Service, Selflessness, and Sacrifice

This morning we're going to be in the book of Philippians chapter three both hours. Last week I mentioned of. Everything that man does as part of their salvation or evidence of their salvation can be fit into three categories. one or more of three categories as definitions, and it's sacrifice, it's selflessness, and it's service. You can put those any ways you want to, service, selflessness, and sacrifice. Men look at what they do rather than what Christ has done. I fear sometimes we get caught up in, I say we, I fear I get caught up sometimes in declaring unto us what something is not in order to hope to help us see what something is.

A good example of that would be if you go to a bank, or you don't go to a bank, but if you were one that was supposed to figure out what false money is, fake currency. They don't study counterfeits, do they? They study the real thing. And sometimes we can look at a counterfeit and examine it and say, okay, well there's a definite difference there. And we do that. And that's kind of what we did last Sunday. We kind of examined the counterfeit a little bit.

This Sunday, I'm hoping, this hour, I'm hoping that the Lord will cause us to see not my sacrifice, not my service, not my selflessness and why that's wrong necessarily. We will see that a little bit, but the focal point will be on Christ's service, Christ's selflessness, and Christ's sacrifice, because therein is our hope. Therein is our hope. The Lord often, Tom, would correct the Pharisees, he'd correct the Sadducees, the scribes, and he would tell them, you're doing this wrong and this wrong, search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and that's exactly the declaration of what we were trying to say last Sunday, but, What we would like to look at this morning, if the Lord be our help, is that everything pertaining to the salvation of the Lord revolves around, focuses on, and looks to the finished work of Christ. Every bit of it. Every bit of it. It can be summarized into this statement. Everything about God's salvation can be summarized to this one statement.

Christ is faithful that promised. Christ is faithful that promised. If at any time I am tempted or at any time I find myself looking to my faithfulness, I am not looking to him. I'm not looking to his faithfulness. So this hour, as we look at his service, his selflessness and his sacrifice, it's all about his faithfulness, isn't it? It's all about his faithfulness. Let's read this together, Philippians three verses seven through nine.

But what things were gained to me, those I counted loss for Christ, yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but done, that I may win Christ and be found in him. Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

Title this message Service, Selflessness, and Sacrifice. Anything we do unto God as part or evidence of our salvation can fit into these three categories, one or more. Doesn't matter what we do, it means that we're looking to ourself in some way. The good news is, and moreover abundantly, is everything Christ did unto the Father and for the salvation of his people can fit into these three categories. His service, his selflessness, his sacrifice, That, in essence, is how salvation was accomplished. His service unto the Father, his service for the salvation of his people, his selfless devotion, his faithfulness unto God, unwavering in all things, and his ultimate sacrifice, laying down his life for his sheep unto the Father, giving his life that the Father would be pleased to redeem his people.

The first one that I want to look at is service, his service. We know that everything, well, first of all, we need to be reminded, we know, but we need to be reminded that everything pertaining to God's salvation, everything pertaining to God's salvation, is entirely based upon His sovereign will, His sovereign choice, His own purpose and grace. And as we read scripture and as we see the Lord revealing Himself in different ways, we'll see second hour also. Actually, when we turn here in just a second, we'll see it. It always says, he hath done this, he has done this, he did this, or he, it never says, and because you did this, he did this. It always says he, it's because he's sovereign. He's the first cause. He's the first cause.

Now election was not a service necessarily, but election was the first cause of the salvation of the Lord's people. And we see that it was what the Lord had ordained in order for Christ to serve or redeem God's chosen people. Nothing at any time was based upon man's choice. Not when it comes to salvation. Nothing pertaining to God's salvation was based upon man's choice.

The children are learning about Shimei right now. And if you know a little bit about Shimei, you know that he was of the lineage of Saul. And Saul was king. David was the one that was ordained or anointed to be the king. And therefore, when David came back from battle, Shimei hated him and Shimei was throwing rocks and Shimei was cursing David.

And I love what the servant, how the Lord, how David handled, the Lord calls David to handle the situation. The servant said, Lord, you want me to go chop his head off? I mean, that's, that's what he said. And David said, no. And may we have the grace to say this when things happen in our life, the Lord caused Shimei to curse David. The Lord caused Shimei to curse David.

