The Greatest Historical Moment in Time! Part 1
John Hester
Easter 2022 • Sermon • Submitted
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Throughout history, there has been numerous crisis facing men. Many of which were declared to be earth-shattering. The historians of today often list significant events. If you do a Google search on the most pivotal events in history, you will find many different lists. Some listed events as the top 10 or 15 that completely changed the world. Such lists usually include things like:
The Deposition of Romulus Augustulus initiated the decline and fall of the Romans Empire in AD 476
Christopher Columbus reached the Americas in 1492.
Martin Luther published his 95 theses in 1517.
The Boston Tea Party in 1773.
The Tennis Court Oath ignited the French Revolution in 1789, giving rise to Napoleon Bonaparte.
The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in 1914 eventually led to World War 1.
The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.
Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939 plunged the world into World War 2.
In our lifetime, we have seen...
The fall of the Berlin Wall around 1990 ended the Cold War unifying Germany.
The 9/11 attacks on September 11, 2001.
All of these events impacted the world.
Unfortunately, this list and others left out the most significant historical event. An event that impacted not just this world but also the world to come. It was an event with more than earthly significance; it held eternal implications.
Look with me in your Bibles as I read the event that shook Heaven and earth to you.
33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, 34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. 35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. 36 And sitting down they watched him there; 37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. 48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
There is no doubt from reading Matthew’s testimony as well as Mark’s, Luke’s, and John’s gospels that Christ death resonated in Heaven and on earth.
However, this morning, we seek to understand what made this event the single most significant event in history. We must turn to the book of Romans to find our answer.
Our text this morning is Romans 3:22-26
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
The most significant event in history is the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an event that impacted men both physically and spiritually. What was the degree to which this event influenced all of mankind?
Number one, it was THE EVENT by which:
GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS IS OFFERED TO ALL MEN!
GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS IS OFFERED TO ALL MEN!
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
At the heart of this verse and Christ’s death is the righteousness of God. Righteousness can only come from God. God, Himself is the essence of righteousness. “Righteous” means being entirely just without prejudice or partiality. Thus, God is the Righteous One who deals with men completely justly. He does so without any bias or partiality.
6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
The entire collection of Psalms speaks of His righteousness 21 different times. Isaiah 53:11 proclaims:
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; For he shall bear their iniquities.
If you go back to when man sinned in the Garden, God could have smitten down Adam and Eve right there and then. His holiness and justice accorded Him the RIGHT to do so. He was not in any way obliged to save any man. However, God is also love. Thus, He chose to reveal Himself to us, making way for our redemption by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for us.
For this reason, the day Christ died upon the cross is so incredibly important. You see, God’s righteousness still demanded payment for man’s sin. It demanded judgment from a Holy God. And thus, God provided Himself a Lamb. He provided Himself a Lamb that was perfect without any blemish.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
And there it is once again, we, who are sinners, can be made righteousness. We can be made righteousness, not because of what we have done. No, we can be made righteous simply because of Christ’s death on the cross. Through His death, God offers now to all who believe (who have faith) in His Sons’ death, burial, and resurrection righteousness.
Look again at our text.
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Note that is for all and is upon all them that BELIEVE (faith). There is the key. With our whole hearts, we must believe that Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection is the path to righteousness.
Faith is simply personally accepting God’s testimony as truth. It is not “trusting” or “expecting God to do something.” Instead, it is us totally relying on God’s testimony concerning His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and all that His Son did for you and me on the cross of Calvary.
Saving faith, faith that leads to personal salvation, does not trust God to do something. God already did it all. He sent His Son who has already born sin for you. Nor does it look to Christ to do something. He already did it all at the cross. No, it is faith that simply receives God’s testimony as true. You simply rest in His Word regarding Christ and His Work for you. You rest in Christ’s shed blood.
This morning, I point you to the cross. I point you to that beautiful moment in history when God offers us righteousness. I cry along with John the Baptist, who said the following words about the Lord Jesus Christ.
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
But wait, there is more. Look again at our text and verse 23.
NO MAN IS BORN ALREADY RIGHTEOUS!
