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The Five Solas (2017): Solus Christus · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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  Good morning. Take out your Bible and turn to Romans chapter 3.
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  ! We've been promoting books and stuff.
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  ! I think if I had to promote one good Reformation book, I think I would pick this one.
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  ! This is a book that I read when I was on the waiting list for my lung transplant.
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  So, right under the Bible, I was reading this.
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  And I can't tell you how much this ministered to my soul during that time as I thought about what was ahead of me.
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  So, it's not just dead doctrine, dead theology.
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  It was like really encouraging me in the Word of God.
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  And so, this is John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion.
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  And this is the abridged version.
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  So, halfway through, I just kind of donked on me, wait a minute, this is the abridged version.
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  The real one's about like that.
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  But it just really explains so much about the person of God, the person of Christ, the Scripture.
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  And it really ministered to me, particularly the part about God's providence, God's sovereignty,
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  through what I was going through.
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  And so, I commend this one to you, the Institutes of the Christian Religion.
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  It was written in 1559, I believe.
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  So, pretty awesome to read the old dead guys.
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  So, this would be mine.
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  I can't give it to you.
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  This is my copy.
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  It's got like everything.
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  You wouldn't like my notes in here anyway.
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  So, Romans 3 is what we're going to be picking up today.
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  And as it's already been said, we're coming up on October 31st,
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  which is the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.
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  It kind of marks the day that Martin Luther in 1517
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  nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Church of Wittenberg.
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  And so, we're going through the five solas,
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  which really are a summarized, condensed way of saying this is what the Reformers taught.
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  But it probably wasn't really even consolidated like that until about the 20th century.
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  But it's what they were teaching.
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  And that's what we believe in our church.
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  And any church that's really a Protestant evangelical church holds these things dear.
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  So, I mean, why is this so important, though?
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  Well, the sola alone is so important to what we believe.
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  And what we believe Scripture teaches.
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  If it's not sola, then it is something that's got to be added in.
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  If it's not alone, there's something else that's added to it.
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  It will be Scripture and something else is our authority.
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  Grace and something.
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  Faith and something.
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  Christ and something.
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  And to the glory of God and something else.
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  And so, the sola is really, by saying what is true, they're also saying this is false.
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  Like, if you add something to this, it's not true.
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  And so, the Reformers were saying,
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  Scripture is not only necessary, but it's sufficient.
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  Christ's work is not only necessary, but it is enough to save us.
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  That grace is not only necessary, but it is perfectly the only way, like we are made right with God.
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  And Scripture is just not a authority.
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  It's the only authority.
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  Period.
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  So, you pull out your bullets and there's a quote there by Calvin that I thought would be good to kind of put our mind on.
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  I just want to pray briefly, but it says,
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  The gospel is not a doctrine of the tongue, but of life.
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  It cannot be grasped by reason and memory only.
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  But it is fully understood when it possesses the whole soul and penetrates to the inner recesses of the heart.
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  So, that's what we want.
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  We want this not just to be head knowledge, not just to be mental assembly.
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  We want our hearts and our souls to rejoice in the gospel and have these truths penetrate us to our inner heart.
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  So, let's pray together.
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  Father, as we join together this morning as your people, I pray you give us eyes to see, ears to hear.
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  God, you would soften our hearts to receive your word.
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  That you would make us teachable.
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  That we would sit quietly before your word and receive what is there.
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  And I pray that this feeble attempt to describe Christ and his work would move in our hearts today.
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  And I just ask that in his name.
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  Amen.
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  So, today, we are looking at solus Christus, Christ alone, which emphasizes the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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  It's not only necessary, again, for salvation, but it is sufficient.
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  Enough to say to the uttermost, all those who come to Christ.
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  So, this means that no amount of human work can be added to the work of Christ.
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  It's like Christ's work is so sufficient, so perfect, that it can't be improved upon in any way.
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  So, that is really important to understand.
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  And it implies, then, if Christ's work is sufficient, that any work we bring in is insufficient.
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  All right?
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  Like Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3.5,
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  Now, not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.
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  So, the heart of the gospel is that Christ is for us.
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  He is for us.
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  It's the message of the New Testament, indeed, really the Scripture, the whole of Scripture.
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  So, Christ lived.
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  He obeyed.
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  He was crucified.
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  He was raised.
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  And He ascended.
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  And He is returning.
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  That's what we are saying.
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  So, all that is embodied by Jesus Christ Himself is what we are saying when we say Christ alone.
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  Romans 1.9 is called, the gospel is kind of summed up as,
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  The Good News of His Son.
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  So, we are going to just look at some different aspects of Christ's work.
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  And man, I was just overwhelmed studying all this.
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  But, I want you to not run from, I've even heard recently some leaders in our Dahlonega community say,
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  You know, doctrine doesn't matter.
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  Theology doesn't matter.
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  All we really care about is a relationship with Jesus.
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  Well, what does that mean?
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  Don't throw out a Bible word.
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  Paul uses the word doctrine at least 15 times in the New Testament.
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  And what he's trying to say is doctrine is explaining, clarifying.
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  So, the Good News has to be explained verbally.
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  It has to be clarified, expounded upon.
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  And that's what doctrine is.
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  So, if you're talking about Jesus and it's truthful, you're talking doctrine.
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  So, I want us to see,
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  Man, this is the only thing I can grab.
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  So, imagine this is like a gem, if you will, like a precious gem that was found.
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  It's not a gem, it's a stupid iPhone.
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  I hate iPhones.
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  But, just imagine this is like a precious diamond or gem.
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  And it's called the work of Christ.
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  Alright?
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  So, if you look at it this way, you can explain it.
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  And your explaining it is doctrine.
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  And you tilt it a little bit and explain a different facet of it.
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  So, that's what we're going to do today as we look at the work of Christ.
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  All part of the same diamond.
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  But just different angles on it.
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  Different descriptions on what he has done.
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  If you will.
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  So, Romans 3.
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  We'll start in verse 21.
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  Together.
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  But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law.
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  Although the law and the prophets bear witness to it,
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  the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
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  For there is no distinction.
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  For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
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  And are justified by his grace as a gift.
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  Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
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  Whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood.
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  To be received by faith.
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  This was to show God's righteousness.
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  Because in his divine forbearance.
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  He passed over former sins.
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  It was to show his righteousness at the present time.
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  So that he might be just.
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  And the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
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  So, that will be our primary text.
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  That I want to draw some things out of.
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  So, I have a few points today.
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  And off of Nathan's pun last week.
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  It's just going to be points and not questions.
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  I'm going to try not to do questions at this point.
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  So, the first point.
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  The first point.
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  Is that Christ alone is our mediator with God.
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  Christ alone is our mediator with God.
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  So, a mediator, simply put.
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  Christ alone is one who intervenes between two parties.
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  To resolve some conflict, intimacy, or strife.
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  So, it's one who intervenes and solves the problem.
