The Great Dethroning of Reigning Sin – Part 1

Romans 6:10-14, preached Sunday, June 21, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

Here is an excerpt:

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There is a battlefield around us that many know nothing about. It is a battle that all must fight, and win, else it cost you your life. The reality of the battle against the dominion of sin is a real one…and he who denies the reality of the battle is a fool. From John Owen's "Mortification of Sin":

"…sin is always acting, always conceiving, always seducing and tempting….If, then, sin will be always acting, if we be not always mortifying, we are lost creatures. He that stands still and [allows] his enemies to double blows upon him without resistance, will undoubtedly be conquered in the [battle]. If sin be subtle, watchful, strong, and always at work in the business of killing our souls, and we be slothful, negligent, foolish, in proceeding to the ruin thereof, can we expect a comfortable [outcome]?

That is not a very popular teaching in evangelicalism today. The teaching that we are to be actively engaged in the battle of killing sin in our lives. It is not a popular thing, to say that those who live sinful lives…those who are ruled and live under the power and reign of sin…even those who are good people in the eyes of the world, but live a life that is oblivious to the battle against indwelling sin that goes on all around us….shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.

This is a huge teaching! And many have taken on the Christianity of culture, which says that there is no standard, postmodernism is the rule, if it feels good do it, let us sin so that grace may abound, I'm covered in the blood, therefore my sin is no big deal, don't waste my time talking to me about sin and death and hell….the Christianity of culture says, "I want to have life improvement, I want stuff, and food, and wealth, and sex, and my own morals that are not dictated to me by anyone else, I want to please myself and my desires"…those who speak thus therefore are dead to what I am saying here today. There is no emotion connected to it, no desire to hear the Word speak to it, to fight sin and pursue holiness…only deadness and lifelessness and numbness to this, one of the greatest teachings in all of the Christian faith – that as Christ has died to sin to live to God, so all who are His, are dead to the reign of sin, and live in the reign and power of God.

O, Father, create life, where there is only death! Create in those who are deaf to your words, hearing, and to those who are totally blind to your truth, give sight! Where there is hardness, create tenderness and emotion! There is a battle, and we are on the battlefield! Let us hear Your Word, and be triumphant in the power of the Spirit of God who raised Christ from the dead!

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Newness of Life – Part 1

Romans 6:1-7, preached Sunday, May 31, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

Here is an excerpt:

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What did the death of Christ accomplish? It crushed the head of Satan. The death of the Son of God thwarted Satan's rule over God's people. It is exactly contextually complete with what has been said already. In Adam, we died. Satan wielded the power that God gave him, and used it to inflict a mortal wound. But God made a promise, directly concerning this…that the seed of the woman would come. Perfect, sinless Man; infinite, holy God in human flesh would live and die and be raised again conquering death. That the death of Christ, being just a bruise on His heel, would crush the head of Satan. Satan, who tempted and drew mankind into sin, who rules and reigns as the god of this world, has been dealt a fatal blow to the head, in that he cannot rule and reign over those who are in Christ. His throne has been debunked.

Now again, I do not wish to make this statement sound incredulous, or otherwise hard to believe, but I do want it to be said in the sense and in the power of argument in which the Apostle makes it. In the same way that the free gift of grace sounds too good to be true to the unbeliever, so as much that it sounds scandalous, we find here the same sort of scandalous teaching of Paul….in that sin can no longer rule over believers! Now let me say this about this statement, which has been said of the statement in verse 1…. "....If your preaching of salvation has not been misunderstood in this way, then you had better examine your sermons again, and you had better make sure that you are really preaching the salvation that is offered in the New Testament"

Folks, it is wrong to use the pulpit as a place of condolence to shallowness. No, it is a place to say the incredible things that the Bible says, and to let them rest on your minds and hearts as incredible. I won't say what is too often said, "…Well, we are all sinners, so we can't help what we do." God forbid! We who are in Christ are not sinners, in the sense that sin is the controlling influence on us! I shall by no means shallow-up these deep waters so to make you think you can wade in them. Because if you come in expecting to wade, you will drown. Brothers and sisters, I shall not do any such thing, but I desire to show you how deep the water is, and then teach you how to swim in it, adoring its depth!

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Abounding Grace or the Love of Sin

Preached Sunday, May 24, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

Romans 6:1-2

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If you were to ask me what was the greatest problem in American Christianity, I would say that it lies in the church's lack of teaching of the theology behind Romans chapter 6. This lack of teaching, indeed, is what John Piper refers to as the tragedy of "healing My people lightly". If indwelling sin is indeed a reality, and if the teachings of the New Testament are true, then there is a great disparity between the teachings of the church today and the teaching of the Bible. The Bible clearly teaches that there is a battle with sin that exists in the life of every Christian (Romans 7:20), and that every true Christian is actively engaged in the battle. It is a battle in which the true Christian has been uniquely given the power by the Spirit of God to win. The believer knows the theological fact that he is righteous only through the righteousness of another, but, as Spurgeon prays, "but we pant and pine for personal likeness to Thee." The disparity in teaching in the modern church comes where we do not find Christian leaders teaching on the biblical reality that there is a difference in the believer and the unbeliever…that where justification by faith is taught, leaders often skip the teaching of how every believer will see evidence of his justification, and find great assurance thereof, in his daily sanctification.

It has been said that there is little difference between the world and the church. Many surveys have been conducted, and statistics have been printed and distributed that tell the tale. It has been found by researchers that, as far as things like divorce, abortion, sexual immorality, stealing, lying, greed, abuse, outbursts of anger, etc., that there is no statistical difference between those inside the church and those outside the church. The reason for this is how the statisticians define the term "Christian." But lest we lay the blame for this at the feet of the statisticians, we must acknowledge that their definition of a Christian is no different than how much of the leadership of the modern church now defines it…..if you've been baptized, are a member of a church, or even go to a church occasionally…if you've been to church at least once in your life, or know someone that has, or live in the same city as a church, if you were dropped off at VBS as a child, and led in a coerced prayer by the pastor or evangelist…..if at least one time in your life, you knew when to say "uh, huh" when the evangelist asked you if you were a sinner and wanted to go to heaven instead of hell, then you're a Christian. Then it is [quote] "scientifically" observed that the behavior of these [quote] "Christians" is no different than those who do not profess to be Christians. In fact, in some cases, it is found that those naming the name of Christ actually are worse in their moral behavior than those who do not.

