Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20081214.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Genesis: Explaining The Foundations Of History
Part VII: Explaining God's Plan To Bless Men Regardless Of Apostasy
X. God's Christmas Triumphs Over The Genesis 35:16-21 Defeats
2. God's Christmas Triumph Over Guilt
(Genesis 35:16-19 et al.)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Many folk need deliverance from guilt this Christmas:

(1) The Associated Press ran a story on December 9, 2008 about Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's arrest for, in the words of the government attorney, trying to "auction off" the U. S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barak Obama "to the highest bidder"! Consequently, other politicians are distancing themselves from the Illinois governor due to his alleged brazen political corruption.

(2) Sin and guilt is a problem in the religious realm as well: a talk show host on the "Talk of Connecticut" radio program reported last week that the governor of the State of Washington has let an atheistic party post a sign beside a nativity scene at the State Capital that seeks to discredit religious belief as a social evil!

Now, it is easy for Christians to accuse atheists who post such signs as being guilty of the sin of denying God, but the response of the Christian right to the sign posting is itself a problem! A pastor who led a demonstration against the posting of the sign claimed on the "Talk of Connecticut" that since he had fought against racial discrimination due to the color of his skin, he would similarly fight to keep others from discriminating against his Christian beliefs!

However, I heard a believer who reacted to his statement complain how wrong it was for him to demand the sign be removed! After all, Jesus Himself said that if we are wronged, we should "turn the other cheek," Matthew 5:39. Besides, "fighting" for the faith by demonstrating against the atheists' sign only fuels the criticism by atheists that many evil wars have been fought in the name of religion.

(3) Sin and guilt is a problem on the local level, also: last week, I became aware of five different people who were either in our Church, or who were in contact with people in it, who have recently struggled with concerns related to sin and guilt, be it true or false guilt.



Thus, we may ask, "Is there hope for handling guilt this Christmas Season?!"



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "Is there hope for handling guilt this Christmas Season?!"
  1. Rachel's and Mary's Bethlehem deliveries show mankind is fallen!
    1. We before learned how Rachel's death in delivering Benjamin near (Bethlehem) Ephrathah was discipline for her sin of selfish ambition.
    2. Yet, though we also learned Mary was blessed in yielding to God's will to bear Jesus at Bethlehem Ephrathah in contrast to Rachel's sin, the way she delivered Jesus shows Mary ALSO was a SINNER:
      1. Micah 5:2-3 predicted Mary would bear Jesus by travailing as had Rachel, C. L. Feinberg, Jonah, Micah and Nahum, 1951, p. 96.
      2. Now, such labor is God's curse on sinners (Gen. 3:6, 16) typifying how the whole human race is fallen in sin, cf. Romans 3:23!
  2. Now, major religions deny Mary was a regular sinner, but, though honoring her, Scripture reveals she WAS a REGULAR SINNER:
    1. Scripture reveals Mary was born in sin like any other mortal:
      1. The Catholic Church claims Mary was conceived without sin and born by a virgin birth to "St. Anne." (The Catholic Encyclopedia, Robert C. Broderick, Ed., 1987, s. v. "Immaculate Conception")
      2. However, Luke 1:34-35 reveals that Mary was totally ignorant of human origin by a virgin birth, so she had not been born that way!
    2. Scripture reveals Mary claimed God was her Savior:
      1. The Catholic Church claims Mary is the gate of salvation for man: "Saint" Alphonse de Liguori wrote: "The Way of Salvation is open to none otherwise than through Mary" (The Glories of Mary , 1931, p. 169 as cited in L. Boettner, Roman Catholicism, 1987, p. 139).
      2. Also, the Orthodox Church holds Mary was sinless, cf. T. A. McMahon, "Mary Who?", The Berean Call, October, 2000, p. 2.
      3. Yet, in her Magnificat, Mary said God was her Savior, Luke 1:47!
    3. Scripture reveals Mary can not mediate for us, for she herself sinned:
      1. De Liguori wrote: "And she is . . . a mediatress . . . between sinners and God. Sinners receive pardon . . . by Mary alone" (Ibid., The Glories of Mary, p. 82, 83 as cited in Boettner, Ibid., p. 138).
      2. However, Mark 3:20-21, 31-32 records several sins by Mary:
        1. Mary sinned by unbelief: she once tried to take custody of Jesus since she thought He was insane, Bib. Know. Com., N. T., 118!
        2. Mary sinned by legalism: she held to a man-made rule against His skipping any meals that lacked love for the afflicted crowds Jesus helped by skipping some meals, Mark 3:10; Matt. 9:13a.
        3. Mary sinned by insubordination: she was told by God's angels that Jesus was God (Luke 1:35; 2:11, 16), so trying to take Him into custody from His work was insubordination against God!
    4. Scripture reveals Mary needed God's correction and help, that she is thus not a queen or Mediatress in heaven between God and sinners:
      1. Catholicism's Alphonse de Liguori wrote: " . . . at the command of Mary all obey -- even God," Ibid., The Glories of Mary, p. 18-181.
      2. Muslims revere Mary as the exalted virgin and heavenly wife of the Prophet Muhammad (Islamic scholar Aliah Schleifer, Mary the Blessed Virgin of Islam, p. 64 as cited in McMahan, Ibid., p. 1).
      3. Yet, Mary ceased being a virgin by having other children by Joseph (Matt. 13:54-56), she does not marry beyond this life (Mark 12:25), Jesus corrected her in Cana (John 2:1-5) and put her under John's rule in John 19:26-27, so any other Christian woman is of her rank!
      4. Finally, Mary's Mark 3:20-32 unbelief in Jesus, lovelessness for the afflicted and insubordination to God make her unfit to mediate!
  3. Nevertheless, there is VICTORY over SIN and GUILT for ALL through FAITH in the SINLESS JESUS Who was born TO MARY:
    1. The angel told Mary's espoused husband Joseph that the sinless God (Immanuel) she would bear as a virgin would be named "Jesus," for He would SAVE His people from their sins, Matt. 1:20-25; Lk. 1:35!
    2. He would save them when people trusted in Him and His death for sin where He as man's SOLE Mediator with God would atone for the righteous demands of God for sin, Romans 3:21-24; 1 Timothy 2:5.
    3. Thus justified by faith in Christ, the believer could live righteously by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, Romans 8:3-4; 1 John 2:1a.
    4. Finally, Christ would physically raise the believer to eternal bliss:
      1. Christians like Mary will be raised at the rapture, 1 Thess. 4:13-18.
      2. Old Testament saints like Rachel (who trusted in God at Genesis 30:24) will be raised at Christ's Second Coming, Dan. 12:2, 12-13.
Application: For triumph over sin and guilt this Christmas, (1) may we trust in Christ for salvation and forgiveness, John 3:16; Col. 1:14. (2) Then, may we live rightly by God's power and (3) confess our post-salvation sins for release from true guilt, 1 John 1:9. (3) If we feel guilty, but Scripture does not convict us of sin, we must trust God's Word that we are innocent to be at peace, Is. 26:3.

