Discipleship According to Jesus – Part 2
Luke 6:24-26
April 8, 2018

Well with Easter falling last week, it’s now been a while since we were in Luke’s gospel, so allow me to pull you back into the flow.

Everything in Luke’s gospel UP TO THIS POINT
Has been focused on the genuineness of Jesus.
• Luke has been giving facts about who He is and all the scrutiny thus far has really been pointed at Him.
• All the attacks, all the questions, all the accusations have been regarding His character and His identity and His behavior.
• But as we said last time, in Luke 6:20 that focus changes.

Jesus steps out from under the microscope and points it directly at us.
He begins to reveal the truths about what it means to be a disciple.
And the truths He reveals are very penetrating.

It all started after Jesus spent the night in prayer and then selected the 12 men whom He would call as apostles.

Following that selection we read:
Luke 6:17-19 “Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.”

Very simply put, Jesus frenzy was in full force.

• But Luke also is very careful to make sure you and I recognize that not everyone in this crowd is the same.

• We know the apostles are there, but Luke also mention “a large crowd of His disciples”. These would have been the people who were following Him.

• But in addition to them Luke reveals more of the crowd as “a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon”

• So we have in this crowd, both submissive disciples and also curious onlookers.

What they have in common is that they have all gathered
To be healed and to listen to what Jesus has to say.

And as we said last time, we certainly don’t condemn any of them for that.
• If Jesus were here in the flesh today, and was working this type of miracles there are many even in this room who would go for the same purpose.

• And certainly Luke doesn’t indicate that Jesus was put out by it for according to Luke He healed every single person there.

But after they were all healed and now ready to listen Jesus gives a sermon to penetrate and confront them to their very core.

In Matthew’s gospel is referred to as “The Sermon on the Mount”

Some have read Luke’s gospel and referred to it as “The Sermon on the Plateau”
(since verse 17 says He “stood on a level place” to deliver it.)

It is certainly clear to us that they are recording the same sermon.

But it is also clear that Luke and Matthew
Each take very DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS from what Jesus is teaching.

• Whereas Matthew focuses on the attitude of righteousness (i.e. what you
must be to follow Jesus)
• Luke seems to focus more on the cost involved in following Jesus.

• Matthew spiritualizes the beatitudes referring to such people as “the poor in
spirit” and “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”

• Whereas Luke simply refers to them as “the poor” or “the hungry”

When placed together we understand what was going on here.

Jesus most certainly was speaking of spiritual poverty as a requirement for salvation. You must be poor in spirit to be saved.
It just so happens that those who were poor in spirit
Were also the actual poor.

WHY?
Because those who realized their need for Jesus also followed Him
And in following Him it resulted in poverty.

There is no conflict here between the two,
We just are receiving two different applications to the same sermon.

• Matthew wanted you to hear what Jesus said regarding the necessity
of righteousness.
• Luke wants you to hear what Jesus said regarding the cost of
discipleship.

That being said, Luke allows us to focus on the variances in the crowd.
This is a crowd of disciples and this is a crowd of curious evaluators.
Jesus is addressing them all.

We saw the first two weeks ago.
#1 TO THE COMMITTED
Luke 6:20-23

Luke is clear that Jesus was “turning His gaze toward His disciples”
And spoke directly to them saying “Blessed are you who are poor”
And “Blessed are you who hunger now.”

He wasn’t addressing everyone in general,
He was addressing here those who had left the world behind
In order to follow Him.

They had sacrificed for their faith.
They had left the comfort and security of life
In order to find forgiveness and salvation in Jesus.

Their decision to follow Christ had caused them to leave things behind like:
• Houses
• Lands
• Parents
• Fishing businesses
• Tax Booths
• Etc.

But Jesus was very clear to them that
Although following Him had been costly, THEY SHOULD NOT WEEP.
They should rejoice.
They are “blessed”. (Happy)

• They may have lost an earthly inheritance, but when they realize what they have gained in eternity they will rejoice.
• They may have sorrow now, but when they realize their heavenly reward, they will laugh.
• They may be hungry now, but when they see the spread God will present before them in eternity, they will be fully satisfied.
• They may be hated now, but when they understand the reward of that, they will leap for joy.

Jesus message to the committed was to CONFIRM THEIR FAITH
He wanted to encourage them that they had made the right decision.

Following Jesus has caused them to forfeit the world,
But in gaining Christ they have gained a far greater treasure.

But the committed isn’t the only group Jesus addresses on this day.
#2 TO THE COMFORTABLE
Luke 6:24-26

Now I realize that comfortable seems like a GENEROUS term.
One might think they should be referred to as the CORRUPT,
Or just the flat out WICKED.

Except these people weren’t trying to be corrupt
And these people weren’t trying to be wicked.
(in fact they were here listening to Jesus)
It’s not like they were doing immoral things or committing known blasphemies against God.

The PROBLEM IS NOT that they
Had some sort of obvious and glaring flaw.
The PROBLEM WAS that they
Valued their comfort more than they valued Christ.

It is true that all men are sinful and these were certainly no exception,
• It’s just that these people weren’t aware of it
• And therefore saw no need to follow Christ
• And no need to forsake the world to do so.

They determined to maintain a comfortable lifestyle
And just try to receive from Jesus the healing and the benefits
That He was currently passing out.

THE CONCEPT IS that if I can keep my life as it is and then add Jesus to take care of any additional problems I face then that’s a win-win.

I’m confident in saying that the people to whom Jesus addressed this section probably had no clue they were even in danger before God.

But according to Jesus they were in the most pitiable condition.

Whereas Jesus told the poor they were blessed, notice what He says to this group.
“Woe to you”

I told you last time that “Woe” in the Greek is an onomatopoetic word.
(It is defined by how it sounds)
OUI in the Greek

It’s like when a person falls into some sort of physical accident and you witness the full blunt of the force that hit them and you say, “Oooh!”

THAT’S THE WORD HERE.

• Where Jesus told the poor that if they could only see the reward that awaits they’d be happy,
• Jesus here tells the comfortable that if they had any idea of the punishment that awaits they’d be doubled over in agony.

Jesus can see their coming affliction and it is harsh.

Similar to what Asaph said:
Psalms 73:16-20 “When I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.”

Asaph saw “their end” which is what Jesus is also referring to here.

And the language is strong.
• God will despise their very form.
• They are headed for destruction.

Or what the Sons of Korah said:
Psalms 49:16-20 “Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him. Though while he lives he congratulates himself — And though men praise you when you do well for yourself — He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light. Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.

A similar reminder from the sons of Korah.
Just because man has it all together here
Does not mean that death holds more pleasantries for him.

In many cases those who enjoy this life
Are set up for a rude awakening come eternity.

Or what David said:
Psalms 52:5-7 “But God will break you down forever; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah. The righteous will see and fear, And will laugh at him, saying, “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But trusted in the abundance of his riches And was strong in his evil desire.”

David speaks of the man who trusted in His wealth
And who would not forsake it for Christ.
That man will be broken down forever.

It’s not about what you see now, it’s about what is coming.
Jesus is telling this crowd to look past what you see with your eyes and understand what is on the other side of death.

• Those who forsook everything for Christ will be happy.
• Those who forsook Christ for everything else will be mourning.

Let’s look at them a little closer.
(24) “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.”

It is very important here to gain an understanding not only of what Jesus is saying, but also what He is NOT SAYING.

First of all Jesus says “woe to you who are rich”.
But the first thing we must acknowledge is that just like the term “poor”, the term “rich” is A RELATIVE TERM.

We might ask, rich how?
We might ask, rich where? (rich in Los Angeles is certainly different than rich in Mexico)

You can’t find a specific dollar amount in Scripture
That denotes one as being rich and another as being poor.

It’s more commonly understood in the terms of having excess.
Those who have more than they need are considered rich in Scripture,
Those who have less are considered poor.

But even that is a little relative
Because we have difficulty defining the term “need”.

Perhaps the best Scriptural description is found in 1 Timothy:
1 Timothy 6:8-10 “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

There rich isn’t so much defined as an amount of money
As it is a love of money.

And obviously this is the case.
From a sheer monetary worth standpoint it’s not hard to find people in the Bible who would be considered rich.

Abraham, David, Solomon, Job, Jacob, etc.

The issue is not AMOUNT of money, but AFFECTION for money.
Even then, it’s not just about money so much as it is love of the world.

Wealth isn’t just measured in money,
It’s measured also in general possessions and assets, etc.

As I’ve told people many times, the Bible doesn’t condemn having more than you need, but for all of us who have more than we need the Bible does require us to answer 2 questions.

These questions help us determine if we have a love of money or not.

1) HOW DID YOU GET YOUR WEALTH?
And the idea behind that is was there any corruption involved?

• Did you cheat on your taxes?
• Did you cheat someone on a deal?
• Did you cheat the boss on the time clock?
• Did you take out a loan that you haven’t paid back?
• Did you fail to pay people who did jobs for you?
• Did you take a bribe?

It’s the old dishonest scales mentality.

James 5:1-6 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.”

That is what James is taking issue with here.
• This man was rich because he wouldn’t pay his laborers.
• This man was rich because he took bribes against the innocent.

Amos spoke of something similar:
Amos 8:4-6 “Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land, saying, “When will the new moon be over, So that we may sell grain, And the sabbath, that we may open the wheat market, To make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger, And to cheat with dishonest scales, So as to buy the helpless for money And the needy for a pair of sandals, And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”

And there are so many more passages we could appeal to here to talk about this concept, but I think you’re getting the point.

It’s people who have money because they were corrupt.
• They cheated someone
• They borrowed and didn’t repay (filing bankruptcy without repayment)
• They take a bribe
• They stole something
• I think you can throw in here things like gambling and the lottery

Those certainly aren’t legitimate ways of making a living.

There are any number of ways this occurs,
But it’s people who are living on
What they have not legitimately received.

THERE IS CORRUPTION INVOLVED.
What this indicates is a love for money
That exceeds a love for righteousness.

If you are willing to trade your righteousness or your integrity for money
Then you have a major problem.
That indicates a love of money and a love of the world.

Now that’s one question.
And we’ll assume you pass that test.
The wealth you enjoy is not due to corruption.

Then the Bible has another question.
2) WHY DO YOU STILL HAVE IT?

This speaks of the concept of
Withholding generosity and benevolence to those in need.

There are plenty of people in the world
Who received their wealth legitimately
But are absolutely corrupt in the management of it.

They are unwilling to part with it, even with those in need.
And this is a major problem.

