...song for tonight's message. Turn,
if you would, to 1 John, chapter 4. We were there this morning. 1 John, chapter 4. This morning
we looked at verse 19, but today, tonight, we'll be looking at
verse 10. But I want to read the context of it, so I'd like
us to read 1 John 4, verse 7 to 11. And the name of the message
is, Christ is our propitiation. Christ is our propitiation. Beloved, let us love one another,
for love is of God. And everyone that loveth is born
of God and knoweth God. Verse 8, he that loveth not knoweth
He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. And this
was manifested, the love of God toward us, because that God sent
His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through
Him. Herein is love. Herein is love. Not that we love God, but that
He loved us. and sent His Son to be the propitiation
for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us,
we ought also to love one another. My, what a subject we have tonight. Christ is our propitiation. This
morning we looked at the everlasting love of God to His people, and
tonight we will see the outpouring of that love. The outpouring
of that love. in Christ, to God's people, is
Christ is the propitiation for our sins. It's the outpouring,
the manifestation of the love of God. Here in His love, not that we
love God. Look at that, look at verse 10.
Here in His love, not that we love God, but that He loved us
and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. May we ponder the
wonderful words here. Herein is love. Here before us
is love. Here before us is love that is
not like human love. Here before us is divine, distinguishing, merciful love. Herein is love, not earthly love,
but divine love. Divine love. And we looked at
this morning, right, that we love Him because He first loved
us. And we looked at God's wondrous
eternal love that God has for His people. And note the outflow
in this verse. Here in his love, not that we
love God, right? Because we didn't. When we were
born into this world, we came into this world dead in trespasses
and sins. Scripture says we were at enmity
with God, enemies in our minds with God. Now, he knew we were
his sheep, but we were at enmity with him. And if we weren't in
our words, we were in our deeds, or in our mind, beloved. Oh my,
we were dead in trespasses and sins. But what wondrous love
God has for his people. It was divine love. Think of
this, beloved. It was divine love that caused
the mission of Christ. And it was a mission. He came,
right, to save his people from their sins. He was on a mission,
beloved. He was sent from God, scripture says. He came, willingly,
voluntarily. Our great king leaves heaven
and he came to redeem his people from their sins and it was divine
love which caused that. That was the cause for him coming
here. It was God's plan and purpose for Christ to come and to redeem
his people from their sins. And this was all purposed and
planned in eternity. In eternity. He's the lamb slain
from the foundation of the world. and were chosen in Him from before
the foundation of the world. And it was God's plan and purpose
that the Word, the Son, the second member of the Trinity, right?
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, that the Son would
become flesh. And this was purposed and planned
by God in eternity. And look who God sent in the
text. Here in his love, not that we love God, but that he loved
us in what? And sent his son. God sent his son. He freely delivered
and sent his son for the sins of his people. Jesus Christ is a propitiation
appointed by God, by God the Father. He is sent by God the Father.
God the Father sends the word to what? To be a propitiation
according to this verse, to be a propitiation for my sins. And if you believe for your sins
and not just for our sins, but for sins all the elect of all
the ages. A number that no man can number. What a savior. What a redeemer. And God, God delivered him up. And think of who came. God himself. God himself in human flesh. The
sinless one. The perfect one. fully God and
fully man. He was fully man like us, but
he was fully God. He not like us in that sense,
right? Because we're not divine. He's
the only one who's divine. So he's like us, bone of our
bone and flesh of our flesh, but he's God incarnate in the
flesh. He's the creator. The creator. He entered into his creation. God himself in human form. God incarnate in the flesh. And he hangs upon Calvary's cross
bleeding and dying because of our transgressions. Marvel in this love, beloved.
Marvel in the love that was manifested at Calvary's cross. The great
reconciler, the Lord Jesus Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of
God dies in the room and place of His people. Making atonement
at one minute. Making atonement. for the sins
of his people, how by the sacrifice of himself and reconciling them
to God, he is the great peacemaker. And now, we who believe have
peace with God. Peace, and think of this, we'll
get into this later, but the very one we offended sent Christ. Mercy, mercy, beloved. Mercy. One commentator said this. His sacrifice of himself was
the atonement through which mercy is rendered possible in consistency
with justice. Because justice is satisfied.
It's satisfied through Christ. Now the Greek word for propitiation
means this. In appeasing. In appeasing. Christ has appeased God's justice. Christ has appeased God's wrath. Christ has appeased God's law
in the place of His people. It also means this, propitiating
atonement in strongs, the means of appeasing a propitiation.