Well, later on, Solomon is now king and Shimei, it's brought up that he should die. Solomon said, if you remain on your property that I give you, then you will not die. But in the day that you leave that property, you'll surely die. This is an oath that you're making unto God. And Shimei agreed to that. Well, Shimei's servants fled to Gath, which is the Philistine location, and Shimei goes after him and gets him and bring him back. Well, Solomon finds out about it, brings Shimei before him, or tells Shimei to come to him, he does.

And he said, you broke your covenant with God, and the consequence is death. Death. Another example of this is in the Garden of Eden, the very first commandment ever given, you shall not eat of the tree of the fruit, for in the day that you do, you shall surely die. The Lord already told him the consequence, just as Solomon told Shimei the consequence for disobedience or leaving his property. And yet we see every time man is given tasked a service, we fail. Every single time. And what is the consequence of our service being broken? What is the consequence of our unfaithfulness? What's the consequence of our sin and unbelief? Death. Death. This is what we see all throughout scripture.

This great salvation that the Lord purposed cannot be based upon man for those reasons. cannot be based upon. If it is, you and I are in trouble. If the Lord's looking to you right now and he says unto you and I, and he does not, but if he did say this one commandment I want you to keep for the rest of your life perfectly, who has the ability to keep something perfectly? No, this salvation started before time ever began.

This, the service of our savior was, he's called the elect of God for the salvation of his people. He is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. It was his purpose to serve his people in salvation, to serve his father out of love. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter one.

Notice that none of this is contingent. That's so important. Meaning there's no clause in it. There's nothing, there's no fine print at the bottom that says, yeah, the Lord did this and the Lord did that, but you have to do this. The Lord's service was good and all, but you have to make it effectual by what you do. Look at how the Lord uses his word.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God to the saints which are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ. So we have Verse three again, blessed be the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, who hath, there's past tense already, right? He already has blessed us with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ.

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Having, that's past tense again, predestinated us into the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, and here's why.

According to the good pleasure of his will. That's the sovereignty we were talking about. God purposes and it happens. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption. through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself. that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, which are both in heaven and which are on earth, even in him. It's all according to the good pleasure of his will. The service of our savior began before time.

He was seen as the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This was the purpose God sending forth his son. It wasn't to attempt something. It wasn't to try to do something It was to serve the father perfectly. Do you know why that was necessary? Because we cannot serve perfectly We can't even serve half perfectly. There's no such thing as half perfectly, but so you understand I'm saying I We were in the back, and not to put Mac on the spot, but he prayed.

It meant a lot to me to hear him say this, because I can relate to these words. He said, Lord, you're going to have to keep us, because we can't even walk a straight line. I like that. That's accurate, isn't it? Lord said, OK, if you walk a straight line perfectly, I'll save you. No, he didn't. Because we can't walk a straight line. Not spiritually speaking. Somebody said, I can walk just fine. I'll walk back to the back door. Watch me walk a straight line.

No. That which is flesh is flesh. That which is spirit is spirit. You must be born again. No man can do the will of God in the flesh. The scripture says, and I quote often, they that are in the flesh cannot please God. That's so simple. It's so easily overlooked, but it's simple. That means we are, every one of us that are flesh, every one of us that are creatures of dust, every single son and daughter of Adam, is in the flesh. We have a robe of flesh upon us.

We can't please God in ourself. Our service is meaningless in ourself and of ourself, in that what we produce. Doesn't do me any good to produce anything because it's not going to please God for salvation or for righteousness. Now that being said, when the Lord calls us out of darkness into light, our service unto him and unto each other is because of love. There is no motivation of, look at me. There is no motivation of, I have done this, so I deserve a new jewel in my crown.

Have you ever heard that before? We were in a religious, Well, the church was very religious at one time, and it was you could get so many jewels in your crown whenever you go to heaven. And so if you did this, you get a certain jewel. If you did that, you get a certain jewel. It's just foolishness. What does that say? Look at me. Look at me. No, it's not my service. It's his service, his perfect service in all things.

Because we cannot please God in the flesh, something had to happen in order for us to be saved, and it did. Look at verse six. To the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Who's the beloved? It's the Lord Jesus Christ, isn't it? He's made us accepted in Him. He's made us accepted as one in Him together. This exempts my service unto Him as any part of my salvation. Do we know why? Christ was chosen as the supreme servant of the Father, the one that would serve for the purpose of salvation. He wasn't gonna try, he was going to serve, he was going to do, and he did just that.

