“I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” [1]
Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi would begin the first practice of each season by holding up a football and saying, “This is a football… Have we lost anybody?” For Christians, “This is the Bible, the Word of God… Have we lost anybody?” This morning, I’m requesting that each Christian stand, holding up your Bible, and verbally affirming the Word of the Lord. We will use PSALM 19 as a guide. I am inviting you to repeat after me:
• This is my Bible;
• It is the testimony of God;
• It is perfect, sure, and right;
• It is pure, clean, and true;
• It revives the soul and makes wise the simple;
• It makes the heart rejoice and enlightens the eyes;
• It endures forever and is altogether righteous;
• I desire it more than the riches of the world;
• In keeping His commands there is great reward
• Today, may I hear it and receive it, meditate upon it,
and perform all its precepts to the glory of God alone.
Amen!
As followers of the Risen Son of God, the Bible is our standard for orthodoxy. The Lord gave the Word, and we are responsible to do His will as delivered in the Word He has given. Liberal theologians have levelled disturbing criticisms at conservative theologians who adhere to biblical orthodoxy. These supposed scholars call biblical orthodoxy “a false presupposition.”
I willingly confess that biblical orthodoxy is a presupposition I hold as true. It is this conviction that guides my service among the faithful and before the Master Who appointed me to this service. This conviction has guided me for these fifty-five years of service as His preacher.
Liberal scholars—whether deliberately or ignorantly—seek to introduce doubt in the mind of the conservative believer, suggesting that his or her convictions are somehow wrong and illogical because, according to the infidel scholars, our convictions are based on false presuppositions. What the liberal scholar will not tell you is that every human being, including themselves, operates with presuppositions. The liberal’s presupposition is that his own personal opinion is the standard of truth. By contrast, we who know Christ understand that the Bible is the standard of truth. Ultimately, all human systems must measure up to it, and if any of those human opinions disagree with the Bible, know that human opinion—not the Bible—is wrong.
While some individuals fear the emphasis placed on the authority of a confession, we are confident that no statement of faith is inerrant, though it is quite useful. A statement of faith is a confession which we, as followers of Christ known as Baptists, have adopted for our guidance. A statement of faith is concise reminder of the truths we hold defining our conduct in the world. Our authority to teach comes from God’s personal appointment to teach. Thus, our authority to teach comes from the Lord God Himself. We willingly and joyfully submit to His authority.
The sanctity of Christ likewise should be reflected among His churches through corporate integrity. When the personal agenda of an ungodly person in the church dominates the agenda of the church, that congregation has lost Christ’s corporate integrity. By treating other Christians according to biblical principles, the practice of discipline would discourage the rumour mongering and the backbiting that characterise too many churches and Christian institutions. And through testimonial integrity, the sanctity of Christ is upheld as Christians exhibit morally responsible lives. A corrupted witness to Christ comes from the moral failings of Christians in their personal lives and from the moral failings of Christians in their corporate lives. How are they going to see Jesus if you do not look like Jesus?
IGNORE SIDE ISSUES — “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” [1 CORINTHIANS 2:2]. Residing in the dark recesses of the memories of multiplied theologians, is the knowledge that once upon a time theologians actually prepared themselves to “think” as they prepared to serve among the people of God living in the midst of this fallen world. These seminarians studied Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek to enable themselves to read the biblical manuscripts in the original languages. They studied Latin so they would be equipped to read the writings of the church fathers in the language in which their works were first recorded. They studied theology—systematic and biblical, equipping themselves to understand how to grapple with the great questions of life. They were trained in hermeneutics and in homiletics so they would be able to communicate coherently the message of life. In short, these students were prepared to confront the world, serving as ambassadors for Christ armed with the ability to think, and equipped to declare the message of the Saviour cogently and persuasively.
But that day is long past. Upon graduating from contemporary seminaries, modern students are often ignorant of the biblical languages, having never studied what they deem to be dead languages. Few will have had a course in bibliology, much less studied the history either of the church or of the Bible itself. They may have had a course teaching them how to craft a sermon, but seldom will the newly minted preacher have received training in hermeneutics. Thus, at best, the new preacher approaches the Bible as a book of texts permitting him—or her—to say essentially whatever they wish concerning the issues that may capture their fancy.
