Jesus’ Role in Salvation

Trinity Role in Salvation (The Son)

Introduction:

- “The Trinity is the basis of the gospel, and the gospel is the declaration of the Trinity in action” (Ji packer)

- Although the word, “Trinity” isn’t found specifically in the Scriptures, the theology of the trinity is draped and infused in every page.

- This is the second week of 3 in our study on the Trinity and its role in salvation

o This week we are focusing in on God’s Son (Jesus Christ) and His role within salvation

o But I want us to know that every role within the Trinity are working together, and don’t exist without one another.

o As we looked at last week in Eph 1:3-6, God the Father has predestined your election

§ In other words, as v.4 puts it… “before the foundation of the world, God chose us”

§ That’s clear cut here in the inspired word of God.

§ Don’t take up issue with me or John on this, it’s quite clear that God has predestined individuals to be holy and blameless in His sight ALL for His glory

§ Last Week: God thought of you, God sought after you (Spirit), God caught you (Sprit), God bought me by the blood (Jesus), God is teaching me everyday (Spirit)

o Last week we saw that salvation originated with the Father

o This week we are going to see how salvation is brought to fruition ~ Answering that question of how God bought me by the blood

- Here’s the truth and why what I’m covering these next couple minutes is vital to you…Without God taking on flesh, salvation is not possible for you and I (gentiles)

Pray:

Transition: If you guys would open to Ephesians Chapter 1 that is where we will be today

- Person who we look up to, and then we actually meet them (illustration) ~ baseball/hockey player

o Balance the awe and the reality of that experience

o We fall in two camps: don’t see Jesus’ humanity, or don’t see his divinity

o We have to understand first that Jesus was fully man in his earthly life and is fully God ~ The big word for this is Hypostatic Union

§ We must not see Him as 50human/50God but as 100% man and 100% God

§ This was the only way that salvation would be made possible us sinners

· The only was for a perfect God to put on flesh, not sinning because God doesn’t have the ability to do wrong, and becoming a ransom for the sake of many (Mark 10:45)

With that on our minds: Let’s read our passage for today which we are continuing in Ephesians Chapter 1 Today Verses 7-12:

“7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ 10 as a plan for the right time—to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him.

11 In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.”

Main Point(s):

- There are three things that God’s One and Only Son, Jesus Christ brings under this umbrella of salvation

1) Jesus Christ brings Redemption (this is taken directly from v.7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace”)

a. Redemption, what does this word mean?

i. Denotes release or deliverance from a state of slavery

1. It’s an opening of our eyes, it’s like when light illuminates what was once pitch-black darkness, it’s the entrance of hope when there was once no ounce of it.

ii. This redemption/release/deliverance is from the evil power of sin

iii. So this simply means that the work of Christ delivers believers from slavery of sin into an abiding relationship with Him that has endless blessings of joy, peace, connection, His own Spirit that guides us even in difficulty, and the best one of all eternal pleasures and security.

iv. An eternity that we get to spend with Him… a God who is merciful and kind, and out of that kindness FULLY JUST

b. As you continue in the verse, you get another description of this redemption… (“the forgiveness of our trespasses”)

i. We have to understand that our sin/trespasses/false steps led us away and ultimately make us unable to achieve a relationship with a Holy and Perfect God

ii. We ALL need redemption. We all need Forgiveness. We are ALL without excuse (there’s no excuse you can give to God, that will save you from punishment)

iii. You jump down to the beginning of chapter 2 and you see that (“We were dead in our trespasses and sins”)

1. (Romans 3:23-24): For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

2. We ALL NEED REDEMPTION

c. How do we have Redemption by Jesus though is the immediate next question one might ask?

i. The means of redemption is this… the sacrificial substitutionary death of Jesus Christ

1. For context we have to know that… the price of redemption is death and through the shedding of blood

2. From the foundation of God’s created order… Lev. 17:11 (For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life)

3. And we then connect this to what we are studying in Hebrews.. Chapter 9 v. 22 (Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins)

ii. The greatest news I can tell you or just remind you of today, is that God so desired a relationship with you, that He took the initiative by putting on flesh to die a death you and I deserve, shedding blood for the forgiveness and redemption of my sins and yours.

iii. Furthermore, Romans 5:18-21: So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is justification leading to life for everyone. For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

d. I’ve pointed to a couple of things here, but here is the point. Although you don’t deserve to have a relationship with the God of the Universe, He desires to have one with you. So He put on flesh to live a perfect/sinless life, died a death in which He took upon the wrath of His Father (JESUS TOOK UPON OUR PUNISHMENT AND PUT IT ON HIMSELF), so that when those who are elect place their faith in God, they are seen as righteous.

i. Jesus took on our sin, so that we might be the righteousness of God (seen as Sons and Daughters)

1. That is God’s heart, He desires a relationship with you not just a transaction… (this is the way God has designed this to bring Himself the most glory)

ii. He’s the only One who could do this, because He is the only man who is also fully God.

