The Resurrection and Ascension--Definite Convictions Series

            As a fan of Kansas City sports, I like to listen to a sports talk radio station out of Kansas City from time to time. There’s a jewelry store in Kansas City that runs a lot of commercials on that station, and their advertising slogan is, “Now you have a friend in the jewelry business.”

            That’s a pretty smart slogan if you ask me, because it makes us feel good to think that we have friends in strategic places. If you’re ever in a jam, it feels good to be able to say, “Don’t worry – I’ve got a friend who can get us out of this!”

            Today we’re going to be reminded that we have a friend in the most powerful place of all. We have an advocate in heaven – someone who is representing us and defending us. This friend is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

            Jesus assumed this role for us after his death when he was raised to life and then ascended to heaven 40 days later. Section 5 of our Statement of Faith contains brief statements about Jesus’ resurrection and ascension before describing his present ministry for us. This section states:

We believe in the bodily resurrection and Lordship of Jesus Christ, his ascension into heaven and his present advocacy and priesthood in the presence of God for us (Acts 2:32; 1 Cor. 15:20, 23; Acts 1:9; 1 John 2:1; Heb 7:25; 8:1-2).

Let’s take a closer look at these claims.

The Bodily Resurrection

            As you can see, our Statement emphasizes that Jesus’ body truly did come back to life after it had been entombed. This emphasis is meant to counter the tendency among some people to try to accommodate Christian teaching to the challenges of skeptics. The Resurrection was obviously an unusual event; it was out of the ordinary, and so many people over the years have said that there is no way that it could’ve happened.

            Some people who have desired to uphold the Christian faith have responded to these challenges by saying, “Well, we certainly believe that Jesus spoke to the disciples after he died, but perhaps he just spoke to them in a vision. Maybe it’s true that his body didn’t really come back to life, but the disciples just thought it did.”

            That idea flies in the face of so much of what the Bible records. What happened to his body if it did not come back to life? The Bible says that three women first found his tomb to be empty when they went to visit it on the first day of the week. They reported it to the disciples, and Peter and John found the tomb to be empty when they went to check it out. Even the Roman soldiers who were supposed to guard the tomb reported that it was empty.

            The Bible also states that when Jesus appeared to the disciples they touched his body and he ate food in their presence. The Bible clearly means to tell us that his body did come back to life, and that is the only explanation that makes sense of the facts.

The Lordship of Jesus Christ

            Our Statement then mentions the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This phrase refers to the truth that Jesus himself announced in Matthew 28:18 as part of the Great Commission: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Obviously, as the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God had always been ruling over all things. But after his resurrection, Jesus as the God-man was exalted into authority over all things. That fact will be on full display one day after Jesus returns to establish his kingdom in this world.

            The Lordship of Jesus is also highlighted in the rather familiar passage in Philippians 2:9-11 [READ Phil 2:9-11]. This detail is easy to misunderstand, but we should note that the title “Lord” is actually the “name above all names” that was bestowed on Jesus. It is not Christ’s human name of Jesus, but his new title of Lord that is the name above all names. He was given that title as an honor because of his willingness to carry out God the Father’s plan of salvation. And again, we will see his Lordship on full display when he comes to reign over this world.

His Present Advocacy and Priesthood

            It’s very natural for us to ask, “What is Jesus up to these days?” We know what he did in the past because we have read about it in the Bible. We know he’s going to return in the future and that we will be with him forever. But what is he up to right now? For many Christians, that remains a great mystery. Our Statement sums up the Bible’s teaching about this when it mentions his present advocacy and priesthood.

            As our advocate, Jesus acts like something of a defense attorney for us in the courtroom of God the Father. 1 John 2:1 puts it like this – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.” That’s Plan A for all of us, right? We don’t want to fall to temptation, but if we do, we don’t need to fall into despair.

            Why is that? Notice the rest of the verse – “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Jesus is right now in the presence of God the Father to plead our cause for us when we sin.

