The Cross - God Dies

stories. Before we listen to those stories, we're going to pray.

Our Father God, we thank you so much for the true story of the Bible from the beginning

of time, from eternity past to eternity to come. Your great plan, your plan of salvation

for mankind. And it's our prayer this morning that we would grasp afresh your plan of salvation,

what you have done for us, how it changes us, and how it provides for our deepest and greatest

need. Father, would you please speak to us afresh through your word, we pray in Jesus'

name. Amen.

Well, here's the story. It was just one week before her wedding day. Annie had dreamed of

it ever since she was a little girl, and now it was soon to become a reality. Together

with her fiancé, they had saved up to buy a house. And over the weeks, they had been painting

and decorating, making sure everything was in order so that they could move in after

the wedding. On this particular evening, after being out for dinner, they called by the house

to drop off a couple of gifts a friend had kindly bought them. As they went in, it became obvious

that somebody else that somebody else was in the house. Before they could do anything about

it, the intruder ran past and pushed Annie's fiancé to the floor. He fell awkwardly, banged his

head against the radiator, causing severe trauma. It was later that evening that Annie got the

news from the news from the hospital that her fiancé had sadly died due to his injuries. What would

you want to happen to that intruder? What would you want to happen to that intruder? Jimmy was a hard-working

young lad. He lived at home with his mum and was managing to hold down two jobs to get through

college and to help his mum out. After an evening out, Jimmy was walking home with friends. Passing

by what seemed like an empty house, one of them dared Jimmy to see if he could climb through one of the

open windows, get into the house and let himself out through the front door. Jimmy had just managed

to get through the window when he heard somebody come into the house. For fear of being caught, he made a

run for it and he pushed the man out the way. Later that evening, Jimmy was picked up by the guards

when he learned that the man he had pushed died. He was devastated. What would you want to happen to the

intruder now? It's not easy, is it, to make those kinds of decisions. On one side of the story, it has us

demanding justice. But the other side of the story has us desiring grace. I guess what we want is for

justice to be done and for grace to be given. We want the criminal punished, but we want some compassion

to be shown. But how is that actually possible? How can Jimmy be sentenced to life, which is what he

deserves for the crime he committed, and at the same time have his sentence suspended, which is what Jimmy

himself desires? How can justice and grace sit side by side without giving way to the other?

Well, that's one of the big issues confronting us as we read through the story of the Bible.

You remember how the story began. God created a good and a beautiful world,

God. And central to his creation were people. God provided for them and gave to them everything

that they needed. And in return, we were made to love God, to obey him and to enjoy him.

Everything was good and perfect and beautiful. But instead, we rebelled against God. We rejected him

and ignored him. Instead of listening to God, we decided we want to be God and we want to live

life as we please. And as a result, everything broke. Our relationship to God broke. We became

separated from him. We became separated from each other and with creation. Everything broke down.

And the question that we ask is, well, how would God respond to all of this rebellion?

Would he be angry and judge? Or would God be loving and forgiving? Would God bring his justice,

which is what we deserve? Or would he show grace, which is what we all desire?

Well, have a look at Exodus chapter 34 and see how God introduces himself. It's one of the great

Exodus 34 · chapter mention

summaries of how God introduces himself to us. Exodus 34 verse 5.

Exodus 34:5

This is where Moses has come to meet God. And verse 5 reads, then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there

with him, that's Moses, and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And God passed in front of Moses, proclaiming,

the Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,

maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.

Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished. He punishes the children and their children for the sin of their fathers to the third and fourth generation.

Do you see what we have there? A picture of who God is? A God who is both full of justice and full of grace.

He brings punishment, but yet he offers forgiveness. He does not treat us as our sins deserve, but yet he holds the guilty accountable.

He's gracious with us, but yet brings judgment upon us. And this is the tension that we see running through the whole story of the Bible.

Every story and every action of God, we see God responding in justice or in grace.

God cannot ignore our sin. It must be punished.

But yet God longs to forgive our sins so that we do not perish.

So here's the big question before us all this morning.

How can God judge us, which is what we deserve,

but yet show grace,

which is what we all desire?

Well, at the centre of the story and the climax of the whole Bible story

is the cross

where God dies.

Because at the cross,

we see God both punish our sin

and provide for our salvation.

At the cross,

grace and justice flow

to the world.

It's summarised for us so well

in Romans chapters 1 to 3.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

So turn in your Bible.

We're going to be looking at Romans 1 to 3,

which is almost like a summary.

The first three chapters are like a summary of the whole story of the Bible,

which climax

in the death of God

on the cross.

So Romans

Romans 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1.