Is it true, that there is no difference between the unbelieving world and the church? If it is, then I am wasting my entire life in the study and the preaching of the Scriptures and so are you. If these things be true, that the world is just as moral (or immoral) as the church, then Christianity is a lie and Jesus was the person that he is made up to be by the Discovery channel…..just a guy who had some good teachings, but very mysterious and suspect. Is it true that the Church, the bride of Christ, has defiled herself, and is not ready for her Groom? Certainly not! If there is nothing more blasphemous coming from the mouths of men today I do not know what is. No, there IS a difference between the world and the Church. There is a difference between the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ and that hideous bride of the Devil. For the Bride of Christ is glorious, and chaste, and prepared to meet her Groom. The true Church is holy, and separate from the world. The true followers of Jesus crucify the flesh daily, and though they battle, and battle long and hard, and get cut up and shot up and wounded and broken in the battle with the sin that dwells in them, they do find victory. By the Spirit of our God they slay one Goliath after another, as David, who "….killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine [of sin] will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God….The Lord, who delivered [David] from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver [you, believer] from the hand of this Philistine [of sin]." (1 Samuel 17:36-37, NKJV)

Death in Adam, Life in Christ

Preached Sunday, April 26, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

Romans 5:12-15

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Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, (Romans 5:14, NKJV)

Death reigned….people died…between the time of Adam and Moses. The question, again, is, why did they die? Personal sinning, or something else? Paul's argument, and the argument for the Gospel, is…..they died because of something else. Their death is a symptom of a disease, and Paul sees past the superficial diagnosis, that wrong diagnosis being that death is due to personal sinning, by looking at when exactly the symptom began to manifest itself. That's the mark of a good doctor. Instead of giving a patient Tylenol for a headache, a good doctor will ask the patient to recall when he first started getting the headaches. Allergies. Food. Diabetes. Many other causes. So when the doctor and patient can come together and pinpoint when the symptoms started, they can together see what causes it, and avoid that cause, or in this case, give a cure that specifically removes the cause.

When did death begin, and under what circumstances? Death reigned from Adam to the Lawgiver…… even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam. Paul's nailing the point here…and I want you to see it! I have read over these verses hundreds of times and did not see this HUGE point….I want you to see it. Death reigned…..even in those who did not sin personally. Who are these people who did not sin personally, but died anyway? And why does it matter?

One thought was that these are the "sinless perfectionists", who deny the doctrine of Original Sin, and therefore believe that a person can live sinless. Impossible. They die. End of argument. Another is those who do not know the Law of Moses. They die too. Scripture teaches that the Law is written on their hearts. People die. All people die. Paul is getting us to see why. So what Paul is speaking of here….whom he is speaking of here…that there are those who did not have knowledge of God's commands, and died in complete innocence. They never sinned personally. Who are these people?

Scripture is clear….there are none of these people alive. No one does good…all have turned aside. So who can these people be, that paid the penalty for sin that they did not personally commit? Those in whom death reigned, but did not sin like Adam (with personal knowledge of the command)….must be babies. Infants. I agree with the Puritan commentator Matthew Henry here….the only people these can be and move Paul's argument forward and focus it like a laser…are infants who died.

Embryos do not peruse a buffet of attributes, and decide which ones they will take on and which ones they will refuse. No child has ever looked at the vast array of eye colors and said…."I think I'll have hazel eyes. Take these blue ones and give me hazel." Or, "I want to be tall, so take this short stature and let me trade it for tall." How ridiculous is that! In the same way, no embryo has the ability to choose a sinless nature. They are created like their father, Adam, conceived with the penalty of death being standard equipment. It is not an option…..

They did not commit sin, because they did not have the capacity to know a Law to sin against….but they died. They did not die because of personal sinning, but of something much deeper than that….sin was imputed to them….by their union with Adam. They died because sin was imputed to them by the one man….Adam….who is a type of Him who was to come. (Romans 5:14, NKJV)

Then Paul gives us some strange words here….Adam was a type, or a pattern, or figure. He was like Christ in some way that Paul is teaching us here. How so? In Adam, through this one man, sin, and death through sin, was IMPUTED to us. This was given to all people without exception, by virtue of our being in Adam. It was given to all who are IN ADAM. Given without our assent, but sovereignly, by God. All who are in Adam….die. And Adam is said to be a pattern…a type….of Christ. Read on…. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. (Romans 5:15, NKJV)

There is more in this verse that we will be able to tackle today, but I will use it to conclude the argument Paul is making in our time together this morning. Adam is a type Christ, in that through this one man, what was Adam's (sin) was imputed to all people who are
in him….which is all people. He is like Christ in that way…that all who are in Him receive something freely, and without choice. Even infants, the most helpless of all, who have no choice to make good or bad, receive what Adam has given them. And Christ gives freely in the same way. In that all who are in Him receive freely what is Christ's alone…..to the most helpless of all creatures, unable to do anything for righteousness sake…..all who are in Him receive the free gift of His righteousness, not by our own will or decision, but by the free mercy and predetermined will of our God.

God used one man, Adam, that sin and death would enter all that are in him, not by anything that we have done, but by virtue of our being in Adam…..so that He could use One Man, that sin and death would be defeated, in all that are in Him….not by anything that we have done, but by virtue of our being in Him….Jesus Christ, the Righteous.

This is an amazing truth that could never be conceived by mortal man. It is far too glorious to be man's invention. Well does the Scripture say, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9, NKJV).

Sermon for May 4, 2009

Preached May 4, 2009, by Chase Ostrander

2 Samuel 24

Listen Now!

Much More – Assurance and Perseverance

Preached Sunday, April 26, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

Romans 5:9-11

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…..Now let's look at the phrase "saved by His life". When someone comes to die, the appointed time comes to take a look at that person's will. The heart desires of that person for those who are left behind are manifest in that written will, and it is up to the family to see that those wishes are carried out. Nowadays, in particular, the wishes of the deceased are becoming less and less attended to, as the materialism of this world increases, selfishness and greed reign supreme, siblings fight over things that will not matter in eternity, as the executors of the will dissent and forget what the person who died wanted altogether in their will.

