← ArchiveSunday, April 13, 2014DateApril 13, 2014Speaker—TextIsaiahPassages in this sermonRomans 30:30Isaiah 534:23Revelation 13:89:121 Peter 1:209:32Luke 249:56Psalms 112:25Acts 215:471 Peter 221:20Isaiah 622:34Mark 15:3323:112 Corinthians 526:46TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00If you have your Bibles with you, I invite you to join with me. We're going to be looking again at a lot of passages so that we can kind of grasp what is taking place, but we're going to talk about the death of Christ. And in Romans chapter 3, beginning in verse 21 through verse 26, he says,0:30But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been manifest, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, and even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for those who believe. For there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption, which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.1:00In other words, it's an appeasing sacrifice. God said, Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone could satisfy through His sacrifice the need for satisfaction because of the sins of men. It was in His blood. And so he said, we've found that through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness because in the forbearance of God, He passed over the1:30sins previously committed for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Christ died so you and I can live and die with integrity. We talk about integrity all the time.2:00We talk about the importance of character. We talk about the importance of the ability of a man to be upright. Well, let me tell you, folks, Jesus Christ died because there was no ability for anybody to be upright. There is not in you an ounce of strength that would declare or claim any ability to be righteous and offer that righteousness to God for any reason except that righteousness be the righteousness2:29of Jesus Christ. And ultimately, God in His infinite plan for the redemption of men knew and would sacrifice Himself, yes, His Son, yes, for your sins and my sins. The first point I want us to see today is that the death of Christ was planned.2:56I want you to think about that. It's important nowadays that everybody have a plan. Salesmen are asked to give a sales plan. Men, women are asked to have a plan. People, churches, what is your plan for the future? What is your plan for this? What is your plan for that? Well, I want you to think for just a minute about the fact that the death of Christ was a3:20plan. It was a plan established in outer darkness. It was a plan established only in the light and the glory that existed in God, in the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In other words, there was no earth. There was no solar system. There were no planets. There was no dimension here or dimension there.3:49There was only God. There was only Jesus. And there was only the Holy Spirit. And you say, wait a minute. Isn't that three? Absolutely. You see, I believe that in all three, God exists. And that's called the Trinity. So the death of Christ was planned. Listen to what John Piper says. In other words, God planned the suffering and death of Jesus so that forgiveness of sins could4:13be preached to all nations. We read that in Isaiah 53. In other words, there's a purpose for God dying for you and God dying for me so that the message of the gospel could be preached to all nations. The difference between God's plan to crucify Jesus and Pilate's plan to crucify Jesus was that Pilate was rejecting Jesus as a mere pretender and God was honoring Jesus as the servant of the Lord and the Savior of the world.4:33God planned the death of Jesus, God planned the death of Jesus, not to disown him or dishonor him or reject him, but to glorify him as the perfect, flawless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.4:54Man, I'm telling you, I could read that and ponder on it for days. It is the most powerful when we think about that we're not even, we don't even exist.5:16And yet, in reality, we do. Because you see, here's where it really gets tough. The finite tries to understand the infinite. In other words, there's no end or beginning to the wisdom of God and to the presence of God and to the person of God and to the purpose of God and to the plan of God.5:39You see, it all existed. And thus, if it was in God's plan that one day he would create the earth and the solar system, and it was in God's plan that one day he would bring about the creation of mankind by speaking and creating Adam and Eve, and then ultimately us being the great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, so-on-grandchildren,6:08then we kind of understand that even back there, before we would, let's say, time, because there was no need for time in God's existence. And before that, and while there was only God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, because we see that, in the plural understanding in Genesis, let us make man in our image, and it's not the image of three gods, it's the image of one God.6:34And so, we understand then how awesome it is in the perplexity of all that God did, that he provided forgiveness for you and for me. He provided a sacrifice for you and for me. To me, I'm thinking, and I'm just thinking, I have a grandson that does that every now and then, he'll tell his Mimi, he'll say,7:00now Mimi, I'm