And the first thing we notice in Romans chapter 1 is,

Romans 1 · chapter mention

is that we all deserve

judgment.

The justice of God

should flow

on us.

You see, that's the whole story of the Bible, isn't it?

As we've been following along the story,

is that we're all under God's judgment.

Have a look at chapter 1, verse 18.

The wrath of God,

the anger of God,

is being revealed from heaven

against all the godlessness

and wickedness of men

who suppress the truth

by their wickedness.

What a great summary

of the story of the Bible

and the human race.

Chapter 2, verse 5.

Because of your stubbornness

and your unrepentant heart,

you are storing up wrath

against yourself

for the day of God's wrath

when his righteous judgment

will be revealed.

God will give to each person

according to what he has done.

And in case we think

we are somehow different

to anyone else,

have a look at chapter 3, verse 10.

It makes it abundantly clear.

that we are included in this.

Chapter 3, verse 10.

As it is written,

there is no one righteous.

Not even one.

There is no one who understands.

No one who seeks God.

All have turned away.

They have together become worthless.

There is no one who does good.

Not even one.

In fact, we are told in chapter 3, verse 23.

All, for all have sinned

and fall short of the glory of God.

Just as Adam did at the very beginning

in the Garden of Eden,

so we, his ancestors,

have followed on in the same ways.

We're all guilty

and deserving of God's judgment.

That's been the escalating problem

as we've read through the story of the Bible.

But that's not the only story, is it?

God has also promised

to respond in grace

and has demonstrated grace

time and time again

to a rebellious people.

So Romans chapter 1, verse 16.

Romans 1:16

The Apostle Paul, who's writing,

he says,

I am not ashamed of the Gospel.

The Gospel is the good news,

the declaration of great news from God.

Because it is the power of God

for the salvation of everyone who believes.

First for the Jew,

and then for the Gentiles.

So for all people,

salvation is being offered.

Chapter 2, verse 4.

Or do you show contempt

for the riches of his kindness?

God's tolerance and his patience,

not realizing that God's kindness

leads us towards repentance.

You see, it's telling us

that salvation and forgiveness

is available through our repentance.

repentance.

Even though we are guilty,

we can be forgiven.

And this has been the repeated hope

as we've read through the story

of the Bible.

As the problem escalates,

so the hope also escalates.

So on the one hand,

as it's summarized here in Romans,

God demands justice,

which is bad news for us

because we're all guilty.

But on the other hand,

God offers grace,

which is good news for us

because we all need it.

But if God is fair in his judgment,

how can he forgive us

if we're guilty?

If God is just and righteous

in all that he does,

how could God possibly remove punishment

that we justly deserve?

If God were to forgive us,

it would be like turning a blind eye

to all our wickedness and sin.

God would be seen to be nothing more

than some corrupt judge

who's open to some kind of bribe

or a backhander

and who cares little

for any kind of justice.

It would be like Jimmy in our story

that we read at the very beginning,

walking away without any sentence at all.

And we'd say,

where is the justice in that?

How can you just let somebody go free

for a crime they've committed?

So how can God be both compassionate

and gracious

while at the same time

being righteous and fair?

And this is the big story of the Bible.

How is God going to respond to you and to me?

Is he going to come in justice?

Or is he going to give us grace?

It's a little bit like a tug of war.

God is the anchorman on one side for justice,

pulling this direction.

And God is the anchorman

on the other side of grace,

pulling in the other direction.

One seems to be pulling against the other.

And the human race sits in the middle,

in the balance.

If justice wins,

then what of God's desire to forgive?

And if grace wins,

what of God's promise to be just?

How can God simultaneously

express his justice and grace

to the world?

Well, the answer to this is

the cross of Jesus Christ.

God himself dies on the cross,

both punishing our sin

and providing for our salvation.

It is the solution

to the problem or the dilemma

that we face.

So here's the first big theme

of the cross.

The grace of the cross.

Salvation provided.

Have a look at

Romans chapter 3

Romans 3 · chapter mention

and verse 23.

Romans 3 verse 23.

Romans 3:23

See what it says?

For all have sinned,

all that you and I,

regardless of our nationality

or our religion

or wherever we come from,

we have all sinned

and all fall short

of the glory of God.

And are justified freely

by his grace

through the redemption

that came by Christ Jesus.

Now I just want to pick up

on that one word there,

that word redemption

that comes through Christ Jesus.

Redemption in the Bible

is all about freeing someone

from the threat of death

or punishment.

So we saw that

in the story of Israel.

Do you remember

when they were in slavery in Egypt

and the angel of death

was to pass over

and God said,

I will redeem you?

