I preached in quite a thematic style, picking up implications and applications under 3 themes:

1. An unapproachable God?
2. Death and Life
3. The Two Goats

The last point of application was to look at Hebrews 10:19-25… in light of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, the big application is to draw near to God, to meet with his people and encourage each other, because he’s returning soon!

You can listen to the sermon here – download MP3

You can see my notes here – download PDF

In two weeks time, I’ll be preaching from Leviticus 25, The Year of Jubilee.

Apparently it’s not the kind of film that a guy should be watching on his own… I should be watching Die Hard, or Dark Knight… but research is a good excuse. So anyway, this is genuine research as I prepare to preach on Leviticus 16 – The Day of Atonement… to be thinking about the question of atonement and how the world understands it.

Here’s my thoughts on how atonement is portrayed in this film:

• Atonement is purely human – reconciling people with people
• The culprit takes the initiative the make atonement with the victim
• The motivation to make atonement is guilt
• Atonement is costless
• Atonement is rewriting the story, to make yourself feel better

I was hoping in watching this film to pick up a good illustration that pictures what atonement is… but it’s not really atonement at all, at least not that which we find in the Bible… atonement in the Bible is between man and God, it’s God’s initiative, his motivation is love, it costs him his Son, and he does it for his glory!

Then we got to hear from an ex-drug dealer who loves Jesus – awesome! John 19:23-37, I spoke on this at Global Cafe last night… I think TK might do a better job!

1. How he died – in accordance with the Scriptures
Easy to over look, but John makes a point of reminding us. v.28 Jesus does what he does to fulfill the Scriptures. Jesus throughout his life relies on God’s word and does what he does so that it may be fulfilled. When you’re under stress the real, instinctive you comes out – his instinct is to go to the Scriptures for strength and direction. Bathe yourself in the word of God.

2. Why he died – to be our substitute
v.29 Why a hyssop? It’s how they spread the Passover blood. v.36 Not a bone broken – like a perfect lamb.
In the wilderness the Rock is struck and water comes out – like Jesus.
Jesus is the ransom – it is finished. The common theme is substitution!
All love is a substitutionary sacrifice – if you don’t have atonement you don’t have love. You can’t love hurting people without you giving them strength and you hurting yourself. What about the Fugitive? If you take them in you loose your safety and security. All love is substitutionary sacrifice. Refers to a sermon, Christ’s agony – Jonathan Edwards, the garden is where you see Christ’s love – this is the point he could have walked away, it’s them or you.

3. What he offers – the Water of Life
Thirst is a metaphor for agonizing spiritual emptiness. Everyone craves something at the centre of their soul, but anything other than God will leave you spiritually dry. Dying of dehydration is a little picture of hell, and Jesus takes that spiritual thirst on the cross (v.28). You know and experience this water, it changes you, it becomes the centre of everything.

4. How it changes
It is finished. Take Jesus’ pardon then move on, don’t add to his finished work. You’re welcome now! Let the cross change your attitude to yourself.You’ve been at the cross, that’s what you have in common, let he cross change your attitude to others v.26-27. Tale of two cities: Are you dying for him? Sidney is a sacrifice and gives courage to others.

CHRISTIAN – keep listening
PRAY

So where are we in John?..
We saw this morning that Jesus physically gave new life to Lazarus – he spoke life into him. We gonna see in this final section of Chapter 11 how Jesus gives us new life.

Come with me into the passage. From verse 47 we see that Caiaphas and he other priests are plotting. He may be the high priest, kindof like the Archbishop of Canterbury, but he’s not a good man, in fact he’s plotting to kill the only, truly good man.

It says (v.51) that Caiaphas ‘prophesied’… that would usually imply that he’s speaking God’s words, but he’s not. He’s speaking his own words, they’re selfish words that expose him, he’s trying to preserve his position and his power (v.48) – he sees Jesus as a threat to this.

John sees the irony of Caiaphas’ words, the fact that unwittingly he does prophecy, he does speak God’s words. Look down with me at v.50, here’s the key verse:

“You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish”
John knows, writing after Jesus’ death that Caiaphas’ words couldn’t have been truer – it was better that Jesus died than the whole nation perish!

1.    Jesus will die for others

Caiaphas reveals two true aspects about the nature of Jesus’ death:
1.    There is a penalty – death
2.    There is a substitution – either Jesus dies or the nation dies

This is a concept that clever theological people call ‘Penal Substitution’ – it sounds long and complicated, but it’s quite simple – there is a punishment to face (death) but there’s someone else (a substitute, Jesus) who takes that punishment.

