The Integrity Of God - [Romans 3:21-26]

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Thank you, Steve. Indeed. I am thrilled to be here this morning with you all to stand in this pulpit here where Your senior pastor
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Mike is a great encouragement to me continually as a friend And even as a long -distance teacher here the internet makes things so much closer
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It's one of my favorite podcasts the BBC podcast to listen. It's a great encouragement to me as much as Steve mentioned the coming from Leominster to grow up in this area and To know that there is a church here in Central, Massachusetts that proclaims the gospel that stands firm for the gospel it is
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It is so encouraging to me and to so many others as well what you're doing here And the reach is not just in this area.
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It is far -reaching Through the ministry of this church as touching areas all over the place I meet people that listen to the podcast and they're so encouraged and learning even through the
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Bible Institute The it's the IBS program and different things so it is really encouraging to me, and I'm no doubt to you as well so it's a thrill for me to come here today to Even lock arms with you all as friends in Jesus Christ To know that if the main thing is the main thing then we have a good friendship
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Because it's in Jesus Christ and his gospel rejoicing around his sufficiency and his supremacy so again
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I'm thrilled to be here today, and what a What a great throw. I'll tell you when
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I left, Massachusetts 12 years ago I Left cursing God's name and now
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I come back Periodically, but it is a pleasure to come here to bless his name this morning, and that is holy of divine grace
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So join me this morning in prayer, and then we will read and we'll get started our father We thank you this morning for the privilege to open your word to read your scripture to Struggle with it to grapple with it to apply it
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Father I pray this morning for everyone here That we would see your intention in this passage
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That we would see the beauty of Jesus Christ that we would be more impressed
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With Christ when we leave this place Then we were when we walked in that we would be more humble that would be less impressed with ourselves
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And our perceived merit That we would see Jesus Christ is holy beautiful Holy glorious and holy mighty to save as our
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Savior your son the means by which you get glory for yourself So as we stare at the cross this morning pray that you would give illumination into the scriptures
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That we'd be amazed Of the glory of Christ in and through the gospel
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We pray these things this morning for Jesus sake Amen, I want to start off this morning by asking you a question
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And I think it's a particularly difficult question hopefully you're tracking with me, but Perhaps not
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You've never considered this. I hope today. We consider it together my question to you this morning is how can a God?
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Who declares that he is holy? Declares that he is righteous and just also be as he says loving
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Forgiving kind and gracious How can he be all of those things
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Simultaneously How can God? who declares That he will by no means clear the guilty how could a
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God who says the soul that sins shall die How can the God who says he loves his glory and will not give his glory to another how can he this
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God? Who says all of these things? Declare to sinners like you and like me throughout redemptive history
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I'm long -suffering. I'm kind I will forgive I am loving How can
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God be just? And Forgiving at the same time how can he be righteous and loving at the same time see that's a
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Question that the Apostle Paul was dealing with in the book of Romans, and he was explaining that type of thinking
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Now for us in our culture that is a very man -centered culture a very self -esteem Culture that that question comes out of the corner out of a bit of a blind spot for us
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Because the ant the question in our culture is the opposite It is how?
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Can God? Be just and not give me all things you see
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It's how can God be just and good and loving and not give me everything we totally forget
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We flipped it around on the head So as you labor to do evangelism and labor to even think about these things
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You got to work on that issue because it's so man -centered so felt needs driven that everyone starts with the wrong
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Presupposition that they are in fact good and that God is Mandated to meet their needs
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We raise our fists at God all day. I lose my job. Where are you God? Somebody gets sick.
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It's your fault God. What are you doing? Did you forget we have our fists shaking it at him all day?
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So God's justice is questioned by us when something doesn't happen, right? That's the wrong question
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The question we'll examine today in the scrap passage of Romans is how can God be just that means maintain his righteousness and his holiness?
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And loving at the same time Because we are so bad. That's the question. So open your
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Bibles to the book of Romans this morning and we're going to consider the cross
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We'll be in chapter 3, but we're going to do a little context work first Typically the the logic is when you ask a question like that How can
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God be just and forgiving and loving the question is the answer the answer ends up being well God is so loving that his love overcomes his mercy, you know, kind of like we've all had grandfathers perhaps or at least we've seen grandfathers on TV Where you know the kids do something wrong and you say, you know, the grandpa says hey, you really shouldn't do that But I'll tell you what, here's a piece of candy pat him on the rear end say go back in the backyard and play
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I mean, it's kind of that I'm not gonna hold you guilty if somebody does something wrong It's better to do it in front of grandpa than in front of dad.
