The Armor of God (5)

• BUT - to know that that little boy - when born - was tossed into a dumpster by his mom who didn't want him, then rescued, and put up for adoption - makes you say - OH WOW...

• When we understand the BAD news, ONLY THEN - can we truly embrace the NEWS - as GOOD NEWS!!

• And so today - we're going to look at SALVATION - and looking at the whole of salvation, we'll see:

• The Problem (the bad news)

• The Solution (the good news)

• The Outcome

• And so (SLIDE), we start with the PROBLEM that we have as mankind...

SLIDE: The Problem: Born In Rebellion Against God

Salvation: The Problem

• I’m not sure about you - but I OFTEN hear that Religion is about RULES...

And Christianity is about - RELATIONSHIP!

That IDEA EXISTS - because people don’t believe that UNBELIEVERS - HAVE a relationship with God...

• Reality is - EVERYONE is in a relationship with God!

- EVEN - unbelievers!

• The problem is - It's a relationship of REBELLION AGAINST God!

• We've read and hopefully know - that in the beginning, Adam and Eve in the garden, lived in perfect relationship with God.

• The relationship between God and man was one of PURE LOVE...

• There was UNHINDERED Worship!

• There was NOTHING between God and man except for the Worship of God...

• There was NOTHING between God and man EXCEPT for - 'LOVE for God'!

• BUT THEN.....DISOBEDIENCE happened.

• SIN happened...

• God warned Adam and Eve of the consequences of SIN, and yet...

• Sin entered the world through one man - ADAM...and the consequence of that SIN reached through time and KILLS all of us...

• Why? Because we ALL sin...

Romans 5:12 ESV

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

• Sin entered the world...and it shattered creation (what was good)

• ...Shattered the unhindered worship of God... • AND NOW, man was separated from God.

• Physical death and Spiritual death now came into the world...

• FOR ALL MANKIND.

• This is OUR PROBLEM...Sin has separated us from God...

• Sin has LITERALLY killed us...we're born = DEAD - spiritually dead.

• Now you may think that's a strong word...

Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

• By nature....DEAD.

• Children of WRATH...

• Now - this is our PROBLEM...

• But - I want to see how this deadness will show itself in our lives...(what are some symptoms of this deadness?)

• Let's look at Luke 4:14-30

Luke 4:14–30 ESV

14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘ “Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ ” 24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away.

• If you notice, in the beginning of this text, we see that Jesus returned to Galilee at the beginning of His ministry...

• ...and He was received well by all who heard him...

• But then we see Jesus come back to His hometown of Nazareth...

• Nazareth was situated in Galilee...

• ...and it was an area in which God's people were surrounded by Gentiles.

• Now we know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, BUT He would grow up in Nazareth...

• He would come to be known as "Jesus of Nazareth".

• Nazareth itself is not even mentioned in the OT....but we see in the NT that it was regarded with contempt...

• In the book of John, Nathaniel says this - Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

• So - BASICALLY - modern day equivalent might be - Pittsburgh :)

• But at first glance....we see that people had accepted Jesus....probably even in Nazareth!

• He was their hometown Kid who grew up and made a name for Himself...

• And so they were probably anxious to see Jesus 'DO HIS THING'....

• and so they were probably happy He returned.

But what happened?

Luke 4:17–22 ESV

17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”

• Jesus reads an OT prophecy of the Messiah PROCLAIMING Good News...being ANOINTED by the Holy Spirit...

• And then says - "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing"!

• He claims to be the Messiah...

• and the response goes from...

• Yeah - this guy's a great speaker...to....

• ...WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS??!!

• "Is NOT this Joseph's son?!!" - they said

• And so I think what we see here...

(SLIDE) - a SYMPTOM of our Spiritual Problem is...

We will accept but not submit...to Jesus

• Initially, they accepted Him...

• Maybe they liked His delivery...

• His style...

• Maybe they liked His passion...

• Whatever it was - they were diggin it...

• UNTIL - it came time to actually SUBMIT to Him...

• Which then pointed to the fact that they were merely TOLERATING Him...

• They were cool with Him until He declared Himself to be the anointed Messiah...

For us though...maybe we've ONLY MERELY accepted Jesus but have yet to submit to Him...

Maybe we come HERE week after week for VARIOUS reasons...other than IN SUBMISSION to Jesus...

