Trusting in Christ: Our Righteousness and Salvation
Summary
In this sermon, I was reminded that the gospel is about what Christ has done for me. I was encouraged to have confidence in Christ's righteousness and that His blood covers my sins. I was reminded that walking according to darkness or a lie is like a fish trying to breathe oxygen outside of water or me trying to breathe underwater. It's not what I'm meant for. I've been transferred from one kingdom to another and the more I recognize that, the more I will trust God. Obedience to God means trusting in Christ, not just following the Ten Commandments. I uphold the law because I am thankful to God, not as a way of getting or maintaining salvation. I can't maintain something that I didn't accomplish. I am weak in this regard, but Christ has done it. He has conquered the power of the devil and crushed the serpent under His feet. He has joined me to Himself through Spirit-wrought faith.
The sermon also emphasized that I am not worthy in and of myself to partake in the Lord's supper. If I do not trust in Christ as my righteousness, the meal is not for me. This meal is representative of a greater truth - that those who are in Christ have fellowship with Him. We are taken up into His divine life. He is our life, we are His body, and He is our head. This meal is our proclamation and affirmation before God that this is what He's done.
Key takeaways:
- The gospel is about what Christ has done for us, not what we can do for ourselves. ([50:30])
- Obedience to God is about trusting in Christ, not just following the Ten Commandments. ([51:13])
- We can't maintain our salvation because we didn't accomplish it. Christ did. ([51:55])
- The Lord's supper is a proclamation and affirmation of what God has done for us. ([52:43])
- We are not worthy in and of ourselves to partake in the Lord's supper. It is for those who trust in Christ as their righteousness. ([53:26])
Study Guide
Bible Reading:
1. 1 John 1:5-10 - This is the message we have heard from him and proclaimed to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. [20:28]
Observation Questions:
1. What does it mean to walk in the light as God is in the light?
2. How does the blood of Jesus cleanse us from all sin according to 1 John 1:5-10?
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does walking in the light relate to fellowship with God and with one another?
2. What does it mean to confess our sins and how does it lead to forgiveness and cleansing from all unrighteousness?
Application Questions:
1. Can you identify a recent situation where you chose to walk in darkness rather than in the light? How could you have handled it differently?
2. How can you practice walking in the light in your daily life?
3. How does understanding that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin affect your approach to confession and repentance?
4. Can you think of a specific way you can demonstrate your trust in Christ's righteousness this week?
5. How can you encourage and support each other in your small group to walk in the light and maintain fellowship with God and one another?
Devotional
Day 1: Fellowship with God Means Walking in Truth
Walking in truth means acknowledging God as the King and understanding that we have been rescued from our sins. This truth is our reality and it is not contingent upon us or what we do, but it is entirely an act of God. We are seated with Christ in the heavenly places and that will never change ([46:14]).
Psalm 1:4-6 - "The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."
Reflection: How does understanding that you are seated with Christ in the heavenly places change your perspective on your daily life?
Day 2: Walking in Light Means Walking According to the Truth
Walking in light means living in light of the truth that we have been rescued from our sin and transferred from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son. This is our reality and it is not contingent upon us or what we do, but it is entirely an act of God ([34:36]).
1 John 1:5-7 - "This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."
Reflection: How does walking in the light of God's truth impact your relationships with others?
Day 3: Our Behavior Matters to Other Believers
Our behavior from day to day does not change God's opinion of us, but it matters to other believers. How can they trust that we are in Christ if we do not reflect His love and grace in our actions? ([38:12]).
Romans 2:15 - "They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them."
Reflection: How can you better reflect Christ's love and grace in your interactions with others?
Day 4: To Love the Darkness is to Love a Lie
To love the darkness is to love the lie that there is no judgment, that the righteousness of God does not matter, and that we can hide from God. But we cannot hide from God, He knows us and yet, His grace is so much greater than our sin ([39:01]).
Jeremiah 17:10 - "I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."
Reflection: How does understanding God's grace help you to walk in the light rather than loving the darkness?
Day 5: We Belong to Him
If we have believed in Him, trusted our life to Jesus Christ, and acknowledged that we have no righteousness of our own and only Christ's righteousness will make us able to stand in the judgment, then we belong to Him. This acknowledgment is a gift of God, apart from Him we would not acknowledge that ([41:24]).
Ephesians 2:8-9 - "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Reflection: How does knowing that you belong to Christ impact your sense of identity and purpose?
Quotes
1. "Your behavior matters, especially to other believers. How can they trust that you are in Christ if you're just a jerk all the time? God knows you all the time, and your behavior from day to day does not change his opinion of you." - 38:12
2. "You cannot hide from God. He knows you. But then how much more glorious is his grace that he would consider you his very own. We don't often realize just how bad we really are and so as a result of that we don't realize just how good the grace of God is." - 39:47
3. "The gospel is about what Christ has done for you. He's telling you here that you can have confidence in Christ's righteousness, that his blood covers your sins. The more you recognize that the more you will trust him and obedience to God means trusting in Christ." - 51:13
4. "The first thing you have to do is change how you think about yourself. Consider yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Give up the idea that you can save yourself, give up the idea that you can be righteous before God and of yourself you cannot be." - 47:32
5. "Through our fellowship with God we have been cleansed from our sin. Your righteousness is as his because you have been United to him. This meal for us is our Proclamation and our affirmation before God that this is what he's done." - 49:50
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