#5 - God's gospel is accomplished through the work of Christ

Over the past four weeks we have seen in our big Ideas that God is a Triune God, who sent His Word of God to reveal to us the condition of Man as well we have come to understand the person of Jesus Christ.

We have learned about God and how the condition of man stands in need of restoration. No longer can make walk freely with God, but we are not without hope.

The person of Jesus Christ has come to bring restoration to the marred image of man and through Christ we can have our relationship with God restored.

Today’s big Idea is simple put as

Big Idea #5: God's Gospel is accomplished through the work of Christ

The Gospel or Good news is this. That the Gospel is accomplished through the work of Christ.

The Bible affirms that God is a Holy and just God, He is righteous, and He has made a way that through the work of the Cross we have the forgiveness of sin.

The sin that so easily entangles us and Christ’s work on the cross brings about restoration.

You see if your read the story of God from Genesis to Revelation you see that it’s pivotal point is that of Christ.

The Old Testament shows the work of the prophets.

A prophet came to reveal God Word, His plan and direction for the life of God’s Chosen people.

The Priest were set up to be the mediator between man and God. The priest’s job would be to stand in the gap of the rift between God and Man. The Old Testament shows that the actions of the people would be a image of things to come.

The sacrifices offered up by the people through the priest would one day be fully a restore relationship with God.

The last image that we get through the Old testament is that of a King.

God was their king, yet in they lived among people around them and those people had a king, so they cried out for a earthly King.

They were given an earthly King to rule over their lives.

Christ came to fulfill all of those three things.

He is the prophet, priest, and is now a reigning king.

The Gospel truths puts it best when it says,

The institutions of Israel provide the categories by which to understand the work of Christ, as he fulfills the role of prophet -- revealing the grace of truth of God as his perfect image; Of priest -- representing and redeeming a sinful people ; And of a King -- exercising the authority of God in reigning over his creation. pg 113

To fully understand Christ work we will look at three areas of his work.

His work first on the cross, then the atonement, and finally the Resurrection.

Christ’s work on the Cross

He came to die. The focus of Christ life is that he came to die for our sins.

The message of the New Testament all point to the Cross

Gospel’s Focus

Take a look at the gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Each of the four writers central theme was that of the Cross.

Matthew and Mark speak often of the words of Christ that he must suffer and die. There is a constant reference to the conflict between Jesus and the leaders.

Matthew 16:21 ESV

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

both Matthew and mark point to the fact that Jesus divine purpose was to come and to die on the cross.

Matthew 26:54–56 ESV

54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Luke’s perspective can be seen in this verse,

Luke 9:22 ESV

22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

He reaffirms the truth that the focus of the Gospel was Jesus’ determination to come and to die on the cross.

Finally, John repeats the words, “The hour” There is a coming time. A time to die.

John 12:23 ESV

23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

The centrality of the cross is the message or the Gospel. The good news that of the Gospel writers and the writing of the New Testament are all about the cross, the work done on the cross.

The promised Messiah foretold in the Old Testament came to be the savior of the world. Through the people of Israel there will come a redeemer that will be the good news for all of mankind. That God working through the people of Israel will bless the entire world.

Prime importance

The Gospel’s focus on the cross is of prime importance.

Jesus Died for our sins, shedding his own blood so that we might live.

The Passover story is a vivid example of shed blood so that God’s wrath will Passover those covered by the Blood.

Mark 10:45 ESV

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

In the days of the Passover and sacrifice, an innocent lamb would be taken. Christ willingly came and went to the cross and allowed his blood to be shed for us.

Christ’s work on Atonement

Knowing that Christ’s work on the cross, his shed blood for our sins was the true sacrifice for our sins, we then move from the work of the cross and to the work of atonement.

Hebrews 10:14 ESV

14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Christ was the perfect sacrifice for sin. The atonement is perfect, fulfilling all that is required from God.

The priests use to sacrifice on a yearly basis for themselves and the people yet, Christ, is now acting as both the priest and the perfect offering.

With the previous sacrifices, they had to continually offer up a sacrifice as it was not complete. It satisfied for the moment, but a time was coming where the sacrifice would be complete. It would cover all sacrifices, sins.

This is where the word Atonement comes from.

No longer are there sacrifices needed to be made as Christ did it once for all. His perfect sacrifice was the complete sacrifice that takes the place of our sin.

His sacrifice is perfect, complete, absolute. This sacrifice works on our hearts taking away the sins from our heart.

By His perfect sacrifice we obtain eternal redemption.

In its perfection, Jesus’ atoning sacrifices also “all sufficient.“ Nothing is lacking from it, and we can add nothing to it. It is complete, fully effective and all that is required to atone for our sins. It satisfies all the requirements of God's holiness and justice and providing the means of our Salvation -- in its past, present and future dimensions for this reason Jesus could say it is finished.

Penalty Substitution

I would like to take a few moments on the idea of what is called Penal substitution. It the word used for understand how Christ’s work of atonement is carried out in our lives.

A great description is found in the book of Gospel truths, which writes,

When refer (to) our statement as to Jesus as our substitute, we have a particularly in mind the forensic model of atonement known as penal substitution: Jesus, the righteous one, died in our place, paying the penalty that we deserve, thus satisfying God's justice. God's wrath is thereby appeased, reconciling sinners to only God, such that his forgiveness does not compromise His Holiness. This process is God dash initiated, and is, from beginning to end, an expression of God's love and grace.

In other words,

God, as a Holy God, can not be in the presence of our sin. Christ took upon Himself the penalty associated with that sin, eternal separation from God, and substituted us for Him.

