Choosing The Twelve
Luke 6:12-16
March 18, 2018

If you’ve been with us over the last several weeks then you are aware of
The friction that has been building between Jesus and the Pharisees.

They have been challenging Him quite frequently as of late
And each time His wisdom proves to be more than they can handle.

In reality, the last couple of times they have challenged Him, they have actually been made to look foolish.

• Jesus, in effect, compared them to foolish men who would tear a patch
out of a new garment to patch a hole on an old one.
• He compared them to a foolish person who poured old wine into new
wineskins.
• Because they were mourning when they should’ve been celebrating.

• Then He exposed their lack of discernment regarding the Sabbath.
• They couldn’t answer why God allowed David to eat that
consecrated bread.
• They couldn’t recognize the Lord of the Sabbath.
• They had no heart for compassion and the healing of a crippled
man.

Jesus hasn’t just won the debates, He has overwhelmingly won them.
Every time the Pharisees go up against Him, they don’t just look wrong,
They look foolish, and petty, and even wicked.

They walk away with a tremendous amount of egg on their faces.

And of course that explains the statement
Luke makes in verse 11 of this chapter.

Luke 6:11 “But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.”

This is the first reference to the hostility
That is building toward Jesus from the religious elite.

That revelation also helps to pave the way
For the section we are about to enter.

The remainder of chapter 6 can be categorized as
The selection and training of the twelve.

And in light of the growing hostility toward Him, it certainly makes sense.
• Jesus has known from the beginning what is coming.
• He knows of the hatred towards Him.
• He knows that a little over a year He will be crucified.

His plan is to select 12 men
To carry His message to the world after His departure.

• He is going to dwell with them.
• He is going to teach them.
• He is going to be a living example for them.
• He is going to prepare them for their ministries.

And that is what Luke introduces here.

Let’s break this text down into three points.
#1 THE PRAYER
Luke 6:12

Here again we find that priority of Jesus, to always seek His Father’s will.
There is no doubt to anyone who watched His life exactly who He was serving.
Jesus did what pleased the Father.

And this submissive attitude is never seen anywhere more clearly than in His prayer life.
• Was there ever a man who might have had the ability to handle a situation on
His own?
• Was there ever a man who might have had the power to take on a problem on
His own?
• Was there ever a man who was so spiritual that He might be able to discern a
dilemma without help from above?

If there ever was a man like that, it most certainly would have been Jesus,
And yet we find Him as committed to prayer as any we have ever seen.

It is a testimony to His humility and to His submission.
For honestly prayerlessness only reveals arrogance and defiance in us.
We don’t find this attitude in Christ.

HERE WE FIND HIM PRAYING AGAIN.
And this time “He spent the whole night in prayer to God.”

Trying to guess the content of His prayer is futile and pointless,
But because of the context surrounding this verse we might very well understand that it had a great deal to do with the selection of His disciples.

One thing is certain, Jesus was not concerned about
Picking the people who would seem to be the most effective.
Jesus’ one concern was in picking the people
Whom the Father had chosen.

And make no mistake the Father had His selection.

We remember Jesus’ prayer in John 17
John 17:6-8 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. “Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.”

And that is who Jesus is after.

Today, far too many times in the church, people are selected either by their worldly successes or the worldly compatibility.
• We think bankers make the best treasurers
• We think managers make the best deacons
• We think movie stars make the best evangelists
• We think talented people make the best singers
• We think the best speakers make the best preachers

When in reality none of those things are God’s criteria.

God does not pick the most obvious man.
God picks the man whom He desires to use.

From His perspective they are all useless.

Don’t we remember:
Romans 3:12 “ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

We like to pick whom we think is the most qualified,
God doesn’t see that any of us are.
But in spite of our weakness,
He picks those whom He may use for His glory.

And Jesus is here on this day simply seeking to find out who that is.
So Jesus spends the night in prayer to find them.

Incidentally the disciples certainly learned from His example,
• For after Judas betrayed the Lord and killed himself,
• We find the church given the task of replacing him.

Acts 1:21-26 “Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us — beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us — one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.”

They learned that from the Lord.
Don’t pick the obvious candidate, pick the one whom God has chosen.

It really is that simple.

And so we see Jesus in prayer.
#2 THE PLAN
Luke 6:13

Here we begin to find out what these men would be selected for.

“He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles;”

The first reference to “His disciples” would have been a large group of people.
• This was the group that was following Him everywhere, listening to Him preach and partaking in His miracles.
• No doubt it was this large group that was eating in the field on the Sabbath that drew the scorn of the Pharisees.

But of this group, God had a plan to choose 12.
Twelve men who would become “apostles”

An apostle is most simply revealed as “a messenger, or an ambassador, or a representative”
But they were also a messenger “with full authority”

It would be seen most similarly today as one with Power Of Attorney.

These men weren’t just being called to be eye-witnesses,
Though they most certainly were.
These men were being called to be the official spokesmen
As the authoritative voice regarding
The person and work and message of Jesus.

• Jesus would be crucified in less than 2 years and would soon after that ascend into heaven.

• And one can only imagine the discrepancies and distortions that would follow after He would be gone.

• To fix that and to preserve the exact message regarding who He was and what He taught Jesus would appoint these “apostles”.

• They would be the officially certified messengers of His gospel.
• They would be the final authority to end all debate regarding who Jesus was.
• They would be the final authority regarding what Jesus taught.

And to validate their message
Jesus would even entrust these men with the power to work miracles
To validate their office of apostleship and to authenticate their message.

And from the standpoint of the church,
And the church’s establishment, and the church’s doctrine,
THE PRESENCE OF THE APOSTLES IS HUGE!

Ephesians 2:20 “[The church has] been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,”

We know them as the ones who received divine revelation.
Ephesians 3:4-5 “By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;”

The apostles were those who were given divine revelation
To make known to us the very word of God.

Which explains passages like:
Acts 2:42 “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

These men were God’s voice to the church.

And to validate that message and their office, they were given the ability to work miracles which were called the signs of apostleship.
2 Corinthians 12:12 “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.”

Romans 15:18-19 “For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.”

Hebrews 2:3-4 “how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.”

In this light it is also understood why we DO NOT HOLD that
The miraculous gifts are still present today.

DON’T GET ME WRONG, that does not mean that God does not supernaturally work in our world, obviously He does.
• God heals
• God delivers
• God provides
• God protects
• And God still does those things in supernatural fashion

But the presence of men who have the ability to perform miraculous healings at will or to work other types of miracles at will is no longer.

That was unique to the apostles whom Jesus appointed
And it was unique in order to validate their authority to speak the truth
About Jesus and the gospel message.

That truth is now handed down to us in the New Testament
We no longer need men with miraculous ability to validate their message.

We stand on the apostle’s authority.
We stand on the authority of the New Testament they left behind.

For a better understanding of this authority, you can look to John 20.
John 20:21-23 “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

• This DOES NOT indicate that the apostles could forgive or condemn people at
their choosing.
• What it indicated is men who had the authority to declare rather or not a
person was forgiven, or had been forgiven.

Peter did this with Simon the Magician
Acts 8:20-23 “But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”

They could make authoritative judgments
Regarding a person’s spiritual condition.

Incidentally, we now also declare people forgiven or still in sin,
But not based upon our own judgments.

We stand on the apostle’s authority here as well.
• When a person believes in Jesus Christ we tell them on the authority of the New Testament, they are forgiven.
• When a person rejects Jesus Christ we tell them on the authority of the New Testament that they face judgment.

But the apostles would have this authority first.

So I think you can see that this is NO SMALL RESPONSIBILITY
That these men would be given.

Jesus is about to entrust men
• With more power than any normal man should
• With His reputation
• And with His message.

You’d certainly want to get this selection right.

And those whom He will select will not only receive great responsibility, but ALSO GREAT HONOR.

These 12 will have their names engraved on the foundation stones of heaven.
Revelation 21:14 “And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”

These 12 will be the new leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Luke 22:29-30 “and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

These 12 will be called “the holy apostles” and will be examples of holy living to the church.
1 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.”

1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.”

This is a monumental task and an important selection.

And one could only imagine
Where Jesus might look to find these extraordinary men.

Also important to note is the SOVEREIGN PRINCIPLE seen in this verse.

“He called His disciples”
“[He] chose twelve of them”
“He also named as apostles”

We are reminded of the statement Jesus will later make in the upper room:
John 15:16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”

And again
John 15:19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”

• There were no apostle tryouts held here on this day.
• There was no application process to fill out.
• There were no references submitted.

In short, Jesus was not picking the way we might pick.
He wasn’t looking for “the best of the best of the best”
There was no earthly criteria that distinguished them.

This was all a matter of the sovereign prerogative of God.
God was picking these men as best suited Him.

Well, that’s what makes the next 3 verses so amazing.
#3 THE PICK
Luke 6:14-16

We spend all that time talking about
What a sacred and important job it was to be an apostle.

And FRANKLY it then leaves us a little stunned when we see the list of men that were actually selected.
• No great athletes
• No famous celebrities
• No successful businessmen
• No powerful politicians
• No decorated soldiers
• No charismatic religious leaders
• No priests

Instead He selects a handful of Galileans, a few fisherman,
A recovering tax collector, a closet terrorist,
And a hypocritical traitor.

I don’t think there was another person in the world
Who would have settled on that list.

These are the men whom Jesus will entrust with full authority and power
To set the world straight regarding who He is and what He taught.

And I just don’t think you can overlook the fact that
NONE OF THESE MEN SEEM QUALIFIED IN THE LEAST.

What I want to do is just point out some of the familiar and obvious facts about these men to further illustrate my point.

I would say at this point, however, that there has already been a much better job of this done by John MacArthur in his sermon series “The Master’s Men”, where he will give you a full character sketch of each of these men.
https://www.gty.org/library/topical-series-library/79/the-masters-men

But, for our sake this morning, let me simply bring to your mind some of the massive faults that we are already aware of regarding this list.

I think the first place to start would be with the OBVIOUS PERSONALITY FLAWS of these men.

CONSIDER “PETER”
• He’s been called “the disciple with the foot-shaped mouth.”
• My dad used to say that “Peter was always broadcasting when he should have been tuning in.”

I think we all remember that infamous day
When Jesus announced His upcoming death in Jerusalem.

Matthew 16:21-23 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

That’s about as severe as it gets.
• Peter actually had the audacity to try and talk Jesus out of the cross, for which Jesus actually called him Satan.

I’m no expert in apostle selection,
But I’d think you’d want to stay away from those that Satan uses.

Or who could forget the famous scene with Peter in the upper room?
Matthew 26:33 “But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.”

