Join us sundays at 10:30AM

Christ Alone

October 13, 2024 Preacher: Kevin Godin Series: Various Messages

Scripture: Hebrews 1:1–3

Sermon Transcript:

Some people like to say that all roads lead to God. That is true. All roads do lead to God. Every single human being will stand before the same God on judgment day. Every path leads to the same divine courtroom, but not every path leads to heaven. In fact Jesus, who came from heaven, tells us the only way to heaven is to rely on his work alone. If we try to cling to any other works, any other mediators, or any other path, we will not make it. To go to heaven we must give up all our pride and simply trust God to save us.

The only way any of us sinners can stand justified before a holy God’s grace alone, on the basis of Christ’s blood and righteousness alone, through the means of faith alone, for the ultimate glory of God alone, as revealed with final authority in Scripture alone. Salvation comes directly from God and we receive it by faith in Jesus Christ alone. That is the main point of our message today,

Salvation is found in Christ alone

The devil hates Jesus and wants to do everything he can to keep us from him. He spreads lies to cause confusion about Jesus and to draw us away from him. He does not want us to see the uniqueness and sufficiency of Jesus because if we do, we can be set free from bondage to him. He will try to convince us there are other ways to salvation, we don’t really need him. But the devil is really tricky. If he fails to capture us with that lie, he will make much of Christ but tell us that something must be added to the work of Jesus to accomplish our salvation. If he cannot deny the necessity of Jesus, he will deny his sufficiency.

So this morning we are going to draw the sword of the Spirit and do battle with the enemy. We will destroy his lies and darkness with the truth and the light of the word of God. There is no salvation apart from Jesus, and we cannot add anything to his perfect work. To deny either of these truths is to reject the salvation God offers. We begin in verse 1.

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…”

The entire Bible points us to Jesus. Every chapter adds to and deepens the majesty and glory of who Jesus is and what He has done. There is no way in a single sermon, or even a lifetime of sermons, to fully communicate the riches of Christ, but we already have in these three verses several truths that show us why salvation is in Christ Alone.

Since all people have sinned, we are separated from God and are under judgment. That has to be taken care of. We need someone to come in between us to reconcile us to God before we can enjoy any fellowship with Him. We need a mediator. A mediator is someone who reconciles two parties who are at odds with each other.

In the Old Testament there were three kinds of mediators between the people and God. These were the offices of prophet, priest, and king. Prophets speak on behalf of God to the people. They proclaim God’s word, reveal who God is and what He expects, calling His people to repentance and covenant faithfulness. Priests, on the other hand, represent the people before God. They bring sacrifices on behalf of the people to God to make atonement and purify the people. Kings were God’s appointed rulers who governed, provided for, and defended the people according to God’s Law. They mediated God’s rule.

If you read the Old Testament, however, you realize that none of the people who had these offices fully satisfied the role. Those people were themselves sinners so they could not be the promised mediator who would remove sin and reconcile fallen people to God. The Old Testament ends with us anxiously waiting for the perfect mediator and then we meet him in the New Testament with the coming of Jesus.

Notice that Jesus fulfills the office of the prophet. 

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son 

God used to speak through a series of prophets but now He has revealed Himself through Jesus. It says

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.

Whoever sees Jesus has seen the Father. There is nothing to add. Christ is the perfect and final revelation. The apostle John says in 1 John 2:23, 

No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also

And the apostle Paul says it this way in Colossians 1:19-20, 

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Preachers, teachers, and pastors are not agents of revelation who speak for God except to the extent that they proclaim what God has already revealed in Jesus Christ and His word. The Church has no authority to proclaim anything other than what has been once and for all delivered to her by God. When you hear preaching here on Sunday or seek counsel from our elders, please understand that we have no wisdom and no authority to offer you other than Christ. We humbly do our best to use our imperfect gifts and talents to point you to Christ through His word. We speak with authority only when we speak His word.

The prophetic ministry of the church is like the light of the moon on a dark night. It is a great help and by it we can see many things and avoid many dangers but its light is merely a reflection of the light of the sun. Just as the moon has no light of its own, neither does the church. The wisdom of the most gifted pastor compared to the word of Christ is like the difference between midnight and noon.

Notice also that Jesus is a priest

After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…

In the Jewish temple, day after day, for generations there was an unending stream of blood flowing from the altar because of sin. There was an endless cycle of death as people brought offerings to be sacrificed on the altar for purification. Every day, week, month, and year the cycle continued, and the priests sacrificed on behalf of the people. Jesus, however, offered the perfect sacrifice by offering himself and then do you see what it says? After making purification… he sat down. The work was finished, it was accomplished. 

Hebrews 10:11-14 explains it this way,

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Believers are made acceptable by one perfect sacrifice for all time. When we come together on Sunday, we don’t celebrate a mass. A mass requires a sacrifice. Our ministers do not participate in a sacrifice, instead we proclaim the once for all sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ whose benefits we receive through faith. This is why in our church there is a pulpit rather than an altar at the front and center of the room. We do not offer a sacrifice, we proclaim one. 

