Christ The Lord - Remembering Our Lord's Work
.
I. Jesus, The Godman, Lived, Was Crucified, Died, Was Buried And Rose Again From The Dead.
Jesus asked a question to men asking who men said he was. Jesus asked the unbelieving Pharisees the question : Matthew 22:42 ….what think ye of Christ? And to the Disciples He also asked the disciples Matthew 16:13 “… Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” Biblically we find that Jesus is more than just a mere great human in history. He is God come in the flesh. He always has been God and always will be God. Yet He took upon Himself human flesh to do the work that it was decreed He would do from before the foundation of the world. That work was to shed His blood and to redeem and save the people given to Him by the Father. His coming from glory to earth to take upon himself flesh, as mankind, is known as His humiliation.
1. Jesus Christ is a fact of history. He occupied space and time in history. (1 Jn. 1) The calendar which we use is broken down into B.C. or before Christ and A.D. (anno Domini) “in the year of our Lord. It is this Christ that has been the central focus point of history. He truly was: .
Born of a virgin (Matt. 1)
Born of flesh and blood (Phil.2)
A Person that grew mentally, socially, physically and spiritually (Luke 2:40)
A Man of compassion (Matt. 9:36)
A Man tempted as we are (yet without sin, Heb4:15)
A Man who died (1Cor.15:3-4, the Gospels)
Was buried and rose again(1Cor. 15:3-4)
.
2. Jesus is God. Jesus Christ is more than an mere fact in human history. He is God. .
a. ) Jesus is timeless, being the eternal Christ . Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is one with the Father (He is the third person of the Triune immortal God). He is God. .
John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Luke 22:66-71 And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying, Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am. And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.
Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
3. The Lord Jesus Christ is in heaven now interceding between men and the Father. .
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Philippians 2:4-8 “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” .
Is Jesus God?” “Yes.” “Is Jesus man?” “Yes.” He is both this is necessary to acknowledge for without believing this there is no salvation. There is no salvation in any other than in the Godman Christ Jesus (Acts 4:12)..
We Can Be Sure He is God :
.
A. He Lived a Sinless Life
The life of Jesus was without reproach. Even though He was a friend of sinners ministering with compassion and mercy he never sinned. (Jn. 4; Matt. 8:28-34; 9:10-13)
B. He Performed Supernatural Works
He had power that even the sea and wind obeyed him. He had power over death, sickness, disease and the world of the demons. These miracles testified of His mighty power as God. Jesus did many miracles in order that those that would accuse Him might “know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Here is listed several of the miracles of Christ (If you count them I think ther are at least 37 of them):
Changing the water into wine (Jn. 2:1)
Feeding the five thousand (Matt. 14:13)
Casting demons out of the possessed man and them entering into the swine (Matt. 8:28)
Raising Lazarus from the dead (Jn. 11:43)
Calming the raging storm ( Matt. 8:23)
Cleansing of the ten lepers ( Lk. 17:11)
He Rose From the Dead
The resurrection from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion is probably the strongest testimony of the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord was seen after his resurrection on some twelve different occasions with more than five-hundred witnesses. .
Acts 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
1 Corinthians 15:12-19 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
.II. Christ Came To Shed His Blood To Redeem His People (Matt. 1:21)
.1. Christ’s Purpose:
.The birth of Jesus was not a mistake. It did not just happen. It was planned by the Father before the creation of the world (“lamb slain before the foundation of the world”). He came in the form of a man to Save His people from their sin according to the purpose of the Father (Eph 1:3-14). The primary purpose of Jesus was announced at His birth and His name was to also reflect his purpose: Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Christ came to the lost (Luke 19:10). He came to be a ransom for many: Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Christ came to redeem his people.
.2. Man’s Need:
.Adam the first man and first parent sinned. The guilt of sin passed upon all mankind. Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. (Rom 5:18) Not only are we guilty due to original sin but we also are guilty of committing actual sin. All are guilty and ther is none that can say they are sinless and not guilty before God. There is no man or woman that can say that they have been pure in their heart and conduct. The heart/mind is sinful from conception and development through birth and in all of life. There is no one that can say he has kept the commandments of God. We have not loved God of our own desire as we should, nor have we loved our neighbor. We may have done some “relative good” but it is only for our own benefit to keep us out of trouble with others, for societies good, or for a multitude of other reasons but not for the glory and honor of God. And all that is done outside of faith is sin. I remember a young woman that once told me as a child her Sunday School teacher asked the class to see if they could go all day without thinking, doing, or saying anything wrong. Of course she admitted she could not, but she also admitted that she was very frustrated in trying to do so. She received a real lesson in the sinfulness and depravity in her own life. The point of all this is this: mankind is guilty and sinful and we sin daily in our thought life, as well as in what we say. Also our actions are not what they should be for they follow what we think.
