Dying A Winner Part 2

Jesus did not die accidentally every detail of his sacrifice was predetermined before time began, and we who believe in Christ to his cross with deep humility and say with Thomas, my Lord and my God, the Moody Church in Chicago. This is with Dr. when Sir was clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line after Luther. It's almost incomprehensible dying for mankind. Jesus took on himself. The guilt of untold millions of people will Dave, I think the best way to describe it is to emphasize the word that you reference, namely the word incomprehensible. I've often thought about what it was like for Jesus Christ to be able to bare our sins and we really can't get our minds around it.

It's a mystery, but we worship him for it.

I want to thank the many of you who support the ministry of running to win and as this Christmas season comes upon us going ask you a question. Would you be willing to become an endurance partner that someone who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts.

Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com when you're there, click on the endurance partner button or if you prefer, call us at 1-888-218-9337 thanks in advance for your prayers and your gifts because together were making a difference. But now we go to the cross of Christ in wonder and worship is enough to think about child abuse like a little girl who was locked in the closet. She cries for help.

She's five years old and she is she is neglected and she is with until she dies saying God how to the man who is dying on the cross is guilty of it. If you can believe know what your it became dark well might the sun in darkness high shot it's glory in when Christ, the great Redeemer die for man creatures so happens that he himself never committed a single sin. He was without sin.

He was spotless. The Bible says all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to his own way in the Lord to lay upon him the iniquity. All of us all, and he became guilty of all of it and all horror and terribleness. That's how he died, but I'd like to do is to show you now how the cross of Jesus Christ is God's greatest moment his greatest moment so I thought that the creation of the world was listenable that we had with creation, we know about his power would never know about his grace yet consigned mankind to hell leader known as justice, but we have never seen his grace and compassion. It is there on the cross in what mankind may well describe as the darkest hour dogs attributes like a kaleidoscope world leader in all of their glory and beauty and wonder, so that even the Angels of heaven were looking over and seeing what was happening and saying we can believe in. This is God's finest hour. What are the attributes Percival pulses in Romans 325. He says God set Christ forth to declare his righteousness. That's the first purpose of the cross is the cross was designed to save me was in the first purpose of the cross is for God to declare to the world's righteousness. It says that Christ was set forth publicly to declare the righteousness of God. Because you see, God was serving notice throughout all of the universe. At that moment that there was no such thing as him being able to forgive a single center unless payment was fully made for that sin so that this man who writes to me from prison who is an abuser.

We often talk about those were abuse but were talking here about an abuser can be forgiven without God compromising his justice. One. I the only way that could happen is that there be a payment that would be completing off and that holding enough that men like this and like costs, who could do the same thing could be thoroughly and totally acquitted by God and God's reputation remain intact. That's what it means the righteousness of God was set forth years ago there was an atheist who wrote a tract to mock God and in the track. They said what kind of a God has friends like the God of the Bible. They said here's Abraham told a lie to save his own skin and is called a friend of God hears Jacob, who is nothing but a cheater and he's called the Prince of God and then they said there's Moses who was a murderer and a fugitive and he stands up and he tells people.

Thou shall not kill. And God uses them and then David came in for the most severe criticism. Here's an adulterer and a murderer was a man after God's own heart. What kind of you know, in their perverse way, the atheists had a point. What kind of God does associate with people like this. If a man is known by his friends. What kind of God are we talking about friend. The primary purpose of the cross is to remove the scandal from God's name meant to clear his name is what he is saying. And because of the fact that Jesus died and a payment was made for us and that therefore therefore God can quit the guilty and still pulses remain apps just and untainted.

That's the first purpose of the cross to rid God of skin. The righteousness of God is revealed.

Secondly, the truth of God is revealed in the cross, God was saying to turn the other way just because a man sent to sweep it under the rug and pretend that nothing happened, preach and it's all okay. He said I'm in a look at sin with all of its horror with all of its indiscretions with all of the tarrying that it brings about the human race and I'm going to face it squarely and totally through one off prophetic things forever. Those who are sanctified. I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it right. The truth of God. We see the mercy of God, and let me add to that attribute. Also the grace of God because you see here's what happened. Now, that God had taken care of all the legal red tape.

Now that man could stand acquitted in the sight of God declared justified. God says now there's no limit to what I can do for you because my own reputation is thus without compromising my holiness.

I can give you so many get he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things. I can even make you an heir of God in a joint heir with Jesus Christ.

That's what I can do. You see, Jesus Christ took all those things upon himself, which he did not deserve so that you get a whole lot of things that you didn't deserve like the peace of Christ and the forgiveness of God and like assurance of your salvation and your name written in heaven hold those things which you don't deserve because he bore what he didn't deserve. Namely your ugly hideous sin.

