Atonement

Isaiah 53:1-12

How can a sinful human being approach God?

How do we deal with the sins and the failures that alienate us from him?

God’s solution to this basic problem is pictured in the atoning sacrifices of the OT. All those sacrifices picture what became a reality in the death of Jesus on Calvary.

The word gospel essentially means “good news,” specifically about our relationship with God. We all like good news, especially if it addresses bad news we’ve just received. If you’ve just been told you have cancer, it’s good news when the doctor tells you it’s a type that readily responds to treatment.

The gospel is like that. It’s good news that directly addresses our ultimate bad news. The Bible tells us we were in deep trouble with God; we were unrighteous and ungodly, and God’s wrath is revealed “against all the godlessness and wickedness of men”; in fact, we were “by nature objects of [God’s] wrath” (Romans 1:18, NIV; Ephesians 2:3, NIV).

Then the Bible tells us that God has provided a solution far surpassing our problem. The Good News always outweighs the bad. The Good news has been announced in the OT and was fulfilled in the New Testament in the person of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 52:7 “7 How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!””

The passage we have read in Isaiah 53 is what the theologians call the prophecy of the “The Suffering Servant”. The passage carries the theme of sacrifice and suffering. It is a prophecy of the coming Messiah. A messiah who will bring Justification (Isaiah 53:11) through his sacrifice and death.

“11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.”

By dying as sacrificial lamb to pay for the penalty of the sins of the people (Isaiah 53:7)

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.”

What is atonement?

The Hebrew word for atone (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).

Penal substitution means that Christ died in the place of sinners, taking upon himself the penalty and punishment they deserved.

Those who believes in Jesus will in a sense covered by His blood to be protected from the wrath and punishment from God.

I. The necessity and nature of atonement

Scripture stresses the seriousness and reality of human sin, and that human beings are unable to atone for their own sins. In his grace, God provides a means by which the situation can be remedied.

A. Atonement is necessary because of human sinfulness

Atonement is necessary because sin cuts people off from God

Isaiah 59:2“2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.”

John 9:31“31 “We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.”

B. Atonement is necessary because sin provokes God’s wrath

Ephesians 2:1–3“1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

II. God’s provision of atonement is a means of dealing with sin

A. Atonement through sacrifice

Leviticus 9:7“7 Moses then said to Aaron, “Come near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, that you may make atonement for yourself and for the people; then make the offering for the people, that you may make atonement for them, just as the Lord has commanded.””

Exodus 30:10 (NASB95)

10 “Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”

B. God’s promised new covenant of forgiveness was fulfilled in Jesus Christ’s atoning death

Hebrews 10:16–17“16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, And on their mind I will write them,” He then says, 17 “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.””

Matthew 26:28“28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”

Hebrews 9:15“15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”

III. Images used to portray the at-one-ment, or restored relationship, between God and humanity

A. Atonement as forgiveness of sins

Ephesians 1:7–8“7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight”

Colossians 2:13–14“13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

APPLICATION:

FORGIVE

forgiving 70 times 7 times is peanut compared to how many times God has forgiven us!

B. Atonement as cleansing and purification

Leviticus 16:30“30 for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord.”

1 John 1:7 “7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

APPLICATION:

Make it a habit to confess your sins everyday.

Walk in the light (always chose to do what is right and pleasing to God)

C. Atonement as reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:19“19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

Romans 5:9–11 “9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

APPLICATION:

Be an agent of reconciliation - by living and sharing the Gospel.

D. Atonement as God buying people back for himself

Matthew 20:28“28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.””

Revelation 5:9“9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”

Application:

Stop living like a prisoner of Sin and start living like a freed man!

Say no to Sin!

E. Atonement as making holy: creating a relationship of consecrated nearness to God

Hebrews 10:10“10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Colossians 1:22 “22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—”

Application:

Grow in Holiness! Become more like Christ day after day through moment by moment dependence on God.

Conclusion:

The atoning sacrifice of Jesus is the good news that we must receive in order to benefit from it!

This good news doesn’t begin when we die. It’s for now. We don’t have to feel guilt-ridden and insecure before God. We don’t have to wonder if He likes us. We can begin each day with the deeply encouraging realization, I’m accepted by God, not on the basis of my personal performance, but on the basis of the infinitely perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, who shed His blood to cover us and cleanse us! He died on our behalf and took away our sins and nailed them to the cross!