Participants: Gordon Kainer
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000328
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00:31 Welcome to Faith Chapel. I am Gordon Kainer,
00:35 a retired academy Bible teacher 00:37 living in Santa Rosa, California. 00:40 The topic that we are going to present today 00:42 is entitled the Double Cure. 00:45 I invite you to pray with me. 00:48 Our Heavenly Father, we acknowledge 00:51 you as the great physician, the one that we can turn 00:55 to for healing, for the remedy for all of our 00:59 defects and I pray today that what you can do 01:03 for us might become real to us as we open 01:06 and study your word in Jesus name. Amen. 01:12 Shortly after the destruction of the 01:14 twin towers in New York on September 11, 2001. 01:19 Somebody very distraught over what had happened 01:23 scribbled these words on a slab near the rubble. 01:28 This is what it said. Dear God, save us from people 01:33 who believe in you, those are really 01:37 tragic words aren't they, but you know that 01:41 please understandable, but it doesn't represent 01:44 the truth of the matter. If a person believes 01:50 and rightly understands God through the person 01:53 of Jesus Christ they will reflect his love 01:57 and his mercy and his compassion. 02:00 Jesus is the human face of God and those who disobey 02:06 and disbelieve in him are not reflecting what God 02:10 is really like. In our world today many people 02:14 have a distorted view of God. 02:18 This is extremely important because once view 02:21 of God lies at the very core of all religions, 02:26 it separate Israel from Baal and Ashtoreth 02:29 and Dagon, just as it distinguishes Christianity 02:33 from Hinduism, Buddhism or Islam. 02:36 So, when sharing our faith, simplicity and clarity 02:40 are extremely important. We need to speak plainly 02:44 and define our terms. It's been said that 02:48 a problem well defined is a problem half solved, 02:52 I like that. Let's illustrate the importance 02:55 of defiling terms by looking at two very common words, 02:59 sin and salvation. 03:03 Imagine for a moment that all the worlds 03:06 inhabitants are being examined 03:08 within the doctor's office. 03:09 According to the Bible, the diagnosis would 03:13 point to one common illness, sin. 03:18 But what exactly are we talking about. 03:21 If you have been checked over by doctor recently 03:23 and he just doesn't simply said to you, hey your sick 03:25 and I send you home, does he? 03:29 It is essential that he provide you with a detailed 03:32 explanation of your problem, that explains 03:35 why God doesn't gave us just a one page Bible. 03:39 That simply asserts that something is seriously 03:42 wrong with us, instead the Bible contains over 03:45 a 1000 pages explaining in great detail 03:49 the nature of sin and the appropriate remedy 03:53 and what's the prognosis. 03:56 Our illness doesn't need medication, 03:59 it requires a miracle. If one misunderstands sin, 04:05 a domino effect occurs. The meaning of salvation 04:09 as well as many other spiritual concepts will be 04:11 skewed or distorted. In other words, 04:15 the fact that every major religion in the world 04:18 has it's own view of the problem. 04:21 Means that each offers a radically different 04:23 perspective of the solution and all their solutions 04:27 are diametrically apposed to the heart 04:30 and soul of Christianity. I recently read about a man 04:34 who introduced a speaker at the company's 04:38 annual banquet and this is what he said, 04:42 our speaker is the most gifted, 04:44 gifted business man in the country. 04:46 In a short time, he made 100 million dollars 04:49 in California oil. Well, 04:52 when the speaker got to the podium he said, 04:55 thanks for that kind introduction, 04:56 but there needs to be some clarification. 