Text: Romans 3:24-26

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Series: Seven Different Perspectives of the Cross

Introduction:

We talk about the cross, the facts of the cross, what it means to us. That’s it! The cross is much more than that. We are going to take a closer look at the cross from seven distinct points of view:

• What the cross meant to God?
• What the cross meant to Christ?
• What the cross meant to Satan?
• What the cross means to the World?
• What the Cross means to the Church?
• What the Cross means to the Christian’s struggle against sin?
• What the Cross means in Heaven?

We will be addressing the big question "What the Cross means to YOU?"

The Question: “What the cross meant to God?”

Answer #1 The turning away of God’s Wrath

Romans 3:25

Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Propitiation – To turn away wrath by the offering of a gift.

NT:2435 i(lasth/rion ‎ ‎hilasterion (hil-as-tay'-ree-on); neuter of a derivative of NT:2433; an expiatory (place or thing), i.e. (concretely) an atoning victim, or (specially) the lid of the Ark (in the Temple): KJV - mercyseat, propitiation.

God is Love 1 John 4:8, John 3:16

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 1:18

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

God is love, but God hates sin.

Ask a loving wife whose husband is unfaithful.

Ask a loving parent whose child is rebellious.

John the Baptist preached the wrath of God not love. God is both.

Luke 3:7

Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Propitiation - Mercyseat

Leviticus 16:14- 30

Mercyseat – It was there that the High Priest offered a gift of blood once a year. The sacrifice of blood turned away the wrath of God. Why is this important? Because God’s justice demands death as the ultimate punishment for sin. The sprinkling of the blood was called the “atonement”.

Inside the ark were the Ten Commandments which condemned the children of God every day. But on that day, God’s wrath was stayed. The problem, it was temporary.

Hebrews 10:4

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

Heb 7:23-28

What Jesus did was permanent!

Mark 15:33-34

33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Isaiah 53:10-11

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt 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 of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

How would you feel if the person that you loved the most turned their back on you! It would HURT!

3 long hours = 125 years (1 day = 1,000 years)

To call the death of Christ a “propitiation” means that God’s wounded heart is now satisfied with the death of his Son. The wonder of propitiation is that the offended party (God), who has every right to be angry at sinners himself, offers the gift (the death of Jesus) to turn his own wrath, thus making it possible for guilty sinners to be forgiven.

Rom 3:25 TLB

For God sent Christ Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to end all God's anger against us. He used Christ's blood and our faith as the means of saving us from his wrath.In this way he was being entirely fair, even though he did not punish those who sinned in former times. For he was looking forward to the time when Christ would come and take away those sins.

The Question: “What the cross meant to God?”

Answer #2 A Demonstration of God’s Justice

Romans 3:26

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Justifier

NT:1344 dikaio/w ‎ ‎dikaioo (dik-ah-yo'-o); from NT:1342; to render (i.e. show or regard as) just or innocent: KJV - free, justify (-ier), be righteous.

Example: Judge fines you 25,000 dollars or jail, he pays your fine. You go free!

Rom 3:26 TLB

And now in these days also he can receive sinners in this same way because Jesus took away their sins. But isn't this unfair for God to let criminals go free, and say that they are innocent? No, for he does it on the basis of their trust in Jesus who took away their sins.

The Question: “What the cross meant to God?”

Answer #3 An Outpouring of God’s Grace

Romans 3:24

Being justified (same word as justifier in verse 26) freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Grace - Getting what you need but do not deserve. (Free Gift)

Rom 3:24 TLB

yet now God declares us "not guilty" of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins.

Closing

200 years ago William Cowper from England, fearing that he was under the wrath of God, writes “I flung myself into a chair by the window and there saw the Bible on the table by the chair. I opened it up and my eyes fell on Romans 3:25. He then pinned the song: There is a fountain”.