La Comunion de los Santos - Primero Parte - La Fundacion

Introduction: I am grateful for the opportunity to be with everyone here at Nueva Esperanza today. I have been asked to preach this morning and also next Sunday morning and evening. What God has placed on my heart is not to just preach three individual sermons but to preach a series of sermons all related to the same theme. With Gods favor we will have a refreshing and invigorating time together.

The theme that God has placed on my heart comes from one of our famous creeds called the Apostles Creed. There are others like the Nicene Creed, and even the Westminster confession of faith. The idea of the creeds is to have a brief statement of what we believe. The Apostles Creed is perhaps the earliest know creed (credo) and is dated somewhere between 120-250 A.D. In about 180 A.D. the Christian Romans attempted to put something together in order to prevent false doctrines from creeping in. Always a good idea!

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.

and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried;

was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell.

he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead.

The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven

He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.

and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church,

the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints,

the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,

the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

and the life everlasting. Amen.

IN SPANISH

“Creo en Dios Padre, Todopoderoso, Creador del Cielo y de la Tierra.

Creo en Jesucristo, su Único Hijo nuestro Señor, que fue concebido por obra y gracia del Espíritu Santo, nació de Santa María Virgen. Padeció bajo el poder de Poncio Pilato. Fue crucificado, muerto y sepultado.Descendió a los infiernos. Al tercer día, resucitó de entre los muertos. Subió a los Cielos y está sentado a la derecha de Dios Padre Todopoderoso. Desde allí ha de venir a juzgar a los vivos y a los muertos.

Creo en el Espíritu Santo, en la Santa Iglesia Católica, la Comunión de los Santos, el perdón de los pecados, la resurrección de la carne y la vida eterna.

Amén.”

The phrase I want to concentrate on for the next three weeks is THE COMMUNION OF THE SAINTS.

In this first part of the series I want to us to discover what it means to believe in “the communion of the saints”.

All saints, that are united to Jesus Christ their Head, by his Spirit, and by faith, have fellowship with him in his graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory: and, being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other’s gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man. – Chapter 26 Of the Communion of Saints Section 1

Primer Parrafo (hoy)

“Todos los santos, que están unidos a Jesucristo su Cabeza, por su Espíritu y por la fe, tienen comunión con él en su buena voluntad, sufrimientos, muerte, resurrección y gloria; – Capítulo 26 De la Comunión de los Santos Sección 1

Segunda Parrafo (al siguiente semana)

y, estando unidos unos a otros en el amor, tienen comunión. en los dones y (bondades) de cada uno, y están obligados al desempeño de deberes, públicos y privados, que conduzcan a su bien mutuo, tanto en el hombre interior como en el exterior.” – Capítulo 26 De la Comunión de los Santos Sección 1

Today I want to take the first part of this definition of the Communion of the Saints and ask how we came to be “united” to Christ. (Unidos con Cristo)

Our communion with Christ and each other does not depend on us but on Him. So first, we must acknowledge that it was God’s Plan.

The Plan of God (El Plan de Dios)

Is Good (Es bueno)

Psalm 34:8 declares – “Taste and see that the Lord is good;…”

Gods plan for us is “very good” just like in Genesis when God examined His creation and said that it was “very good”.

Have you ever planned, made, and completed something that was not just good but was “very good”?

How good you might ask is Gods plan for us? It is so good that we are going to need to read it just to believe it.

Lets go to the book of Ephesians chapter one.

We will start reading in verse 3 to verse 11.

V3 -

“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

3 Bendito sea el Dios y Padre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, que nos ha bendecido con toda bendición espiritual en los lugares celestiales en Cristo,

First, we see that God has blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing in heaven. You and I haven’t even gotten there yet but we have those blessings already.

4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before [a]Him. In love 5 [b]He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the [c]kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

4 según nos escogió en Él antes de la fundación del mundo, para que fuéramos[a] santos y sin mancha delante de Él. En amor 5 nos predestinó[b] para adopción como hijos para sí mediante Jesucristo, conforme al beneplácito[c] de su voluntad, 6 para alabanza de la gloria de su gracia que gratuitamente ha impartido sobre nosotros en el Amado.

Next in verses 4-6 we see that He

Chose us before the world even began! (¡Él nos eligió incluso antes de que el mundo comenzara!)

