The Full Atonement – Part 2
Selected Scriptures
August 6, 2017

I know you are typically used to a verse that we are going to walk through, but tonight I just want to sort of follow up again on what we were talking about two weeks ago. And to do that we are going to look at a lot of different scriptures, not just one in particular.

Let’s pray to get started…

As you know we are working through those 5 SOLAS of the Reformation
And we have been spending a great amount of time on SOLA GRATIA

It is the belief that we are saved By Grace Alone.
Not Grace A lot, but Grace Alone.

We believe salvation to be a totally monergistic effort (the work of one)
It is not a synergistic effort (a cooperative work)

God saves us.

And of course we’ve talked about several issue here already.
We’ve looked at ABSOLUTE INABILITY, which reveals WHY salvation must be a monergistic effort.

Namely because man can’t choose God and even if he could, he wouldn’t.
He is dead in sin as a result of the fall and there is none who seeks for God,
Not even one.

We’ve looked at SOVEREIGN ELECTION, which reveals that in spite of our wickedness God has chosen His elect to be saved according to His own free will.

It is not that God is picking some and excluding others,
It is simply that none would come if God didn’t choose to save some,
And by His grace, that is exactly what He has done.

We’ve looked at EFFECTIVE CALL, which reveals that God does not save sinners against their will.

That is to say that He does not drag them kicking and screaming into heaven,
But rather God first changes their will and causes them to desire Him
So that when He calls they always respond.

And two weeks ago we looked FULL ATONEMENT.
I call it full atonement because on the cross Jesus provided an absolutely full atonement for the elect.

It is often referred to as LIMITED ATONEMENT
(because it is limited only to the elect)

And of course this is a highly debated topic.

The reality is that the atonement is certainly limited.
We know that because not everyone goes to heaven.

Hell is full of people whose sin has not been atoned for.
Revelation 21:7-8 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Revelation 22:14-15 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

Obviously these people are in hell because of their sin.
Their sin is even listed.

They are cowardly and unbelieving and immoral and sorcerers and murderers and idolaters and liars.

And these people who have committed such sins
And who have not had their sins atoned for by Christ
Will go to hell and pay for those sins for all eternity.

Paul said:
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

It is clear there that people who commit sin go to hell and pay for that sin.
People who are fornicators and idolaters and adulterers and effeminate and homosexuals and thieves and covetous and drunkards and revilers and swindlers.

These people go to hell
Where they suffer God’s wrath on their sin for all eternity.

The difference for the redeemed is that they have been washed and sanctified and justified through the atonement of Christ.

Christ paid for their sin
So that they will not have to pay for it themselves in hell.

Even Jesus said to the Pharisees:
John 8:24 “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

People who go to hell do so because their sin has not been atoned for.
They then die in their sins and pay the penalty for that sin for all eternity.

And the point to that of course is to reiterate the fact that
THE ATONEMENT IS ABSOLUTELY LIMITED.

Not all people are saved.
Not all people go to heaven.

The questions we have to ask are these:
• HOW IS IT LIMITED?
• WHO LIMITED IT?

Last week I told you of the CURRENT VIEW regarding the atonement.
It is quite popular to say today that CHRIST DIED FOR EVERYBODY.

• They like to say that Christ already paid the sin debt for every single person.
• They like to say that the atonement of Christ is absolutely unlimited as to its
extent; it is for everyone.
• That when Christ died on the cross He paid for the sins of every human being
who has ever lived.

And that sounds good,
Especially if you refuse to think about it a little deeper.

The problem with that is this:
Not everyone who Christ died for then goes to heaven.

Under that view you have Christ paying for everyone’s sin,
But whatever He did wasn’t enough to keep them out of hell
Since most people that He died for are still going there.

That is to believe that
On the cross Jesus paid in full the sin debt of all men and satisfied God’s wrath on all men who are still in hell paying that debt and suffering under God’s wrath.

And it forces you to ask the question:
THEN WHAT DID CHRIST ACTUALLY DO ON THE CROSS?

And under that view, you have to say:
“Well, actually, He didn’t do anything”

In fact, He did the exact same thing
For people in heaven as He did for people in hell.

What they are really believing in is a POTENTIAL ATONEMENT.
That Christ potentially died for all men, but He actually died for no one.

Their atonement is limited, and it is limited as to its effect.
What Christ did is not effective until the sinner chooses to activate the atonement to their account.

SO… (Are you ready for this?)
Under that view, the atonement is limited as to its effect
And it is limited by the will of the sinner.

Under that view, sinners decide who partakes in the atonement.
So it is sinners who limit the effect of the atonement.

• Under that view we have a multitude of sinners who render the atonement of Christ null and void because they refuse to accept it.

• The death of Christ is rendered powerless on their behalf because they don’t choose to make it powerful.

And friend that is a disturbing notion…
That salvation would be up to the will of the sinner.

Because we have already learned that
“There is none who seeks for God, not even one.”

If salvation is up to the sinner then no one is going to be saved because no one is going to choose God apart from God’s divine intervention.

TRUST ME: You don’t want any aspect of salvation dependent upon the will of the sinner.
• You don’t want election up to the sinner…
• You don’t want the response up to the sinner…
• You don’t want atonement up to the sinner…
• You don’t want security up to the sinner…

If it is, then it won’t happen because the sinner will always choose sin.

If salvation hinges upon the cooperation of the sinner
Then the sinner is in a world of hurt.

But what we believe and WHAT SCRIPTURE TEACHES is that
It is not up to the will of the sinner, it is up to the will of Holy God.
• He elects
• He causes the response
• He atones
• He secures

We believe that all of salvation is by grace alone, even the atonement.

We believe the atonement is also limited (since people are in hell)
But we believe it is limited to its extent, not its effect.

We don’t believe that Jesus paid the debt for every single human,
But we do believe that those humans for whom He did pay the debt,
He totally paid it.

