The Crucifixion Of Christ (Matt. 27:26b-37)

The Crucifixion Of Christ

(Matt. 27:26b-37)

When reading the passages of scripture on the crucifixion, I kept seeing the suffering of Jesus in my mind as I had saw it in the movie ‘The Passion’. Thinking of the scourging, the beating, and how He was nailed on that cross and saying to myself why it had to be that way. There had been others crucified and scourged and who had suffered, but the difference that day was who was being crucified. Today, let’s look at the crucifixion closer and try to see it better and come away from it with a fresher understanding and a more thankful heart.

I. Before the Crucifixion

A. The Garden (Matt. 26:36-46) - We see here in passage in Mt. 26 that Jesus has come to the Garden of Gethsemane (means ‘Olive Press’) with the disciples. He has come to pray and enters further in the garden with Peter, James, and John. This passage mentions in verse 37 that Jesus is ‘sorrowful and very heavy’, this means that he is grieved and distressed and even verbalizes that fact to these three. He is feeling the immense stress and when He prays, He asks the Father, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” and later prays in v. 42, “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done”. Jesus is not fearing death, the cup is not the cup of death but it represents the wrath of God against sin. In that moment, the sin of the world was being ‘poured’ on Jesus. He was going to bear our sins on that cross and die for our sins in our place; He took the punishment and penalty for our sin for us. 2 Co. 5:21 says that, ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us’, Jesus took our place and took the wrath of God for us. The taking on of the overwhelming weight of the sin of the world was a great stress on our Lord because we see that in Luke 22:34 it tells us that, “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground”, now this is actually a known medical condition called hematidrosis. It is caused by great psychological stress which causes a release of chemicals that breaks down the capillaries in sweat glands which results in a small amount of bleeding in the glands and when sweat is released it is tinged with blood. We see our sinless Lamb taking our sins on Himself and the great weight causes our Lord great stress. He was the only One who could do it.

B. The betrayal and arrest (vv.47-68) we all know the Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and they came and arrested Jesus and took to the High Priest Caiaphas. The disciples had fled away into the night and Jesus was before the Sanhedrin council and they charged Him with blasphemy for they rejected Jesus as the Messiah. They also pronounced a death sentence, beat, and mocked Him.

C. Before Pilate, the crowd, and the scourging (Mt. 27:11-31)- in chapter 27:11, we see Jesus has now been brought to Pilate. He is questioned by Pilate and Pilate says in the passage from John that he could find no fault in Him. When the crowd was given a choice to release a prisoner by Pilate, he gave them a choice between Jesus and a criminal named Barabbas. The crowd there cried out they wanted Barabbas and when Pilate asked what they wanted to do with Jesus and the crowd cried out ‘crucify him!’. This was probably a lot of the same crowd that had cried out only days before ‘Hosanna’ and ‘Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord’ when Christ rode in on that donkey when He entered Jerusalem. When Pilate expressed that he felt Jesus was innocent it says in v. 23 that the crowd cried out even more, “Let Him be crucified”. Pilate washes his hands before them and says that he is innocent of this man’s blood and the crowd answers and says, “His blood be on us, and on our children”; the fact of the matter is that we are all guilty of the death of Jesus Christ and none of us are innocent of His shed blood, it is because of our sins that He came, suffered, and died on that cross. Barabbas is released and Jesus is then scourged and delivered over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified. Scourging was a practice used by the Romans that involved a whip of braided leather thongs with metal balls and sharp pieces of bone woven into them. It was usually consisted of 39 lashes but depending upon the mood of the soldier chosen to give the lashes it most likely was more. Needless to say the flogging would be from the shoulders down the back and buttocks to the back of the legs. It would rip and tear skin and muscle down to even exposure of the spine and bowel. It was a horrible thing to be scourged and many would die just from being scourged and the loss of blood. Then the soldiers mocked him, spit on him, and drove a crown of thorns upon His head.

II. Crucifixion (vv.32-44)

We now come to the place of the crucifixion; as horrible as the scourging was crucifixion was even more horrible. When one was crucified, they had to carry the cross beam part of the cross called the patibulum to the place where the execution was to be carried out. When they would arrive the vertical part of the cross would already be placed in the ground. They would take the condemned and nail him to part he carried. The 5-7 inch spikes and nailed him to through the wrists. Note that the wrist was considered part of the hand in the language of the day. If it was through the palms, the skin would have torn and would have fallen off the cross; the spike thru the wrists lock the hands in place and was a solid place to secure the condemned. Part of the torture involved in nailing thru the wrists is that the nail would go through the place where the median nerve runs to the hand. It would crush the nerve and cause intense pain; it like the feeling of hitting your funny bone but this pain is constant and it would be like taking a pair of pliers and squeezing and crushing that nerve. The pain would be unbearable and Jesus was feeling that pain. The pain was literally beyond words to describe; in fact they invented a new word for it and that word: excruciating. Excruciating means ‘out of the cross’. They had to make a new word for that intense anguish and suffering felt on the cross. The cross beam was raised and attached to the vertical beam and then a spike was driven thru the feet also hitting a nerve with a similar intense pain as the others. Upon being raised on the cross the arms would be stretched at least 6 inches and the shoulders would become dislocated. Once hanging in that vertical position, crucifixion was a slow painful death caused by asphyxiation. Because of the position of crucifixion, Christ had to push Himself up by His feet to exhale and relax back down to inhale. Eventually a person would die do to being to exhausted to push themselves up to keep breathing. This is the great physical pain and agony endured by Christ out of His love for lost and sinful mankind. And we see in the Garden and at the cross the great psychological and physical suffering Jesus faced for our sins.