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  So, this is the role we see of Jesus in our text.
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  We see some hostility.
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  Right?
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  We see that we have sinned and fallen short in the glory of God.
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  And that we have to be made right with God some way.
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  So, Christ is our mediator.
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  Right?
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  He's coming between us and God.
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  And like reconciling.
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  He's bringing us back together.
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  So, it's important that you understand that.
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  Because Jesus alone, again, is our mediator.
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  During the period of the Reformation, in the medieval time, you could even say today, Rome taught that the Pope and even the Roman Church itself was the mediator between God and man.
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  So, anyone outside of them, their doctrine says this, even today, anyone outside of the Roman Catholic Church is outside of salvation.
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  They would teach that.
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  Pope Clement, who was Pope between 1342 and 1352, he said,
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  No man outside of obedience to the Pope of Rome can ultimately be saved.
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  All who have raised themselves against the faith of the Roman Church and died in final impenitence have been damned and gone to hell.
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  That is still taught, even today.
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  And I want you to know that I say these things with a heavy heart.
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  Many of you know I have had countless trips to the Emerald Isle of Ireland and talked to many Catholics there.
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  And so, it breaks my heart to see how falsely they have been instructed.
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  And so, if you hear anger, just hear anger at the false teaching and not the lost soul.
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  I want them to be reconciled to God.
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  Even as I've cried tears praying for some of them before.
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  And so, at that point, like I said, they even taught, I mean, even now really, that Jesus is not that approachable.
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  Okay?
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  That he is still very holy, very set apart, very other.
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  That you have to find another mediator to even go to Jesus.
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  And that's where the idea of the Virgin Mary and her son is so pivotal.
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  Because who can get at a man, his mom?
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  You know, this is a soft part of him.
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  Even, I went to Birmingham this past week, and we drove by one of the biggest Mary worship shrines in the southeast.
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  Thousands of people gathered there to get a vision of the Virgin Mary and have someone say,
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  This is what Mary says to you from Jesus.
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  Heartbreaking and demonic.
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  And so, even then, they've added in saints.
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  You can pray to the saints.
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  You can pray to your dead relatives who have gone on to be with the Lord.
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  I had a dear friend, a man that was in his late 70s, that I worked out with at a gym for a long time.
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  And he and I would talk about this kind of stuff.
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  A devout Catholic.
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  He had an Italian, really deep Italian last name.
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  And we talked, and he was just always encouraging me to pray with my dead relatives.
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  And how encouraging that was.
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  I'm like, man, no.
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  And just begged him to say, Christ is the mediator alone.
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  And so, the reformers were banging their heads and banging their Bibles, saying,
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  Look, there is no other mediator between God and man.
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  It's Jesus Christ, and that's it.
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  Don't misrepresent the character of God.
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  He also can be approachable through Christ.
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  Right?
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  So, not Virgin Mary.
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  Not the saints or cardinals or priests.
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  Only Christ alone.
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  They're not crazy.
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  They're just basically saying what Paul said in 1 Timothy 2, 5-6.
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  This is Paul.
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  Listen to this.
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  For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men.
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  The man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which the testimony given at the proper time.
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  So, again, Luther, Calvin, Tyndale, Wycliffe.
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  They were all saying, Brum, stop marring the character of God.
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  Yes, he is holy.
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  Yes, he is just.
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  Yes, he is righteous.
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  But he is also a loving God and gracious.
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  And he has provided a way through his Son to be brought back to man.
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  And Luther, if you study his life, the whole first part of his life, he was terrified of the judgment of God.
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  That's all he thought about was God is wrath.
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  God is damnation.
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  And he had no way to be made right with God.
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  So, when he began reading Romans, he was like, wait a minute.
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  This God is a loving God.
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  This God is a gracious God.
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  And he was transformed by the Word.
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  And so, Christ alone is the mediator.
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  Hebrews 9, 15, it says,
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  Therefore, Christ is the mediator of the new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promise of an eternal inheritance.
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  It's awesome.
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  So, this idea that Jesus is the only mediator spills into a lot of our thinking of saying that Jesus is the only way to God.
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  He came from the Father and he went back to the Father.
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  He's the only one.
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  So, this is not just a problem back then.
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  It is today as well.
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  Shockingly, in the late 90s, there was a study conducted of, quote,
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  evangelical seminaries who agreed with the following statement.
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  35% of them agreed with the following statement.
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  God will save all good people when they die, regardless of whether they know and have trusted Jesus Christ.
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  And now those people are pastoring churches outside of Christ.
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  So, that's a struggle if we don't see our need for Christ.
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  Right?
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  And one of the things that the Reformers kept bringing up is,
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  Popes and councils over the history have just contradicted themselves over and over and over.
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  You just heard me read Pope Clement from the 1300s.
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  He said,
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  There is no salvation outside of the Holy Roman Church.
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  You heard me read that.
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  More recent, though, Pope John Paul II.
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  He stood in December 6, 2000, and addressed 30,000 pilgrims at St. Peter's Square.
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  Listen to what he said.
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  Listen to this.
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  No.
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  Jesus, the only way, the only mediator to God.
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  We know our famous verse, John 14, 6.
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  Jesus told them,
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  I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one whatsoever comes to the Father except through me.
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  I am the mediator.
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  Acts 4, 12.
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  There is salvation in no one else,
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  for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we may be saved.
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  So if we are to be saved and restored back to God,
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  we have to come through Christ alone as our mediator.
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  So that is the first point.
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  Each one of these begin with Christ alone.
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  But number two,
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  we are going to get into more of our text now.
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  Christ alone made full atonement for our sin to God.
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  Christ alone made full atonement for our sin to God.
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  Okay, so we see in our text that like it says that God's righteousness had to be upheld.
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  We see that he had to show that he was righteous, prove that he was righteous.
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  And so it just means that God always does what is right, what is good.
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  He, by his nature, is the very definition of what is right and good.
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  It means that he is holy.
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  He is totally separated from all evil.
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  And that also means that he is devoted to destroying evil.
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  And we want him to be that way.
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  We want him to be a God who seeks to uphold what is right and beautiful and good and true.
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  So, if God opposes evil,
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  then we should not be shocked that he is out to destroy it.
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  That's what we see in our text.
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  We want God to be a God who upholds justice.
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  A Roman citizen who lived under the Julio-Claudian Caesars, Augustus, you know,
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  then all the way up into like Nero.
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  That was that dynasty.
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  This is something that he said when a man has absolute power.
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  He said,
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  And God is not like that.
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  God intrinsically, in his very core, hates evil.
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  And we want him to be a God who upholds justice.
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  We all see things on TV and the news that just cry out injustice.
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  And we want that.
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  It's part of who we are.
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  But if we really want that, then God also has to destroy us.
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  Because we are a part of that same evil.
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  It says in our text, you look at verses 25,
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  This was to show God's righteousness.
