Preaching Christ - Part 2 of 2

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder Lacerre Bradley, Jr. O for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise! The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace!

This is Lacerre Bradley, Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. We will glorify the King of Kings, we will glorify the Lamb. We will glorify the Lord of Lords, who is the great I AM. Lord Jehovah reigns in majesty, we will bow before his throne. We will worship him in righteousness, we will worship him alone. He is Lord of heaven, Lord of earth, he is Lord of all who live. He is Lord above the universe, all praise to him we give. We glorify thy name.

Amen. Today we'll be continuing the message entitled, Preaching Christ. If you'd like to get the complete message on CD, you can request that when writing us and we will send it to you free of charge. Also, upon request, I will send you a booklet entitled, Some Things You Need to Know About God.

Now, some of the subject matter we're dealing with in this message can also be found with greater detail in this booklet. For example, one chapter is entitled, God Has Provided a Savior. And we talk about the fact that Jesus Christ came at the appointed time to do the work that was given him by the Father. That he went to the cross, willingly laid down his life, paid the price that was necessary to redeem a people, and that therefore there is salvation through him and through him alone. This is the good news of the Gospel.

Salvation is not by human effort, but by the finished work of Jesus Christ. And it says, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. So if you want the booklet, Some Things You Need to Know About God, just request that when you write us.

I would encourage you to mention the call letters of the station over which the program comes to you, so that we will know we're getting response in that area and be able to continue on your station. That address once more is the Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. But as we observe his writings, we can see that whatever the subject was, when he went on to talk about fundamental doctrines, he wasn't setting forth a systematic theology so that people might just argue about some point and prove that their concept was superior to that of another. Every doctrine that he lays out is vitally connected to Jesus Christ. Now some today say doctrine is not really that important. Let's put emphasis on love.

As long as we have love, that's all that counts. While love is indeed the badge of discipleship, Jesus said, By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you have love one to another. You can't read the New Testament though and assume that love is the only thing that's essential, because repeatedly we're taught some doctrine which is the very foundation upon which other things must be built. So to ignore doctrine is to ignore a great portion of the Word of God. All scripture is given by inspiration and it's profitable.

It's profitable for doctrine, for the teaching that we need to know. But notice how Paul deals with it. In the first chapter of the book of Ephesians, he's talking about this salvation, the salvation that is brought because of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ was purposed even before time began. But this was connected to Christ.

Ephesians 1-3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. I've had people say, I don't particularly care for that doctrine of election. It seems to be so restrictive. It's limiting.

I can't grasp that. Or somebody will say, well, that's just hard doctrine. I want something that's warm. I want something that's uplifting. I want something that's soul-cheering. Friends, if you ever understand this doctrine, you'll see that it qualifies as being uplifting and soul-cheering and that this is not just a doctrine as hard, cold fact removed from the person of Christ. Christ is connected with it. It is He who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings and we are chosen in Christ, accepted in the Beloved. And then in verse 7 of the same chapter it says, In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. As God purposed this salvation, made choice of a people before the world began, He determined that in the fullness of time His Son would come to redeem those that were given to Him.

They were under the curse and condemnation because they are violators of God's law and something had to be done on their behalf. So Jesus Christ came at the appointed time, born of the Virgin, went to the cross, laid down His life, shed His blood, paid the price, got what He paid for. So we're talking about redemption, we're talking about something that's vital, we're talking about the very transaction by which condemned, guilty sinners are redeemed, purchased, belonging now not only to God by choice but because of the price that was paid on their behalf. Redemption is all in Jesus Christ. He, being the Redeemer, His precious blood being the price of redemption that was paid. And then we talk about that part of the experience when an individual comes then to a living relationship with Jesus Christ. This matter being chosen was accomplished from the standpoint of it being a covenant relationship. The work of redemption accomplished when Jesus Christ came to die for the people, many of whom who had not yet been born.

But now something must be done in them. And this is accomplished also by Jesus Christ. John chapter 5 verse 25, Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. Man, by nature, is not the friend of God, he's his enemy.

He doesn't fear God, he doesn't seek God, he's going in the opposite direction. He's dead in trespasses and in sin. How then can that individual be made to mourn over his sin, be brought to faith in Jesus Christ, find peace with God only by the life-giving voice of the Son of God? And so did Jesus Christ himself who speaks that word and gives life to the dead. And when that occurs, then Christ is in that individual, Christ in you, the hope of glory. All of this is vitally connected to Jesus Christ. If the truth is being preached, it's not separated from Christ.

It's not something that's a totally separate, self-standing issue. It's all vitally connected to Jesus Christ. We talk about an individual being justified. Romans chapter 3 verse 24 says, Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. In ourselves we were unjust. If we are His, we now stand justified. His righteousness credited to our account.

How does this occur? It's through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. And then there are those that say, well a person may have this experience, be born again, but if they stumble along the way, if they fail in their efforts, they may lose their salvation.

