#15 - WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS - Fifteen Reasons God the Son Came To Die

JESUS CHRIST DIED ON THE CROSS TO DELIVER US FROM FINAL JUDGMENT AND SECURE OUR DEEPEST JOY

Hebrews 9:27-28 - “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, [28] so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 - “For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, [10] and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

Hebrews 12:1-3 - “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [2] looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”

This is the concluding teaching in this series of messages on the multifaceted redemption in Christ Jesus, God the Son. Again, it’s important to note that these final two accomplishments of the cross, while finished and complete in terms of their certainty and significance, are notexperienced in our earthly walk with Jesus as yet. They await the coming of Jesus in glory and the resurrection of the dead.

We began our study of these final events in last week’s teaching. Because of the accomplished redemption in Christ our spirits go to be with Jesus immediately upon our death. To die is truly gain, and that gain manifests itself even before the final resurrection of our bodies from the grave at the Second Coming.

But even when Jesus comes again, we will still, as Christians, bank upon the power of the cross of Jesus. Its full work will not yet be manifested in our lives. It will continue to cover us in two very important ways. It will protect us from final judgment, and it will secure our deepest eternal joy.

My plea in this whole series has been to awaken the sleeping giant of praise, adoration and worship in our church. Church becomes dull and duty-like when the cross of Jesus loses its luster and gleam. And this does happen. The redemptive death of Christ becomes just a past event all too easily. We relate it quite easily to our conversion and the beginnings of spiritual life but tend to relegate it to just these

past experiences. We’re grateful for it, to be sure, but, after all, how often can you keep thanking someone for the same birthday present? Sooner or later, life just goes on.

And when life just goes on on the post-side of the cross the glory and wonder of walking with Jesus fades. We need this reminder that we are not done with the cross of Jesus. This is why the whole church used to sing songs like “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross.” But how? How does this happen? What keeps a church near the cross?

It won’t work just to constantly try to feel emotional about the cross. Nobody can maintain that level of energy all the time. It won’t work to just feel guilty that Jesus had to come and die and unworthy for all we’ve received through the cross - like Jesus wanted us to come together around His Table just to remember how much we hurt Him with our sins. How do we keep near the cross?

I think the best answer is we must keep near the cross by remembering that we are not done with the cross. It still has much work to finish in our lives. To fail to see the future benefits of the cross is like walking away from a closed checking account that still has $800,000 in it. You need the cross this morning. No, I don’t just mean the unsaved. I mean you need the cross this morning. Here are two more reasons why:

1) JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS TO DELIVER US FROM THE FINAL JUDGMENT YET TO COME

We don’t cherish the cross of Christ as we should because we have not presented the love of God as it really is. Like the world we live in, the church has tended in recent years to treat the love of God as though it were the same as tolerance. And when God’s love is treated like tolerance it is neutered of its wonder and power.

The cross tells us that God’s love is not a tolerant love. It is much better than that. It is holy love. It is sin hating love. And, wonder of wonders, it is redeeming love. The Passion of the Christ is what actually keeps us from future fiery judgment.

The Bible says judgment is real and it is coming:

Hebrews 10:26-27 - “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, [27] but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”

John, the Apostle of love, writes these terrifying words about the final judgment - Revelation 14:10-11 - “....he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. [11] And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

Consider also Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 - “....and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels [8] in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. [9] They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might....”

Apart from redemption through the death of Christ God has nothing good to offer sinners. There is no hope for anything but judgment. And this judgment isn’t mean or cruel or capricious. It is stern but absolutely just and called for. Judgment is all a holy God can do with sin. Only a God as morally bent as ourselves could fail to judge sin.

Apart from redemption through the death of Christ these texts describe a judgment that is unescapable. It is absolutely certain. Until our stomachs churn in dread over the just prospect of such awesome future judgment our hearts will never sing over the deliverance still to come through the cross of Christ. Christ’s cross is still working on my behalf. The grace unleashed through Christ’s atonement has not yet finished its work of deliverance in my life. Much of its greatest blessing is still to unfold in powerful manifestation in my future.

