What Christ Offers Men

Introduction:

Brother Homer HaileyAs He looked on a world steeped in sin, God’s great heart went out in love and compassion for man

“As He looked on a world steeped in sin, God’s great heart went out in love and compassion for man who had become victim of his own lust and power. Out of that infinite love, God was moved to send His own Son into the world to redeem man. Christ summed up His mission when He said, ‘For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.’ ().”

In , Jesus extended the gracious of heaven, saying, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

This is the “Great Invitation,” the true message of the Gospel.

But to what does Christ invite men? What does He have to offer that men do not already have?

If He has no more to offer than the world offers, there is no need to preach His message.

Yet, He does offer that which no other can or dare to offer; and it is Christ’s offer that we turn our attention to this morning.

Discussion:

Christ Offers Freedom From Sin:

Jesus saw sin as a cruel master, holding man in its bondage with complete power that he was helpless to free himself from.

Jesus also saw sin as the cause of all man’s illnesses and the source of all unhappiness and misery.

Therefore, sin was the thing that had to be abolished and from which man had to be freed.

Freedom from the Bondage of Sin: ; ; .

While teaching the Jews in Jerusalem, Jesus said, “

While teaching the Jews in Jerusalem, Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” ().

This angered the Jew, who as descendants of Abraham, refused to admit that they were in bondage to the great Roman Empire. Therefore, “They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” ().

Choosing to ignore their bondage to the Roman government, Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” ().

H

Consider the last expression, “whoever commits sin is a slave to sin.”

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

That makes all of us slaves because we all have sinned.

It is from this bondage that Jesus came to set men free. He continued saying, “And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Sin is lawlessness, the transgression of law, the violation of laws and precepts given by God to man for our own good ().

In addition, sin is the refusal to do what is good and right, the failure to do what should done.

In , the scriptures state, “To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

In violating the principles of right or in refusing to do good, we are submitting to our own will, doing what please us, and following our own desires.

In doing so, we become slaves to sin, which results in unhappiness and death spiritually.

Thankfully, Christ’s offer to make us free includes the....

Freedom from the Guilt of Sin: ; .

In the end, all sin is against God. After David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had Uriah put to death (sinning against the nation, society, his family, himself, Bathsheba and Uriah), he cried out to God, “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in Your sight” ().

Whatever evil we may do violates God’s teaching of right and reflects on His honor.

Therefore, it is against God that we are guilty and sinned against.

It is God Who must forgive and set us free. Under Christ, God has promised, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 8:12).

Here God offers pardon and freedom from the guilt of sin.

The sin is forgiven and remembered against us no more.

In addition, Christ not only offers us freedom from the guilt of sin, but also...

Freedom from the Power of Sin: , , .

In accepting the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, Christians become dead to sin and its practices. Sin no longer has power over us.

Paul made this point clear when he wrote of our baptism as a burial into His death and a resurrection to newness of life. The Apostle Paul raised the question, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?”

His answer: An emphatic, “Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

Note, “We who died to sin...” Paul emphasized this death to sin in our baptism.

As he continues, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.”

When one turns to God through Christ, he is baptized into Christ’s death for the remission of sins and into his own death to the practice of sin.

Now that we have died to the old life of sin, we become dead to sin and are no longer in bondage to it.

We are now justified from sin, and to justify is to consider one righteous.

Therefore, the apostle concludes, “ Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Apostle Paul continues saying, “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

Now that we, through our faith in Christ and His teaching and obedience to that teaching by baptism, are free from sin, we are servants of righteousness.

To remain free from sin, we must now live a life of faith and practice righteousness as Jesus taught and practiced.

What a glorious gift and possession is freedom!

Millions have died on the field of battle that they might be freed from the oppression of some ruler.

Other millions have given their lives in sacrifice that society may enjoy freedom from disease, poverty, and physical suffering.

But in the end, sin is the root of all bondage and suffering. Therefore, if man can be freed from the consequences of sin, he will soon find himself free from these consequences of sin.

Freedom from sin releases us from fear, despair, hatred, jealousies, envy, cruelty and such like.

Christ Offers a Way of Life:

A Holy Way: ; .

Even though we have been made free from sin, we would eventually fall again into the old practices of sin, IF there had no been a perfect way set before us to walk in.

Jesus Christ offers a way that is right because He Himself is that Way. In , Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

The Word of God speaks of this life in His steps as the Way.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of the way saying, “...it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray.” (Isaiah 35:8).

This “way of holiness” is the one traveled by Christians whose hearts are changed.

Evil desire are overcome; shameful and vulgar words are not spoken; sinful and wicked attitudes are changed into kindness, longsuffering, goodness and meekness.

Not only is it a way of Holiness, but...