Chose us to be set apart and without sin before Him (we cannot do this by ourselves…but it was His plan.

That means He knew there would be sin before the foundation of the world

That means He knew that you and I would be swimming in that sin when He found us.

That means He planned to cleanse us of that sin through Christ before He said the words “Let there be Light!”

He predestined (determined in advance) or “planned ahead of time” (planeado con anticipacion) to adopt us as His legal children

He chose us and planned to adopt us “through Jesus Christ” that we would be “bought with a price” because of His KIND INTENTION (Intencion Amable)

To exalt or the GLORY of His GRACE. So that everyone can see His Grace and the Glory of that Grace.

A GRACE he (derramo sobre nosostros) freely gave or clothed us with through Jesus who He loves. (Beloved/el Amado).

If that is not a good plan, I don’t know what is! Gods plan is a good plan. God is not done though. It is not just about having a good plan but is also about having a PERFECT plan.

Is Perfect (Es perfecto)

I love how Isaiah tells us about the way God views His plan for us.

Isaiah 46:9-10 (NASB95)

9 “Remember the former things long past,For I am God, and there is no other;

For I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is no one like Me,

10 Declaring the end from the beginning,And from ancient times things which have not been done,

And from ancient times things which have not been done,Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,

Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;

And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;

Isaías 46:9-10 (LBLA)

9 Acordaos de las cosas anteriores ya pasadas,

porque yo soy Dios, y no hay otro;

yo soy Dios, y no hay ninguno como yo,

10 que declaro el fin desde el principioy

y desde la antigüedad lo que no ha sido hecho.

Yo digo: «Mi propósito será establecido,y

y todo lo que quiero realizaré».

WE should take God seriously when He says He is going to do something. He declares things and they happen.

In this couple of verses in Isaiah 46:9-10 he tells us from the END to the BEGINNING and from ANCIENT times God has planned things that had not been done still.

That is an incredibly organized God! I cannot even plan my week and say that everything I have planned will happen like I say it will.

ILLUSTRATION:

Have you ever planned a vacation? How did it go? Was everything perfect? Did you have complete control the whole time? Especially those of you who decided to plan a vacation AND bring kids!

Has your life so far been everything you dreamed of? Is it everything you had planned?

How about your marriage? Parenting? Career? Health?

We have a serious God with serious plans for us. It is a good thing He is on our side.

Lets pick up where we left off in Ephesians chapter 1, we will come back to verses 7 and 8. Lets start reading in verse 9.

9 He [g]made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His [h]kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration [HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians+1%3A3-14&version=NASB1995" \l "fen-NASB1995-29217i" \o "See footnote i"i]suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things [j]in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 11 [k]also we [l]have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will””

9 nos dio a conocer el misterio de su voluntad, según el beneplácito que se propuso en Él, 10 con miras a una buena administración en el[f] cumplimiento de los tiempos, es decir, de reunir todas las cosas en Cristo, tanto las que están en los cielos, como las que están en la tierra. En Él 11 también[g] hemos obtenido herencia[h], habiendo sido predestinados según el propósito de aquel que obra todas las cosas conforme al consejo de su voluntad,

God didn’t just choose us and plan to adopt us and clean us up! He had bigger and more perfect plans for us.

V9-12

He let us in on the plan! The mystery of His will

He is actively working through His plan to come to the “fullness of times”. That means everything in the end that is in heaven and earth will be redeemed in Christ.

We are not the only thing God will redeem and bring together. However, we are a big part of His plan to bring everything together.

So not only is Gods plan GOOD and not only is it PERFECT it is also COMPLETE.

Is Complete (Es completo)

It is incredible that God would choose us, adopt us, clean us up, and then plan for us to be a part of a much bigger and more glorious plan of bringing all that is in heaven and all that is on earth together in Christ!

Looking at Ephesians chapter 1 verse 12, we now see what the end goal is…

12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in [m]Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

12 a fin de que nosotros, que fuimos los primeros en esperar en Cristo[a], seamos para alabanza de su gloria.

It is Gods design that those who would FIRST to hope in Christ would exalt or praise, His glory. (Make His Glory known to everyone).

I believe that it is talking about those very first believers that had put their faith in Christ who by believing and hoping in Jesus for salvation gave God the highest praise.