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  Because in his divine forbearance, he had passed over former sins.
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  It was to show his righteousness at the present time,
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  so that he might be just and the justifier.
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  So we see in the wisdom of God's sovereign plan,
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  that he allowed Jesus to be punished in the place of sinners,
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  and thereby justified those who were guilty without compromising his justice.
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  It's a beautiful text for you just to chew over.
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  So let's talk about this word atonement a little bit.
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  It is a very broad term that is used to entail a lot of things in the Scripture.
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  But in short, we're just going to define it simply as this.
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  It's the work of Christ in his life and his death,
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  all that he did to earn us salvation.
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  It's the work of Christ, all that he did in his life and his death,
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  to earn us salvation.
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  So Christ made right the hostility between us and God.
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  And he opened the door for spiritual blessings.
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  So let's talk about just the nature of this atonement for a second.
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  Just two words, big words, but I hope they stand out to you and you remember them.
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  That's the purpose of using big words.
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  Penal substitution.
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  Penal substitution.
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  All right?
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  Penal substitution.
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  It's the idea that the penalty we deserve was given to someone else,
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  to another who did not deserve it,
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  and who took it voluntarily for us.
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  All right?
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  It's this idea that Christ stood in our place,
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  took our punishment,
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  even though he didn't deserve it,
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  but he took it willingly.
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  That's what we did.
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  We are spared the penalty.
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  This also can be described as a vicarious atonement,
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  a vicarous someone who stands in the place of another and represents them.
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  And so Christ stood in our place.
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  He represented us.
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  He took the penalty we deserve.
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  All right?
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  So stay in Romans 3,
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  but I just want you to turn to the famous Isaiah 53.
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  I just want you to see this idea of substitution,
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  that Christ stood in our place and bore our punishment.
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  This atonement was foretold 700 years before Christ.
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  Isaiah 53.
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  Then go to verse 4.
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  I want you to see this.
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  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.
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  Just look at the ours in this text.
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  Borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.
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  Yet we esteemed him stricken,
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  smitten by God,
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  and afflicted.
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  But he was wounded for our transgressions.
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  He was crushed for our iniquities.
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  Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace.
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  And with his stripes we are healed.
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  All we like sheep have gone astray.
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  We have turned everyone to his own way.
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  And the Lord,
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  Yahweh,
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  has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
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  He was oppressed and he was afflicted.
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  Yet he opened not his mouth.
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  Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter.
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  And like a sheep that is before its shearers is silent.
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  So he opened not his mouth.
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  By oppression and judgment,
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  he was taken away.
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  As for his generation,
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  who considered that he was cut off of the land,
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  out of the land of the living,
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  stricken for the transgression of my people.
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  So if you see this idea of substitution there,
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  our,
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  you see that he was wounded for our transgressions,
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  crushed for our iniquities.
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  And so in our text,
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  back in Romans 3,
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  we see a really big Bible word
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  that I beg of you to like,
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  get in your head
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  and really gnaw over it
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  and pray over it.
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  It's in our Romans text,
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  but it says,
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  it's the word,
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  propitiation.
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  It's a big word.
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  And the same Greek word
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  is translated both propitiation
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  and expiation.
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  And they carry slightly different meanings.
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  So again,
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  they're a part of the same gem,
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  if you would.
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  And,
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  but together,
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  they give a beautiful picture
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  of what Christ has done for us.
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  And as we've been reading,
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  it's just really cool
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  that we've been reading through Leviticus
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  and we're moving in the numbers now.
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  We've read over the scripture
• 25:50
  that talks about the day of atonement
• 25:52
  in Leviticus,
• 25:55
  right?
• 25:56
  It's the day that Israel offered up
• 25:58
  a symbolic atonement
• 26:00
  that prefigured Christ's final atonement.
• 26:04
  And if you remember in the text,
• 26:05
  it talks about there are two different
• 26:07
  spotless goats.
• 26:10
  One,
• 26:11
  the first goat
• 26:11
  was used as an act
• 26:14
  of propitiation.
• 26:15
  It was killed
• 26:16
  for the sins of the people
• 26:18
  and the blood was sprinkled
• 26:20
  on the mercy seat.
• 26:21
  And so it was focused on,
• 26:22
  in that sense,
• 26:23
  like satisfying the wrath of God.
• 26:26
  The second goat
• 26:27
  was not killed,
• 26:29
  but it was actually set free.
• 26:31
  It was sent out
• 26:31
  as an act of expiation,
• 26:34
  removing or blotting out our sins,
• 26:37
  right?
• 26:37
  Before God.
• 26:39
  And in the focus,
• 26:41
  in this case,
• 26:42
  is that
• 26:43
  the second goat
• 26:44
  was called the scapegoat.
• 26:45
  That's where we get this from.
• 26:47
  It was sent out into the wilderness
• 26:48
  and it represented
• 26:49
  carrying away
• 26:50
  the sins of the people
• 26:52
  from the presence of God.
• 26:55
  So,
• 26:55
  we see this
• 26:56
  in Jesus.
• 26:58
  Christ fulfilled
• 26:59
  both of those
• 26:59
  at the same time.
• 27:01
  He represented
• 27:02
  this complete work.
• 27:04
  So,
• 27:04
  Jesus not only
• 27:05
  propitiated
• 27:06
  the wrath of God
• 27:07
  by offering himself
• 27:09
  as a sacrifice,
• 27:11
  but he also
• 27:12
  removed our sin
• 27:13
  and guilt
• 27:13
  from the presence of God,
• 27:15
  which is a symbol
• 27:16
  of that second goat,
• 27:18
  if you would.
• 27:20
  So,
• 27:20
  let's just break down
• 27:21
  these words.
• 27:23
  Propitiation,
• 27:24
  again,
• 27:25
  the act
• 27:25
  is the act
• 27:27
  by which the sacrifice,
• 27:28
  in our case,
• 27:29
  Christ,
• 27:29
  bears the full wrath
• 27:30
  of God.
• 27:32
  And it results
• 27:33
  in a changing
• 27:33
  of God's attitude
• 27:34
  towards us.
• 27:36
  Before we were enemies,
• 27:38
  we were hostile,
• 27:39
  and this sacrifice
• 27:40
  changed his attitude
• 27:42
  to favorable
• 27:42
  and acceptable
• 27:43
  and loving.
• 27:46
  Some of your translations
• 27:48
  may use different words,
• 27:50
  but I guess
• 27:52
  if you had to come up
• 27:52
  with a really good,
• 27:54
  clear definition
• 27:55
  of what propitiate
• 27:56
  could say,
• 27:57
  it's not
• 27:58
  to appease,
• 28:00
  to placate,
• 28:01
  or to just,
• 28:03
  you know,
• 28:04
  glance off.
• 28:05
  To appease
• 28:06
  carries like a negative
• 28:08
  kind of connotation
• 28:09
  for it.