04:59 It wasn't oil, it was coal, It wasn't in California, 05:05 it was Pennsylvania. It wasn't 100 million, 05:09 it was 100,000. It wasn't me, 05:12 it was my brother and he didn't make it, 05:15 he lost it. In like manner society today presents 05:21 the human race as big time winners, 05:23 it doesn't like what the Bible has to say about 05:26 us having lost it. Instead of the truth, 05:30 people want to hear something that's 05:31 a little more palatable, 05:32 something little easier on the ego. 05:36 If changes will require they want to experience 05:38 it with dignity and style. The Bible declares that sin 05:43 has brought such havoc in our lives that only God 05:48 himself has the solution, so exactly what is this 05:52 damage that sin has done. First of all, 05:56 sin has affected our status that is our legal 06:00 standing before God. It has severed 06:03 our relationship with him. 06:05 According to Ephesians 2:12, 06:08 we entered this world separate from Christ, 06:11 excluded from citizenship in Israel 06:14 and without hope in God. What the Bible is saying 06:19 is that all of us are off to a false start. 06:24 We are going in the wrong direction, 06:27 that's why Christ's first command 06:28 to all who would follow him is repent, 06:32 turn around, go another direction. 06:36 Secondly, sin has polluted our nature. 06:40 The sins we commit is an expression of that nature, 06:45 thus we began life with hearts and the heart 06:48 by the way is the control center of our life. 06:50 We begin with hearts that are self serving 06:53 and rebellious. Sin never has to be taught, 06:58 it comes naturally for all of us. 07:01 It includes everything we say or do, 07:03 that's not in harmony with the Will of God. 07:06 Psalm 58:3 puts it this way, 07:11 even from birth the wicked go astray from the womb 07:15 they are wayward and speak lies. 07:18 What the Bible is telling us is that sin 07:21 comes just from being born. 07:26 All of us, no doubt are very familiar 07:28 with that well known hymn rock of ages. 07:32 Let me read you the words of the second stanza, 07:36 let the water and the blood from thy wounded side 07:40 which flowed be of sin the double cure 07:45 cleanse me from it guilt and power. 07:48 What does the author mean when he said that sin 07:52 needs a double cure. Well, the first cure 07:57 takes care of our status, our standing with God. 08:01 You see when sin came into lives of Adam and Eve 08:06 they switched Kingdoms in their decision 08:10 to disobey they separate themselves from the Kingdom 08:13 of God then entered into the Kingdom of rebellion. 08:17 As the head of the human race, 08:19 Adam became the broken link that loose the entire 08:23 planet from the sovereignty of God. 08:28 How thankful we should be that Christianity meets 08:33 the challenge with an all encompassing solution. 08:36 Whatever sin ruins, salvation restores 08:41 and redeems. Only in Christianity 08:44 does an infant God break into the cosmos 08:47 to rescue a dying world. Only the God of the Bible 08:51 is willing to be pierced and punished and die 08:55 for the sins of the world. The sin that separates us 09:01 from God is dealt with in the person of Jesus Christ, 09:05 who unites in himself the human and divine. 09:09 By so doing, he becomes the connecting link. 09:13 The one mediator between a holy God 09:16 and sinful humanity through the miracle of incarnation, 09:20 Jesus becomes the bridge that spans the gap 09:25 between God and sinful man. 09:28 Someone has described this bridge as a cross 09:31 with three nails. 09:34 When we are in Christ by virtue of our faith 09:37 in this unique God man, our relationship 09:40 with God is restored, the penalty for our 09:43 rebellion against him is legally canceled, 09:45 that is forgiven, it reminds of me of the song 09:49 that we used to sing, Jesus paid it all, 09:52 that's so true. Now we are ready 09:54 for our natures to be recreated and spiritually 09:57 empowered by the Holy Spirit. 10:00 In Christ we are reconciled to God. 10:02 All things have passed away, 10:04 behold all the things are new. 10:06 Christianity stands alone in it's offer of a living 10:09 savior for a dying world. Now heaven's initial 10:14 prescription for sin, that's the first cure 10:17 involves justification. Our legal transfer 10:21 from the Kingdom of our birth, 10:24 which leads to eternal death 10:26 to the Kingdom of God, which leads to eternal life. 10:32 This transfer status extends the contrite, 10:36 brings with it the assurance of salvation, 10:39 knowing that in God or that through God he is, 10:43 made us accepted in the beloved or in Christ. 