Thank you for joining me this week for another edition of the Weekend Sermon. I enjoy being able to post these messages each week. I hope that everyone is having a good day.
I have had a pretty good week. The weather has been nice, and I went out and worked in the yard on my days off. I am trying to stay at my job until the performance bonus is paid off, and then I am going to look for different work. The stress of the current job is starting to affect my health. Please pray that I will be able to keep going. Pray that I can find a job doing something that helps people. As I've said, I'd like to get work in full-time ministry.
In prayer this week, please pray for those suffering as a result of the flooding in the the southern part of the United States. Some areas have received over 18 inches of rain. Also, please pray for an end to the wars and conflicts in this world. Pray for peace in Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Iraq.
As we pray for the spread of the message of Jesus around the world this week, let's continue to focus on those areas where there aren't that many Christians. Pray for the people of Cambodia, Taiwan, Malaysia and Iran.
For the past several weeks now, we have been in a series of messages focusing on the Apostles' Creed. We have been examining the Creed phrase by phrase to see what this Creed teaches us about the important doctrinal matters of the Christian faith.
Today, we turn our attention to the phrase, "Was crucified, dead and buried." This short phrase contains much that we will focus on today.
First of all, Jesus suffered a terrible type of death. Death by crucifixion is one of the most ghastly things dreamed up in the minds of people. It is a humiliating and agonizing type of death. Jesus was willing to suffer death on a cross because He loved us with a great love, and He wanted to redeem us from our sins.
One area that I would like to examine today is what Jesus death accomplished. How did Jesus' death on the cross provide atonement for our sins? This is a question that theologians have wrestled with for centuries.
Let's look at a few of the the theories of the atonement that theologians have come up with over the years. One of the first theories of the atonement that was widely held in the early days of the church was the ransom theory. One version of this theory held that Jesus' death was a ransom paid to the devil to release humanity from sin.
Irenaeus, who was an important early church theologian, developed the recapitulation theory. This idea states that Jesus was the second Adam who succeeded in all the ways that the first Adam failed. If we identify with the Second Adam, we will find salvation.
St. Anselm developed the penal substitution idea of the atonement. In this view, Jesus was punished in our place for our sins. Jesus accepted the punishment that we deserved, thus allowing God to punish sins and yet justify the sinner.
The moral influence/example theory of the atonement is quite different from these other theories. It teaches that the cross demonstrates to sinful humans how much God loves them. When we look at the cross, it causes us to change our attitude about God and come to salvation. This theory was popularized by the Medieval theologian Peter Abelard.
A theory of the atonement that has become prominent today is the Christus Victor theory of Gustaf Aulen. Basically, this idea holds that Jesus' death was a victory of the powers of sin and death that kept a hold on humanity and separated people from God.
One other theory of the atonement that I want to mention is the governmental theory. This is widely held by Arminian theologians. It essentially holds that God had to demonstrate his displeasure with sin and keep up the moral order of the universe. Jesus death demonstrated how much God hates sin.
These are all interesting theories, and there are elements of truth in each of these theories. However, I believe that the Bible is quite clear in that it teaches the substitutionary atonement of Jesus. What is the substitutionary atonement?
The Bible makes it very clear that every person that has ever lived is a sinner. Romans 3:23 tells us that, "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 6:23 goes on to tell us that the wages of sin in death. Because of our sin, we deserve punishment for our sins and eternal separation from God.
However, verses such as John 3:16 tell us that God is a God of love. He wanted to redeem us and bring us back to Himself.
Even in the Old Testament, God was moving toward the cross by giving the people an example through the sacrificial system of what the Messiah would do. When the people would bring the spotless lamb as a sin offering, they would place there hands on the lamb symbolically imputing their sin to the lamb. The spotless lamb's blood was shed to forgive the person's sin. Hebrews 10:1 tells us that the law and the sacrificial system were a shadow of the good things that were to come through Christ.
Jesus came as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. John the Baptist said this about Jesus when John saw Jesus on the banks of the Jordan River. As the sinless one, Jesus could bear our sins and receive the punishment that we deserved. He died in our place and took our sins and the punishment of death that we deserved for our sins.
The Bible is quite clear about this. Hebrews 10:10 says that we are, "sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ." Isaiah chapter 53 relates to us that Jesus was wounded for our iniquities, and the Lord laid on Jesus the iniquities of us all. Hebrews 9:28 says that, "Christ bore the sins of many."
I think that the verse that supports the substitutionary atonement of Jesus the most is found in I Peter 2:24. I Peter 2:24 says that, "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross."
Jesus lived a perfect, holy and sinless life. He took our place on the cross. While He was on the cross, our sin was imputed to Jesus and He died as the once for all sacrifice for sin.
When we call upon the name of the Lord and accept what Jesus did for us, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Though are sins were as scarlet, we are made white as snow by the blood of Jesus. The Lord takes away our sins and we receive the imputed righteousness of Jesus. When God looks at those who are in Christ, He no longer sees our sins, God sees us clothed in the righteousness of His dearly beloved Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
This has all been made possible because of the love of Jesus that held Him on the cross. It is possible because Jesus did for us what we could not do. Thanks be to God.
Because of what Jesus has done, He is praised for all of eternity. Revelation 5:10 says that in Heaven they cry out, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory and blessing."
Jesus died for us because He loved us. He wants to redeem everyone who will come to Him. Jesus said that whoever would come to Him, He would not cast them out. I urge you to repent of your sins and come to Jesus today. He gave His life for you, and He wants to be your Savior and Lord.
We just really scratched the surface today in our study of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Please, read the Bible and study and find out more about who Jesus is and what He did while on earth.
Next week, we will continue with our series on the Apostles' Creed. I will post a review on Wednesday and the verses on Monday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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