35. Christ's Redemptive Suffering p4

Christ’s Redemptive Suffering p4:

1Pe 2:21-25  For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:  (22)  "WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH";  (23)  who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;  (24)  who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.  (25)  For you were like sheep going astray but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

For the last several months we have been studying this passage of Scripture and have seen Peter’s command to submission and his example of submission in the Lord Jesus Christ. We also saw a transition where Peter is no longer exclusively speaking to slaves who were suffering at the hands of perverted masters but to the general suffering of the church. In this Christ stands as an example to us all. Though He certainly had both the power and authority to take matters into His own hands (Mat 26:53  Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?) He continued to entrust Himself to the One who judges righteously. In all our trials and tribulations, we are to do what Jesus did. Entrust ourselves to Him who judges righteously.

But this presents a problem for us. Jesus is certainly able to entrust Himself to the one who judges righteously because He Himself is righteous. He was tempted in all things and in all ways even as we are and yet He was completely without sin. He neither sinned in action or in tongue. We know that we are not like Christ Jesus. And so when Peter makes the statement about entrusting ourselves to the one who judges righteously we immediately question whether we can do the same because as a child of God you know that you sin. But it is a problem that Peter resolves in the next verse and there are two points Our Problem of Sin and Christ’s Solution to our sin.

I. Our Sin Problem

First let us define our term. What does sin mean? It is an archery term that means to miss the mark. But Websters Dictionary defines it as the voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is either a positive act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to obey a positive divine command, or a rule of duty clearly implied in such command. Sin comprehends not action only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God's commands or law. But this doesn’t take it quite far enough. It is not rebellion against God’s law only, it is rebellion against God Himself. Every sin calls into question by the sinner the integrity, truthfulness and loving provision of God. Ultimately it is a God denying aspiration who immediate expression is disobedience. This we inherited from Adam as a result of his sin. We are sinner by nature and that is why we sin. And it is our sin because each of us in accordance with our nature have sinned against God. Paul’s declaration is that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, there is no one good, not even one. Our sin breeds doubt in our standing with God so it is reasonable for Peter placing this text where it is as a comfort to us. The Holy Spirit, through Peter, speaks these tremendous words of comfort. Let us move to the next point.

II. Christ’s Solution

Christ’s Love

In His solution we see His love for us. Who Himself, grammatically speaking it was not necessary for Peter to inset the intensive pronoun, Himself. But by so doing, displays the heart of Christ for His people. It displays His passion and zeal for His beloved. It is a picture of His desire to make those who are broken whole. This is Christ in pursuit of His own because though His own were chosen and predestined before the foundation of the world we all stood under that same righteous condemnation as the rest. Our hearts filled with rebellion and hatred of God and His law.

Php 3:18-19  For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:  (19)  whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.

Rom 5:10  For if when we were enemies

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

Apart from Christ we do not pursue Him. What does pursuing Christ look like? It is a love for Him, His works, His word. Pursuing Christ is loving what He loves and if to this point in your life you have no interest in the things of Christ it is a sign that you are outside of Christ. But the beauty of Christ is that in His love He pursues us through the ministry of the Word and conviction of the Holy Spirit. It the free offer of the gospel. How long have you sat under the message of the gospel and not responded in faith? Know that every sermon you hear preached is Christ’s pursuit of you. How long will you contend against the Lord’s goodness and kindness for you? Will you not believe and repent from your sin and trust in Christ for the salvation of your soul? Christ Jesus is no mere man, but the Creator and Sustainer of all things seen and unseen. And for the love of His people left the glory of heaven and took on humanity. Php 2:7  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

Christ’s Love Displayed

In His love He Himself bore our sins in His body. The word ‘bore’ means to take up and carry. This is what He did He took our burden upon Himself. What does it mean that He bore our sins in His body? It means that Jesus was imputed with our sins. The Bible calls Jesus the 2nd Adam. Meaning that just as Adam represented the whole of the human race, Christ represents all of His people. We are imputed with Adam’s sin. But Jesus being the federal head of His people is imputed with our sin, though He Himself was sinless.

2Co 5:21  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

Imputation is not an NT idea but was established under the Old Covenant by the types in the sacrificial system instituted by God.

