This Is Grace – What We Believe, Teach, And Do

Sermons – Grace Evangelical Free Church // Wyoming, MN

Philippians 2:1-5 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…

INTRODUCTION

Good morning and happy new year! The Lord is kind to give us rhythms of life as a means of renewal. He’s woven them into the very fabric of reality—with each morning, each week, each new season, and each new year. Many of those have come together today; I hope in such a way that you all feel a fresh burden to follow Jesus in faith and a rejuvenated hope in His promises.

In that way, it is good to embrace the God-given rhythm of the new year with new resolve to begin (and stick to) a Bible reading plan, share your faith more consistently, use your gifts to strengthen the church in a new way, actively keep a prayer journal, find some specific way to consistently help the vulnerable, make a plan to fast regularly this year, memorize a larger passage of scripture, and, as Roxie just read, and as we’ll focus on this morning, seek to be of the same mind as your brothers and sisters at Grace.

Again, we all feel an added draw to grow in Christ right now by God’s design. Let’s lean into that.

One way we want to help with that (especially same-mindedness) is by spending the next two sermons laying out a some of what defines us as a church—both doctrinally and practically. Our main aim in doing so is to more firmly establish ourselves in the truths of God so that we might live out our faith with greater confidence, clarity, joy, and unity.

Before I pray and we dive in, I’d like to say a brief word about how we chose to structure the two sermons.

This morning, I’m going to stay at a high level. That is, I’m going to share with you some things that our church is built upon (the gospel and the main points of our doctrinal statement). These are things that all true churches will agree upon. What I am going to share today is jam packed with life-giving, life-altering, life-directing glory, but there is very little about it that is unique to Grace Church.

Then, next Sunday, Pastor Colin is going to share some things that are distinctive about our church (our mission statement, philosophy of ministry, the building blocks of our ministry, and our core values). We believe every one of them is deeply rooted in God’s Word. Therefore, many churches will agree with many of these things, but all of them are worded in more-or-less Grace specific ways.

The picture we want you to have in mind is that of a narrowing funnel. I’m starting today at the widest part of the funnel (things all Christians believe) and Pastor Colin will finish next week at the narrowest part of the funnel (things that are most distinctive of us at Grace Church).

The key to all of this is that we firmly believe that everything we’re about to share is either explicitly taught in God’s Word or a practical implication of something that is. As such, we hope to make that easy for you to see. What’s more, we hope to make it all easy to love and apply, with one mind.

We couldn’t possibly exhaustively cover all of the topics we’ll introduce in the next two weeks in two hundred sermons. What we can (and, Lord willing, will) do, though, is to briefly introduce each point, share the primary biblical texts that they come from, and offer brief pastoral reflections on why they’re worth treasuring and striving to live more fully in light of, together.

THE GOSPEL

Again, the widest part of the “Christian funnel” is the gospel (which means “good news”). To be a Christian is to have heard and believed in the gospel. No gospel, no Christian.

(A quick aside—that I’m pretty sure I’ve shared before—for those of you who, like me, did not grow up as believers…When I was first approached by some people in a campus ministry, they asked me if I believed the gospel. I had never been asked a question like that before. I didn’t know what they meant. All I could think of was the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), but their question didn’t quite fit that. I had no idea what “the gospel” was. Thankfully, they shared it with me. Even more thankfully, the Spirit gave me ears to hear for the first time in my life.)

What, then, is the gospel, the good news that someone must believe to be a Christian?

In one sense, it’s the simplest thing in the world. It’s something every child can understand. 1 Timothy 1:15, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

At the same time, the gospel is so awesome that it will take an eternity to unpack. Truly, learning the fullness of the gospel—the good news of Jesus—is what we will be doing forever in heaven.

In just a minute, I’m going to share a very simple version of the gospel. But first, I’d like to draw your attention to three resources for those of you who want to dig deeper than we’ll go today.

First, on December 15th, in one of my last sermons on the Gospel of John, I unpacked the gospel as thoroughly as I ever have in a single sermon. That might be a helpful place to start if you want to know more (it’s on our website).