10:48 This transfers an active grace not based on any 10:52 earthly merit or goodness and what we have 10:56 by faith eliminates the need to get it by good works. 11:04 In 1996, a survey of students taking 11:07 the last day events course in 11:09 Southern Adventist University 11:12 revealed that 77% indicated that they did not 11:15 know if they would be saved if Jesus came that day. 11:20 In that same survey 37% thought that they had 11:23 to do something in order to have 11:25 the assurance of salvation. 11:27 Now why do collegians in our church have 11:33 this view of a works oriented religion, 11:38 could it be that many are prone to climb up 11:42 their own Mount Sinai and come down 11:45 with a set of rules or commandments 11:47 and declare with Israel of old, 11:49 all that the Lord has said we will do. 11:56 It is reassuring that the first cure justification 12:01 is not based on the holiness of the one who believes, 12:07 but on the holiness in whom one believes. 12:13 In the wonderful story of redeeming grace, 12:16 there is an orderly way in which it takes place. 12:21 I can illustrate it in the following way. 12:25 When you enter a hospital, perhaps with a life 12:29 threatening illness or some serious injury 12:33 you are required to sign a legal consent 12:35 form before surgery can be taken, 12:40 could be taken out or carried out. 12:42 This gives the surgeon the authority to do 12:47 whatever he deems best for you. 12:51 Likewise in salvation, there is an official way 12:55 you are lawfully given over to the one 12:58 who is going to repair the damage 13:00 that sin has done in your life. 13:03 This means that your legal standing with God 13:06 must be taken care of first 13:08 that is through justification, 13:10 so that more over renewal or sanctification 13:15 can occur. In another words, 13:19 taking care of you position opens the way of changing, 13:24 in changing your condition. 13:28 Justification is a legal term 13:31 closely related to the idea of trial and judgment. 13:35 It has referenced to being declared righteous, 13:38 to declare innocent, to declare it not guilty, 13:44 it does not imply a change in us, 13:47 but rather it is a bestowal of a righteous 13:51 status by God to repentant sinners. 13:57 In justification all the demands of God's 14:00 law are fully satisfied through the doing 14:04 and the dying of Jesus in our behalf. 14:10 When accepted by faith, we are reconciled to God. 14:14 We are made right with God. 14:18 In other words, transfer back to God 14:23 opens the way for transformation 14:26 to take place. Spiritual renewal 14:30 can best be seen as evidence 14:32 that our citizenship has been transferred 14:35 from the Kingdom of darkness 14:37 to the Kingdom of light that we are now free 14:41 from the world order, doomed to die 14:45 and adopted into God's inner circle 14:48 destined to live. For this reason, 14:52 the Apostle Paul explained, 14:53 exclaims in Philippians 3:20, 14:58 he literally shouts this out, 14:59 For our citizenship is in heaven, 15:03 from which we also eagerly wait for the savior, 15:06 the Lord Jesus Christ, but the emphasis 15:09 here of Paul is to emphasize 15:12 a change in citizenship. It is now in heaven. 15:16 My wife and I dramatically experienced 15:21 what's involved in a legal departure from 15:23 one Kingdom to another in the summer of 2003 15:28 when we took a vacation and our travels 15:31 took us to Canada. When we arrived at the border, 15:37 the US officials interviewed us, 15:40 they examined us, the car and loading 15:43 of our luggage and then told us to move on. 15:47 Now when we got to the Canadian port of entry 15:51 for some reason there were no officials present, 15:54 there was no one standing outside, 15:57 there was no one looking behind the glass 15:59 from inside at us, 16:02 and since it was a little green light there at 16:05 the gateway we mistakenly assumed 16:09 that we could go on, which we did. 16:13 Oh we drove about 5 miles 16:16 and then we were pulled over by a police officer 16:19 and he informed us that we have entered 16:21 Canada illegally. Now, we were no longer allowed 16:26 to enjoy what Canada had to offer. 