I talked to somebody about that recently. They talked about being under the kind of preaching that insists that if you're not faithful, if you're not constantly victorious in your battle against sin, that though you had salvation at one point, you are subject to losing it. What a dreadful burden to carry. On the other hand, when you read the words of Jesus, John chapter 10 verse 28, I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. What consolation that gives us. What hope that gives us. That we are secure in Him, not because of our faithfulness, but because of His. Now somebody says, well if I really thought that, I would make the assumption that it didn't make any difference how I live.

And of course that's a total misunderstanding of the matter. Because if a work has been done in us, if we have been transformed as was Saul of Tarsus, there is now a hatred for sin and a love for righteousness and a desire to please Christ. But it's not a matter of struggling because we fear losing our salvation, it's a matter of struggling against sin because we hate it and know that it dishonors Him and we want to live to His glory.

And then we look down the way. Having been kept with the power of God, there's something coming at the end. And once again, that which we look to and that which we anticipate is connected to Jesus Christ. 1 John 3 verse 2, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And that doesn't mean that we're going to become gods as some religion suggests, but we're going to be like Him in that we're going to be glorified. We're going to be free from sin.

We're going to be conformed to His image. We shall be like Him and we shall see Him as He is. So when we look back, our connection with this great scheme of salvation is a connection with Jesus Christ, accepted in the Beloved. We look back to Calvary. Jesus Christ is the one who redeemed us.

We look to justification. It's Christ who justifies us. It's Christ who calls us. It's Christ who keeps us. It's Christ who sustains us. It's Jesus Christ that we shall see and be with forever in that great time to come. I determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

But you know the same thing is true when it comes to practical teaching. When Paul is calling upon people to live a godly life, it's not a legalistic appeal. It's not something that gives way for the Pharisaical attitude to be developed and somebody to consider themselves to be superior to others, nor it's not some terrible threat.

What does he say? 1 Corinthians chapter 6. In verse 18, he calls upon God's people to flee fornication. Do not sin. Do not commit the sins of the flesh. Verse 19, What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

What's the basis of this appeal? You do not belong to yourself. You are not your own, for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirits which are God's. Since you have been bought and paid for, you have been redeemed by Jesus Christ.

You belong to Him. This is the motivation that is set forth. Glorify God in your body and in your spirit. The basis of the appeal then is that we want to glorify Jesus Christ. It comes to the practical matter of forgiveness. What a vital part of the Christian experience is this matter of forgiveness, being willing to forgive others. Oh, there's a resistance to that in our human nature. If we've been hurt or offended, there often is a great reluctance to be willing to forgive. How does Paul approach this subject? What kind of incentive does he give us? Ephesians chapter 4 verse 32, And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

What's the appeal that's made? You have been forgiven. You who did not deserve forgiveness, you who had offended a holy God, had the slate clean. God has put away your sin and forgiven you. On the basis that you have been forgiven, you should then find great pleasure to forgive others.

It should be a joy to you to forgive others. The basis of it being our relationship with Jesus Christ. It falls on us to love. Chapter 5 verse 2, Walk in love.

What's the basis of it? If you're going to walk in love, you walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and have given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for His sweet smelling Savior. The incentive then for this Christian walk, walking in love, manifesting love toward others, is that Christ loved us. And since we're the object of His love, we know something about love because He loved us.

Let us in turn love others. He continues in this chapter talking about the relationship of husband and wife. Notice the appeal, verse 24, Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. He says that the relationship between husband and wife should depict the relationship between Christ and the church.

See, this is not just an issue to be discussed by the philosophers of the day and for society to come to some general conclusion about what the appropriate way of interacting within a marriage might be. This is something that's basic and scriptural and even in this matter, He says what you do and how you conduct yourself is connected with Jesus Christ. Wives, you be submissive to Christ. Wives, you be submissive to your husbands even as the church is submissive to Jesus Christ. And then on the other hand, verse 25, He says to the husbands, Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it.

Now there's never been any greater love than that. Christ gave His life, laid down His life for the church that He might redeem it, purchase it. That He might sanctify it and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word. He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies.

There couldn't be any greater example given than that. A man might say on a given occasion, well I've become very frustrated with my wife, we disagree about a lot of things, have this problem, that or the other. But when you consider how God's love has been steadfast for you in spite of your failings and your faults, you have every incentive to love your wife no matter what her failing might be. So you see, no matter what the subject, if we're talking about practical, godly living, it's not set over here as a separate issue, here's some legalistic rules, here's some regulations that may be extremely difficult but you must abide by them.

Nevertheless, all of this is connected to Christ and that ought to give us not only the incentive but give us the joy to fulfill it because we know it's to His honor. Now seeing something of the man and the message, let's look at the method. Paul said, when I came to you, I came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. I didn't come with enticing words, I wasn't depending upon my ability as an orator. No doubt Paul was a powerful speaker from one vantage point but was not particularly appealing from the standpoint of oratorical ability. He did not come with some philosophical explanation trying to appeal to those that considered themselves very wise in that day.

