Exodus 20: Fulfilment and freedom

Exodus 20

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Last week Petter said “When non-Christians want to embarrass Christians they use the Law in the Old Testament.”

It’s true isn’t it! “Haven’t you read” they say with a sneer. “Shouldn’t you be stoning the gays, not just voting against them?” or “Why do you wear clothing of two types of fabrics” or “why do you eat bacon or eat shellfish?”

And we mumble something like “We’re in the New Testament”.

But we’re confused. What IS the relationship between the Old and the New Testaments. Why DON’T we have to stone people? Why can we eat pork? Why doesn’t God kill the priest who doesn’t wear his holy underpants? Important questions. And yes, holy priestly underpants is a requirement of the law! Ex 28:42-43

To most of us the Law, God’s Law, the Law given by Moses, is a mystery. We sort of dip in when we need it, quote a bit of “thus saith the Lord” when it suits us, and we think maybe the 10 Commandments are quite important – but apart from that we just don’t know what to do with it.

And that’s a problem. Because the Law given through Moses is a massive chunk of the Bible! Not just big parts of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy but the Wisdom literature like Proverbs and Psalms unpack the Law. And the history of Israel from Joshua to 2 Kings is in large part about Israel forgetting or disobeying or even obeying the Law. And the prophets are all talking about the Law.
The Law is a big deal!

So how are we to understand the Law?
Now there’s two mistakes we can make: we either ignore the Law. We say “doesn’t apply to us”. We’re Christians, not Jews.
Or we apply it directly to us. It’s God’s word. He spoke it, I believe it, and I’ll obey it. Now hand me those holy underpants so I can go to church without God killing me.

We can neither ignore it nor apply it directly. For there is both a continuity (continues to us) and a discontinuity (a break) with us and Old Testament believers.

A continuity because this is God’s Word to his people. (diagram1) It is his revelation of himself. To ignore this is to get a skew picture of God. And many Christians today have a warped view of God because they haven’t read the Old Testament. They don’t know Him. This, God’s Law, is written to us.

But there is a massive discontinuity: Jesus. (diagram2) We are here – on this side of the incarnation (God becoming man) and the cross and resurrection. Jesus is the complete revelation of God. This side is partial, but this side, after Christ, is complete.

So as we look at the Law, and indeed any Old Testament text, the questions we need to ask are: (diagram)

1. What did this mean for them then? Because there is a continuity between us and the Old Testament believers. We are God’s people, listening to God’s word.

2. How does Jesus change that? Discontinuity.

We read the Old Testament through the lens of the New Testament. We put on our New Testament “glasses” as it were. The New helps us understand the Old through Jesus.

2 points today.

1. What does the New Testament say about the Law?

2. Do the 10 Commandments apply to us?

So let’s put on our “glasses”: as we think about the Law, how does the New help us to understand it?

1. What does the New Testament say about the Law?

Well, we don’t need to go any further than the words of Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 is a study on the law of God. Turn to Matthew 5:17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.” Or as other translations put it “I came to fulfil the law”

He did not come to abolish it, but to fulfil it. How? In what way is there continuity and in what way discontinuity?

Well, there is discontinuity because it can’t mean that we as Christians must keep the law! Like not eating pork and keeping the Sabbath and wearing priestly underwear. Jesus fulfils the law. He kept it perfectly. And so, Romans 8 in him there is now no condemnation…. 8:3 God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son…and declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

We are no longer under the law. In Christ we no longer have to obey the law.

Woah! That sounds a bit extreme, Daniel. Sure you’re right? Well, remember from reading Acts: this exact question was a big argument in the early church! Should the new non-Jewish converts be required to obey the law of Moses? (And should Jewish Christians). And the answer was no. No. Christ has fulfilled the law. It purpose is completed in Him. Christians are no longer required to obey the Mosiac law.

That is the discontinuity. Where is the continuity? Ah, we do not obey the law, but we do not abolish or nullify the law. In fact, we are called to go beyond the law. As Jesus continues in Matt 5:18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.…
20 “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”

In the rest of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus extends the Law, saying it’s not just the outward but the inward that counts.
Our righteousness needs to exceed that of the Pharisees – and those were the most holy of holy people. They even went around cutting 10% of their herbs to give to God. And Jesus says that kind of fastidious (fussy, particular, detailed) legalism isn’t enough.

And that’s where the title of this series comes from: fulfilment and freedom. Fulfilment, because in Christ the righteous requirements of the law are fully satisfied for us (Rom 8:4). And freedom, because in His power we are free to be what we were born to be: more and more like Jesus. (Rom 8:29 we are called to be conformed to the likeness of his Son)

Not for us the letter of the Law – but now in every situation the Law of love: what would Jesus do in this situation? What will give him the most glory?

But that’s impossible! We cry! How are we supposed to be better than the Pharisees? How can we be like Jesus? That’s impossible!

Yes! Yes! Yes! Didn’t we get that sense last week as Petter unpacked chapter 19 and the first parts of 20? That our God is a holy God. Our God is a holy God and we are called to be his holy people.
Jesus says in Matt 5:48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Feeling distraught? Feeling worried? Don’t be. That’s why Jesus came. He fulfilled the Law. He kept it so you don’t have to. He has given us his righteousness. So you have already perfectly kept the law of God. In Christ you are perfect. So now live like it. Live out your new identity. We’re not called to obey the Law – we’re called to go beyond it, to exceed it, to not just keep the letter of the law but the Spirit of the Law.

