April 21, 2019 - IMMEASURABLE GRACE

I can ask the ushers to come up and I will pray for the tithes and offerings and for the preaching of God's word. Congregation is Usher's come up. Will you join with me in prayer Lord? We thank you for so many blessings and fact this morning. We have been overwhelmed with evidence of your blessing on people's lies. We thank you one of the ways that you have blessed us is with great wealth father God in this country. And that is your goodness towards us. I pray you'd help us to be good stewards of that that we would be generous that we would be giving we would use all that. You've given us For Your Glory.

Delighted that father. Will you take these gifts? Will you bless them we multiply them for the building of your kingdom for the spread of the gospel for the glory of your grade. Also, pray father God that you would bless us. Now as we come to your word and we are needy people father. Danny Wright needed to hear from you. Would you by your spirit take a glorious truth of your word this morning and impress upon our minds and our hearts causing us to think as you think and causing our affections to rise and when you change us would we in your word glory in the resurrection of our savior this morning? Would what your word have to has to say to us today along with witnessing a baptism and be able to praise your name? Would you father God take all of that and use it to glorify your name and inform us the image of Christ. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

This morning I continue on in our sermon series on penal substitutionary atonement looking today at immeasurable Grace our passage today is from Galatians. But before we go to it, I'm going to read an account of the death and the resurrection from Luke. It'll not it will not be on the screen. My suggestion to you is to sit and listen to reflect on this incredible Story come from Luke chapter 23 verses 32 through chapter 24 verse 12 to others who were criminals were LED away to be put to death with him. That is Jesus and when they came to the place that is called the skull There They Crucified him and the criminals one in his right and one is left. Jesus said father forgive them for they know not what they do and they cast lots to divide his garments and the people stood by watching but the ruler Scott that him saying he saved others let him save himself if he is the Christ of God has chosen one the soldiers mocked him and coming up and offering him sour wine and saying if you are the king of the Jews save yourself there was also an inscription over him. This is the king of the Jews one of the criminals were hanging rail did him saying are you not the Christ save yourself and us but the others rebuked him saying do not fear God since you are under The same sentence of condemnation and we indeed justly for we are receiving the due reward of our Deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong and he said Jesus Remember me when you come into your kingdom and he said to him truly I say to you today. You will be with me in Paradise. It was now about the sixth hour. There was Darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour while the Sun's lights failed and the curtain of the temple was torn in two then Jesus calling out with a loud voice said father into your hands. I commit my spirit. And having said this he breathed his last. And when the Centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God saying certainly this man was innocent and all the crowd that had assembled for this spectacle when they saw what had taken place returned home beating their breasts and all his acquaintances in the women who had followed him From Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. There was a man named Joseph from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the Council of good and righteous man who had not consented to the decision in. And he was looking for the kingdom of God this man went to pile and ask for the body of Jesus that he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone or no one has ever yet been laid. It was a day of preparation in the Sabbath was beginning the women would come with him From Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid, then they returned prepared spices and ointments on the Sabbath day. They rested according to the commandant, but on the first day of the week at early Dawn they went to the tomb taking the spices they prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb but when they went and they did not find the body of Lord Jesus will they were perplexed about this behold two men stood by them in dazzling apparel and as they were frightened and bow their faces to the ground the men said to them. Why do you seek the living among the dead he is not here but has risen remember how he told you I was still in Galilee for the son of man must be delivered in the hands of sinful men and be crucified and then on the third day rise and they remember his words and returning from the tune. They told all these things to be 11 and to all the rest. That was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other woman with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seem to an idle tale and they did not believe them but Peter Rose and ran to the tomb stooping and looking in he saw the linen closet by themselves, and he went marveling

We turn now to Ephesians chapter 2 with our text for today.

