Firm Foundations: Core Truths We Believe 5
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Jesus Christ - The Only Savior
Jesus Christ - The Only Savior
This is week 5, of our series on Firm Foundations: Core Truths We Believe.
Week one we looked at Scriptures and how they are inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Week two we discussed God and who He is, that God is one and has three persons the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Week three we looked at Humanity and our identity as being created in the image of God and the fall into sin.
Week four, last week we discussed the solution to the problem of sin, the grace that God has given, and that salvation is by grace through faith.
For salvation to be possible, we have to have a savior.
This morning we are looking at Jesus Christ - our only Savior.
In week two we seen that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and part of the trinity of God.
This morning we are going to look at Jesus’ identity, His work, and His exclusivity.
Many people talk about believing in God, and with that they could be meaning many different gods.
We know that there is only one true God, and when we mention the name of Jesus we have narrowed who we are talking about down to the One True God.
If we just say God, we could be meaning Allah, Buddha, Hinduism, and any of the other 20,000 plus gods that have been worshiped throughout human history.
As we talk about Jesus we need to know the Truth and that salvation is only through Jesus redemptive work on the cross.
We are going to be looking in Colossians 1 for our main text this morning but we will also look at other Scriptures.
To begin with the Apostle John gives witness to the Deity of Jesus in the beginning of his gospel.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The term Word there is speaking of Jesus.
We could read that as In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God.
Verse 14 Jesus became flesh and dwelt among man.
What John is saying here is that In the beginning, referring back to Genesis 1:1
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
John is saying that Jesus was before the creation of the earth, He has always been.
From before the creation of the world, God the Son shared an eternal, intimate father-son-relationship with God the Father.
All things were created through the Word, which is Jesus, this is a truth that is taught further in the New Testament.
Before we explore this further let’s go to God in prayer.
Pray
The Identity of Jesus
The Identity of Jesus
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
This verse testifies to the glory of the incarnation of God.
Conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, the divine Son of God became a man.
Jesus is thus the God-Man - He is not half man and half God, but rather one person with a fully divine nature and a fully human nature.
Jesus is deity poured into humanity.
Jesus being fully man cried as a baby, but being fully divine gave life to His mother Mary.
Jesus being fully human had to sleep, but being fully divine raised the dead back to life.
Jesus fully experienced what it is to be human - yet without sinning.
15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Jesus has experienced the things that we go through as humans, even being tempted by satan after fasting in the wilderness for forty days, and yet He did not sin.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,
Here Paul writes to the Colossians Christians telling them that Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
The word image there means perfect replica.
Verse 15 continues that Jesus is the firstborn of all creation.
This phrase firstborn has nothing to do with time but with rank.
It is like the term first lady.
The president’s wife is not the first woman ever to live in the White House.
She holds the rank of first lady because of her connection to the one in charge.
By Jesus’ divine connection to God the Father, Jesus Christ inherits creation and the right to rule.
In the middle verse 18, Jesus is referred to as the firstborn from the dead.
That is Jesus is the down payment on our resurrection.
Believers can be raised from the dead because Jesus was raised from the dead.
Verse 18 also tells us that Jesus is the head of the body, the church.
The church is not ours; it is His.
Jesus runs it..
When it comes to the covenant people of God, Jesus is never to come in second place.
Jesus is to have first place in everything.
Verse 16 tells us that everything was created by Him, which is Jesus.
Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created the heavens and the earth.
Yet Jesus is the uncreated Creator of all things, and there is only one uncreated, eternal being.
Jesus is fully God, that came to earth fully human and fully God.
Knowing that Jesus has always been, and has not been created, what do we make of Scripture like Isaiah 9:6a
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
The child in that verse is Jesus and He had to be born because the incarnation was a new thing, but the Son of God, Jesus Christ was given because He already existed.
Verse 17 of our text tells us that In Jesus all things are held together.
The planets stay in their orbits because Jesus holds them there.
If Jesus can do that, we can be confident that He can hold us too.
If things are falling apart in your life, it might just be because Jesus does not hold the preeminent or first place position in your heart.
The Work of Jesus
The Work of Jesus
We have seen that Jesus came in human form and was fully man and fully God.
Jesus has always been, and He holds everything together.