James told those people in the passage we read a moment ago.
James 5:1-3 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!”

• Here you have a person who had more than they needed and in fact more than they ever used.
• They had so much surplus it rotted when there were poor who could have benefited from it.

Consider what John said:
1 John 3:16-18 “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

You understand the issue here as well.
• This was a person who proved their love for the world by their unwillingness to part with it even to help the poor.

We could also throw in there the unwillingness to part with it in order to follow Jesus.
• Remember this was the Rich Young Ruler who refused to part with his wealth
to follow Jesus.

Matthew 19:23-24 “And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

That passage again makes our point about wealth.
It’s not any harder for a person to with $1,000 dollars to be saved
Than it is for a person with $100 dollars.

The Rich Young Rulers problem was not that he had money.
His problem was that he loved the money he had.

Love of money is the issue here.

So taking that back to the point Jesus made in Luke’s gospel.
(24) “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.”

These are the people who chose comfort over Jesus.
• They wouldn’t give to the poor
• They wouldn’t part with their wealth
• They wouldn’t serve at great expense
• They wouldn’t stop being corrupt

They had enjoyments in the world that they would not part with
And Jesus let them know that there is a moment of pain coming.

(25) “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.”

Again the point is the same.

It’s not that Jesus is against people who have had enough to eat.
• You’re going to see in a few chapters that Jesus is going to feed a multitude
with 5 loaves and 2 fish and after every eats their fill they will gather up 12
baskets of excess.

Nor does Jesus have any problem with people who laugh.
• Joy is actually a pretty big part of the Christian life.
• Joy is even a fruit of the Spirit.

Beyond that, as Jesus indicated, laughter will occur in heaven as Jesus told those who mourn now that they will indeed laugh in eternity.

So neither having enough to eat nor laughter is the problem.

THE PROBLEM IS
CHOOSING THOSE THINGS IN EXCLUSION TO CHRIST.

It is people who wouldn’t follow Christ because of the threat of hunger.
It is people who wouldn’t follow Christ because of the threat of mourning.

They had plenty right now.
They were happy right now.
They were comfortable right now.
Following Jesus might upset that and so they opted not to follow Him.

And these are the people Jesus is addressing and warning.

(26) “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”
Again, don’t miss the point.

Having a good reputation is not a sin.

In fact when Paul gives the qualifications for an overseer he will say:
1 Timothy 3:7 “And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

Jesus isn’t talking about it being a sin if people like you.

What He is doing is condemning those
Who choose a good reputation over following Christ.

Jesus is pretty clear throughout His ministry that following Him will not make you popular.

Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

Matthew 10:24-25 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!”

John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”

John 16:1-3 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.”

Paul told Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

It’s pretty clear isn’t it?
Following Jesus is not a path to worldly popularity.

I’m always mindful here of the sarcastic rebuke Paul gave the Corinthian church when they were seeking to earn Christ’s favor and the world’s at the same time.

1 Corinthians 4:8-13 “You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you. For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.”

Can you hear Paul’s sarcasm there?
• How is that Christ’s apostles are considered fools in the world, but somehow you have managed to maintain your dignity?
• Could it be that you are actually compromised?

And there is really a whole lot that could be said here regarding the mistake Christians make in trying to be faithful to Christ while being loved by the world.

That is a whole sermon series that we don’t have time to dive into here.

But the simple point being made is that
You have here some people who refuse to follow Jesus
Because they don’t want to surrender their reputation.

Remember the parents of the man born blind?
• Their son was healed but because the Pharisees had threatened to throw any Jesus followers out of the synagogue remember how they responded?

John 9:18-23 “The Jews then did not believe it of him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, and questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

Remember these guys:
John 12:42-43 “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”

THAT SIMPLY WON’T CUT IT.

Don’t forget the words of Jesus:
Matthew 10:32-33 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”

That is the point here.
You have people who value their reputation and their comfort
More than they value salvation.

And Jesus simply says, “You’d better enjoy it while it lasts.”

• To those who were committed to Him and as a result were poor and hungry and mistreated Jesus said, “Don’t fret it, you are blessed!”

• To those who were comfortable in this world but had rejected Jesus, Jesus said, “You better enjoy it now because pain is on the way.”

Does that make sense?
• It’s the view of eternity.
• It’s the cost of discipleship.

You may lose this world, but you gain Christ, does that matter to you?
Or would you rather gain this world even though you’ll never gain Christ?

That’s what Jesus is talking about.
• You cannot have it both ways.
• You either choose Him or you choose this world.

He has never allowed anyone to love both.

Now, that being said, we again have to LOOK IN THIS MIRROR
Which the Lord is holding up.

When you look in the mirror of God’s word here, what does it show you?
And friend this isn’t about me judging you, this is about Christ exposing you.
He is the One who shows us what we are.

Jesus isn’t necessarily asking: Are you rich or full or happy or popular?
What He’s asking is: Have you failed to follow Him to stay rich or full or happy or popular?

ARE YOU COMPROMISED FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR COMFORT?
• Would you lose Jesus before you’d lose your money?
• Would you lose Jesus before you’d lose your meal?
• Would you lose Jesus before you’d lose your happiness?
• Would you lose Jesus before you’d lose your reputation?

Many today absolutely do.
In fact many just determine to go to a church run by one of those false prophets who will gladly tell you that it’s no big deal.

The whole prosperity gospel today is peddling the lie that God wants you to be rich and healthy and happy and to have a good reputation.

And people are buying that because that’s what they want to hear.

But friend, you can read what Jesus said just as easy as I can.
Forsaking this world for Christ results in blessing.
Forsaking Christ for this world results in pain.

Am I a follower of Christ no matter the cost,
Or am I follower of Christ so long as there is no cost?

I know that’s harsh.

BUT HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS.
God saw fit to warn you, which means there is time for repentance.

Are there examples of people who didn’t want Jesus at first because the cost was too great who later came around and were accepted?

Absolutely there are.

Do you remember Nicodemus?
He first came to Jesus in John 3 at night because he feared for his reputation and Jesus let that man have it.

John 3:19-21 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Why do you suppose Jesus said that?
Because Nicodemus was coming at night. Jesus called him on it.

Do you remember Joseph of Arimathea?
He is called a secret disciple because he was afraid.

But do you know what we find those men doing after the crucifixion?

John 19:38-39 “After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight.”

Those men publicly anointed and buried the body of Jesus.
They started out wrong, but at some point repentance and faith occurred
And they stepped out to gain Christ.

If the words of Jesus today convict you,
Then praise God that He saw fit to reveal it to you
And repent of that and yield it all up for Christ.

Might there be a cost? I promise you.

But gaining Christ and the blessing which is to come is a far greater joy.

We Call It Hope
Psalms 16
April 1, 2018

This morning we’re going to take a break from our study of Luke’s gospel
And we’re going to take a look into this 16th Psalm.

We’re doing that because it was one of the favorite Psalms
Of the apostles as they preached after the ascension of Christ.

On the surface, it is a Psalm of David, and as with many of the Psalms,
It is a Psalm from the perspective of suffering.

• And apparently the suffering faced is severe, since David acknowledges in
verse 10 that it could very well end in his death.

• That being said, in light of the adversity it is a Psalm in which David declares
his unceasing faith in God.

And because it is a Psalm of DECLARATION
It also becomes for us a Psalm of OBSERVATION.

By that I mean, not only does this Psalm indicate David’s faith,
But also why God deserves to be trusted.

This Psalm isn’t about David whining about his trials,
It is about how satisfied David is with God in the midst of his trials.

And honestly, we can learn a great deal from this Psalm
Simply about finding satisfaction in suffering
From David’s declarations and from his observations.

And our first objective this morning will be to do just that.
So let me quickly walk you through what David says here about trusting God.

3 things
#1 HIS TRUST
Psalms 16:1-4

Here we basically find David saying:
“I will trust in God alone and never worship another.”

It is a Psalm that begins with a request.
“Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.”

Whatever it is that David faces
We clearly see that he has but one hope.
He has but one hiding place.

No one else can deliver him from the threat.
No one else can preserve him through the danger.

If it is a physical threat, only one can protect him.
If it is a spiritual temptation, only one can hold him fast.

And so we understand David’s request for God to
“preserve” him through this trial.

And of course this request comes with a submissive heart.
(2) “I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no goodness besides You.”

We find in that a familiarity to the confession of Asaph.
Psalms 73:28 “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”

Like Asaph, David had made a commitment.
David was submissive to God as his “Lord”

Unlike so many falsely claim today,
There is NO SCENARIO in which one can have God has savior
But not Lord, and David knew that.

A trust in Him as refuge required a submission to Him as Lord.
So David pledged full obedience to this God
Who would be his deliverance.

And David pledged his faithfulness to God because God alone was the source of all things good.
“I have no goodness besides You.”

James said:
James 1:17 “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

And David would agree.

And then not only does David cling to God in the midst of his trial, but David also clings to God’s people.

We are hard-pressed to claim a love for God
When we have no affection for God’s people.

(3) “As for the saints who are in the earth, They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.”

• They are his encouragement,
• They are his fellow laborers,
• They are his ministers.

So David’s commitment to God is clearly his first matter of priority.
And that also explains vs. 4.
(4) “The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied; I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood, Nor will I take their names upon my lips.”

“bartered for another god”
Is literally translated “hastened to another god”

One thing David certainly understood was that
Regardless of how difficult things may get,
Abandoning God for a different deliverer was not a solid option.

No one who abandons God for a false god finds satisfaction there.
There is nothing but multiplied sorrow.

David is tying his fate to God and God alone.
• David will trust Him
• David will submit to Him
• David will worship Him amidst the congregation
• David will worship Him alone

That is David’s response in this great dilemma.
“I will trust in God alone and never worship another.”

His Trust
#2 HIS FOCUS
Psalms 16:5-6

One of the real mistakes we often make in our trials
Is that we so easily lose sight of the prize and focus only on the struggle.

David didn’t do that.
He remembered the reward that was at stake.
“The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;”

With that statement
We draw our minds back to another famous declaration of David.

Psalms 23 “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

That was true in David’s prosperity,
And it is still true in David’s adversity.

God had not changed despite David’s circumstances.
And because of that, David declared:
“You support my lot.”

The “lot” was sort of like modern-day dice.
Men would “cast lots” to seek and find the direction of God.

David knew that his fate and his future were secure
Because it was God who supported how his lot would fall.

And because God was looking after him
(6) “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.”

