Sermon
#1386[1]
Title: “Tell Me the Story of Jesus”
Text: John 1:1-14
Subject: The Gospel Story of
Redemption by Christ
Date: Sunday Morning -
Tape V-61b
Introduction:
Many
of the hymns we sing were written by Fanny
Crosby. Two of those hymns express desires that ought to arise in our
hearts every time we have the privilege of meeting with one another in public
worship to hear the Word of God.
Pass me not, O
gentle Savior,
Hear my humble
cry!
While on
others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me
by.
Let that be our prayer every time we meet together
in this place. And let this be the desire of every heart:
“Tell me the
story of Jesus,
Write on my
heart every word.
Tell me the
story most precious,
Sweetest that
ever was heard.”
That is what I have come
here to do today. I am thankful that, in his good providence, the Lord God has
given us this season of the year. At least today, everyone in the world is
forced to acknowledge the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came
into this world. While our minds are naturally turned to the fact of our
Savior’s incarnation, I want, by the assistance of God the Holy Spirit, once
more, to tell you the old, old story. It is told throughout the Word of God and
given in brief summaries in many passages. I want us to read John 1:1-14 together.
1
In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2
The same was in the beginning with
God.
3
All things were made by him; and without
him was not any thing made that was made.
4
4 In him was life; and
the life was the light of men.
5
And the light shineth in darkness;
and the darkness comprehended it not.
6
There was a man sent from God, whose
name was John.
7
The same came for a witness, to bear
witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9
That was the true Light, which lighteth every
man that cometh into the world.
10
He was in the world, and the world
was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11
He came unto his own, and his own
received him not.
12
But as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on his name:
13
Which were born, not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14
And the Word was made flesh, and
dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of
the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1 (AV)
As a gospel preacher, this is my great desire.
I want, every time I preach, to tell the same story over and over, again and
again. In fact, I am determined to do so. This is my message. I have no other
(1 Cor. 2:2). Wherever I go, to whomsoever I preach may preach, this is my
responsibility and delight. I never tire of telling the story of Jesus Christ
and his love (Phil. 3:1). I never tire of preaching Christ to you; and I hope
you never tire of hearing him preached. Indeed,
I know that...
If you are a believer, if you know and love
the Lord Jesus Christ, if you have seen in his blessed face the very glory of
God, you never tire of hearing him preached.
“I love to
tell the story, for those who know it best
Seem hungering
and thirsting to hear it like the rest.”
Christ is all to you. You never tire of hearing
about the one you love. You never get tired of looking at pictures of one you
love. You never get tired of hearing someone talk about the one you love.
Our sons and daughters, and you who are yet
lost, need to hear this story often. It may be that God will be pleased to
bless it to your hearts, granting you life and faith in his dear Son. What a
blessing that would be! I know this: If
God is pleased to save you, if he is pleased to give you life and faith in
Christ, it will be by the hearing of this story (1 Pet.
Those of you who are in your sunset years
still need to hear this glorious old, old story often. We need comfort; and
nothing can comfort like Christ crucified. We need strength; and nothing can
strengthen our souls like the grace of God in Christ. We need assurance; and
nothing gives assurance like the person and work of our Redeemer. These cold
hearts need reviving; and nothing revives them like the love of Christ for our
souls.
I have been preaching the
gospel for thirty-three years now. But I never look for something new to
preach. I have preached in almost every English speaking county in the world,
and in some that are not, as well as the length and breadth of this country. I
have preached to a lot of people, in a lot of places, in prisons and parlors,
in hospitals and hotels, in houses and horse stables, in cow pastures, in
tents, in school houses, and in churches, large and small. I have even preached
in parking lots, street corners, and store fronts, to rich people and poor
people, to highly educated people and totally illiterate people, to the upper crust and to the plain old crusty. I have preached to a lot of
people in a lot of places. But I never look for something new to preach. My
concern, when I sit down to prepare a message is to “know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified.” I
leave the complicated, moral, social, political, philosophical, and theological
issues that trouble the minds of some men to those who enjoy such trivia. “As for me and my house,” the house in
which I am the father, and the house in which I am the pastor, “we will serve the Lord.”
·
We will worship God in the Spirit.