Jesus was born of the virgin Mary as He was conceived through the Holy Spirit’s miraculous work.
Why did Jesus come to earth?
He had a preplanned work to complete.
20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Through Jesus God reconciled everything to Himself.
Sin has separated mankind from God, and we need reconciliation to bring things back into proper harmony.
Since Jesus is fully man, He understands our problems; since Jesus is fully God, He can fix the problems.
Jesus experienced rejection, temptation, hunger, abuse, and death.
Jesus knows how you feel.
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
Jesus is our advocate, mediator who reconciles sinners to God through His blood, shed on the cross.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
The shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross provides away for sinners to be able to draw close to God and have a personal intimate relationship with God.
The work that Jesus came to earth to do was to be the ultimate sacrifice for mankind.
We seen the past two weeks that there is consequences to our sins, which we know is spiritual death being eternally separated from God.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Because the wages or consequences of sin is death, mankind needed a way to cover the debt of our sins.
The shed blood of Jesus is the price our Savior paid to cover the debt we owed to God for our sins.
2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
Jesus is the propitiation for our sins, that is Jesus is the offering, the sacrifice, the payment to turn away the wrath of God.
Propitiation is then that Jesus is the sacrifice that atones or pays for our sins.
The significance of the blood in this context traces back to the Old Testament.
In the sacrificial system instituted by God for the Israelites, the blood of animals played a crucial role in the atonement of sins.
11 ‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’
The thing with the Old Testament law was that the animal sacrifice had to be done year after year and could never be perfectly fulfill the payment of sin.
If the animal sacrifices were sufficient for forgiveness of sins, the people would not have a need to continue animal sacrifices.
4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
The concept of atonement for sin in the New Testament is through the shedding of blood is fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus stepped in, took our punishment upon Himself, and paid the price with His shed blood - His life for ours - Fulfilling God’s demand for perfect justice.
Since we as mankind with sin nature, need a Savior, the ultimate sacrifice to pay for the wages or consequences of our sins, the question may be asked is there any other way?
Jesus the Only Way
Jesus the Only Way
In John chapter 13 Jesus is preparing the disciples for His coming arrest and crucifixion.
Peter asks about all of this, asking where Jesus is going, Jesus tells Peter where I am going you cannot come now but will later.
Peter tells Jesus that he will lay down his life for Jesus.
Jesus then tells Peter that before the rooster crows Peter will deny Jesus three times.
Then in Chapter 14 of John, Jesus tries to comfort the disciples.
1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
4 “And you know the way where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Jesus compassionately sought to calm the disciples fears over His impending departure.
Jesus begins with believe in God; believe also in me.
In other words, Place your full trust in Jesus, just as you trust in God the Father.
Then Jesus tells the disciples and any of His followers that they have heavenly real estate waiting on them.
Jesus says that there are dwelling places or rooms in His Father’s house, and that He is going to prepare those rooms.
Jesus was not abandoning His followers, rather He was heading to get their eternal home ready.
Jesus then promises that He will return for His followers.
He tells His followers that they know the way to where He is going.
Thomas, one of Jesus disciples, says, Lord we do not know where You are going so how do we know the way to get there.
Doubting Thomas was essentially saying Lord you have not given us directions or a map, but Thomas misunderstood.
The way to get to where Jesus was going was not a path, or road, but it was a person.
Jesus says, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Jesus.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the universal point of access to God.
There is no other entrance into heaven.
There is no other way for mankind to be forgiven of their sins, be reconciled to God and have eternal life in Heaven with God but through Jesus Christ’s shed blood on the cross.
Jesus says in John 10:9
9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
Jesus is the only way that we can have salvation, and eternal life in heaven.
There is no other person we can believe or follow that can forgive us of our sins, and provide us with eternal life in Heaven.
12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
If we think that we can be good enough to get into heaven we are mistaken.
If we think we can attend church enough to get into heaven we are mistaken.
If we think we can follow a certain denomination, church, pastor, or leader to get into heaven we are mistaken.
Jesus is the one and only Savior, He is the only way that we can have forgiveness of our sin, and eternal life in heaven.
When we believe and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we then are adopted into the family of God, which is what we will look at next week.
