I believe sufficient proof has been given that we all are sinners. Every one of us has sinned and God’s justice demands that sin be dealt with. The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death;” The death being spoken of here is not simply a physical death. What Paul is referring to here is an eternal death which lies in a separation of the soul and body from God under His divine wrath in hell for all eternity.
That is the path we all are on unless something happens. What must happen? According to the Scriptures we must repent and believe the gospel to be saved from His fierce wrath. That is what Jesus Christ preached.
Mark 1:14-15
14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the gospel.
To be saved from the wrath of God for your sins, you must first repent. Let me ask you…after reading the previous post on the truth about sin and having a little better understanding of what it is, has God so worked in your life that you now hate the sin you once loved? All those sinful things you used to revel in doing…how do you feel about them now? Your boasting over sin, has it turned to shame? Are their seeds of a divine attitude, of hating sin as God hates it. Is God doing something?
How do you now feel about God? Do you find that you no longer want to run from Him, rather you are wanting to run to Him? Is there any treasuring of Christ? Are you ashamed of the way that throughout the history of your life you have ignored Him, hated Him, been apathetic toward Him? Is there a new desire to follow Him, seek Him, know Him, delight in Him?
If you still love your sin and don’t want to stop doing it…if you hate God then you do not have the seeds of repentance. If you loathe the sin you once practiced regularly and find yourself desiring to be with God and love Him, then you have the God-given seeds of repentance. Search your heart…is it still a heart of stone, hard and cold toward the things of God, or is it a heart of flesh, warm and beating in hatred for your sin and in love with God? What are your deepest desires?
Many believe that repentance means you changing your ways…not so. Remember, you can only do what is in your nature. You cannot change your nature, therefore you cannot change your ways and everything you do no matter how “good” it may look is sin in the eyes of God. Repentance is a change of mind. Has your mind changed toward your sin now that you know the truth about it and God’s hatred for it?
Not only are you to repent, but you are also to believe the gospel. What is the gospel? I’m glad you asked! The word “gospel” is translated from the Greek word “euaggelion” (pronounced: yü-än-ge'-lē-on) which means “good tidings” or “good news.” What is the good news? The good news is this…
“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” ~Paul the Apostle (1 Timothy 1:15)
Who is this Jesus Christ? Well allow me to introduce Him to you. To do so I have to take you back to before the world was ever created for it is there where He is. Before one thing was ever created the Triune God was there.
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
Can I explain what all that verse entails? No, but I believe it. Before creation God existed. He had no beginning, neither does He have an end. He is eternal. In the verse we just read notice that God the Son is referred to as “the Word.” That is translated from the Greek word “Logos” which means the living, spoken word. Jesus Christ is the living , spoken word of God.
John 1:1-3
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.
Colossians 1:16-17 (…Speaking of the Son of God)
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, wheter they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him;
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, created all things. Prior to creating all things, it was purposed by God that Jesus Christ would give His life for the sins of His people. Revelation 13:8 tells us that He is the “Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.” We also see this truth in the following Scriptures.
1 Peter 1:18-20
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
Before Christ created anything, it was determined that at the appointed time, He would give Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of His people…those, according to Ephesians 1:4, who were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, both Jew and Gentile.
Hebrews 10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body thou hast prepared for me;
When God’s timing was fulfilled, He gave Jesus a body. He became a man like we are. You can read of this in Matthew chapter 1 and Luke chapter 2. His name was to be called Jesus which means “Jehovah is salvation.”
Matthew 1:21-23
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the LORD by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Four hundred years before Christ came to this earth as a baby, Isaiah the prophet, under the direction of God, prophesied of His coming and He perfectly fulfilled that prophesy as well as all other prophecies concerning the Messiah.
He grew up from birth, through youth and into adulthood without ever committing sin. He was the sinless, perfect Lamb of God. He was God in the flesh and could not sin.
Hebrews 4:15 (Speaking in reference to Jesus Christ) “…but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
1 Peter 2:22 (Speaking in reference to Jesus Christ) “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth;”
He lived 30 years before He began His earthly ministry preaching the gospel or the good news. Jesus Christ came to this earth to do the will of God the Father which was to save sinners. How did He secure the salvation for sinners?
Romans 5:6-8
6 For when we were without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
In Isaiah 50:7 we have another prophecy of Jesus Christ. It tells us that He set His face like a flint. In other words, knowing that soon He was about to have the sins of His people imputed to Himself and suffer the full wrath of God for those sins, He was determined or resolved to go the the Cross of Calvary and secure the salvation of His people and prove once and for all that God is just.
Luke 9:51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.
John 12:23-33
23 And Jesus answered then, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, ther shall also my servant be; if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.
27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heart it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake unto him.
30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me.
33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.
On the tenth day of the month Nisan on the Jewish calendar, Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem fulfilling yet another prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9. For the next four days, Christ stood in the Temple teaching and preaching and being examined and questioned by all who would. He was found to be the Lamb of God without spot and without blemish. On the fourteenth of Nisan, after having observed the Passover, Christ took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane.
It was here that Christ, being in agony, prayed alone to God the Father. In Luke 23:39-44 and in Matthew 26:36-46, Christ knew He was about to suffer the full, fierce, wrath of God for the sins of His people which He did not commit. He was in agony because, being God, only He could know the measure of the wrath of God for sin.
He stated it thusly… “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Matthew 26:39
The question has been raised, what was in the cup? Was it the physical beating he was about to take? Was it the crown of thorns or the nails or the spear? I do not believe He was sorrowful because of the physical torture He was about to endure. I believe He was exceedingly sorrowful because He knew He was about to be crushed by the full force of the wrath of Almighty God for the sins of His people and He knew He would, for the first time in all eternity, be separated from God the Father. He also knew it had to be in order for His people to be saved.