Verses 4 through 7

Where we read? But God being rich in Mercy because of the great love with which he loved us. Even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ by Grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So that in the coming ages. He might show the emission measurable Riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. This morning. We are going to once again consider penal substitutionary atonement. We're going to consider it in light of the gospel and in light of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let me remind you of what penal substitutionary atonement is and for those who may be visiting. These are the definitions we have been using to better understand this Doctrine penal substitutionary atonement refers to the doctrine that Christ died on the cross as a substitute for Sinners God imputed the guilt of our sins to Christ and he and our place bore the punishment we deserve this was a full payment for sins which satisfied both the Wrath and the righteousness of God so that he could forgive Sinners without compromising his own holy standard or is it a simpler more concise definition the doctrine of penal substitution states that God gave himself in the person of his son. To suffer instead of us the death punishment and curse do the Fallen Humanity as the penalty for sin. So looking at penal substitution and the atonement the work that Christ worked on our behalf and looking at the resurrection here is the main idea that I wish to communicate to you this morning the resurrection of Jesus Christ reinforces, the truth and amplifies the beauty of the penal substitutionary atonement accomplished by Jesus Christ, specifically the resurrection reinforces that God will punish sin. The resurrection reinforces God's justice and the Sinners justification, the resurrection reinforces sins demise. and the resurrection amplifies the Grandeur of Grace, let's begin this morning with the idea of punishing sin in the penal a posture that God takes towards the penal aspect of penal substitutionary atonement informed us that God condones nothing and the sin and sinfulness of human beings provokes God's Wrath and inevitably results in judgment the doctors of God's Wrath and divine judgment that punishes sins are in fact reinforced by the resurrection. We see this in 1st Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 9 and 10 read for they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception. We had among you and how you turn to God from Idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his son from Heaven whom he raised from the dead Jesus who delivers us from the Wrath to come to in this verse about the resurrection we see that Rob is coming. And we see that it's the resurrected Jesus who will visit God's judgment upon the unrighteous. UCA a dead deliver could never an act Gods just judgment. He is in fact alive and we see thankfully in this at turning to God results being delivered from Roth but also did not turning to God means Goss God's Wrath. It's in will be poured out on Sinners and it will be the resurrected Son of God will bring the full Fury of God's judgment to Bear upon the unrighteous and soul resurreccion reinforces the penal aspect of Christ substitution. We also see you in regards to punishing send John chapter 5 verse 25 through 30 Christ says truly truly I say to you and I was our is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. Fresno father has life in himself. So he is granted The Sun Also to have life in himself and he has given him that is the son of thority to execute judgment because he is the son of man do not Marvel at this for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out and those who have done good to the resurrection of the light of life and to those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. I can do nothing on my own as I hear I judge in my judgment is just because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. I see a dead man cannot pass. or ascertain judgment Christ was resurrected and he would become God's agent for judging but here's the other thing dead. People can't be judged either will not in any real sort of way. I know that in our day in age in our culture. We actually started to do this wheel actually started to judge dead people what I mean by that what I think recently out in BC a city-owned BC decided they would judge our first prime minister John a McDonald. I don't know what what this wasn't about am not familiar with this but they removed his statue from the city hall in effect. They were judging a Deadman. So I guess you could judge that people but it's of no effect on the dead person himself. And yeah, we see in the scripture that Not only was Christ risen from the dead to judge. But every human being will also be resurrected to be judged and so the penal aspect of Christ's atonement is reinforced. It's not just that that is reinforced. But also God's justice and his justification the substitutionary aspect of penal substitutionary atonement demonstrated that God's character plays an integral part in the mechanism of Salvation. God is Holy and just he will see his Justice executed. However, God is also merciful and loving and desires to engage with his people with compassion and loving-kindness. We saw the substitution that is the substituting of Christ for Sinners so that God's justice lands on Christ allows God to be both just and the justifier sinners Christ Resurrection reinforces these truth and confirms God's character and