What Your Life Could Be-Romans 16

Coming to Nothing But Jesus

I am not one for Christian clichés, for Christian tag lines, but I know that in an organization, in a church, it is so important for everyone to be pulling in the same direction. So when I became the Senior Pastor four years ago, we began the process of developing a mission statement. What is our church called to? How could we build on the great history of our church? And after a lot of prayer, of discussions there were three words that won the day.

Nothing But Jesus.

We believed we were called to not only define who we are…but who we aren’t. And these three words weren’t copied from someone else, they weren’t something I thought about and imposed on everyone else. And I think I can speak for our staff and session when I say that I could have never imagined that Nothing But Jesus would become the heartbeat of who we are. That IS what a mission statement should do.

Our whole mission statement is:

Criticism for Having a Mission Statement (and not)

And it is interesting to me, not surprising, but interesting, that when a church doesn’t have a mission statement the church is criticized for not defining where the church is going, “where there is no vision the people will perish,” but when a church DOES have a mission statement, we get criticized for “branding it” or for using platitudes. And that doesn’t bother me much because if you aren’t being criticized as a leader as an organization you probably aren’t doing much.

But what DOES bother me is when a mission statement like “living to reach all people with nothing but Jesus” is misunderstood or ignored or is picked a part by those who claim to be Jesus followers. Who would have thought that even a mission statement such as “living to reach all people with nothing but Jesus” could actually be criticized by those who claim to be saved by nothing but Jesus?

When you are a leader, you turn in your victim card. You can’t pout when things don’t go your way, except when you do.

Questioning in My Own Heart

We have been in the process of bringing another school into Reach Christian Schools and there is all the drama and criticism that comes with that…and we have been right in the middle of it…and you would think it would be that stress or whatever that would get to me. But this past week it wasn’t that at all.

But the thing that got to me is the same thing that gets to many of us…is all this really true? It is hard enough to believe in Jesus in the traditional way that people believe in Jesus.

But is it really true that Jesus is more than enough?

Is it really true that It is Finished?

Is it true that God won’t love me less if I am bad and fail and he won’t love me more when I’m good? Is it true?

Isn’t there more to this, aren’t there more topics, more to doing church, than unpacking week after week and month after month what living to reach all people with Nothing But Jesus looks like.

Isn’t it not Jesus plus nothing equals everything but Jesus plus something?

What about ?

And then I read …the very last chapter.

When I first planned this series I wondered what in the world I would preach when we came to . It seems like Paul has said all he is going to say when ends. seems not even like a post script. Paul thanks a bunch of people. This is like the credits at the end of a movie.

Purpose of Marvel Scenes after the Credits

One of the really cool things about the Marvel superhero movies…not only that they get to the heart of the human condition and basically re-tell the story of redemption over and over again because that story is embedded in our hearts…not just that aspect, but when the movie is over, and the credits run, you know not to leave. Why? Because there is always a scene at the very end, after the credits…a little scene that gives you a clue about a future movie or reminds you of a theme in the movie you just saw...usually though it is a warning of some kind not to forget what you just heard and not to let your guard down because the story isn’t really finished…

And that is what Paul does in . The credits run and even in the credits as we will see next week there is something going on there as well, but the credits run and then there is one last scene.

Romans 16:17–18 ESV

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

Paul warns the readers and warns us to watch out, to even AVOID those who cause divisions and CREATE obstacles that are contrary to the message, to the doctrine that he has taught them. And then he says those people aren’t really in it for Jesus Christ. What a huge statement.

Romans 16:17–20 ESV

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites,[f] and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Paul warns the readers and warns us to watch out, to even AVOID those who cause divisions and CREATE obstacles that are contrary to the message, to the doctrine that he has taught them. And then he says those people aren’t really in it for Jesus Christ. What a huge statement.

What IS the message that Paul has preached in Romans?

What is the message that Paul preaches?

1 Corinthians 2:1–2 ESV

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

2 And I, when I came to you, brothers,[a] did not come proclaiming to you the testimony[b] of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

There it is, Nothing But Jesus.

Paul says at the end of Romans watch out for those who create stumbling blocks…who even cause divisions…in other words, in our context, watch out for those who throw a road block and create stumbling blocks for the message of Nothing But Jesus.