Go back to Philippians with me, but look in chapter two this time. Look at verse one. If there be therefore any consolation of Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels of mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind. Let each esteem each other better than themselves. Let not every man Look upon his own things, but every man on the things of others.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Now here we have. the definition of our Lord's servitude, who Christ, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men and being fashioned and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. Christ was rejected of men because God only accepts his service, yet as our servant, as the servant of God, he humbled himself to the lowest degree possible.

Can you and I say that we've ever actually served perfectly? Can't say that, can we? Now, I might serve my wife, I might serve my children, but I have motivation in myself. We're selfish creatures, aren't we? We're prideful by nature. We have egos. Eventually something's going to rub us and our pride's gonna pop up. It's just how it works. Not him. You ever thought about that? He had no ego. He had no pride. He had no underlining vendetta whereby he would receive the praise of men. Money didn't motivate him.

He owns everything. What was his motivation? To serve his father for the salvation of his people. To serve his people unto death, even the death of the cross. This is our hope. This is our hope, not my service, his service. I looked up the definition of servant. And a servant is described in three different parts. And one of the words are servitude, servitude. And it means subject of being a servant to a master. Now Christ never acknowledged his father as master, but he certainly did humble himself unto his father in obedience. and acknowledge the father in all things and obedient unto all things to him.

John 8 28 says, then Jesus said to them, when you have lifted up the son of man, then you shall know that I am and that I can do nothing of myself. But as the father has taught me, I speak these things and he that sent me is with me. The father hath not left me alone for I always For I do always those things which please Him. Christ said, I do always those things that please Him.

Can you and I say that we always do the things that please God? This is the requirement. When we're talking about what God requires for salvation, we have to please Him perfectly in all things. Can we say that? No, but Christ did and He cannot lie. I always do those things which please him. Why did he always do those things?

Because he was tasked with the redemption of God's elect. He was tasked with the redemption of God's elect. That's why they called him Jesus. It says in Matthew chapter one, call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sin. This was his purpose. He was born to die. as a servant unto the Father, as a servant unto his people. Can you imagine being born for the purpose of laying down your life? We wouldn't know it, but he knew it. He knew all these, he purposed all these things.

Another definition of service is subservient, meaning to serving to promote some in excessively submissive. He served for a purpose. He served for a purpose. He didn't just serve with a hope, so maybe so this might happen, this might not happen. He served with a purpose. And the scripture tells us clearly, none can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? He served with an intent that was accomplished according to his will. His purpose was to obey his father, to honor and glorify his father in all things.

Do we know why? You and I can't honor and glorify the father in all things. Now, through the eyes of faith that the Lord gives us, he sees us in Christ. Therefore, we do glorify and honor him because we look to the Son as all of our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. But in and of ourself, we cannot glorify the Father and praise him in all things.

What man or woman among us or anyone in the listening can say that we have been faithful servants unto God in all things? Only the Lord Jesus Christ has that title. Only the Lord Jesus Christ fits that description. Look at verse seven of chapter three of Philippians. This is why Paul has been brought to the knowledge and understanding of these words.

But what things were gained to me, those I counted lost for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ and be found in him. Not having my own righteousness, which is of the law. And what is the righteousness of the law? It's due. It's service, is it not? Service, obedience.

But that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness, which is of God by faith. Our hope of righteousness is not based upon our service, but his service, his faithfulness unto the Father. That's why it says it's his, but that which is through the faith of Christ, not my faith in Christ, but his faith alone. It's his faithfulness as a servant, his service under the Father on behalf of his elected people. It's his service that we look to, not our own. Secondly, it's his selflessness. His selflessness is the glorious result of his faithfulness.

When he said, I come to do thy will, O God, that didn't mean that he would consider doing the will of God. That didn't mean he would try. to do the will of God. That meant that that was the exact purpose and why he came. That means that it was exactly the reason that he became a man, and that's exactly what he was to accomplish because of who he is.

We can never adequately describe his isness, his character, his nature to the fullest degree that we would like to, but we have some understanding that when God speaks, it happens. When God wills it, it comes to pass. When God's purposed it, it's going to be done, nothing can stop it. So if his purpose was to come as our selfless lamb to save us and to honor his father, it's going to happen, and it did.

