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“Born Again Into New Life With Christ” (Sermon Notes)

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Intro: Why do so many converts fall away? Why are there so many hypocrites in churches? Because they were never really born again. Many people think born again Christians are no different than non-born again sinners. But they’re confused what it means to be born again.

Jesus said to Nicodemus, a religious Pharisee, ‘”I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (heaven)…unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God (heaven)…You must be born again” (Jn. 3:3-7).

Preview:
1. What Does Born Again Mean? 5 Misunderstandings
2. Why Do I Need to Be Born Again? 7 Reasons
3. What Is it Like to Be Born Again? 6 Pictures
4. How Can I Know if I’m Born Again? 5 Signs
5. How Can I Be Born Again? Hear the Good News

What Does Born Again Mean?
5 Misunderstandings

1. “I got baptized and joined a ‘born again church.” (But churches have hypocrites.)

2. “I had an emotional, religious experience.” (But Muslims have emotional, rel. exp.)

3. “I prayed a sinner’s prayer.” (But that wasn’t invented until the 19th century.)

4. “I believe Bible doctrine.” (But demons believe some doctrinal truths.)

5. “I changed from sinning to morality.” (But some alcoholics change without Christ. Trading one sin for another. Proud, self-righteous Pharisees. But when God gives new birth, He changes us from sin negatively to Christ positively: Treasuring Him, loving Him, fellowshipping with Him, worshiping Him, and obeying Him.)

Notice above, “I did…” But being born again is not what you do. It’s what God does to you. Example: You didn’t ask your parents to conceive you. They decided to conceive you.

Definition of born again: The Holy Spirit miraculously washes and changes us by giving new life, new understanding, new desires, and new power.

    “he saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Tit. 3:5).

What are we born into? We’re born into “life” (eternal life), united with Christ in His resurrection life…

    “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 Jn. 5:11-12).

    “just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection…Now if we died with Christ we believe that we will also live with him” (Rom. 6:4-5, 8, 11).

That’s why “born again” means we’re born into new life with Christ.

Why Do I Need to Be Born Again?
7 Reasons

1. Humans are spiritually dead, needing resurrection.

    “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, (satisfying) the (lusts) of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in (sins)” (Eph. 2:1-2).

Example: Preaching the good news to dead bodies in the cemetery.

2. Humans love darkness, and hate the light, needing new desires.

    “Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (Jn. 3:19-20).

Example: Do you prefer to eat garlic or chocolate? Do you prefer sin or Christ?

3. Humans each have a hard heart, needing a new heart.

    “I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezek. 36:26).

    “you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more” (Eph. 4:17-19).

Example: Heart attack patient. Is your heart hard or soft toward Christ?

4. Humans can’t understand spiritual truth, needing new understanding.

    “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14).

Example: Rocket science.

5. Humans are slaves to sin and Satan, needing to be set free.

    “Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” (Jn. 8:34).

    “The Lord’s servant…Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:24-26).

6. Humans can’t come to Christ, call Him Lord, or obey Him, needing new power.

    “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (Jn. 6:44).

    “no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3).

    “the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God” (Rom. 8:7-8).

7. Humans are blind to the glory of Christ, needing new sight

    “The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the (good news) of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4).

“OK, God says I need to be born again. But what does it mean to be born again?”

What Is it Like to Be Born Again?
6 Pictures

The Bible contains at least 6 pictures (metaphors) of how God radically changes us.

1. New birth (synonyms: born again, born of God, born of the Spirit, and regeneration)

    “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3).

    “everyone who does what is right has been born of him” (1 Jn. 2:29; cf. Jn. 3:5-8).

    “he saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth (Greek: regeneration) and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Tit. 3:5).

The big picture: God’s goals for history include a born again universe, with a born again earth, filled with born again people…

    “Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, at the renewal (Greek: regeneration) of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Mt. 19.:28).

2. Born Again Is Like a New Creation

    “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17).

    “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation” (Gal. 6:15).

3. Born Again Is Like Resurrection From the Dead

    “God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in (sins) – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ” (Eph. 2:5-6).

    “Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1; cf. Rom. 6:4-5).

4. Born Again Is Like a Heart Transplant

    “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my commands and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezek. 36:26-27).

5. Born Again Is Like Circumcision of the Heart

    “In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ” (Col. 2:11-13).

    “The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul and live” (Deut. 30:6).

6. Born Again Is Like Being Healed From Blindness

    “The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God…For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:4-6).

How Can I Know if I’m Born Again?
5 Signs

1. Born Again People Believe in Jesus

    “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (Jn. 1:12-13; cf. 1 Jn. 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9).

Faith in Jesus Christ alone, not self, Mary, Church, etc.

