God Is For Us

Introduction:

Through the miraculous birth of Issac, God revealed Himself to the world with the hopes of drawing humanity back to his goodness and love. The closest Israel ever came to achieving this goal was under the rule and wisdom of Salomon.

Then God, through a miraculous birth, sends Jesus to reveal himself to the world and draw all humanity back to God. After the rejection of Jesus, the Church is born to reveal God's love and draw all humanity back to God once again.

God always has a witness of people that reveal his character and nature to a lost and dying world to draw his creation back into a loving relationship with him. We, the Church, carry that burden and responsibility today.

Our society is so divided right now. People are choosing sides about everything. Some churches choose to reveal what God is against. These are the people with "God hates" (fill in the blank) signs. I doubt these actions are going to draw people into a loving relationship with a God.

Others misrepresent God by claiming a relationship with him and then hurting people and themselves through their sin. They ask questions like, "If you serve God, why do you live like the Devil?" If God is the light of the world, why are you walking in darkness?

It is our calling and responsibility to reveal the character and nature of God, to reveal who God is.

Current Series: God Is

God is Known

God is Light (and in him is no darkness at all).

God is For Us

I’ve got some good news and some bad news this morning. Which do you want first.

Here is the bad news:

God is against Sin and the Sinner

1 John 2:1 (ESV)

1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin...

Sin is a willful contradiction to God's divine character.

Romans 3:9–12 ESV

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

Romans 3:23 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Wrath is the willful judgment of God because of his divine character.

Romans 1:18–19 ESV

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

Wrath is real.

Condemnation is real.

Hell is real and is an all-consuming fire.

Revelation 20:11–15 ESV

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Illustration: Court Scene:

The Judge: God the Father

The prosecutor: The Law (Romans 7:12)

The accused: All Humanity

The witness: Satan (Revelation 12:10)

The Advocate: Jesus Christ the Righteous

Here is the good news:

God is for us through Jesus.

Jesus is our Advocate for Sin

1 John 2:1 ESV

1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Jesus is not a good lawyer. (He's not a Ken Nugent: "One Call that's All."

The righteousness of Christ finds us guilty of our sin.

Jesus is our Righteousness from Sin

1 John 2:2 ESV

2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Jesus becomes sin in our place.

He is our scapegoat.

Illustration The Scapegoat. (Leviticus 16:20-22)

Once a year, on the day of atonement, the High priest would take two goats and cast lots to see which one would die and which one would be the scapegoat. The High Priest sacrificed The first goat for the people, and his blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies. Then the High priest would take the second goat and lay both his hands on the goat's head and confess the sin of Isreal, placing the transgressions on the goat and sending it out into the wilderness and setting it free.

Jesus doesn't plead your case.

He becomes sin for you.

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.

God is our Justifier through faith.

Romans 3:21–23 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,

Romans 3:24–26 ESV

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.

The two goats are both Jesus.

First, the sacrifice of sin at the cross

Second, the scapegoat of faith

Confession and faith results in justification

Salvation is coming to the crucified Christ and placing your bloody hands on his head, confess your sin, and transfer it to him. Jesus will then remove your sin forever.

We are for God as much as He is for us.

1 John 2:4–5 ESV

4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:

When you place your sin on Jesus, He puts his righteousness on you.

Your new life in Christ is evident through keeping the commandments of God.

Love God with all your heart.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

1 John 2:6 ESV

6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

"God is not your adversary from which to hide but your advocate in which to abide."

Romans 8:31–32 ESV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:33–34 ESV

33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Romans 8:35–37 ESV

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Next Steps:

Some of you need the Advocate for your sin.

You need to lay your spiritual hands and heart on Jesus and confess your sin.

He wants to set you free.

Some of you need to walk in assurance by abiding in Christ and keeping his commandments.