• Maybe we come here because our spouse drags us here...

• Maybe we come here because we like the idea of "being a church goer" (sounds responsible...very adult like)

• Maybe we come here because we just really like the people that come here...maybe THAT's the reason...

• In these cases and many others, chances are we're merely ACCEPTING Jesus...but not submitting to Him...

• A symptom of Rebellion Against God is a refusal to Submit to His Lordship...and these people in this synagogue were prime examples...

• BUT there's ANOTHER symptom on display in this passage as well...and it's this...

(SLIDE) • on the flip side -

We will submit to, but not admit to, our sin

• Let's look at what happened in this passage...

Luke 4:23–26 ESV

23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘ “Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ ” 24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

• What's Jesus saying? - Remember, He's in Nazareth....speaking to Jews...primarily

• He's saying - I Will not be well received among my own people (the Jews)...but that like the prophets of OLD, He would be accepted by the Gentiles...

• He says - There were many widows (Jewish) in Israel in the days of Elijah...

• during the great famine...

• and that Elijah was sent to NONE of them...

• Instead he was sent to the gentile widow of Zarephath...to keep her from starvation...

Luke 4:27–30 ESV

27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away.

• So the same happened with the prophet Elisha...

• There were many Jewish lepers in Israel at the time...

• But Elisha was only sent to cleanse Naaman the gentile Syrian...

• What was the response of those Jews hearing this? (hometown crowd)

• They wanted to kill Jesus!

• They were willing to accept Jesus' teaching...AS LONG as it didn't CONFRONT them...

• But once it did...

• In submitting to their SIN (Pride), they wouldn't admit their SINFUL nature...

• Those here listening to Jesus didn't WANT to ADMIT their sinful nature....after ALL!!....

• THEY WERE JEWS....not PAGAN sinners!

• And so JESUS confronts THEIR pride...

• And he says - that God's MESSAGE IS FOR THE POOR...the CAPTIVES....the BLIND...

• AND THE PROBLEM was - they didn't SEE themselves THAT WAY...

• They had MORE SELF-RESPECT than that!! JESUS!

• The ironic thing is - THEY viewed themselves as GOOD PEOPLE! AND YET - they get so angry at Jesus and His message, that they leave wanting to KILL Him!

• And so THIS is the PROBLEM that we have AS MAN....

• We are BORN IN REBELLION AGAINST GOD

• And so anyone who turns OFF their ear to Him...they DON'T WANT to HEAR Him...

• They don't want to hear that they NEED JESUS!

• They don't want to be put in a situation where they have to admit that THEY CANNOT GET TO GOD ON THEIR OWN...

• They want to CONTROL the situation... This is our PROBLEM - BORN IN REBELLION AGAINST GOD...

• Spiritually destitute...

• Bankrupt before God....

• We have NOTHING to offer Him because we can't buy our way into heaven with our works...

• And this is the SUBTLETY of ETERNITY...

• People are FINE hearing about Jesus UNTIL the truth of CHRIST begins to PROD their heart In REBELLION AGAINST GOD....

WHICH brings us to our next point!

- OK - we have a PROBLEM before God - We’re Born in Rebellion Against God...

So - what's the SOLUTION?

SLIDE: The Solution: Surrendering in Faith to Jesus

Salvation: The Solution

• WHY did Jesus say that He came to save SINNERS...???

• Why does he say in Luke 5:32...

Luke 5:32 ESV

32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

• Well - Put this verse up against Romans 3:10 (next SLIDE) and what do you get?

SLIDE: Luke 5:32 AND Romans 3:10

• You get ALL mankind needing to BOW their SINFUL Knee to the Lord...

• ALL MEN must ADMIT their sinful nature before God - that they MIGHT then COME to HIM FOR SALVATION...

• Only those who UNDERSTAND themselves as SINNERS...Apart from God....are those who then can/will COME to God through FAITH in Jesus...

• If the RESPONSE to Jesus is - I don't want to hear this....

• If this is your response to Jesus - then the Bible says that you're still trusting in YOURSELF...and therefore..IN REBELLION AGAINST God.

• If the RESPONSE to Jesus is - Jesus - I go to CHURCH! - I go to BIBLE STUDIES! I do GOOD THINGS!

• the Bible says that you're still trusting in YOURSELF...and therefore..IN REBELLION AGAINST God.

