrome. And so I'd always think okay think of something calm.

Okay, I remember watching fireworks a couple years ago in the water in Honolulu. Well, then when I was recently sick, they said your blood pressure is too low. And I'm like, well, I have to think of the opposite.

What do I need to think of and I thought I'm gonna think of 5 a .m Wake-up call every day in the hospital where they're jamming me with a bunch of like five gauge needles or something. What does that have to do with anything?

Nothing, but you look kind of tired after all that rapping yesterday. This is just to get you going when you think of glory simply there's intrinsic glory that God has we can never add to it because how could we add to God and There's extrinsic glory where we recognize appreciate praise talk of speak well of God's glory.

That's what Soledad glory is about. If I said to you what salt what what kind of glory does this song point to the nature of God? Intrinsic or how we recognize him. We will glorify the King of Kings. We will glorify the Lamb.

We will glorify the Lord of Lords who is the great I am. It's the second one right down at the cross where my Savior died down where for cleansing from my sin I cried there to my heart was the blood of was the blood of pride.

Glory to be his name. To God be the glory great things. He has done. That's the recognition of God's Glory an appropriate response to God in worship and exaltation. As one writer said we're not putting any excellency into him a Puritan said but by taking notice of his excellency.

So now Soledad glory is. I've noticed that it's scripture alone Christ alone grace alone faith alone. It's praise to God alone be the glory. Psalm 50 it's a hymn the Mighty One God the Lord Yahweh. He speaks and summons the earth.

From the rising of the Sun to its setting out of Zion the perfection of beauty. God shines forth. Our God comes he does not keep silence. Before him is a devouring fire. Around him a mighty tempest. He calls to the heavens above and to the earth that he may judge his people.

Gather to me my faithful ones who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. The heavens declare his righteousness for God himself is judge. Verse 12. God speaks. If I were hungry, I would not tell you for the world and Its fullness are mine.

Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and perform your vows to the Most High and Call upon me in the day of trouble. I Will deliver you and you shall glorify me.

Did you see it? It has to be God's rescue therefore God alone gets the glory. You shall glorify me. I you all recognize how great I am how heavy I am how weighty I am how much clout I have. And the New Testament passage while you think it might be.