Famous last words right!
“Lord I don’t know about all these other cowards in this room, but I’ll tell You one thing, nothing can make me fall away.”

He should have added, “unless a servant girl tells everyone I’m Your follower and then I’m out of here.”

We all remember that monumental failure of Peter.

Peter was impulsive, loud, overconfident,
And as such prone to failure and blunder.

• Do we have to talk about him trying to walk on water only to sink?
• Do we have to talk about him trying to take the guy’s head off in the garden?

Peter was going to talk too much, listen too little, make rash decisions,
And make his mistakes full speed ahead.

But the Lord picked him.
• In fact the Lord picked him as the leader.
• Matthew’s gospel calls him “the first”. Not first chronologically chosen (he wasn’t) but first in the scope of leadership.

Of the twelve, every time you see them listed, Peter is always listed first.
The Lord made this guy the leader.

CONSIDER “JAMES AND JOHN”
Affectionately referred to as “the sons of thunder”

• Yes it is true that John will become known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”
• And it is true that John will have a great deal to write about concerning love of the brethren in his epistles.

But could I just point out that
Neither James nor John started out that way.

Who can forget the day they saw someone else baptizing?
Mark 9:38-39 “John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.”

Who can forget the day the Samaritans wouldn’t let them lodge?
Luke 9:51-56 “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But He turned and rebuked them, [and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they went on to another village.”

Hot headed – Quick Tempered
• You’d like to think that the men you’ll entrust the gospel to would at least understand that the goal is to save men not kill them.

CONSIDER “THOMAS”
Often referred to as “doubting Thomas” but that’s really not accurate.

He should be referred to as Thomas the pessimist.
Thomas never thought anything was going to work.
He was always convinced it was going to go badly.

John 11:14-16 “So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”

There is optimism isn’t it?

John 14:3-5 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. “And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”

And even after Jesus rises:
John 20:24-25 “But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

I’m not sure that’s the type of “negative energy”
You’d want to bring into the group of 12.

Of course we could talk about “PHILIP”
Philip was a Greek name indicating he was probably a Hellenistic Jew

Philip was the analytical one of the group.
• He was the beaver,
• Always planning,
• Always calculating but very rarely seeing through eyes of faith.

When Jesus tells the disciples to feed the 5,000

Philip responds:
John 6:7 “Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.”

Philip had already done the math, and he knew it couldn’t be done.

When Jesus in the upper room speaks of His departure, it is Philip who needs some tangible evidence.
John 14:8-9 “Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

Philip was strong on calculations but slow on faith or discernment.

We already know that “MATTHEW” was a tax collector.

Even if his reputation wasn’t already shot, can you really trust a man who so recently had such an affinity for the world?

Or how about “SIMON WHO WAS CALLED THE ZEALOT”?

The Zealots were a group of Jewish terrorists
Whose goal was to overthrow Rome.
They would carry short daggers under their coats
In order to stab a Centurion in a crowd undetected.

• Is that really the kind of guy you’re going to entrust the message of salvation with?

• Do you really want to give supernatural power to a guy like Simon?

And that’s not even to mention the villain of the group “JUDAS ISCARIOT, WHO BECAME A TRAITOR.”

And that’s just a few of the personality deficiencies in that group.

But even when we consider THEIR COLLECTIVE WORK.
• How many times did Jesus reference their lack of faith?
• We hear it continually, “Oh ye of little faith”

During the storm:
Matthew 8:25-26 “And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.”

When Peter sank:
Matthew 14:31 “Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Matthew 16:8 “But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread?”

How many times did He reference their lack of understanding?
Matthew 15:17 “Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated?”

Matthew 16:11 “How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

How many times did He reference their lack of power?
Matthew 17:15-20 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. “I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”

Does anyone else remember how many times they got in arguments about which one was the greatest?
Luke 9:46 “An argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest.”

Or how about these two?
Matthew 20:20-21 “Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.”

And as if all of that was not enough,
We all know what these great men are going to do
When the going gets tough.

They’re all going to flee! (And Jesus knew it)

Mark 14:50 “And they all left Him and fled.”

This just isn’t a group I think we’d start with.

BUT THIS IS WHO THE LORD PICKS
WHY?

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.”

2 Corinthians 4:6-7 “For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;”

The Lord picks these types of people
Because through these types He can easier glorify Himself.

Furthermore it bears testimony once again to the fact that
Jesus is the Savior of the beggar, the guilty, and the blind.

He doesn’t just save them and discard them.
He saves them and uses them.

And I can’t speak for you, but I can tell you that
• It gives me great comfort to know that the Lord uses overconfident loud-mouthed impulsive cowards like Peter.

• It gives me hope to know the Lord uses judgmental, harsh, intolerant and competitive men like James and John.

• It encourages me that the Lord uses pessimistic, skeptical, and cynical men like Thomas.

• It encourages me that the Lord uses analytical, slow to believe, sight based, and slow discerning men like Philip.

• It encourages me that men with a past like that of a tax collector or terrorist can still be used in the Lord’s service.

BECAUSE I CAN IDENTIFY WITH A LOT OF THOSE FAILURES.
And if you can’t identify with them, come talk to me after the service
And I’ll tell you which ones you identify with!

WHAT WE LEARN HERE IS THAT
When Luke speaks of Jesus as the Savior or Redeemer of men,
That salvation reaches beyond simply rescuing them from hell.

JESUS DOESN’T JUST SAVE THEIR LIFE,
HE SALVAGES THEIR LIFE, HE REDEEMS THEIR LIFE.

They are a glorious picture of His full salvation.
The simple application is to understand that He can do the same for you,
Even if you think yourself unusable.

The next time you think the Lord can’t use you just ask yourself
If you would have thought the disciples were usable?

032 To Save A Life or To Destroy It?
Luke 6:1-11
March 11, 2018

We have been walking through the gospel of Luke
As Luke the exact truth regarding the person and work of Jesus.

And if all we had about Jesus was the last few weeks of information we would just label Jesus as
THE ONE WHOM THE PHARISEES HATED.

Jesus went throughout the region of Galilee and CAUSED QUITE A STIR as He would preach and then validate that preaching with miracles.
• We heard outrageous claims
• We saw demons cast out
• We saw fevers removed
• We saw fish caught in record numbers
• We saw a leper cleansed

And those events certainly caused Jesus’ popularity to sky-rocket.

It was this popularity that caused
The religious leaders of the day to come and check Him out.

This evaluation occurred one day in Galilee at a house that was crammed full of people
When 4 men lowered their paralyzed friend down through the roof to see Jesus.

What Jesus did on that day threw down the gauntlet
And the fight has been on ever since.
Jesus declared that paralyzed man forgiven.

The immediate thought that traveled through that Pharisaic room was “This fellow blasphemes!”

They knew that only God had the authority to forgive sins,
And therefore they saw this Jesus as the worse of blasphemers.

However, Jesus proved His authority by instantly healing that paralytic.

Now what should have happened is that everyone should have rejoiced!
• Those Pharisees should have fallen on their knees in worship and immediately gone home and told all their disciples about this man named Jesus.

But that is not what happened.
Instead of rejoicing over Jesus, the Pharisees went on the war-path.
They hated Him.

WHY?
BECAUSE THEY WERE STEEPED IN LEGALISM.

Legalism is the doctrine that believes man is justified before God by means of their religious works.

You please God and earn His favor through your actions.

GRANTED legalists are all over the place regarding what those specific actions that God will accept are, but still at the end of the day, they all believe it is something.
• Some focus on your level of goodness
• Some focus on your level of suffering
• Some focus on your level of ministry involvement
• Some focus on your level of worldly withdrawal
• But they all agree that God’s favor must be earned and it is earned through human works.

The other thing all legalists agree on is that they unanimously hate grace.

Legalists hate the declaration that God will freely give His favor
To those who have done nothing to earn it.

AND THIS HAS BEEN TRUE SINCE THE BEGINNING.

Does anyone remember the brothers Cain and Abel?
• Cain sought to earn God’s favor by bringing a hard earned offering from the
ground.
• Abel simply sought God’s favor through faith.

God accepted Abel’s offering of faith (grace)
God rejected Cain’s offering of works

What was the result? Cain killed Abel.

Does anyone remember the brothers Ishmael and Isaac?
• Ishmael was the product of man’s works (Abraham and Haggar)
• Isaac was the product of grace (Abraham and Sarah)

Paul expounds on the tension between those boys.
Galatians 4:29-31 “But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. But what does the Scripture say? “CAST OUT THE BONDWOMAN AND HER SON, FOR THE SON OF THE BONDWOMAN SHALL NOT BE AN HEIR WITH THE SON OF THE FREE WOMAN.” So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.”

• Paul references the fact that Ishmael began to make fun of Isaac.
• When Sarah caught wind of this she demanded that Abraham send Hagar and
Isaac away.
• At first Abraham was unwilling, but God corrected him and told him to listen to
Sarah.
There was no place for legalism in the lineage of God’s people.

But there again the legalist persecuted the man of grace.

Does anyone remember the brothers Esau and Jacob?
• Esau was the skilled brother who had earned his father’s favor.
• Jacob was the momma’s boy who did nothing to earn his father’s favor.

However God had pronounced from the womb that
The blessing and the birthright would belong to Jacob.
It was given by grace, not works.

• And yet not only do we find Esau conspire with his father to try and steal from
Jacob what God had already promised him,
• We also find Esau threatening to kill Jacob for receiving it and forcing Jacob to
flee the land.

Again, the legalist persecuted the man of grace.

I think you get the picture of the tension that has existed.

WELL THAT TENSION IS ON FULL DISPLAY IN THE GOSPELS
AS THE LEGALISTS ARE IN ATTACK MODE AGAINST JESUS.

The Pharisees are attacking Jesus
Because He is seeking to freely give what they insisted must be earned.
• They weren’t upset that Jesus forgave the paralytic.
• They were upset that Jesus forgave the paralytic without making him earn it.

And Jesus knew that.
SO after healing the paralytic
• Jesus walked out of that house and did the absolutely unthinkable…
• He forgave and called a tax collector named Matthew.
• And if that was not enough Jesus then attended a banquet thrown in His honor in Matthew’s house where many other tax collectors and sinners attended.

This decision earned Jesus the derogatory title of “Friend of Sinners”.
And it made Jesus public enemy number 1 of the Pharisees.

Following that banquet
The Pharisees set out to prove to the world that Jesus was not from God, but was nothing more than a worldly licentious and irreligious man.

• They approached Him wanting to know what kind of a Rabbi would teach His
disciples to eat and drink with sinners as opposed to fasting and praying
with the Pharisees.