The newly minted preacher will, however, have been trained in current popular psychological fads, in addition to thorough training in social-babble. High-sounding phrases and terms generated by specialists trained in psychobabble, including such terms as cisgender, heteronormative, intersectionality, systemic racism, neofascism, and codependency. People, especially people identified with the left, use these terms and other similar terms, though they seldom understand what they are saying. Still, the verbiage spewed forth undoubtedly makes the leftist apologist feel superior to the hoi polloi among whom they are forced to live.
Child of God, you have your marching orders. The Master commands, and supplies the ability to fulfil His command, charging each follower, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” [MATTHEW 28:18-20].
With these words, the Son of God claims all authority, both on earth and in Heaven, as authority belonging to Him alone! This claim of authority is not something that was suddenly sprung on the disciples. Over four hundred years before Jesus ever pronounced His authority, the Prophet Daniel had prophesied, “I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.”
[DANIEL 7:13-14]
Nor was the claim of authority over all a claim made only after His resurrection. Do you remember how Jesus testified, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” [MATTHEW 11:27].
This act of entrusting divine authority to the Son was revealed on multiple occasions. For instance, we witnessed Jesus saying to His disciples, “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand” [JOHN 3:35].
Again, at another time we are informed of Jesus knowledge, knowledge that was known to the disciples, when we read, “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God” [JOHN 13:3].
In His High Priestly prayer, recall how Jesus testified, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him” [JOHN 17:1-2].
The verses cited serve to teach us that Jesus, the Son of God, did not merely claim to hold all authority, He received all authority—He was given all power by the Father. What is essential for us to see is that the Son and the Father are so intimately intertwined that it is impossible to separate them or to segregate their authority! Authority belongs to our God! And Jesus is very God in human flesh. Hence, all authority resides in Christ the Son of God.
Understanding this truth, we begin to comprehend the devotion of the followers of the Risen Saviour in that first century as the Faith was spreading across the world. It becomes the foundation for the Apostle Paul’s bold declaration, “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 emptied himself, by 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 a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” [PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11].
Jesus is now exalted, though not all accept this at this time. As the exalted Lord of Glory, the Lord Jesus reigns over Heaven and earth. There is coming a day, a glorious day for all the redeemed of God, when we will witness every knee bowing—both men and angels—and every tongue confessing the Jesus Christ as Lord, the rightful claimant to all praise and all worship. And this shall be done to the glory of God the Father. We should get a head start on worship so that when that day comes, we are not scrambling to learn to praise Him as He deserves. Amen!
Knowing Who Jesus is, and knowing the authority He possesses, lends power to the words the Apostle has written as he opens the Ephesian Encyclical. Do you recall these words? “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” [EPHESIANS 1:3-10].
The Father has united all things in Him! In Christ the Lord, and only in Him, shall the fallen creation be restored and Heaven and earth again be one. Moreover, the knowledge which prompted the Apostle to write the foregoing, served as the basis for the prayer he offered for those who were redeemed souls in the congregations situated throughout the Lycus Valley. Paul wrote that his prayer was as follows: “Because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” [EPHESIANS 1:15-23].
Again, the Word informs those who receive it that God has seated His Son above all—no prime minister, no president, no supreme commander, no king, can claim exemption from glorifying the Risen Son of God. All things have been placed under Jesus’ feet, just as all people are to face Him as Judge of all mankind! Recall how Jesus Himself said, “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. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
“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 5:19-30]. And His holy people, the redeemed saints of God, are the only ones now qualified to declare these truths.
The charge we Christians have received is binding on us throughout our days on this earth: “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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” [MATTHEW 28:19-20a]. Christian! You have your orders! Fulfil your duty to your Sovereign.
