My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

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It's based upon all the things that Mike said I could I have all kinds of things I could say in response, but Maybe I'll just kind of keep it simple
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Let's open our Bibles to Matthew 27 Matthew 27 tonight
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Speaking of the five points of Calvinism and radio and putting those two ideas together. I we're doing the
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Sermon on the Mount right now We're calling it coming to Jesus on his terms And it's interesting to hear the announcers because who knows what they believe and what they're all about So our program we call it truth matters
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And it gets done and they of course have to segue into the next guy's deal And and they'll say things very politically correct like you know
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We just listened to Pastor Pat Abendroth from Omaha Bible Church And we listened to truth matters, and he's preaching through the
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Sermon on the Mount with some with some very interesting insights And I just have to kind of snicker and laugh because that's exactly what
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I say when I need to play it safe When someone says something to me that may Rub me the wrong way or whatever a safe response, and maybe
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I'll just teach that to you tonight. That's interesting Doesn't mean you agree.
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It doesn't mean you disagree But I think maybe next on the radio. We might do Ephesians 1 and after we dealt with Ephesians 1 in election
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I ended up doing a series of I think 18 of common objections to election and predestination
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So I think that might strike a chord on the radio if we do that so I don't know if I just am a glutton for punishment or we like letters at Omaha Bible Church or what but it is important for us.
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I think to see what God's Word says and So there are so many false teachers And how important it is even a biblical mandate to silence those who contradict the scriptures with love and with care and compassion but so many people are listening, and it's important to make sure
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God's Word goes out and It's important that's even an elder qualification, so I would appreciate your prayer
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We pray for you guys here people pray for you, and you've never even met him before Myself included and so we would love it if you would partner with us and pray for us as well
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Tonight we're gonna look at the fourth of seven cries spoken from our Lord on the cross
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But it's not important to know that it's the fourth of seven from Jesus as he's suffering on Calvary But what is important is to know that what he says when he says my
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God my God Why have you forsaken me ends up being what I would humbly call the superstructure of quite frankly everything that is
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Christian and Not only is it the superstructure for everything that is Christian it ends up being the basis for our eternal worship
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I mean I think you could really summarize if you want to reason or really the fuel behind why you and I if we are
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Believers will worship Jesus Christ for eternity It's because really it's all wrapped up in that one cry in that one statement
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That's the basis for all of it and quite frankly I have to tell you even though I've studied this before and I've actually preached this message in Omaha I preached it in Dallas, Texas.
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I preached it. I don't even know where else I feel woefully inadequate every time I Mean because this is this is really where it's at.
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This is where it is This is what Christianity is all about and here I've been given the task on a Sunday night to stand up and and say this is what it means
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And this is what it's about you're gonna worship Christ for eternity based upon this Everything we really believe is wrapped up in this and and I do feel inadequate
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The only thing I know to do when I feel inadequate is either open God's Word My Bible's already open and try to stick to it and to pray
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So why don't we pray one more time tonight and ask God to show us things that we haven't been able to understand even before Father thank you for tonight.
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Thank you for these dear folks and thank you for the faithful ministry of this church And they certainly don't get credit for it, and I don't get credit for anything.
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That's faithful in my life Lord we want to give all the praise and glory and honor to you the king of kings and Lord of Lords the one who
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Who accomplished our salvation on our behalf and the one who works in and through us to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ?
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Pray that tonight would be a glorious time for us Pray that it wouldn't be a mere Bible study for me or for any man or woman or child who is here tonight
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That this really would be an act of worship for us as we learn and as we grow
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And Lord as we contemplate as we meditate upon your word and in the significance of what you did for us at Calvary God please help us to not have this be
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An act of religion an act of going through the motions Work in our hearts in a special way work in our hearts through the power of your spirit in a way that we could not
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Do on our own So that we would be impacted for eternity even tonight based upon What we learn here about our great
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Savior. We ask these things Lord boldly, but we ask humbly
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Because we know that only you can bring them about in Jesus name Amen Let's go ahead and read this just one verse tonight, and then we'll sort of launch from there
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Matthew 27 verse 46 Matthew 27 46 I realize we're just jumping into the context, but that's sort of what the study is all about tonight
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So let's go ahead and read that if you'd follow along with me It says about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying
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Alay alay llama subak than me That is my god my god.
