all-knowing, all-powerful, creator
of everything that is. What a privilege. What an honor it is for us to
come before you this morning to worship you. We know, Lord,
that our desire to be here this morning is also Every person here this day, every
person online who is listening, and we're thankful, Father, for
those who can join us online. Once again, we're thankful, dear
Lord. Every one of us, every one of
us who know you know, Lord, that all that we have, all that our
desires are now are because of you. We remember what our desires
were before. And it wasn't to worship the
true and living God, that's for sure. But now, Lord, we come
here this day to hear Your Word preached, to sing songs that
glorify our Savior. And we're thankful, Lord. We're
thankful for Your love for us. We love You because You first
loved us. Bless us now, Lord, for Your
Son's sake, whom all blessings flow. Bless us as we sing the
hymns that give glory to your name. Bless me, Lord, as I read
your word this morning in our scripture reading without comment.
And Father, I ask for your blessings upon me as I stand before your
children once one more time. What an honor, what an honor
to bring your word, to feed your sheep, to possibly call out one
who has never heard your word before. by preaching the truth
of our Savior Christ Jesus and Him crucified. What an honor to bring the gospel
to needy sinners. Father, be with me as I stand
before your children. I'm just a voice in the wilderness
crying about the one who will come, who will come with power
and save his children. Be with me, Lord, and give me
the utterance to speak truth. sheep. Open the ears to hear
the truths of your word. Open the heart to receive the
instruction that you have for us. We ask these things in our
Savior's name, the name that we lift up above all names, Christ
Jesus. Amen. Turn over, if you would, to 1
Peter chapter 3. I'd like to bring before you
this morning a message of consideration. Consider these things. Consider the reasons for the
cross, is the title of my message. In Hebrews 12.3, we read these
words, For consider him that endured such contradiction of
sinners against himself. Consider him. You know, we talk
about At the cross. At the cross, at
the cross, where I first saw the light. That piece of wood,
I'm so thankful. Aren't you also that that piece
of wood the Lord hung on? That piece of wood, that wood
that Noah was put in when the Lord closed the door up and flooded
the earth. Aren't you thankful that that wood is no longer around? Because we know, don't we? that if it was around, and if
the Lord left us to ourselves, we would be taking that wood
and worshiping it. I mean, people take a piece of
toast that looks like Jesus, they say, long-haired hippie,
and they worship it. It blows me away. I'd be right
there with them. But for the grace of God, and
I know that's not a scriptural quoting, that's a hymn writer's
quoting, but it's true. But for the grace of God, I'd
be right there with them. Consider him that endured such
contradiction of sinners against himself. The word consider means
to estimate, or it means figuratively to contemplate, to revel in,
consider, think upon. Here in 1 Peter, we see a five-point
verse that I pray brings our minds to consider this one, to
consider him. that endured such contradiction
of sinners against himself. Would you read with me verse
18 of 1 Peter chapter 3? For Christ also hath once suffered
for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. I'd like you to put a little
marker there in your Bibles because we're going to go and look at
some other scriptures, a couple of other verses, but I want you
to be able to come back to that verse. I want you to consider five things
that we can see in this verse, five reasons for the cross. And the first consideration is
this part of that verse, for Christ also hath once suffered
for sins. Now the key to this statement
is once. You know, in the old days before
the Lord walked this earth, before he fulfilled the scriptures concerning
himself as being the priest, the high priest, there were high
priests appointed to the people of Israel, to the God's people. And they were to take the sacrifices
of the people and once a year they were to go into the holiest
of holies in the temple and lay that sacrifice, lay that blood
on the mercy seat. Christ Jesus is the one who suffered
as the sacrifice. Christ Jesus is the holiest of
holies. Everything about Him is holy.
Christ Jesus is the mercy seat. All blessings in heaven flow
through Him. Our first consideration is that
for Christ also hath once suffered for sins. The key to the statement,
once, is once. Why? Because He's omnipotent.