Second, we have more than a hundred copies of a book called, “What Is the Gospel?” We’d love to give you one for a fuller explanation still. The four points of the gospel that I’m about to share with you are from that book.

And third, we have something we call a “discipleship track” that focuses on unpacking the gospel in terms of both knowledge and implication. It is designed to help one person unpack the gospel with another over the course of several weeks. If you are interested in being taken through that track, please let us know and we will be glad to pair you up with someone.

Again, then, what is the good news that all Christians have in common; that we need to know and believe in to be a Christian; that constitute the substance of the faith necessary for salvation; that we are of one mind concerning? It’s easily understood, remembered, and explained with four simple terms: God, man, Christ, and response.

God (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 103:19; Psalm 88:14; Isaiah 33:22)

The gospel always, always begins with God. None of the rest of the gospel (or the Christian life or life in general) makes sense apart from the God of the Bible. All reality (including the gospel) is inescapably rooted in the unchanging nature of God. And while God’s nature is inexhaustible, there are four particular attributes that anchor the gospel: Creator, King, righteous, and judge.

The Bible opens with the simple declaration that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). God made all that has been made and so all that has been made belongs to God. It’s His. We’re His.

Not only did God make the heavens and earth (and all that is in them), but He also rules over the heavens and earth (and all that is in them as well). David sang of this great truth, “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). All creation must do what God says for He is King.

If God were anything other than what He is, that would be terrible news. If everything belonged to God and was obliged to submit to God, but God was lazy or mean or dumb or evil, then we would be in the worst kind of trouble (like a cosmic, eternal version of the worst human government).

But because God is who He is, it is the best news of all. In particular, God is perfectly righteous. He is right in all He is and does. His every command is not only binding, but it is best. It is good. It is wise. It is perfect. Of this, another of the Psalmists celebrates the fact that “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of [God’s] throne… (Psalm 88:14).

God is Creator, King, righteous, and the judge of all. He is continually evaluating His creation’s conformity to His righteous rule. The prophet Isaiah declares, “…the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver…” (Isaiah 33:22). No corner of creation has ever escaped the watching eye of God for one fraction of a second.

Again, Grace, the beginning of who we are as a people, as a church, as Christians is rooted in the nature of God.

Man (Genesis 1:26; Romans 3:23)

God created all mankind in His image (Genesis 1:26) to glorify and enjoy God forever (Isaiah 43:7). That is, as our creator and King God assigned to all of us meaning and purpose. And as our righteous judge He perfectly evaluates whether or not we are in keeping with His decrees.

For all who live in perfect conformity with God’s design and rule, there is eternal life and perfect fellowship (1 John 1:3). But the wages of any measure of disobedience is eternal death in perfect punishment (Romans 6:23).

Tragically, all mankind since the first man (Adam) has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). This means that since Adam, all mankind has been born into condemnation and death.

What’s worse, not only are all people dead in our trespasses and sins, we are powerless to do anything about it. We are stuck in our death (Ephesians 2:1).

That does not sound like good news, but believe it or not, it is an essential component of it. For, before we can accept the rescue of Jesus, we must acknowledge our profound need for it.

Christ (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18)

And that leads us to the “good” part of the news. While we were yet sinners, Jesus Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). More than that, He rose from the dead as the firstborn of many (Romans 8:29). Jesus died and rose in our place. He who knew no sin, became sin that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Having none of His own, Jesus paid our sin debt.

Truly God and truly man, Jesus became the substitute sacrifice for man, doing for us what we were powerless to do for ourselves.

Response (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9)

The primary question is how we gain access to the saving work of Jesus. How do we benefit from His suffering, death, and resurrection? How does Jesus become our substitute sacrifice such that we become the righteous sons and daughters of God?

The answer is faith. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through [faith in] Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). It is by grace that we are saved through faith, not as a result of our works so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

To try to work for your salvation is to continue to remain in sin and fall short of the glory of God. To be saved by Jesus, therefore, is to give up working and begin trusting in what God has already done for you.