Our marching order, written in the Word of God, is for us to disciple all nations! We fulfil this charge as we declare the message of life to all peoples. As the Spirit of God draws those who hear to faith in the Living Son of God, we bring these fellow followers of Christ into the fellowship of our congregations, leading them to openly identify with the Master through baptism. Then, having declared their allegiance to Him by putting on the livery of a redeemed follower of the Christ, we teach them to obey Him in all things. This is our first responsibility as followers of the Risen Lord of Glory. We must not be distracted by secondary issues. This accounts for the Apostle’s declaration to the Corinthians, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” [1 CORINTHIANS 2:2]. And that is a declaration that was iterated when the Apostle testified, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” [PHILIPPIANS 3:13-14].
You who are reading ahead may have noted what the Apostle is about to say concerning his focus on fulfilling the Master’s call for his life. In the verse following this passage, Paul writes, “Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you” [PHILIPPIANS 3:15]. Do you want to know who is mature among us? Look at the focus of their life. If you look, you will see who qualifies as mature.
FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS — “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” [1 CORINTHIANS 2:2]. These words reveal the motivating attitude that guided the Apostle; and his words provide a model for the mature Christian to adopt in his or her own life. The perceptive follower of the Risen Saviour will find Christ on each page of the Bible. I don’t want to discourage anyone from studying the various disciplines that make up the study of theology; however, you will quickly discover that every such study leads to Christ the Lord.
The study of the doctrine of Revelation leads the seeker to Christ as He is always at work revealing the grace of God to His fallen creation.
Digging into Theology proper will, inevitably and of necessity, lead the scholar to Christ, discovering that He is God in human flesh.
Anthropology unerringly leads the student to the Son of Man, Who is the Son of God.
Invest even a brief time in the study of Pneumatology, and you will encounter the Spirit of Christ, Who is always at work everywhere convicting the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement. And even as He is working to convict people, He is teaching the redeemed saints the truths concerning Christ Jesus.
Of course, every scholar will want to study Soteriology; and when the student pursues this study, he will be humbled to discover it is Christ the Lord Who purchased our salvation.
Ecclesiology is the study of the place of the Bride of Christ in God’s economy; and without the Heavenly Bridegroom, there is no Bride.
The diligent student will surely be excited to study Eschatology. In this study, the student will learn of the Lion of Judah Who towers over the new heavens and the new earth.
Christ is the essence of every study we may endeavour to conduct. Our focus must be the things that count, and the main thing that counts is Christ and the sacrifice He has provided to redeem His fallen creation. I’m fully aware that liberal theologians claim they don’t need a confessional statement. You will often hear these infidel theologians claim that they have no doctrinal statement other than Christ. In light of the Apostle’s statement that serves as our text in this hour, that statement by liberal theologians sounds great.
However, we must never forget that the application is critical. To focus on one facet of Christ’s Person while excluding the remainder of the facets revealing Him is to deny Him fully. The unbelieving theologians want us to focus on Christ’s love. No serious adherent of the Faith doubts the loving nature of Christ. We fully embrace the Apostle’s joyful statement of life for the one who follows the Risen Saviour: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” [GALATIANS 2:20].
Indeed, we wholeheartedly agree with Paul when he writes, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” [ROMANS 8:35-39].
Nevertheless, we must never forget that the love of Christ our Lord is meaningless if there is no capacity for justice. And His righteousness is already demonstrated when we read the assessment given in the Gospel written by the Apostle of Love: John has written, “Whoever believes in [the Lord Jesus] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” [JOHN 3:18].
Soon after writing these words which reveal the present distinction between those who believe and those who do not believe, the Apostle of Love again wrote, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” [JOHN 3:36]. Life results from believing; death results from unbelief.
How awful, how dreadful it is to contemplate the terror those who have contented themselves with being religious though they were never born from above when they at last stand before the Son of God, hearing His Words that dismiss them eternally. Here is the way Jesus described that frightful scene. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’ [MATTHEW 7:21-23]. Surely, the words of the Master speak of those who attempt to create an incomplete presentation of Jesus; surely He speaks of those who seek to create a saviour who is palatable to their own tastes.
