Looking at the Cross from God's Perspective B

Putting Jesus Christ on the cross to pay the penalty for sin auto show you how serious God is about his law, even if it took the life of his own son to satisfy the demands of that law. For death, for sin, he would pay his voice only his laws just as was right in Christ and asked what they were doing one of them said, I'm cutting stone yellow and said I'm earning a wage.

The third one said I'm helping Sir Christopher Nguyen billed St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Three men, three perspectives will perhaps you've heard several perspectives on the crucifixion. Over the years like that of the apostles or the thief on the cross but have you ever considered God's perspective on the death of his son, that's John MacArthur's focus today on grace to you as he continues his study Easter through the eyes of God. And here's John you look at the cross as it were, through your own eyes. You look at the eyes of holy angels, fallen Angels, the eyes of Christ himself, and see its glory and want to look at the cross and its relationship to God, to God himself.

God the father. What did it mean to God for things stand out. It declare God's righteousness.

It exalted God's grace. It revealed God's consistency and it confirmed God's word. Let's look at the first one. The cross revealed God's righteousness is justice was satisfied by the perfect spotless lamb who paid the perfect price. We then were not redeemed by corruptible things, but by the precious blood of Christ, we see then in the cross, the justice, the righteousness of God. Secondly, the cross exalted God's grace the cross exalted God's grace. Verse 27.

Again, somebody is going to pose another question.

If if this is all God then what part do we have in it and the answer is none. Basically, there is no place for boasting where then is boasting is excluded now this is the very heart of salvation, saving faith and because you make such an issue out of verse 24 he says justified by grace. Verse 25 we receive it through faith. Verse 26 we receive it through faith.

Verse 27 it's not law it's faith. Verse 28 it's faith, not law. That's a lot of faith, emphasis, and because of that I need to say to you that it is faith that is in the heart of our Christianity not want to give you little test to help you examine your fate. I'm convinced the churches are filled with people who have a kind of faith doesn't save them. James called it a dead faith second 2013 five says examine yourself, would you be in the faith want to be sure your faith is real. Now, as you look at yourself and you're asking him I really a Christian. Have I really appropriated this gift that God gives. If I believe the genuinely what do you look at in your life to discern whether your faith is real. One of the marks. First of all let me show you some things that neither prove nor disprove saving faith. Okay, maybe a little list of things that don't prove anything you could be a Christian, you could not be a Christian and still have these things they don't prove or disprove saving faith. But you need to know what they are.

So you not deceive number one visible morality, visible morality, want me but it was some people are just good people there honest and forthright in their dealings there grateful people there, kind people, and they have an external visible kind of morality.

By the way the Pharisees certainly rested on that for their hope. This is visible morality but it does not necessarily mean salvation. People can clean up their act by Reformation rather than regeneration. Secondly, another thing that doesn't prove or disprove saving faith is intellectual knowledge intellectual knowledge. This doesn't prove true faith knowledge of the truth is necessary for salvation and visible morality is the fruit of salvation, but neither one equal salvation. Thirdly, religious involvement, religious involvement is not necessarily a proof of true faith.

There are people who have according to Paul, writing to Timothy second Timothy 35 a, a form of godliness but powerless and empty kind of religion, never the virgins in Matthew 25 who were waiting and waiting and waiting for the coming of the bridegroom was Christ and there waiting and waiting when he comes. They don't go when they had everything together except the oil in their lamps. That which was most necessary was missing the oil probably emblematic of the new life.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

They weren't regenerate. They were religious, but not regenerate. You can have external visible morality, intellectual knowledge and religious involvement and it may not indicate genuine faith fourth active ministry. Baylon was a prophet, Saul of Tarsus body was serving God by killing Christians. Judas was a public preacher, Judas was an apostle never Matthew seven. Many will say to me Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and done many wonderful works cast out demons in your name and he says to them depart from me, you workers of iniquity. I never knew you ministry activity that's not necessarily a proof of saving faith. Number five conviction of sin.

Conviction of sin. Lots of people feel bad about sin.

Listen, this whole world is full of people are just guilt ridden to the car, you know, 15 years ago. We should talk about people going to psychology going to the psychologist and we used to say it was pretty true from test that most of the people who went to the psychologist were suffering from guilt. People used to write books about that. I never, the manager 20 put out tremendous amount of material on the fact that all these people were suffering from guilt will the psychologist of the world have absolutely no answer for guilt is the only answer is the gospel. What is happened in the last 50 years is you don't have any people at all today who feel guilty because we come up with a new psychology that eliminates the guilt. Now what happens in the church instead of the preacher standing up to preach freedom from guilt to guilty sinners.