Do you know what that word means? That means He's all-powerful. He's sovereign in everything. In Revelations 19.6, we read
these words, And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great
multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice
of mighty thundering, saying, Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. He reigns over everything. All
power in heaven and earth and under the earth are His to wield
according to His purpose. He's all-powerful, He's all-able. What He desires, what He purposes,
it shall be so. No ifs, no ands, no buts. When
the Lord suffered and died on that cruel cross, He accomplished
His desire. He said, it is finished. Our
redemption, our sanctification, our justification, it is finished
in Him. Everything our God requires of
us is provided by our Savior. Everything. I'm not inviting
you down here to the altar. The altar is Him. This is nothing
but a piece of wood. This is nothing but what hands
have made. You can only come to the only
altar that is, where the mercy seat is, and that's our Lord
and Savior Christ Jesus. Consider this. Consider He came
once. That's all that was needed. He's
God. Do you hear that from other religious
people? No, they say, oh yeah, he did
something, but you've got to do this. Trying to fulfill the law. Mike
and I were talking about that, of the so-called Seventh Day
Adventists. Trying to fulfill the law and
they don't even know it. Oh, how dark. How dark. their light is. Isn't that what
self-righteousness is? People go around thinking, oh,
I'm not as bad of a person as I used to be. Oh, yes, you are. That's right. I literally thought I wasn't
such a bad person at one time, but I know who I am now. I know
who I am before a thrice holy God, and that is nothing more
than a worm. And when you're a worm, when
you see yourself for what you truly are, oh, how thankful. Oh, the wonders of crying out
hallelujah, what a savior, when you know that you're, that he
loves you. And gave himself for you. Oh,
to know the omnipotent God to know that when the Lord suffered
and died on that cross, He accomplished His desire. Well, what was His
desire? In 1 Timothy 1.15, we read it
this way, this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world, to what? Amen. Number one, right here in front
of you, to save sinners, and then Paul goes on after that.
Paul, a man who knew the scriptures from back to front, who had letters
from the high priest to go out and persecute the church. Those
very things that he considered to be done, he writes and he
says, of who I am chief. In Mark chapter 9, verse 31,
our Lord tells us, not just once, but he says it
a couple of times, once in Matthew and twice in Mark, I believe.
He says, for he taught his disciples and saith unto them, the Son
of Man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall
kill him. And after that he is killed,
he shall rise the third day. The idea that God would purposefully
expose himself to death is beyond anything that I can comprehend. Aren't you thankful we can see
it a little bit, though? Aren't you thankful we can look and
see a little bit of hope? Hope that's in Him? Hope that
we might be His? That He might have done that
for me? Oh, dear Lord, that I would be Yours. It is beyond my comprehension,
but that's exactly what our Lord did. In the book of Acts chapter
2 verse 23, we read this, Him, speaking of our Lord and Savior,
being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God. He was delivered by His own purpose. By His own determinate purpose. You know, that means that Christ
came to this earth and became flesh willy-nilly. knowing what he would suffer,
knowing that he would suffer the very ones that he put in
the womb of their mother, would spit upon him, would lash him
with a cat of nine tails, would nail nails through the palms
of his hand and his feet, and then drop that cross into the
ground. Oh, and then let him sit there
and bleed to death. knowing that our Lord would suffer a physical death, knowing that
sin would be laid upon Him. Our sins. Our sins would be laid
upon Him. He knew it. And He knew that
that would be His purpose. And he knew the end result of
it would be glory and bliss and heaven forever to be with his
people. He was delivered by the indeterminate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. Ye men have taken and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain. Our Lord suffered once. because He's God. And as God,
the blood that was shed on that cross was perfect in every way
and satisfied the justice of God. In Ephesians 1-11 we read
these words, it says, In whom? In Christ. Also we have obtained. That means it's ours. It's done. Obtained. An inheritance being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will. Blood had to be shed, for there
is no remission of sin without the shedding of blood. The penalty
of sin is death. And unlike the blood of goats
and calves that were sprinkled on the seat of mercy for the
sins of people in the days of old, our high priest, the Lord
Jesus Christ, wants with his own blood went into the holiest
