“Just As I Am” … OR …
“What Baptists Believe About … Man, Salvation, Grace”
NOTE: A solo, “Just As I Am” was sung just before this message.
INTRODUCTION: SERIES … PREVIOUS … What Baptists believe about the Scriptures, Trinity …
· MAN – Created innocent … sinned … brought sin into human race … sin nature … “dead in trespasses and sin”.
· SALV. – Made possible by GRACE of God … THRU personal faith in Jesus Christ … Who paid penalty, which is DEATH.
SALV. is made possible by work of Holy Spirit … THRU repentance … WHICH is turning from sin to faith in Jesus Christ.
ILLUSTRATED in “Rich Young Ruler” – Mt. 19:16-22
BY THE WAY … “young” – ‘ne-an-is-kos’ – under 40 YOA … PROBABLY about same age as Jesus.
“Just As I Am” … sung song 100’s of times.
IF … need to come to Jesus “Just As I Am” … THEN … “What are you?”
- LET’S let the “Rich Young Ruler” show us.
THIS … is what you ARE/WERE … BEFORE salvation.
AND … THIS is what you NEED TO SEE YOU ARE … BEFORE … anyone can ever be saved.
THE LOST PERSON IS:
1.- A CHILD OF SATAN
NOW … DON’T get mad at ME … HARSH, but TRUE.
19:16 – “Good teacher” … NOT “Lord” … WHY?
- BECAUSE … he is a “Child of the Devil”.
· JESUS - “You are of your father the devil …” (Jn. 8:44).
· ISAIAH – “children of transgression” … “offspring of falsehood” - (57:4)
· JESUS – “sons of the wicked one” – (Mt. 13:38)
· PAUL – “sons of the devil” … “enemy of all righteousness” – (Acts 13:10)
· JOHN – “children of the devil” – (1 Jn. 3:10)
This young man can’t call Jesus “Lord” … BUT, ONLY … “Good teacher”.
“Just As I Am” … IF LOST … WHAT ARE YOU?
- You’re a “Child of Satan” … HARSH, but TRUE.
“Just As I Am” … IF LOST … WHAT ARE YOU?
2.- SPIRITUALLY BANKRUPT
NOTICE – The emphasis on “good” in 19:16-17.
- Jesus takes it … AND … runs w/ it.
This young man thought that “goodness” was the way to Heaven.
- A COMMON THOUGHT … BECAUSE … Heaven is a PERFECT place … NO EVIL there … ONLY “good” in Heaven.
- THEREFORE … people think that way to get there is by being “good” – 19:16
Jesus wants to set him straight about being “good” – 19:17a
ONLY God is “good”.
JESUS – “If you want to call me “good” … you must be willing to call me “God”.
“If you won’t call me “God” … you can’t call me “good”.”
“Let’s see how “good” you are … Do you even know the meaning of “good”?” – 19:17b-18
NOTICE – These 6 Comm. deal w/ fellow-man … NOT … with God.
- LEFT OUT – “No other Gods before me” … “carved image, idols” … “take name in vain” … “Remember Sabbath day”.
- SINCE … this man’s “God” … WASN’T the LORD God … Jesus didn’t include them in these Commandments.
A LOST person … can’t “worship” God … SO … couldn’t relate to Commandments in relation to God.
- SO … Jesus speaks of Commandments that relate to fellow-man.
1 Cor. 2:14 – “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
The LOST person is SPIRITUALLY BANKRUPT.
· Rom. 3:10 – “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”
· Rom. 3:23 – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Eph. 2:1 says that LOST are “dead in trespasses and sins.”
- Spiritually BANKRUPT … Spiritually DEAD!
This young man doesn’t REALIZE this … thinks he’s pretty “good”.
- SO … Jesus wants to show him … THAT … he’s not “good enough” to get to Heaven.
- Jesus is going to “burst his bubble”.
· BEFORE can be saved … has to be some “bubble bursting” … (called “repentance”).
· BEFORE can be saved … have to get LOST.
Jesus names 6 Commandments … AND … he THINKS he has kept them – 19:20
- “Been there, done that!”
HAS HE? HAVE YOU?
PREVIOUSLY … Jesus said 10 Commandments go BEYOND the OUTWARD ACT … to INTENT of the HEART.
1.- “murder” – NOT JUST knife, bullet … TONGUE.
- Mt. 5:22 – “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:”
- He must have missed that Sunday … Sermon.
2.- “adultery” – NOT JUST physical infidelity … But, LUST.
- Mt. 5:28 – “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
- He must have missed that Sunday … Sermon.
3.- “steal” – NOT JUST shop-lift, thief … But, ENVY.
4.- “bear false witness” – NOT JUST perjury … But, GOSSIP, LIE.
5.- “honor father & mother” – NOT JUST DON’T mistreat, abuse, neglect, curse … BUT … HONOR them as God’s gift to you.
6.- “love neighbor” – NOT JUST good neighbor, no feuds … BUT … a TESTIMONY to them of God’s love & grace.