2. Born Again People Stop Continual Sinning, and Start Doing Right

    “If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him” (1 Jn. 2:29).

    “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God” (1 Jn. 3:9).

    “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin, the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one does not touch him” (1 Jn. 5:18).

Gradual, progressive growth, not sinless perfectionism. Example: Person who practiced lying for 50 years receives new birth.

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3. Born Again People Overcome the World’s Ways

    “For everything in the world – the desires of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world…for everyone born of God has overcome the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 Jn. 2:15-16, 5:4).

4. Born Again People Love Their Christian Brothers

    “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death” (1 Jn. 3:14).

    “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 Jn. 4:7-8).

Who are you more comfortable with: Sinners or born again, Christ-lovers?

5. Born Again People Love God With All Their Heart

    “The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul and live” (Deut. 30:6).

We’re born again into new life with Christ.

How Can I Be Born Again?
Through Hearing the Good News About Jesus

In the past, I didn’t understand, in John 3, why Jesus started explaining to Nicodemus “you must be born again,” then changed the topic to the good news. Now I understand: Because the way to be born again is by hearing the good news.

In John 3:3-7, Jesus explains 3 times to Nicodemus about being born again. In 3:9, Nicodemus says, “How?” Then in 3:13-21, Jesus answers by telling the good news about Himself.

    “since you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and lasting word of God…but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the (good news) that was preached to you” (1 Pet. 1:23-25, ESV).

    “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first harvest of all he created” (Jas. 1:18).

Do you need to be born again by God? Understand the good news about Jesus. Evangelists: Do you want to help others be born again? Tell them the good news about Jesus.

Christian: Be what you are. Live like you’ve been born again. What does the born again life look like?

    “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore…” (Eph. 4:24 - 6:18).

    “count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as hose who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness” (Rom. 6:4, 11-13).

Now do you understand why so many converts fall away, and why there are so many hypocrites in churches? Because they’ve never really been born again.

We’re born again into new life with Christ.

Recommended source: Finally Alive by John Piper

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The Parable of the Prodigal Son: Sermon Notes (Luke 15:1-32)

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

“God Rejoices Over Sinners Who Repent”

Both Non-Religious and Religious Sinners Need to Repent
The Parables of the Prodigal Son, Lost Sheep & Lost Coin
(Luke 15:1-32)

By Greg Gibson

Parable: Short story that shows a religious lesson.

Intro: The reason why Jesus told these 3 stories…”Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law complained, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them’” (Lk. 15:1-2). Jesus answered with 3 stories…

1. The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Read Lk. 15:3-7; cf. Mt. 18:10)

    Theme: God seeks sinners to repent, and rejoices to welcome them. (Repent: Turn away from sin to God.)

2. The Parable of the Lost Coin (Read Lk. 15:8-10)

    Same theme as the Parable of the Lost Sheep, different metaphor.

3. The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Read Lk. 15:11-32)

    1st half: same theme as the first 2 stories. 2nd half: subtle rebuke to Pharisees.

3 Truths From the Parable of the Prodigal Son
1. Jesus Seeks Sinners to Repent
2. God Rejoices Over Sinners Who Repent
3. Self-Righteous People Don’t Think They’re Sinners Who Need to Repent

Three Actors in the Story:
1. Younger son: Non-religious, immoral sinners who later repent.
2. Father: God who rejoices over sinners who turn to Him.
3. Older son: Religious, moral, self-righteous people who don’t think they’re sinners who need to repent.

1. Jesus Seeks Sinners to Repent (Not for Friendship Alone)

    A. Jesus Didn’t Seek Sinners for Friendship Alone

    Jesus wasn’t lonely. He knew Psalm 1…

    “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night” (Ps. 1:1-2, cf. Ps. 26:4-5).

    Jesus didn’t have much in common with sinners, and neither do His followers…

    “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord” (2 Cor. 6:14-17).

    No, Jesus didn’t have much in common with sinners? Do you brothers? Do you have any friendships for the wrong reasons? Dating unbelievers?

    So, if Jesus wasn’t lonely, and didn’t have much in common with sinners, then why did He befriend them?

    B. Jesus Seeks Sinners to Turn to God

    Ever since Adam and Eve fell into sin, God has been seeking sinners to turn to Him.

    “But the LORD God called to (Adam), ‘Where are you?’” (Gen. 3:8)

    “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Gen. 3:15).

    God promised Abraham, “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen. 12:3).

    God sent Jonah to warn the Ninevites to turn from their sin.

    “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (Jn. 3:17).

    “Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth, ‘Follow me,’ Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. Then Levi held a great dinner for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their group complained to his disciples, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance’” (Lk. 5:27-32).

