The Source of Jesus’ Obvious Authority
Luke 5:12-16
February 11, 2018

We are going to do things a little different this morning.
We’re going to try and kill two birds here with one stone.

On one hand we want to examine the text and extract the point.
But this morning, as we do that,
We are ALSO going to have a little lesson on how to study the Bible.

This morning we are confronted with a familiar story
About a miracle which Jesus worked in cleansing a leper.

It is a miracle recorded in all three of the synoptic gospels
(which is true of several of the miracles we see in this section).

Because this miracle is brief one, I think it affords us an OPPORTUNITY to not only look at the story, but also HOW TO STUDY IT.

One of the most common mistakes I think people make when studying the Bible (and one I used to make all the time) is that they
Tend to read the Bible like history instead of like theology.

That is to say, they learn to pick out the facts of the story,
But don’t work as hard to get the point of it.
They tend to forget that men like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were not just giving you the facts about Jesus, but they were also preaching to you a point about Jesus.

A greater understanding of truth comes
When you not only grasp the facts, but also the point.

Let me show you.
Matthew 8:1-4 “When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

• Matthew includes this story immediately after The Sermon on the Mount
• And as the first of several miracles Jesus performed in chapters 8 & 9 where He is chronicling Jesus’ power over things like demons, sickness, nature, sin, and death.

Mark 1:40-45 “And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. And He sternly warned him and immediately sent him away, and He said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.”

Mark there already added to Matthew’s story.
• Mark adds that the reason, saying that Jesus was “Moved with compassion”
• Mark also adds that the Jesus commanded the man to tell no one
• And that the man specifically disobeyed that command
• The result was that the ministry of Jesus was hindered due to the crowds
• And that Jesus was forced to stay in the unpopulated areas

And then we read Luke’s version again:
Luke 5:12-16 “While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him. And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 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.”

So quickly we see that Luke also adds the command to tell no one.

However
• Luke doesn’t mention that the man failed to obey Jesus.
• Nor does Luke blame the man for Jesus retreating into unpopulated areas.
• Luke reveals that Jesus retreated into the wilderness for the purpose of prayer.

Now, let me give you the quick “How To” Bible study lesson.

Because we have a story recorded by 3 authors,
And because it is the same story with a common miracle
Then we know that there are GENERAL truths which all 3 reveal.

What are some of those GENERAL TRUTHS?
(and we’ll come back to them in a moment)
1) Jesus obviously has authority over leprosy
2) Jesus obviously has a willingness to help the afflicted
3) The Lepers humility was obviously important to all 3 writers

Those are general truths that we can glean
And certainly we don’t want to miss those.

However because all 3 writers include some different information
There are also some SPECIFIC TRUTHS which we don’t want to miss
As they reveal to us the main point of each writer.

Let me explain.
Suppose we were going to tell the story of you coming to church this morning.
On the little subheading (like you have in your Bible) it might read:
“Peggy Goes To Church” or “Leo Goes To Church”

And one writer says:
Peggy arose at 5:30 in the morning and cooked breakfast for Tommy, she then started a load of laundry, and then took a shower. After the shower she ironed Tommy’s shirt, straightened up the living room, and put a pot of beans on for lunch. She then put on her jacket, faced the cold, got in her car and made the 10 mile journey to Spur and went to church.

Obviously the story is about Peggy going to church,
But the emphasis is on the obstacles Peggy had to overcome to get here.
Point would be PEGGY’S DEVOTION

Another writer says:
Peggy got up, got dressed, and went to church, arriving early so she could practice the piano, drink coffee, straighten out her brother Leo, fellowship with the women, and go to seduce all the children with candy. And then Peggy attended worship where she played the piano before listening to the sermon.

Same story about Peggy going to church,
But the focus isn’t on what it took to get there,
Instead it’s on what she did while she was there.
Point would be PEGGY’S SERVICE

And even another writer could say:
Peggy went to church where she fell under extreme conviction for the large amounts of unconfessed sin in her life and laying prostrate at the altar she begged God’s forgiveness and then having received peace she went home.

Again, same story but still a different point.
Point would be PEGGY’S UNBELIEVABLE AND ENORMOUS SIN

DO YOU SEE WHAT I’M GETTING AT?
We have the same thing going on in the fact that
God appointed there to be more than 1 gospel account of Jesus.

• In each of these stories there is the GENERAL MESSAGE which is clear in all
3 accounts, and you must see that.

• What we also want is the SPECIFIC MESSAGE, and I would also tell you that
the specific message is the one that often requires the most work yet also
yields the most reward.

We want to know the basic facts
AND we want to know the point Luke is making.

• Matthew recorded the inspired word of God and yet was not compelled to
reveal that Jesus’ command not to tell anyone was disobeyed or ineffective.

• Mark recorded the inspired word of God and was compelled to speak of the
leper’s disobedience.

• Luke also recorded the inspired word of God and HIS MESSAGE WAS
DIFFERENT FROM BOTH.

WE WANT TO KNOW WHY?

So our question must be, not only “What is the GENERAL point?”
But also “What is the SPECIFIC point?”

But let’s look at this story together.
And let’s begin by looking at THE GENERAL POINT.

(12) “While He was in one of the cities, behold there was a man covered with leprosy;”

We are just reinforcing what we already know about the ministry of Jesus.
• He was committed to preaching the gospel to every city and village.
• He came to proclaim the truth of the kingdom.
• He came to offer grace to beggars
• He came to offer forgiveness to criminals
• He came to offer sight to blind
• He came to offer rest to captives

That was His main purpose and so that is what He is doing.
His ministry has led to Him to yet another city.

And from Luke’s perspective the city doesn’t matter,
It’s just Jesus doing here what He’s done in countless other cities.

THE DISTINCTION here comes in the fact that He is approached by “a man covered with leprosy”

AND THIS IS ALSO IMPORTANT.
On one hand leprosy could easily be thrown into the category of sicknesses and diseases and we could talk about Jesus’ ability to heal the sick.

And certainly that would be a true and accurate message.
Sickness is the result of the sin curse which this world is under.

Jesus came to reveal His authority over sin
And His ability to usher in the kingdom of heaven
So it is important to reveal that
He can conquer all of sins various consequences.

No matter if that is demonization, sickness, unruly nature, even death.
JESUS CAN UNDO IT ALL.

And certainly leprosy can be thrown in that category
As a sickness which Jesus healed.

On the other hand leprosy paints a much greater picture than even that.

Leprosy is a chronic illness that has never been fully understood.

And in Jesus day it was highly contagious.
• You could spread it with your breath,
• You could spread it by touching common objects.

And it has really only been with medical advances
That we have really understood what leprosy does.

It appears to rot the flesh and make fingers and toes fall off.
What it essentially did was cause nerve damage
And numb the physical sense of pain.

But what that meant was that it pushed the body
Into a sort of self-mutilating condition.
Because of numbness you are more susceptible to cuts and wounds and infections, etc.

Physical pain is a tremendous warning
That keeps you from doing something truly destructive,
And if that warning is removed,
You can do serious damage to your body before you even realize it.

One man wrote of leprosy:
“The disease which we today call leprosy generally begins with pain in certain areas of the body. Numbness follows. Soon the skin in such spots loses its original color. It gets to be thick, glossy, and scaly…As the sickness progresses, the thickened spots become dirty sores and ulcers due to poor blood supply. The skin, especially around the eyes and ears, begins to bunch, with deep furrows between the swellings, so that the face of the afflicted individual begins to resemble that of a lion. Fingers drop off or are absorbed; toes are affected similarly. Eyebrows and eyelashes drop out. By this time one can see the person in this pitiable condition is a leper. By a touch of the finger one can also feel it. One can even smell it, for the leper emits a very unpleasant odor. Moreover, in view of the fact that the disease-producing agent frequently also attacks the larynx, the leper’s voice acquires a grating quality. His throat becomes hoarse, and you can now not only see, feel, and smell the leper, but you can hear his rasping voice. And if you stay with him for some time, you can even imagine a peculiar taste in your mouth, probably due to the odor.”
(MacArthur commentary, page 7)

And so with leprosy what you actually have is a disease
That numbs the body to its own natural warning system,
And thus the body self-destroys.

It is a particularly cruel disease.
That in and of itself would be enough to pity this man who came to Jesus.

But aside from the disease you need to understand HOW IT WAS VIEWED.

Being sick was one thing.
You could be sick and still get sympathy from others.
But if you had leprosy there was no such sympathy.

Those with leprosy were viewed as those STRICKEN BY GOD.
And that with good reason

Remember when Miriam challenged Moses?
She was made leprous.

Remember when Gehazi became greedy for Naaman’s money?
God made him a leper.

Remember when Uzziah insisted upon offering the sacrifice?
God made him a leper.

And so leprosy was often viewed as a supernatural punishment
Or consequence upon a person.

It was a rotting disease that you brought on yourself.

And if that is why if you had leprosy, you weren’t considered sick,
You were considered UNCLEAN.

Leviticus 13:45-46 “As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ “He shall remain unclean all the days during which he has the infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.”

Lepers were not treated with sympathy,
Lepers were TREATED AS OUTCASTS,
And this was a command from God.

• One Rabbi spoke of throwing rocks at lepers to keep them away.
• Another said, “I would not buy an egg off a street that a leper had walked down.”

And so not only was your body destroying itself,
You were also seen to have brought this on yourself,
And were banished from all fellowship from your fellow man.

THAT MAKES LEPROSY A PHYSICAL PICTURE OF SIN

Leprosy was a disease that would numb your body until your body ended up destroying itself.
• Sin is a disease that will numb your conscience until your soul
ends up destroying itself.

Leprosy was a disease thought to be brought on oneself because of choices they made in life.
• Sin is a disease that is also brought on oneself because of choices
that are made.

Leprosy separates man from man.
• Sin separates man from God.

So it is easy now at this point
To understand in a general sense what all of the writers are doing.

They are all revealing an encounter
When Jesus was up against the most terrifying disease of the day
And one which illustrated the rotten effects of sin like no other.

ANOTHER THING THEY ARE REVEALING
Is the humble state in which this leper approached Jesus.
“and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Obvious to us again is the very important point about the humility in which we come to Christ.
• Jesus came to heal people who are beggars and who knew it.
• Jesus came to forgive people who are guilty and who knew it.
• Jesus came to give relief to people who are burdened and who knew it.

We find in this leper that same mandatory humility
That has been seen in the people that Luke has highlighted for us.

Everyone who comes to Christ comes in that same type of humility.
We are all leprous beggars, inflicted the soul-rotting disease of sin
And in desperate need of the Savior’s touch.

You have to know that.

ALSO REVEALED
Is the faith which the leper brought to Christ.
“If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

He has already come at great personal risk
To even be brave enough to venture into town and approach Jesus.

He must have at least assumed that Jesus WOULD BE WILLING
Or else he would not have come at all.
What is clear is that he was certain Jesus WAS ABLE.

And again as sinners when we come to Christ,
We come in humility, but we also COME IN FAITH.

You must believe that CHRIST CAN
And that CHRIST WILL when you approach Him for salvation.

So this is a tremendous GENERAL picture
Of the type of person who comes to Jesus for salvation.

• Do you see yourself as a spiritual leper?
• Do you see the rottenness of your soul?
• Do you mourn the foul condition of your heart?
• Have you grieved your exile from the company of God and the fellowship of the saints?

Those are the necessary attributes of the one who rightly comes to Christ.
This leper is a tremendous example of how sinners come to Christ.

ALSO REVEALED
Also in a general since we see the great power and compassion of Jesus.
(13) “And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him.”

Now we are all well-aware that Jesus has ability to heal with a word.
• He didn’t touch the demon-possessed man when He cast out the demon.
• He didn’t touch Peter’s mother-in-law when He drove out her fever.
• He didn’t touch Peter’s fishing net before the great catch of fish.

