Something to Die For

Oh, if you are one of the kiddos that's supposed to go to the back, now's the time to do it.

Okay?

Takes me just a second to get, man, listen to you.

I love that.

I was in Psalms this morning in devotions.

Psalm 27.

I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy.

I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

I like singing about our Savior, don't you?

Well, I suppose you tire a little bit of hearing me talk about how long I've been at this, but bear with me.

One of the things that comes with preaching around holidays and times where I think it's appropriate to focus your thoughts scripturally in particular

around things that relate to what's going on around you.

It so happens that when you come to Christmas year after year after year, it's not like you can choose a new passage.

There aren't that many.

And the tendency is, is we are very inclined to kind of lock in on the idea, I've heard that before, and kind of tune out.

And I would appeal to you that that is not why God has you here this morning.

I do want you to look at a passage that you may not normally connect with Christmas.

Turn in your Bibles to Mark chapter 10, and we're going to pick up in verse 35.

Mark 10 · chapter mention

Mark chapter 10, verse 35.

Mark 10:35

And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said to him,

Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.

And he said to them, What do you want me to do for you?

By the way, just stop for a second.

Do you think Jesus didn't know what they were going to ask?

No.

But sometimes it's appropriate to go ahead and let a person fully reveal what's inside.

How many of you have learned that the hard way, right?

Sometimes you think you know what somebody else is going to say.

Jesus did know.

But giving them an opportunity to talk about it brings it right out in front.

And so Jesus asked them, Say, Hey, what would you like me to do?

And verse 37, they said to him, Grant us to sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your glory.

How noble.

How thoughtful.

How like an apostle, right?

I mean, hey, you know, we're willing to wait.

But eventually, we would like brothers, one on your right, one on your left.

Jesus said to them, You do not know what you're asking.

Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?

Or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?

They said to him, We are able.

And Jesus said to them, The cup that I drink you will drink.

And with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized.

But to sit on my right hand or on my left is not mine to grant,

but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.

And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.

Don't you like righteous indignation?

How many of you have ever had righteous indignation at other people's frailties and failures?

You ever been there?

It's like, I can't believe it.

You know, it's like, not me.

Yeah.

Well, here they are.

They're indignant.

And Jesus called them to him and said to them,

You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,

and their great ones exercise authority over them.

It shall not be so among you,

but whoever would be great among you must be your servant.

And whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve,

and to give his life a ransom for many.

It's very easy for us to get caught up in a very natural mindset of what's in it for me.

Christmas is a time that I found myself asking some of our younger children this morning,

So what are you getting for Christmas?

And I was surprised at how often kids actually know.

I mean, you know, after all, they make a wish list, right?

And they let their parents know.

But I know some children, some devious little ones,

that go around shaking packages.

How many of you have had your children shake packages?

I see the look, you know.

How many of you go ahead and pay attention to not only what you're getting,

but what you think your brothers and sisters are getting,

kind of put it all together to kind of be sure there's equity,

propriety.

Everything's done, you know.

It's like, hey, what's in it for me?

What's in it for me?

That is a natural and normal pattern of thinking.

Wouldn't you agree with that?

And we do pretty good at thinking about what's in it for me.

There are all kinds of little things I hear people say that indicate that that's where their thinking is.

One of the best ones I really like is,

I didn't sign up for that.

How many of you ever heard that phrase?

I didn't sign up for that.

Really?

By the way, who signed you up?

If you're thinking you signed up for it,

you may not understand that there is a father in heaven that is in control of some of the fine print on your contract.

And I want us to think this morning in a completely different way.

And to recognize that when we come to the matter of Christmas,

it's important for us not to get caught up in the world's thinking.

So let's ask ourselves the question, what is Christmas really all about?

What is Christmas about?

If you were to ask retailers, they would tell you what?

Christmas is all about them having the best possible opportunity of making money

because between Thanksgiving and Christmas, guess what?

You hope that people blow the wad and buy everything that you have managed to think was important to them

and that you end up being fat and happy and everything works well.

Workers tend to look at Christmas and think,

huh, it's a holiday.

It's a time to rest.

I remember talking with someone out in Colorado,

a man that's moved from here to there,

and he was talking about the fact that from something like the,

yeah, this Sunday on to the end of the year,

they have no work.

They're on vacation for the next basically two weeks.

That's pretty nice, right?

So Christmas is about relaxing.

Kids, you know what they think Christmas is about?

How many of you remember being kids?