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So we think of God like a grandpa God's love doesn't overcome his righteousness
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His righteousness is demonstrated clearly on the cross the contention that we'll see here in Romans What Paul presents is that the cross really is the place where God does not
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Compromise he does not compromise on the cross all of his attributes. Trust me.
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Trust the Bible are Harmoniously displayed on the cross so we see them all working together as a bit of a divine symphony if you will not out of tune
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Completely working in tune to exalt the glory of God Bible commentators have said for years if you want to know
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God you go to the cross Because it is there at the cross where God most clearly
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Demonstrates who he is for indeed The cross is the end of all illustrations all typologies all pictures and all expert
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Explanations of who he is. It is the chief Manifestation of who the
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God of the Bible is and he displays it with crystal clarity It is there in a blood -stained wood of Calvary where God Communicates clearly who he is how he acts and why he does it
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So therefore to begin to understand the cross is to begin to understand God And in the passage, we'll look at in Romans 3
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God amplifies his righteousness to infinite decibels Through the explanation of the death of his only
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Son and in so doing he explains his love even through that Well, you should be in the book of Romans and just by way of context
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It is obviously written by the Apostle Paul the letter of Paul to the Romans and flip over to chapter 1 just for a little context
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Paul is writing it to these people the church in Rome Look at verse 14 And he says
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I am under obligation both to the Greeks and to the barbarians both to the wise and to the foolish So I'm eager to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome.
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He's excited He wants to preach the gospel to the church. Literally. I want to come and evangelize you The gospel is not just for the lost.
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It's for the church as well. Paul wants to come and Gospel eyes this community of professing believers and some outside of it as well.
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So Paul wants to come and he wants to do that He really wants to come he wants to even in this letter
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He wants to talk about the gospel, but before he begins explaining the beauty of the good news
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Which is what gospel means he does something very strange It's a very strange
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Evangelism tactic if you will because before he begins to talk about the good news He talks about the bad news and we should learn a lesson from him here
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Look at verse 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and righteous unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth and unrighteousness
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Paul says I want to preach the gospel and then he begins talking He says but the righteous that the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven
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The wrath as Lloyd -jones said is the settled displeasure to all that is evil everything that contradicts who
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God is is In violation in an antagonist antagonizes
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God in his glory and God is wrathful He's angry at that and he says I want to preach the gospel that now he begins to give some bad news
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He doesn't unpack the sacred treasure of the good news yet until he begins to explain chapter 1
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Basically the summary is I don't care how intellectual you are or perceive yourself to be The fact of the matter is
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God has clearly received revealed himself. So when people say I haven't seen God I don't know. I can't believe Romans chapter 1 clearly articulates.
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God has made himself evident to them God has been kind to show us who he is even in chapter 1
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And then chapter 2 he gets at the issue of morality those people that say well, I'm religious. I'm not religious Paul says in chapter 1 if you everybody is under sin because they have suppressed the truth in unrighteousness
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Likewise and that's a verses 18 all the way down to 23. There's been a horrible exchange Exchange of the glory of God for the glory of self that that could be typified instead of worshiping
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God It's worshiping what you see in the mirror Worshiping of the self instead of worshiping God not giving
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God the promote the the primacy of the place instead demoting him and Excelling yourself and putting yourself first that is the issue of exchanging his glory, which is his for the glory of self
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The chapter 2 Paul says if you're religious, it's the same issue if you're moral It doesn't matter all are under sin and he brings it all together into chapter 3 in verse 9 and you see that chapter
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Verse 9 what then are they are we Jews are we better off? No, not at all for all we have already charged that all both
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Jews and Greeks are under sin So he basically brings everybody together.
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So Jews and Greeks That's a fancy way of saying everybody and he takes everybody and he pushes them whether you're intellectual or a professing atheist
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Or if you are moralist or if you're a religious person and everybody is pushed Everybody is painted back into the back corner and the judgment of God says upon everybody guilty
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That's what the statement is. We are all under sin you see in verses verse 10
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Known as righteous. No, not one. Not one understands. No one seeks for God All have turned aside verse 12 together, they've become worthless
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No one who does good not even one God's appraisal when he looks at everybody Says not good not righteous not good enough doesn't meet my standard.