This Young man was physically “rich” … BUT … Spiritually BANKRUPT … AND … didn’t know it!
1 Tim. 6:17 – “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy;”
JESUS – “So, you think you’re “good”, do you? I’ve got a GREATER GOAL for you … How about … “perfect”.
“After all, you have to be “perfect” to get into Heaven. Heaven is “perfect”. Nothing less is allowed there … OR … will mess it up!” – 19:21
NOW … you may say … this is IMPOSSIBLE! BINGO! You’ve got it!
- THAT’S … what the Disciples thought, too – 19:25
“perfection” is IMPOSSIBLE – 19:23-24
“needle” – ‘rha-phis’ – a sewing needle.
· CAN a camel go thru eye of needle? IMPOSSIBLE!
· CAN a person be “perfect”? IMPOSSIBLE!
· CAN a rich man get to Heaven by his riches or “goodness”? IMPOSSIBLE!
HOW THEN … can one get to Heaven? ONLY BY … the GRACE of God! – 19:26
The 10 Comm. not meant to save … BUT … show how sinful we are … SO … see need of Savior.
WHO is “perfect”? GOD … and God ALONE.
- THEREFORE … for me/you to get to Heaven … we’ve got to have sins forgiven …
WHEN … die & face God … EITHER … God looks on you & your SINS … OR … you & your sins FORGIVEN.
- AND … IF sins FORGIVEN … God will declare you “righteous” … “perfect” … JUST LIKE … Jesus.
HOW MANY sins have to commit to be a “sinner” … to be Spiritually BANKRUPT?
- 1000 – 100 – 1? James 2:10 – “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
ACTUALLY … Zero! WHY? BECAUSE … BORN in sin … the way we came out of womb … Spr. DEAD!
“Just As I Am” … IF LOST … WHAT ARE YOU?
1.- A Child of Satan
2.- Spiritually Bankrupt
3.- LOST – Headed in wrong direction … going wrong way … on way to eternity in Hell fire … walking away from God’s grace & His salvation.
19:21-22 – “go” (19:21) … “went” (19:22) … BUT … he went in WRONG DIRECTION … away from Jesus.
NOW … WHY did Jesus tell him had to sell all had & give to poor?
- IF … asked for DONATION … would have done it.
- BUT … to sell all & give to POOR … FORGET IT!
NOW … WHY would Jesus tell him this? It almost sounds like a “works salvation”.
- The POINT Jesus making … his RICHES are standing in way of his SALVATION.
He was disobeying 1st 2 Commandments:
· “no other gods before Me” – His $ was his “god”.
· “no graven image … idol” – His $ was his “idol”.
He COUNTED THE COST … “$ OR Eternal Life?” … “$ NOW … OR … Treasure in Heaven LATER?” … “Keep … OR … Give?”
- He’s holding on tightly to his $ … won’t let go.
- His $ was standing in way of his relationship w/ God.
19:23-24 – “hard” (19:23) … “easier” (19:24)
· “hard” – BECAUSE … thought was self-sufficient.
· AS LONG AS had $ … didn’t see need of Savior.
· His PHY. Comforts … MASKED … his SPIRITUAL Poverty.
Mk. 8:36 – “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
Job. 1:21 – “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither:”
SO … 19:25-26
SALVATION is … a “God-thing” … a “Grace-thing” … a “Mercy-thing”.
- IT’S NOT … a “$-thing” … a “goodness-thing” … a “works-thing”.
- It’s a “GOD-thing”.
CONCLUSION:
WHAT’S … standing in the way of YOU coming to Jesus?
- For THIS MAN … it was RICHES … PRIDE.
- BUT … NEITHER ONE … would get him into Heaven.
· CH. MEMBERSHIP – won’t get you into Heaven.
· BAPTISM … MORALITY … GOOD DEEDS … CHURCH ATTENDANCE …
Eph. 2:8-9 – “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
MAYBE … it’s your PRIDE that’s keeping you out of Heaven.
1 Peter 5:5-6 – “for God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:”
MAYBE … I’m speaking to Ch. Member who’s been member here for many years … another Ch. … other Churches.
- You ASSUME you’re going to Heaven … BECAUSE … you’re a “Church-Person”.
BUT … Do you have a “relationship” w/ Lord Jesus?
- Have you ever REPENTED of your sins … AND … WEPT before God … BECAUSE OF … the price JESUS had to pay for them?
You may know all ABOUT Him … sing songs … pray prayers … read Bible … listen sermons … attend Church.
- BUT … have no real, personal “relationship” w/ Jesus as your Savior … AND … LORD of your life.
MAYBE … you’ve never COMMITTED yourself to Him … to save you … to live for Him.
Won’t you do it TODAY?
COME … “Just As You Are” … a sinner … Spiritually BANKRUPT … LOST … headed away from Jesus, Heaven, and God’s grace.
COME … “Just As You Are” … AS WE SING …
STAND – SING – “Just As I Am”