16:29 We were escorted back to the port of entry, 16:32 we were interrogated several times, 16:36 they went through the car and our luggage 16:39 for over 2 hours and we were fined a $100. 16:45 Only then could we proceed legally, 16:49 this rather scary ordeal served as a grim 16:52 reminder that the wonderful life 16:55 changing transfer that occurs, 16:57 that God gives to us is also a just an legal trans, 17:04 a transaction. Throughout the Book of Revelation, 17:09 the theme song of the redeemed 17:11 is that all of God's acts are just and righteous. 17:18 In the great controversy, 17:20 the highest authority in the Universe, 17:23 the government of God must consistently act 17:28 in just an lawful manner. We see the cross 17:35 as a grand symbol that justice has been 17:39 met in the death of Jesus. That's what righteousness 17:44 or right doing is all about. 17:50 Jesus tells of this legal transfer from 17:52 one Kingdom to another. When he says in John 5:24, 17:59 I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word 18:03 and believes him who sent me has eternal life 18:07 and will not be condemned; 18:09 he has crossed over from death to life. 18:15 Jesus is the official port of entry 18:19 into God's Kingdom. Paul affirms 18:24 this when he says in First Timothy 2:5; 18:27 For there is one God and one mediator 18:30 between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. 18:34 And then he continues in Ephesians 2, 18:38 verses 8 and 9; For by grace you have been 18:42 saved through faith and that not of yourselves; 18:46 it is the gift of God, not of works, 18:49 lest anyone should boast. This affirms the underlying 18:56 theme of scripture that salvation is not 18:59 achieved by human effort, 19:02 but received by faith in Christ. 19:06 Grace provides, faith simply reaches up 19:10 and accepts God's provision. 19:14 Faith itself has no saving merit, 19:16 it never makes salvation, 19:18 it's simply takes the provision God has 19:22 to offer and that gift is Jesus Christ. 19:29 The righteousness then that saves us 19:33 is never our own. 19:35 It is the righteousness of another namely 19:38 Jesus our substitute, just as the ultimate course 19:43 of sin is beyond our world in Satan the rebel. 19:47 So, our salvation is beyond us in 19:50 in Jesus the righteous. Now let's take a look 19:55 at the second cure, it takes place 19:58 within the Kingdom, within our new status, 20:03 where as the first cure is a legal change, 20:06 the second cure is a moral change, 20:09 now while justification and sanctification 20:11 are very intimately connected they do 20:14 have distinctive roles. Justification refers to 20:18 Christ substitutionary work, 20:20 restoring us to God's favor. 20:23 Sanctification points to transforming work 20:25 of the Holy Spirit in our lives, 20:27 restoring us to God's image. 20:30 The moment our union with God is established, 20:33 sanctification springs interaction as a 20:36 heart fell response to that restoration. 20:41 Our faith in God is not to be seen as 20:44 a substitute for obedience, 20:46 but rather it is a stimulant 20:48 for true obedience. 20:50 Sanctification is a separation from sin 20:53 to a new life. It is depicted in the Bible 20:56 in different ways such as spiritual growth, 20:59 following after righteousness, 21:01 walking a newness of life. Sanctification is a life 21:05 long response of surrender 21:07 to God's love and his rulership. 21:11 A life of rigorous discipleship and growth. 21:14 It is our participation in character building, 21:18 so when the Holy Spirit calls us to faith 21:21 we are called to come and die. 21:24 Now this invitation sounds ominous 21:27 like a leap in the dark, but the opposite is true. 21:30 It is a step into the light. 