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You know what this is It's a divinely chaperoned tour of your heart and my heart God takes us through our hearts and he says not good not perfect not righteous not seeking not loving not godly
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Therefore sin And you might say hey, wait a minute. Wait a minute. I'm not as bad as that guy over there God says hey,
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I'm not concerned with you evaluating yourself by other people. My standard is perfection.
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It's myself It's my glory and he he looks at everything in light of his glory and he says deficient righteousness
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Judgment trouble unholy sin. So therefore we're all painted in the corner and by way of illustration
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How many horror movie fans out here Okay, one brave guy in front. I'm not a horror movie fan
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I was freaked out of my mind as a young kid watching some movies and I just don't like them But by what that movie by the providence of God impressed upon my heart that when
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I saw something That freaked me out in the movie as even like an eight -year -old kid. What do you what is your response?
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Oh, you turn away, right? You look away you cover your eyes you avert your eyes You know what
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God just did he gave you the horror show of your own heart in chapters 1 2 and 3 and he says
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That's your heart and the response should be this. Oh, I can't even look. I'm so ashamed That's horrible.
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It is the worst hall horror film ever is the human heart So the goal of chapters 1 2 and 3 is to get you and I To look at ourselves in agree with God and say unrighteous filthy not seeking ungodly big trouble turn away horror heart
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That's what he's supposed to see So that you're sitting there looking away from self say
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I can't even look at this image of myself I can't even look at I just want to look away look away somewhere so that you're looking away
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And when you're looking away and you're agreeing with God, you're ready to keep reading But if you're sitting there saying
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I look away from everything but I got this one I'm generous. I'm nice.
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You're not ready to keep going because you see something good in yourself And that's exactly what verse 19 says
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We know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be stopped and the
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Whole world may be accountable to God God wants everybody in the corner Freaked out of their minds by their own sin the horror of their heart looking away, and where's the excuses?
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I can't say a word the yeah, buts have stopped the pretentious self -righteousness has stopped the religious merit has stopped
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And we're in the corner just saying guilty. I need mercy. I need something
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Something external from me because what's in here is filthy Give me something outside of me.
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I need something from somebody else That's where we should be and if you don't agree with God, you're not ready to keep moving, but for the sake of time
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We got to keep moving because what we have here is where Paul begins
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To show us how you answer the question in light of the reality of human sinfulness and the glory of God How can
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God be just and forgiving at the same time? It's through the gospel What we'll consider this morning are three
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Christ -centered truths that amplify divine righteousness We are backed into that corner, and we are deficient in righteousness and by the grace of God He gives us sufficient righteousness
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Which is really going to be three words with the same Prefix if you're taking notes
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First Christ -centered truth that amplifies divine righteousness through Christ the righteousness of God is supplied
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It's supplied. That's in verse 21 Then verses 22 through 24.
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It's applied Finally in verses 25 and 26 the righteousness of God is justified
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It's vindicated Let's consider first the first Christ -centered truth that amplifies divine righteousness
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The righteousness of God is supplied and before doing that I'm going to go ahead and read the passage notice the contrast but Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law although the law and the prophets bear witness to it
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The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe
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For there is no distinction for we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God And are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus Whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith
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That was to show God's righteousness Because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins
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It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of The one who has faith in Jesus let's look first at the supply of divine righteousness in verse 21 says
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But that is that is just like in the Greek in English language the
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Greek New Testament that but is is a contrast back on the corner Deficient in righteousness the horror show of our heart looking away from ourselves and now
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Paul says but now If the Bible had zip files, this would be one because it's a it's gonna be an explosion verse
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It's not but now, you know indifferently it is a but now you are scared
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You are scared of your your deficient righteousness. You're scared of the righteousness of God That is you can't get out from its shadow and you are crying out for anything for mercy and he says but so it's a contrast
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It has been Revealed it has been manifested It says that it's been shown
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God is stopping the thought process that was going on and now he's pivoting and making a contrast
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This righteousness has been revealed says that it's apart from the law. I mean, it's it's distinct from the law
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It's not attained through the law. It's not the righteous that comes by doing good things It's not the righteous that comes through the
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Old Covenant if you will This is a what theologians would call eschatological it's looking forward its new covenant
