Knowing and Growing: The gospel and knowing the Lord
Craig Kaes · Jan 15, 2017
Knowing & Growing, No. 02
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/492654558831

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

How many of you were in the how to study the Bible class? Okay, so we do have some new faces. That's good because we covered the gospel in some form just about a month ago, so if everybody had been in that class then we could do advanced studies and About half of the material is new for this particular lesson. What we're going to cover is what is the gospel. We will also cover what is not the gospel. And we'll be talking about the security of our salvation. Once having been saved, we have to worry about getting saved again and again and again. Spoiler alert, no. So, maybe the best place to start is, we're in a class on knowing and growing, and we're in the section on knowing.

Why is the Gospel relevant for that? I'm sorry? It's part of who God is. It's saving us and loving us. OK. So it's an aspect of the gospel. But before all that, it's a matter of understanding it. Understanding the truth that's written there. That it's not a novel, but it's a book full of truth. Okay, so understanding that the Word of God gives us the truth, it's not a storybook, also important...

It points us to Christ. It points us to Christ. Alright, a couple passages will hit to cover this, yes ma'am? Without the Gospel, we have nothing. We can't know God without believing the gospel. There's no ceiling of the Holy Spirit and all that goes with what happens when we believe. Did everybody hear that?

It was actually the answer I was looking for. Spot on, gold star. She basically just laid out the first page. So we'll cover the first page, and you will have heard what she had to say. So a couple passages that we're going to go through. So first one is in 1 Corinthians. And I'll just read it out loud for y'all.

But just as it is written, things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him. For to us, God revealed them through the spirit. For the spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually appraised. But he who spiritually appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. So that's pretty amazing.

So we find out elsewhere that the moment we become saved, we're indwelt by the Holy Spirit. And how is it that in knowing the Lord, how in the world could we possibly know him? What this passage tells us is that without his Holy Spirit, we can't. It just seems like nonsense to us. But the good news is, having believed the gospel, having been saved, having been indwelt by the Holy Spirit, all of a sudden, it all starts to make sense to us. And so, without the gospel, there is no knowing. Something that came up a few times when Crystal and I were teaching the Sunday school downstairs is that sometimes some of the parents wanted us to teach a lot of the Old Testament Bible stories because they're great stories and they're more exciting for the kids and we pretty much stuck to a format of creation of Christ over and over and over and over again. We did that because without the Holy Spirit of God, without coming to believe, all those Old Testament stories are roughly equivalent to Aesop's fables. Once you have the Holy Spirit of God, then all of a sudden, those Old Testament stories, you see God's power, and His consistency, and His grace, and His love, and all of that. But without the Holy Spirit, you get none of it.

Okay. Second passage. I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot hear them now. But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak, and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify me, for He will take up mine, and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are mine. Therefore, I said, He takes up mine, and will disclose it to you."

So we end up getting this promise from Jesus Christ himself, this Holy Spirit is coming and will reveal the things of God to us. So, fantastic. First, we come to believe the Gospel, whatever that thing might be. At that moment, we're indwelled by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit begins revealing the things of God to us. All of a sudden, we can now start to understand the things of God and start to build a relationship. And that's why the Gospel directly links to knowing. So, then the question is, what is the Gospel?

1 Corinthians 15, 3-4. 1 Corinthians 15, 3-4. The passage that's cited here actually backs up a couple of verses from that. And that's just so that we can see that this is in fact the saving gospel So now I make known to you brethren the gospel which I preached to you Which also you received and which also you stand By which also you are saved Okay, so this is this is the relevant gospel. This is what we need to believe to be saved It's pretty clear if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures."

And it goes on to talk about all his appearances. Those appearances just lend credence to he was raised. Lots of people saw him. So we end up getting some evidence along the way that he died for our sins. How do we know that? Well, he was buried. Buried live people. He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. How do we know that? Because he appeared to a whole mess of people before he ascended. So we have confirmation. So, the critical bits of the Gospel. We need to believe that Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins, buried, rose again.

Believe those simple facts, and they are just stated facts. There's no emotion around them. There's no drama. It's just these simple facts, and you're saved. Gospel you on go you on galley on you is good on galley on Message so good message good news. Do you feel like that's good news? Yeah, yeah Okay So the basic gospel focuses on our belief in the work of Christ Belief is not a meritorious act. It's not something that you get to print out a ribbon and post it on your chest. I believed. I nailed it. It's simply, do you believe it or do you not believe it? Everything else rests on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So first, I want to establish that there exists other Gospels, and Paul's pretty clear about that. And then I want to talk about why would it matter to be able to discern which one of these actually matters. So we'll Let me read this passage from Galatians. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed." So, two things to pull out of this. Number one, we've got multiple different gospels, and the ones that are not the one that we just laid out before, they're bad news. It's using Euangelion. Good news? It's not. It's bad news. The Greek language has different words for other. There's heteros and there's alos.

