Communion Service - The Cost of Salvation

our hearts to sing praise to God. Let us hear first of all these few words from the Bible.

Give thanks to the God of heaven for his steadfast love endures forever. Let us together worship him

in song from Psalm 122 from the Scottish Psalter, page 416 in our Blue Psalm books, Psalm 122,

singing from the beginning of this psalm. We'll sing the whole psalm to the tune free church.

I joy to enter the house of God, go up they said to me, Jerusalem within thy gates our feet shall

standing be. Jerusalem as a city is compactly built together and to that place the tribes go up,

the tribes of God go thither. Psalm 122, the whole psalm to the praise of God.

I joy went to the house of God, go up they said to me, Jerusalem within thy gates our feet shall

sound in me. Jerusalem as a city is compactly built together and to that place the tribes go up,

the tribes of God go up they said to me. Jerusalem as a city is compactly built together and to that place the

of the world of God. Jerusalem as a city is compactly built together and to that place the

the built-in thing and the protection of wherever the jerseys came from peace or the travelling

of Christ. Specifically, what worship seems to be so spoiled and to that place the

of Christ still remains true. Jerusalem as a city is compactly built together and to that place the

of Christ still remains peaceful within thy bones remain. Before worship may return high Him for the

And ever may thy goddesses prosperity retain.

Now for thy chains and reverence it is thee in thee I'll say.

And for the house of God our Lord I'll seek thy good always.

Let's pray together.

Gracious God our loving Heavenly Father how these words stir our hearts.

How it is we enjoy and rejoice in having this time together in worship this morning.

On the beginning of a new week on this your day in your house to sing praise to your name.

And may it be Lord today that this psalm would be our portion, our experience, our motto.

That we would truly in our hearts be full of joy in coming in here together today to worship before you.

Lord our God go before us in what we do here.

And we pray that in this morning's service of worship by word and by sacrament your name would be glorified.

The gospel of Jesus Christ would be upheld.

The wonder of Jesus would be extolled before us and within us.

And that the kingdom of righteousness would expand in our hearts and through our witness.

Be with us Lord as we spend this time together before you.

We bow in worship.

We acknowledge you.

We adore you.

We sing praise of your holiness, your justice, your goodness, your truth and above all.

We give thanks this morning for Jesus Christ, your son, the one who came into this world.

Having covenanted from all eternity to redeem a people to himself, he came.

And in that hour of suffering and as the hour of the cross loomed heavy upon him,

as the darkness closed in, as impending judgment came closer and closer,

we hear our Savior saying, Father, if it be your will, let this cup pass from me.

Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.

And so we say today, Hallelujah.

What a Savior.

Be with us as we remember the cost of our salvation.

Be with us as we remember what it cost our Redeemer

to secure the forgiveness of sin

that sets us aright with you, the living God,

that brings us from darkness and enmity to light and life,

that brings us from being far off and strangers of the commonwealth of Israel

and aliens to the promises of God,

right in to the very family of God.

What a Savior.

And we pray today that our songs of praise would unite our hearts,

that our sense of purpose and joy would be evident and felt amongst us and between us.

And when we go from here, we pray, Lord, then that you would draw near to us,

that you would bless your word to our hearts,

that you would undertake for us as we study together the scriptures

and as we remember the death of our Lord and Savior.

Be pleased, Lord, to bless us with your presence and your grace.

By word and sacrament, Lord, we come to you,

hungering and thirsting after righteousness.

So here as we pray this morning, young and old alike,

you know, Lord, our thoughts.

You know our concerns.

You know the things that worry us and leave us anxious,

that rob us of sleep and keep us from feeling a sense of peace in life.

Sometimes, Lord, life itself is so heavy.

And we pray today for any who are burdened and weighed down.

We pray, Lord, for those who are struggling in life,

who are experiencing difficulty, hardship, ill health,

unemployment, financial pressure and strain.

For those, Lord, who in these days and months have felt loneliness.

For those, Lord, struggling today with brokenness and addiction,

we pray, Lord, for them all.