This we saw in passages like:
Isaiah 53:11-12 “As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”

Matthew 26:27-28 “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”

Hebrews 9:28 “so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

Christ didn’t potentially die for everyone, He actually died for the elect.
On the cross He actually and totally and finally
Paid for all the sin of the Redeemed.

We don’t believe there was anything potential about what happened there.
• We heard Christ say, “It is finished!”

And we even saw that as we looked briefly at the crucifixion account.
• We saw that on the cross Jesus was actually bearing the wrath of God.
• We saw that on the cross Jesus was actually separated from the Father.
• We saw that on the cross atonement was actually being made.

There was nothing potential about it.
Jesus did it.

He certainly did not pay for everyone’s sin on that day
(Or else no one would go to hell,)
But for those whose sins He did pay for, He paid them in full.

SO WE SAY the atonement is limited as to its extent, but absolutely unlimited as to its effect.

Our question then is the same as the others.
WHO LIMITED IT?

And the only possible answer here is: GOD LIMITED IT.
God limited who the atonement would reach to,
He’s the only One who could have done it.

And I’ll be honest, I find much more comfort there
Than I do with some notion that sinners
Are limiting the atonement by their own will.

That idea really causes me to question how powerful the atonement was
If it can be so easily nullified by willful sinners.

On the cross Jesus fully atoned for
All those whom God chose to redeem.

And look, I’m well aware that
THAT PUSHES OUR TOLERANCES RIGHT OUT TO THE MAX.
I’m aware that this is difficult for many to wrap their minds around.

I’m also aware that if this is the first time you’ve come across this doctrine
That there are probably a host of verses that popped into your head that you’d like dealt with.

And because I certainly want to be exhaustive
I thought tonight we’d hit this topic again
With the idea of addressing some of those passages.

I know the words that we need to deal with are the word “WORLD”
Like in:
John 1:29 “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

And we have to address the word “ALL”
Like in:
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

So let’s look at some of those.
We’ll start with the idea that Christ died for the whole WORLD

Now, in order to grasp what the Bible writers are saying
I have to remind you of the Jewish mindset of the day.

And what I want you to understand is the absolute racism of the Jews.
• They hated Gentiles
• They hated Samaritans
• They hated Romans
• They hated Greeks
• They hated Barbarians

They did not at all see them as common heirs of the kingdom of God.

If you’ve read through the book of Acts,
It is impossible to miss the tension that quickly arises
When Gentiles start believing.

We could read Acts 10 and see
• Peter’s hesitancy to even go to Cornelius’ house,
• The half-hearted gospel presentation Peter gave,
• Peter’s amazement when God did the unthinkable by giving these Gentiles the Holy Spirit.

When you come to Acts 11
• Peter is actually in trouble for going to Cornelius’ house to begin with and is left having to defend himself.

And then of course we find the tension that arises
Regarding how much of the Law these Gentiles should have to follow.
Some demanded full adherence starting with circumcision

And that is what prompted the meeting of the Jerusalem council
In Acts 15 and such letters like the letter to the Galatians.

IT WAS A HARD TIME.
Jews had a very difficult time understanding that
Gentiles could be common recipients of the grace of God.

In fact, Paul calls that reality a mystery.
Colossians 1:26-27 “that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Ephesians 2:11-19 “Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called ” Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands — remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,”

Jews just didn’t think Gentiles would be or could be saved.
It was a massive stumbling block for them.

And that is what is being addressed most of the time
When you see the word “world” being used.

It is simply the New Testament writer’s way of indicating that Jesus is not just the Savior of Israel,
But also the Savior of the world.

It DOES NOT INDICATE that He is going to save everyone in the world (obviously the Bible doesn’t teach that)
But that He is a Savior for MORE THAN JUST ISRAEL.

Jesus will save people from every tribe and nation and tongue.
He is the world’s Savior.

Let’s look at some:
TURN TO: JOHN 1

You read it first there in verse 9;
“There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”

Obviously there “world” simply means the scope of humanity.
Christ came into the human realm, that’s all it means.

You keep reading and you find that He did not come to save the whole world, but rather only those who would receive Him.

(Read 10-13)

It wasn’t everyone He saved, but only those who received Him
(and we know why they received Him; because they were chosen)
And these are the ones who received the right to become children of God.

You see it again in verse 29;
“Then next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

And all you have to do is use your brain a second.
If Jesus did what so many imply here; namely that He atoned for the world, then what does this verse teach?

If He did in fact take away the sin of the whole world then what would be the effect of that?
• Everyone would be saved.
• There would be no hell
• There would be no condemnation
• There would be no judgment

Obviously the Bible doesn’t teach that.

No, John is not indicating that Jesus took away everyone’s sin,
He is merely making the point that
Jesus is the Savior for the whole entire world.

TURN OVER TO CHAPTER 3.
And of course you are familiar with verse 16.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

People jump on that again and say, “See, God loves the whole world!”
But what does “world” mean?

It simply means the scope of humanity.
Certainly God has shown love to humanity, to the whole world.
He did in fact send His Son into this world, that was an act of love.

But that passage DOES NOT INDICATE
That Jesus somehow paid the sin debt for every single human.
In fact, we see in this verse exactly who the atonement was limited to.

Who in this passage is being saved? “whoever believes”

See, the forgiveness and atonement of Christ is limited to believers.
It is limited to the elect.

TURN OVER TO CHAPTER 4
Jesus has the conversation with the Woman At The Well and she goes home and tells everyone in the city about Him.

And we read in verse 42, “and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”

If you take that to mean that He is saving everyone in the world then you have a bigger question to answer, which is:
Why are they still going to hell?

The reality is that these are simply statements which John used
To break Jewish racism and reveal that
Jesus is a Savior to more than just Israel.

TURN OVER TO CHAPTER 12
Jesus has raised Lazarus and He is at the height of His popularity. Everyone wants to see this Jesus, and look at the response of the Pharisees.

