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Good Friday - 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Well, good evening, Providence Baptist Church.
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Our text this evening is going to be 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verses 17 through 21.
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!
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2 Corinthians chapter 5, verses 17 through 21.
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Why do we call it good?
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I know many of you could probably answer that quite thoroughly.
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But at least acknowledge at face value this is kind of a strange name for such a day.
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It is a day where we remember the death, the excruciating death, as a matter of fact, of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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He was led captive.
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He was mocked.
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He was stripped naked, shamed, beaten, nailed to a cross, through his feet and his hands, spat upon.
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And all of this occurred in an illegal trial with unjust officials whom he created.
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Jew and Gentile alike rejected their creator and nailed him to his creation, the tree.
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And so there is a really real question here about what on earth is good about that.
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And relatedly, why would Christ come to die anyways?
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Well, to answer these questions, we will look at 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17 through 21.
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Paul writes,
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Therefore,
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Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.
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We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
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For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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This evening we are going to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the same reason.
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This evening we are going to see at least three reasons why Christ came to die.
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These same reasons will also help us why it is that we call this day good, and rightly so, because it is truly good.
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There are more than these three reasons, to be sure, that are just as important.
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But our text today draws us to these three, and so we will follow.
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And a quick but important note, I'm not going to go word by word through this passage as would be my normal practice,
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nor am I necessarily tracing the argument Paul is making through 2 Corinthians.
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Rather, as a day of remembrance, this good Friday, I want our minds to be drawn to the goodness of Christ's death,
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with the goal of honoring God and edifying the body.
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Three reasons Christ came to die on this good day.
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Number one, to create the world anew.
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To create the world anew.
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Look back at verse 17.
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Paul writes,
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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
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The old has passed away.
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Behold, look, the new has come.
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Since Genesis 3, due to Adam's sin, the world is cursed by God.
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Thorns, thistles, tough ground, unproductive ground, weeds,
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all these kinds of things pop up after the fall.
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If you've ever cut your hand out on a farm or working in your yard,
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you can thank Adam.
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And likewise, God punishes humanity directly.
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To Eve, he says,
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You will bring forth children in pain,
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and your desire shall be for your husband,
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and he shall rule over you.
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To Adam, he says,
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You will work in pain.
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You will sweat.
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And you will die.
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And of course, because Adam and Eve sinned,
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all of their offspring are born as sinners as well.
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And this is why King David,
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many years later, many generations later,
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could say truly and rightly in Psalm 51 5,
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Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
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and in sin did my mother conceive me.
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He's not saying mom was a bad person who got around.
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He's saying,
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I was conceived as a sinner.
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This reality that David understands is made more explicit
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and more universal throughout the Bible.
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Just one example is Romans 3, 23.
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Paul writes,
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For all have sinned,
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that's everyone,
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every individual,
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all have sinned
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and fall short of the glory of God.
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And so we get these chilling words from Paul in Romans 5, 12.
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He says,
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Therefore,
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just as sin came into the world through one man,
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talking about Adam,
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just as sin came into the world through Adam,
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and death through sin,
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and so death spread to all men,
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because all sinned.
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sinned.
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And so you don't even need a Bible necessarily to know this.
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The world around us is broken,
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and we ourselves are broken.
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Nothing is as it should be.
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But God,
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but God, as Paul says,
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being rich in mercy,
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because of the great love
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with which he loved us,
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even when we were dead in our trespasses,
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made us alive together with Christ.
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By grace,
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you have been saved.
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Ephesians 2, 4.
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This is why Paul can say
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in 2 Corinthians 5, 17,
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if anyone is in Christ,
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he is a new creation.
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To be in Christ,
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or to be with Christ,
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is to be made new.
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It is to come alive.
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This happens when one has
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repented of their sins
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and confesses Jesus as Lord.
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That confession is made public by baptism,
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and biblically,
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when a person decides
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they are team Jesus,
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they publicly pronounce that
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through baptism.
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And likewise,
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the church in turn
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baptizes them
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as a public recognition
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that this person belongs.
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This is one of us.
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This person
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is a Christian,
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a new creature.
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And hence,
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Romans 6, 4,
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Paul says,
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So if anyone is in Christ,
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he is a new creation.
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If any person is to be saved
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and made alive,
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Christ had to die.
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The only way dead men live
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is if death itself
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is overtaken.
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If the cursed world
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and the broken man
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are made new,
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this can only be because
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they have died
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and been reborn,
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remade.
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And so you can see
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why this is so good.
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Christ is reversing
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the curse of Genesis 3.
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He is removing the guilt
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and the punishment
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of Genesis 3.
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And we Christians
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here and now,
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as James says in James 1.18,
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are a kind of first fruits
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of his creatures.
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That is to say that
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in God creating
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the new heavens
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and the new earth,
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he actually starts
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right here,
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right now,
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by creating anew
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his people.
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And so,
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brothers and sisters,
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you and I
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are the beginning
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of the new heavens
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and the new earth
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by the grace of God
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right now.
