We've been doing a series, an Advent series, three messages leading up to Christmas. And what we've been doing is we've been taking a phrase or a sentence out of some of the best-known Christmas carols, and we've been centering the message around that phrase or that sentence. We've already done two. If you missed them, I urge you to pick up the C D in the lobby. Or to go online and download and podcast them.
The first week we did let every heart prepare him room from joy to the world. And last week we did, oh, come, all ye faithful. We talked about how that Jesus had tabernacled among us, that Christ was God in the flesh, seen. And so this week we're going to actually use Hark the Herald Angel Sing. And we're going to use a sentence out of the very first stanza, but I think we should sing it together.
And this is going to be ugly for me because I barely pulled myself together here. But let's sing it anyway. Ready? You know it. Hark the herald angel sing, Glory to the newborn king.
Peace on earth and mercy mild. God and sinners reconciled. Stop. Stop. Okay, because that's what we're going to talk about.
We are going to talk about this wonderful phrase, God and sinners reconciled. And this phrase comes, of course, out of the Bible, out of Romans chapter 5, verse 10, where the Bible says, while we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son. And what we want to do is dissect this wonderful verse of Scripture, make sure we really understand what it's teaching, and then put it back together and talk about, well, what difference does that make to you and me?
So, are you ready? All right, here we go. The verse begins, while we were enemies of God. And you might say, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop right there.
Whoa. I'm not an enemy of God. What do you mean while we were enemies of God? I go to church. I say my prayers.
I don't have any hostile feelings towards God at all. What do you mean I'm an enemy of God?
Well, folks, what we must understand Is that when the Bible calls us enemies of God, the Bible is not talking about our feelings towards God. The Bible is talking about God's feelings towards us. Psalm 7, verse 11 says, God is a righteous judge, and he is angry with sinners every day. Psalm 5, verse 4 says, You are not a God who takes pleasure in sin. No evil dwells with you, and you hate all who do iniquity.
What we must realize is that God's awesome holiness and his perfect righteousness for us. forced him. Because we're all sinners to regard all of us as his enemies, whether we go to church or not, whether we say our prayers or not. Folks, that's the bad news, but God I love follows the bad news right away with the good news. While we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to him.
The Greek word used here, katilaso, literally means to change one thing into a completely different thing. But we use this expression, we talk about changing money when we go overseas, like from dollars into Euros when we go to Europe. And but by the time of the New Testament, this word had come to apply only to people. In other words, it meant in the New Testament times to change an enemy into a friend, to make peace with an enemy, and therefore to reconcile with another person. And folks, this is precisely what God offers to do for every sinner alive.
He offers to change his hostility towards us into friendship. He offers to make peace with us. He offers to change our official status in the heavenly places from being an enemy of God into being something completely different, namely, a friend of God. Folks, this Is reconciliation, and this is what God offers the human race. Amen.
Praise the Lord.
Now finally, this verse, Romans 5:10, brings us to the mechanism that permits God, a holy God, to reconcile with unholy people like you and me. Remember what the verse says: while we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through, here it is, the death of His Son. You know, it's interesting when we look through the New Testament how many times we find this phrase. Through Jesus. Through the blood of Jesus, through the cross of Jesus.
Just let me give you a sampling. Romans chapter 5 verse 1 Says we have peace with God. Say it. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:20.
Say it? Through him, that is Jesus, God was pleased to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace, say it again. Through the blood of his cross. Colossians 1:21. And although you were formerly enemies, God has now reconciled you.
Through, that's right, the death of his Jesus' human body. Romans 6 23, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life Through Jesus Christ our Lord. And finally, one more, our memory verse that we just went over, John 14:6, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except. Through me.
And we could keep on going, but I think the point's clear: that everything good that God offers you and me as sinners, reconciliation, forgiveness of sin, eternal life, a guaranteed place in heaven, a transformed earthly life, all of it is offered to us only what? Through Jesus and his finished work on the cross.
Now you say, well now why is that long? I mean, how come we couldn't come with some other religion? How come we couldn't come some other way?
Well, that's a really good question. And the answer is this. Because Jesus' death and Jesus' shed blood on the cross did something that nothing else in the universe can do. And what was that?
Well, it allowed God, listen carefully, to stay true to his character as God, true to his holiness, true to his justice, true to his righteousness. And at the same time, Jesus' death on the cross allowed God to extend mercy to us as sinners. This is so important that we understand this truth that I want to take a minute and explain it and make sure we've really got it. Romans 3.25 says, on the cross, God made Jesus the propitiation. You say, though, what?
All right, I'll explain it. The propitiation for our sins. A propitiation means something that satisfies another person. A propitiatory sacrifice is a sacrifice that satisfies another person. And what did the death of Jesus on the cross satisfy?
Well, first, Jesus' death satisfied the justice of God, which demands that a death be paid for every sinner. And as the sinless Son of God, Jesus paid this death for you and me on the cross. Second of all, Jesus' blood satisfied the holiness of God, which demands that a blood sacrifice be made for every sinner. And as the Sinless Lamb of God, Jesus made this sacrifice for you and me on the cross.
So, are you with me so far?