Again, do we not see the love of God manifested to His people
in sending Christ, sending His own Son to be a propitiation
for our sins? our sins, the sins of His people. And let us consider that He was
in His meditatorial office even while He was here, as He is right
now interceding for us before the Father, because He was sent
here to be a propitiation for our sins, to reconcile us to
God, to reconcile us to God. We couldn't reconcile ourselves,
could we? There is no way. We can't reconcile ourselves.
Christ has reconciled his people. And think again here, God is
the person wronged. God is the person wronged. Our
sins are all against him. It's his law we've broken. It's his justice we've offended,
we've broken. It's his will. That we just, before we're saved,
we don't even know about His will, do we? We think we're just
recklessly going along on our own way. It's His name we've dishonored.
Yet, see His love to His people. See His love to His people in
our text. He sends Jesus Christ our Lord, His Son, to be a propitiation. for our sins, for the sins. Now think of this. He sends his
son. And I talked to you earlier this
morning about, about, okay, think of the person you love the most. Would you send them to die for
someone who's shaking their fist at you? Now see the love of God. It surpasses
anything human, anything, anything. So we've offended His law, we've
offended His justice, and He sends Christ. He sends
Christ, who is the only one who could make propitiation. The only one. And think of this, He sends Christ
to be a propitiation for our sins, and it was Him we sinned
against. That's incredible. But this is
the wonder of the gospel. That Christ dies for sinners,
for his people. And we receive grace and mercy
through Christ Jesus our Lord. Christ is the only one, again,
who could make propitiation for us. The only one. The only one
God would be satisfied with. The only one who could live a
perfect life. The only one who could die before God's law. A
perfect man. Sinless. Oh my. Hail sovereign love that
first began the scheme to rescue fallen men. Hail matchless free
eternal grace that gave my soul a hiding place. Christ is my
hiding place. Is He yours? Rejoice, beloved. Rejoice! Our hiding place is
the Lord Jesus Christ, who died to be the propitiation for our
sins. And note in our text, here in
His love, not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be what? The propitiation. It's singular. The propitiation
for our sins. There can be no other but Christ,
beloved. Because only Christ alone can
satisfy the law of God. Only Christ alone can satisfy
the justice of God. And only Christ alone is perfect
and sinless. He is the Lamb of God. Behold, the Lamb of God. And it was for the sins of His
people that Christ died, as a propitiation. Turn, if you would, to Isaiah
27. Isaiah 27, verse 9. Do you know that our iniquity
has been purged? Our sins, the believer's sins,
have been purged? It's wonderful. Look what Isaiah
27, 9 says. By this, therefore, shall the
iniquity of Jacob be what? Purged. Purged. And this is all the fruit to
take away his sin. When he maketh all the stones
of the altar as chalk stones that are beaten up and sundered,
the groves and the image shall not stand up. And look at this.
By this, therefore, shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged.
And this is all the fruit to take away his sin. Christ Jesus
took away our sin. He took away the sin of his people.
My. How again, how is the iniquity
of Jacob purged? How is the iniquity of God purged?
Only by Christ, only by the sacrifice of Christ, only by Christ, who
is our propitiation. Our great redeemer came into
this world, the scripture declares. this and she shall bring forth
a son and doubt shall call his name Jesus, for he shall. I love that word. He shall save
his people from their sins. And beloved, he did it. He did
it. He came into this world to be
a propitiation, to appease the wrath of God, to be a propitiation. For our sins, for the sins of
his people. to propitiate is to appease God's
wrath and displeasure, which justly has a claim upon we sinners.
God's wrath and justice justly has a claim upon sinners, because
we've all broken God's law and offended His justice. But Christ
came to appease God's wrath and appease God's justice and to
fulfill God's law for His people, beloved. And praise God, He loved
His people from eternity. and sent his son, the Lord Jesus
Christ, to die for us, that he might work in us, that which
he pleases. That which he pleases. Born again
by the Holy Spirit of God, granted faith to believe, repentance.
My, it's incredible. And it's the work of God. And
then, and then, as we journey through this world, Through the
Spirit has worked in us, isn't it? And it's all God's work.
We've seen that in Colossians. It's all God's work. It's all
His doing. My, my oh my. What a Savior. Christ is our propitiation. He has made full satisfaction
to the justice of God for us. He hath purged our sins and appeased
the wrath of God for our sins. How? By the sacrifice of himself. By the sacrifice of himself is
our propitiation. And our text says that tonight.
Sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. For our sins. He purged our sins and appeased
the wrath of God for our sins by the sacrifice of Himself.
He paid all that was demanded. Everything. What's the price
of our ransom? Well, this is the greatest manifestation
of love that has ever occurred in this world. The Lord Jesus
Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, gave Himself for us. For us. is people who are sinners by
birth, nature, and choice. But what has the believer found?