A Narrow Way: .

In , Jesus spoke these words, ““Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Jesus spoke of this way of holiness as a “narrow way,” that is, a road in a narrow pass between two cliffs, strict in its requirements, obligations and principles.

He is pointing to the fact that the life of His disciples is rigorous in its self discipline and moral demands.

As we continue, not only is it a narrow way, but...

A Courageous Way: , .

Jesus taught that in this “way of holiness,” we should not seek “An eye for an eye, or a tooth for a tooth.” Instead, we should “resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also” ().

Some people may argue, “This is the way of a coward,” but that statement is false.

it is not the way of a coward, but a way of courage; it requires great courage to take wrong without retaliating, to let one slap and not slap back.

This is the only way to overcome hatred and other kinds of evil so that peace among men can be restored.

Next, not only is it a courageous way, but...

A Serving Way: .

The way of Christ is a way of service to others, a way that puts others before self.

In their human weakness, the disciples at times argued the question concerning who should be the greatest in the kingdom. In , to this discussion Jesus replied, “Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

True greatness in the kingdom of Christ does not rest on wealth, power, or intellectual knowledge, but on humble service to everyone.

Service to others turns our focus from ourselves and destroys selfishness. One the other hand, it builds thoughtfulness, consideration and humility.

Next, not only is it a courageous way, but...

A Peaceful Way: ; ; ; .

His way is a way of peace- a way in which we do not only fight among ourselves, but also possess and inward calm and serenity of spirit which the world does not possess.

A Spiritual Way:

The prophet Isaiah spoke of the Messiah who would come as the “Prince of Peace” and of this peace “there would be no end” ().

The prophet Zechariah said, “He shall speak peace to all nations” ().

Consider , on the night that He was betrayed, Jesus said to the disciples, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

What a wonderful promise for troubled times like those in which they lived, as well as today.

The peace which Jesus offers is a peace in which the heart is not troubled, neither is it afraid, because its faith is in Him who conquered death on our behalf.

His way is a way of peace and inner calm.

Christ Offers Citizenship in the Kingdom of God:

The Kingdom Was Promised: ; , .

Jesus Christ came to establish the kingdom of God among men.

Daniel had prophesied that in the days of the Roman empire, the God of heaven would set up His kingdom which would never be destroyed ().

John the Baptist introduced Jesus as the Messiah, declaring “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” ().

There will be no end,

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

And when Jesus began His preaching, He proclaimed the same message, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” ().

To order it and establish it with judgment and justice

Therefore, the word of God reveals that a kingdom was promised, but we must understand that...

From that time forward, even forever.

The Kingdom is Present: ; .

In the letter written to the Christians in Colossae, the Apostle Paul gave thanks to God Who had “delivered [them] from the power of darkness and transferred [them] into the kingdom of His Son” ().

This verse reveals that the kingdom is here now.

Today it is into His kingdom that God transfers everyone who obeys the gospel.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

The kingdom was “set up,” established, had its beginning, on the day of Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead ().

From that day, it has been preached as a part of the gospel message, and all who obey the truth have been made citizens of it.

Therefore, as citizens....

The Kingdom has Great Profits: ; ; , ; .

The citizenship we have in Christ has its roots in heaven, for there our king Jesus Christ rules.

In , the Apostle Paul wrote, “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ...”

This citizenship enables us to all the blessings of God, for God is our Father and Jesus Christ our Savior, High Priest, and King.

We do not have to worry about the material things of life, for Jesus said, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” ().

In His kingdom, we have fellowship with the Father and with His Son ().

Fellowship is a sharing, a joint participation or communion of spirit that is conditioned on one keeping the commandments and teaching of the King.

In , the Scriptures says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Fellowship with God, in the kingdom of God, is conditioned on walking in the light of His way as He Himself is the spiritual light and the source of it.

In the kingdom of God and Christ, we can claim the promise of God, the promise to cleanse us from all sin.

Truly being a citizen of His kingdom is the greatest blessing we will ever have.

Christ Offer a Home in Heaven:

Conclusion:

Brethren, the way of Chris is the way that finds the greatest happiness here in this present life and the way that leads to eternal life.

Heaven, the home of the redeemed, is a place for all who love and serve Him in this life.

This home offered by Jesus is one that the redeemed will enjoy the presence of God and the absence of sin.

If you are not yet a member of Jesus’ Kingdom, why not take advantage this privilege right now?

Why not be freed from the power of sin, began a new way of life, and enjoy the blessing of a citizenship in heaven?

If we can assist you, we would love nothing more than to do so.

As a Christian, it is possible that you have fallen short somewhere, and need the prayers of the church. If there is any need, come forward as we stand and sing together.