That you would remember our communities, our island, our nation at this time.

We pray especially, Lord, for any joining with us today online,

those who are watching from home.

And we pray, Lord, for them.

We pray for those who cannot be with us.

And we pray, Lord, that above all, that your word would be blessed,

that the word would run free in hearts and lives,

and that Christ would be glorified,

the one who was lifted up,

that he might draw all men to him.

Hear us this morning, we pray,

as we seek forgiveness for our sin.

Cleanse us and renew us, we pray,

for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Now, boys and girls,

I just want to say something to you today about choices.

Choices.

Got here a little menu card.

That's a little thing that comes very often to the post

for weddings.

And this wedding menu is sent along to people invited.

And what you have to do nowadays is you make your choices

and you send it back.

So that they know before you turn up

the meal that you're looking to have.

So I don't know, boys and girls,

what you would choose if you were given this menu.

This is what the choice you would have.

For the starter,

you could have either

homemade lentil soup

or salmon.

You would tick one of them

if you wanted a starter.

Then you'd be on to the main course

and you could have top side of beef

or chicken

Balmoral.

I'm sure there'd be another

vegetarian option somewhere

if that was your choice.

You would tick the box

and that would be served to you

on the day of the wedding.

And then the best bit,

desserts.

That's what it's all about, isn't it?

You could have meringue

with cream and berries

or you could have

strawberry cheesecake.

You would tick your choice,

you would put your name on the card,

in it goes,

and on the day of the wedding,

the choices you make

are served to you.

Isn't that nice?

It's good planning, isn't it?

You're making your choice

nice and early.

And the thing about choices

is that sometimes

you don't get much warning.

You have to make a decision

on the spot

and you make a choice.

And this is when it gets quite difficult.

If you're having a bad day,

if you've been told

to do your homework,

if you've been told

it's your turn for the dishes,

if it's your turn

to cut the grass

or wash the car

or walk the dog

and you don't want

to do any of these things,

well, you're faced with a choice.

Do what you've been asked to do

by mum or dad

or granny or granddad

or don't.

What are you going to do?

And I want to tell you today,

boys and girls,

that sometimes

it's good to prepare for choices

and we can do that

by asking God to help us.

The Bible says,

seek first

the kingdom of God.

We put them first

in our choices,

in little things like menus

and particularly in days

that are difficult

or trying,

if big brother's

getting on your nerves,

if little sister's

going off with your favorite object

and you're going to make

a choice to cause chaos

or just be a good brother

or sister,

that's another choice

you're going to have to make.

Ask yourself at that time,

what choice would God

want me to make?

And if we ask that question

as we make choices,

we are in a far better position

than if we don't

and we are really close

to God

and if we're close to God,

we're going to want to,

please him.

So the next time

choices come your way,

next time there's a decision

to be made,

say to yourself,

what choice would God

want me to make?

Well, let's read together

from God's word this morning

two passages

from the New Testament.

First of all,

from the Gospel of John.

The Gospel of John.

We'll read from chapter 10

and verse 7

and then we'll turn forward

in our Bibles

to 1 Corinthians

and chapter 15.

Reading first of all

into the Gospel of John

John 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10

and verse 7.

So Jesus again said to them,

Truly, truly,

I say to you,

I am the door of the sheep.

All who came before me

are thieves and robbers,

but the sheep

did not listen to them.

I am the door.

If anyone enters by me,

he will be saved

and will go in and out

and find pasture.

The thief comes

only to steal

and kill and destroy.

I came that they may have life

and have it abundantly.

I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd

lays down his life

for the sheep.

He who has a hired hand

and not a shepherd,

who does not own the sheep,

sees the wolf coming

and leaves the sheep

and flees

and the wolf snatches them

and scatters them.

He flees

because he's a hired hand

and cares nothing

for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd.

I know my own

and my own know me.

Just as the Father knows me

and I know the Father

and I lay down my life

for the sheep

and I have other sheep

that are not of this fold,

I must bring them also

and they will listen

to my voice

so there will be one flock,

one shepherd.