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Why have you? Forsaken me and I want to do tonight sort of what we did this morning this morning wasn't really an exposition
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It's not even what I'm not used to doing as far as a preacher But there are times when it's just good to sort of settle in and Allow the passage to draw conclusions for you, and there are more that can be drawn, but I would like to offer you
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Five tonight just to organize our thoughts around these There what
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I've called the fivefold significance of Christ's cry of anguish And if you're gonna take notes tonight, you can sort of hang your thoughts on those hooks
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Let's get right to it number one Christ's cry of anguish my god my god Why have you forsaken me number one demonstrates the awfulness of sin?
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Think with me if you would rationally think logically this demonstrates The awfulness of sin that the work of Christ on the cross as he is there
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And and as he is yelling out my god my god. Why have you forsaken me?
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Really does demonstrate like no other illustration like no other picture the
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Absolute awfulness the wretchedness that the heinousness of sin
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Follow the logic if you would Jesus was sinless Acts 3 14
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Hebrews 4 15 Hebrews 7 26 1st Peter 2 22 1st
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John 3 5 Etc. Etc. Etc. The the New Testament is riddled with references
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It's loaded with references that Jesus is sinless keep that in mind Next keep in mind that that Jesus the sinless one from eternity past Not since time began but from eternity past we don't even comprehend that enjoyed perfect absolute perfect fellowship with the
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Father Jesus the sinless Holy One with the Father had they'd never had any kind of breach of fellowship
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Perfect union along with the Spirit of God in the in the triune Godhead and then consider that this perfect Christ Sinless who had enjoyed a fellowship with the
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Father from eternity past now all of a sudden Is experiencing the full unmixed cup of of God's wrath being dumped out upon him
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And that's because he's bearing our sins You have to say sin is bad
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Sin is horrible sin is heinous sin is the worst. Why because Jesus is sinless and Here he is bearing our sins.
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If you jot down Isaiah 53 verse 6, that's what's happening there. That's why it's happening That's why he's crying out to the
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Father. Why have you forsaken me because he's our sin bearer He's our substitute and we'll talk more about that as we go
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But for now, we're just seeing this this means sin is Very very vile the cross of Christ like nothing else shows how heinous your sin is
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This is about your sin This is about my sin Don't don't ever look at the cross and there's a cross hanging here
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One for us to at least be reminded that this is what Christianity is all about Don't ever look at that cross or any cross or don't ever think about the cross in your mind as you read about it without thinking about your sin
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Because that's really what it's all about and we wear crosses which remind us
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But they should remind us and I know they remind us of more but we'll get there They should remind us of what a sinner we or what a sinner you are or what a sinner
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I am Look at Calvary and see how heinous you really are look at the cross and see yourself
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You know sometimes and I think this is a great exercise, so I'm not degrading it so hear me out
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Sometimes we say when we read the gospel accounts and we read of those who are crying out
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Crucify him crucify him as horrible as that would be sometimes We say if we're teaching or if we're or even contemplating it ourselves remember
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Those are your words, you know It's as if you were there because it they are it's you it's your sins that put
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Christ on the cross And I think that's good and that's appropriate But I would like you to think for a moment not about putting your feet in those people's shoes
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But as we think about our own sin, let's not think about the people who said crucify me let's think about the cross where Christ is and Let's look at that cross and see him bearing
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God's wrath and let's see ourselves on that cross Because we deserve to be on that cross
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Think of it in those terms My sins put him on the cross Your sins put him on the cross this shows us the cross shows us like nothing else just how detestable sin is, right?
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It really does God hates sin Look at the cross and think
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God hates sin God hates sin so much In fact,
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I'll even go further look at the cross and think God hates sinners God hates sinners.
