God’s Justice In Reconciliation

Hey, good morning, church. Morning. How's everybody doing? Did you have a good fourth? Anybody have the big storms? Yeah. They graced by us. Nice fireworks in our neighborhood. It was a great, great day with family and all that. And I hope it was for you guys, too. So, come on, let's join together and worship this morning. If you're in this place and you don't know Jesus, this is a good day to know Jesus and to give your life to him because he wants your life. If you're coming here struggling, this is a good place to lay all that struggle down. And if you're just happy in Jesus, this is a good place to dance and worship and just bow at his feet. Amen. So, Father, we just thank you for your presence in this room. Holy Spirit, we just say, have your way. Meet us here this morning, Jesus. Let your spirit just touch every heart, every man, woman, and child in this place in Jesus' name. Just touch us with your presence. We just want a touch of your presence, Lord. We want a drink of your never-ending river of living water. We just love you and worship you in Jesus' name. Amen.

♪♪♪ ♪ When the music fades, all is stripped away ♪ ♪ And I simply come ♪ ♪ Longing just to bring something that's of worth ♪ ♪ That will bless your heart ♪ ♪ You bring me more than a song ♪ ♪ A song in itself is not what you have required ♪ ♪ You search much deeper within ♪ ♪ Through the way things appear ♪ ♪ You're looking into my heart ♪ ♪ I'm coming back to the heart of worship ♪ ♪ And it's all about you, it's all about you, Jesus ♪ ♪ I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it ♪ ♪ And it's all about you, it's all about you, Jesus ♪ ♪♪♪ It's all about you, Lord. ♪♪♪ King of elsewhere. King of endless world. No one could express how much you deserve. ♪♪♪ Though I'm weak and poor, all I have is yours. Every single breath I'll bring. ♪ I'll bring you more than a song, for a song in itself ♪ ♪ Is not what you have required ♪ ♪ You search much deeper within ♪ ♪ Through the way things appear ♪ ♪ You're looking into my heart ♪ ♪ I'm coming back to the heart of worship ♪ ♪ And it's all about you, it's all about you, Jesus ♪

♪ I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it ♪ ♪ And it's all about you, it's all about you, Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus, I'm coming back to the heart of mercy ♪ ♪ And it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus ♪ ♪ I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it ♪ ♪ And it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus ♪ ♪ I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it ♪ ♪ And it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus ♪ ♪ I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it ♪ ♪ And it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus ♪ ♪ I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it ♪ ♪ And it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus ♪ ♪ I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it ♪ ♪ And it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus ♪ ♪ I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it ♪ ♪ And it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus ♪ ♪ I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it ♪ ♪ And it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus ♪ ♪ Everything's up here, You're looking into my heart ♪ ♪ I'm coming back to the heart of worship ♪ ♪ And it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus ♪ ♪ I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it ♪ ♪ And it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus ♪ ♪ I'm coming back to the heart of worship ♪ ♪ And it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus ♪ ♪ I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it ♪ ♪ And it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus ♪ ♪ All about You, Jesus ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ And I love you, Lord ♪

♪ And I lift my voice to worship You ♪ ♪ Oh, my soul, rejoice ♪ ♪ Take joy, my King ♪ ♪ In what You hear ♪ ♪ May it be a sweet, sweet sound ♪ ♪ In Your ear ♪ With every voice, I love you, Lord. ♪ And I love you, Lord ♪ ♪ And I lift my voice to worship You ♪ ♪ Oh, my soul, rejoice ♪ ♪ Take joy, my King ♪ ♪ In what You hear ♪ ♪ May it be a sweet, sweet sound ♪ ♪ In Your ear ♪ ♪ May it be a sweet, sweet sound ♪ May it be a sweet, sweet sound May it be a sweet, sweet sound In your ear May it be a sweet, sweet sound With all I am I long to see your beauty Just one glance Can change my whole perspective I'm ready To see you, see what I need Just as you are, just as you are To see you in all your glory Just as you are You're beautiful You're beautiful

You're beautiful You're beautiful I stand in awe Completely captivated You have my heart Nothing can be more fantastic I'm ready To see you, see what I need Just as you are, just as you are To see you in all your glory Just as you are You're beautiful You're beautiful Yes, you are You're beautiful You're beautiful You're beautiful You're beautiful You're beautiful You're beautiful If you would do the work If you would do the work If you would do the work He almost fumbled, that his steps were slippery, and he turned his eyes from beholding the King, the one that he was supposed to be worshipping, the leading worshipper, and, you know, took a look at man, and the things of this world, and the temptations, and the everything opposite of the fruit of the Spirit. And it's just a great reminder of how human we are, that it doesn't matter who you are, or where you are, or where you come from, what title you hold, none of that matters, but what you behold. We hear that saying, you become what you behold, and so just think about that as we sing this part of the song, and just really let it sink in, and give it all your thoughts, like just dissect your spirit, your mind, your heart, find out where, find out what you behold. Is it the things of the world, the things, the distractions, whatever? Or is it the King of kings, the one who's worthy of it all? Let's give Him glory as we sing this song, and just pour your heart out. It's not a time of, like, beating yourself up, but this is a time of laying. If you have something to lay down, lay it down. If you have something you're beholding, let it go. Just throw it at the, throw it at His feet, because He's here to take that from you, and to replace that with only the love that He can give, and only the joy that He can give, and only the life that He can give. But you have to let Him in, because He's a perfect gentleman, and He's only gonna come in if you allow Him to. So just open up your hearts today as we sing this song, and let Him become what you behold. Come on, let's go.

