Intro: how many came tonight to hear a good old southern Baptist sermon. I am sure not many of you did, seeing this is a A/G church. But I was looking over some articles and came across a message by Jerry Falwell on 5 features of a fundamentalist. Now I didn’t think that would apply to us, but as I read the article I discovered that even though we may disagree on many other subjects, that I am in agreement on the fundamentals of the faith. Tonight I would like to give you his five points.
Five Features of a Full-fledged Fundamentalist
I. Believe God’s Word is God’s Word
It isn’t just a good book, it isn’t just the holy bible, it is the inspired Word of God. It is God’s revelation to man. It is infallible, it is inerrant, it has no flaws, not one line, jot or tittle will be removed from it, till all is fulfilled.
a. Hebrews 1:1-2—God spoke in times past by the prophets, but now speaks to us by the Son. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, His Word was with God and His Word was God.
b. 2 Timothy 3:16—God used men to write it, he used their everyday language, and even their personalities, but it’s truth came from God.
c. 2 Peter 1:20-21—this is Holy Spirit moved—the Holy Spirit moved upon these men to write this God breathed Word.
1. It can be imitated, but never duplicated—all other books are of human wisdom and resource. But this is God’s book, it is his letter written in red.
2. there are no contradictions—with our limited skills we many times cannot comprehend the depth, and height, and width of God’s grace and power. His ways are higher, his thoughts are higher. So when man says he finds an error or contradiction, it is out of his ignorance that he would even dare claim an error in God’s Word.
3. It is spiritually discerned, and received by faith. The carnal mind cannot receive from God’s Word. That is why it takes a spirit led believer to grasp the deep truths.
II. Jesus Christ’s Sinless Life—
a. His Virgin Birth—Isaiah 7:14—any attempt to discredit the virgin birth is an anti-Christ spirit. Any spirit that says Jesus didn’t come in the flesh is a lying spirit. He couldn’t be the lamb of God without blemish, without the sinless birth.
b. sinless life—hebrews 4;15—now some have portrayed Christ as having human weakness and frailty. Many modernists even have him falling into many divers temptations. But that is against our fundamentals. Jesus was sinless, he defeated sin in his flesh. He conquered sin, he defeated it, and nailed it to the cross.
c. Sinless substitute—2 Cor. 5:21- our sins was laid on the sinless sacrifice. He substituted for us on the cross. Our sins were placed on his back. He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, surely he bore our sorrows, and with his stripes we are healed.
III. Atonement—
a. Matthew 20:28—he gave his life for a ransom
b. I Peter 3:18—the just for the unjust
c. John 6:51- his flesh the bread of life
d. Romans 5:8-while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us
e. Romans 8:32-delivered him up for us all
f. Hebrews 2:9—he should taste death for every man
To the Jews this message is stumbling block, to the Greek it is foolishness, but to us that are being saved, it is the wisdom of God, and the power of God.
IV. Resurrection from the dead—
The next thing that will make us a full fledged fundamentalist is our belief in the resurrection from the dead. Jesus said, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again. The witnesses against Christ even quoted him on this saying, but they didn’t understand he was talking about his own temple being raised on the third day.
1. John 10:17-18—I have power to lay it down , and I have power to take it again.
2. Acts 2:23-24-it was not possible that he should be holden to it.
3. I Corinthians 15:19-20 but now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
V. The Return of Jesus Christ—
Of course there are many opinions on the return of Christ. And tonight is not the night to discuss, pre-trib, mid-trid, post-trib. We may have many differences about the return of Christ, but if we are Fundamentalist, we all agree on this final point, Jesus is coming back again.
a. Acts 1:11—why stand ye gazing up into heaven, this same Jesus which was taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
b. John 14:1-3 I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.
c. I Thess. 4:16-17—shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Close: tonight we might not all agree on everything, but on these fundamentals of the faith, may we all be full fledged fundamentalist for God.