just saying. And usually it's pretty wise words that he's sharing with her. But in this particular time, I'm just saying, wouldn't it be easier for God if he just doesn't create? And he, the Father, and the Son, who form a perfect union, by the way, the Trinity forms a perfect union of who God is in every way.7:25And I would challenge you, if you want to hear some really neat stuff, go on YouTube, go to Ravi Zachariah's explanation concerning the Trinity, and listen to it about 25 times. And once you've listened to it 25 times, then go back and listen to it one more time, and you might have a good understanding of it.7:48But it's, Ravi Zachariah explains the Trinity, and he does a fabulous job of doing so. But understanding the perfect union of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. There's absolute and complete unity in this union. There's absolute and complete oneness in who they are. Jesus said, if you've seen the Father, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father.8:16In other words, not so much that he's trying to say, hey, we look alike, but there's perfect union there. And in this perfect union, living in the unity that they're in, why in the world do they need us? And God says, and he shares with us, so that he can be glorified. So you see, the very purpose of you being here today, the very purpose of me being here today, and the very purpose of Jesus' death for us today, is that Jesus Christ be glorified.8:42It is all about the glory of God. It is not about the purpose and plan of satisfying your wants, your needs, and your desires. It's about God glorifying himself through a very extremely and completely fallen humanity. And so the death of Jesus Christ was planned. Think about it. Revelation chapter 13, verse 8 says,9:12And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. John has a blip of understanding that before the foundation of the world, the Lamb was slain. 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 20. For he was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times9:34for the sake of you, who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God. Luke 24, verse 26. And he said to them, thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day.9:58Now, there's another purpose for this as well. Not only, and it is all embedded into the glorification of God the Father. And that is, if you continue reading in Luke, which is up there now, I want you to notice down in verse 47. There's a response from the people that in whom God touches. And that brings about this glorifying work of Christ.10:28When we as the followers, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all the nations. That's exactly what John Piper just said. So, the whole plan of God before the foundation of the world, while they were out there in perfect unity, was that he would create and that he would bring about the reality of you and I10:52so that he could be glorified through our believing in the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus Christ. God's plan. Let me tell you something. God's plan was not even close to being stymied by Satan. And God's plan will not be stymied by Satan.11:18Satan may think he can do some things, but he will never be able to interfere with God's perfect plan. God planned his death. God planned his purpose. That repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name. Folks, we're here today that we might walk upright before God.11:48We're here today to be encouraged by the message of the preacher. We're here to be today, if you were in a Sunday school class, to be encouraged by the teacher of the Sunday school class. We're here today under the influence and the work of the Holy Spirit that we might examine ourselves and know that we need God in our life so that we can see our sins, so that we can repent of our sins and trust that Jesus Christ will forgive us our sins and plant in us a new heart and a new life with a complete purpose.12:13In our Sunday school class, we talked about Psalms chapter 1. Blessed is the man who walks. Blessed is the man who stands not. Blessed is the man who sits not. In other words, blessed is the man who doesn't walk among the ungodly, who doesn't stand among the ungodly, who doesn't sit among the ungodly,12:42but whose way is that he loves and meditates and honors God. And my friend, I want to share with you today, if that's not our purpose and plan here today, we need to repent. We simply need to repent. This coming Easter, it isn't going to be about who's got the best dressed child that comes to church with a flousiest and floozy. I mean, I know my granddaughter ain't no telling what she's going to look like. But anyway, but that's not what it's about.13:10You know, years ago, Gail would say, hey, what can I get you for Easter? Because, you know, for Easter, I grew up, you know, you got something new for Easter. You either got a new pair of pants, a new shirt, or you got a new coat, or you got a new jacket, you got a new this, you got this, you got that, because it's Easter. And we make a big deal. Got new shoes at Easter. You got this at Easter. Let me tell you, Easter ain't about what you get. Easter about what God did. And if we're going to come next Sunday, let's come.13:37If we had to dress in rags, let's come with our hands raised and with our hearts ready to sing