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January 8, 2020 9:00 am
Today on Senate life with JD Greer. You may not like the message but this is the only place the power of God is there is no name under heaven given among men by which we must be saving power and power alone in the name of Jesus. Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father and the other way except through me. And even though that rubs you the wrong way.
I gotta say because that's all the resurrection life is the only place that is what would it take for you to get your life as you know others can hear the gospel say pastor Judy Greer picks up where he left off yesterday and examining the life of Paul wasn't ashamed to share the good news around the world. He was eager to faithfully proclaim what Christ had done example shows us just how unworthy we were to hear the gospel and how much we owe to Jesus for giving it to us is the last week to get our exclusive Senate life 2020 day planners to be sure to stick around after the message for details on how you can get your copy Palestine pastor JD in Romans chapter 1 Paul's most compelling evidence that religion was not just a private matter. Something that works for him. That's that other people might work for them to do something that was something everybody should know was because of the way that had been foretold and fulfilled through all the prophets in the Bible. But even before Paul goes to the resurrection as his evidence that Christianity is true the first place. He turns is the way that God fulfilled prophecy 39 books. In fact, written over the space of 1500 years by 30 different authors all had one point they were trying to make that point was, Jesus is coming to rescue you. Isaiah where he would be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, and his name will be mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace, or how in the book of Esther. He would be our righteous advocate in the throne room. He was risking his life to save our support in Hosea how he is that ever faithful husband who is always pursuing his ever unfaithful bride telling Jonah. He was the prophet that was cast out into the storm God's wrath so that we could be brought in how in Micah, he was the everlasting ruler that was promised to be born in Bethlehem who would reign forever. How in Zachariah these promises that one is coming to Jerusalem was a king riding on a donkey will be betrayed by 30 pieces of silver would then be pierced in one day. Every eye on earth would bolt and 300 other prophecies that detailed the character in the ministry and a person of who the Messiah was is really personal if you guys for a minute okay. It was this concept that finally solidified my faith.
You see I had convinced myself that maybe the stories of the resurrection were like were like exaggerations are a big thing of groupthink and maybe she's right, in resurrecting the dead, and I was gonna waffling on what will what is is me. It was when I really saw how every one of these stories with such incredible specificity painted for me. Jesus so that when you finally get to the gospel of Matthew. The first book of the New Testament you like. There is talk about for 1500 years and this is the one they been talking about. It was then that my my faith became rock solid pulse of the reason is on private matters. Businessmen talk about 1500 years is a second reason Lisa because it was there to solidify by the resurrection of the dead, the resurrection of the dead. This is the other piece of evidence. The apostles always went to the validate their claims we saw in me.
So I'm raising the dead model have time to go deeply into this here, but if you are unsure about this. This is usually the place to start your investigation. If you're unsure about the claims of Christ. Look first at the claims of his resurrection. The evidence for the resurrection is incredibly solid that you will balk like Lee Strobel's case for Christ. Lee was very liberal, cynical journalist that work for the Chicago Tribune who was sick and tired of all the Christians in his life trying to share their faith with them so you is that I use my journalistic skill and I was just gonna prove that Christianity was a hoax at the end of the day.
He concluded what so many have concluded that there was simply no way these stories could be made up was no way to than the stuff of legends.
He said only a predisposed bias against the evidence would lead you to think that this is a hoax. The evidence for the resurrection is more solid. He says that is the evidence that we accept for many of the most indisputable historical facts, buses, the resurrection of the dead is what would give me confidence in this. He continues through him we have received grace. Paul sold the message of grace as a distinguishing characteristic of the gospel lesson is common in our culture to say no.
All religions basically teach the same thing when somebody says that you can know one thing about that person and that is they never actually studied the religions because they don't pay it back.
Then there is some similarity with me every religion the world operates off this premise the premises. This I will day. Therefore, I will be accepted.
Religions fill in the blank differently.
I obey what I the five pillars of Islam, but a full bath of the Buddha went to mass and you know say your prayers are Hail Marys I obey and if I obey well enough and long enough, then God will accept me all religions in the world work out that premise, except for one and that is the gospel.
The gospel is I am accepted.
Therefore, I will obey. I am accepted not because I obey well enough I am accepted by a gift of God's grace and because of my gratefulness for grace. I then obey as an act of love and not as an attempt to save myself. That is a distinguishing thing about Christianity, and anybody says he'll think the same things is never look at it that deeply there is a famous story about CS Lewis British atheist who became a Christian. The 20th century.