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Do you ever think about that? I Know he loves sinners and we're gonna talk about that. But let's just leave that alone for now
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He hates sinners Psalm 5 5 why don't you go ahead and turn to Psalm 5 5
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I Remember one time pretty young believer. We're having a Bible study in our home.
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And I remember saying well, you know, the amazing thing is That God hates sin, but he loves the sinner
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Is that true? Yes It is true and it's not true because there's more to it than that in some sweet dear little old older lady
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After the Bible study, I think in real humility she said I want to show you a passage in Bible path She showed me
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Psalm 5 5 I'm thankful for her. I'm thankful that she did that and I'm thankful for the way she did it
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But I changed my theology on the spot. It didn't narrow my theology. It broadened my theology
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I know God loves sinners, but look at what it says in verse 5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes you
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God hate all who do iniquity The psalmist is recognizing that God hates sinners and when you look at the cross, you should think about God's holy hatred
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Because he's treating Christ Like a sinner even though he wasn't
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He hates sin look to Calvary to learn about sin look to Calvary to succeed just how much he hates sin and what that Causes me to do then again for for eternity is
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I'm gonna praise God I'm gonna worship God because I know how bad sin is
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I know how bad sin is based upon what Jesus said the father at that moment in time exactly how it works
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Theologically, we don't know The father at that point in time turns his back on the
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Sun and Dumps his wrath on the Sun You've got to conclude based upon that statement that God hates in Sin is horrible sin is bad and For those of us who've been forgiven
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I have to say and tell you that it not only causes me to Worship God and give him greater praise it even motivates me for holy living
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Here and now as a forgiven redeemed saint. I Want to live a holy life?
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I want to live a godly life because when I look at the cross I see just how much God hates sin and though I may be forgiven based upon what happened at the cross
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I know that I do not want to grieve the Holy Spirit of God as sin does right? What a good reminder it is for us
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What a good motivator Well that right there is enough I Mean we could close our
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Bibles and sing another song and say that that's enough for me to think about for a long time
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But there's more number two Christ's cry of anguish my god my god. Why have you forsaken me?
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Demonstrates the the horridness of hell and I just want to talk about this briefly When I look at the cross and I'm thinking about it,
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I do think about how horrible hell is First let me give you a disclaimer.
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I don't say this because I think Jesus paid for sins in hell at the hands of Satan That is mythology at best
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I hope you guys know all that you know Satan isn't in charge of hell read Revelation 20 the ultimate hell the lake of fire
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God is in charge of hell get rid of your pagan theology that you brought to Christianity Let the
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Bible tweak it and change it God is in charge of hell So I don't mean that and I don't mean
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Jesus paid for sins in hell because he didn't if Jesus went to went to hell He went there to preach to preach a victory sermon first Peter 319
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Here's what I mean though Jesus did pay for my sins on the cross and he was feeling the wrath of God on my behalf when he says my god
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My god, why have you forsaken me the sins that should send me to hell? I'm not saying there's a one -to -one correlation between hell and the cross
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But I do want to say there's enough of a correlation to say I think I'm on Theologically solid ground to say the sins that should send
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Pat Abendroth to hell and if you were a believer the sins that should send you to hell Christ was paying for And so at least it gives us a glimpse of the horridness and the awfulness of how bad hell is
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Erwin Lutzer and his little book cries from the cross made a good observation when he said he
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Christ had to compress an Eternity of hell into three hours.
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I wouldn't want to die for the theology of the statement But it gets you thinking at least and gives you something to chew on Well enough of that, but you see what
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I'm getting at There is somewhat of a correlation for us to think about what we do deserve Number three
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Christ's cry of anguish my God my God. Why have you forsaken me demonstrates the absolute holiness and inflexible justice of God when
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I look at the cross or symbol of the cross I have to think about the absolute holiness of God and the absolute inflexible justice of God God is definitely holy, right?