It was not an attempt to appeal to people's preconceived ideas, just make them feel good about themselves. Paul recognized that man in his human nature would reject the message. In the first chapter of the book of 1 Corinthians, it says in verse 22, for the Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom but we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness.

The Greeks were well known for their pursuit of wisdom, being proud of their many philosophers and considered themselves on a very high level intellectually. And so the message of a crucified Savior had no appeal to them whatever. It was foolish to them. Matthew Henry expressed it like this, the thing preached was foolishness in the eyes of worldly wise men. Our living through one who died, our being blessed by one who was made a curse, our being justified by one who himself was condemned was all folly and inconsistency to men blinded with self-conceit and wedded to their own prejudices and boasted discoveries of their reason and philosophy. You understand how someone boasting in their great wisdom would find this to be terribly puzzling and a message that they would finally conclude had no value, that it was absolute folly to think that we were going to be living because a man died. That we were going to be blessed by one who was made a curse and we were going to be justified by one who himself was condemned. And then to the Jew it was a stumbling block. Although the Old Testament prophecies revealed that the Messiah would suffer, they had missed it and they were thinking in terms of a conquering king that would deliver them from the yoke of bondage and make them a great nation.

And so the very message of Jesus, the very humble way in which he came and ultimately his death on the tree, on the cross caused them to stumble. They said this cannot be the Messiah that we have long awaited. Then Paul reveals further in the second chapter that it is to be expected that he cannot rely on human ability, on his own method and his own approach to be successful in preaching the gospel. Verse 9 says, As it is written, I have not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Man by his natural vision and by his own understanding does not comprehend the things that God has prepared for those that love him. And then verse 14 makes it even stronger. 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.

How then is an individual in such a plight going to ever come to some understanding? Verse 12, Now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. We know the things that are given to us of God.

We know it by the blessing of God's Holy Spirit. Not as a result of human wisdom, which Paul says was not that which I relied upon. I didn't come to you boasting my speech, my preaching was not with enticing words of men's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

And here's the reason for it, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. So he came preaching, but relying upon the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the desired end. I determined to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Christ and him crucified. It is his message which we preach. When we're preaching the gospel, we're preaching the message of Jesus Christ. When we're correctly preaching any doctrine in the Word of God, we're connecting it to Christ. When we're preaching any practical message, we're connecting it to Christ.

Christ is the center of it all. It is his example that we're to follow. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 20 verse 26 that he came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. Paul tells us that Christ took upon him the form of a servant and humbled himself even to the death of the cross. Jesus Christ himself, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, came as a servant. This is the example that we are to follow. We don't follow that example in order to become his child, but as one of his followers, we learn that we're not seeking the highest place.

We follow the example of being a servant. And it is his strength upon which we rely. His strength that enables us as we travel through this pilgrim journey, as we face our trials and our difficulties along the way, it's not by our own determination.

But Paul says in Philippians 4.13, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. So Christ is an essential part of all that we're doing that will redound to his glory in the midst of our difficulties when the pressures bear down upon us. Where do we find the strength? Where do we find the hope?

Where do we find the courage? We find it in Jesus Christ. And so it is his glory which is desired. In the last verse of 1 Corinthians chapter 1, Paul says that according as it is written, He that glorith, let him glory in the Lord. Oh, that we may be faithful and always lifting up the name of Jesus Christ. We want to lift up his name in the hymns that we sing, in the messages that we preach, in the prayers that we pray.

We want to lift up his name and the life that we live. And determine to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. As the Lord blessed you, though natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God and the gospel may have been foolishness to you at one time, but there's been a transformation after saying that we preach Christ crucified under the Jews a stumbling block and under the Greeks foolishness, he says, but unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. When that calling has come from God, now the message that one time may have been absolute foolishness makes sense.

And you respond and say, that is good news. Is the gospel good news to you that Jesus Christ died for sinners? You see that he alone is your hope and you by faith have embraced him. If you've never confessed him, that opportunity is given you as we stand to sing.

Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, Gloria sits my name, O Lord. Though the gospel message is preached time and time again, those whose hearts have been touched by divine grace rejoice once more to hear it, that Jesus Christ is the savior of sinners. And if you have been convicted of your sinfulness and know that you are in desperate need of a savior, I pray today that this good news will find a lodging place in your heart and that you will embrace the truth of it and embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. I hope that you will write us during the coming week.

We look forward to hearing from you. Till next week at the same time, may the Lord richly bless you all. Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, Gloria sits my name, O Lord. The Baptist Bible Hour has come to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr. Address all mail to the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. That's the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Gloria, Gloria, Gloria, Gloria sits my name, O Lord.