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This is new covenant righteousness. It has come On the basis of the new covenant has been manifested apart from the law apart from the
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Mosaic way of doing things But it's not Something that's foreign to the law even as he continues on Although it's being witnessed by the law and the prophets
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We we understand reading the Old Testament that that everything ultimately points to Jesus Christ in the law
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And the sacrifices there was a lamb that was slain There were goats and there were rams that were slain
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Those all point forward to Jesus Christ ultimately the temple itself is a picture of Jesus Christ in his body
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The high priest would be a picture of Jesus Christ all of those things looking forward Moses predicted a greater prophet
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David looked forward to a greater King Isaiah announced the one who would come and give his life as a substitutionary sacrifice
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Jeremiah predicted the Lord our righteousness Zechariah announced a righteous branch
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So this wasn't something that was ignorant to the prophets even first Peter would say that the prophets made careful inquiries
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Trying to ascertain the manner in the time of his coming and his his sufferings and his glories to follow so they understood
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So it's not like God just started doing something new like a plan B. He had been working for this But this righteousness has been manifested apart from the law so this righteousness is supplied secondly in verses 22 through 24
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The righteousness is applied see if it was just Shown forth it would be frightening
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But now it's given And what is the need of the hour it's righteousness we're deficient in righteousness and here we have the righteousness of God applied
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It's been received So not only is it revealed and visible, but it's been revealed and receivable
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Look at verse 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ For all who believe
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I'm gonna pick that apart a little bit notice. It's the righteousness of God It is incredibly
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Compelling to me that it's the very thing you're running from Righteousness of God is just the thing that God supplies for you
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So when you are actually realized the righteousness of God and it's impending judgment upon you you run to the righteousness of God for mercy
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It's amazing But it is God's righteousness. We're in the corner, and we say no righteousness deficient righteousness
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And here we have God's righteousness it is Not the righteous of man because that will not prevail but the righteousness of God and that is exactly what we need in the first place
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Notice what it says in verse 22 that it is for For all those who believe that little word for is so good
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Makes it personal It's for sinners like you And like me those who have recognized our sinful condition before Holy God this righteousness is for you
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That is great news to be received and to be rejoiced in this righteousness is coming from God and is to be
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Received by sinners. Well, how do you receive it? Well notice what it doesn't say it doesn't say to be received
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For all those who believe for there is no distinction It doesn't say it's received through baptism does it?
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Even the righteousness of God through confession. No even the righteousness of God through confirmation
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No, even the righteousness of God through keeping the Ten Commandments No, even the righteousness of God through giving money to the church
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No, even the righteousness of God for whatever else you put in other than the word believe is no the righteousness of God Through faith in Jesus Christ the righteousness of God is received
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Through faith faith is dependence trusting seeing grabbing
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Clinging to holy and completely in the image of looking away to self is a perfect picture
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Because faith looks away from self and looks upon something else or someone else in this case
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Our faith rests upon Christ the person and Christ the work. Holy Christ It is not self if you're trusting in yourself this morning
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You are not headed to heaven if you're trusting in Jesus Christ in Christ alone his work by his grace through faith alone in him
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You understand these things it is through Christ Exclusively through faith for all those who believe and notice the object as well.
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It is on Christ faith in Jesus Christ so many people talk about Why they're a
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Christian and you look back and say well, when did you how long have you been a Christian? I've been a Christian for a long time. Well, how did
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God bring the gospel to you? I Walked down an aisle in the church and you see them end up trusting the decision that they made or the card they filled out or the
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Baptism that they underwent or the fact that they go to this church or that church So I made those points about confirmation or baptism or whatever the object of our faith is
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Jesus Christ for he alone Died upon Calvary's cross he alone
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Satisfies God's wrath. He alone has the righteousness to give to you. Make sure your faith is in Jesus Christ alone
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He's the object of our faith and furthermore We move on to verses 23 and 24 of how this is applied
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Paul makes a statement for all Have sinned and keep falling short of the glory of God literally all of sin and fall short of the glory of God He makes the distinction that all that's all it is all people all people everywhere are sinners there
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We are rebels against God. We have our fists in his face We do not regard his glory his beauty and we we are enemies of God as Romans 5 would say
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And so often we define sin as missing the mark Which in in a great way is true, but it's the way it's communicated which is particularly troubling
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So if you were an archer, let's just say and you shoot a bow and arrow and here's the target and you shoot Here's the bullseye right here in the middle and you and you hit here and here and here and here you feel pretty good about It right.