• David was able to look past the current predicament to the future glory.
• He was able to look beyond the current struggle and see the One who would never fail him.
• David was looking beyond the pain directly to the sovereign God who reigned upon the throne and he knew that God would cause even this to work together for good.

It is another great example of how to handle suffering.
“I will rejoice in the reward God is accomplishing for me.”

His trust, His Focus
#3 HIS VICTORY
Psalms 16:7-11

We find here in the first two words David already worshiping God
Because of the outcome that he sees by faith.

“I will bless the LORD”
David knows it is coming.

And he blesses the LORD “who has counseled me; Indeed, my mind instructs me, in the night.”

This is David revealing that victory is found
NOT in following the fickle nature of the feelings,
But rather in resting upon the truth of God’s counsel.

Victory in adversity is found in the mind, not in the gut.

It is the famous hymn:
“When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea-billows roll. Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, “It is well! It is well with my soul!”

And that is what David is doing.
(8) “I have set the LORD continually before me;”

That is, I have set God’s word before me and I rest on that.
“Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

David learned that God had never left him,
And that God would never leave him
So David understood that victory in the trial
Comes through the sustaining presence of God.

(9-11) “Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

So David closes this Psalm with a declaration of rejoicing, because he knew that even in his “flesh” he would be secure.

• God would not “abandon my soul to Sheol”
• God will not “allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”

David declared that God would sustain him
And deliver him from even death.

And thus the rejoicing would be his.
David would have the last laugh.

So it was easy to say:
“In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

Now that’s the 16th Psalm and as you can see it is a very enlightening and encouraging Psalm regarding how to handle the adversities we face.

David said in the midst of his trial:
• I will trust in God alone and never worship another.
• I will rejoice in the reward God is accomplishing for me.
• I will bless God for His unfailing presence and certain deliverance.

And certainly that is good advice.

HOWEVER…
The apostles recognized a problem with what David said in that Psalm.

David just gave this beautiful declaration of faith
About how God would deliver him from his trials
And how even if death occurred God wouldn’t allow it to stick.

But for the apostles that was a major problem.
WHY?

Well, because of what both Peter and Paul said.

Peter said:
Acts 2:27-29 “BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES, NOR ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY. ‘YOU HAVE MADE KNOWN TO ME THE WAYS OF LIFE; YOU WILL MAKE ME FULL OF GLADNESS WITH YOUR PRESENCE.’ “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.”

Paul said:
Acts 13:35-36 “Therefore He also says in another Psalm, ‘YOU WILL NOT ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY.’ “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay;”

Both Peter and Paul read that Psalm, then looked at David’s grave and said, “Something’s got to give.”

And then they looked at the tomb of Jesus and fully understood it.

Peter said it like this:
Acts 2:29-32 “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. “And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.”

Paul said:
Acts 13:36-39 “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay; but He whom God raised did not undergo decay. “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.”

They both understood that this Psalm could not be about David,
For David is dead and buried and his body is in fact decaying.

This Psalm is about David’s descendant.
• David penned this Psalm with a prophetic voice.
• And we wouldn’t know who this Psalm was about until we saw one of
David’s descendants actually raised from the dead.

When God raised Jesus, Psalm 16 made sense.

The trial we are dealing with in Psalm 16
Is NOT SOME RANDOM AFFLICTION.

It is the very trial of Jesus as He prepared to bear
Both the hostility of sinners and the wrath of God on the cross.

If you’re one who writes in your Bible, let me give you a few notes to make

Beside verses 1-4 write two words:
Write GETHSEMANE (specifically beside verses 1-3)
Write GABBITHA (specifically beside verse 4)

• Gethsemane was the garden where Jesus prayed the night before He was arrested.
• Gabbatha is the place where Pilate sentenced Him to crucifixion.

John 19:13 “Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.”

Both of these places represent the tremendous submission and trust
That Jesus placed in the Father.

And now this Psalm takes on an even bigger significance,
Because we get insight into our Lord’s thought process
As He faced the cross!

Now listen to these verses again.
(1-4) “Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You. I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good besides You.” As for the saints who are in the earth, They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied; I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood, Nor will I take their names upon my lips.”

This was the trust of Jesus as He knelt in the garden and prayed.

Luke 22:41-44 “And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.”

Why was Jesus in such agony?
Because He was about to face the cross.
• And no, this wasn’t about death, or even the process of death.
• As you’ll see in a moment He was confident about the outcome of death.
• Nor was it about the physical pain of the crucifixion, although unpleasant, lesser men have endured it.

Jesus was about to bear the full fury of God’s wrath on sin.

Matthew 27:45-46 “Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”

• “the sixth hour” is high noon.
• And at this time Matthew records that “darkness fell upon the land until the night hour.”

For 3 hours it went dark.
• It wasn’t an eclipse, the timing of Passover rules that out.
• Beyond that, who ever heard of an eclipse lasting 3 hours?

WHAT IS THIS DARKNESS?
It is a picture of God’s wrath.

Throughout the O.T. we read of what is known as “The day of the LORD”. It is the day of God’s vengeance when He crushes His enemies.

It is described as:
Joel 2:1-2 “Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness.”

Zephaniah 1:14-15 “Near is the great day of the LORD, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness,”

It is the day when God crushes His foes.

And what did Isaiah teach us about the cross?
Isaiah 53:10 “But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief…”

On the cross Jesus was not simply bearing the scorn of men.
Jesus was bearing the very wrath of God.
He was bearing God’s rage that was reserved for God’s enemies.

This is confirmed in the cry of Jesus
Matthew 27:46 “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”

For the first time in eternity, Jesus felt the rage of His Father.

2 Corinthians 5:21 explains this:
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.”

• Jesus did not become a sinner on the cross.
• He was always righteous.
• But on the cross Jesus was treated as a sinner, so that I can be treated as though I am righteous.

What is occurring here is what is known as ABSOLUTE ATONEMENT.
There is nothing potential about what is happening here.

Jesus is actually bearing the full fury of all of God’s wrath
On all the sin of every person who would ever believe.

Do you understand now why He is in agony in that garden?
Do you understand now why He is sweating drops of blood?
He is about to endure an eternal weight of judgment.

And yet, despite the mission, Jesus maintains His trust in God.
“Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

In Psalms 16 we read, “Preserve Me, O God, for I take refuge in You.”

He said, (2) “I said to the LORD, “You are My Lord;”
He walked in total and full submission the plan of God.

And as He did it, His focus rested upon those for whom He would atone.
(3) “As for the saints who are in the earth, They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.”

It was that focus that would allow Jesus to say:
John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

It was that commitment that would allow John to write:
John 13:1 “Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”

It was His trust in God and His love for God’s people
That allowed Him to go forward even amidst such peril.

But Jesus’ faith wasn’t just demonstrated at GETHSEMANE,
It was also demonstrated at GABBATHA.

John 19:8-11 “Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

Peter wrote:
1 Peter 2:23 “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

Even when facing a hostile crowd and a corrupt governor, Jesus never lost His faith in God.
• He trusted God.
• He would not appeal to Pilate for deliverance
• He would not turn to Herod’s paganism for help
• He knew there was nothing there.

“The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied; I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood, Nor will I take their names upon My lips.”

Jesus remained resolute to the Father,
Even though facing the harshest affliction any man has ever known.
He trusted God in Gethsemane
He trusted God at Gabbatha

There is another word you can write in your margin beside verses 5-6.
Write the word GOLGOTHA

This of course was the place where He was crucified.
Matthew 27:33-35 “And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink. And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots.”

It was at Golgotha where
Our Lord demonstrated the tremendous focus spoken of here.

As Jesus faced this fury of wrath, Psalms 16 says:
(5-6) “The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. The lines have fallen to Me in pleasant places; Indeed, My heritage is beautiful to Me.”

• Despite the fury…
• Despite the rage…
• Despite the suffering…
Jesus looked past the agony of the cross
To the glory of the reward of His suffering.

We read part of the verse earlier, now look at all of it.
Isaiah 53:10 “But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.”

• There we remember that God, from His perspective was pleased to satisfy His wrath on sin.
• But we also learn that Christ, from His perspective was also satisfied as He saw the reward of His suffering.

Isaiah 53:11-12 “As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”

Isaiah 53:4-6 “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.”

This is what Christ accomplished there.
He fully bore the wrath of God on all the sin
Of all who would ever believe.

Perhaps you’ve heard THE SONG,
“When He was on the cross, I was on His mind.”
That song is about His reward.

And this reward, this focus, was what carried Christ through.

The writer of Hebrews put it this way.
Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The writer of Hebrews said that Jesus endured the cross,
“despising the shame”.

The word “despising” there in the Greek means “to think little of”.

The writer of Hebrews is not saying that Jesus hated the cross.
He is saying that in view of His reward
Jesus thought of the cross as a little thing.

For Him the payoff made the suffering of the cross worth it.

This was His reward.
• He was purchasing for Himself a holy bride for all eternity.
• And thus with that focus, He willingly endured.

In fact, He said, “The lines have fallen to Me in pleasant places; Indeed, My inheritance is beautiful to me.”

He rejoiced over His bride.
He rejoiced over His church.
IT WAS HIS FOCUS.

And then there’s one more word to write in your margin beside verses 7-10
Just write: GRAVESIDE

And this was the portion that could not possibly be applied to David,
But which fits Jesus to a “T”

Here Jesus faces the cross with one overwhelming expectation.
And that expectation is this:
“You will not abandon My soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”

Jesus based it all upon the justice of God.

Yes, it is true, that on the cross Jesus was treated as a sinner.
BUT IT IS ALSO TRUE that He never became a sinner.
He was merely treated as one.

Had He been a sinner in any sense of the word
Then all He can expect is to lay beside David
And decay in His grave just like David did.

But Jesus knows one thing emphatically about Himself.
• He knows he is holy,
• And He knows that the justice of God will not allow Him to condemn, and
hold an innocent man.

“Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”

That again is why Peter said:
1 Peter 2:23 “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

And that is precisely what Peter and Paul are preaching.

If Jesus had not been the Holy One of God,
Then He’d still be in that grave.
But the fact that God raised Him from the dead
Indicates that He was in fact sinless.

WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT?
It proves His atoning work on the cross was successful.

Paul wrote:
Romans 4:25 “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.”

Sometimes we sing the song:
“Living He loved me, dying He saved me, buried He carried my sins far away, rising He justified freely forever, one day He’s coming Oh glorious day.”