His physical touch was not a pre-requisite for healing,
And yet here He did the unthinkable and “touched” this leper.

Not only does this demonstrate the compassion of Jesus as Mark pointed out, but what a demonstration of the POWER of Jesus.

If anyone else touches a leper they get defiled.
If Jesus touches a leper the leper gets cleansed.
Even while walking this sin-infested earth, Jesus remained undefiled

The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 7:26 “For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;”

And for those of you who have been with us on Sunday nights studying the ACTIVE OBEDIENCE of Jesus, you know why that is so important.

• It is the righteousness of Christ which is credited to us,
• If He was in danger of becoming defiled by this world
• The last thing we would want is for Him to go around touching lepers.

But Jesus was absolutely incorruptible.
Even while living on this earth, He remained pure and holy.

And certainly His POWER OVER the uncleanness and sin effects of this world is made clear.
“And immediately the leprosy left him.”

This was not some sort of psychosomatic healing
Like is so commonly claimed today.
This was instant – This was verifiable – This was total.

And that is why He told this now cleansed leper
To go and bear testimony the way in which God had prescribed.

(14) “And He ordered him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest and make and offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

This was the proper steps of verification.
• It would have been the examination of a priest which would have declared this
man unclean,
• And only the examination of a priest could now declare him clean.

But Jesus knew exactly how to have this miracle verified as authentic.
Send this guy back to the priest that condemned him.

Jesus had authority to reverse the curse of sin
And it needed to be verified and proclaimed.

NOW AGAIN, THOSE ARE THE GENERAL POINTS that are obvious in all 3 gospel accounts.
• You see Jesus’ Power
• You see Jesus as Savior
• You see the necessary humility required to be saved.

Don’t miss those points.

But also, don’t be lazy in your study.
Luke writes a slightly different story than those other gospel writers
And it is worth our diligence to find out why.
This difference in the story comes in verses 15-16

HERE IS THE SPECIFIC POINT
(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.”

Matthew doesn’t include this at all.
• That reveals to us that Matthew’s sole purpose was to demonstrate the power of Jesus and to reveal Him as the rightful Messiah.
• Matthew focuses on THE POWER OF JESUS

Mark includes this story, but also blames it on the disobedience of the leper who instead of obeying Jesus “went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.”

• And it seems that Mark really wants you to realize the enthusiasm of the leper.
• Certainly it was misguided enthusiasm, but you can’t dispute his excitement.

• Not only did he spread the story, but “to such an extent” that even hindered the ministry of Jesus and made it difficult for him to come into town.
• So Mark focuses on THE RESPONSE OF THE LEPER

LUKE DOESN’T INCLUDE THAT.
The response of the leper is not Luke’s priority.

Luke goes in a different direction.
• Luke focuses on THE RESPONSE OF THE CROWD
• And THE RESPONSE OF JESUS

Now the crowd’s response is not new to Luke’s gospel.
We’ve already recognized how their excitement has been building.

After casting out the demon
Luke 4:37 “And the report about Him was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district.”

After healing Peter’s mother-in-law
Luke 4:40 “While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them.”

After all the healings in Capernaum
Luke 4:42 “When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them.”

Even as He entered the region of Galilee
Luke 5:1 “Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret;”

This is hardly new information here regarding the crowd.
Luke is just reinforcing that truth that
JESUS FRENZY is at an all-time high.

The crowd is enamored with Him because He has authority.
• If Jesus were nothing but talk we’d know it by now.
• This crowd is a great witness that Jesus has power.
• Now the crowd might indeed be missing the main point, but they do make a
credible witness that Jesus’ authority is legitimate.

Certainly Luke reinforces that truth.

It’s the next truth that Luke introduces
That is a little more curious to us.
(16) “But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness to pray.”

That is the verse I think we have to settle on
If we want to obtain Luke’s unique perspective on this story.

I suppose the main question we can ask here is: WHY?
Why did Jesus so often pull away and pray?

And as soon as we ask this question,
We have to also acknowledge that the Bible doesn’t tell us.

Now certainly we can GAIN SOME INSIGHT just by looking at some of the things JESUS TAUGHT US ABOUT PRAYER.

Things like:
Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

• Obviously Jesus could have been praying for Nazareth or any of the others
who rejected His message.

During the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 6:6 “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

• This would at least explain why Jesus retreated to a deserted area to pray. He
simply wanted to seek God, not put on a show of piety.

We remember the parable of the persistent widow
Luke 18:1 “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,”

• This reveals the level of Jesus’ faith.
• He prayed because He believed the Father was at work through Him.

Speaking to the disciples in the garden:
Luke 22:40 “When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

• Certainly there is a calling upon God for grace and strength to do the things
asked for.

I don’t think any of those are far-fetched notions as to
Why Jesus would pull away and pray during the height of His ministry.

AND CERTAINLY WE COULD SAY,
If Jesus felt it necessary to stop and pray
Then we are fooling ourselves if we don’t think it necessary for us.

But more than any of them, I think Luke is making this point:
THAT JESUS KNEW WHO HE WAS SERVING

Do you remember the passage Jesus quoted in Nazareth to reveal His mission?

Luke 4:18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,”

“He anointed Me” “He has sent Me”

Now look at how Luke wrote this.
“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.”

LUKE DOES NOT SAY: “large crowds were gathering…AND Jesus Himself would often slip away…”

• That would imply that the two truths are somewhat unrelated.
• Just two basic things that were happening.

LUKE DOES NOT SAY: “large crowds were gathering…THEREFORE Jesus Himself would often slip away…”

• That would imply that the size of the crowd drove Jesus to pray.
• As though the crowd overwhelmed Him or as though He needed some peace to get away from them.

But that’s not what Luke says.
Luke says, “large crowds were gathering…BUT Jesus would Himself often slip away…”

Luke writes it as a peculiarity.
It is written as though Jesus often did what was NOT EXPECTED.

The arrival of those crowds looked like the epitome of success.
This is everything you ever wanted.
The crowd arrived.
And yet Jesus leaves!

From a modern day perspective He is doing ministry all wrong.
TODAY – THE CROWD IS SOVEREIGN

Church growth books tell you that:
• You have to have a facility that makes the crowd comfortable
• You have to play music that attracts the crowd
• You have to meet when it is convenient for the crowd
• You can’t meet longer than the crowd wants to meet

They all basically say the same thing – THE CROWD IS SOVEREIGN
Oh, don’t get me wrong, they spiritualize it
Because after all “Every person represents a soul!”

And that is how they justify doing anything they can to gain a crowd.

But Luke reveals that Jesus has a different focus.
In Jesus’ ministry the crowd is not sovereign. God is.

Jesus was in the service of the Father, not the service of the crowd.
Furthermore Jesus sought the Father over the crowd.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
When Jesus stepped on the scene,
The first thing we were amazed about was that He would make such outlandish claims.
• Remember how Nazareth was shocked by this and even Capernaum?
• That He would make claims like being able to forgive and such…
• And so the first response to Him was that He was out of His mind.

But that response couldn’t last long because He quickly put His power and authority on display.
• After casting out that demon…
• After healing Peter’s mother-in-law…
• After all of those other healings…
• After that great catch of fish…
• After cleansing this leper…

You really can’t call Him crazy anymore.
It is obvious that He has authority.

Even the leper revealed that the mindset on Jesus has shifted.
The leper said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Jesus’ authority is now obvious to the people.

BUT WHAT IS THE NEXT QUESTION GOING TO BE?
• Where did you get this authority?
• By whose power are You doing these things?

Luke 20:2 “and they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?”

And what you will begin to see is that
The mood is about to shift in Luke’s gospel
And people are going to STOP DOUBTING HIS POWER,
And they are going to START QUESTIONING HIS SOURCE.

Later Jesus will call Matthew and while eating at his house:
Luke 5:30 “The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”

Then Jesus will be confronted by the legalistic disciples of John the Baptist.
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.”

In chapter 6 they’re going to question His keeping of the Sabbath.
Luke 6:1-2 “Now it happened that 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. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

And it goes on from there.
In chapter 7 they’ll call Him “a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!”

You see where the skeptics are headed.
Luke cuts them off at the pass.

JESUS IS IN THE SERVICE OF ALMIGHTY GOD.
And anyone watching His life can see that nothing is as important to Him as spending time with the Father.

• If all Jesus cared about was deceiving Israel into following Him…
• If all Jesus cared about was gaining popularity…
• If all Jesus cared about what starting a movement…
Then why is He always abandoning the crowd in favor of prayer?

It’s just another point that is solidified in our minds regarding Jesus.
• He is here (just as He said) in service of the Father.
• It is the Father who anointed Him
• It is the Father who sent Him

And if you reject Him, then it is not just Him,
You are also rejecting the Father
And the only offer of salvation you will ever receive.

Jesus is the One with Authority.
• He said He can save
• He has proven He can save
• And He received this power and authority from God

He deserves our trust and submission.

Christ’s Active Obedience – Part 1
Hebrews 10:1-18 (1-4)
February 4, 2018

Last time we met we started looking at the 4th of the 5 SOLAS.
We began to examine SOLUS CHRISTUS
Or the reality that salvation is in Christ Alone.

Now, just to again reiterate what we are talking about.

Most people assume that SOLUS CHRISTUS simply means that
Jesus is the only way of salvation.

And that is certainly true, and is a definite part of SOLUS CHRISTUS,
But that is not really the heart of the issue.

The term is defined because of a perversion of the gospel
In Roman Catholicism.

Rome would attest to Jesus being the only Savior,
But the debate stems regarding HOW Jesus saves us.

Rome would basically say that the work of Jesus is to make it possible for you to be now be saved.

Namely that Jesus saves you by working in you
To equip and guide and motivate you to become righteous.

SOLUS CHRISTUS adamantly denies that assertion.
• SOLUS CHRISTUS DOES NOT refer to what Jesus has done IN me.
• SOLUS CHRISTUS refers to what Jesus has done FOR me.

Again, the other statement:
We do not hold that Jesus has come to make me righteous.
We hold that Jesus has come to be my righteousness.

And to make that point
We looked at Paul’s famous statement to the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

That verse perfectly explains to us the work of Christ “on our behalf”
• We have the sinless and righteous Son of God bearing our sin and thus being treated as a sinner.
• And we have sinful and wicked humans bearing Christ’s righteousness and thus being treated as righteous.

Christ did not become a sinner on the cross
And consequently we are not now perfectly righteous.
IT IS THAT WE ARE EACH TREATED AS THE OTHER.

• Christ wrapped Himself in human flesh that He might suffer as a sinner.
• We now are wrapped in Christ’s perfect righteousness that we might be rewarded as a saint.

It is not what He is doing in us, it is what He has done for us.

And as we also said last week,
There is a great deal of assurance to be found here

• When we start looking to our own righteousness as a means of our security
there is nothing that follows there but doubts and fear.

• But when we understand that our eternal hope does not rest on what I do, but
Christ has done for me, then assurance is ours.

SO THERE’S THE HEART OF THE ISSUE.

Beginning TONIGHT I just want to begin to zoom out a little
And try to understand the issue a little more.
And to do that we need to gain a better understanding of
The righteousness which Christ had.

I actually introduced you to the terms last time,
But I want to recall them for you tonight.

It has to do with the obedience of Christ, and in His obedience we divide that into two terms:
• THE ACTIVE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST
• THE PASSIVE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST

Now, please understand that when we talk about those we are not talking about two separate time periods in the life of Christ as though He were actively obedient for a while and then passively obedient for a while.

Throughout Christ’s life He was always both.
He was always actively obedient and He was always passively obedient.

However, it is easier to understand the difference if I say it like this.
• The Active Obedience of Christ refers to His righteous life.
• The Passive Obedience of Christ refers to His sacrificial death.

You can’t separate them just into those two events, for He was always both,
But it does help in understanding them if you separate it out like that.

