April 2, 2023 - Jesus Christ - The Way & The Truth
Notes
Transcript
• So it’s been 2 weeks since we’ve seen each other - and so I think it would be best to recap where we are...
3 weeks ago we started this Easter Mini Series...
Where we started out by looking at - 1st century Jewish Expectations of the coming Messiah...
We saw some interesting things...
No Trinity
No Suffering Messiah
National Salvation, Not Individual Salvation
The Law as Redeemer
AND then 2 weeks ago - we looked at what Jesus (THE Messiah) - had to say about himself...
…And in doing so - we looked at Jesus Christ - as - I AM.
If you remember - we’re walking through what Jesus said of Himself in John 14:6...
Where Christ makes several claims about himself.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
• And so last week we looked at Christ as "I AM"...
• We saw that in John 8:58 Jesus says this about himself...
SLIDE:
"Before Abraham was, I am."
• And we also saw how the Jews responded to what Jesus said here!
• They picked up stones to kill Jesus.
• Why?
• Because they knew what He was implying...
• They knew that He was claiming to be the Eternal God - incarnate!
• They knew that Jesus was using the Title of "I AM" that God had used for Himself in Exodus 3:14....
• Jesus was claiming to BE GOD...and so they tried to kill Him...
• WE HOWEVER...
• ...knowing Christ to BE - I AM...to be God in the flesh...
• 2 WEEKS AGO - we looked at 1 specific attribute of Christ....in 3 different ways...
• ...we focused in on the Divine Authority of Christ...
SLIDE:
Divine Authority of Jesus Christ
In Words
In Works
In Us
• We looked at Christ's Authority...
• in words (He spoke as one with Authority - When the scribes would speak, their words would always point to anothers words....But not Christ)
• in works (He performed physical miracles to help people believe who He was - (healed a paralytic SO THAT...) (His physical works pointed to a greater spiritual reality)
• in us (we should know that as Christians, we have the authority of Christ holding us up...AND because of that...we should pursue not only speaking truth...but living it out as well...)
• And so last week, we saw Christ as I AM...
• This week, DUE TO TIME (me missing last week) we will look at Jesus as - the WAY // the Truth
And so we start with - THE WAY
SLIDE: Jesus Christ as The Way: An Easter Series
JESUS CHRIST AS THE WAY
JESUS CHRIST AS THE WAY
• Now, if i were to ask you - What's the way to get to Amish Country?
• If I went to each of you, you all might give me a different WAY to go....
• WITH EACH WAY getting me to Amish Country...
• Some of you might say - Well, go out to Rt. 82, turn right, and keep going till you hit 71 S.
• Some of you might say -
• Well, go out to West River Rd...and take it South until you get to XYZ...
• Some of you might say - Drive west downRt. 82 - to Route 83 and take that South...
• NOW, all of these would be a RIGHT ANSWER...
• All of them could get me to Amish Country…BUT
• When it comes to Jesus Christ claiming to be THE WAY....in John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
• When Jesus says - I am THE WAY....
• He's not teaching here that there are OTHER POSSIBLE routes to take...to get to the Father...
• We see Christ's use of a DEFINITE ARTICLE in this verse....
• and it's the word 'THE'....
• Jesus says - I am THE way...
• meaning - the ONLY way....and of course this is confirmed in the second half of the verse....(No one comes...)
• And so when Jesus says - I AM THE WAY....
• we need to know what 'THE WAY' entails....
• And in looking at Jesus as the WAY - we need to ask - the WAY to where?
• The verse itself will help us with that...
• "I am the way....no one comes to the Father except through me"...
• so "THE WAY" refers to the way to the FATHER....
• How DO We Get to God...
• Jesus says - I AM THE WAY
Now - let's SPEND OUT TIME - looking at some mile markers along “THE WAY”....
TO START - let’s look at Romans 10:9
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
• This is a very familiar verse to us...
• ...and one that lays out for us some of these mile markers that we want to look at.
• AS WE DO - we'll see some implications that this verse points to...
• ..and we'll walk through those as well...
• Remember, Jesus claimed to be THE WAY....to the Father...to get to God.
• And so, we see here in this verse a MAIN point - MAINLY the DEATH of Christ...but...
• before we get to that...
• His death IMPLIES something about us.
