Well, good morning. It's good to see all of you.
You have all been singing the gospel today as you've been singing about the work of our
! Lord Jesus Christ, what He's accomplished for us through His death and resurrection,
and the benefits we get to enjoy because of the victory that He has pronounced over death
and resurrection and now offered to you and I to enjoy through faith in Jesus Christ.
That's an important truth. The gospel is centered on the person of Christ, and so you can imagine
that the doctrine of Christ is not only important, it is vital. It's essential not only for saving
faith, but it's essential for you to enjoy life with God. Not just knowing things about the
Scripture, not just knowing doctrines themselves, but knowing truths that then you embrace and
become a part of your day-to-day life. You're fundamentally changed. You're changed by the
truth, and it leads to a different kind of life because as we know who Jesus is, we believe who
He is, it fundamentally results in transformation for you and I. It should be no surprise then that
early on, very early on, the doctrines of Christ were challenged from heretics who sought to oppose
those core essential truths and to disrupt the benefit of saving faith for those who would believe in
Christ. Going all the way back to the fourth century, to early 300s, there is a church father known as
Athanasius. He's one of my favorites. He was a bishop in Alexandria, and if you don't know, Alexandria was one of
the key cities, the capital cities in the modern world. It was in Africa. It was one of those key cities where
Christianity was expanded and the truth was given. Athanasius was a defender of the doctrines of Christ
against what was known as the Arian heresy. That Arian heresy was known to try to challenge
the essential nature of who Jesus Christ was, to say that He was not eternal God, but that He was a
created being. Arian's teaching made Christ the highest creature, but it made Him one that was made and not
one that existed eternally through all of time. So when Athanasius became bishop, of course, his role was
significant. His teachings weren't just important for his church, but were important for the region,
were important for Egypt, were important for the surrounding regions. He was a man who understood
the significance of doctrine, the significance of the nature of Christ and sought to defend it.
He was fighting not merely for private opinion, but for doctrinal integrity, and I would say
he was fighting for your and my salvation, the understanding, the right and correct understanding
of salvation so that we could enjoy the benefits of the true Christ.
But this fight that he fought was one that resulted in exile. There were at least five occasions during
his life in ministry where he was exiled, which he was moved away from being bishop. He often had to
run and to exile himself in secluded areas so that he could escape persecution. But it was a suffering
one worth suffering for. It meant being driven from his city, driven from friends, often at the risk of
his own personal jeopardy in health and safety. And during one major exile in the beginning of 356,
he was exiled for six years. One of those followers of his, because of the active hostility
and opposition that he faced, said to Athanasius, it said that he mentioned this to Athanasius,
Athanasius, the world is against you. To which Athanasius responded, well then I am against the
world. Because his commitment to truth, his commitment to doctrine, his commitment to Christ
Christ. In extending the truth of the scriptures to us so he could enjoy and benefit from the true
nature of the Lord Jesus, he recognized that it mattered. This was not a debate over small doctrinal
refinements. This was the essential issue of the nature and identity of Jesus himself.
You could say that Athanasius cared about the glory of God. And over the past several weeks,
we've been talking about the significance of the church and what does the church mean and how does
the church begin and what is the aim of the church? And we said that the church exists ultimately for the
glory of God. What is glory, Andrew? What does that even mean? We said that God's glory is the visible
manifestation of his presence, power, and authority. Of course, we see this all over creation. The heavens
declare the glory of God. We see this as the greatest blessing in salvation. From 2 Corinthians 4,
verse 6, it says, for God who said, let light shine out of darkness, has shown in our hearts to give the
light of the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And of course,
the final outcome of history, whether you are a believer or unbeliever, it will result inevitably
in God receiving the glory that he's due. Because every knee will bow and every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Seeing and savoring the glory of God
is the ultimate end of creation. It is the ultimate objective of the church, those who belong to Jesus.
And championing the glory of God is a distinct mission and privilege that we, as God's people,
being part of his church, get to communicate. The joy of putting on display the wonder of who God is
by allowing his presence, his power, his word, his nature, his truth to be seen and heard and understood
by the people that God has put in circles, in connection with you as an individual.
But what is the church? If the church is meant to express the glory of God, well, what is the church after all?
John Piper has said, the church is a group of baptized believers who meet regularly to worship God
through Jesus Christ under the guidance of duly appointed leaders.
And last week, we began to kind of develop, well, what is the church?