So please don’t soft-peddle judgment, thinking you are magnifying God’s love. Such thinking is earthbound and distorted in the very worst sense. This attempted divine make-over tries to re-image the holy love of God with the sappy, tolerant love of fallen creatures. It is idolatry. It defaces the wonder of God’s holy love with slummy graffiti. God’s love is only magnified truly when we see the plan of God to fully judge sin - all sin - either by bearing our judgment in His own being on the cross or applying the only punishment a just God can with the eternal damnation of sinners when Jesus comes again.

Why did Jesus come and die? To forgive us our sins? Yes, but not the way a host forgives a child for spilling grape juice on the carpet. Divine forgiveness isn’t mere politeness. It isn’t tolerance. And it isn’t even kindness. It is deliverance from future wrath and judgment by personal blood-shedding. It is holy justice bearing the weight of its own sentence.

Marvel and be amazed at our two opening texts:

Hebrews 9:27-28 - "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, [28] so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

The arresting phrase is the one that describes Jesus, Who “....will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him....” It’s arresting because we tend to think that’s what salvation is. It’s all about Jesus dying for our sins. Being saved from our sins is what salvation is all about. Yet the writer of Hebrews says Jesus is coming again for salvation, but without reference to sin.

Apparently our salvation isn’t done. There is still something accomplished in Christ’s Passion that awaits future manifestation. Our second text in First Thessalonians tell us what this future work of salvation will be:

1 Thessalonians 1:10 - “....and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

Jesus’ rescue mission isn’t finished. True, Hebrews says He laid down His life as an “offering for sin,” but there’s still more to be done. He’s going to come again, “not do deal with sin.” The saving work from sin is a finished work. But judgment for sin isn’t finished. It really hasn’t happened yet.

Our returning Lord is going to do something that isn’t just related to my past sins. He’s going to rescue me from the judgment of Almighty God that is coming on this whole world in the future. Paul says one of the things that heightens our joy and anticipation of Jesus’ coming is we know He is coming to “rescue us from the wrath to come.”

And there’s one more benefit secured for us by Christ’s passion. We’ve saved the best for last:

2) JESUS CHRIST DIED ON THE CROSS TO SECURE OUR DEEPEST JOY

The cross of Jesus is tied directly to both the fulfillment of His joy and ours. Our Hebrews text shows how these two joys are related:

Hebrews 12:1-3 - “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [2] looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”

These are truly amazing words. Jesus knows the battle for joy. He faced the agony of the cross looking forward in hope to the “joy set before Him.” We wouldn’t even say things like this if the New Testament didn’t tell us so. Jesus longed for future joy. He anticipated it in hope. The cross was His pathway to obtaining it. Jesus died for His joy and for ours.

Now here we are, over 2000 years later. Ours is not a world conducive to lasting joy. We can buy a certain measure of temporary pleasure, and that’s fine, but permanent joy eludes us apart from the cross of Christ. Jesus told us this would be so in this world - Matthew 5:11-12 - “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. [12] Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Jesus placed strong hope in a joy “set before Him.” We find strength for the journey through persecution and pain and all sorts of delayed gratification because Jesus told us “great is your reward in heaven.” We follow the example of Jesus in aiming our lives in the direction of the only guaranteed joy available to us.

Listen, Jesus’ cross guarantees our joy because it has already achieved His. He is now finished with the agony of the cross. He is seated at the right hand of His Father in unfathomable glory. And the cross is the centerpiece in the ongoing process of making His accomplished joy ours as well - John 15:11 - “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Consider the words of the title of this message carefully. Jesus died on the cross to secure our deepest joy. Jesus won that joy for Himself and, just as certainly, for us. Nothing but the cross of Jesus secures joy. This world cannot now produce it in your heart. Even the pleasures we experience are slippery. Holding on to them is like holding on to water in the palm of your hand.

Many of you have found the things that blessed your life with joy were taken from you. Loved ones die. Health and beauty fade. Possessions rust away just as surely as Jesus said they would. Your own reputation can be tarnished by the words and deeds of others. Love can grow cold and turn to anger and bitterness.

We long for a joy that is secure, that can’t be taken from us. And the cross promises a joy that never fades. It can’t be had anywhere else. And the Bible says it is so great it can’t even be properly described, not because it isn’t great, but because there is nothing in this world to which it can even be compared. It outshines and outlasts everything else:

Romans 8:18 - “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”