Dying A Winner Part 2

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. Jesus did not die accidentally.

Every detail of His sacrifice was predetermined before time began. And we who believe in Christ look to His cross with deep humility and say with Thomas, my Lord and my God. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, it is almost incomprehensible that in dying for mankind, Jesus took on Himself the guilt of untold billions of people.

Well Dave, I think the best way to describe it is to emphasize the word that you referenced, namely the word incomprehensible. I've often thought about what it was like for Jesus Christ to be able to bear our sins, and we really can't get our minds around it. It's a mystery, but we worship Him for it. I want to thank the many of you who support the ministry of Running to Win, and as this Christmas season comes upon us, I'm going to ask you a question.

Would you be willing to become an endurance partner? That's someone who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts. Here's what you do. Go to RTWOffer.com. RTWOffer.com.

When you're there, click on the endurance partner button, or if you prefer, call us at 1-888-218-9337. Thanks in advance for your prayers and your gifts, because together we're making a difference. But now we go to the cross of Christ in wonder and worship. And then if that isn't enough, you think about child abuse, like that little girl who is locked in the closet. She cries for help.

She's five years old, and she is beaten, and she is neglected, and she is whipped until she dies, and we say, God, how can you take it? The man who's dying there on the cross is guilty of it if you can believe it. No wonder it became dark.

Well might the sun in darkness hide and shut its glories in. When Christ, the great Redeemer, died for man, the creatures sin. So happens that He Himself never committed a single sin. He was without sin.

He was spotless. But the Bible says, all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to His own way, and the Lord laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. And He became guilty of all of it, and all of its horror and terribleness.

And that's how He died. What I'd like to do is to show you now how the cross of Jesus Christ is God's greatest moment. His greatest moment. You say, oh, I thought that the creation of the world was, listen, if all that we had was creation, we'd know about His power. We'd never know about His grace. If He had consigned mankind to hell, we'd have known His justice, but we'd have never seen His grace and compassion. It is there on the cross in what mankind may well describe as the darkest hour that God's attributes like a kaleidoscope were lit up in all of their glory and beauty and wonder so that even the angels of heaven were looking over and seeing what was happening and saying, we can't believe it. This is God at His finest hour.

What are the attributes? First of all, Paul says in Romans 3.25, he says, God set Christ forth to declare His righteousness. That's the first purpose of the cross. You say, I always thought that the cross was designed to save me. Listen, the first purpose of the cross is for God to declare to the world His righteousness.

It says that Christ was set forth publicly to declare the righteousness of God. Because, you see, God was serving notice throughout all of the universe at that moment that there was no such thing as Him being able to forgive a single sinner unless payment was fully made for that sin. So that this man who writes to me from prison who is an abuser, we often talk about those who are abused, but we're talking here about an abuser can be forgiven without God compromising His justice, one iota.

The only way that could happen is that there be a payment that would be complete enough and whole enough that men like this and like us who could do the same thing could be thoroughly and totally acquitted by God and God's reputation remain intact. That's what it means, the righteousness of God was set forth. Years ago, there were some atheists who wrote a tract to mock God. And in the tract, they said, what kind of a God has friends like the God of the Bible? They said, here's Abraham who told a lie to save his own skin and he's called a friend of God. Here's Jacob who is nothing but a cheater and he's called a prince of God. And then they said there's Moses who was a murderer and a fugitive and he stands up and he tells people, thou shalt not kill and God uses him.

And then David came in for the most severe criticism. Here's an adulterer and a murderer who's a man after God's own heart. What kind of a God is that? And you know, in their perverse way, the atheists had a point. What kind of a God does associate with people like this if a man is known by his friends?

What kind of a God are we talking about? Friend, the primary purpose of the cross is to remove the scandal from God's name and to clear his name because what he's saying and because of the fact that Jesus died and a payment was made for sin that therefore, therefore God can acquit the guilty and still pulses remain absolutely just and untainted. That's the first purpose of the cross, is to rid God of scandal. The righteousness of God is revealed.

Secondly, the truth of God is revealed in the cross. God was saying, I'm not going to turn the other way just because a man sinned. We're not going to sweep it under the rug. We're not going to pretend that nothing happened. Pretend it's all okay. He said, I'm going to look at sin with all of its horror, with all of its indiscretions, with all of the tearing that it brings about to the human race and I'm going to face it squarely and totally through one offering perfecting forever those who are sanctified.

I'm going to do it and I'm going to do it right. The truth of God. We see the mercy of God and let me add to that attribute also the grace of God because you see, here's what happened. Now that God had taken care of all of the legal red tape, now that man could stand acquitted in the sight of God declared justified, God says, now there's no limit to what I can do for you because my own reputation is thus protected without compromising my holiness. I can give you so many gifts. He that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? I can even make you an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ.

That's what I can do. You see, Jesus Christ took all those things upon himself which he did not deserve so that you'd get a whole lot of things that you didn't deserve like the peace of Christ and the forgiveness of God and like assurance of your salvation and your name written in heaven. All those things which you don't deserve because he bore what he didn't deserve, namely your ugly hideous sin. And so God becomes merciful and grace means that because of what Jesus did on the cross, God can say to you, look, I can receive you and welcome you. I can be compassionate to you. And nobody can point a finger and say, well, what kind of a God can be compassionate with evil sinners?