Some of you are older here, but I remember that Christmas is where I finally got to get what I thought I was getting.

And with ambition and anticipation, you know, Christmas Eve, I was thinking tomorrow I'm going to get what, you know,

and it was all about.

And my parents, that was the one day in the year that my father as a surgeon did not get up early.

I don't know how it worked out, but he actually slept in, you know, 7, 730.

And it was probably the only day in the year that I wanted to get up early.

And so there was kind of that fine balancing act between making enough noise so they knew we were up

and not making too much noise that you'd really get in trouble for being obvious.

How many of you understand that kind of gentle midpoint?

Well, when we think about the matter of Christmas,

we have to recognize that Christmas really isn't something that is focused on us and our thoughts,

but it is focused on the purposes that God has in our salvation.

And if there's any passage that puts this clearly in front of us,

it would be one such as this that make it very, very clear that Jesus came to save us,

and more specifically, he came to die for our sins.

And I think that's important for us to get our head around and recognize that the fact of the matter is this,

is that Christ's coming was principally to address the issue of sin in our life

and to care for it in perspective of the matter of salvation.

And so when we think about Christmas and we think about his birth,

it's important for us to step beyond the matter of presents that we're getting

and think about what is the value of what Christmas means in the larger scope of our own eternal destiny.

See, Christmas is about God sending his son to live a perfect life and die on the cross to pay the penalty for us.

I appreciate that song that John picked out and we sang just before,

reminding us of the purpose of Christ's coming.

You see, this theme of Christ being our Redeemer and the one who made atonement for our sins

runs right through Scripture, kind of a central thread and one that we shouldn't lose sight of.

Beginning all the way back in the book of Genesis, and I want you to turn,

we're going to kind of spot ourselves in a couple different passages

just to firm up our thinking about the matter of the centrality of Christ's sacrifice for our sins

running from beginning to end.

In Genesis chapter 3, let me read the passage to you just for a moment.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, here is God speaking after Adam and Eve had sinned

Genesis 3:15

and God comes to address the issue.

Look at what he says in verse 15.

I will put enmity between you and the woman, talking to the serpent,

and between your offspring and her offspring.

He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.

There is what is called by some theologians there the proto-evangelum.

In other words, it's the first indication of the gospel that we find in the Scripture.

Here is God speaking to man who, after he had sinned, is told,

I have a plan and it will be my son that will die for your sins,

and he, by his death, is going to break the bondage and the power of sin over your life.

It's interesting when you stop and really think about it.

Here is God who earlier had said to man,

the soul that sins, it will what?

It will die.

God had made it clear that there is a penalty for sin.

And yet Adam and Eve, unwilling to listen and believe,

had gone ahead and committed the sin.

And God says, I have a remedy,

and it will be through someone who is born who is going to address the problem.

We find this theme of God's provision flowing throughout the Scriptures.

Let me have you look at another passage as well.

Over in Isaiah chapter 53,

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

Isaiah chapter 53, as Isaiah is writing about the coming of our Lord Jesus,

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

he makes it very, very clear that his coming is in relationship to sacrifice and to our sin.

Let me read just for a portion here in Isaiah chapter 53, verse 4.

Isaiah 53:4

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 what?

What was he wounded for?

Our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities.

Let me stop just for a moment.

How many of you recognize that sin is something that, truthfully,

we are far more comfortable with than we should be?

Do you recognize that?

Let me stop and have you think just a little bit further in that.

There may be some of you here that in the last week have said some things you really wish you hadn't said.

Anybody out there that can identify with that?

I'm waiting.

Oh, good, good, good.

How many of you have not only said some things that you were really sorry you said,

but also have done some things that you really wish you could take back?

Let me kind of work your way through this so you can understand.

The things we act on generally have more traction than the things we say.

Agreed?

The things we think are at the far end of the food chain,

and we're really not all that bothered by the things that we think often that are absolutely ungodly.

Would you agree with that?

But the truth of the matter is is that all sin is equally offensive to God.

And we need to recognize that the fact that he was willing, coming back here to verse 5,

he was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities,

we tend to think, well, what was so bad that he had to suffer like this for our sin?

It is because all sin is equally and supremely offensive to a holy God,

and when we engage in sin, it has to be remedied.

And so as you work your way through this passage,

one of the things that you see very, very clearly

is that God was willing to send his son, the Lord Jesus,

to make atonement for our sin, to pay the penalty for it.