So that redemption

is freeing someone

from the threat of death

or punishment.

And that's what we see

throughout the story

of the Bible.

We see God coming

to redeem people

from the punishment

they deserve.

He's constantly

setting people free.

But his redemption

is always partial.

Because the next time

somebody sins

or the nation sins,

they find themselves

under God's judgment again.

But now as we come

into the climax

of the story,

we're reading that

God has redeemed us

fully and finally

by his grace.

You see,

the threat of God's judgment,

which is just and fair,

hangs over the entire world,

over the human race,

over all history

and all time.

But God has come

in his grace

and he now removes

the deserved judgment

from us.

Redemption means

we are set free.

We are no longer living

under the weight

of God's justice.

As a result,

look at verse 24,

we are justified

freely

by his grace

through redemption.

We're justified.

Justified

is another word

we need to be clear on.

It means

though we are guilty

before God,

we are declared

by God

to be in the right.

Though we're guilty

before God,

we are declared

by God

to be in the right.

Now there's something

really scandalous

and shocking

about this.

We should be reading

this and going,

what?

You can't be serious.

It doesn't seem right.

It doesn't seem fair.

It's like Jimmy

in our story

being set free

from the sentence

he deserves.

Except in our case,

there is absolutely

nothing within us

that suggests

we deserve

any grace.

We're rebels

who refuse

to change our ways.

but God

in his grace

declares us

to be right

before him.

I was at a funeral

recently

and I was talking

to the guy

outside,

a friend of mine

and he said,

he said,

so what is it?

He said,

what is it

that you believe?

So in the

literally

the few moments

that I had

I said,

it's all about

grace.

And I explained

something along

those lines

that God,

even though we're

guilty before God,

we can be declared

by God

to be in the right.

He says,

you can't be serious.

He says,

that sounds

really great.

Those were his words

because it's like,

it can possibly

be true

but it is true.

guilty people

are put in the right

before God.

We are now

treated

as if we had

obeyed God

perfectly.

We're now

treasured

as his own

child

as if we had

never ever

disobeyed him

in our life.

We are declared

by God

to be

not

guilty.

No longer

waiting

a sentence

or punishment.

We are set

free to live

with God

without shame

or fear,

standing before

him,

knowing that we

are loved by him

and cared for him.

It's true.

But how can God

do this?

What about

his justice?

Treating somebody

who is guilty

as an innocent

person

is very unfair

and very unjust.

How can God

do it?

Well,

here's the second

part.

And we must

keep the two

together.

We dare not

divide them.

Gone too far.

Oh,

I'll tell you

what it is.

The justice

of the cross,

sin punished.

The justice

of the cross,

sin punished.

That's the second

part.

Verse 24

of chapter 3.

Let's read

that again.

We are justified

freely by his

grace through

the redemption

that came

by Christ

Jesus.

God

presented him,

that's Jesus,

as a sacrifice

of atonement

through faith

in his blood.

He did this

to demonstrate

his justice.

You see,

the death

of Jesus Christ

on the cross

is how God

deals

with our

deserved judgment

and our

desired forgiveness.

When we

understand

the cross,

when we

see the

tension

between

God's

justice

and God's

grace,

we see

that it

is settled

at the

cross

so that

God

remains

fair

and true

to himself

and to

his character.

And the

key phrase

for us

here in

verse 25

is

sacrifice

of atonement.

God

presented

Jesus

as a

sacrifice

of atonement.

that's

how God

deals

with our

deserved

judgment

and our

desired

forgiveness.

Now we've

come across

this before

as we've

been going

through the

story of

the Bible

and every

time we

come across

sacrifice

of atonement

in the

Bible

it's always

in relation

to God's

wrath or

anger

towards

his people.

And we

find it

hard to

think of

God being

angry.

We don't

like that

idea.

You see

when I

get angry

it's

uncontrolled

and it's

temper-like.

It could

be a

fit of

rage.

But with

God

his anger

is always

controlled.

It is

his reasoned

and just

response

to our

sin.

Maybe

you've

heard this

phrase

from people.

God

hates

sin

but he

loves the

sinner.

You

ever

heard it?

Maybe

you've

said it.

I've

said it.

God

hates

sin

but he

loves

the

sinner.

Well I

think it's

unhelpful

because the

Bible makes

it very

clear that

God

hates

sin

and we

the

sinners

must be

punished.

And the

most uncomfortable

truth as we're

seeing here is

that we're all

under God's

wrath because

our sin is

always an

offence to

God.

We can

never separate

the sin

from the

sinner.

So if

God is

angry at

sin,

if God

is angry

at the

rebellion,

then God

is angry

at me.