It's all taken care of. You have also the love of God. What does it say in John 3 16? For God so loved the world that he gave. God says this is an expression of the fact that I can love at high cost. So easy to say to somebody, I love you. But you know, of course, that proof of that is sacrificial action. And God says, not just I love you because talk is cheap. He says, I love you and I'm proving it.

I'm giving you my son. And then we can see the power of God at the cross. You see, because Jesus Christ was put into a tomb and then he was raised and the Bible talks about the power of God. And it's not just the physical power of God raising a body from the dead. Jesus had already done that in his own ministry in the resurrection of Lazarus. There was more involved in that. It's because, you see, Satan wanted to keep Christ dead because it says in the book of Hebrews that he has the power of death.

That is, the devil has the power of death. He wanted to keep Jesus there. He inspired those people to put a stone over the tomb. And he says, set a guard there.

Make sure that he doesn't get out. He's dead, but let's keep him dead. And Jesus, in a tremendous victory over those evil forces, was raised from the dead and then he was ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father so that the entire universe would marvel at the awesome, awesome power of God.

Undisputed power. And did you know that every time somebody is saved, if you're visiting with us here today, I want you to know that we here at the Moody Church believe it is possible for people to be saved and we claim that we are saved because of God's mercy and grace. But every time somebody is saved, God's creative power goes to work and does a miracle. It says if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Did you know that God's creative activity when you accepted Christ as your Savior was just as much involved in your conversion as the creation of the sun, the moon, the stars?

That's right. The same creative act of God. That's why the Bible talks about salvation as resurrection. It talks about a new creation. It's because God does a miracle. He creates something out of nothing and gives us a new nature within. So the cross magnifies the power of God. It magnifies the wisdom of God. Just think this through.

Just think this through. Isn't the cross the greatest crime that has ever been committed on planet earth? Taking an innocent person, not giving him a trial, somebody who did nothing but good and then cruelly nailing him to the cross and then mocking him while he's dying.

I mean, how low down can you get? Somebody who incidentally happened to be the son of God too and who did a whole host of miracles to prove it. The crosses is terrible and yet think of what God did with it. He made something so glorious that we sing in the cross of Christ. I glory pulses. God forbid that I should glory except in the cross pulses. I don't have anything to boast about except I love to boast about the cross pole. You're telling me that you love to boast about this hideous crime?

Yep, sure do. It's the greatest thing that ever happened on planet earth. Now listen, it takes a God to take a mess and a crime like the cross and turn it into such a river of blessing that throughout tens of centuries people would still sing about it and cling to the goodness of the cross and be lost in its wonder and grace. It takes a God to take the Gentiles and Herod and Pilate and all of those people to have their wills so converge that what they are doing they think they are doing it simply because they want to do it and lo and behold they are crucifying Jesus Christ at exactly the right time that God had predicted. In fact, he died when the Passover lambs were being slain right at the very moment that God wanted him to die.

No human being can pull that off. It's the wisdom and the grace and the power of God. That's why Paul says in Ephesians 2 that throughout all of eternity when we are in heaven we're going to be God's showpiece so that throughout all the ages people may marvel at the wisdom of God.

He pulled it off. Lastly, and of course summing it all up, there is the glory of God that is seen in the cross. The word glory means weight or heaviness of God.

We speak about there being a weighty topic that's being discussed. Well, God is weighty. He is what this universe is all about and in the cross therefore all of his attributes have come into focus. You know, it's interesting that when the Bible talks about the creation of the stars, what does it say? It says that the stars were made with his fingers.

It just went like this and then he went like that and there were hundreds of billions of stars. In Isaiah 52 verse 10 when it speaks about salvation it says the Lord has laid forth and bared his mighty arm. He's made it bare because God is using his arm. If I may put it somewhat imprecisely, but I think you'll get the point, there was more of God seen at the cross than in creation and God was on display.

There was a tangle that no one could possibly untangle and then God came and pulled it off. You know, I read this story in Luke and I am reminded of something, but before I tell you what I'm reminded of I do need to throw in a footnote here that you should remember. I have never yet seen anyone die who did not die looking gruesome. You look at Jesus Christ's death here on the cross, it was not a pretty picture. It's not the kind of thing that I like to see.

I don't like to see suffering, I don't like to see pain, I don't like to see people in anguish and yet I've seen men who were 200 pounds who were inflicted with cancer and they ended up being 90 pounds before they died and it just looks awful. But you see, that's what we see. Just like there are all kinds of things going on in the spirit world here when Jesus dies in weakness and shame and humiliation, in the very same way when a believer in Jesus Christ dies, I wish that we could see them five minutes after they had died and we'd be absolutely overwhelmed with a contrast. We'd say, you know what we're seeing isn't reality at all. God would say, yeah, that's right, it's not reality. This is what's happening on earth, but if your eyes were opened and you saw the spirit world, you'd be rejoicing that this person was taken to glory. It's a matter of perspective, isn't it?