Come and behold Him. Isn't He fascinating? Come and behold Him. Get lost in His majesty. Come and behold Him. Isn't He captivating? We'll keep on singing for all of eternity. Come and behold Him. Isn't He fascinating? Come and behold Him. Get lost, get lost. Come and behold Him. Isn't He captivating? We'll keep on singing. You're beautiful. You're beautiful. You're beautiful. You're beautiful. You're beautiful. So come and behold, come and behold Him. Come and behold Him. Isn't He fascinating? Come and behold Him. You're lost in His majesty. Come and behold Him. Isn't He captivating? We'll keep on singing. We're almost determined. Come and behold Him. Isn't He fascinating? Come and behold Him. You're lost in His majesty. Come and behold Him. Isn't He captivating? We'll keep on singing. ♪ Oh yeah, oh yeah ♪ ♪ I know that your eyes are like flames of fire ♪ ♪ And your head is white as wool ♪ ♪ I know that your voice sounds like waters ♪ ♪ Jesus you're beautiful ♪ ♪ I know that your eyes are like flames of fire ♪

♪ And your head is white as wool ♪ ♪ I know that your voice sounds like waters ♪ ♪ Jesus you're beautiful ♪ ♪ I know that your eyes are like flames of fire ♪ ♪ And I know that your head is white as wool 〪 ♪ I know that your voice sounds like waters ♪ ♪ Jesus you're beautiful ♪ ♪ I know that your eyes are like flames of fire — ♪ ♪ I know that your head, yeah! — is white as wool ♪ ♪ Oh then someday, oh recognition then someday, oh! ♪ ♪ Your eyes are like flames of fire — ♪ ♪ Yes your head is white as wool ♪ ♪ I know that your voice sounds like waters — ♪ ♪ Jesus you're beautiful ♪ ♪ I know that your eyes, yeah! — I know that your head is white as wool ♪ ♪ I know that your voice sounds like waters — ♪ ♪ Jesus you're beautiful ♪ ♪ You're beautiful, oh yes, you're beautiful ♪ ♪ You're beautiful, you're beautiful, oh yes you are, you're beautiful ♪ ♪ You're beautiful, so beautiful to behold, you're beautiful, so beautiful, you're beautiful ♪ ♪ What a beautiful name, you're beautiful, let me boys sing it out, you're beautiful, oh yes you are, so beautiful, so beautiful ♪ ♪ Your eyes like fire, your voice in thunders, like a mighty sea, like the mighty sea, you're beautiful, so beautiful ♪ ♪ You're beautiful, so beautiful ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ In place, O Lord, O mighty King ♪ ♪ For my soul longs and even faints for You ♪ ♪ For here my heart is satisfied within Your presence ♪

♪ I sing beneath the shadow of Your wings ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your courts ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your house ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your courts, thousands of slaves ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your courts ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your house ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your courts, thousands of slaves ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ One thing I ask and I would seek ♪ ♪ To see Your beauty, to find You in me ♪ ♪ The place Your glory dwells ♪ ♪ One thing I ask and I would seek ♪ ♪ To see Your beauty, to find You in me ♪ ♪ The place Your glory dwells ♪ ♪ The place Your glory dwells ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your courts ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your house ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your courts, thousands of slaves ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your courts ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your house ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your courts, thousands of slaves ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your courts ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your house ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your courts, thousands of slaves ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your courts ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your house ♪ ♪ Better is one day in Your courts, thousands of slaves ♪ ♪ My heart and flesh cry out for You, the living God ♪ ♪ Your Spirit's water to my soul ♪ ♪ I've tasted and I've seen, come once again to me ♪

♪ I will draw near to You, I will draw near to You ♪ ♪ I will draw near to You, my heart and flesh cry out for You, the living God ♪ ♪ Your Spirit's water to my soul ♪ ♪ I've tasted and I've seen, come once again to me ♪ ♪ I will draw near to You, I will draw near to You ♪ ♪ My heart and flesh cry out for You, the living God ♪ ♪ Your Spirit's water to my soul ♪ ♪ I've tasted and I've seen, come once again to me ♪ ♪ I will draw near to You, I will draw near to You ♪ ♪ I will draw near to You, better is One day in Your courts ♪ ♪ Better is One day in Your house, better is One day in Your courts for thousands elsewhere ♪ ♪ Better is One day in Your courts, better is One day in Your house, better is One day in Your courts for thousands elsewhere ♪ ♪ Better is One day in Your courts, better is One day in Your house, better is One day in Your courts for thousands elsewhere ♪ ♪ Better is One day... ♪ Better is one day, better is one day, thousands elsewhere Better is one day, better is one day, better is one day, thousands elsewhere Better is one day, better is one day, better is one day, thousands elsewhere Better is one day, better is one day, better is one day, thousands elsewhere Thousands elsewhere I was a wretch, I remember who I was I was lost, I was blind, I was running out of time Sitting, separated, the bridge was far too wide From the far side of the chasm, you held me in your sight So you made a way across the great divide Left behind heaven's throne to build it here inside And there at the cross, you paid the debt I owe Broke my chains, freed my soul, for the first time I had hope Thank you, Jesus, for the blood I cried Thank you, Jesus, it has washed me white Thank you, Jesus, you have saved my life

Brought me from the darkness into glorious light Oh, thank you, Jesus You took my place, laid inside my tomb of sin You were buried for three days, but then you walked right out again And now death has no sting, and life has no end For I have been transformed by the blood of the Lamb Thank you, Jesus, for the blood I cried Thank you, Jesus, it has washed me white Thank you, Jesus, you have saved my life Brought me from the darkness into glorious Thank you, Jesus Thank you, Jesus, for the blood I cried Thank you, Jesus, it has washed me white Thank you, Jesus, you have saved my life Brought me from the darkness into glorious light There is nothing stronger than the wonder-working power ♪ The power of the blood, the blood ♪ ♪ That calls us sons and daughters ♪ ♪ We are ransomed by our Father through the blood, the blood ♪ ♪ There is nothing stronger than the one who works the power of God ♪ ♪ The blood, the blood ♪ ♪ That calls us sons and daughters ♪ ♪ We are ransomed by our Father through the blood, the blood ♪ ♪ There is nothing stronger than the one who works the power of God ♪ ♪ The blood, the blood ♪ ♪ That calls us sons and daughters ♪ ♪ We are ransomed by our Father through the blood, the blood ♪ ♪ Thank you Jesus for the blood of Christ ♪ ♪ Thank you Jesus for the blood of Christ ♪ ♪ Thank you Jesus, you have saved my life ♪