But the problem in that song is that
Jesus did not justify me by rising from the dead.

Jesus justified me by paying for my sin on the cross.
His resurrection verified my justification.

That song should say, “rising He verified His work forever, one day He’s coming Oh glorious day.”

He wasn’t raised to justify me.
He was raised “because of our justification.”

HE WAS RAISED BECAUSE WE WERE JUSTIFIED.

And that’s why we’re here.
• We celebrate, not just a life that was raised.
• We celebrate a life that was raised because it proves a death that was effective.

WHAT IS CLEAR
• Jesus bore God’s wrath on the cross.
• But He did not bear wrath because of any sin that He committed
We know that because God would not allow
His “Holy One to undergo decay.”

Jesus didn’t die because He was a sinner.
Jesus died because He was a Savior.

He faced the cross
• And He faced it with willing submission for the reward of His redeemed bride.
• And He faced it with hope that God would raise Him because of His perfection.

AND NOW THE CHURCH STANDS UPON THAT FACT.
Jesus was sinless.
Jesus did bear my sin.
Jesus did satisfy God’s wrath on me.

IT WAS ALL PROVEN AT THE RESURRECTION.
WE CALL IT HOPE.
And we rejoice at Easter because of it.

In Him – Part 2
Ephesians 1:3-14
March 25, 2018

As you know we have been talking about what it means to be “In Him”.

An essential reality of salvation is that we are no longer “in Adam”
But through baptism (death to self and new life in Christ)
We have been raised “In Christ”.

• So we are no longer clothed in our own works.
• We are now clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
• We are in Him.

And we started looking at this concept last time.

We saw two realities in this regard.
#1 BEING IN CHRIST IS ESSENTIAL
Matthew 22:1-14

We saw that parable of the wedding feast
• Where after the wedding hall was eventually filled,
• One man had the audacity to try and enter clothed in his own wedding clothes.
• The King kicked that man out where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The point was that
Being clothed in Christ’s righteousness is not optional, it is essential.

As Isaiah said, “all of our righteous deeds are nothing but filthy garments” before God.

If we expect to be welcomed in His presence,
We must be clothed in the perfect and spotless righteous works of Christ.

We also saw:
#2 BEING IN CHRIST IS POSSIBLE
Galatians 3:23-29

Namely we learned how to be “in Christ”.
Paul said (27) “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

Very simply put we enter Christ through baptism.
• And as we discussed, this is not a reference to water baptism.
• This is what Peter called “an appeal to God for a good conscience”
• It is when we die to self, by turning our back on all our righteous efforts and attempts at pleasing God through our own works.

We totally trash all that we are and all that we have done
And instead trust in Christ.

In short, we take off our garments and put on Christ’s.
And all who do that, Paul said, “have clothed [themselves] with Christ.”

In short, being in Christ is possible.
And since it is essential, that’s good news.

Tonight we want to examine the third point in this regard.
#3 BEING IN CHRIST IS BENEFICIAL
Ephesians 1:3-14

In this, we merely want to examine (albeit briefly)
Some of the benefits of being “In Him”

And no place does that better than the book of Ephesians.

Now I will say that this first chapter of Ephesians is one of the most difficult to deal with grammatically.
• Your Bible may have periods and sentences and paragraphs, but the original Greek text does not.
• Chapter 1 in the Greek is in fact 1 long sentence.
• And I understand that. Paul’s excitement outruns his grammar here.

When writing papers in college, I’d have Carrie read them before I turned them in and often times she would tell me, “You can’t just put a comma in there and keep going. Sometimes you have to use a period.”

Well, had a I known that the apostle Paul did the same thing,
I would have told her to mind her own business.

What it reveals to us though is that Paul is excited.
• He is writing a mile a minute.
• His mind and His heart is full with a glorious theme that he can’t wait to get out on paper.

He can’t wait to expound to the Ephesians about the glorious realities
Of what they have “In Him”.

Because of that, this book has often been referred to as
“The Christian’s Bank Statement”

Paul is revealing what is yours when you are “In Him”.

Now, before we dive into these verses,
I actually want to begin a little later in the chapter.
LOOK DOWN TO VERSES 18-23

I want to go here first because these verses simply express to us
How badly Paul wants the Ephesians (and you) to grasp these truths.

(18-23) “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

You notice here that Paul reveals his prayer request.
He is appealing to God on their behalf.

Namely that “the eyes of your heart may be enlightened”
• Today we view the heart as the seat of emotion, but not in Bible times.
• In Bible times the heart was the seat of reason and the gut was the seat of emotion.

Paul is praying that the Ephesians may have
An intellectual comprehension of these things.
“so that you will know”

He is dealing with the tragedy of a misinformed
Or an under-informed believer.

How tragic to have benefits in Christianity,
But to not even know what they are.

As John MacArthur put it:
“many Christians spend a great deal of time and effort vainly looking for blessings already available to them. They pray for God’s light, although He has already supplied light in abundance through His Word. Their need is to follow the light they already have. They pray for strength, although His Word tells them they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them (Phil. 4:13). They pray for more love, although Paul says that God’s own love is already poured out within their hearts through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5). They pray for more grace, although the Lord says the grace He has already given is sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9). They pray for peace, although the Lord has given them His own peace, “which surpasses all comprehension” (Phil. 4:7). It is expected that we pray for such blessings if the tone of the prayer is one of seeking the grace to appropriate what is already given, rather than one of pleading for something we think is scarcely available or is reluctantly shared by God.
The Christian’s primary need is for wisdom and obedience to appropriate the abundance of blessings the Lord has already given.”
(MacArthur, John [The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Series: Ephesians; Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL, 1986] pg. 43)

Later in the chapter he would continue:
“Until we comprehend who we truly are in Jesus Christ, it is impossible to live an obedient and fulfilling life. Only when we know who we really are can we live like who we are. Only when we come to understand how our lives are anchored in eternity can we have the right perspective and motivation for living in time. Only when we come to understand our heavenly citizenship can we live obedient and productive lives as godly citizens on earth.”
(ibid. pg. 46)

This helps us understand why Paul so boldly prays
NOT that God will bless the Ephesians,
But that the Ephesians will have their eyes opened
To know just how blessed they really are.

And Paul even expresses 3 general areas in which he prays that their eyes will be open.
• “what is the hope of His calling”
• “what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance”
• “what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe”

What you should also quickly recognize is that
Paul spoke of those realities as being primarily “His”.

They are “His calling”
They are “His inheritance”
They are “His power”

And that is important because they are only available
To those who are “In Him”

But we look at those 3 things.

HIS CALLING – summed up by HOPE

Hope is certainly a noun there and not a verb.
It is the full realization and subsequent rest
Of understanding who you are in Christ.

There is no call for the believer to live a hopeless life.
• We are anchored in Christ and He is anchored inside the veil.
• God has called Him pleasing and Christ has called us to Himself.

Our hope rests on the fact that
The One who holds us is already acceptable to God.

As the hymn says:
“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.”

Paul’s prayer is that we would have an understanding of that hope.

He prayed that we would grasp
HIS INHERITANCE – summed up by RICHES

This is Christ’s reward for righteous living.
• It is the reward God would bestow on Him for the way He lived His life.

And Paul wants you to grasp that reward
Because when we’re in Him, we are treated the same way.

Remember imputation teaches that He was treated as though He lived our life and we are now treated as though we lived His.

The bride shares in the blessings of the groom.

Paul also wanted us to grasp
HIS POWER – summed up by GREATNESS

In fact, with this one Paul goes ahead
And DESCRIBES what kind of power he is talking about.

(19b-21) “These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”

If you want to know what kind of power we are talking about,
• Paul says it’s the same power that raised Jesus from the dead
• And then seated Him above every other throne and every other name for all eternity.

It is very simply the power of CHRIST’S EXALTATION

In fact, Paul says:
(22-23) “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

We are talking about tremendous POWER.
We are talking about tremendous AUTHORITY.

And then Paul said that after putting all things under Him,
God “gave Him…to the church”

When we are “in Him” we share in that authority.
We share in that power.

And Paul just there says,
I PRAY THAT YOU WILL GRASP WHAT IS YOURS IN CHRIST.
I PRAY YOU WILL GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF THIS.

You are in Christ, and this is what you enjoy as a result.

And I really just want you first of all to see that prayer
So that you will understand Paul’s heart in this chapter.

He reveals that prayer after outlining the benefits of being in him,
But he wants you to get those benefits so bad, that after listing some of them he then says, “And I’m praying that God will allow you to grasp what I’m talking about.”

• These are huge concepts.
• These are important concepts.
• These are such lofty ideas that Paul didn’t even speak of them without begging God to grant you understanding of just how amazing they are.

Well, that being said, now LET’S GO BACK TO THE TOP
And talk about these benefits of being in him.

Start with verses 1-3
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Now I really want you to zero in on what Paul said there
Because it is absolutely remarkable.

In verse 3 Paul says that God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”

• Notice the tense, “has blessed”
• Notice the object, “us”
• Notice the degree “every spiritual blessing”
• Notice the means “in Christ”

Paul just read to you your spiritual bank statement.
He just told you, “As I look at your ledger, I have to tell you, you are rich!”
It’s yours in Christ.

And honestly, that is an incomprehensible statement.
Who can fathom such things?

Even to the Corinthians Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 2:9 “but just as it is written, “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”

You just can’t grasp it all.

Now you understand why Paul is praying
That God would help you see just what all is yours in Christ.

However, to at least in part, help you understand
The magnitude of this statement
PAUL EMBARKS ON A COMPARISON.

Notice the first words of verse 4, “just as”

That is an indicator of an upcoming analogy.

Paul is going to talk about
Some of the blessings you already know about in Christ
That maybe they will help you fathom this one that is incomprehensible.

Paul just said God has blessed you with every spiritual blessing.
You ask, “Like what?”

And Paul says, “Like this…”

And then he lists 6 just in this first chapter.

Here is an indicator of some of the benefits
That you already enjoy as one who is “In Him”.

1) ELECTION (4)
“just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.”

Now we are aware of the doctrine of election.
It is the understanding that God chose us apart from any worth or merit that we possessed.
• He didn’t choose us because we were more righteous
• He didn’t choose us because we were more able
• He didn’t choose us because we were more fun

He chose us because He wanted to.
And everyone who understands the gracious reality of God’s election
Is ALREADY OVERCOME WITH GRATITUDE.

Well Paul here lets you in on a little secret.