But this is not so with the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes indeed, Jesus died, and even died with a will for what was to happen after His death. Now today, there are many who fight and squabble over what His will is, and how they interpret it, and what they think He would have wanted. But our Lord Jesus Christ did not leave this world with a will and a hope that His children could carry out that will for Him. No, according to the Scriptures, Christ has died. He was buried, according to the Scriptures, and according to the Scriptures He was raised. So unlike those who squabble over wills today, our Lord Jesus did not leave us to carry out His will on our own…..but He lives to carry it out Himself. For the resurrection is proof of His faithfulness, in that He has the authority to lay down His life, and He has the authority to take it up again!

The will of God in Christ Jesus is that not one of His own perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). So you can know that as you go about preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom to every person who has breath, not one of the elect of God will perish. His will is to redeem His people, that none be lost. We need not question our Lord as to what He wanted in His will! Go, and preach the Gospel to every creature….He will surely draw them unto Himself! And if the Christ who shed His blood in death for His people now lives for them, you can be sure that not one drop of His blood will be shed in vain, because if His blood be shed for you, then that holy blood that was shed for you in the horrors of His death shall be vindicated in the beauty of His life!

The will of God is to deliver us from the evil of this present age (Galatians 1:4). Dear friends, you can know that the God whose will it is that you be delivered from evil, will surely do it, for He died to justify you from it, and He lives to sanctify you from it! Your sins, though they be as scarlet, yet shall they be as wool. Your cross may look heavy and burdensome, your flesh though it be ever so weak, if it be the will of God for all of His children to be delivered from evil behaviors and sins, then you shall indeed be delivered if you are in Him. For it is furthermore the will of God….your sanctification (1 Thess. 4:3)…and this will is not left to sinners to carry out, but to the Sinless One, the One who died and now lives shall see to it that every jot and tittle of His will be carried out to the letter. You who struggle and fight this sinful flesh today, you fight in the strength of the Son of God, for if it were not for Him you would not fight. For your strength to fight against sin is not found in a cold dead body underneath a cold dead tombstone in a graveyard, but if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, you come not to a cold dead stone, but:

"Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." (1 Peter 2:4-6, NKJV)

The will of God is that Christ makes intercession for the saints (Romans 8:27). Folks, I know that there are many times that I need more prayer than I can utter, for the Scripture is true, that I do not know how to pray as I ought. But the eternal will of God is this….that the Spirit of God intercede for us….even the Son….who lives, and now stands at the right hand of the Father. And He that became sin in death for you becomes righteousness and sanctification in life for you, and it is He who lives and pleads for you at the Father's throne. And if He who is infinitely valued and loved of the Father pleads for you, you shall surely never be lost!

And dear friends, if today you have no assurance that you are His, but your desire is to come to Him, in repentance for breaking His Law, and in childlike faith knowing that you are without strength, then come to Him. You who are weary and heavy laden with sin….come to Him. You who are estranged from Him, be reconciled to your God. Come to Him. For He is gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find peace for your souls. For His words are these:

"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:36-40, NKJV).

The Death of Jesus Applied

Preached Sunday, April 12, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

Romans 5:6-8

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Notice what the Scripture teaches in verse 7. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die…

For a long time, this verse was a little of an enigma for me. I thought it was strange, even a bit out of place. It was one of those that we often read over, and don't take much from. But let me give you an illustration here that may help bring it to light….and remember that the context here is the doctrine of Christian Assurance:

Perhaps, in your mind, you can imagine a great historical figure who has made a distinct impression on you, and been the result of a great life change, or a person that has been helpful or kind to you. That person has been held hostage, and the moment comes where you could place yourself in harm's way on his behalf, to help him escape. You might do that. You might even die for such a person.

Or, imagine that there is a person in a similar situation, who may not be as influential to you, but is otherwise a good and decent person. The criminal has him by the throat and is about to execute him, and suddenly, you have that window of opportunity to save him, but it might cost you your own life. It is not out of the realm of possibility that someone might do such a thing for an otherwise innocent person.

But then the same situation comes up. You see a man who is being held at knifepoint, his life threatened by an attacker. All of the sudden, there is a window of opportunity to rescue him, but it might cost you your life. In that instant, you look into the eyes of the hostage….and you remember his face. There with his life hanging in the balance is the man who killed your wife in cold blood. There is the man who raped you. There is the man who drowned your child. There is the man who stole your life savings. There he is, the one who murdered your parents. And you have the ability to prevent his death, at the risk of your own life. Now that is a different situation indeed. But hear the Word of God this morning…..YOU are that criminal….and CHRIST died for YOU anyway.

You were the enemy of God, and God demonstrated His love for you. He showed you His love, in that He gave His Son for you, not when you were a good person, or a righteous person, or even an otherwise innocent person….but while you were a sinner. An enemy. You hated God, and rebelled against Him……

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8, NKJV)

The Hope of Glory

Romans 5:2-5

Preached April 5, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

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Last week, we spoke on the subject of Christian assurance, which is in today's language, been reduced to the term "once saved, always saved". When asked if I agree or disagree with that doctrine, I say, "yes". I agree with the doctrine that all true Christians will endure to the end, and I disagree with the terminology that this doctrine is often spoken in terms of. I agree, because the perseverance of the saints is a biblical rock….and disagree because there is lacking in the theology of the "once saved always saved" camp one important truth…..that truth being ENDURANCE. Christian assurance, which is largely the subject matter of Romans 5, is built on the FACT that Christians endure. THAT is the teaching of the Apostle, and it is not a result of our own working or ability, but by faith only. Faith that produces definite results. And those results are portrayed beautifully here in our text this morning….FAITH gives us the ability to STAND…..because FAITH is substance…..faith is evidence….and faith gives us enduring power because faith sees forward to a reality that is not before our eyes, but clad on the unchanging promise of our unchanging God. Faith looks out in joy, greater joy than any and all circumstances that surround us. Faith sees to the reward…it shuns earthly pleasures to see the eternal ones….faith sees through pain and suffering, to the eternal plan of our sovereign God……

Verse 3 begins with suffering. Why, if our hope was only in the glory that is intrinsically in God, would the Apostle begin his explanation by introducing the reality of human suffering? In explaining the doctrine of Christian assurance, of having peace with God, WHY does Paul BEGIN this teaching with talking about suffering? Because it is the endurance of suffering that characteristically identifies that which is true hope.

