"JESUS, THE WAY TO FORGIVENESS"
Introduction:
We have seen that Jesus is The Way to a better life, even here on earth; but much more importantly, Jesus is the way to forgiveness for our sins!
[To understand why we need forgiveness and how Jesus provides the way to forgiveness is the purpose of this lesson. It is important then, that we begin by properly defining sin….]
I. The Definition of Sin.A. Some Misconceptions of Sins…1. That it is nothing more than a violation of human relationships.2. That an action is sinful only if:a. It is frowned upon by society, or It violates their conscience.b. It is harmful to someone else.3. This leads many to misunderstand how the problem of sin can be corrected; some believe that correcting sin involves nothing more than to make things right with other people. With this misconception, they think they are forgiven of all past actions if they simply change their behavior.
B. The Biblical Definition of Sin.1. The Bible defines at least three different types of sin.
The direct violation of God's Law (Sin of commission).
1 John 3:4 “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.”
Failure to do what is right (sin of Omission).
James 4:7 “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Violating one's own conscience.
Romans 14:23 “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.”
Sin is more than simply a violation of human relationships, though it often involves that. It is a serious matter that involves God and His Will for us. How serious is Sin? Consider the consequences of sin:
The wages of sin is death!
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This death is one involving everlasting torment!
Revelation 21:8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
Revelation 20:10 “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
[Why is sin considered so bad that the sinner who is not forgiven must experience such torment? To understand why, we must appreciate]
II. The Nature of God and the Problem of Sin.God's Nature:
God is supremely Holy .
a. His holiness makes any truce with sin impossible
b. Note what is written:
Psalm 5:4-6 “For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. [ 5 ] The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. [ 6 ] You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.”
Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”
God is supremely just .
a. His justice demands sin be punished properly.
b. This helps to explain God's actions in the case of Nadab and Abihu:
Leviticus 10:1-3 “Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. [ 2 ] So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. [ 3 ] And Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord spoke, saying: By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.' "So Aaron held his peace.”
c. In the case of Moses and Aaron:
Numbers 20:12 “Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel , therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."
Since we see that the ultimate penalty for sin is eternal torment, this emphasizes: how Holy God must be, how terrible sin must be.
Sin's Problem:
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
And the very nature of God (both Holy and Just) demands; separation of sinners from God, and punishment for our sins. Man is unable by himself to do anything.
There are no “works” than one can do to make him innocent of the guilt of sin.
A man who commits murder is not made innocent of that crime by living the rest of his life by the law. Yet many people think that they save themselves by balancing their good deeds against their sins.
Sin of any kind is so repulsive to God's holiness that His justice requires punishment. Look again at the sins referred to earlier in
Revelation 21:8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Whether the sin is fear, lack of faith, lying, or murder , the “second death” is reserved for those who are guilty. Even if you commit just one sin, the nature of sin in the sight of a Holy God is such that you are as guilty as one who broke every law.
James 2:10 “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”
[Since we all sin (Romans 3:23) it appears we are all doomed to suffer God's justice! Is there any way that He can be both Holy and Just and yet allow sinful man to be “reconciled” to Him? Yes!!!]
III. Jesus, The Way To Forgiveness of Sins .1. God has provided Jesus as a “Propitiation” for our sins.
1 John 4:10 “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
The word “propitiation” originally referred to an act or sacrifice that a man offered designed to appease a god. As used in the Bible, it refers to that which God has done (not man) What man cannot do for himself, God has done!
He has offered His Son Jesus on the cross as a means to appease His Justice.
Such was foretold by Isaiah nearly 700 years earlier:
Isaiah 53:5-6 “But He was wounded for our transgressions He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. [ 6 ] All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
Isaiah 53:10-11 “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. [ 11 ] He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.”
Note that by the act of Christ's suffering the punishment due us for our own sins, we are forgiven of them.
Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”
Through Christ's death on the cross, we can come back to God having been forgiven of our sins! In this way, God is able to:
a. Preserve His Holiness when we are in His presence (for our sins have been forgiven by the blood of Christ).
b. Maintain His justice (for our sins have been properly punished by the death of Christ), all the while demonstrating His Love, Grace, and Mercy!
And so, Jesus is the Way to forgiveness of sins, for He has been made a “Propitiation” for our sins!
2. Receiving Jesus as the Way to Forgiveness.
After His death and following His glorious resurrection from the dead, Jesus charged His apostles with the commission to spread the good news.
Mark 16:15-16 “And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. [ 16 ] He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
We read in Acts 2, how this Great Commission was carried out. We find Peter proclaiming the gospel for the first time. After presenting evidence that Jesus has truly risen from the dead and ascended to the right hand of God, Peter comes to the climax of his sermon:
Acts 2:36-38 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." [ 37 ] Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" [ 38 ] Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
When someone wanted to be saved through the blood of Jesus Christ they were told to be baptized for the remission (forgiveness) of their sins upon their believing in Jesus and repenting of their sins. Faith (which includes confessing Jesus as Lord) repentance and baptism were the conditions by which one could receive Jesus and enjoy the forgiveness of sins!
Conclusion:
I leave with you the fact that Jesus is the Way to forgiveness! Indeed, He is the only way; for God has offered no other way whereby we can be reconciled to Him.
As Jesus said:
“I am the way , the truth , and the life . No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 4:6
No other way solves the dilemma between man's sins and the holiness and
Justice of God.
“Let Jesus be your way to forgiveness”