Word of Salvation – Vol. 21 No. 50 - August 1975

 

Lord's Day 23

 

Sermon by Rev. A Nijhuis, B.D. on Lord’s Day 23

 

Silent Prayer

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
 The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Votum & Salutation

Singing: Psalter Hymnal 324.

Prayer

Scripture Readings: Isaiah 1:12-20 & Romans 3:19-31

Text: Lord's Day 23

Singing: Psalter Hymnal 228: 1,2,3,4 before Sermon Prayer

Offering(s)

Singing: Psalter Hymnal 228: 7,9

Apostles' Creed

Benediction

Doxology: Psalter Hymnal 316:3

 

Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

We have dealt with all those questions dealing with the contents of our undoubted Christian faith.  They started in Lord's Day 7 where a summary is given of “ALL that is promised us in the gospel."  We call that summary the Apostles' Creed.  All those sections of our Catechism went through that summary asking: what is the meaning of each of those articles and trying to find out the benefit of what we believe on the basis of the Word of God.  Now those questions are finished.  The last one, about the life everlasting, provided us with such a beautiful finish: "That, since I now feel in my heart the BEGINNING of eternal joy, after this life I shall possess perfect bliss, such as eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither entered into the heart of man- therein to praise God forever."

Lord's Day 23 tells us that before we go further, we must meditate for a while and think a little about the benefit of all that we have professed.  What is the use of all that we believe?  A rather odd question, isn't it?  "But what does it profit you now that you believe all that"?  It is strange indeed.

There are people who doubt whether it is of any use to fear the Lord.  There are many people who are of the opinion that the Christian faith is something very queer; and who believe it has no practical meaning whatever; so then it is useless or even worse, harmful, an opiate, a drug which makes people escape the reality of life.

What is the use of your faith, of what you believe?

There have been believers who sometimes wondered whether it was not better to turn away from the Lord and His Word because they thought it did not serve any useful purpose.

You can read about it in the Bible.  Asaph, for example, stated in Psalm 73:13:
            "All in vain have I kept my heart clean
             and washed my hands in innocence.
             For all the day long I have been stricken,
             and chastened every morning "

Later on he found out that he was wrong, entirely wrong.

Asaph was not the only one who made that mistake, whose feet had almost stumbled and whose steps had well nigh slipped (vs.2).  There have been also covenant-people who thought the service of the Lord was worth nothing and who threw it away.  Esau is one of them.  He sold his birthright for one morsel of meat.  The young ruler who came to Jesus did not want to pay the price.  He went away when he was faced with the demand of the Saviour.  Who can say how many have sold their birthright, or who turned away from the Lord Jesus Christ in Whose Name they were baptised.

What would you answer to a question about the use of faith?  What is it worth to you?  It is good to face that question and to try to give an answer.

This afternoon we want to listen to the Word of God as it is summarised in Lord's Day 23 where we learn about:

            THE PROFIT OF OUR FAITH

            [1.  right with God;  2.  by a true faith;  3.  by faith only.]

1.  It does us good to hear someone speaking about the profit of his or her faith.  There are enough complaints.  It does not happen often when you ask at a home-visit, "Do still have something you want to say?" that you get a story of the Lord's blessings which He poured out upon this saved sinner during the past year again, a song about His grace and mercy and love in Jesus Christ.

We are told such a story here in this Lord's Day at the end of all those questions in which we were taught of "Jesus and His love."

We may well ask the Lord to open our eyes and ears and mouth – that we may see and hear and sing.

"What does it profit you now that you believe all this?"

This question is not a neutral question without an address.  It is not asked to make an introduction about it.  This question is directed to you and me.  Nobody is excluded.  We all are meant and addressed.  My name is called here.  I have to answer that question: "But, you brother or sister so-and-so, what does it profit you now that you believe all this?"  We may not like those personal questions, but we cannot avoid them.  You know, the Catechism is not a book of dogmatics.  It is a confession, a confession of the Reformed Churches, which means that it is also your confession.  You and I, we are speaking here, confessing our faith, after we are taught by the Lord in His Word.  Yes, He is our Teacher, and we are the disciples.  Here the Teacher is asking us to tell Him what is the result of all His endeavours.  It is good also for us to know the outcome of all this.  It may be that we forgot all the treasures which are meant here, and that we overlooked them because we are so busy with other things.  It is possible, brothers and sisters, that we feel poor and miserable and lost, while we are in the midst of blessings and may enjoy the care of the Lord, day after day.