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I could say someone give me a passage where we learn about the holiness of God and someone would say something like Isaiah chapter 6 throne room of God where the angels continually are saying holy holy holy
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Sinless separate perfect. He is all of those He's definitely righteous
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Psalm chapter 7 verse 9 talks about God being righteous In other words, that's used oftentimes is just he's fair.
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He always does what's right And these are reasons for worshiping God the angels are worshiping
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God because he's holy Even Nebuchadnezzar praise God in Daniel chapter 4 verse 37 because he's just it's it says in Daniel 437 now
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I Nebuchadnezzar praise Exalt and honor the King of Heaven for all his works are true and his ways just See these are these are motivations for praise motivations for worship
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But God being holy God being righteous
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Means there are ramifications. They're not ornaments not decorations
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God being holy God being righteous Means he's going to judge sin because he has said from the very beginning
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The soul that sins must die the wages of sin is death even from the very very beginning
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The day you eat of it you will surely die So here's this God who's perfect who's righteous therefore just he will do what he says and having said what he said
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He's going to judge sin inflexibly No, no, no in and out wishy -washy as he has to or he's not even
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God anymore He must judge sin and here we have Christ dying for for sinners Dying in the place of sinners when we see him there bearing the wrath of God saying my god my god
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Why have you forsaken me? It's not like he's asking a question, and he needs to know the answer he knows the answer is because he's paying for sins and Why would he have to do that?
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It's because if God is gonna have anyone be saved he has to judge
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He has to pour out his wrath. It's part of being consistent with what he said. It's part of being consistent with his character
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It's inflexible when I look at Calvary I think God doesn't say he's gonna do something, and then he doesn't do it
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He's keeping his word He's judging Christ as if he were a sinner
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One of my favorite Bible teachers who's getting up there in years these days as a man named s
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Lewis Johnson He made a good observation here I didn't catch it in any other commentary ends up being a great statement regarding this passage right here and right now talking about this notion of Jesus at this point in time when he's crying to the father in this notion of right there and right then in a unique way their relationship is different God is
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Justly punishing his son because his son Is bearing our sins he says this there is only one instance in which
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Jesus Addressed a prayer to God and failed to use the term father I Looked it up.
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There's 21 times when he says father in his prayer life That occasion of course is the fourth utterance from the cross why?
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Here's the explanation. He gives there can be only one explanation He regarded his relationship to God the father at this precise moment as being a judicial one
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Not a paternal one. He's treating him like a sinner
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He's not treating him like the son though. He is and he's eternally the son God is not flexing
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God is not compromising He never would it's at this point that I can't simply say this on my own in my own words
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I I borrowed it from Arthur pink so I might as well just go ahead and quote him He made one of the most profound statements.
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I read regarding this passage Listen carefully here
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May we see here's some good application folks here May we see the dreadful anger of a sin avenging
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God here at the cross here in this cry May we see the dreadful anger of a sin avenging
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God then he says not all the thunderbolts of divine Judgment which were let loose in the
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Old Testament times not all the vials of wrath Which shall be poured out poured forth on an apostate christened them during the unparalleled horrors of the
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Great Tribulation Not all the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth of the damned in the lake of fire ever gave or ever will give such a demonstration of God's inflexible justice and ineffable holiness of his
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Infinite hatred of sin as did the wrath of God which flamed against his own son on the cross.
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I thought that's right Think of the cross as a demonstration of the righteousness of God Maybe a good time for a quiz question for you and to make sure you're thinking
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Who was the death of Christ for? Maybe I'll give you a little bit of a hint.
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Who was the death of Christ for sinners or for God? And the answer is what
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Yes The answer is yes as Christ is there and this is happening.
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Yes, it's true We know it's for sinners and we're going to get to that Romans chapter 5 verse 8 says
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Christ died for us talking about sinners Ephesians 5 2 says Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us sinners
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But it goes on to say why don't you go ahead and turn to Ephesians chapter 5 verse 2 Ephesians 5 2 then we're going to go to Romans chapter 3
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The Christ's death as it's for sinners true It is also let's never forget his death his cry my
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God my God. Why have you forsaken me is also for God and It's to demonstrate the righteousness of God.
