“It is a destructive addition to add anything to Christ.” Richard Sibbes
Last Sunday’s sermon focused on the authority of Jesus Christ. This authority is based on his equality with God. The Jewish leaders heard the claim that Jesus was making and their anger was kindled. They misunderstood the nature of God’s redemptive activity in Christ. They did realize that Jesus was saying something deeply radical and offensive. His disciples also did not understand him but after the resurrection, the nature of his person and the value of his work became clearer by the Holy Spirit’s help. In the fifth chapter of John, Jesus describes the right of the Son to rule and the necessity and justness of the ruled to honor the Son, “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” (John 5:22-23)
Jesus asserts that there is no true worship or honor of God the Father where there is no honor and worship given to the Son. For me, this claim of exclusivity ranks right up there with John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The truth is that a careful inspection of John’s Gospel reveals revolutionary claim after revolutionary claim. Can you think of another one? (ex: John 20:28) One pastor from long ago, Robert Rollock (c.1555-1598) remarked, “The Jews and Turks [he means followers of Islam] in the present day profess to worship God earnestly, not only without the Son, but even with contempt of the Son Jesus Christ. But the whole of such worship is idolatrous, and that which they worship is an idol. There is no knowledge of the true God except in the face of the Son.” [emphasis mine] The true knowledge and worship of God is found only in and through Jesus Christ. The many voices surrounding the throne of God ascribe worship to Christ and not to any other being:
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev. 5:11-12)
Are you praising and trusting Christ today? Not attaching anything extra to his finished work (see the lead quote by Richard Sibbes) which would be destructive, but resting in his holy life, cleansing death, and vindicating resurrection? I close with a few lines of poetry:
Too much for Him cannot be claimed,
Nor praise withheld proclaimed as just,
To Him belongs all glories named,
Whose rightful end is naked trust.
Trust him today. Have a blessed week and we will see many of you on Sunday.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Dale