They expect him to preach self-esteem to egocentric people. The whole climate has changed and we have been skewed in our message because we have allowed the philosophy of the D to create a new kind of sinner who thinks he feels no guilt in the most important thing you can preach to a bunch of sinners is the sin of their lives and the law of God which they fall short of and the impending judgment they await number six assurance assurance.

Some people so I must be a Christian.

I feel like one I think I'm one listen.

Just think it through. If to think you're a Christian makes you a Christian then nobody could be deceived right because as soon as you thought. You're a Christian, you'd be one so you could never be deceived. The whole point of Satan's deception is to make people think they're Christians who are that's the whole point number seven last one at time of decision. I hear people say, well, I know I'm a Christian because I remember when I signed the card. I remember when I prayed a prayer. Remember when I went forward in the church service I remember right where I was of her music. I remember right where I was the moment I did that all really listen because you remember a moment, doesn't mean that moment meant anything doesn't mean that decision was valid. Nobody salvation is verified by a past moment, people of prayed prayers gone forward in church services and signed cards and gone to prayer rooms and been baptized and join churches and never had saving faith. So those are some of the non-proofs they don't really prove anything similar. What does prove saving faith or Ms. give you quickly. A list one love for God.

Now you're talking now you talking down about the heart, because Romans 87, says the carnal mind is enmity against God.

The non-Christian resents God rebels against God. Down inside, but the regenerate mind to set the love the Lord with all heart, soul, mind and strength. His delight is in the excellency of God was the first and highest affection of his renewed soul. God becomes his chief happiness. By the way, there's a great difference between such love for God and the selfish attitude to focus only on my own happiness and sees God as a means to my end, rather than his me to the end of glorifying him that Jesus said if you love father mother more than me.

You're not even my disciple.

Matthew 1037 you love God you love is nature to love his glory deal of his name. He love his kingdom deal of his holiness to love his will, supreme love for God is decisive evidence of the true faith is your heart lifted when you sing his praises because you love them. Secondly, repentance from sin proper love for God must involve a hatred of sin that's obvious.

Who wouldn't understand that if I love somebody, you assume that my loving them means that I seek their well-being right if I said you I love my wife but I could care less what happened to my wife. You question my love because true love seeks the highest good of its object so if I say I love God, then I will have to hate sin because sin offends God soon blasphemes God. Sin curses God. Sin seeks to destroy God and his work and his kingdom soon killed his son and if I say I love God, but I tolerate sin, then you have every reason to question my love. I cannot love God without hating that which is set to destroy him so. True repentance involves confession. It involves turning from sin. I should be grieved over my sin. I should ask myself do I have a settled conviction of the evil of sin, but soon appear to me as the evil and bitter thing.

It really is this conviction of sin in me increase as I walk with Christ. Do I hate it. Not merely because it is ruinous to my own soul because it is offensive to my God, whom I love does it more grieved me when I send then when I have trouble other words, some what grieves me the most. My misfortune or my sin to my sins appear many frequent and aggravated. Do I find myself grieved over my sin more than the sin of others. That's the mark of salvation through saving faith that loves God it hates what God hates which is sin. Thirdly, it manifests genuine humility. It manifests genuine humility.

This obviously comes from the Beatitudes.

The poor in spirit. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Those who Matthew 18, like a little child humble and dependent those who are in self-denial would it take up their cross and follow him. The Lord receives those who come with a broken and a contrite spirit. James says he gives grace to the humble. We must come is the prodigal son you meant what he said in Luke 15 I think about verse 21 he said. Father, I am not worthy to be called your son. There's no pride is no ego about religious achievement, spiritual accomplishment, but genuine humility. Fourthly, there is a devotion to God's glory through saving faith. It manifests genuine salvation shows devotion to God's glory.

Whatever we do, whether we eat or drink. We are literally consumed with the glory of God.

We do what we do because you want to glorify him all sure we fail in all of these things, but the direction of our life is in loving him and hating sin and being genuinely humble and self-denying and knowing our unworthiness in being and being totally devoted to the glory of God.