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It's for God to if you will show off his righteousness Ephesians 5 2 goes on to say toward the end an offering and a sacrifice
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Get that to God as a fragrant aroma. It's both and it's something to God given
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And now go to Romans chapter 3 verse 25 If the Ephesians 5 2 passage doesn't quite get you there and cinch it for you
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What happens is Romans chapter 3 verse 25 does? It says in verse 25 whom
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God that is in reference to the father I believe whom God the father displayed publicly as a propitiation.
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That is a Satisfaction in his blood Christ's blood through faith, and then the last statement this was to demonstrate his righteousness
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Here he is pouring his wrath out on his son Think how much pain that would have brought him.
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This was a sacrifice for him This was based upon unmerited love and yet it is to show his righteousness that he truly is righteous even as the
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Bible would say in other places that he was the just and the Justifier in Romans same word for righteous by the way
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So when we think of the cross think for sinners, yes, but let's never stop short
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Let's never stop short of thinking the cross is for God. It's for God to show
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That his righteousness is a reality now even to add to this before we move on to number four
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Stop and consider that when Christ is dying on the cross and he is crying and in this utter grief and anguish
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Stop and consider whose sins he's paying for Don't only look forward and think of the disciples don't only look forward and think to to 2003
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Thinking about yourself It's true. He is dying for anyone who would come after and believe in him, but it's also true, right?
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Ultimately folks would trust God and what he'd revealed and they had the sacrificial system
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Which really it comes by the grace of God God graciously allowing there to be This means of forgiveness, but ultimately they can't have a lamb die for them because it's not truly a one -to -one substitute
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Ultimately, I believe Christ would have to have to come and die for them a person a man dying for men
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Christ is dying to pay for the sins of Old Testament Saints as well Wayne Grudem in his systematic theology puts this in a better way than I ever could
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God had not simply forgiven sin and forgotten about the punishment in generations past He had forgiven sins and stored up his righteous anger against those sins.
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Here's God's storehouse if you will Bulging because of all the sins he'd forgiven in the past He had forgiven sins and stored up his righteous anger against those sins
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But at the cross the fury of all that stored up wrath against sin was unleashed against God's own
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Son There it is, it's no wonder it was such a cry of anguish
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I say we need to repent when we make the cross trivia I was studying and preparing for this and working on it and it happened to be before Easter time and Easter's coming and I the mail was sitting on the receptionist desk at Omaha Bible Church and I was on my way somewhere and I was looking for Something in the mail so I quickly thumbed through it and I and I happened to come across a little picture of a cross
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And it just caught my eye because I'm studying I'm thinking about the cross and it was some of the one of these magazines That goes maybe to Sunday school teachers and a little toys or trinkets that maybe you want to give to the kids and help them learn something and I'm all for You know these these tools to help and I'm all for being
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Christ centered and we want to do that And so forgive me if I'm blowing it for you Sunday school teachers who use these
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But I see I see cross lollipops, and it was just like oh
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I Can't deal with this I Just can't deal with it because here. I am steeped in studying these things and about the magnitude and the awesomeness of all this
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And we want to make it into a lollipop. I Understand the motives could be right and trying to teach little kids, but it just devastated me ruined my lunch
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I Ruined more than that, but you get the idea We need to elevate the cross in our thinking really what was going on there
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Number four Christ cry of anguish my god my god. Why have you forsaken me demonstrates some of you've been waiting for this the magnificent love of God We can't just say the righteousness of God.
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We can't just say that horribleness of sin We have to eventually come to see the cross of Christ And and I encourage you to when you look at the cross in the scriptures when you look at the cross
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Even an example of the one that stands above me now. You do think about the love of God.
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I Can't think of any better place to learn about the love of God can you We Have to acknowledge in the
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Bible wants us to God wants us to acknowledge that all good things come from above and we've been blessed
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You know ad finitum ad nauseum blessing upon blessing upon blessing. We have so many physical blessings
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We have so many spiritual blessings if we trust in Christ. We've been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
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I mean we are we're loaded spiritually, but too many times.