They were:

The first to experience forgiveness in Christ

The first to understand the hope they now had for all eternity

The first to comprehend the mystery of Gods plan

The first to have peace with God through Christ.

The first to become sons and daughters of God

What an amazing privilege that must have been. It doesn’t end with them though. It only began with those first believers.

God tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:9 these words.

9 but just as it is written,

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,

And which have not entered the heart of man,

All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

9 sino como está escrito:

Cosas que ojo no vio, ni oído oyó,

Ni han entrado al corazón del hombre,

son las cosas que Dios ha preparado para los que le aman.

God has prepared things we have not:

Ever Seen

Ever Heard of

Or can ever imagine

We just don’t know everything, but I am glad God does!

His plan is GOOD because it is for our benefit, His plan is PERFECT because there is not a better plan for us, and His plan is COMPLETE, He has thought of everything!

…even how much it would cost.

When you have a plan to do something it costs something.

Your vacation might cost you a lot of money

That new car you want to buy costs you something.

That house that you live in costs you something

That school you went to cost you something.

Those clothes you plan to buy cost you something.

That gym membership cost you something

That life insurance to take care of your family costs you something.

The plan of God costs something. It is the ultimate life insurance that God took out on you and on me to pay for our redemption. To insure that we would be a part of Gods great plan of redemption.

The Sacrifice of God (El Sacrificio de Dios)

Lets go back a few verses to Ephesians chapter 1 verse 7,

7 In [d]Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.

7 En Él[d] tenemos redención mediante su sangre, el perdón de nuestros pecados según las riquezas de su gracia

What did it cost the Father? The sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

When we see the word “counsel of His will”. That counsel included the opinion and agreement of Jesus Christ to sacrifice Himself to pay for our adoption and to clean us up and “bestow” or freely give Gods GRACE to us.

The first thing we need to know about the sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is this, it was NECESSARY.

Was Necessary (Fue necesario)

Jesus Christ is our “substitution”. This is why we call it “substitutionary atonement”. (Expiacion Sustitutiva)

Romans 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

23 Porque la paga del pecado es muerte, pero la dádiva de Dios es vida eterna en Cristo Jesús Señor nuestro.

Romans 3:23

23 for all [a]have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

23 por cuanto todos pecaron[a] y no alcanzan la gloria de Dios,

Romans 5:12,17-19

12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—

12 Por tanto, tal como el pecado entró en el mundo por un hombre, y la muerte por el pecado, así también la muerte se extendió a todos los hombres, porque todos pecaron;

So we see that the payment for sin is DEATH. Jesus was our substitute in that He became death for us so that we could live.

All of us were destined to die because ALL of us have sinned.

Adam was the first to sin and bring it into the world and death with it. This extends to all of us who are sinners as well, death comes as a result of our sin as well.

You and I cannot escape sin by ourselves

You and I cannot escape death by ourselves

Knowing this we can now understand the next verses in Romans chapter 5 verse 17-19.

17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

18 So then as through one transgression [f]there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness [g]there resulted justification of life to all men.

19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.

17 Porque si por la transgresión de uno, por este[h] reinó la muerte, mucho más reinarán en vida por medio de uno, Jesucristo, los que reciben la abundancia de la gracia y del don de la justicia.

18 Así pues, tal como por una transgresión resultó[HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans+5%3A12-19&version=LBLA" \l "fes-LBLA-28066i" \o "See footnote i"i] la condenación de todos los hombres, así también por un acto de justicia resultó[j] la justificación de vida para todos los hombres.

19 Porque así como por la desobediencia de un hombre los muchos fueron constituidos pecadores, así también por la obediencia de uno los muchos serán

Perhaps one of the most direct and powerful description of why it was necessary for Christ to die is found in Hebrews chapter 9 verse 22,

Hebrews 9:22

22 And according to the [a]Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

22 Y según la ley, casi todo es purificado con sangre, y sin derramamiento de sangre no hay perdón.

So Gods plan is being carried out in Jesus Christ. He is representative of all of our sin and the death that should follow. Jesus in His mercy has payed the price, the cost of Gods plan to redeem us, by confronting death for us as a perfect sacrifice which we cannot offer ourselves.

How did Jesus do this?

Was Public (Fue publico)

Jesus’s death was planned before the foundation of the world to be a public execution.