• 28:09
  It's this idea
• 28:10
  of buying off
• 28:12
  an aggressor
• 28:13
  at a certain expense.
• 28:15
  To placate
• 28:16
  is very inadequate
• 28:17
  because it suggests
• 28:20
  like a soothing
• 28:20
  of the wrath of God.
• 28:22
  Like he actually
• 28:22
  didn't unleash it,
• 28:23
  he was just kind of like,
• 28:25
  calm down, God.
• 28:26
  So,
• 28:26
  that's not what
• 28:27
  the word means either.
• 28:28
  It doesn't mean
• 28:30
  to deflect.
• 28:33
  Right?
• 28:34
  Like a boxer
• 28:35
  would strike away
• 28:36
  a blow,
• 28:37
  you know,
• 28:37
  by blocking.
• 28:39
  That's not what
• 28:40
  it implies as well.
• 28:41
  But the word,
• 28:42
  I think,
• 28:43
  that I've studied,
• 28:44
  that I've read,
• 28:45
  that I believe
• 28:45
  best describes this
• 28:47
  is that
• 28:47
  word exhausted.
• 28:49
  Christ exhausted
• 28:52
  the wrath of God
• 28:53
  on the cross.
• 28:55
  So,
• 28:55
  not deflected it
• 28:56
  and just prevented it
• 28:57
  from reaching us,
• 28:58
  but he absorbed it,
• 28:59
  he exhausted it.
• 29:01
  So,
• 29:01
  all of God's
• 29:02
  holy fury
• 29:02
  was unleashed
• 29:03
  on his beloved son
• 29:04
  and he held
• 29:05
  none of it back
• 29:06
  on behalf
• 29:07
  of his people.
• 29:09
  So,
• 29:10
  that is the word
• 29:10
  propitiate.
• 29:12
  It means that
• 29:13
  Christ exhausted
• 29:14
  the wrath of God.
• 29:16
  So,
• 29:16
  that's the one part.
• 29:17
  Then tilt it
• 29:17
  to expiation.
• 29:19
  It implies,
• 29:20
  again,
• 29:21
  the removal
• 29:21
  of our sin
• 29:22
  and our guilt
• 29:24
  from the presence
• 29:25
  of God.
• 29:26
  Alright?
• 29:28
  Sin,
• 29:29
  do you know that,
• 29:30
  like,
• 29:30
  let's say you committed
• 29:31
  a serious crime
• 29:32
  and you went to court
• 29:33
  and it was really
• 29:34
  killing your soul,
• 29:36
  gnawing on you,
• 29:38
  vexing your conscience,
• 29:40
  weighing you down
• 29:40
  with guilt and shame.
• 29:42
  And the judge
• 29:43
  forgave you
• 29:44
  and pardoned you,
• 29:46
  but you still went home
• 29:47
  with that same guilt,
• 29:48
  that same
• 29:49
  torn up conscience.
• 29:51
  This is what
• 29:52
  expiation does.
• 29:53
  It means that
• 29:55
  Christ's sacrifice
• 29:56
  has the power
• 29:57
  to cleanse you
• 29:57
  of guilt
• 29:58
  and of shame
• 29:59
  so that you can
• 30:00
  walk away
• 30:01
  clean
• 30:02
  and free.
• 30:04
  Right?
• 30:05
  That's that picture
• 30:05
  of the second goat.
• 30:07
  That God has
• 30:08
  removed our sins
• 30:09
  from his presence.
• 30:11
  Right?
• 30:12
  That famous verse
• 30:14
  in Psalm 103,
• 30:16
  11-12,
• 30:17
  For as high
• 30:18
  as the heavens
• 30:19
  are above the earth,
• 30:21
  so great
• 30:22
  is his steadfast love
• 30:23
  for those
• 30:24
  who fear him.
• 30:25
  As far as the east
• 30:26
  is from the west,
• 30:28
  so far
• 30:29
  does he remove
• 30:30
  our transgressions
• 30:31
  from us.
• 30:32
  So that's a
• 30:33
  cultural idiom
• 30:34
  to suggest
• 30:35
  an infinite distance.
• 30:37
  East to west,
• 30:38
  right?
• 30:39
  Heaven to earth,
• 30:41
  an infinite distance.
• 30:43
  So,
• 30:44
  Jesus bore
• 30:45
  our punishment
• 30:46
  and propitiation,
• 30:47
  but he also
• 30:48
  carried away
• 30:48
  our sin
• 30:49
  and our guilt
• 30:50
  from the presence
• 30:50
  of God.
• 30:52
  When it says
• 30:53
  that Christ
• 30:54
  remembers our sins
• 30:55
  no more,
• 30:56
  it's not,
• 30:57
  it just basically
• 30:58
  means that he's
• 30:58
  choosing not to
• 30:59
  bring them up again.
• 31:00
  It doesn't mean
• 31:00
  that God literally
• 31:01
  forgets.
• 31:02
  It just means that
• 31:02
  he's not going
• 31:03
  to hold them
• 31:04
  against us
• 31:04
  any longer.
• 31:06
  So our consciousness
• 31:07
  can be freed
• 31:08
  from guilt
• 31:09
  and shame
• 31:10
  by the blood
• 31:11
  of Christ.
• 31:13
  So,
• 31:15
  if you want
• 31:15
  one more tilt
• 31:17
  on this idea
• 31:18
  of atonement,
• 31:19
  it's very important
• 31:20
  that you understand
• 31:21
  this.
• 31:21
  It was a decisive
• 31:22
  atonement.
• 31:25
  Decisive.
• 31:26
  It was so powerful,
• 31:28
  perfect,
• 31:29
  and clear,
• 31:31
  it never needs
• 31:32
  to be repeated
• 31:32
  again.
• 31:34
  Hebrews 10
• 31:35
  says,
• 31:38
  every priest,
• 31:39
  he's referring
• 31:40
  to the old
• 31:40
  covenant,
• 31:41
  every priest
• 31:42
  stands daily
• 31:43
  at his service
• 31:44
  offering repeatedly
• 31:45
  the same
• 31:46
  sacrifices,
• 31:47
  which can never
• 31:49
  take away sins.
• 31:50
  But listen to this,
• 31:51
  but when Christ
• 31:52
  had offered
• 31:53
  for all time
• 31:54
  a single
• 31:55
  sacrifice
• 31:56
  for sins,
• 31:57
  he sat down
• 31:58
  at the right
• 31:58
  hand of God.
• 32:00
  Right?
• 32:01
  And this is,
• 32:02
  this word is
• 32:03
  implied,
• 32:03
  I think,
• 32:04
  four times
• 32:04
  in the book
• 32:05
  of Hebrews
• 32:06
  because in
• 32:07
  the old
• 32:08
  covenant,
• 32:08
  the priests,
• 32:09
  the sacrifices,
• 32:10
  the rituals
• 32:10
  were never
• 32:11
  ending,
• 32:12
  over and over
• 32:13
  and over.