• And even if the RESPONSE to Jesus is - Well - I hear ya Jesus - I'll work on it Jesus...I'll get better.

• the Bible says that you're still trusting in YOURSELF...and therefore..IN REBELLION AGAINST God.

ANY response that TURNS you AWAY from your own spiritual deadness, and AWAY from Christ and His work on the cross, is a response from someone in REBELLION AGAINST GOD!

• What needs to happen?

• A death needs to occur!

• Another way to say that I'm RELYING on MYSELF - is to say - I'm RELYING on the LAW to get me to God...

• I'm trusting in MY WORKS to get me to God...

• But listen to how Paul describes Christians...those who will be going to HEAVEN when they die...

Romans 7:4–6 ESV

4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

• Christians are people who have DIED to the LAW...the written code...

• HOW?

• How does this death occur?

• It said in v4 - we have died to the law THROUGH the Body of Christ.

• Through FAITH in Christ - we DIE to the LAW...His death becomes OUR death!

• Why?

• Because Christ FULFILLED the LAW!

• And putting Faith in Him is to TRUST in HIS WORK...NOT OUR OWN!

• This is the SOLUTION to the PROBLEM - that we SURRENDER our WORKING - and by FAITH we TRUST in JESUS!

• That's why Romans 8:2 says

Romans 8:2 ESV

2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

• And it's here where we see the OUTCOME of Salvation!

• By faith in Christ - we are SET FREE from Death...unto ETERNAL LIFE...

SLIDE: The Outcome: We Fight Having Already Won

Salvation: The Outcome

What does it MEAN - that we’ve ALREADY WON?

WELL...

The Outcome of SALVATION is - - Eternal Peace (with God), Eternal Life (from God), Eternal Joy (in God)

I’m gonna say that AGAIN!!

Salvation’s OUTCOME is...

SLIDE:

The outcome of salvation is:

Eternal peace with God, Eternal life from God, Eternal joy in God

You know what THAT’S CALLED? - - VICTORY!!

Romans 5:1 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Here we go!

• In this verse we ACTUALLY see the PROBLEM, the SOLUTION, and the OUTCOME!

• Having been JUSTIFIED by Faith....implies that APART from Faith, we're NOT justified before God...that's OUR PROBLEM!

• So before justification by faith, the wrath of God remains on us...

• before we put our faith and trust in Christ, we do not have peace with God...

• BUT - Having BEEN Justified BY - - FAITH in Jesus (That's the SOLUTION)

what's the OUTCOME? -

• We have PEACE with God through Christ!

• This is an eternal grace of God, bestowed upon those who believe in Jesus.

• AND SO - peace with God is a byproduct of:

• God's wrath being removed

• And the condemnation of God being lifted (no condemnation for those in Christ)

• The result?

• Peace with God.

• ETERNAL PEACE with God...

• And because we have Eternal Peace with God...

• We also have ETERNAL LIFE -

ANCHORED - now - in our ETERNAL JOY - who is - Jesus Christ!!

WHICH MEANS -

When Paul calls us to ARMOR UP...

To ADORN ourselves with the ARMOR of God - and PREPARE for battle....

He WANTS US TO KNOW - Yes - there’s a BATTLE AHEAD...

But it’s NOT A BATTLE that has YET to be decided!

SLIDE:

We fight - IN VICTORY - not FOR victory!

THINK of how that AFFECTS our FIGHT!!

Think of how that AFFECTS our preparation...

…our mindset

What did Paul say in Philippians...

Philippians 3:12 ESV

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

What do we see here?

We see:

the FIGHT of FAITH (I PRESS ON to MAKE it MY own)

The VICTORY (Because Christ has MADE me HIS own)

Now - WHY does Paul - FIGHT (why does he PRESS ON)

BECAUSE of - the VICTORY (He’s been MADE Christ’s own)

Paul FOUGHT - IN VICTORY....

And there’s a DIFFERENCE between fighting IN Victory - and FOR victory...

Maybe you’ve heard this analogy before...

• **5 Physics majors walk into class.

• It was the last semester in Physics...

• It was the Weider course...

• It was the most difficult course on the face of the earth...

• ...and these guys walk in, sit down, and they're trembling.

• The professor walks in...looks at them...

• ...and says - "you men...

• ...you've been thru all of the Physics courses at this University and if you've gotten this far...