got regards to Justice. We can read acts 17 verse 30 and 31 where these ideas of Justice in the Resurrection come together. We read in the past God overlooked such a grance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent for he has set a day when he will judge the world with Justice. By the man he has appointed he has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead is he God perpetually pursues Justice and righteousness and he does this through his appointed judge Jesus Christ and Jesus's resurrection. We read is proof of this ESV Study Bible notes most importantly the resurrection Place Jesus at God's right hand showing his authority to be the judge until Jesus is God's agent for ensuring God's justice is served his appointment to the right hand of God following his resurrection indicates precisely that Legend of kage something else as well being seated at God's right hand doesn't mean simply that Christ will be God's agent for justice and judgement. It also means that Christ would be God's agent for salvation. Can we read about that in Romans chapter 4 verse 23 through 25, but the words it was counted to him. We're not written for his sake alone. But for ours also, it will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus. Our lord was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. We read here that Christ Resurrection is essential to God's justification of sinners. Raised for our justification. How is that the case he was delivered for our trespasses as we understand that he was crucified for our sins. But how is it that his resurrection is a necessity for our justification for our being declared righteous in the sight of God. Well, John Murray who is written an excellent commentary on Romans. He gets five reasons that paulus alone for why Christ must have been resurrected in order for Sinners to be justified. He writes the respect in which the resurrection of Christ may be conceived of is serving the end of justification or manifold it turns of pause on teaching a few may be mentioned one. We are justified by faith in this Faith must be directed to Jesus. But only as the Living Lord, can he be the object of Faith true faith and an individual can only be put in one who is living? A living faith requires a living object of Faith number to it is in Union with Christ that we are Justified only as active to Resurrection can any virtue proceed from Christ to us and only with the living Christ can Union of that Union how the traffic is United that means that our justification comes to our Union with Christ because we are in him and he is in if he was dead that would not be possible. We could not share that life giving Union if he were dead number three the righteousness of Christ by which we are justifies its abiding embodiment in Christ. It can never be thought of in an abstraction from him as a reservoir of merits stored up only the living one can Christ only has the living want to price the embodiment of righteousness and be made to us righteousness from life. That means that there's nowhere in this universe where you can go and find Tupperware containers with the righteousness of Christ. There's no fault in the universe that you can go and find the righteousness of Christ and apply it to your life. The righteousness of Christ is in Christ, and he has to be living if you were dead. We have no access to it. Number for the death and resurrection of Christ are inseparable and Steven the death or blood of Christ as related to our justification could have no efficacy to that end in isolation from the resurrection. I'll speak more about that in a minute number 5 it is through the mediation of Christ that we come to stand in the grace of justification. But the mediation of Christ could not be operated if he were still under the power of We need a live mediator and Christ is alive. Jesus victory over death itself reinforces that God is eternally seeking and delivering Justice. And as soon as I Justified because there's substitute Rose from the grave. So we're starting to see now how penal substitutionary atonement is reinforced by the resurrection. That is to say it's penal nature as seen in Wrath and judgment, which will be executed by God's right hand man, who he whom he raised from the dead. And that both God being just and Seeking Justice and God being our justifier required a substitutionary sacrifice, but it required one that didn't remain that way this morning. We see sins demise we learned on Monday Thursday a few days ago that by definition of toulmin means of Verdun God's Wrath and paying a ransom and it also the cleansing and forgiveness of sins God's word makes abundantly clear that the resurrection of Christ was necessary for the Forgiveness of our sins. Paul doesn't beat around the bushes here. Paul cannot say it more clearly than he does and 1st Corinthians 15:17. And if Christ had not been raised your faith is futile and you are still in your understand that Christ has gone and died Paul understands. He he said it was up most importance the understanding a Christ died for us. But here he says cleanly apart from Christ being resurrected being raised from the dead. Our faith is futile and you are still in your sense. Come on Sunday mornings when I don't forget, I send a text out to a couple Pastor friends of mine. I sent him a text saying I prayed for this morning and I give him a word of encouragement this morning. I remember to send it out. I said Brothers. If Christ didn't rise from the dead we of all men are most to be pitied.