And Jesus humiliated them.
He pointed out that the fasting of the Pharisees is absolutely pointless,
In fact, when you think about it, it is downright dumb.

Who mourns when the Savior is present and sinners are being saved?
That is not a time for mourning, that is a time for celebrating.

BUT, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE BATTLE LINE IS CLEARLY DRAWN.
The Pharisees are out to discredit this “so-called” Savior
Who would set men free from their legalistic bonds
And freely give the salvation that they’ve been selling for years.

And this morning that battle surfaces yet again.
And all in regard to the SABBATH.

3 things
#1 A LEGALISTIC ATTACK
Luke 6:1-2

“He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain.”

Now, first of all, what the disciples were doing was TOTALLY LEGAL.
Deuteronomy 23:25 “When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not wield a sickle in your neighbor’s standing grain.”

This was a part of those LAWS OF COMPASSION which God so clearly set forth.
It runs up there with the command to not harvest your field a second time,
But to leave what you missed for the poor.

This was a command like that.
• God, in His Law, made provision for compassion.
• If a man entered your field, he was allowed to eat, but not to harvest.
• And since it was God who controlled the growth of your crop and the size of
your harvest, you were to live in faith that God would take care of you.

The disciples were simply eating lunch.

What was the problem?
They were doing it on the Sabbath

By Jesus’ day the Sabbath commands had gotten way out of hand.
• They understood that work was forbidden on the Sabbath.
• The interpretive challenge of the day was to define what “work” was.
• And boy did they run off the charts with it.

John MacArthur outlined a portion of the absurdity.
“For example, traveling more than 3,000 feet from home was forbidden. But if one had placed food at the 3,000 foot point before the Sabbath, that point would then be considered a home, since there was food thee, and allow another 3,000 feet of travel. Similarly, a piece of wood or a rope placed across the end of a narrow street or alley constituted a doorway. That could then be considered the front door of one’s house, and permit the 3,000 feet of travel to begin there.
There were also regulations about carrying items. Something lifted up in a public could only be set down in a private place, and vice versa. And object tossed into the air could be caught with the same hand, but if it was caught with the other hand, it would be a Sabbath violation. If a person had reached out to pick up food when the Sabbath began, the food had to be dropped; to bring the arm back while holding the food would be to carry a burden on the Sabbath. It was forbidden to carry anything heavier than a dried fig (though something weighing half as much could be carried two times). A tailor could not carry his needle, a scribe his pen, or a student his books. Only enough ink to write two letters (of the alphabet) could be carried. A letter could not be sent, not even with a non-Jew. Clothes could not be examined or shaken out before being put on because an insect might be killed in the process which would be work. No fire could be lit or put out. Cold water could be poured into warm water, but not warm into cold. An egg could not be cooked, not even by placing it in hot sand during the summer. Nothing could be sold or bought. Bathing was forbidden, lest water be spilled on the floor and wash it. Moving a chair was not allowed, since it might make a rut in a dirt floor, which was too much like plowing. Women were forbidden to look in a mirror, since if they saw white hair, they might be tempted to pull it out.
Other forbidden things included sowing, plowing, reaping, binding sheaves, threshing, winnowing, grinding, kneading, baking, shearing, killing, or skinning a deer, salting its meat, or preparing its skin.”
(MacArthur, John [The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Luke 6-10, Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL, 2011] pg. 4)

And that isn’t even the tip of the iceberg.
It was out of control.

And yet, that is where the disciples of Jesus were being condemned.
They were “harvesting” on the Sabbath.

Clearly, according to Mosaic Law they were not
Since what they were doing in their neighbors field was declared legal and harvesting in their neighbors field was not.

All the disciples were guilty of was breaking their legalistic traditions.
The Pharisees were nit-picking.
They are looking for any way to condemn Jesus.

(2) “But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

Notice that the Pharisees had already
• Observed the action,
• Tried the action,
• And condemned the action.

They didn’t ask, “Do you think what you are doing is work?”
They already decided that it was.

They didn’t ask, “Did you realize that you are working?”
They already decided that it was an act of defiance.

Their question asks why Jesus and His disciples
Are so willing to adamantly break the commands of God.

It’s a loaded question filled with assumption.

They aren’t just trying to label Him a Sabbath violator,
They are seeking to label Him as an enemy of God.

#2 A SILENCING RESPONSE
Luke 6:3-5

Well, they asked, so Jesus answered.
And Jesus really gives two answers.
Matthew’s gospel records 2 more, but Luke just focuses on these two.

The picture is that Jesus stacks up the reasons
Why what His disciples are doing is legal.

The first answer comes almost in the form of a riddle.

(3-4) “And Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?”

The incident referred to a time when David had fled from Saul.
1 Samuel 21:1-6 “Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech came trembling to meet David and said to him, “Why are you alone and no one with you?” David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commissioned me with a matter and has said to me, ‘Let no one know anything about the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you; and I have directed the young men to a certain place.’ “Now therefore, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.” The priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread on hand, but there is consecrated bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.” David answered the priest and said to him, ” Surely women have been kept from us as previously when I set out and the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was an ordinary journey; how much more then today will their vessels be holy?” So the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence which was removed from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away.”

According to Mosaic Law, that bread for the priest alone.
• But David asked for it
• The priest gave it to him
• And David ate it
• Not only that, but David gave it to the men with him.

Now, certainly we understand the concept of implied consent.
• We can certainly make the assumption that God was ok with that because He
did not confront David for it.
• What is more, we know that it must have been allowed, or else Jesus would
not have referenced it here.

But defending David is NOT the main point of Jesus.

Rather JESUS IS YET AGAIN EXPOSING
The ignorance and inconsistency of these legalistic Pharisees.

We first see that by the way Jesus FRAMES THE QUESTION.
“Have you not even read..?”

These men accused Him of condoning “what is not lawful”

And the first thing Jesus does is reveal that
Perhaps their knowledge of the Law is incomplete.

Were they not aware of the story of David?
Certainly they were, Jesus is just making a point.

And then Jesus referenced the story where David clearly did something “which is not lawful”.

But after mentioning the story
Jesus DOESN’T EXPLAIN why what David did was ok.

Now many have mentioned, and certainly I agree, that
The reason David was innocent was because the Law did not negate deeds of necessity.

• Had that priest had any other bread, he most certainly would have given it, but
the consecrated bread was all he had.
• His option was to either feed them the bread, or let them starve.
• At that point the heart of God became obvious to the priest and he fed the
men.

BUT JESUS NEVER MADE THAT EXPLANATION.
He’s not trying to correct their theology,
He’s trying to expose their inconsistency.

So He poses a riddle of sorts.
• The Pharisees accused Jesus of breaking God’s Law.
• Jesus responded by in effect asking them if they thought David also broke God’s Law.

Can you see the Pharisees staring at each other without a good answer?

If these Pharisees insist upon condemning Jesus
• Then they also have to condemn David,
• The priest who gave him the bread,
• And God who did nothing about it.

But if these Pharisees acquit David then they also have to acquit Jesus
Because David and Jesus both acted for the same reason…
Basic human necessity.

The only real difference is that David actually did violate the Law,
And Jesus actually did not.

So the Pharisees are caught in a dilemma.
• Do they condemn David or do they acquit Jesus?

But before they even come to a consensus on how to answer,
Jesus gives them another answer.

(5) “And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Now that is another one of those mind-blowing statements.
• That is right up there with His claims in Nazareth to be God’s anointed come to
usher in God’s kingdom.
• That is right up there with His claim to be able to forgive sin.

Jesus claims to sit in authority over the Sabbath.

Let me ask you a question.
If God decides to work on the Sabbath, is He guilty of breaking His Law?
• Of course not
• He is God and He can do whatever He wants.

Incidentally, that was the point Jesus made on another Sabbath discrepancy:

When Jesus healed the man at the Bethesda pool it was also on a Sabbath.
John 5:16-17 “For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”

There they accused Jesus of working on the Sabbath (He wasn’t, but that was the accusation). Jesus replied by saying, “Why not, My Father is working, and I’m just doing what My Father is doing.”

The statement here is even more direct.
Jesus declares Himself “Lord of the Sabbath”
It is a direct claim to deity.
It is a direct claim to be the chief authority.

And the statement here is:
• Even if I was working
• Even if I allowed My disciples to work
• Even then it would be ok because I am the author of that Law and I do not sit under its jurisdiction.

The Sabbath doesn’t define My actions, I define the Sabbath laws.

And incidentally, this is where OUR DOCTRINE on Sabbath worship rests.

Listen to what Paul said about it:
Romans 14:1-9 “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”

Our Sabbath commitment is not about commitment to a day,
It is about commitment to a person.

We don’t worship the Sabbath, we worship the “Lord of the Sabbath”.

That is where the Pharisees missed it.
• They worshiped the Sabbath and all of their traditions,
• But they had no regard for the “Lord of the Sabbath”.

Jesus just told them that.

AND THE PHARISEES CAN NO MORE DISPROVE THAT
Than they can disprove His authority to forgive,
For His power bears witness to His claims.

So they set out to expose Jesus as being LAWLESS,
All that happened is that Jesus exposed them for being CLUELESS.

#3 A HUMILIATING DEMONSTRATION
Luke 6:6-11

Luke says, “On another Sabbath” which indicates that this is not just a normal flow of events.

Rather, Luke is making a point about how the Pharisees attacked Jesus in regard to Sabbath Law and how He defeated them every time.

“On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching;”
(That was His purpose right?)

“and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him.”

Healing on the Sabbath was not forbidden by Mosaic Law,
• Only by the traditions of the Pharisees,
• But their traditions had become so engrained they were treated like Law.

And here again the Pharisees are just looking for their opportunity.

And the stage is set because their actually happens to be a crippled man in the congregation.
• A man “whose right hand was withered” sat there, and the Pharisees were curious.

Matthew records that it was actually the Pharisees who pointed out this man to Jesus wanting His take on whether or not it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath.

(8) But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward.”

This is such a bold move by Jesus.

If you use Matthew and Mark to piece together the entire scene
• It was the Pharisees who asked first about healing on the Sabbath.
• And to answer their question Jesus responds by calling the crippled man up in front of everyone,
• And then Jesus turns the situation around on them.

(9) “And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?”

They asked if healing was allowed
So Jesus stood the man in front of them and basically asked them
To look this man in the eye and tell him it wasn’t.

I’ve often had conversations with people in regard to benevolence.
One thing I know about benevolence is that everyone knows exactly how to do benevolence until the needy person is standing right in front of you.

I’ve had people tell me, “We don’t need to help like that, or we don’t need to help so and so”
My response is, “That’s fine, so the next time they ask, I’m going to need you to come tell them that.”

