Certain and Sure

Old Testament Reading – Isaiah 45:1-25
New Testament Reading – Hebrews 1:1-14

Certain and Sure
“The Essential Elements of a Confession of Faith” # 2
Philippians 2:5-11

Wayne J. Edwards, Pastor

   Of all the truths of the Christian faith, the death and resurrection of Christ are the most precious.

• Had Jesus not died, there would be no substitute for our sins and, therefore, no salvation and, therefore, without hope for the future.
• Without hope, regardless of how wonderful this life is, it would all be vanity, for when we die, even if there is some kind of an afterlife, we would be without hope for eternity.
• Had Jesus not died on that cross, everything about our earthly life would be meaningless, or as Shakespeare said, ‘Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing!’
• However, without Jesus’ resurrection from the grave, we would still be living without hope of salvation and facing a godless eternity.
• But, having accomplished the work the Father had sent Him to earth to do, i.e., having given His life as a ransom for our sins, God raised Jesus from the dead, and in so doing, He declared to the world, “this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased,” and He gave Jesus a name that is above every name that has ever been or will ever be named – He called Him

   The writers of the New Testament confirm Jesus Christ as the co-equal, co-existent, and co-eternal Son of God the Father. 

• Jesus was not a created being!
• Jesus was not a man who became a god!
• Jesus was not a prophet nor an angel!
• Jesus was God, and He was with God, even from the beginning!
• But as the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 4:4, “In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman.”
• The Son of God wrapped Himself in human flesh and dwelt among us for 33 years, and the apostle John said, “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth,” and those who knew Him called Him LORD.

   The English word, LORD is translated from the Greek word, Kurios, which refers to a person of high rank or one in a position of power and authority.

• LORD is also used when speaking of God, the Father, who had the authority over all things in heaven and earth, and Jesus, God the Son, to whom was given all authority in heaven and earth.
• In Acts 17:24 – “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.”
• In Revelation 4:8, and Revelation 21:22, God the Father is referred to as the “Lord God Almighty,” and no other being carries that title.
• In Acts 2:36: the Apostle Peter said: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ,” and no other being carries that title.
• This is why it is essential that those who express their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior also understand they are, and at the same time, submitting unto Him as Lord, their Master, the One who is in the position of power and authority over them.
• Since Jesus submitted Himself to be our Savior, He earned the right to be Lord over our lives.

• In Philippians 2:5-8, Paul describes Christ’s humiliation – that even though He was equal with God, He intentionally came to earth as a man to pay the debt of our sins by His death.
• In Philippians 2:9-11, Paul describes God the Father’s exaltation of Christ, which included:
  • His resurrection – God raised Jesus from the grave.
  • His glorification – God received Jesus back into heaven.
  • His coronation – God seated Jesus at His right hand on the Father’s throne.
  • His intercession – Jesus is now making intercession for us.
  • His veneration – God gave Jesus a name far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but in the ages to come.
• At His birth, God told Joseph, “Thou shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.”
• Throughout His 33 years of life, He was called Jesus, Christ, Son of Man, Son of God, Master, Teacher, Rabbi, etc.,
• However, having finished the work the Father had sent Him to do, God gave Jesus the name everyone must confess to be saved, and that is LORD; the New Testament equivalent to the Old Testament name of Jehovah God, which is YAHWEH.
• Salvation is not obtained by simply becoming a Jesus follower.
• Salvation is obtained by submitting unto Jesus as LORD.
• The first Christian creed is: “Jesus is LORD!”
  • Luke 2:11 – “Today is born in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the LORD.”
  • John 13:13 – “You call me teacher and LORD, and you are right, I am.”
  • Acts 2:36 – “God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both LORD and Christ.”
  • Romans 10:13 – “Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
  • Romans 14:7-11 – “None of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself, for if we live, we live to the LORD, and if we die, we die to the LORD. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the LORD’S, for to this end, Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
  • 1 Corinthians 8:6 – “There is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”
  • 1 Corinthians 12:3 – “No man calls Jesus LORD except by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
  • 1 Corinthians 15:57 – “Thanks be unto God who gives us the victory through our LORD Jesus.”
  • 2 Corinthians 4:5 – “We do not preach ourselves, but we preach Christ Jesus as LORD.”
  • Revelation 17:14 and Revelation 19:16 – Jesus is described as the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”

   There is a teaching within the evangelical church that says a person who is “born again” can continue to practice sin and still have the hope of heaven – i.e., they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, but they may or may not ever acknowledge Jesus as their LORD.

• That is a false doctrine:
  • It is impossible to be reborn by the Holy Spirit and not see immediate and lasting change in a person’s life.
  • To truly receive Jesus as our Savior is to submit unto Him as our Lord.

   Generally speaking, to acknowledge Jesus as our LORD is to yield every area of our lives unto His Lordship – body, soul, and spirit.

• We begin by allowing the Lord Jesus to rule and reign over our mind, our will, and our emotions, as well as our human spirit.
  • Proverbs 23:7 – “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
  • Proverbs 4:23 – “Keep your hearts with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
• We recognize that we are not our own, for we were bought at a very high price, which means everything we are and everything we have belongs to Jesus – It is as though we no longer live, but Christ lives His life through us, and our life-goal is to live in obedience to His perfect will.
• We submit our lives unto the LORD as His servants, and the level of our submission should be to go anywhere, anytime, and to minister to anyone at any cost, for it is only when we have fully yielded ourselves unto the Lordship of Christ that we experience the real joy of the Lord and the fullness of the Holy Spirit.