We may be like people who have a lot of money but who live like beggars in worn out clothes and trodden-down shoes, begging for some money while having a lot in the bank.  Poor people!  What is the use of having money and not being able or willing to spend it?

However, we were talking about ourselves, about you and me.  What does it profit us now that we believe all this?

Our profit, our capital, our treasure is that we are righteous in Christ before God, and an heir to eternal life.

Imagine a courtroom.  There is a judge.  In this case the Judge is God, Further there are many complainants, and there is a defender.

Now the amazing thing in this courtroom is that the Lord declares us not guilty; He absolves us from every blame.  He says to you and me that we are not guilty.  He is saying that to people who are sinners.  They are guilty and covered with crimes.  And the Judge is One Who is even able to look into our hearts.

To those people who know that there is no soundness in them, the Judge is saying: "Not guilty."

Strange, isn't it?  It is beyond our understanding that guilty people are acquitted; they are declared to be innocent.

It is so different to what we see in our courtrooms.  When people are accused and their guilt has been proved, they are sentenced.  There is no doubt about that.

The surprising thing about God's administration of justice is that He declares guilty sinners to be not guilty.  The reason for this is not that He does not know for sure whether they are guilty.  He knows that.  The Supreme Judge knows me thoroughly.  Nothing is hid from Him.  He sees whether there be any wicked way in me.

Moreover, He does not show partiality by preferring one man over the other.  All the doings of the Lord – in justice – have their birth.  Yet, we are declared not guilty?  Yes!  Amazing, isn't it?  We have an amazing God, Who saves ungodly men, Who acquits sinful, guilty people, of all their iniquities, which are quite a lot.  My accusers before the judgment seat of the Lord have plenty of material to choose from.  There is in the first place my conscience which accuses me that I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God and kept none of them.  I am still inclined to all evil.  There is no reason whatever for Him to declared me innocent.  On the contrary, I am evil...
            I have sinned against Thy grace
            And provoked Thee to Thy face;

God sees my sins.  I have to confess them and I must admit that He is right.

I have nothing to answer.  My life has turned out to be a complete failure.

It may be that others try to comfort me by saying: "don't be such a pessimist, you have tried hard and you have been faithful, it is not as bad as you think it is.”

However my conscience cannot be silenced that way, because the Lord wants love, love with all my heart.  He wants love towards Himself and towards my neighbour.  But what can I say about my motive, the power behind my deeds, or my egotism and my selfishness!

Moreover, not only the past is accusing me, but also the present.  I am still inclined to all evil.

Surely, my life may be not too bad when compared with other people, but standing before the Lord, I can do nothing else than admit my wickedness.

Do we realise, brothers and sisters, that the situation is that bad?  That we, you and I, are meant here?  That we are all evil!  This is really something!

What does the Lord do?  What is His answer?  Will it be punishment, eternal punishment.  Listen, listen carefully: "...yet God, without any merit of mine, of mere grace, grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness and holiness of Christ, as if I had never had nor committed any sin, and myself had accomplished all the obedience which Christ has rendered for me."

These amazing words are a comforting gospel.  That same Word that accuses me that I am a lost sinner, that same Word of the same God is saying to me that I am not guilty, but am freed from sins and guilt.

The most impossible thing happens.  A guilty sinner is declared not guilty.  The doors of my prison are opened.  I am righteous before God, and an heir to eternal life.

2.  How is this miracle possible, brothers and sisters?

In this connection the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is mentioned.  I am righteous before God IN CHRIST.

The answer to the question: "How are you righteous before God?" is: "Only by a true faith in Jesus Christ".  After that the finished work of Christ is mentioned.

People in extreme emergency are looking in every direction for help, but they are in danger of overlooking the only way of rescue.  A shipwrecked person grasps everything within his reach, but all those pieces of wreckage themselves are a sport of the waves.  They cannot help that poor man really.

In the same way people grasp everything in order to be saved; but it does not really help.

The Word of God and consequently this confession point in one direction; to a particular person.  It teaches us that by only one Name which is given under heaven can we be saved; namely that of Jesus.  You don't find His Name in one single text, but the entire Bible, from the very beginning to the very end, speaks about Him, preaches Him and urges us towards Him.

