Christ, Our Mercy Seat

Q: What does the Bible say about Christ as our propitiation?

The Bible teaches that Christ is our propitiation, meaning He is the mercy seat where God's justice and forgiveness meet. The concept of Christ as our propitiation is central to understanding His role in our salvation. As outlined in Romans 3:25-26, God set forth Christ to be the propitiation through faith in His blood. This means that Christ serves as the mercy seat, where God's wrath against our sins is satisfied through the shedding of His blood, making forgiveness available to those who believe. This act not only demonstrates God's justice but also His mercy, as He justifies those who place their faith in Him.

Q: How do we know that Christ was foreordained as our Savior?

The Bible states that Christ was foreordained for our salvation before the foundation of the world, reflecting God's eternal plan. The foreordaining of Christ as our Savior is underscored in the sermon by emphasizing that God predestined Him to be the propitiation for our sins before the world began. This aligns with teachings in Scripture that assert God's sovereignty over salvation. For instance, Acts 2:23 points out that Jesus was delivered up according to God's determined plan, demonstrating that His sacrifice was not an afterthought but part of God's eternal counsel. Therefore, the predestined role of Christ assures believers of the certainty and purpose of salvation.

Q: Why is the concept of the mercy seat important for Christians?

The mercy seat represents the place where God's grace and justice converge, emphasizing the significance of Christ's sacrifice. The mercy seat is vital for Christians as it symbolizes where God meets humanity—where His justice and mercy intersect. In the Old Testament, the mercy seat was the cover of the Ark of the Covenant, where atonement for sins was made through sacrifices. This concept carries over to Christ, who is our ultimate mercy seat. Through His sacrifice, He fulfills the law and satisfies God's justice, offering believers forgiveness. Hence, understanding Christ as the mercy seat deepens our appreciation for the grace and salvation we receive.

Q: What does it mean that God justifies those who believe in Christ?

It means that through faith in Christ, God declares believers righteous and forgives their sins. The concept of justification is fundamental to the Gospel. According to Romans 3:26, God is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. This means that believers, through their faith in Christ's sacrificial work, are declared righteous before God. This justification is not based on their own merit or works but solely on the grace of God as revealed in Christ's blood. Hence, faith is the means by which we appropriate this righteousness, assuring us of our standing before God.