praise, to sing honor, to sing worthy, worthy, worthy is the Lord God Almighty. And worthy is He to be praised. You see, God planned that Jesus die so that He would be glorified. And not only that, I want you to know that this is important.14:05The death of Christ was personal. In other words, and this is true because in Islam, one of the things you'll read in the Koran, and one of the things you'll study if you study Islam, is that God somehow had an impersonator at the death of Christ, and that Christ never really died. In other words, God never died personally. You see, that's the problem that exists in other religions,14:31is there's no one else in other religions that can die for or take care of through their death any sin or unrighteousness that men are filled with. You know, I love Christianity, and I'm glad that I didn't have parents that brought me up as a Muslim, but if they did, I believe I would have had sense enough to change. I would have hoped I had sense enough. Because, you know, even with Islam, and with other world religions,14:59there are all kinds of teachings about perfection, but there's really, the only way you can make perfection is if you keep being reincarnated and you keep trying. Well, if it's me, I don't learn well from past stupidity. Do you? You know, how many times do we repeat the same thing over and over again, thinking we're going to learn from it, when in reality, we never learn from it? I'm glad I ain't got to come back here and do some of the same stuff again.15:32Because God, here, listen to this. In His plan, He provided the sacrifice, and it was Him. Listen to what He says in Acts 2, verse 22. Men of Israel, listen. It should be up there. Men of Israel, listen to these words. Jesus, the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst,15:58just as you yourselves know, this man delivered over by the predetermined what? Predetermined what? Predetermined plan. Did you predetermine that plan? Hello? Thank you. You know, y'all are just not used to me talking to you, are you? Yeah, you're used to me talking to you. You're just not used to responding. So it is God's predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.16:26You nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. Now, this is interesting. Peter's up there preaching, and he's saying, what you've done was just God's plan. But God, even though it's just your plan, God's plan, raised Him up again, putting an end. I want you to notice to this. To the agony of death.16:56I was talking to someone last week, and after I got through the message, they said, you know, that's really good. He said, but you know, next week is even going to be more agonizing. Because last week, we talked about how agonizing the sufferings of Jesus was. We talked about the word agon. And we talked about what agonizing meant and what does it mean. But now we come to a place where death is even a greater pain and suffering. Death, when Jesus, when, now, I want us to go back.17:26I keep wanting to do this. I want us to go back. The perfect trinity in the darkness and the glory of God is all that's there with the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit in perfect unity is devising a plan for Jesus Christ to die. And let me ask you something. How does a God who is infinite describe death?18:01He's only can do it when he looks across the pages of time and realizes that when he creates, he himself is going to have to become that which he creates. And so God knew before time that he would become flesh. You see, you can't let someone tell you that God didn't become flesh.18:30He became a man. He became a man, as much a man as you are and as I am. He was a man that had flesh, that had blood, that had a heart, that had all the things that you and I have. There was no supernatural, spiritual work of some cosmic relation18:56that caused Jesus to be any different than you and I. The only difference is that not only was he fully man, but he was also fully God. And it is because he was fully God and fully man that he could become the propitiation for your sins and my sins.19:23The substitute, the one in whom would appease God. We would still be cutting chickens' heads off and lambs' heads off or hearts out, and we'd be splattering blood everywhere, hoping that at some point we could shed enough blood to find an appeasement to God, for God, for our sins. And God, before we were ever brought about,19:53discerned that he would bring glory unto himself by creating a human nature and by placing himself in the midst of it through a virgin birth and by living a sinless life. He who had no guilt at all would take all the guilt of mankind upon himself and die a sinner's death personally for you and for me. There was three at the presence of the plan.20:22There was the agreement of them all this would be done. And I want to say there was the submission of one on the cross. And you say, what do you mean? My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Now, here again, I'm not infinite in my knowledge. I don't understand all that God brings about.20:50But somehow, someway, when Jesus Christ, who the Bible tells us knew no sin became sin, God could not look upon him. What an ordeal there was. The death of Christ was painful. 