Number five, continual prayer, humble, submissive, believing prayer marks true faith, we cry, Abba father, because the spirit in us prompts that cry. Jonathan Edwards once preached a sermon titled hypocrites are deficient in the duty of secret prayer true hypocrites may pray publicly because that's what hypocrites want to do is impress people what they are deficient in the duty of secret prayer, true believer with true saving faith has a personal prayer life private Pro seeks communion with God. Number six. Another mark of saving faith is selfless love. John says if you don't love your neighbor, your brother one in need. How are we to believe the love of God dwells in you. Also in first John three John says if you love God you love whom God loves, and we love him and others because that's the response to him. Loving us. John 13 says by this man know where true disciples our love for each other.

Number seven separation from the world. Paul told the Corinthians that we haven't received the spirit of the world with the spirit, which is from God and John put it this way. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. A true believer is separated from the world is again I say we fail in all these areas, but these are the direction of our lives. We aren't perfect. We haven't arrived but we love God and want to love them, or we hate sin want to hate it more. We have a genuine humility and want more of it.

We are devoted to God's glory. We have a prayer life that is private and personal. We have a love for others that comes from God and we find ourselves disassociated from the world as a general rule, and then just to others. Spiritual growth is another mark. If your true Christian you to be growing, and that means you be more more like Christ. Life produces itself.

If you're alive. You're going to grow. There's no other way, you'll improve you'll increase you'll grow because whoever has that new work begun.

Philippians 16 is going to see it perfected. It's going to go on. It's going to keep moving spirit is going to move you from one level of glory to the next so you look at your life. You see spiritual growth. You see the decreasing frequency of sin.

The increasing pattern of righteousness and devotion to God. And finally, obedience, obedient living every branch in me bears fruit bears fruit says John 15 and in Ephesians 210 Paul says luck. You are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God is before ordained that you walk in the nuts, obedient, we are saved in the obedience of faith look at your life.

You see all those things, including selfless love separation from the world. Spiritual growth and obedience. If so, that's evidence of the saving faith. Now back to our text, the cross declares God's justice and righteousness cross exalts God's grace, which is appropriated by faith. Thirdly, just ever so briefly, the cross reveals God's consistency. The cross reveals God's consistency. But in verse 29 what's the point here while the Jews are going to say luck we are justified by the works of the law and now you're coming along and preaching to all these Gentiles that they are justified by faith. Does God have two ways does God require works from Austin grace and faith from them is got a merciful saving God for Gentiles about illegal condemning God toward Jews do we have two different means of salvation and of course you realize, don't you, that the Jews believed they were saved by their works so they were concluding that Paul was was preaching a new way of salvation, which was not consistent with God's way, Paul says is God the God of Jews only know is he not the God of Gentiles also yes and they would have to agree yes God is the God of all men. Isaiah 54 says the God of the whole earth shall he be called Jeremiah 1619, the nation shall come under the from the ends of the earth. They knew that Zechariah 211 in many nations shall be joined to the Lord, and shall be my people. They knew he was the God of Jew and Gentile.

All right then. Since indeed God is one that's the Greek order in verse 30 C is one of the end of the verse in the NAS. It really should go with the word God. Since indeed God is one.

He will justify the circumcised Jews by faith and the uncircumcised as Gentiles, through faith.

Usually God's consistency. Look at the cross and you see since indeed God is one. If God is one God and he is the God of all men, and he is the God of Jews and Gentiles, then he is one God over all men who will have one way of salvation he will justify all by faith God saves all the same way and he always has, always by faith always apart from works. He is one God with one way for all men. God never changes absolutely consistent. The cross didn't introduce a new way of salvation. It simply covered the sins of all the past believers and all the future believers who came by faith I was Noah saved go back way back to Nola Genesis as Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. How was Moses saved go all the way back to Exodus, Moses found grace in the eyes of the Lord. How was Abraham saved. Romans four is all about that verse three says Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.

That's clear back in Genesis 15 always the same by grace through faith by grace through faith in the Old Testament, they believed all the God revealed they didn't have Christ, yet they believed all the God revealed same in the new after Christ. No one is no one has no one ever will be saved in any other way than by faith as God graciously offers forgiveness through the sacrifice of his son, which covers the sins of sinners before him, and after so the cross from God's perspective declares his justice exalts his grace and reveals his consistency.

Lastly, this is rich confirms God's law confirms God's law. Verse 31. Some of the Jews gonna say all right. Salvation is by grace through faith. Forget the law is no law if there's no works in the law's use was pointless. Just why in the world. It got go through all that. Why did he go through all that lost stuff.

