Place: Lurgan Baptist 29:5:2005

Transcription

1 Place: Lurgan Baptist 29:5:2005 Reading: 1 Peter 3:14-22 WHY THE CROSS? Several years ago in the state of California a young woman was picked up for speeding. She was ticketed and taken before the judge. The Judge read off the summons and said to her Guilty or not guilty. The young lady replied, Guilty. The Judge brought down the gavel and fined her $100 or ten days. Then an amazing thing took place. The judge stood up, took off his robe, walked down around in front, took out a $100 and paid the fine. What was the explanation of this? Why the Judge was her father. He loved his daughter, yet he was a just judge. His daughter had broken the law and had to face the penalty, and he couldn t just say to her, because I love you so much, I forgive you. You may leave. No! My. if he had done that he would not have been a righteous judge. But he loved his daughter so much he was willing to take off his judicial robes and come down to the front and represent her as her father and pay the fine. You see, justice had to be satisfied and the penalty had to be met! My. is this not what the Cross is all about? Charles Spurgeon the famous preacher stated that when he was under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, he had a clear and sharp sense of the justice of God, and sin for him became an intolerable burden. He said, I felt that it would not quieten my conscience if I could be forgiven without justice being satisfied. But then came the question. How can God be righteous and yet declare me righteous with all of my sin? Spurgeon finally came to see, that the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, was the perfect answer to his problem. He says, Who would have thought, who could have thought of the righteous ruler dying for the unrighteous rebel? You see, the principle of substitution brings us right to the very heart of the gospel. For the Saviour willingly, voluntarily, took our place, died in our room and stead, paid the penalty for sin, thereby satisfying the righteous throne of God, and opened up a way for sinners right into the presence of the Lord. Now that in a nutshell answers the question, Why the Cross? But its interesting to notice how Peter views the cross. On a number of occasions in this letter Peter focuses our attention on Christ s sufferings and death. Peter s view of the death of Christ had been completely transformed since that day when he sought to dissuade the Saviour from going to the cross. ( Matt 16:22 ) Indeed the words before us this. gave us a succinct answer to the question Why the cross? For Peter says, For Christ also hath once suffered for sins.., ( 3:18 ) You see, the death of the Lord Jesus that was Prophetically Anticipated in the Old Testament ( Is 53:6 ) and Historically Stated in the Gospels is here in this very letter Doctrinally Explained. So in answer to the question Why the Cross? look at what Peter unfolds! He speaks here of, (1) THE SOLEMN FACT OF CHRIST S DEATH

2 For Christ also hath suffered. being put to death in the flesh. In other words, a violent, physical execution terminated the Saviour s earthly life. ( Heb 5:7 ) Now remember Peter speaks as a witness. Later on he says so in unmistakeable terms for he refers to himself as an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ. ( 5:1 ) He saw the sufferings of his Saviour at close-quarters, and witnessed with his own eyes the death that crowned such sufferings. ( Matt 26:36 ) My. Peter is not spinning a fable but solemnly declaring what he knew to be a fact. As far as Peter was concerned he had no doubts as to the, (a) IDENTITY OF THE PERSON: For Christ., you see, Christ is the central figure in Biblical revelation and the Cross is the central factor in Biblical revelation. Dan DeHaan Christ, the anointed one, the One who stands alone and apart from all others, the One and only One through whom God could reveal Himself to man ( Jn 1:18 ) and redeem sinners to Himself. For Christ, you see, 1. Christ is Superior to all of God s Servants: For all other servants of God point away from themselves to Him. Do you recall that it was Isaiah who said, But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. ( 53:5 ) It was John the Baptist who cried, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, ( Jn 1:29 ) They were pointing forward to the Saviour who would come, while those in the New Testament where pointing backward to the Saviour. ( Gal 4:4 ) Christ is Superior to all of God s Children: Yet He is unashamed to call us brethren. ( Jn 20:17 Heb 2:11 ) He is the only begotten of the Father, whose Son-ship goes back before Creation. ( Jn 1:18 ) He is Son of God from all eternity, indeed in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. ( Col 2:9 ) My. the gospel introduces us to a real, living, glorious person. Someone who can step into our lives and who is able to deal with every sin, problem, iniquity we have. A person who can be to us a Saviour, a Sustainer, a Comforter, a Friend. My Prophet, Priest, and King my all in all. Christ. Indeed Christ is the answer to my every need. Have you found Him to be such? Are you clear this. as to who He is? This is none other than the Son of the living God, God come in flesh, the One who stands alone and apart from all others! (a) (b) THE REALITY OF THE PENALTY: For he says, Christ also hath once suffered. Being put to death, ( 3:18 ) The Lord Jesus suffered for welldoing, He suffered unjustly, but none the less He suffered actually! The Lord Jesus knew what it was, 1. To Suffer VERBALLY: What verbal opposition dogged the footsteps of the Saviour from His Baptism in Jordan to His death on