♪ Brought me from the darkness into glorious light ♪ ♪ Thank you Jesus for the blood of Christ, Jesus ♪ ♪ I thank you, thank you Jesus, you have washed me white ♪ ♪ Thank you Jesus, you have saved my life ♪ ♪ Brought me from the darkness into glorious light ♪ ♪ Glory to his name, glory to his name ♪ ♪ There to my heart was the blood applied ♪ ♪ Glory to his name, glory to his name, glory to his name ♪ ♪ Glory to his name, glory to his name, glory to his name ♪ ♪ Glory to his name, glory to his name, glory to his name ♪ ♪ There to my heart was the blood applied ♪ ♪ Glory to his name, glory to his name, glory to his name ♪ ♪ What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus ♪ ♪ What can make me whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh, praise to his name, praise to his name, praise to his name ♪ ♪ Precious is the flow that makes me white as snow ♪ ♪ No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus ♪ ♪ No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus ♪ Sing it again, what can wash. ♪ What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus ♪ ♪ What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus ♪ ♪ What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus ♪ ♪ Make me whole again ♪ ♪ Nothing but the blood of Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh, precious piece of gold ♪ ♪ Have mercy while I'm still ♪ ♪ No other found I know ♪ ♪ Nothing but the blood of Jesus ♪ ♪ Nothing but the blood of Jesus ♪ ♪ Nothing but the blood of Jesus ♪

♪ Jesus ♪ I'm very honored to be able to talk today about its offering time. And I love the fact that Pastor Matty says, unapologetically, it is our delight, honor and joy to give to the kingdom of heaven. And I've been spending a lot of time in the book of Jeremiah. And I found myself saying, gee, it's all about disobedience and God dealing with his disobedient children. And I thought, where am I gonna find the verses? And in Jeremiah chapter seven, verse 21, it says, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat. For I did not speak to your fathers and command them in that day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. In other words, what he's saying is, is that listen, you might as well just take your burnt offerings and your sacrifices and you might as well just eat them yourself. Because really, you're just wasting an opportunity here. Because what he says is, is that I didn't bring you out of Egypt just for you to continually have to sacrifice and make offerings. He says further on, he says, but this is what I commanded them saying,

obey my voice and I will be your God and you will be my people and walk in all the ways that I have commanded you that it may be well with you. And so he's looking for that. And I found myself saying, when it comes to money and offerings, really it's a matter of where is our heart? Do we want to be obedient? Do we wanna follow his commands? Or do we want to negotiate with God or find ways? And it says, yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts. And went back and not forward. And I found myself saying, man, I wanna go forward, not back. When I told Sharon I was gonna get up and share, the first thing out of her mouth was, I should just talk about the fact that how faithfully for all these years we tied. How faithfully as a family of eight, we never compromised, we never wavered from giving to God faithfully. And as an older guy who's 72 years old and retired now, you might be saying to yourself, well, how did that work? And it's because of God's faithfulness, following his commands, letting my heart be led by him.

At one point, I was telling Mr. Rich this morning that I remember being at work and somebody mentioning to me that they took 5% of their income and they put it away for their future every month. And that you would have a million dollars with compound interest if you just continually did that, it would be the best way to have retirement. And I remember going home and talking to Sharon and I thought, I would love to do that. But honestly, between raising six kids and tithing, I didn't see how that was possible to put away 5% every month. And we had to make a decision that said it would be better. to faithfully follow God and his commands and give the first fruits of our income off the top before deductions right from the top God this is you this is your command this is this is how you ask us to follow you to hear your voice and to do it and here we are not with a million dollars in the bank but what I will tell you is is that we have a life that is full of peace that is full of like incredible grace to us and and we're living the dream and not everybody gets to do that and honestly I didn't think about this till just now but I can tell you that the gentleman who told me that inherited a fair amount of things from his family a lot of wealth and the last I heard after he retired from where I was at he had start to have Alzheimer's the beginning of Alzheimer's and it kind of gripped me because I thought you can do all that you think that's worldly wise to have a future and to have a hope and store up all this treasure to maybe not ever even get to enjoy it but how much better that we got to month by month give to God and store up his blessings so that someday we might reap that and so let me encourage you God's faithfulness unapologetically

we give and why do we give here you might say well do they really need it I love the fact that kids camp what a great opportunity for this community for this body the fireworks on the third what a great opportunity and it does cost money there's no doubt about it but this is reaching this part of the kingdom of heaven right here and so I just want to leave you with this last thing and that is that when we're obedient I think it's important that we optimistically I finally got to say to that guy that there was just no way we could do that but that we were going to trust that God had our future and so I just want the words of our mouth to be like gold coming from our heart to speak the truth and to believe that his promises are true so if you could stand with me there are three ways to give there's cash or check in an envelope or you can go directly to the altar app I used to wonder what text to give was all about I thought you just picked a number and texted and it come from somewhere but I wasn't sure how that worked but that's not a thing anymore so let's pray Lord Jesus we want to honor you we're so grateful that you redeemed us we're thankful that you are our God and we are your people and you tell us to give the first fruits of our in of our increase and so we choose to be obedient we choose to believe that you are greater than all of the things that could attract our attention to spend our money on but we want to honor you first and you are a rewarder of faithfulness take this offering God and let it be to your glory use it to the increase of your kingdom in this community in this house and we thank you for it in Jesus name Amen you can come forward as you would like to please all right I was waiting for it that's awesome hey good morning church it's a delight to be here in the house of the Lord before I begin my message I just kind of want to give some context behind something that you're seeing on the table so this is my talit it's a Jewish prayer shawl and the reason why I actually have it on the table something that the Lord has spoken to me is that that whenever I am on this stage if I'm on the drum set it whatever it is that I'm doing I'm doing that under the authority of my spiritual authority and