And our questions become the SAME questions that the early church had. The book of Galatians, which Paul wrote first, is known as the mini-Romans. If you know the music of Beethoven, you know that his compositions are divided into three eras within his life, there are the early Beethoven works, the middle Beethoven works, and the late Beethoven works. And it isn’t that the late Beethoven works are greater than the early Beethoven works, they just go far deeper. And the same thing can be said about Galatians compared to Romans. Galatians is the bud and Romans is the flower in full bloom.

And in Galatians, it is the only letter where Paul doesn’t say anything nice in the opening…he gets right to it, he says,

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

And how were the Galatians distorting the Gospel? By adding qualifiers to it. By adding works to the Gospel. By adding things that we DO to the Gospel.

Paul says at the end of Romans watch out for those who create stumbling blocks…who even cause divisions…in other words, in our context, watch out for those who throw a road block and create stumbling blocks for the message of Nothing But Jesus.

Now it is good to wrestle with our mission statement. I did this past week. Is it really true? Is Christ more than enough?

So I thought we could answer some of the questions that arise when we ponder our mission statement of living to reach all people with nothing but Jesus.

First Question: What about Other Topics?

Doesn’t Nothing But Jesus mean that we won’t cover a bunch of different relevant life topics? No one who is asking this question is suggesting that we are saved apart from nothing but Jesus, but what about other topics, like marriage, and friendships, and parenting, and lessons on how to be humble and how to speak kindly, and on and on? And no one is saying that you don’t apply Jesus to these topics? But doesn’t Nothing But Jesus become repetitive?

Paul’s Message in Romans

Paul says avoid those who distort the message I have given you. What message is that? Paul’s message is in three parts.

is Paul’s diagnosis of humans.

-chapter 11 is the deliverance of humans through a savior.

And is the description of what our lives can be when our lives are gripped by the grace of the Gospel, that is why this current series is called, what your life could be.

So the question of covering different topics is answered in Paul’s message. Because chapters 1-3:21 and even to an extent chapters 12-16 are all about the Law of God.

The Law of God: WWJD

The Law of God is any time we are given a command in Scripture. The Law of God is any time we are told what is pleasing to God.

Think of the Law of God as What Would Jesus Do? Remember those bracelets? WWJD? It seems silly, but WWJD is actually extremely helpful here. But probably not in the way it was meant.

WWJD is the Law of God.

And Paul brings that in his message in Romans. And that is where we learn about all of life. That is where we study these different topics of life. Character traits, the way we treat others, the way we think.

But for Paul, just as with Jesus, the Law of God goes way deeper than we can imagine. The Law rightly preached is WAY more practical than so much of the so-called practical messages we hear preached today.

We cover all the topics you can possibly imagine through the preaching of the Law of God or What Would Jesus Do? But it goes far deeper than the mere externals.

It doesn’t sound like I am answering the question “doesn’t nothing but Jesus mean that we won’t cover other topics?” but hang with me, because I am answering it.

We cover all the topics you can possibly imagine through the preaching of the Law of God or What Would Jesus Do? But it goes far deeper than the mere externals.

Sermon on Mount Depth

When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, he unpacked several of the Ten Commandments because the people thought they were keeping them but they weren’t.

Jesus said you think you aren’t adulterers because you haven’t committed the physical act of adultery. But I tell you that if you have looked lustfully in your heart on another you are an adulterer.

Jesus said you think you aren’t a murderer because you haven’t physically taken a knife or a gun and ended someone’s physical life. But I tell you if you are angry with your brother, if you call him a fool, you have murdered him.

Jesus said not only should you handle conflict when you feel offended. Not only should you go to your brother when they have offended you and work it out. But if someone else is upset with you, it is your responsibility to go to them and fix it.

Jesus said if they compel you to go one mile, go two miles, if they take your jacket make sure you give them your shirt as well, forgive seventy times seven. Don’t judge. And then Jesus says, in other words, just be perfect.

Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. That is the standard. In word, thought, and deed. Don’t only do the right things, but you need to WANT to do the right things, and do the right things for the right reason, and with the right motive. So we cover a lot of topics…but maybe not in the way people are used to and not in a way that makes us feel good about ourselves.

High Road Example

Let me give you an example.

I told you earlier that we have been going through the process of acquiring another school. And so whenever you do something big there will be detractors. There will be people who speak out against you, spread false rumors, or whatever.

And so knowing when to respond publicly and when to just be quiet is a challenge. And most of the time you just take the high road.

Do you know what the high road is? It isn’t the low road. The high road is that you don’t get into the gutter with your critics. The high road is when you are attacked by a friend or relative, you are the “bigger person”. You take the high road. And if you take the high road, you can be proud that you did the right thing. Right?

