Dr. Eric Russ | The Journey from Calvary to Your Heart

0:00 Will you bow your heads with me as we seek the Lord to guide us tonight? Holy Lord, we exalt you as our great king, and we do ask the blessing of this Lord's Day, that you give us a Sabbath to be able to rest, Lord. We ask that you would allow our minds to be alert. We pray that as we hopefully sought you throughout this day, that this would be a time where we would be excited to open up your word and to trust you with, as it were, the oracles of your name. We ask, Lord, that you allow us to be sharp in our thinking, allow us to not be distracted by other things. And, Lord, we ask that you, in your kindness, use broken vessels. Would you use me, Lord, to preach? And we pray, Lord, that you would speak through me.

0:57 And we ask, Lord, that you would allow those who hear to not just be hearers of the word but doers. Would you do that, great Lord? In Jesus' name, amen. Family, if you've been tracking with us through the catechism, which is what we're doing, the Heidelberg Catechism, this is the Lord's Day 25. We spent weeks talking about Christ, his work, understanding his justification, and all the blessings that belong to us, for those of us who are united with Jesus. But I want to say at some point, which I think is what's happening here this evening, we have to stop and ask ourselves, how does all of that become ours? How do the benefits of Jesus actually reach us today? What happened on the great hill of Golgotha, how does that reach us this evening?

1:57 How does a Savior who died and rose again 2,000 years ago become the object of our faith? right i would propose that uh day 25 that that bigger question is under all the other questions now i want to encourage you if you're uh if you've been here before uh we welcome back if you are a new welcome and if you've never been under catechism teaching or maybe you've been worshiping here regularly you've been under it but you've kind of forgotten why this teaching it kind of It seems a little different than what I would propose your traditional preaching in the service. And so what I want to do, just to kind of prepare our palate a bit, just to remind you of what a catechism is and what's going on this evening. The word, the Greek word, which we talked about way back yonder, katekeo, means to instruct, right? To teach orally or to provide some systematic instruction, right?

2:56 So a catechism, as it were, is a summary of biblical doctrine taught through a series of questions and answers for the purpose of instructions, of discipleship, spiritual formation. And that's why even this evening, the teaching of a catechism, it will seem a bit different because these are not traditional passages where we kind of just meet them with exegesis, right, and do traditional hermeneutics. Like, for example, if you were at a church this morning, if you were at our church, that's probably what you receive was kind of a traditional eshegetical sermon where we look at verses and we help you understand what the author's intent was in those verses particularly. However, in this kind of teaching, what's going to happen to prepare your heart is organized around doctrinal questions, okay? So our training this evening will be over doctrinal questions, and therefore the Lord's days are inherently systematic, theological in nature.

3:57 So in our tradition, for example, you know, when we talk about paedo-baptism, I used to be a Baptist, but, you know, something that would get Presbyterians in trouble with Baptists is they would look at talking about paedo-baptism from an esegetical standpoint when it's a systematic argument. because we're walking through the text, right? Like the panel of baptism helps you understand what God does with the covenant community, what he does with the covenant family. And so tonight we're not going to just look at one verse. We're going to look at different verses because there are being questions asked of us. So we'll bounce around faithfully and hopefully we'll answer some of these questions. Just want to get you, basically make sure that you're putting on the right sunglasses as you're looking at the text, you know, that you don't come to it thinking we're going to just exposit a passage and I'm bouncing around and you're thinking, why are we doing all this Bible gymnastics? So that's why we'll be doing it. Now there's four questions and they're in your program here, family.

4:52 Let me read them for you. 65, so it's the Lord's Day, number 65, it is by faith alone, it is by faith alone that we share in Christ and all his benefits. Where then does that faith come from? Okay. Then 66 is, what are sacraments? And then 67 are both the word and the sacraments then intended to focus our faith on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as the one ground of our salvation? In 68, how many sacraments did Christ institute in the New Testament?