Now because

God is

just and he

can't ignore

sin and

pretend it's

not there,

he must

deal with

it.

He can't

just sweep

it under

the carpet

and go,

oh let's

just forget

about it.

And everybody

do as they

please.

That's not

the kind

of world

that God

has made.

But it's

also true

that God

must be

forgiving and

he must be

kind and

compassionate.

That's his

character.

So at

the cross

we see the

two come

together.

We see

our sin

punished

and salvation

provided.

And how

does God

do it?

Well it's

through,

as we see

in verse

25,

the sacrifice

of atonement.

he presented

Jesus.

The God

man came

into the

world and

Jesus became

the anger

absorber

for us.

Jesus came

like one of

us, a human

being, and

he takes my

sin and your

sin upon

himself and

so the wrath

of God which

comes down

upon the

world is

deflected from

me and it

falls

unto Christ

on the

cross.

Jesus bore

the punishment

that you

and I

justly

deserve.

Do you

remember the

tug of war?

On one

side we have

God, the

anchorman

for justice,

and on the

other side we

have God, the

anchorman

for grace.

Both are

attributes of

God that can

never give

way.

And so we

have this

tension with

the human

race, if

you like, in

the balance.

Is God

going to

bring justice

or is he

going to

bring grace?

Well what

happens is

that God

steps into

the middle.

He steps

into the

middle through

his son,

Jesus Christ.

And as he

dies on the

cross with

his arms

outstretched,

it's like he

spans this

great divide.

He holds

justice in

the one

hand.

And he

holds grace

in the

other hand.

And it's

as if Christ

on the

cross pulls

them together

so that

simultaneously

our deserved

wrath is

dealt with,

the wrath of

God falls on

us, and

our desired

forgiveness

reaches out

to a broken

and dying

world.

At the

cross, sin

is punished

and salvation

is provided.

Now we

must understand

this.

Sometimes it's

portrayed that

God is the

angry one.

You read

through the

Old Testament,

oh God is

full of

justice.

And we get

to the New

Testament and

Jesus is the

loving one and

he's gracious.

But that's a

complete distortion

of the truth.

As we've seen

through the whole

story of the

Bible, God is

both full of

wrath and full

of love.

He is just

and forgiving.

He loves

sinners and

he's angry

with sinners.

And so when

Jesus comes to

die on the

cross for you

and for me,

it's not a

separate third

party, it is

God in Christ

who dies on

the cross for

you and for

me.

God himself

comes down

as a man

and is punished

for my sin

and provides

for my salvation.

God

that is

what he

does.

And how

can we

experience this

for ourselves

and make this

a reality in

our own

lives?

Well again,

look at

verse 25.

God

presented Jesus

as a

sacrifice of

atonement

through

faith

in his

blood.

The only

thing that

we bring to

the table,

the only

thing that

we can

bring to

this is

our sin,

our mess,

our rebellion.

And in

response,

have faith

and trust

in the

God-man

Jesus Christ

who says,

I have

come

to deal

with your

sin,

past,

present and

future,

so that

you can

stand

guilty

though you

are,

as innocent

before God,

holy,

blameless

in his

sight.

And at

the same

time,

receive that

forgiveness,

receive that

grace,

so that we

are now

treasured as

God's

children,

as if we

had never

disobeyed,

as if we

had obeyed

God perfectly.

That is how

he treats

us,

that is how

he loves

us,

and that

is how it

was all

achieved at

the cross.

And so we

respond in

faith,

trusting in

his work,

his perfect

work for

you and

for me.

You see,

this is the

climax of

the story.

This is what

all the

little stories

are all

about.

As we

watch God's

action through

it all,

we see him

bringing grace,

we see him

bringing his

justice,

and it's all

pointing forward

to this one

event,

as Jesus

dies.

At the

cross,

justice and

grace are

demonstrated in

all its

fullness.

That's why

when Jesus

died on the

cross,

he says,

it is

finished.

It's all

over.

God has

been satisfied

with the

work that

he has

done.

There is

nothing more

for us to

do.

There is

no more

fear of

his justice,

no more

fear of

his judgment.

We can

stand as

his child.

welcomed into

his presence.

This is a

once and

for all

event,

where God

both punishes

sin and

provides for

salvation.

It's at the

cross where

wrath and

mercy meet,

and justice

and grace

flow to a

needy world.

at the

cross is

where we

need to

live our

lives daily,

in remembrance

of all that

he has done

and remembrance

of who we

are,

welcomed and

treasured as

his children.

Let's pray

together.

tomorrow,

and

as

who

are

angled

,