Those of you who have small children at home will be familiar with an experience I had about 10 years ago. Thatcher was one year old and he was eating spaghetti for the first time. As all of you could imagine, by the time he was finished eating he had managed to get himself completely covered in spaghetti sauce with an occasional noodle stuck in his hair, face, arms, hands, clothing, legs, and toes. He was literally covered from head to toe.
Now, imagine what would happen if we decided to give him a napkin to clean himself up. What would he do with that napkin? He would’ve only made it worse. He would have only spread the spaghetti deeper and wider than he had already managed to spread it. He needed someone else to get him clean.
All of us are covered just like Thatcher, but instead of spaghetti, we are covered with sin. From the moment we are conceived in our mother’s womb, sin covers every part of us. And just like a spahetti-covered-toddler with a napkin, we are helpless to clean ourselves up.
We are totally depraved. Although we are not as bad as we could be, every part of us is tainted by the effects of sin. Our minds, our wills, our affections and desires, have all been negatively impacted by original sin. There is not a single part of us that remains neutral.
We get a remarkable illustration of this in https://ref.ly/logosref/Bible.Zec3 (Zechariah 3). This is the gospel according to Zechariah. It provides a clear picture of man’s need for God, and the only answer God provides to satisfy that need.
In order to be saved God must remove your sin and clothe you in an alien righteousness [Substitution].
Pray and Read https://ref.ly/logosref/Bible.Zec3 (Zechariah 3).
Christ accomplishes the work of redemption through three offices:
• A Prophet who can replace our ignorance.
• A Priest who can remove our iniquity.
• A King who can conquer our insurrection.
The purpose in each of these roles is to show—from various angles—how Christ brings about reconciliation between God and man.
Evangelicalism’s critical problem is that Christians often assume the gospel and the work of Christ,” or they find themselves expressing it in a repetitive and formulaic way. I can recall many times hearing the gospel tacked onto the end of a sermon. A sermon on pride might say nothing about Jesus until the very end. “All of this is impossible if you have not surrendered your life to Jesus Christ...” Each sermon concludes with an altar call in order to check off that the gospel was proclaimed.
I don’t mean to disparage those who conclude their sermons with the gospel. Frankly, I think the gospel should be found in the conclusion. I just happen to think it should also be found throughout the rest of the sermon as well!
On the other hand, there is another tendency—and I think we are pointing at ourselves here—to complicate the gospel with a doctrinal litmus test. We pack so much theological argumentation into the basic idea of the gospel, that we find ourselves assuming the worst about other professing Christians. We start to put “scare quotes” around “Christians” who disagree with us on finer points.
That’s not to reduce the importance of doctrine. I went to seminary to be properly trained in Christian doctrine. But, the fact of the matter is that the gospel is not as complicated as we oftentimes make it sound. Yes, there is a depth to God’s revelation that we can never plumb the bottom of. But we also believe that the gospel is simple enough for a child to understand.
It is my hope that you will leave this morning with your heads raised heavenward in awesome wonder that God would save a wretch like me.
The Role of the PriestsProphets were God’s representative to the people. They were the mouthpiece of God. Last week we considered how Hosea’s words and actions revealed God’s attitude toward his people.
Priests represent the people before God. He stands before...
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