Word of Salvation – Vol.38 No.06 – February 1993

 

Faith And Christ’s Benefits

 

Sermon by Rev. W. Wiersma on Lord’s Day 7

 

Beloved congregation of the Lord,

Not everybody is saved.  Not everyone will benefit from the love of God in Christ.

What a sad reality.  Jesus has done all that God asked Him to do for the salvation of sinners.  But many sinners will not be saved.  Because they do not believe in Jesus.

That is the issue before us this evening.
Believing in Jesus.

The Catechism discusses this subject under three headings, or points, if you like.

First it talks about the necessity of faith
or why we need to believe in Jesus.
Second, it deals with the nature of faith
or what it means to believe in Jesus.
Thirdly the content of faith is discussed
or what do Christians believe?

First then, the Catechism teaches us that faith in Jesus is so necessary that without it you can’t be saved.
Without faith we have no connection with Christ.
In other words, faith is the link that joins a person to Christ.

Faith is the hose or pipeline that connects us to the reservoir containing the water of life.  Or the lead that connects us to the power grid of life.

The point I am making is this: Jesus has done all his work for the salvation of sinners.  While He was on this earth He fulfilled all the terms of the covenant which God has made with his people in Christ.  By his suffering and death Jesus has obtained all that we need to be saved from sin and all we need to have eternal life.

In other words, it is all there in Jesus.  Everything we need for life and godly living is given by God in Jesus.

But Jesus and his blessings will do us no good unless we are connected to Him by faith.

The Catechism reminds us of what Jesus says in John 15,
‘I am the vine you are the branches,
apart from me you can do nothing.’

Separated from the stem, branches cannot live, they cannot produce fruit.

Or to take another example: a petrol station will do us no good unless we turn in there and fill up.  That makes sense, doesn’t it?

When you run out of petrol it is no good saying: Look there is a petrol station.  And then drive right past.

Just knowing that a petrol station is there does not fill your tank, does it?

Yet, when it comes to benefiting from Christ, many people act as if just knowing that Jesus exists is all you need.

They think and act as if you can be saved by just knowing that Jesus is there, without needing to be connected with him, that is, without driving in and filling up.

The simple truth of the matter is that unless you are locked into Christ by faith you’ll get none of his life giving benefits; you’ll die in your sins.

On the other hand, if you are joined to Christ by faith you will receive all you need to escape the judgement of God.  You will receive all you need to live a life of love and glory.

Which brings us to the question: What is this faith that connects us with the Saviour Jesus?

What is true faith?

Faith, says the Catechism, is knowledge and assurance.
Faith is insight and certainty.
Faith takes God at his word.
Isn’t that what it comes down to?

Read Catechism answer 21…
“A true faith is not only a knowledge and conviction
that everything God reveals in his Word is true;
it is also a deep-rooted assurance, created in me

by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel
that, out of sheer grace earned for us by Christ,
not only others, but I too have had my sins forgiven,
have been made right with God
and have been granted salvation.”

In Hebrews 11:1 we read:
‘Now faith is being sure of what we hope for
and certain of what we do not see.”

It comes down to taking God at his Word.  Believing everything God reveals in his Word.

Now it is at this point that the problem of unbelief starts.  As we saw earlier, a lot of people have a wrong idea about faith in Christ.  It is because they do not take all of God’s Word seriously.

For instance, all too many people, who think of themselves as Christians, are interested in Christ and Christianity only because they are worried about what is going to happen to them after they die.  They do not want to miss out on heaven.  But they are not at all concerned about their lifestyle now.  They are not really interested in leading a life that honours God and pleases their heavenly Father.  No, in practice they are far more concerned about having a good time, being happy.

They do not give a hoot about God’s law or God’s claim on their life.  All they want is to be happy for ever.

They scoff at the thought that there is a God in heaven who demands their obedience and service.

They get upset when people offend them.  But they don’t seem to have a care about offending God or his servants at all.  And they often get the support of family and friends to boot.

Not the demands of God Almighty, but the sensitivities of sinners seem to be more important to most, even in the church.

Look, people will not truly believe in Jesus Christ if they will not admit their own sins, their own guilt and rebellion.

And we will not admit this, till we take God and his Word seriously.

Jesus said that when people believe in God they will come to him they will come to Jesus when they see what God thinks of their behaviour.  Salvation is for now.

It is to be freed from the way of unbelief, sin and death now.

That’s why the Catechism mentions assurance as part of true faith in Jesus Christ.

Because the person who sees that he/she has to be saved from their present way of life (or rather from their present way of death), asks, ‘Can there be salvation for me?’

Will God help and accept a sinner like me?

A person who has had his/her eyes opened by the Spirit of God, knows the great awfulness and blackness of their sins.  Such a person knows how great the mercy of God must be to give life to a sinner like him.  But that is precisely what the Holy Spirit teaches sinners who confess their sins.  God is great in mercy.

He has given a Saviour who provides everything for sinners to be reconciled to God,

The Holy Spirit convinces a sin-conscious believer that on the basis of what Christ has done for sinners, God forgives us our sins and God accepts us as his dear children.

Through the holy Gospel the Holy Spirit convinces believers that this is not only for others.  This is for them and for YOU who know you deserve something totally different.

The certainty or assurance of this must be based on the Gospel, that is, on the gift of God provided in Christ.

The Catechism stresses that faith is based on the objective truth of the person and work of Christ.

This is important.  When we ask, How can we be sure of this for ourselves? we must look to Christ for the answer.  And as we look to Christ the Holy Spirit says,
See, there is your Saviour
there is your salvation,
there is your hope.

For our assurance is to be based solely on the Word of God, not on our feelings or the lack of feelings.

I don’t say that faith doesn’t involve feelings.
As the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to our lives there are likely to be all kinds of feelings.
Feelings of shame, of sorrow, of regret and sadness.
But there will also be feelings of joy and happiness.
Feelings are the result of things that matter to us.
Our emotions are affected by pain and pleasure, by grief and by joy.

And we should not always try to suppress our feelings.
We were not created to be robots.
Feelings are O.K.  There is nothing wrong with feelings.
Let’s laugh and cry.  Let us shout and sing.  Let us weep and howl.

But faith is not to rest on feelings.  Faith is to be founded on truth.  Faith in God’s Word is to be the reason for our decisions.  Our life is to be ruled by faith in God’s truth rather than by our feelings.

In that way, even our feelings will be influenced by the Word of God rather than by a rebellious heart.

The Word of God is the only solid foundation.
The Word of God is the word of truth and the word of grace.

What Christians are called to believe is everything that God has spoken.
Particularly everything that God has said about his love in Christ and all that Christ has done for salvation.

Christians believe in all that God has promised.
That’s summarised in the Apostles Creed which we will study in the weeks to come.

The point I would make now is simply this.
Believing in Jesus is more than just knowing He exists.
It is knowing who He is and what He has done
and knowing that He has also done it for ME.

Faith is accepting Him as God’s gift for our eternal salvation.
Faith is going to Jesus and asking him
for everything you need to be right with God.
Faith is accepting from Jesus
everything that God gives us through him.
Faith is accepting forgiveness.
Faith is accepting God’s acceptance of you, for Christ’s sake.
Faith is knowing that in Jesus God gives me
everything I need for life and godliness.
Faith is depending on Jesus, drawing on Him daily.
Faith is saying, Thank You God for your great Gift!
Thank You Father for your love
in which you have given us your own Son
so that in Him we might have everything we need
to know You and to love You!

AMEN