5:35 Okay, so this Lord's Day gives us four questions and answers, but to be sure, these questions aren't disconnected doctrines. In fact, these questions streamline to what I would propose is like probably one big question that we see here, and that is when you ask these four questions, we're really asking how does this journey of Calvary, what Jesus has done, how does it enter our heart, right? How does it get to our heart? Let's look at the first question. Since faith alone makes us share in Christ and all his benefits, where does faith come from? This is a fair question, right? Because many people, I would even say, as you talk about faith a lot, We can talk about faith as if we kind of contribute to this whole framework of salvation, right? It's almost like Christ does his part and then we contribute faith.

6:31 But we got to be aware to not talk about faith in a way that almost makes it sound like that faith is the thing that saves us. Right? You're not saved because of faith. Christ saved you. And faith is the conduit he used. because faith does not save us. Christ saves us. Listen to how the Bible talks about this. Turn to Ephesians 2, verse 8. Paul says it this way. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not as a result of the works, so that no one may boast. Or if you look at Philippians chapter 1, verse 29, he says, For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake. You hear that?

7:23 Granted to you. See, in both letters, look what Paul is doing here. Paul is saying faith is something that is granted. It's given. It's a gift, right? And when you think of that, that makes, okay, like 1 Corinthians 2, that makes a lot of sense. When you think of verse 14 where it says, The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him. And he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Oh, okay. So if that's true, if faith is given to us and it is a gift, that makes a lot of sense why you go somewhere and two people hear the same gospel and they respond totally differently. Have you thought about that?

8:11 Why is that? Because the Bible is telling you and me that you and I are spiritually incapable of producing faith. that's why people can hear the same sermon and you would and so one individuals it's like it means absolutely nothing to them one person hears the good news and they embrace jesus and they want to serve jesus they want to walk with the lord another one hears the gospel and it's foolishness they walk away and they're not moved at all paul says the ultimate explanation is not because one person is more intelligent one person has more education, one person's personality, the difference is simply and clearly the work of the Holy Spirit. Right? That the Spirit actually opens blind eyes. The Spirit takes dead people and make them alive.

9:04 The Spirit softens hearts. The Spirit grants faith. Apart from the work of the Spirit, basically Christ just simply does not appear glorious to us. apart from the spirit the lord isn't beautiful to us the gospel isn't beautiful to us grace in itself without the holy spirit grace isn't even compelling that's actually good news that's that's beautiful encouragement you know why because there's some of us in this room right now we got We have kids. We have grandkids. We have friends. We have family members. And we're thinking, man, like why won't they receive the gospel? We're thinking, how are they going to, we even put pressure on ourselves.

9:59 Maybe I'm not talking about Jesus the right way. Maybe there's something I need to do. Maybe it ultimately depends on finding the right argument. But that's not what the text tells us. That's not what the catechism is trying to encourage you and me to understand and believe and to receive. Certainly God uses our witness, right? But he calls us by his grace to speak through us. And underneath all that is a comforting truth that by God's spirit, he is able to do something that none of us can do. And that is he can give spiritual life. It's a great encouragement to know that, okay, there's nothing I can do. That he alone is able to create faith. That he alone created faith in you and me.

10:48 See, the Lord's Day 25 reminds us that conversion, and that's why I love when we go out and do old nights. I love having opportunities to proclaim Christ and even encouraging others to do so. because it's so important to show and display to individuals, but also in my own life, that conversion is ultimately the Lord's work.

11:11 I love the fact that Christianity begins not with our human initiative, but with divine grace. So if you think of that, that's why I would propose to you that what truncated doctrine when people think they've got to look for all these peripheral things to see a miracle. when the Lord has made it clear. Do you know what miracles are? It's when a Christian becomes a Christian. When a person becomes, oh, God, I don't know if they think God really works today. We think people become Christians.

11:45 A person is dead and then they're resurrected spiritually. That is a miracle. And I know we can sometimes get used to that. We can hear, oh, this person came to faith and, you know, we want to be good Christians, so we want to be like, yay, but we don't really feel the emotion. You know, I want to encourage us to really think about what we're saying when we're talking about the reality of someone being brought from death to life. That every person sitting in this room right now who's been born again is an evidence that the Holy Spirit still raises the dead. Every Christian is a testimony that God still does what only God can do.

