Sunday, March 13, 2011

Wrath

Cross

“Wrath”

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.” 1John 4:10

“God is angry!!!” To hear these words brings a bewilderment to our understanding. It isn’t lingo that we are familiar with concerning the emotion of God. We long to see God as loving- and He is. We treasure God as good- and He is. But He is also angry. In fact, it’s because God is both loving and good that He is made to be angry. By “good” I mean say that God is law abiding; which is to say that God is just. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”

The justice of God and the love of God cause quite a predicament for the demands of sin. In other words, if God were only just, His job would be simple; destroy the world and be done with us. His justice would allow Him to do so without any recompense or guilt. However, God is not just only, but He is also love; (“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1John 4:8) therefore, the collision of justice and love produced Calvary’s cross and the Savior who would die for it. It could be said, “Christ was the overflow created by the God’s demand for justice and the sinners need for mercy.”

What is sin?

Essentially, sin is the treasuring of anything above our satisfaction in God. It’s when we lose satisfaction in God that we act upon our need to be satisfied. All sin is a display of searching elsewhere to find treasure. God created us in His image, therefore all sin is against God (Col. 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”).

Because all things were made by Him and for Him, all sin is an insult to God. The seriousness of the insult increases with the honor of the one being insulted (think courtroom). This brings a whole new appreciation for the love of God. If His justice is no ordinary justice, His love must be no ordinary love (“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13).

Propitiation- (Who Killed Jesus?)

The word “propitiation” refers to the removal or transfer of God’s wrath by way of a substitute (think Abraham/Isaac). In order to fully appreciate the cross we must understand that God’s wrath was not eliminated when Jesus went to Calvary… it was transferred.

Read Romans 3:23-31

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” John Piper

Cross

“Wrath”

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.” 1John 4:10

“God is angry!!!” To hear these words brings a bewilderment to our understanding. It isn’t lingo that we are familiar with concerning the emotion of God. We long to see God as loving- and He is. We treasure God as good- and He is. But He is also angry. In fact, it’s ___________ God is both loving and good that He is made to be angry. By “good” I mean say that God is ______ ___________; which is to say that God is just. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”

The justice of God and the love of God cause quite a predicament for the demands of sin. In other words, if God were only just, His job would be simple; destroy the world and be done with us. His justice would allow Him to do so without any recompense or guilt. However, God is not just only, but He is also love; (“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1John 4:8) therefore, the _____________ of justice and love produced Calvary’s cross and the Savior who would die for it. It could be said, “Christ was the overflow created by the God’s demand for justice and the sinners need for mercy.”

What is sin?

Essentially, sin is the ______________ of anything above our satisfaction in God. It’s when we lose satisfaction in God that we act upon our need to be satisfied. All sin is a display of searching elsewhere to find treasure. God created us in His image, therefore all sin is against God (Col. 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”).

Propitiation- (Who Killed Jesus?)

Read Romans 3:23-31

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” John Piper

Resurrection

Cross Series

“Resurrection”

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21

The death of Christ on the cross served sufficiently as the fulfilling of Christ’s complete obedience to God’s plan and also to satisfy the wrath of God against man. Every ounce of the anger of God was poured out on His Son for our sake… and victory was won at Calvary!

Every victory has a reward; and I want to say that Christ’s resurrection from the dead was more than the natural after-effect of the death of incarnation… it was also Christ’s reward for His willful and obedient shedding of His blood. For us, our death is our punishment for sin; but for Christ, His death was an achievement- and for that achievement, He was rewarded with the power of resurrection. In other words, Christ’s death purchased His resurrection. Likewise, faith in his death purchases our resurrection.

The blood of the covenant

The connection between the death of Jesus on the cross and the reward of resurrection is seen best in the above scripture. The word “through” is the key to understanding this truth (read Hebrews 13:20 again). Notice that His resurrection came through His blood. This resurrection is what purchased our covenant with Him. This would not have been possible without His death (Read Matt. 26:28)

Baptism, the picture of God’s endorsement

Our water baptism is the public declaration of our death to sin and resurrection to new life in Christ. However, without the resurrection of Christ from the dead, water baptism would be nothing more than a waste of good bath water. Again, remember that Christ’s resurrection was His reward for His obedience of the death of the cross. Another way to say this might be, “Christ’s resurrection was God’s public endorsement of Christ’s obedience.” (“…in whom I am well pleased.”)

Read 1Corinthians 15:17. What we see here is that Christ’s resurrection from the dead was vindication. Therefore, when we place our trust in the Gospel (death, burial and resurrection) we are vindicated by the Gospel. Had He not been resurrected, His death would have been in vain and we would still be in our sins. May we always remember this when we witness a baptism.

Dichotomy

Cross Series

“Dichotomy”

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Eph. 1:7

Perhaps the world’s greatest dichotomy is the death of Christ for the life of sinful man. There was never, and never will be, a greater exchange. 1Peter 3:18 says it like this: “…For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust,…” No other exchange compares. The trading of a high speed sports car for a pair of used walking shoes is an unfit example what happened the day Heaven gave its Highest for earth’s lowest.