• 32:14
  And so when
• 32:15
  Christ came,
• 32:15
  he fulfilled
• 32:16
  those things
• 32:17
  that never
• 32:17
  needed to be
• 32:18
  repeated again,
• 32:20
  ever.
• 32:22
  It's the,
• 32:22
  it's the Greek
• 32:23
  word,
• 32:25
  hapax,
• 32:26
  and it means
• 32:27
  once for all
• 32:28
  time.
• 32:30
  It means that
• 32:31
  something happened
• 32:31
  that was so
• 32:32
  decisive
• 32:32
  and accomplished
• 32:34
  so much
• 32:35
  that it never
• 32:35
  needs to be
• 32:36
  repeated.
• 32:38
  So,
• 32:38
  and in fact,
• 32:39
  any effort
• 32:39
  to repeat it
• 32:40
  would be
• 32:41
  to be,
• 32:42
  to be,
• 32:42
  make a mockery
• 32:43
  of that
• 32:43
  sacrifice.
• 32:45
  Right?
• 32:46
  So Christ's
• 32:46
  work was
• 32:47
  hapax.
• 32:49
  That's why,
• 32:50
  again,
• 32:50
  this idea
• 32:51
  that the Roman
• 32:52
  Eucharist,
• 32:53
  where they,
• 32:53
  they shed
• 32:54
  the blood
• 32:55
  of Christ
• 32:55
  afresh
• 32:56
  on the altar
• 32:56
  table
• 32:57
  and partake
• 32:58
  of it
• 32:59
  is so disgraceful
• 33:00
  and sad.
• 33:00
  It's not real.
• 33:02
  Christ made
• 33:03
  that sacrifice.
• 33:03
  It's done.
• 33:05
  So all we do
• 33:05
  now is remember
• 33:06
  and rejoice
• 33:07
  in what he's
• 33:08
  done.
• 33:09
  Right?
• 33:10
  It was so
• 33:10
  sufficient,
• 33:12
  monumental,
• 33:13
  and effectuous
• 33:14
  that it never
• 33:14
  has to be done
• 33:15
  again.
• 33:16
  Once for all
• 33:17
  time.
• 33:19
  Hebrews 9,
• 33:19
  26,
• 33:20
  again,
• 33:20
  this word's
• 33:21
  repeated.
• 33:22
  But as it is,
• 33:23
  Christ has
• 33:25
  appeared once
• 33:25
  for all
• 33:26
  at the end
• 33:27
  of the ages
• 33:28
  to put away
• 33:29
  sin by
• 33:30
  the sacrifice
• 33:31
  of himself.
• 33:33
  The conclusion
• 33:34
  then,
• 33:35
  of all that,
• 33:37
  is to say
• 33:37
  that Christ's
• 33:39
  suffering and
• 33:40
  death,
• 33:40
  if that was
• 33:41
  accomplished
• 33:41
  once for all
• 33:42
  time,
• 33:43
  we no longer
• 33:44
  can be condemned
• 33:45
  if we stand
• 33:47
  in Christ.
• 33:48
  But there is
• 33:49
  therefore now
• 33:50
  no condemnation
• 33:52
  for those
• 33:52
  who are in
• 33:53
  Christ Jesus
• 33:54
  at all.
• 33:56
  So those of you
• 33:57
  who are a criminal
• 33:57
  justice major,
• 33:58
  there is no
• 33:59
  double jeopardy
• 34:00
  in God's
• 34:01
  courtroom.
• 34:01
  There will
• 34:02
  be no,
• 34:02
  you will not
• 34:03
  be tried
• 34:03
  twice for
• 34:04
  the same
• 34:04
  crime
• 34:05
  at all.
• 34:07
  It's
• 34:08
  basis,
• 34:09
  Paul goes
• 34:10
  on in Romans
• 34:10
  8,
• 34:10
  it says,
• 34:11
  who is to
• 34:11
  condemn?
• 34:12
  And then it's
• 34:13
  assumed,
• 34:13
  no one.
• 34:15
  And then why?
• 34:15
  Because it's
• 34:16
  Christ Jesus,
• 34:17
  he was the
• 34:17
  one who
• 34:18
  died.
• 34:19
  The death
• 34:19
  of Christ
• 34:20
  secures our
• 34:21
  freedom from
• 34:21
  that condemnation.
• 34:23
  So,
• 34:24
  listen to
• 34:25
  something Luther
• 34:25
  said.
• 34:26
  I just want
• 34:26
  to throw
• 34:28
  this out
• 34:28
  there just
• 34:28
  before we
• 34:29
  move on to
• 34:29
  the next
• 34:30
  point and
• 34:30
  the idea
• 34:31
  of the
• 34:31
  atonement.
• 34:33
  So,
• 34:34
  I love
• 34:35
  this.
• 34:37
  Talking about
• 34:38
  what Christ
• 34:38
  did for us,
• 34:39
  he said,
• 34:39
  so when the
• 34:40
  devil throws
• 34:42
  your sins
• 34:43
  in your
• 34:43
  face and
• 34:45
  declares that
• 34:46
  you deserve
• 34:46
  death and
• 34:47
  hell,
• 34:48
  tell him
• 34:49
  this,
• 34:50
  I admit
• 34:51
  that I
• 34:51
  deserve
• 34:52
  death and
• 34:52
  hell,
• 34:53
  what of
• 34:53
  it?
• 34:54
  For I
• 34:54
  know one
• 34:55
  who suffered
• 34:55
  and made
• 34:56
  satisfaction
• 34:57
  on my
• 34:57
  behalf.
• 34:58
  His name
• 34:59
  is Jesus
• 34:59
  Christ,
• 35:00
  Son of
• 35:01
  God,
• 35:01
  and where
• 35:01
  he is,
• 35:02
  there I
• 35:02
  shall be
• 35:03
  also.
• 35:05
  The
• 35:05
  atonement
• 35:06
  of Christ,
• 35:07
  a complete,
• 35:07
  perfect,
• 35:08
  finished work,
• 35:09
  satisfied the
• 35:10
  wrath of
• 35:11
  God and
• 35:11
  carried away
• 35:12
  our guilt
• 35:12
  and shame
• 35:13
  from his
• 35:14
  presence.
• 35:15
  Point number
• 35:16
  three,
• 35:18
  Christ alone
• 35:19
  is fully
• 35:21
  ours by
• 35:23
  faith alone.
• 35:25
  So,
• 35:25
  it's tying it
• 35:26
  into what we
• 35:26
  spoke of last
• 35:27
  week.
• 35:28
  If you look at
• 35:28
  our text in
• 35:29
  Romans 3,
• 35:30
  the righteousness
• 35:31
  of God
• 35:32
  through faith
• 35:33
  in Jesus
• 35:34
  Christ for
• 35:35
  all who
• 35:35
  believe.