Turn back to Exodus 20 and read v2. I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

2 comes before 3. They were rescued before they were given the Law. They didn’t keep the Law to be rescued. It was God’s mercy. And with us. We don’t obey in order to be saved. We obey because we are saved. By nature we do what the law says because we have a new nature.

So our New Testament glasses say: the Law is fulfilled in Christ. And we go beyond it.
But what should we obey? How do we then understand the Law? What about the 10 commandments? Surely they apply?

2. Do the 10 Commandments apply to us?

I want to propose a hypothesis – a way to understand the Law of Moses – that we can use over these next few weeks. And we’ll test it out today on the most important part of the law: the 10 commandments.

And this is it: fulfilment and freedom. Because the law is fulfilled in Christ, and we have his righteousness imputed to us (given to us) – we have already perfectly kept the 10 Commandments. We are free in regard to the Law of Moses! Free to even exceed the requirements of the Law!

So let’s test that out. And see if it works with continuity/discontinuity. Is it in line with God’s word to his people?

Ex 20:1 Then God gave the people all these instructions: 2 “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3 “You must not have any other god but me.”

Seriously? You think we are free from “you must not have any other god but me”. We can have more gods? Where’s the continuity?

Well, no. Because freedom from the law is not freedom to indulge our sinful nature. We too have been freed from slavery. Not slavery in Egypt, but slavery to sin. So now we are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves of God, slaves to righteousness as Rom 6 puts it.

But more fundamental than that – we have been reborn. As Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3 “You must be born again of the Spirit”. Or one of my Dad’s favourite verses 2 Co 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

This is called regeneration. When you believe in Christ the Spirit changes you from the inside out. We are given a new heart. A new nature. We are recreated. We are not the same. On the day the called me to him I died and then I was reborn. The old sinful me died, the new me who wants to live for Christ was born.
As Christians our heart now cries out for God. Whereas before we at worst hated him, at best ignored him – now we long for him. We want to be with our Father. We want to know God. We long to stop loving all these other things that cry out for attention and we want to love him.

So, yes, we are free from the command to have no other gods, because our deepest longing is now to be with him. The Spirit within cries out to the Father. We have a new nature.
How can we have any other gods if we are the very children of God?

It is not law that keeps us from idolatry. It is identity. We need to remember who we are!

4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

Are we free from this? Can we make images or pictures of God to worship? What about icons, holy relics, statues of saints, Mary, etc..?
Well, as the Unfortunate Incident with the Golden Calf in chapter 32 shows, making an image of God quickly turns to idolatry – we worship the thing instead of God. That quickly becomes our God, rather than the true and living God. Freedom from Law is not licence to sin!
But anyway, for us as Christians, why would we make an image of God when we already have the perfect representation of God in Jesus Christ? As Jesus said “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” (John 14:9). Or Col 1:15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.

As Petter pointed out last week, this is not about drawing a picture of Jesus or even movies – but it is about worshiping things instead of God, and trying to get power over God by reducing him to a thing that you can put away in a cupboard or something.

That’s why we need to get our view of God from the Spirit’s words to us in the Bible, so that we see Jesus more clearly. Not from artwork or films or memes or other “pictures” of God. We need to know the true God as revealed in the Living Word.

Just a note on v5. Why does God punish the third and fourth generations? Think about how sin affects people. I know a man whose father was a drunkard, who beat up his mom in front of him. That affects you. He bears scars which have affected his relationship with his own kids. He is a Christian so much of that has healed, but there are still issues. And his kids in turn will pass it on. Sin has a generational impact.

But God’s mercy is greater than our sin. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

7 “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.”

The third “word” in v7 is about how we speak about God. Yes, we are free from the law, so we can misuse God’s name, speak badly about him, drag his name through the mud. But can we?
That is the name we ourselves bear. It’s like me tearing down my father’s name – “that Jack Garratt, he’s a terrible man, an awful person, like all the Garratt’s”.
Why would I do that? I bear my father’s name. I love him. Therefore my words will honour him and respect him.

Likewise we bear the name of God. We are his children, his ambassadors, his priestly representatives on earth. Why on earth would a child of God misuse the name of Jesus?

Again, it is not Law, but love, our new nature, our identity, that compels us to do what the Law requires. Fulfilment in Christ, free to exceed the law!

8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”

Ooh. Here we have a nice juicy topic. Maybe we’re happy that the laws about holy underpants don’t apply to us, but the Sabbath? C’mon. That applies, surely? Many of us grew up with that. No dancing on a Sunday. No card playing. No movies. No non-Christian music. That kind of stuff. By the way, do you know why you can’t have sex on a Sunday? Because it might lead to dancing.

But seriously, there’s a big problem with claiming the Sabbath as LAW.
Firstly, then why do you eat bacon and shellfish? In other words why are you being inconsistent and not keeping the other 637 or so laws?
Secondly, we’re not Jews.
Thirdly, Sabbath was a Saturday, not a Sunday. So if we’ve understood enough to change the day we honour God from the day the Jews had to the day when Jesus rose to life from the dead – surely we should understand that that desire to set aside time to honour Him comes from love and not from law.

Our key way of thinking about the Sabbath comes from Jesus himself. Mk 2:27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” 3:1 Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. 2 Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” 4 Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?”

The Pharisees had reduced the Sabbath to not working. Jesus points out that the purpose of the Sabbath is honouring God. We rest in order to spend time with God. The Sabbath is made for us, to help us to honour God. Not us made to conform to the Sabbath.

So as Christians we are not required to keep the Sabbath. That’s why we don’t stone our medical people for working on Sunday! Because love for those who are sick takes precedence.
And if you think that preaching is “resting” – it isn’t. I’m certainly working on a Sunday!