Now, here's the text for today,
Romans, the book of Romans, chapter 3, verse 24, 25, and 26. Romans 3, 24, 25, and 26. I know some of you read your
Bibles with me when I'm preaching, and you'll want to follow as
we read the Scripture. So that's it, Romans 3, 24. And
the subject today is Christ. our mercy seek, Christ our mercy
seek. Now, if you'll listen this morning,
I believe you'll learn, at least in your head, the gospel, the
good news, the glad tidings of God's redeeming grace in Christ
Jesus, the gospel. It says here in Romans 3, verse
24, being justified, being justified, acquitted, just as if I'd never
sinned, reconciled, all sin forgiven, put away. pardoned, covered,
blotted out, being justified freely, freely, without charge,
by His grace, through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus, whom
God, whom God hath set forth, Christ Jesus, God set forth,
to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare
his righteousness." Now watch this, verse 26. "...that God
might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus."
Several things I want you to see here. God set him forward. What does that mean? To be a
propitiation. What does that mean? Through
faith in his blood, to declare God's righteousness, that God
might be God, that God might be just and holy and justify
folks like you and me. Now, my friends, I desire above
all things, and when I thought about saying that, I thought
about it again. I desire above all things, above
all things, may God be pleased to grant it, that as long as
this program stays on television, And we've been on now about 14
years. But as long as it stays on, and
as long as I'm able to preach and you to hear, that our subject
shall always be, every time we preach, every time you hear,
the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what Paul
declared. He said, I preach Christ and
Him crucified. In fact, I'm determined, he said,
I'm determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and
Him crucified." And he said again, we preach not ourselves. We're
not preaching ourselves. We're preaching Christ Jesus
the Lord and ourselves just your servants for Christ's sake. And I want our message always
to be Christ in His glorious deity, very God of very God. Let that note be sounded loud
and clear. Let that arrow go straight to
the mark. He's none other than God in human
flesh. The Father said unto the Son,
Thy throne, O God, is forever. And I want to preach Christ in
His true humanity, bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh.
Let it be, let it be said, let it be heard, let it be understood
that the Word actually was made flesh and dwelt among us and
we beheld His glory. the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth." I want our message
to be Christ crucified, Christ risen, Christ exalted. Who is
He that condemneth? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather,
is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also
maketh intercession for us. Christ, the only mediator between
God and men. 1 Timothy 2, 4 says there's one
God. Do you believe that? Well, there's
one Mediator. There's one God, there's one
Mediator between God and men, and that's the man Christ Jesus.
He said, I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm the life. No man cometh
to the Father but by me. Neither is there any other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. And
I want to preach Christ Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords,
who has all power over all flesh, who has all authority in heaven
and earth, who has been given a name above every name. Jesus Christ is worthy to receive
honor, power, and glory divine, and blessings a whole lot more
than I can give. Oh Lord, be forever thine. I never get tired. of preaching
the gospel. I hope you never get tired of
hearing it. Paul wrote to the church at Philippi and he said,
to write the same things to you, to me, is not tiresome, it's
not grievous, and it's profitable for you. And so he went right
on and preached Christ to them again. But you know, no true
believer, I can say this without hesitation, no true believer
ever gets weary of hearing the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Never, never, never. Who among
us ever complained of having too much sunshine? Did you ever
complain about having too much sunshine? I rejoice to see the
sun rise every morning and drive away the darkness, don't you?
Who among us has ever complained of the monotony of bread? I like
bread every meal. It's the staff of life. Who ever
complained of having too much water? You ever get tired of
water? Oh, no. Christ is the son of
righteousness, rising with healing in his wings. Christ is the bread
from heaven. Christ is the water of life.
Christ is the hope of glory. Christ is the rose of Sharon.
Christ is the lily of the valley. Christ is the fairest among ten
thousand. whose heart has ever been touched
by the Master's hand will ever tire looking into his face and
hearing of his wonders and his beauties and his glories. And
no true preacher will ever run out of something to say about
the Lord Jesus Christ. He never will. No, sir. Well, let's look at our text.
Let's look at our text. God hath set him forth. whom God hath set forth to be
a propitiation through faith in his blood." Now, the word,
set forth, means several things. Now, if you have a Bible there
with a center reference, a marginal reference, it's probably got
a little number right beside set forth, and it refers you
to that center reference, and it says there, foreordained. Foreordained. In other words,