so I I do this as a way to remember of whose authority I operate under first first and foremost that is Christ but then secondly my spiritual father, an apostle, Matty Montgomery. And so, our text that we are gonna be in today is 2 Corinthians chapter five. And I'm gonna do something a little bit strange today. I'm gonna ask if you could stand for the reading of God's word. We're gonna begin in verse 16. 2 Corinthians five, verse 16. This is from the ESV. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Verse 17, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, and behold, the new has come. Verse 18, it says, all this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ God, God himself was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ as if God was making his appeal through us. We implore you on the behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, he made him who knew no sin

to become sin that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Let's pray. Father, I ask that you would give your church, your people eyes to see you rightly. I ask that you would mark this house with the fear of the Lord, that we would know you in your holiness, that we would know you in your righteousness. And God, that from that place, that we would see you rightly. Give us eyes to know your heart, to know your nature, to know your attributes. We pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. You may be seated. So in this passage, in 2 Corinthians 5, we see this word popping up over and over again, and that is the word reconciliation. It seems to be a major theme of 2 Corinthians 5. And I wanna give you just a little bit of historical context into the world of what we have as first and second Corinthians. It seems to be that in 1 Corinthians that you have an individual that is within the church that is committing sexual immorality, specifically that he's living in an incestful relationship with another family member. And Paul actually brings rebuke to this individual, but he also rebukes the church,

the church in Corinth for not disciplining or dealing with this individual. And it seems that this person has some sort of influence, whether that be social, whether that be governmental, some sort of influence that keeps the church from being able to effectively discipline this person. And so because of their lack of disciplining this person, what actually happens in the Corinthian church is that there begins to be a rebellion against the apostle Paul and his leadership, where people actually start to question and undermine his authority. And they would say, well, is he actually really an apostle? Because who is he to us? And what Paul does is that he defends his apostleship to the Corinthian church, specifically by pointing out that they are the fruit of his life, that to some, he might not be an apostle, but specifically to the Corinthian church, he is an apostle to them because they are the fruit of his ministry, that in spiritual language, that he birthed them in the Lord. And so then we jump to 2 Corinthians. I think it's fair to note that scholars believe that there were actually four letters given to the Corinthian church. And what we have as 2 Corinthians, was probably either the third or the fourth letter.

And so from this, you see 2 Corinthians 5, and he's talking about reconciliation. This word just keeps coming up over and over again, but that the remedy for the remedy that is found by becoming, being positioned in a place where I am in good in God's sight, and what actually brings about reconciliation with one another is primarily found through the gospel. That if I want to be reconciled with this relationship, you know, Paul talking to the Corinthian church, that if we want this relationship to actually be in good standing, if we want it to be in right relationship, that first we must be reconciled to God, and that through the gospel that we can actually be reconciled to one another. And so let's look at this word, reconciliation. It is the Greek word katalasso. And essentially it means a change between two things or a person that brings them to the same position. This can be applied in different ways. It can be applied to not only relationships, but money as well. If you think of like, whenever you go out of the country and you bring money to exchange to whatever that foreign currency is, that is a type of katalasso. But specifically, when we are talking about this context, this position, that it's the changing of enmity,

being enemies, to friendship. Paul actually defines this in verse 19. He says that in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. I was looking through just different translations, different versions of the same verse, and I think I like the rendering that's found in the New King James Version just a little bit better. The New King James replaces counting their trespasses against them. The New King James Version would say imputing, imputing, not imputing their trespasses against them. And I wanna talk about the meaning of imputation real quick, that it's the act of assigning something, whether it be fault, value, or responsibility to a specific person, cause, or account. A great example of this is found in Romans 6.23, that says that it's for the wages of sin is death. And so how does this apply? It's that the value that is credited to your account, that because you have sinned, the wages that you earn is death. And this is a kind of imputation. And see, the thing is, is that when we look at who God is in his character, in his nature, in his attributes, the first thing that we see is that he is a holy God,

that he is other than, that he is transcendent. There is no one like him. You've probably heard me teach about this before, but when we talk about the four living creatures or the seraphim that fly around the throne of God day and night, they say, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts. The whole earth is full and filled with his glory. And the reason why they say it three times in Hebrew, you don't necessarily have punctuation marks, like, you know, periods or exclamation points or question marks. And so the way that the Hebrew mind is going to communicate the importance of something is by repetition. And so if they're saying holy, holy, holy, the second time that they say holy, it's that, God, you are holier. But the third time, it's actually perfect. It's the perfect description of this is really, really important, but there's also no one like you. That, you know, you're surrounded by the kadoshim, the holy ones, but there is only one who is kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, holy, holy, holy. I've never seen anything or anyone that is like you. And here's the thing. The reason why this is so important is because whenever we evangelize, whenever we're talking to people about the gospel, It's very tempting to try to get people to focus on