What kind of constitutes the church? What can you expect to be true about the church?
How does the church get together?
How do they carry out their function?
And we said last week that a church is a group of followers of Jesus Christ.
And we're going to press into that a bit more.
We're going to drill down.
What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?
We also said that the church will have a confession of faith and repentance.
That they will believe in the essential truths of the Lord Jesus.
And it will change them.
Repentance is a change of heart, a change of perspective, a change of direction.
There will be repentance in their life.
They will see the ways that they have been trekkened in sin.
And the reality of the wonder of God will change their heart and their affections towards Him.
We saw third, that it was a testimony of believers' baptism.
That Jesus was baptized.
And He wasn't baptized because He was a sinner.
He baptized to set an example, to fulfill all righteousness for us.
For those of us who are sinners.
To recognize that one of the signs, one of the symbols of our repentance in turning to God is baptism.
It is a way for us to express that we belong to Him.
And Jesus helped to really help this illustration to grow and to carry weight through His Son, Jesus.
That through baptism, it's an expression of our being buried with Him and then raised to new life.
And so, it's a confession of the work that Christ has already done in the heart of true believers.
As we come to be baptized.
Fourth, we saw the beauty of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
That God's Spirit comes on and in His people.
Unlike what was taking place in the Old Testament.
Where the Spirit came in special ways on certain people for certain lengths of time.
To equip them for specific ministry.
He came on them and not in them.
And now a whole new age.
A whole new era.
This church age has been born.
Where every believer can enjoy the benefits of this enduring nature of the Spirit.
This indwelling work of the Spirit.
And last week we saw, finally, that we were distinct from the world.
That God has made us a holy people.
That God has made us a kingdom of priests.
That was His original purpose.
To make a kingdom of priests.
Of holy nation.
And He's accomplished that in His Son, Jesus.
We can be what He made us to be.
A holy people.
Distinct from the world.
Because of His work.
So this morning we come back to our text.
And I would encourage you to turn with me, if you would, to Acts chapter 2.
We're going to be beginning in verse 22.
And kind of seeing this through.
Verse 22 to 36.
And kind of developing some more.
The wonder of this doctrine of Christ.
What must one believe about Christ to be a follower of Jesus?
What does it mean to follow after Him?
To be a disciple of Christ?
Christ.
Now remember, here we are in Acts chapter 2.
In the very beginnings of this chapter.
We see this assembly of individuals who have come to worship in Jerusalem.
These devout followers from every known nation in the Roman world are there assembled.
It was one of three occurrences.
Where the Jewish man was required to gather and to worship the Lord on this given feast.
This Pentecost feast.
They had a deep knowledge of the Word of God.
Their hearts were guided by the Scriptures.
They wanted to follow after the truth.
That's why they're there in Jerusalem.
They're submitting themselves to the Word of God in this way.
They have this first hand knowledge of the Scriptures.
They have seen Jesus for themselves.
They're aware of His ministry.
They've heard His teaching.
They've seen His miracles.
They've heard about all the things that Jesus did in their midst for the three years of His earthly ministry.
They knew about His death.
They knew about His resurrection.
At least had heard about His resurrection.
But knowing the facts about Jesus are not enough for saving faith.
Knowing the facts about Jesus are not enough.
And that's what we see here there at the very beginning of Acts chapter 2.
A group of very committed, very devout followers of Jesus.
They knew the Word.
They sought to obey the Scriptures.
But they did not have saving faith.
And so Peter, here in this sermon, will help them to understand a little bit more what saving faith requires.
Saving faith is not merely admiration for Jesus.
But trusting in the true Christ as God reveals Him.
So how did God reveal Jesus Christ?
Well, we see that beginning in verse 22.
The true Christ was fully man.
He was fully man.
See this with me.
Verse 22 to 24, it says this.
Men of Israel, hear these words.
Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through Him in your midst.
As you yourselves know, this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.
You crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death because it was not possible for Him to be held by it.
We're going to develop those verses over the next several points.
But first, Jesus was truly Christ by being fully man.
Why is this important?
Well, it's important for Jesus to be a man so that He could represent men.
It was important for Jesus to be a man because, as you remember, He was the mediator between God and men.
If Jesus was going to represent God to man, He needed to be a man Himself.
Jesus was, as Peter says here, a historical figure.
Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God.
He stepped into our time and space.
He was a historical figure.
He lived a real life as a real person.