One cannot read the words of the Revelator without finding themselves moved with both compassion for the lost and a sense of horror at what they shall ultimately face. John describes the scene in this manner: “I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” [REVELATION 20:11-15].
It is undeniable that those who are cast into that lake of fire that is prepared for the devil and his angels, seal their fate by refusing to receive the Risen Saviour as Master over their life. They believed their present happiness was dependent upon gratifying their immediate desires. They somehow convinced themselves that they could exercise control over their own lives while dismissing, ignoring the rightful reign of the Son of God. They allowed themselves to become focused on the immediate, thus sacrificing the permanent on the altar of the temporary. At last, their choices are made eternal; there is no turning back from the decision they have made. They had no time for the Lord Jesus, and too late they learn that He has no time for them.
What is described by John is but a more detailed rendition of the warning Jesus issued when He spoke of His judgement at the conclusion of the Great Tribulation. Jesus warned, “Then [the Son of Man] will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment” [MATTHEW 25:41-46a].
Where your thoughts focus will determine what you become. If you think corrupt thoughts, your life will be sullied and progressively move toward corruption. If you focus your mind on what is good and righteous, your life will progressively reveal righteousness and goodness. Surely, this is the intent of the Master’s words when He said, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” [LUKE 6:43-45].
What Jesus said on this occasion was but an iteration of His words on another occasion. Jesus was responding to insistence from the Pharisees that His disciples failed to submit to their expectation of a ritual washing of the hands before they ate. At that time, Jesus cautioned, “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone” [MATTHEW 15:18-20].
What we are reveals where we allow our minds to reside. If we focus on acquisitions, we will be subject to greed, theft, and even false witness. If we focus on self-gratification, we will move inexorably toward sexual immorality and perhaps toward slander. If we settle our mind on evil, we will be susceptible to evil thoughts, perhaps even approving murder.
Alternatively, the Apostle admonishes as followers of the Risen Saviour, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” [PHILIPPIANS 4:8-9]. Focus on Christ and His love for us. Focus on a life that is lived out to the glory of the Father, such as that of the men of God whom we meet in the Word of God. Make the first thing, the primary thing. Make Christ Jesus your life’s focus if you will please God.
All that I have said, all that is provided of what is to be ignored and what is to become prominent in our life, is given for us in the written Word of God. The Lord has given us this Word, and we are responsible to implement what He has given so that He is glorified in each life. God has provided this Word so that each Christian can know without question His will for our lives. Our responsibility is to focus on that which is essential, ignoring lesser things.
OUR SAVIOUR, OUR FOCUS — “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” [1 CORINTHIANS 2:2]. Undoubtedly, the Spirit of Christ was instructing the Apostle to make the decision that we read, but notice that Paul made a conscious decision. The Apostle decided that he would focus on what was most critical for those to whom he would minister. And what was most critical was that those to whom he ministered would hear that Jesus is the Son of God Who presented His life as a sacrifice because of the broken condition of all peoples. Painful though it may be, in Paul’s day, as in this day, each person needed to hear that he was a broken sinner under condemnation, in need of salvation. The Good News Paul was determined to declare was that the Son of God had taken upon Himself all the sin of those to whom the Apostle spoke, and now freedom before God is offered through faith in Jesus, God’s own Son.
In like fashion, you must decide what really matters in your service to those whom the Lord has entrusted to your oversight. Mother, what is most important in your service to your children? You are concerned to give them opportunities to obtain an education, so you carefully choose where and how they will be educated. Will you send them to a public school that denigrates the Faith of Christ the Lord and exalts the thinking of godless bureaucrats who seek only to produce mindless drones who choose their pronouns and approve without thinking of the consequence arising from the ridiculous gender choices that defy biology? Or will you ensure training in righteousness as you demonstrate the love of God for your precious children? Are you willing to inconvenience yourself in order to personally invest yourself in your children through educating them in your own home? Or is your “me time” of greater importance to you?