or to try to come into agreement. Well, yeah, I'm a sinner and I'm in need of saving. Friend, you don't need to convince someone of their sin or their shame or anything that is other than who God is, because all you need to do is present them with God himself. If people begin to see God rightly and they see him as he is, just as Isaiah sees him in Isaiah six, they will come to that revelation and that knowledge themselves that they are in need of a savior. And so we see that because of sin, that it puts us in this position where we are at enmity with God, that we're not friends of his, but there's something that needs to change, that what God does, according to 2 Corinthians five, is that through Christ, he actually changes our position from enmity to friendship. And so that actually, that proposes a question. And that question is, does a dilemma exist within scripture? Paul Washer has been famous for saying that the great question of scripture is how God can justly acquit the iniquity of guilty sinners. Proverbs 17, 15, he who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord. And so when you read scriptures like this, it feels like that there's a dilemma that exists where God has to choose either between his justice

and righteousness in judgment, or his grace and his mercy in reconciling and justifying guilty people. Yet, God can justly and righteously forgive our sins when we confess them. In 1 John 1, 9, the apostle John writes, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and, what does that next word say? Just, he is faithful and he's what again? Just. He is faithful and just. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all, not just some of it, all unrighteousness. Too many times we as the church, as Christians, we ignore that word just. And so the reason why I'm preaching this message to you today is I want us to encounter and begin to understand the justice of God in forgiving our sins. How is it that God is able to remain just in reconciling us back to him? Because too many times, and this isn't just Christians, this isn't just Christians, but this is people everywhere. If you were to ask a general person who knows about Christ, who knows about Jesus, and you were to ask them, well, how is it that you're saved? Well, you know, Jesus died on the cross and he forgave my sins and so therefore I'm saved.

But if we were to ask the question why, most people would never be able to give you an answer. People would just be like, I don't know, just because he can, because he's God. But there's so much more to it. And I find that it's so important to know for, you know, I don't really have a better word for this, but the mechanics of the gospel. How is it that the gospel actually works? How is it that it actually saves? And there's the thing, that this is actually important to understand. But why are the mechanics of what Jesus accomplished on the cross vital to understand? There's a man by the name of Charles Kingsley Barrett. He is a British theologian, and he says this. I believe that the church in our generation needs to rediscover the relation between the gospel and its order, its discipline, its worship, and its. Ethics Another way of stating that stating that is that this gospel is what informs our relationship between order discipline Worship and ethics and so I want to look at those three things just really briefly and so the first thing is order in discipline that order in discipline that how does the gospel influence that it's that the gospel defines order and discipline as the foundation and the maintenance of Christian fellowship and to Just briefly go over that I want to look at 1st Corinthians 1 verse 10 Um, you don't need to to turn there necessarily, but I just want to read this to you 1st Corinthians 1 10 says I Appeal to you brothers by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

That all of you agree and that there would be no divisions among you But that you would be united in the same mind and the same judgment See there are many times where we think that you know Like well because I profess this or because I'm a part of this denomination or I'm a part of this this Institution that everyone can just get along and agree and sing kumbaya but according to Scripture what Paul is saying is that the gospel actually matters and what you believe about it actually matters That you cannot be in fellowship in Good standing or good fellowship with someone who does not believe the same things that you believe That yes, I can have friends who are you know? Atheist I can have friends who were Jehovah's Witness or Mormon or Jewish or whatever you you want to to bring up but that the commonality of our Fellowship the basis of that is what I understand to be The gospel that if you want to be in and in right standing and in in good fellowship With this church that what we believe about the gospel actually matters And it's it saddens me sometimes because there There are times where You know people will you know Go to a church and that they'll love you know the aspects that are a part of that church you know whether that be the experience, you know the worship the The the commonality, you know the friendship the community But can I say that it's actually our doctrine and what we believe about the gospel that informs those things That what I believe to be true about the gospel Actually gives weight and precedence to the way that I worship That what I believe about God it actually gives weight to how I treat you as my fellow brother or sister in Christ and The next thing is that it does and it does indeed inform our worship that it informs our devotion And how we communicate with God?

For this I want to go to John 4 Again, you don't need to turn there In in John 4 you have the story of the Samaritan woman at the well and Jesus meets this woman and she's amazed by the teaching and what this what this man is saying and in a moment of trying to divert the conversation She says that that you Jews say that well we have to go Here and there in order to truly worship God and why can't I just do it from from the temple? That's in Samaria And Jesus responses. He says that there is coming a time and it is even now that People will no longer go to this mountain or this specific place in order to worship the father because the father Desires worshipers who will worship him in spirit and in truth So what is what is that saying that it's not necessarily about a specific place? That becomes holy It's not about you know, the kind of building that you're in that's holy, but it's about what God himself prescribes and that if I actually want to worship God Rightfully and truthfully that I have to do it in spirit and in truth What I just said before is that what the gospel does is that it gives me a right view of who God is Think about it this way that The Jewish people, for example, they worship God. They worship the God that you and I serve, but their worship is incomplete because they have an incomplete understanding of him. Why? Because they're still looking for the Messiah. But because the Messiah has come and because he's provided atonement for my sins and for your sins, that I can look at God and I can sing songs like, thank you, Jesus, for the blood applied.