Notice what the Scripture says in verse 3. "More than that… or not only (which I think is the best sense for translation here)" As if salvation is not enough to hope in…..as if we who were made in the image of God, having fallen short of His glory, now being reconciled to Him….if the glory of God Himself was not prize enough in which to rejoice for eternity……we have MORE THAN THAT. We have cause not only to rejoice in the glory of God in the salvation and redemption of our souls, but also in the salvation and redemption of our bodies! He says that we are to rejoice….not only in the redemption of our souls…..but also in the redemption of our bodies…..We rejoice in sufferings! Why? Because we believe in Him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord!

We have much to hope in when we consider our Lord Jesus Christ. For Jesus did not only suffer and die to redeem our souls, but also for our bodies. He in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells, lived on this earth and endured all of the horrors this life which is part of the creation that was subjected by God to futility….in hope that the creation itself will be set free from bondage to corruption, and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God spoken of in Romans 8:20-21. Jesus endured all that we must endure. He suffered in His body the pains and struggles of this life that we now live, and He suffered rejection and persecution and beatings and nails and thorns and whip and cross. He suffered death. Even death on a cross. And the Scriptures say that He did all this why? For the joy that was set before Him. We have an example in our Lord Jesus Christ, who rejoiced in His sufferings, that we should follow, and rejoice when we suffer.

Christian Assurance – Romans 5:1-2

Romans 5:1-2

Preached March 29, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

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Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:2 ESV)

The Scriptures teach that Christians stand in grace. It could be translated, this grace in which we now stand. If you are in Christ, if you have faith in Christ, you stand right at this moment in the grace of God. His wrath no longer abides on you….you are a child of light; not of darkness, a child of love, not of wrath. It is a state that describes you now, and a state which describes you in the future. The word translated stand is the Greek word, histemi /his·tay·mee, meaning, to set in place, to cause a person or a thing to keep his or its place. And I want to direct your attention to this word, because it is exceedingly important in the teaching here.

This word, cause to stand, histemi /his·tay·mee is where we get the word that is used medically, histamine, which is produced by the human body in allergic reactions. The histamine is that which helps the body defend itself against foreign or harmful substances by triggering symptoms that fight off these substances….a rash, runny nose, sneezes, even nausea and similar symptoms of allergic reactions….all these things are produced by the release of histamine….so that the body can stand firm against all outside influences that can harm the body.

You see, for the Christian, he is in the world, but he is not of the world. In other words, we are like aliens here, this is not our home. Grace is given us, and we are caused to stand…we are histemi…..set firmly in place such that nothing can harm us. And when something does come in contact with we who are caused to stand, much like what happens in the release of histamines in the human body, we react to combat that which is foreign. The reaction to that which is foreign is evidence that there is histamine present….something there that causes us to stand firm. Here's where we can gain assurance.

As Christians, we have been given a new heart and new desires. We have been washed, sanctified, and made new by the blood of Christ. Yet God does not take us out of the world. Instead, He gives us grace, and causes us to stand firm in it. When there are things of the world that come in contact with us, there should be a reaction….a histamine release….and there should be definite symptoms. There should be a fighting that takes place, because we have been caused to keep our place. The evidence of the fight is evidence that there is a healthy body there that is being caused to stand.

The Law of Faith, Part 6 - Assurance

Romans 5:1

Preached March 22, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

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What is the peace that is spoken of here in the Scriptures?

This is peace with God, in whom there is no falsehood. When God declares peace, it is certain peace. It is a peace in which there is no hidden resentment, nor any measure, however minute, of unforgiveness. This is peace with God….in whom is all power. One who has peace with the One who is all powerful can never come to fear another, for there is none greater who can come against Him! Ah, Lord God, cries the Psalmist, thou hast made the heavens and the earth, by Thy great power! And those hands in which lie so great a power….how sweet is it that they be at peace with me! This is peace with God….in whom lies all the treasures of the earth. If our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, if the world and everything in it are His, and if this God looked upon all of these things as pocket change…of the vast ores of silver and gold, of precious stones and all things of beauty…..if this God looked upon these things, and yet chose nothing of the sort of this world, but chose that which was infinitely more valuable than these….even the One who stood at His right hand…His precious Son, and gave Him up for us all……how can there be any man or angel which can demand a higher price for our souls?

This is peace with God….who is love. To have peace with someone who claims to you love is one thing, but to have peace with the One who loves the world so much that He not only claimed it, but God demonstrated His love for us in this…..in that while we were yet without strength….CHRIST DIED FOR US! Oh! this is peace indeed!

This is peace with God….in whom is perfect justice. When our sins deserve infinite punishment, only infinite punishment will do. And the perfectly just God will do no less. So God, in His wisdom and justice, has reserved infinite wrath for all who have sinned and fallen short of His glory. And that wrath will be poured out….but who, says the Scripture, shall bring any charge against God's elect?
For it is God who justifies….pouring out the measure of wrath deserved by His elect on His perfect Son….so that no one may condemn….for it is CHRIST who died, and more than that, was raised from the dead, who is now at the right hand of God indeed interceding for us! And if Christ be interceding for us, then no request of the devil can be granted that can take us from Him, for it is He who interceded which said, "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." Oh! What sweet immeasurable peace this is!

Great is Thy Faithfulness! Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not.

As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be!

The Law of Faith - Part 5

Romans 4:9-22

Preached March 15, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

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You can download the complete sermon manuscript by clicking here. Here is an excerpt:

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Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."

