Participants:
Series Code: ILL
Program Code: ILL230009S
|
00:14 Praise the Lord, everyone.
00:15 Welcome to Imperative Life Lessons. 00:18 I'm Pastor Ryan Johnson. I drive a compact car, 00:23 which is funny because I'm 6'4", and though I have to 00:28 origami myself into the vehicle, it's great with gasoline mileage, 00:32 so I love my little vehicle. 00:34 One thing, however, sometimes when I disconnect my phone 00:40 from calls, the satellite radio comes on and tries to sell me 00:44 a subscription. Now, often I am so busy between calls 00:47 that I don't bother to switch it off and that's how 00:50 from conversation to conversation, I'm inundated 00:54 with snippets of appeals for me to buy satellite radio. 00:58 And then intermittently, they'll toss in a classic song 01:02 to wet my appetite. 01:03 Now, I'll only hear the first few bars because zoom, 01:07 I'm off to another phone call and eventually, I'll get annoyed 01:11 and I'll take the time to click the radio off. 01:14 One day after hours of advertisement, 01:18 I reach this point of frustration, and I leaned forward 01:21 to turn off the pesky radio but, just then, 01:25 the first few bars of a song began to play the low rhythmic 01:31 thrum of a lead guitar, no, this was not a hymn from church, 01:36 this was rock and roll. 01:38 So maybe I should have hastened to power down the device 01:42 but then the lyrics hit, rising up back on the street, 01:48 huh, did my time, took my chances, went the distance, 01:53 now I'm back on my feet, just a man and his will to survive. 01:58 It's the eye of the tiger, I got caught up... 02:02 Do you know that song? It's from a famous 1980s film 02:07 about a boxer who beats the odds by the might of his 02:11 willpower and training. The underdog pulls himself up 02:15 by his own bootstraps and emerges victorious. 02:18 So this song just like the film, it's very popular, 02:22 its popular. You want to know why? 02:24 Because people love a story like that, we love stories of 02:29 self-perseverance and stick-to- itness of how, thanks to one's 02:34 amazing inner strength, he was able to rise to the top. 02:39 She was able to be the best, the message being that if you 02:43 work hard enough, long enough, smart enough, you can make it. 02:47 And you know, there is some good old fashioned solid advice 02:51 in that and almost every culture has a similar ethos 02:55 reach within yourself, work hard, overcome. 02:59 Which is why so many Christians struggle with the concept 03:04 of righteousness by faith. 03:07 I know, that was quite a change of direction, but hear me out. 03:11 When it comes to our salvation, it's not our own inner strength, 03:17 it's not our own works but God's strength, 03:20 God working in us by grace through faith. 03:25 That can seem very backward to the way we are programmed 03:30 in our society, even the laziest among us enjoy being able 03:35 to say, look, I did that. 03:36 But as far as salvation goes, that is not the way. 03:41 Let's look at some Biblical examples and be saved 03:45 by grace through faith. 03:47 Father in heaven, you do the work 03:50 that preacher said to me one time righteousness by faith 03:53 is being saved and believe me, you have done that work. 03:57 Save us, Lord, in Thy name we pray. Amen and Amen. 04:02 The earth was in its original state, not the dark and 04:07 formless mess spoken of in Genesis chapter one 04:10 verses one and two. 04:12 But the state that God intended for it, a state so perfect 04:15 that God Himself looks at His earth and says, 04:19 yeah, that's good. 04:21 And of course it was. 04:22 God is good, His work is good. 04:25 Have you ever considered how in the very beginning 04:29 when the world was indeed dark and misshapen, 04:33 God was able to see beyond what it was and toward 04:37 what it could be? Is He not the same way with us? 04:40 Though our lives be dark and shapeless, God looks, 04:45 He moves, and He appreciates what we can be by His grace. 04:50 But yes, the earth was good and glorious, in its Godly grandeur 04:56 Clear springs gurgled, animals in harmony with each other 05:02 made their dens and nests. The skies were ever clear, 05:06 a mist covered the earth at dawn, singing birds, 05:10 dancing butterflies, most importantly to us, 05:14 God had said in Genesis chapter one and verse 26... 05:45 Can you imagine what perfect people look like? 05:47 Neither can I. 05:49 But we've never seen true physical perfection, 05:53 every angle and joint ratio a testimony to the beauty 05:58 of their creator. Yet beyond the physical beauty of this 06:03 first couple, consider their spiritual beauty. 