            Now we must understand that Christ’s advocacy is not for God’s benefit, but for the sake of our confidence and reassurance. God the Father is not some angry man looking for a fight who has to be restrained by Jesus. Remember the truth of John 3:16 – for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.

            The Father loves us and he doesn’t have to be constantly convinced to continue to love us. But that fact is so easy to forget when we sin, isn’t it? We think, “How could God still love me after what I’ve done? How could he still accept me after this?” So for our sake, whenever we are tempted to doubt God’s love for us, we have this reassurance that Christ is on our side – ready to take up our cause and defend us. What grace and mercy!

            Closely related to all of this is the work of Christ’s priesthood for us. Just as the priests in the Old Testament offered sacrifices for the sins of the people, Jesus has offered a sacrifice for our sins to God the Father. The author of Hebrews spilled a lot of ink in his letter as he emphasized that Christ’s priesthood is far superior to that of the Old Testament priests:

·         Jesus only had to offer his sacrifice once, whereas the Old Testament priests had to do it over and over again;

·         Jesus’ own blood was far more precious than the blood of animals that they offered;

·         Jesus never had to offer sacrifices for his own sins like they did, because he was perfect;

·         Jesus can now remain a priest for us forever – he never has to be replaced like they did when they died.

            So through his own death, Jesus offered once for all time the only sacrifice that was needed for us to receive complete and total forgiveness from God. As Hebrews 7:25 puts it, “he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Monday Matters

            As always, we want to find a very practical application of these truths to our daily lives. With these ideas, such an application is not hard to find:

Jesus’ advocacy and priesthood give me all the confidence I need to pray to God about every temptation and to confess my every sin.

            Since Jesus sits right now at the right hand of God the Father, I never have to wonder if I’m going to get a friendly reception from God when I pray. I have an advocate pleading my cause and a priest representing me in the presence of God.

            With these reassurances, God has made such a gracious accommodation to our weakness. We are so quick to lose our confidence in the promises that God has already given us. Sometimes it is lost through sin, sometimes it is lost through cynicism. We are told in life that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and when we read in the Bible about God’s magnificent love for us, it sounds too good to be true! So even we, as God’s children, might say, “How can it be? Can I always count on him to be loving?”

            So that no lingering doubts about his love will keep us from him, God tells us that we have an advocate and a priest in his presence so that we are always doubly assured of a friendly reception. Here’s what the author of Hebrews has to say about this [READ Heb. 10:19-23].

            So that we will never wonder if God can truly understand what we need, we are reminded that our advocate and priest can sympathize with us through and through [Heb. 4:14-16].

            Isn’t that just what we need? Mercy! Grace! And they are ours for the taking whenever we go to the Lord in prayer. And we can do so with every confidence, knowing that our pleas are amplified by our great high priest!

You Cannot Serve Two Masters--Life with God Series

            Some relationships in life seem to get better when you share them with others. Having one best friend in your life is great, but it seems to be even sweeter to have a circle of friends who all enjoy each other deeply. The joy of those friendships seems to be enhanced because it is shared with others.

            Other relationships, though, cannot be shared without doing tremendous damage to the relationship. Your relationship with your spouse is one such relationship. You simply cannot share the intimacy that you have with your spouse with anyone else. If you do, then the relationship is greatly harmed.

            Over the last two weeks, we’ve been talking about sharing our faith in Christ with others—inviting them to enjoy the same kind of relationship with God that we enjoy. Today, we’re going to see that there is one sense in which our relationship with God cannot be shared with anyone else—that is in God’s role as our Lord or Master. God alone must occupy that role in our lives. Yes, we do have lesser authorities that we’re called to obey, like your boss or our leaders in government. But as far as our highest allegiance is concerned, that is to be given to God and God alone.

            It’s fitting that I mentioned marriage a moment ago when talking about this kind of allegiance, because all through the Bible, God compares His relationship with us to that of a husband to his bride. A husband and wife are supposed to give each other exclusive devotion on a number of levels; thus, that relationship is a fitting comparison for our relationship with God. That illustration also helps us understand one of the most unusual claims about God that we read in the Bible.