Your election was actually “in Him”
“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world”

God chose us in Him, as opposed to choosing us outside of Him.

Our election is a sovereign decree of God to unite us in Christ.
• He didn’t choose us to go to heaven
• He didn’t choose us to be forgiven
• He didn’t choose us to be blessed
• He chose us to be in Christ.

We were that selected bride, selected for a purpose.
We were a gift to the Son.

We were chosen “that we would be holy and blameless before Him.”

• This was the goal.
• This was the objective.
• To make us “holy”; to make us “blameless”; to allow us to stand before God in absolute perfection.

But as you know, this can’t happen by our own efforts.
We will never be holy or blameless in our own garments.
So we were chosen first and foremost to be “in Him”

There is no election outside of Him.
There is no being chosen apart from Christ.
But those who are in Him are the elect.

Jesus said:
John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

Now that is obviously a good benefit.
• As those who are in Christ, we enjoy the sovereign election of God.
• We enjoy being a people for God’s own possession.
• We enjoy being those upon whom God’s favor rests.

One of the benefits is election.
2) ADOPTION (5-6)
“In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”

You have there that amazing reality known as adoption.
• That God took an unwanted orphan and made us His child.’

• This of course was done “through Jesus Christ to Himself” since it was Jesus who satisfied God’s wrath and paid our ransom.

And this was all done “according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace.”

Which is to say the only reason God did this is because He is kind,
Not because we are worthy,
And the result should be that we praise His amazing grace.

But what you need to see is that last statement regarding God’s grace.
“which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”

People often refer to salvation as
• God loved us so much that He would rather go to hell than go to heaven without us.
• You are so special and important and loved by God that He just couldn’t stand the thought of not saving you.
• You are worthy, you are important, you are loved.

STOP!
No, Christ is “the Beloved”
• Christ is the One the Father couldn’t live without.
• Christ is the One who is the recipient of every good thing and all the Father’s good pleasure.

We get to partake in that love and grace and kindness and favor
Because we are “in Him”.

We can’t receive favor as God’s enemy.
We can’t receive blessing as God’s enemy.

So God chose to before the foundation of the world
To bring us into Christ so that in the One whom He loved
He would be able to show us that grace and kindness.

But the benefit of God’s adoption is only because we are in Christ.
He freely takes us in because we are clothed in His Son.

Election, Adoption
3) REDEMPTION (7-8)
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.”

And this one we understand as well.
When we are united with Christ “we have redemption through His blood”

That is because on the cross He was treated as though He lived our life.
• He satisfied God’s wrath on our sin.
• He fulfilled God’s expectation for righteous living.
• He gave God everything God wanted and when we are “In Him” we then enjoy that benefit.

Paul spells out that benefit as “the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.”

And again you see how these all stack together.
• In Christ, we were chosen
• And because we were in Him we were loved and adopted
• And because we were in Him we were redeemed and purchased

It’s all because the Father loves the Son.
It’s all because the Father loves Christ.
We receive those blessings because we are in Him.

Election, Adoption, Redemption
4) REVELATION (9-10)
“In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.”

First we recognize the plan of God.
We recognize the purpose of God.

That is to bring about “an administration suitable to the fullness of the times.”
• This is a reference to the Millennial reign of Christ.
• When the Jesus Administration reigns supreme on the earth.

It will be a time of “the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.”

Which is to say that it will be the time when every knee will bow
And every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

It is absolutely God’s plan for Christ to reign supreme
And all things be in subjection to Him.

The FIRST BENEFIT we receive here is that as those who are in Christ,
God “made known to us the mystery of His will”

God has shown us that.
You have been shown by God the future plan,
Which the rest of the world does not know.

TURN TO: 1 CORINTHIANS 2:6-16

The world doesn’t grasp or know that Christ is Lord of all.
If they did, they wouldn’t have crucified Him.
The world doesn’t know where this world is headed.

Those truths are spiritually appraised,
But we know them because God has chosen to reveal them to us in Christ.

Remember what Jesus told Peter?
Matthew 16:15-17 “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”

Peter named Jesus as God’s Christ, the future King of the world.
And Jesus said, “There’s no way you could have known that if God hadn’t shown it to you.”

This is another benefit of being in Christ.
We have revelation of the truth of what is coming.
• We know things about the end.
• We know things about the future reign.
• We have a hope made clear to us from God.

And really, that’s not the only benefit here.

We read it a moment ago, but look back down at verse 22-23.
“And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

Did you catch there what the church is called?
“His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

We know that Christ is the One who “fills all in all”,
Which is to say the One who stands above everything and rules all.

But the church is called “the fullness of Him”.
That word there is PLEROMA which means “complement”.

It refers to “something that completes”
The church there is called that which completes Christ.

Some remember the famous movie love line from a movie a few years back in which the man looked at the woman and said, “You complete me”

It was his way of saying, “I’m not going forward without you, and without you none of this matters.”

That is what Christ says to the church.

“In Him” we don’t just get insight into His reign, we participate in it.
• He won’t do it without us.
• We are a part of Him.

It is our benefit to know He will reign and then to reign with Him.

Election, Adoption, Redemption, Revelation
5) INHERITANCE (11-12)
“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.”

We are speaking here of Christ’s inheritance,
And because we are “In Him” it is also our inheritance.

Romans 8:16-17 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

God has made Christ the heir of the world,
And we share in His benefits when we are in Him.

Election, Adoption, Redemption, Revelation, Inheritance
6) SECURITY (13-14)
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

This is of special comfort to us since we know that once we are in Him
WE CAN NEVER BE REMOVED FROM HIM.

Once we are in Him, we are “sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit”

Paul says that this Holy Spirit is the deposit
Guaranteeing the reality of our inheritance.
He is the first installment of the total redemption which we will enjoy.

His presence in our lives makes our being in Christ a permanent thing.
• A sacred promise.
• A solemn oath.
• God will never allow us to be severed.
• Once you’re in, you’re in.

NOW, I KNOW WE HIT THOSE QUICKLY,
And that’s ok because I don’t think those were things that are necessarily new to you. I think you probably understood those already.

What you have there are 6 pretty amazing benefits that we receive just because we are in Christ.
• Election,
• Adoption
• Redemption
• Revelation
• Inheritance
• Security.

But if you’ll remember those benefits weren’t the main point.
Those were just the benefits Paul listed here
As a way to help you understand his first statement.

Remember those where the “just as” benefits
Given to help you understand what he said first.

What he said first was that God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”

Blessings like election and adoption and redemption and so on.
But those aren’t all, not by a long shot.

Those are just 6.
Paul said we have “every spiritual blessing” not just those 6.

Now you understand why he prayed that God
Would open our eyes to all that is ours in Christ.

The idea here is that the benefits of being in Christ
Are beyond comprehension.

There are certainly more than just these.
In fact, in chapter 2 Paul will list 2 more.

EXALTATION
Ephesians 2:5-7 “even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Or
FELLOWSHIP/RECONCILIATION
Ephesians 2:11-13 “Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands — remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

And even that isn’t all.
The point is just that the benefits are beyond number of being in Christ.

And all of these benefits are only ours “in Him”
That is why we hold so dearly to SOLUS CHRISTUS

We have in Christ what we can have no where else.
These are the things that Christ has done for us.

And really the only thing we can do with that is fall to our knees
In worship and gratitude of the privilege of being in Christ.

We did nothing, He did it all.
And being in Him is the greatest benefit of our existence.
In Him we have it all.
We need nothing else.
It is all ours because it is all His.
In Christ Alone.

Discipleship According to Jesus – Part 1
Luke 6:17-23
March 25, 2018

We’ve been following Jesus throughout Luke’s gospel and thus far we have seen Jesus really put through the ringer.

Everything Luke’s gospel has been about scrutinizing who He was,
And what He said, and if He was real.
And He has passed every test with flying colors.

But throughout the rest of chapter 6, the tables are going to turn.
• The crowd no longer has the luxury of sitting back and examining Jesus.
• Starting here Jesus is about to start examining the crowd.

And we know this about Jesus.

John said:
John 1:9 “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”

The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

Jesus exposes men.
Jesus knows what is in men in general
And He knows what is in men personally.

He in fact knows your heart even better than you do.

Jeremiah said:
Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.”

• Jeremiah revealed there that you don’t even know your own heart.
• Your heart will lie to you, it will deceive you.
• But the Lord does know the heart.

This is why David prayed:
Psalms 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”

This was also the cry of the Psalmist in Psalms 19.
After recounting that the word of the Lord was perfect in every way, he then said:
Psalms 19:11-12 “Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.”

The Psalmist was aware that we all have “hidden faults”.
They are not hidden from God, they are hidden from us.
They are things about our own hearts that we don’t even know about
Until the Lord exposes them.

This is what James had in mind
When he wrote about God’s word being a mirror.
James 1:22-25 “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”

When you wake up in the morning
You don’t know what you look like until you look in the mirror.
That it is also true regarding the word of God.

I tell you that because Jesus is about to hold up the mirror.
• He is about to expose men.
• He is about to function fully in His role as the light in the midst of the darkness
which enlightens every man.

And how you respond to that mirror…
How you respond to that light…
IS VERY IMPORTANT AND REVEALING

John 3:19-21 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

• Those who love God love the light.
• Those who don’t typically hate it.

We must be those who respond favorably.
We must be those like the man in Jesus’ closing illustration
Who built his house on the rock, and not like the man who built on sand.

Both of those men heard. They both looked in the mirror,
BUT ONLY ONE ACTED UPON WHAT HE SAW THERE.

So let me just tell you from the outset,
It’s important that you are willing to see what Christ shows you,
And it’s important that you do what He says as a result.

We are about to get Luke’s version of The Sermon on the Mount.
Now it all begins with Jesus hysteria raging full-force.

LET’S LOOK AT THE SETTING:
(READ: Luke 6:17-19)

I don’t want to dwell long here,
Because I really think the point here is mostly to set the scene.

• Jesus has just chosen 12 of His disciples to become His apostles.
• We saw that selection last time.
• And now, after choosing them Jesus has come to a level place (down from the
mountain where He prayed all night)
• And is approaching “a large crowd of His disciples.”

These are more of His followers.
These are more of His servants.
These are more of His students.

They weren’t the ones who were picked as apostles,
But that doesn’t indicate that their devotion to Jesus was any less real.

Martha, Mary, and Lazarus weren’t apostles either,
But we know they were devoted to Christ.

The disciples are part of the crowd.

But this crowd is also diverse.