12:29 And so before there was faith in my heart and your heart, there was the spirit of God at work. Before there was believing in us, he was awakening. Before there was seeing beauty and looking around and seeing the evidence of God's grace in people's lives and in this world, He was opening our blind eyes.

12:54 And so the Spirit is the one who allows that birth, who allows us to have faith. But that immediately raises another question. If the Spirit creates faith, which we've answered, by working in our hearts according to the Scriptures, then how does he do it? How does the Spirit do this? Does he work independently of anything else? Well, absolutely not. We just read that verse, we read those verses earlier in Romans chapter 10. You can turn back there if you like. But Paul gives us some clarity.

13:32 What does he say? He says, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him on whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? and how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news. I don't know about y'all, I just marvel at what God does. I mean, think about this. God could have chosen, have you ever just thought about that? God could have chosen a myriad of ways to lead people to himself. Have you ever played that game in your own mind, just thinking like, man, if I was God, this is what I would have done. I mean, think about all the ways that we could have, you could have wrote the gospel out in the sky every day. I mean, it's all kind of things that we could have done, that God could have done to allow angels to appear in front of people all the time.

14:33 He could have spoken audibly from heaven. I mean, this thing didn't have to be that hard. Right? But this is highly beautiful. Look at what God does. He has this mode of operation all throughout Scripture, and that is God's favorite ways of working is using weak things to display his power. That's what he does. Sometimes I don't know how to feel about that. I'm like, are you calling me weak, Lord? But yes, he is. is that he literally looks at us and goes, I'll show you something crazy. I'm going to use y'all.

15:14 Right. He chooses weak people. And here we are announcing this powerful Savior. It's beautiful. He chooses the ordinary proclamation of his word to make himself known and to see people become believers. Think about that. Out of all the ways he could have displayed his glory and his power, he chose such a very menial, simple way. And people come to Christ.

15:52 Turn to Romans chapter 19. We need to see something, though. Even though that's what he does. I'm sorry, Romans chapter 10, verse 19. He gives us some humble pie in the text. Look what he says. Verse 19, notice, he says, but I asked, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation. With a foolish nation, I will make you angry. Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, I have been found by those who did not seek me. I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me. So this gives us a little perspective. If you hear, don't miss what's happening in the text there. A little perspective of the preacher too. So he tells us here is a menial means that he uses to bring about his glory for people to understand, to become believers. He uses these preachers. He uses his holy word.

16:45 But listen, it says, wait a minute. Paul shows us here that hearing the external word is necessary but not sufficient by itself to produce saving faith, according to this text here. See this? It says, Israel heard, but many did not believe. We're not seeking. Yet God revealed himself. So Romans 10 is not just about the importance of the preacher. Sometimes we can read Romans 10 and we can read that pericope that we read in the beginning and we can stop there. And we can think, okay, there's more people preaching, more people preaching. But wait a minute. At the end, he gives us, he tells us, he says, it is about the necessity of the preached word and the mercy of God who makes the word effective. You see that? Romans verse 14 shows that a faithful preacher is necessary as an instrument, absolutely. But the preacher is not ultimate according to the text. Why? Because the word is not magic, guys. We're not witches out here.

17:39 This is not. The spirit must give life. so the preacher brings the word to the ear, but the spirit brings Christ to the heart, so that's what's happening, supernatural craziness is happening, when you guys proclaim, and when we talk to people about Jesus, there's so much happening in the heavenlies, yes he's using us, he's using the word of God, but it's the spirit working in that, to bring about God's glory, the spirit is the actor in the text according to the text preacher and the word are the instruments so think so always remember that so we're instruments how freeing is that so we go in faith and we want to be faithful we want to proclaim God present the Lord because he gives us that opportunity and we know his word doesn't return void and then we trust that the spirit does he says it doesn't return void why because the spirit does what he wants to do to maximize God's glory whenever we proclaim God's word.

18:40 So that's why there should be literally no pressure on us as we faithfully display Christ to the world. Because the Lord is doing everything according to the text here. Okay, so the preaching of the word are the instruments, and check that out. So then Christ is the treasure alone.