NO MAN IS BORN ALREADY RIGHTEOUS!
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
This verse connects to the preceding verse. In fact, note again how verse 22 ends.
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
There is no difference between men. All are born sinners. All come short of God’s glory.
What does it mean to “come short” of God’s glory? To come short of God’s glory means:
We fail to earn God’s Holy approval.
We do not have the required spiritual strength to obtain our original standing with God.
We are entirely unable to stand before Him in His glorious presence.
Here is an excellent example of how we “come short.” This illustration I found in a commentary and thought it was pretty good.
Let’s suppose that we were standing on one of the boardwalks at Virginia Beach. I say to all of us, “Let’s jump from here all the way to Europe!” And let’s imagine that one of our teens, with all their vigor and strength, took me seriously and tried to jump to Europe. They might be able to jump over 20 feet, but they would “come short” of reaching Europe. Now suppose one of our more senior ladies jumped one foot. She, too, would have “come short.” In fact, all who jump will “come short.” It matters not who jumps the farthest; all “come short.”
God’s point is this! No matter how righteous you think you are, you still fall short of His glory. No matter how good a person you may think you are, you still come short of His glory. There is no person here this morning who can “jump” into God’s presence on their own. We are all born sinners,” coming short” of God’s Glory.
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Now comes one of the single most excellent verses in the Bible.
CHRIST’S DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION IS THE ONLY PATH TO REDEMPTION
CHRIST’S DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION IS THE ONLY PATH TO REDEMPTION
Look again at our text and verse 24.
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
This verse ushers us into God’s courtroom. We are completely guilty before Him. Adam’s sin is our sin. We are born into this world already as sinners under God’s condemnation. However, God displays His tremendous unmerited favor to us with this single verse - His grace.
Note the words “being justified.” Those who by faith accept all that Christ did on the cross along with His resurrection, God “justifies” them. In other words, He accounts for their righteousness. Now, because of Christ’s work and our total acceptance of what He did, God no longer sees the believer as a sinner. Instead, He sees them now covered by the blood of His Son. Christ’s shed blood makes us righteous before God.
Now look again at verse 24. God’s act of justification is done freely.
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
The word in Greek here means for nothing. It is an entirely free gift. Thus, all who accept by faith all that Christ has done already for them are freely justified. Again, we find another instance of what God does. He is the One who made it possible for us to be righteous before Him. He did so through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And, when we accept His testimony as truth, He once again performs the action of justifying us without us doing a thing.
This is the reason the Holy Spirit adds:
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
God’s grace is His infinite love operating by an unlimited means with endless freedom.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
His infinite love is demonstrated in His love for all of humanity. His unlimited means was the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. His limitless freedom is displayed in that anyone can accept His free gift of everlasting life.
Look again at verse 24 and note this:
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
God’s righteousness, our justification, and the gift of eternal life are all connected to Christ’s act of redemption.
The word redemption is “used to denote deliverance effected through the death of Christ from the retributive wrath of a holy God and the merited penalty of sin.”
We see the effect of redemption in Ephesians 1:7
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Its effect was forgiveness. Without Christ’s redemption, we all would stand before God this morning without His pardon and wholly exposed to His wrath.
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
May I say to you this morning that Christ’s redemptive work on the cross is the only path to God’s forgiveness and righteousness! A fact that leads us to verse 25.
THE ALL-IMPORTANT WORK OF CHRIST UPON THE CROSS
THE ALL-IMPORTANT WORK OF CHRIST UPON THE CROSS
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Here is where the find just how significant Christ’s death is for all mankind. It is the reason why is the single most impactful moment in all of history. This verse sends us back to that moment when Christ shed His blood for all mankind. It was the moment when God judged human sin openly in the GREAT SACRIFICE of His own Son.
Look again at this verse and pay special attention to the phrase “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation.” The word “propitiation” is not a commonly used word today. However, it is an extremely important word related to this great event. For us to properly understand this word, we must go back into the Old Testament. It is there that God presented for us a clear illustration of its meaning.