·
We will rejoice in Christ Jesus.
·
And we will have no confidence in the flesh.
We will employ nothing but gospel preaching for the building of God’s church and kingdom.
I make this solemn pledge to you: As
often as we come together in this place, no matter where we open this Book, no
matter what the reason for our gathering is (Worship Services, Weddings, Funerals),
I will tell you the story of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Proposition: The message of this Book
is Jesus Christ and him crucified. The story of
redemption, grace, and salvation is the story of Jesus and his love.
Illustration: Acts 13 summarizes the whole
history of the Bible as the story of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
As I
tell you this story again, I will give it to you in six parts, or under six points.
The plot for this story was drawn up in the
council chambers of almighty God before the world began. The story begins in
the covenant of grace made between God the Father, God the son, and God the
Holy Spirit before the beginning of time.
A. The
Determination of God
“I will be gracious...” (Ex. 33:19). What a blessed
determination that was! Once the determination was made, an election was made
(Eph. 1:3-6).
We
know that God does not and did not do these things in a sequential order. He is
Go, before whom time is nothing! But to accommodate our puny, finite brains, such
language is used. We cannot comprehend the fact that God’s everlasting love,
determination to save, election, and predestination were and are instant,
immanent, eternal acts of the Almighty!
B. The
Dilemma of Grace
As
the Lord God planned and purposed our redemption, our fall in our father Adam
was anticipated and planned by him, for “all
things are of God.” And that fall presented the Almighty with a dilemma.
How can God be just and yet justify the ungodly?
Illustration: Darius’ Dilemma (Dan.
C. The
Deliverance Found
In the covenant of grace, the Lord Jesus
Christ stood as our Surety and Substitute. And God the Father trusted him with
all his glory and all his elect.
·
Job 33:24
·
John 6:37-40
·
Ephesians 1:12-13
24 Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the
pit: I have found a ransom. Job 33 (AV)
37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I
will in no wise cast out. 38
For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the
will of him that sent me. 39
And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all
which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at
the last day. 40 And
this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and
believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the
last day. John 6 (AV)
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye
were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Ephesians 1 (AV)
Illustrations: Judah - Surety
for Benjamin
Sheep Given to the Shepherd (John
Genesis 43:
8-9 -- And Judah said unto
Actually,
when the covenant of grace was made, once it was established, the whole story
of redemption was finished, written out in a book, and sealed (Rev. 5 and 10).
When the story began, it was concluded, in so far as the mind and purpose of
God is concerned.
·
Romans 8:28-30
·
Ephesians 1:3
·
2 Timothy 1:9
The
whole plot of the story was unalterably fixed from the beginning. No changes
shall ever be made in the story.
1. Who will be saved? God’s
elect!
2. How will they be saved? By
the obedience of Christ!
3. What will secure the
salvation of every chosen, redeemed sinner? The sovereign rule of Christ (John
17:2).
II. THE
INTRODUCTION
The
entire Old Testament is the introduction to this story of redemption by Christ.
When Paul tells us that “Christ died for
our sins according to the Scriptures,” he is talking about the Old
Testament Scriptures (John
Illustrations: Peter - Acts 2
·
Genesis – Malachi – A Redeemer is
coming!
·
Matthew – John – The Redeemer Has
Come!
·
Acts – Revelation – The Redeemer
is coming again!
Genesis - The Woman’s Seed Exodus - The Passover Lamb
Leviticus - The Atoning Sacrifice Numbers
- The Smitten Rick
Deuteronomy - The Prophet Joshua - The Captain of Our Salvation
Judges - The Mighty Deliverer Ruth - Our Kinsman Redeemer
Kings - The King of Peace and of Righteousness Nehemiah - The Restorer of All Things
Esther - Our Great Advocate Job - The Daysman
Psalms - Our Song Proverbs - Wisdom
Ecclesiastes -The Teacher of Wisdom The Song of Solomon - Our Beloved
The Prophets - The Coming Messiah The Gospels - The God-man
Acts - The Exalted Lord and King The Epistles - The Head of the Church
Hebrews - Our Great High Priest Revelation
- The Worthy Lamb
This is what I want you to see: All the Scriptures speak of Christ (Luke 24:24, 45-47). Every
law in
·
The Skins for Adam and Eve
·
The
·
The Mercy-Seat
·
The Rock in the Wilderness
·
The Manna
Everything
in the Old Testament speaks of Christ. His
blood of atonement is the scarlet cord that runs through the pages of the
Inspired Volume and binds it all together.
