1. There is wonderful CONFIDENCE & SECURITY in Jesus Christ.
a. Our salvation isn’t based on the promises we have made to God but rather THE PROMISE He has made to us.
b. If you believe, you are saved, eternally.
2 Corinthians 1:20
NOTE: They came to Jesus one day and asked:
John 6:28-29 (NKJV) 28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
• So what R they Jesus? What religious rituals do we need to do?
• What works will you lay out for us so that we can work for God?
• This is the essence of religion… here are the works, go work!
V29 - Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
• This is the bedrock of relationship… believe. Put your faith in the words & work of Jesus Christ… and you are saved!
NOTE: What’s at stake here is a FALSE SECURITY.
• A lot of people, when it comes to their relationship with God have a false sense of security. All is well. No problems here.
• But unless your relationship with God is by faith in His Son, there is NO security, but rather, condemnation.
John 3:16-18 (NKJV) 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
NOW I think the most popular thought that gives a false sense of spiritual security is the “If I’m good, I’m going to heaven.”
• “GOOD” is the standard. Helping others. Giving to good causes.
• “I DO GOOD” – I go to church. I read the Bible. I pray.
• “I AM GOOD” – See God, I do good, I try to do good, I AM Good.
• Look at 3:10 with me for a second…
• So if you want to go that way, you have to do it PERFECTLY.
• God wants us to realize we are spiritually bankrupt!
• If you want to be saved because you’re moral, then you have to be morally perfect.
• If you want to be saved because you’re religious, then you have to be religiously perfect.
• If you want to be saved because you’re good, then you have to be perfectly good…
• And we all conclude… I need, you need, we need Jesus!
I. (2:17-24) RELIGION WILL NOT SAVE YOU!
1. (17-20) The privilege of being a Jew.
a. Paul knew in the audience hearing this letter would be the extremely religious of the day: The Jews.
b. “Why would I need Jesus Christ?”, they would ask.
c. We are God’s chosen people.
NOTICE the 7 things they would rest upon & even boast about in their religious relationship with God:
#1 – v17 - They were CALLED Jews.
• The word Jews literally means, “Praise to Jehovah!”
• So proud of their names they used it as a surname!
#2 – v17 – They RESTED in the Law.
• They believed they were OK not because they followed the Law but simply because they had it.
#3 – v17 – They BOASTED in God.
• Their boasting wasn’t good. They thought they were superior.
#4 – v18 – They KNEW God’s Will.
• Their self-confidence was only more in understanding it.
#5 – v18 – They APPROVED the things that were excellent
• They went around saying what was good and bad. Good Judges.
#6 – v18 – They LEARNED from the Law.
• They were masters of taking it in, taking it in.
#7 – v19-20 – They were CONFIDENT SPIRITUAL Teachers.
• This bred a deep self-confident self-righteousness.
APP: OK… let’s bring that home for a minute…
• Here we are, believers in Jesus Christ, that love His Word.
• We agree with the Psalmist don’t we…
Psalm 119:97 (NKJV) 97 Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.
NOTE: That’s where we need to be very, very careful.
• Flip over to 1 Corinthians 8:1-3
Romans 12:3 (NKJV) 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
• The Bible, this precious book, is a tool that God uses to draw a person to Himself for salvation & Hope.
• But it can also become a tool that man uses to condemn and destroy people’s lives!
• That’s why we need to be careful we don’t look down on people because of our relationship with Jesus, but we look up to Jesus and let Him work through our lives to win a person to Him!
• Flip back to Luke 18:9-14 (Religious Pharisee)
2. (21-24) Wrong Belief’s Led to Wrong Behavior
a. It makes sense then that with their wrong beliefs, their lives would reflect it.
b. Some of the leaders would get away with stealing, lying, and transgress the very Law…
c. The Talmud itself charged 3 of its most illustrious rabbis with adultery.
d. Josephus, the Jewish historian, wrote as a reminder:
Antiquities IV, 8:10. (207) Let no one blaspheme those gods which other cities esteem such; nor may anyone steal what belongs to strange temples; nor take away the gifts that are dedicated to any god.
e. All this, even though they were boasting in the Law!
f. It was so bad, that God was blasphemed because of their imbalanced, hypocritical lives!