We also have, in addition to His disciples, “a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon,”

• Now this crowd is large and had come from a great distance,
• But they are not yet described as His disciples.
• These are people who are coming to dip their toes in the water and see what
this Jesus is all about.
• Primarily they are coming “to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases”

And look, I don’t judge them too harshly,
If you had a disease or someone you love had a disease
YOU WOULD HAVE MADE THE TRIP TOO.

And what is more,
It is apparent that their journey is paying off for “those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.”

Jesus was obliging them.
• He was putting on quite a healing clinic.
• Apparently on this day all you had to do was get near and touch Jesus and whatever our ailment, it was gone.

Can you imagine that scene?
Can you imagine how the crowds must have been
Flocking to Jesus for their healing?

And again,
• There is no indication here of any diseases being too great or too far-gone, or too debilitating.
• There is no indication of any diseases only being partially healed or even gradually healed.
• There is no indication of anyone who went there that was turned away.

What is happening here is absolutely phenomenal
And certainly it is a testimony once again to exactly who Jesus is.

Jesus Himself said it:
John 5:36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish — the very works that I do — testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”

There should be no doubt to anyone at this point
That Jesus is in fact the Son of God.

THAT IS THE SCENE.

And then after all of them were healed.
• Luke said Jesus was “healing them all”
• After they had all been afforded the opportunity to touch Jesus and they all
saw their infirmities reversed.
• Now it came time for the sermon.

I would think at this point everyone in the crowd
Should be more than interested in everything He has to say.

To this crowd He preaches Luke’s version of The Sermon on the Mount.

Now, I stress that this is Luke’s version because
I don’t want you to just skip through it as though you have a handle on it
Because you’ve studied Matthew’s version so much.

I think it is a mistake to assume that Matthew and Luke are making the same point just because they are referencing the same incident.
It is clear to me that they are not.

Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount was clearly all about righteousness.
• Matthew listened to Jesus on that day and heard Him shatter any and all attempts that any person had to trust in their own righteousness.
• Matthew heard Jesus expose
• faulty attitudes,
• faulty standards,
• faulty interpretations of the Law,
• faulty religious practices,
• faulty desires,
• faulty judgments,
• faulty commitments,
• And faulty obedience.

And certainly Luke picks up on some of that as well.

But from Luke’s perspective we notice an obvious difference.
Luke clearly picks up on the diversity in Jesus’ sermon.

Luke hears Jesus addressing the crowd
He realizes not everyone in the crowd is in the same spiritual condition
And therefore Luke hears Jesus address them differently.

• Some in that crowd are COMMITTED SERVANTS
• Some in that crowd are COMFORTABLE SINNERS
• Some in that crowd are CURIOUS SEEKERS

And Luke hears Jesus address them all.
And Luke hears Jesus expose them all.

Now listen, I’m a firm believer that Scripture has only 1 meaning.
• That means that Jesus sermon had only 1 meaning (and it’s clear they are both referring to the same sermon)
• But it’s also true that a passage of Scripture or the sermon of Jesus can have thousands of applications depending on the listener.

So while the meaning of the sermon is the same,
Luke and Matthew clearly take from it two different applications.

We’re going to look at it through the lens of the different people Luke hears Jesus address.
#1 THE COMMITTED
Luke 6:20-23

If you are familiar with Matthew’s gospel you recognize those as
A partial list of what is called The Beatitudes.

Luke does not include “Blessed are the meek” or “Blessed are the merciful” or “Blessed are the peacemakers” or “Blessed are the pure in heart”

Another notable difference
Is that where Matthew records them in general, Luke records them in a personal sense.

• For example, Matthew writes “Blessed are the poor in spirit”
• Luke writes, “Blessed are you who are poor”

Matthew is picking up on the theology,
Luke is picking up on the confrontation.

Another notable difference
Is that where Matthew records these statements in a spiritual sense, Luke records them in a social sense.

For example:
• Matthew writes, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”
• Luke simply writes “Blessed are you who are poor”

• Matthew writes, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”
• Luke simply writes, “Blessed are you who hunger now”

According to Matthew
• Jesus was speaking of the attitude and spiritual condition of the heart.
• That it is those who are broken and humble and who hate their sin and who
hunger for righteousness worse than anything who will be saved.

And Matthew was certainly correct.
After all, as we said, the sermon can have only 1 meaning.

That is precisely what Jesus said, and it is precisely what Jesus meant.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL JESUS MEANT.
Luke picked up on the social side of it as well.

It just so happened that
• Those who were “poor in spirit” also happened to be the actual poor.
• Those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” also happened to be the actual hungry.

WHY?
Because in this crowd are those who were so humble and so broken and who hungered and thirsted for righteousness so much that they actually left their lives to follow Jesus and find it.

Certainly they were poor in spirit,
Had they not been they would have continued in their former manner of life.
Certainly they mourned over their sin,
Had they not, they wouldn’t have left it.
Certainly they were meek and submissive,
If they weren’t they wouldn’t be following Jesus.
Certainly they hungered and thirsted for righteousness,
If they didn’t they wouldn’t be following Jesus.

It’s just that in leaving their former manner of life, and their sinful past
They have now (almost ironically) also become the actual poor and hungry.

What becomes clear to us then is that Jesus looked at these poor and hungry who had left everything to follow Him
And He obviously made a spiritual analogy out of them.

You aren’t just poor, you were poor in spirit, that’s why you came.
You aren’t just hungry, you hungered for righteousness, that’s why you came.

Matthew picked up on the spiritual side of the sermon.
Luke picked up on the social side.

So here we have the same sermon, but a different application.
• Luke ISN’T talking about the attitude required for salvation (that was
Matthew’s sermon).
• Luke IS talking about the lifestyle of those who received salvation.

Because of their devotion to Christ, they left everything.
• They left their fishing nets
• They left their father and mother
• They left their farms
• They left their tax booths

And those who are following Jesus are in fact poor.

And that shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Later in Luke’s gospel:
Luke 9:57-58 “As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

How many times does Jesus have to say it?
• You can’t love Me and the world…
• You can’t follow Me and the world…

Matthew 6:19-24 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

And listen, Luke is going to talk about this A LOT in his gospel.
• Only Luke mentions the Rich man in Hades.
• Only Luke mentions the man who tore down his barns to build bigger ones.
• Only Luke reveals that the Pharisees were lovers of money.
• Only Luke shares the story of Zaccheus and how he left his wealth.

It’s clear that Luke picks up on the call of Jesus
And primarily that a call to follow Him is a call to forsake this world

Here Luke listens as Jesus addresses THOSE WHO HAVE DONE THAT.
(20) “And turning His gaze toward His disciples”

He IS NOT speaking about the whole crowd here,
Just those who have in fact left everything to follow Him.

AND THE MESSAGE IS VERY ENCOURAGING!
Speaking to the committed:
JESUS CONFIRMS THEIR FAITH

Listen to what He says.
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.”

Surely you picked up on the key word, “Blessed”
It is MAKARIOS in the Greek.
It means HAPPY

And that alone immediately raises some eyebrows.
Wait a minute…
• Happy are the poor?
• Happy are the hungry?
• Happy are the weeping?
• Happy are the hated and ostracized and insulted and scorned?

THAT’S JUST DUMB!
That doesn’t seem to make any sense at all.

And that’s true, IF you think according to the pattern of this world.

• You ask any unredeemed person in the world if they are happier when they are rich or poor and they will say rich every time.
• You ask any unredeemed person in the world if they are happier when they are hungry or full and they will say full every time.
• And so on…

What is more,
• Even this crowd of disciples might have said the same thing.
• Even you, even me, might say the same thing.

You’re happier with a full belly than an empty one.
You’re happier with riches than poverty.

THAT’S WHY JESUS GOES FARTHER HERE.
He doesn’t just tell His disciples that they are blessed,
He tells them WHY they are blessed.

• Because even though they are poor in this world, by reason of their decision to follow Jesus theirs “is the kingdom of heaven.”

• Even though they are hungry now, because of their decision to follow Jesus they “shall be satisfied”

• Even though they weep now, because of their decision to follow Jesus they “shall laugh.”

• Even though they are hated and ostracized and insulted and scorned now, because of their decision to follow Jesus. It is actually that decision that will causes them to have a “reward [that] is great in heaven.”

THE WORLD looks at their poverty which came on them for following Jesus and says they made a stupid decision.

JESUS says they actually made the best decision and for that reason they are blessed and they should be happy.

It’s no different than when Peter and the rest of the 12
Watched the rich young ruler walk away with all his money.

Matthew 19:27-29 “Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”

That’s the same thing Jesus just said here.
• You may have lost your earthly farm, but you gained “the kingdom of God”
• You may have lost the food in your pantry, but you gained full satisfaction.
• You may have lost temporary pleasures, but once you see what you gain, you’re going to belly laugh.
• You may have lost your reputation, but once you see how God will compensate you for it, you will “leap for joy”.

Jesus is encouraging their faith.
He is confirming their decision to follow Him.
He is filling in the blanks of eternity.

And might I also point out that it is this understanding
That has FUELED THE HOPE OF ALL BELIEVERS through all time.

Consider the apostle Paul:
Philippians 1:21-23 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;”

Consider Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as they sojourned in Canaan.
Hebrews 11:13-16 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

Consider Moses as he left the house of Pharaoh
Hebrews 11:24-26 “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.”

Consider countless others who endured poverty and scorn
Hebrews 11:35-38 “Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.”

Those were all people who fully believed
That losing this life for the next was totally worth it.

Is that not what Jesus asked?
Matthew 16:25-27 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

Jesus simply said, “Do the math!”
• Sure you lost the things of this life.
• Sure you are poor and hungry and you weep over the loss and over the scorn
you are receiving for following Me.
• But do you realize how much more you are gaining?

It is that great revelation of Asaph in the famous 73rd Psalm.

Many of you know it, but for those who don’t:
TURN TO: PSALMS 73

You see Asaph recounting a time when he just couldn’t see the blessing of what Jesus was talking about here.

• All he saw was that the wicked were rich and the faithful were poor, and it didn’t seem worth it. (Read 1-9)

• And Asaph says, I had even decided my decision to follow God was the wrong decision and was pure vanity. (Read 10-14)

But just before Asaph fell into full blown apostasy,
God preached this same sermon you and I are reading to Asaph.

• He actually showed Asaph, not only the blessings of obedience, but just how bad of a condition those who are drinking up the world are in. (Read 15-20)

God showed Asaph what Jesus will tell us next time.
That those who have chosen riches over Christ
Will reach a day when they’ll wish they hadn’t.