The
plot of the story was laid in the covenant of grace. The introduction was given
in the Old Testament.
The
body of redemption’s story was written in the incarnation, life, and obedience
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
·
Galatians 4:4-5
·
Philippians 2:5-8
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a
woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem
them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Galatians 4 (AV)
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not
robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made
in the likeness of men: 8 And being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Philippians 2 (AV)
A. When did
he come?
“In the fulness of time.”
B. Who sent
him?
“God sent forth his Son.”
C. How did he
come?
“Made of a woman.”
“Made under the
law.”
D. Why did he
come?
“To redeem
them that were under the law.”
E. What is
the result of his coming?
“That we might receive the adoption of sons.”
The climax of the story was the death which
our Lord accomplished at
·
Luke 9:31
·
John 12:31-32
31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish
at
31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be
cast out. 32 And
I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. John 12 (AV)
A. “Now is the judgment of this world.”
The word “judgment” might be translated three
ways.
B. “Now shall the prince of this world be cast
out.”
As the death of Christ was
the salvation of his people, so the death of Christ was the binding of Satan,
the breaking of his power and dominion over the nations of the world.
·
Colossians 2:15
·
Revelation 20:1-3
C. “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,
will draw all men unto me.”
Here
the efficacy of our Lord’s atonement is declared. By the power of his blood
applied to the hearts of chosen sinners, by the almighty grace of his Holy
Spirit, the Son of God draws all men unto himself, irresistibly! Not
all men Without Exception, but all men Without Qualification!
·
All Kinds of Men!
·
All Races of Men!
·
All Elect Men!
This
is the climax of redemption’s story. “In due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:8).
·
1 Peter 2:21-25
V. THE
CONCLUSION
The gospel is “good news,” the good news of
redemption accomplished. The gospel is “God’s story,” God’s story of redemption
and grace through his dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is the conclusion
of the story. It has three parts.
A. The
Resurrection of Christ
On the third day after his death the Son of
God arose from the grave. He came forth triumphant over death, hell, and the
grave. Thus he was “justified in the
Spirit.”
1. Our Lord arose to die no
more.
2. He arose to declare our justification
accomplished (Rom.
B. The
Rule of Christ
Having
accomplished redemption for us, the Son of God ascended up into glory and sat
down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, and now rules all things in
absolute sovereignty (John 17:2).
1. His work of redemption is
finished (Rom.
2. His rule is total.
3. His Intercession is
Effectual.
C. The
Return of Christ
Soon the
Lord Jesus Christ shall appear in the brightness of his glory to consummate his
redemptive purpose (1 Thes.
1. The Lord himself shall
appear.
2. The dead in Christ shall
rise first.
3. We shall be caught up in the
clouds to meet the lord in the air.
4. The world and all the wicked
shall be destroyed, consumed with the brightness of his glory
5. Christ shall make all things
new.
6. He shall come to the earth
with ten thousands of his saints.
7. “Then cometh the end” (I Cor.
This
will be our Lord’s final act of obedience to the Father as our Surety and
Mediator. “Lo, I and the children thou
hast given me!”
To
the best of my ability, I have told you the story of Jesus, the Christ of God.
I have shown you the plot of the story in the counsel chambers of eternity, the
introduction of the story in the Old Testament Scriptures, the body of the
story in the life of our Savior, the climax of the story in his death, and the
conclusion of the story in his resurrection, sovereign rule, and glorious
return. Now, let me finish by declaring to you...
VI. THE
MESSAGE
I love a story that has a message; and the
story of Jesus Christ has a threefold message.
·
John 3:35-36
35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. 36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 3 (AV)
A. All things are in Christ.
B. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.”
C. “And he that believeth not the Son of God shall not see life; but the
wrath of God abideth on him.”
Will
you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; or will you perish? Will you trust
Christ; or will you go to hell with your fist in God’s face?