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It's pretty close Sin is not just missing by a hair this much sin is missing target
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Sin is missing the whole point Instead of living for the glory of God. We live for the glory of self sin is to raise our fist at God Sin is not to say
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We were just a little bit off our game or we just had a bad day sin is we've had a bad life
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We are rebels Without excuse so that's what he says all of sin.
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We can't just think that that well, that was our high school years Well, you know that was that that bad day in college
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That was the day I got pulled over by a police officer or whatever. No, no, no, no No, no, it's the day you were born and everything you've ever done
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Don't think of sin is what you do Primarily or depravity think of it as who you are We are bad people apart from Christ We're sinners
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So all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We all keep falling short. We cannot attain the glory of God We cannot make the point of life.
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We don't stop falling short That is the whole point of chapters 1 through 3 man is busy busy pawning the glory of God suppressing the truth and in righteousness
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Glorying in ourselves We're in the God making business. We make a God in our own image exchange the glory of God for the glory of the creature
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And there's one God himself who stands transcendently above all creation as glorious and his glory is now being smudged in and Not considered by his creation and now we move on in verse 24
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For all sin and fall short of the glory of God the pervasiveness of this sin this righteousness coming and now verse 24 being justified as A gift by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
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Now, this is admittedly a Passage that's chuck full of theological terms and I'll do my best to explain and we won't exhaust them all this morning
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Hopefully to give you the sense as we go through But we got to understand these terms or else the passage doesn't make a whole lot of sense
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He says that we've being justified as a gift by his grace
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This is the distinctly Christian view of salvation. It's here that we begin to understand not fully but partially
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What this great? Teaching of justification is in Romans Paul unpacks it here
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And then he really explains in chapters 4 and 5 all about justification by faith and faith alone If I was to ask you to define justification, what would you say?
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say it but It is the process by which God makes you righteous, right? No That is the
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Roman Catholic view of justification where you continually made righteous and infused with grace until you ultimately attain that Justification is a one -time instantaneous
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Irreversible act where God declares the sinner as perfect and righteous in his sight based upon the merits not of you
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But of Christ who died So on that cross when you have Jesus Christ crying out my
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God my God Why have you forsaken me the father has opened heaven's artillery and he has dumped it all on Christ He's treated him as the sinner because you and I have marred the glory of God We have not valued him and we have rebelled against him and he treats
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Jesus as the sinner in our place So that he could take the sinner like me over here and declare me perfect though.
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I am NOT Declare me righteous though. I am NOT but he would do it based on the merit of Jesus Christ and his righteousness
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So he covers me in his righteousness that's received through faith and he declares me righteous
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Based upon his merit because he's declared him the sinner though. He was not one -time act
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Instantaneous irreversible God declares the sinner righteous because of Christ That is what it means to be justified to be declared righteous.
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Have your sin forgiven? just by as an aside justification is a
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Judicial reality it happens outside of you. God declares you righteous sanctification
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Happens inside of you where you are growing and being molded into the image of Christ. Sometimes those get confused.
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Hopefully that's helpful And even furthermore the the participle translated for justified here is passive The man who is dead in trespasses and sins is being acted upon by something or someone outside of him
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It is God who is justifying the sinner Based upon his grace and his mercy.
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He is actively Apprehending sinners like us and imputing the righteousness of his son to us.
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It is God who justifies the sinner sometimes people say
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Justified means just as if I'd never sinned That's really an unbiblical way to understand justification because justification doesn't impute
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The righteousness of Adam to you which would be moral perfection and neutrality if you will you're just morally neutral You're right here.
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We were eternally sinful and he's made it brought us here He imputes the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is eternally perfect So you're in a much better place than Adam if you're in Christ because you have the righteousness of Christ, which is eternally perfect We have
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Christ's righteousness We're justified as a gift by his grace
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Through the redemption, which is in Christ Jesus It's a gift.
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We cannot earn it. It's by his grace. It's God's demerited favor Towards us we'd have no means to pay and he has given it to us is exclusively through Christ's death
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It is the redemption which is in Christ Jesus This is how we understand how
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God can be loving and just at the same time There's a basis for this transaction.