What is it to believe God? To believe God is to believe Him for who He claims to be. This is why faith cannot be separated from the Word of God….God reveals Himself…His character and nature….His divine attributes and wills….to us through the Scripture….and so to believe the Scripture is necessary for salvation. God is One who cannot lie. If He says of Himself that He is merciful and gracious …then we can trust that He abounds in these in such as way as to always see our faults, yet in His grace, always forgiving them and in His mercy always restoring us to Himself. If He be abounding in lovingkindness, then He always has in His provisions not only those things which meet the needs of the slave, but also those things which a loving Father desires for His own children. If He be longsuffering, then He will surely meet our needs in exactly the right time, patiently enduring our rushing and lovingly correcting us back on the right path. If our God be abounding in goodness, then we can be sure that all of His purposes for each and every thing we go through are good, and perfect…that we can say to all His providence yes and amen, for all things do indeed work for the good of those who love Him. If He abounds in truth, then there can be no falsehood in Him, nor any degree of turning, that He be not like we are, but a God in whom all of His ways are truth, and can be trusted completely and followed unwaveringly. If He keeps mercy for thousands, and if I be in those thousands, then surely His mercy can be kept for me. If He is One who is a forgiver of iniquity and transgressions and sins, then I can believe and know that He can do so completely, even in such a wretched wretch as I. If He by no means clears the guilty, yet is said to be the One who is just, AND the justifier, then I, being one who has faith in Christ Jesus crucified, can know that because Christ is the victim for my iniquity, transgressions and sins, then I can never suffer for them.

I can also believe God by treating Him like who He is in truth. Scripture tells us here in our text that we grow strong in our faith as we give glory to God (Romans 4:20). Believing the things above, and acting as if we believe them to be true, even in the teeth of circumstances that seem completely to the contrary….as the Scriptures say of Abraham…in hope believing against hope….we give glory to God, and God therefore gives us more faith. No distrust….this means that this faith is through and through, not just on the surface….

Does God save you to the uttermost, and you follow Him in religion, yet not in practical life? Can God save your soul, yet is His hand short when it comes to the salvation of your children? Of course not….then give glory to God and believe God that He will do it through the means by which He has prescribed in His word….through YOU having the Scriptures on your heart, and YOU teaching them to your children and grandchildren, speaking of the truths of Scripture when you lie down, when you rise up, and when you walk along the way. Can God give you the ability to worship Him on the Lord's Day, to pray and sing and do all things well that day, but not rest of the week? Of course not…then give glory to God and in everything you do, in word or in deed, do all to the glory of God in your workplace, with your friends and neighbors. Go your way, and give glory to God by making melody in your hearts all week long, in hymns and songs and spiritual songs. Has God given you reason to thank Him for salvation? Then thank Him for bread too, always giving thanks to Him in EVERYTHING in the name of the Lord Jesus.

 

Sermon for March 8, 2009

Preached March, 8, 2009, by Chase Ostrander
Luke 22:1-13

Listen Now!

The Law of Faith – Part 3

Romans 3:31

Preached February 15, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

Click here to listen now!

You can download the complete sermon manuscript by clicking here. Here is an excerpt:

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Years ago, I had a dear friend who challenged me on something. We were discussing end times theology, and I gave him my "most certain" interpretation of what I believed. He listened politely, and then said very confidently yet humbly, "You believe that because it's what you've been taught. You didn't learn this from the text. You're a
premillennial dispensationalist."

Now, I may as well have thought he had said something about my mother. I had no idea what he was referring to, but continued to assert that my argument was right….but after we were done with our discussion, I did go home and study….for a week! And I found out what he had called me was not a dirty name, nor was he insulting my mother. He was simply speaking the truth to me, in love. And now, I see so clearly what this man was saying to me. I had learned a system of hermeneutics (way of interpreting the Scriptures), simply by hearing teachings of others, and believing them. I would therefore go to any text I would preach, and interpret it in the particular bent of the teachers I would be following at the time. And the teachers I was following at the time were ALL followers of the teaching my friend had accused me of following……dispensationalists.

Now what does this have to do with our text today? And what difference will this make in your life, and in how you read and study and teach the Scriptures and in how you understand God and salvation? You need to know that God is a God who never changes. He does not change His mind. You need to understand God as He is in Scripture, Because a dispensationalist cannot deal with this verse without contradicting it. Here's what dispensationalism teaches:

the dispensation of innocence (or freedom), (Genesis 1:1 - 3:7), prior to Adam's fall,

of conscience, (Genesis 3:8 - 8:22), Adam to Noah,

of government, (Genesis 9:1 - 11:32), Noah to Abraham,

of patriarchal rule (or promise), (Genesis 12:1 - Exodus 19:25), Abraham to Moses,

of the Mosaic Law, (Exodus 20:1 - Acts 2:4), Moses to Christ,

of grace, (Acts 2:4 - Revelation 20:3), the current church age, and

of a literal earthly 1,000 year Millennial Kingdom that has yet to come but soon will, (Revelation 20:4 - 20:6).

 

So what is the problem with that? Here it is, in a nutshell. Dispensationalists teach that men were saved differently in each of the dispensations.
C.I. Scofield:

"As a dispensation, grace begins with the death and resurrection of Christ....The point of testing is no longer legal obedience as the condition of salvation, but acceptance or rejection of Christ, with good works as a fruit of salvation"-- C.I. Scofield, Scofield Reference Bible

Friends, this is simply a false teaching. Salvation has always been "by grace, through faith". The OT saints were saved by the grace of God, because they stood condemned by the Law, and through the ceremonies they looked forward to the coming of Messiah, having faith in God's provision of a Lamb which would not cover, but take away their sins. The Law was NEVER intended to save…..only to condemn, it was a standard set up high….so high that no man could attain it……its very purpose was to show men their sins and need of a savior. Jesus affirmed that when He told the Jews of His day…which according to the dispensationalists was the dispensation of salvation by Law, that they would by no means enter heaven….not if they kept the Law like the most rigorous of Lawkeepers of His day, the Pharisees and Saducees…..but unless they EXCEEDED their Lawkeeping! Impossible! Salvation has NEVER been by keeping the Law! And to introduce that as truth is simply an error that leads far astray, because it in essence teaches that God changes, and that He structures His plan of salvation on man's ability to attain it.

