This I Believe - Week 4 - The Centrality of Christ.

Intro/Welcome

If someone asked you what the Bible was about, you could answer them in ONE WORD: Jesus

Jesus

Jesus is perhaps the most famous person to ever live.

He was born in a small rural town of no significance to a teenage girl.

He was born in the most humble of circumstances and relatively little is known of his life

Until he begins his public ministry around the age of 30.

He ministers for 2-3 years and then is brutally executed as a common criminal

Yet, 2000 years later a few billion people worship this Jesus as the son of God, savior of the world and Lord of all life.

How do you explain that?

Series

Today we are continuing our “This I Believe” Series where we are examining the foundational truths of the Christian Religions

But really we are looking at the foundations truths upon which we build our lives.

Where we’ve been:

What is the Bible?

God’s Word written down to us and for us.

Who is God?

God is trinitarian (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), that is both like and unlike us and desires a personal relationship with us

What is the Story of Scripture?

Four Chapter: Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration

Creation: God created all things Good

Fall: Evil entered the world through satan and demons and Adam and Eve chose sin over trusting God and the result of profound brokenness all over the world.

Today:

Chapter 3 - Redemption

Colossians 1:13–14 (CSB)

13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

the question is : Why is Jesus the center?

Premise

Jesus is the Center of the Scriptures (The Story of Scripture)

in fact Jesus is God’s Word (John 1:1,14)

But more than that , Jesus is the center of all creation. (Colossians 1:16–17)

Jesus is Center of our life — we have been united with Christ. (Gal 2:20)

Welcome

My name is Justin

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Pray

Pray

Isaiah 61:1–3 (CSB)

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners;

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance;

to comfort all who mourn, 3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion;

to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,

festive oil instead of mourning,

and splendid clothes instead of despair.

And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord to glorify him.

The Center of Scripture

Everything in the OT was pointing towards Jesus

[Graphic]

Everything the NT points back to Jesus 1st coming and forward to Jesus 2nd Coming

The Bible:

The Bible was written in three languages (Hebrew, Greek, and a bit in Aramaic) over a period of more than fifteen hundred years by more than forty authors (of varying ages and backgrounds) on three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe).

about 1 person - Jesus

Verses

Luke 24:25–27 (CSB)

25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Wasn’t it necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter into his glory?”

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

Luke 24:44–49 (CSB)

44 He told them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 He also said to them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead the third day, 47 and repentance for forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. As for you, stay in the city until you are empowered from on high.”

John 5:39–40 (ESV)

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

Jesus in the OT

The First Gospel (Gen 3:15)

Melchizedek (Gen 14:17, Heb 7:1-4)

Sacrifice of Isaac (Gen 22:1-14)

Passover (Exodus 12:1-12)

Exodus (Exodus 14)

Day of atonement (Leviticus 16)

Promised Prophet (Deut 18:15-22)

Davidic King (2 Sam 7:11-13)

Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53)

Son of Man/Ancient of Days (Daniel 9:24-27)

God visits temple (Malachi 3:1)

Jesus Quotes Isaiah 61 (Luke 4:14)

Son of God (Hebrews 1:1-2)

It was all pointing to Jesus.

The Center of all Creation

Colossians 1:15–17 (CSB)

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the 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 by him all things hold together.

Hebrews 1:3 (CSB)

3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Romans 11:33–36 (CSB)

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.

Jesus is God

He is the Son of God (Mark 1:1)

God in the Flesh (Incarnation)

He is the 2nd Person of the Trinity (fully God)

having existed for all eternity

John 1:1–3 (CSB)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.

John 1:14 (CSB)

14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Fully God and Fully Human

NICENE CREED:

“God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God

God dwelling amongst us (He is Immanuel)

Philippians 2:5–11 (CSB)

5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.

9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Transcendent and the Immanent come into one

NT Clear Statements of Jesus as God

Titus 2:13 (CSB)

13 while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Romans 9:5 (CSB)

5 The ancestors are theirs, and from them, by physical descent, came the Christ, who is God over all, praised forever. Amen.

2 Peter 1:1 (CSB)

1 Simeon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ: To those who have received a faith equal to ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

John 20:27–29 (CSB)

27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.” 28 Thomas responded to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

It is literally all about Jesus.

but what does that mean for us?

The Center of your Life: Union with Christ

I’m going to talk about union with Christ b/c it is by virtue of our ‘union’ with Him that what he came to do is efficacious

Romans 6:5 (CSB)

5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection.

what did Jesus come to do?

What Jesus came to do: Atonment

As we’ve seen Jesus is the 2nd person of the Trinity — fully God

became a man

Why?