III. His Death (vv.45-53)

It talks in v.45 that there was a great darkness over all the land. This was not an eclipse, because they knew what an eclipse was and there is no record of any eclipse at this time period. This was a supernatural occurrence performed by God the Father. But what was the reason? At His death there is darkness from the sixth hour until the ninth hour. The Jews begin to measure their day from 6 A.M., the sixth hour is noon. From noon to three it was dark. Mark 15:25 says, “He was crucified at the third hour”, that’s 9 A.M. So the first three hours He was hanging there visible, naked before the watching people in the light. Those three hours passed. Soldiers had nailed Him there. They had placed the sign over His head. He is suspended there in the horrific indignity as the passers-by, the soldiers, the curious, the religious leaders watched and mocked and insulted Him. During that three hours He only broke the silence three times. Once He said to the soldiers, of the soldiers to the Father, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”. The second time He spoke to a penitent thief at His side and said, “Verily, this day you will be with Me in paradise”. Once more He broke the three-hour silence looking down at Mary and John, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son” pointing to John. And to John, “Behold your mother” thus giving her into the care of John. In the light He said three things. All three of them were demonstrations of mercy, mercy toward the soldiers, mercy toward the thief, mercy toward Mary. Each was a revelation of the light of His grace, the shining beauty of His compassion. Darkness in the Scripture is a symbol of judgment; God’s salvation is always seen as light. God’s judgment is always seen as darkness and God was saying by the darkness that the cross was a place of judgment. This is not an indication of a judgment to come in the future, this is a judgment in itself right then and there. And God only judges one thing, what is it? Sin. God turned out the lights because this was a judgment on sin. And yet, the One receiving the judgment was sinless, a Lamb without blemish and without spot, holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners, Hebrews 7:26 says. “In all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin”. Second Corinthians 5, “Him who knew no sin.” What is happening there then is a judgment on sin being borne by an innocent sacrifice. Isaiah 53 verse 4, “Surely our griefs He Himself bore and our sorrows He carried, yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. He was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well being fell on Him and by His scourging we are healed. The Lord caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him”. It further says, “The Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief, rendering Him a guilt offering He will bear their iniquities and justify many”. Paul put it this way. Romans 4:25, “He was delivered for our offenses”; First Corinthians 15:3, “He died for our sins”; First Peter 2:24, “Who in His own self bore our sins in His body on the tree”; First Peter 3:18, “He died the just for the unjust”; First John 4:10, “God sent His Son to be the atonement for our sins”; Galatians 3:13, He became a “curse for us”; and in Matthew 20:28 it says, “He came to give His life a ransom for many”. Mt. 25:46, “And about the ninth hour, three o’clock in the afternoon, Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?’” As the darkness came to an end, as the darkness reached three o’clock from noon, the life of Jesus is almost at an end. The fury of God is almost spent. Judgment is almost over. But Jesus can contain the pain no longer and it’s not the pain of nails and it’s not the pain of a crown, and it’s not the pain of wounds of scourges rubbing against a ragged wooden beam, it is the pain of separation from the Father. And with great strength, He cries out where the real agony comes from, and it doesn’t come from the physical pain, the real agony comes from His soul, the realization, the reality, the agony that He is separated from His Father. I don’t think Jesus in the garden was agonizing over the physical pain that He was about to suffer, He was agonizing over the reality of the sin-bearing and feeling the wrath of God because He knew exactly why He came...He came to be a ransom for many which means He had to come and die in their place, and He knew He would feel the fury of God’s wrath. This is a reverse miracle. This is a supernatural separation, impossible and yet it happened. And while Jesus was not separated from the Father by nature, He was separated from the Father by fellowship. As a sinful child does not cease to be the essence of his father, but by his sin loses the intimate fellowship with his father, so Christ did not cease to be God but lost the intimacy of fellowship with His Father which He had eternally known. He had never been anything but loved by His Father. In fact, it was His Father’s perfect love for Him that caused the Father to put the whole redemptive plan in motion and to redeem lost humanity. It was the Father’s perfect love for the Son that made it all happen. And now, having been loved by His Father perfectly for all eternity, He is treated as if His Father hates Him and His Father turns His back on Him. Why does He do that? “Because He is of purer eyes than to behold evil and cannot look upon iniquity“, Hab. 1:12, 13. 2 Co. 5:21 says it in a nutshell, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him“. He took upon Himself the penalty for my sins and your sins and suffered and died in our place. What great love and mercy that He has shown to us the undeserving. As we read that He cried out, like it says in John 19:30, “it is finished“, He said that not because He was dying but because the work of salvation was finished and complete. Heb 10:10, “…we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all”. The salvation of our souls that we receive through faith in Christ is an eternal salvation because Jesus gives us a complete work of salvation that was accomplished by the suffering and death on the cross for those who are the sons and daughters of God, once for all. There is nothing else to do, no good works, no religious effort on our part because it is only through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus on the cross.

Because of the suffering and death on the cross by our sinless Lord Jesus, we are now partakers of His salvation. It is only through Jesus we have salvation, the forgiveness of all our sins. Let us, this week especially remember and give God thanks for the awesome work of redemption by King Jesus.

Coronation of Christ (Triumphal Entry) (John 12:12-19)

Coronation of Christ (Triumphal Entry)

(John 12:12-19)

We have read probably many times about the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. But have you ever wondered why Jesus rode on a colt of a donkey into Jerusalem. Jesus had a purpose for everything He did and we must look for the reason and purpose for His entry into Jerusalem the way He did it. Why a donkey and not a horse, why did the people shout “Hosanna”, why on that particular day. As we will see today, Jesus had a reason, He had a purpose, and He had a reason for the timing of the event.

I. Jesus enters Jerusalem (v.12 - The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem).

A. Background: Jesus was entering Jerusalem on the week of the Passover, in fact it would be five days later He would be crucified. Jesus the day before was in Bethany in the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. We see this in the beginning of chapter 12 and it also records at a feast given in honor of Jesus and Lazarus, where Mary anoints Jesus’ feet (the gospel of Matthew and Mark records that she also anointed (poured) it on His head) and Jesus remarks to the disciples that she is anointing Jesus for his burial. There would be no time for preparation of the body, because Jesus was crucified on Friday and Sabbath began sundown Friday and went to sundown Saturday. Jesus knows the day is quickly nearing for His death on the cross and He is preparing His disciples for that time. At this feast many are there to see Jesus but it says many are there to see Lazarus also, John 12:9- ‘Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead’. Many came to see the one come back from the dead and the raiser of the dead, it reminds you of those who come to see the freak show at the fair. The Sanhedrin are still plotting His death because many were believing He was the Messiah (v.11- ‘Because that by reason of him (Lazarus) many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.’).

B. Coming to Jerusalem- one thing about this passage is that it doesn’t record Jesus telling the disciples to get His transportation into Jerusalem. In Matt. 21:1-3 it says, ‘And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them’ and the passage says that the disciples went and found the donkey at the place Jesus said it was and the scene unfolded just as Jesus said it would. There at Bethphage, there was probably a follower of Christ because when they said the Lord has need of them, he freely gave them. Jesus supernaturally knew they were there and because He is God, He was in charge of the unfolding events. Here now is Jesus sitting on the foal of this donkey riding into Jerusalem with a crowd behind Him from Bethany and there was a great crowd of pilgrims in Jerusalem for the time of Passover. Jesus is entering the city and He is officially offering Himself as the long-awaited Messiah, presenting Himself as King Jesus. How do you know this to be true. Because of the symbolic things He did and the fulfillment of prophecy.

II. Symbolic meanings and prophetic fulfillments (vv. 13-15 – [they] took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!" 14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt.").