21:33 First John 1:5 says this is the message 21:36 which we have heard from him and declare to you 21:39 that God is light and in Him 21:41 there is no darkness at all. 21:46 So, justification first points us to the Cross, 21:52 the one on which Jesus died from where all 21:54 salvation flows. In sanctification, 21:58 our response is to take up our own cross, 22:00 a symbol of our dying to self. 22:03 The Apostle Paul refers to this as dying daily. 22:09 There are no spiritual shortcuts, 22:14 there are no shortcuts such to say 22:16 to spiritual maturity, the road is long, 22:19 it's hard and it's gonna be difficult, 22:23 but more than that it's a war. 22:28 A life and death conflict, you see 22:31 in justification war is declared when we transfer 22:36 from God's dominion into God's kingdom. 22:40 I hope I said that correctly, 22:42 when we are transferred from Satan's dominion 22:43 into God's Kingdom this means the self, 22:48 that is our sinful nature is deposed from 22:53 the throne of our hearts and now God 22:57 becomes our ruler. This results in a 23:02 lifelong struggle through the conquering 23:06 power of God's Spirit and the old nature, 23:12 struggling for survival. I think a good illustration 23:19 of this was Israel's Exodus from Egypt 23:23 that all of us are familiar with. 23:27 God took Israel out of the Egypt 23:30 in one momentous event, which is like justification, 23:37 but it was an unending battle 23:39 to get Egypt out of Israel, which illustrates the work 23:45 of sanctification. In other words, 23:48 the sinful nature with it's passions and 23:51 desires according to Galatians 5:24 23:54 must be crucified throughout our lifetime. 24:01 Justification by faith is not an alternative 24:06 to holiness, but rather it serves as it's foundation. 24:13 It should not surprise us that God's way 24:15 of salvation is so contrary to the way humans 24:19 do things. For example, in non-Christian religions, 24:26 the perfection or holiness that people strive for, 24:32 ultimately is received when the journey ends. 24:36 They get it at the end of their lives. 24:39 I think of example, Roman Catholicism, 24:43 they believe that utmost holiness is not 24:46 received until a person dies and experiences 24:51 final cleansing in purgatory 24:55 and this seems to be typical, 24:58 I believe from all non-Christian religions 25:02 and that's why there is such an emphasis 25:05 upon salvation by works. They work so hard, 25:08 they work so desperately for 25:12 what they think they will receive at the end 25:15 and as a result this breeds salvation by works. 25:20 Now into the divine order of things, 25:23 the process is reversed, the Gospel declares 25:27 that the gift of perfect holiness is 25:30 how the Christian life begins. 25:33 At the very heart of a restored relationship 25:36 with God is his decoration of a perfect righteousness 25:43 received by faith when we first believe, 25:46 so we just see the opposite here. 25:50 Those of us who have accepted Christ, 25:53 at the moment we accept him, 25:55 he bestows upon us the gift of a perfect 25:59 righteousness, which then of course leads us 26:02 into a growth in holiness, but we need to see 26:06 that the gift precedes the growth. 26:10 As the Apostle Paul declares 26:12 in Hebrews 10:14, he says because by 26:15 one sacrifice he has made perfect forever 26:21 those who are being made holy. 26:24 And so we can see here how Paul deals with 26:29 both justification and sanctification. 26:32 The way he talks about being made perfect forever, 26:35 that's the gift and then being made holy 26:39 is the experience of sanctification where God, 26:43 day by day takes away the sin in our hearts 26:49 and in our lives and exchanges it for his righteousness. 26:52 It was Martin Luther who said, 26:56 uncertainty is the most miserable 26:59 thing in the world. This is true especially 27:03 when it comes to our relationship to God. 27:07 It is essential that Christians, 27:10 young and old have the assurance of salvation, 27:15 but this only occurs if we rely on the merits 27:17 of Jesus rather than our own personal goodness 27:20 or religious fervor. We are not to focus on 27:23 what we have accomplished or what might have been, 27:26 but rather to accept by faith 27:29 what we now have in Christ Jesus. |
Revised 2014-12-17