1. You can’t find this redemption in anybody else

e. His grace v.8 was poured out on you not in ignorance or misunderstanding, but with all wisdom and understanding

f. And then through His grace, He brings you wisdom and understanding

2) Jesus Christ is and brings Revelation

a. First, Jesus Christ is the Revelation of God

i. When we read v.9-10 we see that there is a “mystery” to His will

ii. Jesus is the clearest picture we have of the heart, mind, spirit, and will of God

iii. We get to see His interactions with mere human beings, we read about sinners dinning with Jesus (who is God), we see that He gets alone at moments to pray and submit to the Father.

iv. There is vivid imagery of this in Colossians 1:15-20: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

v. If there are gut-wrenching questions you have about the heart of God, sometimes the clearest answers you will get are when you simply look at the Gospel accounts of Jesus.

1. How he interacted with others, how he dealt with the sins of man, how did he disciple His disciples, the list goes on and on.

vi. This is also a quick side note for you, Jesus has always been plan A.

1. He was there at creation, Jesus is the agent of creation.

2. God knew this was going to be the story to bring salvation to Jew and gentile alike

3. Sending Himself down in flesh was not an afterthought to try a last ditch effort at saving humanity

4. Jesus has always been the Father’s plan for salvation of broken humanity

b. So we have this one side, that Jesus Christ is the Revelation of God, but He also brings Revelation.

i. Revelation = an uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen

ii. For those who have been redeemed as v. 9 says (He has made know to us the mystery of his will)

1. Jesus helps bring a clear picture to the mysteries of God

2. The things that would trouble our life long questions have been made known have been answered and revealed

iii. Here’s a list of just a few of the mysteries that Jesus Christ brought revelation and clarity to:

1. Matt 13:11 – the secrets (mysteries) of the Kingdom of Heaven

2. Luke 8:10 – The secrets (mysteries) of the Kingdom of God

3. 1 Cor 4:1 – Servants of Christ… entrusted with the secret things (mysteries) of God

4. The one here in Eph 1:9 – The mystery of His will

5. Eph 3:4 – The mystery of Christ

6. Eph 5:32 – A profound mystery… Christ and the Church

7. Colossians 1:26 the mystery… kept hidden for ages and generations, but… now disclosed.

c. And then as we finish v.10… “to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in Him.”

i. Eventually God’s eternal plan of restoring all things back together to original order will be purposed in Christ… things in heaven and on earth.

d. Do you feel lost? Don’t have direction? Are the ways God is moving confusing? Get a clearer picture of Jesus

3) Jesus Christ supplies a reason for hope

a. Let’s continue in verse 11: In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.

b. We see first that we have an inheritance, because those who were predestined have been a part of God’s plan since the beginning of time

c. This passage also implies that those who have been redeemed already have placed their hope/confidence in Jesus not only for salvation, but for every single moment of their life.

i. Verse 10 says: “So that we who had ALREADY put our hope in Christ might bring praise to His glory

ii. Our hope comes from bringing God His due glory

d. Even if you have placed your hope in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Redeemer, what area of your life do you feel hopeless which is robbing you to bring praise to God’s Name?

i. With Jesus, there is not a single area of life that should be hopeless ~ This is even convicting for me

e. For those of us, whose trespasses and sins no longer define us, we have an imperishable inheritance in the Kingdom of God

i. With an eternity that is secure, our hope isn’t found in the current moments of our life, our happiness, our current circumstances, our earthly relationships, but our hope that should always draw from our eternal home and the joy that is supplied in the truth of the Gospel

f. Are you hopeless? Does it feel like you aren’t going to make it? Jesus’ life, His death, and His resurrection supplies you a reason for hope and only this one stands the test of time and trials

Transition:

- Jesus Christ changes everything.

- What you do with “Who Jesus Is” is going to be the most important decision of your life

- It can give you redemption, it can give you revelation, and it can give you hope

o But on the other end of this, if you reject Jesus’ gracious offer for salvation, it can and will leave you in your slavery to sin, it will not give you clarity on who God is (and ultatiemly you never will fully know Him), and lastly you are going to walk through life seeking simply what is the next temporary form of hope I can hold onto until it fails me

Closing:

- Jesus Christ, God’s One and Only Son, is the ONLY way for salvation and the ONLY One worthy of building your life on.

Let’s Pray