December 28, 2008
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First Sunday after Christmas...Are you trusting in the Babe alone?
One of my early Christmas presents last year was Martyn Lloyd-Jones' six volume series, "Studies in the Book of Acts," the Doctor's sermons on Acts 1-8 (1965-1967). I'm still working my way through the books and have most recently been reading about Stephen's address to the Sanhedrin and his martyrdom in Acts 7 (38 sermons).We've just celebrated and sung about Christmas, about Emmanuel, God with us, the Babe lying in the manger. We've sung about how we must worship Christ the newborn King, but the vital question we must ask ourselves is this:
In what or in whom are we trusting for our salvation?
Here is Dr. Lloyd-Jones:
The Old Testament shows us the final inadequacy and indeed the futility of trusting to morality, trusting to a good life, trusting to good deeds and good works. It is goes even further. The Old Testament shows us the final futility of trusting even in religion, as the members of the Sanhedrin were doing. Religion is inadequate; it cannot save.
Do you see the relevance of all this today? Many people still reject and refuse the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Redeemer because they are trusting in their good lives. They say, "I've never done this or that. I'm doing a lot of good." "I'm a religious person, a church member." That is exactly the fallacy of the members of the Sanhedrin with their reliance upon good works and upon an external religion with its forms and ceremonies. So the whole purpose of the Old Testament message is to show us the final futility of all that. That is its message.
What, then, is the message of the New Testament? It is that God has fulfilled His promise, that God has done what He had promised to do, and that He has done it in Jesus of Nazareth, His only begotten, dearly beloved Son. That was the message of the apostles, and it was Stephen's message. It tells us that Jesus Christ is the only Savior and that our full salvation is altogether and entirely in Him. This had been made quite plain and clear before Stephen was ever arrested. Peter and John had been arrested for preaching the same message, and Peter had the boldness to say face to face with the members of the Sanhedrin, "This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:11-12). This is the crux of the whole position, and the message of the Christian faith is still that Jesus Christ is God's way of salvation, and there is no other. . . .
Are we like members of the Sanhedrin? Are we just trusting the "fact" that we are better than someone else? Are we just trusting to the fact that we have never been drunk or have not committed adultery or murder? Are we just trusting the fact that we are religious and are trying to be good and pious? Moses and the Old Testament tell us that is not enough. There is only one who can save, this one raised up of God to do so, God's only begotten Son. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Have we seen Him? Have we recognized Him? He is Prophet, Priest, King. He is eternal, immortal, invisible! Have we fallen at His feet and given ourselves to Him as willing sacrifices? He will receive us. If we have never done so before, let us do so now.
–Martyn Lloyd-Jones, "Triumphant Christianity (Studies in the Book of Acts, Volume 5)" (Wheaton: Crossway, 2006), 116, 126.You may also be interested in reading:
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Comments (7)
It's all too easy to forget the reference "He who is guilty of one sin, is guilty of breaking the entire Law." -- or several places in the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus says--in short-- "just thinking about a sin and allowing it to linger is as bad as actually doing it."
"Are we like members of the Sanhedrin? Are we just trusting the "fact" that we are better than someone else?"
Oh man! If someone followed me around for a week they would see that I am nothing like the Sanhedrin. At least they put effort into keeping the laws! I on the other hand am such a sinner! Romans 7 is my life story. That is why I thank God always for the gift of His Son Christ Jesus! Without His good works I am doomed....
You reminded me of the Martyn Lloyd-Jones recommendation you made to me on I John, but I ended up buying his "Joy Unspeakable" about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He was such an amazing speaker. I cannot thank you enough for that recommendation to me. I believe I will eventually be teaching on some of his insights to scripture.
It is such a natural thing to want to try and "do" something to 'earn' our way to heaven. But the way thereof leads to death...
"For by grace we are saved through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God"-- Ephesians 2:8, This does not mean we are to stand back and let God do everything for us though, we do have responsibilites.
@WLCALUM - Yep...That's what makes the Good News of great joy such GOOD news!!!
@MC_Shann - The problem with me is that I know I'm saved by grace, but then I keep putting expectations on myself as to how I should live, what I should be doing/accomplishing for God. I find it's a fine line between wanting to be pleasing to God (II Cor. 5:9), which we certainly must do, and behaving as if I'm trying to earn my salvation. When I do the latter, then I'm stumbling over Christ as Israel did (Romans 9:30-33) and being like the Galatians in many ways.
@Biblerapture - Re: your comment about ML-J: He was a most brilliant man and was fearful that people would look to him and his wisdom rather than to Christ. He is very self-effacing in that. And it wasn't a fake sort of humility at all. We need to give thanks and praise God for ML-J being God's instrument all to God's glory, for I am certain that is what he would want.
Yes, and indeed it is "natural" to want to try and "do." As I said above, I find myself lapsing into that. It's very insidious and does leads to death...
@Drew - Right. I agree. As we are in Christ, we are no longer our own; we have been bought with a price. Our lives are to glorify Him, we are to live for Him who died for us and rose again.
As John said (I John 2:3): "We know that we know Him if we keep His commandments." Obedience is a proof of our salvation. We don't just sit back and do nothing for sure. As you said, we do have responsibilities.
But we can only obey as God works in us, as Paul wrote in Philippians 2:12-13: "...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." It is all Christ in us equipping and enabling and empowering us to will and to do of God's good pleasure, all to God's glory alone. Christ's life in us is our sanctification. He dwells in us so we might no longer be slaves to sin but be free to present ourselves as living sacrifices to God, to live our lives as slaves to Him and grow fruits of holiness and righteousness as Paul wrote about in Romans 6 & 7. So in that sense, I also still trust in the Babe alone for He is my sanctification as well as my redemption, for without Him I can do nothing. I Corinthians 1:30-31.
Great post once again Karen .....I agree wholeheartedly. I particularly like your response to MC_Shann - finding that fine line between walking in grace and pleasing God ........ won't Heaven be glorious when we don't have to worry about that??
@nicolevw -Yes, that will be glorious.
Something I'm definitely looking forward to!