THE POINT IS, rules are easy if you’re able to remove the human element.
But when you are forced to look people in the eye
The black and white nature of rules becomes much more difficult.

Well that’s what Jesus does here.
• He forces these Pharisees to look this man in the eye,
• To see his pain,
• To anticipate how badly he wanted healing.

And Jesus said, “I ASK YOU, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?”

And verse 10 says, “After looking around at them all…”

Man what a scene!
• Jesus makes eye contact with every one of those Pharisees,
• Just waiting to see if any one of them would have either the heart to want this man healed
• Or the audacity to say otherwise.

Mark’s gospel says:
Mark 3:5 “After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart…”

Luke doesn’t mention the anger, but I do think it’s implied.
What these men were doing was worse than trying to trap Jesus,
They are demonstrating a heartless attitude toward the afflicted.

And by the way: THEY ANSWERED THE QUESTION
By their silence their answer was “Don’t heal him”
• They are demonstrating the same cold enslavement that they have preached
for years. They have absolutely no concern for people, only for their own
legalistic traditions.

NO COMPASSION

Jesus “said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored.”

Now please pay close attention to what actually happened here.

First, the response of the Pharisees.
“But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.”

• There they are again mourning when they ought to be celebrating.
• They were about as far away from the heart of God as a person could get.
• These Pharisees were content to destroy life for the sake of their legalistic doctrine.

BUT WHY ARE THEY SO ANGRY?
If you say it’s because Jesus broke the Law by working, then tell me what did He do that they would have considered work?

• Did He operate on the man? No
• Did He help the man do some sort of physical therapy? No
• Did He even touch the man? No

All He did was talk.
He told the man to stretch out his hand, and the man’s hand was healed.

Even if healing was work
There was no possible way they could have condemned Jesus
For working here with as little physical effort as He exerted.

THESE MEN CANNOT BE MAD ABOUT THE SABBATH BEING BROKEN.
THE ONLY THING THEY CAN BE MADE ABOUT
IS A MAN BEING HEALED BY GOD.

Their true colors are showing.
• They didn’t love people.
• They didn’t love God’s Law.
• They didn’t love God.

They used God and His Law as a means of putting others down
And elevating themselves.

AND THIS WAS NEVER THE INTENT.
TURN TO: ISAIAH 56

• In Isaiah 56-58 you have a section where God is explaining to Israel exactly
what is wrong with their religion and why He finds it so detestable.

• It actually begins in chapter 56 with God explaining how beneficial it is to
keep His Law accurately.

READ ISAIAH 56:1-8

• God says if you do what is right and keep from profaning My Sabbaths then I
will bless you.
• And it doesn’t matter who you are, even a eunuch or a foreigner, I will bless
you if you keep My Sabbaths.

Now that sounds exactly like the argument the Pharisees might have made to Jesus doesn’t it?

Except they were totally missing the point
Of what it meant to keep God’s Sabbath.

TURN TO: ISAIAH 58
READ: ISAIAH 58:1-1-5

• They just couldn’t figure out why they were jumping through all of those hoops
and God wasn’t pleased.
• God says it is because you are only interested in fulfilling your desire, not
Mine.

Well what is God’s desire?
READ: ISAIAH 58:6-7

God wants compassion not oppression.

And that is what Jesus said.
“Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?”

Jesus wasn’t in violation of the Law here, the Pharisees were,
It’s just that they had convinced everyone that they were right.
But God had NEVER been pleased with them.

We could go back to Isaiah 1.
Isaiah 1:11-15 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies — I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.”

Well then what does God want?
Isaiah 1:16-17 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.”

The religion God wanted was the religion that walked in truth and compassion, not condemnation and oppression.

THAT IS WHAT JESUS CAME TO EXPOSE

And the clear point from Jesus here is that
SALVATION REIGNS OVER CONDEMNATION.
Or as James put it, “mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Now certainly WE’RE NOT trying to make Jesus out as a sin-tolerating liberal, He most certainly was not. He always preached repentance.

However, He took much more delight
In seeing a sinner repent than He did in seeing a sinner condemned.

It is far better “to save a life [than] to destroy it”

Cain, Ishmael, Esau, the Pharisees – they all destroyed life
Jesus came to save it

It is not confusing where the church must dwell on this.

036 Does Imputation Work?
Romans 5:12-21
March 11, 2018

As you know, we’ve been discussing the doctrine of SOLUS CHRISTUS,
Namely that salvation is in Christ Alone.

And namely that has been a study of what Christ did FOR us.
• We say that He Lived FOR us. (active obedience)
• We say that He died FOR us. (passive obedience)

And we have even said that He is the only One to ever do that.

But there is a deeper issue at stake.

Our doctrine of SOLUS CHRISTUS
Stands or falls on the doctrine of imputation.

We have no doubts that Christ lived an obedient life.
We have no doubts that Christ died a submissive death.

The question is:
DO WE REALLY BELIEVE THAT WHAT HE DID CAN BE IMPUTED “transferred” TO US?

• Can the actions of 1 man 2,000 years ago really affect each of us in such a
significant fashion?
• Can it be that my sin really can be imputed to Christ?
• Can it be that His righteousness really can be imputed to me?

It sounds good, frankly, it almost sounds too good to be true.

Even Solomon wrote:
Ecclesiastes 8:14 “There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.”

DOES IMPUTATION WORK?

To answer that question, we turn to a very important passage of Scripture
We’ve already looked at part of it back in our study of SOLA GRATIA.

But I think it is one of the most important passages
(and sadly most neglected) in the whole Bible.

It is the passage in which Paul reveals the doctrine of imputation.

3 main points
#1 UNVEILING ADAM’S SIN
Romans 5:12-14
FIRST OF ALL – this section is difficult because it contains a parenthetical statement that is a little hard to notice unless you’re reading the KJV.

In verse 12 Paul says, “Therefore just as through one man sin entered…”

When someone says to you, “just as” or “in the same way”,
You naturally expect them to list both items they are comparing.

If I say, “Just as this pulpit is brown”
You automatically expect me to say, “so is the Lord’s supper table”

BUT PAUL SEEMS TO LEAVE US HANGING
He gives us the “just as” in verse 12 but doesn’t finish the statement.

He does finish it, but not until verse 18.
Romans 5:18 “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.”

So to help you understand the flow of his writing,
Circle the “just as” in verse 12, and draw a line to the “so then” in verse 18.

The reason they are so far apart
Is because Paul inserts this PARENTHETICAL STATEMENT.

Verses 13-17 make up this statement.
THEY ARE A COMMENTARY OF VERSE 12.

THIS PARENTHETICAL SECTION IS THERE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION:
Is it is really possible for a deed which occurred 2,000 years ago to affect us today?

Paul answers “yes” and he bases it upon the sin of Adam.

Paul will prove that one act of Jesus can affect us all,
By revealing that the death of Jesus isn’t the first time
That all men were affected by one act.

Before the Second Adam (Jesus) died on a tree,
The first Adam was eating from one, and it powerfully affected us.

LET’S LOOK AT ADAM’S WORK

“Therefore just as through one man sin entered into the world”

SIN WAS NOT ALWAYS IN THE WORLD.
When God created this world, He did not put sin in it.
Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

Sin was not in the world.

UNTIL
Genesis 3:1-7 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.”

And sin entered into the world
And thanks to him, sin entered God’s creation.

AND SIN BROUGHT DEATH
“through one man sin entered into this world, and death through sin”

Sin has a very intimate friend, and he never travels without him.
THE SIDEKICK OF SIN IS DEATH.

James 1:15 “Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

And certainly Adam learned this.
Not only was the serpent doomed to lick the dust…
Not only was the woman doomed to pain in childbearing…
Not only was creation doomed to futility…

BUT DEATH WAS NOW UPON US.
Genesis 3:17-19 “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

And this much we all probably understand.
But it’s the next point that Paul wanted to make sure we get.

ADAM’S SIN AFFECTED US ALL
“and so death spread to all men, because all sinned”

Now it is very easy to read that text as though when men were born,
We just made the same mistake of Adam, and that is why we die too.

While we do all sin, THAT IS NOT WHAT PAUL IS SAYING HERE.

We covered this already, but it doesn’t hurt to do it again.

Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”

The word “justified” there
Was in the AORIST, or the POINT tense.

That meant Paul was NOT speaking of an ongoing event,
But rather one event that took place at one instance in the past

At one point, we were instantly and permanently made right with God.

I remind you of that, because
That is the exact same tense that Paul uses here.

When he says that “all sinned”,
HE IS NOT referring to the weakness of mankind to give in to sin.
HE IS explaining something that happened at one point in the past.

There was an exact point in the timeline of history,
That “all sinned”.

That point was that when Adam sinned
It totally infected everyone who would come after him with sin.

ADAM’S SIN & CONDMENTATION WAS IMPUTED TO US

Paul will say it a little clearer later in the chapter.
Romans 5:18a “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men…”

Romans 5:19a “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners…”

What Adam did affected the entire human race,
Because the entire human race came from him; WE WERE IN ADAM.

John MacArthur wrote
“[Adam’s] sin became mankind’s sin, because all mankind were in his loins.”
(MacArthur, John; The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 1-8 [Moody Press, Chicago, Ill; 1991] pg. 296)

This is why David said
Psalms 51:5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.”

Psalms 58:3 “The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.”

This is why when Jesus showed up He said:
John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

He’s already condemned, born in Adam.
He needs to be born again of the Spirit.

BUT WE WERE ALL CONDEMNED IN ADAM.

And to prove it Paul gives evidence.
(13)“for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.”

Paul says that ever since Adam sin was present.
YOU MAY OR MAY NOT AGREE.
You may choose to say, sin didn’t show up until I sinned.

“BUT sin is not imputed when there is no law”

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

It means, if there is no law against an action,
You cannot be held under punishment for violating it.

Now, after the law is clear and posted, you are accountable.
Therefore, after the time of Moses,
We understand why people are in such trouble.

BUT BEFORE MOSES THERE WERE NO COMMANDS.
(Adam had the only one)

HERE IS THE POINT
In between Adam and Moses there was no Law,
And therefore there is no way that man could have been punished for breaking it. God had no way of condemning mankind.

verse 14, “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.”

IF ADAM’S CONDEMNATION DIDN’T SPREAD, THEN WHY DID PEOPLE BETWEEN ADAM AND MOSES DIE?

BECAUSE ALL MEN HAD BEEN DECLARED SINNERS IN ADAM
AND ALL MEN HAD BEEN CONDEMNED WITH ADAM.