For this reason,

the Father loves me

because I lay down my life

that I may take it up again.

No one takes it from me

but I lay it down

of my own accord.

I have authority

to lay it down

and I have authority

to take it up again.

This charge

I have received

from my Father.

There was again

a division among the Jews

because of these words.

Many of them said,

He is a demon

and is insane.

Why listen to him?

Others said,

These are not the words

of one who was oppressed

by a demon.

Can a demon

open the eyes?

of the blind?

I'm turning forward

to 1 Corinthians

in chapter 15,

reading this chapter

from the beginning.

Paul's letter

to the Corinthians,

his first letter,

chapter 15,

reading this chapter

from the beginning.

Now I would remind you,

brothers,

of the gospel

I preached to you,

which you received

and which you stand

and by which you are being saved

if you hold fast

to the word

I preached to you

unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you

as of first importance

what I also received,

that Christ died for our sins

in accordance with the Scriptures,

that he was buried,

that he was raised

in the third day

in accordance

with the Scriptures,

and that he appeared

to Cephas,

then to the twelve.

Then he appeared

to more than 500 brothers

at one time,

most of whom

are still alive,

though some

have fallen asleep.

Then he appeared

to James

and to all the apostles.

Last of all,

as to one untimely born,

he appeared also to me,

for I am the least

of the apostles,

unworthy to be called

an apostle,

because I persecuted

the church of God.

But by the grace of God

I am what I am,

and his grace toward me

was not in vain.

On the contrary,

I worked harder

than any of them,

though it was not I,

but the grace of God

that was with me.

Whether then it was I

or they,

so we preach,

and so you believed.

Amen.

May God bless his word

to our hearts,

and to his name

be the praise.

I'll sing again

to the praise of God

from Sing Psalms

and the 23rd Psalm.

On page 28

in our blue psalm books,

Sing Psalms

and Psalm 23.

We'll sing this whole psalm

together to the tune

Tarwathi.

The Lord

is my shepherd,

no want shall I know.

He makes me lie down

where the green pastures grow.

He leads me to rest

where the calm waters flow.

Psalm 23,

we will sing together

to God's praise.

Amen.

The Lord is my shepherd,

no want shall I know.

He makes me lie down

where the green pastures grow.

He leads me to rest

where the calm waters flow.

My wandering steps,

he brings back to his way.

Hence they pass off

my justness,

making me safe.

and this he has done

this great day

to display.

Though I walk in death,

how he hurt our messes near.

He wants you are with me,

no evil I fear.

your God and yourself

bring me comfort and cheer.

In the sight of my enemies,

and the evil you spread.

The oil of rejoicing you pour on my head,

my cup,

O earth,

those hand and graciously fed.

So surely your covenant,

and mercy and grace,

will follow me closely

in all of my ways.

I will go to heaven

in the highest

of the Lord

all my days.

We'll bow in prayer together.

Let us pray.

Lord, we bow this morning together.

We sing praise to your name.

We acknowledge your holiness in prayer.

We bring to you our petitions

and our supplications

with thanksgiving.

We pour out our hearts to you, Lord,

conscious of that great declaration

of the Christian church.

The Lord is my shepherd.

We pray this evening as we,

today as we reflect on

the truth of the gospel.

As we reflect on

the cost of our salvation.

As we remember our Lord

till he come again.

That you would be here with us.

We thank you that as we open

the scriptures,

we hear you speak.

We have before us

the very word of the living God.

And we pray today that that word

would take root

in our hearts and lives.

That we would grow in grace,

deepen our faith,

and further grow up into him,

the head of the church,

our King and Saviour.

Be with us, Lord,

today we pray through word and sacrament.

Our need is great.

And so we come, Lord,

seeking your blessing and filling.

We would seek you

with our whole heart today.

And we would ask that you would

address us

at the deepest point of our needs.

and that the Spirit would move

amongst us,

teaching us and leading us

to see the one

who gave himself for us.