We Gather on a Sunday morning the preacher dead gospel about a dead savior the people who are dying But he did rise from the dead and so we can celebrate this. We are not left in our sins because he has been raised but why is this the case? Why is it the case that they crucified and dead savior in and of itself apart from the resurrection leaves us still in her sins. John Piper's helpful in regards to this. He said why is this at the death of Jesus satisfy the father? Why? Why are we still in there since if it's true that every debt that you have ever had has been paid up in full by the blood of the Lamb then why are we still in our sins? If the land does not rise from the dead he says the answer release the essential part of the answer is that the resurrection of Jesus is the reward of his sacrifice and if the reward is not given it's because the sacrifice is deficient in if the sacrifice is deficient we are still in our sin. If Christ remains dead he remains under the Dominion of death. If he doesn't come back from the dead, that means death one.

The wages of sin is death. That means we're all still under the Dominion of death and we were all still be lost in sin and slaves to our sinful nature and we would still face the terrible Judgment of God, but Christ work of substitutionary self-sacrifice was Vindicated when God resurrected him Nevermore to die and with all things subject to him. And so we see that all three aspects that we talked about this Easter season of penal substitutionary atonement ReliOn require and a rear Forest by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And the fact of the Resurrection is an incredible thing.

There isn't any story that you can come across in the annals of history on the Bible itself that can compare to the incredible fact of the death and resurrection of the son of God. But it's not just an incredible fact, the benefits of the Resurrection are innumerable. And all of this is because the grace of God is immeasurable. I like to spend the last few minutes this morning talking about the Grandeur of Grace talking about the absolute Wonder of God's grace that comes to us through the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We see the Grandeur of Grace and how the resurrection confirms and strengthens the truth in the beauty of penal substitutionary atonement penal substitutionary atonement is itself a blessed Grace. It is a Grace to us that God will judge sin. It is a Grace to us that God pursues Justice. It is a Grace to us that God justifies Sinners and it's a Grace to us that God forgives sins. What side only begins to touch upon the Grandeur of Grace in The Resurrection the raising of Jesus from the dead amplifies the beauty of a substitutionary atonement of Christ and an amplifies the overall Grandeur of Grace and this is where Ephesians 2 verses 4 through 7 comes in. But God being rich in Mercy because of the great love which he with which he loved us. Even when we were dead in our trespasses made us a live together with Christ by Grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So that in the coming ages. He might show the immeasurable Riches of his grace and kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. If you have been saved by grace through faith in the Risen Christ, if you have turn from your sin and trusted in the Son of God that you have been raised up from the dead with him so that in this age and in the age to come he might show you his immeasurable Riches of Grace this morning. I thought of kids on an Easter egg hunt and for any of you who ever watch the kids if you have your own kids and you seen there's something fascinating it happens. You put a kid in a room that is absolutely full of Easter eggs. There is shiny Easter eggs everywhere some of them of hidden but lots are in plain sight kids run past 30 eggs to get the first one that they saw they'll pick that up in the look across and run past 30 more eggs to get 1 their eyes are on Brothers & Sisters. This is what Grace is like to us. We read our Bible and a one-page we find some Grace that speaks to our heart where we could turn back the page and find 20 more that we just skimmed over cuz we're trying to get to the end of the story. Our life is saturated with Grace one thing after another and just like a kid who surrounded by candies, but because they're young and finite they see the one and they grabbed it. We don't even get a picture of the grace that surrounds us something to make an attempt in a moment to fill up your basket with Easter egg. Grace before I do I need to say this if you haven't been saved by grace through faith in Jesus the glories of Grace remain far off from you.

Will you consider the gracious and merciful savior? Will you consider the awesome salvation is accomplished by substituting himself for Sinners receiving a penalty that they deserve. Will you consider his God rot victory over death and sin. This morning. Will you Avail yourself of this beautiful and glorious salvation? I encourage you turn from your sin turn to Jesus and trust him and Trust in a work of Salvation that he offers to you this morning.

Let me finish off my eyes. I said dropping a bunch of Easter eggs of Grace in your basket. Each of these Easter eggs represent a glorious grace to you that comes to you as a result of the substitutionary death of Christ and his unrivaled resurrection. I understand. We will never completely be able to measure God's grace. It's a measurable, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. So I'm going to start with you this morning on the back of the inserts in your Bulletin. I've got a list of Easter eggs of Grace for your basket this morning. This will get you started on measuring the grace of God that comes to us through the Resurrection comes from a book called fifty reasons why the resurrection changed everything everything? And for each one of those you can see the scripture references. I'd encourage you pick a few today study them look into them how the resurrection amplifies the beauty of God's grace to us that came through his death.

Jesus was resurrected one to give us eternal life with God to to heal us three to give us a new way to live for to make us fruitful 5 to give life to our mortal bodies 6th and Our obligation to the flash 7 to provide us with future Glory 8 to adopt us into God's family 9 to intercede for us at God's right hand.

I'm just barely a third done. Measure that Grace we're just getting started turn to make our faith and preaching worthwhile 11. Jesus was resurrected to guarantee our future Resurrection 12. Jesus was resurrected to give us a reason to endanger or lies 13. Jesus was resurrected to Deliver Us from Self Indulgence 14. Jesus was resurrected to give us Heavenly imperishable Bodies 50. Jesus is resurrected to call this with his image 16 to give us immortality 17 to make serving the lord worthwhile 18 to give us hope in hard times 19 to give us a greater purpose in life 22 less experience God's Mighty power 21 to bring Victory indoor intimacy with him 22 to make us full and M23 to reorient our desires 24 disappear with him and Glory 25 to enable us to kill her all the way of life 26 to give us New Birth into a Living Hope 27 to share his presence. With his followers until his return. I'll get you started. I'll get you started on measuring the grace of God that comes to us through his death and through his resurrection each. One of those is directly connected to the resurrection and scripture encourage you to open up some of those Easter eggs today.

Let me finish by suggesting to you. A new wording for a famous hymn.

When we've been there 10000 years bright shining as the sun. We've no less days to measure God's grace than when we first begun. Let's pray father God. We thank you for your words. We thank you for the Glorious truth of Christ penal substitutionary atonement for sinners. Sweet. Thank you for the grace. That is your character. You're a just and holy God. and you never condone sin. It arouses your anger and you will judge it and that is a Grace to us and it's a Grace to us that you being just substituted your son for us so that you might justify us. What a glorious Grace is the death of Christ on behalf of those who trust in him. It's a glorious Grace that we have forgiveness of sins that we haven't told mint in Christ work on our behalf. We thank you most of all this morning Father God for the resurrection. All of those glory is trues. Are terminated if Christ remains dead and yet he didn't and so we glory in our Salvation that comes from a savior who died but came back from the dead who was raised to life and sits at your right hand. I pray that as we sing these Songs as we close this service that you by your spirit would help us to remember and to rejoice and Ravel and the Glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's in his name. I pray amen.