Now there is a timeless principle in here – did you see it? In v11. We are part of creation, and therefore we need to rest. So resting is a wise. A day of rest for the nation is a good thing. The Soviets tried a 10 day week and it failed. 6 days work, 1 day rest is the way God has designed things.

But I need to make sure I take some time to rest, to not work, recognising my limitations as a created being. Needing rest reminds me that I’m not God. And I need to set aside time to be with the Lord, and be with his people.
That’s keeping the Sabbath, exceeding the Sabbath.

As Christians we are in Christ, right at the heart of that God-given rest, that perfect relationship. That’s what we long for. So we honour God not just on a Sunday but every day. And we set aside time to rest and time to be with Him and His people, at church, at Bible study and beyond.

We don’t keep the Sabbath. We go beyond it. And yes, you can dance, and even play cards on the Sabbath as a Christian. In fact, on any day. Just be sure to honour Christ in everything you do!

Do you see why now Paul says in Romans 3:31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. (ESV)

We uphold the law because we follow the law of the Spirit, the law of love. And that love compels us, because of our new nature, to honour God in all that we do. We go beyond Sabbath, beyond clean lips, beyond merely avoiding idols, to the very heart of God, the relationship between Father, Son and Spirit. By faith we are there. That is the arena of grace in which we now stand.

Now I had planned to go through the rest of the 10 words from God boomed out from the top of the mountain, but our heads are probably spinning now. So we’ll leave that to next week, along with the delightful prohibition against having steps up to the altar because people might look up your robe! Holy underpants alert! And we’ll think about what that could possibly mean for us today.

Dear friends, if we are in Christ we are no longer under the law. It has been fulfilled for us. We are caught up into the very relationship the Son has with the Father.
The Son does the Father’s will, not because he is obliged to (Law), but because his love for the Father is such that he cannot do otherwise. It would be to deny his very nature. (Gerald Bray).
And we have that same nature now within us. We do the Father’s will, not because of obligation, of Law, but because we love Him. We love Him and to act otherwise is to deny our nature.

That’s why before you meet Christ sinning comes naturally.
After Christ you are reborn and it grates to sin. As my Dad’s friend said “you can’t sin properly anymore”. It’s now against our fundamental nature! No law – it is fulfilled – but instead the freedom to be what we were reborn to be through the Spirit who gives life. Fulfilment and freedom!

Let’s pray.

Revelation 20 God is sovereign, rules now, and will judge everything and everyone who opposes him.

Revelation 20

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The message I think can be summed up like this: Jesus wins.

As we’ve been going through the book, that much is clear. Jesus wins!

But we can miss that simple truth. So much else crowds in. Theologians can spend seemingly infinite time in discussions and disagreements. Or as we saw in chapter 16, we can get distracted by idols like sex and money and power. Or misled by false religion because our Bible full of dust. Or we get pressured by the state to follow them instead of following Jesus. (or like here just be quiet about the things the state does that God says is wrong).

We need to cut through the noise and distraction and hear clearly today the only two words which matters: Jesus wins.

Jesus wins. Revelation has shown us this countless times. And again, because we are foolish and slow to believe all the prophets have said (Luke 24:25), Revelation tells us again: Jesus wins. He won on the cross and his victory will be clearly seen when he returns. Jesus has won and will win. Jesus wins.

1. The Thousand years: Jesus Reigns

2. The Final Battle: Jesus Wins

3. The Final Judgment: Jesus Saves

1. The Thousand years: Jesus Reigns.

2 He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years.

4 They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.

Much ink has been spilled over Revelation 20 and the Thousand years or “Millennium”. And I had planned to tell you all about premillennialism and postmillennialism and amillennialism (which is my viewpoint). But then I thought, “Do you know what? This is boring! I want to focus in on the text - God's word - instead of our thoughts about his word.”

Don’t misunderstand me - these are important things for any who want to engage in a serious study on chapter 20 and really the whole Revelation. I spent a fair bit of time coming to grips with these things. So feel free to discuss it afterwards and come with questions during our question time after communion. But for now, let’s focus on these verses, and let the Spirit speak.

For this is what he is telling us is happening now:
the devil is arrested and bound,
those who are faithful to Jesus are raised to life and are priests and rulers sitting as judges on thrones,
and, most importantly, they are alive with Christ for a thousand years (that is, a long period). And because they are with Christ, the second death, the death that comes at the end of Millennium, has no power over them.

As we have seen through Revelation, we live in the time of tribulation – the last days. We see war and famine and sickness and suffering everywhere. And the next event that is on God's calendar, the one he promised us, is Jesus’ return. In the rest of the New Testament we know that heaven is imminent. It is right there and can break through at any moment. In the blink of an eye we will suddenly see him coming in the clouds.

So whatever your view on the millennium, we agree on this. Jesus is ruling now on high, and one day we will see him in his glory and on that day he will wipe out all evil. Whether there’s a thousand years of peace before or after, and a physical or spiritual rule... The point is Jesus wins and that's good enough for me!

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. 3 The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while.

Satan is bound. We have seen this before in Revelation. In Chapter 12 the same sequence of names are used as he is overcome 9 This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. And if you remember, he was not overcome by the angels who fought against him, but v11 they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.

We who are in Christ have the victory over the devil. We do not have to fear him. For us he is bound with a heavy chain, thrown into the bottomless pit, shut and locked. He has no power over us. Oh, we may hear his roars - but it's just that. He has no power!