The Two Offerings – Leviticus 16

The first goat was slain as a sin offering. In the Old Testament, on the day of the atonement, the priest was to present a bull as a sin offering for himself and for the people of Israel because of their uncleanness and transgressions (v.16). Once the offering is killed, he is to take it inside the veil, in the Most Holy Place and he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat, he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times (v. 14). He is to the same first for himself and for the people of Israel. By virtue of this ritual, the LORD is appeased. This is what in the New Testament called propitiation. But the Old Testament sacrifices can never remove the wrath of God.

The second goat was the scapegoat. By casting lots, the other goat will be for Azazel or scapegoat. The priest will lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness (v.21-22). This symbolizes the fact that in Christ, God has removed our transgression from as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).

As we have read in Isaiah the idea of imputation of sin to a specific person is not a new idea.

Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Isa 53:12  Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

All of this is fulfilled in Christ Jesus. He bore our sins in His body on the tree. This speaks to the judgement of sin. Deu 21:22  "If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,

Paul quotes this text in the letter to the Galatians and explains it’s meaning.

Gal 3:12-13  Yet the law is not of faith, but "THE MAN WHO DOES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM."  (13)  Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE"),

Jesus wasn’t cursed because He hung on a tree, rather because He was made a curse He was therefore hung on a tree. Why? It was a public display of God’s judgement of sin. Sin has been punished eternally in the Son of God’s taking on our sin and being it on the cross. It stands as the satisfaction of God’s justice never again to be held against the people of God.

Col 2:13-15  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,  (14)  having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  (15)  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Christ was made a spectacle and in turn made a spectacle of sin and those dark forces arrayed against us.

What Christ’s Love Gained – 2 Gifts as a result

Die to Sin – Christ’s bearing our sin in His body on the Cross does more that acquiring forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God. He sets us free from the dominion of sin. Rom 6:6-7  knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  (7)  For he who has died has been freed from sin.

In John 8:34 Jesus tells the unbelieving Pharisees, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.” He uses the analogy of a slave and his master to make the point that a slave obeys his master because he belongs to him. Slaves have no will of their own. They are literally in bondage to their masters. When sin is our master, we are unable to resist it. But in Christ we have been set free from the dominion of sin. It does not mean we will never sin but was it does mean is that we are now in a different relationship with sin. Before we wanted it. To fulfill the desires of our flesh. This isn’t limited to fleshly lusts but all things that stand opposed the commands of God. Your desire to retaliate when wronged, etc. Because Christ has died we have died with Him. We died with Him and rose with Him so that we would no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died and rose again. We have been set free from the dominion of sin not to do what we want but to live as we ought. The second gift is

Live to Righteousness – this is indicative of the Holy Spirit indwelling us at the moment of our salvation. It is the sanctifying work of the Spirit Peter tells us in 1 peter 1:3. Redemption from sin should have a practical result in our daily life. The goal of the new life is the righteousness that God’s holiness requires in His people, and that the indwelling Spirit works in and through them. The singular righteousness stands in contrast to the plural sins implies the unitary nature of the new lifemarked by daily submissive obedience to God and His will.

The Result’s of Christ’s Love – By His Wounds You have been Healed

By Christ’s stripes the wounds that sin had inflicted on the souls of God’s people have been healed, not will be healed. The verb healed does not denote a physical healing but the restoration of divine fellowship through the forgiveness of sins and all the saving benefits that accompany it. This tells us that spiritual healing, restoration of fellowship with God has a singular source. That from which we are healed has a singular remedy. Those who believe that they can self-heal from the wounds of sin are delusional. Salvation from sin is found at the cross.

For you were like sheep going astray – Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

But -this marvelous word of contrast begins a change to our story. It is decisive with no room left for doubt. ‘Have now returned’ is translated incorrectly. It is a passive verb in the Greek literally meaning they were turned around. They did not turn themselves around but were turned around. See the difference? This again points to man’s inability to save himself and points to God alone being the agent in our salvation. Who arrested us and turned us around? It was the Lord Himself.

Joh 6:37  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

Joh 6:44  No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

They have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of their souls. This is the ongoing active nature of Christ great love. He actively cares for those who are in His charge. Those suffering persecution and affliction may be subject to their tormentors but their inner life was in constant watch care by the Chief Shepherd and Overseer of their souls.

Psa 23:1-6  A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  (2)  He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.  (3)  He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.  (4)  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  (5)  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.  (6)  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.

Today if you hear His voice do not harden your heart. The Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas what must I do to be saved. And their reply was believe in the Lord Jesus. If you are here this morning and know you are not in Christ. Believe in Jesus and what He has done being our sins in His body on the tree.