• He died for a reason...
• He died FOR OUR SINS...yes - but we start a step earlier...
• And so it's there - where we will begin.
SLIDE: Holiness in Light of Christ: The Way
Holiness in Light of Christ
Holiness in Light of Christ
• The reason that we start with this FIRST STEP along the Way, is due to our 2nd point, which we'll get to shortly.
• God is PERFECT in all His ways....
• The Holiness of God is seen all throughout Scripture...
• He Himself is Perfect:
4 “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.
30 This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
• Even His name is holy:
12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
• His Dwelling Place is Holy:
6 Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand.
8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.
4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!
• And something we touched on 2 weeks ago -
• His Holiness is revealed in His righteous activities:
16 But the Lord of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.
• You remember 2 weeks ago - Christ stood before a paralytic...
And said …
• SO THAT you know that I have AUTHORITY over the Spiritual Realm....(forgiving sins)
• let Me perform this miraculous...PHYSICAL work....
• let Me show you that I have authority over the Spiritual Side of life....
• HENCE - His Holiness is revealed in His righteous activities
• And we catch glimpses of His Holiness in our lives as we experience His miraculous works...
• God is perfect....to the uttermost....we can't fully comprehend this...
• BUT we must understand...
He is perfectly:
• loving
• merciful
• Holy
• Just - and BECAUSE He is...
• ...ALL that falls outside of perfection - MUST be dealt with...
• Therefore - God is perfectly WRATHFUL toward all that which is NOT Holy...
And so in thinking about Jesus AS THE WAY to the Father, with God being perfectly HOLY and RIGHTEOUS...
• ...we come to our second step on THE WAY....
We’ve seen HOLINESS in light of Christ… NOW...
SLIDE: Sin in Light of Christ: The Way
SIN IN LIGHT OF CHRIST
SIN IN LIGHT OF CHRIST
We started with HOLINESS - in light of Christ - NOW - SIN
• Let's go right to Romans 3:9-12 - hopefully you know it
9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
• This is who we are! - We just saw WHO GOD is - HOLY…and now US.
• And it started from the very beginning!
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—
13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.
14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
• So YES - Adam brought sin into the world, YET - Each of us is responsible for our own sin...
• It says - "death spread to all men because ALL sinned..."
• AND SO - in light of Jesus being THE WAY to the Father...
• We must believe that we are sinners...
• THIS BELIEF is woven into the fabric of THE WAY...to God...
• A person who DOES NOT believe that he's a sinner, cannot be saved....IN that belief.
• If I'm NOT a sinner, then I don't need a Savior.
• I MUST believe that I'm a SINNER if I am to believe Jesus AS THE WAY...
• AND - the only way that we can DEFINE this sin for what it is - IS IF we understand point 1.
• This is how point 1 and 2 correlate...
• We CAN’T UNDERSTAND who WE ARE before God, if we don't understand God...
• Our SIN only has meaning - - AS THE FALLING short of the expectations of Our Creator...God...
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
• So if I don't believe I'm a sinner, then I'm not going to believe Jesus DID ANYTHING for me...
• And if Jesus didn't DO ANYTHING for me, then I'm not believing in Him for salvation...
• And if I'm not believing in Him for salvation...then I'm not saved.
• So we MUST understand our position/status before God...
• When we understand we're dealing with a HOLY God...
• And that we have FALLEN short of His expectation...in SIN...in rebellion against Him...
• And that BECAUSE He is HOLY and JUST, He must deal with that SIN...
We come to the next step along THE WAY....THE WAY - Jesus Christ
SLIDE: Judgment in Light of Christ: The Way
JUDGMENT IN LIGHT OF CHRIST
JUDGMENT IN LIGHT OF CHRIST
• So if we understand God as being Perfect - Holy ...
• AND we understand ourselves as being FALLEN SHORT of His glory...in rebellion against Him...
• then BECAUSE God IS Holy - He will JUDGE sin...
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
• It does NOT say that due to disobedience, God's wrath will COME UPON you...
• No, it says - whoever does not obey the Son, the wrath of God REMAINS on him...
• Meaning - the wrath of God was already there....
• From the very beginning - the wrath of God came in judgment on SIN...and wickedness (Romans 1)
• God HATES SIN - and this HATRED displays itself in that...