It did. You know how often, can anybody relate to this, how often we get preoccupied with other things? I don't know how everybody else is here, but I'll start something and I'll see something else. I'll pull off of that one, go over to do that, and I'll see something else. Before you know it, I haven't accomplished anything. All I did was start three projects and made a big mess. That's what would happen if salvation was up to us. I want us to think about this clearly and plainly.

Because of Christ's selflessness, he was never preoccupied with anything but honoring the Father. Not one time did he look away from the Father. Not one time. When Satan was tempting him, he was set on pleasing the Father. He was in perfect obedience. When he was walking on the water, looking to the Father in perfect obedience. every single aspect of his life.

What did he say whenever his mother, Mary and Joseph, they were annoyed with him, you could say it that way. They were frightened, so I imagine they'd be annoyed. They came to him and said, what are you doing? We've been gone a day and couldn't find you. He said, wish you not that I must be about what?

My father's business. 12 years old. 12 years old, he's still looking to the father, even at 12. I don't know what you all were doing when you were 12, but I know what I was doing. Not a whole lot of anything that was good. Just being a boy, you know, whatever. Not him. He was looking to the Father, selflessly looking to the Father. Think about that. Oh, I need that substitute, don't you? From the time he was born to the time he said, it is finished, and gave up the ghost, he was looking to the Father selflessly for the salvation of his people. Oh, he was faithful, never wavering.

You and I'll stub our toe, we'll be rejoicing. This is just an example, but you and I will be rejoicing. Maybe we read something in scripture, the Lord revealed himself to us, and oh, the Lord's joy just floods our heart. We have peace for a moment, and everything just seems all right. We'll stub our toe, we've lost it all. We'll start fussing at the dresser. It's not the dresser's fault that we kicked it. On our Lord, he didn't make mistakes. He was selfless in the service that he had to his father, and he looked to him in all things. Nothing could distract him.

How distracted are we? I'm distracted all the time. I get distracted when I'm driving. That's a terrible thing to admit, but it's true. I'll see something, I'll look away. That's how wrecks happen, isn't it? You're not paying attention. He always paid attention to His purpose, to save His people from their sin. Why? To glorify His Father. To glorify His Father. The Father didn't glorify the Son, and then the Lord became faithful. According to the Scripture, the Lord was faithful, and the Father glorified the Son, John 17. His faithfulness was, now you and I, if we're gonna be glorified, it's not gonna be the result of our faithfulness, that's the point I'm making, it's gotta be the result of His faithfulness, His selflessness, because we can't be selfless. If that's what God requires, have I really ever done anything selflessly, completely, 100%, perfectly selfless? No. We're not capable of that, are we? We don't have the capacity. But do you know that he had the infinite capacity to be selfless all the time?

I often, he slept, I think that's amazing, even in sleeping. And we can say this to be so because it's true, because of who he is, even in sleeping he was looking to the Father. Everything that he did. Never had dreams that were a distraction, never had dreams that, we have bad dreams, we'll wake up, our whole world's upside down just because of a dream we had.

Not him, he was still looking to the Father. He was still in perfect obedience, he was still submitting. This is our substitute, this is what the Lord has done in service and in selflessness on behalf of his people. I love the fact that he had no self-preservation.

Meaning that his purpose, he would always tell them, he said, well, my time's not come. He knew he was going to die. You and I would go, we knew somebody was trying to kill us, we'd go into fight or flight mode. We'd try to run away or we'd try to fight to save ourselves, not him.

He let creatures of dust take him and beat him and whip him beyond recognition. They plucked his beard, they spit in his face, they blindfolded him and slapped him and said, prophesy, tell us who hit you. He knew who hit him. He was the one that created them in the womb. He knew them by name, knew all their thoughts. The Lord knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart. Yet he opened not his mouth. But he went as a lamb, dumb before the shearers. He opened not his mouth. Why? He was selfless in his service unto the Father.

Is there any of us who can say that our love is selfless all the time? No. No, and I'll give you a good example. Probably shouldn't, but I'm going to. A good example is I always tell myself that I regret it later on. If I bring home flowers to my wife, my intention is to make her feel special. But I have selfish motivations in that. I want her to say, oh, thank you so much. Makes me feel so special. I love you. Tell me I'm wrong.