CS Lewis was a professor of literature at Oxford walking on the halls of Oxford one day and there was a group of his other professors. His compatriots there in room and they were all in. There are basically date they were trying to come up with all the things that religions had in common and so they did put all these new characteristics out there and Cecil's walkabout of the door. He was Christian there like a Jack that was what they they can't know how you get Jackson Clive Staples Lewis, but Jack was his nickname by a Jack come on here for minute and you show us what is not on this board that would make Christianity different from all the other religions in the world. CS Lewis looked at it for minute walk to the chalkboard six piece of chalk and his write one word race puts a child down walks out then say a word back to things you should learn that story number one.
Never try to go one up on CS Lewis okay good life.
Rule number two is grace that distinguishes the Christian message and Paul understands that having set apart with a new message in this message is unlike anything else. It is grace is grace. He continues, he says and apostleship have been given and apostleship now thereto uses of the word apostle in the Bible that you need understand the first one is what I think of as A. Apostle. This is the 12 disciples plus Paul that were authorized to write the Bible there is an authoritative position is only those guys you had to have seen the risen Jesus and received this commission directly from him. They were authorized in places like John 14 in Matthew 16 to establish authoritatively what the Bible teaches, which is why by the way, every book in our New Testament is either written by an apostle or validated by an apostle. That's the big a apostle. There's a small a apostle that literally just means someone who is sent and that is something that applies to all believers were all sent with the gospel to take the gospel to others. Paul is an apostle, in both senses. This is first of all I been established by God with the authority to teach these things accurately. Secondly, I'm just a believer who's been saved and sent like all you Paul was an apostle, in both senses to the question is why does this gospel compel all of us to become apostles. Why does this gospel compel all of us become little a apostles. It went around the world sharing with our neighbors.
Paul alludes to three different reasons.
First, he says, how can you receive this kind of grace and just hold it to yourself. What kind of person would do that but he says get you even uses analogy with like this. I imagine that disease work out here in the trial and it was so bad of a disease of people did it and within 24 hours they die. But somehow you stumble onto a cure. You get an anonymous package and it is a cure that immediately cures you and your family.
What kind of person doesn't make everybody aware that both of how could I receive grace the gospel to myself. But there's other reasons he shares with this verse five is is God's command of this happen. I received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith God has commanded that everybody everywhere repent and believe in Jesus and if I really believe that Jesus is Lord, then I'm going to be part of seen that happen.
And if I'm not part of seen that happen.
I got good reason to wonder whether or not I've ever really accepted Jesus as Lord in this biography are now about Lyndon Johnson and that was what people say was a high point of Lyndon Johnson's life is our president. He was getting the Civil Rights Act to Congress and was a lot of senators that said they believe in the Civil Rights Act, but they were hiding behind procedural objections do not go on record with voting for it. Answer Lyndon Johnson's biographer said in his finest hour stood up and said the time for hiding behind procedural things is over, you are going to vote right now and if you do not vote for this in history will know that you were not really behind the principles of the civil rights movement was with that that he was able to get it through. Christians are in a similar kind of situation.
A lot of us love to talk about how we believe Jesus is Lord. But if you are not out bringing people to the obedience of faith telling them Jesus is Lord and usually hope for salvation and you need to submit to him because he is Lord we need to wrestle with the question of is he actually Lord in your life. Plus, Charles Spurgeon always said you are a missionary or an imposter. You've gone out to bring other people to faith in Jesus or I don't think you really accepted it because this was never supposed to be a private matter. Yours was to receive it and go out and bring other people to faith in Jesus to is called the great commission. Not a great suggestion I bought is one of the reason he arrives verse five still, he says I go.
Also, for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles the name of Jesus he says is worthy to be worshiped among the nations is not just worthy to be worshiped by me and the people I know. I want everybody to acknowledge the glory and the beauty of Jesus. Listen you talk a missionary, what sustains them is not just compassion for people that wears off. Yes your compassionate you want to see them saved and escape judgment. Escape hell, but ultimately what burns in the heart of every true Christian is a desire to see Jesus recognized in the nations for who he is.
I see the sometimes and I go overseas and I see people bowing down in temples to false gods and I see their devotion to false gods in the something inside me just wants to go with it. No. I bet that statute is not to serve that kind of devotion to God who created you deserve the current devotion I wore when I lived in Southeast Asia not far from where I was. There was this Hindu festival that they would do every year to try to atone for their sins and party was very gruesome. They would take these hooks drag sleds and hook it into the flesh in their back and they would pull the sled and is there believe in the back are trying to atone for their sin. And there's something in the heart of the Christian assist now this is not how you atone for sin.