Would someone please read Romans 5:7-8?

Grace for Sin

I used to say, “God must have seen great value in us, for He gave His best for us.” When in fact, God saw the worst in us, therefore, it was of necessity that that He gave His best for us. Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” What we see here in this verse is another example of divine dichotomy. “his love” for “yet sinners”. Eph 1:7 is clear that this great exchange was totally 1 sided. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”

This verse tells us why Jesus died on the cross in exchange for the remission of sin: it wasn’t our worth, but rather His Grace. In other words, it wasn’t our sin that caused Heaven to give its best. It was God’s Grace that caused Heaven to give its best. Which is to say, Calvary wasn’t a response to sin, but rather in response to Love. Nothing about man could persuade God to do something He did not want to do. Therefore, it was His great Grace that prompted God to do the unthinkable. Romans 5:20 says, “…where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:”

Sacrifice

The world will never know the measure of Heaven’s sacrifice until it knows the worthlessness of man. This is why the Bible refers to Christ’s death as “sacrifice”.

Eph. 5:2 “Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” (“offering” speaks of His willingness. “sacrifice” speaks of the measure of His love for us.)

Read Hebrews 9:24-26

What is our response to His sacrifice of Himself? Romans 12:1 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.”

Love

Cross Series
“Love”

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

He died for me!
The only way we can truly see Christ’s cross bearing from a personal perspective, is to see our offence toward Him as personal. While we know that God’s love is general (John 3:16), it is also specific. Why is it important to see Christ’s love from a personal perspective? It is difficult for man to treasure that which is general to all alone. However, when a thing is made personal, our treasuring of that thing becomes personal and intimate. (friendship, released from prison).
In addition, viewing Calvary and Christ’s love from a personal perspective causes me to remain focused on my sin and not the sin of others. This is why we see both God’s general love for all and a personal love for individuals. General love creates a desire for evangelism and personal love generates a desire for personal sanctification. You will never know the joy of evangelism till you know the joy of a personal relationship with Christ.

He died for me… and you!
The cross was a display to the world of Christ’s love for all. Throughout the Bible we read of the various people groups that were given access to the love of God through Calvary.
He died for His people - Eph. 5:25 says, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;”

He died for His friends – John 15:13 says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

He died for many – Matt. 20:28 says, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

He died for sinners – Romans 5:6 says, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

He died for all – John 3:17, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

It is important that we understand that the view of Calvary from heaven was both broad and narrow.

Love + Calvary = the death of God’s Son

As Christians, we neither deny Christ’s death or His love; but a question needs to be asked: did the death of Christ require His love? In other words, could He have died for us without loving us? Another way of asking the question might be, was the emotion of love necessary for His death on the cross to be effective for the forgiveness of sins? The answer is: it was His love for us that initiated His sacrifice of Himself for us. It WAS enough for Him to die for us… “the just for the unjust.” However, sacrifice without emotion is simply obligation. It is His love for us that draws us to recognize the sacrifice. Turn and read 1John 4:7-21

We need to see that Love requires a response. Outside of love, we have no commitment or sense of responsibility. Therefore, as Christ loved us, so we are to love our neighbors. And how do we know if we love them? We will respond by giving

Debt

Cross Series

“Debt”

“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”

Col. 2:13-14

Imagine owning a debt that consumed every dollar you ever earned and could never be paid for… in a million life times. The bondage that financial debt brings consumes most every facet of our lives: financial, emotion, relational and even physical. For many today, only their own death will ever relieve them of financial debt that has been created by their own greediness. Now imagine that burden being eliminated, in one single payment… forever. The joy and relief that just the thought of financial free brings is worth the pursuit of making it a reality.

For most, the same emotion that financial freedom brings can be felt in their spiritual life as well. In other words, many in this world fight to alleviate their spiritual debt in the same way they fight to eliminate their financial debt: by working themselves out of debt. In the end they discover that their good deeds could never out weigh their bad deeds and all their effort was in vain. Perhaps the greatest misnomer of humanity is believing that eternity depends on our goodness. Hundreds of thousands perish yearly hoping that their good deeds will somehow persuade a just God to allow them into His Kingdom. So far, this has never happened!

Why won’t our good deeds outweigh our bad deeds?

There are two reasons why God does not base our eternal hope on our good works:

1) Even our good deeds are ill prompted. In other words, rarely does even a Christian perform a deed that is not (at least) partially self-centered. And never is the good deed of a sinner prompted by the notion of glorifying a righteous God. Read 1 Peter 4:11; 1Cor. 10:31

2) This was never God’s way of providing grace to sinners. According to our opening text, our records “handwriting of ordinances” do actually play a factor in God’s decision as to whether or not He will allow us into heaven- but not on the basis of their weight, but rather on whether or not the records exist. In other words, if any record of sin exists whatsoever, we will not be granted access in God’s Kingdom. Notice, the sin records against us were not outweighed by Christ’s death, but rather, our records were blotted out. Praise be to the name of God!