I can imagine a whole sermon series on “Taking the High Road”…the sermon graphic could be an open highway—the high road---with no traffic, all the traffic is on the low road, the accidents happen on the low road. Because everyone is on the low road. But you, in your best life now, you take the high road. And so that is very practical in everything in life…in relationships, in conflict resolution…take the high road.

But too often that is where preaching stops. But the Law of God goes far far deeper. Take the high road. Jesus took the high road. Jesus take the wheel on the high road. Nothing but Jesus. Nothing but the high road.

So someone criticizes us and we don’t respond. We are taking the high road. But I don’t WANT to take the high road. I am only taking the high road because I want to win. It’s like a chess match. It works to take the high road. It will make me look good to take the high road. It will make my opponents look bad if I take the high road. If people can’t see that, I have to announce that I have taken the high road.

So externally, I may take the high road. But internally I am still on the low road. And that’s what I do!

You guys are probably thinking, Chuck, you are sick. And I am—that is why I preach nothing but Jesus, because I so desperately need nothing but Jesus.

Not only must I externally take the high road, but I must want to take the high road, I must take the high road not to win, but to glorify God. My thoughts, which are words before God, must be pure according to the Law of God.

The Law shouldn’t only deal with the external behaviors but crack us open and expose (that is what true expository preaching is, exposing the sinner. The Law should leave no man standing and every man guilty.

Once we have seen how deeply we have fallen through the Law portion of the sermon (whether the Law portion was on the words we speak, the way we relate to our spouse, the kind of friend we are to others, the way we pray, the way we relate to the culture, the way we spend money, the way we work at our jobs, etc) we realize our need for something outside of us. If we hear the Law in a sermon and believe we can obey fully on our own, then the Law has not been fully preached.

What about the practicals—the how to fix myself stuff?

The practicals are obvious once we have been cracked open.

We have seen that in :

: how we view leaders

: how we handle disputes (read the passage out loud)

The challenge isn’t knowing what to do, but actually doing it, which we won’t do unless our faith is increased. Because every time we sin by breaking the Law of God in word, thought, deed, or motive, we have momentarily disbelieved the Gospel. Our faith let us down. So we don’t need behavior modification, we need a deeper faith that will lead to love for God and neighbor (which is the essence of the Law).

Once we have seen how deeply we have fallen through the Law portion of the sermon (whether the Law portion was on the words we speak, the way we relate to our spouse, the kind of friend we are to others, the way we pray, the way we relate to the culture, the way we spend money, the way we work at our jobs, etc) we realize our need for something outside of us. If we hear the Law in a sermon and believe we can obey fully on our own, then the Law has not been fully preached.

By the end of the Law we need to feel desperate so we long for deliverance. If we don't feel desperate and cracked open and exposed, we haven't truly heard the Law.

So back to the question, just because “Nothing But Jesus” is catchy and is said over and over again doesn’t mean that we don’t address every topic we can possibly cover. In fact, with a Law, WWJD approach, we actually cover far more ground because we deal not only with the externals, the outward behaviors, but the innermost recesses of the heart.

Not Law and Grace but Law and Gospel

Another question is if you preach grace than people will just do what they want to do. And the problem with that question is the binary idea of Law opposed to Grace is incorrect.

It’s not Law and Grace. Get that out of your head and vocabulary. There is Grace in the Law. When we follow the Law of God we are saved from a whole lot of trouble. We are protected, that is why David said I meditate on the Law day and night. The Law is good. It’s not Law and Grace but Law and Gospel.

There wasn't Grace in the Gospel for Jesus, but there is infinite Grace in the Gospel for us. So it isn’t a matter of preaching grace and people do what they want, we actually draw grace out of the Law as well.

What about the OT?

God's demand is to be perfect. No one is perfect. Jesus was perfect for you. Because he was perfect for you you can love God and love others.

In preaching, the Law, is where note taking is best. When we fully exposit the Law we will not only expose the sinner to the depths of their soul, but that cracking open of the sinner will clearly show us what we know we need to practically do.

What about the practicals—the how to fix myself stuff?

The practicals are obvious once we have been cracked open.

We have seen that in :

: how we view leaders

: how we handle disputes (read the passage out loud)

The challenge isn’t knowing what to do, but actually doing it, which we won’t do unless our faith is increased. Because every time we sin by breaking the Law of God in word, thought, deed, or motive, we have momentarily disbelieved the Gospel. Our faith let us down. So we don’t need behavior modification, we need a deeper faith that will lead to love for God and neighbor (which is the essence of the Law).