A. The donkey (Matt 21:4-7 gives us a clearer picture on the use of a donkey, ‘4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.’) Jesus rode on the colt of the donkey, Mark and Luke wrote that the animal had never been ridden. Because according to Deuteronomy 21:3, and 1 Samuel 6:7, "To ride an animal young and never before ridden was a sign of special honor". It wasn't just a common animal that everybody rode...this was one set apart that had never been ridden by anybody else, just a matter of distinction. This was a fulfillment of prophecy concerning the Messiah, in Zechariah 9:9, ‘9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass’, this proclaimed to all that He was their King and Messiah. But why a donkey and not a horse. When a king rides a donkey, it symbolizes peace. When a king rode a horse, particularly a white horse, it shows that He has come as a King of war, it stands for triumph and war. Jesus was declaring to them that His Kingdom was not like any other Kingdom of this world. In fact, when Pilate asked Jesus was He a King, He said He was a king but His kingdom was not of this world. The statement Jesus was making and how He defined that meaning should have been clear. It was what He had been telling them all along. His Kingdom was not military, it’s not economic, it’s not political, it’s not about human power, it’s not about intimidation, it not about military power and weapons. It comes in meekness and humility. He was saying I’m not the military or political Messiah. He was declaring that He was the meek and lowly sacrifice for sin. Jesus came to Jerusalem to die for them, not to set up an earthly Kingdom. The animal He rode on stood for peace. Jesus was going to bring about peace between God and mankind. The Bible says that we are separated from God because of our sins and are basically enemies of God. James 4:4 says that clearly, ‘…know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God’. Jesus came to give us peace with God through His suffering and death on the cross. Rom. 5:10, ‘when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son’. By riding on that colt of a donkey He was proclaiming peace with God through His soon coming death.

B. Hosannas and palm branches (John 12:13)- verse 13 states that the crowds yelled ‘Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord’. The crowd was proclaiming that he was Messiah particularly because of the use of Psalm 118:26. It was about the Messiah and they shouted Hosanna and made a road or a ‘red carpet’ for Jesus to ride on with palm branches and their own garments while they shouted praises to God. You got to understand that this was a huge crowd; they were pilgrims to Jerusalem for Passover. One Roman general was ordered to take a census of how many lambs were slain during one Passover and it was 250,000. Passover regulations stated that there was to be one lamb slain for a minimum of 10 Jews. It was possible that there were at least 2.5 million people in and about Jerusalem. So, now imagine tens of thousands of people there shouting Hosanna. Hosanna means ‘save now’; it’s a cry for deliverance from bondage. They begin to throw their garments to make a path and according to 2 kings 9:13 it is an act of submission. The palm branches cut down and laid in the path before the Messiah on a donkey. The palm branches and trees are a symbol of strength, beauty, joy, deliverance, and salvation. What wonderful acts of adoration and how fit it is of our King Jesus. But in it all Jesus knew they all still did not understand who He was and what was to be done. He came on this day and at this time to offer Himself as the Passover Lamb. You see that it was on this day that the Passover Lambs were picked. This was not a coincidence, God was in complete control of the situation and timing. Of all there ‘Hosannas’ and adoration they cry for deliverance was not for their souls. They were not looking for eternal things and that’s the sad part. They were crying for immediate release from the bondage of Rome and not freedom from sin. They wanted deliverance from disease and the battle for bread. They wanted everything to be done right then and right now; an earthly Jewish Kingdom. They wanted Him to conquer Rome; He did conquer on that cross and by His resurrection; over sin, death, Satan, and the grave. You see Jesus went out the next day and began to confront sin in the Temple and cleansed it (whipped the money changers, drove them out), He pronounced the Pharisees and the Sadducees as hypocrites. He condemned their sinfulness and pronounced Himself as the only answer and sacrifice for sin. He confronted their sins instead of their political problems, their big problem was their sin problem. When He confronted them about their sin problem and unmasked their sins, then they wanted to execute them. When Jesus entered Jerusalem that day, He knew 5 days later He would be crucified. He knew when the immense crowd began shouting ‘Hosanna!’ they would be the same ones yelling ‘Crucify Him!’. Jesus was crowned with thorns while here on earth, but when establishes His reign and rule in the New Heaven and Earth, He will be crowned with many crowns. One day, He will come back on a white horse instead of a lowly donkey, as the conquering King Rev. 19:11-16 says it best, ‘11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’

On that day in Jerusalem He came as the Lamb to be slain to take away our sins. He came that day to began the last few days and steps to Golgotha’s Hill. He came fully aware on the ‘cup’ that was sat before Him. He endured the shame, suffering, humiliation, and death because He loved us. They were looking for a Savior of their own imagination rather than the One God sent. Jesus told them that He came into this world to save sinners, to seek and save that which is lost. Jesus cares about all the issues and pain and heartaches in your life. But the primary issue is that He’s not interested in fixing you temporal life but He is in the business of changing your eternal destiny. He came to die, to be the sacrifice for our sin. He doesn’t have a political or economic or social agenda; He has a spiritual agenda. It’s not about this world, it’s about the world to come. It’s not about the kingdom of men, it’s about the Kingdom of God. It’s not about making our lives more comfortable, it’s about forgiving our sins. So we see today that the Triumphal Entry was more than Jesus riding on a donkey. It is full of meaning. It shows us that Jesus was in full control of the great events before Him. It shows what great love and care He has for the sons and daughters of God. (Heb 12:2 - “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”.) He chose to walk this road of suffering and death out of His love for you and me. Let us be thankful to Him.

Truth of the Proof that Jesus is God (John 20:24-31)

Truth of the Proof that Jesus is God

(John 20:24-31 -Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.)

We know that Jesus is God but what proofs can we turn to when we are asked why we believe that. Today, we are going to look at the evidence why we know that Jesus is God. The Bible tells us that “on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed” (Deut. 19:15). So today, we are looking at three witness that tell us that Jesus is God; through the Scriptures, the confession of Christ Himself, and thirdly, the witness of Christ's disciples. Today's sermon is the truth of the proof of Christ's Deity.

I. Proof 1: Proclaimed by Scripture (John 1:1,14).

The message of this biblical fact that Jesus is God is a foundational doctrine of the Christian faith. To deny that He was God would be a travesty to truth. The great Christian writer, C.S. Lewis wrote that to think that Christ was anything but God would make Jesus either a liar or a lunatic; He cannot be a just a good man or just a great spiritual teacher and claim to be God. There is no middle ground, "He is either Lord, a liar, or a lunatic". The heart of the Christian faith is built upon this foundational truth, Jesus is God. Salvation is not possible if Jesus is not God. The suffering and death on the cross would be a tragedy if Jesus was not God, and the resurrection would be a fanciful fantasy if Jesus was not God.

