No one like Jesus pt. 2

Hebrews 2:1–4 HCSB

1 We must, therefore, pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away. 2 For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment, 3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. 4 At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to His will.

So we just hit on the doctrine of the incarnation last week briefly

today we are going to work on that big word

Soteriology!

Which is the study of the doctrine of Salvation.

listen you could think, who cares about these words, those are those pastor words they throw out to make me scratch my head. Listen I don’t like big words just as much as the next person, but our Theology must be grounded in truth, and we must know why we believe what we believe.

I read an article recently from creation.com a gentlemen Dr. Oliver shared this:

Dr Doug Oliver was raised in a ‘liberal Christian’ home and church. He says, “I thought that being ‘good’ and believing in a vague, traditional God was probably good enough to get me into Heaven.”

ref https://creation.com/prioritizing-people

His vague understanding of Christ’s atoning work had him dangerously misled, and not surprisingly allowed his life to twist and turn on what he said where less than Christian lifestyles.

So no, a Pastor using these big words every now and then isn’t to bore you to death, it’s because we must grow in our understanding of God, and our firm convictions in what principles His word give us.

My Third and final point from this two part message on No one like Jesus comes forward here.

Jesus is our Salvation

We need to talk about salvation, but listen, before we can get into the Doctrine of Salvation, we need to understand the Doctrine of Sin.

Wishy washy faith is the type that sugar coats over sin, or ignores it all together. If I didn’t come to a recognition that my life was a mess, I made a mess of it, and I was in a dire place because i didn’t meet God’s standard, I would have never sought Jesus and His salvation out.

we’ve heard passages from the Bible like

Romans 3:23 HCSB

23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

but listen, sometimes this verse is skimmed over, and the mentality is, ya but I’m a good person, I've never done anything real bad, like I’ve never killed someone, so as long as I’m not on the nighttime news for something I’m good. Guess what, those who think that way, also don’t think they need a savior.

I at one point thought that way, then I met God’s standard. You know what God’s standard expects of me? it expects sinless perfection.... Guys, I can’t even talk perfectly, sometimes I mix up my words and have to correct myself, I’ve never thought of myself as perfect.

God provided commandments for us to bounce our sinless perfection off, right for any who think they are sinless and perfect, take a look at God’s Law in the 10 commandments, and then look at Jesus’ statements on some of those laws as He amplified there meaning.

Boom, I knew right away I was a sinner, and any sin, not just the “big ones” separated me from God and His promise of Eternity in His Glory.

For Jesus to be my salvation, I must know I need saving.

Ok so what does this salvation really mean?

Salvation is deliverance from danger or suffering.

The “Great Salvation” is then the ultimate deliverance from final Judgment for our sin, there is an eternity after this life, and there are two places we can be, one we call heaven, its a wonderful place of life and light and it’s in a forever presence with God. The other is not heaven, and it’s eternity alone, and separated from God.

ref Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Romans 6:23

Ok so I want that good ole Salvation, what is it?

Well the Gospel answers this for us. The Gospel I speak of or the “good news” is the good news concerning Jesus Christ, and the way to salvation.

So:

A. We need to take the Gospel message of Jesus seriously

Let me tell you that the Gospel isn’t merely the New Testament, but it’s the Whole Bible. You see the author of Hebrews even alludes to this in his pointing back to the law spoken from the angels. The OT provided us with God’s law and the reality that no one could perfectly follow it, we all fall short of the glory of God, the NT then shows us how God sent us help.

John 3:16 HCSB

16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 8:3–4 HCSB

3 What the law could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain, and as a sin offering, 4 in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

The Gospel is this

All have sinned and the punishment for sin is death (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23)

But Jesus, part of the Godhead, came born of a virgin in the flesh, lived a perfect sinless life, and died on the Cross paying the price for sin (Colossians 2:9, John 1:14, 1 Peter 2:22, Romans 5:10, Ephesians 1:7)

Jesus offers this free gift of salvation to all who call on Him to be saved by grace through faith (Acts 4:12, Ephesians 2:8-9)

The Gospel of Jesus Christ that brings people to there knees, and breathes hope and eternal life into their souls is simply sharing the Good news about who Jesus is and what He has done.

B. We need to share about Jesus

The only reason any of us is here today is likely because someone told us about Jesus at some point. Whether a parent, a friend, or stranger, the bottom line is we know because someone shared. That’s what our verse today emphasizes in verse 3.

Illustration:

Penn Jillette (of the comedy/illusionist team, Penn and Teller) put out a 2009 YouTube video about a man who brought him a bible after the show. The man was very kind, praised Penn’s show, but then preceded to hand him a Bible. Now Penn will still state he’s an Atheist, but this gift from this man took him back. Penn made a statement saying how much do you have to hate someone, to not tell them about what you believe if you truly do believe there's a heaven and a hell, and you know how to get to heaven?

ref https://biblegrapes.com/penn-jillette-gift-bible/

Wow what a thought and a bold statement, We need to share the Good news about Jesus. It’s not meant to be a secret, it’s not meant for us to hold on to but for us to go out and share. The early church existed because the Gospel was shared, we today worship at this church because over the years men and women shared the good news with others.

So let us be committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that has brought us Salvation, and that must be shared with others.