.3. The Depth And Wages of Sin:
.The depth of man’s sin is cause for a great need. Humanity in the fall lost all original righteousness. The mind of man became seared. The will of man is continuously evil. Humanity is dead in trespasses in sins. There is none that even cares to seek after, worship, or adore God as they should since they are in their natural state since the fall. There is none that has not sinned and none that can of their own volition even look to nor seek after God. Man is wicked as the Bible teaches that the “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”(Jer 17:9).
The depth of the consequences of sin is that God must judge men as sinners. Man’s sin must be punished by the just God of heaven. The judgment and wages of sin is death. This death is spiritual death. This death requires being cast from the fellowship of God into hell.
.Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:10-18 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:2 Thessalonians 1:6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ : Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power;
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
4. God’s Provision Is Christ Our Lord:
.a.) A Holy God Cannot Let Man's Sin Cannot Go Unpunished
.God will not let sin go unpunished. He is holy, and just and as just seen above He must judge sin. The full penalty of the demands of the law of God must be met. The full judgment which the sin of man deserves must be meted out. To do any less would not be in the character of God. We know that “The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.” (Ps 145:17) and cannot look upon it. ”Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity ( Hab. 1:13).
.b.) Christ Is the Answer!
.Man being unable to save himself from the justice of a holy God is a doomed creation if God does not provide an answer to our dilemma. BUT THANK GOD HE IS WISE. There is an answer! The answer - God himself in His wisdom brings forth a plan of salvation in line with his justice, that is full of love, mercy, and grace (1 Jn 4:8). In His love and mercy He chose to redeem and save men. It was in His love toward us that he sent Christ to die in our behalf for “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
.Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
.
c.) Jesus Met The Demands Of Divine Justice By His Substitutionary and Atoning Death .
It is in the work of Christ , that is in his life and death, that God in His wisdom was able to meet the demands of His justice. In Christ’s life He, as a man, lived a perfect life. In doing this he did that which the first Adam did not do. Chris, the second Adam, performed the perfect righteousness which God’s requires. So Our Savior lived for us but we cannot stop there for He also died for us. The penalty for sin has to be paid and this was done by the Lord Jesus. He came to “give his life a ransom for many. “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;”( 1 Cor 15:3). This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:28). Jesus the Son of man came..... to give his life a ransom for many (Matt 20:28).
The work of Christ met the demands of divine justice in order that the sins of the people of God are atoned for they are no longer enemies of God but are reconcile to God. Christ suffered all the painful and shameful death of the cross. He took the judgment of the Father for my sin upon the cross. He suffered the pains and anguish of hell suffering the abandonment of the Father on the cross. “My God, My God why have you forsaken me,” He cried out. Why? To save a sinner such as I. “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.. (Gal 2:20)
.
d.) In Jesus We Are Justified
.
God calls all His creation to be perfect. He created them without sin. However, first Adam sinned in the garden and all men died spiritually. And therefore there is none righteous. There is no way that we can be perfect, as the Father which is in heaven is perfect. Christ , the second Adam; however lived the perfect life, not sinning, fulfilled the requirements which Adam failed to accomplish in the garden of Eden. Christ represented His people, living righteously for them, imputing His righteousness to them while taking upon Himself their sins and the punishment for them. It is in the obedience of Christ’s life and also in the obedience to the Father’s will of His death that those who believe are justified and are in a right standing before the Father.(see Appendix A)
Romans 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. We then can say with praise “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” Romans 5:1.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
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: .
III. A Gospel Call This Holy Day Season: .
Do you have this peace with God? Are you sure that you are relying in what Christ the Son of God has done in his life, death and the resurrection? Have you been converted? Maybe you are unsure as to whether or not your faith is real and genuine. Maybe you desire to be a Christian but you just don’t know if you really are. Please contact a Bible believing church in your area and discuss this with a local Bible believing Pastor. ...
