In this week's lesson from our series on gratitude we looked at why we should be thankful for Jesus' death. As Kurt mentioned in his sermon, it may seem like a strange thing to be thankful for. After all, we wouldn't be inclined to feel overwhelmed with thankfulness at the passing of a friend or loved one. Even at the passing of a stranger, or worse yet, an enemy, we wouldn't likely rejoice with a grateful heart. It isn't natural to celebrate death, because I believe deep down we all recognize that death is not natural. It isn't how God intended things to be.
We learn in the opening pages of scripture that mankind was created to enjoy eternal fellowship with God. In the garden, God would dwell with his creatures. He would sustain them and bless them and they would thrive in his presence as they glorified and worshiped him. That's how things were supposed to be. It was sin that fractured that relationship and separated man from God. No longer able to dwell in his presence, mankind was cutoff from God and his life-giving power. As Paul puts it in Romans chapter 6, "the wages of sin is death."
As we learned, we often view sin as a hurdle to be overcome. The popular analogy of a deep chasm is used to often illustrate how sin separates us from God. However, as Kurt pointed out, what is often lost in the teaching is that, while sin does create separation from God, the true plight of mankind isn't just that we are separated from God, but rather that, as scripture teaches, we stand condemned before God. In his holiness, God hates sin and his response toward it is always that of justice and wrath. We are not, as sinners, standing on the opposite side of the Grand Canyon longing to find a way across to where God is. Rather, we are traitorous rebels being crushed under the mighty hand of an angry and powerful King...all the while shaking our fists in futile defiance.
This teaching isn't popular because it's not an easy sell. Nobody wants to hear about that God. That's Old Testament language and we are New Testament people! Our God is a gracious and loving grandfather figure who is sitting quietly on a rocking chair on his front porch, just waiting for us to come visit. Now, that God will preach!
In reality, without a proper appreciation for the true severity of the plight of sinful man, one will never respond to the gospel with a thankful heart. The same God that has set his wrath against sin, has mercifully condescended from glory to take on flesh and bear the weight of that judgement upon himself in Christ for the benefit of his children. It isn't simply that God has loved us, but he has loved us "in Christ." It is within the framework of the relationship of eternal Father and eternal Son where we find our hope. Election, adoption, justification, sanctification, glorification - all of the fancy "-tion" words that we teach our pastors in seminary classes - all find their source in Jesus. It is through both the finished and on-going work of Christ that all of these things are accomplished and accounted to us.
Jesus' death is the linchpin of our faith. If God's wrath was not satisfied on the cross, then we have no hope. But Jesus' final words, "it is finished," assure us that the work is complete. Some translations of verse 10 in Isaiah 53 (perhaps the most clearly messianic piece of scripture in the entire Old Testament) say that it "pleased" God to crush him. In other words, God's wrath was fully appeased in Christ and God delighted in it. Not with a maniacal sense of pleasure, but rather with a sense of quiet contentment and peace. Jesus' incarnation marks the return of God's presence dwelling among his people, and it is through his death that the renewal of the fellowship between God and man is ultimately realized.
Jesus doesn't "bridge the gap" that separates us from God, but rather he gives us a new identity. Perhaps an easier way to understand this is through the picture of a passport. When you wish to travel from one country to another, you require the proper credentials. Without them, your access is restricted. In Christ, we are given the necessary credentials to gain access to our Heavenly Father. Where we formerly lacked access, we now have full access because our credentials are Jesus' credentials. He is the Son who has eternally existed in fellowship with the Father, and now, we share in that fellowship because we are his.
Furthermore, Jesus' death doesn't merely impact our lives from an eternal perspective, but also from a temporal one...in the here and now. Those who have put their faith in Christ get to experience the freedom that comes with forgiveness. We don't have to live in the fear of condemnation. Rather we can rest in the security of grace.
In his message, Kurt pointed us towards several ways in which we tend to live in condemnation rather than freedom (reminiscent guilt, relentless shame, and self-justification). We don't experience freedom and the joy that accompanies it, because we are too often living in light of the our own brokenness instead of what Christ has done for us. God gives us a memory to lead us into conviction that leads us into the godly grief that produces genuine repentance. When we remember our own brokenness apart from Christ's redeeming death that has paid the cost for it, we are not living with thankful hearts. The challenge for all of us, as we contemplate Christ's death in light of our reflections upon gratitude, is to remember. We must remember what has been accomplished on our behalf and celebrate it with thankful hearts that desire to worship the one who has done it for us. When we do that, we are freed up to live lives of joyful obedience that glorifies God.
In Grace,
Chris Morris
If you missed this week's sermon (or just want to listen again), follow the link below to listen. Or subscribe to our podcast in iTunes.
Part 2 - Thank You Jesus For Your Death
Questions discussed in this sermon:
1. How does Christ's death impact our standing before God?
2. What does life "in the flesh" look like?
3. How can we experience thankful freedom in the gospel?
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