What about the OT?

Another question about Nothing but Jesus…what about the Old Testament? What about all the places where Jesus isn’t mentioned…I know about the prophecies, but there are all these stories in the Old Testament where we can learn how to behave by following the examples of these faithful Old Testament saints.

In , Jesus has been resurrected from the dead, and he is talking to two of his disciples and Luke tells us that Jesus showed them how ALL of the Scriptures were about him. ALL, not some.

Luke 24:27 ESV

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

All the Scriptures center on Jesus and no portion, even the OT, is properly read or understood until it leads to Jesus.

27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

All the Scriptures center on Jesus and no portion, even the OT, is properly read or understood until it leads to Jesus.

So if someone is preaching the Bible…even a known serious Bible teacher, and they aren’t preaching Jesus…then Paul says avoid them. The OT isn’t a catalogue of heroes but of one sinner after another, one failure after another, one disappointment after another…the OT should make us long for a savior.

A sermon is not a sermon until it gets to Jesus.

Jesus is the whole ball game. How the church has lost this and has this inane desire to “move on to bigger and better things” is beyond my comprehension. Just because someone is preaching the Bible doesn't mean they are preaching Jesus. It is possible to preach the Bible and miss Jesus. Some of those who don't preach Jesus are some of the biggest stars of evangelicalism. Tacking on Jesus at the end of a sermon is not preaching Jesus. It isn't enough to "preach the Bible"...are they preaching Jesus?

John Stott said:

Christianity is Christ. The person and work of Christ are the rock upon which the Christian religion is built. If he is not who he said he was, and if he did not do what he said he had come to do, the foundation is undermined and the whole superstructure will collapse. Take Christ from Christianity, and you disembowel it; there is nothing left. Christ is the centre of Christianity; all else is circumference. -John Stott

God's demand is to be perfect. No one is perfect. Jesus was perfect for you. Because he was perfect for you you can love God and love others.

If WWJD is the Law, What has Jesus done is the Gospel (WHJD). So much of preaching is “do more, try harder.” It already has been tried and done by Jesus on the cross.

The Gospel is the glorious good news of what Jesus accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection that has made salvation available to fallen sinners. Jesus paid it all, It is Finished, you are in forever regardless of how badly you mess up, because of what Jesus has done for you condemnation is an impossibility.

The Gospel has nothing to do with anything we have done and has everything to do with what Jesus has done. When we grasp the Gospel we should feel, "my chains fell off." We should feel lighter and freer. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Another Question: isn’t the Gospel for Non-believers?

The Gospel isn’t only for those who aren’t yet Christians, in fact, a traditional altar call is kind of rare in this style of preaching, but the Gospel is for those who have been Christians for decades. But why? Why do those who have been Christians need to constantly go deeper and deeper into the Gospel?

Martin Luther said unbelief in the Gospel is the root of all sin...when you fail to believe Nothing But Jesus, you give yourself to other things. Whether you have been a Christian for a day or forty years.

The only way we will improve, and the only way we will benefit from covering a bunch of different life topics, is if our faith in Jesus is bolstered. The one thing that can set you free from sin isn’t the Law but the Gospel. Faith, and nothing else, produces love for our neighbor. Faith, and nothing else, produces love for God and love for others. Faith in the Gospel and nothing else is what allows you to change.

Christ is not a reservoir but a spring…if we do not perpetually draw the fresh supply from the Living Fountain, we will either grow stagnant or empty. It is, therefore, not so much a perpetual fullness as a perpetual filling of Jesus that changes us. --A. B. Simpson

Oranges

I saw a thing about oranges the other day…if you squeeze and orange what do you get? Orange juice. Nothing but Orange juice. What comes out is what is inside. When you are squeezed…when life’s pressure squeeze you…when someone criticizes you, what comes out? Whatever is inside is what comes out. Bitterness? Anger? Defense? Retaliation? Or does nothing but Jesus come out?

Shouldn’t we be Careful? Won’t We Sin More?

When we fully exposit the Law we will not only expose the sinner to the depths of their soul, but that cracking open of the sinner will clearly show us what we know we need to practically do.

In preaching, the Law, is where note taking is best. When we fully exposit the Law we will not only expose the sinner to the depths of their soul, but that cracking open of the sinner will clearly show us what we know we need to practically do.