This is the good news, Grace. This is the gospel in simple form. It is ours to be received in faith. It is the beginning and foundation of the Christian life. Apart from receiving these child-like truths we remain lost and condemned in sin. But by placing our trust in them, we will be forgiven and freed.

Would you do so now?! And if you already have, would you be reminded to continue coming back here every time you grow weary from trying to do it on your own or puffed up from mistakenly believing that you are. Would you remember how simple and humbling the good news really is and turn to it in fresh faith? And would you ask the Lord to help this be the start and focus of the same-mindedness that He’s called us to? To rightly understand and treasure this good news together is to bring unity and cancel out so many would-be dividers.

If you will do these things, know that it is God’s grace. It is His grace that sent Jesus, accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, sent the gospel to us, opened our ears to hear, and keeps us hoping in Him.

DOCTRINAL STATEMENT

As I said at the very beginning, placing your faith in the good news of Jesus, the gospel we just considered, is something all Christians have in common. It is the most fundamental aspect of the “one mind” Paul commands.

Our church’s doctrinal statement, which is the EFCA’s doctrinal statement, narrows the funnel just a bit. It contains bedrock doctrines of the Christian faith. And in that way, many of the things we just covered (in the gospel) are, as you will see, baked into and expanded on in our doctrinal statement.

(I put a link to the statement with loads of key biblical texts that support it in the manuscript.)

God (2 Corinthians 13:14)

Just as the gospel begins with God, so too does our doctrinal statement.

There are many true things about God that you do not need to know to become a Christian. At the same time, there are certain things about God that you cannot reject as a Christian. God as eternal and trinitarian are two such things. In that way, our doctrinal statement expands on the first point of the gospel. Let’s say it together.

We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.

One of the simplest passages that contains much of this is Paul’s benediction in 2 Corinthians 13, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

And all of this matters, once again, because the God we love, the God who saves us, and the God who unites us in one-mindedness, is the God who is. There is one God, He is infinitely glorious, and these are among the central aspects of His glory.

There is no other God who is and there is no other God who saves. This is who we believe in and treasure, Grace.

The Bible (2 Timothy 3:16)

The second clause of our doctrinal statement concerns the Word of God.

God’s Word is absolutely necessary to know God’s will and all Christians must accept its authority on our lives. That’s the point of passages like 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” In that way…

We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

To be a member of Grace Church is to be of one mind concerning the fact that God has given us His Word which alone is inerrant and is alone necessary and sufficient for revealing the will of God to the world.

Let us give ourselves to taking this in, therefore, Grace. Grab a Bible reading plan from the table in the back. Come to Berea each week. Memorize larger passages of Scripture. Pray consistently for the Spirit’s help to understand, love, and apply the truths of God’s Word. Study God’s Word carefully. And do all of this in increasing measure together.

The Human Condition (Genesis 6:5)

The third clause of our doctrinal statement is virtually identical to the second point of the gospel. It affirms the goodness of man in God’s original creation, as well as the fall of all mankind in Adam and the death that results.

As Genesis 6:5 says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” When combined with Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned,” with one (humble, contrite) mind we can say together…

We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.

Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12)

The fourth clause speaks to the nature of Jesus. It speaks on the idea that is found in Colossians 1(:15-19). “He is the image of the invisible God… ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ … He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell…”

We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel’s promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

Once again, our doctrinal statement adds to our understanding of Jesus’ nature (God-man, Spirit-conceived, virgin-born, crucified, glorified, and perpetually-advocating). These things, rightly understood are worship-fuel. They are why we not only believe in Jesus, but treasure Jesus. By God’s Grace, they are a growing part of the mind we all share.

The Work of Christ (Acts 4:12)

To know and believe the first four clauses of our doctrinal statement is to long for Jesus and the rescue that He alone can provide. For, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). To be a Christian is to know that Jesus is not only a Savior, but the Savior. This is why…

We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.

This clause helps us see the uniqueness of Jesus as Savior as well as a bit more of the means by which He was able to and did accomplish salvation for sinners. The more we are able to grasp these things, the more we will praise God and be unified in our thinking.