06:06 They were not only without sin but also without the tendency 06:10 towards sin. 06:11 They were upright, not stooped or marred in character 06:15 they carried not the baggage of sinful parents 06:19 for God was their Father, they were Godly, they were holy. 06:24 But here's a term, they were righteous, yes, they were. 06:30 Righteous, righteous, what exactly does that mean? 06:34 We talk about it all the time righteous this and 06:37 righteous that. You know the Hebrew word for it is 06:41 Tzaddiq, and it is by definition a state of Godliness, 06:46 ethical rightness, truthfulness, justice, 06:49 for more on these meanings, a young lady named Lisa Marsh, 06:53 gave an amazing talk, you should check her out. 06:56 So, how did they acquire this Godliness? 06:59 Were they deserving of it? Did they earn it? 07:02 Was it because they've been formed from righteous dirt? 07:07 No, it was a gift. It was a consequence 07:12 of their being created in the image of a righteous God. 07:16 The first man, Adam, contributed nothing to his on formation. 07:21 He wasn't firstly created from the waist up, after which he 07:25 sat forward and took over and fashioned his own legs 07:28 and feet. The first woman, Eve did not choose the rib from 07:32 her husband, which God then would incorporate into her form. 07:36 Rather, the Bible states in Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7 07:39 And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the of the 07:44 and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life 07:48 and man became a living soul. 07:52 The characteristics of our righteous God were given to them 07:57 by God, they couldn't have worked for it, 08:00 they didn't earn it. 08:02 Now, read what the Bible states about this first perfect couple 08:08 in Genesis chapter two and verse 25, it says... 08:21 Many times, we focus on the nudity implied here 08:26 but while no, they weren't wearing any garments 08:29 made of hands anyway, it's more fascinating that they were not 08:34 ashamed. They felt no shame. The Hebrew word here is 08:39 pronounced bosh, and here are some synonyms for that. 08:43 They were not dejected; they were not disappointed, 08:47 they were not anxious, they were not confounded, 08:51 but look at this use of shame. 08:55 Bosh, which can be found in Psalms chapter 34, 08:59 verses 4 and 5, and it shows up in the New International Version. 09:05 I'm going to read from there, look, it says... 09:07 I sought the Lord, and He answered me, he delivered me 09:13 from all my fears, verse five. Those who look to Him are 09:18 radiant; their faces are never bosh, covered with shame. 09:26 Adam and Eve were not covered with shame, they were radiant. 09:33 In Exodus 34 verse 35 it says that after communicating with 09:38 God, Moses' face was shining, it was radiant, so Adam and Eve 09:44 may have worn no fabric but they also wore no shame, 09:51 they were radiant. 09:53 This is a consequence of being righteous by the hand of God 09:57 naked, but not only because they wore no clothes 10:01 naked because they wore no shame, they were comfortable 10:06 as they were in the presence of the Lord. 10:10 I was talking to my dad and he reminded me of how my son 10:14 Carson used to run around the house without clothes on 10:18 when he was a toddler, he couldn't see the need 10:21 for clothing because he was comfortable as he was 10:25 in the presence of his father. 10:28 The same applied to Adam and Eve, they had no shame, 10:32 they were righteous. You know righteousness is a 10:37 spiritual form of clothing, it is. Look what is says 10:41 in Psalm 132, verse nine. It says...Look at this... 10:51 So, to have been perfect and naked meant to be without 10:57 shameful covering yet having radiance and a 11:00 righteous covering. 11:02 Okay, back to Genesis, but now Genesis chapter three, 11:08 now I'm going to begin in verse three. It says... 12:07 God had commanded the couple to stay away from the fruit 12:12 of a specific tree. This tree that they called the Knowledge 12:17 of Good and Evil, it makes sense they'd known good 12:21 for they'd been made good but if they'd disobeyed 12:24 God and ate of this tree they would also know evil. 12:27 Now, according to the text both Adam and Eve 12:31 disobeyed God and ate of the tree and the effect 12:35 was immediate, it says that their eyes were opened 12:42 just as the serpent had promised in verse five. 12:45 But there was another effect, they knew they were naked. 12:51 Now let's break that down, the opening of their eyes 12:55 was their new knowledge of evil and then there is a conjunction 13:00 and they knew from the Hebrew root "yada," 13:04 it means known, it was clearly understood to have acknowledged, 13:10 they detected that they were naked. 13:13 Something had changed in their state of being. 13:16 The righteousness and the radiance were gone 13:19 yet they had put on shame, shame is a robe, very thick 13:27 and heavy, yet it leaves the wearer cold and exposed. 13:32 Have you worn the heavy, itchy but exposed robe of shame? 