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The second reason
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we see that Christ
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came to die
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is that Christ died
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to reconcile us
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to God the Father,
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to reconcile the world
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to the Father.
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So look back
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at verse 18.
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We'll read again.
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Paul writes,
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all this is from God,
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who through Christ
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reconciled us
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to himself
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and gave us
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the ministry
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of reconciliation.
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That is,
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in Christ,
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God was reconciling
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the world
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to himself,
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not counting their
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trespasses against them,
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and entrusting to us
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the message
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of reconciliation.
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Therefore,
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we are ambassadors
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for Christ,
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God making his appeal
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through us.
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We implore you
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on behalf of Christ,
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be reconciled
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to God.
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Now,
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we could rightly
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talk a lot
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about the mission
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of the church
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from this passage.
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We could talk about
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our responsibility
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as ambassadors,
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the need to be peacemakers,
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to preach the gospel
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of reconciliation.
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reconciliation.
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But again,
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today,
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we want to focus
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on why Christ died
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and the goodness
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of that horrific
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event,
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the actual content
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of the gospel.
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And so,
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in doing that,
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we see a glaring
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key word
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in these few verses.
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It is
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reconciliation.
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It appears
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five times
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in this passage,
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twice as a noun,
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three times as a verb.
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And this term
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indicates a change
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of relationship.
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In sin,
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we were enemies
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of God.
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It is not
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an exaggeration
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to say
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we hated
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God.
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Capital H.
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So,
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how would a creature
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who hates God
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be reconciled
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to God?
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Why would he?
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He hates him.
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But this is
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one of the things
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that makes
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Christianity
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unique from
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all other
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religions.
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Man does not
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reconcile himself
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to God.
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He cannot.
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But as Paul
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has made plain,
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God reconciles
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us
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to himself.
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Read verse 18
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again.
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God,
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who through Christ
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reconciled
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us
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to
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himself.
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God
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did that.
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You and I
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did not
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do that.
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God
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and God
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alone
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did that
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through
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Christ.
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It is only
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after God
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reconciles us
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through Christ
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that Paul
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commands us
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to be
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reconciled to
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God
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in verse 20.
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So,
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Christ's death
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is not
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merely enabling
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our heart
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change.
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It is not
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merely making
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us alive.
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As good and
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great as that
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is,
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the gospel
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is even
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more.
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God
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is reestablishing
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his
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relationship
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with us.
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Through
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Christ,
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the
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reconciliation
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that God
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brings
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changes our
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relationship
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such that
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we're no longer
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enemies.
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We're friends
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of God,
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as James 2
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says.
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We're
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adopted
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sons
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and daughters,
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as Ephesians 1
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says.
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We get to
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call him
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father.
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We who
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are enemies
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call him
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father.
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We're now
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described as
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the bride
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of Christ
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in Revelation
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19.
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So,
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talk about
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a turn
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of events
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from enemies
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to bride.
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And what
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is it that
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God does
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through Christ
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to bring
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this about?
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Well,
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in the words
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of the prophet
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Isaiah 53,
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verse 10,
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God crushed
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Jesus.
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He has
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put him
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to grief.
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And so,
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it is through
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Christ's death
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on this
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Good Friday,
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so many
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years ago,
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that God
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reconciled us
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to himself.
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Paul makes
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this connection
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explicit in
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Romans 5,
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verse 10.
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He says,
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for while we
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were enemies,
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we were
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reconciled to
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God by the
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death of
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his son.
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Much more,
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now that we
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are reconciled,
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shall we be
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saved by
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his life.
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The cross
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is horrific.
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Christ's death
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is horrific.
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That God
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the son died
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and died
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in the manner
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he did,
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at the same
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time,
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it is so
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good.
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It is so
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good,
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because in
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saving us
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through the
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death of
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the son,
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we will
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walk with
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God in
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the streets
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of the
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new
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Jerusalem.
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In the
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many gardens
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of the
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new earth,
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we will
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know God,
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we will
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feel his
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breath on
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our face,
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as Adam
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and Eve
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once did
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before the
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fall.
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If you're
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cold toward
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the Lord
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right now,
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relish in
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that.
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That is
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amazing.
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That is
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astounding.
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And third
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and finally,
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Christ died
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to make us
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the righteousness
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of God.
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He died
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to make us
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the righteousness
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of God.
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Verse 21.
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Paul says,
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for our
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sake,
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he made
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him to be
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sin who
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knew no
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sin,
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so that
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in him
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we might
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become
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the
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righteousness
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of God.
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God makes
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the world
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anew,
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he reconciles
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us to
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himself,
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and he
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makes us
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the righteousness
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of God
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for his
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glory.
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That's why
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he died.
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But one
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question I've
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kind of
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skipped around
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is this,
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why does
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Christ's death
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accomplish
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this?
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We don't
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normally think
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of death
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as a
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productive,
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fruitful,
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life-giving
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thing.
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I mean,
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it's
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death.
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So why
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is Christ's
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death so
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effective at
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bringing about
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these massive
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changes?