That when I'm raising my voice and when I'm worshiping him according to what Christ has done, that I'm actually worshiping him in the fullness that he deserves. And that's why our theology is important. That's why our understanding of the gospel is important because it not only informs our community and the relationship that we have with one another as Christians, but it also informs the way that I see him. It informs the way that I worship him and the way that I prostrate myself before him. And lastly, that the gospel, it informs our ethics. It dictates how we live and operate in life. Galatians 5.22, this is a passage that many of you are hopefully very familiar with, but Paul is talking about the fruits of the spirit, that it's love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And why does the gospel influence our ethics? Because the gospel calls us to a different way of life where other faith traditions and other people would believe, well, you know, like I can do this or I can do that, or my ultimate aim is to please myself. The gospel actually requires us to live differently, that if you are a child of God, that if you follow after the things of the spirit of God, that the fruit of your life is going to look differently from someone who is outside of Christ. And this is why the gospel is important. This is why what we believe to be the gospel

is actually important. And you don't have to be, you know, a brilliant theologian in order to necessarily understand these things. What, something that really wrecks my heart so deeply is whenever I hear, you know, us as the people of God talking about ourselves like as if, well, I'm not a theologian. Friend, if you are talking about God, if you are discussing his attributes, his character, if you are a worship leader, if you are a teacher, if you are a father or a mother, if you are discipling someone, if you are just being a friend, giving godly advice to a friend in need, congratulations, you're a theologian. The way that we think about God is so important. I've said this for, you know, for, I'm gonna, oh my gosh, I can't believe this, but on Friday, Anna, Pastor Anna and I will be celebrating five years of marriage. So stoked about that. I know, I know, that's not a long time, but for me, that's like, I can't believe I made it five years. Like, when you come from a long line of divorce and brokenness like I have, like, the fact that we've been married five years is only a testament to the mercy and the grace of God. Because Lord knows I need it.

But I've said this before that, you know, like, if you know Pastor Anna, she hates onions. She said she really does. And, you know, imagine if out of love, you know, I wanted to give my wife a gift and I was just like, you know, my love, I'm just so thankful and grateful for you. And like, I was just thinking about you, you know, this past week, and I wanted to give you this as a sign of my affection. And it's just a big, juicy red onion. Obviously, she might appreciate the sentiment in that I was, you know, wanting to give her a gift, but in order to honor her, I actually have to know what she actually likes. I actually have to know about her character and her attributes and the things that God has for her. grief her heart or that bring her heart gladness. And many times we do the same things with God where we think that, well, I can just give God whatever because the intention of my heart is right. And I think Cain was very, very similar. It's just like, well, this is what I do have and who cares what my brother is doing or what God actually requires of me. I'm just gonna give him what I think is best. But see, the scriptures actually tell us what God requires of us. And so if we're gonna worship him in spirit and in truth, we actually have to worship him according to the way

that he's prescribed. That's why it matters. And so the question becomes, how was God in Christ reconciling the world to himself? Or how God is just in forgiving sins. Briefly, I wanna talk about Exodus 32. You're probably very familiar with this story. Exodus 32 is the story of the golden calf and when Israel falls into idolatry. And I don't know where Michael Turley is, but he actually inspired this part of the message. And the reason for that is because as I'm thinking of just who we are as people, we've obviously talked about who God is and that he is holy, he is righteous. Justice and righteousness are the foundations of his throne is what it says in the Psalms, right? But if I think about who I am as a person, I'm a person who falls so far short of that. And the temptation for us as people, just as human beings, is that we tend to treat holiness and piety as a way of projecting an image of what the standard should be. See, in Exodus 32, what the Bible says is that Moses went up to meet with the Lord on Mount Sinai in order to receive his instruction, the 10 Commandments as we call them. And what happens is that he's gone for so long that the people of Israel begin to wonder, well, is he ever coming back?

Is our leader just gone? Has he abandoned us to the wilderness to go up on this mountain to meet with God? Has God abandoned us? And so what they do is they go before Aaron, Moses' brother, and they say, give us a God that we can see, a God that we can actually physically touch, something that is palatable, something that is malleable, something that I can place my faith and trust in because I can't see Yahweh, but if we make a God of gold, I can actually see that. I can feel that. I can, it's tangible, it's visible, it's palatable, and it's familiar. And as Israel felt abandoned by their leader and shepherd and God was being held distance when we are abandoned to our own devices, many times we feel the need that we need something tangible, something visible, something palatable and familiar because it's just too uncomfortable to actually believe what God says. Like, think about this, that when there's not a worship team on the stage leading you, when you don't have your mentor or the person that's discipling you in your ear all the time telling you what you should do or how to get through this situation,

many times it's so hard to believe that God is actually good in that, that He will work within you to do the things that you ought to do. And so we think, well, okay, what I'm gonna do then is I'm just going to try to do enough in order to be in God's good graces. And what happens with the children of Israel is that they set up this idol and what they declare over this golden calf is this is the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. So many times we set up our own righteousness or our own ability and say that this is going to be the thing that's gonna get me out of bondage and slavery. That if I could just do enough, if I can just try enough, if I can just be enough, then finally I will be able to atone for my sin. I will. Finally be out brought out of the place of bondage and slavery if I could just do enough We become disciple by disappointment and despair Moments where we need to build with our own efforts and rely on our own ability Rather than believing on the one who justifies the ungodly Romans 4 5 it says this however to the one who does not work But trust God who justifies the ungodly their faith is credited as righteousness You see when we trust in our our ability and works to save us We are guilty of the same thing that the children of Israel were guilty of and that was idolatry So the question becomes well if my righteousness is insufficient Whose isn't? And I want to introduce to you Christ the Covenant Keeper in Deuteronomy 28

You have a moment where the children of Israel are split into two groups Half of the tribes go to a mountain called Mount Ebal and the other half goes to a mountain called Mount Gerizim on Mount Gerizim The the Israelites that are there they are shouting to the other mountain the blessings of the Covenant Keeper It's where you would find Blessings like this you bless shall you be in the city bless shall you be in the field? Very familiar, right and We hear we hear all of these blessings for those who keep and follow the instruction of the Lord their God But on Mount Ebal, it's the complete opposite of that. It's the curses for the Covenant Breaker curse Shall you be in the city curse? Shall you be in the field if you do not? Carefully follow the instructions or the commandments of the Lord your God and we look at who Christ is and Christ deserves the blessings for the Covenant Keeper Because he was perfect and without sin, however, we deserve the curses Just to drive this point home. I want to talk to you about Matthew 22 verses 36 through 40 in this passage Jesus is asked teacher. What is the greatest commandment? Jesus responds and he says that You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart with all of your soul with all of your mind and with all of your strength He's quoting from Deuteronomy 6 5 Deuteronomy 6 4 before that is is the the great Jewish creed the Shema Hero, Israel the Lord is our God The Lord is one and you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart with all of your soul with all your mind and with all your strength And Jesus is quoting this and he says that That this is what all the law and the prophets hang on