of holies and spread it on the mercy seat and accomplished his
purpose. Look over at Isaiah, mark your spot then Peter, turn
over to Isaiah 53. Very familiar words. Isaiah 53, verse 3. and rejected of men, a man of
sorrows, and acquainted with grief. And we hid it, and we
hid, as it were, our faces from him. Those of us who he had loved
from before the beginning of the world, we hid our faces from
him. Yet though we were dead in trespasses
and sin, though we were sinful by our nature, our Lord still
came out of love and gave himself for us. Even though John was shaking
his hand, I will not have that man to rule over me. He came
in the day of his love, just as he does to every one of his
children. And in the day of his love, he
cuts that old stony heart out and he gives a new heart. A new
heart that says, Lord, you're Lord. You're God Almighty. You're omnipotent creator of
all things. You are my Lord. We hid our faces from Him. He
was despised and we esteemed Him not. He suffered once, back
in our text. He suffered once. He suffered once for sins. 2 Corinthians 1, verse 5, allow
me to read for you these three different verses. For as the
sufferings of Christ abound in death, so our consolation also
aboundeth in Christ. Philippians 3, 10, we read these
words, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection
and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his
death. And then again in 1 Peter 4,
verse 13, we read these words, but rejoice in so much as ye
are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory shall be
revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. Next we see
in our verse, In our text back in 1 Peter 3, verse 18, we see
this, the just for the unjust. Folks, Christ knew no sin. You don't get any more just than
Christ, but that means that as He sacrificed Himself, the just,
why? Remember, that's the title of
this message. Consider the reasons for the
cross. The reason for the cross was
that the just had to pay the price in full for those who couldn't. Everything our God demands of
His people, He provides. You know that Lot was called
Just Lot in Hebrews? You know why? He's just in Christ. There's nothing about Lot in
the flesh that made him just. There's nothing of any of us
in the flesh that make us just. There is everything in Christ
that is needed for us to be just, justified. Christ knew no sin. He never
sinned. Everything our Lord did pleased
the Father. He was just, He's perfect, He's
sinless, yet He was made to be sinned. Whose sin? If it wasn't
His, whose was it? It was ours. Our sins were imputed
to Him. It says in 2 Corinthians 5.21, That's how we're just. That's
how we're justified in our Savior. Sin cannot be set aside. It cannot
be swept under the rug. It must be dealt with. And Christ
dealt with our sin, taking our sins as His own, though He did
sin not. It's called substitution. It's
called grace. It's called mercy. Scripture talks about a scapegoat
in the Old Testament. Our Lord Jesus Christ is our
scapegoat. The just gave himself a sacrifice
for me, the unjust, that he might bring us to God. That's my next
point. If he had not done this, I could
not be in the presence of God. If He had not made me just before
God, God could not look upon me. He could not look upon you.
We are sin from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet.
Everything we think is filled with sin. You think you're doing
something good, you know that everything you do that is good
is still tainted with sin because it's done in the flesh. The only person that does anything
good is our Savior. Why? Why did the just give himself
as a sacrifice for the unjust that he might bring us to God?
There's only one way between man and God. Matthew 7, 13, it
says this, Enter ye in at the straight gate, for wide is the
gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction. And many
there be which go therein. There's only one way to God,
and this is stated very clearly in John chapter 14, 6. Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man
cometh unto the Father but by me. You can't mix that with but by
him and something you have done. You can't mix that with, well,
I made a decision to follow him. You can't mix that with, well,
my will, I'll come to Him when I'm ready. I'll get baptized. I'll come to the table of remembrance.
I'll come to church on Sunday. You can't mix that with anything.
I am the way, says our Lord, the truth and the life. No man
cometh unto the Father but by me. Sin has separated mankind
from our Creator. He cannot look upon it. The only
way to God is by His Son, by His substitutionary death. He
has reconciled His elect, His chosen, His people unto Himself. In Isaiah 40, verse 1, we read
this, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, say your God. Well,
what comfort in there for a sinner? What comfort is there for one
who has nothing to offer God? Here's some comfort. Christ inspired
Jeremiah to write these words in 24 verse 7, and I will give
them at heart to know me. Lord, could you give me a heart?