Can I just say that if you struggle with evil spirits at all that you need to come to Jesus. If you see things like ghosts or are being tormented by spiritual beings, you can be free in Christ. If you have messed around with any kind of occult or Satanic activity - come to Jesus and find freedom. We can pray for you now after the sermon and in the name of Jesus the evil spirit will leave you. It must flee from the name of Jesus. By yourself, Satan has power over you. But with Christ, he must flee. We are covered by his blood and we have his word. Satan has no power over us. Amen.

4 Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge.

Who are these who sit on the thrones? Yes, it's the martyrs we've met before, those who cried out from the altar “how long, O Lord”: V4 continues. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. It’s martyrs and it’s faithful Christians, for v4 continues [And] they had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Now, there’s some difficulty in translating and understanding these verses, but what is clear is that we who belong to Jesus will rise up from the dead. And we shall rule with Christ. According to Ephesians 2:6, we are now sitting in heaven in Christ - so sure is our salvation. The first resurrection spoken of here is salvation - spiritual resurrection. For only those who are raised from spiritual death by believing in the gospel of Jesus Christ can be raised to eternal life.
As we have read recently in the Bible Groups, Jesus says, "I am the Resurrection and the Life."

6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.

So, who is sitting on the thrones and ruling with Jesus? We are! We who are in Christ. We have been adopted into the family of God as His sons and daughters. You are the son of God. You are the daughter of God. Princes and Princesses. In 5:9 we read And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.”

That's what we were created to be. Adam was created to rule the world. And to be a priests because a priest represents God, shows God, to the world. Kings and priests are we. In Christ, we have become truly human. Human the way we were created to be.
Do you have the sense that you are destined for greatness? You are right! Your destiny is found in Christ. We are priests and kings in Christ.

The thousand years tells us that Jesus reigns. That he is the resurrection and life. That in him we are safe. That the devil has no power over us. Jesus reigns. Amen.

But the devil does have power over those who are not in Christ. The “nations” in v8 is the same word as “Gentile” – that is those who were not Jews, not God's people. Satan has power over those who are not God’s people, he will gather them to fight against God.

Let's see how that goes:

2. The Final Battle: Jesus Wins

7 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore.

The devil is permitted to go out and gather the nations to war against God. The weird names “Gog and Magog” come from Ezekiel the prophet, chapter 38. Gog was king of Magog and represents the nations gathered against the people of God. Ezekiel warned Israel that there will be a day where they will be surrounded by enemies, but the power of God will protect them. In Ezekiel 38:9, Gog and Magog are described as follows: “You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.”

Can you imagine it? A vast army covering the countryside. When they loose their arrows the light falls to shadow as the sun is blotted out. When they march, the whole earth shakes.
And they march against the beloved city of God and against his people, and against Jesus, the King of all kings. They do not want to bend the knee to him. People from all nations, tongues, and cultures, all gathered for the same goal. To crush God.

What do you think God’s reaction will be? Is he afraid? When the report comes in “the enemy is coming and they are as numerous as the sand on the seashore” - what will God say? Will there be chaos and yelling and desperate defensive positions being thrown up? Will all his plans be changed?

No.

Psalm 2 which we looked at a bit last week tells us God’s response. 4 But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them.

9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them. 10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Revelation 20: 9 is one of my all-time favourite verses. For here I see the power of God. Here I see weak evil is. Here I see his incomprehensible sovereignty. Because this must be one of the biggest anti-climaxes in the Bible. Everything is set up for a Lord of the Lord type battle. An epic war with heroes on both sides, who fight with great might against each other but eventually the good guys triumph, at great cost and with great effort. That's what we expect when we see Satan and his army covering the country like an evil mist and surrounding the holy city.

But it’s nothing like that.

. 9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them.

And, oh yes, Satan and everyone with him are chucked into the lake of fire

What? Did I miss something? Did John fall asleep while writing this?

No, because we saw the same thing last week! 19:19-21 Re 19:19–21 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet [and] thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

You know, our rebellion against God is no threat at all! We can gather all the weapons we want, we can gather philosophy and science and knowledge and culture and whatever else. We can use everything we have against God - and we are nothing, a mere noise, an ant that he brushes away. A mere breath from his nostril is enough to bring us to an end. We are a joke when we oppose. And so is the devil. A joke. A bad joke.

For here he comes in all his glory. The Big Cheese. Head of the army of the whole earth. And he marches on the Lord.

Attaaaaaack!
An angel nervously taps God on the shoulder and says "Umm, excuse me God, but I think we have a problem! Should I call army of Heaven together to fight?"

Attaaaaaack!
The army rushes forward. Closer and closer.
God is completely unruffled. “No” he says, “not yet”.
He looks at his watch. “It is not yet time”.

Attaaaaaack! Satan’s eyes are wide in delight as he sees God's people are totally unprotected!

Yeeeees! Victoryyyyyy! He cries out in jubilation. Almost there, almooost there. Just two seconds to.

And then God says “Now it is time. Enough. Evil’s day is done.

And at that moment fire comes down from heaven and the whole army is thrown into the fire.

It is done.

So pathetic our rebellion. So insignificant is Satan in all his power. A great big nothing. Insignificant. You see, God wins. Jesus wins! Do not fear brothers and sisters because our Lord reigns and he has won the great battle. Jesus is almighty and Jesus wins!

How should we then respond? Should we stand against him? Or stand with him? We have been warned.

And if that wasn’t clear enough, if 20 chapters are not enough for us to understand that it is worth following Jesus, that in the end it is he who prevails and that nothing else matters one jot. If we have not realized that now, then God in his mercy gives us another vision. A vision of the last judgment. Judgment Day, where we will stand before God and try to justify ourselves to him while everything we have done, said and thought throughout our lives is on display. Let’s now turn to the Final Judgment.

