Here is a powerful, faith-strengthening excerpt from C.H. Spurgeon’s sermon on 1 Peter 3:18 called “Our Suffering Substitute”:
Archive for the ‘Jesus’ Category
Our Suffering Substitute
Thursday, September 16th, 2010The New Middle Road?
Thursday, April 29th, 2010Why Did Jesus Come?
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul explains why Jesus came: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Note the following observations:
1) Jesus came into the world
To say Jesus came into the world is to imply that Jesus pre-existed before his coming. That corresponds with the Bible’s teaching that Jesus is the Son of God who “in the beginning was with God and was God.” (John 1:1) Jesus was a man — but more than a man. He was God made man.
2) Jesus came… [for] sinners
What is a sinner? The simple answer is that a sinner is a person who sins. But what is sin? According to the Bible, sin is doing whatever is contrary to God’s law, which is a perfect reflection of his own character. But sin is not just doing the bad we ought not do (ie. sins of commission). Sin is also not doing good that we ought to do (ie. sins of omission). And the greatest good, according to Jesus, is “to love him [God] with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:33)
But all of us have fallen short of fulfilling this greatest good; therefore, all of us are sinners. We may not have committed any crimes. We may be generally nice, kind, generous people. But we are all still sinners in one sense or the other.
Who should we blame for this deficiency in our character? Can we blame our culture for how it’s influenced us? Can we blame our parents for how they raised us? Can we blame others for bringing the worse out in us? No, Jesus teaches that we must point the finger at ourselves — at our own hearts. Mark 7:20-23, “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ “
So every one of us is a sinner and our sin problem runs deep, to the very core of our character and personality. Until we recognize this problem in our own human condition, until we see ourselves as sinners (as the Bible defines it), then we have no part in Jesus or his salvation.
3) Jesus came…to save sinners
If he came to save us, then the obvious question is, “Save us from what?” According to Mark 9:43-49, the consequence of sin is judgment that ends in hell. That is why Jesus says we must do whatever it takes to address our sinful human condition. Now we need to say a few words about hell because the concept is often stereotyped and misunderstood.
Your first reaction might be to wonder why a loving God would create a hell in the first place. But think of it this way: If there were no hell, then what would God do with the evil in this world? If there were no hell, then evil could carry on indefinitely without any justice. Would God be loving, if he never dealt justly with evil? So it is because God loves good and hates evil, that he will make sure to deal with evil – finally and completely. Because he is just, meaning he always exalts good and punishes evil, God created Hell to be the place where evil will be locked up and punished once and for all.
But our problem is that all of us humans are guilty of evil to one degree or another. So when it comes to the Final Judgment we are all guilty of evil and deserving of being sent to hell on the basis of our own works. BUT because God is a loving God, he sent his Son to experience the punishment of evil (by dying on the cross) and thereby offering pardon to those who trust in him. So for the one who trusts in Jesus, God judges them, not on the basis of their works (b/c otherwise they’d be guilty) but on the basis of His Son’s works (which was a life of perfect obedience and righteousness).
This is the salvation that Jesus procured for sinners on the cross. This is ultimately why he came: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3).
Jesus: Just a Great Moral Teacher?
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010Those who claim that Jesus was just a great moral teacher must not have read what Jesus actually taught, particularly about himself.
Yes, he made pithy statements. He told great stories. He said wonderful things about love and forgiveness. Other moral teachers have done the same. But Jesus went further. Jesus claimed to be God.
In one instance, Jesus claimed the authority to forgive a man’s sin, which his enemies correctly perceived as a claim of divinity (Mark 2:5-7). On another occasion (John 10:30-33) Jesus said, “I and the Father [referring to God the Father] are one.” At that moment, his opponents picked up rocks to stone him. Why? “...because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
That Jesus claimed to be God is difficult to deny if you take the gospel accounts seriously. So how can anyone say Jesus was just a great moral teacher, like Socrates, Buddha, or Gandhi? Any mere mortal who made the kind of claims Jesus made about himself would never be considered a great moral teacher.
C.S. Lewis, arguably the most widely read Christian author of the 20th century, wrote in his most famous book Mere Christianity that when we’re trying to form our opinion of Jesus, he leaves us with only three options. Jesus is either a Lunatic – a crazy man who thought he was God. Or Jesus is a Liar – a con man who convinced a lot of followers he was God. Or you take Jesus at his word and believe he is Lord – the Son of God who became a man to die for the forgiveness of man’s sin.
