Calvary Baptist Church - Canyon Texas - David Crump, Pastor

My hope for us above everything else is that we’ll have a vibrant, dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. Individually and corporately that we’ll be caught up in loving and pursuing Him.

But I know what you know, this is a battle. Jesus said that the road that leads to life is narrow. It’s easy to miss. It’s easy to be on one side of the road or the other and miss the road.

Jesus told a parable about two sons. It’s probably the most famous parable Jesus ever told.

Luke 15:11-20a – the first part of the parable describes the actions of the younger son.

v. 12 – unusual request. Usually the estate was not divided and given to the heirs until the father could no longer manage it. Showed lack of concern for the father.

v. 13 – distant country. Jesus was criticized for associating with sinners. The younger son represents the sinners, people far away from God. They have a desire to live apart from the father’s influence.

The younger son represents sinners – people who want to live apart from God, to do their own thing. No desire for God’s influence in their lives, no desire to live with God.

Something happens. In their low condition, some recognize their need for God and return to him in humility.

Luke 15:20b-24 – the second part of the parable describes the father’s response.

v. 20 – the Father’s response – filled with compassion, forgiving, restores the son.

v. 23 – the feast. Jesus intentionally used the banquet (feast) motif. He had previously spoken of a banquet to symbolize the coming kingdom.

Luke 13:29

29People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.

Luke 15:25-32 – the final part of the parable describes the attitude of the older son.

v. 28 – the older son represents the Pharisees and teachers of the law.

They did not like the idea that sinners would be part of the kingdom. They were jealous and judgmental of sinners.

v. 29 – “slaving”. Reveals the older son’s attitude. He thought he had a relationship with his father by his work. He served his father not out of love, but out of a desire for reward.

v. 28 – notice that the older son refuses to go into the banquet.

This is significant. While the older son was with the father, he refused to join the banquet.

The Pharisees refused to enter the kingdom Jesus offered.

They had a privileged position as leaders of God’s chosen people, but missed out on grace.

Both sons almost missed the banquet. They almost missed the grace and mercy of the father.

The younger son would have missed the banquet for his sin.

The older son missed the banquet for his self-righteousness.

Notice v. 28 – “The father went out and pleaded with him.”

The father went out to the younger and the older son.

While the younger son was obviously far away from the father, the older son was close in proximity, but was farther the younger because of his self-righteous attitude.

Why didn’t the father have a son who was with him, loved him, loved to do his work.

Because we all are corrupted by sin. Everyone of us.

Romans 3:10-12

10As it is written:

"There is no one righteous, not even one;

11there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.

12All have turned away, they have together become worthless;

there is no one who does good, not even one."

We all know you can miss out on God’s grace by being in sin, but you can also miss out by being too good (self righteous).

Romans 3:21-24

21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Don’t be like the younger son in his sin, wandering away from the father.

Don’t be like the older son in his self righteousness and judgmental attitude.

Embrace the grace that comes through Jesus Christ.

My hope for us above everything else is that we’ll have a vibrant, dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. Individually and corporately that we’ll be caught up in pursuing Him and loving Him.

But I know what you know, this is a battle.

We know that we should be in the Bible. We believe what the Bible says about itself.

Psalm 19:7-10

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,

reviving the soul.

The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure,

enduring forever.

The ordinances of the LORD are sure

and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,

than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,

than honey from the comb.

The word of God brings wisdom, joy, light to us. But sometimes we don’t want to be in the Word.

We know that we should be in relationship with God, in prayer to him. We believe what the Bible says about being in God’s presence.

Psalm 63:1-6

1 O God, you are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you,

my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory.

3 Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

4 I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you;

I think of you through the watches of the night.

We know that God’s love is better than life and that knowing him satisfies us above anything else. But sometimes we don’t want to be in His presence.

Why? Why don’t we want to be in the Scriptures that give us wisdom and joy?

Why don’t we want to be in God’s presence that satisfies us above everything else?

We all know what we’re supposed to do, but sometimes that’s not what we want to do.

Because we’re all corrupted and warped by sin.

There is something wrong in my heart when my quiet time has grown stale or non-existent.

What can we do about it?

Confess it to the Lord. He knows. He’s not more offended by this than any other sin.

Ask others to pray for you. James 5:16

Two things I want to pray for me and you this year:

Greater desire for the Lord.

Philippians 3:7-11

7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Greater obedience to the Lord.

Willing to leave what’s comfortable to take risks in obedience.

Greater love for God and people.

