Jesus Is The Draw

Introduction

Living water, bread of life, the bread of life that fills my soul. Oh, what bounty he bestows. Jesus, draw me ever nearer. These are thoughts I did want John to sing to prepare us for what I think is an important message. I’m not sure that I can emphasize this enough. It’s not about me. So often in people’s religious pursuit, the choices that they make or don’t make about how they’re going to worship, where, how frequently, what their religious pursuit is going to look like. It’s so often about what hits me right, what suits me, how I feel, what works for me. It’s about me. No, it’s not. It’s not about you. It’s about the living water. It’s about the bread of life. It is about who Jesus is.

1. A High Priest Made Perfect Forever

And I want to emphasize that to you today. I want you to buckle down with me for a second as we look at three texts. And then as we look at those three texts and what they’re telling us about Jesus. I want to make some observations very quickly, and then we’ll be done. The first text is found in Hebrews chapter 7. And I’ve got to blame Mike for this because he read from these verses in a Lord’s Supper talk recently, and they struck me. These verses are drawing a contrast between the priests that we read about in the Old Testament and the kind of priest Jesus is. He is of different kind, he’s of a different order. He’s after the order of Melchizedek, and you could go back and read chapters 5 and 7 and learn more about that comparison.

But coming to the conclusion of the point about Jesus and the nature of his priesthood. It says in verse 26 that it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Wow. What a verse about Jesus. He doesn’t need daily, like those high priests of old to offer up sacrifices first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people. That’s what they did. Because this he did once for all, like June 3. Once for all, when he offered upself. For the law appointed men as high priests who were weak. But the word of the oath which came after the law anoints a son, made perfect forever. Exalted in the heavens and made perfect forever.

2. No Other Name Under Heaven

That’s who Jesus is. And as a result of that, there’s good news for you. And there’s good news for me. He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Text number two. Acts chapter 4. The apostles are beginning to proclaim the name of Jesus. Great works are attending their proclamation. A lame man has been healed of the previous chapter in Acts chapter 3. And now they’re ushered in before the council of the Jews. And they’re asking, by what power or in what name have you done these things? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had promised, that when they would be brought before the magistrates and rulers, that in that hour the Holy Spirit would tell them what to speak.

As to how this man has been made well, can you not just rejoice in the miracle done by the hand of God? That’s the implication. Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead by this name. This man stands here before you in good health. Jesus is the stone, which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the very corner stone. And now mark verse 12. And there is salvation in no one else. This is salvation exclusivity. There is salvation in no one else. You mark that down. For there is no other name under heaven which has been given among men by which we must be saved.

That, my friends, is the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why we’re here today. That is why we’re here every first day of the week, and that’s why we express from our hearts the devotion that we’ve done today. Because there’s no other name under heaven by which men can be saved. If you’re looking for salvation in an electronic gadget, you have chosen something very inferior and very temporary.

If you have chosen fun and games, the plethora, the myriad of options at your disposal to just enjoy this and that and everything else, and you do not consider Jesus. You have made a foolish, a short-lived and disastrous choice. Whatever it is, you could spend your time hypnotizing roosters if you wanted to. Whatever it is that you choose to do, you better make sure that at the top of your heart, at the top of your list is Jesus the Nazarene. Three weeks ago, the sports world was a buzz.

Walking the hallowed grounds of Augusta National, the four time champion, arguably the greatest golfer that has ever lived, was making the comeback. Sunday morning, tea times were pushed up due to the weather. The ratings were not what CBS had hoped. But by mid-afternoon, the ratings soared to their highest mark since 2013. Tiger Woods was back. And he donned his fifth green jacket. Tiger Woods is a draw to golf. Wherever he goes, the tournaments he plays in, everything escalates. But as much as we might be drawn by sports legends and heroes. And James Hardin’s dramatic three-pointer in overtime last night. There is no draw as great or as powerful as Jesus, who has a name above all names. I want you to think about that this morning.

3. Far Above All Rule and Authority

The final text is Ephesians chapter one. Ephesians chapter one. Lotus verse 21. Who is Jesus raised from the dead, seated at the right hand in the heavenly places? He is far above all rule. Anybody who wields power in any realm, he is far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. He’s not just above it, he’s far above it. That’s who Jesus is.

And every name that shall be named, any political power, any president, any king, anyone who has accomplished anything anywhere. He is far above every name that shall be named, not only now, not only in this age, but also in the age to come. And he has been given all things, all power are in subjection to him, and he is head over all things of the church, and he should be so revered and honored. But I want to go back to the context of verse 18 when all of this begins, and Paul says, I pray that the eyes of your heart might be enlightened. There is my aim today. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe.

4. Charismatic People Are Not the Draw

Now, a couple of observations I want to make about that. The first is that charismatic people are not the draw. I think sometimes we think if the church is, if the church is dynamic enough, if the preaching is persuasive and eloquent enough that we can get people to be faithful. I don’t know if you’ve noticed. A lot of people don’t stick with churches very long anymore. There’s more moving around, probably, than there’s ever been. Wonder why that is. What are folks looking for? We rely way too much on what is of limited power. I don’t have any visions of grandeur. A lot of people didn’t listen to Jesus. So why would I expect that everyone would want to listen to me? And everyone didn’t listen to Paul.