3. The Final Judgment: Jesus Saves

11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.

On that last day, judgment day, we will all be judged according to what we have done. All that we have done, said, thought in our life will be read out. And what we have done reveals us, all of us, as sinners.

Imagine if Telemarksgalleriet here in town had an exhibition of your life. Everything you've done, said, and thought. But totally unedited. And merciless in what was shown. Everything is on display.

Now there would probably be a lot of you that were proud of. Good deeds. Love. Wisdom. Success. But also much that you would be ashamed of. Ugly words. Stupid choices. Things said and done in anger. And perhaps much worse things. Those darkest moments in your life. The worst things you have done. That which you are most ashamed of. On the walls on display where everyone can see.

How would people react to you after seeing those things, do you thing?

That's how it's going to be on the day of judgment. Everything we have done will be read out. And we will be exposed. I am a sinner! I have not loved God, and I have not loved others. I am a sinner.

And the verdict falls. Guilty. You are not worthy of life in the New Creation.

So I am eternally grateful that there is another book. The Book of Life! For the Book of Life is our only hope as sinners!

Look at v15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Turning that around – anyone whose name is recorded in the Book of Life is not thrown into the lake of fire, the second death.

We already know the names of those who are written in the book of life: those who rule with Jesus over whom the second death has no power. That death has no power over them because they already died in Christ on the cross. They cannot die again.

All that matters is whether your name is written in the book of life. No religion, no morality, no goodness or meditation or charity work or family affiliation or anything else is worth anything. Only if Jesus has died your death and given you his life and so your name is written in his book of life.

Let me illustrate. Let this Bible be my book from judgement day. Here is written everything that I have done, said, and thought. It exposes me as a sinner. I have not loved God nor have I loved my neighbour the way I should have. The right verdict is guilty, and the sentence is death.

But what Jesus did on the cross is he took on my judgment on himself. He took the penalty - my death penalty – died in my place, and gave me his life.

He swapped places with me. He died in my place and I live in his. He wrote my name in the Book of Life. And therefore I know that no matter how much I struggle and battle against sin in this life, I am now seated in Christ on the throne in heaven. I am a priest and king in Christ.
And so are you if you believe in him.
Because if we trust in Jesus, if he is our Lord and our Saviour, then our names are written in his Book of Life. Hallelujah!

So let’s live like those who belong to God. Let us obey him no matter what the costs because are his priests who show God to the world. Let us live like kings in the kingdom of Jesus, ruling our lives under Christ’s lordship, following him.

And if you are not Christian? If you’re not yet a believer? Well, perhaps you are here today because your name is written in the Book of Life. Perhaps today is the day you receive salvation, and live from now on to Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Let this day be your first day in eternal life.

Brothers and sisters. Jesus reigns. Let's serve him. Jesus wins. Let's us not be afraid. Jesus Saves. Let's rejoice!

15 mind-blowing verses about the Servant of God that you won’t believe!

When I got to verse 6 I was stunned!

(Isaiah 52:13-53:12)

Read from Isaiah 52:7-53:12

 

66 chapters. 1292 verses. 22 sermons – this is number 23. And so far 8 months. That is this magnificent book of prophecy: Isaiah. And today, today we come to the most significant, the most important, the central prophecy of the whole book. It is today that out of the backdrop of sin and judgement and misery the mysterious “Servant of God” emerges. The one who is like a king but isn’t, the one who is loved by God but will suffer, the one who is powerful beyond belief but so weak, the one who will rescue his people but will die – today is the day when he steps out of the shadows and we see him for who he really is.

Jesus.

Jesus, promised so many times in so many places, but here in Isaiah promised so clearly that many Jews today refuse to read this chapter because it shouts so loudly “Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah (the Rescuer)”.

This is what I’ve been looking forward to preaching for 8 months! Because here we see the heart of God. Here we see hope. Here we see our sin dealt with. He took our punishment upon himself.

You see we have a problem. We all know there is something wrong with the world. Look around us and what do we see? Turn on the news. Injustice, war, famine, lying, cheating, hurting, ignoring people, abandoning people. Look around in our own lives – how much we have been hurt by others – and to our eternal shame how much we have hurt other people.

There is something wrong. And the Bible says it is because we were made to know God – but we have turned our back on him and rejected.
That is what the Bible calls sin. Our relationship is broken. And when that central relationship is gone, like the foundation of a building, the rest comes tumbling after. Because of sin, we sin. Because we are broken within, we act like broken people.

Oh, we’re not all bad! Much of the divine image is still in us. People do great things! Wonderful things. But we also do terrible things. And that’s why Jesus came. To restore us. To make us whole. To deal with our sin and make us right with God so that we can know him and love him like we were made to.
Joy and happiness! That is why he came.

So we echo v7 7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!

There is news of restoration and it’s for us too: as we read we see it is more than just for Israel, more than just for Jerusalem in 538BC – it is for you, it is for me, for all people everywhere. As we read a few weeks ago, It is too small a thing for God’s servant to just rescue Israel. He will be a light to all nations.
How beautiful this message. Peace and salvation, the news that God, the only God, reigns.

In Christ Jesus our status is changed. We are moved from sinners under God’s anger – God’s enemies - to beloved children of God. Yes we may sin, but it is something that doesn’t belong to us anymore. As someone put it “I can’t sin properly anymore.”

WE are loved perfectly. Relationship with God, our Heavenly Father, satisfies at the very deepest level. Our longings for eternity are met in him. Our longing to be known intimately, perfectly and loved are met in Him.

We are beloved children of God.