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I think when we consider What love means and how we can see
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God's love and understand that I Think we forget that this is the most amazing picture
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What's amazing too is it's the greatest picture of sin greatest picture of righteousness
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And then we're gonna say it's a greatest picture of love. I Don't think we'd come to that conclusion on our own and people don't
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The natural mind doesn't but the believer does and should Nothing compares to this it's not some sort of souped -up sentimentality kind of love
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This is the real thing I Wrote down here, and I had to write it out and think it through for myself the cross is the supreme demonstration of divine love
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He's shown us love in so many other ways, but the cross is the supreme demonstration of divine love
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Let's look at the Father's love for us in the cross Why don't you turn with me if you would to first John chapter 4 verse 10?
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Just a good passage to bolster our our theological understanding of Matthew 27 the
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Father's love We see at the cross We see it magnificently Says in first John chapter 4 verse 10 in this is love
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You notice the definitiveness of it in this is love. I mean you want to talk about love here It is not that we loved
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God But that he loved us, and how did he show it and said his son to be the propitiation the
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Satisfaction the appeasement for our sins, it's the cross You want to know about the love of God?
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It's here. It's not in sentimentality It's it's it wrapped up in this this cross work
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And so when I hear Jesus say God why have you forsaken me? He knows the answer is because God not only hates sinners
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God loves sinners and He's maintaining his justice and at the same time being the justifier
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John 3 16 the love of God we can look at that we did this morning It's all unmerited because Romans 5 tells us we're the enemies of God when all this is happening.
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This is real love This is true. Love the cross love We see the love of the Son We see the love of the
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Son stay in first John I'll just take us to John 15 while you're still in first John the love of the Son is there
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John 15 13 says greater Love has no one than this familiar verse right that he laid down his life for his friends
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That's gonna happen Christ is gonna do that on the cross. That's why he cried what he cried. It's love from the
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Son first John 3 16 Here's John the
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Apostle the disciple that Jesus loved and and he's writing in light of what
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Jesus had taught him and First John 3 16 says this is how we know what love is
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Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. That's from a different translation. By the way I see I just like the way that translation put it.
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This is how we know what love is Jesus Christ laid down his life for us
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Remember folks no obligation, right? Jesus had no obligation It wasn't as if somehow he was obligated to step down from his throne in glory
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To become a man and humble himself and live a sinless life perfectly fulfilling the law for us
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Then being crucified for us bearing the unmixed wrath of God for us.
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So he would rise again for us zero obligation But he chooses to do that Philippians 2 is a great place to be thinking in your minds.
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He humbled himself Took on the form of a bondservant. It's just so good.
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I just kind of want to live here You want to live in this passage and and it's just allowing itself to flesh itself out and and this is what it's all about This is what this is what builds real worship
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The real worship isn't just about us getting all emotional. I think emotions are great And I think we should get emotional quite frankly because of this and it
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Bolsters it and it fuels it and this is really what it's all about because this is why we're gonna worship the
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Lord because worthy Is the lamb he showed this love for us? This is Substantive it has has something to it.
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It gives us something to chew on This is the best he lovingly chose to do what he did
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Matthew 2028 again just adding to this you don't need to go there Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for whom?
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for many That's love that has love written all over it Giving himself bearing our sins think through this thought with me for a moment.
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Just a couple it's because the father momentarily forsook the son
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However that happened and him saying my god my god Why have you forsaken me that I can today be absolutely certain that he will never forsake me
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Isn't that good? the reason I can go to the bank as far as my
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Spiritual bank is concerned and on assurance and know that God will never ever forsake me is
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Because and only because he forsook his son I mean that that is again just fuels worship
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That's what worship just driven by because he's never gonna forsake me and the reason Jesus could say that that would never even happen as he did in his earthly ministry is
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Because he would have known in his infinite wisdom What was going to happen to him on the cross or he never could have said
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I will never leave you or forsake you But I stand here today and you're here today if you're a believer knowing that you know that you know that you know
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You'll never be forsaken because of what it means for me theologically the debt has been paid
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Number five and we'll end on this
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Christ cry of anguish my god my god. Why have you forsaken me demonstrates the effectiveness of the atonement?