From the scriptures we will get our witnesses about the truth of Christ's deity. In John 1:1, 14 we read this truth from the Apostle John, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth”. From our previous study of the titles of Christ, we learned that He was called the Word. We see it here in John chapter 1 that the Word was God and we find out that the word was Jesus in v. 14 because it says that, “the Word became flesh”, we know that Jesus is God the Son come in flesh (incarnated) and the Gospel of John is solely about our Lord Jesus Christ. The scriptures boldly proclaim the Deity of Jesus. We see not only in scripture that the Apostle John proclaims the Deity of Christ but also the Apostle Paul wrote as scripture in Titus 2:13 this, “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”. Do you see what Christ is called, God and Savior. Also, we see from what Thomas himself proclaimed in John 20:28 after he touches the nail scarred hands and the scar of the wound in Christ's side, he says, “My Lord and my God!”. But look at what Jesus tells Thomas, “Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”. Thomas said to the disciples who had seen Christ resurrected that he would not believe unless he touched the wounds of Christ for himself. Thomas refused to believe the eyewitnesses, we cannot be like Thomas, we must believe the witness of the Holy Scriptures. John 20:31 tells us that scripture was “written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” and Romans 10:17 says that, “ faith (saving faith) comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. The truth of the Gospel is the “power of God unto salvation”, because it proclaims the powerful truth that Jesus, our Lord God, has saved us by His death and resurrection. The witness of scripture tells us that Jesus is God.

II. Proof 2: Revealed by Jesus Himself (John 8:58).

Not only is there the witness of scripture that Jesus is God but we also have the direct revelation from Jesus Himself. Jesus not only told us but He also reveled it by how He lived and what He did before He ascended. Let's first look at what Jesus told us in the Gospels about Himself that proved He was God. Did you know there is a group called the Christadelphians, who believe that Jesus is not God and says that Jesus never claimed to be God. I always wondered why they had church and chose to follow Christ as they believed. But regardless of their belief, Jesus did tell us that He was God in many ways. Maybe the best verbal revelation is found in latter part of John 8. Jesus was having another confrontation with the Pharisees, and as always they were trying to find fault in Him. They slurred Him by saying that He was illegitimate child in v. 41 and in v. 48 they accused of being demon possessed and a Samaritan (mixed blood, ½ Jew & ½ Gentile, illegitimacy). Jesus clearly and correctly tells them that they are of their father the devil and not of God as they claimed. They kept asking Him who are you really claiming to be but all Jesus would say that He came to honor His Father and not to seek His own glory. The Pharisees keep boasting that they are the children of Abraham and that's when Jesus tells them in verse 56, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad”, then the Pharisees to Jesus, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”. Then comes the bombshell that Jesus drops on them to let them know exactly who He is in vs. 58, “Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM”. Do you get the picture, do you get who Jesus is saying that He is? Let me give you a clue from Ex. 3:13-14, Moses is speaking to God and Moses asks God this, “Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I shall say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?" And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you'”. Jesus revealed to the Pharisees in the passage in John 8 that He is God. In fact you can see they get exactly who He says He is in John 8:59, because they “took up stones to throw at Him”; they were going to stone Him for blasphemy for saying that He was God. There are many more times that Jesus makes statements that only God can make, like in John 14:9, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” or John 10:30, “I and My Father are one”. There are many more statements that Christ made of His Deity but not only did Christ claim Deity but He proved that He was God by His life and His miracles. If we look at Jesus' life in the Gospels, we see that He lived a holy, blameless, and sinless life on earth. In John 8:46, Jesus asks, “Which of you convicts Me of sin?”. There were none that could do so, the Pharisees could not trap Him in word or deed because there was no fault in Christ because He is God. He is holy, pure, and undefiled because He is God. Comparing Him to the greatest men in the Bible or the greatest men in humanity and none can measure up. If we could ask Moses was he without sin in his life, he would answer that he could not for he murdered a man. If we could ask King David, a man after God's own heart if he was sinless in life and he would shamefully confess that he was an adulterer and in that adulterous affair had her husband killed. Or ask King Solomon and he would say read his account of sin in the book of Ecclesiastes. Look at George Washington or Abraham Lincoln and they would confess they were like any other mortal, human being, a sinner. If you would ask the men wrote the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John they would tell you they were never sinless but they would point you to the One who is the grand theme and subject of the Scriptures, Jesus Christ, and they would proclaim His sinlessness. Not only in how He lived but also see it in the signs, wonders, and miracles that made the blind to see, the crippled to walk, the deaf and dumb to hear and speak, deliver the possessed from demons, and raise the dead to life. But the greatest miracle of all to save a wretched sinner from the doom of sin. This all speaks of Jesus as God, proof positive that Jesus is God.

III. Proof 3: Lives Changed (2 Cor. 5:17 - if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new).

Look at the lives changed by Jesus, because when you do that, there is no doubt that Jesus is God. I have heard many different testimonies of men and women of all ages and backgrounds tell how Jesus saved them and changed their wretched lives. You know, I have never heard an atheist tell how atheism saved them from drugs or alcohol. Anyway, look at the lives of the disciples. Look at their background of the Twelve, they were fishermen, tax collectors, zealots (terrorists); simple men and sinners that forsook all they had to follow Christ and proclaim His name to the world. Of the 12 Disciples, only one was not martyred and that was the Apostle John. Jesus through these twelve men, changed the world. Not because their was anything special about these men, only that Jesus saved and changed them. Peter denied Christ three times the night Christ was taken to be falsely charged and yet after the resurrection and ascension of Christ, Peter on the day of Pentecost preached Christ to thousands and 3,000 were saved. A man named Stephen, the first martyr proclaimed Christ to his killers and as he was being stoned He saw His God and Savior Jesus at the right hand of the Father and as he forgave his killers and in full hope and assurance said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”. How did this happen to common men to be so bold and so abandoned to the hope that was within them, that hope being Jesus Christ. Jesus saved them all and changed them. Men like the Apostle Paul, Charles Spurgeon, D.L. Moody, Billy Graham, Adrian Rodgers. People like you here in this church changed by the power of God the Son, Jesus Christ. The lives of many Christians and many martyrs of Christ proclaim the proof positive, the truth that Jesus is God.

You know, your life can be a proof and a witness to the truth that Jesus is God. Are you willing to submit to our Savior's Lordship like these faithful witnesses and let your life boldly prove that Jesus is God?

These proofs of the truth that Jesus is God show us that our faith, hope, and dedication to Jesus has real meaning. We are not worshiping, serving, and loving a mere man, our Jesus is God. Because He is God, we serve a risen, living Savior that destroyed the power of sin and death. Thank you Jesus that you are God!