But how? Why?
Because of the work of the Servant of God. Because of the work of the King of Kings. Because of the work of Jesus.

So far in Isaiah we’ve read three of these “servant songs” as they are called: prophecies about this coming servant, made 700 years before Jesus was born. Today we look at the fourth, final, and greatest Servant Song. 15 mind-blowing verses. Shall we begin.

13 See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. 14 But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.

Nothing we read about this servant makes any sense. He will prosper – but he will suffer. He will be highly exalted – but he is disfigured, scarcely looks human, because of the piercings and beatings and whippings he endures in v5. That doesn’t sound to me like being exalted!

Hey, come here, let me exalt you, lift you up (great!) by beating you until you’re unrecognisable. Ha-ha, no thanks.

It goes on: 15 And he will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about. Is 53 Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?

In other words, there is something so strange, so remarkable, so amazing that no-one will believe it.

If Isaiah were writing this today he’d probably call it “15 mind-blowing things you wouldn’t believe about the Servant”. With the little tag-line “I was stunned when I got to v6”.

But unlike the mildly amusing distractions that people call “mind-blowing” these days (oh, a baby pulling a face, oh, a cat falling off a curtain, wow) – this really is mind-blowing. Kings will shut their mouths, utterly speechless.
Whole nations will be startled. What? Can this be true?

The message is simply unbelievable. Remember that God has promised in earlier chapters that he is going to show the world who he is by doing something new, something different, something only he knows about. A unique thing that no-one could ever guess. “Ask your idols, your false gods, your fortune tellers, to tell you what I will do” God has challenged again and again. And here is the revelation of God’s powerful arm of rescue, his amazing message of rescue. And it’s just unbelievable.

What is it? What is God going to do?!

By this stage those crowded around Isaiah would be shouting that. “What’s going to happen? How will God rescue us?”
They had been listening to the terrible news that Babylon, a nation they’d only just met, would very soon come sweeping in and carry them all off into captivity, and leave Jerusalem, the beloved city, in ruins. And all this because of their sin!
And you can imagine those living in Babylon, about 150 years later, listening as Isaiah’s prophecy was being read. Oh, they knew that the first parts had come true. Look around, we’re in the enemy city. Jerusalem is in ruins. And, yes, it was because of our sin. So imagine the excitement in hearing these words read out. God’s unbelievable rescue plan!

Is 53 Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?

What’s going to happen? Massive heavenly armies. The earth opens up and fire rains down from the sky as the thunder rolls and GOD RESCUES HIS PEOPLE?

No. v2 My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground.

What? A man? Just one man? Well, maybe there’s something amazing about him. Like Samson – the strength of hundreds, or the Hulk or something.

No, v2 continues There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. 3 He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

What? God’s great plan is… this? Some rejected dude?

Yes. This is the unbelievable plan. God will send a man, a man born in poverty. A man born to an ordinary nothing family. Born to be rejected. To be hated by his own people.

Why?

4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

God is sending someone to be a substitute for us. You know in football, when someone’s tired or playing badly they substitute him. They swap him out with someone else. Someone else takes his place.

That’s what this servant will do for us. He will take our place.
He, Jesus, swaps places with us. He takes our place, we get his place. It’s like we’re crossing the road and we don’t see the truck hurtling towards us. Jesus is the guy who rushes over and pushes us out of the way into safety, while the truck slams into him. He was in safety, but he took our place in danger, to get us to safety.

6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.

This my friends is the very heart of the gospel: Jesus, our substitute. The one who took our place. The one who took our punishment. The one who gave his live so that we could live. And Jesus was his name.

Jesus of Nazareth. Born to a nothing family in a nothing place. When people heard Jesus was from Nazareth they said “Nazareth? Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46).

Who was this carpenter’s bastard son? This nobody who claims to be a King? It seemed like a joke. Oh, he had powers, amazing powers. And he could teach! But it was just too unbelievable. This… nothing – the Messiah, the Christ, the promised Rescuer?

And so his own people rejected him, just as v 3 predicted.

Jn 1:10–13 [Jesus] came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn.

How? Because he was a man of sorrows as v4 says.
Not because he was filled with sorrow, but because he took our sorrows upon himself. As we saw last week, remember Jesus drinking the cup of judgement himself instead of us. Remember his words in the garden: Matt 26:37b [Jesus] became anguished and distressed. 38 He told [his closest disciples], “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Willingly he went to die. Father, your will be done. And after praying Jesus stands up and says to his disciples “Get up, the time has come. My betrayer is here.”

7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away.

After Jesus’ arrest he was brought before the leading priests and the high council. Mt 26:62–63 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 63 But Jesus remained silent.

A few hours later the council brings Jesus before Pilate, the Roman governor Mt 27:11–14 “Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate, the governor asked him. Jesus replied, “You have said it.” 12 But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. 13 “Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. 14 But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.

7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away.

Unjustly condemned. Pilate’s wife says about him “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.” (Matt27:19)

Judas, his betrayer, realises he’s made a terrible mistake: Matt 27:3 When Judas…realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”

Pilate declares him innocent. Even the King of Israel at that time, Herod, examined Jesus and said he is innocent.
He was an innocent man, found guilty simply for claiming to be who he was and is: the Messiah, the King of God’s people.

So they lead Jesus away, and whipped him with a lead-tipped whip. Beat an innocent man until he was almost dead. Then they dragged him outside the city of Jerusalem and there his hands and feet were pierced as they hammered nails into him in one of the cruellest deaths ever imagined by humans – and we’re very good at imagining cruel deaths.

5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.