Okay, so watch this. Because both God's holiness and God's justice were satisfied, were propitiated through what Jesus did on the cross. Watch now, this enables God to stay holy. It enables God to stay just and at the same time to show mercy to and to reconcile with sinners. Do you understand that?
God didn't have to violate His justice to show us mercy because His justice was satisfied. God didn't have to violate His holiness to show us mercy because His holiness was satisfied. Got it? And you say, well, so anybody could have died on the cross and done that, right? No, no, no.
You missed a very important word, my friend. You missed the word sinless. Hebrews 4:15 says that Jesus was tempted in every way, as we are, yet without. Sin, right.
So, in other words, Jesus could pay our penalty for sin because he didn't have one. Jesus could shed his blood for our sin because he didn't have to shed it for his own sin. No, no. The only way this works is for the person that pays for you and me not to owe that own penalty themselves, and that only happens with a sinless human being, and that only happens with the Son of God through the virgin birth that he could live a sinless life. Got it?
All right, now, no other religion, no other ism, no other ology, no human work system anywhere in the world allows God to achieve this perfect equilibrium between both sides of his character, between his holiness and his righteousness and his judgment on one side, and between his mercy and his grace and his forgiveness on the other side. Only Only the finished work of Jesus on the cross allows God to achieve that equilibrium where He can extend us mercy and His character as God is not violated. Everybody there? We understand now the amazing dynamic of the cross. And what Jesus did there for us, do we?
Don't tell me I work this hard for nothing. Come on. Of course we understand. See, God had a conundrum, folks. His conundrum was He loves you and me.
And he wants to show us mercy. And he wants to show us forgiveness. But God on the other end is holy. and just and righteous. And just like a human judge, he can't turn his head the other way and pretend that we're not guilty and we didn't do what everything we've done.
So how do you solve that conundrum? You solve it by satisfying both parts of God's nature, and only the finished work on the cross of Jesus was able to ever do that. Together we got it? Praise the Lord.
Yeah. All right.
Now That's how salvation works, but it brings us now to our most important question, and you know what that is, so are you ready? All right, here we go. All of you guys at Loudon and Prince William and Bethesda and on the internet and here at Tyson's on the count of three. This is your last one before Christmas. You've got to make this good.
Here we go. One, two, three. Oh, yeah. Isn't that beautiful? Yeah.
He said, All right, Lon, I appreciate that. That really does help me understand the dynamics of my salvation. I got that, but other than that, what difference does that make to me?
Well, let's talk about that. Brendan and I were riding in the car the other day And she turned to me and she said, hey, she said, I got a question for you. I'm like, okay, whenever Brenda says that to me, I hold my breath because I have no idea what's coming. And usually it's bad for lawn, but this one wasn't. This one wasn't.
And she said, I got a question for you. And I'm like, okay. She said, tell me, what is the most precious memory? That you have, the most special memory you have of growing up as a child and celebrating Christmas. And I said, Brenda, We didn't celebrate Christmas.
She said, Okay, okay then, Hanukkah. What's your most precious memory of Hanukkah? And I thought for a minute and I said, you know what? I don't really have any. And she's like, What?
Are you serious? And I said, Brenda, you got to remember, sweetheart, I grew up in a very sad home. Wasn't like your home. We didn't play games. We didn't laugh.
We didn't make memories together. My dad was never home. My dad didn't care about me. My mom was never home. She never cared about me.
I didn't have any friends at school. The teachers all hated me because my behavior was so atrocious. I said, You remember the movie, Brenda, The Help, where at the very end, Abilene Clark gets down on her knees. She's just been fired, this maid. And she says to the little girl, she says, Don't you ever forget that you are important.
I said, you know, growing up, never once did any human being ever tell me that, Brenda. I said, I grew up believing I didn't matter to anybody, literally, nobody. And I think some of you guys here know exactly how I feel. Because you grew up the same way.
Well, let me tell you, my friend, this is not true. And Jesus proved that this is not true. By what he did on the cross, without a doubt, the cross. Is one of the cruelest and most brutal ways to die ever invented. And what's more, the victim was beaten to a pulp before he was ever put on the cross.
You've seen the Passion movie, you know what I'm talking about, right? And yet, in spite of that, look what the Bible says. I think this is one of the most amazing verses in the entire Word of God. I never get over this verse. Isaiah 53:10, it says, yet it what's the next word?
Say it out loud louder. It pleased the Lord. It pleased the Lord. Not that he was just willing. No, no.
It pleased the Lord, God the Father, to crush. Here. Jesus. You say, Lon, this makes no sense. Why in the world would the Father be pleased to shatter Jesus the way I saw in that movie?
Well, the answer, friends, is because God knew That by shattering his son, It would enable him. to reconcile you and me. It's just that simple. Friends, this is how much God loves you and me. This is how much we matter.
To God, that He was not just willing. But he was anxious. He was pleased. to crush Jesus.
So that he could redeem you and me. You know, I was lying in bed with my daughter Jill last night. And that's kind of our routine. I lie behind her. I pray with her every night.
I'm not sure whether she understands at all, but I pray with her anyway. And um And then I put my arm around her from behind and she falls asleep. That's how she falls asleep, was with my arm around her.