While Paul’s point is hard to swallow,
It has no small amount of evidence to enforce it.
What Adam did brought death to us everyone.

Adam’s one act of disobedience
Was powerful enough to condemn the world.

But that reality is actually GOOD THING FOR US because:
Adam was a picture:
“who is a type of Him who was to come.”

#2 UNDERSTANDING ADAM’S SYMBOLISM
Romans 5:15-17

We all know what a “type” is.
It is a foreshadowing. It is a picture.
The Old Testament is full of them.

The Passover Lamb is a type or picture of Jesus the Sacrifice.
Melchizedek is a type or a picture of Jesus the High Priest.
Manna is a type or a picture of Jesus as The Bread that comes from heaven.

Here Paul says that Adam was “type of Him who was to come.”

Adam is a type of Jesus, in that the way Adam affected all men
Is a picture of the way Jesus would affect all men.

Just as Adam’s one deed spread to all men,
So also Jesus’ one deed spread to all men.
In that sense, Adam is a “type” of Christ.

However, we don’t need another Adam like the first Adam.
And so while Adam is a “type”,
Paul now wants to show you that Adam is the “Anti-Type”.

They are similar in that their deed affects all men,
They are different as to how their deed affects all men.

So now that you understand that one man’s act can affect all men,
Paul will show you how they affect all differently.

You need to know that Adam is a type, but you also need to know that he is an anti-type.
• For on one hand you need to know that in one sense they did the same thing.
• On the other hand you need to know that what Christ did is more powerful than what Adam did.

There are 3 major differences
Between the work of Adam and the work of Jesus.

1) DIFFERENT IN PERSONALITY (15)

“But the free gift is not like the transgression”
We know what “the transgression” is.
ADAM’S SIN

BUT WHAT WAS “THE FREE GIFT”?
It is Christ’s atoning work.

Romans 3:23-24 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”

Paul echoed this sentiment to the Ephesian church.
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God”

So while the transgression is the willful sin of Adam,
A deed which spread to all men,
The gift is the redemptive work of Jesus,
A deed which also spread to all men.

BUT THAT IS WHERE THE SIMILARITIES STOP.

For Paul unequivocally says, “The free gift is not like the transgression.”

Paul wants you to know that when he used Adam as an example to illustrate what Jesus did, IT DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE THE SAME.

And so here Paul gives the first way
In which the work of Adam and the work of Jesus are different.

“For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.”

Paul’s point is that they are different at their very core.
Their PERSONALITY is different.
Their nature is different.
LOOK AT ADAM
“by the transgression of the one the many died”

Adam committed an evil deed that NEGATIVELY affected us all.

LOOK AT JESUS
“much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many”

Jesus committed a righteous deed that POSITIVELY affected us all.

ADAM BROUGHT SIN; JESUS BROUGHT SALVATION

ADAM BROUGHT THE CURSE; JESUS BROUGHT THE BLESSING

ADAM BROUGHT DEATH; JESUS BROUGHT LIFE

ADAM BROUGHT CONDEMNATION; JESUS BROUGHT JUSTIFICATION

So while Adam is an illustration of Jesus, he is an opposite illustration.

They are different in personality.
2) DIFFERENT IN POWER (16)

Here Paul says it again. (He really wants to drive this point home to you)
“The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned”

And so here he gives the SECOND WAY in which they are different.
“for one the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.”

Obviously there, Paul reiterates the point made in verse 15.
He again reminds that they are different at their very core.
You STILL SEE the negative from Adam and the positive from Christ.

From Adam “judgment arose resulting in condemnation”
From Jesus “free gift arose resulting in justification”

But there is another major difference that Paul introduces here,
AND THAT IS BY WAY OF POWER.

The KEY IS FOUND by noticing the numerical value Paul speaks of.
Circle the word “one” – And circle the word “many”

“judgment arose from ONE transgression”
“the free gift arose from MANY transgressions”

WHAT DOES THAT PROVE?

Well, LET’S ASSUME that Adam and Jesus were exactly equal in power.
LET’S ASSUME that neither was stronger than the other.

Then for one act of righteousness would nullify how many sins? – ONE
Then two acts of righteousness would nullify how many sins? – TWO

BUT
Jesus offered one act to cover all sin.
JESUS’ ONE ACT IS MORE POWERFUL THAN ADAM’S ONE ACT.

So Paul wants you to know that Jesus is more powerful than Adam.

This is also clearly seen in all the miracles of Jesus.
Matthew specifically lines them out.
• Power over sickness
• Power over fallen creation
• Power over demons
• Power over sin
• Power over death
• Power over Satan

So they are different in PERSONALITY They are different in POWER
3) DIFFERENT IN PERMANENCE (17)

Here Paul lists the third way in which the work of Adam
And the work of Jesus are different.

Since Jesus has more power…
Then we make a theological application.

“For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one,”

And that is exactly what it did.
But if death reigned through Adam,
And Jesus is more powerful than Adam…

“MUCH MORE those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”

Key word here is “will reign”
As in Christ’s gift will reign over Adam’s blunder

HERE IS THE POINT
Death reigned over us, because it was more powerful than us.

Everyone died.
And for all general purposes Adam’s sin seemed permanent.
It appeared to be something we were going to live with forever.

Death reigned over us because it was more powerful than us,
BUT Jesus is more powerful than Adam and death.

SO FOLLOW THE POINT.

Paul said Christ died for us all and reconciled us to God.
IS THAT POSSIBLE?

1) Well, Adam sinned for us all and Adam is a type of Christ (even if he is an anti-type)
2) So if Adam can sin for us all, then surely Christ can be righteous for us all.
3) If Adam can bring condemnation to us all, then surely Christ can bring eternal life to us all.

So now, after the parenthetical statement, let’s see Paul get back to the point.
#3 UNDOING ADAM’S SENTENCE
Romans 5:18-21

As we mentioned earlier,
This is the completion of the statement Paul began in verse 12.

TAKE OUT THE PARENTHESIS

“12Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned…18beven so through one act of righteousness their resulted justification of life to all men.”

You can see how (after the parenthetical statement is removed)
This passage makes sense.

We realize that Paul is comparing the work of Jesus to the work of Adam.

(18) “So then as through one transgression their resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.”

Now first, don’t let the “all men” throw a kink in your theology.
This is not promoting universalism.

Paul already made it clear in verse 17 who we are referring to.
“THOSE WHO RECEIVE the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness”

This verse doesn’t mean that it is automatically applied to all men,
But rather that it is available to all men.
There is unlimited sufficiency in this offer.

THE POINT IS:
HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS IS YOURS, just as Adam’s sin was yours.

Because we were born in the flesh,
We inherited the condemnation of the flesh.
But when man is born again,
He receives the justification of the new spirit.

1 Peter 1:23 “for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.”

John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

When a person dies to self, and trusts in Christ,
The Bible says they are “born again”

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

We are born again, and now we are no longer in Adam.
The person who was in Adam died. His condemnation is over.

Now, we are in Christ.
We are “in Him”.

And because we are “in Him”
All the blessings that are His, are ours.

2 Corinthians 1:19-22 “For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us — by me and Silvanus and Timothy — was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”

Just as we inherited sin, death, and judgment “in Adam”
Now, having died to ourselves and having been born again
In Christ, we inherit life, blessing, and justification.

Just as being a child of Adam caused the curse of Adam to spread,
So being a child of God causes the blessing of God to spread.

It comes to us in the exact same way.

Now, we know it spreads to us, the same way, but HOW?
IMPUTATION

(19) “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners even so though the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous”

Just as Adam transgressed and spread it to us all.
“even so” (in the exact same way)

Through Christ’s obedience, both active and passive,
The many are made righteous.

It worked in Adam, it works in Jesus

And because Jesus is more powerful it works regardless of all the sin that has transpired since the days of Adam.

Which is Paul’s next point:

“The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”

Even when the Law finally did come and exponentially increased the amount of sin, even that could not stop the work of Christ.

JESUS UNDID IT ALL

“so that as sin reigned in death even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

THE POINT: Adam ruined us but Jesus rescued us

His righteousness and His life spread to us,
Just as Adam’s sin and death spread to us.

So the answer is “Yes”
IMPUTATION DOES WORK
• Christ can die FOR us.
• His righteousness can be imputed to us.
• Our sin can be imputed to Him.

And He does this for all who are “in Christ Jesus”

Another great truth we’ll examine next time.

The Only Savior
Acts 4:12
March 4, 2018

We are currently in that 4th SOLA known as SOLUS CHRISTUS
And we have been talking about what that means.

Primarily it is a study of what Christ did FOR us.
• It focuses mostly on the reality that Christ did not come to make me righteous but to BE my righteousness.

• It is a doctrine which emphasizes that the salvation which I enjoy was provided for me solely by Christ apart from any assistance from me.

• It is not what Christ did IN me, but what Christ has done FOR me.

And the first question we answered was:
WHAT DID CHRIST DO FOR ME?
• We saw that in His ACTIVE OBEDIENCE He lived a perfectly righteous life
and perfectly fulfilled God’s righteous requirement.

• We saw that in His PASSIVE OBEDIENCE He died a sacrificial death and
perfectly satisfied God’s divine wrath.

And since His righteousness is imputed to me
And my sinfulness was imputed to Him,
Then we say that Christ did both of those things FOR me.
He lived for me and He died for me

And now, having been clothed in His righteousness by faith
I am counted justified before God.

It has nothing to do with any good works I did
It has nothing to do with any punishment I have taken

Jesus paid it all.

That is really the heart of the doctrine of SOLUS CHRISTUS
But as we have also said from the beginning
There are certainly OTHER ELEMENTS included.

The most popular (and indeed the one most people think of)
Is the reality that CHRIST IS ALSO THE ONLY SAVIOR

We answered the question: What did Christ do for me?
Now we are asking the question: DID ANYONE ELSE DO IT TOO?

Certainly if we understand anything in our CONSUMER DRIVEN MARKET of America we know that there is always more than one option.

It doesn’t matter if I’m buying shoes or tools or milk or an electrician
There are always multiple options.

Our question tonight is: Is that true in regard to salvation?
We know what Christ did, but was He the only one to do it?

Now first let me tell you why people would even ask that question.
Let me explain why people would care.

And it really boils down to our consumer mentality.

If you need a new pair of shoes
• The most basic need is for something to protect your feet.
• So in that sense it really doesn’t matter.

However people don’t just say get me a pair of shoes and expect that we’re all going to want the same thing. We want options.

What are some of the factors that determine which shoes we buy?
• Comfort – Do I like the way they feel?
• Style – Do I like the way they look on me?
• Function – Do they achieve what I need from them?
• Cost – Are they worth what I have to pay?