The Lord Jesus Christ was taken captive by the religious Jews of the day. He was lied about, hit, spit on, tried and found guilty of blasphemy. He was turned over to the Romans who whipped him and beat him and at 9am on the 14th of Nisan, He was crucified…nailed to a cross…set forth as it says in Romans 3:25. Christ was lifted up on the cross so that all men could see.
His blood was shed…poured out for the remissions of the sins of His people. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:22 that “without shedding of blood is no remission.” The Bible tells us in Luke 23:44 that from 12:00pm (the 6th hour) until 3:00pm (the ninth hour) there was a darkness over all the earth. It was during this time that God the Father forsook His only begotten Son, the Passover Lamb of God.
Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?
It was during this time that Jesus Christ the sinless, perfect, Son of God drank the cup of the wrath of God. All the fury and fierce wrath of Holy God was poured out upon Christ and He was crushed for the sins of His people. When he drank every last drop in the cup he said…
John 19:30 …It is finished: and he bowed his head…
Luke 23:46 …Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
At 3pm on the 14th of Nisan, the very time the Passover lamb was to be slain, Jesus Christ died to atone for the sins of His people. In His death, He fulfilled the Passover…He was our Passover Lamb. He was the propitiation spoken of in Romans 3:25. He put an end to… He extinguished the wrath of God incurred as a result of our sin.
Isaiah 53:11 He shall see the travail of his soul, and be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
The wrath and justice of God for the sins of His people were satisfied! Before sundown, the body of the Lord Jesus Christ was buried in the tomb of a rich man fulfilling yet another prophecy found in Isaiah 53:9.In His burial, He fulfilled the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for He was and is that sinless bread of heaven.
What did Christ accomplish on Calvary? First, by fulfilling every prophecy of the Messiah, He proved without a doubt that He was and is the Son of God, the second person of the Godhead Trinity. Second, He redeemed His people with His own blood. Third, He vindicated God the Father, proving Him to be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus…according to Romans 3:26.
Three days later, on the Feast of First Fruits, after fulfilling the sign of Jonah, the Lord Jesus Christ arose from the grave as seen in John 20, Luke 24, Mark 16, and Matthew 28. He was the First Fruit of the resurrection. In His resurrection, He fulfilled the Feast of First Fruits and God the Father vindicated Christ’s sacrifice proving once and for all that Christ’s atoning death was sufficient to satisfy the wrath of God for sin. When Christ rose from the grave, He sealed the salvation of His people…all those who repent and believe the gospel. His righteousness has been imputed unto all those who repent and believe in Christ.
That, my friend, is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is good news. It’s the best news you will ever hear! Again I have to ask… after reading the previous post on the truth about sin and having a little better understanding of what it is, and after reading about the gospel of Jesus Christ, has God so worked in you r life that you now hate the sin you once loved? All those sinful things you used to revel in doing…how do you feel about them now? Your boasting over sin, has it turned to shame? Are their seeds of a divine attitude, of hating sin as God hates it. Is God doing something?
How do you now feel about God? Do you find that you no longer want to run from Him, rather you are wanting to run to Him? Is there any rejoicing because of Christ? Are you ashamed of the way that throughout the history of your life you have ignored Him, hated Him, been apathetic toward Him? Is there a new desire to follow Him, seek Him, know Him, delight in Him?
How can a person be saved? There was an event that took place in the days of Moses that may help you understand what I’ve been writing about.
Numbers 21:4-9
And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it on a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
When those people who had been bitten by the snakes realized what a desperate, fatal condition was flowing through their blood, Moses told them to look…look at the serpent. There is some unique, mysterious way that when looking into the understanding of an uplifted Jesus Christ, God opens the eyes of the lost and they see themselves as they really are before a Holy God. Has God opened your eyes to see your sinful condition? What can the lost person do? Look unto Jesus Christ and live.
John 3:14-15
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
As Moses lifted the serpent up on a pole in the wilderness, so was Jesus Christ lifted up on a cross. Whosoever believes in Him and what He accomplished at Calvary, will not perish, but have eternal life. When you realize your sin has affected every part of you and you have a fatal condition flowing through your entire being, do as the publican did. He recognized his condition before a Holy God. He confessed that he was a sinner and he cried out to God to have mercy on him. He didn’t try to do anything. He realized there was nothing he could do but to rely on God for his salvation.
Luke 18:13 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.
Justification (being in right standing with God) was not found in something the publican could do, but rather in something that someone else had done…and that someone was the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:15, This is a faithful saying and worthy to be accepted by all, that Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners of whom I am chief. If God can save the worst sinner, then He can save you too. Nothing is too hard for Him.
Isaiah 55:6-7
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let
him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for
he will abundantly pardon.
Jesus welcomes such as the publican in Luke 18:9-14. He doesn’t say, “stay back and try to do better,” or “when you get your life straightened up, then you can go to church and start pleasing God.” No! Justification is not found in trying to get everything right so God will accept you. It is found in God bringing you to the place where you cannot be accepted in and of yourself, but only through the finished work of Jesus Christ who came to save sinners.
Confess, which means to agree with God that you are a sinner. Repent...a change of mind toward sin. Ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins, and forsake or turn from your sinful ways.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Philippian jailer asked…
Acts 16:30-31
…Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…
The publican believed God’s assessment of his true condition. He was sorrowful over his sinful condition. The sin he once loved, he now hated. The God he once hated, he now loved. He trusted in God for his salvation and went down to his house justified or in right standing with God. Only then was he able to obey God and please Him in his actions. The same is true for you…only when you see your sinfulness and need of a savior, turn from your wicked ways, cry out for mercy, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, will you be able to obey God and please Him.
“…and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” ~ Jesus Christ (John 6:37)
No comments:
Post a Comment