That it also hangs on the second verse, which is like it to love your neighbor as yourself and So when we think about who Jesus is there there are many times where we will look at verses like I believe it's in Hebrews where it talks about that we do not have a High priest who cannot sympathize with us in our weakness Yet he was tried and tested and tempted in every way yet. He did not sin We're very familiar with those passages, but I don't think we actually understand the weight of them You see when Christ was here on the earth. There was not one millisecond one fraction of a second where he did not love the Lord his God with all of his heart with all of his soul with All of his mind and with all of his strength. Yes. He was Tempted like us we know about these stories where he was tested in and tried by by the devil in the wilderness for 40 days But if I can use this example, I have to borrow this from Paul Washer because I just think it's so brilliant. He talks about about lifting weights and that if you were to put Christ on one side and The strongest man on the other that when you begin to put plates on the bar of The man there's gonna be a point where he bends and where he breaks But on Christ if you keep putting on the weight You just keep heaping it upon him He will stand and he will stand and he will stand there's no amount of weight temptation or pleasure in sin that you could put on him where he's going to break and bend because he is God in the flesh and there is no darkness within him this Christ that we serve this Christ that we that we preach he is simply amazing because there's a point where you put temptation on me and I'm going to break but you keep keeping it upon him and he will continue to stand because he is our reigning champion it is true that Christ was tempted as we are yet he did not fail and now this covenant keeper will become the propitiation of sin and so it asks us the question when Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane and when he is at the point of death and he says to his father father let this cup pass from me but not my will but yours be done we have to ask the question what was in the cup what was in the cup that caused

Jesus to produce to produce blood you know coming from from from his pores a medical term called hematidrosis what was in the cup that caused Jesus to experience that I want to go to Psalm 75 verse 8 it says for in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine well mixed and he pours out from it and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs you ask what is in the cup the answer the answer is very simple the wrath of Almighty God was in that cup and that's a hard thing to hear because you know we Jesus from eternity past had unbroken fellowship with the father all he knows is his delight this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased but he is about to bear the punishment of the sin of the world and and die in the place of guilty sinners he is about to experience God's wrath the wrath that was intended for the guilty not the righteous the wrath that was intended for you and I he bears it upon himself and not just for one man but the sins of a multitude of many people that's what Christ would endure not just the wrath of God for one person but a multitude of sinners that asks the question who killed who killed Jesus was it God was it the Jews was it the Romans the answer is yes all of them how was it God I think acts 223 answers this pretty well it says that this Jesus this is Peter talking after on the day of Pentecost and he's preaching to the to the crowd of 3,000 people this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and for knowledge of God let's stop right there pastor Ian talked about this last week that Jesus going to the cross was not plan B through Z it was not in response to the sin of man that it was always the predestined plan of God that Jesus would die on the cross revelation talks about this John says that that Jesus was the lamb slain before the foundation of the earth it was always the plan of God for Jesus to die upon the cross but I want to add this little caveat in here that not only is it God the Father crushing him or killing him but it's also the Son willingly giving his life it's not just that like you know this is what has to happen to you that I talk about this so if you don't know this there's a song that I wrote for the altar about five years ago now it's called a thousand generations and in in the first

line of that song I say that your plans agreed upon in perfect harmony that the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit were in perfect communion and agreement with one another about what must be done and so Jesus himself when he goes to the cross he says that no one takes my life but I give it of my own free will of my own free accord and so that's even another aspect in how how was God active in the killing of Jesus Christ it's that it's not just the father but it's also the son who's agreeing and saying that I'm going to do this that I might ransom a multitude of men and women this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and for knowledge of God you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men and so yes guilty sinners the Jews or the Romans whoever you want to insert there it but it wasn't just the Jews and the Romans it's us as well it was my sin that held him there Isaiah 53 verse 10 yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him he has put him to grief when his soul makes an offering for guilt he shall see his offspring and he shall prolong his days the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand just really briefly when I was looking at the Hebrew word for yet it was the will of the Lord it that Hebrew word is one that specifically says that it pleased the father to crush the son and what is his pleasure in it's not necessarily in the crushing in the in the killing of him but what that atonement would actually lead unto that the atonement that it would provide a basis or foundation for men to be saved and that it would actually save people y'all need to hear this that when Christ's blood is applied to someone it actually saves them it's not ineffective it actually saves 2nd Corinthians 5 21 says that God made him who knew no sin to become sin and I want to give you a visual of what what actually happened to Jesus Christ when he was on the cross I want to give you a visual of what Jesus had to endure because we think of the wrath of God in a way that is you know something that is far and distant you know many too many times especially in the charismatic stream it's easy for us to focus on the love of God into to not be able to to comprehend his judgment or his righteousness but I want to show you a

video before I get to this illustration it's a sermon that was given in 2008 by a name by a man named RC Sproul and he's talking about the the curse motif of the atonement and I I was gonna quote this to you myself but I think RC Sproul will do a better job at communicating this thought and so if you can direct your attention to the screens I want to show you this video his peace every time I hear that benediction in church I get chill bumps because it's so incorporates my highest dream to see his face but my purpose this afternoon is not to explain the blessing of God but it's polar opposites it's antithesis which again can be seen in vivid contrast to the benediction it would be the supreme malediction that would read something like this may the Lord curse you and abandon you may the Lord keep you in darkness and give you only judgment without grace. May the Lord turn his back upon you and remove his peace from you forever. Forever. If we could throw that quote up. In this jar, I asked a number of people to write some of the things that they struggle with. Sins, habits, all sorts of different things. I also asked people to write down who they were before Christ. To give you a picture, I want this jar. You see this mason jar right here. This mason jar, that represents Christ. And that the sins that are put in here are the sins that are imputed to Christ. That when Christ is actually on the cross, he's actually dying, not only in your place, but as if he were what some of you have written in here.

