Substitutionary Atonement - Genesis Part 8

You know there's a program on television entitled how golf works. Automotive ever seen it, but what this program draws is that he goes behind the scenes and it takes every day things and ask lanes. The cardinal principle that makes them work. For example, atomic energy works because of the cardinal principal that equals MC squared and personal computers were because of the cardinal principle of the silicon chip and rockets work because of the cardinal principle of equal and opposite reaction. Well today as you know we here at McLean or in a bar study of the book of Genesis and were going to finish out chapter 3 today and as we do what were going to talk about all the cardinal principles that makes God's plan of salvation for the human race work and then were going to bring all of that for words that were going to talk about.

Well, what difference does that make for you and me. So that's the plan we got a lot of ground to cover so let's get started. If you remember in the first half of the book of Genesis chapter 3 first half of that chapter we saw how Adam and Eve disobeyed God and how they ate from the tree.

God told him not to, and as a result, they brought a slew of disastrous consequences upon themselves the worst of which by far was universal death for every member of the human race.

Romans chapter 5 in the New Testament reiterates this.

It says verse 12.

Therefore, as by one man sin entered the world. Who was that Adam and death through sin.

What chapter the Bible do we find out that in Genesis 3. Right. So death passed on to say the next word with me all men and women in the Bible tells us that this step was twofold. First of all, there was physical death whereby eventually we become physical corpses and then there was spiritual death where we come into the world as spiritual corpses in our relationship with Almighty God. If you missed any of this.

I urge you to pick up the CD in the bookstore after were done or go online and download a podcast of these messages but were going to pick up there today. In the second half of Genesis chapter 3 and we begin at verse 21. Here we go. Genesis 3 verse 21 then the Lord God made garments of 10 for Adam and his wife and close them sometime after their disobedience. We don't know whether it was days are met, it might've even been hours and after Adam and Eve brought your virtual death upon themselves. God made a way to fix this away for their sin to be forgiven away for their spiritual death to be reversed. What he did is he took two innocent animals and he slaughtered them. He said there blood you say will. How can you be so sure he did that because Fran's animals don't give up their skins any other way.

Writing logical and then while Adam and Eve stood there and watched God made coverings for them symbolizing the fact that he had covered their sin in his sight, and that they were now back in good standing with him now if you remember Adam and Eve had tried to do this for themselves previously.

Genesis 3 verse seven says that then out of many realized they were naked. So they sold fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves, but there coverings were inadequate, because the Bible teaches that nobody can cover their sin by their own human effort. Romans chapter 3 verse 20 says four by human effort.

No one shall ever be declared right in God's side. Only God can make coverings for us. Only God can do this, just like he did here for Adam and Eve in Genesis 3.

But the really important thing is to notice how God did this for out of many, as we've already said God didn't do this based on their own human effort.

He didn't make coverings for them based on their religious activity or their good deeds, God did this based on the shedding of the blood and the death of two innocent animals.

Two innocent substitute and God meant all of this to be prophetic, to say what you mean by that. Well, I mean that these two innocent substitute were meant to be prophetic of the ultimate innocent substitute that would calm and make a covering for us, the Lord Jesus Christ and the price. These animals pay to reconcile Adam and Eve to God that is there blood bear death was meant by God to be prophetic of the price that it would cost the Lord Jesus Christ to reconcile you in meeting him and the blood covering that these animals provided for Adam and Eve did in God's sight was meant to be prophetic of the blood covering that the Lord Jesus Christ would provide by his death on the cross for you and me and God side and finally the fact that God was willing to accept the death of an innocent substitute to satisfy his justice against the sinner was meant to be prophetic of how God would offer salvation to each of us by Jesus Christ. Death being part substitute the whole thing was meant to be prophetic level. John MacArthur said and I quote he said the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothes up there. They didn't participate in it. God did it all acting in pure grace towards them as sinners.

John goes on to say, this is a magnificent picture of salvation. Nobody can make an adequate covering of his sin by himself. Only God can make a covering for us. That is six applicable in his sight."

Well, let's go on and finish the chapter showing verse 22 then the Lord God said the man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever is a long get it why the world wouldn't God want Adam and Eve to live forever.