He lived in Nazareth.
He had a real heritage.
He came from a real family.
His humanity is an essential quality of saving faith.
Why is that important, Andrew?
Well, because the Apostle John says this in 1 John 4, verses 2-3.
He says,
By this you know the Spirit of God.
Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.
Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.
This is the Spirit of Antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
Jesus' humanity was essential for Him to welcome us into saving faith.
To recognize that He came into time and space to rescue us from our sin.
We find in His humanity a humility about Him.
Philippians 2, verses 5-8 developed this.
And we don't have time to really go into detail.
But you can see it even here.
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
who, though He was in the form of God,
did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.
But He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men,
and being found in human form,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on the cross.
What words stand out about the Lord from those verses?
What do you see?
What do you see about the essential nature of Jesus Christ?
He was in the form of God.
Now, it's important to understand that the Greek word form here
is not just that He had an outward appearance of God,
but that He shared the essential nature of God Himself.
That when you look at Jesus,
the exact imprint of Christ's nature,
the exact character of God was painted on Christ.
He was God in every way.
And so in the same way as demonstrating the form of a servant,
in coming in the likeness of men,
He also came in true humanity.
The stress is that He shared the nature of God,
but then was willing to empty Himself in some way
of pushing aside the expression of His deity
to be a man,
to come with human limitations.
He took this form of a servant.
He humbled Himself.
He became obedient.
God becomes obedient.
Consider some of these breathtaking statements
we find from the Lord Jesus Himself
throughout the Gospel of John.
It says in John 5, verse 19,
So Jesus said to them,
Truly, truly, I say to you,
the Son can do nothing of His own accord,
but only what He sees the Father doing.
For whatever the Father does,
that the Son does likewise.
Just let that settle on your heart for just a moment.
And the mission team,
we're working through a book called Christ for Real,
Christ for Real by Charles Price,
and the deacons are kind of reading through this book as well.
And just understanding the wonder of the Gospel
and what Jesus actually did as a man
to express His humanity.
Can you wrap your head around this statement?
Jesus says,
The Son can do nothing of Himself,
not because He couldn't do anything,
but because He restricted Himself
to be dependent on the Father,
His will, His direction,
obedience to Him,
and the power of the Holy Spirit working through it.
Just so you know that this isn't a verse
that's kind of out in the fringe,
John 5, verse 30.
Jesus says,
I can do nothing on my own.
As I hear, I judge,
and my judgment is just,
because I seek not my own will,
but the will of Him who sent me.
John 8, verse 28.
So Jesus said to them,
When you have lifted up the Son of Man,
then you will know that I am He,
and that I do nothing on my own authority,
but speak just as the Father taught me.
John 12, verses 49 and 50 says,
For I have not spoken on my own authority,
but the Father who has sent me
has Himself given me a command,
what to say and what to speak.
And I know that His commandment is eternal life.
What I say, therefore,
I say as the Father has told me.
Even down to the very words of our Lord Jesus Christ,
every single word was given to Him by the Father.
Every single work,
every single action of obedience
was in concert with God the Father
and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
His humanity coming into full view.
Jesus depended completely on the Father
and the Spirit.
So why does His humanity matter?
It matters for so many reasons,
but especially because as a man,
now Jesus could fill all the promises
that were given covenantally.
We find that Jesus is the seed of the woman.
He is the actual offspring of Eve.
Genesis chapter 3, verse 15,
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
between your offspring and her offspring.
He shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.
Jesus is also the seed of Abraham.
Galatians chapter 3, verse 16,
Now the promises were made.
To Abraham and to his offspring,
it does not say,
and to offsprings,
referring to many,
but referring to one.
And to your offspring,
who is Christ.
In order for Jesus to fulfill the promise to Abraham,
He had to be a man.
And then to David,
Jesus is the Son.
Of David.
A fulfillment of that promise.
Luke chapter 1, verses 31 to 33.
Draw that to our attention.
And behold, you will conceive.
In your womb and bear a son.
You shall call his name Jesus.
He will be great.
He will be called the Son of the Most High.
And the Lord will give to him
the throne of his father David.
And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever.
And of his kingdom,
there will be no end.
Jesus is a man
in fulfillment of promises.
He came in the form of man.
He became a servant
so that he could show us
what obedience to the Father really meant.
The true Christ was fully man.
But the true Christ is also fully God.
We see that also in verse 22.