I have no other message for you, brothers and sisters, young people, no other message than the Good News, of Jesus and His love.

You can hear so many messages today calling for your attention.  There are among them very impressive and alluring ones.  They are recommended with much fervour and proof.  There are among them those which seem to be much nicer and better and more according to the Bible than this simple one.  However, we have to test the spirits and their messages to see whether they are of God.  Let us realise that it is not those who say "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your Name, and cast out demons in your Name, and do many mighty works in your Name," but it is he who does the will of my Father Who is in heaven," who reaches the Kingdom of God.

Not what we feel or do or say, but only Jesus Christ can and will be our Saviour.  In Him only you'll find all you need for time and eternity.

We have to turn to Him with our sins and with our troubled conscience.

In Him only there is peace which is beyond our understanding.

Apart from Him there is only the accuser – who rightly accuses us that we have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God and kept none of them, and are still inclined to all evil.  Apart from Him we are abandoned to the dreadful condemnation of God.

Only the Lord Jesus Christ, Who took upon Himself that dreadful condemnation, saves from this menacing destruction.  Over against that accusation of our conscience stands this Defender of our hopeless case.  We are not saved because our sins are not that many, or not so serious.  We are not saved because we are such decent people or because we do this or do that.  There is no hope for us because we able to speak in tongues or have received other gifts from the Lord.  There is no future for us as long as we look to ourselves and our hearts, our hands and our doings.  We cannot excuse ourselves by referring to the circumstances or to somebody who misled us.

We should never turn to ourselves or talk about what we have done or what we feel in our hearts as the basis of our salvation.

Let us realise for the first time or again, that there is nowhere that salvation is to be found apart from the Lord Jesus Christ.

I know, there are people who consider this message not sufficient and who are ready to accuse you of misrepresenting the gospel.  There are people who want to add something to that gospel.  There are people who say, and they do so with emphasis, that Jesus is not sufficient.  They add something to it.  They say, for example, that you have to speak in tongues, and that this is necessary for every Christian.

However, your Bible sticks to the gospel of Jesus, and Jesus only.  When He sent His apostles out into the world, He charged them only to preach the gospel and when those who heard that message believed, they were to be baptised.

There are others who say that salvation is not that easy.  They add something else to that message.  They prefer another way than Jesus only.  However, all those who are doing this, are deceiving themselves and others, who look for support apart from the Saviour.  They want to find their surety of salvation upon their own experiences.

The result is that they are and always will be in doubt until they learn to build upon the firm and unshakable foundation of the finished work of Jesus Christ only.

How many people are in doubt until the day of their death, because they are unwilling to listen to the Word of God, and because they refuse to seek their life apart from themselves in Jesus Christ?

The only remedy is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.  This is the only basis of God's wondrous gift of righteousness.

The sin and disobedience that I have done is reckoned to Christ.

What Jesus has done is reckoned to me: his sacrifice to pay my debts, and his obedience to fulfil the will of God.

This is all simply of grace without any contribution or merit from me.  This is surely a wonderful message!  And yet our sinful heart does not want to accept it.  We don't want to live simply by grace.

It is too beautiful, too glorious, too good to be true; but it is God Himself who has proclaimed it.

And so that comforting message of Jesus only is here for you and me, and for our boys and girls too.

3.  Yes, I can only get it by faith.

That is the way by which the Lord distributes this wonderful gift to us.  This faith is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.  So when there is doubt in your hearts, when you are not sure of your salvation, and when you miss the right joy you desire so much, don't turn to another gospel, but go to the Lord Jesus Christ Who so loved you that He surrendered all for you.  Ask Him to work in your heart through His Holy Spirit and thereby revive or give you faith.

He is the answer to your problems.  There is nobody else who can help you.  Here He is.  When you ask if He wants to help you too, not my answer, but Jesus' answer is:
            "Ask, and it will be given you;
             seek and you will find;
             knock, and it will be opened to you.
             For everyone who asks receives,
             and he who seeks finds,
             and to him who knocks it will be opened."

Brothers and sisters, believe this word of the Lord Jesus Christ and act accordingly.  In this way you learn to sing more and more with the church of all ages and throughout this world that beautiful song; that I am righteous in Christ before God, and an heir to eternal life.  This is my profit that I believe all this, and that I believe in Him.

Amen.