Our pastors are not priests. We do not purify or make atonement, instead we point sinners to the one who has. The only priesthood we have is that which is shared by all believers who by faith have direct access to God. When Jesus died the veil in the temple separating the common people from the holy place was torn in two. Through faith in Jesus, all believers have direct access to God.

Notice also where Christ is seated,

He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high

and we also see that He has been appointed the heir of all things

These are brief references, but they show us that Jesus is also a king. He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He has all authority in heaven and on earth and all things are under him. He meditates as a prophet, a priest, and as the perfect king. He governs his people, provides for their needs, and he protects them and defends them.

Jesus provides everything we need for salvation. In Christ we are strengthened with the Bread of Life and are satisfied with rivers of Living Water. He is Life and Light and in him is rest and peace. As the apostle Paul says in Ephesians 1:3, 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places

Christ our King provides everything we need. King Jesus also defends us. It is Jesus that has defeated our enemies. He has overcome the world and shattered the power of sin, the devil, and the flesh. Look at how Luke explains what the coming of Jesus meant for his people in Luke 1:68-71,

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us…

The reference to David is intended to emphasize the role of Jesus as the promised king. He is the mighty warrior king that will defend and rescue his people. We see this again in Ephesians 4:8 where we are told

When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. 

Jesus plundered the strongholds of powerful spiritual rulers to free us from slavery and oppression. Our salvation is accomplished because Jesus has overcome the power of the evil one and secured victory through a great spiritual battle. Every believer is a hostage rescued from the prison of sin and death by a king who loved us enough to leave his palace in heaven and was strong enough to go into the dark places and bring us out.  

Brothers and sisters, the church has no power or majesty of her own. We are made heirs of the kingdom and seated in heavenly places solely because of the grace of God and the work of Jesus Christ. I pray, let the testimony of every man who ever stands behind this pulpit to be like that of the apostle Paul when he said to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 2:3–5, 

And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Jesus Christ has perfectly executed the threefold office of mediator. He is the perfect Prophet. He is the perfect Priest. And, He is the perfect King. There is something else, however, I want you to notice in our main passage that makes Jesus utterly unique. Look at what the author of Hebrews is claiming about Jesus. He is absolutely superior in every way to any other potential mediator, even angels, because Jesus Christ is utterly unique.

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…

Jesus is truly God and truly man, which makes Him alone qualified to be the mediator and savior. In Him, God and humanity are perfectly reconciled. The Savior had to be a human who is without sin.

Jesus is truly human: John 1:14 tells us 

the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” 

and Hebrews 2:14 says,

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things…

Jesus alone is without sin: All others have sinned but 1 Peter 2:22 says,

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 

and Hebrews 4:15 says he was 

…one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

We can already see that Jesus is the only human who could represent us as a mediator for salvation, but it wasn’t enough for the Savior to be a perfect man. He also had to be able to take upon himself the sins of His people and satisfy God’s just wrath. Only a divine person could do that. Only a being of infinite worth and life could pay that price. 

Salvation had to come from one who was fully human and fully God. Jesus alone fits that description. He is utterly unique in being able to pay the penalty for sin while in the flesh. Christ alone is the only person in all of history that could do what He did. He is the only begotten Son of God and Jesus is the only one who meets those requirements. Luke writes in Acts 4:12,

…there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

To modern ears this sounds narrow. It may even sound arrogant to say there is only one way to salvation. After all, there are thousands of religions and philosophies trying to help humans climb up to God for salvation. Jesus, however, is the only example of God’s coming down to us to bring salvation. It is far more arrogant to reject God’s grace and insist on trying it our way than admitting that we can’t do it and accepting the gift of salvation he offers.

Whether we like it or not, truth is often narrow. If you want to breathe, you have one option, oxygen. When you go to the doctor you need the precise treatment that is going to help you, anything else is useless or dangerous. Physics, mathematics, logic and every other pursuit of truth turns out to be surprisingly narrow. The truth of salvation is there is only one way. Salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone. The Bible teaches it is his work alone that accomplishes it and we cannot add to it.

This is one of the most important differences between what a church like ours teaches and, for example, the Roman Catholic church. The Roman Catholic Catechism of 1993 says:

“No creature could ever be counted along with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer; but ... the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source.” (CCC 970)

It goes on a bit further to say more clearly:

"In the forgiveness of sins, both priests and sacraments are instruments which our Lord Jesus Christ, the only author and liberal giver of salvation, wills to use in order to efface our sins and give us the grace of justification" (CCC 987)

By adding the institution of the Church to what Christ does as our mediator the Gospel is distorted. It is true that the church is the Body of Christ, and that Christ works through His church, but in the New Testament the word church refers to the gathering of all those who have been united to Jesus by faith and the distinction between Jesus, who is the head, and believers, who are the body, is never confused. It is not the church, but God the Holy Spirit who applies the benefits of Jesus to believers. 

Rome teaches, for example, that Mary is a co-mediator with Jesus. There are prayers and hymns to Mary because they say the best way to approach Jesus is through Mary because of her special relationship with him. But what does the Bible say? 

When praising God for his blessing upon her, Mary says in Luke 1:46–47, 

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. 