If we are saved by keeping a look. Do we then nullify the law and he says Megan I taught a great no no no no no man never be on the contrary, we established what you mean. Putting Jesus Christ on the cross to pay the penalty for sin to show you how serious God is about his law, even if it took the life of his own son to satisfy the demands of that law.

For death, for sin, he would pay it is law is holy is laws just his laws righteous in Christ death proves nothing is more a reflection of God's law is holy than the death of Christ. It was God's law that put them there because all the violations of that law had to be satisfied with a penalty and God couldn't violate his law or penalty, and so we put Christ on the cross so God's law then is established is holy, righteous, good and is affirmed as the standard by which we are to live. Its purpose was to show us sin. It did. Its purpose was to show us God's pattern for holy living. It does its fulfillment in terms of the demand for death was paid by Christ its fulfillment in terms of the demand for life is made possible through salvation.

What a great affirmation of the law. Look at the cross unit you see God's justice, God's grace God's consistency.

You see God's law and it's all for his glory. No one of the reformers said solar Grazie a soul a few day solo Dale Gloria by grace alone, by faith alone, for God's glory alone. This beloved is a precious treasure salvation, not as we view it or as angels or demons or even Christ. But as God use it opens up to us. The avenue of worship in which we appreciated door express our love and affection to our great God for what he is done for us. This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us.

John is a pastor, author and Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary's current study is looking at Easter through the eyes of God. John, today you looked at the proper response to the death of Christ and the atoning work that he did on the cross. Truths like repentance and the need for self-denial and those are truths that we sometimes hear we shouldn't preach, because that would repel people from Christ. But I know that we found the opposite to be the case and you have two letters in front of you that illustrate what I'm talking about so read those letters for us know. I'm happy to do that. Of course we all know the person salvation unless there is repentance and self-denial right so we we we got to speak to those issues. The first letter comes from Carrie who writes I was flipping through YouTube one night several months ago when I search for Bible answers and John MacArthur popped up since that very day you have answered every question I've had about the Bible I had been listening to a few other teachers and they seem to be on the right track but was very shallow teaching. After listening to you for just a brief period of time.

I clearly understood biblical truth.

You also pointed me in the right direction in finding a church home, one that is focused on the word of God. Thank you will thank you, Carrie. That's why were here so thrilled to hear that the Lord use this in that way in your life.

And then, here's a letter from Larissa thank you for sending so many excellent books with sound doctrine.

The books are like, dear friends, I previously escaped from a mega-church that is a very cruel and abusive environment. I was there for 10 years. Fearful to leave listening to grace to enable me to break free. Coming back to sound doctrine is like getting clean water to bathe in and to drink. I thank God for ministries like this. I have grown weary and wary of the books written by popular Christian authors who don't call me to deny myself, take my cross and observe everything Christ is commanded the grace to you. Books and other writings always stress loving discipleship in the light of God's loving sacrifice. Thank you and she signs her name Larissa yeah when you find the truth. If you're a genuine believer you know you have found the truth.

There is a mechanism in the believer, and it's part of the new nature that understands the truth when the truth is proclaimed.

So it's it's not a threat, is that then when you understand the truth when your heart embraces the truth. Self-denial is not a threat. Repentance is not a threat.

It's the path of joy we share these letters with you to encourage you. First of all, and then to remind you that God's word never returns void, lives are changed when they encountered the life giving truths of Scripture. So when you stand with grace to you financially and commit to pray for us. Your efforts will multiply as people learn, grow and influence others in the same direction. So thanks for standing with us as we unleash God's truth one verse at a time. That's right, friend.

We can take God's word to homes and cars and offices all over the world because of your support to be part of what were doing here at grace. Do you consider making a donation today, you can mail your tax deductible gift to grace to you. Box 4000 panorama city, CA 91412 or you can donate when you call us at 855 grace that's 805 five grace. You can also make a one-time donation or set up a convenient recurring donation online@tty.org and thanks for helping reach people in your community and communities around the world with the life-changing truth of God's remember to. There are other ways you can support this prayer is number one. We covet your prayerful John and the staff and the people we reach you can also contact your local station and let them know that you appreciate their erring Bible teaching programs like Grace to you and you can send us your feedback and let us know how John's teaching is encouraging you email us at letters@TTY.or mail your letter to box 4000 panorama city, CA 91412 in our email one more time. letters@tty.org now for John MacArthur and the staff.

I'm Phil Johnson. Thanks for tuning in today and join us tomorrow when John looks at why Christ's resurrection is the key to everything. It's another half hour, unleashing resurrection, one verse at a time. Grace to you