Chapter 95

 

The One Issue between God and Man

 

ÒAnd there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.Ó (Luke 14:25-35)

 

Everywhere I go in the United States and abroad I meet with men and women who see the withered, lifeless condition of the church. They know that something is wrong, both with themselves and with the church. And they are looking for something. They know that something is missing in their own religious experience and in the church, but do not know what it is. The fact is they have never been confronted with the one issue between God and man. The preachers they hear and the churches they attend do not even know what that one issue is. Do you?

 

The issue between you and God is not what you do or do not do. Do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that it does not matter how you live. It matters a great deal. God has told us how to live in this world. And we are responsible to obey Him. But I am saying the issue between you and God is not what you do. There are a great many people in hell today who lived much better lives than either you or me. The rich young ruler and the Pharisees stand as indisputable examples of that fact (Matthew 5:20).

 

The issue between you and God is not what you have felt, experienced, and done in the spiritual realm. We hear much talk these days about the baptism of the Holy Ghost, speaking in tongues, miracles, and sheer emotionalism as evidences of GodÕs blessings and the absence of these things as an evidence of His disapproval and wrath. But that is not the case at all. In the Day of Judgment many will be damned who felt more, experienced more, and did more in what we call the spiritual realm than you or me (Matthew 7:22-23).

 

And the issue between you and God is not what, or how much you know and believe about the Person and work of Christ. Again, let me be understood. Doctrinal truth, Gospel knowledge is vital. You must know and believe the doctrine of the Gospel. But accurate, factual, orthodox knowledge is not salvation. A person can believe the truth about Christ and not be saved. A man can believe the doctrine of the Gospel and yet be lost. Judas Iscariot, Demas, and Diotrephes stand as glaring beacons to warn us of the fact that the issue between God and man is not what you believe.

 

The Lordship of Christ

 

The issue between God and man is the Lordship of Christ. The issue between God and man is, who is going to be boss? Who is going to rule? Christ or you? Rolfe Barnard told a story about a young preacher he met who started a church with nine families. In a short while the congregation grew in number and caused the city where they lived to sit up and take notice. That church, Barnard said, was ÒA fellowship of men and women who lived in the power of the resurrection life of the risen Lord.Ó When Barnard asked him the secret to his ministry, the young preacher said, ÒBro. Barnard, there isnÕt but one message to be preached, and that is GodÕs eternal purpose in Jesus Christ, that on the basis of His life laid down God has purposed to set up His totalitarian rule in the hearts of men.Ó

 

            What a message! If it ever penetrates our hearts, the people around us will sit up and take notice. God almighty has made Christ Lord of all things (John 17:2; Romans 14:9; Hebrews 10:10-14; Philippians 2:5-11); and He is determined to put all things under His feet, in particular to bring you and me to bow to the rule of his Son.

 

            The one issue between God and man is the absolute Lordship of Christ. It always has been and always will be. The issue is not whether you want to go to heaven or to hell when you die. Everybody wants to go to heaven. The issue is not do you want to have peace, or do you want to live in turmoil. Everybody wants to live in peace. The issue between you and God is His Son. Will you, or will you not bow to the claims of Christ, your sovereign Lord? Everyone is going to bow, either willingly or unwillingly, either now or at the judgment seat. If you willingly bow to Christ now, that is salvation. But bow you will to Jesus Christ the Lord. God has purposed it. And God will do it. Even if he sends you to hell, God is going to put you in subjection to his Son (Isaiah 9:6-7; Ps. 110:1). This has always been the issue.

 

In the Garden

 

This was the issue in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15-17). The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, whatever it was, was the symbol of GodÕs dominion, His rule, His authority. When Adam ate of the fruit of that tree, he was saying, ÒGod has no right to be God. I will not have Him to rule over me, even if I suffer His wrath forever.Ó Remember, ÒAdam was not deceivedÓ (1 Timothy 2:14). He knew exactly what he was doing in his rebellion; and you do too.

 

            Your problem is not that you are ignorant, or deceived. You know your depravity, your guilt, your sinfulness. You know who God is and what God requires (righteousness and satisfaction). And you know what Christ has done for sinners. Your problem is that you will not have Christ to reign over you.

