Grace Bible Church
Basic Training in Doctrine
Guest Speaker: Pastor Joe Sugrue
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Jesus is going to indict religion on three counts:
a) Murder; b) antagonism toward doctrine; c) deceit.
“does not stand” – perfect tense, which means the doctrine was there for him in eternity past and he stepped out of it and he continues to do so.
The children of the devil cannot understand the truth, cannot accept the truth, and therefore they, too, must set up a satanic system – and they do, in religion.
And compatible with his own vocabulary, his academic structure, and everything else he knows in life, he is going to fall into some system of religion.
Don’t forget that your role as an ambassador for Christ is to relay the truth and leave the convicting up to God the Holy Spirit.
Christ honors the Father by submitting in humility to His plan and not with mere words. We are to follow Him in like fashion
Phil 2:5
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
Phil 2:8
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Phil 2:9
Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
The humanity of Christ is also to be honored because of the honor and authority given to Him by the Father.
John 5:22-23
“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
Those who reject the plan of God can only honor themselves.
Matt 23:6
And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
Christ’s glory was mainly veiled to those who saw Him during the first Advent. He revealed the word of God to those who would hear it and many became born again.
John 17:5
“And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.
The glory bestowed to the humanity of Christ was reward for His humility and obedience to the point of death.
Because of this selfless thinking of amazing grace for the redemption of mankind God bestowed upon Him a glory rightly given to His humanity.
To those who have His mind through regeneration and PVTD the very glory of Christ’s humanity is transferred.
John 17:22
“And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one;
John 17:24
“Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me; for Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world.
John 17:1
Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee,
Christ did not seek for the glory as if in selfish ambition, but He asked for it so that the glory bestowed upon His humanity would shed back upon the Father’s character.
The difference between seeking glory and asking for God’s glory in humility is subtle but profound. Seeking glory through personal promotion will only fuel approbation lust.
1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
Do not seek your own glory, but pray for God’s glory that was given to the humanity of Christ to become a reality in your heart.
1. Christ possessed the indwelling of the Father and the Father wrought His power through Him.
2. Christ endured the ultimate in suffering under the severest tests.
So far from being overcome, He rose out of each successive test, having set forth in perfect beauty the appropriate grace which it demanded, and absorbed the whole force of the trial with which He was confronted.
3. He gave gifts to men. Believers in the CA are in union with Christ and His glory is given to them.
When you can give so much and not be inflated with pride because you are so thankful to know that those gifts have been bestowed through Christ then you are becoming a joyful giver.
Christ gave His life so that the kingdom would be opened to all men – that all sons of Adam could be set free in a life that is death-proof, sin-proof, and devil-proof.
Christ gave His life so that the Spirit could be poured into and filling every heart.
4. Christ was given a name above every name and seated at the right hand of the Father, above all rule and authority.