“Easy-believism” is rampant in American Christianity, and it falsely advertises a wide path to salvation as opposed to the biblical narrow gate of salvation. It imagines God as the Uber of life – only called upon when needed, but otherwise largely forgotten. It is a false belief that God serves the sinners. In truth, Jesus is the Lord, and all men are the sinners. Man should be more concerned about God accepting him. It is only by God’s condescending mercy that are saved by the gospel of Jesus. He is the One in power, not his creatures.

For our soul to be saved, God must be understood as our Lord (Rom 10:9). Confession of Jesus as Lord and belief in the resurrection are cornerstones of saving faith. However, in many churches today, only Jesus’ role as Savior is emphasized, while Jesus’ role as Lord is mentioned as a mere footnote. This is a sad truth because true salvation is only in lordship salvation. Jesus’ role as Lord must be at the forefront of the salvific process. The evidence of true salvation, therefore, is obedience and holiness. Although it is sometimes mislabeled as legalistic, lordship salvation is, in fact, true salvation.

Lordship in the lives of Christians is essential to their faith and lives because Jesus is the Lord of all as stated in the Scriptures. In Acts 2:32-39, we see Jesus as Lord, raised up, exalted, victorious, sitting forever on the throne, full of power and majesty. Therefore, if Jesus is not the Lord of our lives, we have usurped this role for ourselves and must examine our hearts to repent. We must remember that in true salvation, there is a death of self and a commitment to live in Christ.

In the passage in Mark, we see a rich young ruler who has security, money, strength, youth, time, success, and an elite status. He is perceived as being blessed by God due to the plethora of wealth that belonged to him. He runs up to Jesus, kneels before Him, and asks, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (v.17). This rich young ruler is erred in thinking that he can gain eternal life by his own power. But Jesus answers Him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone” (v.18). Herein lies the starting point of the gospel—only God is good. He is holy. We are sinners that are incapable of keeping the law. Righteousness is not graded on a curve but measured against a holy God.

Jesus felt love for this man, who could not see his own doom because he did not perceive his own sin and wickedness. The ruler, not unlike Adam, boldly lies about His sin to God’s face. He claims he is an upstanding citizen that has kept every letter of the Jewish law from youth.

Despite the rich young ruler’s lie, Jesus kindly answers, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (v.21). Jesus is commanding the rich young ruler to get rid of his idols – which is his wealth, youth, and status – and submit to His Lordship by first selling all his possessions then following Jesus wherever He goes. If the young man was to follow Jesus’ command, he would lose his money, tarnish his good standing with the community, and spend his youth traveling with a Lord who does not have a place to lay his head.

Lordship salvation comes at a cost. Salvation cannot be earned, because the cost of satisfying the wrath of God is too high for man. Our sin is our debt, and the price of sin is impossible for us to pay back. Only Jesus can pay the full price of our sin, and He paid it all. We contribute nothing. We are helpless. The divine exchange of our life for the life of Christ, therefore, demands that we give up everything and submit to the Lord Jesus Christ.

All men must count the cost of following Jesus first (Lk 14:25-33), so that they are not found disillusioned like the young rich ruler. Consider Jesus’ question, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the world and forfeits his soul?” (Mt 16:25-26) In light of this challenge, we must choose to forfeit the world and gain our souls.

Submission to the Lord is summed up by our obedience. We are called to love God with all our hearts. Man cannot serve two masters. The rich young ruler practiced unbelief and could not serve Jesus as Lord.

Jesus is the good Lord. He laid down His life for His sheep. He offers peace, joy, and keeps His promises. He leads and guides us. He causes all things to work for His glory and for our good. He is a sovereign and might God who loves His followers. Because of this, we can serve Him without reservation. We can trust Him because we know that He is good. We must obey and follow Him. Obedience is critical if God is to lead us to eternal life. Salvation without obedience won’t lead you to heaven’s gates. We must obey with love. We can do this because Jesus loved us first (Jn 15:13).  

Today’s passage exhibits the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Genealogies are important because it preserves the record of historical figures that existed from generation to generation. They also show our roots, which in this case points back to Jesus’ roots as a man.