Well friends.

God didn't want Adam and Eve to live forever, just not in the peer ritual condition that they were currently in use. The Adam and Eve by their disobedience to God hadn't did their mortal human bodies with a sin nature. Every one of us comes into this world were born with the very same infection and this sin nature won't be eradicated from our bodies until the Lord Jesus returns and gives us new bodies and here's the point. The point is that had Adam and Eve eaten of the tree of life here in Genesis chapter 3. They would've been cursed to live forever in defective bodies, bodies with a sin nature evil bodies and the Lord in his mercy prevented that from happening. Make no mistake about it, friends, God is going to let a lot of people eat from the tree of life before this whole thing is over. Revelation 7 verse 14 the angel said to John. Blessed are those who have washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb talk about believers here because look at this revelation 2214.

They have the right to eat of the tree of life. Take God's going to let every single follower of Christ in heaven eat as much from the tree of life is they want to.

It's just that these going to not let us do it until after we have been given our new bodies so that with the bodies we live forever in will be holy bodies. They will be blessed bodies and they will be Christ honoring bodies. Verse 23 so God banished them. Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which Adam had been taken and after he drove the man out on the east side of the garden God stationed the cherubim heavenly creatures, along with a flaming sword that turned in every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

Now that the stars were to go in our passage because were going to stop now going to ask our most important question so all of you loud and all of your Prince William and Bethesda and on the Internet and in the Ed can hear Tyson's are we rural red eight okay come on now make it worthwhile. I got up today here we go. Come on now want to throw a witness. We use a lawn. So what I read about everything you talking about here and understand it but you know what the tree alive. It's got this big sword going back and forth. Nobody can get to it anyway and so what difference does any of this makes my life right now I don't get wealth. Let's talk about that showing friends we said member here in Genesis chapter 3, we said that the principles behind God's plan of salvation are on this play. In this chapter are laid out for us in this chapter for the very first time in the Bible.

Now it's true that later. God codified these principles in the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, and then he illustrated these principles in the operation of the tabernacle that he had the Israelites build in the wilderness, but the principles all start right here in Genesis chapter 3. From the beginning of the human race. So another words what we could say is that beginning in Genesis 3 and culminating in the operation of the tabernacle. All of this is God's version of the TV program how it works. If we understand how it worked. In Genesis 3 and if we understand how it worked in the tabernacle we understand God's plan of salvation through Jesus Christ today let's look at the tabernacle with these principles were illustrated. First, let's look at the layout of the tabernacle, the God told the Israelites to build Barrett Mount Sinai, the tabernacle consisted of a large courtyard saw made out of linen curtains and inside this courtyard lay the tabernacle building is built. The building was divided into two rooms. There was a larger outer room called the holy place which contained an incense altar, a table, for showbread, and the giant gold menorah and by the way, we only have one picture anywhere in the world in the history of the world. One picture of what that menorah and some of this furniture look like it's actually found in Rome on the arch of Titus. Titus was the Roman general who in 70 A.D. put down the Jewish revolt destroyed the temple on all the temple furniture back to Rome and paraded through Rome in a magnificent victory parade and write on this arch is a bas-relief of some of the soldiers carrying that great menorah that great candlestick out of the temple along with some of the other furniture in the temple. All of this was in that outer court and then that outer room and then in the inner room called the holy of holies this room was the most sacred place in all of Israel because it contained the most sacred object in all of Israel, which was the ark of the covenant. We all know what the Ark of the covenant looks like because we've all seen Indiana Jones so we all know what it looks like all right so that was the layout of the temple. But the really important thing was how did the temple. How did the tabernacle operate well here's how it operated a Jewish worshiper would bring an innocent animal to the tabernacle of the temple and the priest would kill the animal.

He would put its blood on the altar and in verse on God promised to forgive, to overlook that worshipers sin. Leviticus chapter 17 verse 11 in the Old Testament says for the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given you the blog to make atonement for your sin on the altar.

It is the blood that makes atonement. The New Testament repeats this Hebrews 922 but without the shedding of blood. The Bible says there is no forgiveness of sin.