set forth. whom God set forth to be the
propitiation. It means that God foreordained
Him. God predestinated Christ to be
our propitiation before the world began, before the morning stars
sang together, before the sons of God shouted for joy, before
the world was ever made, before Adam and Eve ever breathed. Jesus
Christ was ordained, foreordained from the beginning. predestinated
to be the surety of the everlasting covenant, to be the Lamb slain,
yea, even before the foundation of the world. He has always been
our Messiah. He has always been our Redeemer. He has always been our Mercy
Seeker. Do you see that? Whom God long
before the world began, long before there was a sinner, there
was a Savior, For known unto God are all his works from the
beginning." God declares the end from the beginning. And from
ancient times, the things that are not yet done, saying, my
counsel shall stand. God never learns anything. Jesus
Christ is not a remedy God came up with after the fall. Jesus
Christ is the remedy ordained, foreordained, predestinated before
the fall. That's what the word set forth
means first. God ordained him. And then secondly,
the word set forth. Whom God has set forth. It means
this, that God has placed him in public view. Set him forth. Set him forth. God has placed
him in public view. He has set him forth and exhibited
him in a most conspicuous manner, in an undeniable manner, that
there be no doubt as to who he is, that there be no doubt concerning
his claims, that there be no doubt of his office and his work. The Father hath set him forth
publicly in a conspicuous manner. The Father hath set him forth
to be a propitiation. Well, how has the Father set
him forth? Well, first of all, the Father
set him forth in the promises When Adam and Eve fell, the very
first promise God made of a Redeemer was this, the seed of woman shall
bruise the serpent's head. Who is this seed of woman? Well,
behold, the Lord himself shall give you a sign. A virgin shall
conceive and bring forth a son, calling his name Immanuel, God
with us. So God set him forth right there
in the garden, the seed of woman. And then he set him forth in
Genesis, the seed of Abraham. Why he said, Abraham, look up
at the sky. Can you count the stars? No, Lord. Can you count
the sands of the seashore? Even so shalt thou seed be. And he didn't even have a son
then. But that seed is Christ, the seed of Abraham coming through
Isaac. And then the prophet, God said
in Genesis 18, I believe it is, Moses said the Lord will raise
up a prophet. lack unto myself from among the
brethren, him you shall hear." God set him forth in all the
promises, and I could go all the way through the scripture
reading you promise after promise after promise of Christ's coming.
But the Father set him forth also in the Old Testament patterns
and pictures. The ark of Noah is a picture
of Christ. When judgment was upon the whole
face of the earth and every living human being was perishing, there
was the ark floating on that water. And all in the ark not
only survived, they victoriously conquered. They were delivered.
That ark is Christ. That Passover lamb is Christ.
Christ, our Passover sacrifice for us. That smitten rock in
the wilderness that gave forth the thirst-quenching, refreshing
water is Christ. That rock is Christ. Paul said
it is. The manna from heaven, that's
Christ. He said Moses gave you not that bread from heaven. My
Father giveth you the bread from heaven. I am the true bread from
heaven. The brazen serpent is Christ.
The tabernacle, the atonement, the priest, the sacrifice, they're
all Christ. God set him forth. Do you see
that? God set him forth in promise,
in prophecy, in picture. God set him forth, exhibited
him in a public manner, undeniable manner, in a conspicuous manner. Let it be not denied. This is
God's way. Would you come to God? You'll
come by Christ. And then the father set him forth
when he came into the world. He set him forth conspicuously,
publicly, undeniably so. The angels appeared to Mary and
Joseph and said to Mary, you'll have a son. She said, I can't
have a son. I don't know a man. And the whole, and the angel
said, That Son born of you will be conceived of the Holy Ghost
and be called the Son of God." That's pretty public. That's
pretty conspicuous. And the angel said to Joseph,
Mary's going to have a son. Call his name Jesus. He'll save
his people from their sins. The angels appeared to the shepherds
on the Judean hillside and they declared conspicuously and publicly,
openly, that's Christ born down there in Bethlehem, Judea. The
star stood over the manger and God said, the place my son will
come into this world." John the Baptist pointed at him and said,
there's the Lamb of God. The voice from heaven said, this
is my son. The works that he did bore witness
of me. Do you see what I'm saying? Whom
God had set forth. And the Father set him forth
on a cross. And I'll tell you, all things
written of him were fulfilled when he died on that cross. Having
fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from
the tree. They plucked his beard. Scripture
said they would. They spat in his face. Scripture
said they would. They drove nails into his hands
and feet. The Word said they would. They
mocked him in his kingly office. The Word said they would. Judas
betrayed him and denied him. And the Word said that he would,
and that by a potter's field with the pieces of silver that
he brought back to the temple. It was all done on time. Him
being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of
