Pt. 28, Beliefs of the Biblical Christian, Pt. 3

 
Beliefs of the Biblical Christian, Part 3 Pt. 28, The Biblical Story By Pastor Dan Kennedy © March 29, 2015 www.pastorkennedy.com Is “Biblical Doctrine” Important? • What we believe affects the way we live. • It gives us understanding of what God expects us to know about Him. Truth Doesn’t Change. Other things change. Theories change, textbooks change, ideas change, philosophies change, and cultures change, but Truth does not change. The timelessness of Truth is recorded in the Old and New Testaments, which have guided mankind for thousands of years.   Truth Never has to be Forced. In previous messages we have touched upon the first three points of our Church’s Doctrinal Statement. Today we will review and add three more. Our Church’s Doctrinal Statement 1. We believe the Bible (God’s Holy Word) to be the Inspired, Infallible, and Authoritative Word of God. a. Inspired: 2 Peter 1:19-21; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; Revelation 1:1,2,10,11 b. Infallible: Psalm 119:89; Malachi 3:6 2. We believe there is one God, eternally existent in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. a. 1 Corinthians 8:6; John 1:12; John 10:30 b. Revelations 1:8; Hebrews 1:1-13; John 5:21-26 c. John 15:26; John 14:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19 3. We believe in the Deity (Divine and Human Nature) of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:1-13; John 1:1; John 1:14 4. We believe in Jesus Christ’s Virgin Birth. Jesus Christ’s Virgin Birth – (Isaiah 7:14; Matt. 1:20-25; Luke 1:26-38) Seven hundred years before Jesus Christ was born, God gave the prophet Isaiah the sign of the Messiah’s Virgin Birth, to a virtually unknown and troubled Judean king (Ahaz). This sign was given during war torn days, just in time and before the ten northern tribes of Israel were conquered and ruthlessly disbursed by kings of Assyria – becoming so scattered they have been referred to by some as the “Ten Lost Tribes of Israel”. This prophecy proved to be a timeless sign that all of the Jewish people could carry with them for many centuries and throughout their trials, as they looked and longed for their Messiah. It is a key and precious identifying sign of Jesus, the Messiah, to this day. No one else in the history of the world could fulfill this sign, only the Messiah could be virgin born. It was fulfilled in the Virgin Born Christ, Jesus, the son of Mary, the Son of God. (See a fuller explanation of the times surrounding of this prophecy at: http://www.pastorkennedy.com/Topical_Studies/Hidden_Christmas_Prophecies.html ) It is because of this prophecy and its singular fulfillment through Jesus Christ that every Biblical church doctrinal statement affirms the veracity of the uniqueness of our Messiah’s birth – pointing directly to Jesus Christ, no one else. The following is the statement of our belief in Christ’s Virgin Birth as the sign of His being the Messiah sent from God for the salvation and redemption of the fallen human race – for those who believe in Him and accept God’s provision of Jesus’ atonement for sin. 4. We believe in Jesus Christ’s Virgin Birth. Isaiah 7:14 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (which means, “God with us”). Matthew 1:18–25 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. Galatians 4:4 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law… Luke 1:26–38 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. 5. We believe in Jesus Christ’s Sinless Life. 2 Corinthians 5:21 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 1 Peter 2:24 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. Jesus Christ is Sinless “Unlike the first Adam, the man Jesus did not sin when tempted by the devil (Matt. 4:1–11). His sinlessness is directly stated in the following passages: “the Holy and Righteous One.” (Acts 3:14) “Him who knew no sin.” (2 Cor. 5:21) One who has been “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15) “For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens.” (Heb. 7:26) “Who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth.” (1 Pet. 2:22) “He is pure.” (1 John 3:3b) “Jesus came to undue all the evil the first Adam created. His sinlessness is as essential for our salvation as is His humanity because in order to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins, He could not have any sins of His own (2 Cor. 5:21). He was the spotless Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world (John 1:29).” Morey, R. A. (1996). The Trinity: Evidence and Issues (301). Iowa Falls, IA: World Pub. Review: 1. The first point of our doctrinal statement establishes the basis of the foundation on which our Christian faith is anchored: God’s Word, the Bible. o Without the Word of God to teach us we would be dangerously adrift in a vast ocean of carnal thought and reason, tossed back and forth between enormous waves of emotion, dogmatic ideologies and presumed speculation. We would be subject to the whims, misconceptions and casualties of our own mind and the world’s depraved philosophies. We would also be exposed, without protection, to the deceptive spirits of the god of this world. We are privileged to have God’s Holy Word to clarify Truth in an age without the stability of any certainty. 