The Tragedy of Unbelief (Rom. 10:1-5)

The Tragedy of Unbelief

(Rom. 10:1-5)

In the book of Romans, Paul addresses a sincere desire, a great passion to see salvation come to his fellow Jews. Now, there were many Jews who had become Christians (but the majority of Israel was lost) but Paul had a heartfelt desire to see those lost Jews to receive Jesus as Messiah. The nation of Israel rejected Jesus and it was this rejection of God's love that grieved the heart of Paul. Paul even makes the statement that if he could become accursed and separated from Christ that he would if he could bring the lost of Israel to Christ. Israel's unbelief is a great tragedy, it has cost them much and for now Israel has been set aside for the Church but God has not forgotten Israel and His promises to Israel is still in effect and will come to pass. Through Israel's unbelief salvation has come to the Gentiles, now that's us (Rom. 11:11 - “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.”). Today will look at the tragedy of unbelief.

I. Paul's Concern for their Unbelief (v. 1-3 - “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh”).

Look at how the Apostle Paul grieved for his lost countrymen. He had a great desire to see the lost saved especially those of the lost house of Israel. Paul was greatly moved about their unbelief desiring that they would believe the Gospel and receive Jesus as Lord. Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles but his hearts desire was to see the lost of Israel come to Christ. If you study the book of Acts you will see that when Paul went into a Gentile city that he would find a Jewish synagogue to begin teaching and preaching about Christ and when as usual most of the synagogues would kick him out (literally and figuratively), it is then he would gain an audience with the Gentile population and churches would be started with Gentile and, hopefully, Jewish believers. Paul saw and understood the great blessings and wonders of Christ being made known to all nation, tribes, tongues, and peoples but he had a burden for his lost countrymen, the Jews. Paul went to many foreign lands and cities and has lead so many to Christ but he is still so greatly concerned for the lost of his people. It is an awesome thing to be concerned for the lost Filipino or the lost Chinaman or lost African but what about our own nation? Look at the state of America, look at our leadership, look at our entertainment, look at our cities, look at our neighborhoods, and look at our fellow citizens and see how far from God our nation is from God. We have a president and leadership in the House and Congress and in the Supreme Court that ignore and despise God and God's word. America's entertainment industry despises the name of Christ and our society has rejected the holy law of God and has called evil good and good evil. So, how about our nation? Are the churches of America concerned about the unbelief and sinfulness of America? Do we grieve for our fellow countrymen like the Apostle Paul did for his own people? It is a great thing to send missionaries to foreign lands and it's a great thing for our church to build churches in the Philippines but what about the people that live up and down our streets, those who are lost in our families, those who speak our language, who live in our neighborhoods and towns and cities, and who live in this great land who still don't know about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We, as part of the Christian church in America who might send out missionaries to the heathen in foreign lands what a great tragedy that we have forgotten the heathen, the lost that live among us and work around us everyday. We are to be interested in the foreign mission field but we should not be blind and indifferent to the lost that's around us. We have a modern society that knows a little about everything and a whole lot about nothing. And when it comes about spiritual matters, today's American would rather trust Oprah rather than Jesus. There is a famine of spiritual truth today and America is ignorant of Jesus and the Bible. Most of America is lost will we grieve and will intercede to God on behalf of our nation for Him to save the lost. America is now in a post-Christian era. America believes in the religion of self-help and their god is their own self. Paul when he is grieving over the lost nation of Israel states that the problem of Israel was like the problem of America and that they trusted in their own selves and their power and works and false religion to save them instead of trusting solely in God through Christ (Rom. 10:1-4 - “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes”). We must see the example of Paul to be concerned, to be burdened for our lost neighbors and families for our nation that's fallen into unbelief.

II. Paul's Recollection of God Revealing Himself to that Nation (v. 4-5 - “who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”)

Paul tells us of all that God did to reveal Himself to Israel. That God called out a specific people that came through the lineage of Abraham. The privilege to be Israelites, the descendants of Abraham because Israel was separated out to be God's special and unique people (Ex. 19:6 - “you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”).

Secondly, God is called the Father of Israel. He has a special plan still for lost Israel. God has not altogether forsaken that nation. That nation had a special calling and blessing that God had bestowed on it but Israel as a whole had forsaken that calling. The Old Testament showed God as the Father of the nation Israel unlike the New Testament which refers to God being the Father of individual Christians. Still, it was a great honor to be chosen by God but Israel wasted that privilege through rebellion and unbelief.

Third, God revealed to Israel His glory. God's shekinah glory was seen by Israel as it lead them through the wilderness, as it was seen on Mt. Sinai, in and on the Tabernacle and later on the Temple in Jerusalem in the Holy of Holies residing between the cherubim wings on the mercy seat of the Ark.

Fourth, Israel had been given the covenants of Abraham, Moses, and David. But the greatest covenant of them all came through Israel and that of course is the covenant of redemption through Jesus, His Son.

Fifth, they had the privilege of being given the Law of God through his servant Moses. In it the 10 Commandments, the principles and precepts and standards that God demanded of those who were truly His own. Not only were they given that blessed Law but also the privilege of being custodians of the books of Moses, of King David and Solomon, and of the holy prophets of God which became what we know to be Old Testament.

Sixth, Israel was given the privilege to worship in service of the tabernacle and Temple.

Seventh they were given the promises of God concerning the promised Messiah and His everlasting kingdom and even eternal life.

Eighth, the fathers or patriarchs of Israel: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Through these men God chose to use, came the blessings to Israel and the whole world. Finally ninth, and the greatest blessing of all that came from Israel was our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is through the person and work of Jesus Christ that salvation has come to this world.

But in all those blessings and revelations of God, Israel rejected the Gospel and Jesus Christ their long-awaited Messiah. Having the great and awesome revelations and oracles of God given to them, they rejected Him for a false system of works-righteousness. They chose darkness rather than light (John 3:19-20 - “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed”). The reason that Jesus so viciously attacked the Pharisees every time they came around was because they were false teachers and they were responsible for keeping the people in darkness by teaching works-righteousness. Israel's unbelief in Jesus was because they chose the false over the true. Now, what about our nation? I know that America is not Israel but what America was founded upon was very important to the birth and greatness of our nation. When the founding fathers of America laid the foundation of Christian principles and God blessed them to let this nation be born and the people of this nation regarded God and His holy Word with reverence and fear. The people of this nation looked with disdain and distaste at sin and immorality. If God judged Israel sins and disobedience by giving up them up to their sins and the consequences of their sins by bringing them into captivity and destruction (remember that was God's chosen nation), what will He do to America. How will He judge us? I believe America is seeing the wrath of God abandoning this nation to our vile sins. Church are we willing to warn our nation? Are you willing to tell your neighbor that only Jesus can save their souls? I believe that we as God's people must individually and corporately pray and intercede for our country and our lost countrymen. We must become just as concerned to turn around the heart of this nation back to God. We must pray and we must be concerned enough to tell this lost nation that Jesus still saves and there is no other way.