The Jealousy of God

            You don’t have to read very far into the Bible before you encounter this odd-sounding claim that God is a jealous God. For example, in Exodus 20, where we find the Ten Commandments, we read these words in verses 4-6 [READ vv. 4-6].

            The gears of our minds almost come to a grinding halt when we hear God call himself a jealous God. We don’t know what to make of that because we normally think of jealousy as being always and only bad. So then how could God call himself jealous?

            To make sense of this, we need to understand that at its root, jealousy is simply a passionate desire to possess something or to see something come about. The question that makes all the difference is this – do you have a right to the thing that you desire to possess? If you do and you are deprived of that thing, then your response could be called a godly jealousy. If you do not have a right to it, that’s when your desire becomes a sinful jealousy.

            A good illustration of a godly jealousy could be when a wife discovers that her husband has been unfaithful to her. She has an exclusive right to her husband’s affection, so when that right is violated, she has a natural and appropriate complaint about that. Now we might call her reaction a number of things – anger, devastation, disappointment – but we could call it a godly jealousy.

            As far as God is concerned, he has the right to receive our worship and obedience. He is our Creator and the one who keeps us alive for every moment that we are given in this life. Not only that, he is also our Savior, the one who has so graciously delivered us from the penalty of our sins. For all of this, he deserves to be the unrivaled master over our lives.

            When we do not treat him as such, he appropriately takes offense at that. But remember – this is not the same kind of petty offense taken by the person who doesn’t get the new pair of shoes that they wanted. This is the same kind of offense taken by someone who is denied justice, or by the woman whose marital rights are taken from her and given to another.

            The Lord warns us in this passage and others that when we spurn him as the unrivaled master of our lives, the consequences may appropriately be quite severe. Notice how the Lord states in verse five that he “[visits] the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.” The consequences of our sins may affect our grandchildren’s children, and whether or not that will happen is up to God. In his grace, he so rarely gives us the full brunt of what our sins deserve, but he has the right to do so if he deems it necessary.

            But to no one’s surprise, we see the grace of God shining out far brighter than his discipline. In verse six he reminds us that he “[shows] steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” That might be better translated “1000 generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” The effects of God’s discipline may last for three or four generations – which is no small thing! – but the echoes of his blessing can sound forth through 1000 generations!

So God has given us fair warning that he is a jealous God. He will not sit idly by as we serve other masters ahead of him.

No One Can Serve Two Masters

            Jesus put this warning in perhaps its most memorable form in the Sermon on the Mount. In the context of talking about money and wealth, he said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money (Matthew 6:24).”

            We could put many things in that statement and the principle would be just the same. The Lord could have said, “You cannot serve God and popularity,” or “You cannot serve God and personal comfort.”

            Remember that the Lord is talking about our highest allegiance. I am supposed to serve others in love, but that’s because God tells me to, and he is my highest master. I am supposed to serve my family, but that’s because God tells me to, and he is the Lord of lords – he is my highest authority.

The Danger of Idolatry

            Any time that we fail to give God our highest allegiance, we are engaging in idolatry, even though we may not normally think of our actions in those terms. We may understand that our actions have been sinful, but we don’t think of them as being instances of idolatry, though in fact they truly are.

            The reason that we can overlook idolatry in our own lives is that we associate idolatry with false worship, but our definition of worship is far too narrow. We normally think of worship as praying to something or singing a song of praise to it or literally bowing down to it and paying homage to it. So we don’t think we’ve ever worshiped our wealth because we’ve never sang a song of praise to our wallets. We don’t think we’ve ever worshiped our friends because we’ve never seated them on a chair in front of us and bowed down to them.

            But at its root, the idea of worship is simply the idea of assigning value to something. Whenever you have treated something as if it is more valuable than anything else in your life, you have worshiped it and you have committed idolatry, because you have given that thing the position in your heart that belongs to God alone.