• ...It separates us from God
2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
• And so feeling the weight of THIS PROBLEM....what does God do to remedy this? - Next PILLAR along THE WAY....
SLIDE: The Deity of Christ: The Way
THE DEITY OF CHRIST
THE DEITY OF CHRIST
• God sends His Son into the world...
• The GOD-Man....
• God couldn't have used Peter....or John to save us...
7 Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life,
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah
• So God sends the GOD-Man into the world...and this leads to our next STEP on THE WAY...
SLIDE: Redemption in Light of Christ: The Way
REDEMPTION IN LIGHT OF CHRIST
REDEMPTION IN LIGHT OF CHRIST
• He came...but then what did He do?
1. Jesus lived a SINLESS, perfect life...you CAN'T believe that Jesus SINNED...and BE saved.
• Because - IF Jesus sinned, and you believe that He died for you...
• ...then His death would not SATISFY the requirement of God...
• PERFECTION is required to get to heaven.
• And if you believe that Jesus sinned, then His sacrifice would NOT have been accepted by the Father...
2. Jesus DIED IN MY PLACE...FOR MY sins...And HE TOOK UPON HIMSELF - the Wrath of God DUE ME...
• So He died FOR me...
• If He had stayed dead...we would still BE IN OUR SINS...
• SO...a 3rd part of His ATONING work...
3. Jesus Rose from the dead - conquering the grave...
• He LIVED for me...
• He DIED for me...
• He ROSE for me...
• The Atoning Work of Christ...
NOW - ALL of these STEPS along THE WAY....of Christ...
• So when Jesus says - I am THE WAY...no one comes to the Father except through Me...
• Jesus AS the WAY consists of -
slide: summary
1. Holiness in Light of Christ
2. Sin in Light of Christ
3. Judgment in Light of Christ
4. The Deity of Christ
5. Redemption in Light of Christ
• These 5 pillars - THE WAY of Christ...
• Not that you have to fully comprehend these BEFORE you can get saved...
• BUT
• I think you'd agree...
• If you don't understand the BAD NEWS (of mankind apart from God), you won't embrace the GOOD NEWS of Christ...
• When Jesus said - I am the WAY...He was saying, by default...ALL OTHER WAYS lead to destruction...
NOW -
Is ALL of what we just talked about - TRUE?
Remember - Jesus SPOKE the words of John 14:6… what was it?
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Is this TRUE?
It IS True - BECAUSE = Jesus IS truth...
NOW....
• Now i think you'd agree that throughout our lives, we SEEK truth in MANY areas...
• When we get sick and we're not sure what's going on - we seek truth
• When we hear that there's been issues with THIS medicine or THAT medicine…we seek truth!
When we hear thru the grapevine that a famous celebrity passed away…we seek truth...
*Running Speaker wire (wanted to know how much I needed)
• And so this REALLY IS a part of who we are.... (SEEKING truth)
• And so my hope for YOU today....is that you're here - SEEKING ‘THE’ TRUTH...
• As we look back at this series we're now walking through, and we contemplate the 1st Century Jewish beliefs...
SLIDE:
No Trinity
No Suffering Messiah
National Salvation, Not Individual Salvation
The Law as Redeemer
• ...we can see how this claim of Jesus (the Truth) would have collided with these 1st Century Jewish beliefs...
• And based on that FIRST PALM SUNDAY....when Christ rode into Jerusalem...and the resulting outcome later that week...
• We can pull many things out of that story - regarding THE Truth....and how it can impact us today.
SLIDE: Truth Seeking Requires: Seeking ‘THE’ Truth
TRUTH SEEKING REQUIRES
TRUTH SEEKING REQUIRES
• Now, this might sound obvious....but - tell that to the approximate 4300 non-truth believing Religions in the world...
• It's not so obvious!
• Truth seeking REQUIRES seeking THE Truth...
• When Christ made His way into Jerusalem...the people there witnessing it - YES they REJOICED....but they REJOICED at what they THOUGHT was true!
• Let's refresh ourselves of the first Palm Sunday...
28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,
30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here.
31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ”
32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them.
33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.”
35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.
36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.
37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,
38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”
40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
• So at this time....in Jerusalem....there were A LOT of people who had gathered.