Well all of those also explain why people desire more than one Savior.
• Comfort – Do I like the way this Savior makes me feel?
• Style – Do I like the reputation that comes from following this Savior?
• Function – Does this Savior save me in the way I want to be saved?
• Cost – How much will it cost me to receive this Saviors salvation?

So if there are options then I get to shop around
And find the Savior that best suits my needs.

This explains why people so badly want there to be numerous Saviors.
It allows me to be in control and to dictate my terms of salvation.
We get to apply the “Customer is always right” mentality.

BUT WHAT IF THERE IS ONLY ONE?
• If there is only one, then the consumer is no longer in charge.
• The consumer is faced with a “take it or leave it” dilemma.

When I went to see the surgeon about having my gallbladder removed:
• He told me it needed to come out.
• I agreed.
• He sent me in the other room to schedule when.
• The lady said, we need “X amount” of money paid in full before we will do this.

And I instantly had no power. It was “take it or leave it”
• I didn’t get to select the color of my hospital gown
• I didn’t get to select the temperature of the operating room
• I didn’t get to haggle the price

He was my only option, and I had to consent to his terms.

Typically we don’t like that.
We want the control.
We want the options.

That same mentality is why our world fights so strongly for PLURALISM
You know the whole “many roads up the same mountain” theology.

We like the freedom to choose the Savior which best fits our desires.

Well, part of SOLUS CHRISTUS is to remind us that
Apart from Christ there is no other Savior.

And I don’t know of any verses that state it better than Acts 4:12.

Acts 4:12 isn’t the only verse that says it.
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”

But neither of those verses says it any better than Acts 4:12
So that is the one we look at.

First, a little context.
• Shortly after Pentecost we have Peter and John still in Jerusalem.
• One day, while heading into the temple, Peter healed a crippled man.
• When this miracle occurred the Peter started flocking to Peter for the same reason they would typically flock to Jesus – they also wanted healing.
• Peter took the opportunity to preach to the crowd regarding their rejection of the One who really healed this man.

Acts 3:13-16 “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. “But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. “And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.”

• And of course Peter demanded again repentance and faith.

Acts 3:19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”

• Well, in the middle of this sermon the priests and the Sanhedrin show up. This was the Jewish mafia family (Annas and Caiaphas and you know the crew)
• And these men surround Peter and try to bully him to stop preaching
• But Peter simply turned and started preaching at these men too.

Acts 4:8-12 “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead — by this name this man stands here before you in good health. “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

And it is this last verse we want to specifically focus on tonight.
There are two main points I want you to see from this verse.
And we’re actually going to look at the end of the verse first.

#1 THE NECESSITY OF SALVATION
Acts 4:12

In particular I want you to recognize that
Peter ends that verse with the statement, “we must be saved.”

This is a very important truth to learn, and even in those 4 words
There are some very important truths revealed.

I would look at those 4 words and first remind you of this:
1) THE NEED OF SALVATION IS UNIVERSAL

Peter doesn’t say, “You must be saved” or “They must be saved”
But “WE must be saved”

It is that very important reminder that
The fall of man is a universal condition.

We read from Paul about what Adam did to us.
Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned”

We are familiar with Paul’s famous monologue in Romans 3
Where he reminds us that “there is none righteous; not even one”

We are familiar with that great summation verse in:
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

We understand that all men are sinful.
Very early in the Bible we are approached with this understanding.

In Genesis 6 God makes this assessment of all humanity.
Genesis 6:5-7 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

We could listen later as the prophet Ezekiel recorded:
Ezekiel 22:30 “I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.”

And it is not just the worst among us, it is all of us.
Romans 3:12 “ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

There is a universal need here.

Also implied by Peter is this:
2) THE NEED OF SALVATION IS REAL

Peter says “we MUST be saved”

• He doesn’t hold up salvation as something you might want to look in to.
• He doesn’t advertise salvation like a new pair of shoes that you might really enjoy if you are so inclined.

THIS IS A NECESSITY

Jesus told Nicodemus
John 3:7 “…you must be born again.”

There is in that an implication.
Man is in grave danger and must have salvation.

Well that promotes a couple more questions.
• SAVED FROM WHAT/WHO?
• WHY DO WE NEED TO BE SAVED FROM IT/THEM?

These are important questions
And some that have even become blurred in recent years.

I’ll never forget as a young aspiring minister in Stephenville
I would go to Brownwood on Tuesday nights with our church’s youth minister to sit and listen to a retired preacher named Richard Jackson.

In many ways it was a very beneficial time of learning
The practical responsibilities of ministry.

But there was one thing he taught that messed up my theology for many years, and one which God had to straighten out.

He was talking about the necessity of salvation (which he certainly proclaimed) however when asked: What does man need to be saved from? His answer was “Sin”.

To which he said, “Jesus didn’t come to save you from God, as though God is up in heaven shooting at us, Jesus came to save you from sin.”

Now, in one sense there is some truth to that.

After all the angel Gabriel did tell Joseph:
Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

But Richard Jackson was applying that verse
In a way in which Gabriel certainly did not intend.

According to Jackson God is not angry, God is not “shooting at us”,
It’s just that sin has made such a wreck of the human condition
That Jesus must come and save us from it.

That is not what Gabriel meant.
Gabriel knew that we must be saved from our sins
Because of what our sins bring with them.
They bring with them nothing short of the very wrath of a holy God.

Psalms 5:4-6 “For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You. The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity. You destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.”

Psalms 7:11 “God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day.”

Even listen to Paul at Athens:
Acts 17:30-31 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

There is no doubt what we are being saved from and it is a “WHO”.
• Sinful man must be saved from God.
• They must be saved from His wrath and full fury.

And let me even take it a step further to remind you.
• It is not simply God’s wrath on sin.
• It is God’s wrath on the sinners who commit that sin.

As R.C. Sproul so profoundly put it.
“Men say God hates the sin but loves the sinner. But God doesn’t send the sin to hell, He sends the sinner there.”
https://youtu.be/DXX0r8enBdY?t=2m16s

Proverbs 6:16-19 “There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.”

Psalms 11:5 “The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates.”

To claim merely that man only needs to be saved from sin,
Or that God is only angry at the sin and not the sinner
Is a HUMANISTIC GOSPEL.

And certainly that is a popular false gospel proclaimed today.

We like to say,
“God loves you just like you are, and He has such a wonderful plan for your life, and He is so grieved that sin is keeping you from that plan, and He so badly wants to remove that sin so that you can enjoy the good life He intended for you to have.”

THAT IS NOT THE GOSPEL MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE

The gospel message of the Bible is:
• The creature has infinitely offended the Creator by reason of their rebellion against the Creator’s righteous standard.
• Because of this rebellion the Creator has determined to crush and destroy sinners.
• He did it first by the flood
• He’ll do it again by fire
• Because of this sure and certain judgment of the Creator, the creature is in desperate need of salvation.

In fact “we MUST be saved”
We must be born again.
We must be delivered from the wrath of God.

So if you want to know what does man need to be saved from it is this.
MAN NEEDS TO BE SAVED FROM GOD.

WHY?
Because man has offended Him.

To refer again to a favorite R.C. Sproul quotation.

When asked: “If God is slow to anger and patient, then why when man first sinned was His wrath and punishment so severe and long lasting?”

Sproul responded:
“Time out… that God’s punishment was so severe? This creature from the dirt defied the everlasting holy God; after that God had said “The day that you eat of it, you shall surely die”. And instead of dying, “Thanatos”, that day, he lived another day and was clothed in his nakedness, by pure grace, and had the consequences of a curse applied for quite some time, but the worst curse would come upon the one who seduced him whose head would be crushed by the seed of the woman. And the punishment was too severe? What’s wrong with you people? I’m serious. This is what’s wrong with the Christian church today. We don’t know who God is and we don’t know who we are. The question is why wasn’t it infinitely more severe? If we have any understanding of our sin; any understanding of who God is, that’s the question, isn’t’ it?”
https://youtu.be/iP4A3C3E4Cs

Man has defied the God who created Him.
This is why God is angry and this is why man must be saved from Him.

Have we so quickly forgotten Romans 1?
Romans 1:18-21 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Because of this we read 3 times in Romans that “God gave them over…”
To various sins and the just consequences of those sins.

If you follow that thought on through into the next chapter we find:
Romans 2:5-6 “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:”

And on that note we would do good to
Remember the words of the writer of Hebrews who wrote:
Hebrews 10:30-31 “For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Man must be saved from God
Because man has offended God and He is angry.

But there is even another implied truth
That Peter gives us here in these last 4 words.

Certainly we understand the universal need of salvation. “we”
Certainly we understand how much salvation is needed “we must”
3) MAN IS HELPLESS TO SAVE HIMSELF

Peter said “we must BE SAVED”
That is not an active verb that is a passive verb.

Man is not commanded to save himself,
But is instead instructed that he needs someone to save him.

This past week I spent some time reading the 78th Psalm.
• I’ve always called it “Israel’s sin Hall of Fame”
• It is certainly a record of the continual and repeated failures and rebellions of Israel.

We don’t have time to go read it all,
But I can quickly give you the sense of it.

Psalms 78:17 “Yet they still continued to sin against Him, To rebel against the Most High in the desert.”

Psalms 78:21-22 “Therefore the LORD heard and was full of wrath; And a fire was kindled against Jacob And anger also mounted against Israel, Because they did not believe in God And did not trust in His salvation.”

Psalms 78:32 “In spite of all this they still sinned And did not believe in His wonderful works.”

Psalms 78:34-37 “When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God; And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.”

Psalms 78:40-41 “How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness And grieved Him in the desert! Again and again they tempted God, And pained the Holy One of Israel.”

And that isn’t close to all of them.

And for years I saw this as a Psalm of ISRAEL’S STUBBORNNESS.

What is really is, is a Psalm of ISRAEL’S WEAKNESS.
They didn’t ever do right because they couldn’t ever do right.

That is why Psalm 78 ends with the promise of God choosing Judah.
Psalms 78:68-69 “But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved. And He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has founded forever.”

This is the prophetic picture of choosing Jesus…why?
To be the Savior of all those who could not save themselves.

AND AGAIN THIS IS IMPORTANT.
• We have talked a lot about the sovereignty of God throughout this study,
• And most of you are well aware that the great argument against these doctrines is the common argument of man’s “FREE WILL”

Let me again explain free will to you.

Reformed theology does not deny that man has FREE WILL.
• Obviously man has freedom to choose.
• Man makes choices all of the time according to what he wants.
• He chooses according to the inclination of his nature.