Diagnosing Idolatry

            With that understanding of worship in mind, we can begin to diagnose idolatry that might be hiding within our own hearts. Let me present some questions that I believe can be very penetrating and very helpful for exposing idolatry.

1. Who am I willing to disappoint by my decisions?

            If I’m in a position where my decision is going to disappoint either God or other people, who am I willing to disappoint? To put it another way, am I willing to disobey God in order to go along with other people – or to impress others or to be popular? If I am willing to disobey God in those moments, that means I value the approval of others more than the approval of God. That means I am worshiping the approval of others and thus committing idolatry.

            If you find yourself in that position, you have to ask, “Why do I place such a high value on the approval of others?” It may be due to fear. If we lose the approval of others, they may reject us, and we may fear the thought of being lonely or the thought of suffering for our faith.

            It may be that you so highly value the approval of others because of a faulty view of who you are in Christ. You may tie your self-esteem to what other people think of you, when really your personal sense of worth and value should be built on the fact that you are a child of God.

2. Where do I find my sense of security?

            To put this another way, do I value the promises held out by things like money or power more than I value the promises made to me by God? Whose promises do I trust more? Thus, who will I give my highest allegiance to in the hopes that their promises to me will be fulfilled?

            In the time of the Old Testament Kings, the children of Israel repeatedly sought security in other people rather than in the Lord. On several occasions, when rumors of war came up, the kings of Israel or Judah would put themselves under the protection of a foreign nation, even though the Lord was promising to protect them. A few times, they even took some of the treasures in the Temple and gave them to foreign nations in order to buy their protection. They clearly did not value the promises of God the way they should have.

            In our lives today, we are bombarded constantly by the nearly overwhelming temptation to find our security in our wealth. This temptation can lead us to disobey the Lord in a number of ways. We may fail to be generous because we worry about our own futures or we cannot tolerate a change to our own standard of living. We may go along with unethical behavior on the job because we say, “I don’t know what I’d do without my benefits,” or “I’m just a few years away from retirement. This is no time for me to be rocking the boat.”

            So let’s all ask ourselves – do I value the promises held out to me by my savings account more than I value the promises held out to me by God? Do I value the promises held out to me by my standard of living more than I value the promises held out to me by God? If we have to answer “yes” to those questions, then we are idolaters.

3. What are my dreams for the future?

            Does my highest goal look exactly the same as that of someone who does not know Christ? Can my highest goal be accomplished in this life, or can it only be achieved when I see Jesus?

            Please understand I’m talking about your highest goal. We naturally share a lot of desires with unbelievers simply because we’re human beings. We all want to see our children grow up healthy and have everything they need. We would all prefer to live in comfort rather than hardship. I’m talking about the goal that is in the driver’s seat – the goal for which you are willing to allow other goals to fall by the wayside.

            Do I value worldly goals more than the goals given to me by God? Godly goals would be carrying out the Great Commission, storing up treasures for ourselves in heaven rather than on earth, and so on.

            It is painful to admit, but we have all been idolaters at one point or another. If you really want to press this thought, you could say that every instance of sin is an instance of idolatry because you’ve chosen to value something else more than you value obedience to God.

            The Bible cannot be more clear on this point – you cannot serve two masters. To serve anything else above God will provoke his holy jealousy and we will face his discipline for that. The only question is, to what degree?

            But the very God who is a jealous God is jealous because he is loving. He will not allow us to harm ourselves through idolatry without opposing our actions. And when we come to our senses and repent of our idolatrous ways, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. May we forsake all our idols today through the power of God’s Holy Spirit so that we may give God our highest allegiance, and no one else.

Sharing the Gospel Clearly--Life with God Series

            In some ways, communicating with other people is easier than ever these days. If I need to get a hold of you about something, I have close to ten different ways to do that. I can meet with you in person, send you a letter, send you an e-mail, or call your home phone. If you’re not at home, that’s no big deal, because I can call your cell phone or text you or video chat with you or send you a Facebook message.