You simply cannot get away with saying that Jesus is just a great moral teacher. If you honestly study his life and teaching, he doesn’t allow that option. The man claimed to be God! So he is either a Lunatic, a Liar, or Lord – which do you choose?
On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ
Monday, April 6th, 2009On Palm Sunday, Barton preached a powerful message on the cross, taking time to explain the gruesome nature of a Roman crucifixion. He referenced a well-known study by The Journal of the American Medical Association called “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ“. It considers the death of Jesus from a historical and medical standpoint.
The way Barton described Jesus’ Passion was graphic and gut-wrenching. Some might question the need to talk in such awful detail. But such preaching is necessary. Why?
Because the gruesomeness of Jesus’ suffering and death most fully exposes the true horror of sin and the punishment it deserves. And more than that, his brutal suffering and death most fully demonstrates the justice of God and the abounding love he has for sinners like you and me!
Chewing on the Trinity
Monday, December 1st, 2008In our Open House Sunday service yesterday, Barton preached on arguably the most famous verse in the Bible: John 3:16. He touched upon one particular point that is worth exploring further, namely that God has a Son. This brings up the mysterious – but fundamental and essential – belief of the Christian faith: the Triune nature of God.
The first Christians, from the earliest of written documents, have always affirmed that God is one but (at the same time) were clearly comfortable to talk of him as three distinct persons. Even before Tertullian (160-225) coined the term “trinity” and before Athanasius (296-373) faithfully defended the deity of Christ in Nicea (325), the Apostles were already testifying to the “three-fold-ness” of God in their epistles and gospels. A so-called “triadic formula” was already being invoked among the first churches.
For example, consider 2 Corinthians 13:14 (approx. 55AD) were Paul ends his letter with a trinitarian benediction, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” It’s significant that, in just two decades of its existance, the early church was already invoking a triadic formula to bless one another. In his concise book on this topic, Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, Bruce Ware comments on this verse:
“A benediction offers the writer or speaker the opportunity to say, “May God be with you,” or “May God richly bless you.” But for Paul, the God of the Bible will bless his people as the grace of Christ, the love of the Father, and the fellowship of the Spirit are present with us. In other words, the one God of New Testament understanding is the God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
Or consider Matthew 28:19 (early 60′s AD), “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Again it’s significant that, from their very entrance into the community of faith, Christians were being baptized under a triadic formula. Note especially that Jesus commanded the apostles to baptize in the name (singular) of God, yet the name of this one God is: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Ware rightly observes:
“The fact that Jesus uses the singular “name” rather than the plural “names” indicates that God is one and that his nature, signified by his name, is singular, not plural. . . . Yet this singular name is itself differentiated among three Persons, so that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit comprise the one God in whose name we are baptized.”
Here is the illustration Barton showed us that clearly affirms the oneness of God (in his essence or nature) while clearly distinguishing his three-ness (as three distinct persons).
Yes, it’s a doozy, but keep on chewing!
The Uniqueness of Christ’s Salvation
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008This past Sunday I began a mini-series on the exclusivity of Christ – specifically his claim to be the only way to God (John 14:6). We suggested that Jesus’ exclusive claims about himself make sense in light of his uniqueness. We spent most of our time looking at the uniqueness of his personhood as the way to be in right relationship with God – not just one who points the way.
Now we only touched upon a comparison of the Christian faith to the other major world religions, but it deserves a closer look. Here is an article from Rick Rood of the Probe Ministries called Do All Roads Lead to God? The Christian Attitude Toward Non-Christian Religions. There is one paragraph that succinctly demonstrates the uniqueness of the Christian faith and the logical incoherency of any claim that all ways to God are ultimately the same.
“Religious pluralism significantly underestimates the differences between the teachings of the various religions. This can be seen, for example, in the differences between Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity, with regard to their teaching concerning salvation.
In classical Buddhism, the problem facing humanity is the suffering caused by desire. Since whatever man desires is impermanent, and ultimately leads to frustration and sorrow, the way to peace of mind and ultimate “salvation” is through the elimination of all desire-even the desire to live! In classical Hinduism, the problem facing humanity is our being trapped in this illusory, material world over the course of many lifetimes primarily due to our ignorance of our true identity as fundamentally divine beings! The solution to our dilemma is our recognition of our true divine nature. In Islam, man’s problem is his failure to live by the law of God which has been revealed through His prophets. The solution is to commit ourselves to obeying God’s laws, in hope that our good deeds will outweigh the bad.