Jesus, our King and friend.

The one who is the door.

The one through whom

we are bid come

and enter onto

the highway of holiness.

May we do so, Lord,

humbly and expectantly.

And so, Lord,

we gather in anticipation.

We look upward.

We look to Christ.

We come to the throne of grace

via the cross,

where we go for the forgiveness

of sin

that so often besets us

and entangles us.

Lord, we are conscious

this morning

of the gospel's declaration

that the wages of sin

is death.

But the gift of God

is eternal life

through Christ Jesus,

our Lord.

So, Lord,

come among us.

Bless us and do us good.

Open our hearts and minds

and bless us

by your word this morning

and the sacrament

as we share this meal

together at the table.

In Jesus' name we ask it.

Amen.

Amen.

The death of Christ

in our place

to satisfy

the demands

of divine justice

and appease

the wrath of God

is of the very substance

of the gospel.

And that's what we find

when we turn together

in our Bibles

to 1 Corinthians

in chapter 15

where the apostle,

in writing to this church

that he was so intimately

aware of

and wanting to encourage them

and build them up

and keep them

on the right path,

that's what he's been doing

these previous 14 chapters,

teaching

and pleading

and exhorting

that they would

again appreciate

and come to a deeper

understanding

of the gospel of God.

And so,

we find him here

in chapter 15

beginning to wrap things up

and draw his conclusions.

And so,

he says,

now I would remind you,

brothers,

and that word there,

brothers,

adelphoi,

was a plural term

used in the ancient

Greek tongue

to refer to

brothers and sisters.

And so,

to read it

perhaps more accurately

would be,

now I remind you,

brothers and sisters

of the gospel

I preached to you

which you received

in which you stand

and by which you are

being saved

if you hold fast

to the word

I preached to you

unless you believed

in vain.

Why speak like that,

Paul?

Because there were

tensions here

and there were

divisions

and people were saying,

well,

Paul's not much

of a preacher,

is he?

And in that,

they were going after

the messenger.

And then you had

other schools of thought

that were saying,

well,

if you're saved,

retire.

Just live off

whoever's got money.

You don't need to do it.

You're a child of God.

Sit down.

You don't need to do

anything else.

And so,

what was happening there

was it wasn't the messenger

being attacked,

it was the message.

And this pincer movement

was coming against the church

as it is today.

Nothing has changed.

The devil will attack

messengers

and the message

in his attempt,

in his ferocious

enmity toward the gospel

to try and drive the gospel

out of hearts and lives

and keep sinners

from coming

to a knowledge

of their need

to be born again.

And so,

Paul is pleading here

that they would stand fast

or hold fast

to the word

I preach to you,

the gospel of grace.

And there's a wonderful

and very famous

description of

what he did

when he came among them

back there in chapters

one and two

of this wonderful letter.

Chapter one and two

of first Corinthians.

It would help if I didn't

turn to chapter one

of Romans.

And in first Corinthians two,

he says,

I came to you,

brothers and sisters,

I did not come proclaiming

to you the testimony

of God with lofty speech

of wisdom,

for I decided to know

nothing among you

except Jesus Christ

and him crucified.

And I was with you

in weakness,

in fear,

in much trembling.

And my speech

and my message

were not implausible

words of wisdom,

but in demonstration

of the spirit

and of power,

that your faith

might not rest

in the wisdom of men,

but in the power of God.

And so he zeroes in

on the focus

Christian men and women

need to retain

and work at

and develop

and our focus

must be

the cross of Christ.

Who died there?

Why he died there?

And what it means

for us all today.

And so he says

in verse three,

as he continues

to drive home

the need to get this right

and be specific

and zeroed in

on what the gospel is.

Verse three,

chapter 15,

for I delivered to you

as of first importance

what I also received,

that Christ

died for our sins

in accordance

with the scriptures.

And he was buried

and he was raised

on the third day

in accordance

with the scriptures.

The message

was under attack

in Corinth.