• ...it means you've done well.

• You all have an 'A'. Now let's just enjoy the material."

• Now remember we have these 5 physics guys who love physics.

• I mean THEY LOVE IT!

• They eat this stuff, they drink it, they talk about it.

• They're Physics guys...it's what they love.

• But there's also 5 Math majors in there as well....and they HATE physics.

• They hate it...but they've got to take the course.

• The Professor walks in and says "Everyone has an 'A' in the course...let's just enjoy the material."

• The 5 Physics guys are like - "We got an 'A'??

• You mean we can just study this stuff..for FUN?!!

• You mean we can just pour our minds into this without any worry of failing?!!

• We can just enjoy this book and everything in it without any worry?!!

• We have an 'A'?!!

• The Professor says - "Yeah, you have an 'A', now let's just enjoy the material."

• The Math majors go - "We got an 'A' in this class? We got an 'A'??"

• The Professor says - "Yeah"

• "You mean...we got an 'A'?"

• "Yeah"

• They walk out and throw the Physics book in the trash can.

One SIDE - Fighting IN Victory...

the oTHER side - Fight FOR Victory...

What do I mean?

There’s a question that goes out to each side…the Physics Majors and the Math Majors

When they walked into the class - was an “A” their ultimate goal?

Their responses REVEAL for us the answer to that question!

The Physics majors - when they heard they HAD an A...

they thought - what!?

You mean - we don’t have to FIGHT - FOR an A - for a Victory?

Wow - that means we can now FIGHT - IN victory..

we can now - PRESS ON to KNOW more about the Subject matter

we can DIVE in to KNOW MORE about the subject matter - without worrying

CONCLUSION?

We’re now FREE to FIGHT (and press on) - Having ALREADY won!

Math Majors: when they heard they HAD an A...

they thought - what!?

You mean - we already have an A? Without DOING ANYTHING?

You mean - we can CONTINUE to DO NOTHING…because we got the prize - an A?

OK - AWESOME!

CONCLUSION?

We’re now FREE from HAVING to press on - because we GOT what we ULTIMATELY wanted!

See here’s the thing:

When we as Christians fight the good fight of faith, having already won in Christ, we reveal to the world that heaven is not our ultimate prize, but that Jesus Himself is.

It’s the difference between Fighting IN Victory - and Fighting FOR Victory...

NOW - quickly… How do we leave here today - Fighting IN Victory...

SLIDE:

Holy Discontentment

Now - should we be CONTENT - in CHRIST?

yes

But being content in Christ - will lead to Holy Discontentment…

WHY?

Because we live in a fallen world!

And when Righteousness enters a fallen world…it does this...

Luke 19:10 ESV

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

JESUS - IN VICTORY - did what?

He came to seek and to save the lost...

WE - mimic Him in this!

Let’s go back to what Paul said...

Philippians 3:12 ESV

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

Paul wasn’t CONTENT - in and of himself...

He DESIRED to save people...

And SO - he pressed on...

And his HOLY DISCONTENTMENT lead him to...

• to far greater labors, far more imprisonments

• to countless beatings, often near death

• to receive five times at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.

• to be beaten with rods 3 times.

• to be stoned once

• to be shipwrecked 3 times, a day and a night adrift at sea

• to danger from rivers

• to danger from robbers

• to danger from his own people

• to danger from the Gentiles

• to danger in the city

• to danger in the wilderness

• to danger at sea

• to danger from false brothers

• into toil and hardship

• to many sleepless nights

• to hunger and thirst

• to going without food

• into the cold, exposed.

His HOLY DISCONTENTMENT - lead him to LIVE like Jesus!

And it might seem strange - but this ONLY HAPPENS when we FIGHT - IN Victory!

Think about it...

Would those Math Majors (from the analogy) - would they be driven to being stoned BECAUSE of PHYSICS?

BEATEN because of PHYSICS?

Would they have WALKED TOWARD DANGER - because of PHYSICS?

No…for them - they HAD their prize - the GRADE...

The Physics Majors - would have walked TOWARD danger - because of Physics - because they LOVED Physics (the subject matter).

Jesus is the subject matter...

And so when we think about SALVATION...

SLIDE: Salvation

The Problem: Rebellion Against God

The Solution: Faith in Jesus Christ

The Outcome: Fighting In Victory

Let’s pray

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