• 35:37
  He
• 35:37
  propitiated
• 35:38
  by his
• 35:40
  blood to
• 35:40
  be received
• 35:41
  by faith.
• 35:42
  Then you
• 35:43
  move on
• 35:43
  to 26,
• 35:44
  that he
• 35:44
  would be
• 35:45
  just and
• 35:45
  the
• 35:45
  justifier
• 35:46
  of the
• 35:46
  one who
• 35:47
  has faith
• 35:47
  in Jesus.
• 35:48
  So,
• 35:49
  that word
• 35:49
  is repeated
• 35:49
  multiple
• 35:50
  times for
• 35:51
  emphasis,
• 35:52
  meaning that
• 35:52
  you cannot
• 35:53
  earn what
• 35:54
  Christ
• 35:55
  accomplished.
• 35:55
  You cannot
• 35:56
  be good
• 35:57
  enough,
• 35:57
  do enough
• 35:58
  good works.
• 35:59
  It is to
• 35:59
  be received
• 36:00
  alone by
• 36:01
  faith.
• 36:02
  So,
• 36:03
  that is the
• 36:04
  ground for
• 36:05
  our acceptance
• 36:05
  with God.
• 36:07
  As you
• 36:07
  read in
• 36:07
  Romans and
• 36:08
  other places
• 36:09
  in the New
• 36:09
  Testament,
• 36:10
  you see that
• 36:10
  when we
• 36:11
  place saving
• 36:12
  faith in
• 36:13
  Christ,
• 36:14
  it unites
• 36:14
  us to
• 36:16
  Christ.
• 36:16
  We become
• 36:16
  one with
• 36:17
  him,
• 36:18
  so that
• 36:18
  his life
• 36:19
  becomes our
• 36:20
  life,
• 36:21
  his death
• 36:21
  becomes our
• 36:22
  death,
• 36:23
  and his
• 36:23
  resurrection
• 36:24
  will become
• 36:24
  our
• 36:25
  resurrection.
• 36:26
  It is a
• 36:27
  beautiful,
• 36:27
  beautiful thing.
• 36:30
  It is important
• 36:31
  to throw
• 36:32
  this in as
• 36:32
  well,
• 36:33
  that it is
• 36:35
  the object
• 36:35
  of our
• 36:36
  faith that
• 36:37
  saves us,
• 36:38
  not our
• 36:39
  faith itself.
• 36:41
  Okay?
• 36:41
  So,
• 36:41
  you can have
• 36:42
  a very weak
• 36:42
  faith.
• 36:43
  Jesus even
• 36:44
  said,
• 36:44
  even the
• 36:45
  side of a
• 36:45
  mustard seed
• 36:46
  would move
• 36:46
  a mountain,
• 36:48
  but it is
• 36:48
  the object
• 36:49
  of our
• 36:50
  faith that
• 36:50
  saves.
• 36:51
  All right?
• 36:52
  That is
• 36:53
  Christ,
• 36:54
  the Savior.
• 36:56
  So,
• 36:56
  we cannot
• 36:56
  add to what
• 36:57
  Christ has
• 36:58
  done.
• 36:58
  This is a
• 36:59
  gift that we
• 36:59
  are to receive
• 37:00
  by faith
• 37:01
  in Christ.
• 37:04
  So,
• 37:04
  for sake of
• 37:05
  time,
• 37:05
  better move
• 37:06
  on to the
• 37:07
  next point.
• 37:08
  Point number
• 37:08
  four.
• 37:10
  Go back and
• 37:10
  listen to Nathan's
• 37:11
  sermon last
• 37:11
  week on faith
• 37:12
  if you want
• 37:12
  more on that.
• 37:13
  But,
• 37:13
  point number
• 37:14
  four.
• 37:16
  Christ alone
• 37:17
  brought
• 37:19
  reconciliation
• 37:20
  with God.
• 37:23
  This is so
• 37:24
  key.
• 37:24
  Christ alone
• 37:25
  brought
• 37:25
  reconciliation
• 37:26
  with God.
• 37:28
  So,
• 37:28
  we understand
• 37:30
  our sin
• 37:31
  and our
• 37:32
  rebellion
• 37:32
  separated us
• 37:33
  from God.
• 37:36
  Isaiah 59,
• 37:37
  but your
• 37:37
  iniquities have
• 37:38
  made a
• 37:39
  separation
• 37:39
  between you
• 37:40
  and your
• 37:40
  God,
• 37:42
  and your
• 37:42
  sins have
• 37:43
  hidden his
• 37:43
  face from
• 37:45
  you so that
• 37:45
  he does
• 37:46
  not hear.
• 37:47
  For God
• 37:48
  to hide his
• 37:48
  face means
• 37:49
  disgust,
• 37:50
  disfavor,
• 37:51
  judgment.
• 37:52
  And to see
• 37:53
  God's face
• 37:53
  means blessing.
• 37:54
  So,
• 37:54
  our sin
• 37:55
  separates us
• 37:56
  from God.
• 37:57
  That's the
• 37:58
  tragedy of
• 37:58
  our sin.
• 37:59
  It destroyed
• 38:00
  the perfect
• 38:01
  relationship we
• 38:02
  have with
• 38:03
  him.
• 38:04
  A beautiful,
• 38:05
  incredible
• 38:05
  being such
• 38:07
  as God
• 38:07
  separated
• 38:09
  because of
• 38:10
  our evil.
• 38:11
  So,
• 38:11
  this is why
• 38:12
  the gospel
• 38:12
  is good
• 38:12
  news,
• 38:13
  okay?
• 38:14
  Because we
• 38:14
  are reconciled
• 38:15
  to God.
• 38:17
  Alright?
• 38:19
  Romans 5,
• 38:20
  a few chapters
• 38:20
  later,
• 38:22
  says,
• 38:22
  for if
• 38:22
  we were
• 38:23
  enemies,
• 38:24
  we were
• 38:25
  reconciled
• 38:26
  to God
• 38:26
  by the
• 38:27
  death
• 38:27
  of his
• 38:27
  son.
• 38:29
  Much
• 38:29
  more,
• 38:30
  now that
• 38:30
  we are
• 38:31
  reconciled,
• 38:32
  shall I
• 38:32
  be saved
• 38:33
  by his
• 38:33
  life.
• 38:35
  So,
• 38:35
  again,
• 38:36
  Christ comes
• 38:36
  in as our
• 38:37
  mediator,
• 38:37
  and he
• 38:37
  takes God,
• 38:38
  and he
• 38:39
  takes us,
• 38:39
  and he
• 38:39
  brings us
• 38:40
  back into
• 38:41
  fellowship
• 38:41
  together again.
• 38:43
  Now,
• 38:43
  hear me,
• 38:44
  a lot of
• 38:44
  people today
• 38:46
  want to
• 38:46
  preach the
• 38:46
  good news
• 38:47
  of the
• 38:48
  gospel
• 38:49
  apart from
• 38:51
  God himself.