Today, as we see Paul's concern for the lost of his fellow countrymen and how even lost Israel knew the truth once but forsook it for false religion. We must again as the church in America be burdened enough to witness to our family and friends and burdened enough to pray for the heart of this nation to turn back to God in fear and reverence.

More Than Conquerors (Rom. 8:31-39)

More Than Conquerors

(Rom. 8:31-39)

In this passage we have read how that nothing and that no one is able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Of all the things that Paul lists, he states that nothing can overcome or defeat the loving and gracious salvation of our Lord. No person or circumstance is able to cause a believer in Christ to lose our salvation in Christ. We read that in all those things that are named and that we might face, the fact is as it says in verse 37 is that we are “more than conquerors” over those things through Christ. Today, we will look at the reasons why we are “more than conquerors” through Christ.

I. 1^st reason - “God is for us” (v.31-32, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?)

The main reason that we should know that our salvation with Christ is secure is that God is for us. Who can overcome God? We know that answer is no one. So if we are God's own then who can take us out of the hand of God? No one (John 10:28-29 - “I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand”. If God is for us then who can be against us? The answer is still the same, no one. Ps. 27:1 declares, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”. God knew before we came into existence that humanity would fall; but in His wondrous love and grace determined that He would save us from our sins. God the Father reached out to us in grace through His Son Jesus Christ, by His suffering and death on the cross and His resurrection, to bring salvation to every person who would receive Christ by faith. What a glorious and miraculous power that God performed in order to just save us. The love, the pain, the suffering, the death and resurrection Christ went through on our behalf (Rom. 5:8 - “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”). Christian doesn't that show, doesn't that reveal this fact that God is for us? When we can get our minds and our hearts wrapped around this glorious truth, it is then we can have that peaceful assurance that we are eternally secure in our saving relationship with Christ. To grasp that we cannot save ourselves, that it is the sole work of Christ in the heart of a man or woman and nothing that we do can save us. It is God that's got us and it's God that keeps us and it's God that will present us on that final and ultimate day (Jude 1:24-25 - “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen”). God's got us; God is for us. In Christ we are forgiven, accepted, kept, and sealed until we are one day glorified. No one and nothing can undo the fact of our salvation in Christ. Only the One who has given us salvation can possibly take that away but that is a foolish thought because it says right here in v. 32 that “He ...did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all”, God will never throw out or turn away any of His children that have been purchased by the blood of Christ. For God to cast away any of His children after He has delivered up His Son as a sacrifice for our sins; He would never turn His back on us after He has cleansed us from sin by Christ's blood and made us righteous and acceptable in His sight. By the death and resurrection of Christ we know and understand that God is for us.

II. 2^nd reason – Christ Intercedes for Us (v. 33-34 - “Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”)

There are many accusers of the faith. Our greatest accuser is Satan and that's what the name Satan means. We can see in the book of Job where Satan accuses Job worshiping God out of selfishness rather than out of reverence and love (Job1:8-12). But we can see for the rest of the book of Job that the testing of Job could not destroy Job's persevering faith in God. There are other passages that show the accusations of the enemy against God's children. The world and Satan will always accuse believers in God. In the book of Zechariah 3:1-5, Satan tries accusing the high priest Joshua of wearing dirty garments while attending in the Tabernacle, it says, “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?" Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you." Then I said, "Put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by”. Although Joshua wore “filthy garments”, that is still living in this sinful body of flesh, he was one of God's redeemed and Satan can bring no accusation against him, Satan was powerless to destroy and discredit God's servant. Now every accusation of this world or by Satan are not always false because we are still not sinless. But even though the accusation is true, the charge made is powerless. If we are Christ's then every sin past, present, and future are forgiven and covered by the blood of Christ. The eternal salvation of Christ destroys all accusations of damnation by the accusers. Our salvation is not determined on our ability or us trying to be perfect (which is impossible) but it is based upon our God who has justified us through the person and work of Jesus Christ (His suffering, death, & resurrection). The accusations against us to condemnation are powerless in the light that Jesus saved us and keeps us because His sacrifice gave us the finished work of salvation. Because Christ provided for our salvation and when He finished that work the Bible says the He “sat down at the right hand of God – (Heb. 10:12)”. Although the work of atonement was finished, Jesus is still at the right hand of the Father ministering intercession for all of us who are redeemed until we have made it to our Heavenly Home (Heb. 7:25 - “He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them”). When we gain a pure understanding of the work Christ did on the cross to save our wretched souls then we can understand what it means to be secure in that salvation. All of us who were vile, sinful, wretched, and ungodly have been shown the love of God through the Father sending His Son to die for us, so how can we who have been saved by that love knowing that God's love is powerful to save, lack the power to keep us saved. If Jesus had the power to deliver us from the bondage of sin, then how can He lack the power to keep us saved? To believe that a Christian can lose his salvation and to deny the security of the believer is to misunderstand the wonderful gift of Christ and misunderstand the wonderful heart of God. It all comes down to ignorance of the biblical meaning of salvation. Be sure of this Christian, Jesus is ever interceding for His children and we are eternally secure in Him.

III. 3^rd Reason – Nothing and No One Can Separate Us (v. 35-39 - “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "For thy sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”).

Let us look at first set of things that cannot separate us from the “love of God”: tribulation – severe hardship(hard times), distress – extreme stress, persecution – suffering for the sake of Christ, famine – lack of food and hunger, nakedness - destitution, peril – exposed to danger, or sword – assassination. Paul says that will not separate us from the love of God. How does Paul know this? Because he faced all of these things (2 Cor. 11:23-27 - “Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as if insane) I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure”), but he still served God because it could not separate him from the love of God. Paul faced persecution and eventually martyrdom, why did Paul face all these things? It was because God loved him first (1 John 4:19 - “We love, because He first loved us”). Any Christian's love for God is the direct result of God so wonderfully loving us first, in the heart of every child of God is the seed of God's love that must grow and blossom into a love for His Lord that will want to sow the seeds of God's love in other people lives. Paul finishes this chapter with the truth that we are “more than conquerors” in Christ in spite of any attempt that this world or Satan tries to throw at us. Let me finish with the last two verses of this passage: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. There is nothing in heaven nor earth, no angel nor demon, no king nor president, no high mountain range nor ocean depths, and no human nor beast that can ever steal my salvation or destroy the love that Christ has for me.

It's All Good in God. (Romans 8:28)

It's All Good in God.