 

At Calvary

 

This was the issue at Calvary. That mob of rebels did not crucify the Lord of Glory because they did not believe His words, but because they would not submit to His rule on His terms. They wanted to take Jesus and make Him king on their terms, a king whom they controlled (John 6:14-15). But they would not bow to His dominion and be ruled by Him. They said, ÒWe will not have this man to reign over usÓ (Luke 19:14).

 

Today

 

This is still the issue today. This is the issue with men, with preachers, and in churches. — Does God have the right to be God and does He exercise that right? Does God have the right to sit on His throne and do whatsoever He will? The Bible says he does. Does God exercise that right? The Bible says he does (Psalms 115:3; 135:6).

 

            God almighty will not abdicate his throne. He will not step down. He will not quit announcing His commands, pressing His claims and meddling with our lives. God demands that we surrender, that we give ourselves up to the rule of Christ His Son. Saving faith is nothing less than surrender to Christ the Lord. If I would be saved, I must lose my life to Christ (Mark 8:34-35): not my heart, not my soul, not my mind, not one day in seven, not a tithe, not a little time each morning and evening, but my life! Christ will not have me unless he has all of me. And He will not have you unless He has all of you (Luke 14:33).

 

            C. H. Spurgeon said, ÒNo man has truly given himself to Christ unless he has said, ÔMy Lord, I give Thee this day my body, my soul, my powers, my talents, my goods, my house, my children, and all that I have. Henceforth, I hold them at Thy will, as a steward under Thee. Thine they are. As for me, I have nothing. I have surrendered all to Thee!ÕÓ

 

            If we want to understand the mess we are in now, we have to understand how we got in this mess. It all began in the Garden of Eden. When Adam, with his eyes fully open, ate the forbidden fruit, two things happened. First, GodÕs throne was threatened by his creature. If Adam had won, had he gotten his way, God would have been out of business. God would have ceased to rule the world. And if the sons of Adam had their way today, God would cease to rule. But that cannot be. God will never give up his dominion.

 

            Second, man lost his wholeness. The Scriptures speak of the Ònatural man.Ó That is man in his fallen condition. The natural man is out of kilter. He is depraved, beside himself. He must be brought to himself, or he will never be reconciled to God. As the insane prodigal had to return to the rule of his fatherÕs house before he could enjoy the peace of his fatherÕs house, so we must return to the rule of God, we must bow to the dominion of Christ, before we can be made whole. The throne rights of King Jesus have to be settled and acknowledged in our hearts.

 

            Barnard said, ÒManÕs wholeness was lost in Eden. Man was made to be governed. And thereÕs never been any government placed on anybodyÕs shoulders, except Jesus ChristÕs! ÔThe government shall be upon his shoulderÕ (Isaiah 9:6). This whole outfit has been turned over to him. Nobody now has the right to make the decisions except Christ.Ó If ever we come to know Christ the Lord, we will surrender everything to his dominion.

 

Christ Must Reign

 

One of these days God is going to accomplish His purpose. It is written of the Lord Jesus, ÒHe must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feetÓ (1 Corinthians 15:25). Sooner or later, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:8-11). That is the FatherÕs decree (Psalm 110). That is what the Father promised the Son in the covenant (Psalm 2:8). That is the reward of our SaviorÕs obedience (John 17:1-2; Romans 14:9). That is the end for which all things were made (Revelation 4) and shall be the everlasting delight of His saints (Revelation 5). Therefore, ÒHe must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet!Ó

 

            The one issue between God and man is the dominion of Christ. Who is going to be boss? Man was made to be governed. An ungoverned man is an incomplete man. The only way man can be made complete is by being ruled. The personality of manhood was designed for something greater than a self-centered animal existence. Man was not made to be alone, to live unto himself, but to be lost in the purpose of God. We were made to serve God! Only in His service can we find perfect freedom. Sin is slavery. Rebellion is bondage. To be free, we must be brought under the yoke and dominion of the Son of God. Salvation is nothing less than the restoration of GodÕs throne in the heart of man.