What about the practicals—the how to fix myself stuff? The practicals are obvious once we have been cracked open. We have seen that in :

The practicals are obvious once we have been cracked open.

We have seen that in :

: how we view leaders

: how we handle disputes (read the passage out loud)

Increased Faith=Obedience

The challenge isn’t knowing what to do, but actually doing it, which we won’t do unless our faith is increased. Because every time we sin by breaking the Law of God in word, thought, deed, or motive, we have momentarily disbelieved the Gospel. Our faith let us down. So we don’t need behavior modification, we need a deeper faith that will lead to love for God and neighbor (which is the essence of the Law).

Shouldn’t we qualify it? There are no qualifiers, no footnotes, if the Gospel doesn't blow you away, you haven't heard the Gospel. It is other worldly, crazy, doesn't make natural sense to us...we have to fight back the conditions that people put on the Gospel, we have to resist the nuances that many pastors try to put on the Gospel. Paul says to avoid those pastors who qualify the Gospel, who nuance the Gospel, who throw up red flags to the Gospel. Some preachers are obsessed with telling us what the Gospel isn't and making sure it isn't radical...instead just proclaim the Gospel. The flesh is always resistant to the message of the Gospel. The flesh is always resistant to It is Finished.

And you know it when you hear it and you know it when you don’t hear it. You know it. You know it by the things people focus on.

Isn’t NBJ awkward grammatically?

We purposely chose Nothing but Jesus because Nothing But Jesus is shocking and limiting. It limits the message to, well, Nothing But Jesus. We also embrace that Nothing But Jesus is awkward to say in some contexts. It would be easier to say, In Christ Alone, or Jesus at the Center or Just Jesus, or whatever.

We actually WANT NBJ to be jarring. We WANT it to take on a life of it’s own. The thing that shocks us and jars us shouldn’t be NBJ but the fact that so many Christians and churches are about Anything BUT Jesus.

We want you to feel jarred when you say NBJ. To talk about a vague God. That isn’t jarring. That isn’t personal. And as much as I love In Christ Alone, or Jesus at the Center. That doesn’t eliminate a bunch of stuff, the use of the word, "Nothing" eliminates all else.

Charles Spurgeon said, “you will never know the fullness of Christ until you know the emptiness of everything but Christ.”

Everything we need we have in Christ.

What about the Trinity?

Had a young person ask when we say NBJ, what about God?

Here is where NBJ gets more and more glorious and deeply personal.

NBJ doesn’t minimize the Father and the Holy Spirit. NBJ maximizes them. First, the Holy Spirit. Jesus said I will give you MY (key word), MY Holy Spirit. It would be like me leaving you and saying, my spirit will be with you. That is why Paul in calls the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit OF Christ.

In other words, and this is a simplistic illustration…think of the cape of a superhero. One of the superheroes is Dr. Strange. And part of his power is that his cape has a life of its own even when not on his physical body.

Jesus’ physical body is at the right hand of God right now. But HIS Holy Spirit, his cape, is among us. The Holy Spirit’s greatest function is to say to us over and over again It is Finished, Jesus paid it all, trust in Jesus. Jesus said his holy spirit testifies to himself. The Son and the HS are two persons. Nothing But Jesus fits perfectly with the HS.

What about the Father? Here is where it gets even more glorious.

The Father is transcendent. He is holy. He is far off. He is not accessible. Unless Jesus is the one who mediates for us. Jesus said,

John 10:30 ESV

I and the Father are one.”

John 14:9 ESV

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Jesus brings the Father close. But it is more than that. We stand before the Father as if we are Jesus, his Son, because Jesus his Son, stood before the Father as if he were you when he died on the cross.

And because of NBJ, the Father waits for the prodigal son to come home. I have said this before, he is on his porch and the prodigal is limping home so he can maybe be a servant in his Father’s house…and what does the Father do? He runs to him…and he doesn’t lecture him…he honors him.

Because of Jesus, the Father isn’t far off…the Father is closer than ever because of NBJ.

The Father’s arms are open wide because of Nothing But Jesus.

Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father…Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was pleasing to the Father, and his resurrection is what sealed the deal.

Because Jesus was raised, because Jesus lives, we are pardoned by the Father. Because he lives we need not fear the father if fear means being afraid. Because Jesus lives we can have rest for our souls.

Romans 16:19–20 ESV

For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Romans 16:18–20 ESV

For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

What Your Life Could Be-Romans 16

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We live to reach all people with Nothing But Jesus.