• And Asaph changes his tune (Read 21-24)

And then Asaph, recounting the blessing of all that God has promised
Gives one of the most beautiful statements of faith in all the Bible.

Psalms 73:25-28 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”

Asaph learned what Jesus is teaching here.
• It’s what Abraham knew
• It’s what Moses knew
• It’s what Paul knew

That following Christ may indeed
Result in poverty, hunger, weeping and scorn,
But hang on because it will be so worth it!

The same CAN’T BE SAID for that next group Jesus will address.

We’ll go ahead and read it this morning and look further into it next time.
(24-26) “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”

They may think their decision to keep the world was the right one,
But that’s only because they can’t see the whole picture.

If they only knew what was waiting for them,
They’d burn their money in the streets.

But for those who have chosen to forsake it all and follow Christ,
Jesus simply encourages them in their decision.

WELL, THERE’S THE FIRST GLANCE IN THE MIRROR.

First we have to ask, have I forsaken everything to follow Christ?

Listen, don’t misread what Luke is saying.
• He is not saying that poverty is an automatic ticket to heaven.
• He is not saying that if you are poor then you’re in.

He is talking to those who are poor because they are following Jesus.
And following Jesus led them away from their homes and their farms
And their relationships and their jobs.

• I don’t know what kind of fishing business Peter and Andrew had, but I’m pretty
sure it’s not doing too good right now.

• I don’t know how successful Matthew as at tax collecting, but I can tell you how
successful he is now.

They left it all that they may gain Christ.

Our first question is: HAVE I?

AND LISTEN, the very nature of the call of Christ all but guarantees it will cost you something.

• It may cost some more than others, but it costs everyone something.
• If it hasn’t cost you anything to follow Jesus, you’re deceiving yourself if you think you’re following.

Listen to Jesus:
Matthew 10:34-39 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. “For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”

It always costs something to follow.
• A relationship…
• A job…
• A reputation…
• A sinful pleasure…

First we have to ask, am I following Jesus?

But for those who can look in the mirror and say,
“Yes” I am following, THEN LOOK DEEP INTO THAT MIRROR.

Look into that glass lit dimly.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Even though weeping lasts through the night, joy comes in the morning.

If following Jesus has led you down paths of poverty,
• Rejoice you’re inheriting the kingdom of God.

If following Jesus has led you down paths of hunger,
• Rejoice! You’re going to be fully satisfied.

If following Jesus has led you into nights of weeping,
• Rejoice! You’re going to belly laugh.

If following Jesus has led you into worldly scorn and hatred,
• Then leap for joy!

Not only is your reward great, but you are in good company,
“For in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets.”

The struggles of this life are temporary, and they will be worth it!

That is Jesus message to the committed.

In Him – Part 1
Matthew 22:1-14; Galatians 3:23-29
March 18, 2018

As you know we’ve been talking recently about SOLUS CHRISTUS,
Which is the belief that salvation is IN CHRIST ALONE.
It is not the study of what Christ does IN us, but what Christ does FOR us.

And even though we haven’t really discussed this aspect yet,
I think it’s important to distinguish.

A heavy emphasis is placed today on the concept of Jesus being “IN US”.
• Common evangelical lingo is to speak of “Asking Jesus into your heart”
• And there is a heavy focus especially in charismatic circles about having Christ in you, namely in reference to His power.

Now certainly Christ “IN US” is a Biblical concept.

Paul referred to it as a mystery now revealed.
Colossians 1:26-27 “that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Jesus spoke of it to the disciples:
John 14:17 “that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”

Paul spoke of it:
Romans 8:10 “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.”

And again:
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?”

Certainly it is important then to understand the distinction.

When we speak of Christ IN us,
We are talking about the concept and process of sanctification.

It is the Spirit of Christ who dwells within us
To sanctify us and to make us holy.

That is in fact the primary function of the Holy Spirit who is in us.
He makes us more like Christ.

BUT THAT DEALS WITH SANCTIFICATION, NOT JUSTIFICATION.

SOLUS CHRISTUS is about justification.
And justification DOES NOT occur
With Christ coming in us and making us righteous.
That is sanctification and that will never be completed in this life.

JUSTIFICATION IS NOT ABOUT CHRIST GETTING INTO US.
JUSTIFICATION IS ABOUT US GETTING INTO CHRIST.

WHY?
Because the only way we can be justified in the sight of God is if we are hidden in Christ.

Ever sing “Rock of ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee”?
That’s what we’re talking about.

The evangelistic strategy that tells people to “Ask Jesus into their heart”
Is a bad strategy built on faulty doctrine.

Our goal as evangelists
• Is to convince people of their danger before God as a result of their sin
• Then show them that there is but one hiding place and that is “in Christ”

I think that’s an important distinction that we have yet to make .

We are talking about not what Christ does IN us,
But what Christ does FOR us.

And again we mention that
Jesus Christ did not come to make me righteous,
He came to be my righteousness.

This, as we have said, is the heart of SOLUS CHRISTUS

We have also discussed in this
• That Christ is the ONLY Savior available,
• And that His IMPUTATION is certainly viable since His work is similar to that of Adam’s only more powerful.

That has been the discussion thus far of SOLUS CHRISTUS

Tonight we want to move forward and talk a little bit about
This absolutely essential understanding of what it means to be “In Him”

There are several passages to look at,
And when we get finished with one, we’ll move on to the next.

But I first want to start with this passage in Matthew 22.
And our first point is this:
#1 BEING IN CHRIST IS ESSENTIAL
Matthew 22:1-14

You already recognize this as the parable of the wedding feast.

From the standpoint of Matthew’s gospel I can simply tell you that
This parable is the 3rd in the group that Matthew records
In order to emphasize the importance of submission to Christ.

At this point Jesus had entered the temple and
He has not only cleared the temple, but He is preaching with fierce zeal.

This prompted the religious leaders to ask:
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?”

Jesus gives three parables to answer the question.
• The first is the man who had two sons who were told to work in the
vineyard. One said he would and then didn’t, one said he wouldn’t and
then did.
• The next parable was of the vineyard in which Jesus revealed the wicked
tenants who had rented the vineyard and defied the authority of the
vineyard owner and who deserved punishment as a result.

So in regard to the authority of Christ Jesus reveals 3 parables.
1) The Disrespected Father
2) The Disrespected Land Owner
3) The Disrespected King (here)

That’s just some background.
Obviously Jesus is addressing the unsubmissive
And unacceptable attitude of Israel to refuse to submit to Him.

Also revealed is the fact that
They remain disrespectful based on a bad miscalculation.

They think they are fine the way they are,
And they don’t fear the retribution of the Father,
Or the Land Owner, or the King.
If they did fear them, then they’d be much more compliant.

But let’s revisit this parable quickly tonight,
As it makes a very important point
About the importance of being clothed in Christ.

3 Quick things about this parable.
1) THE REJECTED INVITATION (1-7)

If you are familiar with the parables of Jesus
Then you know that it is not uncommon for Him
To use stories that are shocking in their nature.

For example:
• A father who would welcome back a degenerate son after enduring so much embarrassment at his hand.
• A Samaritan who would help a man after a priest and a Levite pass him by.

This parable has the same shock factor as those.

Because we have here a story that is unfathomable to think about.
• There is a wedding banquet being thrown by the king on behalf of his son.
• Usually weeks long
• Without a doubt the party of the year
• No one deserved to come, but gracious in receiving and invitation
• No one invited would dare miss this party for fear of retribution
• Obviously God is the King, Christ is the Son, and party is heaven

• At this point the king would have already sent out wedding announcements letting the people know that the party was coming and expecting that the people would make preparations to attend.

And now it is time so he sends out the slaves to tell the people,
IT’S TIME TO COME. (read verses 1-3)

The unthinkable thing is that the people refuse.
(The crowd would have gasped in disbelief – who could be that stupid?)

We don’t have to dwell on why they were “unwilling”,
Other gospel accounts make it clear that
They were preoccupied with the world.

In that is a testimony to what we have said all along.
• It’s not that man does not have “free will” in the sense of freedom to choose.
• Obviously these people made the choice.
• It’s that their “will” is fallen and not free and because they are enslaved to their
passions and lusts they don’t come.

THAT’S THE FIRST SHOCKING THING.

The second shocking thing is that instead of slaying them immediately the king graciously gives them A SECOND CHANCE. (verses 4-6)

No king would have done this,
But there is no doubt that we are dealing with a very gracious king.

He asks again and again they refuse, only this time they actually work to provoke the king by mistreating and killing his messengers.

AT THIS POINT the rejecters get what they deserve and the king annihilates them.
(read verse 7)

It is harsh, but it certainly would have made sense to the crowd.
This is what any just and righteous King should have done.

(What they don’t realize is that these first people being invited were Israel,
And the servants were the apostles)
It is a tragedy

2) THE RECEIVED INVITATION (7-10)

Again we have a point that is a little shocking.
• Since none of the first invited come, the king seemingly lowers his standards and goes out into the slums and pulls in every bum he can find.

• He even tells his slaves to bring in the “evil” and the “good” and the purpose was to fill the wedding hall “with dinner guests”.

The point to be made is that QUANTITY here
Was more important to the king than QUALITY.
He would accept the evil if it resulted in a full hall.

This based on two realities.
1. The wedding is about the glory of the son and it is important to have a massive celebration in His honor.
2. Worthiness wasn’t an issue since the king had plans to clean up every one who attended and make them worthy.

This king was going to provide wedding clothes to all who attended
So that this wedding was beautiful and perfectly honored his son.

3) THE REVOKED INVITATION (11-14)

Here we find our main point regarding how essential it is to be “in Christ.”

So we finally have a full wedding hall, but then look what happened.
“the king came in to look over the dinner guests”

NOW WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?
Because this is for the glory of the Son, and He wants it perfect.

This is actually the judgment.
The king may have graciously allowed whosoever to enter,
But that doesn’t mean he has lowered his standard.

He will let them come, but they must still look the part.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE SON!!!

And “when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes,”

Earlier we saw some who were unwilling to get ready
And so they were unwilling to come.
Well, here is a man who didn’t get ready,
But who decided to come to the wedding anyway.

And he “was not dressed in wedding clothes”
He hadn’t cleaned up.

(12) “and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless.”

The king isn’t asking “how” so much as “why” here.

He’s not curious how this man snuck past his guards,
He’s curious why attending this wedding in filth was acceptable.