• 38:52
  They don't
• 38:53
  understand that
• 38:53
  God is the
• 38:54
  gospel.
• 38:55
  Being restored
• 38:56
  back to
• 38:56
  him is the
• 38:57
  good news.
• 38:59
  That's what
• 38:59
  all the
• 39:00
  gospel points
• 39:01
  towards.
• 39:03
  It is,
• 39:04
  Jesus said
• 39:05
  in John 17,
• 39:08
  this is
• 39:09
  eternal life,
• 39:10
  that you
• 39:10
  know the
• 39:12
  only true
• 39:13
  God in
• 39:14
  Jesus Christ
• 39:15
  whom he
• 39:15
  has sent.
• 39:16
  So,
• 39:17
  this is all
• 39:17
  about being
• 39:17
  restored back
• 39:19
  into a
• 39:20
  relationship
• 39:20
  with God.
• 39:22
  John
• 39:23
  Piper,
• 39:23
  in that
• 39:23
  book that
• 39:24
  Nathan
• 39:24
  actually
• 39:24
  commented
• 39:25
  to you
• 39:25
  earlier,
• 39:27
  he made
• 39:27
  this point.
• 39:29
  All words
• 39:30
  of the
• 39:30
  gospel
• 39:31
  lead to
• 39:31
  God,
• 39:32
  or they
• 39:32
  are not
• 39:33
  the
• 39:33
  gospel.
• 39:34
  For
• 39:34
  example,
• 39:36
  salvation
• 39:36
  is not
• 39:37
  good news
• 39:38
  if it
• 39:38
  only saves
• 39:39
  us from
• 39:39
  hell
• 39:39
  and not
• 39:40
  for God.
• 39:42
  Forgiveness
• 39:43
  is not
• 39:43
  good news
• 39:44
  if it
• 39:45
  only gives
• 39:45
  us relief
• 39:46
  from guilt
• 39:46
  and does
• 39:47
  not open
• 39:48
  the way
• 39:48
  to God.
• 39:49
  God
• 39:50
  is not
• 39:50
  good news
• 39:52
  if it
• 39:53
  only makes
• 39:54
  us legally
• 39:54
  acceptable
• 39:55
  to God
• 39:56
  but does
• 39:57
  not bring
• 39:57
  us into
• 39:58
  fellowship
• 39:58
  with God.
• 40:00
  Adoption
• 40:01
  is not
• 40:03
  good news
• 40:03
  if it
• 40:04
  only puts
• 40:05
  us in
• 40:05
  the Father's
• 40:06
  family but
• 40:07
  not into
• 40:07
  his arms.
• 40:10
  God is
• 40:11
  the gospel.
• 40:12
  So,
• 40:13
  if you
• 40:13
  simply have,
• 40:15
  if your
• 40:15
  gospel simply
• 40:16
  means I
• 40:16
  get to
• 40:17
  not go to
• 40:17
  hell and I
• 40:18
  get to go
• 40:18
  live forever
• 40:19
  in heaven,
• 40:20
  if that's
• 40:20
  where it
• 40:20
  ends,
• 40:22
  you need
• 40:23
  to think,
• 40:24
  you need
• 40:24
  to examine
• 40:25
  your heart.
• 40:26
  If someone
• 40:27
  went through
• 40:27
  this brutal,
• 40:29
  awful death
• 40:30
  for you,
• 40:31
  to save
• 40:31
  you from
• 40:32
  the greatest
• 40:32
  eternal
• 40:33
  torture ever
• 40:34
  and then
• 40:35
  gave you
• 40:35
  the greatest
• 40:36
  gift ever
• 40:36
  which would
• 40:37
  be to
• 40:37
  restore
• 40:38
  back to
• 40:38
  God
• 40:39
  in
• 40:39
  relationship
• 40:39
  and
• 40:40
  fellowship,
• 40:42
  that should
• 40:43
  change your
• 40:44
  heart.
• 40:46
  In fact,
• 40:47
  that's what
• 40:47
  our word
• 40:47
  faith and
• 40:48
  believe in
• 40:50
  the New
• 40:50
  Testament
• 40:50
  means.
• 40:51
  It means
• 40:51
  that you
• 40:52
  have such
• 40:52
  a strong
• 40:53
  conviction
• 40:54
  about
• 40:54
  something
• 40:55
  that it
• 40:55
  changes
• 40:56
  how you
• 40:56
  live.
• 40:57
  It's not
• 40:58
  just a
• 40:58
  mental
• 40:59
  ascent of
• 40:59
  I believe
• 41:00
  that.
• 41:01
  So,
• 41:02
  God is
• 41:03
  the gospel.
• 41:04
  He is
• 41:05
  the gospel.
• 41:06
  So,
• 41:07
  another verse
• 41:08
  for you.
• 41:09
  1 Peter 3
• 41:10
  18 says,
• 41:10
  Christ also
• 41:11
  suffered
• 41:12
  once for
• 41:12
  sins,
• 41:14
  the righteous
• 41:14
  for the
• 41:15
  unrighteous,
• 41:16
  that he
• 41:16
  may bring
• 41:17
  us to
• 41:17
  God.
• 41:20
  Christ
• 41:20
  enables us
• 41:22
  to experience
• 41:23
  the full
• 41:23
  and lasting
• 41:24
  joy of
• 41:25
  seeing and
• 41:26
  savoring the
• 41:26
  glory of
• 41:27
  God forever.
• 41:29
  That is
• 41:29
  what Christ
• 41:30
  came to
• 41:30
  do.
• 41:31
  So that we
• 41:32
  would glorify
• 41:32
  him,
• 41:33
  walk with
• 41:33
  him,
• 41:34
  know him,
• 41:35
  that what
• 41:35
  was lost
• 41:36
  in Genesis
• 41:37
  3 is
• 41:38
  restored,
• 41:39
  but even
• 41:40
  in a
• 41:40
  greater
• 41:40
  sense
• 41:41
  than what
• 41:42
  Adam and
• 41:42
  Eve had.
• 41:44
  So,
• 41:45
  we can't
• 41:46
  just leave
• 41:46
  it there.
• 41:48
  Our sins
• 41:48
  alienated us
• 41:49
  from God,
• 41:50
  we were
• 41:50
  hostile,
• 41:51
  yet,
• 41:53
  Christ
• 41:53
  Jesus
• 41:53
  has once
• 41:55
  brought us
• 41:56
  for all
• 41:57
  time
• 41:57
  near to
• 41:58
  God
• 41:59
  through
• 41:59
  his
• 41:59
  blood.
• 42:01
  That is
• 42:01
  the gospel.
• 42:03
  These are
• 42:03
  just a few
• 42:04
  things that
• 42:04
  I know
• 42:05
  scripture
• 42:06
  teaches
• 42:06
  very clearly
• 42:07
  about what
• 42:08
  Christ did
• 42:09
  for us
• 42:09
  once and
• 42:10
  for all.