And we want to begin looking at: THE ACTIVE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST.
LET ME TELL YOU WHY IT IS IMPORTANT.

It is based on a reality that is very often overlooked in Christianity today,
And also one that when it begins to be realized
Seems to bring with it an enormous amount of confusion.

What is this reality that is both overlooked and at times confusing?

THAT GOD’S LAW HAS MORE TO SAY
THAN JUST HOW TO ATONE FOR SIN.

Let me put it another way.
In regard to the Law of God there is more that is required than just to make a sacrifice when you mess up.

• God’s Law not only includes penal sanctions (required sacrifices)
• It also includes positive commands. (righteous living)

Now on one hand that is OFTEN OVERLOOKED.
It is quite easy for people in evangelicalism today
To really just turn a blind eye to all of the righteous requirements
That God brought forth in His Law.

It’s as though they are just sort of willing to throw up their hands and say,
“Yep, I’m a sinner, but that’s ok because Jesus is my all-sufficient sacrifice for sin.”

And honestly there is a great mass of people
That never think about it any deeper than that.

But then, ever so often, you find a person who has come to Jesus
And who desires to love God and live for Him,
And they start reading their Bible (in particular the O.T.)

And many of these people fall into CONFUSION
And they read about all of these positive commands that are found in the Old Testament.
• Laws about dietary restrictions
• Laws about Sabbath day requirements
• Laws about being set apart
• Laws about basic morality

And they get confused because they know that God has not changed.

And they rightly ask if God required obedience to these things in the past, why would we assume that God no longer requires obedience to these things today?

And many of them then decide that they must start obeying all of these commands and they in essence come under the law.

PERHAPS YOU’VE NOTICED THIS CONFUSING TENSION

What most often occurs today is that
People cherry-pick the commands that best suit their agenda
As those which are important to God
And then they disregard the rest.

• How many times have we heard someone quote from the Law about how homosexuality is an abomination to God?
• How many times have we heard someone quote from the Law how God hates the shedding of innocent blood?
• I even read a facebook debate the other day about whether or not Christians can get tattoos based on the Old Testament Law.

And so people have cherry-picked commands that suit their own agenda.

And granted some go further than that.
• Seventh Day Adventist are going to use the Law to enforce Saturday worship.
• Hebrew Roots people are going to use the Law to enforce dietary restrictions.

You get the idea.

And of course every group omits some of the commands.
• I don’t know anyone who refuses to wear half cotton half polyester T-shirts even though mixing fabrics was forbidden.
• I don’t know anyone who refuses to mix bread their cattle, although that was also forbidden.
• I don’t know anyone who grows the hair long on their temples although that was also required.

My point is just this.
WHAT TO DO WITH THE LAW
HAS BEEN A MASSIVE SOURCE OF CONFUSION
FOR THE CHURCH.

• We all seem to know what to do with the sacrificial commands (we look to the cross)
• But people are all over the chart when it comes to what to do with all those positive commands we find.

The confusion comes because people have failed to rightly understand the gospel, namely the doctrine of SOLUS CHRISTUS

What the gospel says; what Paul was saying in 2 Corinthians 5:21,
Is that Christ fulfilled both the penal sanctions of God’s Law
AND He fulfilled the positive commands of God’s Law.

• He fulfilled the penal sanctions through His penalty-bearing work
most easily seen in the cross.
• But He also fulfilled the positive commands through His will-of-
God obeying work most easily seen in His righteous life.

AND THAT IS SO IMPORTANT.

Do not make the mistake (which is commonly made) of saying that God no longer cares about the righteous commands set forth in the Law.

THAT’S JUST NOT TRUE.

We read the command in the Old Testament.
Leviticus 11:44-45 “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. ‘For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.'”

And then we read the command in the New Testament.
1 Peter 1:14-16 “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”

We even have Jesus Himself say:
Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Or how about:
Matthew 5:17-20 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

And by the way, those are all the types of commands
That Hebrew Roots people or Seventh Day Adventist
Will quote in order to emphasize that God’s Law still matters.

You must understand that God is holy and He demands holy living.
His Law is filled with righteous commands that you must do.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 “Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?”

Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”

Joshua 22:4-5 “And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; therefore turn now and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan. “Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

And that is just a few to remind you that
God has always been passionate about the fact that
As His children there is a righteous standard which we must meet.
Now, also provided for in the Law was the penalty and means of atonement for the times when we fail to uphold that standard.

Right?
I mean, when you fail to do what you are supposed to do, then you bring your sacrifice to God to be forgiven for your failure.

But please understand, the availability of atonement
Does not nullify the requirement of obedience.

Let me put it to you this way.
• Let’s say you tell your son, “God mow the yard”.
• But he decides to rebel against your command and refuses to do so.
• Will there be a punishment for his rebellion? Yes, there must be.
• But after the punishment is over, is the requirement to go mow the yard now
nullified as well?
• No

Does that help you understand God’s Law a little?
Just because forgiveness is offered through sacrifice
Does not mean that the righteous requirement is now nullified.

Now perhaps you are BETTER UNDERSTANDING THE CONFUSION
And why there all these groups who are trying to
fulfill all of these commands and reinforce them on the church.

THE PROBLEM IS THAT
THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE WORK OF CHRIST.

No one ever explained to them
The significance of CHRIST’S ACTIVE OBEDIENCE.

First let me give you a few statements from men with far greater theological minds than mine.

Wayne Grudem wrote:
“If Christ had only earned forgiveness of sins for us, then we would not merit heaven. Our guilt would have been removed, but we would simply be in the position of Adam and Eve before they had done anything good or bad and before they had passed a time of probation successfully. To be established in righteousness forever and to have their fellowship with God made sure forever, Adam and Eve had to obey God perfectly over a period of time. Then God would have looked on their faithful obedience with pleasure and delight, and they would have lived with him in fellowship forever…For this reason, Christ had to live a life of perfect obedience to God in order to earn righteousness for us. He had to obey the law for his whole life on our behalf so that the positive merits of his perfect obedience would be counted for us.”
(Wayne Grudem: Systematic Theology, Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester, England and Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, A Division of HarperCollins Publishers, pp.570-571)

He goes on to say:
“Jesus had no need to live a life of perfect obedience for his own sake—he had shared love and fellowship with the Father for all eternity and was in his own character eternally worthy of the Father’s good pleasure and delight. He rather had to “fulfill all righteousness” for our sake; that is, for the sake of the people whom he was representing as their head. Unless he had done this for us, we would have no record of obedience by which we would merit God’s favor and merit eternal life with him.”
(ibid)

RC Sproul wrote:
“If Jesus merely needed to die on the cross to save His people, He could have descended from heaven as a man on the morning of Good Friday, gone straight to Golgotha, died on the cross, risen, and left again. Our sin problem would be fixed. He did not need to be born to Mary in a stable, go through all the trials and tribulations of growing up in this fallen world, or endure the animosity of the Jewish leaders during His ministry. However, Jesus did not live those thirty-three years for nothing. In order for Him to qualify as our Redeemer, it was not enough for Him simply to go to the cross and be crucified. If Jesus had only paid for our sins, He would have succeeded only in taking us back to square one. We would no longer be guilty, but we still would have absolutely no righteousness to bring before God. So, our Redeemer needed not only to die, but also to live a life of perfect obedience. The righteousness that He manifested could then be transferred to all who put their trust in Him. Just as my sin is transferred to Him on the cross when I trust in Him, His righteousness is transferred to my account in the sight of God. So, when I stand before God on the judgment day, God is going to see Jesus and His righteousness, which will be my cover.”
Adapted from R.C Sproul’s Preface in The Work of Christ (David C Cook, 2012)

I hope those statements help you
Understand a little bit better what we are talking about.

We are talking about what is required
TO SATISFY THE RIGHTEOUS REQUIREMENT OF GOD.

And Christ fulfilled this requirement through His obedient living.
He fulfilled this requirement through His ACTIVE OBEDIENCE.

And so when we trust in Christ,
We are not only trusting that His punishment is done for me,
But also that His righteous obedience is done for me as well.

Let me read that verse again.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Now perhaps you see both elements.
• On one hand the passive obedience in His paying my debt through His suffering,
• On the other hand His active obedience also being applied to me.

So what we want to look at now is HIS ACTIVE OBEDIENCE,
WHY it is important, and HOW that works on my behalf.

Well certainly you should understand that Christ was perfect.

John 5:19 “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”

John 8:29 “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

Both of those verses give insight into
The mindset and commitment of Christ.
He never had any intention of doing anything
But exactly what the Father desired.

HE ALWAYS PERFECTLY OBEYED.

The writer of Hebrews noted that:
Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

Perhaps you remember His baptism, and the debate He had with John the Baptist.
Matthew 3:13-15 “Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him.”

John certainly understood that Jesus had no need of repentance.
John was a witness to the perfect obedience of Christ.

But Jesus was not being baptized because He was sinful.
Jesus was being baptized because He was obedient.
He always did the things which God required,
Even if it seemed to the outside world to be unnecessary.

And because of that relentless obedience we even have the Father bearing witness to His perfection from heaven.
Matthew 3:16-17 “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

And of course God echoed that assessment again at His transfiguration.

This perfect righteous obedience was even further demonstrated during His temptation in the wilderness where Jesus was faced with every temptation but still remained faithful to God.

He always obeyed.
He was perfectly righteous in all things.
He was without sin.

And that is so important to our understanding of the gospel.
• Jesus didn’t just die to pay my penalty.
• Jesus lived to satisfy my requirements.

If we go back to that illustration of telling your son to mow the yard.
What we find in the story is that your sons brother stepped up and agreed to take the punishment for his rebellious brother and then went further by going ahead and mowing the yard for him too.

He satisfied the wrath AND He fulfilled the requirement.
Both of which are imputed to us.

Now listen again to the passage we read a moment ago.
Matthew 5:17-20 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

That is such an important passage that Jesus introduced.
But it will be totally misunderstood
If you don’t rightly grasp that first verse.

• No doubt you see that God’s Law is important.
• No doubt you see that keeping God’s Law is essential.
• No doubt you see that a failure to keep God’s Law keeps people out of heaven.

I mean Jesus could not have said it any clearer than that.
• The righteous requirements set forth in God’s Law will never be EXPIRED.
They will be here even after heaven and earth pass away.

• The righteous requirements set forth in God’s Law will never be REDUCED.
Every single “letter or stroke” will forever be enforced.

• The righteous requirement set forth in God’s Law will never be DISREGARDED.
People who don’t meet them will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

DO YOU SEE ALL THAT?
(Those Hebrew Roots folks camp there)

What is failed to be understood is that first statement.
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”

THAT IS HUGE!
Jesus came to fulfill the Law.
(Not just the sacrificial Law on the cross,
But also the moral Law through His righteous living)

And is that fulfillment that the gospel says is also transferred to us.
Jesus didn’t just die for us, Jesus also lived for us.

Jesus atonement is not all that is imputed to us,
So is His righteous resume.

That is what makes this understanding of His active obedience so FULFILLING.
• When I begin to understand that the entire summation of the pleasing life of
Christ is now applied directly to my life and account.

• And when God looks on me, He sees that I have perfectly fulfilled the Law,
because I am wearing Christ’s graduation gown and Christ’s honor chords.

Do you see that?

Again,
• It’s not what Christ has done in me, it’s what He has done for me.
• It’s not that He has just made it possible for me to be righteous, it’s that He IS my righteousness.

Now, I did not intend to have that long of an introduction, but that’s ok.
We can still begin this powerful passage which explains this very reality.

The last time we examined it was a little over 2 years ago in our study of the book of Hebrews.

I pulled up those old notes and noticed that sermon was called:
“How to Be Perfect”

Having studied the idea more and in light of the truths we’ve uncovered,
I would probably change that a little to say, “How to be Perfected”

For that is really what the writer of Hebrews reveals.
(14) “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”

What I want to begin to do tonight is to
Begin looking at this passage and then we’ll come back to it next time.