• During this passover season, it's estimated that there were around 2 million people present...
• ...and most, if not all, there to get a glimpse of Jesus...
• ...this miracle worker.
• In John 12 - it talks about how people were there to see Christ because they had seen him raise Lazarus from the dead...
• ...and they wanted to get another glimpse of Him.
And we can RELATE - can’t we?
Athletes - actors - actresses - it’s cool at times to just catch a glimpse
• See, for those there, this was the time!
• He's going to set up His Kingdom!
• He's going to conquer the Romans! BRING PEACE on earth...
• He's going to elevate Israel to it's proper place!
• This is the place to be! (*SPRING BREAK) In all of the world...this was the place to be!
• And they let Christ know how excited they were...
• Pulling from all of the gospel accounts of this event, we can hear their enthusiasm!
• “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; [even the King of Israel]
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
• “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
• The people saw, in Christ, an opportunity...and they rejoiced!
• Hosanna to the Son of David!
• Hosanna means "save now, save now!"
• They weren't crying out for Spiritual Salvation from sin...
• They were talking about - "save the nation...save the nation!"
• ...save us from the oppressive Romans...
• save us from our desperate condition in this world.
• They rejoiced in that which they "thought" was TRUE...
SLIDE:
Their own truth was only sufficient enough to send them to hell.
Their view of their own need was only sufficient enough to send them to hell...
• They didn't realize their GREATEST need! (Spiritual Salvation)...
• Their view of their NEED only went as deep as NATIONAL rescue....a physical rescue...
• We KNOW this because a week later, when it was evident that Christ was NOT going to be setting up a kingdom at that time...PHYSICALLY....
• ...and NOT freeing them from Roman Oppression...
• The people's cries of "Blessed is the King"....turned to...."Crucify Him"
• It was revealed that they were NOT seeking THE Truth!
• They had their OWN ideas of what was true...
• And we see this today...
I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had on THIS VERY TOPIC..
- about WHAT TRUTH IS
I know people WHO - based on their understanding of what they claim to be a GODLESS universe...
They CANNOT say that murder is wrong.
They can ONLY say - “It’s THEIR OPINION that murder is wrong”.
They can’t say - Murder is OBJECTIVELY wrong…because they don’t believe morality is OBJECTIVE.
AND SO - THIS idea of TRUTH is a serious matter...
AND - AND - AND - the whole RELIGIOUS landscape in this world is saturated with this same problem!
We’ve TALKED ABOUT it!
Jehovah's Witnesses:
• Yes - they believe in Jesus...they rejoice IN JESUS...but as what?
• They rejoice IN JESUS as - a CREATED being...
• They rejoice in Jesus as - Michael the Arch Angel (as the same person)
• They rejoice in the - INSUFFICIENCY of Jesus' work on the cross...
• they believe salvation is obtained through a combination of faith, Good works, and obedience.
• AND SO - We know they believe in a FALSE Christ...one that cannot save...YET...
• ..are they passionate?
• Think about the apostle Paul's life....
• Imagine Paul was here today...in the US....living his life like he did back then.
• Would people be more likely to think Paul was a Christian or a Jehovah's Witness? IF THEY just saw him.
• I would argue - they would think he was a Jehovah's Witness.
• Why?
• Because the world's experience has been - If 2 guys come walking up to your door holding bibles, it's the Jehovah's Witnesses.
• It's NOT Christians coming to your door...
• Christians don't do that!
• Jehovah's Witnesses are PASSIONATE in their false beliefs...they believe them to be TRUE...
• And so just like those JEWS on that first Palm Sunday...Jehovah's Witnesses REJOICE in Jesus....
• BUT, JUST LIKE those JEWS on that first Palm Sunday, their rejoicing is grounded in ERROR.
How about Mormons? (AGAIN - we’ve talked about it)
• Mormons REJOICE in Jesus...but as what?
• They rejoice in Jesus as - a created being...a created being thru NATURAL sexual relations between God and Mary.
• They rejoice in Jesus as - Lucifer's brother
• They rejoice in the INSUFFICIENCY of Christ's work on the cross...
• Because they believe that you can EARN heaven thru obedience...
• WHICH MEANS - They believe in a FALSE Christ....YET - they rejoice over him...they live for him...