Peter continues,
Hear these words,
Jesus of Nazareth.
A man attested to you
by God
with mighty works
and wonders
and signs
that God did through him
in your midst
as you yourselves know.
Throughout Christ's life
and ministry,
he was the indisputable
image of God.
He was God made flesh
indisputably.
But why does it matter
that Jesus
was fully God?
Well,
because only God
can bear the weight
of divine wrath.
Only God
can bear the weight
of divine wrath.
So Jesus as God
can bear that cost
for desperate sinners.
Notice how Peter
stresses this point.
He was attested to you.
He was proven to you.
He demonstrated
in a public way,
a public fashion,
in an indisputable way
that he was in fact
from God.
Remember those protests
from the Pharisees?
Who can forgive sins
but God alone?
And Jesus is like,
exactly.
Luke chapter 5,
verse 21.
Jesus says,
okay,
I'll show you that
I not only have power
to forgive sins,
I'm going to say
to this man,
take up your bed
and walk
and he's going to do that
and it will show
that I have power
over the flesh
and power over sin.
I have that authority.
Thanks for bringing it
to everyone's attention.
The Pharisees would also say,
you being a man,
make yourself God.
In John chapter 10,
verse 30 to 33.
And Jesus says,
well, believe me.
Believe me for the,
not just because
of the words that I speak,
believe me on account
of the works.
You have this testimony.
The confirmation of words
that are coupled with works.
You see them working out.
You see the evidence
right in front of you.
Yes,
I am making myself God.
That's the point
because I am God.
The Pharisees
who also said to him,
who gave you
this authority?
As Jesus is casting out
the money changers
and turning over tables
in the temple
and they recognize
the authority
of the Lord
and Jesus confirms,
yes,
the zeal
for the Lord's house
has eaten me up.
God.
It's for him
and that's who
I am serving.
I'm serving him.
And then in John
chapter 5,
verse 18,
it says this,
this is why the Jews
were seeking
all the more
to kill him
because not only
was he breaking
the Sabbath,
but he was even
calling God
his own father,
making himself
equal with God.
Time and time again,
Jesus wants to make
it absolutely clear,
I am God.
I'm attested to you
by God
through signs
and wonders
which God is doing
through me.
Believe me.
So the Pharisees
were not confused.
They knew exactly
what Jesus was claiming.
Jesus was claiming
to be God
and in fact,
he demonstrated
that nature
with mighty works,
with wonders
and signs
and the goal
of all of these
wonders and signs
and miracles
was not just
to capture attention
but to draw them
to faith,
to help them
understand the
significance of
this is God
in the flesh
among you.
Of course,
the nature of Christ
was also confirmed
through the Father.
At his baptism
in Matthew chapter 3,
the Father says,
this is my beloved Son
in whom I'm well pleased.
We see at his transfiguration
the same kinds of words
where the Father says
a voice comes out
of the cloud,
this is my Son,
my chosen one,
listen to him.
And even in the final moments
of Jesus' public ministry
before he takes his disciples
to be with him
in the upper room,
we find this
in John chapter 12
where Jesus says,
my soul is troubled
and what shall I say?
Father,
save me from this hour
but for this purpose
I came to this hour.
Father,
glorify your name.
Then a voice
came from heaven
saying,
I have both glorified it
and will glorify it again.
A third confirmation,
a testimony
of the Father
glorifying his Son
in a very public way
so that everyone
could hear.
And Jesus would attest
to him,
his own deity.
Remember,
the woman at the well
in John chapter 4,
the woman says to him,
I know the Messiah is coming
who is called the Christ.
When he comes,
he will tell us all things.
And Jesus says to her,
I who speak to you am he.
I'm the guy.
I'm the Messiah
you've been looking for.
You're looking at him
right here.
He tests to his divinity.
And then,
the centurion
at the cross
who says,
truly,
this was the Son of God.
We see
the nature
of our Savior,
his deity
coming through,
affirmed consistently
throughout his ministry.
And so,
this is the issue.
This issue
is the dividing line
for every true
saving faith.
Every world religion
apart from Christianity
will reject
the nature
of Christ
as being
the eternal
Son of God.
God himself
in the flesh.
whether you're
talking about Islam
or Judaism
or Mormonism
or Jehovah's Witnesses
or Buddhism
or Hinduism,
it doesn't matter.
They all reject
the essential nature
of Christ's divinity.