We’re going to see that this idea of the death penalty and a substitution are repeated throughout the Bible.

Let’s move on to the next section in this passage to see how Penal Substitution is revealed.

Come with me to verses 55-56…
Let’s read…

Why did John include this section?  – it seems like a fairly mundane question…

Isn’t He (Jesus) coming to the (Passover) Feast at all? (v.56)

But the question asked by the crowd, and John’s reason for including it here takes on a whole new significance, when we understand what the Passover Feast is, and who Jesus is…

Passover Feast = lamb sacrificed to remember the Exodus (God’s rescue of his people) from Egypt
Celebration for the Jews

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

So of course Jesus will be there! Why? Because He is the Lamb (Jn 1:29)
Paul – Christ, our Passover lamb – 1 Corinthians 5:7

2. Jesus will die at the Passover (v.55-56)

What else do we see… (v.55) People had come for ‘ceremonial cleansing’
Cleansing from Sin…
What is the job of the lamb? – (Jn 1:29) ‘who takes away the sin of the world’, it is Jesus (the lamb) who will do the cleansing

How does he take away sin?  -  by dying!

To really understand what’s going on we need to take a closer look at the first Passover… Exodus 12:

(DEATH) PENAL(TY)

Come with me to Egypt, over 1000 years before Jesus. God’s people are in slavery. God sends a judgement of 10 plagues against the whole land, after the Pharaoh refuses to set God’s people free. The final plague is that the first-born son in every household and every first-born animal would be killed by God…
(v.12) I will pass through Egypt and strike down every first born – both men and animals – and I will bring judgement on all the god’s of Egypt. I am the Lord.

…a death penalty

SUBSTITUTE

God promised that if his people sacrificed a lamb for a special meal and then spread its blood on their doors then the angel of God would pass-over, and spare judgement on that household. God provides the substitute.

We know that those who sheltered under the blood of the lamb were passed-over, they were spared God’s judgement. The substitute took the penalty from God, blood was spilt so that those who trusted in it and in God’s promises would be spared – they found shelter and safety from God because of the blood of the lamb.

This great rescue of God is a huge flashing arrow pointing to the cross. That’s why John includes this section, it’s reminding us of God’s great rescue of his people in the past, to point us forward to his great rescue at the cross.

We know the whole of John’s gospel is building up to the cross…  my time has not yet come! (John 2, Wedding at Cana)

PENAL
We Sin  -  Thoughts, words and actions
We do stuff God hates
We fail to do stuff God loves
God judges us, we deserve death

SUBSTITUTE
-    Caiaphas was right! Better that one man die (Jesus) than we all perish
-    God provides the substitute
-    At the cross Jesus takes our death penalty

RESULT
Life… eternal
No Condemnation

This is why the Cross is the biggest event in human history…
…because rightly sinful humans like you and me deserve to face the full force of the right and just anger of a perfect, holy God – that means we should face the death penalty.

But here’s the shock, Jesus – God himself – gave up his life for us, he was our substitute, he stood in our place, he exchanged his goodness for our rebellion, and suffered under God’s punishment, that which we deserved.

CHRISTIAN
Look to the cross. Enjoy the fact that you have eternal life, that you have no punishment to face because Jesus took it for you. Don’t be ashamed by the apparent weakness of the cross – it saved you. Don’t move on from the Cross – it is sufficient to save you and sufficient to keep you.

NON-CHRISTIAN
Where is your substitute!  You have none! So as it stands you will face the death penalty. You will face God in judgement for eternity, standing alone, with no defence and no shelter from his just anger. Come to Jesus and find life, shelter under his blood, begin eternal life today.

Only when we understand that we are sinners, rebels against God, and that we deserve to face the death penalty for our rebellion – and only when we look to the Cross, to see Jesus hanging and dying in our place as our substitute can we truly and rightly understand how far God’s love for us goes.

This, the power of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.

This, the power of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Mark began by quoting Martin Luther from his lecture on Galatians 2:14 -

“The truth of the Gospel is the principle article of all Christian doctrine…. Most necessary is it that we know this article well, teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually.”

Driscoll then went to 1 Corinthians 15, asking – What is the Gospel?