1 Peter 2, 21,21:20For you have been called for the purpose since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in his steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth. And while being reviled, he did not revile in return. While suffering, he uttered no threats, but kept entrusting himself to him who judges righteously. And he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross21:47so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. For by his wounds, he repeats, Isaiah 53, you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep. But now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. The death of Christ was painful because God, who was completely, absolutely perfect,22:14who could not even look upon sin, planned it in his ability to set his son himself upon the earth, live through the flesh among sinful people. I think of Isaiah chapter 6, woe is me for I am a sinner undone. Jesus never would declare that he was a sinner undone. He could say that he lived among people that were sinners because that he did. But he never was tainted by the sin that he lived with.22:43He never failed to the temptations that were brought to him even when Satan sought to tempt him. There were extraordinary events that took place on the cross, but the most extraordinary event of all that took place on the cross was when God the Father could no longer look upon the Son. Mark chapter 15, verse 33, When the sixth hour came,23:13darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, Eloi, Eloi, Eloi, sabbathanai, which is translated, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Could we just imagine for a moment in one saying, the agony and the pain and the suffering that was felt by Jesus Christ on that cross?23:41As he looked upon those that stood beneath him, they taunted him. They sped upon him. They had denied him. And now hanging between heaven and earth on a cross, planned for him before these people were ever even thought of, created rather, and brought about, was taking the sins of that soldier that had sped on, was taking the sins24:11of that adulterer that was standing there mocking him, that was taking the sins of his own mother who wasn't perfect, by the way, taking the sins of all those around him, but not only those, but those that would be born throughout the ages until he comes again, taking all the imaginable, unimaginable things that could come into the mind of man. Taking those things upon himself, he died. When some of the bystanders heard it,24:40they began to say, behold, he's calling on Elijah. And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine and put a reed and gave it to him to drink. Let us see whether Elijah will come and take him down. And Jesus uttered a loud cry and believed and breathed his last. And the veil of the temple was torn into top and two from top to bottom. When the centurion who was standing right in front of him saw the way he breathed his last, he said, truly, this man25:10this man was the son of God. My friend, there was an extraordinary event that took place on Calvary's cross that day that buys me and you, that brings about the privilege and opportunity to know God. You know, when Jesus Christ died and that veil was rent, the door to heaven was open to you and to me. The door to the presence of God was open to you and to me. From that time, we don't have to be like Elijah was. We don't have to be afraid to come into the presence25:40of God. If God fills this temple today or this house of worship, we don't have to be concerned that if he fills it that we'll die because we're going to be covered in the righteousness of Christ if we've confessed him as Lord and as Savior. And one day we'll walk in his presence, we'll stand in his presence, we'll breathe in his presence, we'll love in his presence, we'll work in his presence, we'll serve in his presence because he died. He planned it that way. Wow. I'm going to tell you something. Almost which,26:12Almost which, what would it take to get excited in here? What are you thinking about that keeps you from saying, oh my God, what have you done for me? Oh my Lord, how have you blessed me? Oh my God and my King, what have you given for me? Extraordinary trauma26:42Extraordinary trauma took place. He made him, listen to this, 2 Corinthians chapter 5, I say extraordinary trauma. He made him who knew no sin to be sin. And you know, I'm glad I don't end it there. What's the next two words say? On our behalf. He didn't just place my sins on him. Somehow, supernaturally,27:12supernaturally, Jesus Christ became my sin. In doing that, he died. Death. What did that do? Well, death bought us life. Death gave us hope. We go to the cemetery today and if we've got a loved one that we've been in church with all of our life,27:42if we've got a mother, a father that's confessed Christ as their Savior, a son or daughter that's confessed Christ as their Savior, a brother, sister that's confessed Christ as their Savior, they've lived for the Lord and we go to the cemetery and we can stand there and say, well, it is a sad moment, we're going to miss him but bless God one day I'm going to see her again. I'm going to see him again. I'm going to walk with him again and I'm going to know him like I've never known him before because I'm not going to know my dad as my dad, I'm going to know my dad as my28:12as my fellow brethren under the leadership and brotherhood of Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior. I'm