13:37 When you walk through your life, do you feel like you are 13:42 naked to everyone? Are you no longer comfortable 13:46 the way you are before your father, even though He has 13:51 seen you at your worst and your best. 13:54 Nobody likes to feel that way, it's awful to feel that way 13:58 Adam and Eve felt this way, they were dirty, 14:01 they were dimmed, disgusting, they were experiencing the 14:05 painful transition from a Godly nature to a sinful nature 14:10 and you know what? Something had to be done. 14:13 They needed a solution; they need a fix, so in verse seven 14:17 it says, they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. 14:21 Now, this may seem like a simple, even naive attempt to 14:26 cover up much in the way we shield ourselves with our arms 14:30 if we are accidentally exposed in public. But remember 14:34 it wasn't just bared skin and diminished radiance, 14:39 it was the robe of shame, the loss of belonging, 14:43 the complete out-thereness of their sin. 14:47 You ever committed a shameful act, and everybody knew about it? 14:51 This is what they attempted to cover with the leaves, 14:56 but, where did the leaves come from? 15:01 Yes, I know the garden, creation but why the fig leaves? 15:07 Why not? I don't know, hide in the lake or 15:10 hide behind a rock. 15:11 Or smear on some mud, and the answer is there in plain sight. 15:17 Look at Genesis chapter two we're going to read verse 15 15:30 God had given Adam a job to keep the garden, 15:34 it was his work by seeking a covering Adam and Eve 15:41 were trying to restore their righteousness but, 15:44 by choosing the fig leaves, they sought righteousness 15:48 by their works. 15:50 They were trying to restore themselves via their efforts, 15:56 via their labors, trying to work themselves back into restoration 16:00 with God. But it wasn't enough, when God called, they still hid. 16:06 Our own efforts to cover our sin are never enough 16:11 we cannot be saved by our works. 16:13 Look what Paul states in Ephesians chapter two 16:17 and verse eight. It says... 16:29 You can't earn it even if we worked for eternity friends 16:36 we could not earn our way back into righteousness, 16:39 righteousness by works does not work. 16:44 All it does is create a vicious cycle where we work 16:49 and it isn't enough, and we work and it still isn't enough, 16:53 it's never enough and then we despair, and then we give up. 16:58 I imagine when the fig leaves didn't work, Adam might have 17:03 tried lilies, oh no, tree bark, then vines, 17:07 with none of his efforts... Ahh, I'm just talking... 17:10 None of those would have been enough 17:13 but God did not let it get that far, He didn't let him fall 17:19 into that cycle, look what God does in Genesis chapter three 17:23 and verse 21. It says... 17:25 Coats of skins, God made a sacrifice, God killed a lamb 17:44 to cover them, righteousness could not be restored by works 17:50 it required a sacrifice. 17:54 A gift through faith in the Creator who would provide, 17:58 they didn't earn righteousness in the beginning 18:02 and they couldn't earn it back now. 18:04 It was a gift before, and thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus 18:10 it's a gift now, but this rankles a bit, huh? 18:15 Because we as humans have an infinity for stories of 18:21 hard work, blood, sweat, tears, our legends, our history are all 18:24 riddled with tales of effort and toil we like to beat the odds 18:29 with no help at all, hmm, the eye of the tiger, huh. 18:32 Think of the story of the 300 soldiers at Thermopylae, huh, 18:36 facing the odds with courage, think of the legend 18:39 of John Henry, who beat a steam engine with his might. 18:42 Makta, who leads her Sioux tribe into battle, we love it, 18:48 we eat it up, but when it comes to our salvation, 18:51 overcoming our desire to earn it can be the greatest challenge 18:57 of all, can't earn it. 19:00 But don't be dismayed, friends, this is actually the best news 19:05 that we could receive, and here is why. 19:09 Luke tells us why in Luke chapter 23, 19:13 this is not a story of personal might and strength, 19:17 this is a story of helplessness and faith. 19:20 Let's read verse 33... 19:35 Jesus is suspended upon the cross because He's dying 19:41 for the sins of this world, He is clothed in shame 19:46 for transgression that He did not commit. 19:49 Take a moment and see Him there. 19:52 The stripes from His beating are weeping, 19:56 the thorny crown has lodged itself into his skull, 20:00 the nails tear at his ligaments, and all of creation is watching 20:05 withheld breath as the promise alluded to the garden 20:10 when God sacrificed a lamb to cover His children is 20:13 fulfilled but to His right and His left there are two thieves. 20:19 Men who have worked hard to earn their place 20:23 on their crosses, and they too are dying, though they 20:27 have not endured the physical assault which Christ has endured. 