• It’s continual (now I would remind you)
• Proclamation and Explanation
• Pastoral and Personal
• Essential (don’t assume too much, preach the priorities)
• Relevant (don’t make it, show it)
• Christological – it’s all about Jesus
• Penal Substitutionary
• Biblical (it was prophesied)
• Eschatological (it has a future)

Under the PS point, Mark alluded to his knowledge of the NWA foundation, and told the story of how his church grew by 800 people on the week he preached PSA! He said that he wants to be a ‘truth teller’ – “I’d rather be hated than ignored – that’s my ministry!” Mark then moved on to look at the two enemies of the Gospel – Idolatry and Religion.

Idolatry

Driscoll quoted Luther who said that idolatry was “the sin”, and that it all came down to the first two Commandments – if we disobey the first two we have an idol, and will break the other commandments.

An idol is that which takes pre-eminence, which receives our worship. We’re all spiritual people because we all have our own definitions of heaven and hell, and the a ‘Functional Saviour’ (our idol) to take us from hell to heaven. He then goes on to reference Tim Keller who has a set of questions to expose our idols:

What are you afraid of? What do you long for? Where do you get comfort? How do you introduce yourself? Whose approval do you seek? What makes you happy/sad?

Religion

Mark started off by showing the clear differences between the Gospel of Grace and the Religion of Works:

If I obey God loves me  vs.  God loves me, his Spirit enables me to obey

Good and Bad People  vs.  Repentant and Unrepentant Sinners

What you do  vs.  What Jesus has done

He then explained the result of religion, it either leads to pride and self-righteousness (these people stay in the church), or despair at not being good enough (these people walk away from church). Rather, the Gospel ends in joy, those who receive grace are humble and happy.

Acts 17 – God commands ALL men to repent (religious and idolatrous)

Romans 1:16 – Mark reminded us not to be ashamed of the Gospel we preach, and again to notice that it goes to the Jews (the religious people) and to the Greeks (the idolatrous people)

• Mark 15 -  judgement, relationship

• Rom 3:25-26 – generous, justice, patience

• Rom 5:6-11 -  love, wrath, reconciliation

• Col 1:13-15 -  forgives, gives life, triumphed over powers

• 1Cor 1:23-24 -  wisdom, power

Romans 3

21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

What is justice? How is God just?

What does atonement mean? What does this tell us about God?

Who were we? Who are we? What are we offered? How do we receive?

How can we pray in light of the cross? (1Cor 1-2?)

Mark Driscoll – Unlimited Limited Atonement

John Piper – “For whom did Jesus taste death?” (Heb 2:9)

Carl Chambers – “Are there Few that be saved?”

Doug Wilson – “Definite Atonement”

Logic…

So… if Christ died for the sins of everyone (made atonement for those sins), then everyone will stand before God with a ‘not-guilty’ verdict – their sins have all been paid for, so they stand justified before God…

…which means everyone goes to heaven… you see there can’t be a hell, who would go there? Any concept of hell would then be completely unjust, God would punish all sin on the cross, and then punish some again in hell.

Now some would reject this anyway, even some might dare to call themselves evangelical and reject hell. The Bible, indeed Jesus speaks very clearly and plainly about the reality of hell, the present and future judgement of God.

Bible…

In the Driscoll sermon above he does this amusing performance of how all the Arminians take the verses that say “Christ died for… ALL, EVERYONE”, and how the Calvinists quote the verses that say “Christ died for… MANY, SOME”. It’s funny, but it’s true, we always take the verses that prove our point… rather we should take scripture as a whole all the verses in one big pile.

Driscoll argues that in some respects Christ died for all, because all experience a blessing from the atonement, what we might call God’s Common Grace to all… but, that in a saving way, in actually atoning for the sin of the individual, Christ died for some, for the elect. That’s how he reconciles, the ALL and the SOME. I don’t know, but it’s the best answer I’ve heard for truly reconciling these two ideas of ‘who’ Jesus died for.

Why I don’t like Limited Atonement……because it makes the cross sound weak, as though the sacrifice of Christ wasn’t quite enough to do the job… the synonym ‘Particular Redemption’ is perhaps better?

Why it doesn’t actually matter…

I would say, there is a ‘Universal Call’ on all people to come to the Cross of Christ for redemption, and the Bible is clear that anyone who comes to Jesus for forgiveness will be saved, their sin has been atoned for. But, the atonement of sins is still limited to those who confess Christ (see logic), this is still true regardless of whether we accept the second point of the TULIP, that human beings are Unconditionally Elected to receive that atonement for their sins. Whether it’s Election or God’s foreknowledge of our choices, or even a blatant heresy of God not knowing the future – the atonement of sins is only effective for those who trust in Jesus.