And so God becomes merciful and grace means that because of what Jesus did on the cross, God can say to you, look I can receive you and welcome you.

I can be compassionate to you and nobody can point a finger and say what kind of a God can be compassionate with evil centers all taken care.

You have also the love of God. What does it say in John 316 for God so loved the world that he gave God says this is an expression of the fact that I can love at high cost so easy to say to somebody I love you but you know, of course, the proof of that is separate to show action and God's is not just I love you because talk is cheap is is I love you and I'm proving I'm giving you my son and then we can see the power of God. At the cross. You see, because Jesus Christ was put into a tomb and then he was raised in the Bible talks about the power of God. And it's not just the physical power of God raising a body from the dead. Jesus had already done that in his own ministry in the resurrection of Lazarus was more involved in that it's because he seeks Satan wanted to keep Christ dead because it says in the book of Hebrews that he has the power death, that is, the devil has the power of death.

He wanted to keep Jesus there he inspire those people to put a stone over the tomb and he says set a guard there. Make sure that he doesn't get out. He's dead, but let's keep in dad in a tremendous victory over those evil forces was raised from the dead and then he was ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the father so that the entire universe would horrible the awesome awesome power of God, undisputed, and did you know that every time somebody is saved here visiting with us here today. I want you to know that we here at the Moody church believe it is possible for people to be saved and we claim that we are saved because of God's mercy and grace. But every time somebody is saved God's creative power goes to work and and does America. It's as if any man be in Christ he is a new creation. Did you know that God's creative activity when you accepted Christ as your Savior was jealous as much involved in your conversion as the creation of the sun, the moon, the stars attract the same creative act of God. That's why the Bible talks about salvation is resurrection. It talks about a new creation.

It's because God is a miracle. He create something out of nothing and gives us a new nature within so the cross magnifies the power of God. It magnifies the wisdom of God. Just think this through. Just think this through the cross. The greatest crime that is ever been committed on planet Earth taking an innocent person not getting in the trial, somebody who did nothing but good, and then cruelly nailing him to the cross and then locking in Wiley's diagramming hello down. Can you get somebody who incidentally happened to be the son of God to and who did a whole post of miracles to prove it crosses yet think of what God did with it. He made something so glorious that we sing in the cross of Christ I glory poses God forbid that I should glory except in the cross as I don't have anything to boast about, except I love to boast about the cross pole you're telling me that you love to boast about this hideous crime yet sure to greatest thing that ever happened matter. It takes a God to take a mass in a crime like the cross and turn it into such a river of blessing that throughout tens of centuries people would still sing about it and cling to the goodness of the cross and be lost in its wonder's takes a God to take the Gentiles in the hair red and pilot and all of those people to have their wheels so converge that what they are doing. They think they are doing it simply because they want to do it.

And lo and behold, they are crucifying Jesus Christ at exactly the right time that God had predicted.

In fact, he died when the Passover lambs were being slain right at the very moment that God wanted him to die human being can pull it off.

The wisdom of the grace and the power of God. That's why Paul says in Ephesians 2 that throughout all of eternity. When we are in heaven, we're going to be God's showpiece so that throughout all ages. People may marvel at the wisdom of God. He pulled it off. Lastly, and, of course, summing it all up. There is the glory of God that is seen in the cross, the word glory means weight or heaviness of God, we speak about there being a weighty topic that's being discussed. Will God is weight. He is what this universe is all about, and in the cross. Therefore, all of his attributes have come into focus. You know it's interesting that when the Bible talks about the creation of the stars.

What does it say it says that the stars were made with his fingers just went like this. Anyone like that. There were hundreds of billions of stars in Isaiah 52 verse 10, when it speaks about salvation, it says the Lord has laid forth and there is mighty are. He's made it bear because God is using his arm. If I may put it somewhat imprecisely, but I think you'll get the point. There was more of God seen the cross in creation and God was on display there was a tangle that no one could possibly untangle, and then God came and pulled it off and I read the story in Luke and I am reminded of something, but before I tell you what I'm reminded of. I do need to throw in a footnote here that you should remember I have never yet seen anyone die did not die looking gruesome. You look at Jesus Christ death here on the cross. It was not a pretty picture is not the kind of thing that I like to say I don't like to see suffering at a like pain. I don't like to see people in anguish. And yet I've seen men who were 200 pounds who were inflicted with cancer and they ended up being 90 pounds before they died and it just looks awful, but you see that's what we see. Just like there are all kinds of things going on in the spirit world here when Jesus dies in weakness and shame and humiliation in the very same way when a believer in Jesus Christ dies. I wish that we could deceive them by.

That's after they had died and we'd be so lewdly overwhelmed with the contrast would say you know what we're seeing is in reality at all. God would say yeah that's right it's not reality.