19:03 So this brings us to another question that naturally arises. Okay, it is the spirit that gives faith, and the word is the instrument that God uses according to the text to bring faith. so if the word is sufficient and it is what's up with the sacraments you ever think of that if the word if God brings people to himself he uses his word people get saved why did God also give us sacraments why water why wine why not just simply preaching Okay, the catechism answers this question by addressing, I want to say, three things. First, what are sacraments generally? And then how do word and the Lord's Supper function together?

20:01 And how many sacraments are there? now I can only give cursory frameworks tonight because the next I think five weeks we're going to be talking more in depth about the sacraments so please stay tuned but hopefully you will be encouraged by why these exist now I'm going to actually start with the last question first I mean it's no real deep reason just I feel like it just flows better so how many sacraments has Christ instituted in the new covenant? Well, the answer is two. Why two? Right, because we would say, as in our tradition, we look at the scriptures and we see that the only ordinances that Christ himself explicitly instituted for the whole church is baptism and the Lord's Supper. We see that in Matthew 28, and then we see the Lord's Supper in Luke 22. And this is very different than, for example, Roman Catholicism, which has seven ordinances, I propose that we actually ask a different question than Catholics.

21:03 We ask, what did Christ specifically institute for the entire church as covenant signs and seals of the gospel? And then we actually used three tests. Those in antiquity used three tests to come up with these two. They said, okay, well, what was spoken, was it directly instituted by Christ himself? Does it include a visible sign? And number three, is it given to the whole church as a covenant ordinance? And we would say that baptism and Lord's Supper clearly does these things. So what are sacraments generally? Right? The Westminster Shorter Catechism says it this way. A sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ wherein by sensible signs, Christ and the benefits of the new covenant are represented, sealed, and applied to believers. Now let me say it in English.

22:00 So when you look at a sacrament, what you have is you have this visible sign. You have a visible thing that you can see and a seal that's still being, and I'll talk about that in a moment, a seal being something that kind of affirms and it's instituted by Christ. So the visible thing that Christ said, I want you to do that. And that thing that Christ instituted, what it does, it points to the gospel whenever we do it, okay? So you have this external theme that Christ said, I want you to present. And whenever we do it, what it does, it points to the gospel. And as it points to the gospel, it also strengthens us as God's people, both spiritually and pragmatically. But it does all that through the work of the Holy Spirit, okay?

22:56 Now, the reason why I'm methodically going through that, Because I think a lot of us, we walk around here and we act like we know what the sacraments are, but we just take them by faith. And I want us to understand the beauty of the sacraments as the Lord wants us to understand the beauty of the sacraments. They do not replace faith family, right? But God uses these means to strengthen our faith in those who actually believe. And this is why I propose that the Reformed theology puts the word and sacraments basically together. Because the preached gospel tells us what Christ has done. And the sacraments help us see and receive the promises with a greater assurance. So you have this kind of sense of like, here's the preached gospel, and here's the viewing of the gospel in a different way. And what it does, it actually gives us even greater assurance, even greater, like, wow, yes, yes, okay, I remember.

23:57 But, yes, that encourages me even more. Because, again, God delights in using ordinary physical things to communicate these spiritual realities. Now, let's talk more about the aim. Okay, so that's what a sacrament is, and I'll test you later when I see you in the streets. I'll ask you, what's a sacrament? but now I'm just asking what does a sacrament do okay because a sacrament does not save anyone automatically right the water of baptism does not regenerate the bread does not forgive sins but the Bible is clear that salvation comes through faith in Christ we know that but I ask these questions because again guys this convo is important because when you say the word sacrament a lot of times our eyes start to kind of glaze over a little bit, and it sounds kind of technical, right? It sounds kind of highly theological.

24:50 But I, and we kind of think this is, this isn't really for practical real life. E, why are we talking about this? But I'm telling you, instead I want us to see the wondrous picture of the kindness of God. I want to propose to you that one of the main reasons why the sacraments exist is because our Lord is loving and kind. And they are a revelation of his heart toward us as believers. Let me say it a different way. Think about the language for a moment. The sacraments are wholly visible signs and seals, instituted by God, that he might fully declare and seal to us the promise of the gospel. The language, sign and seal, sign and seal. It comes directly from Scripture, family. Paul says this in Romans 4, verse 11, signs and seals. It says that Abraham received circumcision as a sign and seal of the righteousness he possessed, already possessed by faith.