READ AGAIN: HEBREWS 10:1-18

Here is the first point that the writer of Hebrews makes here.
#1 A SYMBOL, REPEATED PERPETUALLY, CAN NEVER SAVE
Hebrews 10:1-4

Now because we haven’t just read the book of Hebrews
I need to remind you the truth he just taught.

In chapter 9 the writer gave us a parable.
It was the parable of the Day of Atonement.

The writer asked us to look at 4 symbolic realities from that parable.

1) The Existence of the Veil (9:1-10)
Man is separated from God

2) The Execution of the Sacrifice (9:11-22)
Blood is the requirement for a broken covenant

3) The Expiation of the Sinner (9:23-26)
That blood must be taken to God to appease His wrath on sin

4) The Emergence of the Priest (9:27-28)
The priest coming out reveals that God accepted the sacrifice

The writer revealed to us that
Everything that happened on the Day of Atonement didn’t actually work.

It was a parable, it was a symbol
• It wasn’t real heaven, it was just a tent
• It wasn’t an acceptable sacrifice, it was just a goat
• It wasn’t taken to God, it was just taken behind an earthly veil
• It didn’t accomplish real forgiveness, it just symbolized it

The problem was that so many of the Jews had missed the point. They performed that ritual so long that many of them
Started to believe that there was power in the ritual.

Somehow they came to believe that
Building a tent, killing a goat, and sprinkling blood on a man-made altar
Would actually bring forgiveness.

But the writer of Hebrews is clarifying that
THERE IS NO POWER IN THE SYMBOL.

(1) “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.”

Did you catch the problem?
The Law… All those sacrifices…
“can never…make perfect those who draw near.”

• Attend every Jewish festival
• Kill thousands of goats
• Present millions of wave offerings
• And at the end of the day you still will not be perfect.

EVEN IF THOSE THINGS COULD ATONE,
THEY STILL COULD NOT PERFECT.

That is tragic since we’ve already established that
Perfection is all God accepts.

Do you want proof they can’t make you perfect?
(2) “Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?”

If you are a person who likes “logic” and “reason”
Then this verse is for you.

Let’s say that on the Day of Atonement
That offering actually did what it was supposed to do.
Let’s say it actually atoned for all the sinner’s sin.

If that happened wouldn’t the offering have stopped?

If those people had actually been forgiven they would have had a clean conscience and would no longer feel the need to sacrifice.
But that is not what happened.
That sacrifice didn’t make them feel forgiven
And that is why the kept coming back.

(3) “But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.”

Those sacrifices didn’t make you feel forgiven,
Those sacrifices only reminded you that you were a sinner.

THERE AGAIN IS RELIGION.

Make no mistake religion needs sinners.
Religion needs people that it can threaten and terrify and command.

That’s how religion gets power
That’s how religion gets funded

The worst thing for religion is permanent forgiveness.
Then it loses it’s hook.
Indeed that is never the goal.

What religion wants to do is get people enslaved.
You have to keep coming back here
And keep doing this thing over and over and over OR ELSE.
ROME CERTAINLY FLOURISHED HERE.

That is also what the Law did.
Come back year after year and be reminded that you are a sinner!
• It didn’t forgive anybody.
• It didn’t make anybody feel forgiven.
• All it did was continually remind people that they didn’t measure up to God.

Now the question is:
WHY DIDN’T THE LAW FORGIVE PEOPLE?

IT COULDN’T
It was just a symbol and a symbol,
Regardless of how many times you repeat it, it can never save.

(4) “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

Just let that sink in for a second.
• Do you really suppose that killing a goat makes you right with God?
• Do you really suppose that getting dunked in a baptistery makes you right with God?
• Do you really suppose that eating crackers and drinking grape juice makes you right with God?
• Do you really suppose penance or purgatory can make you righteous?

EVEN IF THEY COULD ATONE
THOSE THINGS CAN’T MAKE YOU PERFECT.

I mean do we really suppose
That God is sitting up in heaven and men are requesting entrance and He is saying, “Nope, not until you say 50 “Hail Mary’s” and 25 “Our Father’s”?

Do you catch the absurdity?
The Jews were killing a goat and that has no power over anything.

I mean let your banker call and say, “I’m going to foreclose on your house because you are behind on your payments.” And you say, “I tell you what I’ll do, I’ll kill a goat.”

Let your boss call you into his office and say, “You’re doing a lousy job and I’m going to have to let you go.” And you say, “Instead of that, why don’t we just kill a goat?”

That’s how absurd it is to think religious ritual can save you.
That’s how absurd it is to think religious symbols can make you perfect.

They never can – it is the first major point of the writer of Hebrews.
A symbol, repeated perpetually, can never save.

#2 A SAVIOR, ROBED IN PERFECTION, DID FINALLY SATISFY
Hebrews 10:5-10

And unfortunately this is where we have to stop for the night.
• The writer just revealed that sacrifice alone was not enough to make a man right with God.
• It also required adherence to God’s righteous standards, and Jesus also did this.

He not only presented Himself as a lamb for the slaughter.
He also offered His righteous life as satisfaction of God’s requirement.
The tragedy of Catholicism was that they looked to Mary or to the Saints to gain their “supererogatory merit”

The Reformers said – NO!
We look to Christ Alone (SOLUS CHRISTUS)

And the effect (as we will see next time)
Is that we are now counted righteous.

(14) “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”

The Proper Response
Luke 5:1-11
February 4, 2018

As you know, we are working through Luke’s gospel
In which he is revealing to us the “exact truth” about Jesus.

We’ve already learned about
• The holiness of Christ
• The deity of Christ
• The humanity of Christ
• That Christ was under the Law
• That Christ resisted temptation
• That Christ demonstrated divine power
• That Christ is the Messiah who came to save

As a conscientious historian, Luke has made sure to give us the facts
About who Jesus is and what He did.

Beyond that, Luke has also been very interested in revealing to us
The type of people who respond to Jesus,
And the necessary attitude that is required to do that.

As mentioned many times before,
• Only Luke shows us Zacharias and Elizabeth.
• Only Luke gives such detail about Mary.
• Only Luke introduces the shepherds present after His birth.
• Only Luke speaks of Simeon and Anna.

Luke is highlighting that ALL IMPORTANT ATTITUDE OF HUMILITY
That is required in order for one to follow Christ.

By contrast was that humility which the hometown of Jesus (Nazareth) clearly lacked and therefore tried to throw Him off a cliff.

SO LUKE’S POINTS ARE BECOMING CLEAR TO US.
• Who is Jesus?
• What did He come to do?
• And what does He require from us?

These are the questions that Luke is answering.

As I ponder these realities even during my time of study,
I am reminded actually of a statement John makes about Jesus
In the opening chapter of his gospel.

John 1:9-13 “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 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.”

John introduced a tragedy there that despite the glory of Christ,
There were so many who would not receive Him.

And of course after looking at Nazareth we know why.
• People weren’t interested in having spiritual light shined into their darkened hearts.
• They didn’t want to acknowledge spiritual poverty or spiritual guilt or spiritual blindness or spiritual exhaustion.
• When Jesus tried to expose that, they quickly rejected Him.

However, there were a few who did receive Him.
There were a few who did respond correctly.

And those who did respond correctly were given
“the right to become children of God”

Luke is making that same point, and he is doing it
Through various encounters that Jesus had with those around Him.

THIS MORNING we look at the day when Jesus encountered Peter.

Now it is important for you to understand that
Luke 5 is NOT THE FIRST TIME Peter was acquainted with Jesus, not by a long shot.

• Peter first met Jesus in John 1 when Andrew introduced them.
• By this point Peter would have been with Jesus to that wedding in Cana and seen Him turn water into wine.
• By this point Peter would have been with Jesus to Jerusalem and seen Jesus clear the temple.
• We actually saw Jesus in Peter’s home in Luke 4 healing his mother-in-law of her fever.
• Luke 5 doesn’t even record the first time Jesus approached Peter at the water front and asked him to follow.

The first time occurred in Matthew 4.
Matthew 4:18-20 “Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.”

That is obviously not the same incident that Luke records,
It would have been an earlier one.

And through all of those encounters it is clear that
Peter had already heard Jesus say many amazing things,
And he had already seen Jesus do many amazing things.
What is more, Peter should have been aware
Of what Jesus expected of His followers.

Peter was not ignorant of the person or expectation of Jesus.

BUT IT WAS NOT UNTIL THIS DAY THAT PETER ACTUALLY MET JESUS.

This is the day when Peter’s eyes were finally opened to exactly who Jesus was, and we love the story because Peter responds properly.

Now that makes this story very pertinent and relevant to us.
I can relate to Peter here so easily.

• I grew up in church and I knew all the stories about Jesus.
• I grew up in a Christian environment and I was well acquainted with the way
Jesus had changed people’s lives.
• I was aware of the expectation Jesus had for us to follow Him and serve Him
• I even went on mission trips as a teenager and was involved in various
ministries.

But I didn’t really meet Jesus until that one fateful night in Abilene, TX.

How do I know that is when I really saw Him for the first time?
Because in seeing Him, for the first time I also saw me.

Jesus didn’t just show me who He was.
Jesus also showed me who I was.

And if you’re paying attention to Luke, this is the real point of contention.
That is what Nazareth didn’t like.
That is what Capernaum ignored.
But Peter gets it right.

So, as we work through this story,
• Let me just ask you if Jesus has ever confronted you?
• And let me also ask you how you responded?

Peter is a tremendous example of the proper response.

5 things we see here.
#1 THE CROWD
Luke 5:1-3

Now really here, we just see Jesus doing business as usual.

We read in:
Luke 4:14-15 “And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.”

When He came to Nazareth, more of the same:
Luke 4:16 “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.”

When He returned to Capernaum, He’s still preaching:
Luke 4:31 “And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath;”

And even when Capernaum tried to detain Him:
Luke 4:43-44 “But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” So He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.”

So at this point the fact that we find Him preaching to a crowd
IS NOT SURPRISING AT ALL.

He’s just doing what He came to do.
He is proclaiming the kingdom of God.

He is revealing to people that He is the One who can
• Offer grace to beggars
• Offer forgiveness to criminals
• Offer sight to the blind
• Offer rest to the weary
• Offer salvation to sinners

He can grant you access into God’s kingdom right now.

That’s what He came to do and that’s what He’s doing
…relentlessly.

It’s also not surprising when we see the response of the crowd.

“Not it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God…”

Luke speaks of Jesus preaching “the word of God” (i.e His own words)
And Luke speaks of the crowd pressing in on Him.

Now you know why.
• These people will more than readily endure a sermon if they think it’s going to
end in a healing display.
• The whole time He is preaching you have the crowd jockeying for position.
• They all want to be up there at the front to make sure they get their miracle
when they start.

I still remember a picture of Ken Gilcrease on mission in Guatemala
Backed up to a wall with kids pressing all around him
Because he had candy he was giving out.

That’s what they are doing to Jesus,
And they’ve literally backed Him up to the edge of the water.

There is a crowd, but I’m not yet ready to yield to the fact that
They are all there because they want to hear the gospel.

And because of the crowd we read:
(2-3) “and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat.”

This was no accident, nor was it merely a contingency plan.
As you’ll see in a minute,
Jesus has been setting the stage for this all night long.

• But by the edge of the water you “two boats” and “fishermen”
• And the fishermen had gotten out of the boats “and were washing their nets.”

This was the Sea of Galilee and we see in a minute that
The fishermen where Peter and James and John.

That indicates that
• While they had spent time with Jesus,
• And had even followed Him on some isolated ventures,
• They had yet to fully become devoted to Him,
• Because here they are still fishing.

• Fishing in Galilee was done at night,
• And the type of fishing here was a large fishing net dropped from the boat
• Which worked as a sane where the fish were gathered and dragged in to the
boat.