(19) “So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.”

Certainly that doesn’t mean every person in the world.
It’s just a statement to indicate
The scope of Jesus’ ministry and popularity at the time.

Just because you read verses that talk about Jesus saving the world,
You certainly understand that if that were true in a universal sense
Then no one would go to hell.

What it is really saying is simply that Jesus is the world’s Savior
And not just that of Israel.

Let me GIVE YOU ONE MORE, and one that was a big question for me when I first heard this doctrine.
TURN TO: 1 John 2:1-2
Now that can be read to sound very much like Jesus died for everyone,
But you really need to wait a second and understand what John is saying.

Definitely there is that same notion of addressing racism where John is indicating that Jesus is more than just a Jewish Savior, but literally a Savior to the world.

But there is even another important clue in this passage
That must be noticed.

John says that Jesus is “the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only but also for hose of the whole world.”

“propitiation” is a very strong word.
It means “appeasement” or “satisfaction”

If John is saying that Jesus did in fact die for the whole world
Then He is saying that Jesus actually fully satisfied
God’s wrath toward the whole world.

But we know Jesus did not do that because so many still go to hell.

This word “propitiation” is not a potential word, it is an actual word.

Whoever John is referring to here have no more wrath on them at all
Because Jesus has fully placated the Father.

You can read that verse flippantly, “See Jesus died for the whole world!”
But if you’ll be responsible and think it through
You quickly see that this is not at all what John is saying.

John is again merely revealing that Jesus is a Savior for the world
And not just Israel.

And I’m sure there are other uses of the word “WORLD”
But I think you’re getting the point.

Another word that seems to give people fits is the word “all”

The idea that Jesus died for “all”,
Indicating that He must have died for every single human.

But again, I need you to tap the breaks.
You and I know that the word “all” doesn’t always mean “all”

“I went to church and they all laughed at me” – well not everyone in the world and probably not even everyone in the church, it’s just a phrase that means there was an overwhelming response.

You always have to be careful about strictly applying “all” to everyone.
But let’s look at some.
TURN TO ROMANS 5
We already looked at this passage a couple of weeks ago when we talked about the absolute inability of man.

And we learned the overwhelming point of the passage is that
Paul is explaining how 1 man’s actions can affect everyone else.

He is trying to explain how Jesus can make you righteous
And in order to do that he first explains how Adam first made you sinful.

It is an analogy.
But people read verse 18 and try to push it beyond it’s intent.

Look at verse 18, “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.”

Now there many would say
“See! It’s for all men. What Adam did was for all so what Jesus did was for all.”

And that’s not true.
Adam’s transgression did not affect all men.
It affected all but one.

Who was the one that it did not affect?
Jesus, because He was not born of Adam, He was born of a virgin.

But what that does mean is that Adam’s transgression
Affected all who came from Adam.

And that understanding fits perfectly for we realize that
Just as Adam affected all who came from him,
SO ALSO DID JESUS AFFECT ALL WHO CAME FROM HIM.

And to make sure that you don’t push the “all” concept too far beyond what is intended, look at what Paul does in verse 19.

“For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.”

See how careful Paul is there
To make sure you don’t misunderstand the point?
He is not preaching some sort of universal atonement.

TURN TO: 2 CORINTHIANS 5:14-15
And again people focus in on the “all” there, but look at it closer.

Paul says that “one died for all, therefore all died”
Now let me ask you, who is “all” in that passage?

The “all” He died for is the same “all” who “died”
He is talking about believers.

That verse isn’t talking about all humanity,
It is talking about all believers.
(15) “and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

You just can’t push those words too far or else you end up with the doctrine of universalism, which the Bible does not teach.

The reality is that
• Christ came and actually atoned for all believers,
• And those believers were more than just Jews, they were people from
the whole world.
• And when He died He actually atoned for them, it wasn’t potential.

And it is important that you understand that
So that you won’t go around thinking that
The atonement someone was the result of your own efforts.

That you are saved because Jesus died
AND
You activated it by accepting it.

We are talking about salvation by grace alone.
Jesus did it all, you didn’t contribute anything
Except the sin that made it necessary.

Salvation is totally God’s doing.
Titus 3:4-7 “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

So we say that the atonement was absolutely limited as to its extent,
But it is totally unlimited as to its effect.

And let me tell you another reason this is so important.
IT ABSOLUTELY CHANGES YOUR PERSPECTIVE IN EVANGELISM
(I’ve got on my list to talk about how evangelism fits in all this later,
But I can hit you briefly with it here.)

One of the main objections to these Doctrines of Grace
Is that it kills evangelism.
I mean, after all, if God has already chosen then why bother?

Well, first of all, because we are commanded to.
• The Great Commission is the command of God to every believer.
• We are absolutely to go and share the gospel with this entire world.

And let me hit you one better.
Every single person you share the gospel with
Is receiving a 100% valid offer.

If you are looking at it like: “Well, I’m sharing with you, but it might be in vain because you might not even be chosen” then you are totally misunderstanding.

You can pick any sinner in the world and approach them
And tell them that if they will repent and believe in Christ
They will be saved, and that is a 100% true offer.

I mean even Jesus gave that offer, over and over and over.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden…”

What we have learned is that the only people who will respond are those whom God performs a supernatural work in their heart.

But let me also remind you of this important thing.
Chosen or not chosen; Elect or not elect
NO ONE WILL COME APART FROM HEARING THE GOSPEL.

The gospel is the means through which God calls out His elect.
And so we go and we share the gospel relentlessly with the lost,
Offering salvation to every person on the planet
And trusting that God will use that gospel to save His elect.

WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR YOUR EVANGELISM?
It totally takes the pressure off.

Aren’t you glad to know that salvation is not up to the will of the sinner?
If it were, then people who reject the gospel
Do so because you weren’t persuasive enough.