The Holy Spirit (John 14:16)

Having established the triune nature of God and having considered the persons of God the Father and Son, it is right to affirm together certain truths about the third person of the godhead, the Holy Spirit.

Like Jesus, the Spirit was with God in the beginning (Genesis 1:2). The Spirit would come upon different people to accomplish God’s purposes throughout the OT (1 Samuel 16:13). And according to Jesus’ promise, the Spirit came to dwell in all Christians after Jesus ascended back to the right hand of God (John 14:26-28).

In John 14(:16-26) we read Jesus’ words, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever…²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” Therefore…

We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.

Understanding every single piece of this is not essential to salvation, but it is vital for spiritual growth. That is, these are central truths to the Christian faith and the maturing Christian life. The Spirit now works in all Christians in awesome ways; including making and maintaining one mind among us.

The Church (Acts 20:28)

The seventh clause of our doctrinal statement concerns the nature of the gathered followers of Jesus, the Church. The Church, by God’s design, is both universal (all true believers) and local (Christians gathered in a particular place). Both are critical to coming to, living out, growing in, and persevering in our faith, our witness to the world, and honoring God.

Acts 20:28 is one of the more challenging, encouraging, and defining passages on the Church for me as a pastor. There Paul charged the Ephesian elders to “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”

When we become Christians, we are saved into a people. Likewise, living out the Christian life is meant to happen among a people; a people whom we are meant to be united with in one mindedness concerning these things. And so we say together…

We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.

Christian Living (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

Three more clauses. The next is a statement on the nature of Christian life. Once a person comes to faith in Jesus, once a person becomes a Christian, we are right to ask, what’s next?

In 1 Thessalonians 5, after giving a list of commands to the church for holiness (things that the Christians in Thessalonica were to work hard at—love, peace, help, patience, grace, good, joy, prayer, thanksgiving), Paul reminded them that it would be God who would bless their hard work. “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” This is why…

We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

Grace, we are defined in part by the belief that everyone who becomes a Christian by God’s grace, will also by God’s grace grow in godliness. Becoming more like Jesus is proof that we truly believe in Jesus. Let’s ask the Spirit to make us one mind in this.

Christ’s Return (Hebrews 9:27-28)

The ninth clause concerns the return of Jesus. God promised for centuries to send a Savior. He was faithful to His promises in Jesus, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Having accomplished all that He was given by the Father—having lived a sinless life, taken on the full measure of the wrath of God, died on a cross, risen from the dead, and having ascended back to the Father’s right hand—God made another promise: That Jesus would one day return to judge the living and the dead and to make all things right forever for those whose faith is in Him.

Hebrews 9:27–28 Just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Therefore, with one mind we can say with one voice…

We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

Believe this great promise, Grace. Set your hope upon it. Remind one another of it. On that day, all division ends and every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Response and Eternal Destiny (Romans 2:6-8)

Finally, therefore, it is urgent that we be of one mind concerning the consequences of all these things.

Romans 2:6-8 [God] will render to each one according to his works: ⁷ to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; ⁸ but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

To receive them in faith is to know everlasting, resurrection life in Jesus. To reject them, however, is to know eternal death.

We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.

Oh, what glorious truths these are! Oh, that God might be pleased to fill us with all the wonder they ought to bring. Oh, that we might together learn to love them more and live more fully in light of them as one body.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, and once again, most of what we considered in the gospel and our church’s doctrinal statement is mere Christianity. That is, believing in most of what we just heard is common to all Christians. Indeed, most of it is part of the very definition of Christianity. It is certainly what we believe at Grace.

Again, next week, Pastor Colin will narrow the funnel a bit more in helping us to consider more Grace Church-specific beliefs and practices. For now, though, let us ask the Spirit to keep us from being underwhelmed or numb to these things. Let’s ask Him to grant us understanding of them, love for them, and obedience to them according to the promise of God. Let’s give ourselves to being increasingly united around them and transformed by them.

And not, in obedience to Christ’s command and consistent with our doctrinal statement on the Church we turn our attention to the Lord’s Table.