The message

is under attack

in Stornoway today.

this message

of Jesus Christ

the righteous,

the Son of God

who came into the world

to do what?

To seek and to save

the lost.

How did he do it?

He gave himself

for us.

So that statement

really does come

into its own

when we say

the death of Christ

in our place

to satisfy

the demands

of divine justice

and appease

the wrath

of God

is the very

substance

of the gospel.

It's good news.

It's good news

for Stornoway today.

It's good news

for Scotland today

that there is

a saviour.

And of course

the good news

follows the declaration

that there's

bad news.

And you see,

that's the thing

about the gospel.

The gospel

is neither a discussion

nor a debate.

It is a declaration.

I would remind you

brothers and sisters

of the gospel

I preach to you.

This is the apostolic

message,

the apostolic

preaching of the cross,

the apostolic

emphasis of our need

to be born again

by repentance

and faith in Christ

by coming to him

and trusting in him

as Lord and Saviour.

It's a wonderful simplicity

and yet an incredible

depth to what Paul

goes on here to see

in verses 3 and 4.

I deliver to you

as a first importance.

See where he started

with what they needed

to know most of all.

But then notice

that he delivered to them

what he received.

And that tells us

there's a wonderful

balance to be struck here.

And that balance

is that the gospel

is supreme.

The gospel is not

subject to the church

or authenticated

by the church.

It's not the invention

of the church.

The church of Christ

is subject

to the gospel

of Christ.

We are here

to declare him,

to point to him,

to say he is the one

through whom

men and women

and boys and girls

are saved.

This is the wonderful

gospel of Jesus Christ.

So I want us to think

today about what Paul

says here in this

summary,

this revision,

this calling

the Christian men

and women,

back to the fundamentals

of the gospel,

keeping them zeroed

in on the cross,

lest they fade away

and drift away

into uncertainty

and ambiguity

and agnosticism

and all these awful

things that are

doing the rounds

today as they were

back then.

And why do we find

this emphasis here

on the death

of Christ?

Christ.

Because he was

writing to a

Christian congregation

in a Greek city

some 2,000 years ago

that was full of

philosophy

and culture

and thinking

and teaching

and schools of thought

that utterly rejected

any concept of

resurrection from the dead.

It was in the DNA

of the city.

And that's where

the Christian church

had been planted,

that's where the

congregation had grown,

and began to experience

difficulty and troubles

and hard times.

And so Paul writes them

and he zeroes in

on this essential truth

that I think it was

John Stott that spoke

about,

the irreducible minimum

of the Christian gospel,

the death

and resurrection

of Christ

in the place

of sinners.

Verse 12

in this chapter

indicates the thinking

there that's

perhaps hindering

the Christians

from progressing.

If Christ is proclaimed

as raised from the dead,

how can some of you say

there is no resurrection

of the dead?

So the thinking

that surrounded the church,

the thinking in culture

and philosophy

and schools of thought

that surrounded the church

was beginning

to make its way

into the church.

The world

was beginning

to penetrate

into the thinking

and therefore

the theology

and therefore

the practice

of the Christian church.

It was ever thus.

It is a constant

source of attack

that we must be vigilant of,

that we don't allow

culture

to set the tone

for what we do

and what we believe

and how we operate

as the church of Christ.

Only Jesus does that

by and through

his word.

So let's think

about this

as we prepare

to share together

in our Lord's Supper

and remember

the death of Christ

till they come again.

What does Paul

want us to

take to heart today?

Verse 3 tells us,

first of all,

that the death

of Jesus

was promised.

The death of Jesus

was promised.

I delivered to you

as of first importance

what I also received

that Christ

died for our sins

in accordance

with the Scripture.

And so Paul,

having said

that this message

is authenticated

by its source,

the Almighty God

who gave his Son

that we might live,

so he has now

stipulated

that not being

a master

over the message

but a servant

of the message

of Christ,

he is now

underlining

this declaration

that Christ Jesus

came into the world

to save sinners.

Places the Bible

right at the center

of what he's about

to say,

doesn't he?

