Fundamental Requirements Of Christianity

FUNDAMENTAL REQUIREMENTS OF CHRISTIANITY

ILLUSTRATION

As the new plant manager walked through the factory he noticed, in the distance, a worker hit the machine he was at with a large hammer. The manager stopped and watched the worker. It was remarkable, every three minutes the worker would pick up a large ballpeen hammer and strike the machine a savage blow. The manager turned to the area foreman, who was walking with him, and asked why the employee was striking the machine with a ballpeen hammer. The foreman nonchalantly replied: “That is what we always do.” The plant manager finished the inspection tour and returned to his office.

The next day, at the morning department manager’s meeting, the plant manager asked if anyone knew why there was an employee beating on his machine with a ballpeen hammer. None of the production managers had an answer. The procurement and supply manager made the statement: “Probably because we only stock ballpeen hammers.” By this time, irritation could be easily discerned on the plant manager’s face. He stated, rather firmly: “You mean we have an employee beating a piece of equipment with a hammer and no one knows why?” An old and rather crusty maintenance manager spoke up: “did this happen at the annealing furnaces?” “Yes,” replied the plant manager. Rubbing his jaws with a large knurled hand, the maintenance manager slowly commented: “I bet it was at the 101 line. About 10-years ago that line had a froze link in it and every time the link came around to the center idler cog you had to hit the machine on the idler bearing mount to keep the chain from hanging up. But we fixed that chain a long time ago” The room grew very quiet as the plant manager leaned forward and gently said: “ten years ago.” “Yep, at least 10-years, just as soon as we got a new link,” replied the maintenance foreman. The annealing department manager blurted out: “no one ever told us that the machine was fixed!” The plant manager leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling thinking: “I wonder just how many people in this factory don’t know … why.” He slowly leaned forward and placed his hands, face down, on the table in front of him. He spoke gently: “When our people do something without knowing why they are doing it we have reduced them to nothing more than an extension of the machine they are working at. We cannot build a quality workforce unless everyone knows …WHY!

SERMON

HISTORICAL TRUTHS

1. The Godhead; God, Jesus and Holy Spirit created the physical world and all that is in it. (Genesis 1 and 2)

2. Satan, a powerful spiritual being, rebelled against God and led mankind into rebellion against God. (Genesis 3)

3. Mankind is now in a depraved state and we are doomed to eternal punishment and separation from God. (Romans 3:23, 6:23)

4. God does not want to see mankind doomed to eternal punishment and separation. (John 3:16)

5. God made an initial covenant with mankind and in this covenant God provided a means for dealing with our sins. In a place representing the throne room of God, a high priest sacrificed an unblemished animal once a year and this temporally set aside the guilt of our sins. But, only a perfect sacrifice, in the actual throne room of the Godhead and conducted by the ultimate high priest would provide a means for mankind’s sins to be forever forgiven. (Romans 3:21-30, Hebrews 9)

A PERFECT SOLUTION TO REUNITE MANKIND WITH THE GODHEAD

It is without question that God is the author, perfecter and finisher of our salvation. This is not, however, a universal salvation! Our salvation requires we hear about Jesus so that we might have a personal knowledge of, and faith in, the power of the perfect sacrifice. (Luke 11:28, Ephesians 4:21, John 17:20) The very essence of our salvation is wrapped up in the requirements of the perfect sacrifice.

1. Scripture defines the requirements for the perfect sacrifice as being:

a. spiritually pure;

b. physically pure;

c. conducted by the ultimate High Priest; and

d. with direct access to the throne room of the Godhead.

2. Herein lays a key issue:

a. Obviously nothing physical could meet these requirements, and

b. Obviously nothing spiritual could meet these requirements.

Please note, only a perfect sacrifice would redeem mankind and it has to be a combination of physical and spiritual perfection. What all this boils down to is the fact that the sacrifice must be a perfect spiritual being, housed in a physically pure human body. Ergo, we have the requirement for the incarnation of the Creator. God must come to earth in human form: a virgin must give birth to an incarnated element of the Godhead.