The Conclusion (Q1-114)
The Baptist Catechism • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Connection:
Memorization, and Meditation are the lost secrets to Spiritual Power and Fruitfulness. Catechism is a tool to aid with both of these areas. We made it through all 114 questions over the last year, and tonight we are going to conclude and summarize the beautiful truths of Scripture that we saw together; and then I am going to give some finals points on application for the usefulness of the Catechism in private worship, family worship, and pastoral ministry.
Theme:
Conclusion and Summary (Q1-114).
Need:
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth.
PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY
God and his Word (Q1-9)
God and his Word (Q1-9)
God is the first and chiefest Being, and He ought to be the Supreme Treasure and Delight of our Hearts.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
God has made himself known to us in creation, but more fully and effectually by his Word and Spirit.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
The Word of God in Scripture is authoritative, powerful, and sufficient for all that we need to believe about God, and for all that we must do for God.
and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his Being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
God is a Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is one God in three Persons—who are all coequal in power and glory. God is eternally relational and loving. God is eternally satisfied in and of Himself.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
God and his World (Q10-15)
God and his World (Q10-15)
God has an eternal decree and plan whereby he purposes all things for his own glory, and for the good of his people.
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
God accomplishes his plans in creation and providence, in making all things and in directing all things.
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Creation is the landscape of God whereby he shows his beauty, loveliness, goodness, and glory.
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV)
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
God made mankind, male and female, in his Image—to reflect his beauty, loveliness, goodness, and glory.
So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
God made a covenant of life/covenant of works with Adam in the Garden, where he offered eternal life unto Adam if he would obey the law and walk closely with his God.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
But like Adam they transgressed the covenant;
there they dealt faithlessly with me.
Man and Sin (Q16-22)
Man and Sin (Q16-22)
Adam broke the covenant of works, brought himself and all humanity under the curse of sin, corruption of sin, and enmity with God. We are born totally depraved, in need of salvation!
Romans 5:18 (ESV)
One trespass [Adam] led to condemnation for all men
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
This leads us to commit personal sins against God in word, thought, and deed—breaking his moral law from within.
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
Sin has separated mankind from God—destroyed our communion with God—left humanity in brokenness and rebellion—and put us under the wrath and judgement to come.
But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
Christ and Grace (Q23-31)
Christ and Grace (Q23-31)
But, God being rich in mercy, did not leave all of us to die in our sins (which we justly deserve). God elected a people, by his own gracious choice, and for his own awesome glory—to be brought to salvation and eternal life.
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of God’s elect. The Father chose us, the Son died for us, and the Spirit makes us alive!
But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus is our Prophet, Priest, and King—the only Mediator between God and Man.
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
Jesus accomplished our salvation in his humiliation and exaltation, in his lowly state of suffering and obedience unto death, and his glorious state of power and majesty in his resurrection!
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
Spirit and Grace (Q32-39)
Spirit and Grace (Q32-39)
The Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of Life; apart from him we remain dead, and have no spiritual blessings in or upon us. Thankfully the Father and Son have poured out the promised Spirit who causes us to be born again, united to Jesus Christ, and a partaker of eternal redemption.
so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
The Spirit is the one who applied to us every aspect of our salvation!
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
The Spirit seals us in our justification (forgiveness and being clothed in the righteousness of Jesus), our adoption (being transferred into the family of God), our sanctification (being progressively transformed into the image of Jesus), and every other spiritual blessing and fruit that comes as we abide in Christ—like peace, joy, growth, assurance, and perseverance.
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Man and Eternity (Q40-43)
Man and Eternity (Q40-43)
When believers die, our bodies remain in the grave, but our souls go to be with Jesus in heaven while we wait for the resurrection.
Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
When Jesus returns we are resurrected unto eternal life and shall reign forever and ever with Christ in the new creation, glorifying and enjoying Him forever with all his people!
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
When unbelievers die, their bodies remain in the grave, but their souls go to Hades to be tormented under God’s wrath while they wait for the resurrection.
and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
When unbelievers are resurrected unto eternal death, they shall suffer separation from God’s gracious presence, while being left in the darkness of God’s judgment forever and ever.
and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
God and the Law (Q44-86)
God and the Law (Q44-86)
God requires mankind to love, obey, and walk with Him according to his revealed will.
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
The revealed will of God is his moral law, summarized in the ten commandments, clarified in the sermon on the mount, and exemplified by Jesus our Lord. This law is written on our hearts by nature, and rewritten in the Gospel by the Spirit unto joyful obedience and communion with God.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
The ten commandments are: (1) you shall have no other gods before me, (2) you shall not make for yourself a graven image, (3) you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, (4) remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, (5) honour your father and mother, (6) do not murder, (7) do not commit adultery, (8) do not steal, (9) do not bear false witness, and (10) do not covet.
Ex. 20.
The first four commandments summarize our duty toward God, to love him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength—the last six commandments summarize our duty to love our neighbour as ourself.
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The first four commandments show us: who to worship, how to worship God in truth, how to worship God in Spirit, and on what day to worship God (for us on the Lord’s Day).
Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’ ”
The last six commandments show us: how to honour authority, how to value life, how to live in purity, how to respect property, how to cherish truth, and how to be content in the Lord.
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
The Law of God condemns us because of our sin against it; but after we become a believer it becomes a rule of life that has no sting any longer thanks be to Jesus.