These men had fished all night.
Now it was time to clean up and then catch some rest
Before they went back out again.

Jesus gets into Simon’s boat “and asked him to put out a little way form the land.”

Even though Simon must have been tired,
He was certainly more than willing
To accommodate the ministry of Jesus.

Some of us may have seen it as an INCONVENIENCE,
Apparently Peter did not.

Based on His previous dealings with Jesus,
He was more than willing to lend a hand.

So they move the boat out and “He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat.”

SO JESUS IS BACK TO PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

Now, Luke doesn’t go into detail here,
But the previous preaching encounters have taught us a thing or two.

• By pulling away from the crowd, Jesus has just forced the crowd to quit
focusing on getting close to Him and to start listening to the message.

• And we’ve also seen that any time people listen to the message of Jesus it
isn’t long before they start clamoring for some proof, because after all
Jesus does make some pretty amazing claims about Himself.

• Well, again Jesus is about to substantiate those claims.

Only this time, the miracle is not for the crowd,
It is for Peter, James, and John.

The Crowd
#2 THE CATCH
Luke 5:4-7

So Jesus finishes the sermon, and again you are aware about the anticipation of the crowd. They want to see proof.

“He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”

If we didn’t know anything else about the circumstances of the story, this would still be a pretty remarkable request.

• For one thing, these men didn’t fish during the day, fishing was done at night. This is not the way it’s done.

• For another thing, they just finished fishing and cleaning their nets. If they put the out again, they’re just going to have to clean them again.

That alone makes this request a difficult one.

Peter’s answer tells us what makes this request even more remarkable.
(5) “Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”

I think that is a remarkable response from Peter there.
I think it is a response filled with
Love and Submission and Willingness and Obedience.

Some see Peter’s response as sort of a complaint,
But I don’t think that’s it at all.

What Peter says is true.
“we worked hard all night and caught nothing”

Peter doesn’t think this will work.
What he doesn’t know is that the reason he caught nothing is because Jesus had re-routed all the fish in the sea and made sure they caught nothing.

Peter is skeptical, but Peter is NOT RULED BY SKEPTICISM.
Peter is still willing to submit to Christ.

He calls Him “Master”
And despite the circumstances says, “but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”

That is what we call meekness.
That is what we call submission.

Peter here goes out in faith, not logic.
(6-7) “When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink.”

While the Lord had driven the fish away all night,
Suddenly He brought them all back…and then some.

It is called “a great quantity”
• So great that “their nets began to break”
• So great that “they signaled to their partners…to help them”
• So great that “they…filled both of the boats”
• So great that the boats “began to sink”

Let’s just say that this is a lot of fish.

And again Jesus has put His power and authority on display.
• This is the man who can command DEMONS and they obey.
• This is the man who can command SICKNESS and it obeys.
• This is the man who can command CREATION and it obeys.

We are dealing here with no ordinary man.

This particular miracle demonstrates His OMNISCIENCE
(Who else knows where the fish are in the lake?)

This miracle demonstrates His OMNIPOTENCE
(Who else can command fish to jump in a net?)

This miracle demonstrates His SOVEREIGN CONTROL
(Who else can do it exactly when He wants it done?)

Jesus has again confirmed His authority.

And again we realize that His amazing claims may be amazing,
But they are not crazy.
He can do the things He says.

If He says He can offer grace to beggars…He can do it.
If He says He can offer forgiveness to criminals…He can do it.
If He says He can offer sight to the spiritually blind…He can do it.
If He says He can relieve the burden of the oppressed…He can do it.
If He says He can usher in the kingdom of God…He can do it.

RIGHT?
This is really just another day in the life of Jesus.

But on this day Luke presses the story further
To reveal the impact it had on Peter
And Luke even highlights Peter’s proper response.

The Crowd, The Catch
#3 THE CONFRONTATION
Luke 5:8-10a

“But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.”

Peter’s reaction is so very telling.
“he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

Now first just let me contrast that with the other reactions we have seen.

When Jesus revealed Himself to Nazareth:
Luke 4:28-29 “And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.”

So Nazareth said, “Go away from us, for we are NOT sinful men.”
They had heard just about enough of His confronting message.

Then He went to Capernaum:
Luke 4:42 “When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them.”

Capernaum said, “Don’t go away from us”
(They obviously were not concerned about their own sinfulness)
(Remember Matthew’s gospel reveals that they never repented)

Nazareth didn’t want Him around confronting their sin.
Capernaum wasn’t worried about it so long as He kept on healing them.

But Peter’s reaction was very different.
“Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

This was not Peter saying He didn’t want Jesus around.
This was Peter saying He didn’t deserve Jesus around.

And incidentally, James and John are said to have had the same mentality
As they were all struck with “amazement”.

WHAT HAPPENED?
These men didn’t just see a carnival show, these men just saw God.
• They saw His omniscience
• They saw His omnipotence
• They saw His sovereignty
• They saw His holiness

And when they saw Him, they saw themselves.
And in the presence of the Holy One
They were overcome with their own sinfulness.

I love the reality that with two boats filled to the max with fish,
All Peter could smell was the stench of his own sin.

And let me just put it to you straight.
• If you have never come to the awareness of your own wretched sinfulness…
• If you have never been overwhelmed by the extent of your filth…
• If you have never been crushed under the weight of your own guilt…

THEN I PROMISE YOU, YOU HAVE NEVER ENCOUNTERED JESUS.

To further illustrate this, let me take you to another encounter with Jesus and show you what happened.

TURN TO: ISAIAH 6:1-8

Do you see the parallel?
Isaiah saw the Holy One
(and by the way John 12:41 reveals that Isaiah saw Jesus)

And when Isaiah saw Jesus, Isaiah saw Isaiah
And had the same reaction as Peter.

And that’s not the only one.
In Ezekiel 1-3 Ezekiel had the same encounter.

Ezekiel 1:28 “As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.”

The same thing happened to John again on the Island of Patmos.
Revelation 1:17 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,”

My point is simply this.
A true encounter with Christ is first and foremost
An extreme awareness of your own sin and guilt.

(I don’t care if you went out to a “shack” and saw a vision of God or not)
If you’ve never had that awareness then I promise you,
You’ve never encountered Christ.

PETER JUST DID.

Now, that’s NOT yet Peter’s response. (we haven’t seen a request yet)
All we see there is that Peter just came under intense conviction of his own sin.

It’s important to see that
Peter did humble himself and acknowledge his sin,
But Peter’s ultimate response is what Luke is going to show in a moment.

The Crowd, The Catch, The Confrontation
#4 THE CALLING
Luke 5:10b
“And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching me.”

As I told you earlier,
This is not the first time Jesus revealed that calling to Peter.
Jesus had already told him that once in Matthew 4.

It’s just that Peter didn’t quite fully grasp it back then.
But here Jesus has Peter’s attention and once again reveals the calling.

You’re no longer a fishermen.
• From now on you are going to be a messenger of the kingdom of God.
• From now on you are going to be a preacher of the gospel.
• From now on you are going to offer salvation to people in My name.

And I also point out that this was not a request, it was a command.
Jesus didn’t offer Peter a job here,
Jesus commanded Peter to change course.

The sovereign God of the universe… The supreme King of heaven…
Just gave Peter new marching orders.

Now for purposes of continuity, I hope you are thinking of John 21.
Because in John 21 we find Peter disillusioned,
After he had denied Jesus 3 times and Jesus had been crucified,
And Jesus had risen from the dead.

And after his monumental failure
Peter thinks he has blown it beyond repair and tells the disciples:
John 21:3 “Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.”

That is to say “I’m going back to fishing”
Peter thought he had blown it too big.

Then if you will remember Jesus reenacts this very miracle a second time.
He once again reroutes all the fish in the sea and once again commands him to throw his nets again and once again gives a great catch of fish.

And when Peter recognizes the Lord Jesus once again reiterates
To Peter that he is no longer a fisherman, he is a shepherd.

Remember the infamous “Peter do you love Me?”… “Feed My sheep…”

The point is that the calling of Jesus on Peter’s life
Is NOT OPTIONAL, NOR is it TEMPORARY.

Jesus is calling for sole and total and final control
Of Peter’s life from here on out.

The calling Jesus places here
Is a calling that Jesus will never relinquish until the day of Peter’s death (Which Jesus will remind Peter of in John 21)

John 21:18-22 “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!” Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”

THAT IS THE CALL.
• Jesus has just confronted the sinful nature of Peter,
• And is now asking Peter to forsake that sinful life and follow Him all the way until death.

Do you see that?

Now, as we said
• Nazareth didn’t want to hear that so they tried to kill Jesus.
• Capernaum didn’t want to hear that either.

They didn’t want to forsake their life to follow Jesus,
They wanted Jesus to forsake His calling and stay with them.

That is the wrong response.
Jesus is asking Peter here
• To totally and finally forsake all that he is and all that he knows
• And to be a follower of Jesus and a messenger of His kingdom for the rest of his life.

Do you see that?
Well there’s the question, what is the response?

The Crowd, The Catch, The Confrontation, The Calling
#5 THE COMMITMENT
Luke 5:11

It wasn’t just Peter, but James and John as well.
“When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.”

Bear in mind that
They not only left their boats and their nets and their way of life,
But they also just left the biggest catch of fish they had ever secured.

They had a virtual fortune in those boats.
The biggest score their business had ever landed.
And Jesus asked them to leave it all to that greedy crowd on the beach.

He wanted them to forsake it all and follow Him.

And the response?
(11) “When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.”

John MacArthur said it like this:
“Those who recognize their sinful unworthiness and embrace Jesus as the truthful, omniscient, omnipotent, holy, and merciful God are the ones He reconciles to Himself. He forgives their sin, takes away their fear of judgment that sin causes, and commissions them to the great task of evangelization, of catching men alive for the kingdom of God.”
(MacArthur, John [The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series; Luke 1-5; Moody Publishing, Chicago, IL; 2009] pg. 309)

THE CONTRAST COULD NOT BE CLEARER.
• Everyone is enamored with Jesus. (Even Nazareth)
• Everyone is flocking to hear Jesus. (Even Capernaum)
• Everyone wants Jesus to fix their problems.

Those desires do not reveal true believers.
Those realities are common place.

The true believers are those that in the midst of Jesus preaching and miracles
• Become convinced of their sin,
• Humble themselves under that conviction,
• Run to Jesus for the forgiveness of that sin,
• Then submit to His sovereign lordship for the rest of their lives.

And that distinction is so clearly defined throughout Luke’s gospel.

Peter here joins the list of the genuinely redeemed.
He joins with Zacharias, Elizabeth, Mary, Simeon, Anna, and the shepherds.

EVERYONE ELSE simply represents those
Who are willing to use Jesus for their own selfish ends,
But who are otherwise unwilling to own their guilt
And submit to His leadership.

Now, let me ask you, WHICH ONE ARE YOU?
• Have you ever met Jesus?
• Have you ever come face to face with your own sin?
• Have you ever been crushed under the weight of your guilt?
• Did you own that sin, or did you argue about it?
• Did you run to Jesus for forgiveness, or did you determine just to ignore it?
• Are you presently in His service, or are you still running full speed in the kingdom of this world?

The unmistakable point of Luke is that
Upon learning that Jesus is the rightful King,
That you and I would forsake this kingdom and run to His.
That we would also leave everything and follow Him.

Don’t suppose that admiration of Jesus
Is the same thing as submission to Him.
Everyone Jesus confronted was amazed,
But only a few were obedient.

The Heart of SOLUS CHRISTUS
2 Corinthians 5:18-21
January 24, 2018

Well tonight we move on to our 4th of the
5 SOLAS that came out of the Reformation.

Tonight we look at SOLUS CHRISTUS
Namely the belief that the means of our salvation is CHRIST ALONE.

And at the outset I would say that of all the 5
I think this one is the one that is the least understood.