The adulterer, the thief, the liar, the one who's murdered. Whatever it is, Christ, according to Galatians 3.13, Christ became a curse for us. What happens is, is that he dies the death of the covenant breaker. You see, on the day that Jesus Christ died, he lifts up his voice and he says, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And it's like as if there's an actual answer from heaven. Because the Lord your God damns you. God damns you. Because Christ, on that moment when he is on the cross, is dying as the thief, as the murderer, and he receives the punishment of Almighty Yahweh. He receives the punishment in my place. He receives it so that I could become the righteousness of God. So what actually happened to Jesus on the cross? And if you do not place your faith and your trust in Christ and in Christ alone, either you run to the one who bore the curse for you, or you become the curse and face the judgment of God. That's why this gospel is so important. It's why Paul would say in 2 Corinthians 5.20, therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ. God making his appeal through us that we implore you on the behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Romans 3.21 says this, but now the righteousness of God

has been manifested apart from the law. Although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe, for there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. This was to show the righteousness of God because in his divine forbearance, he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be the just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ. How is God just in forgiving our sins? Because Christ became a curse and received the just punishment from God on our behalf. By faith in a great exchange, our collective sin, past, present, and future, and the unrighteousness of many was imputed to him. both his righteousness and the blessing he rightfully earned was imputed to us. Therefore, since the debt has been paid and transgression has not been overlooked, God can be both just and the justifier for those who place their faith and trust in the work of Christ and in Christ alone. We're gonna enter into a time of communion. And as we go about taking the elements together, I just want to remind you of a few things. That one, that the Eucharist, that the Lord's table is specifically for those who have placed their faith and their trust in Christ, for those who have made a profession in Christ. Anyone who is a part of the body of Christ is welcome to the table of the Lord. But parents, if

you're gonna allow your kids to take part in this, it's gonna be important that you communicate to them that this isn't snack time, this isn't just something that we do. I would ask that you would use discernment before letting your kids participate. Make sure that they understand what it is that we are doing collectively as a body. The second thing that I would ask you to do is to examine yourself. Do not come to the table without first discerning the body of the Lord. Deal with bitterness, deal with resentment, deal with the bitterness and unforgiveness that you are holding towards your brother, towards your spouse, towards your sister, towards your friend. Treat others preferentially and consider others better than yourself, because communion is not a common thing. Our hospitality team, what we're gonna do is they're gonna dismiss you by row, and so I ask that you only come up whenever your row is dismissed. You can come down the aisles, and then what I would like you to do is to return to your seat. We're gonna do something a little bit different and take communion together as a body. I just ask that you just be quick and efficient in getting the elements and to return to your seat. For those that need a gluten-free option, that will be available, I believe, right here in the center. Please only use this option if you actually need it. We do have people within our church that actually need this in order to participate, and so I ask that you don't just come down here for the sake of ease and comfort, but that if you need this option, that it's available to you. Can we go ahead and stand together? Scripture says this in 1 Corinthians 11 23, For I received from the Lord which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night that he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way he took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is of the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. As you were coming to receive the elements of communion, there's gonna be a song that's

gonna be playing over the speakers, and if I want you to listen to this song to allow the words to go deep into your heart, and if you need prayer, if you need to to get things right with the Lord, the altars are available. If you need to talk to someone, you're more than welcome to do that in order to make things right, but I do ask that you would treat this with the reverence and the awe that it's due, if that makes sense. And so, hospitality team, if you can go ahead and start releasing by row, we will come together shortly. As we are nearing the end of people receiving communion, I just want to read the words of that song over you, and then whenever you, for those that are, have still yet to receive the elements of communion, you can take it whenever you need, but I want to read these words real quick, and then just pray, and then we'll take the elements together. How deep the Father's love for us us how vast beyond all measure that he should give his only son to make a wretch his treasure how great the pain of searing loss as the father turns his face away as wounds which mar the chosen one bring many sons to glory behold the man upon a cross my sin upon his shoulder ashamed i hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers it was my sin that held him there until it was accomplished his dying breath has brought me life i know that it is finished i will not boast in anything no gifts no power no wisdom but i will boast in jesus christ his death and resurrection why should i gain from his reward i cannot give an answer but this i know with all my heart that his wounds have paid my ransom father i thank you so much for your body and for your blood thinking that it wasn't just the death that you experienced on the cross that provided atonement for us but it was that you yourself you bore the wrath of god in our place that as the scriptures say that christ became a curse for us and you bore the curse upon yourself so this way i would not have to we thank you for the body and for the blood father we ask that in this moment that for those who have yet to profess faith in you father i ask that you would work by the holy spirit that you would produce a longing and a want to be in your family a longing and a want to to recognize that without you i can do nothing your word says in john 15 that abide in me as i abide in you for apart from me you can do nothing and so father i ask that you would work by the holy spirit of god

for us to recognize our desperate need for you and for your gospel i thank you that the gospel is good news for those who are to receive eternal life but to those that are perishing it's you say that it's foolishness god i ask that you would change that foolish mind right now in jesus name god would you come and grip us with your holiness with your power but also with your mercy and your love we thank you for what you've done for us on the cross in jesus name amen when you're ready you can go ahead and take the elements