March 10, 2013
LOVE DOES. contend pt. 1 WHAT DO WE BELIEVE?
Good morning!
Two hunters were out hunting and come upon what appeared at first as an abandoned farm. The barn was sagging, the house was in disrepair, and there were junk cars and car parts lying around. The only thing that made it a working farm were a few chickens pecking away and a goat wandering around. As they entered the yard they came across an old well. One asked the other "Wonder how deep it is." The other said, "We'll have to drop something down and listen for the splash." They look around for something to drop down the well, but the only thing close by was an old transmission. They both hauled it over to the well and dropped it in. They counted and waited a long time for the splash. It was deep, deep one all right. They turned to leave and saw the goat was charging at them, head down, horns headed straight for them. At the last moment they jumped aside, and the goat went right past them and straight over the side and down the well. They looked at each other in amazement. As they started to leave, the owner of the farm came up. They chatted for a moment and got permission to hunt on his land. The farmer asked, "Have you seen my goat?" They said, "Your goat almost killed us charging at us. You should have had that goat tied up." The farmer, "I thought I had him tied up to an old transmission." LESSON: You follow what you're tied to
Church what this comes down to today is this... What do we believe in? What are we tied too?
Are we tied to the right stuff? The right beliefs...
I know for the most part we could say the basics, but here are the true stats...
More than 60 percent of Americans can't name either half of the Ten Commandments or the four Gospels of the New Testament.
Some 80 percent including "born again" Christians believe that "God helps those who help themselves" is a direct quote from the Bible.
And 31 percent believe a good person can earn his/her way into heaven.
Less than 4 out of 10 Christians can articulate to someone else what they believe in. Even fewer can tell people why they believe in it...
Josh McDowell points this out...
“If anything is based upon truth, it’s the Christian faith,” he said. “Christians who do not know why they have faith or believe have a very difficult time expressing themselves to others.
McDowell Asked why the Bible is true and historically reliable, Christians replied that it was what they had been taught by their church or parents.
A common response that most Christians gave to both questions was that it is “what I believe.”
McDowell responded: “That’s voodoo thinking. Where did we ever get that crazy idea that something is true just because we believe it?
“If that is true, then there will never be heresy. Everybody would be right.”
On one occasion, 13 youth pastors at a large convention were unable to reasonably answer the apologist’s question.
Finally one young person stood up, walked toward him and told him he knew the answer.
The young man promptly held up his Bible and said, “Because I believe it.”
And to McDowell’s dismay, all the youth pastors applauded him.
McDowell said, “Young man, do you know the difference between you, me and the majority of Christians in the world?
“To you, it is true because you believe it. For me, I believe it because it is true.”
We don’t want to be a church that just simply has a bunch of people that believes but doesn’t know why they believe...
We want our church to be a place where answers are found and people not only believe but can explain why they believe.
This week we are going to be going over the “what” we believe and next week we are going to go over the “why” we believe it.
George Barna reports some amazing facts. Most Americans, including profession Christians, believe that people are inherently good and that there primary purpose is to enjoy life as much as possible.
a). 38% believe that it doesn’t matter what religious faith you follow because they all teach the same lessons.
b). 44% believed that all people will experience the same outcome after death, regardless of their religious beliefs.
c). 55% believed that if a person is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life, they will earn a place in heaven.
If this is what our culture is saying... If this is what many “believers” in our culture believe?
How can you discern whether someone is truly a Christian or not? Very often many people base their salvation off of a prayer they said when they were a kid...
Where is the bible verse that says “ask Jesus into your heart?” Oh wait, there isn’t one.
So what makes a believer a believer? What is the belief in?
Today we want to point out several key essential things that we believe in that make us Christ Followers... Christians... Believers...
The Deity of Christ... Jesus is 100% man and 100% God.
The hypostatic union... It’s the only way the sacrifice he made would have been good enough...
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... vs.14 and the Word became flesh dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus has always been... He didn’t just come when He was born... He is the God of the Bible...
John 8:24, I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.
Jesus said that if you do not believe "that I am" you will die in your sins.
In Greek I am is 'ego eimi,' which means ‘I am.'
These are the same words used in John 8:58, where Jesus says "...before Abraham was, I am." He was claiming the divine title by quoting Exodus 3:14.
I want you to think about this, this morning. Jesus is the God of the Bible...
He was the God of the burning bush speaking to Moses...
He is the second in the Trinity... Which is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit...
The Trinity - There is one God who exists in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are all coeternal and of the same nature.