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God just doesn't look at us and say Righteous I'm God I can do it. No, he can't compromise
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There's a cost there's a basis for this forgiveness
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And this word redemption Literally means liberation through the payment of a price So in the first century you would have slaves and they would be in Bondage to have to get out of the bondage and they had as a payment
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That's why they were there and they had to work and they had to you know Rest of their life if need be under a master and that is how they lived
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That's how they had their means provided for it but they were in bondage to it and the only way out from that predicament is if Somebody would come from the outside and pay the money the ransom to get them out of that So implicit even in the term redemption in the
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Greek New Testament is an idea of payment even
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Jesus Christ would say I did not come to be served but to serve and to give my life as a
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Ransom Redemption talk for many his life is a payment And the redemption is in Christ Jesus Stephen Charnock said
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Trying to help us to understand how bad sin is Nothing is more fit to show the baseness of sin in the greatness of the misery by it than the satisfaction due for it
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How bad is sin look at the cross? Because we have no means to pay
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God sets forth the only means which would satisfy his righteous standard Christ Jesus He goes on to say the dying groans of Christ show the horrible nature of sin in the eye of God as he was
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Greater than the world so his Jesus sufferings declares sin to be the greatest evil in the world
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How evil is that sin that must make God bleed to cure it? To see the
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Son of God hailed to death for sin is the greatest piece of justice that God ever executed
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He could have made six million worlds filled them with people destroyed them all to demonstrate his anger towards sin
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But to put his son upon that cross and to reject him and forsake him and empty all of his wrath upon him
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Displayed it in a much clearer way Because the Son has infinite worth Infinite value it's by his grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus It's free because we have no means to pay it's by grace because we have no means to earn its redemption because we were in bondage
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It's in Christ Jesus because he is the only one qualified to do it and not only qualified He was willing to do what he did coming to die
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Christ Jesus came to die to pay the redemption for sinners like us Finally third point this morning
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Through Christ the righteousness of God is justified. This is in verses the end of 24 and 26
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Justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption. That's in Christ Jesus whom God displayed publicly as a
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Propitiation in his blood through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness Because in the forbearance of God he passed over the sins
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Previously committed for the demonstration I say Of his righteousness at the present time so that he would be just in the justifier the one who has faith in Jesus Who displayed him publicly?
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God displayed him publicly he displayed Christ Jesus and he did it to display his righteousness
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It is the will of God that initiates not only redemption but even the crucifixion How else can you explain
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Isaiah 53 that says it was the pleasure of the Lord to crush him The Lord crushed him to display his glory to show the infinite worth of his glory
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I love what John Piper says how much does God's God's about God's glory worth?
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How much does God value his glory the way you understand that is see the cost of what it took to vindicate it
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The infinite worth of his glory is shown by the infinite cost of what it took to vindicate that glory
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Which would be Christ Jesus? Pleased him to crush him crush him to demonstrate his righteousness
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It's the Father of the Son and the Holy Spirit all together harmoniously committed to the goal of exalting the glory of God United on that one purpose therefore the
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Son is set forth to be a propitiation in his blood What is propitiation you got to understand that to understand this verse we got to make sure we understand that propitiation is both the
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Satisfaction of the wrath of God and the removal of the personal guilt before God God's wrath must be satisfied and God's in our guilt must be removed
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The word itself actually carries with it a long biblical Picture if you will
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The word is actually used for the mercy seat in the Old Testament in the Greek translation of the Old Testament So many would believe
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Paul's picking up on that type of language here talking about propitiation you know of course in the Old Testament the priest the high priest would go in on the
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Day of Atonement to go and he would have The blood of the people and he would go and he would apply it to where the mercy seat
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That would affect the forgiveness for them. Well now in this passage.