So What?

Judgement is real, the wages of sin is death, but for those who trust Jesus, He became their sin so that they could become the righteousness of God. But it’s easy to get bogged down in the arguments of who did Jesus die for, who are the elect, who will be saved? Perhaps these quotes are helpful…

Charles Spurgeon says “Lord call out your elect. Then elect some more”

Stephen Nowak says “I can’t lift up people’s shirts to see if they have ‘elect’ written on them! I’m just called to preach the gospel”

The bottom line is God is in control of the whole history of salvation, he knows the end right from the beginning, and he’s called Christians to be his ambassadors, his messengers to bring the gospel, the news of Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross to all people, everywhere.

Some more posts coming soon that were delayed due to exams. Last week in Brighton for a bit, then maybe a few blogs on the EMA.

Penal Substitutory Atonement:

This is the issue being debated here. PSA is an understanding of the cross which says the God punished Jesus on the cross in our place, for our sin, this has been the traditional evangelical belief for years.

What we agree on:

God is love! We tend to get too busy rebuking the liberal position that says God is love and not a lot else to really hold this truth in our hearts, that it’s not just one of many characteristics of God, but his very nature is Love.

The cross is multi-coloured rather than monochrome, it’s easy to forget that there’s more to the cross than just ‘Jesus dying for our sins’, we can become too focused on the PSA side of the cross, ignoring it’s wider implications and example. Actually I believe PSA is the most important and essential aspect of the cross, but to ignore the other sides would be silly. Cross Examined, good book for looking at all ‘faces’ to the cross.

What Steve Chalke has said:

Chalke has described PSA in at least 2 ways, both derogatory:
> Compared to “child abuse”
> Described as “pre-Christian”

He has also claimed that those who hold the belief that God is both love and wrath, to have no explanation for this seemingly contradictory position other than to call it a “divine paradox”. On top of this, he has said “Jesus believed in original goodness!” rejecting the doctrine of original sin and Fall Theology… but this is another huge issue.

Regardless of what you think about Jesus’ death on the cross, the fact that the all powerful, loving Father allows his Son to be tortured and executed is on it’s own ‘child abuse’ if you take Chalke’s view, the fact that according to PSA God causes this suffering is irrelevant. But in taking this view you have to ignore two crucial characteristics of God: his Holiness, which brings wrath against sin and ungodliness, and his Justice, which demands that sin is dealt with. In fact, Love does not nullify God’s wrath, but it epitomises it, the self-substituting God takes on himself the punishment that should be ours then that’s Love, no divine paradox!! There are many verses which implicitly or explicitly refer to PSA, one wonders how Chalke interprets Isaiah 53 “Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer”

Chalke is right to point out that the idea of atonement is pre-Christian, but that does not stop it from being Christian. Anti-Semitism was pre-Nazi Germany, does that mean it didn’t exist in Nazi Germany? There seems to be an issue here of Chalke wanting to separate the God of the Old and New Testament into two different beings. I don’t want to talk theology here, there’s plenty of resources out there that do that a lot better, however, it is strange that many liberal drifting Christians want to distance themselves from the wrathful God of the Old Testament, yet Jesus is the one who speaks most often and openly about the coming judgement and hell!

If you accept Chalke’s beliefs then you end up drifting to a point with lots of unanswerable questions: did Jesus need to die? Will there ever be any justice for the world? If you can’t believe in hell, is there a heaven, does everyone go to heaven? The way Chalke rejects PSA inevitably leads to an un-Christian view that says all will be saved – Universalist nonsense.

Conclusions:

Steve Chalke through Oasis and his church do loads of great things, most recently helping to highlight the ‘Stop The Traffik’ campaign, however these great things are no excuses for bad doctrine.

Steve Chalke highlights some important issues of potential concern, particularly in evangelism, how we view those outside the church and the multi-faceted nature of the cross. However, his criticism of PSA as being undermining to these things is simply untrue and unfounded.

PSA is essential! Without an understanding of PSA as the major part of Jesus’ work on the cross, then our understanding of the cross, of the character of God and of the seriousness of human sin will be incomplete. I’m sticking to the traditional evangelical view as expressed through people like Calvin, and the view of the early church as expressed by Paul, PSA works, and makes sense when you look at the cross in context, again musr recommend Cross Examined, great book!

Dr. Garry Williams on Steve Chalke & PSA
Redeeming the Cross – Steve Chalke (response to Lost Message of Jesus criticism)