The understanding of a constant, unchanging God affects everything you read in Scripture. Friends, we do not need to know what dispensational mood God was in at the time of whatever Scripture verse we happen to be reading in order to properly interpret it and apply it to our lives. No, WE NEED TO KNOW THAT GOD IS ONE WHO NEVER CHANGES, and that His plan is an eternal one, in which He set forth Christ to save His people from before the foundations of the world, and that He has never changed His plan, nor will He ever. God is not a God of moods, that He should repent, not is He a man, that He should change His mind. He does not set forth a system of salvation, hoping man will be able to live up to it, then see our shortcomings, and alter His plan, hoping we will see the light. No, God KNOWS THAT WE WILL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT, that we will NEVER LIVE UP TO HIS STANDARD, so from eternity past, HE SET FORTH CHRIST, as a propitiation for our sins. And He did so, so marvelously, in a way that did not change anything about Himself, nor of His plan of salvation…..not in a way that would make Him unjust to impose one standard on some because of the particular moment in history in which they lived, and then another on those who live in another time. No, God did what He did, setting forth Christ before the world was made, to fulfill all that the Law demanded and commanded, that not one jot of tittle shall pass away until heaven and earth pass away….and as far as I know, there is still heaven and there is still earth, and they are not going anywhere….and that there is still the purposes of God to be accomplished……

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18, ESV)

So, to answer the dispensationalist, has the Law passed away? God forbid! End of argument.

The Law of Faith – Part 4

Romans 4:1-8

Preached February 29, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

Click here to listen now!

You can download the complete sermon manuscript by clicking here. Here is an excerpt:

John Calvin, speaking of the established church (The Roman Catholic Church) at the time of his writing, decries one of the great evils of that day, and strangely, as history tends to repeat itself, one that is currently perpetuated in our Protestant churches today. This evil that he speaks of is the teaching that faith is a concept or doctrine which is merely taught as truth, and not necessary to be completely understood or necessarily experienced personally in great measure….obscuring what true, biblical, saving faith is, and simply delivering it as fact to the people, as an example, and not to be personally experienced or lived out:

"…..Besides impairing, and almost annihilating, faith by their obscure definition, they have invented the fiction of implicit [hidden, mysterious] faith……they delude the [people] to their great destruction. Nay, to state the fact more truly and plainly, this fiction not only buries true faith, but entirely destroys it. Is it faith to understand nothing, and merely submit your convictions implicitly to the Church? Faith consists not in ignorance, but in knowledge, knowledge not of God merely, but of His divine will….By this knowledge, I say, not by the submission of our understanding, we obtain entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven…..it is not enough to believe implicitly without understanding….the thing required is an explicit recognition of the divine goodness, in which our righteousness consists."

Faith is personal knowledge of the divine will. And this personal knowledge is gained by personal, divine revelation. Matthew 11:

At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. (Matthew 11:25-27, KJV)

 

The Law of Faith – Part 2

Romans 3:27-31

Preached February 8, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

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You can download the complete sermon manuscript by clicking here. Here is an excerpt:

Someone rightly said that carnal men don't have a problem with a Christianity being God-centered, as long as it worships a 'god' who is man-centered. For that is the natural bent of our hearts. The inclination of fallen man is always to be one of entitlement…..of having a right to something….like God owes us something just because we are humans.

Notice…..verse 30. "since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith." (ESV). This brings up another point that is hotly controverted, that point being….that faith is something that the believer does or has prior to regeneration. Does regeneration happen as a result of faith, or does regeneration happen and then faith is the result? What does the text clearly say? God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

Justifying BY and THROUGH faith. These two Greek words, BY and THROUGH, are the Greek prepositions ek, and dia, respectively. "Ek" is the prefix to the word "ek-klesia", the NT word for "Church", meaning "Called out". The ek is the "out" or "by" part of the word, and so the word means "out called" or "by calling". The dia is the prefix to the word used for dia-konos, the NT word for deacon. The dia is the "through"….through service. A church is who it is by the calling of another. A deacon is who he is through the calling of another to serve. These are both in the Genitive case, a preposition which expresses a relationship between the subject of the sentence and the object of the preposition.  The genitive case is defined as: constituting a grammatical case marking typically a relationship of possessor or source. Here, is would mark the relationship of the subject (God) to the object of the preposition (faith). Here, students, what do we clearly see is the subject of this sentence? GOD. And what do we clearly see is the object of the preposition? FAITH. And therefore, since the Genitive case shows that the object of the preposition has its source in the subject, where does this faith come from? GOD. God is the originator of faith! He uses faith to justify. It is His to give as a gift…..it is not ours to use and therefore be owed something from Him. Justification is by faith, through faith, and that not of ourselves….NOT AS A RESULT OF FAITH, lest anyone should boast!!!!!! Faith is a tool, an instrument, a channel, in the hand of almighty God, to use to justify sinners.

The Scriptures are clear….God causes a person to be born again, and THEN they see the Kingdom of God. Faith is the RESULT of regeneration! Regeneration is only of God's doing, and always precedes faith, therefore no one can boast (John 3:3, Romans 3:27-28, Ephesians 2:8-9).

Martyn Lloyd-Jones: "Faith is nothing but the instrument of our salvation.  Nowhere in Scripture will you find that we are justified because of our faith; nowhere in Scripture will you find that we are saved on account of our faith.....Faith is not what saves us.  What saves us is the Lord Jesus Christ and His perfect work.  It is the death of Christ on Calvary's cross that saves us.  It is His perfect life that saves us.  It is His appearing on our behalf in the presence of God that saves us.  It is God putting Christ's righteousness to our account that saves us.  This is the righteousness that saves; faith is but the channel and the instrument by which His righteousness becomes mine."

 

 

Family Worship

This is the daily devotion from GraceGems.org. I highly recommend that each of you subscribe to their daily devotional thoughts. This one is so important, that it was worthy to be posted just as they sent it to me this morning.

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The advantages and blessings of family worship

(Arthur Pink, "Family Worship")

"Pour out Your wrath on the heathen that do not acknowledge You--and on the families that do not call upon Your name!" Jeremiah 10:25

We wonder how many of our readers have seriously pondered these awe-inspiring words! Observe what fearful threatenings are pronounced against those who disregard family worship! How unspeakably solemn to find that prayerless families are here coupled with the heathen, who do not acknowledge the Lord.