But fragments
of that,
I think,
seep into
our own hearts,
even for believers.
believers.
How easy
is it
for us
to know
the doctrines
of God
but not to allow
those doctrines
to really be
fleshed out
in our life?
You see,
when churches
lean on
branding
or strategy
or charisma
or production
or vision
or strategies
instead of
dependence
on Christ,
they are
demonstrating
that Christ
is not enough.
You see,
Christ's humanity
is diminished
when we decide
that Christ's
divinity
is not
sufficient
for us
and other problems
that we face.
We diminish
his humanity
when we believe
that Christ
is too far away.
He doesn't really
care about my needs
and yet
the word of God
became flesh.
he dwelt
among us.
His humanity
was to help us
understand
that his presence
is here
and ready
for us to enjoy.
We diminish
his humanity
when we forget
that Jesus
entered into
our weakness.
He embraced
your sorrow.
He knows
the troubles
that you are
going through
and he is a
high priest
who can sympathize
with your weaknesses.
We diminish
the humanity
of Christ
when we separate
his obedience
from the command
that we are given
to follow after him.
And we diminish
his divinity
when we believe
that worship
is optional.
We diminish
his divinity
when we treat
sin lightly.
We diminish
his divinity
when our own
desires
crowd out
submission
to the Lord,
the Master,
the Sovereign King.
God has called
us as Lord
to worship
and bow
in humility
as Christ did
to consider
ourselves nothing,
to submit
to him in obedience,
to wear
and to embrace
the beauty
of servanthood
to God.
You see,
the true Christ
was fully human.
The true Christ
was fully divine
and the true Christ
died for sinners.
We see that
in verse 23.
this Jesus
delivered up
according to
the definite plan
and foreknowledge
of God.
You crucified
and killed
by the hands
of lawless men.
This wasn't
God's backup plan.
Jesus wasn't
a victim
of circumstances.
He wasn't
overpowered
by cruel
and wicked men.
This was God's plan
from the very
beginning
to die
for sinners.
sinners.
So everything
we enjoy
in the Christian life
is a result
of the work
of Christ's death.
So why did
his death matter?
Well,
his death mattered
because only
a crucified Savior
can pay the price
for sin.
Only man could die
in the place of man
and only God
could give
that death
infinite saving worth.
The two come together
in the person
of Christ.
The mission team
is memorizing
through Psalm 103
and it says this.
It says,
Bless the Lord,
O my soul,
and all that is
within me,
bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord,
O my soul,
and forget not
all his benefits.
Who forgives
all your iniquities.
Who heals
all your diseases.
Who redeems
your life
from destruction
and crowns you
with steadfast love
and mercy.
Who satisfies
your soul,
your mouth,
with good things
so that your youth
is renewed
like the eagles.
Bless the Lord,
O my soul,
and all that is
within me.
Bless his holy name.
We benefit
because of the
blessing
of a crucified Savior.
All of the benefits
that we have
are a result
of his death
for us.
And you see,
there in your notes
a list
of a number
of theological terms.
The things
that God has done.
This is just a sampling,
by the way,
of all the things
that Christ has accomplished
for us
through his death.
Just briefly,
his atonement.
What is atonement?
Well,
atonement is that
Jesus bore the penalty
for your sin.
You see,
Romans 6.23 says,
the wages of sin
is death.
And because we're
all sinners,
we all deserve to die.
Not just in a physical way.
We deserve to be
separated from God
forever.
And Jesus died
for that.
Not just atonement,
but also propitiation.
What's that fancy word
supposed to mean?
Well,
propitiation is that
God satisfied
the righteous
requirement
of God's wrath
for you
so that you could
enjoy the benefits
of his peace.
John 3.18 says,
whoever believes in him
is not condemned,
but whoever
has not believed
is condemned already.
And that's our
plight.
So that
John 3.36
will say,
to anyone who has
not come to faith
in Christ,
that the wrath of God
remains on him,
on her.
God's wrath
remains on us.
We are condemned
if we do not believe.
But if you believe
in Jesus,
the wrath of God
landed on Christ.
He paid for your sin.
He extends to you
peace.
Peace.
You can see
in your notes
substitution
that he died
in the place
for sinners.
His redemption,
that his blood
paid the price
for your sin
and mine.
Reconciliation,
where he brings
sinners back to God.
Forgiveness,
that his blood
secures our pardon.