Jesus, on the Cross, for you and me. His life was cut short because of our rebellion. Because of your rebellion. Because of my rebellion.

It was my hand that hammered the nails in. It was my voice that called out in the crowd “Crucify Him”.
And it was yours.

Imagine this Bible contains a list of all my sins – things I’ve done, said, thought, left undone, and the sins I will do in the future. If it really did it would be bigger, much bigger. Now this is me. My sin blocks my access to God. I cannot reach him. I cannot know him. I cannot break through. What Christ did on the Cross is this. He took my sin upon himself, and gave me His perfect access to the Father.

All that I have done and ever will do that would cut me off from God is dealt with once and for all by Jesus on the Cross. He takes my place. And I get His.

10 …it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. (that’s you and me. Everyone who trusts in Him.)
He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands. 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. 12 I will give him the honours of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Brothers, this is what Jesus accomplished, just as predicted 700 YEARS before it happened. Christ Jesus was counted as a rebel, a criminal. Though he was innocent he went to the Cross for you. And he went to the Cross for me.

He, the righteous servant, has made it possible for me, the unrighteous, to be counted righteous, for he has borne my sin.

Father, thank you for this incredible vision you gave Isaiah of the work of your son, our Lord Jesus, 700 years before it happened. Thank you for this unbelievable message, so startling, so amazing that we stand speechless. No-one could make this up. That God himself would come down and suffer. That the great king of heaven would give his own life – for me. It’s ridiculous. It is unbelievable. Thank you Father, that it is true. Thank you that you are so full of mercy that anyone who turns to you, no matter what we’ve done, can receive it forgiveness. Thank you Jesus that through your suffering, death and resurrection, that we can be declared righteous, and be called children of God.
You might be here this morning and wanting to experience this forgiveness. If that is you now, while every eye is closed, raise your hands to say yes I want to be made right with God.

Romans 5:1-8:39 (David Cook)

Click the link for this morning's sermon. 
http://youtu.be/RqBnc638HIk
Please do not share this link.

The following are the notes I (Daniel) took during the sermon when we heard it live at Word Alive in Wales (Easter 2015):

Word Alive 2015 – Romans 8 The way to maturity – David Cook  

From ch1-5 question: Well, does it matter then how I live? Paul anticipates this in chapter 6. Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!

Problem of legalism or licence!

5:18-19 many will be made righteous. Are you Adam’s person or are you Christ’s person.

Illustrated in chapter 6. Baptism. Don’t you realise you were baptised into Christ. Died to Adam (old way) raised to new life.
Slave market – don’t you realise you are dead to the old master impurity
7:1ff marriage – can remarry only after death of spouse. Death has intervened – you have died to law, now free to marry Christ and new life.

6:11 in the same way make this calculation about yourselves: dead to sin, alive to Christ. (First command in Romans).

Legalism – dead to law. But licence is not an option! Dead to sin, alive to Christ.

Rom 8. Very hard to be a Christian in Nero’s Rome.

Will my past come back to condemn me
Am I a servant (can be fired) or a son (never taken away)?
What about my suffering?  Is this consistent with being Christ’s man, and can these things wreck God’s plans?

We need to keep hearing about justification again and again. Paul reminds us again and again: for the justified there is NO CONDEMNATION, Wooo!
Justification Past (what Christ has done), present (what Holy Spirit is doing)and future (what God will do)

V1-4 The past
No condemnation for those in Christ Jesus – because the rule of the Spirit which we have received has set us free from death. The law could not save us because we cannot do them. So v3 God sends his son as a pure man to be a sin offering – to meet the demands of the law in those how now live
The death of the innocent for the undeserving.
People will do anything (pilgrimage, even eat dirt) except trust in Jesus.
We cannot bear the guilt of our sin. Our past is gone. Guilt has been dealt with.

V5 the present
Q: am I well enough resourced in this conflict between the sin nature and the spirit.
The FIGHT. War of our natures. V9 you are NOT controlled by the sin nature. If you belong to Christ you have the Spirit.
I looked for the dove, and it flew away. I looked to the cross, and the dove flew into my heart (Spurgeon)
V10 body is dead because of sin, but alive to Christ cf 2 Cor 4:16 We do not lose heart.
The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is the assurance of our resurrection.
Born. Born again / regenerated. Die. Soul will be with Christ in paradise.” You do not have a soul. You are a soul – you have a body” CS Lewis. We will come with Christ in the clouds. Resurrection body will clothe my soul.
My body is depreciating because of the wages of sin. But we will be raised to life again.
Only talks 2 times about leading of spirit. Led by the Spirit to v13 put to death misdeeds of the body. You do not have an obligation to the sinful nature. We do not need to obey the sinful nature!
When was the last time you gave in to your sinful nature and said “oh that was good, I’m so glad I did that!”
Trust the Holy Spirit to lead you in the path of moral transformation
V15 You did not receive a spirit of fear, but a sprit which cries Abba father. “I dared to call him Father”.
V22 all creation is groaning
v23 we also groan as we wait for new creation
V26 Spirit helps us in our weakness but He intercedes for us.
Sometimes life is so hard I simply don’t know what to pray. Spirit intercedes for us. The paraclete, said Jesus – He is who is alongside.

The future
V28-29 Things are not out of control. In all things God is at work. It does not say that all things work out for the best (as a universal principle) – it says God is at WORK. Even when we are being slaughtered, in hardship.
2 qualifiers.
1.Only those loved by God. (human perspective)
Those called by God (divine perspective)
2. what is the good? To be conformed to the likeness of Christ. Christ is in family of God by right. We are there by grace. God’s agenda is to make us like our elder brother, Christ.
Cf Gal 4 (They’re being tempted to go back to law) v19 In labour pains (life of pastor!) until Christ formed in you.