How is it that you did this?
Who do you think you are to do this?

And you will notice that the man has no answer.
(In the judgment when God declares your guilt there are no excuses)

(13) “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

The king wasn’t messing around.
• All were welcome, but you were expected to live up to the standard.
• By coming dressed in his rags he was actually an insult to the Son.
• He came, but he didn’t honor the Son.

NOW WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Well, in Scripture garments always speak of character.
Dirty garments = wicked character
Clean garments = righteous character

Zechariah 3:1-5 “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.” Then I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by.”

There Joshua was being accused and he really was wicked,
But the Lord justified him by changing his garments.

So this man in the wedding has come, but not in righteousness.
• He’s tried to come without righteousness.
• He’s tried to come in his own wedding clothes, not those supplied by the king.

And the king will not stand for it.

In fact, the king is so upset he instantly has the man bound
And cast out of the wedding hall.

You don’t go to the wedding in your own clothes.

But this was a man thought he was good enough,
What a startling reality when he learned otherwise.

The King wanted people to come who honored the Son,
This man dishonored him.

So do all who think they are good enough.

Throughout Scripture those who think they are good enough fail to enter.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

All of their own goodness meant nothing.

That’s what Jesus meant in the beatitudes.
Matthew 5:3-6 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Those who think they are good enough do not please the king.
When you come in your own righteousness you dishonor the Son
And up being bound and cast outside.

That is why Scripture says:
Psalms 96:9 “Worship the LORD in holy attire; Tremble before Him, all the earth.”

Psalms 29:1-2 “Ascribe to the LORD, O sons of the mighty, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in holy array.”

And we obviously aren’t talking about outer clothes here,
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A RIGHTEOUS HEART.

And so we see that because this man did not come in the king’s perfect righteousness, his invitation was actually revoked.

And then Jesus SUMS UP this whole parable with a sobering statement.
(14) “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

And we won’t get back into this as we discussed it
When talking about God’s sovereign election.

We’ll just point out again that
• Everyone was called, but their sinful will caused them to reject the invitation.
• The ones who came where the ones who were chosen,
• Indicating God’s sovereign prerogative, not only to call them, but to change them, and to make them come.

But the point we are making here tonight is regarding
How essential it is that you stand before God “in Him”.

Isaiah makes the pointed revelation
Regarding what our best works look like to God.
Isaiah 64:6 “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

I don’t care how impressive you think your wardrobe is,
If you try to wear that before God you won’t like the outcome.

Your only hope is to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
YOUR ONLY HOPE IS TO BE HIDDEN IN HIM.

It is righteousness which the king supplies.
And rejecting that righteousness in favor of your own clearly brings the wrath of the king.

And let me make again a point we have referenced a few times recently.

TURN TO: PSALMS 1
• You notice the very clear distinction between the CHARACTER of the
righteous and the character of the wicked.
• You also notice the very clear distinction between the FATE of the righteous
and the fate of the wicked.

TURN TO: PSALMS 14
• You see it again about God’s disdain for the wicked but how God dwells with
the righteous.

TURN TO: PSALMS 15
• And there we answer that pivotal question as to who is righteous and who can
stand before God.

And as I’ve told you before I’ll tell you again now.
If you can read any of those Psalms and then look in the mirror
And convince yourself that you are the righteous referred to there
Then you have listened far too much to your momma and your grandma.

Would you really say that:
• You have never walked in the counsel of the wicked?
• You have always delighted in God’s Law day and night?
• You have never defied the authority of God?
• You have always sought after God?
• You have never failed to do good?
• You have always walked with integrity and spoken truth in your heart?
• You have never slandered or done evil or reproached your friend?
• You have always despised a reprobate?
• You have always honored those who fear God?
• You have always kept your word?
• You have never cheated anyone or taken a bribe?

You can say that about yourself?
OF COURSE NOT!

Then you are not the righteous the psalmist is referring to,
YOU ARE THE WICKED.
AND IF YOU TRY TO WEAR THOSE CLOTHES TO THE JUDGMENT, I can tell you what will happen. You’re getting kicked out!

The only one who is the righteous in those Psalms is Christ.
And the only way we get to stay is if we are hidden in Him;
If we are clothed in His righteous deeds.

Being “in Him” is absolutely essential.
That is the first point to make.

Here’s the second point.
#2 BEING IN CHRIST IS POSSIBLE
Galatians 3:23-29

Now again this is a passage that must be understood in some context,
But that we can do it quickly.

You already know that
• Galatians is written as a fiery response of Paul to the Galatians who are considering circumcision as a means of becoming more pleasing to God.

• They have been hoodwinked by the Judaizers into believing that strict obedience to the Law is the only way to please God.

• Paul is battling that throughout the letter.

In chapter 3 he is explaining the purpose of the Law,
And in order to sum up and not to have work through it,
Let me just put it to you like this.

The Law had one main purpose – to drive you to Jesus.
• The Law came to expose sin
• The Law came to expose condemnation
• The Law came to produce a sickening and helpless condition
• So that when the Savior came you would want Him badly.

In a sense, the Law made you thirsty,
So that when Christ offered water you’d take a drink.

Galatians 3:19 “Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.”

So that was the Law’s purpose.

From there Paul began to explain how miserable it was to be under the Law before Christ arrived.

And he used 2 analogies to which to compare it.

1) A PRISON WHICH INCARCERATES (22-23)
• All it ever did was enslave us.
• It condemned us and forced us through ritual after ritual and requirement after requirement.
• There was no freedom there, only a prison.

2) A TUTOR TO GUIDE (24-26)
• Just as we said, the Law really had the purpose of driving us to Christ.
• It showed us our need.
• It showed us His glory.

Anyone who truly loves and obeys the Law of God ends up with Jesus.
If they claim to love God’s Law but don’t end up trusting Jesus,
It only shows that they don’t have a clue what God’s Law is about.

But the point is seen.
Don’t use the Law as a means of obtaining God’s favor,
Let the Law drive you to trust in Christ.

AND THEN COMES THE VERSE I WANT YOU TO FOCUS ON.

(27) “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

This is a great verse, and one that deserves some explanation.

We have been talking about how essential it is to be in Christ.
But this verse answers the question, “HOW DOES ONE GET IN CHRIST?”

And the answer “you were baptized into Christ”

Now you can already hear them can’t you?
Ah ha! See I told you that water baptism was required for a person to be saved.

Now hold on for just a second.
Think for just a moment what this entire chapter has been about.

This whole chapter has been about obtaining the blessing of God
And Paul has said repeatedly that the promise is obtained by faith.

To spend this whole chapter down playing works and promoting faith and then all of a sudden to introduce a work like baptism as a necessary requirement for salvation would obviously blow his whole chapter apart.

We have to ask the question
“WHAT IS THIS BAPTISM PAUL IS TALKING ABOUT?”
Or which baptism is Paul referring to?

Matthew 3:11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

John actually mentioned 3 different baptisms right there.
• Baptism in water – (which John tells us the purpose of – repentance)
• Baptism in the Holy Spirit
• Baptism in fire

The next verse explains the fire baptism:
Matthew 3:12 “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Obviously in the context of the passage, fire is judgment.

So we have water baptism which equals repentance
And we have fire baptism which equals judgment

The only one left is Holy Spirit baptism.
This must be salvation.

1 Peter 3:21 “Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you — not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience — through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”

There Peter also says that baptism saves you
(similar to what Paul is saying here in Galatians)

But Peter also qualifies the statement.
“not the removal of dirt from the flesh” – (i.e. the water)

No, the baptism Peter is talking about is
“an appeal to God for a good conscience”

Why would someone appeal to God for a good conscience?
Because they have been under the prison of the Law remember,
And they are condemned.

And under that condemnation that appeal to God for forgiveness.

So obviously being “baptized into Christ”
Is much more than getting in the water.

Romans 6:3-7 “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.”

Now look at that passage for just a second.
Any mention of water at all? No

What was mentioned?
Death – burial – resurrection

To the extent that sin might be done away with in our lives.

What Paul is referring to there is FAR SUPERIOR
To anything you can accomplish by getting in the water.

• Paul is talking about complete death to self
• Paul is talking about complete denial of self
• Paul is talking about that appeal for a good conscience

And this is what it means to be “baptized into Christ”

You don’t get into Christ by getting in the water
You don’t get into Christ by walking an aisle
You don’t get into Christ by praying a prayer

You get into Christ
• When you die to self
• When you trust in His death on your account
• When you are raised by His new life (i.e. the Holy Spirit)

That is baptism of the Holy Spirit and that is how you get in Christ.
And when that happens you are “clothed” with Christ.

In other words, you are covered by Him.
His righteousness is credited to you,
And when God looks on you, He sees Him.

But this passage makes our point.
IT IS POSSIBLE FOR EVEN THE MOST SINFUL OF MEN
TO BE IN CHRIST.

This happens when they deny themselves
• That is they turn their back on their own worth
• They turn their back on their own achievements
• They turn their back on their own goodness
• The acknowledge their pathetic state

And then they run to Christ for the righteousness He provides
• This is done through faith
• It is to believe in the righteousness of Christ
• It is to trust in the atoning work of Christ
• It is to accept by faith that doctrine of imputation

That is what it means to be “baptized into Christ”
And to subsequently “have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

It is the conscious decision to take off your garments
And to decide to stand before God in Christ’s garments.

And not only does that bring justification, but Paul speaks of the OTHER BENEFITS.
(28-29) “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

Which is to say that nothing matters but Christ.
• Come judgment there is no benefit in being Jew or Greek
• There is no benefit in being male or female
• All that matters is Christ and being clothed in Him.

And this is possible when you die to self and are raised in Him.

NEXT TIME we will begin to look at the benefits of being in Christ.
Tonight just understand the importance.

Regarding justification, it’s not about getting Christ in you,
It’s about you getting in Christ.

• He is our ark
• He is our salvation
• He is our hiding place
• He is our refuge
• He is our strong tower
• He is our cleft in the rock
• He saves us from the wrath to come

It is that picture of the Passover,
• When the death angel came about.
• He would kill all who were not safely hidden behind the blood.

Don’t just ask Jesus into your heart.
You have to forsake everything to hide in Him.

AND WHEN YOU SHARE THE GOSPEL
Don’t just encourage people to ask Jesus into their heart.

You must tell people that hiding in Him is their only hope.
And that the only way to hide in Him
Is to totally forsake all that they are and have done.

This is the gospel.