20:31 Verse 39... 20:53 Verse 42... 21:23 One thief tempts Christ, just as Satan did in the wilderness, 21:29 about three years earlier, when He said, if thou be the Son 21:33 of God, do something to prove it, and in this case 21:35 save yourself and by your works save us Jesus 21:37 could have done it. 21:42 He could have called ten legions of angels to destroy everything 21:46 and set Him free. But then there was the other thief 21:51 who, for once in his life, was completely helpless. 21:55 His arms and legs were bound, his hope for escape was gone, 22:00 he couldn't fight; he couldn't work to save himself, 22:05 in fact, I wonder how the following exchange 22:09 would have gone had the man felt he still had any power 22:13 at all realizing his helplessness. 22:17 Could you see yourself? in the gospel? 22:18 Realizing his helplessness he makes a leap of faith, 22:23 he seeks righteousness in Jesus, not by his works, 22:27 but by faith, Lord, remember me. 22:30 I can't earn it, I don't deserve it, I lean completely 22:35 on you to save me, Father, and Jesus saves him. 22:42 You know what this shows us? It shows us that if you've 22:46 noticed your efforts to save yourself, I've been fruitless, 22:50 if you feel helpless and powerless, shamed, and hurt, 22:54 if you feel your arms and legs have been pinned and 22:57 you can't fight anymore, no eye of the tiger, 23:00 just eyes filled with tears, then be of good cheer 23:04 my friend. You're in the perfect position of self-realization 23:09 to stop working and let faith in Jesus, restore your 23:13 righteousness. That's the news. 23:17 Not just that we can do nothing to earn salvation 23:20 but that through faith in Jesus, we don't have to. 23:24 Might have righteousness by faith, we may have it, 23:30 oh, thank you, Lord, for saving us, thank you God, 23:36 for lifting us, thank you for removing the robe of shame 23:42 and giving us a robe of righteousness. 23:50 One of the hardest things about being a pastor and in some 23:58 of the other professions, many of you encounter this, too 24:03 is having to minister to people who are really, really grieving. 24:12 Going to hospitals where family members are about to be 24:19 unplugged as it were... 24:22 Some of you have been family around the bedsides of people 24:27 when they were unplugged as it were. 24:31 Some of you have been in the ministry position, a nurse, 24:35 a doctor, an elder, a deacon, a pastor, or a friend, 24:40 when this unplugging takes place. 24:43 You hate to get that call, you do. 24:48 I got to tell you, I have really experienced some mighty things 24:53 from my time at the bedside as I was watching someone 24:59 fall asleep until Jesus came. 25:02 But I think about this one, the call came in, 25:08 pastor, we are unplugging this brother, will you go 25:16 and be with the family? I said, of course. 25:21 You go to places like this, it's nice to have 25:26 your wife with you, spouse, to pray together, 25:30 together present a front of ministry to the grieving family. 25:36 We went, we were there and I go in and a gentleman 25:44 is lying there, and the family is around and you know, 25:49 you take a little time to know the person, 25:51 you walk up there, that's how I was taught, 25:54 you take their hand and you talk to them, you talk to them 25:59 as though they can hear you because you know what? 26:02 Many, many times, they can, and then I may pull a 26:07 family member aside, and I say hey, how are you doing? 26:10 God be with you. Read some texts and I asked 26:14 what was this person like? 26:16 I did that here, and the response was he was terrible. 26:21 This was a rough brother right here. 26:24 Oh, if I could tell you the things, ha ha ha, 26:29 and you know, it's uncomfortable when that happens. 26:34 Sometimes it does, and I was being told this and 26:38 the person said if only they could have given their life 26:43 to Christ before this. 26:47 In this particular case, I went up to the bed 26:51 and I took the man's hand and I said Hey brother, 26:56 I always say this. 26:57 Sorry, we got to meet like this, I'm Pastor Johnson 27:01 and I just want to know, after everything you've 27:04 been through, do you want to give your life to Christ? 27:09 If you do, just go ahead and squeeze my hand. 27:13 I asked this brother this two times, first time nothing, 27:18 second time, I felt the squeeze and his significant 27:23 other saw the squeeze and a little bit later 27:27 he fell asleep in Jesus. But, I looked at his significant 27:32 other and she is looking at me with eyes that ask 27:37 was it enough? 27:38 Oh, in faith, it was enough. 27:43 Saved by grace. 27:45 Father in heaven, save us, in thy name we pray. 27:49 Amen! God be with you. 27:52 And be Encouraged. |
Revised 2025-10-14