Wednesday, August 31, 2022 PM

Michael and Jackson and Becca are sick. Does anybody have any details of that? Okay, all right. We want to be sure and pray for them and let's see. Next week. Okay, that'll be next Wednesday. Okay, we're Janice in the nursery.

I was going to ask her about the meal as far as I know, there's we're going to pick up with the meals. Is that correct? Does anybody know? Otherwise, okay, all right, we're going to pick up next weekend.

Okay, very good. That's the plan. Any other word? Any other announcement here? What's the name? Oh, good to have you with us. All right. Glad you're with us. Let's pray and we'll start. Father, what a blessing it is to come together in the name of your son, the Lord Jesus.

And we come before your throne of grace through your son by his merit and not on any merit of our own. We pray that you bless our time together tonight, bless our fellowship, bless our understanding of your word.

Give us insight into your will, your ways and help us to walk in your will and your ways. And we pray for Michael and his family. Minister healing, comfort and strength. In Jesus name. Amen. I want to speak tonight on the cross.

The Cross and the Holiness of God

Three truths that are enforced by the cross. Three truths about the cross. I'd like to start with Exodus chapter 34. When God shows his glory to Moses, this is what he says. In chapter 34 of Exodus, starting at verse 6.

Or your translation may say a thousand generations. I'll stop there. It starts out very good. This is who God is. Merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin.

But then comes the problem. But who will by no means clear the guilty. Now that's his own words. He's not going to clear the guilty. And why might that be? Well, I'm reminded of a conversation that took place between God and Abraham in Genesis 18.

As they were walking towards Sodom and Gomorrah. And God says, should I tell Abraham what I'm about to do? And I think he's talking to the two angels that are walking with him. I mean, you know, it's almost as if he's not talking to Abraham.

Abraham may be trailing behind a little bit, but overhears the conversation. But he does tell Abraham what he's going to do. And Abraham's, you know, interesting. Abraham basically says, hold it. Wait, you're not going to kill the righteous with the wicked, are you?

I mean, shall the, you know, shall not the judge of the whole earth do right? And so the conversation goes on. But the gist, the point is this. God is judge. He's judge of the whole earth. And he's also righteous and he will do right.

And he will not clear the guilty. He will not clear the guilty. Now, that is a problem because we're all guilty. We're all guilty.

The first truth about the cross is it shows the depth, the awfulness of sin.

You see, all sin is against God. All sin is against God. And, you know, it's not like a misdemeanor, you know, a small crime, if you will. It's not like a felony, you know, a bigger crime against the federal government.

Sin is breaking the law of Almighty God. David says in Psalm 51, have mercy on me, O God. According to your steadfast love. According to your abundant mercy. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.

Cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions. My sin is ever before me against you. You only have I sinned and done that which is evil in your sight. So that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

Sin is against Almighty God. Sin is against a holy God. And he said, I will not let the guilty go free. I will not clear by any means the guilty. Because I am just. I am the judge of the whole earth. So what is to be done?

The cross. The cross shows the awfulness of sin. What did God have to do to clear the guilty? To be just. And at the same time, to make it possible for us to be forgiven. As he said, he desires, he delights in forgiveness.

For transgression, iniquity and sin. Those are just three words for what we do against God. Sin is missing the mark. The Greek word is hamartia. It's missing the mark. It's sort of like we are on a journey.

And the goal is right here. We are walking this way. The mark is over there. And the further we walk, the further away we get. It's like iniquity. Iniquity means twisted, perverse, transgression. It means stepping over a sign that says no trespassing.

It's breaking the law. It's rebellion. We see the sign, we are going to go across it anyway.

It's I'm Lord, not you.

I'm going to do what I want, when I want. I don't care what you say.

That's sin.

That's at the cross. It's as if Caesar said, I'm Lord and don't you forget it. You may claim otherwise. But there will come a time when Caesar will bow and confess. We do the same thing though, don't we?

I'm Lord, not you. That's the horribleness of sin. It's all against God. And the cross resolves it. God takes it upon himself. You see, he has to deal with it.

It's against him.

It's not between us. It's between us and him. The horribleness of sin. The awfulness of sin. The depth of sin. And he takes it upon himself to take care of it for us. That's what it took to resolve clearing the guilty.

The cross. It shows the depth, the awfulness of sin. What was necessary to make things right. To pronounce us not guilty. The cross.

The Love of God and the Free Gift of Salvation

Secondly, the cross shows the greatness of the love of God.

He gave his son.

Gave his son to die.

He gave his son to die.

Us.

Sinners. Guilty. Undeserved. He gave his son. The scripture is, you know it. John 3 .16, right? For God so loved the world that he gave his son. That whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

He gave his son. He gave his son to die. Now here's 1 John 3 .16. By this we know love. That he laid down his life for us. And he gave his son to die for us sinners. The ones who are guilty. The ones spoken of in Exodus 34.

Romans chapter 5. Starting at verse 6. For while we were still weak. At the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person. Though perhaps for a good person. One would dare even to die.

But God shows his love for us. In that while we were still sinners. Christ died for us. Romans 5 .8. The cross shows the awfulness of sin. It shows the greatness of God's love.

And we're in this one.

Yes.

It shows that salvation is free. Jesus said when he came. In Mark 10 .45. He says I didn't come to serve. I didn't come to be served. But to serve. And to give my life a ransom for many. You see the ransom has been paid.

The ransom has been paid. The debt has been paid. The sin debt has been paid. In full. The punishment has been borne. He took his sins upon his body. On the tree. Our sins. He put away the wrath of God.

This is what the cross shows.

And you remember.

Isaiah 53.

Starting at verse. Isaiah 53 starting at verse 4. Surely he has borne our griefs. And carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken. Smitten by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was laid the chastisement that brought us peace. And with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way.

And the Lord has laid on him. The iniquity of us all. You see he bore our punishment. He turned God's wrath away from us. And took it upon himself. On the cross. And forgiveness is now available. For the asking.

For the asking. Salvation is free. It's been paid for. That's what grace is all about. And grace is love towards the undeserved. Love towards the guilty. Grace. For by grace are you saved. Through faith.

Not of yourselves. It's paid for. It's free. And those three truths are shown at the cross. At the cross. It shows the depth. The awfulness of sin. It shows the greatness of the love of God. And it shows that salvation is free.

Those are three truths. You can depend on. Okay.

God's Faithfulness and the Cleansing of the Guilty

Remember.

God said. I'll go back to Exodus chapter 34. And close with this. A God merciful. And gracious. Slow to anger and abounding. In steadfast love and faithfulness. The word for faithfulness there. Could also be translated truthfulness.

You know. People that are true. Are people that are faithful.

True.

These are truths you can believe in. These are truths. That point out the faithfulness of God. Keeping His word. Steadfast love for thousands. Forgiving, iniquity, transgression and sin. But who will by no means clear the guilty.

Except through the cross. Except through the cross. God took it upon Himself. To clear the guilty.

So.

Full atonement.

Can it be.

Hallelujah. What a Savior.

Okay.

We want to take some time and pray now.