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Well,
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verse 21,
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the Father
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made the
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Son to
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be
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sin.
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That is to
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say,
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the sin
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that God
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must punish,
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that we
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are guilty
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of,
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Christ bore
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that on
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our behalf.
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Paul says,
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for our
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sake.
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And this
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is what
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theologians
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have called
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the doctrine
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of penal
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substitutionary
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atonement,
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absolutely
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fundamental
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to the
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faith.
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Without
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this
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doctrine,
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there is
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no
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gospel.
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Penal,
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meaning
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penalty,
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substitutionary,
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meaning
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substitute,
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atonement,
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meaning
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satisfying
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the wrath
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of God's
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justice
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towards
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sinners.
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sinners.
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And so,
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in short,
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penal
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substitutionary
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atonement
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is just a
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fancy way
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to say
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that Christ
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died in
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your place
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for your
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sin to
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uphold the
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justice
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and mercy
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of God.
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And Christ
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is the
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only one
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who could
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satisfy the
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wrath of
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God as
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the spotless
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Lamb of
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God.
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The entire
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Old Testament
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sacrificial
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system
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prefigures
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Christ in
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this way.
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This is why
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when you read
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Leviticus,
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you see over
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and over
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again the
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importance
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that a
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lamb or
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a calf or
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whatever the
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animal is
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being sacrificed
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must be
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spotless,
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without
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blemish,
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perfect.
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This is why
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1 Peter 1
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19 speaks
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of,
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quote,
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the precious
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blood of
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Christ,
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like that
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of a
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lamb without
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blemish
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or spot.
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He's referencing
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the Levitical
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law.
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All of
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this is why
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Christ's
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death is
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efficacious
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in pardoning
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our guilt
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because his
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death actually
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deals with
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our sin once
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and for all.
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It is
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finished.
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And so you
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can see in
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verse 20,
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for us,
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the sinner,
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by becoming
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sin,
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though he knew
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no sin,
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in other words,
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he is righteous
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so that we
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might become
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the righteousness
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of God.
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He is both
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the sin
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offering and
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the bearer
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of the punishment
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for sin.
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Meanwhile,
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we,
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the actual
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sinners,
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the ones
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responsible for
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this mess,
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are made
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the righteousness
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of God.
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In the eyes
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of God,
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by the grace
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of God,
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we are seen
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as spotless
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lambs,
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as righteous.
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Paul says
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it this way
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in Colossians
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1,
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21.
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He says,
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And you,
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who were once
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alienated and
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hostile in mind,
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doing evil
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deeds,
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he is now
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reconciled in
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his body of
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flesh by his
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death in
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order to
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present you
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holy and
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blameless and
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above reproach
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before him,
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that is,
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as righteous.
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the record
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of wrongs
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that we have
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committed
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are wiped
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out.
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We no longer
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carry the
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guilt of
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Adam,
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but the
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crown of
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being in
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Christ by
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grace.
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What love
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is that?
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Who is
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like that?
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And so,
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friends,
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I've said it
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before,
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and I'll
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say it
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again.
19:38
Behold
19:39
your God.
19:40
in closing,
19:45
we actually
19:45
just sang this
19:46
hymn a moment
19:47
ago.
19:47
I didn't know
19:47
we'd be doing
19:48
that.
19:48
Very glad we
19:49
did.
19:51
But I just
19:51
want to read
19:52
these words
19:53
from the hymn,
19:53
his robes
19:54
for mine.
19:56
And my
19:57
prayer is that
19:57
you'll set
19:57
your mind on
19:58
the truths of
19:59
these words,
19:59
that these will
20:00
always be on
20:01
your soul and
20:02
mind and heart
20:02
every day of
20:03
the year.
20:05
But especially
20:06
as we anticipate
20:07
this Sunday,
20:09
Easter Sunday,
20:09
I think it
20:11
is appropriate
20:11
to,
20:12
perhaps more
20:12
than normal,
20:13
draw our
20:14
minds to
20:15
these specific
20:17
truths.
20:19
And so,
20:19
I'm going to
20:19
read the first
20:20
verse and
20:21
last verse
20:22
of his robes
20:23
for mine.
20:27
The hymn
20:28
writer says,
20:29
his robes
20:31
for mine,
20:32
a wonderful
20:33
exchange.
20:35
Clothed in
20:35
my sin,
20:37
Christ suffered
20:38
neath God's
20:38
rage.
20:40
Draped in his
20:41
righteousness,
20:41
I'm justified.
20:44
In Christ,
20:45
I live,
20:45
for in my
20:46
place,
20:47
he died.
20:49
His robes
20:50
for mine,
20:50
such anguish
20:51
none can
20:52
know.
20:53
Christ,
20:53
God's beloved,
20:54
condemned as
20:55
though his
20:56
foe.
20:57
He,
20:59
as though I,
21:00
accursed
21:01
and left
21:02
alone.
21:04
I,
21:04
as though he,
21:07
embraced
21:07
and welcomed
21:08
home.
21:10
Let's pray.
21:11
Let's pray.