How does Luke’s genealogy record compare to Matthew’s account? At first glance, it appears as they are different with minimal similarities. Therefore, it begs the question which genealogy is accurate or if they’re both inaccurate. However, as both genealogies are recorded in the pages of Scripture, inspired by the Holy Spirit, we believe both records to be historically accurate. In Luke’s particular case, he reveals that he investigated everything carefully from the beginning… so that [we] may know the exact truth about the things [we] have been taught (Lk. 1:34). Archeology also evidences over time as historical artifacts become uncovered. Furthermore, if any part of Jesus’ genealogy contained false names, the first century unbelievers would have sought after the false information to discredit Jesus as the Messiah, but this was not the case.

Similarities between Matthew and Luke’s genealogy account

• Matthew and Luke 3:31-34
• Matthew 1:20 and Luke 3:27

Differences between Matthew and Luke’s genealogy account

• Matthew’s account is Joseph’s genealogy (legal line) whereas Luke’s account is Mary’s (blood line)
  • Although Mary’s name is never mentioned people argue this point as Nathan is an ancestor of Mary, not Joseph
• Matthew’s order is top-down whereas Luke’s order is bottom-up
• Matthew mention five women, but Luke omits women
• Matthew mentions Solomon whereas Luke mentions Nathan as the son of David
  • Jeremiah 22:28-30 – God cursed the line of Coniah; therefore, his descendants cannot be the King or Messiah
  • However, to better understand why Nathan is mentioned is due to several reasons, but most importantly because Jesus’ Messiahship does not depend on blood as He was born by the Spirit.

Although there are similarities and differences between the two abovementioned genealogies of Jesus Christ, we need to ask ourselves what Luke’s purpose is for including it in his gospel record in the third chapter. While chapters 1 thru the early part of chapter 3 shows the spiritual evidence of how Jesus became man, Luke also wanted to add additional evidence from man’s perspective to show Jesus as a true historical man. In other words, in chapter 3:22 heaven approved Jesus as the Son of Man and Luke adds an earthly approval of Jesus as a true historical man.

What Luke is trying to reveal about Jesus through the genealogy

• Jesus was truly man yet without sin
  • As man, Jesus is our representative, substitute, exemplary,
• Jesus as King
• Jesus as the second Adam
• Jesus as the Son of God

Luke’s ultimate purpose is to demonstrate that Jesus is truly God and His genealogy is one of many examples demonstrating the deity of Christ. Therefore, if Jesus is God, we must ask ourselves if Jesus is God in our own hearts. Jesus gave up Himself so that we might be saved. He came to save sinners but requires our repentance and to believe in Him as our personal Lord and Savior. And we must always examine our hearts to see which Jesus we believe in because we reflect that Jesus. Is the Jesus we hold on to the Jesus of the Bible who is God or a false Jesus that is an idol?

Being like Christ is the most important goal for a Christian to pursue. God saved us so that we could be like Christ. No matter what man accomplishes in his life, he will inevitably die and be forgotten. Jesus alone has an everlasting legacy because he died and rose again. Becoming like Christ is possible because Jesus was truly man. He was baptized, so we get baptized; He prayed, therefore, we pray. In this last sermon of the series, Like Jesus, we will focus on how we can be like Jesus as He was anointed by the Holy Spirit, loved dearly by the Father, and how He pleased God.

The Holy Spirit dwelled in Jesus. v.22
The descension of the Holy Spirit was not a mystical event; it was actual. God came to get directly involved in Jesus’ ministry. This is why Jesus constantly said the Father was with Him. Everything Jesus did was caused by the Holy Spirit and He was never without Him except on the cross, when the holy presence of God turned away from Jesus because of the sins He bore in our stead.

Jesus was truly a man. In His humanity, He needed the Holy Spirit to have communion with God. The church must understand its need of the Holy Spirit- without Him, the church will neither be biblical or powerful. Thankfully, we can be anointed like Jesus. The baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs in our souls when God saves us. Those who have the Holy Spirit are transformed because the Holy Spirit continually works for our souls. We must be led by Him and be filled with Him by keeping the word of God in our hearts. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we become obedient to the Word of God.

What are the marks of those who have the Holy Spirit?

1. They are internally transformed. The Holy Spirit actualizes Jesus to the believer, transforming him to follow Jesus daily.
2. They desire to live for God’s glory.
3. They have a desire for a greater knowledge of God. They are thirsty to continually know God.
4. They are concerned with their lack of love for God. The self-righteous person thinks they love Him enough. The Spirit-filled person knows they don’t, but they desire to.
5. They are increasingly aware of sin. When you are filled with the Spirit, you become humble because you don’t compare yourself with others, but with Christ alone. This is the Holy Spirit’s function- to convict us of sin.
6. They are honest and simple. When they sin, they repent. They are not bothered by others’ criticism because they are contrite people.
7. They bear fruit.