It's another of a completely different kind or another of the same kind. And Paul is very clear in the way that he lays it out. He says, I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting him for a different gospel. So, totally separate, like night and day. So you're talking apples and kumquats. Totally different things. But if that's not clear enough, then he'll circle back around and say, which is really not another of the same kind, alas. So it is of a different kind. It is not of the same kind. So you can't mix these whatsoever.

So now we know we've got multiple Gospels. exactly one of them is the correct gospel. It was that which was received from Christ by Paul. And so, why are there all these other gospels? Before you look, or shortly after looking, what are some that you guys have heard? I'll get the ball rolling. Let Jesus into your heart. Is that the gospel? Nope. No. If I try really hard and let Jesus into my heart, am I saved? No. Okay. What are some others that you guys have heard?

Make Jesus the Lord of your life. Jesus the Lord of your life. That's a gorgeous one. Make a commitment to Christ. Make a personal commitment to Christ. What does that even mean? That's about what I do. It means don't make an impersonal commitment. Yeah, I need to find a promise ring and figure out how to give it to him. Exactly. I think his commitment to Christ. Believe in Jesus. Yeah? All you've got to do is believe in Jesus. Believe in what?

Like he was a man? A teacher? It's very imprecise. A few others. Pray to receive Christ. That goes right along with saying this sinner's prayer. Just kind of kneel and say these words and poof, it's like a magic spell. You're in at that point. Repent and be baptized. A similar one, turn from your sins to God?

What's the problem with all of these other Gospels? Why is Paul so clear? Paul definitely understands heaven and hell. And what he says about people who are teaching these other Gospels is they should go to hell. That's what the whole accursed thing's about. Very strong language. Why is it such a big deal? Because it all focuses on what I do instead of the work of Christ. Okay.

So it makes the individual the center of salvation rather than Christ? It doesn't save people. What Cayley said is that it's not the saving gospel. It doesn't save people. One point about all those other gospels is that it makes Christ having died on the cross sort of optional. Yes. Christ dying on the cross becomes optional as long as we can do our part to make everything A-OK.

Each one of them is a very large distraction and deceit. Because if people have their eyes pulled off of the saving gospel, which centers on the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, his burial and his resurrection, they think they're good. They're completely distracted.

They are deceived. They could be going to hell. Yeah. So for those of you who didn't hear it, Somebody comes to you and says, what do I need to do to be saved? They have a hunger. And you give them one of these bits of nonsense. Then they think, oh, that's what I've got to do to be saved. So I'm going to go start trying to fashion my promise ring to give to God so that I can really make a commitment. Are they saved? No. That's on you. So, it's a big deal to know the saving gospel.

It's also, a lot of these can be allegorized, and so, you know, the fact that Christ, like Vern said, went to the cross and died for our sins, that's a fact. You believe in this fact. And you can't allegorize that and say, you know, however you're going to expand it or poop it up, so to speak. But all of these you can allegorize and you can say, oh, and add something to it, you know, without really changing it. But you can't change the fact that he went to the cross. That's right. The basic gospel Christ died for our sins, was buried, raised again. You don't have to have a degree in Hegelian metaphysics to understand that. And if you had one, you couldn't bend it. Because they're just very simple facts. So, what is the thing that is wrong with all of these? It's exactly what Vern said.

So, Galatians 2. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died needlessly. So if we can do it, that death was optional. Paul lays it out really clear. He also lays out very clear, what can the law do for us? Make us guilty. The law can make us guilty. So through the law, I died to the law. Guess what? Convicted. Death. Resurrection into Christ. So, making ourselves the center of the saving gospel, that is not a gospel, that is bad news. Let's talk about the security of salvation.

I'm trying to decide if I want to ask a question before I jump in, and I do. We're in a knowing and growing class. We're in the knowing section. Okay, now we're saved. We have the Holy Spirit of God. We can understand the things of God because those things are understood by the Spirit who is constantly revealing them to us. That's great. We're in the knowing section of this class. Why is it relevant for us to talk about the security of salvation?

You need a point where you can go on without going back all the time. Oh, I love the way you said that. Good. You need a point at which and the law, trying to constantly earn your salvation somehow. Not only does this nullify the cross of Christ, but you're constantly focused on a self-improvement plan.

How can I get better? Evaluating yourself against some list of criteria, you know, what I need to improve in this way. Today I'm only feeling an 89% commitment to Christ. I need to figure out how to optimize that and get that up. And through all of that, it's focused on me, me, me, me, me. And so how in the world can I know the Lord Jesus Christ when the sole subject of my focus is me?

So Stan, when you said that, the word picture that popped into my mind is when I had been stuck in Colorado country mud before. And just, I mean, there's a quality of mud that can happen when you, when I, my whole focus is how can I gain traction to get myself out of this deep, deep mud? So that's actually what was the sound and the spitting mud and it's gross and it's dirty and frustrating and that's my entire focus or it has been my entire focus. Sir?

I was reading in this book about a previous pastor from long ago when they gave those great sermons. And what he was saying is exactly that. He said, as long as you're focused on the salvation issue, you can't be continually giving glory to God. So he said, we need to settle that once and for all, and you need to accept that as a fact, and then go on giving glory to God for the rest of your life, and not worry about the salvation issue.

And I think that's very true. We all get hung up on that. Miles Danford's Green Letters, it's thirty-ish chapters. Chapter number two is acceptance. God completely and totally accepts you because of the finished work of Christ. There's a reason why that's at the very beginning, so that we can get the focus off of you and on to understanding the Lord.

So I'll tell a little story I told a month ago, because about half of you were not here. We had somebody staying with us yea long ago who had come over to be a youth pastor. And somehow we got to talking about the security of salvation, and I laid out, you know what, we're absolutely covered there. There's nothing we've got to worry about. cited a few verses, and his response to me was, well, I choose to believe that we can lose our salvation. So he chooses to believe that we can lose our salvation regardless of what the Bible says.

Why? Because it keeps me on my toes. God doesn't want you on your toes. He's asked us to rest. And that's the exact problem with this, is if we're worried about our salvation, we're on our toes, we're not resting, we're already in a bad position. I don't need to be on my toes. But my toes aren't going to do anything for me. No, your toes aren't going to help too terribly much. But this whole part about it's no longer I have to live, but Christ lives in me, that might bear some fruit.

So that's probably where our focus should be. So evidence for the security of salvation. We're going to talk about some constructs of the Greek language. We'll look at a few. passages, and then hopefully at that point we'll have a good understanding, yep, in fact our salvation is secure. And if we have a little time at the end, we have a guest speaker today. So we'll see if we can get through it.

So evidence for the security of salvation. Number one, there are explicit statements that say, you know what? You can't lose your salvation full stop. So that's good. But let's say I don't believe when it explicitly says you can't lose your salvation, and I want to look into more subtlety.

We'll dig into some stuff around Greek grammar, and then Finally, we'll talk just briefly about our internal position in Christ. So, not the slightest chance. In the Greek language, you can pair a couple words together. Those words are u, me, and each one more or less means not, not, And so in Greek, you can stutter using different words.

It's great. Not, not. So in English, it's like, oh, now I've got to double negatives. That's got to be a positive. I apply the rules of symbolic logic, and somehow I get there. In the Greek, when you say not, not, that means way not, uh-uh. And so let's look at a couple passages where that shows up.

At that time, the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. The Jews gathered around, and then were saying, how long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, these testify of me. But you do not believe because you are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish. Never? Not now. Ain't happening. And no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. There are a few things in this passage, all of which are pretty exciting.

Number one, in the Greek language, the default translation for the present tense is a continuous present, meaning action that's continually going on right now. When we get to two minutes from now, it's going to be going on there as well. And so this giving in verse 28, I give eternal life to them, could be translated, I am constantly giving eternal life to them. Two minutes from now, it's going to be constantly giving eternal life to us. So that's a pretty explicit statement that doesn't sound like You know, it's possible that a week from next Tuesday that's going to stop. So we've got an explicit statement. Salvation is secure. But then it gets extra reinforced.

So they're in my hand. Nobody's getting out of that. You can't do it yourself. There's a middle voice there in the Greek that tells us, you can't jump out of that hand yourself. and nobody else is going to be able to pull you out of that hand. Both conditions get covered. And so, if I can't get out, and nobody else can pull me out, and he's constantly giving me eternal life, that's pretty secure. But that's not enough, because then he comes back around and says, oh, and by the way, they're all in the Father's hand as well, and nobody's going to get them away from the Father. It's like, how do you get out of that?

OK, perfect tense. In the Greek language, the perfect tense is not one that is commonly used. When it is used, the author specifically intends it. And we've got a quote on the top of page five Wallace, a Greek scholar, to that effect, the perfect tense is used less frequently than the present, aorist, future, or imperfect. When it is used, there is usually a deliberate choice on the part of the writer. So people don't trip on their way to writing something down and accidentally the perfect tense comes out. So that's not something we have to worry about. So then what is the perfect tense?

The perfect tense talks about an action that occurred in the past, so before the thing that's being written or spoken about. But that thing that was done in the past has abiding results on into the future, and they're going to keep on going. It's implied permanence. unless the context tells you otherwise. Past completed action, ongoing results, and they just keep right on going. So let's look at a couple of places where the perfect tense gets used.

John 5.24 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Has passed out? Perfect tense. That is something that happened in the past. When did it happen? It happened at the cross. With abiding results, we're still in life. And those are going to carry forward indefinitely.

Another one. John 19, 28-30 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the scripture, said, I am thirsty. A jar full of sour wine was standing there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to his mouth. Therefore, when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, It is finished. and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Already been accomplished, it is finished. Done, completed, past actions with ongoing results that continue on indefinitely. Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and sustenance her brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who are in every place, call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours, that have been sanctified, past completed action, ongoing results, what are the ongoing results? You're still sanctified and those continue on indefinitely.

Are we feeling like our salvation might be secure? It's hard to wiggle out of these. Ephesians 2, but God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, Even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved, and raised up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Have been saved. Past completed action. Ongoing results. What would those results be? Still saved. And those continue on indefinitely. as, by grace, you are saved. That would change the meaning of the words, wouldn't it? It would. If you said, by grace, you are saved, when did that happen?

We don't know. Is that something that's going to be true in the future? We don't know. But the author was very specific. It's just true right now, but you don't know whether it Your default translation is that it's continuous, and so it'll be a continual present, unless the context says otherwise, so you're still okay there, but you lose the part about it being a past completed action.

Long, long time ago, that saving was done. And we just get to benefit from it. A curious side note is that people today have a difficult time understanding that what Christ accomplished in history thousands of years ago is just done. But they won't quibble that other historical events, they can't change them and they're not done. It's just a curious mind game that people will do around the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Okay, so our eternal position.

The basic premise for this is that there are two ways in which one can become separated from the man that they're associated with. Two ways are death, so death will cause separation between the two. The other one is a rebirth, being born into something else. Other than those two ways, you don't get to get out of where you are. Does that make sense? It's a little abstract.

So let me show you where Jesus is talking about the second one, that rebirth. So Nicodemus has come to ask him things, possibly to sort of spy on him, possibly because of just real genuine curiosity. And Jesus answered and said to him, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And I can just imagine being in Nicodemus' shoes, to be born again.

That's crazy making. And so Nicodemus says to him, How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he? So he's thinking about very specific physical birth. How in the world does that happen? And Jesus answered, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. So he's pointing Nicodemus, this is a spiritual birth. This is not a physical birth.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes. You hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from and where it's going. So is everyone who is born of the spirit."

And do we think Nicodemus got it at that moment? His response is, how can these things be? It just blew his mind. So Jesus is laying out these principles, that there has to be a rebirth. That's the only way that you can change your position. So, we're talking about the security of salvation, and the question becomes, can we through death become separated from Christ? And the next one is, can we, through some rebirth into some other thing, end up coming out of Christ? Those are the only two ways that we could go about it. So as to the first one, on the death side, and we'll cover this in much more depth, I think, in February. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. been reborn. For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin." Basic principle, died, separated from sin, good. Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again.

The reason why that's important, if he could, we'd follow up. He can't. He's never going to die again. We're stuck in there. He died to sin once for all, but the life that he lives, he lives to God. Even so, consider yourselves dead to sin, alive to God in Christ Jesus. So we know we can't die and be separated from Christ. We know that the work that God and Jesus laid out, this whole foundation of death for our sins and resurrection, saying, yep, I accept.

That was the work that we agreed on. Because of all of that, there's no need to have another one come along, the way newer man, that you're somehow going to get born into. No such credit. So no subsequent rebirth, there's no subsequent death. We're in Christ, and we get stuck there forever.

And that's OK. I think that's a-OK. Questions? Comments? Yeah. Yeah, I actually don't know. I have a question. How would you define the word believe to an unchurched person? Accept is true. I have a question for the unbeliever. So a person must believe that Christ, the son of God, died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Actually, I just answered my own question. Perfect. I was thinking if somebody actually believed that there was a man. that existed, who was God and Jesus, but they just didn't want to have anything to do with him. If they believed all of these things, could they still be saved?

But I think that the thing from this night for our sins, you have to believe. I think there's a lot there to know, like, you are a sinner. You know, we can state it briefly. I mean, the gospel can be said in less than 15 seconds. Why did they have to die? So there's a lot more that may need to be understood and discussed and thought about in order for all of that to make good, clear sense to people. I think that answers the question too, why is it important to know and grow? Because the gospel is very simple, but it's also very deep as well. Yeah, I agree.

Okay, so what I want to do is close us in prayer and then we're going to invite Ruth up to show us how simple the gospel is to teach to kids. A book that has no pictures and no words. So, Father, thank you so much for saving us. We couldn't do it ourselves. And the reward for you having saved us is that we get to know you. So, win-win all around. Thank you. We love you. Amen.