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We see Jesus set forward as the propitiation So he's not only the high priest he's also the sacrifice to go into the temple
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To be the walking mercy seat the great mercy street seat He is the divine instrument used to satisfy divine wrath and cleanse sinners from guilt
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He is the one the only one whom us as sinners backed into the corner could say
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I need help from another and God graciously Says I've provided it in the incarnation of the mercy seat
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Christ Jesus himself He is the one who turns an angry
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God to favorable to propitious if you will He takes a mad God at us for our sin
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And he makes him favorable not by somehow placating his wrath and getting God to come around on the other side
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But by fully satisfying the demands of justice and righteousness and holiness
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By fully enduring and absorbing and satisfying that wrath and it was in his blood
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He displayed him publicly as a propitiation in his blood
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Public propitiation whereas the Old Testament priests would go into the Holy of Holies in private by themselves once per year
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Jesus Christ was crucified in the ancient equivalent of Times Square Where people would walk by and see it publicly
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The shameful death of the Son of God As he was held through with nails beaten held disgracefully naked upon that cross crown of thorns upon his head as The object of human scourging yes, but that wouldn't satisfy it
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Divine wrath was poured out on him what follows is a kind of an adaptation for something
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I read from Charles Spurgeon just to get you to see the necessity of The blood of Christ the death of Christ and his righteousness
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Walk you through several scenes as I just read through this and hopefully it will show you The bankruptcy of our own works in the beauty and the splendor of Christ's work suppose if you were to stand before God and You were standing before the justice bar is unflinching justice
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And you pled the incarnation of Christ at the bar of divine justice and say father don't you know
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Christ was born for me? Won't that satisfy your righteousness? He was born for me
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Justice would say no Perhaps you then turn to his life, and you say he lived a perfect life in my place won't that satisfy your righteousness
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Justice says no So you look at the the persecution the rejection by the religious leaders the mocking the joking calling him
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Satan And you say isn't that enough isn't that enough to satisfy your righteousness justice says no
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You move to the garden of Gethsemane You point at the prostrate Savior with white knuckled supplication to his father with the dirt on his brow as it's mixed with blood
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Is he sweating it? Anticipating enduring and drinking the cup of divine wrath and you say won't that satisfy righteousness look at him suffer
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Won't that do it? justice says No Then you watch him marched into the ragamuffin trial before the kings of this world to be examined mock spat upon Stripped naked beaten with a rod have his back ripped open wide through scourging his dignity removed
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Fitted with thorns upon his brow, and he's beaten low and you say look at him Look at the agony look what he's going through Aren't you satisfied now?
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Can't we stop this? Justice says no and nothing will
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I be appeased but his lifeblood he must die
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So you look at the scripture and you see the feeble King hurried through the streets You see him ascend Calvary's Hill you see him bear his cross you see him hurled down on his back having his wounds
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Ripped open his hands and his feet nailed to the instrument of death this wooden pole of justice
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You see his dislocated bones you see his cross lifted high you hear his cries his sighs his tears
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You hear him cry aloud, and you say is this not justice He says it is finished you watch his head bow, and you say won't this satisfy justice says yes
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I'm satisfied and paid
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Now now you understand the level of your sinfulness
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You understand the love of God for his glory You see the depths of his hatred for sin
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When he sets forth his son to be the mercy seat the propitiation to satisfy
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His anger and remove your guilt It's been propitiated through Christ, so you look at him
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And you see Him the one who lived that perfect life And died that perfect death the one who said in John 8 always do that which is pleasing to my father and you say
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He is so not like me He's so beautiful.
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He is so glorious. He is my Savior. He is my king He's my Lord, and you see him, and you just You marvel at the glorious condescension and love of Christ through the gospel
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The one who cried it is finished So love him because he's so different from you love him because he's so appealing to you love him because on that cross
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The whole wrath of God was emptied upon him that the reservoir of mercy and grace must be might be justly opened to You so love
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Christ for Christ Loved you
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He's received verse 25 through faith Satisfaction of God's wrath is set forth in the blood of Christ received through faith over and against works
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Salvations received through the complete and utter trust in the Savior's sacrifice his propitiatory sacrifice
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The only sacrifice that would satisfy the wrath of God the only sacrifice
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Quickly God is an eternal God therefore his his glory has an eternal value
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His righteousness his holiness He's eternally worthy therefore one sin one sin of not giving
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God the glory that he deserves Is justly met with an eternal hell
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Because one sin demonstrates the infinite level of hatred for that glory so justice demands eternal hell for that eternal punishment for that So what do we have but Jesus Christ the eternal
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Son of God Coming to live a perfect life that you and I could not live coming to die a perfect death
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Which you and I have no means to pay to satisfy that eternal wrath the eternal
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Son offers his Self up as the eternal sacrifice to satisfy that wrath to give you and I sinners
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Who have accrued an eternal debt? Eternal life it is only
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Christ that can satisfy that wrath But it is only Christ that can satisfy the wrath of the Son of God So you have a God that's not eternally just or you have a God that's not eternally just in compromises
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For indeed that is what the majority of world religions do we're busy doing doing doing doing doing to try to earn
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God's favor Hoping that someday at the end of the day God would take a bribe God declares on the cross.