• THEIR truth is THEIR own....and as such....FALSE.
TRUTH MATTERS!
How about Catholicism?: (Uh OH - be careful MIKE! TAKE CAUTION MIKE - NO - YOU take caution!)
• Catholics rejoice in Jesus....but as what?
• They rejoice in Jesus as - INSUFFICIENT...
• THEY DON'T BELIEVE that Christ's work on the cross was sufficient...
• You must WORK in the Catholic faith, IN ORDER to TRY and earn heaven...
• Listen to how Roman Catholicism treats Mary....
We’ve heard it before...
According to Roman Catholicism, the Catechisms of Catholicism TEACHES ...
Mary is "the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, hereafter referred to as "CCC" 721),
the "seat of wisdom" (CCC 721).
She had no original sin (CCC 508),
and never committed sin (CCC 493).
sits "on the right hand of the majesty on high" (Pope Pius X, Ad Diem Illum Laetissimum, 14).
In fact, "no man goeth to Christ but by His Mother" (Pope Leo 13th, Octobri Mense).
It was Mary who "crushed the poisonous head of the most cruel serpent and brought salvation to the world" (Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus).
It is she who "delivers our souls from death" (CCC 966), and "continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation" (CCC 969).
"Mary, ... made atonement for the sins of man," (Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma4, Ott, page 213).
When speaking of the Church, "we can find no better way to conclude than by looking to Mary," (CCC 972).
In her, the church is holy (CCC 867).
"Mary is the Church's model of faith and charity" (CCC 967).
Finally, in paradise the church gathers "around Jesus and Mary" (CCC 1053).
• And in rendering Mary this way - Roman Catholicism renders Jesus Christ - INSUFFICIENT!
• SO YES - they rejoice in Jesus - but a FALSE Jesus....one that cannot save...
• And so JUST like that first Palm Sunday....the people REJOICED in their OWN truth...not in THE TRUTH.
WE PRESS ON...
SLIDE: Truth Seeking Requires: Listening
TRUTH SEEKING REQUIRES
TRUTH SEEKING REQUIRES
• 17 verses in the Bible use the phrase - "Let him hear"...
• "He who has ears to hear, let him hear"
• There is a call to us - all throughout Scripture to LISTEN...to hear...
• AND we NEED to be reminded of this...
• Why?
• Because this world can be VERY distracting!
I love this story… maybe you’ve heard it!
Lloyd C. Douglas had a friend who was a violin teacher. Although not too successful, the old man was saturated with considerable wisdom. One day Douglas asked his friend, “Well, what’s the good news today?”
The music master went over to a tuning fork suspended from the ceiling by a cord and struck it with a mallet. “There is the good news for the day,” he said. “That, my friend, is an ‘A’ note. It was ‘A’ all day yesterday. It will be ‘A’ all day tomorrow, next week, and for a thousand years. The soprano upstairs warbles off key; the tenor next door flats his high ones; and the piano across the hall is out of tune. Noise all around me, noise; but that, my friend, is ‘A.’ ”
• Regardless of all the noise on the outside...
• That TUNING fork speaks THE TRUTH...musical truth...
• And it will ALWAYS speak the truth...the truth of 'A'...
• It can be trusted...
• NOW - If the tuning fork can be trusted, HOW MUCH more can the Word of God be trusted?
• ...today.....tomorrow.... a thousand years from now??
• And because the Word CAN be trusted....
• We must HEAR....LISTEN....for God in the smallest moments of our day....
• BUT HOW DO WE HEAR GOD?
• If TRUTH Seeking requires HEARING....LISTENING...
• ...then How do we do that?
• God speaks to us - THRU His Word!
• And so here's the thing...
• If you're making your way through life...without the Word of God IN your life....
• then you are living each day JUST LIKE those 1st Century Jews...who gathered on that 1st PALM SUNDAY....
• You're living life:
• with your own thoughts on what is true
• with your own thoughts about what sin is
• with your own thoughts about what pleases God
• Have you ever thought about how often Jesus would go off on His own....and pray to the Father!??
• Jesus prayed:
• at His baptism (Luke 3)
• before feeding the 5,000 (Luke 9)
• at the moment of His transfiguration (Luke 9)
• before He chose His 12 disciples (Luke 6)
• at the return of the 72 disciples (Luke 10)
• at Lazarus' tomb (John 11)
• Before His arrest (John 17)
• In the garden (Matt 26)
• On the cross
• Yes - Jesus was the WORD....but....