Lord, would you give me a heart to know you? Don't leave me to
myself, oh Lord. He says, I will give them at
heart to know me, that I am the Lord. And they shall be my people. And I will be their God, for
they shall return unto me with their whole heart. First commandment,
love God with your whole heart. Again, Jeremiah writes in verse
31, chapter 31, verse 33. But this shall be the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days,
saith the Lord, I will put my law into their inward parts and
write it on their hearts, in their hearts, and will be their
God, and they shall be my people. And he says that again in chapter
32, verse 38. And they shall be my people,
and I will be their God. There's only one way to God,
and that is through the perfect Lamb of God. And that brings
me to my next point of consideration as we read here in our text,
being put to death in the flesh. Put to death in the flesh. It says in 1 Timothy 3.16, and
without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God
was manifest in the flesh. Why? Why would God lower himself
to walk into flesh on this earth because God in the spirit cannot
die. Folks, our spirit, the spirit
that dwells within, shall never die. When we go through that doormark
death, when the body of death is finally put away, there's
only two places that the spirit will go. Either one, into damnation,
into the hell pit of fire, but one into the bliss of heaven
to be in the presence of God forever, for eternity. Why did God become flesh? Because
there was no other way. He couldn't just turn away and
say, okay, it's done. Blood had to be shed. Christ
had to go to that cross. We're considering these things
of the cross. Christ had to go to that cross and pay the price
for us. He had to take those sins upon
himself as they were his, as though they were his, and make
that payment to make the satisfaction to God for you and I for an eternity. Those who go through that doormark
death without Christ will spend an eternity and never, ever satisfy
the wrath of God, the justice of God. Only the perfect Lamb
of God could do that. God and the Spirit cannot die,
sin demands death, and God had to become flesh that he might
conquer death for us, and that's what he did. That's what we read
in Romans 8, verse 36, as it is written, for thy sake we are
killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter,
nay, nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him that loved us. We've conquered death, Pauly
Mary. Not you and I personally, but God for us in His Son, the
Lord Jesus. And that door is just around
the corner for us, isn't it? Could be this afternoon. Could
be this afternoon. Paul goes on to declare in verse
38, he says, for I'm persuaded. How? Why? Why is he persuaded? Because it was God's blood that
was shed on the cross for him. in His place that gave Him the
confidence, the assurance. He says, I am persuaded that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
power, nor things to present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Christ
Jesus, what He is saying, what Paul
is saying is because it was God in the flesh that died for me,
I am assured of life in Him. Christ Jesus is my assurance.
I have no confidence in this flesh. I told you a moment ago that
there was a time when I thought I was a pretty okay guy. I hadn't
killed anybody. But my God has woken me up and
given me eyes to see that everything that is about this flesh that
stands before you is worthless. It'll return to dust as it should. The only reason my spirit will
go to heaven is because of what my Savior has done. Because of
the death that He took upon Himself. Can we get our minds wrapped
around that fact? God died for us? that we would
not die? Wow! Oh, how I would love to
love someone like that. I love my wife as best as I can. I love my children as best as
I can. But Christ loved us and gave
himself forth. Can we comprehend that? Can we lay that to heart? Without the death of our Savior,
our sins would be ours to answer for in the day of judgment. And
that brings me to my last point to consider this morning, but
quickened by the Spirit. Look at that last part of our
text there in verse 18. Let me read the whole thing again.
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, one time, the just,
Our Lord is just in all that He did, for the unjust, me, that
He might bring us, all of those that God gave Him before the
world was, bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh for
you and I, but quickened, quickened by the Spirit. Turn over to the
41st Psalm, if you would. Psalms number 41. In the 41st Psalm in verses 5,
beginning at verse 5, we read these words, My enemies speak
evil of me. When shall he die and his name
perish? This is talking about our Lord
and Savior Christ Jesus when he went to the cross. My enemies
speak evil of me. When shall he die and his name
perish? And if he come to see me, he
speaketh vanity. His heart gathereth iniquity
to himself. When he groweth abroad, he telleth
it. All that hate me whisper together against me. Against
me do they devise my hurt. An evil disease, sayeth they,
cleaveth fast unto him, and now that he lieth, he shall rise
up no more. Yea, mine own familiar friend,
in whom I trusted, which did eat my bread, hath lifted up
his heel against me. But thou, O Lord, Be merciful
unto me, and raise me up, that I may repay them. By this I know that thou favorest
me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me. And as for me,
thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face
forever. Blessed be the Lord of God, the
Lord God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and amen. The word quicken means to be
made alive, to be resurrected. Look over at Matthews. I'll read
Matthews. Turn to Acts chapter 2. In Matthew
17, while you're turning to Acts, we read these words in verse
23. And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be
raised again. Oh, death could not hold our
Lord. Look over with me, if you would,
at Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2. And consider the reasons the
Lord of Glory had to go to the cross. For the
people of God to be present with Him for eternity, our sin had
to be put away. The death of His cross did exactly
that. When He died, we died in Him.