So we definitely say man is VOLITIONALLY FREE
To choose whatever he wants.

The problem is that MAN IS NOT MORALLY FREE to choose what he should.
• He is bound in sin.
• He is held captive to sin.
• And because of that, he cannot choose what is right.
• He is a captive to his own sinful nature and in need of divine regeneration.

That was the problem with Israel.
It wasn’t a knowledge problem, it was a heart problem.
They couldn’t do right.

This is why God promised the New Covenant in which He would change their heart and write the Law on their heart.

AND THIS IS MAN.
He cannot save himself.

He is like a man drowning in the river and your solution is to yell at him and say, “Hey get yourself out of there!”

He can’t. He needs to “be saved”
And He needs to be saved from God’s wrath.

Now, that is just the foundational backdrop to salvation.
We still haven’t answered the question yet.

After seeing that man needs to be saved WE UNDERSTAND THAT JESUS DID THAT.
• He lived that righteous life.
• He died that atoning death to save us from God’s wrath.

Jesus is in fact a savior exactly like what we need.
Our question was, IS HE THE ONLY ONE?

I mean
• This Jesus is going to ask us to deny ourselves.
• This Jesus is going to require us to repent of our sin.
• This Jesus is going to require us to take up our cross.

Those are steep conditions.
So, before I run to this Jesus for the salvation I need,
I want to know if there are any other options.
(That’s the world’s thinking)

Peter is answering that question here.

First we saw the Necessity of Salvation
#2 THE NARROWNESS OF SALVATION
Acts 4:12

Well there is you answer about as clearly as it can be given.
“And there is salvation is no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men”

• No one else ever lived a life which satisfied the righteous requirements of God.
• No one else ever died an atoning death fully bearing God’s wrath.

Well how do we know that Jesus actually did those things?

Acts 4:10 “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead — by this name this man stands here before you in good health.”

Because God raised Jesus from the dead.

Acts 2:32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.”

Listen to Paul again in Athens:
Acts 17:30-31 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

• Only Jesus was raised by the Father.
• Only Jesus satisfied His righteous requirement.
• Only Jesus satisfied His terrible wrath.

And no one else ever did that.
That means He is the only Savior.

Peter even gives another important criteria:
“for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men”

Jesus “has been given”

This indicates that only Jesus
Was first given to us by the Father

He was not a Savior of our own election.
He is not a Savior of our own pleasing.
HE IS A SAVIOR WHO IS PRE-APPROVED BY THE FATHER.

And since it is the Father whom we must appease,
Then certainly we must run to the Savior who comes from Him.

And this was a point Jesus routinely made:
John 5:36-37 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me. “And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.”

John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

John 6:57 “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.”

John 8:16 “But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.”

John 8:42 “Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.”

John 12:49 “For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.”

The implication here would be.
• That man who is drowning in the river in need of someone to save him.
• God throws that man a life preserver, but the man rejects it in favor another
option.

But there is no other option.
If salvation is to occur, it will only occur
Through the One whom the Father gave.

No one else ever provided salvation.

And I realize that for a SUNDAY NIGHT CROWD
This is probably obvious to most of you.

Jesus did for us what no one else could do for us.
This not only makes Him a Savior, but the only Savior.

What I also hope you gained tonight however
Is a clarity of the gospel which we must preach.

I think the church is terribly distorting the gospel when we say things like:
• “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.”
• “God isn’t angry, He just wants you to have the abundant life.”
• “I just want you to accept Jesus so He can fix your life”

And put in there any other of the common clichés we hear today.

The reality of the gospel is this.
• God created man in His own image.
• Man then rebelled against the Creator thus incurring His wrath (see the flood)
• In order to be reconciled to God, God in His mercy sent a Savior to deliver sinful man.
• God then commanded men to submit to this Savior that they might be forgiven of their rebellion against Him.

The gospel isn’t an optional message
The gospel isn’t a recommended message.
It is a command

And it is absolutely exclusive for there is salvation found nowhere else.
You must be born again, You must be saved

And Jesus is the Only Savior who can accomplish it.

The Foolishness of Legalistic Religion
Luke 5:33-39
March 4, 2018

Well, if you’ve been with us the last couple of weeks you know that
Jesus is having another one of those amazing days.

We already saw that one amazing day in Capernaum
• Where he first cast out a demon,
• Then healed Peter’s mother-in-law,
• And ended by healing as many people as came to Him in Peter’s house.

Well, this day is pretty spectacular in its own right.
• On this day Jesus was preaching in an undisclosed city in Galilee.
• The Pharisees had shown up in force to evaluate Him
• The crowd was so big no one could get into the house, not even 4 men carrying their paralytic friend.
• Those friends tore a hole in the roof and lowered their friend down and Jesus pronounced him forgiven.
• Then to prove his forgiveness told him to get up and walk; which he did.
• Jesus left there and set His gaze on the local tax collector named Levi and called him into service.
• Levi jumped at the offer and then threw a party for Jesus in his house.
• To the surprise of the religious elite, Jesus went to the party.

Incidentally, that decision by Jesus to eat with Matthew
Would earn Jesus the degrading title of “Friend of Sinners”.
It is a celebrated title today, but it was first use a term of reproach.

But in both of those incidents that have occurred on this day
Jesus has managed to reinforce the truth of why He came.

He revealed to His hometown synagogue in Nazareth that
He came to save sinners and that is exactly what He is doing.
• He is reaching out to the poor, the guilty, the blind, the burdened, and the
wicked.
• He is calling them to repentance.
• He is granting the forgiveness of their sins.

And because of that He is starting to get some OPPOSITION.

The Pharisees scoffed at His claim to be able to forgive sin
And they scorned Him for His decision to eat with those tax collectors.

Yet both times Jesus silenced their argument.
• His claim to be able to forgive was no idle claim, He proved it by making the paralytic walk.
• And His decision to eat with sinners only made perfect sense since it was sinners He came to save.

The Pharisees keep attacking and coming up empty handed.

Well this morning we see yet another attack and this time it is regarding Jesus refusal to jump through the legalistic hoops of tradition.

I don’t know if the show caught anyone else’s attention,
But for the past 6 weeks I have watched the show “Waco”.
It was a six-part miniseries about the standoff between the FBI and the Branch Davidians under David Koresh in Waco back in the 90’s.

In addition to watching the show, I’ve researched it a little
Because it was most certainly a peculiar event.

I was mostly curious as to why so many people
Would follow David Koresh into that compound.

• The place had no running water.
• Koresh was a pedophile who was certainly guilty of statutory rape.
• If you did go in there with a wife, she would cease to be your wife and Koresh
would take her as his.
• It was a dump with really nothing sensual to offer at all.

Now look, I understand why people go to Joel Olsteen’s church.
I understand the sensual attraction to the prosperity gospel Olsteen preaches.

But why a person would willingly take their family into a trashy compound
With no running water to have this man claim your wife as his own
Was peculiar to me.

Until I found out what made it all tick.
• Koresh was a Seventh Day Adventist (granted an extremist) but that speaks
volumes.
• That is a religion based on legalistic achievement.
• People in that religion please God through their adherence and obedience.
• People grow in favor with God even through their suffering.

Koresh wasn’t selling physical comfort at that compound.
Koresh was selling favor with God.
If you’ll come suffer here,
If you’ll come sacrifice your wife here,
If you’ll do what no one else is willing to do for God
Then you’ll be acceptable
Whereas everyone else who lives in their comfortable homes will not.

IT IS THE LIE OF LEGALISM.
And once a person falls into that scheme,
THERE IS NO LIMIT TO THE REQUIREMENTS.
There is always someone who is willing to sacrifice more than you,
And thus you are always challenged to prove yourself even more to God.

And under the mentality people have submitted themselves to all types of self-inflicted punishment throughout the centuries.

The tragedy is that it doesn’t work.
It doesn’t please God, namely because it is never enough.
All of our righteous deeds are nothing more than filthy rags before God.

• Jesus came to break that cycle.
• Jesus came to save sinners.
• Jesus came to take those people who were overcome with burden by those legalistic and ritualistic commands and to set them free by fulfilling God’s righteousness for them.

But He most certainly did not come to push them to be more legalistic
And that is the point of Luke’s story this morning.

There are 3 things here we see in our text this morning.
#1 THE ACCUSATION
Luke 5:33

“And they said to Him, “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink.”

If you read that same account in Matthew’s gospel it reads as though it is John’s disciples who came asking that question.

If you read it in Mark’s gospel it reads as though John’s disciples and the Pharisees came together and were both asking.

And when you read it here it reads as it is a third party asking the question with regard to the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees.

What that indicates to us is that this became
A very buzzing question that everyone wanted Jesus to answer.

I don’t know who asked it first (I’d guess the Pharisees)
• But what most likely happened then was that John’s disciples chimed in and said, “Yeah, why do we fast and Your disciples don’t?”
• And then someone in the crowd chimed in and said, “Hey, that’s right, why do both of their disciples fast, and Yours don’t?”

This was a major point of contention with Jesus
And one that was clearly a matter of public curiosity.

WELL FIRST we need to point out that they could accuse Jesus’ disciples of not fasting or praying but they could not accuse Jesus of not doing it.

Luke 4:1-2 “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.”

Luke 5:15-16 “But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.”

Obviously Jesus did this quite a bit.
This accusation is regarding what He taught.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told us that
You spot a false prophet by the fruit they produce.

It seems as though the Pharisees are using that truth against Jesus.

What kind of a Rabbi would train his disciples to “eat and drink” with sinners instead of to fast and pray?

And this isn’t the only time they go after Him in regard to the questionable behavior of His disciples.

Matthew 15:1-2 “Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

The view was that Jesus ordained licentiousness and worldliness.
• His followers weren’t devout.
• They loved the world.
• And they weren’t committed to the truly religious practices.

We are not surprised to find the Pharisees here.
Some have wondered at why John’s disciples are joining in on the debate, but I don’t think that’s all that far-fetched either.

FIRST, you must recognize that at this point John the Baptist should no longer have disciples.
• John told his disciples to follow Jesus.
• John was now in prison.
• These men had latched on to the sacrificial life of John, but had obviously failed to get the message.

They were people who loved the feeling of superiority
That comes from the legalistic lifestyle
And on this day they are even willing to unite with the Pharisees
In order to keep that superior feeling.

And this is just something you have to understand about legalism.

THOSE WHO ARE IN LEGALISM
THRIVE ON THE CONDEMNATION OF THOSE WHO ARE NOT.

Remember what Paul wrote to the Colossians?
Colossians 2:16-23 “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day — things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use) — in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”

That is a great example.
• Some legalistic group was actually condemning the Colossians
• And guilting them into all sorts of religious practices like fasts and festivals and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body and many other things.