In Christianity, the problem is similar–our rebellion against the will of God. But the solution is much different. It is through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins, provided by God’s unmerited grace. From these examples alone, it is evident that though there may be superficial similarities among the world’s religions the differences are fundamental in nature!”
Jesus: the fully human Son of God
Tuesday, December 25th, 2007Last Sunday, I preached on why it mattered for Jesus to become fully human. Here are some online resources that you can read for further explanation and defense of Jesus full humanity.
Jesus is Fully Human – David Mathis
“If This Were Not the Case, We Would Not Be Saved” – Al Mohler
“The Reason the Son of God Appeared was to Destroy the Works of the Devil” – John Piper
How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet?
Monday, December 3rd, 2007This Advent season, Barton is preaching on the Threefold Office of Christ as Prophet, Priest and King. Last Sunday, we looked at how Christ fulfilled the prophetic ministry of the Old Testament prophets.
In the Westminster Shorter Catechism, question 24 asks: How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet?
A: Christ executeth the office of a prophet in revealing to us, by his word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. If Christ is then Prophet, what is His work? In general, His work is making known to us the will of God for our salvation. When He was on earth, He did so through His preaching everywhere. But after His ascension to heaven, He does so through His Word and His Spirit.
He has given us the Word, both the Old and the New Testament. He protects that Word against all the wiles of Satan, who seeks to destroy it. But only having the Word is not enough. Therefore Jesus has sent His Spirit, Who declares the true meaning and sense of it to us. “The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things.” (Jn 14:26) The main content of Christ’s prophetic message is the will of God for our salvation. It is His goal, “that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (Jn 20:31)
In short, OT prophets revealed to God’s people His will for life and salvation, but the ministry of mere human prophets was limited in scope and chiefly forward-looking . They pointed to the time when God would speak through his chosen Messiah. Their hopes were fulfilled when Jesus of Nazareth – the Christ (Greek for Messiah), the God-man, the Son of God – came to earth to reveal his Father’s will for our salvation. So this Christmas season, as you celebrate Jesus’ birth, don’t forget the significance of his prophetic ministry.
Further resources on the threefold office of Christ:
- Calvin on the offices from his Institutes [not the most readable copy]
- The Office of Christ from Luther’s Small Catechism
- “Of Christ’s Offices in General” by Puritan Thomas Boston
Was Jesus kind to the Pharisees?
Wednesday, September 26th, 2007In his latest sermon from the Six Basic Essentials series, Barton preached on “Love” out of 1 Cor 13. While giving a description of love (vv4-8), he stressed the point that Jesus perfectly expressed each attribute (ie. patience, kindness, etc) during his earthly life. So as Barton repeatedly said, “Jesus was kind”, I knew he had to be right, but immediately I thought of a possible exception: was Jesus kind to the Pharisees?
I would be stretched to consider someone “kind” if he just called me and my buddies a “brood of vipers” (Mt 12:34), a bunch of hypocrites (Mt 23:13), and children of the devil (Jn 8:44). No doubt telling someone the cold, hard truth (esp. truth they don’t want to hear) can be a loving act, but would that fall under the normal usage of the word “kind”? Jesus was candid, direct, and downright honest with the Pharisees, but was he kind to them?
I’d still argue that he was. But his kindness is demonstrated towards the Pharisees in a most unusual way: in his use of parables. Granted, one reason Jesus spoke in parables was to expose the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees (see Mk 4:11-12). According to Mark’s Gospel, Jesus only began to use parables after the Pharisees blasphemed against the Spirit (Mk 3:29). At that moment, it was undoubtedly clear that they were steeped in unbelief and thus beyond repentance. So parables were a sign of judgment – but also an act of kindness. You see, by cutting off the Pharisees from further revelation, Jesus was relieving them of further accountability for their sinful unbelief.
According to Luke 12:41-48, with great “revelation” comes great “responsibility”. It’s a parable about a manager (who knew his master’s will) and a simple servant (who did now know his master’s will). Both act wickedly and were punished, but the manger was punished more severely because he was given greater knowledge. Jesus ends with, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” So if Jesus continued to teach plainly to the unbelieving Pharisees, then he would only be heaping greater judgment upon them. They would receive more revelation but in addition more punishment. So in the end, the kindest thing Jesus could do for the Pharisees was to blind them from truth, thus persevering them from greater judgement – more than their unbelief already deserved.
O what a Master we follow! One who demonstrates kindness, even in judgment!