And Ezekiel, as powerful as a prophet as he was in all of the object lessons that he taught, God says, even though these people should have been humbled by their captivity, he says, you are to them like a sensual song. You know, whoa, Ezekiel must have been pretty good preacher if he could be compared to a very melodious, pleasing song. You are to them like a sensual song. He says, they hear your words, they’ll sit at your feet, they’ll listen to you, but they do not do them because their heart goes after their own desires. I don’t care how well a guy does it. How awesome he preaches. There’s been a debate, I guess, a little bit of a debate. There’s always a debate about preaching and how it should be done.

How long the sermon should be, what’s the style of the preacher, and people tout this kind of style or that kind of style. And maybe we ought to have a more conversational style we hear. And let me just tell you.

This is an attempt to poke at your heart. To storm your will, to bring passion to a subject that deserves passion. And it’s not about the one who delivers it. It never will be. He will never be enough. It is about your connection to the King of Kings.

5. Christ-Like Caring People Are Not the Draw

Depends not on the preacher, but on your relationship with the king. And Christ-like caring people are not the draw. And when I say that, I know I need to qualify that. And say what we do as a church and who we are and how we treat people, all of that’s important. We’re going to talk next week about 1 Corinthians 14, 25, Lord willing, and things should happen in this place that should cause others who visit to say, God is among these people. Now, I don’t think we can reproduce what 1 Corinthians 14 was talking about, that would, where you’ve got actual power of God being displayed and the ability to speak in tongues. Oh, God’s at work here. Can’t accomplish that. But there ought to be something about us that says we’re indeed the true people of God.

But even that, even that is not sufficient. People often don’t stay with the same religious group as I mentioned for very long because they’re looking for something different. They’re looking for a spark, they’re looking for a zing. The people are nice enough. It’s about the people, but it’s it’s about so much more. Wilson Adams posted this week don’t let anyone be the cause why you leave church. They’re not the reason you go to church in the first place. And I like that. So here’s the point. The draw is the Savior. The draw is the Lord. The draw is our high priest. And this one, whose name is far above all rule and dominion in every place. He will be your judge. And then there’s this.

6. Salvation Is in His Name

If it is my preaching, my teaching, or the love that you’ve seen in these disciples, if they are positively impacting you, it is only because of the power that emanates from Him. He is the power to produce change. And if you want to defeat sin in your life, you need to understand your connection with the king is what does it my relationship to the Lord is the fuel for passion or zeal or enthusiasm. It was he who said, If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself. John 12, verse 32. Salvation is in his name and his alone. What does it mean? His name. I think sometimes that’s misunderstood. Salvation in his name means on the basis of all that he accomplished, on the basis of all that he now is, and on the basis of all that he will forever be.

That’s the name of Jesus. It’s all that is him. It’s not a specific title, Messiah, Christ, Lord. It’s it’s all of that. What is the name of Jesus? It’s all of that. It’s because of who he is and what he did, who he is right now today. That there is the provision and the hope of salvation. It’s interesting in Acts 19 when they ran across those who had been baptized into John’s baptism in Ephesus, that they had not even heard about the Holy Spirit. And all that had taken place in Jerusalem, beginning in Acts 2 and beyond, and Paul instructed them to be baptized in the name of Jesus. You know, that message could not be preached until after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. That’s why it wasn’t preached until the day of Pentecost.

That’s why no one was baptized into Jesus’ name during his ministry. Because remember what his name is. His name is based on all that he accomplished when he conquered death and the grave, when he conquered sin by providing the sacrifice, the perfect sacrifice. And now he is the Son made perfect forever, as we saw in Hebrews chapter 7. And so to baptize people in Jesus’ name was not even possible until he ascended and then possesses as a result the name that is above every name. So if I don’t accomplish too much else today, I want you to see this.

Baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I’ve commanded you, and Lord, I’m with you always, even to the end of the age. Wait a minute. Okay, which one is it? Is it in the name of Jesus, or is it in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? May I just suggest to you that God is one? God is one. And baptism into Christ is baptism into the Father. It is baptism into the Spirit. It is baptism unto a relationship with deity, period. But so often it is emphasized in Jesus’ name on the basis of the specific work that He did to bring about our salvation. And so when the proclamation of peace is made, what is that about?

Everybody get everybody be nice. Get along. Proclamation of peace. Everybody get along. Well, there’s an aspect of that to the message of the gospel, but that’s that’s not what Peter’s talking about when he goes to Cornelius’ house. He’s talking about you, who is a sinner coming into union with God? That’s the peace he’s talking about. That’s the peace Jesus came to secure, not peace among men.

The peace that Jesus came to provide is for you, the alienated sinner, to be able to come into union with a perfect and holy God. And Jesus who paid it all for you. Will God accept the Gentiles? Oh, yes. And the Holy Spirit fell on Cornea and his house to demonstrate that God would indeed accept the Gentiles. Oh, they received the Holy Spirit. They spoke in tongues. They had to be saved at that moment, right? Not what the text says. Because it says that Peter instructed them. He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. You see, to be immersed in water upon your belief and confidence in Jesus attaches you to the saving work that Jesus did at Calvary. It is where your sins are washed away in likeness of his death.

Conclusion

It is where you are cleansed and rise to walk in newness of life just as he rose from the dead. This is the where, this is where our faith causes us to be made alive. All on the basis of the name of Jesus. What has you excited? What’s on the agenda? What’s coming up? Summer’s here. Oh, I guess the heart riders are going to Disney World again. What are you doing? Where are you going? What’s exciting? One thing better be on your agenda above all else. A right relationship with he who possesses the name above all names. There is salvation and nothing else. Nothing. There is salvation and no one else. Come to him. Be drawn by him. Come for cleansing and salvation today. Let’s stand and say.