Why did Christ die? So sins could be forgiven. Yes, but even more…

1 Peter 3:18

18For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.

“for sins” – Christ was the sin offering for atonement – He satisfied the wrath of God for our sins.

“once for all” – a contrast with the OT yearly sacrifice on the Day of Atonement. And declares the complete sufficiency of Christ’s death.

“righteous for the unrighteous” – Christ as the righteous one was uniquely qualified to die as the substitute for us.

“to bring you to God” – The divine purpose for Christ’s sacrificial death was man’s reconciliation to God.

Ephesians 2:17-18

17He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

“far away…near” – Paul is talking about how Jesus brought the Gentiles and Jews together. The Gentiles were far off from God and His covenants with Israel. Now they are united in Christ.

“access” – Greek word is “approach”. The “privilege of approach” to a person of high rank.

Romans 5:9-11

9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

“justified” – declared righteous (“not guilty”, “but righteous”)

“saved” – from God’s wrath

“reconciled” – restored fellowship

There is joy in God’s presence.

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:11

CS Lewis wrote in 1941 and later, in 1942, gave a sermon entitled “The Weight of Glory” about a concern he had with Christians in his day. His concern was that Christians had come to believe that Christianity was more about self-sacrifice than about love. His fear was that Christianity had become a begrudging work rather than a joyful relationship with God.

Psalm 98:1-3, 4-6, 7-9

Vv1-3 – Celebration of the Lord’s Deliverance – by the worshipping congregation at the temple

V1 – The “new song” celebrates the Lord’s victory.

The “marvelous things” the Lord has done – the “wonders” or “miracles” – God’s miraculous deliverance, protection, and providence for the Israelites.

His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

V2 – He has made known his salvation and his righteousness – to the nations.

It is the kindness of God that He reveals His salvation and righteousness - not only in his dealings with Israel in the Old Testament, but ultimately, He made known his salvation and righteousness through His Son.

Simeon, the righteous and devout man of God, when he saw Jesus in the temple for Jesus’ consecration said:

“For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people” Luke 2:30-31

You and I know about God’s salvation because of His kindness to us. You and I were lost and in darkness, but He made His salvation known through His Son.

V3 – His love and faithfulness to Israel have been on display for the entire world to see.

God’s power is demonstrated for his love and faithfulness to Israel.

God’s wonders and power bring glory to Him and blessing to the nations.

God shows his power and wonders for a purpose. They are for a reason. He doesn’t do tricks.

They bring glory to Him and blessings to us.

Vv 4-6 – Worship of the Great King – by all the peoples of the earth

All the inhabitants of the earth must prepare themselves for God’s coming by worship:

• Shouting for joy,

• Bursting into jubilant song (filled with or expressing great joy or triumph) and

• Making music

Vv 7-9 – Joyful anticipation of God’s Coming – by the whole creation

Creation echoes and reverberates the joy of God’s people as they anticipate the coming of the Great King.

All of created life in the sea and on the earth sings for joy before the Lord.

The Apostle Paul wrote that the creation groans, waiting in anticipation for God’s complete work. One day the creation’s groaning will give way to rejoicing.

19The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that[i] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. (Romans 8:19-21)

There is joy in God’s presence. There is joy in knowing Him.

Matt Chandler’s illustration – I can talk to you about Brenda. I can tell you how great she is. About the cute things she does. How well she takes care of me and our kids. How much she loves me. But that won’t make you fall in love with her.

God must be experienced first-hand. Don’t settle for anything less.

Remember His wonders that bring Him glory and you blessings.

Remember He has made His salvation known to you by His Son Jesus Christ.

Remember He is coming to complete His work.

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:11

The Israelites spent generations trying to meet the requirements of God’s Law, but couldn’t. The gentiles were not given the Law, but did have the revelation of God found in creation. With that revelation, they did not seek the Creator, but worshipped created things. Israelites and gentiles alike were under the power of sin.

Romans 3:10-20 A collection of condemnation against mankind.

Romans 3:21-24

v. 21 – But a righteousness from God has been made known. This righteousness did not come from us, but from God. We did nothing, could did nothing to earn it. It has nothing to do with our behavior or self-discipline. Some theologians think the theme of the Bible is in the book of Jonah, “Salvation comes from the Lord.” Jonah 2:9

“The Law and the prophets testify”

Genesis 15:6 “Abraham believed the Lord and he credited to him as righteousness.”

Psalm 32:1-2 “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in his spirit is no deceit.”

Habakkuk 2:4b “but the righteous will live by his faith.”

In these passages, who is giving the righteousness? What did the recipients do to earn it?