Most of the time when you mention SOLUS CHRISTUS,
Most people think that it is referring to
The simple belief that Jesus is the only Savior.

Certainly that is included in SOLUS CHRISTUS
And certainly that is true.

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.”

Acts 4:12 “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.”

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

There is no doubt that we would maintain that
There is no other Savior than Jesus.
(and throughout the study of this 4th SOLA, we’ll examine some of those passages)

Yes, there are some liberal theologians and even religious non-believers
Who would embrace pluralism and the faulty notion
That there are many roads all headed to the same destination.

But honestly, in most evangelical circles
I seldom run across people that hold that obviously unbiblical belief.

BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT THE DEBATE
REGARDING SOLUS CHRISTUS CENTERS AROUND.

The argument here is NOT in seeking to prove
That Jesus is the only savior.
The argument centers on the fact that
Jesus is all that is needed for salvation.

Rome would tell you that Jesus is the only savior, but they will not uphold that the work of Christ is all that is needed to be saved.

Let me read to you another excerpt from the Council of Trent

1992 Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ who offered himself on the cross as a living victim, holy and pleasing to God, and whose blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all men. Justification is conferred in Baptism, the sacrament of faith. It conforms us to the righteousness of God, who makes us inwardly just by the power of his mercy. Its purpose is the glory of God and of Christ, and the gift of eternal life: [Cf. Council of Trent (1547): DS 1529]

Now take note of what is said there.
• First we see that Christ is called “a living victim” which of course nullifies the
effectiveness of His death and requires Him to continually sacrifice Himself.
This is the heresy of the Mass.

But the statement I really want you to grasp is this:
• Regarding justification, “It conforms us to the righteousness of God, who
makes us inwardly just by the power of his mercy”

The belief is that what Jesus did,
Grants us the ability to now be righteous and live righteous,
Which we are expected to do in order to please God.

Where Jesus is important to them is because
According to them it is Jesus who gives you the motivation
And even the ability to live righteous.

I actually find this to be a common misunderstanding of the gospel.
Growing up in legalistic religion I have found that
There are many evangelical believers who do not understand
What SOLUS CHRISTUS means.

They tend to just affirm Jesus as the Only Savior
And think they have it covered.
AND THAT IS A SHAME.

So at the very outset tonight I want to just cut to the heart of the matter
And tell you what SOLUS CHRISTUS means.

HERE IS THE HEART OF IT ALL:

Solus Christus does not refer to what Christ has done IN me.
Solus Christus refers to what Christ has done FOR me.

Let me put it another way:
Christ did not come to MAKE us righteous.
Christ came to BE our righteousness.

If you misunderstand this you will misunderstand the gospel.

Now that is certainly not to disregard the work of sanctification which does occur IN us.
• We certainly affirm that Christ is at work within us.
• We certainly affirm that the Holy Spirit is working out our salvation.
• We understand the reality of “Christ in you” the hope of glory.
• We understand that God is transforming us into the image of Christ.

But that has to do with sanctification,
And a process that will never be perfected in this life.

In regard to justification (which is what the SOLAS refer to)
We don’t focus on Christ in us. We focus on us “in Him”.

Rome (and legalistic religion throughout the ages) has sought to make Jesus
• Our supreme MOTIVATION for righteousness, (because He is judge)
• Our supreme EXAMPLE for righteousness (because He was perfect)
• Our supreme POWER for righteousness (working in us)

And the weight and expectation for all salvation
Has depended upon you taking advantage of the work of Christ
And being righteous.

THE REFORMERS SAID NO!
They affirmed that even in my sinful condition I am declared holy,
Apart from my own righteousness,
And only because of what Christ has done for me.

R. Scott Clark said,
“The heart of the gospel is not about us. The heart of the gospel is Christ for us (Christus pro nobis). This was the essence of Paul’s message: that Christ came for us, to do for us what we could not and would not do. He obeyed. He was crucified. He was raised. He is ascended. He is returning. The medieval church turned the gospel into a message about what Christ is doing in us, by grace, in sanctification, and about what we must do to do our part in order to benefit: cooperate with grace. The good news is that we have no part, not in this story. We’re recipient. We’re beggars; we’re not contributors to the story.”
(https://www.monergism.com/topics/five-solas/solus-christus)

Martin Luther said,
“I must listen to the gospel. It tells me not what I must do, but what Jesus Christ the Son of God has done for me.”
(ibid)

John Calvin said,
“Hence also it is proved, that it is entirely by the intervention of Christ’s righteousness that we obtain justification before God. This is equivalent to saying that man is not just in himself, but that the righteousness of Christ is communicated to him by imputation, while he is strictly deserving of punishment. Thus vanishes the absurd dogma, that man is justified by faith, inasmuch as it brings him under the influence of the Spirit of God by whom he is rendered righteous. This is so repugnant to the above doctrine that it never can be reconciled with it. There can be no doubt that he who is taught to seek righteousness out of himself does not previously possess it in himself. This is most clearly declared by the Apostle, when he says, that he who knew no sin was made and expiatory victim for sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21)”
(From Institutes of the Christian Religion, III. xi, 2, 21-23)

I am not saved because He has made me righteous.
I am saved because He has become my righteousness.

And still just by way of introduction I can tell you how a proper understanding of this doctrine can have a profound effect on your life.

Don’t raise your hand, but I would wonder if anyone in here has ever struggled with assurance of salvation?
• Let me just tell you that I struggled with it for years.
• And because of that struggle and victory over it I can tell you now where a lack
of assurance comes from.

It comes directly from a misunderstanding of SOLUS CHRISTUS

Now, even in the years when I doubted my salvation,
I would have absolutely affirmed and even fought to the death
That Jesus is the only way of salvation.
That was never an issue.

The problem where my theology was bad
Was in how much of a savior Christ was.

I knew Him to be the only Savior, the question is what percentage of the saving is up to Him, and what percentage was up to me?

Now, I never actually debated it like that,
But looking back now, that was precisely the issue.

Because even in my desire to love and trust Christ
It was the presence of legalism which was the root cause of my doubt.

Do you remember what Paul said about legalism?
Galatians 2:21 “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

Remember we said that legalism nullifies grace
And renders useless the death of Christ.

Let me tell you how it worked in my life.
(And I give a lot of credit for this to the legalistic Baptist doctrines that I grew up under)

Baptists love moralism and we love to pretend that
Somehow morality and salvation are linked.

AND FOR ME MORALITY BECAME THE TRUEST BASIS OF SALVATION.
I felt the most saved when I was the most moral,
And I even used morality as a basis of whether or not someone else was saved.

In short, I judged everyone by their level of righteousness.

Now Jesus taught us the problem with that.
Matthew 7:1-2 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.”

What does that mean?
• Well, for example, I could follow Jesus and my love for Jesus would cause me
to want to be at church every time the doors were open. I just loved being
there.

• And in my commitment I could even pass judgment on those who weren’t
there. “I just don’t know if they’re saved, because I can’t understand
them not wanting to be at church.”

And that mindset served me well so long as I was faithful to attend.
The problem was I just set up for myself a standard of salvation.

In my heart I built a standard that said,
“Saved people never want to miss church.”

And then, inevitably there would come a day,
When I didn’t feel like coming,
And my own standard would condemn me.

“What’s wrong with me that I don’t want to go to church tonight, I must not be saved.”

And that is just one example, but it happened in many areas.
My own judgment standards actually
Only condemned me over and over and over.

Let me tell you what I was doing, and I think this will help.

I WAS TRUSTING IN MY FRUIT (my inward righteousness) FOR MY SALVATION INSTEAD OF IN JESUS FOR MY SALVATION.

Does that make sense?
• So long as my fruit appeared to be legitimate, I was doing great.
• But on the days that I failed, and my fruit was absent, I doubted and struggled.

It was evidence of a misunderstanding of SOLUS CHRISTUS
• What I was actually believing was that Jesus saved me to make to me righteous.
• And on the days that I felt righteous I had no problem.
• But on the days when my lack of righteousness was revealed to me, I was overcome with doubt and anxiety.

That’s not to minimize the importance of fruit, so long as you understand that the presence of holiness is not the fruit, the desire for it is.
I was a victim of legalistic religion and I failed to understand that the work of Christ was not to make me righteous
(which let’s face it, if that was His work, He was unsuccessful),
But that the work of Christ was to be my righteousness.

Now, even when I fail, I don’t despair as though the work of Christ in me has failed.
I can still rejoice because of the work of Christ done for me.

There’s a great song about this that we sing from time to time:
“When I look all around me And all I can see Are my mountains of failure and sin I will hope in the One Crucified in my place Jesus Christ the Redeemer of men
When I’m standing accused And I’m guilty as charged And I’ve nothing that I can defend I will trust in the righteousness Given to me By Jesus my Savior and Friend
When I measure my heart By Your holy decrees All my motives and deeds I despise I will claim all Your sacrifice Purchased for me By Your death I will stand justified
I look up to the Cross Where I see my Sin-Bearer Hanging there in deepest agony I look up to the Cross Where Your cleansing blood flows And I feel a great weight lift from me”

And I just share that with you because it has been my observation that
The rise of moralism and legalistic religion in the church
Has really done a number on the truth of the gospel.

What I want to make sure you understand is that
Salvation is only possible because of what Jesus did for us.

We are NOT saved because we take advantage of the work of Christ and use it to finally live righteous lives and become pleasing to God.

We ARE saved because even in our wretched beggar state, Christ saved us apart from any help of our own.

When we say that we are saved by Christ Alone,
We are not saying that Jesus is the Only Savior (though He is).
When we say that we are saved by Christ Alone
We are saying that Christ Alone saves us without any help from us.

He did for me what I COULD NOT and even WOULD NOT do for myself.
• And I stand saved, not because I am now righteous.
• I am saved because He is righteous and He has imputed that righteousness to me.

And that thought is where I want to start our study.

And to do that, we are going to look at 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

Now, allow me to briefly set the stage.

• In 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 we find that passage where Paul talks about that right
now we are present in the body and absent from the Lord.

• He admits that right now we dwell in a tent, but what we really long for is our
heavenly building.

2 Corinthians 5:4 “For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.”

• And Paul even says that the reason we have this yearning or desire is
because God placed His Spirit in us which causes us to desire this.

2 Corinthians 5:5 “Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.”

• And so, because we long to be with the Lord and because we know that
someday we will be with the Lord, Paul says that right now our goal is
please Him.

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

So in those first verses Paul admits that
• Though he longs to go and be with Christ,
• He knows that he has been left here for a purpose
• And it is a purpose which he wants to fulfill well.

And incidentally, that purpose is missions.

• In verses 11-17 Paul actually reveals that he is on that mission and his sole objective is to fulfill it in a way that pleases God not man.
(2 Corinthians is letter Paul wrote in defense of his ministry)

• He’s not particularly worried what men think about how he ministers since his sole objective is to please God.

For time’s sake I want you to skip down to verse 18
Where Paul reveals this mission he is on.

READ: 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

Now hopefully you picked upon the key word of the passage.
It is “reconciled” or “reconciliation”

Paul uses that word 5 times in this passage.
It is all about how God reconciles man to Himself.

And first and foremost I would remind you that
RECONCILIATION IS SORELY NEEDED.
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”

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Isaiah 59:1-2 “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.”

Man has been estranged from God because God is holy and man is not.

And I suppose this separation would be less severe
Were it not for the fact that GOD WILL NOT TOLERATE SINNERS
As He currently does FOREVER.

Matthew 25:41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;”

So, the obvious point is that sinful man must be reconciled to Holy God.

That is really the heart of salvation.
And that is the heart of the 5 SOLAS

We ask: HOW CAN SINFUL MAN BE RECONCILED TO A HOLY GOD?

Well Scripture Alone says that it is by Grace Alone through Faith Alone
In Christ Alone for the Glory of God Alone.

And what we want to look at here specifically is
The role Christ had in that reconciliation.