 

Our Threefold Message

 

If the one issue between God and man is the rule and dominion of Christ as Lord, what must our message to man be? Every Gospel preacher is an ambassador of the King of heaven and earth. God has sent each with a message to proclaim to rebels throughout His kingdom. And that message is threefold.

 

            First, God sends His servants to declare that Jesus Christ, His Son, is the Lord and King of the universe (2 Corinthians 4:5; Acts 2:36-38). The message of the gospel is not a proposal, a plan, or a proposition, but a Person, Jesus Christ the Lord. God has not sent me to define and defend a doctrine, but to proclaim a Person. To preach the gospel is to preach Him for whom, through whom, and in whom God has purposed to fulfill all things.

 

            The message which the Apostles preached, by which they turned the world upside down was the Lordship of Christ (Acts 2:36). They went everywhere preaching Jesus and the resurrection[1]. The whole creation shall soon be brought in subjection to His throne. God is going to redeem this world. He is going to restore everything to the rule of Christ (Ephesians 1:10). The Gospel is the story of how that God has put all his purposes in Christ. It is as broad as Christ and as narrow as Christ. It shuts the door of hope everywhere, except in Christ. In Christ alone the door is open. He is the Door.

 

            The issue of the hour is manÕs rebellion to GodÕs throne. And the message of the Gospel is Christ Jesus the Lord, the person in whom God has established and will establish His dominion over His creatures. To be saved is to be in agreement with GodÕs purpose. To be lost is to be in rebellion to GodÕs purpose. To be reconciled to God is to be reconciled to His revelation, to His righteousness, to His redemption, and to His rule.

 

            Second, the message of the gospel is a word of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). To be saved is to be converted to the rule of God in Christ. To be saved is to be reconciled to the rule of God in Christ. Salvation is the free consent of my heart to the sovereign throne of almighty God. Sin is much more than an act. It is a condition, a condition of rebellion against the sovereign rule of Christ. And salvation is much more than an act. It is a condition, a condition of reconciliation to the sovereign dominion of God in Christ. The message of reconciliation is redemption fully accomplished by Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). The condition of reconciliation is surrender, unconditional surrender to the rule of Christ. That is what faith is. Faith believes the record God has given of His Son. And faith acts upon that belief. Faith is belief in action. Salvation is conversion to God. It is the life-long pursuit of God, His will, and His glory.

 

            Third, the message of the Gospel is a message of GodÕs rule restored. I know that God rules everywhere and in all things now. He always has and always will. But one of these days, God is going to put down all rebellion and bring everything in captivity to the rule of Christ (Revelation 19:1-6).

 

Two Kinds of Faith

 

There are two kinds of faith. There is a faith that centers in me, and what I can get from God. And there is a faith that centers in God and His glory. If my faith is primarily concerned with me, and what I want, then the object of my faith is me. I really worship myself. If my faith is primarily concerned with God and his glory, then God is the Object of my faith. I worship Him. Martin Luther once defined salvation as Òthe realization of GodÕs will and purpose, whatever it might be, rather than the satisfaction of human need.Ó He saw that true faith is not seeking something from God, but bowing to the rule of God. Calvin said, ÒTrue faith is having confidence in God, regardless of profit or loss.Ó It is the heartÕs willing affirmation of GodÕs right to be God. This is the one issue between God and man. That is exactly what our Lord Jesus Christ asserts in Luke 14:26-33.

 

ÒIf any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.Ó

 

            If we would have Christ, we must surrender all to Him. Christianity, true Christianity, true saving faith involves a total surrender to Christ the Lord. Either you will be a servant under the dominion of King Jesus, voluntarily giving up all to His claims, or you will go to hell. You may not have to give up anything in actuality. But surrender to Christ must be just as real and complete in your heart as if you had actually given up everything, even down to life itself. Our Lord Jesus Christ requires total and unreserved surrender to himself. Christ will be Lord of all, or he will not be Lord at all. Is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, your Lord? Is he truly your Lord?

 

            That is the one issue between God and man.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don Fortner

 

 

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[1] In the Book of Acts the words Òpreachpreaching,Ó and ÒpreachedÓ are used 37 times. In every place where those words are found the subject preached was Christ the Lord.