All we like sheep have gone astray, we've turned everyone to his own way,

and the Lord has laid on him, what?

The iniquity of us all.

The Lord put, the Father put on Jesus the weight and the penalty,

the consequences, the wrath of God against sin,

he put it on Jesus instead of on us.

It's not just in the passage in Isaiah that we see the truth

of Jesus being our sacrifice.

We find over and over again as you work your way through,

it appears over and over.

In Matthew 1, verse 21,

Matthew 1:21

when the birth of Jesus is announced,

it says,

for he shall save his people from their sin.

In John 1, verse 29,

John 1:29

when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming,

he said,

behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

He was looking at the Lord Jesus,

and he made the announcement,

there is the one who is going to satisfy

and deal with the sin problem that we have.

It's amazing when you ask people

what is the biggest problem that they have,

the kind of answers that you get.

If you're in a hospital,

a person thinks to themselves,

well, man, I'm having health problems.

I'd really like something done about that.

If the person is in financial difficulty,

guess what?

I really need more money.

If the person is two days away

from the absolute most important exam of their life,

guess what they're thinking about?

Oh, man, I really need help passing this exam.

The truth of the matter is,

none of those things are worthy of being compared

to the matter of our sin.

And the matter is,

is that God sent the Lord Jesus to be the sacrifice

and the satisfaction for our debt and our sin.

I want you also to think with me

of what Jesus is saying here in Mark,

and let's go back to that passage just for a moment.

Mark chapter 10, verse 45,

Mark 10:45

for even the Son of Man,

he's talking to his disciples,

and the disciples' interest is,

so what am I getting out of this?

What am I going to receive?

And let me tell you something.

When people go into marriage

with the attitude of,

hey, what am I getting out of it,

guess what they're going to discover?

They're going to discover

that their dissatisfaction

and their misappropriated interest

is going to cause them heartache

that will only grow

until they come to grips

with the selfishness

and the darkness of their own heart.

What happens when we go into ministry

or into church

or into any kind of relationship

where the only focus we have

is on what am I going to get out of it?

It's going to be heartache.

And here is Jesus, on the other hand,

saying, let me tell you something.

Instead of having that mindset,

I want you to think about

the attitude and heart that I have,

and here it is.

For even the Son of Man,

sinless, perfect, holy, wonderful,

even the Son of Man

came not to be served,

but to serve and to give His life

a ransom for many.

And so as you think about

what this passage tells us,

it makes it very, very clear

that the Lord Jesus Christ,

in His coming,

came principally to do this,

to satisfy the debt

of our sin

and to have it wiped away.

I wonder this morning

whether or not

that really strikes you,

whether it really makes

a difference in your thinking,

whether you stop this morning

and think,

man, I am so very thankful

that the focal point of Christmas

is not the gifts that I get,

but the fact that Jesus came

to be my Savior

and to die for my sins.

Well, let's come to another

practical question

as we think about

the matter of this verse.

And I want you to think with me

about why the atonement

is so important.

Why is the atonement

so important?

One of the things

that is sadly missed

in our contemporary culture

is the fact that

right and wrong

is largely missing.

I remember thinking to myself,

well, now that the election

is passed,

all the political wrangling

and jangling

is going to kind of

diminish a little bit.

How many of you

have been stunned

to realize that's not the case?

I mean, every time

you turn on the news,

they're just flapping their gums

about one thing or another

in relationship to politics.

And it just reminds me,

politics is really

just a conflict of worldviews.

And here we have people

that are all wrapped up

in believing that

one side or another

is really the key

to the whole thing.

And in the middle of all that

is the reality that

the majority of people

involved in what we see

going on today

really have no moral compass.

I was intrigued to realize

that Facebook

is going to work

to prevent,

what is it called,

fake news?

How many of you figured out

that it's all fake news

more or less?

You know,

I'll never forget

when Paul David Tripp

said this,

everybody has an agenda.

Everybody has an agenda.

And as you listen

to people today,

you recognize

that their agenda

is self-serving.

And so here we live

in a world

where the issues

of right and wrong

are largely kind of

pushed over to the side

and the question is,

does it work

and does it accomplish

my end and my objectives?

It's amazing

when you stop and think

that rational,

intelligent individuals

who would never

for a moment

deny the laws of gravity,

who would admit

that thermodynamics

and all the laws

related to that

are absolutely essential

and cannot be violated.

At the same time,

think that the same God

who put those laws

into place

and also made moral laws

that you can get away

with violating moral laws

while you can't get away

with violating laws

such as the law of gravity.