He paid a debt he did not owe

We actually owe a debt we cannot pay.

Christ paid the debt, and stands in our place

In college on weekends, there would often be floor hockey tournaments held throughout the year. Surrounding area teams would come and play all day Saturday floor hockey. The school had built short wooden boards that divided up the gym into 4 areas of play. Built into the walls was a section where players could sit. They were refereed to the “Sin Bin.” If any time during the game you committed an offense, you were sent there.

You had to pay your time in the bin then released.

Christ’s work on the cross has removed us from the sin bin and he sits in our place once for all.

Let’s look at Rom 3:21-26

Romans 3:21–26 ESV

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Christ’s work on the cross replaces our works of unrighteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As we learned last week, the sinless Jesus was able to be a sacrifice on the cross for our sins.

Imagine the disciples as they were expecting the Christ, the Messiah to come and usher in the new kingdom. They were travelling with the Messiah the Christ for three years and now they are staring in disbelief as he dies on a cross. His death was not only sad for them, dashing all their perceived hopes, but he died like a common criminal.

It was only through the Resurrection that they began to understand as we understand that His death was not a death for his sins, but ours.

This is why during Easter we are reminded of the words from Isaiah,

Isaiah 53:4–6 ESV

4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 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.

His body on the cross took on our sins. It was the substitute for the sins of the world.

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

The shadow of the past sacrifices have been replaced once and for all by Christ death on the cross.

It is this substitute from our sins that we can and will stand before a Holy God.

We will be called blameless because of the work of Atonement through Christ.

Union with Christ

The final part of our atonement is our status with Christ.

Because of Christ’s work on atonement he also becomes our representative.

We once again need to look back at the nation of Israel and the system God put in place to connect and talk with God.

The priest or king, would be chosen to be their representative and to stand before God. They would offer up sacrifices on behalf of the entire nation. It was the role of the High priest. It was their job to be the representative.

The King on the other hand was chosen by the people and thus would be from them. IT would be that the king would share with them an understanding of who they were.

Christ fulfills both of Priest and King as He stand fully as the one time sacrifice and the one who walked among them. We are called brothers and sisters in Christ to show that solidarity.

Finally, our union with Adam as sin passed down through him, so to is our union with Christ that the forgiveness of those sins are through Christ.

By our nature we are brought unto death, but by our connection or union with Christ by faith we are made righteous.

His obedience has taken away our disobedience.

Christ’s work on the Resurrection

Christ’s work on the cross,

Christ’s work on atonement,

leads us to Christ’s work on the Resurrection.

The three cannot be separated. His death on the cross leads to his Resurrection. His obedience to God to die and God’s faithfulness to raise him from the dead shows the power or God.

It is this act of Resurrection shows his validity in the work of the cross and demonstrates his victory over the grip of Sin. Anyone associated with Christ by faith, too has the same victory shown in the Resurrection and the power of the cross.

Jesus’ Victory

As Peter declared Jesus was condemned by both religious and state courts to be found guilty, crucified and by the power of God raised from the dead given victory over death.

You see as Jesus hung on the cross, he was taunted and ridiculed.

They had perceived that they had won.

It wasn’t until the victory of the Resurrection that they realized God’s order fell into place.

Ephesians 1:19–22 ESV

19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,

The Enemy camp, as they saw Christ hanging on the tree had claimed victory. Christ had came to usher in His kingdom, and the evil had thought they won.

It was only through his death that the power of the Resurrection can and is made known.

Remember the old song

Victory in Jesus

I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood's atoning Then I repented of my sins and won the victory

Oh victory in Jesus, my Savior forever He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood He loved me 'ere I knew Him and all my love is due Him He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood

The victory in this song is found only in the Resurrection of Christ.

Our Hope

secondly Christ’s work on the resurrection leads to our hope.

1 Corinthians 15:20 ESV

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

The first thing that we have because of the resurrection is the hope that we will spend eternity with our risen savior.

That marred and broken image that sin in our live will one day be fully restored. It will be restored into the image of Christ as we are glorified in our heavenly bodies.

No more sickness, no more pain, no more virus. A day will come that we will one day be standing in the presence of God.

Jesus’ work on the cross has brought us that hope that we so desperately need.

listen to these words,

But his resurrection also has a significant implication for the present. In union with Christ we are already raised with him and seated with him in the heavenly realms. His righteousness before God is now ours reckoned or imputed to us by virtue of our union with Christ . We are already partakers of his new and risen life, liberated by our captivity to sin and by the Holy Spirit we have, even now, tasted "the powers of the coming age ". The power of the demonic world, weather experienced explicitly or more covertly, has been broken by Jesus victory. He stands as Lord of all. pg 130

Romans 8:24 ESV

24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?

We live in a new order of already but not yet.

Christ has already conquered death, yet we will not experience the full victory of that until we reach heaven.

We live in a three states,

We are saved

Ephesians 2:8 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

We are being saved

1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV

18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

and finally we will be saved

Romans 5:9–10 ESV

9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Conclusion

The gospel is accomplished through the work of Christ.

His work on the cross, His atonement for our sin, and His bodily resurrection conquering and having victory over death.

As the worship team comes forward, let me leave you with this parting statement

God need not have saved anyone; but in his holy love, having purpose from eternity to redeem a people for himself, he determined to save us through the work of his son. Jesus prayed, “my father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me “: Matthew 26:39 in the wisdom of God, it is not possible any other way. Christ atoning death and victorious resurrection constitutes the only ground for our Salvation. pg 131