3 Calvary. They called Him a glutton, a winebibber, a blasphemer ( Mk 2:7 ) a friend of publicans and sinners. ( Matt 11:19 ) 2. To Suffer PHYSICALLY: Do you see Him in Gethsemane s Garden as He contemplated the cup He was about to drink? Dr. Luke says, And being in agony He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. ( Lk 22:44 ) My. His face was marred, ( Is 52:14 ) His brow was scarred ( Matt 27:29 ) His back was lacerated ( Is 56:6 ) His side was pierced ( Jn 19:34 ) His feet were torn ( Ps 22:16 ) His whole body was humiliated ( Ps 22:17 ) but harsh as these sufferings were, they do not constitute the heart of the Cross for Christ knew what it was, 3. To Suffer SPIRITUALLY: Hear the Lord Jesus as He cries, My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death, ( Matt 26:38 ) The old saying puts it well, the soul of His sufferings were the sufferings of His soul. ( Is 53:11 ) My. is this not the meaning of the Cross? Do you recalls John s words, Herein is love not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ( 1 Jn 4:10 ) You see, the greatest torment on the cross was not caused by the nails driven into His flesh but in His being made sin for us, and vicariously suffering the righteous punishment of the Father in our place. Peter says, I was a witness I saw it, Christ hath suffered. (1) My. do you dispute that fact? Do you not see what it cost the Saviour to provide salvation for you? Do you not recognise the extent of the suffering through which He passed to save you from hell? (1) (2) THE SINGULAR NATURE OF CHRIST S DEATH For he says, For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust. ( 3:18 ) Now in using the word singular or unique we mean that Christ s death was different from any other death before or any other death since. People die for a variety of reasons. Old age, disease, coronary, accident, suicide, some are ever martyred. But why did the Lord Jesus die? Certainly not for any of those reasons! My. His death was unique in that it was, (a) A SINLESS DEATH: the just for the unjust, the righteous for the unrighteous, the innocent for the guilty. Men have been sometimes called to perform a task for which they proved morally unworthy. Not so, the Lord Jesus. For His character matched His calling. My. here is another statement declaring the sinless-ness of Christ! Isaiah had said concerning the coming Saviour, By His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many. ( Is 53:11 ) Do you recall what Peter said at the beautiful gate of the Temple? He cried, But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, ( Acts 3:14 ) Even our Lord s enemies acknowledged His sinless-ness! The

4 Roman Governor of Judea, Pilate said, I find no fault in Him, his wife said, have thou nothing to do with that just man. ( Matt 27:19 ) Even the Roman Centurion at the foot of the Cross declared, Certainly this was a righteous man. ( Lk 23:47 ) Is this not what makes His death effective? You see, had there been one flaw, one stain, one sin upon the person of Christ then He would have been incapable of being our Saviour. But my. its because He was sinless, that He is able to save, its because He was righteous that He is able to redeem, its because He was perfect that He is able to pardon! ( Heb 9:14 ) Christ died the just for the unjust. You may not know it but you are mentioned by implication in this verse. Your name could appear in place of the words, the unjust. Let me state in my case, For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for Denis Lyle. Will you put your name there for a moment? The just for your name. Why did He do it? To bring you to God. (a) (b) A SUFFICIENT DEATH: For did you notice the word once, in the text? For Christ also hath once suffered for sins. When Christ came He was the perfect substitute for sin. And as a lamb without spot and blemish, He hung on the Cross and died. His blood became the one-and-only sufficient payment to God for sins. The anger of God was satisfied, because Christ s payment for sins settled the account, once for all. The Bible says, Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, the Bible says, this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God. ( Heb 9:27 10:12 ) Do you know what the Word of God is completely sure about? Its completely sure that on the Cross something happened, that never needs to be, that never can be, that never will be repeated again. My. the once and for all sacrifice for sin is sufficient for your need! Will you therefore come to Calvary and rest on the sacrifice of the Cross? Will you come and trust in His atoning blood? Will you come and rely on the finished work of Christ that God promises will meet your need? ( 3:21 ) (a) (b) (c) A SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH: The just for the unjust, how do you explain the death of Christ? Do you look upon it as the greatest freak, or accident, of history? Or do you realise that Christ actually died in the place of others. ( Jn 11:51 ) Kazinak was a wicked chief who lived in Greenland. One day he entered a hut where a missionary was translating the gospel of John. He demanded to know what the missionary was doing. He asked what was being translated from the book called the Bible. So the missionary read the account of Christ s death. The great Chief immediately wanted to know, What has this man done? Has He murdered anyone? Has He robbed anyone? No, was the immediate reply. Then why does He suffer? Why must He died? The missionary tried to explain. This man has done no wrong, but Kazinak has done wrong, this man has robbed no-one but Kazinak has robbed many. This man has murdered

