Jesus: The Way to God
Sum of all things: Jesus Series • Sermon • Submitted
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· 6 viewsJesus is the way to reconciliation with the Father in Heaven
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Justification is only the beginning
Justification is only the beginning
Justification by faith made possible by the blood of Christ shed on the cross at Calvary, we have been redeemed, justified, the penalty of sin has been placed on Jesus. Think about this for just a minute
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
But I have to give you more background first.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
We have been justified, and have made peace with God
Because
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
We were ungodly and subjects of God’s wrath but because of Christ we have been saved from that.
Justification, being made right with God through Jesus is only the beginning. This redeemed relationship is to be a restored relationship. Our aim should have the garden relationship that existed before the fall. Adam walked with God.
They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
We are now, because of Jesus being the way, showing us the way can have that relationship where we can approach God and be comfortable doing it.
We need to look at a few things to try to grasp this possibility.
I. Difference between God and Man
I. Difference between God and Man
One one hand: Consider Gods nature:
He is the One with unlimited power
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
He is the One with limitless wisdom
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
and He is Holy and demands holiness
44 ‘For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. 45 ‘For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.’ ”
He is the Creator and sustainer of all things
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.
His knowledge is never ending and knows all things
20 in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
This is the God, the Father in Heaven who is eternal
26 but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith;
Though He may be invisible (see Col1:17) He still fills the universe with His presence.
23 “Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord, “And not a God far off? 24 “Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?” declares the Lord. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord.
On the other hand there is man
Man is mortal, man is finite in knowledge, man is created, man is sustained by God who supplied all our needs.
19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Paul puts it like this.
24 “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;
26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ 29 “Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.
God created everything, gives life to everything with the hope that we may grope for Him and find Him (v.27).
We should be in awe of God, David put it well in Psm139:1-12 (go ahead, turn there)
(This is not on a slide) He knows you, He understands you, He watches you, He encloses you, He goes with you; and He leads you.
This God that we can approached because we have been justified, redeemed that we are in awe of, was terrifying to Moses
6 He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Made the people of Israel tremble and worry they would die by seeing Him
18 All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. 19 Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.”
20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.” 21 So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.
Exo20:
In Israels day they wanted Moses to go; In Job’s day he wanted a mediator too (you can look at Job9:32-33) but today we have a better mediator, we have Jesus. Through Him we can have a loving relationship with the Father.
II. Jesus is the Way to God
II. Jesus is the Way to God
Jesus manifested (declared) God to us
18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
How? Jesus came from God
46 “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.
And He is God
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.
Jn1:14
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.
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.
So in seeing Jesus you are seeing God, and able to comprehend the Father
7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
Jn14:7
The Apostles proclaimed Him as well as the HEbrew writer.
9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
and as mentioned the Hebrew writer
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
Heb1:1-
3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Shown to us, revealed to us in a way we can comprehend and personally relate to.
So when we see Jesus character, His attributes (power, wisdom, holiness, love, mercy, divine wrath) we see God the Father’s character and attributes too!
So I mentioned being able to approach Him we are able to because of Jesus work on the Cross at Calvary where he was both the priest making the offering and the offering itself. The one who was in heaven.
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
The one who was tempted so can fully understand us
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.
The One who makes it possible to come to the throne of grace confidently, boldly
16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Through Christ we are able to comprehend and able to approach the Father, and say “Abba Father”
We can have that relationship with the Father through the Son. The N.T. describes this relationship in a few ways.
III. Describing those who are in Jesus
III. Describing those who are in Jesus
We are children of God
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,
In Christ by faith; we are the Church (house of God)
15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
In Christ we are the temple of God
2Cor
16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
He dwells, he walks with us HE is our God and we are His people, we are a holy priesthood
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
We are chosen and even considered a royal priesthood
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
We are His possession!
We were once lost, separated but now we are His and in this relationship He has promised us
5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”
and that only though Him can we get to the Father, have that relationship with the Father
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
We enter that relationship by faith through baptism
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
That is where we are clothed in Christ; our sins forgiven (Act2:38) and given the Holy Spirit.
We can be assured of our place in Christ when we abide in Him.
Jn
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
The father is the vine dresser
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
We need to abide in Him or risk the alternative
2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
or look at
9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.
The father in His relationship with you when you were reconciled through the blood of Christ will continue to walk in the Light of His love
7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1Jn1:7
we can also know confession brings forgiveness
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Invitation
Come today if you have not put Christ on by faith.
Come today if you struggle with faith and want help in abiding
Come today if you are weary or heavy laden.
Come, as we stand and sing