There are 4 points here tonight, and we will hit them quickly.
#1 THE MAKER OF RECONCILIATION
2 Corinthians 5:18

We see it right off the bat.
It is a tremendous testimony to SOLA GRATIA

“Now all these things are from God…”

WE AFFIRM AGAIN THAT
Salvation begins with the will of God not the will of the sinner.
• Salvation did not occur because sinful human beings decided they needed to approach God and ask for forgiveness and beg Him to save them.

• If God didn’t originate salvation it would not occur, namely because sinful man could care less.

God instigated it.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

And Paul said that God did this for him personally.
God first “reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”

Now already Paul has identified the means of this reconciliation.
For Paul says that God “reconciled us to Himself THROUGH CHRIST”

And we’re going to talk more about that in a moment.
But all that God did in regard to reconciliation was done through Christ.

But Paul notes that after God RECONCILED him,
God then COMMISSIONED him into service.

After being reconciled Paul says that God then “gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”

And again we note where that came from.
It also came from God.

SO THE MAKER OF RECONCILIATION IS OBVIOUS TO US.
• God is the instigator.
• He reconciles men and He commissions men with “the ministry of reconciliation”

Well that in itself brings up a question.
WHAT IS THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION?

The Maker of Reconciliation
#2 THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION
2 Corinthians 5:19

There again we cannot escape SOLA GRATIA or SOLUS CHRISTUS
“God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself”

God alone was doing it through Christ alone, it’s inescapable.

The “ministry of reconciliation” is this:
“He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

Paul didn’t reconcile anyone
The church didn’t reconcile anyone
Paul merely went and proclaimed to people that
God was reconciling men to Himself through Christ.

That is the whole ministry in a nutshell.
(And it is a pretty fitting discussion as we are here in Missions Month.)

We don’t save people.
We don’t reconcile people.
We don’t regenerate people.
We don’t justify people.
Our job is simply to go and proclaim to the world
That God is reconciling men to Himself through Jesus Christ.

That was the sum total of Paul’s ministry.

And that leads to the third point.

The Maker of Reconciliation, The Ministry of Reconciliation
#3 THE MESSENGERS OF RECONCILIATION
2 Corinthians 5:20

It only makes sense doesn’t it?
• If God committed this message to us, then it stands to reason that we would go and preach it.

And that is what we do.
“Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ”

We go and proclaim Christ.
As we preach it is as though “God were making an appeal through us”
There is SOLA GRATIA again.

Even in this ministry where we go out and preach,
Even that would be for not, if God didn’t actually do that to.
And you understand that.

So, because this is our ministry, and because this is the way God wants it, and because God actually makes His appeal through us

HERE WE GO…
“we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Incidentally, do you want a good “one liner” for evangelism?
Do you struggle with a good question or statement to make?

There it is.

In that one statement is the accurate assessment that
• Man is sinful,
• Has become estranged to God,
• He needs to be reconciled,
• That this reconciliation is found in Christ.

Paul does that because he knows
That is why God has chosen to leave him in this tent
Instead of taking home to heaven and letting him dwell in his building.

And all of that really sets the stage.
God wants men to be reconciled and God has commissioned us to preach it.

But none of those fully answer the question of reconciliation.

That is the final point.
#4 THE MEANS OF RECONCILIATION
2 Corinthians 5:21

Here is how reconciliation occurs.
“He made Him who knew no sin”

Here we examine what is called:
THE ACTIVE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST (and it is very important)

Namely that He lived a sinless life.
• He didn’t just drop out of heaven one day, die on a cross and skirt back up to heaven.
• He lived here for 33 years and He lived here in perfect obedience.

The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

And if you won’t take his word for it,
Then listen to the voice of God the Father.

Matthew 3:16-17 “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

We even saw this displayed during His temptation in the wilderness.

What we are talking about when we talk about Jesus Christ
Is absolute perfection.

He never sinned, not even once.
• He never broke a single command.
• He never had an evil thought.
• He never sinned in His anger
• He never had a lustful thought
• He never held bitterness in His heart
• He never coveted someone else’s possession
• He never blamed God
• He never cursed God
• He never did anything that was even close to sinful in the eyes of God

When God looked at the man Jesus Christ, God saw nothing against Him.
He “knew no sin”

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin”

Now first let me tell you what that does not mean.
It does not mean that Christ became a sinner on the cross.

The previous phrase “who knew no sin”
Completely rules that possibility out.

Christ did not become a sinner.
He remained pure and sinless throughout His life and death.

We even have testimony of this from the one who died next to Him.
The thief on the cross boldly stating that this man has done nothing worthy of death.

Christ did not become a sinner.

WHAT DOES PAUL MEAN?

The answer was given centuries earlier by the prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah 53:1-6 “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

And this is precisely what Paul is referencing.
The One who was totally pure and sinless in every way
Actually took upon Himself the sin of God’s elect.
He bore our sin.

He was sinless, He was pure,
And yet He was treated as though He was a sinner.

• When you look at the suffering of the cross…
• When you look at the torment…
• When you look at the grief…

That is what God’s justice demanded should happen to you and I.

It was the punishment for sin.
But God took the sinless pure Savior and imputed our sin to Him.

1 Peter 2:24 “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

He took the fall for sin He did not commit

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf,”

Now we could go into again the debate of who Christ actually died for,
But go back and listen to those sermons on the actual atonement.

If you say that it is for everyone, then you have to a universalist.
The reality is that Christ did this on behalf of the elect,
Those who are saved.

It was done on behalf of the elect who needed to be reconciled to God.

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

It was in fact the trade of the century.

He was treated as though He committed my sin
And I am now treated as though I fulfilled His righteousness.

He became sin
We become righteous

Now again, Christ did not become a sinner on the cross, He was merely treated as though He was.

Even so I am not now perfectly righteous, I am merely treated as though I am.

And now when I read verses like “You shall be holy as I am holy”
Or “You shall be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect”

I no longer have to hang my head in shame.
Because of what Christ did in bearing my sin and sharing His righteousness, I am now viewed as holy. I am now treated as perfect.

I am treated perfect not because I am righteous.
It is not what Christ did IN me.
It is what Christ did FOR me
And apart from any help FROM me.

That is what we mean by SOLUS CHRISTUS
And we’ll discuss it more in the weeks to come.

A Day in the Life of Jesus
Luke 4:31-44
January 28, 2017

To get started this morning
I want to draw your attention to the phrase at the end of Luke 4.

Luke 4:43-44 “But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” So He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.”

The important phrase there is the phrase “kingdom of God”

It’s a phrase that Luke will record 32 times in his gospel,
And it is the fundamental theme to Jesus ministry.

In many ways proclaiming the “kingdom of God” was synonymous with proclaiming the gospel.

In fact, in Luke 16:16 it is called; “the gospel of the kingdom of God”

Luke really picks up on the fact that
Jesus was committed to preaching this gospel of the kingdom.

He came to “preach the kingdom of God”
• Every miracle He worked was to demonstrate the powerful effects of the
kingdom.
• Later when He called the disciples He would send them to “proclaim the
kingdom of God”
• And Jesus would even give them miraculous ability so that they could say,
“the kingdom of God has come near”

I think the first thing we would want to know is
“What is this kingdom?”

Well, clearly, it is the kingdom that is promised to Messiah throughout the Old Testament.

We don’t have to read many of them, but some are helpful.
Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

Or you could read all of Isaiah 11 & 12 which speak of this coming kingdom and the King who will reign over it.
Isaiah 11:1-5 “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist.”

This kingdom is referenced again later in Isaiah
Isaiah 60:18-21 “Violence will not be heard again in your land, Nor devastation or destruction within your borders; But you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise. “No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory. “Your sun will no longer set, Nor will your moon wane; For you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be over. “Then all your people will be righteous; They will possess the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified.”

The marvelous thing about Jesus is
He came proclaiming that the kingdom of God was here!
Luke 17:20-21 “Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Now certainly the full effect of the kingdom was not yet realized,
• For Jesus was not yet sitting on David’s throne,
• The wolf was not dwelling with the lamb,
• All the people were not righteous.

So in one sense the total fulfillment of the kingdom was not yet here.

Even later, during the Olivet discourse Jesus would say:
Luke 21:31 “So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.”

And again at the last supper
Luke 22:16-18 “for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.”

So we can see that the perfect fulfillment is still yet to be realized.

So what then did Jesus mean?
When He went around preaching the kingdom of God and offering the kingdom of God and even telling the Pharisees as we read earlier “the kingdom of God is in your midst”?

VERY SIMPLY THIS.
The entrance into this kingdom is now available.

John MacArthur described the kingdom as “The sphere of salvation that those who respond in repentant faith to the preaching of the gospel enter.”
(MacArthur, John [The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series; Luke 1-5, Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL, 2009] pg. 297)

What is clear to us is that
• One day Jesus will return and His physical kingdom will be an absolute reality.
• He will reign upon the earth.
• All those who oppose Him will be destroyed.
• His kingdom will be a kingdom of perfect peace and perfect righteousness

And entrance is offered to anyone who repents and submits to the King.
• No one in their fallen sinful state is fit for the kingdom of God.
• We are all rebels by nature
• We are all insurrectionists by choice
• We have all become enemies of God

Jesus came to lead us to repentance and pay the debt against us
That we might be granted access into that kingdom.

So today, entrance into this Kingdom is offered to all.

Today,
It is a spiritual access whereby we enjoy fellowship with God and joy in Christ with full pardon and blessing.

Someday
We will enjoy it in an absolute physical sense in all its perfection and glory.

BUT IF YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF IT THEN,
YOU MUST ENTER IT NOW.

And you enter it through
• Humbly acknowledging your sin,
• Running to Christ for forgiveness,
• Pledging your loyalty to the King whom you believe will one day rule this world.

Does that help you understand Christianity a little better?

By submitting to Christ we are defying the god of this world
And declaring that as rebels to his cause,
We will pledge our loyalty to the rightful king.

We are committing treason against the prince of the power of the air
In faith that our king will in fact return and reign.

And that is what Jesus is asking us to do.
He is going everywhere proclaiming His kingdom
• Asking men to repent of their treason
• Defy the god of this world
• To proclaim allegiance to Him as the rightful King
• Believing that He will do what He said He will do.

AND IN ORDER TO MAKE THAT DECISION EASIER FOR US,
Jesus takes every possible opportunity to demonstrate to us
That He most certainly can take back this world.

And that is what we see taking place in Luke 4.

We see Jesus putting His power and authority on full display.
• He DOESN’T do this because His main goal is to heal people.
• He DOES this because He wants everyone to know that He is more than
capable of conquering the enemy and establishing His own kingdom.

AND THE INTENT is that as you see His power,
You become convinced that He can do what He said,
And you forsake the god of this world and pledge your life to Him too.

That is the message that Luke continually highlights.

And in the remainder of Luke 4,
That is precisely what Luke is showing you.

3 things
#1 HIS AMAZING CLAIM OF AUTHORITY
Luke 4:31-32

After Jesus was tempted we read:
Luke 4:14-15 “And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.”

• Jesus instantly went on a preaching mission,
• Hitting synagogue after synagogue.
• We even read that after a stint in Galilee,
• He came to His hometown and did the same.

Luke 4:16 “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.”

Based on His normal pattern then it should not surprise us that as He comes down to Capernaum He is still doing the exact same thing.
He is entering the synagogues on the Sabbath and He is preaching.

“He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath;”

And because of that story from Nazareth it is not hard for us to guess what He is preaching.

He is preaching that He is the rightful King
Who can in fact deliver the oppressed and the captives from their sin
And who can usher in the favorable year of the Lord.

He is preaching that same gospel message of deliverance.
• He is preaching good news to the poor
• He is preaching forgiveness to prisoners
• He is preaching sight to the blind
• He is preaching rest to the oppressed

That little hostile revolt in Nazareth hasn’t slowed Him in the least.
He is still preaching the gospel.

And this gospel is summed up
at the end of chapter 4 (as we read earlier) as
Preaching “the kingdom of God”

He is offering men access into God’s kingdom.
And we looked at that message in some detail a couple of weeks ago.

When Jesus preached this message in Nazareth they were skeptical.
Remember, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

It was the old “Who does He think He is?” type response, and of course Jesus confronted their lack of humility.

Well here we get Capernaum’s response.
(32) “and they were amazed at His teaching, for His message was with authority.”

Luke says they were “amazed” and we will look at that in a moment,

BUT FIRST I want you to see WHY they were “amazed”
And it was because “His message was with authority.”

That is another way of saying,
He made some really remarkable claims about His own ability.

Take for a second the Sermon on the Mount.
• We have Jesus over and over making statements like, “You have heard, but I say…”
• And in those statements He totally redirects the way they have read the Old Testament Law for years.
• In that sermon He revealed that the giving, praying, and fasting of the Pharisees was nothing but a hypocritical joke. (That is, He totally judged the motives of their hearts and then told everyone about it)
• He called men to ask Him for righteousness if they wanted it.

They were really startling claims like no one had ever made before,
And that is why at the end of the Sermon on the Mount we read:
Matthew 7:28-29 “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”

I mean, who walks in and in one sermon completely exposes every other religious leader and changes the way you read the Old Testament Law?

THAT’S PRETTY BOLD.

But that’s not all.
This guy claims to be able to forgive sin.

Remember the paralytic story we read a couple of weeks ago about the man lowered through the roof and Jesus told him he was forgiven?

Remember the response of the Pharisees?
Luke 5:21 “The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”

THAT WAS A BOLD CLAIM.
I can absolve you of your debt before God.

Or we could go to Matthew 21 and see that Jesus had the audacity to:
• Enter Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt
• Drive out all the money changers in the temple
• Healed people in the temple
• And then embrace their worship as though He were God

And so the Pharisees confronted Him:
Matthew 21:23 “When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”

And even that isn’t all.
• We’ll find in Luke 9 that He has so much authority that He gives it to His
disciples.
• In Matthew 28 (in the Great Commission) He will say, “all authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to Me”

I just want you to realize what is being said when the crowd says that “His message was with authority.”

He was making claims in regard to His own ability
That no one had ever made before.

And the Bible says that the response of the crowd
Was that “they were amazed”

And this is important.
There are several different Greek words which are translated “amazed”.

We saw one of those words in Luke 2:33 speaking of His father and mother.
Luke 2:33 “And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.”
(that word means “to marvel” or “to wonder”)

We saw a different word in Luke 2:47 speaking of the teachers in the temple.
Luke 2:47 “And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.”
(that word means “to stand aside from” or to be taken back)

There is even a different word used when Peter and James and John saw Jesus transfigured on the mountain.

None of those are the words used here.

The word used here is a word that literally means “to strike out”

For example,
• When Zek was about 1 year old I remember Lynda Gilcrease volunteering to
keep him on a Saturday and she told us that in one day she was confident
she could potty-train him.
Ken’s immediate response was, “Lynda, you’re out of your mind!”

He was “STRUCK” by what she said, and in his mind it was so outlandish that he couldn’t believe she said it.

That is what the word means.
Some have said it is better translated ASTONISHED

So here is the mood.
Jesus is preaching in their synagogue and He is making some remarkable claims.

Things like:
• I can give grace to the poor
• I can give forgiveness to criminals
• I can give sight to the blind
• I can give rest to the oppressed
• I can give eternal life

And the crowd is literally struck and astonished
That He would make such claims.
(Jesus, You’re out of Your mind)

NO ONE EVER MADE CLAIMS LIKE THAT
Nazareth tried to throw Him off a cliff for saying it.
Capernaum is really just sort of caught in a holding pattern.

They really are just kind of blown away.
• Can this guy really do what He says?
• Can He really forgive sins?
• Can He really usher in God’s kingdom and rule over the world?
• Can He really grant me access into heaven?

No doubt more than one person
Wanted Him to put His money where His mouth was.

Well, that’s precisely what happens next.

His Amazing Claim of Authority
#2 HIS AMAZING CONFIRMATION OF AUTHORITY
Luke 4:32-41

Now I put these together, not because each story is not remarkable in its own right but because Luke puts them together.

From a literary standpoint I think Luke really wants you to read them all together in a rapid fire fashion so that you will sort of be amazed at how quickly and easily He was able to confirm His claims.

It’s not that we aren’t amazed at each miracle,
It’s just that it is important that you get the bigger point.

The pressure was on Jesus to prove His claims,
And He didn’t just give some small piece of proof,
He absolutely knocked it out of the park.

So Luke records here 3 events, which all happened on the same day.
He deals with:
1) AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT (33-37)
2) A HIGH FEVER (38-39)
3) A DESPERATE CROWD (40-41)

All of them serve the same point for Luke.
They prove that Jesus can absolutely deliver
On the amazing claims that He has made.

But let’s quickly look at all 3 of these.
THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT

So Jesus is preaching in this synagogue and making some bold claims in regard to His own authority.

And Luke says “a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon…cried out with a loud voice, “Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are – the Holy One of God!”

First I think it is beneficial to recognize that we have here a man in church who is possessed by a demon
And where it not for the preaching of Jesus, no one would know it.

• This man is not insane and out of his mind like the Gaderene Demoniac.
• This man is not mute or crippled or often thrown into the fire like some of the other demonic encounters we see in the gospels.
• This man has the appearance of sanity and health and normalcy.

He is “possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon”

What does that mean?
This man, by reason of his oppression, is “unclean”

Which is another way to say, he is IMPURE.
His life is tangled in things that DEFILE.

IT IS IMPORTANT POINT OUT
That his defilement must not have been external
Because he was freely participating in the worship of the synagogue.

His defilement must have been more along the line
Of what Jesus spoke of in Matthew 15.

Matthew 15:19-20 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. “These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

• This man is merely defiled in heart.
• This man has wicked and carnal thoughts and desires.
• And those wicked thoughts and desires are the result of the spirit which
controls him.

I just think you need to see that because it seems as though most people today have this view that if you have a demon you’ll look like a zombie, foam at the mouth, talk with a sinister voice, and do other crazy things.

What we see here is that that isn’t always the case.
This guy was in church.

Furthermore, this demon was content to sort of sit in silence without making a fuss or making himself obvious.
• His first request to Jesus is “Let us alone!”

This demon simply desires to corrupt and defile this man from within
And silently and stealthily influence those around him.

And the only thing that brings this spirit to the forefront
Is the confrontational preaching of Jesus.

Jesus is preaching that people are poor and need mercy.
Jesus is preaching that people are guilty and need forgiveness.
Jesus is preaching that people are blind and need sight.
Jesus is preaching that people are burdened and need rest.

In short, Jesus is preaching right at this man’s heart.
And the demon is forced to defend his ground.

“Let us alone!” – He doesn’t want that sin confronted any more.
“What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth?” – which is to say, why are You picking on me?
“I know who You are – the Holy One of God!”

This demon does not want to give up his turf.

(35) “But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of him without doing him any harm.”

• Even though this demon was correct in his facts about Jesus,
• Jesus refused to be announced by a demon (Paul was the same in Philippi)
• That would be far too confusing to those whom Jesus was seeking to reach.

So Jesus makes this demon be quiet, and then He makes the demon leave
And the demon did throw him down,
But ultimately “came out of him without doing him any harm.”

Now, let me point out, that this occurred FOR ONLY ONE reason.
Jesus was putting His power on display.
• Nothing is said about this man repenting of sin.
• Nothing is said about this man placing his faith in Jesus.
• This was purely done for Jesus to put His power on display.

Jesus was proving the claims He had made.
And it worked.

(36-37) “And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another saying, “What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.” And the report about Him was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district.”

After He rebukes that demon it says “amazement came upon them all”
That is a different word and this one means “amazed” or “wonder”

Now they know He can do it, they are just blown away
Because they didn’t really think He could.

And now they ask, “What is this message?”
• He doesn’t just claim authority.
• He has authority.
• Even the demons have to obey Him.

Well there is your first picture of the power and authority of Jesus.
The evil servants of the enemy have to do what He says.

I once heard someone say, “The next time you think you’re important try giving orders to someone else’s dog.”

Well, Jesus could.
Now that is just the first, and we can hit the next two rather quickly.
THE HIGH FEVER

(38-39) “Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him to help her. And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and she immediately got up and waited on them.”

Luke ties the events together, because after that amazing display of authority, Jesus marches right out of the synagogue and right into Peter’s house.

When he gets there Peter’s “mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever”
(and of course this was before ibuprofen)
THIS WAS SERIOUS.

And with seemingly no effort whatsoever
Jesus just tells the fever to leave and it leaves.

And she felt so good “she immediately got up and waited on them.”

That is remarkable authority.
I think it is even more remarkable in our day because have so many people running around claiming to be able to do this kind of thing who can’t do it at all.

BUT JESUS DID, AND IT WAS EASY.

THE DESPERATE CROWD (40-41)

(40-41) “While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them. Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.”

This is what you call escalation.
Furthermore it proves that the first two
Weren’t just some sort of parlor trick.

These people literally bombard Jesus (who could blame them).
• They’re bringing sick people and demon-possessed people
• And they are coming at Him rapid fire.
• And it didn’t matter the sickness…
• It didn’t matter the degree of sickness…
• It didn’t matter the rank of the demon…

There were no stipulations, there were no limitations,
Whatever the problem Jesus instantly fixed it all.

And I think you can see Luke’s point.
All of those claims to authority were not just empty claims.
He can do it.

This guy really is offering to you a kingdom.
He really is offering to you access into the very kingdom of God.

In order to enter that kingdom
• You are going to have to rebel against the god of this world.
• You are going to have to forsake the prince of the power of the air.

And in this world that puts you at great risk.

But all the while Jesus says, don’t worry about him, I can handle him.
He cannot stop me from ushering in My kingdom.
I’m just asking you to trust Me.

That is the goal, to get you to believe His authority is real.
• He wants you to trust Him.
• He wants you to submit to Him.

THAT IS THE ESSENCE OF FAITH
Do you remember the story of the centurion with the paralyzed slave?

Luke 7:2-9 “And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave. When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him; for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.” Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, ” Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. “For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

That man simply believed in Jesus’ authority
and Jesus called that the greatest faith He had ever seen.

That is what we are driving for here.
Jesus is offering forgiveness and freedom and grace and sight and entrance into the kingdom of God, but you have to trust that He can do it.

And based upon His power, you absolutely should!

His Amazing Claim of Authority His Amazing Confirmation of Authority
#3 HIS AMAZING COMMITMENT TO THE GOSPEL
Luke 4:42-44

Here I just want you to see the heart of Jesus.
• It was not about the miracles.
• It was not about the healings.
• It was not about casting out demons.

He was on a different mission.
• He was offering the gospel of mercy to people.
• He was offering people entrance into the kingdom.

Those miracles were just to prove He could,
But don’t miss the main point.
BECAUSE SO MANY DO.

Our world is filled with people who think the main goal of Jesus
Is to deliver you from every hardship – NO!

The goal of Jesus is to save you
• From the snare of the devil,
• From the evil inclination of your own heart,
• From the penalty of your sin,
• And from the wrath of Holy God.

That is by far your bigger problem.

Do you want the sad part?
Capernaum missed the point.

Matthew 11:23-24 “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

Despite this miraculous display, Capernaum refused to trust.
Instead they ignored His great authority and sealed their doom.

This is not an optional reality.
• Jesus is the king.
• He has a kingdom.
• He will return to reign in that kingdom.
• And if you don’t submit to Him and enter it now, you will not be allowed to enter it then.

You must trust Him and submit your life to Him.