But now back to the text. Do you know that humanity is divided into two huge groups and the groups are not men and women, though there are important distinctions between men and women. The two groups are not blacks and whites. The two groups are not rich and poor, educated, uneducated, east versus west.

All of those divisions are interesting but not determinative, but the human race is divided into two groups and those two groups are epitomized here by the two people who are crucified with Jesus Christ. On the one hand, you have one man deriding Christ and saying, if you're the son of God, do something, just like some of the people with whom you work down in the loop. Well, if God is God, then why doesn't he do something about what's happening in the Middle East? Why doesn't he do something about Africa? Why doesn't he do something about all of the earthquakes and the floods? I mean, you believe in God?

Well, where is he? Why doesn't he come and save himself and us? Well, that's one segment of humanity.

Then there's another segment of humanity that says, we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong. And he was saying, Jesus, remember me. Remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus turns to him and says, truly, truly, I say to you, today, today, you shall be with me in paradise. And there's Jesus Christ dying on that cross and on one side there is someone who's saying, if you're the son of God, do something.

If you're as big as you think you are, then what's wrong? And there you have another man saying, I'm a sinner. Oh, God, remember me. And Jesus said that you're going to die today and we're going to be together in paradise. I marvel at the faith of this man to put so much confidence in somebody who was in a position that was as bad as his own. Jesus didn't look any better than the other two guys who were dying. He probably looked worse, more helpless. He says, though he's dying or not, I'm going to believe in him anyway.

I'm not going to take a look at what he looks at physically. I'm just going to believe that he's the son of God and I'm going to trust him no matter how much of a failure he seems to be at this moment. And Jesus said, you're in the kingdom, friend. We'll be together in paradise.

What about you today? I wish I could tell you that when Jesus died on the cross, he reconciled all of humanity to himself. He did not. There is no question but that there are only few people proportionately on planet earth who will take advantage of Christ. Do you know that there are a lot of people who say to themselves, I've been baptized in the church, I've been confirmed by the church, I've been baptized in the church, I have sung in choirs, I have given money, and they will be excluded from the kingdom because they do not understand the nature of what happened at the cross. They think that it's going to come through all that ways, that if they contribute their part and then God comes along and contributes his part and they pump the ball to his mercy, they're going to be in.

No way. The only ones who are saved are those who say, oh God, I'm so helpless I can't save myself. You don't accept human righteousness. I look to Jesus Christ alone. Oh, remember me when you come into your kingdom. I will believe in him. California some time ago, there was a man who was speeding, was taken to court, and he pleaded guilty.

The judge issued a sentence, and after the judge issued the sentence, he went around and stood with the man and paid the sentence for him. That's what the gospel is all about. God says, I have so much righteousness that I require that if you even knew how holy I was, you'd be blown away. You couldn't stand before me, and I'm demanding that kind of righteousness before I can let you into heaven.

It's righteousness that you cannot supply, but when Jesus died on the cross, he supplied the kind of righteousness that I need. Because I'm God, I issue the sentence, and I'm God, and I pay the sentence. And so God the Son pays it to God the Father. And now God says, what you need to do is to admit your helplessness and believe. And apart from that, you are lost forever, eternally on display, showing the justice of God in everlasting torment, versus those who believe displaying the grace and the mercy of God in the midst of human need and undeservedness.

That's what it's about. Have you savingly believed? Let us pray. Our Father, we thank you today that there are people who are dying with AIDS who have the absolute assurance that they will be with you. We thank you today that there are people who are dying of cancer, who are dying of all kinds of diseases, and they have believed in Christ, the Son of the Living God, who bore all that ugliness for those who believe. We pray today that there may be no one who feels excluded.

There may be child abusers listening to this message. There may be those who have done terrible, terrible things, helped them to understand that Jesus became all those terrible things. And today we pray that we might rush to point out to people the wonder and the glory and the magnitude of the cross.

Thank you, Father. My friend today, from my heart to yours, have you believed on Jesus Christ? Have you accepted the wonder of the cross on your behalf, recognizing that through repentance and faith you receive the gift of righteousness, whereby we are saved? If you are a believer, I have a question for you. Does your heart rejoice even as ours does, as we are reminded of the fact that the message that you have just heard will be heard indeed in 20 different countries in three different languages? We do that to get the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible.

And you are being blessed today because other people have invested in this ministry. Would you consider becoming an endurance partner? Of course, you need more info. Here's what I want you to do. Go to rtwoffer.com.

Rtwoffer, of course, is all one word, rtwoffer.com. When you're there, click on the endurance link at the top. When you're there, click on the endurance partner button. Or if you prefer, call us at 1-888-218-9337. I'm going to be giving you that contact info again because it is so important that you help us. You have been blessed, and we want to encourage you to bless others through your investment in this ministry.

Once again, you can go to rtwoffer.com, click on the endurance partner button, or if you prefer, call us at 1-888-218-9337. During this Christmas season, as we think of God's gift to us, it's marvelous that we can, in turn, give to others. Thanks in advance for helping us because the gospel is to us the most important message.

You can write to us at Running to Win, 7 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do the righteous suffer? Next time, we look at three Bible characters who faced the test of faith. This is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.