5 no-one but Kazinak has murdered his brother. This man has suffered that Kazinak might not suffer, this man died that Kazinak might not die. The chief could not grasp it. Tell me that again, said the chief. And this sinful man on hearing the gospel of the Cross for the very first time, and that day recognising his own sinfulness and the sinless-ness of Christ, trusted the finished work of Calvary to save him! All my iniquities on Him were laid He nailed them all to the tree Jesus the debt of my sin fully paid He paid the ransom for me. My. how do you response to that? When by faith you see, the Saviour dying in your room and stead, how do you react? Does the love of God not touch you? Does the work of Christ not captivate you? Does the sacrifice of the cross not move you? Are you not compelled to say, Love so amazing. my life, my all. My. what an all-encompassing statement this is, for here Peter speaks of (1) (2) and now, (3) THE SAVING PURPOSE OF CHRIST S DEATH Expressed in the words that He might bring us to God. Why did the Lord Jesus suffer unjustly? Why did He die the righteous for the unrighteous? That He might bring us to God. In the grounds of Hampton Court Palace there is a maze built of hedges. In the middle of the maze is a seat where those who are tired of finding their back out can rest and think things over. There is also a bell there. By ringing the bell the lost person can summon aid. A man will appear, a man who knows the way. Follow him and soon the perplexing paths will resolve into an orderly way. The solution lies in the man. My. the Bible says, There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. ( 1 Tim 2:5 ) Have you a desire to be reconciled to God? To be right with God? To be righteous before God? The solution lies in the man, Christ Jesus, for He died that He might bring us to God. And surely that speaks of, (a) THE CHASM THAT SEPERATES: God and the sinner! True, Adam enjoyed communion with God in his state of innocence, but the emergence of sin snapped that link and as man tumbled to his fallen condition so God became more and more removed from Him. ( Rom 5:12 ) So what have we today? Men and women becoming more enmeshed in their horizontal world of time and space, and at the same time becoming more and more isolated from the vertical world of God and eternity! Tell me, my. have you got the picture? Let me give it to you in one word. Sin! Do you see that it is your sin, your offences against a Holy God, your transgressions of His holy law that keeps Him at a distance from you. For the Bible says that God is of purer eyes than to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity. ( Hab 1:13 ) You see, the distance that separates God and you is great on account of your sin. Can this distance be bridged? Can this chasm be

6 spanned? Peter says, Yes. For Christ died, that He might bring us to God! Its, (b) THE CROSS THAT SPANS: The chasm! My. do you feel that the chasm can be spanned by your good works? By your religious rites? By your moral living? By your self-righteousness? Peter says, No. Its only through the work that Christ accomplished on the Cross that you can be brought to God. Do you see that word bring,? ( prosagogeus ) it has a Greek background. At the court of the Kings there was an official called the introducer. His function was to decide who should be presented to royalty. He, as it were held the keys of access. My. through Christ and His atoning work on the Cross we can be brought right into the presence of God. ( Rom 5:2 Eph 2:18 ) Many years ago in the depth of winter the French army pressed on all sides by the Cossacks, had to cross a river. The enemy had destroyed all bridges and Napoleon was almost at wits end. Suddenly came an order that a bridge of some sort must be thrown across the river and the men nearest the water were the first to carry out this almost impossible task. Several were swept away by the furious tide. Others, after a few minutes, sank through cold and exhaustion, but more came, and the work proceeded as fast as possible. At last the bridge was completed and the army reached the opposite bank in safety. Then followed the most dramatic scene, and one of the most touching recorded in the annals of history. When the men who had built he bridge were called to leave the water no-one moved. Clinging to the pillars, they stood silent and motionless frozen to death. The distance had been spanned but only through death. My. the chasm between God and man has been spanned through the death of Christ, and through His death you can be brought nigh to God! I want to ask you a question. Have you been brought nigh? If you are still talking about being good enough, you have not been made nigh. If you are still relying on yourself in any shape or form, you are still afar off. My. do you desire to be brought nigh? Do you desire to get right with God? To be saved? You will never be nearer than you are now. Never! My. the solution to your sin problem lies in the man. The man who bridged the gap, who died to bring you to God. Will you come to Him this. in repentance and faith? Will you come as a sinner? Will you come as a sinner now?