(Rom. 8:28)

The NASB gives us a better translation of Romans 8:28; “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose”. The world has a saying, “it's all good”, but that statement is false because it most certainly not all good. The gist of that worldly statement means if it works for you whether it is done by good or bad means, moral or immoral behavior, just as long as you get what you want then the end justifies the means. This is not so for the child of God, as we serve God, as we live for God then God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him. This verse is a beautiful and wondrous promise from our Father God. Now it doesn't mean we will never have problems, trials, temptations, or persecution. Just like the country song says, He never “promised you a rose garden”. God does promise for those that are His own that we have a blessed assurance of being eternally secure in His salvation and in our lives He will work out the situations in our lives to His glory and our best. Today's sermon is “ It's all good in God”.

I. The Assurance (“And we know...”).

In those first three words of this promise, we see that we have an assurance, a certainty, and a sureness that we can know the wonderful security found in our Savior. Our salvation in Christ is sure and secure. Christian, our lives are in the hands of Almighty God and it will be divinely used by God to bring God glory and if it brings about God's glory then it will work out to our ultimate blessing. But the greater meaning of that we can know is that when we have been saved by faith in Christ, is that He has completely and eternally saved us. The Bible teaches us that our eternal, sovereign God alone saves us, that He alone is responsible for our salvation and it has nothing to do with any effort of our own. We cannot save ourselves. If our salvation had to do with our effort to save us then we would fail. But because eternal God alone is responsible for saving us through Christ, then God's salvation can never fail and we are eternally secure in His salvation. We cannot save ourselves and therefore we couldn't keep ourselves saved only God can do that. I remember that at one time, I believed that I was in a cooperative effort to keep myself saved and it brought about a great burden and grief to my Christian walk. I was always consumed by the effort to try and not sin enough to make me lost again, always consumed with fear that every bad thought or every little sin would condemn me once again to Hell. But when I began reading verse and passages that reminded me that salvation is solely the work of God through Christ then I was given that blessed assurance and that deep fear left my life. When I read in scripture that Jesus promised me in John 10:27-29, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand”, nothing can take me out of the hand of my Savior and my God. And then I read in Rom. 8:1 that “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” and in Rom. 8:35-39 that there is absolutely no one and nothing in this world that can separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, that there is no fear of ever being separated from salvation in Christ and the Holy Spirit through the holy Word of God illuminated that truth to me and set me free from the bondage of religion. To “know” this certainty reveals that whatever I face in my life here on earth, I will face it in His hands. So today friends, whatever is going on in your life, be it heartache or stress or sickness or death or disappointment or trials or temptations or the devil or just life in general, I want you to grab a hold of this truth that whatever may be coming at you must not only face you but it must also face the God that is holding you in His hand. That's the truth that we must know and this is what brings you assurance to face the day and the day after that. You may not be able to face the problem but God is not intimidated. Just rest in that assurance and rely upon Him.

II. The Scope (“...that God causes all things to work together for good”...).

Now that we know let's look at the scope or extent of this promise. It says that because we are absolutely assured of an eternal relationship in Christ, we can see that there is a limitless work of God in our lives. The scope of God's blessing is unlimited (Eph. 1:3 - “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”) and if we are living in His blessings of His eternal salvation in Christ we see that God will be at work in our lives. It says in this verse that God causes all things to work together for good. God doesn't work the good out in some things but in all things. The extent is unlimited, there is nothing in our lives or that we face in our lives that God does not work His good in. It is God Himself that works out the good that comes to all that are His children. So when we see “all things” it is utterly complete, no limits, it's all-encompassing, and there is no restrictions or conditions in whatever experiences that we have in this life that God does not work in. what we read here is simply saying that whatever things we experience in our live that God allows to happen in our lives, be they good or evil, it says that God will ultimately turns those things into blessings. I know that there are those on TV, the false teachers that say if you are truly blessed by God then no bad will come into your life and if it does then you must have sinned or lost faith but they have ignored the saints of God on the Bible that have faced bad times and God had allowed it. Take for instance Job, God allowed Satan to tempt and try him but after Job had lost all that he had, his wealth and his children, Job still has faith in his God, that he still trusts God and we see this by his powerful affirmation of the goodness of God to him by him saying in Job 1:21, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD”. The book of Job gave no reason as to why God allowed Job to face what he faced other than to bring glory to God. Sometimes our suffering and hardships might have a reason like there was with Joseph. Joseph was thrown into a pit and sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, was falsely accused by Pothiphar's wife because he would not sin against God by sleeping with her so he was thrown in prison. Joseph became the chief trusty in prison and through God interpreted the dreams of two men who had been close to Pharaoh. One was his cupbearer and the other his baker, Joseph told them through the revelation of God that the cupbearer would be restored and the other would be hanged in three days and that came to pass, but the cupbearer promised to Joseph to mention his name before Pharaoh to help get him out of prison. Well, the scriptures say that the cupbearer forgot for two years before the Pharaoh had a dream and then the cup-bearer remembered Joseph. Joseph through God revealed the interpretation of Pharaoh's dream of a great harvest of 7 years followed by a great famine of 7 years across the whole land. Joseph was promoted to 2^nd in command of Egypt and stored up enough grain to save Egypt and the surrounding countries and even the promised people of God, Joseph's family. In all the evil that seemingly befallen Joseph, he served God and God used his life and his circumstances to bring about God's will and God's glory. Joseph realized this after he had been elevated and placed to where he was in Egypt. Joseph could have sought revenge against his brothers for the hardships he faced but just like he always had in his hard life journey, he saw God's hand in it all for he says to his brothers in Gen. 50:20, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive”. Joseph realized that God is in control and that God causes all things to work together for good. Through this we see God's will is good, that His faithfulness is good even if we are unfaithful. If we as His children sin against Him, the Bible says that He will discipline us for our good because He loves us (Heb. 12:6,11 - “For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives”. “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”). Sometimes God allows sickness or death to come on us for our sins to warn us or others. Sometimes God may have to put us in the hospital to see the goodness of God and restore us to rightful fellowship with Him or death may come to some like Ananias ans Sapphira who as Christians lied to the Holy Spirit and God killed them but for what reason? The reason is found in Acts 5:11, “So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things”. Whatever we face we have to face it with God and we need to be obedient to His will for us whatever we face, we are His. We need to be like Job and realize the work God is doing in us for our good and His glory. Job says in Job 23:10, “When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold”. Trials of fire refine the gold of our walk with Christ.

III. The Recipients (“...to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”).

To have the good of God in your lives, the blessings of God in every circumstance, and His ever present Spirit every where you walk and in everything you face; you have to be a child of God. You have to be a recipient of His love through Christ. You can face life alone and then face an eternity alone in eternal torment or you can know His love here in this life and into the eternity to come but you have to believe that Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”). No other way to face the hardships and trials of life except with Christ. He will never leave or forsake you and you can face everything in your life in His hands.