    Jesus was always seeking sinners to turn to God. There He was talking with…

    • The demon-possessed man who lived in the cemetery, saying, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (Mk. 5:1-20).

    • The sinful woman who anointed him, saying, “Your many sins are forgiven” (Lk. 7: 36-50).

    • The thief on the cross, saying, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk. 23:40-43).

    • Zacchaeus the tax collector, saying, “I must stay at your house today…Today salvation has come to this house…For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Lk. 19:1-10).

    • Adulterous woman at the well, saying, “You have had 5 husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband…I who speak to you am (the Messiah)” (Jn. 4:1-26, 39-42).

    He sent the apostles on a mission to seek sinners, for: “repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name” (Lk. 24:47; Mt. 28:18-20; Jn. 20:21-23; Acts 1:8).

    Brothers, do you have Jesus’ compassion and love for lost sinners? Are you a friend of sinners? Are you eating with sinners? Are you seeking lost sinners to help them out of sin?

    Yes, Jesus seeks sinners to turn to God.

2. God Rejoices Over Sinners Who Turn to Him

Some of the Worst Sinners Who Turned to God:
1. King Manassah: Idolatry, witchcraft, spiritism, child sacrifice (Read 2 Chr. 33:10-13)
2. Saul/Paul: Stephen martyred, persecution, arrests, jail (Acts 7:57 – 8:1)
3. Church at Corinth (Read I Cor. 6:9-11)

God has to humble sinners before they turn to Him. (Read Lk. 15:13-16) Sin is costly. $: Tiger Woods, gambling, alcoholism; Relationships: adultery

Have you turned away yet from your sin to God? (Read Lk. 15:17-20).

5 Signs of True Repentance
1. Right thinking about God: “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my Father’s employees have food to spare, and here I am starving to death’” (Lk. 15:17). Sin is like being out of your mind.

2. Confess your sin: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you” (Lk. 15:18b).

3. Humility: “I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Lk. 15:19a).

4. Willing to serve God as your Lord: “make me like one of your employees” (Lk. 15:19b).

5. Go to God: “So he got up and went to his father” (Lk. 15:20).

Prodigal son saw his desperate need before repenting.

    “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Mt. 5:3).

Notice the father didn’t greet him saying, “You stupid idiot…” or “You’ve sinned too many times…” Rather, the Father welcomed him home (Read Lk. 15:20, 22-24).

If you’re a non-religious sinner like the Prodigal Son, God will rejoice in you if you turn to Him. Go to Him right now, just like the Prodigal son did. Tell him, “Father, I’ve sinned against you. I’m not worthy of you. Let me serve you as Lord.” And, He will welcome you with a hug and a kiss because God rejoices over sinners who turn to Him.

3. Self-Righteous People Don’t Think They’re Sinners Who Need to Repent

Parable of the Prodigal Son is about 2 lost sons: liberal left and conservative right. Older brother thought he wasn’t a sinner: Listen, he said, “All these years I’ve been serving you and never disobeyed your orders.” (Lk. 15:29)

    “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15).
If you don’t think you’re a sinner, then Jesus didn’t come to save you.
How many sins do you have to commit to be a sinner?

    “God…commands ALL people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).

7 Signs of Self-Righteous Pride
1. Laughing at the sins of others.
2. Criticizing others to exalt yourself above them.
3. Boasting about how good you are, “I did this, I did that.”
4. Saying, “I’m not as bad as that person.”
5. Saying, “I’m a good person.”
6. Saying, “I’m not a sinner.”
7. Complaining when ex-sinners receive forgiveness.

Pharisees were proud, self-righteous hypocrites, full of pride, deceit, and greed (Mt. 23). They claimed to know God, but when He came to earth, they killed Him (Acts 3:15).

1st century Jewish culture: tax collectors disrespected, Pharisees respected…

“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself; ‘God, I thank you that I am not like all other men – thieves, sinners, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk. 18:9-14).

“(Jesus) said to (the Pharisees), ‘You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts’” (Lk. 16:15). Lust = adultery (Mt. 5:28) and hate = murder (1 Jn. 3:15).

“Jesus said to (the priests, elders, and Pharisees), ‘I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him” (Mt. 21:31-32).

Proud, self-righteous people don’t understand that the only one good is God, not them.

    “No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18).

    “None is righteous, no, not one…no one does good, not even one” (Romans 3:11-12).

Proud, self-righteous people don’t understand that they need God’s righteousness, not their own.

    “in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:8-9; Rom. 3:22, 4:1-5, 9:30-32, 10:1-4).

Proud, self-righteous people don’t understand that Christ is the only Savior, not a co-Savior to help you save yourself.