APP: It’s sad isn’t it how much damage is done to the church by Christians who live their lives religiously, but not holy.
• So that now one of the biggest arguments against Christianity is that I don’t believe in the church it’s full of hypocrites!
• We know that hypocrites are everywhere, but still, we need to really check out our lives and make sure they line up with Jesus and His desire to use us in these last days!
• Flip over to 2 Timothy 2.19-22
It’s true, RELIGIOUS PEOPLE can be some of the hardest to reach with the gospel.
• There is so much pride, and misinformation.
• Instead of relying upon and trusting in Jesus, so many today trust in their religious affiliations.
• Are you saved? Well, yes. I’m a Catholic. I’m a Presbyterian. I’m a Methodist. I’m a Calvary Chapelite.
• Listen, we’re not saved by labels and categories.
• We’re saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
• And the only way to access God is through Him, by faith!
John 3:3 (NKJV) 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Now we move from RELIGION, to RELIGIOUS RITUALS…
They won’t save you or me either!
II. (2:25-29) RITUALS WILL NOT SAVE YOU!
1. (25) For the Jew, Ceremonies were important.
a. Culturally, the way you became a Jew was not just being born into the right family…
b. You also enter into those covenants (or promises)
c. If you were male, at 8 days old you would be circumcised.
d. That was the outward sign of commitment to God and a reminder of your connection to Him.
THE BIG PROBLEM is that men began to trust in their outward sign and live with a wrong heart toward God!
• So they could sin, and live in rebellion to God, but would then say, but I’m circumcised so it’s OK.
Sounds a lot like some Christians today.
• But now it’s not circumcision, it’s water baptism, it’s tithing, it’s confirmation, it’s catechism…
• So you’ll hear… I’ll go drink. I’ll go party. I’ll steal. I’ll lie. I’ll take advantage of people and rip them off.
• I’ll live with my boyfriend. I’ll have sex outside of marriage…
• But I was water baptized so it’s ok.
• My family have been lifelong members of the church! NO WAY!
• If you’re heart isn’t changed, you can swim in the waters of baptism for hours, but never truly be saved.
• It’s not the rituals that save, it’s faith!
External appearances are important to people and they can be incredibly dangerous in the realm of our spiritual life.
• It’s not enough to just look like a Christian, sound like a Christians, carry a big bible, stop cussing, and go to church.
• Religion tries to change a person from the outside in.
• But God, by faith, will change you from the inside out!
• Once Jesus gets on the inside of a person by faith, WATCH Out!
YOU Know to be married here… you need to be believers.
• So that’s a question in our pre-marital packet.
• How is your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
• And so usually there is the answer, we’re ok, we love the Lord.
• But then we notice that they couple is living together.
• So we’ll ask, why do you want to be married in the church, if you don’t’ want to live for Jesus outside of the church?
• We can’t justify or approve of your sin.
OR we’ll have people that want to serve, want to teach, want to give themselves in the sacrifice for the Lord…
Serving in the ministry at Calvary Aurora will require faithfulness & diligence to your commitment.
(1 Corinthians 4:2) Are you willing to commit to being faithful in this ministry?
(Heb 13:17) Are you willing to joyfully submit to the ministry leaders over you?
(Luke 14:28) Have you counted the cost?
• If you’re living in unrepentant sin, we don’t want U to think it’s OK. It’s not. It’s harmful both to you and the Body of Believers.
• So are you are willing to sacrifice for the sake of others?
• Sometimes we’ll hear: but I’m free in Christ to do such & such.
• But listen, what U R doing is causing people to blaspheme God!
The only way you can get better is to have Jesus credit His life to yours by faith and fully surrender to His will!
• Good works won’t save you. Good morals won’t save you.
• Religious affiliations won’t save you. Rituals won’t save you!
Titus 3:4-7 (NKJV) 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Maybe you’ve been trusting in the wrong things…
• And today is the day where you lay them aside and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ who laid down His life for you.
• He wants to save you and give you the assurance and security you need to live holy & righteous lives in a very perverse and twisted society!