He says twice,

he uses that phrase

in accordance

with the Scriptures.

And that is a bedrock.

Again,

it's a bedrock

that we face

being under attack

and being undermined

today.

He can't believe that.

Surely you don't need

all this Old Testament

narrative.

You don't really need

these passages

in Romans

that questions

and challenges

our morality

and that addresses

issues of sexuality,

that speaks about marriage,

it speaks about

how we conduct ourselves.

No,

sure,

that's up to us.

We try our best.

We do what we are

to be upstanding people

in society.

And so what we find

constantly

is the world

chipping away

at this very phrase,

that our declaration,

which is made

in accordance

with the Scriptures,

that's out of sync today.

That's unpopular today.

That's old school.

That's Reformation.

Knox,

don't talk to us

about John Knox.

He was surely,

he was a bigot,

he was a secretarian,

he was a misogynist.

And so they destroy

the character

of the messenger

and then go after

the message.

You can't say that to me.

You can't tell me

I'm a sinner.

And yet,

what does God ask

of his church today?

Why has God raised up

and placed his church

on earth,

the church militant,

to assert,

maintain,

and defend?

And unless

and until

we are born again,

we remain

under the wrath

and curse of God.

And so we share

this message

in patience

and humility.

We share this message

in love

again

and again

and again.

And we refuse

to allow the world

to undermine

our grasp of Scripture

and our reverence

of Scripture

because it is from

the Scripture

that the Gospel

has been declared

to the world.

And that message

is Christ died

for our sins

in accordance

of the Scripture.

You see,

everything we know

of Christ today,

it comes from

God's Word.

It's a proclamation

that we find

long ago

at many times

and in many ways

God spoke to our fathers

by the prophets,

but in these last days

he has spoken to us

by his Son.

All Scripture

is breathed out

by God

and profitable

for teaching,

reproof,

correction,

and training.

This death of Jesus

was promised.

In the Old Testament,

we have anticipation

and straining forward

and looking forward.

God is saying

in the Old Testament

Scriptures,

I will send

a Redeemer.

And then we come

into the New Testament

and we're looking back

and through the New Testament

we hear God saying,

I have sent you,

my Son.

This is my beloved.

Hear Him.

And so we assert,

maintain,

and defend

on the basis

of being a Bible-based,

Spirit-filled,

Christ-centered church

that the death of Jesus

was promised.

We write at the beginning

of the Scripture,

we find the promise

that God will send

His Son

into this world.

And the New Testament

furnishes us

with the understanding

we need

as to the importance

and absolute centrality

of the death of Christ

in our place.

Secondly,

this,

the death was promised.

This death was real.

His death was real.

Verse 4

puts it as plainly

as is possible.

He was buried.

He was buried.

The Christian gospel

is a message

of deliverance

that comes

through the death

of the deliverer.

No other world religion

comes close to this.

No other world religion

even begins

to approach

the magnitude

of these words,

the solemnity

and depth

and wonder

and beauty

of what we're told here.

The Son of God,

the Lamb of God,

the Lord of glory,

through whom

all things were made.

The one who is

altogether sufficient.

The one who is

the rose of share

and the lily of the valley.

The one that is

the apple of God's eye.

What do we read here?

He was buried.

This is the gospel.

This is the good news.

That just as the babe,

Jesus,

was laid in the manger,

so the torn

and bloody body

of Jesus

in his early 30s

was laid

in a grave

without life

outside

Jerusalem.

What happened

on the cross

is abundantly clear

and you would need

to have

a heart of stone

and a mind

that resembles stone

to say,

well,

the Bible

doesn't say

that Jesus

died.

That is the

response

of the

Islamic world

to the claims

of the gospel.

They

revere Jesus.

They honor Jesus.

They say

Jesus was a great man.

But he didn't

really die.

And even if he did die,

he certainly

was not

the Son of God.

What happened

on the cross?

The Bible

says otherwise.

His vital

functions

shut down.

His heart

straining

for six hours

to pump

deoxygenated blood

around his body

finally arrested.