            But ironically, communicating about important matters is just as hard as ever. One of the keys for good communication is to have your message crystal-clear in your own mind. If you’re confused about what you want to say, then there’s very little chance that you can make your point clear to someone else.

            With that thought in mind, we’re going to take a look today at what the message of the Gospel truly is. Last week, we talked about finding the boldness to tell others about the Gospel, but the truth is that we will never feel very bold until we have the essence of the Gospel clearly defined in our own minds. So first, let’s talk about what the Gospel is not, then we’ll look at a passage that tells us clearly what it is.

What the Gospel is NOT

1. It is not the entire story contained in the Bible

            As Christians ourselves, we know that Christians are familiar with the story of the Bible from Creation all the way to the Book of Revelation. The Gospel is not that entire story, however—it’s a much smaller slice of that story. When you’re sharing the Gospel, then, it’s not necessary to tell the whole story of the Bible. That’s nice to know, because it makes the thought of sharing the Gospel a little less daunting.

2. It is not an explanation of how Christians think or behave

            Sometimes we get in conversations about why Christians do or do not do certain things, and while those are good conversations to have, we need to realize that talking about some part of a Christian lifestyle is not the same as sharing the Gospel. So if you explain to someone why Christians don’t use the Lord’s name in vain, that’s good—but it’s not the same thing as sharing the Gospel.

The Heart of the Gospel—1 Corinthians 15:1-8

            So what is the Gospel? The Apostle Paul reveals the heart of it in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 [READ].

            These verses present two main claims about Jesus, which form the heart of the Gospel. For each claim, there is also a piece of evidence or proof given that establishes the truth of the claim. The first claim is that Christ died for our sins. The proof of this is that he was buried. The second claim is that He was raised on the third day. The proof of this claim is that he appeared to many different people.

            It is the claims mentioned here that form the heart of the Gospel. The proofs are important, of course, because they tell us that the claims are true, but when you are sharing the Gospel with someone else, it’s not entirely necessary to emphasize the proofs unless the other person asks for some reasons to believe the claims. And so, it is these claims about Jesus—that He died for our sins and then was raised—that form the core of this message that we call “the Gospel.”

            Notice two other details from this passage—details that also form a central part of the Gospel. Paul stated in v. 3 that it was Christ who died for our sins. This little word reminds us of what people must believe about Jesus in order to be saved.

            Remember that the word “Christ” is not Jesus’ last name. In fact, it’s not part of His name at all; rather, it’s a title that describes who Jesus is. The title “Christ” means “anointed one” or “chosen one,” so Paul’s usage of the title here reminds us that it wasn’t just a mere man who died for our sins—it was God’s chosen one. And why was Jesus God’s chosen one? Because He was in fact the Son of God—fully divine, just as God the Father is divine.

            So this truth must also be communicated when we share the Gospel. The only reason why Jesus’ death had any benefit for us at all is because He was the Christ—God’s own Son, designated (or anointed or chosen) to be the Savior of the world.

            And how is it that we receive the benefits that Christ’s death and resurrection have provided for us? That’s what Paul told us in vv. 1-2—“which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved.” We receive forgiveness for our sins simply by receiving it from Christ—accepting Him for who He is, and resting in what He has done for us.

            This picture of “standing” upon the Gospel is a helpful one for explaining what it means to accept Jesus in faith. As far as my confidence of being forgiven is concerned, I take my stand entirely upon these facts—that the Son of God died for my sins and was raised on the third day. I stand on that foundation and no other. I don’t have one foot on Christ and one foot on my own good works—no, I have both feet planted firmly on Christ.

So these verses in 1 Corinthians 15 give us the heart of the Gospel. Christ, God’s chosen one—the very Son of God—died for my sins and was raised on the third day. I receive forgiveness for my sins simply by receiving Christ—in other words, taking my stand upon what He accomplished for me. That is the heart of the message that we desire to share with others so that they can be saved. But how might approach the actual act of sharing that message?