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Man and the Law (Q87-89)
Man and the Law (Q87-89)
No one is able to perfectly keep the law of God, in fact, we break the principle of each commandment in thought, word, and deed on a daily level.
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
All sin is ugly and deserving of God’s wrath, but some is uglier and worse in God’s sight.
Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”
Every sin deserves God’s wrath, judgment, both in this life and in that which is to come. We need to escape this judgment.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
Man and the Gospel (Q90-92)
Man and the Gospel (Q90-92)
The way in which we escape this judgment is by coming to Christ in faith and repentance through the Gospel!
and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Faith is resting, receiving and trusting in Jesus as he is freely offered to us in the Gospel, according to the promises of the covenant of grace.
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Repentance is turning from sin, with godly sorrow and hatred, and a desire to honour God in light of the mercy of Jesus. Faith and repentance are two sides of the flip coin. We are saved by faith alone, but not by faith alone. We are not saved by repentance—but we are not saved without repentance. Repentance is the twin sister of faith that always follows alongside true belief.
For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.
Church and Word (Q93-95)
Church and Word (Q93-95)
The benefits of redemption in Jesus Christ are multiplied unto us as we grow in grace and knowledge through the ordinary means of grace.
1 Peter 1:2 (ESV)
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
The ordinary means of grace are the Word, Sacraments, and Prayer.
And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The Word of God must be read, heard, cherished, treasured, and applied by faith and love.
My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
The Word of God must saturate our personal lives, our families, and our churches.
But he answered, “It is written,
“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
The Word of God is the voice of the Spirit, whereby we hear of Christ our Lord, and the love of the Father. It is our strength, it is our peace, it is our happiness, it is our joy.
and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
We must be richly filled with the Word of Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Church and Sacrament (Q96-104)
Church and Sacrament (Q96-104)
The two Sacraments of the New Covenant of Grace are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
Baptism is the sign of the new covenant that marks us off as a believer in Jesus Christ, and that publically joins us to the community of the church.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
The Lord’s Supper is the sign of the new covenant the continues to mark us off as believers in Jesus Christ, and the nourishes our faith in the community of the church.
Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
Baptism is the seat at the table—the Lord’s Supper is the Family Meal. Both are ordinances of the local church, to be observed in the worship of God.
So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Church and Prayer (Q105-114)
Church and Prayer (Q105-114)
The Prayers of the saints must be sincere and solemn, happy and earnest, with adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication according to the will of God in Scripture.
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Prayer is the power of God upon us, and upon the Word and Sacraments. Prayer is the fuel of the Spirit in the means of Grace.
But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
James 5:16 (ESV)
The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Prayer is the refuge of the saints in the presence of our Father through Christ and in the Spirit.
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Prayer is communion with God, where the power and presence of God is poured out, and where we pour out our souls for the sake of the people of God and our daily needs.
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
The catechism ends with the KJV ending of the Lord’s Prayer: Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever, amen.
Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
Application:
Application:
Memorization, and Meditation are the lost secrets to Spiritual Power and Fruitfulness. The Baptist Catechism is a tool to aid with both of these areas.
Here are some finals points on application for the usefulness of the Catechism in private worship, family worship, and pastoral ministry:
Private worship:
The catechism is a useful tool to help aid our prayer lives, and to rehearse the great works of God in Christ. It helps ensure that we know the Scriptures, and what the Scriptures mean. It helps get the meaning of the Word hidden within our hearts, as a supplement to the memorization of the Word itself. It can get us praying when we know not what to pray for. It can help us worship the God of our salvation, as we hold fast to the pattern of sound words, of doctrine that accords with godliness.
Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Family worship:
The catechism is a useful tool to help fathers and husbands lead their families in the words and ways of the Lord. Husbands are called to teach the faith to their children, and to wash their wives with the Word. The catechism is a great tool to help keep a systematic summary of the Scriptures dwelling richly within us. It can help as a supplement to Bible reading, and as a means to reinforce memorization and meditation (as each question and answer also has many Scripture references). This is a tool to help men be what they are called to be according to Scripture.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Pastoral ministry:
The catechism is a useful tool to help pastors and elders to continue to shepherd the flock of God that is among us, by feeding them with the Word of God, the teaching of Scripture, and the Ways in which we ought to walk out of gratitude for the mercies of God. The catechism it a tool to help us advance the Great Commission. The catechism serves as a standard for theological maturity and unity on our Elders Board. The catechism can help pastors in their biblical counselling, as they apply the word—and it can help pastors in their house-visitation as they instruct the saints and encourage them in the Gospel (An area I hope to grow in). It is a tool to help pastors in their public and private ministry to teach sound doctrine to the people of God, to build them up in their most holy faith.
1 Timothy 6:3–4 (ESV)
Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.
He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
So, Calvary, let us cherish the words of the faith according to the teaching of Scripture, let us meditate on the Word of God, let us walk in step with the Spirit of God, let us continue to be build up and strengthened in the Church of God, and let us live on mission for the glory of God. I hope you have been edified, strengthened, encouraged, exhorted, challenged, convicted, and comforted through the Catechism Preaching—I hope and pray to God that it was not in vain—and I hope and pray to God that you would see the benefit of using it in your personal worship, and your family worship in your homes. Above all, may we all continue to live out the words of the blessed Apostle, together, as one body in Christ, who:
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Amen, let’s pray.