The Jesus Way Session 2 – Accept Jesus’ Forgiveness
Dec 19, 2015
The Jesus Way
Session 2 –
Accept Jesus’ Forgiveness
Why did Jesus die?
• There is no doubting:– Jesus truly died– He could have escaped if he’d wanted– He deliberately
• went to Jerusalem• provoked the Temple authorities• waited in Gethsemane to be arrested
• Why?
Jesus teaches about his deathafter the event
• On the road to Emmaus Jesus shows the disciples that his death:– fulfilled Old Testament prophecy– was not a mistake– achieved something important
Jesus taught about his death before the event
• Mark 2: Jesus declares sins forgiven on behalf of God himself
• Mark 8: his death is a necessity
• Mark 10: and a ‘ransom for many’
What the apostles taught after Jesus’ death
• Jesus’ death was ‘for our sins’
• Not an accident but part of God’s plan
• He had no sin of his own for which to die
• He died because of our sin
Four pictures of Jesus’ death:1. Family Relationships
• Sin causes a barrier before God
• Jesus’ death removes that barrier
• We can enter God’s holy presence
• We can return to our heavenly Father
• Language: ‘reconciliation’, ‘peace’, ‘friendship’
Four pictures of Jesus’ death:2. Slave Market
• Jesus describes humans as slaves
• Jesus paid a great price
• So we can be free
• Language: ‘ransom’, ‘redemption’ (‘buying back’)
Four pictures of Jesus’ death: 3. Law Courts
• God declares us guilty
• Jesus bears our sentence so we are declared ‘righteous’
• Language: ‘justification’ (‘being put right with’) and ‘righteousness’.
Four pictures of Jesus’ death:4. Jerusalem Temple
• Place appointed for sin sacrifices
• Jesus’ one, true sacrifice, turning aside God’s wrath
• We are counted holy and can enter God’s presence
• Language: ‘propitiation’, ‘atonement’, ‘sacrifice’
The apostles’ teaching about the cross
• Jesus carried our sins in his body
• It was effective – an act of salvation and rescue
• We are unable to save ourselves
• Jesus is our substitute (doing something for us that we could not do ourselves)
The apostles’ teaching about the cross
• ‘God shows his own love for us . . .’ (Romans 5:8)
• God himself at work
• Christ acting for and as God
• An act of divine self-sacrifice
• In what other religion does God love us so much as to die for us?
The cross in the Old Testament
• Servant Songs in Isaiah– 500 years before Jesus’ death
• ‘We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ (Isaiah 53.6)
What about us?
• ‘All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory’
• At the cross, sin is dealt with once and for all
• Jesus bore our sins
• The barrier has been removed
• Relationship with God now possible
• The cross is a bridge from earth to heaven
The Cross is a Bridge (1)
• Sin places a vast gap between us and God
The Cross is a Bridge (2)
• We cannot cross this chasm ourselves• People have tried everything!
The Cross is a Bridge (3)
• Jesus’ cross removes the sin and spans the gulf
Where are our sins?
• In God’s sight, sins are located . . . – Either on the person who has committed them– Or on Jesus who offers to carry them
Accepting Jesus’ offer
• We need to ask Jesus to carry our sins for us • and repent, asking God for his forgiveness.• What happens when we do this? We are . . .
– forgiven – reckoned as righteous (justified)– at peace with God– adopted as God’s children– full members of God’s people – able to call God ‘our Father’ and enjoy knowing him
Living under the cross
• The Christian life begins at the cross
• We can never leave the cross behind us
• Jesus died for all sin
• Jesus loves us totally
• Every day we need God’s forgiveness
Building-block 2in following Jesus his way:
Accept his Forgiveness –
Jesus Died for You!