The Necessity of the Cross

[00:00:00] To God. [00:00:02] Father, we ask that you would open our hearts and minds this evening to your Word. [00:00:08] We recognize that your Word is perfectly clear in all that it teaches, and that the problem with our understanding is always with us and with our notions, our desires. [00:00:32] And so, Father, we ask that your Holy Spirit would make clear to us what you have to say to us from your Word, and that we might be able to go from this place rejoicing in that we have heard your voice. Voice to us. [00:00:56] We ask these things in Jesus name. Amen. [00:01:03] Psalm 85 Hear the word of the Lord. [00:01:31] Lord, you were favorable to your land. You restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people. You covered all their sin. You withdrew all your wrath. You turned from your hot anger. [00:01:48] Restore us again, O God, of our salvation and put away your indignation toward us. Will you be angry with us forever? Will you proclaim your anger to all generations? Will you not revive us again that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. [00:02:14] Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints, but let them not turn back to folly. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in the land. [00:02:33] Steadfast love and faithfulness meet. [00:02:37] Righteousness and peace kiss each other. [00:02:42] Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky. [00:02:49] Yes, the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. [00:02:57] Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps away. [00:03:05] Please be seated. [00:03:25] I titled my sermon this evening, the Necessity of the Cross. [00:03:35] I had a very interesting experience as a young minister just out of seminary, preaching in a community, becoming a part of a ministerial group within that community that included some men who had strange views of the Scriptures, views that maybe I had not come in contact with much. And one of these men asked me the question, why the cross? [00:04:10] I was dumbfounded at the moment. [00:04:16] I trust that all of you understand the necessity of the cross. If you have come to faith in Jesus Christ, that you are aware of that. [00:04:30] But the question that he raised was, wouldn't there be some other way? [00:04:39] And I think that's very worldly thinking. [00:04:47] We are experiencing in our nation something very unique. I don't know whether most of you realize how unique it is. [00:04:57] The thousands of pardons and commutations of sentences that the president is giving out. He's breaking all records with these now. The original purpose of pardons and commutations was to provide a way that the chief executive could right wrongs within the justice system. [00:05:41] God does not operate that way. [00:05:45] He has no need to write any injustice in his system. [00:05:53] His justice is absolute. [00:05:57] And the saints of the Old Testament realized that how very absolute that was. Had no question in their minds that God demanded absolute justice and that he couldn't just simply let someone off the hook. [00:06:20] There's a heresy that is being spread in evangelical circles in America. [00:06:26] It's infected the church in England. The Church of England now recognizes this as a legitimate view, and that being annihilation. [00:06:40] Ever heard of that? [00:06:44] The only people I knew of when I was a kid growing up who believed in annihilation were Jehovah's Witnesses. They didn't believe that hell was eternal. [00:06:56] And so there are those who are teaching that God can simply commute the sentence of the wicked. [00:07:07] But I'm here to tell you, if you believe in a God who can commute the sentence of the wicked, why on earth would he sacrifice his own son to satisfy justice? [00:07:27] As easily as someone could say, well, enough of hell, I'm going to annihilate all the people that are there. There's no need for them to suffer for all eternity. [00:07:39] Could just as easily say, let the people into heaven, because it would be an indifference to the matter of justice. [00:07:55] The cross represents both the absolute justice of God and the mercy of God. [00:08:05] And this psalm that I read here has a very fascinating picture in it there in verse 10, steadfast love and faithfulness meet. Righteousness and peace kiss each other in the Eastern culture. [00:08:38] And I think as well in the early church, the experience of believers when they saw one another and when they were indeed at peace with one another, that they would embrace one another. [00:08:54] Now, you folks do that quite a little bit here in this church, more so than in the church I grew up in, the congregation I grew up in, people feel pretty free to give you a hug. [00:09:04] Some people will ask if that's okay, and that's proper. [00:09:09] But in that culture, when you were greeting someone and fully accepting them, you embrace them and you kiss them on the cheek. [00:09:22] And that was a sign that you were at peace. [00:09:27] And here the peace that is being created is not between two individuals, but between righteousness and love. [00:09:46] That God achieves that, that he meets the requirements of both his righteousness, his justice, and his love for us. [00:09:59] And that can only be accomplished in the cross of