25:49 Notice that. Okay? Sign and seal, sign and seal. Notice that Abraham already had a promise. He already believed, and he was already justified. So God could have simply spoken his promises and just left it there, right? His word is enough. It could have been enough. His promises are true. He speaks to them, yet God in his kindness does more. Why? A sign. Well, specifically because of what a sign does. What does a sign do? A sign points beyond itself to a greater reality. That's what it's doing. When we take communion, right, it's pointing to a greater reality. When you see you're driving down Fullwood and you make a, you know, after church, you make the right, you know, and you go down a little further, and you'll see the Matthews sign, the big Matthews sign there.

26:46 I mean, wouldn't that be bizarre if you were driving there, and all of a sudden there's all this traffic, and, you know, what's going on? You go, and, you know, there's 30 of our body members. You know, they just parked the car right in front of the sign. They're all just staring at it. Wouldn't that be weird, right? That's not the point of signs, correct? Right? The point of signs is not for you to focus on it. The point of the sign is to direct your attention somewhere else. And so these sacraments, that's what God is doing. Baptism is not the destination, right? The Lord's Supper is not the destination. Christ is the destination. And the signs are pointing themselves toward him. So, but he doesn't say just signs. He uses the word seals. Well, okay, so they're also seals. So that means, so a seal is doing something different than a sign. Right? A seal is not primarily pointing.

27:40 So the signs are pointing to someone. They're pointing to something. But the seal is doing something different. A seal is confirming. It's authenticating. It's guaranteeing. It's assuring you, right? We talk about assurance. And that's the emphasis that you see in Romans chapter 4 here. He received the sign of circumcision and the seal of the righteousness he had by faith. Paul could have simply said sign. Instead, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, He says sign and seal. So what additional work is the seal doing? You need to ask yourself. When you think of classical antiquity, a king might press his signet ring into the hot wax on a document, right? And the seal does not create a new message. It does not add a new message. The seal confirms that the message you receive is authentic. That's God's grace.

28:36 He keeps pointing us in this right direction with the sign, right? God in his kindness keeps assuring us and confirming to us what he has done is tried and true. You see? You see? Eric, you keep talking signs. You see why this is important? Don't you see? The sign was not given because the promise is weak.

29:00 The sign is given because we are weak. Think about it. That's why when you see Abraham, he gives Abraham the sign because he knew, you know what, some days you're having a good day and you're walking with me, and some days you have all kind of fear that consumes you. And some days you look at your sin more than your Savior, and you think maybe he's not that forgiving. The sign was given because Abraham was weak. God is saying, I know you. I know how you easily forget things. I know how fear can creep into your life. I know how guilt can shackle you and you can think, oh, I'm believing the lives of the accusers of the brother. Maybe I'm not serious in my faith. He knows there are moments when we feel strong and when we feel weak, family.

29:55 That's how good God is. He knows there's a season where we sing with confidence and there's some times where we don't even want to pray. he says so what I got to do because yes my word is true I should only have to say it once but I'm not an arrogant God see that's how you and I would roll didn't I say it the first time why should I have to do anything else but see that's how good God is he says no I understand that you're weak so I'm not going to just tell you my promise I'm going to show you my promises. Right? So these sacraments say, hey, guess what? Look again. Look at my promises. Look at the son. Look again at what I've done for you.

30:47 The catechism even goes deeper. It says whether both the word and the sacraments are intended to focus our faith on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as the only ground of our salvation. Is that what's supposed to be happening here? And this sentence there, that sentence, family, you can circle that, right? That's the third question. It's basically the summit of the entire Lord's day. This is where the word and sacraments come together, according to the text here, as we've looked. We have the word of God that proclaims Jesus, and the sacraments, what they do, they portray Christ. The word announces the gospel to the world. The sacraments display the gospel to you and me. The word addresses us with our ears. We can hear God's word.

