Download July 26, 2015 - bradford church of the nazarene

Bradford Church of the Nazarene 7/26/15
Matthew 12:30-37
Article of Faith #6; Atonement
Big Idea: The sacrifice of Christ is not a reminder of
your sin but a reminder of your forgiveness, that you
have been or can be set free.
Matthew 12:30-37 NLT 30 “Anyone who isn’t with me
opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me
is actually working against me.
31 “So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be
forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit,
which will never be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks
against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone
who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be
forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.
33 “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good,
its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be
bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like
you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in
your heart determines what you say. 35 A good
person produces good things from the treasury of a
good heart, and an evil person produces evil things
from the treasury of an evil heart. 36 And I tell you
this, you must give an account on judgment day for
every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will
either acquit you or condemn you.”
-Scripture is consistent in our need of forgiveness
The need for forgiveness
Romans 3:23 ... all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God
-Do we see Rms 3:23 being true in life?
-What about that rare really good person?
Is 64:6 All of us have become like one who is
unclean,
1
Bradford Church of the Nazarene 7/26/15
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all
shrivel up like a leaf and like the wind our sins sweep
us away.
Reality of forgiveness
-Why is a Christian able to be confident that he is
forgiven?
Matthew 26:28 28 This is my blood of the covenant,
which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of
sins. (Atonement)
-Demonstrates Jesus’ desire for us to be forgiven.
Mark 11:25 25 And when you stand praying, if you
hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that
your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
-Personal responsibility
1 John 1:9 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us
from all unrighteousness.
-God is worthy of our confidence but He also wants
us to follow through in doing our part in the
redemption of ourselves and others.
The remedy of forgiveness
How did God provide for your forgiveness?
John 3:16-18 16 “For God so loved the world that he
gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God
did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever
believes (trust NLT) in him is not condemned, but
2
Bradford Church of the Nazarene 7/26/15
whoever does not believe stands condemned already
because he has not believed in the name of God’s
one and only Son.
-Is it enough to simply believe in Jesus or does God
require more than simply believing that He exists in
order for our sins to be atoned for and for us to be
forgiven?
Mark 1:24 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of
Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who
you are—the Holy One of God!”
-The evil spirit that possessed the man in
Capernaum knew who Jesus was and feared him.
James 2:19 You believe that there is one God.
Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
The reliability of forgiveness
Hebrews 10:12–13 NLT 12 But our High Priest offered
himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for
all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at
God’s right hand. 13 There he waits until his enemies
are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. Imagine that your car develops a transition problem
and when you take it to the shop to be repaired the
mechanic really isn’t sure about how to fix the
problem. He offers a number of costly possible
solutions but is unwilling to guarantee that any of
them will solve the problem.
-Jesus our Great High Priest offered a single
remedy to the problem of sin in our lives that carries
with it a guarantee that never ends and is not
prorated as time goes on.
-When the work was finished, Jesus sat at the right
hand of God the Father...... a place of honor and a
symbol of confidence and authority.
3
Bradford Church of the Nazarene 7/26/15
Q- What do you see in vs. 13; He waits until His
enemies are humbled and made a footstool under
His feet.
-He knows the outcome is certain as He
patiently waits........... willing to allow the drama to
play itself out—purposeful
The Reach of Forgiveness
Hebrews 10:14 14 For by that one offering he forever
made perfect those who are being made holy.
On November 26, 2008, a gang of terrorists stormed
the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, India. After the
carnage had left 200 people dead, a reporter
interviewed a guest who had been at the hotel for
dinner that night. The guest described how he and
his friends were eating dinner when they heard
gunshots. Someone grabbed him and pulled him
under the table. The assassins came striding through
the restaurant, shooting at will, until everyone (or so
they thought) had been killed. Miraculously, this man
survived. When the interviewer asked the guest how
he lived when everyone else at his table had been
killed, he replied, "I suppose because I was covered
in someone else's blood, and they took me for dead."
This is the perfect metaphor of God's gift through
Jesus Christ to each one of us. Because he paid the
penalty for our sin—because we are covered in the
blood of his sacrifice—we may have eternal life.
-The blood of Christ isn’t merely sufficient to cover
the sins of our past; His blood isn’t just good enough
to cover our sins for today............. The blood of
Christ is sufficient to make cover the cost of our sins
throughout our entire life because it is the perfect
sacrifice.
4
Bradford Church of the Nazarene 7/26/15
Corrie ten Boom say, "God takes our sins—the past,
present, and future—and dumps them in the sea and
puts up a sign that says ‘No Fishing.’" But Christians
run around fishing all the time.
The reminder of forgiveness
Finally, I want you to notice the reminder of
forgiveness. Look at Hebrews 10:3: "But those
sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins." Contrast
that with verse 17: "Their sins and lawless acts, I will
remember no more." In the third verse, the writer of
Hebrews is saying something interesting. Every time
the priest made went to offer a sacrifice for human
sin, what did the people remember? They were
reminded of their sin.
They are reminded that because of their continual
sinfulness that the priest will have to continue to
offer sacrifices on their behalf.
A woman once admitted to her pastor something
she had done fifteen years earlier. It was pretty bad.
Her husband told her, "I want you to know that I
totally forgive you." She said, "I know he's forgiven
me, because every week of my life, he tells me he's
forgiven me."
That's what the writer of Hebrews is saying about
the sacrificial system in verse 3. The sacrifices of the
priest were a continual reminder of sin. I want you to
notice the difference in verse 17. Based on a person
believing and trusting in Jesus’ perfect sacrifice on
the cross God said
“Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no
more.”
5
Bradford Church of the Nazarene 7/26/15
God remembers no more. The sacrifice of Christ is
not a reminder of your sin but a reminder of your
forgiveness.