• Jesus breathed in the WORD...
• Jesus lived out the WORD....
• We HEAR God through His WORD....for we know that Faith COMES by HEARING....and HEARING by...the WORD of God -
AND SO -
• BECAUSE Truth Seeking Requires Listening...Hearing -
SLIDE: Truth Seeking Requires: Humility
TRUTH SEEKING REQUIRES
TRUTH SEEKING REQUIRES
• It takes HUMILITY to seek TRUTH....
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
• This is Christ talking about Salvation...
• HUMILITY before God has everything to do with Salvation...
• If you are HUMBLE before God - God will exalt you…unto Salvation
• If you are NOT humble....but PRIDEFUL, you will BE humbled in the end - in Hell....apart from God.
• See - PRIDE is the enemy of TRUTH!
• PRIDE does NOT listen for God...and PRIDE will NOT hear God...
• The first century Jews - there on Palm Sunday weren't interested in HEARING Christ...
• They were NOT interested in HIS truth...
• Their pride wouldn't allow them to LISTEN....
• They were worshipping Jesus, but as an IDOL that they had created in their minds...
• And so if we want to leave here today...better LISTENING to God - IN His WORD (and NOT like those who had gathered on the first PALM SUNDAY...we need to first see where pride fills our hearts...)
What are some symptoms of PRIDE?
1. Fault-Finding
• you ever sit through a sermon, and the whole time you're listening to it, you're thinking of all the OTHER people who really need to hear it...
• Instead of examining ourselves in light of that sermon, we apply it's truth to others...
• That's a symptom of pride - NOT examining ourselves in light of THE truth
2. A Harsh Spirit
• Ever speak with contempt or frustration over another person's struggle with sin
• Maybe we belittle someone else's struggle
• Joke about their struggle...
• It's a symptom of pride in our own heart
3. Superficiality
• Are we more concerned about other people's perceptions of us...
• OR are we more concerned with our own sin?
• Do we fight the sins that have an impact on how others view us...
• While at the same time - making peace with the sins that no one sees?
• This is a symptom of pride in our lives
4. Defensiveness
• When the world attacks us...do we become defensive?
• When a brother in Christ approaches us in love - do we become defensive?
• This is a symptom of pride...
5. Presumption Before God
• This is a big one...
• Listen - HUMILITY approaches God with HUMBLE ASSURANCE in Jesus Christ
• Humble - assurance
• Humble - Confidence
• It's both, because if either one is missing in our approaching of God, then pride is evident.
• If I'm all CONFIDENCE without humility, then chances are I'll forget that I'm dealing with God
• If I have NO confidence in Christ - that might sound like humility, but it's a form of pride.
• What I'd be saying is - I'm not confident in Christ's work to cover my sin...
• ....I believe that MY sin is GREATER than God's grace...
• That's prideful...
6. Desperation for Attention
• This desperation is all about seeking the glory of man...
• And that can play itself out in a variety of ways...
• boasting about yourself...
• being unable to say "no" because you have to feel needed
• maybe it's a craving for a certain title at work...
• It's always about seeking the glory of man...
• and it's prideful
7. Neglecting Others
• Now, maybe you're thinking - I don't neglect people....I talk to THOSE people all the time...
• Ok, but do you ONLY talk to certain people (certain kinds of people)...
• ...while neglecting others...
• Maybe we're partial in ways we haven't thought about before...
• this is prideful
• And so ALL of these things will hinder us from HEARING God...and His TRUTH....
• These things will hinder us from SEEKING THE Truth...
SUMMARY:
Jesus is THE WAY:
1. Holiness in Light of Christ
2. Sin in Light of Christ
3. Judgment in Light of Christ
4. The Deity of Christ
5. Redemption in Light of Christ
And all of this is TRUE - BECAUSE - Jesus is TRUTH!
And if we’re going to OPERATE differently than the 1st Century Jew...
We’re going to SEEK THE truth!
But doing so…requires some things:
SLIDE:
Truth Seeking Requires:
Seeking “The” Truth
Listening
Humility
Let’s pray