A ransom. I found a ransom. Actually, he
found me. He found me. I wasn't looking
for him. And now I have him by his grace,
by his mercy. Oh, what a ransom we have, beloved. You who love Christ, what a ransom
we have. My, oh my. I found a ransom. Jesus Christ, he is our propitiation. And not only our propitiation,
but He is our propitiator. He's not only our Savior, but
He is our salvation. He's not only our Redeemer, He's
also our ransom. He's our ransom. 1 Timothy 2.6
says this, Who gave Himself a ransom for all to be testified in due
time. He gave Himself for all His people. Let's turn, if you would, to
Romans 3, verse 25. Romans 3, verse 25. Scripture proclaims in Romans
3, verse 25, "...whom God has set forth to
be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His
righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through
the forbearance of God." Now John Gill made an excellent comment
on this, I'd like to read it. He said this, on Christ being
our propitiation. Christ is the propitiation for
sin, which must be understood of his making satisfaction to
divine justice for the sins of his people. He goes on to say
these were imputed to him. Our sins were imputed to him.
and being found on him, the law and justice of God made demands
on him for them, which he answered to satisfaction by his obedience
and sacrifice, and which, as it could not be done by any other,
nor in any other way, this is expressed by reconciliation and
atonement. My goodness, our sins were imputed
to him, and he bore them before God's law and before God's justice. He is the perfect spotless propitiation. My goodness, the beast that made
atonement, that was to be sacrificed, must be spotless, right? It must
have no defect, it must be without excess, and it must be without
blemish. Leviticus says this, 22 verse 20, But whatsoever hath
a blemish, that shall ye not offer, for it shall not be acceptable
for you. for you. Now ponder this. Ponder
this, beloved of God. What a picture of Christ this
is. He was conceived, born, lived,
and died without sin. He was born, lived, died without
sin. 1 Peter 1, 19 and 20 says this, And turn if you would to Hebrews
9. I'm going to read 1 Peter 1.19 and then I want us to look
at a portion in Hebrews 9. This is just spectacular. When
I saw this, my heart just leapt. 1 Peter 1.19 and 20 says this,
But with the precious blood of Christ being redeemed, with the
precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the
world, but was manifest in these last times for you. Now, Matthew
Henry's father was the one who said, Christ is conceived, born,
lived, and died without sin. I love that. That tells us that
our Savior was absolutely perfect, spotless, sinless. Our sins were imputed to Him.
He's the spotless Lamb of God, beloved. Now, look at this. Look at this marvelous scripture
over in Hebrews 9. And I hope that we see something
in this text that will just thrill our souls. Look at this in Hebrews
9, verses 11 to 15. But we're going to pause in verse
14. But Christ came, Christ being come, and high priest of good
things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle.
not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood
he entered in once into the holy place. Heaven obtained eternal
redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and
of goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctified
to the purifying of the flesh. Now, we believe that Christ was
made sin, but we believe it's by imputation, don't we? That
our sins were imputed to Christ, and He was the sinless sacrifice.
Look at this next verse, beloved. Look at this. How much more shall
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself
without spot to God... When did Christ offer Himself
without spot to God? On Calvary's cross. Without spot. He's perfect. Without spot, purge your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God. And for this cause
He is the mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death,
for the redemption of the transgression, that were under the First Testament,
they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. He was conceived, born, lived,
and died without sin. What a Savior. What a Redeemer. And let us ponder this wonderful
truth, beloved. May it make our hearts sing in
praise to our great God. There was a law broken, God's
law, and there was a justice provoked, God's justice, which
both had to be satisfied, and Christ by His sacrifice has satisfied
both. Has satisfied both. So that neither,
now think of this, so that neither the wrath of God or any of its
effects can fall upon those for whom Christ died. Isn't that
wonderful? Isn't that wonderful? My goodness,
beloved. Because everything that we deserve
was poured out on our Savior. Poured out on Him. This is good
news for sinners. This is wonderful news for sinners. Christ is the propitiation for
the law and justice of God fully for His people. And the law is
fulfilled, and the justice satisfied by the sacrifice of Christ. Leviticus
17 11 scripture declares this, for the life of the flesh is
in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make
an atonement for your souls. For it is the blood that maketh
an atonement for the soul. And Christ sacrificed and shed
his precious blood for our sins. Beloved, to make an atonement
for our sins. Oh, this is good news. Christ
is the atonement for his people. He's our mercy seat, beloved.
And he not only lived as our substitute, but he suffered and
died as our substitute. And he's not only the priest.
