Here’s an outline of my talk from camp… it’s all about Jesus, penal substitution, Passover…

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In our time together now we’re going to look at 2 big points that help us to understand Jesus’ death - so please keep your Bibles open as we look at them together. Ultimately we’re going to see that the Cross is the focal point of John’s Gospel and the central point in human history and God’s plan for his world!

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.

Adrian Warnock interviews Mark Driscoll - videos here

Mark Driscoll reflects on his time in the UK here and here

My posts on Together on a Mission 2008

My posts on the Dwell London conference

Mark Driscoll’s pastors training track (audio) - Be Radical Plant Radical Churches

Together on a Mission 2008 (audio) - Main Sessions

Off to CYFA camp in Colwyn Bay (sunny North Wales tomorrow) - 10 days of fun, hard work and learning lots about Jesus from John’s Gospel.

Uncle Stevo, who was running the CB3 book stall this year was trying to get rid of his last few books… of course I snapped up a copy of Desiring God for £7 - bargain… and was also intrigued by the History Makers biography series; Luther, Calvin and The Cambridge Seven, there’s lots more too.

The main reason I got this book was because I wanted to read some more about C.T. Studd - one of the Cambridge Seven, missionary to China, Congo, maybe some other places, the founder WEC, and source of the quote “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” But if I’m honest, I was always more interested by the fact that he was the best all-round cricketer of his day, and gave up a promising international cricket career to serve God in an overseas mission field.

Anyway…the book was quite hard to read at first, loads of different names and random diary entries. But I love the background details, about the mothers and missionaries who were praying, about how the Seven came to faith - largely through the ministry of D.L. Moody, and of Hudson Taylor, his vision and prayer for workers to come to China. The book doesn’t talk about their work in China but is focused on the Seven, their conversions and their call to overseas gospel work.

What did the Seven achieve? Clearly they were called and used mightily by God, and their legacy can be seen today… despite oppression the church in China stands, around 70 million strong! China has the potential to become the largest missionary sending country with the ‘Back to Jerusalem‘ march. And their influence extends beyond China, the work and example of these 7 has led to the sending of may more missionaries, establishment of worldwide missionary organisations as well as the founding of student Christian movements… Norman Grubb, son-in-law of C.T. Studd started UCCF… so in fact the influence of C.T. Studd has contributed to the fact that I’m part of a Christian Union at Sussex University today!

I always thought that China is a closed country, the church is underground and no one really knows anything about it… that’s not true… John Piper recommended this website China Soul - under the heading “The Cross - Jesus in China” there’s 4 videos about the history and the present of the Chinese church. Hearing some Chinese Christians talking about their faith and the persecution they face is both a great encouragement and truly humbling.

“God does not deal with you until you are wholly given up to Him, and then He will tell you what He would have you do.”

 

 

Having slept, and generally done nothing for a couple of days I feel somewhat recovered from the 10 straight days of getting up at 7am and being busy with 70 14-18 year olds. This year’s theme was Australia, so I grew a beard, and put on Phil Moon’s (co-author of the definitive book on Christian youth work) Akubra - trying my best to pass myself off as an Aussie. I failed misserably at the station, ordering an apple danish in my posh southern accent, however I was approached by a Burma veteran who said I looked like “one of those Nips” he used to fight!

Adventures

Colwyn Bay isn’t the most exciting place in the world, but as ever we make the best of a pretty average location - not hard this year as the weather was perfect. Usual fun to be had on the beach, on the lake, up Snowdon, on the Great Orme. We made the customary CB3 Seagull Productions movie, an adaptation of Crocodile Dundee! I was safety officer on camp (what a joke, last time I was at CB3 I impaled myself on a spiked iron fence on the first day (ruining a perfectly good pair of trousers, and boxers!)), and thankfully only spent one night in A&E, with my dorm member who dropped a pool table on his foot! My favourite adventure was our trip to Conwy, having spent all week driving a minibus around I was king of the road, until 4 chavs in a Toyota Yaris had other ideas, thankfully there’s always a heroic Irishman around to save the day and diffuse road rage incidents!

 

 

Colossians

We went through the book of Colossians in both the morning studies and the evening talks. The book is a letter from Paul to new Christians in Colossae, defending true faith in Christ against the many and varied voices of the false teachers. It was great to learn…

• Jesus is King over Creation and the New Creation
• All that we need is found in Christ
• Don’t be seduced, judged or disqualified by false teaching
• Set our minds and hearts on Christ, Live with Jesus as Lord in all areas of life
• Keep going like Epaphras, don’t fall away like Demas

Colossians is a crushing rebuke to the false teachers of Paul’s day, and a warm and firm assurance to the Christians there. It’s just as strong a word today…

…to those who place too high a value on ‘experience’, who promote a ’second blessing’, or who impose a legalistic view of ‘the Sabbath’ - these are three false teachings that I’ve come across in recent years, from Bible teaching churches…. “The Reality however is found in Christ!”

But, the assurance is a great one. He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness, and brought us in to the kingdom of the Son he loves. In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him. The great news that we don’t need to change anything, we don’t need to move on to a further experiences, some extra rituals or laws, but the truth, the fullness, perfection is found in Christ.

CB3 on Facebook

Also found some good books today. There’s a small Christian book shop in my town (very small) so the last thing I expected to find was some Driscoll - both his books there, so I picked up ‘Confessions of a Reformission Rev’ having enjoyed ‘The Radical Reformission’ so much. Also, in the bargain book shop, £6 bought me a copy of the complete scripts (with images) of series 1&2 of Extras!