Christ Jesus, our Redeemer, redeemed us unto God the Father, and the
proof of that payment, that it was adequate, that the payment
was sufficient, was the resurrection from the death of our Savior.
God accepted the sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God. That's
what all those sacrifices the high priests in the old days
meant. That's what they all pictured
was this very one sacrifice where our Lord laid down His life once. and paid the sins of all His
people. God accepted His Son, the spotless
Lamb of God, and He lives today. Death could not hold Him. Are
you in Acts chapter 2? Look with me beginning at verse
22. And ye men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth,
a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs,
which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also
know him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and
slain. Whom God hath raised up having
loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should
be holding of it. For David speaketh concerning
him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on
my right hand, that I should not be moved. Therefore did my
heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad. Moreover also, my flesh
shall rest in hope, because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,
neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one. to see corruption. Verse 28, Thou hast made known
to me the ways of life that shall make me full of joy with Thy
confidence. Men and brethren, let me freely
speak unto you. of the Patriarch David, that
he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us today."
They thought maybe that they were talking about David, but
this is not David at all. This is the Lord Jesus that they
were talking about. He says, "...men and brethren, let me
freely speak unto you of the Patriarch David, that he is both
dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us today. Therefore,
being a prophet," verse 30, "...and knowing that God had sworn with
an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins According to the
flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on His throne. Our Lord knew His Father would
not leave Him in that grave. He knew that the death of His
Son would be satisfying and God would raise Him up to sit on
His throne. Verse 31, He, seeing this before,
spake of the resurrection of Christ. That's David. that his
soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did seek corruption.
This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore, being by the right
hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise
of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see
and hear. For David is not ascended into
the heavens, but he saith to himself, The Lord saith unto
my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand. until I make thy foes thy
footstool. Therefore let all the house of
Israel know assuredly that God hath made this same Jesus, whom
ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Close with me, if
you would, over in Hebrews chapter 7. Hebrews chapter 7. Beginning at verse 19, and we'll
read through to verse 10 of chapter 8. For the law made nothing perfect,
but the bringing in of a better hope. I can't fulfill the law
in this flesh, but I have a hope in the one who did. A better
hope, by the which we draw nigh unto God. And insomuch as not
without an oath, he was made a priest. He was made priest,
not a priest, priest. For those priests, speaking of
the ones of old, were made without an oath, but this, with an oath
by him that said unto him, the Lord swear and will not repent. Thou art a priest forever, after
the order of Melchizedek. By so much was Jesus made a surety
of a better testament. and they truly were many priests
because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death.
But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood,
wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come to God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
for them. For such an high priest became
became us who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,
and made higher than the heavens. Whom needeth not daily as those
high priests to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then
for the people's. For this he did once when he
offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests
which have infirmity, but the word of the oath which was since
the law maketh the son who is consecrated forever. forevermore. Now, verse 8, chapter 8, verse
1. Now of the things which we have
spoken, this is the sum. All that that we just read, Paul
sums up in these words of Hebrews, this is the sum. We have such
a high priest who is set at the right hand of the throne of the
majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary of the true
tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man, For every high priest
is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices where it is of necessity,
that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if he were on earth,
he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer
gifts according to the law. who served under the example
and the shadow of heavenly things as Moses was admonished of God
when he was about to make the tabernacle, for see, saith he,
that thou makest all things according to the pattern, sure to thee
in the mount. But now that he hath obtained a more excellent
ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant,
which was established upon a better promises, For if that first covenant
had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for
the second. For finding fault with them,
he saith, Behold, the day is come, saith the Lord, when I
will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with
the house of Judah, not according to that which I made with their
fathers in the day when I took them by the hand and led them
out of the land of Egypt, because they continued not in my covenant,
and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days,
saith the Lord, I will put my laws in their mind, I will write
them in their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall
be to me a people. Why did the Lord of glory have
to go to the cross? Because of his love for all of
those that the Father hath given him. Because Christ Jesus is
God in the flesh, he shall lose none. To God be the glory, great
things he hath done. Amen.