And that’s why people don’t want to share the gospel.
• “What if I mess it up?”
• “What if I’m not good enough?”

And that’s why people always want to go get the preacher to do it because they somehow assume the preacher is better at it and will be more effective.

But evangelism is NOT the art of convincing sinners to accept Christ.
If that were evangelism, no one could do it.
Evangelism is merely the commitment
To preach the gospel to all of Creation.
And if people respond – Glory to God, He did it.
And if people don’t respond – don’t be surprised, sinners never will.

This doesn’t nullify evangelism it merely gives us
The proper perspective when we evangelize.

Here is a passage with a beautiful balance.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Again, don’t get caught up on the word “world” there, we’ve already talked about that.

But who does this verse say is doing the “reconciling”? Christ is.
What is our job? “the word of reconciliation”

Christ is saving, we are merely out there proclaiming His salvation.

And so, how should we go forward with this?
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Should we really beg sinners to be saved?
ABSOLUTELY!

Paul knew all about election and limited atonement and all those things,
But he also knew his role in the whole process.

His role was to preach the gospel to all creation
So that God could use that gospel to draw out His elect.

Romans 1:14-16 “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

That is us, unashamed of the gospel and committed to preaching it.
It’s just that we know that those who are saved
Are not saved because we were convincing or manipulative.

They were saved because of God’s GRACE ALONE

The only reason they are saved is because God chose them, called them, and atoned for them apart from any work on their part.

And we rest in the fact that as we go and share the gospel with all creation
That as many as have been appointed to eternal life will believe.

The Coming King – Part 1
Luke 1:26-38
August 6, 2017

This morning we return to our study of Luke’s gospel,
Where Luke has set out to reveal to us “the exact truth” about Jesus.

He is giving us THE HISTORY OF REDEMPTION.

Certainly we have recognized that Luke’s first desire was to link us to the Old Testament.

Where Malachi ended, Luke began.
• Malachi promised a coming King who we would in no way be ready for.
• In order to prepare us for this king, Malachi also promised that one would come
first in the spirit of Elijah and would restore us.

Luke certainly picked up right there with his story.
• He started out by revealing to us Zacharias and Elizabeth, a righteous, but
barren couple.
• They were no doubt scorned by men, but we found that they were acceptable
to God and through them God would send this restorer.

So, after over 400 years of silence, God once again spoke.
He sent His angel Gabriel into the temple where he spoke to Zacharias
The promise that his wife would give birth to this restoring forerunner.

And then we saw Zacharias go home
And Elizabeth indeed did become pregnant.

We learned then a very important truth from Luke;
Namely that man in his natural state is not fit to stand before God.

If he were then we would see no need for John the Baptist.
Man must be prepared
Man must be restored

John didn’t come to save men,
But rather to lead them to a state of repentance and humility
So that when the King would come these would be acceptable to Him.

It is very important that you and I understand that.
God sent John to lead the people to repentance
That we might be prepared to meet the coming King.

Well THIS MORNING, Luke moves on in his story
And gives us the second great revelation from God.

God already sent Gabriel once to speak to Zacharias,
Now God is sending him again.
The first message was that the restorer is coming.
Here we find the second.

To look at this text, we are going to take a rather Unconventional Outline. That is, I’m not going to just work right down through the text like we normally would.

Instead, I want you just to read the story here and then
There are two main points that I think Luke wants you to see.

Instead of outlining the text, I’d rather give you those two points of emphasis.
#1 THE MESSAGE
Luke 1:30-35

Obviously the emphasis of the passage is on
The message which is delivered to Mary by the angel Gabriel.

I first want us to look at that message,
And we can sum it up quite quickly here at the outset: GOD IS COMING!

(30-33) “The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

The first time Gabriel was dispatched was to announce the coming of John the Baptist, this time Gabriel is coming to announce the coming of Jesus.

Here we find one of the best descriptions of Christ
Contained anywhere in Scripture.

Here we have what God ordered the angel Gabriel to announce
About this coming Messiah, and it bears examining here this morning.

When we look at this announcement or description,
It is easy to see 4 things about this One who will be born to Mary.

1) HE IS HUMAN (31a)
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son”

You will see in a moment that there will be a supernatural conception,
But everything else following that is totally natural.

After this baby is conceived,
• He will be carried in the womb for 9 months.
• This baby will develop and will ultimately be born.
• He will be an infant and then a toddler
• He will be a child and then a teenager
• He will grow into adulthood

This baby will go through life as every other human goes through life.
• He will learn to crawl and to walk
• He will learn to talk and to feed Himself
• His body will face limitations like every other human body
• He will go through puberty and will face every single earthly temptation that any other human might possibly face.

He is going to be human in every sense of the word.
He will get hungry, He will get tired, He will feel emotions, He will feel pain.

THIS CHILD WILL BE FULLY HUMAN
Hebrews 2:14 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,”

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

He was not some sort of phantom spirit hovering over the earth
That didn’t leave footprints like the Gnostics would teach.

This child that is coming to Mary
Will be 100% human in every sense of the word,
And His physical life will be no different than that of any other human.

EXCEPT FOR 1 GLARING DIFFERENCE.
THIS CHILD WILL BE SINLESS.

(35) “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”

He is referred to as “the holy Child”

And I can confidently say that none of us have ever had children like that.

THIS CHILD WILL BE SINLESS
• He was content as an infant…
• He was obedient as a toddler…
• He was humble as a child…
• He was respectful as a teenager…
• He was flawless as an adult…

He was absolutely human, but He was a holy human,
Despite the fact that Scripture says
He faced every single temptation.

And the fact that as a human He overcame every single temptation
Is what QUALIFIES HIM to be a faithful and merciful HIGH PRIEST for us

Hebrews 2:17-18 “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

Hebrews 4:14-16 “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 5:7-10 “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.”