God, ye with wicked hands have crucified and slain, but you
did what God determined before to be done. Oh, yes, the Father
set him forth. He set him forth on a cross,
and he set him forth when he raised him from the dead, whereby
he gave a witness to all men that Jesus Christ was approved,
accepted, and exalted. And then the Father set him forth
in the gospel. That's what I'm preaching to
you. That's what I'm preaching to
you, the gospel. God has set him forth. But not many want
to hear it. They'd rather hear people sing,
or entertain, or perform, or act a fool, or give away dolls,
and prizes, and pictures. You know what I talk about? most anything than Christ, and
yet Christ is the very heart of God revealed. God set him forth. Do you see,
do you see wherefore God set him forth to be a propitiation? Well, what's a propitiation,
preacher? What's a propitiation? The word clearly, everybody knows
this, that's done any study at all, knows that the word propitiation
is mercy seat, mercy seat. Now, back in the Old Testament,
there was a tabernacle. Now you stay with me a minute.
The twelve tribes of Israel were, they were tenting around in their
tents and tabernacles on the land where God had brought them.
And in the middle of that whole encampment was a courtyard surrounded
by a white fence, eight feet high, a white linen fence surrounded
a tent, a tabernacle. It was only 45 feet long and
15 feet wide and 15 feet high. That was the tabernacle in the
wilderness. But it was in a courtyard surrounded by this white linen
fence, which speaks of the righteousness of God. Everybody stayed outside
the white linen fence except the priest. And there was only
one gate, one way of entrance, either coming in or going out,
was that eastern gate facing the rising of the sun. And right
in front of that eastern gate was an altar, an altar. And on that altar was where they
slew the sacrifices. The lamb was slain right there
on that altar and roasted with fire. You see, that altar is
a picture of Calvary where our lamb, the Lamb of God, was slain,
roasted in the fiery wrath of God for our sins, and His blood
was shed. So the priest would bring the
lamb for the Day of Atonement and would slay the lamb, catch
the blood in a basin, and roast it on that altar. And then he
would come across the courtyard with the blood. And the first
place he stopped in front of the tabernacle was the laver
of fresh, clean, clear water. And there he'd wash his hands
and feet. That's sanctification. That's Christ, our justification
at the altar at Calvary, our sanctification is also in Christ.
And then he would come into the tabernacle. And the tabernacle
was made up of two sections. There was the holy place. the
holy place, 30 feet long, 15 feet wide, the holy place. Only
three pieces of furniture in the holy place. There was a candlestick
over here, which is Christ, the light of the world. And over
on the other side, the bread, the table of showbread. That's
Christ, the bread of life. But right here in front of the
veil, the second veil, which was about four or five inches
thick, had no entrance, no doorway. It hung from top to bottom, side
to side. But right in front of the veil,
was an altar of incense. And it kept burning 24 hours
a day, 365 days a year. That incense would burn. The
priest kept it burning. That's the prayers of Christ
that ascend up before God for His people. Everything's Christ. He tabernacled among us, you
see. And then the priest, once a year, the high priest would
go under the veil into the Holy of Holies, into the awesome holy
place, the Holy of Holies. with the blood and with a censer
of incense, the prayers of Christ and the blood of Christ. And
that priest himself was a picture of Christ. And in that Holy of
Holies was the Ark of the Covenant. It's about two and a half feet
long, about two feet wide or 18 inches wide, about that high. And inside that Ark of the Covenant
were three things. There was Aaron's rod that budded,
there was a a pot of manna, the manna God gave from heaven, and
there was the broken law. The Ten Commandments on the tables
of stone that God gave to Moses was inside that ark. That was
the chief thing, the Ten Commandments, the broken law, was in that ark,
in that ark of the covenant. And over the top of the ark of
the covenant was a mercy seat, beaten gold, called the mercy
seat, the mercy seat. And on either end was a cherubim,
winged creature facing one another, and over that mercy seat was
the Shekinah glory of God. And that high priest would come
into that Holy of Holies once a year, not without blood, and
he would sprinkle that blood, which is the blood of Christ,
which is typical of the blood of Christ, which is a pattern
of the blood of Christ, which is a picture of the blood of
Christ. He'd sprinkle it on the mercy seat that covered the broken
law. And it was called a propitiation. It was called an atonement at
one month. It was called reconciliation.
The blood fell on the mercy seat before the glory of God, before
the Shekinah glory of God, and that's propitiation, forgiveness. The mercy seat is where the glory
of God was revealed. The mercy seat is where the atonement
was made. The mercy seat is where the broken
law was dealt with by death. Sacrifice and blood. The mercy
seat is where men met God. Would you meet God? You're not
going to meet him in a baptistry. You're not going to meet him
at an altar. You're not going to meet him at the front of a
church. You're going to meet him at the mercy seat. That's
where you'll meet God. Where Israel met God, at the