31:40 And the sacraments, they address our eyes and our other senses. But guess what? They're all preaching the same gospel. That's what's amazing is that that's what's going on, is that week after week after week when we come as a people of God and we partake of the sacraments, what God is doing week after week is he's saying, look to Christ. And through the sacraments, look to Christ. And through the promise of Scripture, look to Christ. That the entirety of the Christian life is God, as it were, having because he's good to redirect our focus back to him. Because you and I know it only takes a couple days, and we find, you know, Sunday is like a spiritual tune-up. Y'all know we come up in here in two flat tires sometimes spiritually. And the reason why, and guess what? As a pastor, it's funny.

32:32 You're like exegeting passages. And all we're really doing up here is just telling you different ways to say, be faithful. That God is awesome. That God is glorious. That sin is horrible and it will destroy you. That God loves you. There's probably 10 to 15 major aspects that we continue to harp in. Why? Why? Because we forget. You think, oh, that's just elementary. I know that. But do you live it? that's how good he is that's how kind he is week after week the entirety of the Christian life is God redirecting our attention and God continually says no don't look there he says I know you look at your circumstances he says no I want you to look to the cross I want you to look to the empty tomb look to the risen Christ look to the one who loved you and gave himself for you that is what the sacraments are doing every time they're administered.

33:31 My prayer is that the next time we take the Lord's Supper, the next time you see a baptism up here, you're remembering what God is saying to you according to what we looked at in the catechism. It's that God, His grace, is preaching the gospel to you right then and there. They're not drawing attention to themselves, but they're saying this is another validation that what God said He did, He did. He did it in you. He made you His child. He will return. He is reigning. So when you take it, you drink it, oh, yes, yes, yes. He's worthy of my life. This is not a hobby. This is real. The Holy Spirit teaches us family in the gospel. And he assures us by the sacraments that our entire salvation, praise God, rests on Christ, one sacrifice for us on the cross.

34:32 That's the beauty of the sacraments. That's the beauty of God's word. That's what's happening when we look at faith. He's saying your forgiveness rests there. Your acceptance of God, it rests there. Your future, it rests there. Your assurance, it rests there. Your hope in life and death, it rests there. Everything rests in Christ.

34:55 And that same Christ who reigns, who's ruling, who's reminding us, guess what he does? He's still in the midst of that welcome sinners. He's still welcome sinners. Think about that. The Lord of glory received sinners, not cleaned up sinners, but the nicest to the most bonafide sinners, he welcomes them. And perhaps the reality is there might be some people in this room right now. You've spent years around the signs, and you've never come to the Savior. You've seen baptisms. You've seen communions. You've heard sermon after sermon. You've attended church.

35:39 But you've never really rested in Christ himself. And this is a declaration that God is so good that he gives us his preached word, and then he allows us to see it demonstrated in these beautiful acts that provide spiritual richness for us. Because what happens is that we take it and it strengthens us. Yes, this is real. This is true. And that God gives us that grace to continue to keep on keeping on. but I want to tell you something if you're here right now and you've never given your life to Christ the gospel isn't just for good people the gospel is that God sent his son to save people who could not save themselves that's what we, from the beginning can't even understand the word without the spirit of God the gospel is that Christ lived for sinners he died for sinners he rose for sinners and now what he does, he freely offers forgiveness.

36:40 He freely offers repentance. He freely offers reconciliation. He freely offers adoption. He freely offers eternal life to every person who trusts in him. So whether you've been here 50 years or this is your first day today and you truly understood the gospel today, the invitation is always the same. stop looking to yourself that's the point of the sacraments look to Christ receive his word stop trusting what you've done stop trusting what you think you can do but trust in him because through the Holy Spirit what we've seen in this catechism is that the word of God the sacraments and I would even say family the entirety of the Christian faith, it's all screaming the same thing, right?

37:35 It's that, behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. You pray with me? Holy God, we pray that we would always, as we open up your word, we would understand it's a spiritual exercise that your Holy Spirit is doing a work that we can't do. And so that's why we pray, not just to be religious. But we know that you have to do something or it's just a bunch of words. And Lord, as we take communion and we see baptisms, Lord, may you allow us to see them afresh. And may they provide that grace to strengthen us to continue to be your people. May you be exalted, Lord, in our lives. May you use us to proclaim you, to exalt you, and to live for you. In Jesus' name.