No Condemnation (Rom. 8:1-4)

No Condemnation

(Rom. 8:1-4)

Last sermon from Romans 7 dealt with our conflict with ourselves, that as Christians we will always be at war with sin in our lives. Here in the beginning of chapter 8, we will see a provision has been made in the promise of salvation for the believer. It is summed up in Rom. 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”, there is no judgment for those in Christ. We are going to look at the reality of that promise, the way it has been provided, and the result of walking in the path of salvation. Today's sermon is “No Condemnation”.

I. The Reality of Salvation's Promise (v. 8:1a - “There is therefore now no condemnation...”).

The word “therefore” is there to show us a some sort of result or it sums up to a conclusion. The conclusion here is a single, simple statement of the result of one being saved from their sins by their faith in Christ. The concluding statement is that for a Christian there is no condemnation (or judgment). The entire previous seven chapters dealing with our sin, our sin nature, our judgment, our savior, and our salvation received through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. All that said and taught by the Apostle Paul and he sums it all up with this statement “there is no condemnation”. We know and understand from the previous study of the earlier chapters of Romans, that our condition before we knew Christ Jesus as Lord was that we were under the judgment of God. All of mankind was born sinful and separated from God by our sinful nature (Romans 3:23 -“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”), and it describes us in our sins in Eph. 2:3 as being “by nature children of wrath”. In our study of Romans in chapter 1 that we talked about the wrath of God. The wrath of of our holy God is His righteous anger and hatred of sin and evil and it is the basis of His condemnation of sin. In our sinfulness, without Christ, we were under the condemnation for our sins and for breaking God's holy Law which is death (Rom. 6:23 - “the wages of sin is death” and Ezek. 18:4 - “the soul that sins shall die”), that is our verdict. Just like the man on death row, judged and sentenced to death, the day of judgment set and justice not satisfied until the penalty for guilt is met. That is all of us without Christ. But here in Rom. 8:1, Paul declares that there is “no condemnation”, what wondrous and amazing good news for the Christian, “no condemnation”. Jesus has completely and permanently paid the debt of sin and the penalty for breaking God's Law. Our sins and our penalty for trespassing God's Law was not overlooked by God. It was not passed over or forgotten, it was paid, once for all, by the perfect, sinless sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Death was the price and only Jesus' death could set us free from the death sentence that was pronounced on us. Jesus Christ died for us, in our place, and it was the only sacrifice accepted by the Father in our behalf. For those who have or will place their faith and trust in Christ and what He did on our behalf “there is therefore now no condemnation”. The freedom from condemnation and judgment is realized only in Christ and we must recognize that we will never face condemnation for our sins be they past, present, or future. Jesus' death on the cross dealt with our sins once and for all, that is the glorious power of salvation in Christ. In Heb 10:14, it says, “For by one offering [Christ's death on the cross] He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified”, those being sanctified are all who have separated unto God by salvation in Christ, their sins are forgiven and their condemnation, their judgment removed because of Jesus Christ taking their judgment on Himself. The penalties for our failures in this life was paid for by Christ.

We are not perfect, we are not sinless and we understand from last week's sermon that we will always have to deal with sin as long as we are on this earth and in this body. But just because we are free from divine judgment (condemnation), it does not mean our heavenly Father will not give us divine discipline for our moral failures as Christians (Heb. 12:6 - “For whom the LORD loves He disciplines, And scourges every son whom He receives”). We are still accountable for our actions to our Father even though we will not be condemned for our sins that Christ has forgiven and cleansed us from.

II. The Reason for Salvation's Reality (v. 1b-3 - “for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.”)

As we have already discussed, the no condemnation is the direct result of “those who are in Christ Jesus”. In chapter 7, all Christians, even the Apostle Paul, are not exempt from conflicts and struggles with sin. But we have read right here in this chapter (chap. 8) that all Christians are eternally free of the condemnation of sin. Even if we stumble and fall, all Christians from the strongest to the weakest will not experience condemnation for there sins but will experience ultimate victory over sin in the life to come. We are not merely identified outwardly with Christ, but also we are identified as being part of Christ. It says right here we are in Christ and being in Christ is what makes us acceptable to our Father God; 1 Cor. 12:13 declares that we “by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body; whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free; and have all been made to drink into one Spirit”. The Spirit of God places us into Christ, we become part of the body of Christ. Christ's life now flows into our lives and we must began to understand is that we live because He lives in us (Gal. 2:20 - “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me”). The freedom in Christ gives us total and permanent deliverance from sin's power and penalty and when we are glorified one day, then will freed from it's presence. Let's look further in v. 2, it says that, “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death”. In Titus 3:4-6, it says, “when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior”, the Holy Spirit of God is the one who gives spiritual life to the one who places His trust in Jesus Christ. Only the Spirit of God can give spiritual life to a spiritually dead heart. He is the One that frees us from sin and death, gives spiritual life for our sinful, spiritually dead spirit, we are free from the power of sin and it's dominion because of the powerful work of salvation made possible through Christ. In verse 3, it says that “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh”, it is reason why the eternal Son of God came and added humanity to His Deity and was born of a virgin. Flesh could not fulfill the righteous demands of God's Law, flesh was inferior and weak and sinful, it was incapable of not sinning and relished in breaking all of the holy commands of God's Law. Because God was holy and just, He can never pass over sin but must punish it. But because was loving, merciful, and full of grace, He extended His hand of forgiveness and grace through the incarnated Son of God, through His perfect sacrifice on the cross. It was through this holy and righteous Son of God, Jesus Christ, that His death condemned sin in the flesh of those who were condemned by sin. Those who by faith place their trust in the work that Christ has done on the cross have been justified and forgiven, their condemnation removed. Christ was sinless even though he lived in a body like ours, Jesus never sinned. The Law only exposed man's unrighteousness and no man or woman ever lived up to it's righteous requirement but Christ alone. In His sinlessness, He died as the perfect sacrifice to perfectly save us all. Is. 53:4-5 - “Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed”. Because of Christ we are free from sin and condemnation of sin.

III. The Result of Walking in Salvation (v. 4 - “that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”)

Because of Christ's death and resurrection, it has not only freed us from the power and penalty of sin, it has also freed Christians to live righteously. Christ set us free from sin and filled us with His Spirit not to live as we please but as our Lord pleases. The Spirit produces in us a desire to live for our Lord, to grow and mature as believers in Christ because our new spiritual nature is alive to Christ and we walk not according to the flesh(spiritually dead sinners do that) but according to the Spirit. When we become “sons (and daughters) of God”, it is then our lives will change for God's glory. We become enabled by the power of God to began living out righteously in our daily lives. This is the direct result of coming to faith in Christ. Christ's salvation will bring about an eternal change in each of our lives.

The glorious results of the amazing power of the Father's salvation through Christ of no condemnation of every believer's life and the powerful change and desire to know God and desire His will. Nothing in our flesh or by our power can affect this change; it is only the power of God through Christ.