Evangelism According to Jesus - Friday morning

The first speaker this morning was John MacArthur - Simultaneously Righteous and a Sinner. He offered an initial illustration: Lazarus came out of the grave, wrapped in stinking grave clothes, alive.

He showed from Scripture that we are freed from slavery to sin (Rom. 6:5-7). The faulty conclusion might be what is called "Entire Sanctification" (Sinless Perfection). The only way to maintain this position is to redefine sin to handle reality.

Justification occurs at salvation; Sanctification begins immediately and continues for life (1 Cor. 1:30).

Similarities between justification and sanctification:
Free by grace
Present at the same time
Simultaneous start
Necessary for glorification

Differences:
Instant versus Ongoing
No works versus Works
Finished versus life long
Full versus becoming

This dead body of sin continues to be a problem for life (1 John 1:8; James 3:2; Rom. 7:14-24).

Sanctification is the process of battling sin for life, the putting to death of the flesh (Rom. 6:12-13; 8:13).


Joni Eareckson Tada was next, speaking on Proclaiming the Gospel to All Nations. The gospel must be preached everywhere without regard to race, religion, creed, or any other characteristic. It must be preached by all means. It must be offered with "ornamentation", good works and acts of charity that display the character of Christ, good works by which all mean shall see and glorify God. Here's the thing: Joni makes a practice of what she preaches. A message is all well and good, but when you see someone in a wheelchair who is telling you about incredible sacrifices and steps she takes to take the gospel to anyone she might come in contact with, it is very convicting.


The final speaker of the morning was Sinclair Ferguson. If you haven't had the chance to hear him speak, you're missing out. He has a way of laying out a passage with all its biblical vitamins and minerals for you to absorb, so to speak. His topic was The Substitutionary Atonement of Christ. He chose as his passage Isa. 52:13 - 53:12. This is "the gospel according to Isaiah."

The passage is made up of 5 stanzas. The key to the passage is found, as is often the case in Hebrew literature of this type, in the middle stanza.

Stanza 1 (52:13-15) tells us that the suffering Messiah's triumph was wholly unexpected. He was marred as a man to repair the marred image of God.

Stanza 2 (53:1-3) explains how he is the shoot of a tree found in dry ground.

Stanza 3 (53:4-6) is the key to the whole "song". It explains the suffering Messiah's sufferings. It lists a variety of suffering, from pierced to crushed to chastised to scourged ... all for our iniquity. There are 4 components here:
1. Imputation. The atonement involves my sin imputed to Christ and His righteousness imputed to me.
2. Substitution. "In my place condemned He stood." Christ didn't merely represent me; He took my place.
3. Penalty. The penalty was paid for my sin on my behalf.
4. The hand of God. The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all. It was God's plan and God's doing.

Stanza 4 (53:7-9) emphasizes the obedience of the suffering Messiah. It was this obedience that so pleased God, even as God was pleased to strike Him.

Stanza 5 (53:10-12) explains that, in the end, the suffering Messiah is ultimately exalted.

When you end a sermon like that with the hymn, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, well, maybe you had to be there.