Never could we depend on our own strength to merit our righteousness… and never will God require our goodness to merit our righteousness. Our only hope was for the Just to die for the unjust… and this is what took place on Calvary’s cross. Literally, our sin debt was paid by Christ, and literally, our sin debt was nailed to the cross. Jesus was His own payment for our debt and Jesus was literally nailed to the cross. This is why we can now sing, “Jesus paid it all, and all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, Jesus washed it white as snow.”

Ransom

Cross Series

“Ransom”

“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

Following closely to our last “Cross” study on the subject of debt is this study on the subject of Christ being our “ransom”. Few words identify Christ on the cross with such sacrificial thought as does “ransom.” Praise God, when sin demanded justice for our soul, a ransom was paid instead!

“Ransom?” Of certainty, Satan was not “paid off” when Jesus died on the cross as payment for our sins. While we were held captive by the wages of sin, Satan did not profit by the dying of Christ on our cross, but rather destroyed. Hebrews 2:14 says, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” This verse reveals the very purpose of Christ’s birth… to die that both Satan and the power of death would be destroyed.

Ransom? To whom?

So, if Satan did not receive the ransom of Christ’s payment for the wages of our sin, who did? To find an answer for this great question, we must research the very need for a ransom in the first place.

Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” In this we see Who sin causes to be shortchanged: God.
Romans 3:19 tells Who we are accountable to as a result of our sin: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”
Romans 2:2 says, “But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.”
Revelation 14:7 “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come:”

In these verses we so what judgment of which we need a releasing: the judgment of God. On the cross, Christ freed us from the judgment of God!

The Bible is clear that God was the one “paid off” by the death of His Son… for it was God who was “ripped off” by the fall of man.

Ephesians 5:2 says, “…as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God…”
Hebrews 9:14 says, “…Christ… who through the eternal Spirit offered himself … to God…”

Many?

Throughout the Bible we see clearly to whom the sacrifice of Christ was for: “For God so loved the world that whosever…” (John 3:16) So why then does Mark use the word “many” instead of all? This word “many” shows even greater how precious the sacrifice of Christ truly is. Knowing that not “all” would come to Him, Christ gave no more thought to His own death. He died the same for “many” as he would have for “all”. Praise be to His Name!

Condemnation

Cross Series

“Condemnation”

Romans 8:1-3

Question: When you hear the word “condemn”, what do you picture in your imagination?

Condemnation:

The dictionary will use words like “judgment”, “punishment”, “disapproval” and “guilty” to qualify the word “condemn.” These are adequate words. However, other terms seem to bring our imagination to its brink when describing our condemnation as sinful men. Words like, “ruin”, “disrepair” and “to tear down” help us to see our standing as sinners before a holy and just God. This condemned state of existence is what the death of Christ on the cross worked to remove from our portfolio. We who are believers are no longer among the condemned (verse 1).

“Aint it precious?”

No loving mother holds her new born child and pronounces a judgment of condemnation upon him. Instead, she declares him perfect and blameless, and unable to do wrong. This is because she has yet to see his heart. In time, however, the child’s heart will reveal its “desperately wicked” nature. No judge will have to pronounce a guilty verdict upon us. John 3:18 says that we were “condemned already.” In fact, we declare ourselves condemned by our own unbelief. Without the death of Christ on the cross, faith would be impossible. Christ’s obedience to sin’s demand gave sinners an adequate focus of belief. Without the cross, we would have nothing to believe in and our condemned state would exist to this day.

He took our condemnation

All that was ours Christ took upon Himself on the cross. Conversely, all that was His was made ours by His death on the cross. In other words, when Jesus died, His death became our life, His wrath became our joy and His guilt became our pardon… He literally took our condemnation. He was condemned for us… so that we would stand before God perfectly.

We need to see that condemnation is no longer ours, not because condemnation doesn’t exist, but rather because it has already taken place. First, condemnation took place in the garden- and then passed down to every man. Secondly, condemnation took place on Calvary- and all who are in Christ accept Christ’s death as the taking of their personal condemnation. This is why Jesus is referred to as “the second Adam.” 1Cor. 15:45 says, “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [was made] a quickening spirit.”

Judgement

To condemn someone is to cast a judgment upon them. We do this daily when we judge someone for any particular reason. Of course, Christians are judged daily by this world. We are cast down “all the day long.” (Ps. 44:22) So, how then is there no condemnation if we are judged by the world continually? The answer is this: there is no condemnation that is greater than the condemnation that was cast upon Christ on the cross. Why? The condemnation of Christ on the cross was not a condemnation of man… but of God. God was the one who condemned Christ on the cross… not man. Therefore, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31-39)