The Atonement for Sin: "A Full and Vicarious Atonement for our Sins"

Intro:

We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace, through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who by appointment of the Father, freely took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin, honoured the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins;

that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was the voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust, Christ the Lord bearing our sins in His own body on the tree;

that, having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned in heaven, and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, compassionate and all-sufficient Saviour.

Defintion: “At-One-Ment”, “The Hebrew word for atone (כָּפַר, kaphar) conveys the idea of covering, both in the sense of covering to hide and also covering for someone (i.e., not charging someone with an offense or penalty).

“Atonement is one of the few theological terms with roots in the English language. It is the process by which two (typically estranged) parties are made “at-one” with each other.”

Atonement and punishment go in the same thought. A day of reconing, paying for what is wrong.

It is not that it is “covered” in the sense that no one knows or we are trying to hide it as if it never happened, it is covered in the sense that it has been dealt with or paid for.

D. Brockway, “Atonement,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

Passage: Isaiah 53:1-12 In this section Isaiah is seeking to comfort the people of Israel, there is a Messiah that is coming, God’s Servant. Isaiah is going to describe who the Servant is and what He will do.

Illustration:

The Bill: “Who paid the bill? Oh, I covered it”, or “I’ve got it covered”

Shift at Work: “Will you cover for me while I am away”.

Paintball: “Go, I will cover you!” The idea of laying down atonment fire so that your buddy can go free

This is so key when thinking about the accusations of Satan. God is not trying to ignore your sin or anyone elses, no, he sees it in the fullest and Jesus says, “the penalty for that has been covered in full”.

Outline:

Who can Atone: “A Man of Sorrows” (vs. 1-3)

What Has to be Done: “Surely He has borne our griefs” (vs. 4-6)

How was it Accomplished: “He was oppressed and afflicted” (vs. 7-9)

Why make Atonement: “Make Many Accounted as Righteous” (vs. 10-12)

Summary: In order to be at-one, a vicarious payment had to be done

Prayer:

Who Can Atone: “A Man of Sorrows” (vs. 1-3)

Disbelief (v. 1)

Who has believed

what he has heard from us?

To whom

has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

The outside (v. 2)

For he grew up before him

like a young plant

like a root out of dry ground (11:1, root of Jesse, in a desolate climate physically and spiritually)

He had no form or majesty

that we should loot at him

not beauty that we should desire him

The inside (v. 3)

He was

despised

and rejected

by men

A man of sorrows

and acquainted with grief (sickness)

as one from whome men hide their faces

He was despised

and we esteemed him not- Israel rejects the Servant, if Israel rejected the Servant that was sent, why would we think our world would be any different?

Application/Implications:

Renew the Mind (the Scriptures):

What caught your attention in this section?

Which verses or words would you like to study a little more this week?

Engage the Heart (humility vs. pride):

Jesus is still an unlikely source to go to for atonement. “Surely there has to be more, you don’t understand the damage that has been done, How does the death of a man a long time ago help me settle the score today”? The people in Isaiah’s day did not esteem the comming Servant. The people in our day do not esteem the Servant that has come. We have replaced him with self-esteem.

How have you and I despised and rejected Jesus’ covering for sin? Who better to understand what we are going throug than the “Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief (sickness)”?

What are some other sources we look to settle the score or cover our sin or the sins that have been done to us?

Self-esteem, self helps, therapy, money, sex, vengence, anger, medication, alcohol, hypnosis, entertainment

Enlist the Body (Words, actions, emotions):

What will it look/sound like to esteem Jesus this week as the true source of atonement?

Who is in the right and who is in the wrong? Who do you expect to make this right, who/what needs to change?

3

Transitional phrase: Well Pastor, are you saying that these other sources are all bad? Are you saying that they are sinful? …Well, you tell me, what are you trying to accomplish through these means?

What Has to be Done: “Surely He has Borne our Griefs” (vs. 3-6)

Afflicted for Other (v. 4)

Surely he has

borne our griefs (sickness, the illness of the soul)

and carried our sorrows- the consequences of sin, he carried all the sins and spiritual anguish casued by sin of the whole nation and World

Yet we esteemed him

stricken

smitten by God

Afflicted- They were to think that it was because of his own sin that the Servant was stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.

Pierced and crushed (v. 5)

But he was pierced

for our transgressions

He was crushed

for our iniquities

Upon him was the chastisment

that brought us peace- “at one”

With his wounds-

we are healed

Laiden with sin (v. 6)

All we like sheep

have gone astray

we have turned

everyone

to his own way- this is the essence of sin, going our own way and not God’s way. The nation of Israel was lead astray away from the Servant, hence exile and living in a land that does not share your values and beliefs. But there is hope for Israel, the coming servant is still coming!

And the LORD has laid on him (scape goat)

the iniquity of us all

Application/Implications:

Renew the Mind (the Scriptures):

What caught your attention in this section?

Which verses or words would you like to study a little more this week?

Engage the Heart (humility vs. pride):

In order to atone for sin someone needs to bear the greifs, carry the sorrows, be stricken and smitten by God, afflicted, peirced, crushed, chastised and wounded (Trauma). Then and only then will there be healing peace. If you don’t give it to Jesus, you will carry it all.