And ultimately,

after six hours

of suffering,

Jesus' breath

gave out

and he died.

With all his

vital functions

having stopped,

even then,

the world

was not finished

with him

because a Roman

soldier under

instruction thrust

a spear into

his chest

to confirm

death

had done

its work.

The death

of Jesus

was real.

Why do we

reflect on this?

What did Jesus

tell us to do?

Do this

in remembrance

of me.

The bread

and the wine

that we're

about to share

together

speak powerfully

and vividly

of this moment.

And they say

to each one

of us

as we

take our bread

and as we

drink our wine

that the cost

of our salvation

was nothing

less

and nothing

other

than the life

of Jesus Christ,

the Son of God.

He

was

buried.

his death

was real.

What else

can we say

of this?

We must say

this as we

move on.

That for

Christianity

to be genuine,

for the hope

of the gospel

to be held

out as a

life-transforming

message of

grace and

splendor and

wonder and

forgiveness,

it utterly

depends upon

the death of

Jesus being

genuine.

And it

begins to

push us

back from

that.

You say,

well,

why?

Why the

cross?

Why this

awful death?

Why was it

that he

breathed his

last on that

cross and

laid his

head and

gave up

his life?

As you

read there

in John's

gospel and

chapter 10,

for this

reason the

father loves

me,

because I

lay down

my life

that I

may take

it up

again.

No one

takes it

from me,

but I

lay it

down of

my own

accord.

I have

authority to

lay it

down and

I have

authority to

take it

up again.

charge I

have received

from my

father.

Jesus

himself

affirms in

these words,

his death

was real.

The Christ

of the

Bible was

buried

without

life.

His death

then was

promised and

his death

was real,

but we

don't fixate

on it.

We don't

stay there.

We don't

stay in the

graveyard.

We don't

stay at

the foot

of the

cross.

We don't

reflect

constantly

and permanently

with the

fixation on

the graphic

scene of

the cross.

Yes,

we survey

it.

We study.

We do

so humbly.

We do

so with a

sense of

awe and

wonder.

When we

survey that

scene and

see there

nothing other

than the

Son of

God

dead on

the cross

outside

Jerusalem,

this is the

message of

good news.

I think

it was

that

sentiment

that

perhaps

moved

McShane

to write

these

words

in one

of his

hymns.

When I

stand before

the throne

dressed in

beauty not

my own,

when I

see thee as

thou art,

love thee

with unsinning

heart,

then,

Lord,

shall I

fully know

not till

then how

much I

owe.

we owe

him

everything

because he

gave

everything.

He gave

himself

for us,

not just

by taking

on the

flesh of

the incarnation

and being

a good

man.

Jesus

was truly

man and

truly God

and he

died on

that cross

that the

sins of

the world

might be

taken away.

He gave

what the

Bible calls

propitiation

to the

Father and

of our

sin he

effected

expiation.

He removed

our sin

by bearing

its guilt

on himself

and he

paid the

price by

giving his

life.

His death

was real.

But then

there's this,

Paul's

summation,

his calling

the Corinthian

Christians,

his calling

us today

by the

providence

of God

to just

reflect on

the heart

of the

gospel and

this glorious

message of

grace.

Yes,

there's

death here,

but death

did not

have the

last word

with Jesus

of Nazareth.

Joseph of

Arimathea

and Nicodemus

did not

in their

act of

devotion and

tenderness

and service

have the

last say

on the

life of

Jesus of

Nazareth.

For verse

four goes

on,

he was

raised on

the third

day in

accordance with

the scriptures.

And so this

tells us thirdly

that the death

of Jesus was

victorious.

Victorious.

You see,

death could

not hold

him.

And this is

where the good

news takes

on such

incredible

significance

and wonder.

The wages

of sin

is death,

but the

gift of

God is

eternal

life through

Christ Jesus

our Lord.