Cleansing.
He purifies
guilty sinners.
Justification,
Romans 3.26,
God is just
and the justifier
of those
who have faith
in Jesus.
And from 2 Corinthians
chapter 5.21,
it says,
For he made him
who knew no sin
to be sin for us
that we might become
the righteousness
of God in him.
The righteousness
of God?
You are the righteousness
of God
in him.
Does that
make you marvel?
Does that
take your breath
away?
You are righteous
in God's eyes,
not because you're
righteous,
but because he is.
And he,
in his righteousness,
paid the price
for sinners
so that you
could be called
and I could be called
righteous,
holy,
pure,
radiant,
blameless.
Not because of
the credentials
that we bring
to the table,
but because of
his credentials.
Oh,
the death of Christ,
all that he accomplished
for us.
It's unbelievable.
It should
inflame within our hearts
a love for God
and a desire to worship.
All the blessings,
the benefits that we have
because of Christ's death.
But marvel at the riches
of his grace
and his kindness
to us in Christ.
But if Christ
had not also risen,
we would not enjoy
the real benefits
of his death.
It is in his resurrection
that we get to enjoy
the power of that resurrection.
New life
because of Christ.
So the true Christ
was raised
from the dead.
In Acts chapter 2,
verses 24 to 31,
it says,
God raised him up,
loosing the pangs of death
because it was not possible
for him
to be held by it.
Why does the resurrection matter?
Well,
it matters because
only a living Savior
can offer life
to those who believe.
Only a living Savior
can offer life
to those who believe.
Well,
Peter will spend
the next several verses
that are drawn
from Psalm chapter 16
and then he
not just reads them
but then he applies them
to the immediate situation
of his audience.
We see it in verse 25.
It says,
For David says concerning him,
I saw the Lord
always before me
for he is at my right hand
that I may not be shaken.
Therefore my heart was glad,
my tongue rejoiced,
my flesh also will dwell
in hope.
For you will not
abandon my soul to Hades
or let your Holy One
see corruption.
You have made known to me
the paths of life.
You will make me full
of gladness
with your presence.
Peter provides this
emphatic,
prophetic word
from David
about this ministry
of Christ.
God has sworn to you
an oath,
meaning if God does not
keep his promise,
then God cannot be trusted.
That's how important
this word from David
was and how now
Peter will place
this word
on the immediate situation
and say,
see,
God is faithful.
You can trust him
because he did give David
a son
and this son did die
and this son
did not see corruption.
He did rise again
and this son will sit
on David's throne.
All of these promises
bound together,
inseparable.
And while we are yet
awaiting the triumph
of Christ
in coming
and reigning
on a throne,
we can believe
that if God was
faithful in the order
of all these other things,
he will be faithful
in that as well.
We can trust that.
But the resurrection
was a real struggle
for the Jews
and Gentiles.
We see in 1 Corinthians
chapter 1
verses 22 and 23,
it says,
for the Jews demand
a sign
and Greeks seek wisdom.
But we preach
Christ
crucified,
a stumbling block
to the Jews
and folly
to the Gentiles.
Why?
Why was the resurrection
of Christ
such a stumbling block
for the Jews?
I think there are
probably lots of answers
but maybe something
along these lines.
How could God be born?
How does God
have a beginning
at least in the minds
of those who were there
in the first century?
How could God die?
How could God exist
for eternity
and yet step into
creation
through being born
in Bethlehem?
This was a repeated refrain.
This was the struggle,
the difficulty
of those
during Christ's day.
The Pharisees would say
in Luke chapter 4
verse 22,
is this not
Joseph's son?
And then in John
chapter 6
verse 42,
is not this Jesus
the son of Joseph
whose father
and mother we know?
How does he now
say I have come
down from heaven?
This is absolutely
ridiculous.
It's a stumbling block.
I can't believe it.
In John chapter 8
verse 57,
the Pharisees say
of Jesus,
you are not even
50 years old
and you have seen
Abraham?
Come on!
We know you're a man.
This is not possible.
And so for the
unbelieving Jew
to have a crucified
Messiah
was a stumbling block.
How is it possible
for their king
to be treated
like a criminal
on the cross
and put to death?
For the same way
it was a foolishness
to the Gentiles.
This bodily resurrection
was not a welcome doctrine
for Gentiles.
They viewed the body
as weakness
and the spirit
as kind of this
elevated part
of our nature.