He was a perfect and sinless real life human being.
So He perfectly understands humans.

BUT THAT ISN’T THE ONLY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF HIM BEING HUMAN.

His humanity is also important because
It is His humanity which qualifies and enables Him
To be a sacrifice on behalf of humanity.

ONLY A MAN CAN DIE FOR MEN.
(We’ve already seen that goats and bulls aren’t acceptable)

Hebrews 10:4-10 “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME; IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE. “THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.'” After saying above, “SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them” (which are offered according to the Law), then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Bulls and goats couldn’t atone for the sin of humanity.
Only a human body could atone for human sin.
And so He became human

He was given a body.
And in that body He lived a perfect life
That His body might be acceptable when it was offered up to God.

As a man He was able to atone for men.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.”

He had to be human, He had to have a body,
That He might have the means of atoning for the sin of men.

1 Peter 2:24 “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

And so this coming King became human.
• He was conceived inside the womb of a woman
• He was carried inside her body for 9 months
• He was born a natural birth.
• He then subjected Himself to life as a baby and child and adolescent.
• He didn’t skip a thing, He was a human.

That He might atone for the sin of humans.

And that leads us to the second truth that Gabriel reveals about Him.

He is Human
2) HE IS SAVIOR (31b)

“and you shall name Him Jesus.”

YESHUA in the Hebrew and it means “Yahweh Saves”
Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Now granted, the reality of Him being the Savior is barely alluded to here,
But it will soon come much more to the forefront.

Listen to Zacharias after the birth of John
Luke 1:67-71 “And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant — As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old — Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;”

Listen to the third angelic announcement, which comes to shepherds after this holy Child’s birth:
Luke 2:10-11 “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Listen to Simeon talk about this child when he sees Him in the temple:
Luke 2:29-30 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation,”

This child will not only be human, He will be the Savior of humans.

This human will be a human with a PURPOSE!
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

“Son of Man” is a title that means human.
And Jesus said that this human came to save.

And so we find this man going about and saving sinners.
He offers forgiveness.

To the paralytic:
Luke 5:20 “Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”

To the woman at His feet:
Luke 7:47-48 “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”

And ultimately He will die on a cross
To bear the punishment for the sin of His people.

And even after His death, the commission will go out
That His disciples should go out into the world and proclaim that forgiveness can be found for anyone in His name.

Luke 24:46-47 “and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

This human is coming as the Savior.

He is the sinless man who will bear the sin of other men
And thus provide atonement and forgiveness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

But that in itself produces another question.
How can one man bear the sin of many men?

We’re obviously talking about an eternal weight of sin; almost an infinite amount of sin;
HOW CAN ONE MAN BEAR ALL THAT?

And the answer is, one man can’t;
Unless He is more than just a man.

And that is why we find this third attribute so important.

He is Human, He is Savior
3) HE IS DIVINE (32, 35)

(32) “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High”
(35) “for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”

“Most High” translates EL ELYON (God Most High)

And is a title used many times to speak of God.
Psalms 83:18 “That they may know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth.”

Psalms 97:9 “For You are the LORD Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.”

• That is to say that He is preeminent.
• There is none like Him.
• He has no equal, He has no rival, He stands alone

And this child “will be called the Son of the Most High”

Just as I bear the nature of my father,
So this child will bear the nature of His Father.

Hebrews 1:1-4 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.”

The writer of Hebrews spelled it out plainly.
“He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature”

He is fully God.

Philippians 2:5-6 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,”

Paul was absolutely clear that this child is in very nature God. He is God.
And when He came He did not relinquish that nature.

If you read Philippians 2 and assume that Christ somehow gave up His deity to become a human, you are misreading the text.

He kept His divine nature.
He remained deity His entire life.

And that was continually put on display.
• See His miracles?
• See His healing?
• See His authority?

Luke 5:20-26 “Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? “But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” — He said to the paralytic — “I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.” Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Luke 7:48-50 “Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

He did not give up His deity when He came.
All He relinquished was the glory that goes along with it.

He was God, He just gave up the right to be treated as God.

This child was fully divine.
Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

And that means He is capable of bearing an eternal amount of sin.

Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

His sinless humanity makes Him qualified to be a Savior.
His absolute deity makes Him able to do it.

This child which Mary will carry will be fully human AND fully divine.
He will be both Son of Man and Son of God.

He will be conceived in a woman’s womb yet eternal before time began.
He will be revealed in the form of an infant yet in nature be God Most High.

As human He will be the sacrifice for men.
As God He will be able to bear the weight of that sin.
He is fully God and fully man.

Human, Savior, Divine
4) HE IS KING (32-33)

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Make no mistake that this child is the LONG AWAITED RULER
Which has been promised throughout the Old Testament.

Psalms 2:7-9 “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'”

Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

This is that King.
• He will come to save His people.
• He will come to crush His enemies.

This is the One Malachi was talking about.
Malachi 3:1-4 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. “He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness. “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.”

• This is the King who is coming to make His people righteous.
• This is the King who is coming to refine His people and purify them.
• This is the King who is coming to make His people pleasing to the Lord.

But beyond that, we also must recognize that
He is the King who is coming to reign.

“and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

He is not coming to save and then just leave.
He is not coming to deliver and then let you do whatever you want.
He is coming to save and then to lead.

We call it SAVIOR & LORD

IT’S NOT AS THOUGH
He sees humanity in trouble and says, “Let Me go bail them out”
And then once they are fine He says, “You good? You got it from here?”

No.
He saves and then He rules.
This is the One who Gabriel said is coming.
This King will be conceived in Mary’s womb
And 9 months later will arrive on the planet.

This God in human form.
This King who comes to save.

The question is: DO YOU KNOW HIM AS SUCH?

DO YOU KNOW HIM AS SAVIOR?
Have you humbled yourself before Him and asked for His forgiveness?