not going to know you as a distant friend, I'm going to know you as a part of my family. the most unique part and the most miraculous part that God could ever do. See, God's miraculous word didn't stop at the death of Christ. It didn't stop at the tomb. It didn't stop at the resurrection. The death of Christ carries on to the future hope that every one of us have in Jesus28:42Jesus today and that is one day we're all going to get together and we're going to be able to know each other as we've never known each other before. I'm not going to have to guess whether you like the fact that I got a tie on or not today. I'm not going to have to guess whether you like the way I wear my hair. I'm not going to have to guess. I'm going to know it. And so are you because we're going to have full29:11have full knowledge and what a glorious day that will be. And it all was planned. You see, God didn't just let things happen. God has a plan. God carries that plan on out to you and me. Not only did he plan that Jesus would die and would become sin, but his plan is that you would repent and that I29:41would repent of our sin and that we would seek God. You see, God has a plan that we would repent and seek forgiveness and be transformed by the renewing of our mind through the work of his Holy Spirit. You see, God has a plan for you and God has a plan for me and it is because of who Jesus is and because of what Jesus has done. Don't be30:10Don't be here and do what I think you ought to do. Do it because of what he's already said he did. We're here today not because we wanted to sit next to somebody. We're here today because we want somebody to sit next to us and that's Jesus Christ. And we want him to walk with us through life and we want to know that he's with us and we don't want to walk among the ungodly. We don't want to stand among30:39stand among the ungodly. We don't want to sit with the ungodly. We want to take the glorious news of the gospel to them so they can know. Let me tell you there's only two reasons we want to go to the mission field. One is to tell them about Jesus. You say what's the other one? Watch them repent and come to know him. Why wouldn't we want to fulfill the purpose and plan that God established for time for your31:08for your life and my life? You know I love it sometimes as a youngster and I did that. You know you don't want anybody planning your life out for you do you? God already has and he's going to bring it about. If you can't sit there today it's because God ain't going to let you sit there today because you see God has a plan for your life and31:38life and he's going to send the Holy Spirit to convict you of his plan. over and against your plan. You see that's why he died so that when we're obedient we don't walk around and go I'm real good. God in his infinite state of being presence is glorified by the obedience of his32:07of his children because of the death of his son. Let's pray. Fathers we gather here this Lord's day we bring to you this bread and we bring to you this cup of juice because Lord we want to think about your death. we want to think about how morbid it was. We want to think about how catastrophic it was. We want to32:36think about how agonizing it was because God you did that for us. And then Lord you said to us in turn I'm doing this for you so you won't have to suffer this way. Oh God thank you that because you died and are the first fruits of those who will be raised from the dead I too one day will be raised from the dead. Thank you God that I need not live under the sign33:05the sign of death but I can live under the spirit of life because life through the Holy Spirit is abundant it's precious it's powerful and unique and so as we come today and offer this hymn of invitation Father I pray you'll speak to the hearts of your people you'll speak to the heart to that one that doesn't know you and challenge them to know you you'll speak to that one Lord that you brought to be a part of this fellowship you'll speak to that one Lord that's battling sin in their life that they'll repent and confess33:35and confess and live unto you God today let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven in Jesus name I pray amen I want to ask you to stand for a hymn of invitation it's a hymn of invitation to invite you to come if you don't know Christ as your personal savior today I want you to come I would love to have the opportunity to share with you and we have others that will share with you how you can come to know Christ if you're34:04if you're looking for a church home and you believe God's brought you here I invite I invite to simply step out from where you are and come that we may share with you what we know what it takes to become a part of the fellowship of this church but maybe you just need to be right there and get right with God before you pick up this bread before you take this cup in your hands because you know Paul challenged the church in Corinthians in the 11th chapter don't do it unwisely don't do it foolishly but do it with a pure heart34:34heart you know sometimes the strongest and the best is to let the cup pass to the next because I'm not prepared to take it today but that's between you and the Lord as brother Rick leads us in this song would you just simply be obedient to what God is doing youMore sermons on Isaiah →