2. The second point of our Doctrinal Statement reveals our belief in the Triune God: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. o God, in Three Persons, did not need to create to have fellowship, but Create He did, as part of His Character. God’s Creation is abundant with vitality and dynamic profusion of life, diversity, brilliance of color and intricacy within the smallest particles to the most elegant visible life forms in the world. o God’s Creation extends throughout the universe in bold and enormous stars, planets and galaxies. o And God created man and woman in His own Image. o Human kind are not an addendum to God’s Creation; we are the Crown and eternal reason for His Creation! o The Unity of the three Godhead Persons in the Trinity is the foundation for our created world’s “unity in diversity”, though flawed by depravity. o Unique and diverse human personalities, families, ethnic cultures, and languages, have social connections and interactivity, enjoying the possibility of interconnection and unity. This originates from the Godhead Trinity, and is especially for those who have new birth “in Christ” who will one day enjoy perfect harmony and unity in His Eternal Kingdom. 3. The Deity of Jesus Christ, our third point, underlines our belief in Christ’s place in the Godhead and His worthiness to be worshipped as our Savior and Lord. o If Jesus Christ were not Deity – God the Son, He would not have the Authority or the Power to conquer sin and death in order to redeem the world from sin before His Holy and Almighty Father. 4. The fourth point of our Doctrinal Statement verifies Jesus Christ as the only one who can fulfill the unique sign of the Messiah – His Virgin Birth. 5. Jesus Christ’s sinlessness, as our Messiah, is our fifth point. o Since Christ’s Father was God, He was born without a sinful nature. He was sinless from birth. o Since He was tempted in all points as we are, but without sin, verifies His sinless life. o Jesus Christ’s sinlessness therefore, authenticates His authority to bear the judicial burden of our sin before His Holy Father, God. o One who is sinful cannot be clear, first of all, of the responsibility of his own sin before God, notwithstanding the sin of someone else. Only the sinless Christ could justly bear the sin of the whole world when He died on the cross to redeem us from our sin. Deity, Messianic authority, and sinlessness are essential elements before we can substantiate the next point, which is “substitution”. 6. We believe in Jesus Christ’s Substitutionary Sacrifice by the shedding of His own blood on the Cross. 1 Peter 1:18–19 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. Romans 3:24–25 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 (the appeasement of God’s wrath and the winning of God’s favor) 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. 1 Peter 1:3–5 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Isaiah 53:4–7 4  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. “The doctrine of substitution is important in that through Christ’s death the righteous demands of God have been met; it was a legal transaction in which Christ dealt with the sin problem for the human race. He became the substitute for humanity’s sin.” Enns, P. P. (1989). The Moody handbook of theology (323). Chicago, IL: Moody Press. Conclusion The Biblical Christian has the foundations of his or her faith centered in: 1. The Bible: the Inspired, Infallible, and Authoritative Word of God. 2. One God, eternally existent in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 3. The Deity (Divine and Human Nature) of the Lord Jesus Christ. 4. The Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ. 5. Jesus Christ’s Sinless Life. 6. Jesus Christ’s Substitutionary Sacrifice by the shedding of His own blood on the Cross. We will continue the concluding points of our Statement of Faith over the new few weeks. Next week is Resurrection Sunday! “He is Risen!” “He is Risen, indeed!” http://www.pastorkennedy.comhttp://www.pastorkennedy.com/Topical_Studies/Hidden_Christmas_Prophecies.htmlhttp://www.pastorkennedy.com/Topical_Studies/Hidden_Christmas_Prophecies.htmlshapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2