There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, not yours. Sinners plunge beneath the flood was all their guilty staying the net devotion you're giving to these false gods really belongs to Jesus ago. I feel the same thing when I want to be like the Grammys and I see all these people who are so devoted to themselves and using these crazy talents to exalt themselves in the something when I watch that just boils up inside me and said that talent was not created for you. That count was created to put the beauty of God on display and pulse and I want his name known among the Gentiles and that's what compels me to go. That's the man that's the message to finally let's look here what Paul says about the mission, how committed is Paul to this task. Paul discusses this in verse 14 to 70. He says three things about the mission. I'm not ashamed. I'm eager enough to under obligation that there's real briefly 100 not brought nourishing insane.
I'm not ashamed Paul is recognizing that there are a lot of people who will be ashamed about the gospel I told you last week.
Paul anticipates objections before we even have a chance to raise them any answers in this is an example that is a I'm not ashamed why would people be ashamed of the gospel Tim Keller says there are four reasons that modern people are ashamed of the gospel. First, the gospel tells us that we are such spiritual failures, but the only way we can be saved is through a free gift of God's grace and that's an insult literally nothing you can do to help yourself. God had to do it all for you, and that offends moral and religious people who believe that their decency and their accomplishments give them an advantage over the less moral and the less successful. Second, it tells us the gospel tells us that we are so wicked that only the bloodied death of Jesus could save us, and that offends the popular belief in the innate goodness of humanity and that all we really needed to get in touch with our inner snowflake and then everything is going to be fine. Third, the gospel offends us because it teaches the lesson that all so-called good sincere people are not automatically go to make it to heaven and that offends the modern notion that every nice person anywhere can find God in his or her own way, because the gospel tells us that God is the only one who can provide salvation and if Juergen receive salvation.
You gotta do it his way.
Lastly, the gospel tells us that our salvation was accomplished by Jesus is serving and suffering and that we should expect the same when we are following him, and that offends people and churches who want salvation to usher them into an easy nice comfortable life where it's all blessing and prosperity and happiness in an in rainbows and snuggles and that's what it means to walk with Jesus is like no pulse. It would Jesus call me said take up our cross and follow. And that means I should expect to experience in life.
What Jesus experienced and that is not what people want to hear four ways that this message will never be popular ever in modern culture to not be ashamed of. It means you recognize that you proclaim it anyway. Paul says I know this message rubs you the wrong way. I know it offends you. I know it's never the make me popular, but I'm not ashamed of it because I know that yet and isn't alone contains the power of God for salvation. A new life. One of our high school boys said to me last week.
Did you know, phone numbers that you got to get them exactly right or they don't help at all.
Right you don't get points for for for being almost right you'll get points for being in the vicinity of the phone number right now so that's right you try to call my daughter I will be one answer the phone disorder clear on that post. As you may not like the message you may not like the message but this is the only place the power of God is there is no name under heaven given among men by which we must be say there's power and power alone in the name of Jesus. Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father and the other way except for me and even though that rubs you the wrong way. I gotta say it because that's all the resurrection life. That's the only place that is process will not ashamed anymore. Not that I'm eager. Paul said, I have felt its power in my life.
I know it is the only hope of salvation. So I just we want to get it to you Soma churches is how I want us to feel about our community. This is how I feel about our church. This is why were always pushing ourselves so hard to grow into expand and what to put up a new campus in let's plan a new church of let's do another dish giving initiative and all these things in your like when his never to be enough. If not about getting our church to a point that we all like it. It's about people that need to hear and understand Jesus, so never stop because were eager to get the gospel to its how I feel when I preach. I love preaching up here. I love wrestling with the questions. I look you want to know at the end of the day.
What I really care about when I'm standing up here I want to see people come to Jesus. That's it. That's like that's what's burning in my heart every time I stand up here and I think of the words Charles Spurgeon who unbuckled a lot. He's at the pastor emeritus of the summer church is my hearers are not converted when I'm speaking us like a waste of my time. I lost exercise a brain or heart of those of the lost my over the loss.
My life mystifying for my Lord. Some of his blood, but once want to do now. Love theology, a lipoma deep things through until especially seminary student something on the ice and one of you, but not what we should do for each paper. My okay I get I love theology. First was the preacher to religiously what he said as though I feel I would sooner bring one sinner to Jesus Christ and unpacked all the divine mysteries in the word so no I'm not can engage with you in a long conversation about predestination when you haven't want anybody to Jesus in three years okay to be about reaching people for Jesus and theology helps us in that but our focus is to seek and save the lost meter, the opposite of not being ashamed of the gospel the opposite to be missing. The gospel is not am proud to be a Christian.
The opposite is I'm eager to share even more.
Paul says I'm obligated to obligated.
We talk about this before, but the word that Paul uses.