    “I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior” (Is. 43:11; cf. Hos. 13:4; 1 Jn. 4:14).

Proud, self-righteous people don’t understand that if we could earn salvation, then Christ didn’t need to die to pay for our sins.

    “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing” (Gal. 2:21).

Gospel means “good news.” Salvation by God’s free grace is good news. Salvation by works is bad news. Example: Unhappy nuns. Works salvation = joylessness (Gal. 4:15). Grace salvation = joy (Gal. 5:22). Salvation is by God’s unearned grace, not earned by your works.

    “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8; cf. Rom. 11:5-6; 2 Tim. 1:8-9; Tit. 3:5).

Proud, self-righteous people don’t think they’re sinners who need to turn away from sin. But, God rejoices over sinners who turn from sin to Him…

Christ came to save both non-religious sinners and religious sinners. If you’re a proud, self-righteous person, go to God right now just like the lost son did. Humble yourself before Him, confess your sin, and offer to serve Him as your Lord. Then, He will hug you, kiss you, and rejoice over you.

(Most Bible quotes are from the New International Version, 1978.
Some quotes are the author’s paraphrases.)

Edited 12/20/09

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Penal Substitution and Isaiah 53 (Sermon Notes)

Monday, January 5th, 2009
Penal Substitution and Isaiah 53 (Sermon Notes)

“Jesus Carried Our Sins”
(Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12)

By Greg Gibson

Problem: God’s justice must punish us, but His love desired to forgive us.

Solution: Penal substitution (substitutionary atonement) by God Himself paying our penalty.

Only the God-man, Jesus, could qualify as the substitute.

    Animal sacrifices couldn’t take away sin: “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb. 10:4).

    Mere human sacrifice couldn’t take away sin: “No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him” (Ps. 49:7).

Pictures of penalties paid by a human substitute:

    1. Billion dollar debt paid by the lender.

    2. Murderer judged guilty and given the death penalty, but paid by the judge.

Old Testament pictures of Christ’s sacrifice by substitution:

    1. Adam and Eve: God made clothes of skin to cover Adam and Eve’s guilt (Gen. 3:21, cf. 3:7).

    2. Abraham and Isaac: “He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son” (Gen. 22:7-14).

    3. Israel’s Passover: God saw the blood and passed over in judgment (Ex. 12:13, 23, 27). “Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7).

Isaiah 53 is a Messianic prophecy from ~700 B.C., yet fulfilled in the 1st century. (Evidence that God wrote Scripture through men.)

The “servant” in 52:13 and 53:11 is the same Messiah prophesied earlier in Isaiah:

    “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (God with us)” (Is. 7:14).

    “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6).

1. Messiah Will Suffer, Yet Be Exalted (Isaiah 52:13 – 53:3)

“Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” (Lk. 24:26).

“And they struck him in the face” (Jn. 19:3; Mt. 26:67, 27:30).

“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (Jn. 1:11).

“…and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name” (Phil. 2:8-9).

“Exalted to the right hand of God” (Acts 2:33).

2. Messiah Will Be Punished as Our Substitute (Isaiah 53:4-6)

Penal substitution: “Surely he took up our weaknesses and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him…and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (53:4-6).

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray” (1 Pet. 2:24).

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).

“the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins” (Gal. 1:3-4).

*Application: Next time you’re tempted to sin, remember that Jesus carried your sins (your anger, hatred, pride, boasting, lying, stealing, lust, sexual immorality, idolatry).

Penal substitution: “And by his wounds we are healed” (53:5).

    “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray” (1 Pet. 2:24).

    Not a guarantee of healing in the atonement. Context of Is. 53:5 and 1 Pet. 2:24 is spiritual healing, not physical healing. Sickness is used as a metaphor for sin.

3. Messiah Will Be Like a Perfect Sacrificial Lamb (Isaiah 53:7-9)

Penal substitution: “For the sin of my people he was struck.”

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin” (Heb. 4:15).

“Such a high priest meets our need - one who is holy, blameless, pure set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens” (Heb. 7:26).

“John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29).

“Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been killed, standing in the center of the throne” (Rev. 5:6).

4. God the Father Planned Messiah’s Mission (Isaiah 53:10)

“Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer”

“This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge” (Acts 2:23).

“He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him” (1 Jn. 4:9).

5. Messiah’s Mission Will Succeed (Isaiah 53:11-12)

“After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied…Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong.”

Penal substitution: “he will carry their sins…For he carried the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

*Application

False Substitutes That Can’t Pay Your Penalty: Baptism, church membership, church attendance, trying to be good.

Only one of 2 people can pay for your sins: You, or God Himself

“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thought. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” (Is. 55:6-7).

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