So for Christians
to claim the bodily
resurrection
was offensive to them.
It was foolishness
to them.
But Paul will say
of the resurrection
in 1 Corinthians
chapter 15,
if Christ has not
been raised
then our preaching
is in vain
and your faith
is in vain.
We serve
a risen Savior.
He's in the world today.
I know that He's living
whatever men may say.
We see His hand of mercy.
We hear His voice of cheer
and just the time
we need Him
He's always near.
He lives.
We're going to sing that
I'm sure
or maybe a song
similar to that.
I don't want to put that
on John.
In two weeks.
Can you believe
we're going to be
celebrating Easter
in just a couple of weeks?
A risen Savior.
And just as real
and physical
as the resurrection
had to be
the Son of David
needs to reign
from the throne
over a real kingdom.
These promises
are bound together
and that's where
we turn at the end.
The true Christ
was exalted
to the Father's
right hand.
The true Christ
was exalted
to the Father's
right hand.
Peter,
drawing from
the Psalm
says in Acts
chapter 2
verse 29,
Brothers,
I say to you
with confidence
about the patriarch David
that he both died
and was buried
and his tomb
is with us
to this day
being therefore
a prophet
and knowing
that God
had sworn
with an oath
to him
that he would
set one of his
descendants
on the throne.
Said
of Christ
he foresaw
and spoke
about the resurrection
of the Christ
that he would be
resurrected
but also
that he would reign.
And then in verse 33
being therefore
exalted
at the right hand
of God
and having received
from the Father
the promise
of the Holy Spirit
he has poured out
this
that you yourselves
are seeing
and hearing
for David
did not ascend
into the heavens
but he himself
says
the Lord
said to my Lord
sit
at my
right hand
let all the house
of Israel
therefore know
for certain
that God
has made him
both Lord
and Christ
this Jesus
whom you crucified.
What's the significance
of an exalted
Savior?
well
an exalted
Savior
stands
with final
authority
an exalted
Savior
has been
confirmed
as the one
who is over all
an exalted
Savior
is in fact
above all
dominions
and powers
and rulers
and authorities
above both
visible
and invisible
thrones
or dominions
he's over it all
confirmed
that now
he sits
at the Father's
right hand
saving faith
you see
is not
a generic
in a generic
religious figure
saving faith
is in
the Son
Jesus Christ
and all the things
that are necessary
believing in his
humanity
his divinity
his death
his resurrection
his exaltation
so that we can
worship
a risen
Savior
Romans 10
9 and 10
says this
because if you confess
with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart
that God raised him
from the dead
you will be saved
for with the heart
one believes
and is justified
and with the mouth
one confesses
and is saved
Jesus
as the exalted
King above all
is Master
and Ruler
and Lord
have you submitted
your heart
to King Jesus?
have you recognized
the exalted position
that he's in?
day by day
and I
I just evaluate
my own life
how often
do I lose sight
of the exalted
Savior
who's at
the Father's right hand
and I
mix myself up
and all the petty
things of life
I'm so
dominated
at times
with the
the trivial
things of this world
anxious about
troubles
that I can't control
in not
recognizing
or embracing
the sovereignty
and power
of God
over all
you see
through Christ
God's glory
comes into full view
it's diminished
because of sin
all have sinned
and fallen short
of the glory
of God
but now because of Christ
and because of his work
those who believe
in the gospel
can enjoy now
this renewed
sense of glory
the presence of God
that comes to dwell
in hearts
the authority
of God
that is present
as his people
submit to his sovereignty
the word of Christ
the nature of Christ
as we bow our knee
in obedience
to his will
and we bear
the fruit of the spirit
love
joy
peace
patience
as the nature
of Christ
changes us
and transforms us
from one degree
of glory
to the other
you see
the work
of salvation
is complete
and Jesus
is restored
to his rightful place
of authority
honor
worship
and glory
oh may God's people
worship him
in the way
that he deserves
not only
when we come to church
on Sunday
but throughout the week
day by day
may people see
the glory
of God
Father we thank you
for sending your son
thank you for his work
of salvation
his death
his resurrection
thank you that he is now
seated at the Father's
right hand
thank you that he has
accomplished
once for all
the work of salvation
and you invite us
to enjoy it
together
oh Lord may
the wonder of
of Christ
fill us
from day to day
and may you be pleased
with our lives
in Jesus name
amen
God bless you
have a great week