What are the recipients of righteousness doing? They are only believing God.

v. 22 – This righteousness comes through Jesus Christ to all who believe.

v. 23 – We have all fallen short of the mark. The best of the best among us, for all generations have sinned and fell short of God’s standards.

v. 24 – But we are justified – “just as if I’d never sinned” in right standing with God.

For anyone who trusts in Jesus, God declares you “not guilty”. Not only that, but He declares you “righteous”. God cancels your guilt and credits you righteousness. Even though all are sinners and not sons, God will declare everyone who puts his trust in Jesus not guilty but righteous.

How can He do that? Doesn’t He know what I’ve done?

He can because Christ died to pay the penalty for our sin and lived a life of perfect righteousness that can in turn be imputed to us. Christ’s righteousness will be credited to believers as their own.

Even though we all clearly and totally deserve to be declared guilty, because of our faith in Jesus Christ, God declares us righteous.

(1) Freely [as a gift], (2) by his grace, (3) through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus, and (4) through faith (v 25).

“redemption” a term borrowed from the slave trade in which a payment was made for a slave to buy the slave’s release. Christ’s death was a ransom, to buy us from our master of sin and guilt.

This is the hope of salvation, that you and I could never be good enough, so God, in His grace and mercy, brought salvation Himself to you and me through Jesus Christ.

If this is the first time you’ve heard these words, they may seem odd to you that the Creator of everything would go to such lengths for you and me. But you don’t know His great love. You have not understood His great mercy. His desire is for all to accept the gift of righteousness that comes from believing in Jesus Christ. Won’t you accept His gift for you today?

For those of you who have walked with God for years, it’s easy to forget how our salvation came by such grace. We think we’re doing well, but then wander willingly into sin. Or we wake up one day and discover that we’re nowhere near we wanted to be. When we go to God, we expect to find him angry or disappointed with us. But our righteousness is from God. It’s His. He placed it on us like the father put the robe on the prodigal son. It’s His and He wants us to live under His righteousness with freedom and hearts and lives full of thanks and praise.

The hope of salvation is for anyone who believes in Jesus, God declares us not guilty but righteous.

Calvary 101 - True Discipleship

True discipleship does not come through self discipline nor does it happen second-hand, but only by abiding with Christ. Text from John 15

Calvary 101 - Redemptive Community part 1

Your identity (adapted from Paul Tripp conference Redemptive Community):

You are a sinner in need of grace. You’re a person who’s in desperate need of help.

Your identity:

You are a sinner in need of grace. You’re a person who’s in desperate need of help.

You are a child of grace. God has given you grace, so you have the courage to face your sin.

Your sin continues to rob you of joy, disrupts your relationships with others and with God, interrupts your from following God’s calling, and brings guilt and regret..

A community of grace brings the possibility of being tools of redemption for each other. Your walk with God is a community project.

We are to share a quality of community together such that...

We keep each other from being deceived and ensnared by sin.

Hebrews 3:12-14

We are to share a quality of community together such that...

We grow and mature together as each one of us does our part in the body.

Ephesians 4:15-16

We are to share a quality of community together such that...

We restore those whom have fallen into sin.

Galatians 6:1-2

We are to share a quality of community together such that...

We encourage each other to continue in love and good deeds.

Hebrews 10:22-25

Relationships are not a luxury, they are essential for God’s work in our lives.

We need each other to hold on, grow, and mature in our faith.

If you want to know the true quality of your relationship with God, look at the quality of your relationship with others.

Calvary 101 - Authority of Scripture

The Bible was written by men borne along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 2:20-21

The Bible is actually God’s words and His laws.

Exodus 24:4

Jeremiah 36:2

The Bible is God’s instruction manual for how we’re supposed to do life, marriage, finances, sexuality, relationships, business, every facet of life.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Life is never better as when we are surrendered and submitted to the authority of the Bible.

Psalm 19:7-10

If we’re unwilling to take the Bible as authoritative, then we’re unable to call sin “sin”. You cannot offer grace and forgiveness if you cannot acknowledge sin. Acknowledging sin sets me up for grace and forgiveness. In places where the Bible is not authoritative, no one feels bad for their actions, but no one has any hope for anything better. - Andy Stanley

Through the Bible, we can know Jesus Christ

John 5:39

Luke 24:27

There is no greater power than the love of God. His life changing love transforms us. Becoming more like Jesus Christ IS discipleship. God's plan is unstoppable. Matthew 28:18, the Great Commandment, "Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." 1st John 4:11, "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen."