Jesus is Mighty in Majesty!
· Strong in Sovereignty! Abounding in His Authority!
· Jesus is our all in all, Jesus is everything.
· What shall it profit
a man if he be a great artist and know not Jesus, the One
altogether lovely?
· What shall it profit
a man if he be a great architect, and know Jesus the Chief
Cornerstone?
· What shall it profit
a man if he be a great builder and know not Jesus, the Sure
Foundation?
· What shall it profit
a man if he be a great farmer and know not Jesus, the Lord
of the Harvest?
1 Cor 1:30 we are reminded that Jesus is everything that
we need. Here we are reminded that Jesus is our wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
Actually, the emphasis here is that God shows His wisdom,
by means of the righteousness, sanctification, and redemption
we have in Christ.
Campbell Morgan says "everything
is summarised in the word 'wisdom. In other words, God's
wisdom is revealed in Christ our righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption.
But we not only see God's
wisdom as it is revealed in what Christ is to every believer,
but we also see that in Christ we have all that we need.
There are three things in
this text, which are highlighted.
1. A Work that is Past!
Notice the word "Righteousness."
If we shorten the word to
"right" we began to understand what is meant.
This righteousness refers to being right with God. Verse
30, tells us that Christ is made unto us "righteousness"
or to put it another way, in Christ we were "made right
with God."
The first act of the Lord
Jesus Christ in bringing us into a relationship with God
was that of making us right with God. It is a work that
happens immediately when one puts their faith in Christ
as Saviour. Therefore, if you are saved, it is a past work
in your heart and life.
The Faith of Abraham is highlighted in Rom 4. V. 20-25 "He
staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but
was strong in faith, giving glory to God;" "and
therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it
was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed
to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if
we believe on him that raised up Jesus our lord from the
dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised
again for our justification."
We are told that Abraham's
faith was imputed to him for righteousness. In other words,
righteousness is that which is "imputed" unto
us.
The word "imputes" means "to reckon, to set
or charge to one's account." Now when we talk about
the doctrine of "imputation" there is the reminder--
that we did not have any righteousness of our own.
The Bible plainly speaks
of man's utter bankruptcy before God. We read in Isaiah
64:6,
"but we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness
are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our
iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."
Isaiah declared that we were
all unclean. Even at our best, what righteousness we possessed
was as filthy rags. The word "filthy" speaks of
that which is soiled.
The word "rags" speaks of a covering. Even at
our best we were as a filthy, dirty, soiled, wearing the
garments of a spiritual Leper. Unclean-and separated from
a Holy God
We had no righteousness of
our own to declare before God. What righteousness we had
fell far short of the standard and level a Holy God demanded.
Men and women have no Righteousness of their own, and can
never have any Righteousness of their own
Romans 3:23, "for all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
The word "sinned" means "to miss the mark."
ILLUSTRATION---I think of
an archer. He pulls back his bow, aims, and releases only
to miss his mark. But when he misses, it is not a matter
of shooting wide to the right or left, or missing the mark
because he shot high or low. He missed because he came short.
The words "come short" mean "to fall short,
to be deficient."
He missed the mark because his arrow fell far short of reaching
the mark.
There may be many "right" things about a persons
life…But yet what is right, what righteousness we do
possess, falls far short of what God demands.
To be right with God we have
to be righteous, but yet even at our best, it was not enough
to be right with God. Even at our best, we still fell short
of God's standard.
romans 4:6, "even as
David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom
God imputeth righteousness without works."
We are told that righteousness
is imputed to us. Remember what I said the word "impute"
means. It means, "to reckon, to set or charge to someone's
account."
I Corinthians 1:30--- tells
us that Christ is our righteousness. That means that the
righteousness of Jesus has been charged to our account.
We do not stand before God in our own righteousness. We
stand before God in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Rom 4:24-25 "but for
us also, to whom it shall be imputed,-- if we believe on
him that raised up jesus our lord from the dead;--- who
was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for
our justification."
Note the word "justification."
The word simply means, "to be declared righteous."
We have been declared righteous because the righteousness
of Christ has been charged to our account.
I think of the story of Onesimus found in the book of Philemon.
He was a runaway slave that had wronged his master Philemon.
Paul wrote to Philemon on his behalf and said, if he hath
wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, out that on mine account.
ILLUSTRATION--- H.A. Ironside,
tells of visiting a sheep farm in Texas.. He records of
seeing the strangest thing he had ever seen. It looked like
a lamb that had four front feet and four back feet. Iit
was a freakish looking thing. He asked about the lamb and
the sheep farmer told him this story.
"We had a sheep that give birth to a lamb and the lamb
died. At the same time, we had a sheep bear a lamb and the
sheep died.
So we thought we would take the lamb that had no mother
and put it with the sheep that had lost her lamb. We thought
it was a perfect situation."
"But when we put the
lamb with the mother sheep, she put her head down and pushed
it aside. She would have nothing to do with the lamb. It
was if she were saying, it was not hers and she did not
want it."
"Then someone suggested,
'I know how you can get that mother to adopt that little
lamb. You skin that dead lamb and drape it over the little
lamb's body and then put it back in the pen and see what
happens.'
That is exactly what we did.
We clothed that lamb in the skin of the lamb that had died.
We then placed it in with the mother sheep and that sheep
began to love it and care for it. She is raising that lamb
because it is clothed in the garments of her own."
Friends, we are accepted
by God because we are clothed in the righteousness of God's
own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus is our righteousness.
His righteousness has been imputed to our account.
This, is all one needs to be right with God, for His is
a perfect Righteousness.
Jesus Thy Blood and Righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress
Midst flaming worlds in these arrayed
With joy shall I lift up my head
Bold shall I stand in that
great day
For who ought to my charge shall lay
Fully absolved through these I am
From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.
1. A Past Work Of Christ
Imputed!
2. A PRESENT WORK OF CHRIST
IMPARTED!
We also see in verse 30,
that Christ is not only our "righteousness" but
He is also our "SANCTIFICATION."
Christ our righteousness
saves us from the penalty of sin. But Christ our sanctification
saves us from the power of sin.
The word "sanctification"
speaks of the process of being made holy which results in
a changed life for the believer. Our English word for sanctification
comes from a Latin word which speaks of the act of consecrating.
In essence, sanctification is the act whereby we are set
apart. In Christ we are set apart to be Holy. We are given
life in the Spirit, that we might begin to walk in the Spirit.
This calls for our Progressional Sanctification.
Therefore, we are to separate
ourselves from that which is unholy and separate ourselves
unto that which is holy. Sanctification is an on going process
of becoming holy.
ILLUSTRATION---One Sunday
on their way home from church, a little girl turned to her
mother and said, "Mommy, the preacher's sermon this
morning confused me."
The mother said, "Oh? Why is that?" The little
girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than
we are. Is that true?" The mother replied, "Yes,
that's true, honey." "And he also said that God
lives in us?
Is that true, mommy?" Again the mother replied, "Yes."
"Well," said the little girl, "If God is
bigger than us and he lives in us, wouldn't He show through?"
Friends, If I can put it
this way, sanctification is the process whereby the God
that lives within shows through our lives.
ILLUSTRATION---Michelangelo,
the great sculptor and painter, was pushing a heavy rock
up a small incline to his work area so that he could do
some sculpting.
A neighbour watched him for over an hour as he worked to
get this rock in place.
Finally he asked, "Michelangelo, why do you labour
so hard over that ugly, heavy piece of rock?"
Michelangelo said, "Because there is an angel inside
that wants to come out."
Dear Believer, the Lord wants to "come out" in
our lives and sanctification is the process by which He
comes out.
We read in 1 Thes. 4:3-4,
"FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD, EVEN YOUR SANCTIFICATION,
[4] THAT EVERY ONE OF YOU SHOULD KNOW HOW TO POSSESS HIS
VESSEL IN SANCTIFICATION AND HONOUR."
Beloved---the work of Christ
imputed as our righteousness occurred in the past and was
something that happened immediately.
The work of Christ imparted
as our sanctification is something that is happening in
the present and happens progressively. "Righteousness"
is a work that has taken place and "sanctification"
is a work that is taking place to make us Holy.
You might well be thinking!
It seems that the harder we try to be holy, the more we
seem to come short.
I think of the testimony
of Charles G. Trumbull in his book, "Victory In Christ."
He describes how there were times of fluctuation in his
spiritual life.
Sometimes, he would be on the heights and sometimes he would
be in the depths.
There would be times when God seemed so close and his spiritual
life was deep, but he confesses that it would not last.
There would be victories in his life at times, but the victories
were interspersed with crushing and humiliating defeats.
Most believers, if honest,
would have to confess to the same. We are to be holy, but
oftentimes there is very little holiness about our life.
Furthermore, becoming holy seems to be a process that is
often marked by failure and futility.
But here is why our life
is often marked by failure. Sanctification is not a process
we bring to pass, it is a process the Lord brings to pass.
Christ is our sanctification.
Jesus is all that we need
for Righteousness--
He is our sanctification. It is His life in us, that enables
us to become and be all we should be. It is the very life
of Christ imparted.
It was Oswald Chambers who
said:
"God does not give us power to imitate Him;
He gives us His very self…Sanctification is not something
our Lord does in me; sanctification is Himself in me."
"The resources of the
Christian life, my friends, are just - Jesus Christ."
Jesus is All you Need.
As I yield myself to the very life of Christ in me, He sanctifies
me and makes me what He wants me to be. Jesus is all I need
to be pleasing and holy before God.
1. A Past Work Of Christ
Imputed!
2. A Present Work Of Christ
Imparted!
3. A PROSPECTIVE WORK OF
CHRIST IMPLANTED!
For we also see in verse
30-- that not only is Christ our righteousness and sanctification,
but He is also our "REDEMPTION."
1 Cor 1:30 "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who
of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption:"
The word "redemption"
as used here is very interesting. The word itself speaks
of a "final escape from all bondage." This particular
word is found 10 times in the New Testament and always refers
to the future, not to the past or present. It, denotes separation,
departure, cessation, completion,
In other words, this redemption
is not referring to what has happened, but what will happen
" To put it another
way, Christ our righteousness speaks of being saved from
the penalty of sin.
" Christ our sanctification speaks of being saved from
the power of sin.
" Christ our redemption speaks of being saved from
the presence of sin.
Christ our righteousness
was a work that happened immediately. Christ our sanctification
is a work that happens progressively. Christ our redemption
is a work that will happen prospectively.
The Lord Jesus, spoke of
this future work when He declared in Luke 21:28, "AND
WHEN THESE THINGS BEGIN TO COME TO PASS, THEN LOOK UP, AND
LIFT UP YOUR HEADS; FOR YOUR REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH."
Paul also had this in mind
when he wrote
Ephes. 1:14, "WHICH IS THE EARNEST OF OUR INHERITANCE
UNTIL THE REDEMPTION OF THE PURCHASED POSSESSION, UNTO THE
PRAISE OF HIS GLORY."
Ephes. 4:30, "AND GRIEVE
NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, WHEREBY YE ARE SEALED UNTO THE
DAY OF REDEMPTION."
One of these days Jesus will
return and every believer will be redeemed, delivered from
all bondage.
"IN A MOMENT, IN THE
TWINKLING OF AN EYE, AT THE LAST TRUMP: FOR THE TRUMPET
SHALL SOUND, AND THE DEAD SHALL BE RAISED INCORRUPTIBLE,
AND WE SHALL BE CHANGED."
One of these days--- we will
hear the "last trump."
It will be "redemption" day for every believer.
At that hour we shall be changed. We will say good-bye to
all physical pain, limitations, and handicaps.
We will be delivered from the earthly and physical bondage
we have known.
1 Cor. 15:53-55, "FOR
THIS CORRUPTIBLE MUST PUT ON INCORRUPTION, AND THIS MORTAL
MUST PUT ON IMMORTALITY. [54] SO WHEN THIS CORRUPTIBLE SHALL
HAVE PUT ON INCORRUPTION, AND THIS MORTAL SHALL HAVE PUT
ON IMMORTALITY,
THEN SHALL BE BROUGHT TO
PASS THE SAYING THAT IS WRITTEN, DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN
VICTORY. [55] O DEATH, WHERE IS THY STING? O GRAVE, WHERE
IS THY VICTORY?"
The grave has lost its sting
because Jesus is our redemption. Jesus is our righteousness,
our sanctification, and our redemption.
He is all I need, past, present, and future.
JESUS IS ALL I NEED
HE WAS CRUCIFIED
FOR ME HE DIED JESUS IS ALL I NEED