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I take no bribe. I will not take a bribe So Jesus Christ is indeed the exclusive basis and means for forgiveness
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Through the gospel we see God to be just and skipping ahead because of time verse 26 for the demonstration
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I say of his righteousness at the present time so that he would be just and the
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Justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus God does not forget about his righteousness.
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He Demonstrates his righteousness upon that cross God so loves his glory
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That he will not allow it to continually be maligned
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He will vindicate it. He will declare it to be the most prized thing of all eternity his glory
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So it is as if the father says to the son I love my glory, but I want to forgive so the only way the only way that we can do this son is if you go
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You go and you live in their place and you set yourself forward as a propitiation you satisfy wrath then we'll see the glory and then those who have not regarded the glory may be able to behold the glory and to see your beauty and To worship me through you and all of my glory will be shown forth even through the gospel in a most magnificent way
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Then I'll be shown to seem to be righteous and just and holy and loving and forgiving and kind All at once because it's on the cross where that happens.
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And that's where we have the beauty Of God in Christ.
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Well, God breaks into our self -worship party When we have no regard for Jesus even a hatred for him
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He confronts us with the beauty and glory of Christ And he removes the blinders from our eyes and we behold as in 2nd
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Corinthians 4 says the light of the gospel Which is the glory of Christ and we see him in his beauty and we worship him
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That is what we get when we have converted Therefore if you sit here today, and you're not wholly impressed with Jesus His demands are a little bit restricted
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Restrictive you want to live a little bit more Tolerant life.
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Oh sure. You may give him a tip a hat on Sunday But at the end of the day, he is not your prevailing affection.
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He is not who you love more than anything The difference between a Christian or non -christian is
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Christians know that that happens I'm not trying to be pretentious to say I love Jesus Christ perfectly all day and every day.
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No way But the difference between a Christian and non -christian is I see that and I hate it. I Hate it because he's worthy and he bled and he died for me and I wanted to change so I pray in repentance
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Oh Lord stir in my heart to see the beauty of God in Christ through the gospel a non -christian says
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He's junk mail to me. Throw it out. I care less. So if Jesus Christ is just discardable
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Friends Pray to God that he might give you repentance and see
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Christ as beautiful and glorious That he might forgive you and you might behold the glory of God in the face of Christ and know him and love him
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If you're a Christian this morning pray for a heart of affection to love Christ more Even as you look at all of this through the eyes of Romans 3
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Knowing that we were not at the table trying to make a deal with God We were running the other way Storming the gates of hell could not get there fast enough and God in his infinite mercy
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Sovereignly reached out grabbed us by the collar spun us around and said you're mine and you will live for me and you will love
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It and you will love my son's glory now go preach go proclaim go love and go worship
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Christ That's what he does by his grace. I Invite you to stand with me in the shadow of the cross and see
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God's attributes perfectly illuminated Invite you to tremble at his holiness the demands of his sacrifice
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Be convicted and comforted by the unfathomable love that demanded in accomplished cavalry feel your knees knock as You behold the gasping
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Sun drink the eternal vat of condemnation that was due you as he bears all of your burden of divine wrath
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Stand there with me in the shadow of the cross friends stand there and learn of God For it's here that the
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Son of God was set forth to amplify and to supremely demonstrate all of the divine
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Perfections and vindicate the glory of God Stand here and fall in love with this dangerously beautiful God It is beautiful son
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Stand here and marvel stand here and worship stand here at the cross. It don't move
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You're right where God wants you a father.
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Thank you this morning For this message of the gospel to preach and to proclaim for the glorious Savior his sacrifice
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That satisfied your wrath for all those who will believe
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Thank you for him May we love him more
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May you store our hearts stir our hearts to to love and enjoy him and to worship him and proclaiming and Proclaim him and live for him who would help us to take our eyes off ourselves
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Fix our eyes on Jesus the glorious King We pray these things