When God established Israel as a nation, He ordained for them a Day of Atonement. It was a day when Israel fasted, cleansed the tabernacle (later the Temple) of impurities, and dealt with their personal sin through blood sacrifices. Note God’s command in Leviticus.
7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
On the great Day of Atonement, the high priest presented to Jehovah God two goats. One was slain. The high priest took the blood of the slain goat into the Holy of Holies. He then sprinkled the blood upon “the mercy-seat” (the covering of the ark of the covenant where God’s Shekinah glory abode above the cherubim). He would then sprinkle the blood seven times before the mercy seat. The golden covering of the ark was called the “mercy seat.” It was here as the goat’s blood was shed for man’s sin, thus satisfying God’s requirements for sin. “Propitiation” comes from the Greek word for “mercy seat.” On that day, the Day of Atonement, the shed blood testified that a death had taken place. Thus, the person for whom the blood was shed could not approach or stand for a moment in the presence of the infinitely holy God. When the high priest came in before Jehovah on that great day, he came carrying the basin containing the poured out lifeblood of the slain goat. He then swung the censer, filling the Holy of Holies with a cloud of incense. The cloud of incense covered from human sight the mercy seat where dwelt the Shekinah Presence of God. The high priest approached the mercy seat, sprinkling it with blood. He then sprinkled the blood seven times more before the mercy seat as he retired from the Holy of Holies.
Now, remember there are two goats. The first was slain, and its blood sprinkled upon and before the mercy seat. The second goat was known as the scapegoat or the goat of dismissal. This goat was led into the wilderness and set free, never to be found again.
Both goats represent all that Christ did upon the cross for us. The first goat was slain, and his blood became a testimony that a death took place. Life was laid down. It was witness to all the claims of God, His holiness, truth, righteousness, and the majesty of His throne. This goat’s blood was admitted into His presence as a substitute that had laid down its life.
In the same way, the Lord Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, the One Who knew no sin, entered into God’s presence and laid down His life for our sins. He gave Himself for us so that we might be made righteous. He became our Substitute. The blood He shed that day stands as a testimony of a death sacrificed in our place.
What about the second goat? The second goat speaks to Christ’s death, taking away our sin forever. Just as the goat was set free, never to be found again, those who place their faith in Christ’s death have their sins forgiven, never to be held against them again.
We see the word “propitiation” in our text for these reasons. The cross of Calvary became where Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice brought sinners into God’s holy presence, the defiled and guilty. Christ then bore our defilement and guilt upon His own body as He shed His blood for us. His death stands as a witness of all that God Himself did for us.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
The most significant single event to impact all of mankind was the day Christ died upon the cross of Calvary. However, His death is not the end of the story. You cannot separate His death from His resurrection. Christ not only died, but He rose again. It is a subject for next Sunday, which is Easter Sunday.
For now, I want you to understand the significance of His death. The truth is this. We are all born as unrighteous and sinners the moment we are born into this world. We are born already under God’s condemnation. There is nothing we can do to be righteous. Everything man offers and advises you about being right is entirely false. The only righteousness is God’s righteousness. It is something that of which we all fall very short. For that reason, God, rich in mercy and full of great love, made way for us to become righteous. His plan involved sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be a “propitiation” for us. In other words, He became our Substitute. He shed His own blood for us. An empty cross bearing the bloodstains of the Lord is a testament to all that He has done for us. Now, all He asks is that you simply have faith. For those who will have such faith, He promises them a wonderful gift - the gift of eternal life.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
How then does one accept this wonderful gift?
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
May I encourage you to have faith in all Christ has done this morning! Accept this morning the truth and testimony of God. Just admit that you are a sinful person in need of a personal Savior this morning. Repent of our sin and turn to Christ, believing all that He did for you on the cross of Calvary. He loves you so much that He willingly laid down His life for you. Open your heart to Him. Call out to Him with your mouth confessing your allegiance to Him. When you do, God will change your life completely.
Believer, right now, thank Him! Thank Him for shedding His blood for you. Thank Him for being your Substitute upon the cross. Thank Him for righteousness and justification. Thank Him for His great grace, rich mercy, and great love.