You know,

if I were to step off

this platform,

how many of you recognize

what the immediate

consequence would be?

If I stepped off,

what happens?

I go down.

By the same token,

the God of this universe

also made a law

in which He says this,

the soul that sins,

it shall,

there is a consequence

for sin.

And that consequence

cannot be overlooked.

There's no way around it.

By the way,

we tend to wish

God dealt with other people's sins

fairly rapidly.

Do you realize that?

We tend to believe

God doesn't deal with ours

the same way.

And why I say that is this,

is that I'm amazed,

I'm amazed

to be around individuals

on occasion

who are fully persuaded

that their sins

will not have

eventual consequence.

But they do.

God is not mocked.

What a man sows,

that a man will,

he'll reap.

And so I want you

to recognize this morning

when you think about

why Jesus came,

He actually came

to make atonement for us.

And why is that?

Because the truth,

the righteousness,

and the justice of God

must be satisfied.

God can no more

overlook sin

than we can overlook breathing.

His nature requires

that sin be dealt with

and He can't violate

that nature.

When there is sin,

it must be atoned for

or it must be punished.

He cannot overlook

the rebellion

and the harm that sin does.

And though He is

long-suffering and patient,

we know for one,

or for several reasons,

His long-suffering patience,

for one,

is designed to lead people

to repentance,

gives them time

to repent.

But let me tell you

another thing.

God's long-suffering patience

also allows individuals

to be fully hardened

in their sins

so that when He does judge,

they can't say,

I didn't mean it

and I was just careless

and not thinking carefully

about the outcome.

When we sin,

we do so intentionally

and we do so with intent

that has been developed

in our heart.

And so I want you

to recognize this morning

that God's nature

is such that

when sin takes place,

there's consequences for it.

And the significance

of His judgment against sin

is proportionate

to His glory

and His significance,

not to ours.

Let me give you

an explanation,

maybe identify with.

I remember when I was growing up,

my parents took us through,

we were traveling back from India

and we came through Rome

and we went to St. Peter's.

Great place.

Phenomenal.

And I remember at St. Peter's

actually having the privilege

of going on a,

I'd never seen one of these things

in India,

but you stood on the thing

and it just kind of,

what's it called?

Not an escalator.

A moving walkway, yeah.

In order to walk past

the Madonna and Child,

this carving by Michelangelo,

they put you on a moving walkway.

Do you know why that was?

So that everybody

had an equal chance for him.

There it was.

You know,

you kind of went by.

And just imagine that,

you know,

there I was

and I decided,

you know what,

I want to do something spectacular.

So I took out a little hammer

and dinged that thing.

That would be a pretty

offensive act,

wouldn't it?

Direct,

if I smashed a clay cup,

no big deal,

but putting a ding

in the Madonna and Child

because of the significance

of that statue

would be something

that would be offensive.

When we sin against God,

we violate His holiness

and our sin

is amplified

and magnified

by the significance

of the one we sin against.

And so what's the penalty

for that?

The Bible makes it clear.

The soul that sins,

it shall die.

And God's goodness

and His wisdom,

God's holiness

is of such infinite value

that there is no remedy

for that sin

apart from death.

And what happens in death

is that after death

there is judgment

that lasts forever.

And so when you think about that,

I want you to understand

that when Jesus died

on the cross,

He died to make atonement

or substitute

to satisfy God's judgment

against us.

Let me bring several verses

to your attention this morning

to have you think about.

Turn in your Bibles

from Mark

over to Hebrews chapter 9.

Hebrews 9 · chapter mention

Hebrews chapter 9.

Hebrews 9 · chapter mention

Looking at verse 26

and then 28.

Let me explain it this way.

The infinite penalty

for a sin

against an infinite God

requires an infinite remedy.

Do you got that?

The infinite sin

against an infinite God

requires an infinite remedy

and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Look at verse 28.

So Christ,

having been offered once

to bear the sins of many,

will appear a second time

not to deal with sin

but to save those

who are eagerly waiting for Him.

Interesting,

earlier in the week

I had an opportunity

to talk with an individual

and ask them the question,

so what's going to happen

when you die?

I don't know.

I said,

do you have any idea

where you're going to go?

Well,

I suppose I'm going to heaven.

Oh,

okay.

Why?

Because I'm a pretty good person.

I like being around

pretty good people.

So I said,

how good are you?