Jesus Christ. There is no other way. [00:10:09] There was no other person who could die for our sins than one who was perfectly holy. [00:10:18] And there's no one sacrifice that would be of infinite value but the one who himself is infinite. [00:10:35] I'd like to have us look at a few passages of Scripture where we will see this taught clearly in the Old Covenant, in the Old Testament. [00:10:51] The Book of Nahum, one of those books I don't think we often refer to. [00:11:05] But listen how the prophet here makes it perfectly clear that God does not just clear the guilty. [00:11:17] He doesn't give a pardon to the person who has done terrible things and just leave it at that. Let it go. [00:11:30] Nahum 1 and beginning with verse 2. [00:11:34] The Lord is a jealous and avenging God. The Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. [00:11:47] The Lord is slow to anger and great in power. [00:11:53] And the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. [00:11:58] His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry. He dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither, the bloom of Lebanon withers. The mountains quake before him, the hills melt, the earth heaves before him the world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before his indignation, who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him. [00:12:34] The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble. [00:12:41] He knows those who take refuge in Him. [00:12:45] But with an overflowing flood, he will make a complete end of the adversaries and will pursue his enemies into darkness. [00:13:01] That picture of God, I hope you felt that sense of it's almost like a rocking boat that rocks from one side to the other side, that it speaks of God's absolute judgment. [00:13:23] But at the same time, right there in the middle of this judgment are the words the Lord is slow to anger. [00:13:39] Right there, speaking of God's wrath, it says, the Lord is good. [00:13:56] Turn with me to Matthew, chapter 25. [00:14:23] Someone pointed out some years ago to me that something that I hope all of you are aware of, and that is Jesus had far more to say about hell than he did about heaven. [00:14:39] Not not that he denied heaven in any sense, but the warning is that we are to avoid that hell. [00:14:51] And he was concerned about that. [00:14:54] And so Jesus here in Matthew, chapter 25, and beginning with verse 41, said in the judgment, speaking of what God will say, then he will say to those on his left, depart from me, you cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. [00:15:18] For I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not welcome me and you did not clothe me sick and in prison you did not visit me. [00:15:30] Then they also will answer saying, lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger, or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you? Then he will answer them saying, truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. [00:15:52] And these will go away into eternal punishment. [00:15:59] But the righteousness righteous into eternal life. [00:16:06] Those who have been made righteous in Christ Jesus go into eternal life. [00:16:15] I've had people ask me on occasion, it's strange how you. I think I'm suspicious that it's because they find out that I'm a preacher. And when people find out you're a preacher, they will ask you some questions that I don't think they generally ask of laymen in the church. But one of the questions I got was, well, Pastor, what if I get to heaven and there in heaven I do something bad and then I get kicked out like the devil did? [00:16:55] That's not going to happen. [00:17:01] Because when you are there, when you die and you leave this world, you are perfectly sanctified. That is, there's no more sinful desire in you at all. [00:17:28] But just as sure that when you are there, and you are there because of Christ, those who are in hell will be there for all eternity. [00:17:49] Their offense is against a righteous and holy God. [00:17:58] And the payment is just. [00:18:01] It's difficult for us to get our finite minds around that. [00:18:07] That that payment is just. [00:18:12] But I trust that it's equally difficult to get our minds around the idea that because I am trusting in what Jesus did on that cross, that I am going to spend eternity in glory. [00:18:31] Little congregation that I had for 22 years. And there were several things that I would repeat over and over again. It's a good thing for preachers to do that often to get thoughts in people's minds. The young people in that church could tell you this, that I would say that I am sure that there, on the Judgment Day, that there will be no one in hell who does not deserve to be there. [00:19:04] But I'm equally sure that other than Jesus himself, there will be no one in heaven who deserves to be there. [00:19:14] It is all of God's grace. [00:19:27] Luke 24, Luke chapter 24. And beginning with verse 13, this is after the resurrection of Jesus. [00:20:04] And we're told that that very day, two of them, two of the disciples, were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about all the things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. [00:20:25] But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. [00:20:30] And he said