IV. Appendix A:
Propitiation (pro-pish-i-ā´shun).
Terms and Meaning:.
The word is Latin and brings into its English use the atmosphere of heathen rites for winning the favor, or averting the anger, of the gods. In the Old Testament it represents a number of Hebrew words - ten, including derivatives - which are sufficiently discussed under ATONEMENT (which see), of which propitiation is one aspect. It represents in Septuagint the Greek stems ἰλασκ-, hilask- (ἱλε-, hile-), and καταλλαγ-, katallag-, with derivatives; in the New Testament only the latter, and is rarely used. Propitiation needs to be studied in connection with reconciliation, which is used frequently in some of the most strategic sentences of the New Testament, especially in the newer versions In Heb_2:17, the English Revised Version and the American Standard Revised Version have both changed “reconciliation” of the King James Version to “propitiation,” to make it correspond with the Old Testament use in connection with the sacrifice on the DAY OF ATONEMENT (which see). Luk_18:13 (“God, be thou merciful (margin “be propitiated”) to me the sinner” (the American Standard Revised Version margin)); Heb_8:12 (quoted from the Septuagint); and Mat_16:22 (an idiomatic asseveration like English “mercy on us”) will help in getting at the usage in the New Testament. In Septuagint hilastḗrion is the term for the “mercy-seat” or “lid of the ark” of the covenant which was sprinkled with blood on the Day of Atonement. It is employed in exactly this sense in Heb_9:5, where later versions have in the margin “the propitiatory.”.
Elsewhere in the New Testament this form is found only in Rom_3:25, and it is here that difficulty and difference are found extensively in interpreting. Greek fathers generally and prominent modern scholars understand Paul here to say that God appointed Christ Jesus to be the “mercy-seat” for sinners. The reference, while primarily to the Jewish ceremonial in tabernacle and temple, would not depend upon this reference for its comprehension, for the idea was general in religious thought, that some place and means had to be provided for securing friendly meeting with the Deity, offended by man's sin. In Hebrews particularly, as elsewhere generally, Jesus Christ is presented as priest and sacrifice. Many modern writers (compare Sanday and Headlam), therefore, object that to make Him the “mercy-seat” here complicates the figure still further, and so would understand hilastērion as “expiatory sacrifice.” While this is not impossible, it is better to take the word in the usual sense of “mercy-seat.” It is not necessary to complicate the illustration by bringing in the idea of priest at all here, since Paul does not do so; mercy-seat and sacrifice are both in Christ. hilasmós, is found in the New Testament only in 1Jo_2:2; 1Jo_4:10. Here the idea is active grace, or mercy, or friendliness. The teaching corresponds exactly with that in Romans. “Jesus Christ the righteous” is our “Advocate (margin “Helper”) with the Father,” because He is active mercy concerning (περί, perí) our sins and those of the whole world. Or (Rom_4:10), God “loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for (active mercy concerning) our sins.” This last passage is parallel with Rom_3:25, the one dealing with the abstract theory, and so Christ is set forward as a “mercy-seat,” the other dealing with experience of grace, and so Christ is the mercy of God in concrete expression..
Theological Implication:
The basal idea in Hebrew terms is that of covering what is offensive, so restoring friendship, or causing to be kindly disposed. The Greek terms lack the physical reference to covering but introduce the idea of friendliness where antagonism would be natural; hence, graciousness. Naturally, therefore, the idea of expiation entered into the concept. It is especially to be noted that all provisions for this friendly relation as between God and offending man find their initiation and provision in God and are under His direction, but involve the active response of man. All heathen and unworthy conceptions are removed from the Christian notion of propitiation by the fact that God Himself proposed, or “set forth,” Christ as the “mercy-seat,” and that this is the supreme expression of ultimate love. God had all the while been merciful, friendly, “passing over” man's sins with no apparently adequate, or just, ground for doing so. Now in the blood of Christ sin is condemned and expiated, and God is able to establish and maintain His character for righteousness, while He continues and extends His dealing in gracious love with sinners who exercise faith in Jesus. The propitiation originates with God, not to appease Himself, but to justify Himself in His uniform kindness to men deserving harshness. Compare also as to reconciliation, as in Rom_5:1-11; 2Co_5:18 ff. See also JOHANNINE THEOLOGY, V., 2.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home