It had to be public because it had to speak to the entire world of Gods grace towards us.

It had to be something that would be written about, talked about, understood for centuries.

Even today we are here learning about this very public sacrifice of our Savior Jesus.

Hebrews 2:10 says this,

10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the [a]author of their salvation through sufferings.

10 Porque convenía que aquel para quien son todas las cosas y por quien son todas las cosas, llevando muchos hijos a la gloria, hiciera perfecto por medio de los padecimientos al autor[a] de la salvación de ellos.

That word “fitting” (convenia) again speaks about the plan of God that it should happen in this way.

John 3:14 says this,

14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;

14 Y como Moisés levantó la serpiente en el desierto, así es necesario que sea levantado el Hijo del Hombre,

It had to be public and it had to be memorable so that we understand the great sacrifice that was paid for our redemption and adoption into the eternal family of God.

The blood of Jesus Christ, our perfect substitute was not only NECESSARY and very PUBLIC, it was not meant to be temporary but FOREVER.

Is Forever (Es Perpetuo)

Just think about that. You and I can never get back to a place where we are:

Not forgiven

Not adopted

Not chosen

Not redeemed

Not part of Gods plan

Not given grace by God

Not given hope, and

Not loved.

It is impossible because the cost has been paid. Listen to this,

Romans 6:9-11

9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, [a]is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

9 sabiendo que Cristo, habiendo resucitado de entre los muertos, no volverá a morir; ya la muerte no tiene dominio sobre Él. 10 Porque en cuanto Él murió, murió al pecado de una vez para siempre; pero en cuanto vive, vive para Dios. 11 Así también vosotros, consideraos muertos para el pecado, pero vivos para Dios en Cristo Jesús[a].

This is an eternal position. This will never be repeated again. Jesus “is never to die again” (no volvera a morir). That is why our last point is so important.

There is a PROMISE that God gives to us.

The Promise of God (La Promesa de Dios)

The promise that God makes to us is that we are paid for, we are all cleaned up, we are adopted, and we are his. There is no going back.

I want to return to our key text one more time in Ephesians chapter 1 verses 13-14

Ephesians 1:13-14 (NASB95)

13 In [n]Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also [o]believed, you were sealed in [p]Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is [q]given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

13 En Él[a] también vosotros, después de escuchar el mensaje de la verdad, el evangelio de vuestra salvación, y habiendo creído, fuisteis sellados en Él con[b] el Espíritu Santo de la promesa, 14 que nos es dado como garantía[c] de nuestra herencia, con miras a la redención de la posesión adquirida de Dios, para alabanza de su gloria.

SEALED is the Greek word, “sphragizo” (pron. spra - izo) which means “making secure”. After you and I have…

Listened to, and

Believed in

…the message of truth. Then we are:

SEALED in JESUS – because of Jesus and what He has done for us.

SEALED with the HOLY SPIRIT – the Holy Spirit does the sealing or makes you secure. That is the role of the Holy Spirit, to place us into the family of God until Gods plan is complete.

SEALED with the Holy Spirit of PROMISE – The Holy Spirit is our “guarantee” that we are being saved for the day of redemeption.

SEALED – Ephesians 4:30 “sealed for the day of redemption”. We are made secure UNTIL the day we are all redeemed.

So what is being PROMISED? The Holy Spirit is our promise from God that we are going to be made secure in Jesus Christ until the “day of redemption” or the day that God brings everything together in His great plan, including us.

As if that wasn’t enough, God says that the Holy Spirit is a PLEDGE of our INHERITANCE. The inheritance God will give us once the “day of redemption” arrives.

Conclusion:

Gods plan for us is a GOOD plan, it is a PERFECT plan, it is a COMPLETE plan. We can be assured that God knows what He is doing.

Gods sacrifice was NECESSARY to carry out His plan. It was PUBLIC so that you and I and all those being called by God would understand that Jesus is our salvation. It is FOREVER, it is not a temporary sacrifice but one that is sufficient for all eternity and guarantees our salvation.

Gods promise of the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our redemption in Jesus Christ is our security. Without out it we have no reason to hope or understand Gods grace towards us, His sons and daughters.

ALL OF THIS is the FOUNDATION for our Communion with God and with each other, the Communion of the Saints—which we will learn more about next week.

Lets pray.

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