Therefore, obligation literally means debtor if I am in debt to these people are never heard. Now here's a question. Why would Paul feel like he was in debt to a group of people.
He never even met Rembrandt's leaders to ways to be in debt to somebody. One they loan you money. You got them back is another way that is somebody gives you a large sum of money to give to them, then you're under obligation to get to the say that you were the CEO of feed the children so money comes and gives you $1 million check for feed the children and you take it and put it in your bank account at some point we look at you and say you are stealing because that money was not given to you for you to hold for you. That money was given to you for you to get to the children.
Paul says I understand that this gospel that was given to me what down the beach for me and I understand that I was no more worthy of salvation. Then anybody anywhere in the world and that if God blessed me with this incredible grace of knowing eternal life through Jesus Christ and I am under obligation to give it to those people who are no less worthy to hear that I was. I will tell you when you begin. Understand that when you begin to really wrestle with that. That's going to change your life is going to rearrange your priorities even start to say things like, only one life to live us in the past, who was done for Christ will last for life is not about chasing my dreams. It's not about accomplishing and building these things. I've got one life and I can figure out how my talents and my money and my resources gotta figure out how to get the gospel people around the world that this is the only place they have to experience salvation when you really wrestle with this until you every things are certainly different in your life was like in this week about the red many years ago that most of you know that I have four children. My fourth child, my only son is named Adam Mitchell Burnett and Ira at an arm. Judson was the first Baptist missionary to let the United States in 1700s to go and carry the gospel to burn what we call today me on my first missionary first English speaker first person in the gospel to ever enter the region of Burma to share the gospel. Well, right before he left he had fallen in love with a girl named and have something to also share his passion for the nations to wanted to marry and he thought it was appropriate that he write her father and ask her father for her hand in marriage, thankfully, that letter that he wrote to his prospective father-in-law was preserved for us to be read to you a section of an Mr. Hassell thing I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, never to see her again in this world. Whether you can consent to her departure to foreign dangerous lands and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life whether you can consent to her exposure to every kind of want and distress.
The degradations and insult the persecution and maybe even a violent death. Can you consent.
All of this for the sake of him who left his heavenly home and died for her and for you, for the sake of perishing immortal souls for the sake of the glory of God. Can you consent. All of this and hope to soon. Meeting your daughter in the world of glory with a crown of righteousness brightened by the acclamation's appraiser shall redound to her Savior from lost nation safely or with his questions gospel work that you is the gospel worth that to you. Do you understand that there is an obligation that those of us who receive the gospel have because this is what I want you to rest with what is your response.
The gospel is going. If you don't want to look like in your career. If you're nearing retirement with customers look like if you're in the middle of it. God is blessing you what easy to do that, we try to make us work product for you is you need on your first mission trip this year, never gone overseas.
Some of you is more than just a short-term mission trip in your thinking I might not even going to church when trying to go overseas once I look like one year to year. Many years we try to bring it in one step farther. Just make it super super practical for you. Forget about the nations for minute� Talk about you reaching people around you.
That's the first obligation is over. Starting this thing is your Hoosier one is minute of the most basic commitment of the gospel is that you have one person at least which are praying for and asking God to help you share the gospel with hopefully that you can bring them to faith in Christ of the course of the year. What habits in your life and the change you can build a relationship with a person and introduce them to Christ. Your intentional you print the challenge today from Pastor Jeannie Greer on Senate life. Well, we hope that you'll take that challenge to share the truth with others like Alden because it really is a matter of life in one way you can help more people hear the truth of the gospel is by supporting ministries like Senate life.
We exist to bring the gospel to as many people as possible to the radio and went and we would love to have you partner with us in when you deal as a little expression of our thanks will send you a copy of the 2020 Senate life day planner is a great resource and we would love to get you a copy. This is the last week that it's available is to be sure to get in touch soon as your copy of the 2020 Senate life, day planner, when you donate today to support this ministry at the suggested level of $25 or more, or even answer a plastic cleaner when you join the growing team of monthly gospel partners. It's easy to sign up by calling 866-3352 20 866-34-TRUTH 552 20 or you can give and request the planar online@jdgreer.com for it's easier to mail your donation right to JD Greer ministries PO Box 12293, Durham, NC 27709.
Be sure to check out our newest resource. The ask me anything podcast where Pastor Jeannie tackles and challenging questions from listeners like you take out@jdgreer.com/ask me anything interest out inviting you to join us again next time. Pastor JD is asked leaning that while our hearts are correct. That doesn't stop pursuing sure to listen Thursday Senate life with JD Greer program was produced and sponsored by JD Greer minutes