• 42:11
  It's
• 42:11
  Christ
• 42:12
  alone.
• 42:13
  So a few
• 42:14
  little things
• 42:15
  to walk
• 42:15
  away with,
• 42:17
  to chew
• 42:17
  on,
• 42:18
  in conclusion,
• 42:20
  that if
• 42:21
  all this
• 42:22
  be true
• 42:22
  then,
• 42:24
  Christ
• 42:24
  alone,
• 42:25
  it is to
• 42:26
  Christ
• 42:26
  alone we
• 42:27
  must be
• 42:27
  faithful and
• 42:29
  devoted to.
• 42:30
  It demands
• 42:31
  everything,
• 42:31
  it demands
• 42:32
  our lives.
• 42:34
  I mean,
• 42:35
  I grew
• 42:36
  up most
• 42:36
  of my life
• 42:37
  having a
• 42:38
  false
• 42:38
  sense
• 42:39
  of assurance
• 42:40
  in Christ.
• 42:41
  I fought
• 42:42
  because I
• 42:44
  prayed a
• 42:45
  prayer,
• 42:46
  an incantation,
• 42:48
  and that
• 42:48
  made me
• 42:49
  okay with
• 42:49
  God,
• 42:50
  and I
• 42:50
  lived like
• 42:50
  the devil
• 42:51
  for probably
• 42:52
  16 years.
• 42:54
  No evidence
• 42:55
  at all
• 42:55
  that I
• 42:56
  loved Christ
• 42:57
  or knew
• 42:57
  him.
• 42:59
  And
• 42:59
  finally,
• 43:01
  I believe
• 43:02
  God saved
• 43:03
  me when I
• 43:03
  was around
• 43:04
  18.
• 43:04
  and after
• 43:06
  that
• 43:07
  happened,
• 43:08
  I didn't
• 43:08
  want to
• 43:09
  do
• 43:09
  anything
• 43:10
  but live
• 43:11
  for him
• 43:11
  and even
• 43:12
  die for
• 43:12
  him.
• 43:13
  And we
• 43:14
  have to
• 43:14
  get to
• 43:15
  that point
• 43:15
  where we
• 43:16
  see this
• 43:17
  sacrifice that
• 43:17
  he made,
• 43:18
  this work
• 43:18
  he accomplished,
• 43:19
  it's worth
• 43:19
  all you have,
• 43:21
  your time,
• 43:21
  your life,
• 43:22
  your money,
• 43:23
  everything.
• 43:24
  He is to be
• 43:25
  the goal
• 43:26
  of it all.
• 43:27
  in fact,
• 43:29
  he even
• 43:30
  demands that
• 43:30
  if you
• 43:30
  follow him
• 43:31
  that you
• 43:32
  be willing
• 43:33
  to even
• 43:33
  take up
• 43:34
  your cross
• 43:34
  and die
• 43:35
  for him
• 43:36
  if need
• 43:36
  be.
• 43:37
  And
• 43:38
  many of
• 43:38
  our brothers
• 43:39
  and sisters
• 43:39
  around the
• 43:40
  world,
• 43:40
  that's a
• 43:40
  reality.
• 43:42
  They become
• 43:42
  believers,
• 43:43
  they could
• 43:43
  face alienation
• 43:45
  from their
• 43:45
  family,
• 43:46
  their community,
• 43:47
  in prison,
• 43:48
  death,
• 43:49
  so they have
• 43:49
  to weigh
• 43:49
  that.
• 43:50
  But what
• 43:51
  Christ did
• 43:52
  is so precious
• 43:53
  to them,
• 43:54
  they don't
• 43:54
  care.
• 43:55
  Right?
• 43:55
  So if
• 43:56
  following
• 43:57
  Christ would
• 43:58
  cost you
• 43:58
  your life,
• 43:59
  would you
• 43:59
  do it
• 44:00
  anyway?
• 44:01
  Is he
• 44:01
  that precious
• 44:02
  to you
• 44:02
  that you
• 44:02
  want all
• 44:05
  he has,
• 44:06
  that you're
• 44:06
  willing to
• 44:06
  surrender
• 44:07
  anything?
• 44:08
  So if
• 44:09
  this be
• 44:09
  true,
• 44:10
  it is Christ
• 44:10
  alone that
• 44:10
  we must
• 44:11
  be faithful.
• 44:13
  And so
• 44:13
  another
• 44:14
  spinoff of
• 44:15
  this is
• 44:16
  that we
• 44:16
  need to
• 44:17
  treat the
• 44:18
  blood of
• 44:18
  Jesus as
• 44:19
  precious.
• 44:20
  Again,
• 44:21
  I talked
• 44:21
  about this
• 44:22
  probably the
• 44:22
  last time I
• 44:22
  was up here.
• 44:24
  It is not
• 44:24
  something cheap,
• 44:25
  it is
• 44:25
  something,
• 44:25
  beautiful that
• 44:26
  we must
• 44:27
  guard and
• 44:28
  talk about
• 44:29
  in the most
• 44:30
  beautiful way
• 44:31
  is the
• 44:33
  blood of
• 44:33
  Christ.
• 44:35
  Then lastly,
• 44:36
  I just want
• 44:37
  you to turn
• 44:38
  to 1 John
• 44:38
  and we'll
• 44:39
  end right
• 44:40
  here.
• 44:40
  1 John
• 44:40
  chapter 4.
• 44:48
  So I
• 44:49
  know probably
• 44:49
  in a crowd
• 44:50
  this big
• 44:51
  that some
• 44:52
  of you are
• 44:53
  not sure
• 44:54
  maybe where
• 44:55
  you stand
• 44:55
  with God.
• 44:58
  And again,
• 44:59
  it is never
• 45:00
  too late
• 45:01
  even now
• 45:02
  to place
• 45:03
  saving faith
• 45:04
  your complete
• 45:05
  trust in
• 45:06
  Christ's work
• 45:06
  to reconcile
• 45:08
  you to God.
• 45:10
  So 1 John
• 45:11
  chapter 4
• 45:12
  verse 9
• 45:12
  in this
• 45:15
  the love
• 45:16
  of God
• 45:16
  was made
• 45:18
  manifest
• 45:18
  among us
• 45:19
  that God
• 45:20
  sent his
• 45:21
  only son
• 45:22
  into the
• 45:22
  world
• 45:23
  so that we
• 45:24
  might live
• 45:25
  through him.
• 45:27
  And this
• 45:27
  is love,
• 45:28
  not that we
• 45:29
  have loved
• 45:30
  God,
• 45:31
  but that he
• 45:32
  loved us
• 45:33
  and sent his
• 45:34
  son to be
• 45:35
  the propitiation
• 45:36
  for our
• 45:37
  sins.
• 45:38
  let's pray
• 45:40
  together.
• 45:40
  Let's pray
• 45:40
  together.