Paul said that was pointless and that the Colossians should resist them.

But you understand the accusation.
They are accusing Jesus of teaching worldliness because His disciples eat and drink with sinners while the Pharisees disciples are committed to fasting.

That is the accusation.
#2 THE ANSWER
Luke 5:34-35

So Jesus obviously answers here in defense of His disciples.
And He should.

After all, WE KNOW WHY THEY ARE CELEBRATING.

Luke 5:27-29 “After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him. And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.”

As we said last week,
• It’s just like that man who found his lost sheep
• Or that woman who found her lost coin
• Or that father who found his lost son.

They are celebrating because the Savior is here.
They are celebrating because sinners are being forgiven.
THAT CERTAINLY INS’T A REASON TO MOURN!

What is more, forcing someone to fast
When their heart is celebrating is pointless.

And that’s really the point of Jesus here.
(34-35) “And Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? “But the days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”

Right now the “bridegroom is with them”
In a sense the marriage is happening!
Sinners are being saved.

That is a happy occasion,
And it would be absolutely stupid to go mourn right now.

Now certainly the day is coming when He will leave and fasting will be called for and “they will fast in those days.”

But not now.
I think there is a real sense here in which Jesus answered the question of the crowd by saying, “Because that would be stupid!”

There is no reason for fasting over this.

It is also important to remember that fasting is not commanded.
It is implied and expected, but it is not commanded.

And while it is true that a worldly person never fasts,
You cannot peg a person as being worldly just because you don’t see it.

There are times when even the most spiritual person
Should not be fasting, but should be celebrating.
Like when Levi got saved.

So, why aren’t they fasting?
Because that would be dumb, it’s not the time for fasting.

Now, in that answer,
I hope you pick up on the implied return question of Jesus.

They said, “We fast, but Your disciples don’t, why?”
Jesus said “Because fasting right now is pointless.”

Do you pick up on the implied question?
SO WHY ARE YOU FASTING?

Well, we know why don’t we?
Matthew 6:16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”

It is like what we read in Isaiah:
Isaiah 58:3-5 “Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers. “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD?”

What you have is a people stuck in a legalistic rut.
They are convinced that their traditions and their religious ordinances
Somehow make them more pleasing to God.

I mean surely a person who fasts has more favor with God than a person who doesn’t right?

That has been some of the most deadly logic
To ever hit the religious world.

That’s the kind of logic that drove people to go live with the Branch Davidians in Waco.

• Surely people who will give up running water for God are more acceptable than
people who don’t?
• Surely a man who will give up his wife is more acceptable to God than a man
who won’t?

Do you see how far this type of thinking can carry you?

Now granted fasting can be a very good thing.
• Fasting is anytime the spiritual takes precedent over the physical and there are definitely times when fasting is called for.

But fasting as a means of earning God’s favor is NEVER the goal.
And that is where the Pharisees and John’s disciples and even this crowd
Were so far off the mark.

There is no level of religious work that can make a man pleasing to God.

I mean, think about it.
• How many hours of fasting do you think are required to enter heaven?
• What foods do you think should be fasted from in order to enter heaven?

Watch the Catholic world right now participating in Lent,
Or watch many of the other Catholic requirements for penance.

Those are religious traditions
Meant to make a person more acceptable to God.
And all they do is puff a person up to trust in their efforts.

Listen to what Paul wrote to the Galatians.
Galatians 3:1-5 “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain — if indeed it was in vain? So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

For the Galatians it wasn’t fasting, it was circumcision.
Either of which can be fine in the right setting,
But NOT as a means of making oneself pleasing to God.

That sort of theology is actually demonic.

1 Timothy 4:1-5 “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.”

Somebody should have read that passage to David Koresh.

The mentality that says you will be more pleasing to God
If you forbid yourself from having certain things is a demonic doctrine.

Now look, we AREN’T SAYING you should just go about
And drink up the world, obviously not.

A believer should understand the danger in excessive and worldly living.
Even Paul spoke of not eating meat if it caused his brother to stumble.

I’m just pointing out that
Fasting because your spirit is intent on seeking God
Is entirely different than fasting as a means of manipulating God.

That was legalism and it was the very yoke of Judaism
That Jesus came to break.

So why don’t they fast?
• Because that would be dumb and pointless.
• The real question is why are you fasting?

The Accusation, The Answer
#3 THE ANALOGIES
Luke 5:36-39

Here we have three analogies and they all deal with the same criteria.
• We are dealing with something that is “old”
• We are dealing with something that is “new”
• And we are dealing with the idea that “no one” would do these things.

Although the specific symbolism is not defined by Jesus,
The context makes the parable very understandable.

• The “old” represents the legalistic tradition based religion of the Pharisees.
• The “new” represents the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And let’s look at what He says.
(36) “And He was also telling them a parable: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.”

Obviously in a natural sense you understand the absurdity.
No one would sew new cloth on an old garment for numerous reasons.
1. Why would you ruin a new garment to fix an old one?
2. Even if you would be willing to do that, it won’t work.

That old cloth is already shrunk, and the new cloth has yet to shrink.
That fix is only going to work temporarily
And then you will have two garments that are useless.

That fits the implied rebuke of Jesus
Who is pointing out how dumb
The legalistic behavior of the Pharisees is.

And in this case Jesus is saying:
IF YOU TRY TO ADD THE GOSPEL TO YOUR LEGALISTIC MINDSET,
IT WON’T FIX YOUR RELIGION AND IT WILL ONLY RUIN THE GOSPEL.

Then comes the second analogy:
(37) “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined.”

There again the point is obvious and absurd.
If you try to add the new (the gospel) to the old (tradition)
You’re going to end up ruining the old and wasting the new.

And it’s the same point.
IF YOU TRY TO CONTAIN THE GOSPEL INSIDE THE LEGALISTIC TRADITIONS YOU’RE GOING TO END UP LOSING THE GOSPEL.

And I hope then you get the point that is being made.

You have two totally opposite religious systems here.
• You have the system of works based righteousness
(through fasting here)
• You have the system of grace based righteousness
(through Christ alone)

If you try to save any part of the old system and just add Jesus to it.
YOU’LL TRASH THEM BOTH.

MORE TRAGICALLY YOU’LL LOSE THE GOSPEL.
The gospel only operates under the premise
That MAN BRINGS NOTHING TO THE TABLE.
• Man has no merit upon which he rests.
• He solely resides upon the work of Christ for salvation.

Even if you love Jesus and believe in Jesus and accept Jesus
But you try to maintain even one small area of legalism,
Then you are not trusting in Jesus alone
And you have lost the gospel completely.

Again, listen to how Paul stated it to the Galatians.
Galatians 5:2-4 “Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”

Paul was saying there the same thing Jesus is saying here.
You cannot have it both ways.
Legalism and the gospel are absolutely incompatible.
They are oil and water.

If you try to maintain even the slightest thread of legalism you will ruin the gospel and waste it totally.
• It is the equivalent of Christ being of no benefit
• It is the equivalent of falling away from grace

And incidentally, those of you who have been studying with us on Sunday nights about the 5 SOLAS of the Reformation.

This is why we are Protestant (Protest-ant)
• We protest any system that gains it’s authority anywhere other than Scripture.
• We protest any system that maintains that salvation is an earned state.
• We protest any system that maintains that man is justified by any type of work.
• We protest any system that maintains that human achievement is part of salvation.
• We protest any system that allows for man to get any glory for the salvation he enjoys.

That is why we are Protestant.

BUT NOT EVERYONE IS.
(39) “And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.'”

This DOES NOT MEAN that the old system is good and acceptable
For those who aren’t interested in the gospel.

Jesus is NOT ENDORSING the old system
As an acceptable form of salvation.
He IS LAMENTING that those who are entrenched in the old system
Very rarely are willing to leave it.

People who have grown accustomed to legalism
Have a very difficult time accepting the freedom of the gospel of grace.

WHY? Because they have to admit that everything they’ve worked for their entire life was of no value.

Could you imagine what those Branch Davidians would have to swallow in order to believe the gospel?
• Those men would have to own up to the fact that they moved their family into
that compound and gave up their wife for nothing.
• Those women would have to consent that they raised their babies in that place
for nothing.

And people aren’t easily willing to do that.

That’s why (as we learned last week with Matthew) it is so much easier
To save sinners than it is to save righteous people.

Because people who are accustomed to that old wine
Aren’t willing to just throw it aside for the new.

SO, WHAT’S THE POINT…WHAT DO WE LEARN HERE?

1) We are reaffirming the ministry of Jesus which is to save sinners, not to enforce traditions.
• That is obvious isn’t it?
• Over and over and over, He came to save sinners.

2) We are forced to measure our own doctrine/salvation and ask ourselves: “Why do I think I am acceptable to God?”
• Do I think I am acceptable because of something I have done?
• Do I trust in my own works as that which grants me favor with God?

If I do, I must repent and leave the old wine for the new
Because salvation is found in Christ Alone.

3) What sort of message do I preach to people?

The church has a tremendous reputation for being Pharisaical.
• We love to get people to conform to our standards of righteousness.
• Talk a certain way
• Dress a certain way
• Attend an acceptable amount of times
• Participate in certain ministries

And people who do that, we say, “Now they’re a good Christian”
People who don’t, we murmur, “I don’t know if they’re saved at all”

As if our activities had anything to do with earning our favor before God.

Here is the fact of the matter.

Jesus is brining glorious new garments of His righteousness
And He is offering to us that we might be clothed in His righteousness.

But instead there are many who, instead of wearing Christ’s robe,
Only want to borrow it a minute and cut a patch out of it
To use it to patch up the robe they’ve been making.

• They recognize their need for help from Christ.
• They sure need a patch cut from His robe.
• But they don’t think they need the whole robe.

NO! Jesus didn’t come to patch your robe.
Jesus came to clothe you in His.

Remember the PARABLE OF THE WEDDING BANQUET and the man who though his robe as good enough?

Well that’s what legalism thinks.
They think surely my robe is acceptable.

But listen to Jesus;
Luke 18:9-14 “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

It’s the same message over and over and over
• You don’t have enough goodness to be acceptable to God.
• I don’t care how much you’ve fasted
• I don’t care how long you’ve prayed
• You garments are not acceptable.

Friend, you have to give up on your own efforts as a means of pleasing God and you have to trust totally in the work of Christ.

• He alone satisfied God’s righteous requirements.
• He alone endured God’s just wrath.
• He alone can clothe you in His salvation.

Trust in Him and enter the celebration.
Quit patching your old garment and trade it in for His.