And that

empty tomb

that followed

the cross on

the third

day, that

first Easter

morning,

is evidence

in God's

declaration

to the

world that

the sacrifice

of his

son in a

room instead

was pleasing

and acceptable.

And so he

came, as he

says to us

in John

in chapter

10, that

I laid

down my

life of

my own

accord.

I have

authority to

lay it

down and

I have

authority to

take it

up again.

This charge

I have

received from

my father.

And so we

survey this

wondrous

cross on

which the

prince of

glory died.

We are

humbled.

We're

awestruck.

We think,

how can it

be that he

was pierced

there for

our transgressive

possessions?

And then we

read on and

the gospel

moves on.

The gospel

moves from

the cross

and the

cemetery

into the

world.

It moves

from a

message of

the reality

and vitality

of Jesus'

death to

what impact

it has and

what meaning

it has for

you and I

today.

That he

was raised

on the

third day

in accordance

with the

scriptures.

There was

this thought

that maybe

maybe it's

not true.

Maybe there

isn't such a

resurrection and

maybe death

is death and

that's it.

We're all

finished.

Chapter 15

and verse 20

says,

in fact,

Christ has

been raised

from the

dead,

the first

fruits of

those who

have fallen

asleep.

If in this

life only we

have hoped

in Christ,

we are of

all people

most to be

pitied.

If the

message

stayed in

the cemetery,

if the

message was

just about a

good man

dying,

there would

be no

saviour

today because

a dead

saviour can

save nobody.

And so we

say today that

Jesus was

dead and

now is

alive.

And that's

how this

chapter goes

on as Paul

brings this

wonderful

reflection to

this glorious

conclusion.

Toward the

end of the

chapter in

verse 56,

he speaks of

death being

swallowed up in

victory.

Death, where

is your

victory?

O death,

where is

your sting?

The sting

of death

is sin,

and the

power of

sin is

the law.

But thanks

be to

God who

gives us

the victory

through our

Lord Jesus

Christ.

He died

that we

might be

forgiven.

He died

to make

us good,

that we

might go

at last

to heaven,

saved by

his precious

blood.

The death

of Jesus

is victorious.

the

women who

came in

their

devotion and

love and

brokenheartedness

that first

Easter morning

with arointments

and oils

seeking to

pay homage

and show

respect out

of pure

devotion and

sadness.

They had

nothing to

do, they

were redundant.

The oils and

the spices,

the pastes that

they were going

to anoint the

body with that

morning in the

tomb, they

were left

behind.

There was

nothing to

anoint because

the body

was not

there.

The grave

was empty

and the

angel said

to him,

why do you

seek the

living among

the dead?

Jesus'

death was

victorious.

It's the

pivotal point

in the

history of

God's

redemption.

He raised

his son from

the dead.

In this act

of resurrection,

satisfaction has

been rendered

and the

father's

declaration is

clear.

In Acts

Acts 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2,

as Peter

preached to

those around

him, he

said God

raised him

up, loosing

the pangs

of death

because it

was not

possible for

him to be

held by

it.

This Jesus

God raised

up and

of that

we are

witnesses.

It's good

to remember

today that

we too,

like the

apostles on

the day of

Pentecost,

in our way,

right here,

right now,

at this

moment,

are witnesses

to the

truth of

this message

having taken

root in

our hearts

and lives.

And so we

acknowledge that

Christ is our

Lord and

Savior.

We take our

place at

his table,

not because

we're perfect

and wonderful,

great and

without problems.

We take our

place at his

table in

faith,

looking unto

him, the

author and

finisher of

our faith.

We take our

place at his

table because

we're sinners

in need of

forgiveness.

forgiveness.

And we have

found that

forgiveness not

in our own

strength and

in our own

works, not

because of the

righteousness that

we have acted

and therefore

earned God's

grace, no,

because God's

grace is poured

out in our

hearts.

And we have

come to know

Jesus Christ as

our Lord and

as our Savior.

Paul would

later write to

the church in

Rome, and in

chapter 5 and

verse 1 he

puts it this

way,

therefore, since

we have been

justified by

faith, we