Lesson: Though Rachel and Mary had labor at childbirth as SINNERS, the SINLESS Jesus SAVES all who trust in Him from SIN and GUILT.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

Last Monday, a call came in from a young adult who could not answer an objection about Christianity that had been raised by a friend. His friend had seen a video by a party who denied the Christian faith due to the statement in Numbers 23:19 (KJV) that says: "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent . . ." The party had asserted this verse proves that Christianity's claim that Jesus is the Son of God errs, for God is not the son of man as the Christian faith claims Jesus is, cf. Mark 2:5-12.

However, I realized the answer to this charge is found in the lesson I was then beginning to prepare for this sermon: the comparison in Numbers 23:19 contrasts a HOLY God with SINFUL men! True, God is not a sinful man: He is not a sinner like Rachel or Mary or like any of us, meaning He does not lie nor repent as a sinful man!

However, this does not keep God from taking on Himself a human nature as Christianity claims the Son of God did providing that nature is sinless! Jesus' humanity is sinless by way of the virgin birth (Luke 1:35), so neither would He lie or repent like a sinful man does. Thus, the restriction in Numbers 23:19 does not apply to Jesus Christ!

Besides, the divine and human natures of Jesus never mingle, anyway; both natures are distinct from one another, so there can not be any contradiction in Christ to what Numbers 23:19 claims. His union of the two natures is called the "hypostatic union" by conservative Christians, J. F. Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord, 1974, p. 112-114. The critic who used Numbers 23:19 to deny the Christian faith did not understand this truth, and has thus erred! [Neither did he acknowledge Isaiah 9:6 and Micah 5:2 that foretell the birth of God in the flesh!]

May we REJOICE that JESUS is our SAVIOR from SIN and GUILT! HE ALONE was BORN SINLESS as GOD come in the FLESH by the VIRGIN BIRTH, and He LIVED a SINLESS life and died as the QUALIFIED Mediator for our SINS.

May we (1) trust in Him to receive eternal life and be forgiven of sins (John 3:16; Colossians 1:14). (2) May we then live in the Holy Spirit's power WITHOUT SINNING (1 John 2:1), but (3) confess what sins we as believers DO commit for forgiveness and release from guilt, 1 John 1:9! (4) If we struggle with feelings of guilt, but note that Scripture does not convict us of sin, we must trust in God and His word for peace, Isaiah 26:3!