This is what's happening on earth. Your eyes were opened and he saw the spirit world, you'd be rejoicing that this person was taken to glory matter perspective is now back to the text. You know that humanity is divided into two huge groups and the groups are not men and women, though there are important distinctions between men and women. The two groups are not Blacks and whites. The two groups are not rich and poor, educated, uneducated East versus West.

All of those divisions are interesting but not determinative. But the human race is divided into two groups and those two groups are epitomized here by the two people were crucified with Jesus Christ. On the one hand you have one man deriding Christ and saying if you do something, just like some of the people with whom you work down in the loop of God is God, then why does he do something about what's happening in the Middle East.

Why does he do something about Africa. Why does he do something about all of the earthquakes and the floods you believe in God. Why does he come and save himself and one segment of humanity. Then there's another segment of humanity that says we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds. But this man is done nothing wrong and he was saying Jesus, remember me, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus turns to him and says, truly, truly, I say to you today today you shall be with me in paradise. There is Jesus Christ dying on that crosswind on one side there is someone saying if you're the son of God do something you're as big as you think you are and what's wrong there you have another man saying on the center.

Although God remember me and Jesus said that you're going to die today and we're going to be together in paradise.

I marvel at the face of this man so much confidence in somebody who was in a position that was as bad as is all Jesus didn't look any better than the other two guys were dying, you probably look worse helpless is as though he's dying or not believe in them anyway. Take a look at what he looks at physically, I'm just going to believe that he is the son of God going to trust him no matter how much of a failure. He seems to be at this moment Jesus said you're in the kingdom friend will be together.

Paradise. What about you today. I wish I could tell you that when Jesus died on the cross he reconciled all of humanity to himself. He did not. There is no question but that there are only few people proportionately on planet Earth who will take advantage of Christ you know that there are a lot of people who say to themselves I been baptized in the church.

I been confirmed by the church. I have some inquiries I have given money and they will be excluded from the kingdom because they do not understand the nature of what happened. I think that is going to come through all that way is that if they contribute their part and then God comes along and contributes his part and they pump the ball to his mercy there going to be in no way the only ones were save those who sale God I'm so helpless I can't save myself. You don't accept human righteousness.

I look to Jesus Christ alone already member me when you come into your kingdom. I believe in him California some time ago there was a man who was speeding was taken to court and he pleaded guilty, the judge issued a sentence after the judge issued the sentence he went around and stood with a man paid the sentence for him. That's what the gospel is all about God says I have so much righteousness that I require that if you even knew how holy I was you alone know what you couldn't stand before me and I'm demanding that kind of righteousness before I can let you into heaven righteousness that you cannot supply but when Jesus died on the cross he supplied the kind of righteousness that I need because I'm God I issued the sentence and I'm God and I pay the sentence is of God the son pays it to God the father and now God says what you need to do is to admit your helplessness and believe, and apart from that, you are lost forever eternally on display showing the justice of God in everlasting torment versus those who believe displaying the grace and the mercy of God in the midst of human need and deserve fitness. That's what it's about. Have you saving believed. Let us pray. Father, we thank you today that there people were dying with AIDS who have the absolute assurance that they will be with you. We thank you today that there are people who are dying of cancer were dying of all kinds of diseases, and they have believed in Christ, the son of the living God, who bore all that ugliness for those who believe we pray today that there may be no one who feels excluded. There may be child abusers listening to this message may be those who have done terrible terrible things help them to understand that Jesus became all those terrible things.

And today we pray that we might rush to point out to people.

The wonder, the glory magnitude of the cross. Thank you father, my friend today from my heart to yours if you believe Don Jesus Christ. If you accepted the wonder of the cross on your behalf. Recognizing that through repentance and faith. You receive the gift of righteousness whereby we are saved, if you are a believer, I have a question for you. Does your heart rejoice, even as ours does, as we are reminded of the fact that the message that you have just heard will be heard.

Indeed, in 20 different countries in three different languages.

We do that to get the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible and you are being blessed today because other people have invested in this ministry, would you consider becoming an endurance partner.

Of course you need more info. Here's what I want you to do. Go to RTW offer.com RTW offer. Of course, is all one word RTW offer.com when you're there, click on the endurance partner button or if you prefer, call us at 1-888-218-9337 I'm going to be giving you that contact info again because it is so important that you help us you have been blessed and we want to encourage you to bless others through your investment in this ministry.

Once again, you can go to RTW offer.com.

Click on the endurance partner button or if you prefer, call us at 1-888-218-9337. During this Christmas season. As we think of God's gift to us. It's marvelous that we can in turn give to others. Thanks in advance for helping us because the gospel is to us.

The most important message you can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614. Why do bad things happen to good people. Why do the righteous suffer. Next time we look at three Bible characters who faced a test of faith. This is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the church