DO YOU KNOW HIM AS GOD?
Have you bowed before Him in gratitude and worship?

DO YOU KNOW HIM AS KING?
Have you submitted yourself to Him in obedience and allegiance?

It is my observation today that there are many
Who claim to have Him as Savior,
But who want no part of Him as Lord.

That is to say they want to be forgiven,
But they aren’t interested in submitting their lives to Him.

Actually, there are many today who don’t even want Him as Savior.
• Oh sure they’ll take Him as healer or provider or miracle worker, but they don’t
really want to be rescued from their sins.

• They wouldn’t mind Him removing the penalty of their sin, just so long as He
doesn’t ask them to actually leave the sin.

Do you really suppose that is the type of person Gabriel is announcing here?

• Do you really think Gabriel has just announced One who won’t mind if you just let Him forgive you but doesn’t expect you to obey Him?

• Do you really think this One who Malachi said was coming will be fine if just want to stay in your sin?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

This One who is announced here…
• Is One who put on humanity that He might save…
• Is One who relinquished the glory of deity that He might save…
• Is One who is promised to rule and to reign forever…

There is no way, He is going to just be ok
With people choosing to stay in their sin.

And it is highly important that you know Him as He is.

Luke is introducing this God/Man
As the most important person to ever walk on this world.

Look back to verse 32 for a moment.
We skipped one word a second ago.

(32) “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High”

“He will be great”

Now, perhaps you remember that we saw that word before.
We saw it about John the Baptist.

Luke 1:15 “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.”

John’s greatness was qualified.
We read that he would be “great in the sight of the Lord”

But there is no such qualifier when talking about Jesus.

John was “huge” in the sight of God.
John was “a big deal” to God’s plan.

But Jesus is just “huge”!
Jesus is “a big deal” to the whole world!

You don’t want to miss Him.
You don’t want to miss who He is.
You don’t want to miss what He wants.

He is coming to rule forever
And that demands that you and I submit to Him.

Next time we’ll look at How He is going to get here.

retreat-release

The Full Atonement
Matthew 27:45-53
July 23, 2017

As you know we are knee deep in our study called “500 Years of Reformation” and more specifically we are in the middle of studying that second SOLA which emerged from the Reformation.

We are studying SOLA GRATIA
Or what it means to be saved “By Grace Alone”

Without a doubt the MOST ESSENTIAL POINT that must be gained in order to understand Grace Alone is the true DOCTRINE REGARDING MAN.

We must understand what Scripture says about man,
Which is that as a result of the fall, man is spiritually dead.

He is both incapable and unwilling to come to God.
This reality (also known as Total Depravity or Absolute Inability)
Necessitates that salvation be a total work of grace.

Since man cannot help in salvation in any way, God must do it all.
The good news is that He does.
God saves us by His grace.

In spite of what we are, and in spite of what we desire, GOD HAS WILLED TO SAVE SOME. These recipients of His grace are referred to as the elect.

These are the ones whom God chose
And has effectively called out of sin and into salvation.

He raised them to life, He changed their desires,
He granted them faith, and He drew them to Himself.

And that is the reality we have been covering for the last several weeks.

But even in all of that, we have yet to discuss
The most important aspect of salvation by Grace Alone.

We have yet to discuss THE MEANS OF THIS SALVATION.
We have yet to discuss how God took sinful people
And made them acceptable to Him.

And the answer to that is of course, through the means of ATONEMENT.
God atoned for their sin, that He might be able to draw them to Himself.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

1 Peter 2:24 “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

Romans 5:6-8 “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Absolutely central to the gospel
Is the belief in the substitutionary atonement of Christ.

However, over time even this marvelous work
Has been subject to misunderstanding
And has even been reduced in its effect.

The reason this has happened is again due to our desire
To put man’s happiness at the center and to produce a message that sells
And is more palatable to sinners.

Just as has been done with the Doctrine Of Election
Which has been rejected because it offends our humanistic sense of fairness,
Man has also twisted the doctrine of the atonement to make it more pleasing.

The problem of course is that not only does it rob God of the glory He deserves,
BUT IT ALSO WEAKENS OUR FAITH.

Tonight we are going to talk about the EXTENT OF THE ATONEMENT.
That is to say, exactly who the atonement effects.

THE POPULAR STATEMENT TODAY WOULD BE TO SAY THAT
THE ATONEMENT IS ABSOLUTELY UNLIMITED.

In other words, the atonement is for every human who ever lived.

In fact, the typical gospel call went something like this:
“I just want you to know that on the cross Jesus died and paid for your sin. The sacrifice has already been made, the gift has been given, now won’t you please just accept this free gift which has already been given on your account.”

And it is pretty much proclaimed everywhere
That Jesus already paid the sin debt of every human,
All they now need to do is accept this free gift.

And so long as you keep it on the surface level, that sounds really good.
But the reality is that statements like that do incredible damage to the gospel and incredible injustice to what Christ did on the cross.

WHY?
Well, let’s think it through for a moment.

IF WE SAY that on the cross Jesus paid the sin debt of all the sins of all people, then we have to ask the question: WHY DO THEY GO TO HELL?

I mean, if Jesus fully satisfied the wrath of God on their behalf on the cross,
Then why are they fully bearing God’s wrath for all eternity?

And make no mistake, hell is real.
Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

So, if Jesus already paid their debt, then why are they then being forced to pay it in hell?

To which someone would immediately say,
“Because they rejected what Jesus did.”

OK, so then we’re saying that Jesus didn’t actually pay their debt,
He only potentially paid for it, so long as they accept it.

And people don’t like the way that sounds so they say,
“No, He actually paid for it, it’s just they didn’t take it, so they are going to pay for it to.”

So then, are we saying if they fail to accept what He did,
Then what He did is nullified, their sin is placed back into account,
And they then suffer for it for all eternity?

Is that what we’re saying?
That sinners have the ability to sort of “scratch out” what Christ did?

