Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You've likely seen a video on the internet of someone putting their whole weight onto something that could not truly hold them up. Whether it's a man swinging from a worn out rope or a woman standing on a decrepit ladder, the result is never good. These people put their confidence in something that failed them. We realize that we can't move forward with confidence unless the object of our trust is truly trustworthy. In today's message, Pastor Rich shows us that following Jesus is not at all a blind leap, as some have suggested. We can move forward with confidence because the object of our trust is the greatest of strongholds.
Let's listen in. This is part two of a message titled Living by Faith Confidence. It was first preached on April 21st, 2019 at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. And this message concludes the Living by Faith series.
If you would like to listen to the entire series, you can visit www.delightingrace.com. And only in Him do we find that stronghold in time of trouble. Lest we think we're not included in that, let me quote Malcolm Muggeridge, who is a tremendous journalist of the 20th century. He said this, this is good, the depravity of man is at once the most empirically verifiable fact.
At the same time, it is the most intellectually resisted. We don't want to believe that we need rescue, do we? And yet it's so obvious. But the Lord helps them and delivers them, He delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in Him. They take refuge in Him.
Here is the truth. Because God is good, He counters evil. Would God be good if He did not counter evil?
He would not, but He does and He is. And because God is sovereign, nothing can stop Him. Are you ready to deal with that? Do you have a refuge? So I ask you this question, have you taken refuge in Him? In Him. Do you know that phrase, those two words, in Him, is the most powerful phrase in all of New Testament theology, in Him or in Christ. Because as I recognize that I live and I will one day stand before the infinite sovereign creator of the universe who is absolutely holy, unless I am in Christ and I have taken refuge in His righteousness, I will not be able to stand before holy God. And He will have to say, necessarily, depart from me. Have you taken refuge in Him?
So let me just explain it clearly. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord. He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them. He delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in Him. Who is this one in whom I must take refuge? Who is He?
Let me explain it very clearly using an illustration. These chairs, let them represent God. This is the Father.
This is the Son. And this is the Holy Spirit. God reveals Himself to us as one God in three persons. An eternal community living in perfect love and harmony from eternity. Because God is love, He purposed to create us.
To create us, man and woman, in His image so that we could enjoy His love and His fellowship. That's what love does. But then came the adversary and the pride of the creature. And that pride of the creature says, I know better. And Adam and Eve crossed over God's loving boundaries thinking they knew better. Thinking that they will find a satisfaction beyond what God had for them. And so they chose to live for themselves.
That is wickedness. And that is countering God's perfect character and purpose. And therefore it was necessary for mankind to be separated from God.
But it doesn't end there. God had a plan. He already had the plan in place.
In fact, listen to this, the plan was already done. He sent His Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. This is the advent of Christ.
This is the incarnation. He came to us like one of us. And while He was here, He was crucified to the cross. And He cried, My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me? It was in that moment that He took upon Himself all the holy necessary wrath of God that you and I deserve. He became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. By faith, this is what Romans 4 says, when we place our faith, our trust in Jesus Christ, we get His righteousness.
You know what happens then? You're reconciled to God. An infinite, holy, loving God. You are reconciled to God. Peter says that He might bring us to God and you get to enjoy and delight in the fellowship of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. That's the gospel.
This is what we celebrate today. Why is the resurrection important? Because Paul made it very clear that the resurrection of Christ is necessary. It is necessary.
What do we mean by necessary? In Acts chapter 17, Paul says he reasoned with these, he reasoned with many people. They were philosophers and debaters.
Intelligent, educated people. And he reasoned with them from the scriptures explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead. And saying, this Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ. What does necessary mean? It's used often in philosophical discourse. Necessary means it is essential. Necessary means it is inescapable. This thing that we call the gospel, if we are to have any hope of any life beyond our broken experience here and now, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is necessary.
Because necessary also means that it is logically unavoidable. It cannot be denied without contradiction. There is history we have to deal with here, folks. This is not myth.
This is not fantasy. There is history in this. And the Christian faith is anchored in the events of history. Therefore, we have hope for our future. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is necessary. By that, we mean that if the resurrection of Jesus Christ did not happen, if it did not happen, nothing matters.
But if it did, everything matters. It is necessary. Not only is it necessary, but it is also our assurance. This is why we can have such confidence in our faith. The faith that God has entrusted to us.
The faith in Jesus Christ. Acts chapter 17 and verse 31. Again, Paul speaking to the Athenians. He is telling them because he, God, has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness. That is, as I said before, standing before the one whose opinion counts. He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed.
And who is that? And of this, he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead. It is our assurance. This word assurance means a truth that is trustworthy. It speaks of believable evidence.
It is an apologetic term. Some of your translations even use the word proof. And of this, he has given proof to all by raising him from the dead.
There is history here. So, as we have studied in this tremendous chapter, the 37th Psalm. Living by faith is not, as many would tout, it is not a leap in the dark. It is not believing without evidence.
There is plenty of that going on today and we should not participate in that. But God has shown the light into our darkness. And so, instead of, as Paul said to the Athenians, without the light of God, you are simply groping in the darkness trying to find your way. And as God has shown the light into our darkness, instead of groping in darkness, let's look where the light shines and follow with confidence. Confidence because of history. Confidence because of what Christ has done.
Confidence because the tomb is empty. And we can have confidence then in the promise of Jesus who said, Because I live, you shall live also. But you have to be found in him. You have to be found in him. In Christ shall all be made alive. Now, as Rosalind Picard said, How do you learn without questions?
If you have questions today, I am more than happy to dialogue with you on these matters. Your life for eternity hangs in the balance. Do you have this confidence? Are you in Christ as your stronghold? I pray that he is. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good and your deepest satisfaction in him. The one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.