Selfish love. What about His love? Selfless love, complete sacrifice. Oh, that's what God required. Lord, I can't produce that. You're gonna have to be my substitute. You're gonna have to be my surety. I can't produce this selfless love that you're talking about.

But the Lord did for His people. The Lord did for His people. Our Lord for 33 and a third year, if biblical scholars and what they've come up with is right, 33 and a third year is how long he lived. He never doubted he was faithful to his father. He was faithfully selfless to God. And I love that it was on our behalf. It was for a purpose.

Can you imagine him being faith, uh, perfectly faithful, perfectly selfless. And then now you have to do something to make that faithfulness work. You have to do something. How could we do something to make his selflessness effectual? You see, that's just so silly. No, it's him alone.

Christ is all in salvation. I love the fact that that's never gonna change. His faithfulness is never going to change. His selflessness is never gonna change. The scripture tells us Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. If he's ever been faithful, and he's always been faithful, he always will be. He always will be.

I've got more good news for you. Scripture says if we deny him, if we believe not, He cannot deny himself. He abideth faithful. Isn't that glorious? If we're in him, he can't deny us because he's faithful. You mean he doesn't deny me because of his faithfulness? Yes. What about my faithfulness? Paul said, I've counted all things but dung that I might win Christ and be found in him. Not having my own righteousness which is of the law, but the righteousness which is by the faith of Jesus Christ.

In Revelation, we actually find out that his name is Faithful. Faithful and selfless go hand in hand. His service, all this goes hand in hand truly. But he says in Revelation 19, I saw heaven open and behold a white horse and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True. It's not just an attribute, it's not just a character, it's not just part of it, it's who he is. His name is faithful.

Can you, well, I'll tell you this, Caleb means faithful dog. And I always pray, Lord, if I'm gonna be faithful, you're the one who ought to do it. Don't look at my faithfulness, look at the faithfulness of Christ. I was going to say, whose name is faithful?

Well, my name, it's irrelevant, I guess. But the point that I'm trying to make is even if we named ourselves faithful, it doesn't mean that we're faithful. But when he can't lie, it's his name. It's his name. He was called. It's his name, faithful and true. Who gave him that name? God did. He's faithful.

God's elect are made to never look at our service or our selflessness as any part or evidence of our salvation. We are made to believe, rest, and hope in Jesus Christ alone because it's his service and his selflessness, his faithfulness that accomplish salvation fully, fully. And lastly, God's elect, we don't look to our sacrifice. How long did we look at our lives and false religion and see, well, I'm doing this or I'm doing that.

That's called sacrifice. How many times did we say, okay, I can be here at this time and we can do this and this and this. I've sacrificed time. What about the publican and the Pharisee? The Pharisee said, Lord, I thank thee that I'm not like other men are, I tithe sacrifice. I give to the poor, sacrifice. I fast, sacrifice. Do we see that all falls underneath the umbrella of sacrifice? So what we do is our sacrifice unto God.

The problem is is men believe they can do that unto salvation as part of their salvation or evidence that they've been saved. Therefore, God's either not the Alpha or not the Omega. In reality, he's both the Alpha and the Omega. We don't look to our sacrifice because if we were able to, our sacrifice would be for that of gain. We would gain salvation. We would earn salvation and salvations by grace through faith in that not of ourself. It's the gift of God, not of works.

Not my sacrifice. It's his sacrifice. Now, is it true that we do sacrifice for each other? Yes. Yes, but not as part of our salvation. Ever. Prayer is a good definition of sacrificing time. If I pray for you, I don't call you up and say, hey, I just prayed for you. That would be arrogant. Now you owe me a prayer too. We don't do that. No, we sacrifice for each other as best we can, but it's unto the Lord. It's not unto each other as far as trying to gain something. It's the heart that he gives us because we love one another. Look at verse seven again.

But what things were gained to me, those I counted lost for Christ. Yea, doubtless, I count all things but lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but done that I may win Christ. Be found in him not having my own righteousness, which is of the law. but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. If God was only ever pleased with the sacrifice of Christ, what makes me think that I can please God with my sacrifice? Think about all those Old Testament sacrifices.