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That is the death of Christ. It demonstrates the effectiveness of the atonement.
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It demonstrates the effectiveness of Christ death That it really did what he intended it to do that.
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It really was successful That it really accomplished what he intended it to accomplish that really accomplished what
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God had It to accomplish that we can know for certain that that it really was the real thing
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That it atoned for sins It's proof that his death truly was a substitutionary atonement
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And this might take a little bit of of keeping your brain still turned on and thinking this through How is it that the death of Christ or more specifically
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Christ cry of anguish? Assures us that his death is a successful Substitutionary death well for starters and this is about enough
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If Jesus were simply dying as an example as a martyr a mere martyr
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He wouldn't have been abandoned by God in that moment of time It wouldn't have happened. He never would have cried that cry
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He wouldn't have needed to because he was the sinless one never having sinned in his whole life
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And here the sinless one is gonna die a martyr's death He never would have experienced the wrath of God And he never would have said my god my god.
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Why have you forsaken me because it never would have happened But if his death is a substitutionary death, it's a substitutionary atonement
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He's dying in our place Which is really the essence of the death of Christ unless you're a false teacher if it's really a substitutionary death
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Then he will say what he said my god my god. Why have you forsaken me? You see that does that make sense?
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that is profound It authenticates the nature of Christ's death.
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I do want you to turn with me if you would to Isaiah 53 I don't know how we can talk about the substitutionary atonement if we weren't in Isaiah 53
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And if you don't know where Isaiah is you can just write it down and look at it at home or look on with someone else and go to the middle of your
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Bible and find the Psalms and work your way to the right and large book
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Isaiah the end of Isaiah and then Jeremiah Isaiah 53 ends up being a classic passage talking about Messiah even though he hadn't been born yet It talks a lot about him and let's keep thinking about this notion of its authentic Because and it's proven in what
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Jesus said Isaiah 53 verse 6 says all of us like sheep have gone astray Each of us has turned to his own way
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But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him there you have substitution
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Iniquity to fall on him our iniquities our sins, but then look down at verse 10 But the
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Lord was pleased to crush him putting him to grief I'd like you to connect the dots with verse verses 6 and verse 10
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The Lord finding pleasure and a very unique sense Crushing him because he's the substitute if he's not the substitute the the
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Lord isn't gonna crush him The grief cry of Matthew 27 proves that he was pleased
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It proves Isaiah 53 verse 10 he became a curse for us
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Suppose we also want to add a footnote Biblically speaking this is the one and only atonement.
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That's really going to atone for sin And this is a little bit off the beaten path, but it's always good to talk about because it's assaulted so much
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It is good to point out that this atoning death that he died here We did say it's it's an effective atonement
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But we'd have to also say that this is this is the we have to believe Not just assume that this is the only atonement that God would ever accept this morning.
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We read John chapter 3 verse 18 He believes in him is not judged But he does not believe has been judged already passages like that would affirm in John 3 36
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But here's what I want you to really think about When Jesus died and cried those words and I don't think we can begin to really understand all of the breadth and depth of it
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We're just kind of scratching it God was satisfied
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God found pleasure in that as far as finding that to be a satisfying sacrifice But he never says he's gonna find satisfaction in any other sacrifice.
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It's only in that substitutionary atonement and stop and think about this folks If there was another way to atone
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God if there was another way means a propitiation If there was another way to satisfy the just requirements of God and quite frankly
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God made a huge huge unforgivable mistake
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Because he judged his only son And he made his son go through what he went through But and if there's another way if there's another religious way or another moral way, then
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God Of all should not be trusted because he did this to his son So you have to conclude that this is the only effective
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Atonement the only legitimate atonement. It's right here. Otherwise God is nothing short of mistakenly
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Miserable and we know that's not true. Isn't it good just to think about these things.