How Can We Share the Gospel?

            Obviously, there are many different ways that we can share this message. The variety is just as wide as the variety of people we meet and the variety of conversations that we have. Perhaps in your life you have memorized certain ways of sharing the Gospel, such as the Romans Road. These can be good and helpful, but above all, it is most important to simply have the heart of the Gospel clearly defined in your own mind so that you are free to share this message in a variety of ways.

Telling Your Own Conversion Story

            Today, though, I would like you to think about how you could share the Gospel in the context of telling your own conversion story. I’d like to suggest this thought for two reasons.

Why share your story?

1. Our culture places a high value on a person’s life story/personal perspective.

            Now, our culture does take this respect way too far by saying that I can decide what’s true for me from the context of my life story, and you can decide what’s true for you from the context of your life story. That’s going too far, but nevertheless, our culture does consider it a virtue to show respect for another person’s life story or personal perspective, so we can use that fact to our advantage.

2. Sharing your conversion story is less intimidating and is not directly confrontational

            It is less intimidating in part because it is a more natural conversation. We talk about our lives with lots of friends and acquaintances all the time. We talk about what we did over the weekend, where we grew up; we talk about our hobbies. So when we talk about our conversion stories, it’s a pretty natural step from the kinds of conversations that we have all the time.

            It’s also a less intimidating approach because it’s easier to remember. We can all remember our conversion stories because we lived through them. If you’re trying to rely on a memorized presentation, though, there’s always that fear that you might forget the next verse you’re supposed to quote!

            Also, sharing your story is not directly confrontational. Someone might dismiss your story, but they can’t really argue with it. They might say, “I’m glad that’s worked for you,” but they can’t honestly say, “You’re lying! You didn’t find comfort in the Gospel during that hard time in your life!”

Two Ways to Structure Your Story

            Even though you know your own conversion story well, it can still be helpful to think about how to share your story. If you have even a very simple outline in mind, it can help you share clearly and make sure you emphasize the Gospel. Let me suggest two different outlines that might be a good fit for your story.

1. For an older conversion or dramatic conversion

            If you were saved a little later in life or you had a very dramatic change when you were saved, you might structure your story like so. First, share what life was like for you before you were saved. Highlight some of the problems that the Gospel solved for you. Perhaps you dealt with a lot of hopelessness or shame, or your lifestyle was very destructive toward yourself and others.

            Then, talk about when you accepted Christ. At this point, you would be careful to mention those claims that form the heart of the Gospel—that Christ died for our sins and was raised on the third day.

            Finally, you would describe how your life has changed since you accepted Christ. At this point, you could touch on how Christ has made all the difference for the problems you mentioned before—He has given you hope, He has taken away your shame, He has empowered you to change in ways you never thought possible.

2. For a younger conversion or less dramatic conversion

            For some of us, we don’t have much to talk about when it comes to our pre-conversion years because we were saved at a young age. Yes, maybe we lived like horrible heathens, but then we turned six and got saved! There’s not much for us to share about our life before Christ, so what we want to emphasize is how life with Christ has made all the difference.

            Here’s how we might approach our story, then: talk first about the grand sweep of your life. You might highlight some particular highs and lows, joys and sorrows. If the person you’re talking to is going through a struggle that you’ve faced, then naturally you might want to highlight that fact.

            Then, bring it all back to Christ and the Gospel. Explain to them that through it all, what Christ did for you has made all the difference. And of course, this is where you would emphasize the core claims of the Gospel about Christ’s death for your sins and His resurrection.

            However you share it, the Gospel is a message worthy of being proclaimed, because it tells of a Savior who is worthy of being praised. As the Scripture says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news (Romans 10:15)!” And good news is precisely what we have!

            So let us never be ashamed of the Gospel! Whether others realize it yet or not, it is good news for their souls. And how will they realize it if we do not tell them?