He has always been, he entered human history through the virgin birth of his mother Mary, lived a sinless perfect life and died a death that we deserved...
Salvation by grace.
Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
There is not anything else on the earth, above the earth, history past, future that will ever save anyone to a relationship with Christ other than Grace...
And the best things about grace... IT’S FREE...
So many people get this confused... This is where so many cults and other religions pull people astray so quickly... They make it about what you can do...
Be good, follow these rules, do these rituals...
Galatians 2:21 says clearly I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
If you could earn salvation some how some way... Then Christ died for nothing.
BUT THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND... There was not another way... Jesus had to die for you...
And... HE died for you while you were still His enemy... He died for you knowing everything you would ever do.
So where you may look at your life and see all the mistakes, all of the failures, all the I wish I would haves... You may see brokenness, or ashamed, or not worthy...
JESUS SEES, MINE. He sees worth in you. He has a love for you that you cannot fathom or comprehend... A love you cannot describe...
Someone suggested what set Christianity apart from other religions was the concept of incarnation, the idea that God took human form in Jesus. But someone quickly said, “Well, actually, other faiths believe that God appears in human form.” Another suggestion was offered: what about resurrection? The belief that death is not the final word. That the tomb was found empty. Someone slowly shook his head. Other religions have accounts of people returning from the dead. Then, as the story is told, C.S. Lewis walked into the room, tweed jacket, pipe, arm full of papers, a little early for his presentation. He sat down and took in the conversation, which had by now evolved into a fierce debate. Finally during a lull, he spoke saying, “what’s all this rumpus about?” Everyone turned in his direction. Trying to explain themselves they said, “We’re debating what’s unique about Christianity.” “Oh, that’s easy,” answered Lewis. “It’s grace.” The room fell silent. Lewis continued that Christianity uniquely claims God’s love comes free of charge, no strings attached. No other religion makes that claim. After a moment someone commented that Lewis had a point, Buddhists, for example, follow an eight-fold path to enlightenment. It’s not a free ride. Hindus believe in karma, that your actions continually affect the way the world will treat you; that there is nothing that comes to you not set in motion by your actions. Someone else observed the Jewish code of the law implies God has requirements for people to be acceptable to him and in Islam God is a God of Judgement not a God of love. You live to appease him... At the end of the discussion everyone concluded Lewis had a point. Only Christianity dares to proclaim God’s love is unconditional. An unconditional love that we call grace. Christians boldly proclaim that grace really has precious little to do with us, our inner resolve, or our lack of inner resolve. Rather, grace is all about God and God freely giving to us the gifts of forgiveness, mercy, and love.
3. The Resurrection. Jesus conquered satan, sin, hell, and death.
I Corinthians 15:14 says 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
To deny the physical resurrection is to deny that Jesus' work was a good enough offering to God the Father.
It would mean that Jesus was corrupt and needed to stay in the grave. But, he did not stay because his sacrifice was perfect.
And when He arose... Grace exploded onto the scene... A grace that could regenerate...
Jesus would take my broken heart... and give a new one in it’s place... EXPOUND...
THE GOSPEL...
Galatians 1:8-9 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
Church, there is only ONE gospel. ONE life. ONE way.
Stats show that many “christians” in America will still say that someone could get to heaven by living out more good in their life than bad...
NO.
It does not matter how good you are. No one is good enough. If so, again Jesus would not have had to die...
BUT also this is the beauty of the gospel... We all need it, no matter how good or bad we think we are or have been...
And it’s not just reserved for those who have lived a life where the good has out weighed the bad...
God Rules
We Sinned...
I want to spend just a few moments really laying out today what it means that we are sinners...
We are born into sin... No matter how good we think that we are... Truthfully deep down we all know how evil we can be...
We are totally depraved... Helpless to the urge to want to be independent from God...
Since the fall mankind’s nature has been totally corrupted. ALL OF US...
The consequence of the Fall of Man, every person born into the world is enslaved to the service of sin and, apart from the prevenient grace of God. We are utterly unable to even choose to follow God, or refrain from evil.
Like it says in Romans... No one seeks God on their own...
Our sin is personal...
1. Commission and Omission
Outward Action and Inward Attitude
Conscious Rebellion and Ignorance
God Provided... From the OT to the NT... He has always pursued, chased, and come for His children...
Jesus Gave
We Respond... the life we now live...
Church, this is what we must be tied too... TRUTH...
Not an old transmission... BUT TRUTH...