The Father loves the Son. v.22
We naturally tend to think God loves us when we receive material blessings. But is this a true measure of God’s love? Was Apostle Paul beloved by God though he went through unspeakable sufferings throughout his life for the sake of the gospel? He surely was. (1Cor 15:10) God’s love has nothing to do with success. God’s love brings total and radical transformation. If you are a born again and sanctified man, you are loved to the utmost by God. A man could have the world and yet be poor in his heart without the love of God. Those who are beloved by God love Jesus.

What kind of love do we receive from God?

1. An endless love- God’s love is eternal and everlasting. (Rom 5:8)
2. A proven love- God gave His beloved Son. There is nothing more that God can give. (Rom 8:32)
3. A protective love- Satan accuses us before God, but He can not bring a charge against us because we are justified. (Rom 8:33)
4. A promised love- God promises us through Jesus that we can not be separated from His love. (Rom 8:37-39)

God was pleased by Jesus.
Absolute holiness and righteousness was fulfilled by Jesus. We can therefore please God in Christ by-

• Fearing God- God favors those who fear Him because those who fear Him are living by faith.
• Not loving the world. (1Jn 2:16)
• Obeying God- God’s will for us is always good because He is our loving Father.

It is possible to be like Jesus. This is our sanctification. Let us work out our salvation joyfully, prayerfully, and patiently for the glory of Christ.

Faith and resurrection always go together. Wherever there is a strong Christian faith, the resurrection is behind it. On the other hand, whenever your faith is weak or lacking, it is the resurrection that is being forgotten or neglected. The truth of Jesus’ resurrection is absolutely central to true faith. God has a goal for salvation in each of us and to accomplish that goal He pursued us, even to death on a cross. He rose again from the dead on the third day and began a good work in the believer, which He will perfect on the day of His coming. If Christ is not raised, then our faith is in vain! (1 Corinthians 15:13-14) There is not greater reality then Jesus’ resurrection. All other realities are temporary and will eventually cease, but resurrection is the beginning of eternal life.

In Hebrews 11:35, the surrounding context leading up to this passage is those of strong faithful conquerors. Hebrews 11 is known as the Hall of Faith, recounting the heroes of the Old Testament. But when we come to verse 35, we find women who have lost and others who were tortured and died. Why the contrast? Though the stories might be different, they share the same faith in the resurrection. We admire the other in chapter 11 but we dislike verse 35 because they weren’t victorious but suffered. It’s true, Christians suffer and some suffer their whole lifetime. Jesus never promised a trouble free life. Instead, He says He also went through suffering and overcame it (John 16:33). The world has many troubles and it cannot solve them, not with all the money or technology. But Jesus has peace and so do you in Him through the resurrection. The resurrection is the display of God’s power over sin, death and this dying world. Behind your living faith is the power of the resurrection.

Faith’s ultimate goal is the resurrection. After Elijah raised her son from the dead, the women declares her faith in God’s word (1 Kings 17:24). The summit of our faith is the resurrection. There is greater power or truth. It is one of the qualities of faith, it brings people back. Ephesians 2:8 you were once dead, but now you are alive by faith. Faith gives live. This gift of life is initiated by the God. The dead cannot move or react. They have no desires or will. Through the declaring of the gospel, the dead are awakened.

Also in this verse, we see and example of Biblical feminism. True equality comes from the Bible because God is the Creator who has made them equal, but different by design. In this verse, the women had the same faith. In Exodus, in God’s law, there is the command to honor father and mother (Exodus 20:12), however in Leviticus the order is mother and father (Leviticus 19:3). God writes them as equal. Women have the same strong faith (Judges 4:4, Hebrews 11:9). All are same in Christ by our faith in the resurrection (Galatians 3:28)

How do you know your faith is from the resurrection of Jesus? Firstly, do you believe the resurrection? (1 Corinthians 13-14). Then your faith can withstand all trials. To do so, you must receive, recognize, risk and rest in the resurrection of Jesus. Trials are painful and difficult. Especially those who have lifelong illnesses, their life is full of hardships until the day they die, and some have even denounced the faith. But for the true believer, because of the resurrection, their hope is in heaven. By the resurrection, we know that in heaven, all sickness and pain will be gone and we will be made perfect. This present life is full of trouble and sorrow but death is not the end because Jesus is alive. There check your faith, your saving faith. Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the true gospel?