And,

well,

that's when things

began to break down

a little bit.

You know,

it's like,

how good are you?

Well,

I really am pretty.

At least I'm better

than my neighbor.

You know,

and here's the fact

of the matter.

Sin is supremely offensive

to God

and He is not going

to overlook

a single piece of it.

And so when you stop

and recognize

that what the Scripture says,

Jesus had to die

for our sins

to satisfy the debt.

And so here we are

looking at that passage

and reminding ourselves

of the fact

that Jesus died

for our sins.

Don't ever buy

into the idea

that you may satisfy

the debt of your sin

by your own behavior

and your own efforts.

Why is that?

Because even

in our own best efforts,

we are really looking

to do what?

You know?

To serve ourselves,

bring glory to ourself,

and we're self-focused.

Only Christ

can satisfy

the debt

of our sin.

Let me have you look

at one other passage

in relationship to this

over in 1 Peter 1.

1 Peter 1,

1 Peter 1:18

verse 18 and 19.

Again,

reminding us

of Christ's coming

and purpose.

1 Peter 1,

1 Peter 1:18

verse 18.

Knowing that you were

ransomed

from the feudal ways

inherited from your forefathers,

not with perishable things

such as silver or gold,

can you imagine that?

Going to a religious leader

and saying,

okay, I've sinned.

What do I need to do?

Well, you need to burn

X number of candles,

and you need to give

X number of dollars,

and you need to do

such and such,

and that will accommodate

your sin.

No, no, no.

You were ransomed

from the feudal ways

inherited from your forefathers,

not with perishable things,

but with the precious blood

of Christ

like that of a lamb

without blemish or spot.

I want you to understand

this morning

as we think about

why Jesus came,

recognize this.

Jesus came to take

the full weight

of my sin

and your sin

and to die

in my place.

What He did

was He atoned

for our sin

by stepping in

and taking our place

and satisfying

the penalty

for our sins.

So how does that

fit my life?

How does that

fit your life?

Every person

that is here this morning

is in one of two conditions.

Only one of two conditions.

You are either here

as a person

who has come

to realize

by the grace of God

that you stand

condemned

before a holy God

and that Christ Jesus

came to pay

the penalty

for your sins

and realizing

that you're a sinner

you've cried out

and said

I confess

that I'm a sinner

and I deserve judgment

but God sent His Son

to be my sacrifice

and substitute

and I believe

in what He has done

for me.

Or you are here

this morning

thinking about Christmas

and thinking

about yourself

and failing

to recognize

that the day

is coming

where you will

give an account

for your sin

to God

and you

having overlooked

what God

has done for you

will endure

eternal judgment

because you've denied

God's plan

and His purpose

in sending Christ

to be the Savior

of the world.

Periodically

when I ask individuals

the question

so why should God

let you into heaven

and they tell me

well I'm working hard

at making my way

my answer

or a question

that follows up at

and particularly

around this season

is hey

so why would God

send His Son

to die on the cross

if you could get to heaven

by your good works?

Do you follow that?

No.

The reason God

sent His Son

is because we cannot

save ourselves

by our own good effort

and here's the fact

God having sent

His Son

and we turning around

and saying

I don't need His help

and I don't need

His sacrifice

and I don't need Him

as my Savior

is a supremely

offensive thing to God

and I would appeal

to you this morning

if you are here today

and you do not know Christ

don't walk out of here

this morning saying

I really don't care

about this matter of sin

because the day of judgment

is coming

and I would appeal to you

that you don't walk

out of here saying

listen

I really don't care

why Jesus came

He came to be your Savior

and the day is coming

when you will stand

before Him

and give an account

and I would plead with you

today is the day

of salvation

now is the hour

to repent and confess

and believe on Jesus

let's close in prayer

our Father God

this morning

as we

remind ourselves

of why Jesus really came

we're so very thankful

that He came

to be our sacrifice

to make atonement

for our sins

and this morning

as we

bring this service

to a close

we remind ourselves

that Christmas

is about more

than gifts

that we receive

it's about the gift

that you gave us

of salvation

through the Lord

Jesus Christ

and I pray Lord

for those that are here today

that know Jesus

as their Savior

that their life

reflects their thankfulness

for their salvation

I pray also

for those that are here today

that do not know

the Lord Jesus

that today

they would not

walk out of here

resisting and refusing

the offer of salvation

through the finished work

of Christ

you work

that you might be glorified

and we ask this

in Jesus name

Amen

let's

pray