to them, what is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk? [00:20:37] And as they stood still looking sad, then one of them named Cleopas answered him, Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? [00:20:52] And he said to them, what things? [00:20:55] And they said to him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified Him. [00:21:10] But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. [00:21:14] Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. [00:21:20] Moreover, some of the women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying they had even seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. [00:21:36] Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it, just as the women had said. But him they did not see. [00:21:45] And he said to them, o foolish ones, slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. [00:21:55] Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into glory? [00:22:01] And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures, the things concerning Himself. [00:22:16] It was necessary. And if you're familiar with the Gospels, you know that time and time again Jesus would start talking about his coming death. [00:22:28] And he would get a lot of resistance. [00:22:33] Matter of fact, Peter at one point said, no, Lord, that's not going to happen to youo. [00:22:44] But Jesus knew that he must die. [00:22:50] And it was to satisfy God's justice, but to make that way for God's mercy. [00:23:07] First John. I mean John. Gospel of John 1 John 1, and beginning with verse 14. [00:23:32] And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. [00:23:36] And we have seen his glory. Glory as of the only begotten Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. [00:23:46] John bore witness about him and cried out, this was he of whom I said, he who comes after me, ranks before me, because he was before Me. [00:23:59] For from his fullness we have received grace upon grace. [00:24:07] For the Law was given through Moses grace. And truth came through Jesus Christ. [00:24:19] Grace, truth. [00:24:25] Or we could say grace and justice, that God is never willing to compromise his person. [00:24:40] There are things that God cannot do. [00:24:44] I had a woman one time tell me that. She was telling me that God could do anything. And I said, no, I don't think so. I think there's some things God can't do. And she was very skeptical of me at that point, was kind of wondering, what do you mean? You know, you say you're a Christian and you're telling me you think there are things God can't do. And that week I was in a secondhand store and I came across a paperback book, and it was 101 things God cannot Do. And every one of them was backed up with a Bible verse. And I bought it for a quarter, I think, and I gave that to her. [00:25:20] And it is true that there are things our God cannot do because he is God, not because he lacks power. He lacks no power. [00:25:33] He lacks no wisdom. [00:25:37] He is not lacking in any area. [00:25:40] But there are things because of his character that he will not do. [00:25:50] And he is not going to simply offer a blanket pardon. [00:25:56] And he is not going to commute the sentences of the wicked. [00:26:03] This we know from His Word. [00:26:12] And as we come to the Lord's Supper, this is what we're being reminded of. [00:26:23] Someone said to me one time that they thought Christians were rather morbid because this, this supper that we have is in remembrance of Jesus death. [00:26:39] You know, it's one thing to have a birthday party for someone. [00:26:45] It's something to have a holiday that celebrates someone's birth. [00:26:55] But to celebrate someone's death, why must we be constantly reminded? [00:27:07] Because unlike God, we can forget things. [00:27:13] Maybe not forget them in an absolute sense, but that expression that made its rounds in recent times, top of mind, that God wants us to keep the price that was paid for us top of mind. [00:27:36] And to evaluate things by that. [00:27:40] It's awfully easy to follow into the standards of this world and to begin to evaluate things by what they cost in terms of money or labor or time. [00:27:57] But the death of Jesus Christ was but one moment in time. [00:28:06] The effect of that death for those who trust in him and put their hope in him is really infinite in value. [00:28:31] Let's look to God in prayer. [00:28:42] Father, we are amazed when we consider the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, your only begotten Son, and we consider the words that he spoke there from the cross. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? [00:29:12] Words that should be spoken by all of us because of our sins. [00:29:20] Words that would express what we deserved but he suffered all of that. [00:29:36] An infinite sacrifice in a moment of time, that we might know the joy, the joy of salvation, and that we might see in this act both your absolute justice and your wonderful love, embracing each other not as enemies, as opposed to each other, but as one, because of what Christ has accomplished. [00:30:23] And so, Father, we ask that you would bring to us here this evening that wonderful joy as we consider Christ's sacrifice and remember him until he comes again. [00:30:48] In Jesus name we pray. Amen.