Providence

Easter weekend typically brings with it a sense of belonging, togetherness, and communion. But, we can all agree, this Easter weekend did not look like what we had anticipated or wanted; less belonging, not togetherness, and broken communion. Where can we find hope amid this virus and its effects?

The answer is now, then, and always Jesus!

Apart from Christ, we are like a trapped bird in a cage of sin and judgment. Because man has sinned against God, we have incurred a debt we cannot pay; God’s arrow of just wrath is pointed directly at us.

“We were trapped in a spiritual cage, longing for peace just out of reach through a door that would only open when our debt to God was paid in full.” – Brian Frost

This is why Jesus came. This is why Jesus humbled Himself in human form. This is why Jesus walked the earth teaching, discipling, and leading. This is why Jesus was condemned, put on a cross, and killed. This is why three days later, Jesus rose from the grave, defeating sin and death.

Jesus’ death on the cross fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament. When we sinned against God, in the darkest and most undeserving of times, Jesus promised a redeemer; a savior who would come and shift the direction of God’s arrow from us to Himself. As history unfolded, God, in His kindness, kept sending clues as to who this redeemer would be so that we would be able to point Him out when He came. Jesus met all of these descriptions, and just before breathing His last and fulfilling all prophecies, Jesus said, “It is finished.” He was the redeemer, for he Had fulfilled the scriptures as the true Messiah.


Jesus’ death fully completed His payment of our debt to God. In the Old Testament, God, in His mercy, provided a sacrificial system where an animal would die in our place. But these sacrifices were like paying with a credit card, the card isn’t an actual payment, but only a promise to pay when the real bill comes; wrathless benefits were enjoyed, but nothing was paid. That is why the Lamb of God, Jesus, came to complete our payment and cover us with His righteousness permanently. Just before breathing His last and completing the payment for our sins, Jesus said, “It is finished.”

Jesus’ death completed His victory over evil. When sin entered the world, Satan rejoiced. He strived to keep things broken through accusations, lying, and temptation. But God’s promise to redeem included His promise to crush the head of the serpent. God used Satan’s momentum, Jesus’ death, to defeat Him when Jesus rose three days later. So just before taking his last breath to complete His victory, Jesus said, “It is finished!”

“Can’t you imagine the joy in Satan’s heart when Jesus was being tortured? But God crushed Satan’s head when He rose Jesus from the dead.” – Brian Frost

 

SERMON NOTES

  1. Jesus’ death completed His promise to redeem. (John 19:30) 

    1. Isaiah 53:5 — Throughout the Bible, God continued to give clues to who the redeemer would be so we could identify Him. Fully God, fully man. Born of a virgin in Bethlehem. A teacher. A healer. Sinless. Rejected, condemned, falsely accused, pierced for our transgressions.

    2. Galatians 4:4-5 — There was one promise remaining. The redeemer must die. In order to complete His promise, Jesus said it is finished.

  2. Jesus’ death completed His payment of our debt. (John 19:30; Romans 6:23) 

    1. 1 John 4:10 — Propitiation simply means a payment to pay off a debt in substitute for another. Jesus Christ was the final payment to pay off all sins that had ever been committed before and after.

    2. John 1:29 — Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. 

  3. Jesus’ death completed His victory over evil. (John 19:30) 

    1. Romans 16:20 — The name Satan is only used once in Romans, and where we find him is someone who is defeated and doomed.

    2. 1 Cor. 15:17 — Jesus’s body was undeniably dead. But, His tomb was undeniably empty three days later. And, His spectators undeniably saw Him alive again. His disciples were undeniably changed.

 

INTROSPECTIVE QUESTIONS

  • Have you trusted the Redeemer and been redeemed? 

  • If you have trusted Christ, do you continue to trust Him even when you feel trapped? 

  • How can we tell the good news to others this week? 

 

CLOSING THOUGHTS 

How can we trust that the gospel is real? Where is our proof that we can point to and say that we have been redeemed? The Resurrection is God’s receipt to us that our debt has been paid IN FULL! The tomb was empty. The Savior rose from the grave. And He reigns on the throne today! 

 

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