Well, that doesn’t sound right either.
When you think it through, there are obvious problems to this idea
That Christ fully atoned for the sin of every human on the cross.

I’ll tell you the problem with saying that Jesus died for everyone.

To make that claim is to say that
Jesus fully satisfied God’s wrath and atoned for the sin of those who are now in hell paying for that same sin for all eternity.

If you want to push it even further,
Jesus did the exact same thing for people in heaven that He did for people in hell,
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE is that the people in heaven made the choice to accept it while the people in hell chose to reject it.
But if you go down that road then
Jesus did the exact same thing
For people in heaven as He did for people in hell.

So what difference did He make?
And again, we are back to the problem.

If you believe that Jesus died for everyone
Then you are saying that all Jesus did on the cross
Was purchase a potential salvation, not an actual one.

He potentially bore all man’s sin, but he actually bore no one’s
Until they chose to activate it by accepting it.

WHAT ARE YOU SAYING PREACHER…THAT JESUS DIDN’T DIE FOR EVERYONE?

Well my question is simply this:
If He did, then why are they in hell?

There are two words I want you to write down,
Because we need to ponder them a second.

1) EXTENT – speaking of how far the atonement reached, or who it reached.
2) EFFECT – speaking of what the atonement actually accomplished.

Now, with those words come 3 options.
1) Christ’s atonement was unlimited in both extent and effect.
(That is universalism)

2) Christ’s atonement was limited in both extent and effect.
(All men are lost)

3) Christ’s atonement was limited by either the extent or the effect.
(We must settle here)

THAT BEING THE CASE,
YOU MUST CHOOSE ONE OF TWO DOCTRINAL POSITIONS.

1) When Christ died on the cross it was for all people, but it was limited as to its effect because most of the people He died for still ended up going to hell.

2) When Christ died on the cross it was limited as to its extent, but all those He did die for were totally atoned for and as a result go to Heaven.

You must either limit the atonement as to its extent or as to its effect.
But you cannot say He fully atoned for all people or else that is universalism
And the Bible does not teach that.
So which is it?
Did Jesus die for every human, or did Jesus fully atone for those He did die for?

Now, I’m going to save you some struggle and show you the answer.

• Jesus did not die for every human, nor did He bear the sin of every
single human,
• Rather, Jesus died for the elect and He fully and faithfully and
totally bore their sin on the cross.

LET ME FIRST JUST SHOW THAT TO YOU
And then we’ll discuss why you need to know it.

Isaiah 53:11-12 “As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”
He didn’t bear the sin of all, He bore the sin of many.

Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Not all people, “His people”

Matthew 26:26-29 “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
It wasn’t for everyone, it was for “many”

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
It is for His sheep (not the goats)

Ephesians 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”
What Jesus did was for the church, the bride.

Hebrews 9:28 “so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”
Again, “to bear the sins of many”

Hebrews 10:14 “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”
He perfected “those who are sanctified”

Are you getting the picture?
When Jesus died, He died to fully atone for the sins of His people.

WHY THE DISCUSSION?
Because I want you to understand
What Christ actually did when He died on the cross.

• He didn’t potentially atone for all men,
• He actually atoned for the redeemed.
• He actually bore my sin on His body
• He actually paid my debt
• It wasn’t potential, it wasn’t just possible, it was actual

John 19:30 “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”

• He didn’t say, “Now, it’s possible!”
• He didn’t say, “It is started” – HE FINISHED IT THERE.

Hebrews 1:3 “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Hebrews 9:12 “and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”

That is why we can sing songs like:
“My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin, not in part, but the whole; IS nailed to the cross and I bear it no more! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul.”

That’s why we can sing:
Man of Sorrows! What a name for the Son of God who came, ruined sinners TO RECLAIM, Hallelujah! What a Savior!
BEARING SHAME and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood, SEAL’D my pardon with His blood, Hallelujah! What a Savior!
“Guilty, vile and helpless we, spotless Lamb of God was He, FULL ATONEMENT CAN IT BE? Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Lifted up was He to die, “IT IS FINISHED!” was His cry, now in heaven exalted high, Hallelujah! What a Savior!
When He comes, our glorious King, ALL HIS RANSOMED home to bring, then anew this song we’ll sing, Hallelujah! What a Savior!

That’s why we sing:
“JESUS PAID IT ALL, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow”

What Jesus did was absolutely and totally effective.
He totally and actually bore all my sin and your sin
And all the sin of all the elect on the cross.

It was not a potential atonement, it was an actual one.
And I want us tonight to simply take a look at the event,
And see that very thing.

We opened by reading Matthew 27:45-53, let’s look at it together now.

#1 HE SUCCESSFULLY BORE SIN
Matthew 27:45-46

An often considered word regarding salvation is the word “IMPUTATION”
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Christian doctrine hangs upon
The imputed righteousness of Christ.

We say that we are now righteous before God,
Not based on our own righteousness,
But based upon Christ’s righteousness imputed to us.

Now, this is only possible based on the fact
That our sin has first been imputed to Christ.
We can only receive and enjoy His righteousness,
If He first receives and pays for our sin.

TO PUT IT SIMPLY:
If Christ didn’t receive our sin, then we didn’t receive His righteousness.

And that is what makes this truth on the cross so important.
For here we find Jesus suffering.
Not suffering as a martyr would suffer,
But suffering as a sinner would suffer.

He is feeling the full blunt of God’s wrath, and He is experiencing
The tragic separation from God that sinners experience.

Look at the text. (45) “Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.”

Mark tells us that it was the third hour when Jesus was crucified.
So after hanging on the cross for 3 hours listening to the scorn of men,
Jesus then enters a new and greater phase of suffering.

“from the sixth hour” (that would be noon)
“darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.”
• It is not possible that this was an eclipse, the timing of Passover would not have permitted it.
• Furthermore this was a three hour darkness, and no eclipse lasted this long.