Sometimes I fall asleep too. But anyway, but she falls asleep. And as I was lying there in bed with her, I was thinking about Um Jaden's mom on the video that we just saw. And I was thinking about how she fought. for the life of her child.
So hard. And so desperately And I was thinking, you know what, Brenda and I did that with Jill. I can remember times falling on my knees, just like Jaden's mom, and just saying, Oh God, please spare the life of my little girl, please, Lord. When there was no hope, When doctors had even told us, one doctor told me, make your final arrangements, Long. I think we've lost her.
And I went home and I fell on my face and I said, Oh, God, spare my daughter, please. And um So I was lying there in bed with her. She's almost 23. Praise the Lord.
And I was thinking Now who in the world Do I love enough? That I would let them, I would let people do to Jill. What people did to the Lord Jesus Christ. Who do I love enough? That I would rejoice in someone doing to Jill what I saw in that movie.
the passion movie they did to Christ. And the answer is no. Nada. Zero. Nobody.
Not you. Not my wife. Not my other children. Not even me. Do I love enough?
That I would let somebody do that to my daughter. How many people would you let do that to one of your children? How many people you love enough you'd let that happen? I'll bet you that the answer is nada. And yet, my friends, God loved you and me enough.
That he just didn't let somebody do that to Jesus. He planned it that way. He orchestrated it, and he was pleased. with it happening. Folks, this is how much God loves you and me.
This is how much we matter. to God. And folks, listen to me. If God, Almighty God of the universe, Feels that we matter that much, then we matter. I don't care what anybody else thinks.
You understand what I'm saying to you? We matter. If God thinks we matter, I don't care what anybody else's opinion is of you or me. Can you say amen to that? Amen.
You bet. Uh And, my dear friends, this is what Christmas is all about. Not about the trees and the tinsel and the lights. I mean, those are all great. God, I got lights up in my house.
I love that. But this is not what Christmas is about. Christmas is about. Letting God show you just how much you mean to Him. Letting God Try to convince you that he loves you with a love.
that this universe has never seen before. 1 John 4:9. By this God's love for us was displayed. That He sent His only Son into the world. to bring us eternal life.
In this is love. Not that we loved God. but that he loved us. and sent his son to be the propitiation. You know what that means now?
The satisfaction For our sins, watch thus. Because of what God did, we have come to know, and what's the next word? Believe. The love God has. For us.
And if you're here today and you're a follower of Jesus, this is my prayer for you this Christmas season. That you will come to believe. the love that God has for you. Not just believe it in your head. But that you will come to believe it in your heart and to see that it is so real and to know that it is so true that it will become the healing force in your life like it's been in my life and like God wants it to be in your life.
When I realized God loved me and I mattered to Him. That was the secret to healing 22 years. of incredible damage and pain in my life. And God wants that to be true in your life. Let me just say: if you're here and you've never trusted Jesus as your personal Savior, You've never given your life to him.
We said earlier. That the only way to get to heaven, the only way to have eternal life, the only way to be reconciled with God, the only way to have our sins forgiven, the only way. To have a transformed earthly life. By the power of God. is through Jesus Christ.
and what he did on the cross. Nothing else will work, folks. Because nothing else allows God to stay God and be merciful to you as a sinner at the same time. And so I want to give you a chance right here today. If you've never exchanged all those defunct systems, bankrupt systems, that you're trying to use to satisfy God And his justice and his holiness.
I want to give you a chance to trade them in for the one thing that will work. And that is the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
So let's bow our heads together. And with our heads bowed and our eyes closed, here's what we're going to do. We're just going to pray a short little prayer. And in that prayer, we're just going to tell God. That you want to be reconciled with him.
And that you're willing to give up every other remedy you've ever relied on to get you there. And you're willing to trust the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Plus nothing.
So here we go. I'll pray out loud. You pray silently. Lord Jesus. I come to you today.
Because I want to be reconciled with you. I don't want to be your enemy anymore. I want to be your friend. And I want you to see me that way. And so today I renounce Every other remedy That I've ever trusted.
To satisfy Your justice for my sin. And instead, today. I exchange All of that other stuff. For the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Dying in my place.
Paying for my sins.
So come into my heart today, Lord. Be my Lord and Savior. Reconcile me to yourself. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Let's pray together. Yeah. In this is love. Not that we loved God. But that he loved us.
Incentive. His son. To be the propitiation, the sacrifice. that satisfies For our sin. Oh, Lord Jesus, how true that is.
We were not seeking you. when you found us. I wasn't. I was headed in my own direction, Lord. And at age 22, You picked me up.
Hopeless. Messed up. With no future. And you loved me back to health. Uh Lord Jesus, thank you for your mighty love.
remind us that That's what Christmas is all about. And Lord, this year. May we celebrate Christmas. By celebrating your great love for us. above everything else.
Uh Not that we love God. But he loved us. and send his son. To be the propitiation for our sins. That pretty well sums it all up, Lord.
We humble ourselves before you and we say, Thank you, Lord. for your mercy. In Jesus' name we pray. And God's people said, Amen.