Dad, what is the most important thing in training your children? The world will tell you that the most important thing for you to do is make money so you can give your kids anything they want. But you know very well that what they want and what they need to succeed in life are two different things all together! Children need discipline in facing up to the challenges of life. They need you to model godly manliness that loves their mother and seeks to honour God. They need a model of a father who loves them, but a father who will not make their life cushy just to avoid difficulties that are bound to come into every life. They need a father who will teach them to boldly face life while showing proper respect to those deserving respect. Children desperately need a father who takes seriously the teaching provided when the Apostle to the Gentiles writes, “You husbands must live with your wives in an understanding manner, as with a most delicate partner. Honor them as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing may interfere with your prayers” [1 PETER 3:7 ISV].
“Take your ease and enjoy life, that’s what it’s all about,” you are assured by the world. Will you gratify every craving so you feel like a success? You can cheat on the mother of your children, justifying what you do because, “Hey, I gotta’ take care of number one, ya’ know!” But what are you teaching those precious children whom God entrusted to you through living just to make a dollar and by exalting your desires above honouring your responsibilities as a father? How does an attitude of life that is promoted by the world prepare your children for living? Every father needs to heed the Word of the Lord when it teaches men to be fathers, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up by training and instructing them about the Lord” [EPHESIANS 6:4 ISV].
Children—and that includes all of us who have parents, there is an admonition for you given in the Word of God. In the Ephesian encyclical we read, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land’” [EPHESIANS 6:1-3]. We never outgrow the responsibility to honour our father and our mother. We may no longer live in our parents’ house, but before the Lord we are still responsible to honour our father and our mother. This does not necessarily mean that we must approve of their choices in life, nor does it mean that we must agree with everything they aver; it does mean that we must show them respect, refusing to demean them in our speech or through disregarding their needs. Honouring our parents ensures a blessing from God. The land that instils in children respect for their parents is a nation that is showing respect for God and the natural order He has established.
Here's the essence of the message exemplified by the Apostle: focus your life on Christ the Lord. Emulate Him in all things. Live a life of sacrifice so that your spouse will see the glory of God’s Son at work in your life. Live a life that reveals the love of Christ so that your children will not merely hear about the sacrifice of the Son of God, but so that they will witness His loving sacrifice demonstrated in your daily life.
In the messages presented from this pulpit, I have consistently made it my goal to invite non-believers to accept Christ. I do not want anyone to leave our service without knowing that God has made provision for that one to live. It has always been my goal to equip church members to make Jesus the single focus of their lives. I pray it is evident that I want church leaders to allow God to be glorified through the teaching of sound doctrine, teaching that is strengthened through living holy lives that are lived out to the praise of the Master. Before the Lord Jesus, I testify that this reveals the intent of the message I have presented in this hour. In speaking as I do, I testify that I am seeking Christ’s honour in encouraging you to review your commitment to Him, to know that you honour Him.
If you will accurately gauge your fulfilment of this commitment to Christ, you will find that accurate gauge revealed through the time you invest in knowing the will of God. And knowing His will is not some esoteric search wandering through the dark recesses of your mind. You discover the will of God through reading His Word. This Word is a perfect revelation of the mind of the Lord. If you will know Christ and the love He has for you, it is revealed through the Word He has given. If you will know the power of the Risen Saviour, it will be revealed in you through the written Word. I’m not discounting the power of the indwelling Spirit of Christ, but you know very well that He works through the Word that He has given.
And though the Master was crucified because of your broken condition, the Good News is that He didn’t remain on the cross. Yes, He was buried, but He has risen from the dead. Now, the message we proclaim is, “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” [ROMANS 10:9-10]. The Apostle did not merely proclaim this truth, as some “take it or leave it” proposition. He continued by encouraging all who will receive it, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [ROMANS 10:13].
Does your vision allow God to glorify Himself as you proclaim sound doctrine? Do you have a vision for people to live lives revealing personal integrity? And is your purpose to see lost friends and family saved? If you purpose is not to see God working in this fashion, then get out of the way. This is the Bible! Have we lost anybody? Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