Atonement - To make reconciliation

accomplish our redemption and reconciliation

revisit Creation Fall

separation, the need for reconciliation

all of it is to bring us back home

to Eden, but better than that the new Jerusalem

so that we can dwell with God and God can dwell with us

that is the whole point

That is the endgame:

it is where it all began in Eden

it is where it where it will all end in Revelation

Revelation 21:3–4 (CSB)

3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.

Jesus came to bring the Kingdom of God to earth.

Adoption:

He is adopting us back into his family

restoring the relational bond through Jesus

John 1:11–13 (CSB)

11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

How Jesus accomplishes atonement:

How would God come to dwell with His people so they could dwell with Him forever?

God became a man in Jesus Christ

conceived of by the Holy Spirit (God) in the womb of Mary (Human)

[SLIDE] - WHAT JESUS CAME TO DO

To Live Our Life

to life the life should have lived

To Die Our Death

to die the death we all deserved

To Give New Life

to give new life to all who believe

1. To Live our life

To live the life we were created to live:

A life of perfect obedience to God the Father

A life of perfect Love of God the Father

A life of perfect Worship of God the Father

A Life of perfect love towards all of creation

A life of perfect love and right living towards other human beings

Jesus never sinned

not once

not in a single thought or action.

he was the perfect spotless lamb of God

1 Peter 2:22 (ESV)

22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.

Imputed Righteousness

When we put our Faith in Jesus — his life becomes our life

it is as if we lived the perfect life that Jesus did.

Imputed righteousness

Jesus didn’t just die our substitutionary death, he lived our substitutionary life

2. To Die our Death

Jesus died for our sins (1 Cor 15:3

1 Corinthians 15:3 (CSB)

3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

He was the perfect sacrifice for Sin (Heb)

The Spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World (John 1:29)

John 1:29 (CSB)

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

B/c the wages of Sin is Death (Rom 6:23, Gen 2:17)

Romans 6:23 (CSB)

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Genesis 2:17 (CSB)

17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

Death: Separation from God

Sin against a Holy, Righteous and Perfect Being

A single sin against an eternal being warrants eternal separation

Separation from God is Hell

Hell was created for Satan and Demons (Rev 20:10)

Matthew 25:41 (CSB)

41 “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!

Two Options

There are only two options in the End:

We will spend forever with God through our union with Christ

We will spend forever apart from God b/c we did not accept the pass / offer / passport / covering / clothing.

How do I get the covering? — United to Christ

Come to Jesus

John 6:37 (AV)

37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Christianity most inclusive religion

What about those who never hear? — what about you?

Believe in Jesus

John 6:29 (CSB)

29 Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.”

John 3:16–21 (CSB)

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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. 19 This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. 21 But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”

Confess your sin

putting something else as center in your life other than God, that which is most worthy

Receive forgiveness of Sin

1 John 1:9 (CSB)

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Adoption

John 1:12–13 (CSB)

12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

Repent — live differently.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (CSB)

21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus - “Go and sin no more”

This is how Jesus accomplishes salvation

This is the Gospel Message

Exodus 34:6–7 (CSB)

6 The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.

Romans 3:21–26 (ESV)

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

BLOOD TRANSFUSION

The Rest of Romans talks about living this out

How to live differently?

3. To Give New Life

Titus 3:4–7 (CSB)

4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 5 he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.

Union w/ Christ

Galatians 2:20 (CSB)

20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Romans 6:4 (CSB)

4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.

Colossians 3:1 (CSB)

1 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Resurrection means new life

Christ was a ‘firstfruits’ (1 Cor 15)

We are now In Christ — in Resurrection power

the down payment, deposit of Gods presence

Romans 8:11 (CSB)

11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.

by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Summary

Jesus lived our Life

Jesus died our Death

Jesus gives us new life

Where is Jesus now?

Where is Jesus now?

He Ascended.

Acts 1:9–10 (CSB)

9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them.

to the right hand of the father.

Ephesians 1:20–21 (CSB)

20 He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens—21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Acts 7:54–56 (CSB)

54 When they heard these things, they were enraged and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 He said, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

Christ is reigning

Romans 8:34 (CSB)

34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.

He will come again.

Mark 14:62 (CSB)

62 “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Acts 1:11 (CSB)

11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”

This leads up to next week:

Restoration: God’s plan for the Church and the Kingdom of God.

We will worship Jesus as God and King forever and ever

Application:

Is Jesus the center of your life?

have you given your life to Him

are you abiding in Him?

Has something usurped his kingship in your life?

Baptism

Get baptized today

Verses

Matthew 1:21 (CSB)

21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

1 Peter 2:24–25 (CSB)

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.