It Takes All Kinds (Part 1 of 2)
By Pastor Keith Baxter, Tampa Bible Fellowship, Tampa, Florida
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http://www.tampabible.org/ Have you ever heard the saying that “it takes all kinds of people”? Well talking to people I have realized that it does take all kinds, and I have noticed that there are basically three different kinds of people. These people are not new to the world today, but have been around for thousands of years. We will take this short study to look at these folks, again this is not everyone but what I have found to be the norm.
First there is the Religious person, if we look at scripture the first person like this was Cain, in Genesis 4:3-5
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
You see according to Hebrews, Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice.
Hebrews 4:11 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. He believed God and brought the blood sacrifice for his sins.
Lev 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
Heb 9:22 …without shedding of blood is no remission.
We see that it is only through a blood sacrifice that God will make an atonement for sins. Today we see that it is only through the perfect sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ that now we have redemption
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Cain’s sacrifice was a work of his hands, he tried to please God by his own works and merits as religious people do today. God does not except our work, what Cain did was considered evil.
1 John 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
People have to quit trying and start trusting in the finished work of Christ on Calvary, and not according to their works.
2 Tim 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, …
We see now that we cannot be religious and work for salvation. All that religion does is does is sends us to hell.
The next person is a Self-Righteous person, someone who thinks that they are good enough to go to heaven. Have you ever had a person tell you that they were good enough or that they thought that their good would outweigh their bad? There is an example of this in the Luke 18.
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
People need to first realize their need for a savior and the Pharisee did not think he needed God, but God needed him. He thought that he was righteous enough, but our righteousness is filthy. There is nothing that we can do that is good
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Then people will say “well he has a good heart” but Jeremiah tells us that our heart is wicked.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Proverbs 28:26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
We can’t trust our heart, if we do then we are just foolish, this issue of self righteousness has been Israel’s problem all along.
Romans 10: 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
They should have just told God that they couldn’t keep the Law and they needed Him to do it for them, but instead they tried to use the law to establish their righteousness. Even Paul righteousness of the Law
Philippians 3:6…touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Is considered nothing but dung
Philippians 3:8 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 dung…
Now he doesn’t claim his righteousness but being found in Christ
Philippians 3:9 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:
We can’t be righteous through the law but we find that we are all just sinners.
Romans 3: 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