mercy seat. Would you be forgiven? You're
not going to be forgiven because you make religious signs. You're
not going to be forgiven because you count beads. You're not going
to be forgiven because you go to confessional. You're not going
to be forgiven because you turn over a new leaf. You'll be forgiven
because the blood is on the mercy seat. Is that clear? Would you
know and worship God? You'll only know God in Christ.
I'm telling you the truth. God has revealed His glory in
the face of Christ Jesus. God has set Him forth to be a
propitiation. a propitiation, a mercy seat. That's what it's all about. That's
where it's all done. That's where God meets men. Now,
back yonder in the day of Israel, as long as that tabernacle stood,
the only place of the atonement was in the tabernacle in the
Holy of Holies on the mercy seat before the Shekinah glory of
God. And that's where God met them.
And that's where they were forgiven. And I'm telling you now, God
set him forth. He's the fulfillment of all that.
God taketh away the first that he may establish the second.
The law's been fulfilled in Christ. The type has been fulfilled in
Christ. We have a high priest who is
ascended into the heavens, Jesus Christ the righteous. Having
a high priest over the house of God, let us come boldly. Christ
is our high priest. And He ministers not in a tabernacle
made with hands, but in the heaven itself. He has gone not into
the holy place made with hands, but into heaven itself, there
to put not the blood of an animal, but His own blood on the mercy
seat of glory. He is our propitiation. I can't
make it any clearer than that. That's what God says. And then
the word propitiation also is a covering, a covering. That's what the mercy seat did.
covered the ark. It covered the broken law. It
covered it up. The blood made it an effectual
covering, and the mercy seat covered the broken law, and so
covered that which is the cause of God's wrath. What's the cause
of God's wrath? Sin, the broken law. Why are
you going to cover your sin? Well, I'll wash them away in
water. Oh, no. Without the shedding of blood,
there's no remission. It's the blood that maketh atonement
for the soul. Our sins are covered by the blood,
the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin,
in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sin. The blood maketh atonement for the soul. How can I make
that clearer? If words mean anything, that's
what it says. The mercy seat, covered with
the blood, and it covers the broken loins. And God had set
him forth to be a mercy seat and a covering. Now the preacher
of doctrine sets forth a creed. And the preacher of experience
sets forth a feeling. And the preacher of law sets
forth a work. But God set forth his son to
be a propitiation for our sin. Do you see? Do you see? God set him forth. And God set
him forth as a mercy seat and as a covering. For whom is the
mercy seat intended? For whom is the covering intended? Well, notice the next line. Through
faith in his blood. It's for those who believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ. God is just and justifier of
those who believe. Abraham believed God and it was
counted to him for righteousness. And this was written not for
his sake alone, but for our sakes, to whom it shall be imputed if
we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. It's not the
baby in the manger that saves. It's not the healer or the stranger
of Galilee that saves. It's not the reformer that saves.
It's the Christ of the cross that saves. It's the blood that
maketh atonement for the soul. What can wash away my sins? Nothing
but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Let others who will praise the
cross of the Christ. The Christ of the cross is my
theme. While we must cherish the old
rugged cross, it's the Christ of the cross that redeems. Religion
today makes much of the cross. It's not the cross that saves.
It's the Christ who saves. The cross has no blood in it.
The cross has no mercy seed. The cross has no propitiation.
It's the blood of Christ. The royal bath in which black
souls are washed white from their sins was drawn from the veins
of the Son of God. Do you see that? He lived that
we might have a perfect righteousness. He died that justice might be
satisfied. He arose that we might arise
in newness of life. He ascended as our forerunner.
He's accepted. THAT WE MIGHT BE ACCEPTED AND
HE REIGNS THAT WE MIGHT REIGN. I SAY JUST AS I AM, WITHOUT ONE
BLEED, BUT THAT THY BLOOD WAS SHED FOR ME AND THAT THY BISHOP
MAY COME TO THEE, LAMB OF GOD, I COME. I COME. NOW, I HAVE TWO MESSAGES ON THIS
TAPE. I HAVE A MESSAGE I PREACHED LAST WEEK ON THE SUBJECT CHRIST,
THE MIGHTY GOD, JESUS CHRIST, THE MIGHTY GOD. AND THIS ONE,
CHRIST, THE MERCY SEEKER. You write, send $2, we'll mail
them both to you on the same tape. Next week, we'll see you
again. God bless you.

Christ, Our Mercy Seat

What does the Bible say about Christ as our propitiation?

How do we know that Christ was foreordained as our Savior?

Why is the concept of the mercy seat important for Christians?

What does it mean that God justifies those who believe in Christ?

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Christ, Our Mercy Seat

What does the Bible say about Christ as our propitiation?

How do we know that Christ was foreordained as our Savior?

Why is the concept of the mercy seat important for Christians?

What does it mean that God justifies those who believe in Christ?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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