How loudly should these words speak to us! It is not enough that we pray as private individuals; we are required to honor God in our families as well. Each day, the whole household should be gathered together to bow before the Lord--to confess their sins, to give thanks for God's mercies, to seek His help and blessing. Nothing must be allowed to interfere with this duty--all other domestic arrangements are to bend to it. The head of the house is the one to lead the devotions. If he is absent--or seriously ill--or an unbeliever, then the wife should take his place. But under no circumstances, should family worship be omitted. If we would enjoy the blessing of God upon our family--then let its members gather together daily for praise and prayer. "Those who honor Me--I will honor" is His promise.

All our domestic comforts and temporal mercies, issue from the loving-kindness of the Lord. The least we can do in return, is to gratefully acknowledge together, His goodness to us as a family. Excuses against the discharge of this sacred duty--are idle and worthless! Of what avail will it be when we render an account to God for the stewardship of our families--to say that we had no time available? The more pressing are our temporal duties--the greater our need of seeking divine help. Nor may any Christian plead that he is not qualified for such a work--gifts and talents are developed by use--and not by neglect.

Family worship should be conducted reverently, earnestly and simply. It is then, that the little ones will receive their first impressions, and form their initial conceptions of the Lord God. Great care needs to be taken, lest a false idea of the Divine Character be given to them.

The advantages and blessings of family worship are incalculable! First, family worship will prevent much sin. Daily prayer in the home, is a blessed means of grace for allaying those unhappy passions to which our common nature is subject. It awes the soul, conveys a sense of God's majesty and authority, and sets solemn truths before the mind. How can those who neglect the worship of God in their families--look for peace and comfort therein?

Personal piety in the home is the most influential means, under God, of conveying piety to the little ones. Children are largely creatures of imitation, loving to copy what they see in others.

Finally, family prayer gains for us the presence and blessing of the Lord. There is a promise of His presence which is peculiarly applicable to this duty, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name--I am there among them." Matthew 18:20. Many have found in family worship, that help and communion with God--which they sought for with less effect in private prayer.

The Law of Faith – Part 1

Romans 3:27-31

Preached January 25, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

Click here to listen now!

You can download the complete sermon manuscript by clicking here. Here is an excerpt:

So we then come to this question in the text….what does the text mean when it says "by what kind of law"? This word law means here a "principle". There are two possible principles here….the principle of works, and the principle of faith. Now, we will not have time to enter into this today, for there is much richness here. But suffice it to say today that God has ordained that what is required of us is absolute perfection in works. If a man can keep the whole Law, at least in theory, that man will be saved. He has commanded that if we do these things….if we keep the Law, doing good works, we shall live. The apostle asks the question….can this principle of Lawkeeping and good-works doing exclude boasting? No. The Law was not meant to save….although God in His word acknowledges that it is possible in theory to do so. The Law was meant to point us to Christ, to chase us to the foot of the Cross, and no further! It was made to stop the mouth of a sinner, and set aside any possibility of boasting. The principle of lawkeeping….good works…cannot permit boasting, because it has been established that not only was the Law never intended as a means of salvation, but also that it has been proven impossible for anyone to keep it. The Law condemns. The Law brings death. It is a high gate which prohibits the entrance of any who boast in their ability to keep it, to do good works.

Hear the words of Spurgeon…. "THE VERY GATE WHICH SHUTS OUT BOASTING, SHUTS IN HOPE AND JOY FOR YOU"

The principle of works-rejection is a glorious one indeed. It sets the field as level. There is no advantage for anyone. You may feel like you are so wicked today that you have no chance to enter heaven, but you are no different in the sight of God than that man who spends his days on his face in prayer. You may feel like your thought life is too sinful for you to be considered, but know this….that your thoughts will not be weighed in any balance against the thoughts of someone as holy as Jonathon Edwards. You may look at your family background, and say that you come from a father who was ungodly and a mother who was a tramp, but the man whose parents have the front pews at the church has no more right to Christ than do you.

God is no respecter of persons. His grace has been extended to the worst of sinners, and to the holiest of saints. It has taken hold of the adulterer and changed him into a man whose life is given to Christ and family, and it has taken hold of the preacher who saw his need of salvation in the Scripture after years of serving the church. You stand today on the level ground of the Cross, friends.

 

Beautiful Abominations

From time to time, I will be posting some quotes that I hope will encourage you in your reading. Many of what you will see here will be from old books, as my rule of thumb is to read at least three old books for every one new book. If I could encourage each of you in one thing, it would be to read more. Read Scripture incessantly, then read the words of the wise…..which are most often found in old books! - Pastor Matt

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From Thomas Brooks' "A Cabinet of Choice Jewels" (The Works of Thomas Brooks, Volume 3, page 441-442)

There is never a hypocrite who makes God, or Christ, or holiness; or his doing or receiving good in his station, relation, or generation—his grand end, his highest end, his ultimate end of living in the world. Pleasures, profits, and honors—are all that the hypocrite aims at in this world; they are his trinity which he adores and serves, and sacrifices himself unto, 1 John 2:16. A hypocrite's ends are corrupt and selfish. SELF is highest end of his work; for he who was never truly cast out of himself, can have no higher end than himself. A hypocrite is all for his own glory; he acts for himself, and from himself. "Just so that I may have the profit, the credit, the glory, the applause!" this is the language of an unsound heart. [John 6:26; Mat. 6:1, 5, 16; Gal. 4:17; Isaiah 58:3; Mal. 3:14; Zech. 7:5-7; Gen. 24:21-22.] A hypocrite will seem to be very godly when he can make a gain of godliness; he will seem to be very holy when holiness is the way to outward greatness and happiness; but his religious wickedness will double-damn the hypocrite at last.

Selfish ends are the operative ingredients in all a hypocrite does. SELF is the chief engine, self is the great wheel, which sets all a hypocrite's wheels a-going. When hypocrites take up religion, it is only to serve their own turns, to bring about their own carnal ends; they serve not the Lord—but their own bellies, Romans 16:18; Philippians 3:19. They use religion only as a stream to turn about their own mill, and the better to effect their own carnal projects….No man can go higher than his principles, and therefore a hypocrite having no higher principles than himself—all he does must needs be terminated in himself. Look! as all the rivers that come from the sea do return back again to the sea, from whence they come, so all those duties which arise from a man's self, must needs center in a man's self. A hypocrite always makes himself the end of all his service; but let such hypocrites know, that though their profession be ever so glorious, and their duties ever so abundant—yet their ends being selfish and carnal—all their pretensions and performances are but beautiful abominations in the sight of God. A hypocrite has always a squint eye—and squint-eyed aims and squint-eyed ends in all that he does.