RATHER, THIS A DIVINE REALITY OF GOD’S JUDGMENT.

Darkness is associated with
The wrath and judgment of God.

We are all familiar with the plague of darkness in Egypt,
But beyond that, listen to the prophets describe God’s day of wrath.

Isaiah 13:10-11 “For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light. Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.”

Joel 2:1-2 “Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations.”

Amos 5:20 “Will not the day of the LORD be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it?”

Zephaniah 1:14-15 “Near is the great day of the LORD, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness,”

Even in the New Testament, the imagery continues.
2 Peter 2:4 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;”

Jude 6 “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,”

Even Jesus used this imagery.
Matthew 8:11-12 “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

It is obvious what is occurring as Christ hangs on the cross.
• God is angry.
• God’s wrath is being poured out.
• Judgment is taking place.

Now many have assumed that God’s wrath here is focused on Israel for their deep wickedness to crucify God’s Son.

And not to make light of this grave sin.
But we must remember Christ has already prayed
That God not count this trespass against them.

Furthermore, the very next verse makes it abundantly clear
Who was feeling the wrath of God.

It wasn’t those standing around the cross, it was the One on the cross.

(46) “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”

Christ was feeling the effects of God’s judgment.

WHY?
WELL, THERE IS ONLY ONE REASON.

He must really be taking our sin.
• Since we know by now that Christ was innocent.
• Since His innocence was validated by His resurrection

We can only come to one conclusion.
Christ is actually bearing sin, and God is judging it.

At this moment Christ is realizing the full separation
That sinners have experienced since the garden.

• Christ is feeling the shame of Adam and Eve with their heads down walking out of Eden.
• Christ is feeling the shame of the Israelites as they watch God move His tent outside the camp.
• Christ is feeling the shame of Ezekiel as He watched the glory of God depart from God’s temple.
• Christ is feeling the shame of separation from the Father.

And at this He cries out:
“Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Interestingly enough, this is the only time that Jesus ever called Him God,
And not Father.
The intimacy was gone. – Separation had set in.

Do you see that He is actually bearing sin?
This isn’t potential, this is actual.

Whoever He is dying for, He is right there actually taking their wrath.
Whoever He is dying for, they will never bear that wrath, He is taking it.

He successfully bore our sin.
#2 HE SUCCESSFULLY FINISHED HIS TASK
Matthew 27:47-50

Here we find that despite all the abuse Jesus has already taken,
They are still heaping more abuse on Him.

“And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.”

There are two possibilities here.
1) They didn’t know what He said, and took the “Eli” as a literal call for Elijah.
2) They did understand, but chose to purposely twist His words

Most believe it was the second.
That even now, Christ was being mocked and reviled.

And yet, He endures.

We even get a special prophetic occurrence in verse 48.
(48) “Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.”

WHY DID HE DO THAT?
(Well, Psalm 69:21 prophesied that they would give Him vinegar to drink
And He had to fulfill all prophecies)

John 19:28-29 “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.”

I love that verse.
He had already done so much.
He had already endured so much.

And yet, obedience was so important;
Fulfilling the prophecies was so important,
That before Jesus could die,
He had to fulfill what the prophets spoke and say, “I thirst”

Jesus is cutting no corners
Jesus is not stopping short, He is doing it just as He must.

And still they mock
Even as the man is giving Him a drink
(49) “But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.”

The crowd isn’t even merciful enough to let Him get a drink.
They want the man giving it to Him to get out of the way and let’s see if Elijah comes.
IT WAS CONTINUOUS MOCKING.

But Jesus never took their bait…
1 Peter 2:22-24 “WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

Jesus just endured, and fulfilled His calling.

Right up through verse 50
“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.”

We even know what He said:
John 19:30 “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”

It is done! – Paid in full! – Completed! – ACTUAL
That was victory.

He Successfully Bore our Sin He Successfully Finished His Task
#3 HE SUCCESSFULLY SECURED OUR SALVATION
Matthew 27:51-53

We know Christ bore our sin and we know He finished His task, but what did it accomplish?

His death obviously accomplished two things.
1) ACCESS TO THE FATHER IS GRANTED

“And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom;”

Man didn’t tear it, God did.
It was torn “from top to bottom”
THERE IS NOTHING POTENTIAL HERE

You know the veil as what separated the glory of God from sinful man.

Christ did what had never been done.
He made God accessible.

HOW?
• He atoned for sin.
• He was the propitiation.
• And His blood was so acceptable that God no longer needed the veil

Access was granted!
We can now know God!

The second thing?
2) DEATH WAS DEFEATED
“and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.”

People today often talking about Christ
Defeating death at His resurrection.

But it wasn’t the resurrection of Christ that defeated death,
It was the death of Christ that defeated death.

Hebrews 2:14-15 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

And when the dead rose at His crucifixion we see without a doubt
That what Christ did on the cross was totally effective.

It wasn’t potentially effective, it was actually effective.
• He really bore sin
• He really satisfied God
• He really secured salvation

Christ successfully secured salvation.

And you need to know that so that you understand
The fullness of God’s grace in your life.

When we read verses like:
Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

We understand why.
It is because on that cross Jesus actually bore all my sin.

DO YOU SEE THE GRACE?
• We were sinful man totally unwilling and totally unable to come to God.
• But God, in His infinite grace chose us to come to Him.
• He gave us a heart to respond to His call
• And He atoned for our sin through the sacrifice of His Son.

We did nothing in that.
It was GRACE ALONE

I am so thankful that Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t just potential,
That He didn’t just leave it up to me whether or not to activate it

Because we have already learned that if the choice was mine,
I would have chosen wrong.

• Thankfully Jesus bore my wrath
• Thankfully Jesus fully took my penalty
• Thankfully Jesus totally covered my sin

That is grace…GRACE ALONE.