A young man named Shea had just taken the exit
ramp near his home when his car sputtered and
died. Trying unsuccessfully to restart the car, he
called a tow truck. The wrecker delivered his car to
his home where Shea popped the hood and fiddled
around a bit before finally calling his father.
His father listened as he explained what had
happened. His father simply responded, "I'll come up
there tomorrow after work." Shea's father lived 215
miles from him. His dad was going to drive up after
driving a city bus for 10 hours. Shea's father arrived
on his doorstep three and a half hours after he had
gotten off of work. He said hello, hugged his son,
and walked back out to the driveway to have a look
under the hood.
It took just a couple of minutes. His father emerged
from under the hood, looked at his son, returned his
wrench to his toolbox, and put the tools back into his
own car. "What's wrong? Didn’t you bring the right
tools?" Shea asked. "We're done," his dad replied.
"What's wrong with it?" "Son, it's out of gas."
Shea's dad ate with his son, and headed home.
Another 215 miles. 430 miles round trip after 10
hours of driving a bus. Shea said his father didn't
harass him or berate him that evening over dinner.
He didn't even bring it up at all. As a matter of fact,
nine years later, his father has still never mentioned
the embarrassing incident again.
6
Bradford Church of the Nazarene 7/26/15
For those that have the Word of God written upon
their heart and know and trust in Christ as their
Savior, the redeemer of their sins God says: “Their
sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”
For those of us that know Jesus Christ as our Lord
and Savior, the cross is not a reminder of our sins
but rather is a reminder that we have been forgiven.
The requirement for forgiveness
Matthew 12:36-37 But I tell you that men will have to give
account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have
spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your
words you will be condemned.”
2 Pe 2:4–10 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned,
but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be
held for judgment; ...9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to
rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the
day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. 10 This is
especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful
nature and despise authority.
Heb. 10:26-27 26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have
received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27
but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that
will consume the enemies of God.
God’s wrath causes divine condemnation
Ro 1:18-20 See also Rev 16:1-7
7
Bradford Church of the Nazarene 7/26/15
The reality and certainty of divine condemnation
Mk 16:15-16; Jn 5:28-29 See also Mt 12:36-37; 25:31-33,41-45;
2Pe 2:4-9
Right now a lot or even most of you feel guilty about
something. It may be something that you said. It
could be something that you did. You may have
cheated on your taxes or on your school work. And
if there were to be a sign hanging over you
displaying your guilt wherever you went, you would
likely die of embarrassment.
I want to remind you that If you are a Christian there is
no reason for you to continue to carry the guilt of that
shame because Christ has paid for your forgiveness.
Today we will continue in our review of the Church of
the Nazarene’s Articles of Faith. This week we will take
a brief look at the doctrine of the Atonement
The meaning of the word is simply at-one-ment, so
in the biblical sense it is the state of being made one
with God. But the word is also used to designate the
way in which this reconciliation is brought about,
that is by the death of Christ. So the word can be
used in reference to a person being made right with
God while the word can also be used in reference to
how a person was made right with God.
I said that if you are genuinely a Christian that you
do not need to carry the guilt of your past, likewise if
you are not a professing follower of Christ you have
every reason to feel guilty for the burden of sin that
is still yours. Let me offer you this; Hebrews 10:14
by one sacrifice Jesus has made perfect forever
8
Bradford Church of the Nazarene 7/26/15
those who are being made holy. The word holy
means set aside for God.
In others words, through the sacrifice of Christ on
the cross God has also provided the means through
which you may also be saved from the condemnation
and guilt of your sins.
Occasionally someone will tell me that they have
tried to live by the principles taught in the bible but
that they just didn’t work. Let me tell you
something. The presupposition of our faith is that all
of scripture is God-breathed or inspired. So if there
is something in scripture that doesn’t work in your
life, the problem isn’t with what the bible says, the
problem is with you.
The prerequisite to receiving the peace of God in His
forgiveness is that you don’t continue on in the
pursuits of the world. At the funerals of unbelievers
we have all heard people make a statement about
this unbeliever being in a better place.
Don’t believe it for even a moment; unless
someone’s sins have been atoned for by the blood of
Christ Jesus, there will be nothing but eternally
horrific pain and anguish after life on this earth.
A man went online to purchase plans for a
birdhouse. When the order arrived he went to work
in a hopeless attempt to build a birdhouse out of the
incorrect plans that had been sent to him; plans for
a model sail boat. A lot of people are hoping to
apply Christian principles to themselves that don’t
apply because they haven’t accepted the atonement
of Christ for their sins.
9
Bradford Church of the Nazarene 7/26/15
Scripture emphatically teaches us that by accepting
the sacrifice of Christ as our own that immediately
we receive the forgiveness of the Lord God.
Have you ever had so much bad happen in your life
that you really began to question the forgiveness of
God? In Hebrews 10:1 we are told that: The law is
only a shadow of the good things that are coming—
not the realities themselves. For this reason it can
never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly
year after year, make perfect those who draw near
to worship.
The story is told about a man that was imprisoned
for three years in complete seclusion. Day after long
day the man had no human contact. Without a word
being spoken to him, each day food and water was
slid under the heavy door to him.
The only other evidence that he had of people being
near was the occasional shadow of a human moving
past on the wall of his cell due to a distant light.
Over such a long lonely period of time this prisoner’s
reality began to change. When he thought about
another human being he thought not of a person but
of a formless silent shadow.
You see, the author of Hebrews 10:11014 goes on to
tell us that: Day after day every priest stands and
performs his religious duties; again and again he
offers the same sacrifices, which can never take
away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all
time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right
hand of God. 13 Since that time he waits for his
enemies to be made his footstool, 14 because by one
sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are
being made holy.
10
Bradford Church of the Nazarene 7/26/15
Conclusion
John 1:29-34
11