Now think of this. He's not only the priest, but
he's the sacrifice himself. What a saint. Now there were
different types of sacrifices that were offered in the Old
Testament to God. Some sacrifices were merely to
honor God. Those were called burnt offerings
because the whole beast was burnt. Other sacrifices were when something
was wanting to obtain it. These were peace offerings, peace
including every good thing. Others were mercy. When some mercy had been obtained,
they were offered to give thanks. They were offered to give thanks.
That's called a thank offering. Others were to make atonement
for sin. called sin offerings and trespass offerings. A bullock
or a sheep or a goat or the like Dali offered was a means to make
reconciliation for the sin of the offerer. Now we know, we
know that divine justice could not be satisfied by those sacrifices. But one commentator said the
divine will and pleasure was thereby performed. He continued
with this, it sanctified to the purifying of the flesh, that
is it continued to the offerer his right entitled to the privileges
of the earthly Canaan, which by his sin he had forfeited. He had forfeited. Now our sin
offering and our trespass offering, our sacrifice is the Lord Jesus
Christ. And we know that all those sacrifices,
all those offerings, They pointed right to Christ. They pointed
right to Christ, right to him, right to him. Purge out, therefore,
the old leaven, that you may be a new lump as you are unleavened. For even Christ, our Passover,
is sacrificed for us. For he hath made him to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. Oh, my beloved. Turn if you would
to Galatians chapter 2. Galatians chapter 2. Salvation
and grace flow to the believer in and through Jesus Christ and
Him alone who is our propitiation. Galatians chapter 2. And then
we'll just turn over one chapter to Galatians 3. Galatians chapter 2. Salvation and grace flows to
the believer in and through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is our propitiation. Galatians 2 verse 19 to 21, For
I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto
God. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless
I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. In the life which
I now live and the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me and what? Gave himself for me. He is our
propitiation, beloved. God sent him. to be our propitiation. He gave Himself, Paul's writing
this, a believer, he's saying, He gave Himself for me. And every
believer can say this, can't we? He gave Himself for me. For me. See, He's a whole Savior
to every believer, isn't He? Like we looked at last week.
He's a full Savior. Every individual Saint of God
says, He gave Himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace
of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then what? So
if righteousness comes by by your doing. Look at this, then
Christ is dead in vain. Oh, we're free from the law,
beloved, free from its condemnation, because Christ fulfilled it for
us in our place. And then turn over, if you would,
one chapter. What a redeemer we have, beloved. What a Redeemer
we have. Look at Galatians 3, verses 13
and 14. Look at this. Look at the certainty
of this. Christ hath, hath. Note these
little hinge words, I love them. Little hinge words. Galatians
3, verse 13. Christ hath redeemed us. From
what? From the curse of the law. Being
made a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is
everyone that hangeth on a tree, that the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive
what? The promise of the Spirit through
faith. But Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law
of the Lord. He's redeemed us. How? By being our propitiation. My. Christ is himself called
the propitiation. Look at our text, here in His
love, not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His
Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Oh, how infinite is the merit
of His work. How infinite is the merit of
His work, beloved. Jesus Christ is our slain propitiation,
because without the shedding of blood, there's no remission.
and it must be lifeblood, beloved. In the Old Testament, the beast
must die, or else it could not be a propitiatory sacrifice.
Christ died a propitiation for the sins of his people, shed
in his blood. And he is a complete propitiation. He's a complete propitiation. Three things were required. To
complete a propitiation, three things were required. Three things. A priest, an altar, and an offering. And Christ is all three things
to us. All three things. He's our priest. He's our altar, and He offered
Himself up in offering for our sins. And if any of those
three things were wanting, then there was no atonement. But Christ
is all three for His people. The Lord Jesus Christ is for the believer our glorious,
complete, an all-sufficient Savior. He is our propitiation. And may He daily be the delight
of we who love Him. May we ponder this week. May
we ponder this week that He is our mercy seat. He is our propitiation. He is our high priest. He is
our altar. He is our sacrifice. And He is
the Sacrificer. He's all in all. He's all in
all. And I need no more in time, and
I'll need no more in eternity. Heavenly Father, we come before
you again marveling at the scripture which declares that Christ Jesus
our Lord is our propitiation. Oh, how He appeased your wrath,
your broken law, and your justice which had been offended Oh, how
He pleased it and appeased it, satisfying it in our place, in the place
of your people. And it was thee who we sinned
against, O Lord. It was you who we sinned against,
Father. And what mercy and love you manifested towards your people
in sending your Son to be the propitiation for our sins. May we think upon these wonderful
truths this week. and may it fill our hearts with
joy and with love. Oh Lord, that your distinguishing
love, your distinguishing grace has been set and bestowed upon
us. In Jesus' name, amen.