Far from relying on any special relationship Mary acknowledges her own need of salvation and gives all glory to God. The Mary of the Bible is a great example of humble trust in Jesus and never claims to be any kind of mediator between sinners and God. One who needs a savior could never fill that role!

Christ is not a reluctant Savior that needs to be persuaded to show mercy. From beginning to end our salvation is an act of love to the glory of God. In love, the Father initiates, the Son accomplishes, and the Spirit applies salvation. This is why Paul comforts us in Romans 8:32, 

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

If we add anything to the work of Jesus Christ in salvation, it is to say that the cross was not enough. It is to say that God needs the help of the very same sinners he came to rescue to complete His work. That is not at all the picture the Bible gives us. He is mighty to save!

No sinner is going to love you more than Jesus and no person can add to what has already been perfectly and completely accomplished in Jesus. The Bible says that all we must do to receive the benefits of the Cross is to believe. Through simple faith we receive the fullness of salvation.

Hear what the Word of the Lord says,

Acts 16:30–31, Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.

John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 5:24, Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

We are saved by the grace of God alone, by faith alone, in Jesus alone, as revealed in the Bible alone. We cannot add anything and don’t need to. We are called simply to look on Jesus and believe. It is Christ that is offered in the preaching of the Gospel and if we receive Him, we need nothing else. Salvation is in Christ Alone. The Bible says, “there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are In Christ Jesus.” In Him, we are restored to fellowship with God and need not seek any other mediator. In Christ, we can come confidently before Him to receive mercy because He loves us and gave Himself for us.

Hebrews 4:14-16 says,

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 

What about you this morning? Where have you placed your hope for salvation? Listen carefully brothers and sisters, the church cannot forgive sin. Your pastor cannot release you from your guilt. There is no saint who has any merit they can offer you other than that which they received from the same hand that freely offers righteousness to you. Your works add nothing to what Christ has done. Your goodness and your service are the fruit rather than the root of your acceptance by God.

I have mentioned some examples from Catholicism to make the points clear, but the false logic of trying to add to the finished work of Jesus can be found in every denomination. It is so easy to subtly shift our confidence from Jesus alone to Jesus plus all sorts of other things. The devil is clever. He tries to convince us that we can add all sorts of things to earn God’s acceptance. It can be good things like reading our Bibles, church attendance, spiritual gifts, giving, or serving. 

Right now, issues such as politics, social justice, and cultural engagement are popular idols. People can begin to believe that their stance on these matters somehow enhances their standing before God. But, let me be clear: your alignment with the right cause, your political position, or your social activism does not add one ounce of merit before God. 

A desire to love and serve our neighbors certainly flows from a heart transformed by grace, but our justification before God is based on the righteousness of Jesus Christ alone. Christ has done it all. He is our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption. It is finished. There is nothing you or I can add. Anything that diminishes this truth leads us back into bondage, trying to earn a position that can only be freely given by God’s grace through faith.

As Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:5

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

We have all sinned. We have all rejected God’s law and because of that were cut off from fellowship with Him and deserve His judgment. The Bible calls that sin and there is nothing we can do to erase sin. The thing is that God is holy and just and like every just king, he will punish criminals. The fine has to be paid and there is no way we could pay it. 

But God is also rich in mercy and in love he sent his son Jesus who lived a perfect life and then offered himself as the payment for our sin. Jesus satisfied God’s justice so we would not have to. Then, three days later He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven where He is seated at the right hand of the Father and meditates for us as the perfect prophet, priest, and king.

Jesus has paid the price and God stands ready to forgive. All we need to do is to trust Him. If you have not already trusted in Christ for salvation, I urge you to do it even now. He is the only mediator, but he is perfect so no other is needed. He is the only one you need. Hebrews 7:25 says, 

he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Isn’t that awesome? He never takes a break from working as our mediator. He is always there for us. And he doesn’t just save a little bit… no, he saves “to the uttermost”! Jesus Christ is sufficient. So rest in him, rejoice in him, and serve Him from a heart that knows if it is united to him in faith, it is already loved, forgiven, and accepted—fully, perfectly, and eternally—through the work of Christ alone.

I want to finish this morning with the beautiful words of Belgic Confession written in 1561. 

“...this Mediator, whom the Father has appointed between himself and us, ought not terrify us by his greatness, so that we have to look for another one, according to our preference. For neither in heaven nor among the creatures on earth is there anyone who loves us more than Jesus Christ does. Although he was “in the form of God,” Christ nevertheless “emptied himself,” taking “human form” and “the form of a slave” for us; and he made himself “like his brothers and sisters in every respect.

Suppose we had to find another intercessor. Who would love us more than he who gave his life for us, even though “we were enemies”? And suppose we had to find one who has prestige and power. Who has as much of these as he who is seated at the right hand of the Father, and who has “all authority in heaven and on earth” And who will be heard more readily than God’s own dearly beloved Son?” (Belgic Confession Article 26)




More in Various Messages

June 30, 2024

Newness of Life

June 16, 2024

Unity in the Church

May 26, 2024

What is Saving Faith?