What sheep are leading the church away from Jesus? What tips, tricks, substances, communities, dreams, hopes are saying to us, “I can take your grief away, I will carry your sorrows? I will bring your peace! But they all have a price that we have to pay in addition to having to pay for our sin in the end. That sounds horrible.

It is kind of like the dumpster we have out back, sure, we have a nice place to put the garbage and junk that we are getting rid of, but someone still needs to pay for that dumpster to be taken away.

3

Enlist the Body (Words, actions, emotions):

1

2

3

Transitional phrase: Wow, that is pretty harsh don’t you think? That in order to have atonement for sin someone had to be afflicted for the sins of others, pierced and crushed, and laiden with sin. In order for their to be peace with God this is what had to happen? Well how did that work out?

How was it Accomplished: “He was Oppressed and Afflicted” (vs. 7-9)

Submission (v. 7)

He was oppressed

and he was afflicted

yet he opened not his mouth

Like a sheep that before its shearers is silent

so he opened not his mouth

Oppression and Judgment (v. 8)

By oppression and judgment

he was taken away

As for his generation

who considereed

that he was cut off out of the land of the living

stricken for the transgression of my people?

Death (v. 9)

They made his grave with the wicked

and with a rich man in his death

although he had done no violence

and there was no deceit in his mouth

Application/Implications:

Renew the Mind (the Scriptures):

What caught your attention in this section?

Which verses or words would you like to study a little more this week?

Engage the Heart (humility vs. pride):

Jesus is the only one that fits this.

2

3

Enlist the Body (Words, actions, emotions):

1

2

3

Transitional phrase: We have learned through Isa 53 Who can atone, what has to happen, and how it was accomplished. All of this for sinners to be made “at-one” with God their creator. So, why is this so important? What happens when we do not value or understand these things?

Why Make Atonement: “Make many to be Accounted Righteous” (vs. 10-12)

God’s will (v. 10)

Yet it was the will of the Lord

to crush him

he has put him to grief (he has made him sick)

When his soul makes an offering for guilt

he shall see his offspring

He shall prolong his days

The will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand

Satisfaction (v. 11)

Out of the anguish of his soul

he shall see and be satisfied

By his knowledge (“by knowledge of him”)

shall the righteous one

my servant

make many to be accounted righteous

and he shall bear their iniquities

TO BE AT ONE WITH GOD!!! THAT IS WHY! THAT IS THE MOST IMPORANT! Not at one with myself, my culture, my history, or anything else. By the way, all of these change when I am at one with God. God did not send his son just so that i could become a better version of myself, he sent Jesus so that I wouldn’t worship myself. And the cost of that proceedure is only payable through Jesus

Satisfaction is only found in Jesus

Intercession (vs. - )

Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many

and he shall divid the spoil with the strong

Because he poured out his soul to death

and was numbered with the transgressors

Yet he bore the sin of many

and makes intercession for the trangressors

Application/Implications:

Renew the Mind (the Scriptures):

What caught your attention in this section?

Which verses or words would you like to study a little more this week?

Engage the Heart (humility vs. pride):

Who is the most important person to be “at-one” with? Our culture would say, “yourself”.

The extents we are going through, the proceedures, the affliction, the anguish, the crushing of the body, all so that I will be at one with myself.

Our world sees at-one-ment as you becoming okay with the choices of my life. with you celebrating my “differences”, with you getting over the disagreements you have with who I am and see life through my understanding. I do this with my preferences, my habits that I have developed over time, my sexuality, my money, my time, my beliefs, my desires. The problem is that this does not produce peace, healing or righteousness according to God. So what do I do? you introduce me to Jesus! There is an older song by casting crowns, “What this world needs” where one othe lyrics is "God’s gotta change your heart before he changes a shirt”.

Satisfaction

Intercessor: Why is at-one-ment iwth God so important, because now you have someone that is interceeding for you. Jesus is your best advocate

Enlist the Body (Words, actions, emotions):

I typed in the opposite for atone into google and you know what came up? Excuse, justify, defend, legitimize, vindicate, rationalize, legalize, etc. Our culture is seeking atonement but has landed on tolerance, Being progressive, and Woke

Our culture is so afraid to tell right from wrong that we have replaced the need for atonement with the need for Tolerance and acceptance.

At the beginning I shared some illustrations: the bill, a shift at work, paintball. I also threw a whole much of paper on the floor. You may work really hard to get bills paid, shifts covered, and rain down atonement fire to cover your buddy, but you havent addressed the heart. This is why our world needs to know of the atonement of Jesus! What casued the bills to get so high, what was going on that you needed to miss work for, what started the battle in the first place? You see, Atonement is not just about filling the dumpster with all of the junk and trash of my life, it is about asking Jesus to pay for it

A world without the atonement of Jesus is left asking others to substitute their beliefs in order to support theirs.

What will it look/sound like to esteem Jesus this week as the true source of atonement?

Who is in the right and who is in the wrong? Who do you expect to make this right, who/what needs to change?

Who is the most important person to be “at-one” with?

Transitional phrase:

Summary:

Song:

Benediction/Looking ahead: INVITE PEOPLE TO THE CAFE

Discussion questions

Worship- Renew the Mind (Scripture)

What passage of Scripture did we look at? Summarize it in your own words.

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Grow- Engage the Heart (Conversation)

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Serve- Enlist the Body (Action)

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