It is the end which dignifies or debases the action; which rectifies it or adulterates it; which sets a crown of honor or a crown of shame upon the head of it. He who commonly, habitually, in all his duties and services, proposes to himself no higher ends than the praises of men, or rewards of men, or the stopping the mouth of natural conscience, or only to avoid a smarting rod, or merely to secure himself from wrath to come—he is a hypocrite. The ends of a man's actions are always a great discovery either of sincerity or hypocrisy. 

Christ, the Propitiation - Part 2

Romans 3:25

Preached January 18, 2009, Grace Family Church of Americus

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You can download the complete sermon manuscript by clicking here. Here is an excerpt:

Now, for the last question….. Was Christ's job as the Lamb of God finished, when He had made atonement for sins?
No. Is there more to the work of propitiation than the shedding of blood? Yes! There is another function of the One who would provide atonement, and without this function, even the shedding of precious, sinless blood would not redeem us from future sins. It is the same function that an OT priest was charged with. The priest was not only charged with approaching the throne of God with a sacrifice, but also with PRAYERS of INTERCESSION:

From John Owen's "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ":

To offer and to intercede, to sacrifice and to pray, are both acts of the same [priestly] office, and both required in him who is a priest; so that if he omit either of these, he cannot be a faithful priest for them: if either he doth not offer for them, or not intercede for the success of his [offering] on their behalf, he is wanting in the discharge of his office by him undertaken.  Both these we find conjoined (as before) in Jesus Christ: 1 John 2: 1-2, "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins."

Friends, Jesus is BOTH the one who sacrificed in our place, but also, He is the One who intercedes for us!

Isaiah 53:11-12 (ESV)   Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

 

See also the text of Romans 8:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (Romans 8:31-35, ESV)

The death, the propitiation, of Christ, is unbreakably tied to His intercession for us! You can be assured, friends, that if Christ died for you, then He ALWAYS stands to intercede for you. He purifies your consciences, and intercedes as your advocate before the Father, even now!

But if you have no assurance that you are Christ's….. and if it is true that your conscience has not been cleansed and therefore accuses you, if you are here today in such a state, and now know that you are in need for this redemption, and desire more than anything else to have Christ……then flee to Christ, and He shall be yours! Go to Him! Look unto Him, who has been raised up for the world to see, that Man of Sorrows whom God set forth, God, who so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life! Call upon the name of the LORD, and you shall be saved.

 

 

Christ, the Propitiation – Part 1

Romans 3:25

Preached December 28, 2008, Grace Family Church of Americus

Click here to listen now!

Here is an excerpt from the sermon transcript:

Propitiation means something that appeases anger, something that provides satisfaction. God, to declare Himself righteous, must do so through propitiation. Some argue that the word is not to mean the means by which to appease anger, but to restore or move an obstacle of fellowship. Therefore they would rather translate it expiation,
meaning more like something that removes the guilt of sin in man, therefore removing the barrier that prevented fellowship with God (man's guilt). There is a teaching out there that says that God is love and nothing but love, and that He is not a God of wrath and anger. How, they say, can God be angry and wrathful, and be loving, since, as the Scripture says, 'God is love'? This idea that God is nothing but love, and in Him is no wrath at all is blasphemous. It denies the Scripture. It denies all that we have been taught by Paul from 1:18 to here. It denies the fact that the wrath of God is revealed. It says that all that is needed is for man to admit His guilt and sin, and when he does that, he can have a personal relationship with God. Now, mind you, there is some truth in that statement, but if we go out on a limb and say that God is not angry with sinners every day, then we are in great danger of cutting the limb off and falling to our death.

NO, the character and nature of God would not merely be satisfied to restore fellowship. The Scripture teaches that there is no fellowship with God, since all are born into Adam's sin. All are born enemies of God. And there is no fellowship with an enemy, but wrath that awaits, and anger that will be satisfied by the punishment of the offenders. So Jesus did not die simply to restore fellowship. He died to appease the just and holy anger….the wrath of a holy God against our sin, our rebellion, against Him by our multiplied millions of sins, shattering His Law: God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day. (Psalm 7:11, NKJV)

Jesus Christ did not die as a "fellowship restorer"……no, He died as a "wrath absorber." He did not die as a martyr, but He was "put forth" by God as one who would bear the wrath of God for all who believe. It was the will of God to CRUSH Him….and because God crushed His One and Only Son, He can now justly draw sinners to come to Himself…..He can now cancel the record of debt, through the blood of His Son…..He can now rightfully call His own out of darkness, and into His marvelous Light…..He can now be satisfied because justice is fulfilled, because the sins which so anger Him have been punished…..born not by we who believe, but by the precious Son of God, by the will of His Father:

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise [crush] him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:10-12, KJV)

 

 

The List

Preached January 4, 2009, by Chase Ostrander
Luke 17:8-10

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The Gift of Justification

Romans 3:23-24

Preached December 28, 2008, Grace Family Church of Americus

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Here is an excerpt from the sermon transcript:

Romans 3:23 is a favorite among the Gospel presentations of various denominations, and rightfully so. It is ultimate truth. But it is also, especially in these days of blatant immorality, a universally accepted fact. I do not think I have ever witnessed to a single person that did not agree that this is a true statement….that "all have sinned." Even when used biblically, by defining what sin is by using the Law, the classic reaction of a sinner is to say, "Yes, I have broken these Commandments….but nobody's perfect." Then they will say that they can ask forgiveness. And they are absolutely correct, they DO need forgiveness. And I want to tell you something that may shake the foundations of what you have been taught about salvation, but forgiveness of sin is not primarily what a sinner needs in order to enter heaven. What every sinner needs if they will enter heaven, and what we MUST PREACH TO THEM, is this doctrine of justification, and how it is separate, but necessary to the forgiveness that they already acknowledge they need. You see, every person knows that they need forgiveness…..their conscience bears witness to that (Romans 2:15). What they need….is something they do not want in their natural state apart from the New Birth….they need to be justified….not only to have their sins forgiven, but they need to be declared righteous in the sight of God and given the power through the New Birth to live as such.