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I just love it. I Want to cancel all of everything else and just sit and talk about this
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We will worship him forever. We'll do all that we do in his kingdom because quite frankly of this because it was great love because of what he did for us and he was effective and successful and Really what it causes me to do and let's end with this
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It causes me to want to respond like I think a godly human being should respond and the most godly human being
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I know Of though he too was a sinner and struggled with sin is the Apostle Paul And a couple of passages come to mind when
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I think of of the cross and in responding How do I respond to this and and I want to be like Paul and why don't you go ahead and turn to 1st?
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Corinthians 2 2 We'll end with these two passages 1st Corinthians chapter 2 verse 2 here.
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Here's where I want to be. Here's what I want to do Here's what I would recommend to you even tonight
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First Corinthians 2 2 Paul says see he's got he understands what happened He understands the
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Christ the Son being abandoned by the Father in that moment in time and all that's behind it because he says for I Determined to know nothing among you
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Except Jesus Christ and him crucified That's how I want to be one track mind why is it that that's gonna be the only message
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I preach Why is that gonna be the only thing I ever want to talk about? Why is it gonna be the sum and substance of everything that I I do and and am well because we know what it means
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We know it's behind it. We know it's behind it We know why Paul would say such a thing like this and have that one track mind.
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I Want to know nothing among you Except Jesus Christ and him crucified because I know what it means
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I also want to be like the Apostle Paul and what he says in Galatians chapter 6 verse 14
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You're close to there why don't you go ahead and turn there and I suppose we could just keep adding and adding and sort of piling it on but Just those two really come to mind and I think yeah
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It's because he understands some of the things that we're beginning to understand tonight that he would say these kinds of things in Galatians chapter 6 verse 14
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But may it never be that I would boast And I want to talk about that briefly that I would boast except in the cross of our
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Lord Jesus Christ through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world Zero in if you will on the boasting only in the cross of Christ.
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We as Christians should be braggarts We should brag we should be boastful people but not in ourselves
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We learned about that this morning and if they didn't make it home this morning tonight shouldn't drive it home
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But we should be people who brag all the time We're busy But our own riches or about our own spirituality.
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We're always bragging about Christ about how he is so awesome and he is so powerful that he could atone for sins and He rose again from the dead and he's so loving because he did it for us
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And he rose again from the dead. He's so awesome and so powerful and so gracious.
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We should boast in the cross But if you have a little view of the cross If you've never really stopped to think about why
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Christ would have to cry what he cried. I doubt you'll do very much boasting you really stop and think and allow that the text it to to speak for itself and allow the
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Bible to fill in the gaps in your mind and you have a Right view of the cross.
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You're gonna boast all the time You'll be bragging all the time Right, isn't that good?
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Let's have a great week of bragging He's going on and on and on not about how fast your kid is on the football field.
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That's great But somehow it's got to be about how great your God is and about how great your
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Savior is we need to pray and Respond to the Lord Fellowship and all the things that we do would join me if you would let's pray and ask
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God to help us to really impress These ideas in our mind God. Thank you for tonight and thank you for Your word and your word reveals for us perfectly
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What happened at Calvary and thank you that you don't only give us the historical account alone
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You do fill in the blanks for us you fill in the gaps and you give us the theology behind it and you help us understand
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The ramifications and you give us Romans and you give us Galatians and you give us Philippians and you give us all of your word so that we can really understand it and understand the magnitude of the atonement and What that meant for Christ to die for sinners and For Christ to die for God and for God to be satisfied with the perfect work of Christ How beautiful it is
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Lord Thank you so much We worship you you praise you we adore you
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We want to be people who do boast and and brag about Christ and all that Lord make it so help us to not be be prideful and boast of ourselves
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Help us not to be prideful and shallow where we're ashamed of you somehow, and we don't boast
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Or give us the freedom to speak and to speak boldly and to speak passionately About what all that Christ has done for us
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God change our lives May these words not fall on deaf ears and hard hearts