V28
threefold office
prophet – word of God
priest – prays to God 
king – rules
We have a kingly ministry. We reign over every event of life. Nothing ultimately harmful for me because it will make me like Christ. How comforting for you, how annoying for your enemies!
Illustration: Donald bought a new car. Loved it (finally saved up) Son Andrew crashed it. “Are you all right, son” Changed his life.

Paul concludes with three questions v31-21
is there an enemy who can prevail? No
is there an effective accuser on judgement day? No because the judge is on your side
is there anything that can frustrate the purposes of God? No! We are more than conquerors because nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ.
Are you Christ’s? Or Adams? Remember who you belong to?

JI Packer 5things (pg 257):
I am a child of God
Heaven is my home
Every day is one day nearer heaven
My saviour is my brother
All Christians are therefore my brothers and sisters

Romans 3:21-5:2 (David Cook)

Click the link for this morning's sermon. 
https://youtu.be/Mu4WvMdcCTo?t=38s
Please do not share this link.

The following are the notes I (Daniel) took during the sermon when we heard it live a Word Alive in Wales (Easter 2015):

1.2 Romans 3:21-4:8 A unique prescription - David Cook

On safari in Kruger. Car starting unreliably. Bull elephant – “mostly” bluffing! Charged. Authentic elephant experience. Before that I had only seen elephants in zoos and circus – changed up. Counterfeit elephants.

There are counterfeit Christianities. Majority of Christians have counterfeit Christianity. Eg Some Catholic friends believe in Jesus but also based on their own good works. No assurance. There is nothing momentous about the counterfeit gospel.

Jesus PLUS my works is not momentous Because I can never be sure.

If we die without repenting do we go to heaven? So many people believe that we won’t go to heaven because of unconfessed sin.

When we start in the Christian life we know we stand only on the basis of Christ’s work. But we start substituting OUR works for Christ’s work!

Saved through faith in Jesus but live by faith in works – counterfeit gospel.

Rom 1:17 from faith from first to last – v20 law makes us conscious of sin, v21 but NOW has been made known (Paul didn’t discover it or make it up – revealed) . This righteousness from God comes through the faithful work of Christ and all who believe in that work.

v23 none of us have any righteousness.

Justified: legal court. The word is the noun form of the word righteousness. Means we are in the right with God. Legal declaration. Freely by grace, not what we deserve.(Mercy is withholding punishment due – grace is rewarding the opposite behaviour. Illustration: break in – please don’t report me to police. I won’t (mercy). Do you have 10 dollars? I was willing to show mercy (not report to police) but not grace (reward bad behaviour)

But how can God justify guilty unrighteous people and still be righteous?
v24 redemption by Christ Jesus. business world, pawn broker (cash converters) – buy back. Something in bondage, has to be bought back. Something that was yours, now buying it back. What is the price? The perfect life of Jesus given in death (“his blood”). This is what God’s justice requires: a perfect life. This is what God’s love provides: a perfect life.
This demonstrates God’s justice.

Luther: I reached heaven when I saw that God’s righteousness was not God’s requirement but God’s provision!

I don’t become perfect any more than Jesus becomes actually sinful. But it is a transaction that takes place.

3^rd word: v25 sacrifice of atonement / propitiation. From Temple. Jesus sacrificial death absorbs the just anger of God.
It is an idea common to pagan religions – sacrificing maidens to monster. But God’s is not angry for no reason, and he provides his own sacrifice!

MOMENTOUS!

Triangle 

                  God

/ justified            ^\propitiation

US   <-redemptive      Jesus

Arrows point away from Jesus – his work is central. Points to us we are the recipients.
Jesus propitiates God’s wrath ; redeems us.
On the basis of Jesus’ work God the Father then justifies us.

No conditional element in our relationship with God.  (human relationships are always  conditional)

Rom 10:1. God provides righteousness but they reject God’s righteousness. And that is Israel’s problem.  It’s all about provision not requirement.

ALL RELIGION IS A HEARTLESS BULLY. Religion must be stamped out and stopped. Religion is cruel and unremitting. Making constant demands that are impossible to meet.  The only things that can stop this bully is Jesus Christ.

Our righteousness is filth. It is done. It is not do.
 

God is not sulking with you!

V27-28 3 implications.
no boasting. Because no law, and even faith is a gift!
open to all. Everyone on same basis of Christ
nullify law? No because Jesus fulfils the law.

“Do I hear somebody say that I dreamt this up? Is this new?” NO! Look at Abraham.  This is the experience of Abraham. God spoke, Abraham believed. It was by faith, not by his works.

But isn’t this only for the circumcised? No! You cannot say that circumcision (obeying law) was what made him right with God. Only by faith.

Isn’t this the law? No because it hadn’t come yet!

14 years before circumcision, 430 years before law. No law, no rite – only faith.

God’s Spirit does not send me back to the law – He takes me to Jesus.

V23 Abraham’s story is for us. It is by faith.

Have you collapsed all your weight onto Jesus. Or have you collapsed most onto him and a bit on us? Because that’s a counterfeit gospel.

Why should I let you into heaven? Because I... NO! Because Jesus.

Have I been good enough? NO! But Jesus has.

5:1 Since we have been justified by faith:
1. God is at peace with us
2. Access (landing platform) into life of grace (unconditional because opposite to what we deserve)
3. Rejoice at glory of God

Do you not find gospel good news / momentous news because you are relying on yourself – a counterfeit gospel.