Day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute, sacrifice after sacrifice, and people don't really enter into the thought, I don't think, or maybe I haven't entered into the thought, but that was a gruesome scene. That was not a pleasant thing to look at. They were literally sacrificing animals. It was a mess. It was a mess.

And yet the Lord said, the only way, without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sin. But then the Lord said, sacrifice an offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. Christ is that, the one that had to come and sacrifice in order for us to be set free from the bonds of sin and death. Because no matter what we do, even in the sacrifices of animals, the Lord's not pleased with that.

He's pleased with one. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews 10 verse five. Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he say a sacrifice and offering thou what it's not, but a body has thou prepared me in burn offering and sacrifices for sin. Thou has no pleasure. Well, that's clear, isn't it? That's clear. Then said I, lo, I come, in the volume of the book it is written of me, to do thy will, O God. Above, when he said, sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin, thou wouldst not, neither hast pleasure therein which are offered by the law. Then said he, lo, I come to do thy will, O God.

He taketh away the first that he may establish the second. What does he mean by take away the first that he might establish the second? Take away the first, um, the first covenant that required works that he might establish the covenant of grace, which is eternal everlasting to take away the sacrifice of old works of man's hands. It does not please God to establish the work of Christ, the sacrifice of Christ, which actually put away the sin of his people to put away, to end, to end the, uh, continual offering of animals, blood, by giving his own lifeblood unto the Father as our redemptive price.

And the Father was well pleased. With the countless sacrifice of burnt offerings under the Old Testament law, they were just a picture of the sacrifice of Christ to come. They were able to worship looking towards the cross. That's what that was all about.

Now look at verse 10 of chapter 10. By the witch will, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. If anybody ever talks to you about progressive sanctification, point them to Hebrews chapter 10, verse 10. By his will, we've been sanctified once and for all. It's not that complicated, is it?

And every priest ended daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But this man, that's who we're talking about, this man, his sacrifice, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Wherefore, the Holy Ghost also is a witness unto us, for after that he had said before, this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws in their heart, and in their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Here is where we see what Christ's sacrifice accomplished. He bearing the sin of his own people and his body upon the tree, he sacrificing everything Even in life, he said, the foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests, that the son of man hath no place to lay his head.

He didn't come to this earth to set up an earthly kingdom or to try to establish anything physical. He came to do the will of God for the purpose of the cross. This is why time was made. Time was literally made for Christ Jesus to come into the world to redeem his people back to God.

It not only hinges and revolves around, but everything pertaining to God's salvation in essence is Jesus Christ. He's the fullness of salvation. He is the Lord's salvation. That's what Emmanuel means, God with us. That's why they called him Jesus Christ. He was God's savior, God's salvation.

Our Lord alone had the perfection required that meets God's standard, that meets God's demands. Our Lord alone could fulfill the law's demands and satisfy justice. Our Lord alone could die the death that we could not. Our Lord alone could sacrifice and the Lord say, well pleased, well pleased. Now here's the good news. We'll see this second hour, but the word is substitution. When the Lord died, we died in him. When the Lord was pleased with his darling son and his sacrifice, he's pleased with you and I in him.

Lord doesn't see your sacrifice. Lord doesn't see your selflessness. Lord doesn't see your service. Thank God for that, right? He sees the service, selflessness, and sacrifice of Jesus Christ when he sees us. Why? Because he sees the blood of Christ. He sees perfection. He sees righteousness. He sees holiness. He sees goodness, all because of his grace.

And you and I are able to rejoice in the finished work of Christ alone. Our Lord took the guilty charges of his people. And scripture says in Isaiah 51, the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. When he saw the travail of his soul, he was satisfied. Hebrews one tells us that when he had by himself purged our sin, he sat down.

This was his sacrifice. This is the sacrifice of our Lord. The work was finished. This has never been nor ever will be determined by what we do. It was determined by what he alone did. His selflessness, his service, and his sacrifice. God's salvation is entirely based upon this. God's salvation, because of his service, sacrifice, and selflessness, it's all about how God saved his people from their sin. It's all because of his amazing grace, isn't it? That's why the Lord made Christ into us all of our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. His service, his sacrifice, his selflessness. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we ask that you would bless this to our understanding for your glory. In Christ's name, amen. Let's take a break.

Service, Selflessness, and Sacrifice

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Service, Selflessness, and Sacrifice

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About Caleb Hickman

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