Now this process went on day after day after day, year after year after year, but once a year on the day of atonement, Yom Kippur, the high priest was allowed to enter the inner room, where the ark was, and he would go in with the blood of an unblemished goat that he had just sacrificed he would wrinkle that blood on the top of the ark, and in response, God promised to forgive the sin of the whole nation for the past year.

Listen Hebrews 9 verse seven into the holy of holies went the high priest alone. Once every year but never without blood, which he offered for his sins and the sins of all the people. Okay so this is the operation of the tabernacle right now. We said earlier that when it comes to God's plan of salvation, the tabernacle and the way it operated was God's version of the TV program how it works. In other words, in the operation of the tabernacle we learn the cardinal principles upon which God's plan of salvation for the human race is based in there to album and I want to tell you what they are here we go number one. Cardinal principle number one is substitutionary atonement. You say, but what will present well.

Don't let the big words. The everyone of you here already understand substitutionary atonement you say no I don't, yes you do you say lawn. I don't yes you do, because you and I just saw it demonstrated in Genesis chapter 3 we understand it perfectly.

Let's go back to Genesis 3. What happened there. God granted atonement, there's our first word forgiveness to Adam and Eve based on the death of an innocent substitute. There's our second word substitutionary atonement you understand what he did in Genesis 3 we understand the concept and friends.

This is precisely what the Lord Jesus Christ did for you and me on the cross.

The exact same thing. First of all, he was innocent.

Hebrews 415 says for Jesus was tempted in all ways as we are yet without sin. Second of all, he was our substitute. Isaiah 53 verse five says he was pierced, Jesus was for our transgression.

He was crushed for our sins and the punishment that brought peace to us was laid upon him.

He took that hit for you and me as our substitute and finally the result of all of this was our atonement. Ephesians chapter 1 verse seven. In the New Testament in him. Jesus, we have redemption, the atonement, there's our word for our sins through his blood. What Jesus did for you and me on the cross is the very same thing that God did for Adam and Eve in the garden is the very same thing that happened in the tabernacle. Day after day after day, substitutionary atonement and innocent substitute death was accepted on behalf of a guilty sinner and atonement was granted by God to that dinner in response, first Peter 318 says for Christ died for our sins once for all. Look, the just for the unjust, the innocent for the guilty, the substitute for the real offender in order that he might reconcile to God in order that he might give us atonement in God's sight.

Now does everybody get that okay so you understand substitutionary atonement right when you go out to lunch. You can save your waiter or waitress hey you know what I understand substitutionary atonement in yoga. What are you talking about what you do right. Okay, now there was a second principle that the tabernacle taught about how God's plan of salvation works is also very important and that is, the tabernacle teaches about the all sufficiency of Jesus's work on the cross for us.

Did you notice, do you remember we pointed out that the priest in the tabernacle, and later in the temple.

They had to keep offering the same animal sacrifices over and over, day after day, year after year.

Add input in item Y. Why did they have to do this friends because the animal sacrifices they were offering never dealt with sin permanently.

They were insufficient fully deal with sin. Hebrews 10 verse one says these sacrifices talking about the tabernacle repeated, and lastly, year after year could never make perfect those who were offering them for if they could have if they could have what if they could've made the offer are perfect if they could've forgiven our sin once and for all permanently forever if they could have people would've stopped offering them because they would've been cleansed for sin once and for all that makes sense, I mean look after all your teeth fall out. You don't need to buy dental floss anymore. Give them a sense okay and in the same way.

After all, your sins are forgiven permanently. You don't need to offer anymore sacrifices for sin, but here at the tabernacle. They didn't need to keep offering sacrifices for sin day after day, year after year because Hebrews 10 for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to permanently take away sin friends for that to happen for sin to be permanently dealt with. It took not a physical layer nonphysical goat not a physical sheet but it took the Messiah. It took the Lord Jesus Christ. It took the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world as John the Baptist called him to do that. So let's summarize showing what we learned today.

We've learned that by his death on the cross, Jesus did for us what generations of Jewish priests and millions of Jewish sacrifices were never able to do and that is he atoned for our sin permanently and forever listen to the Bible. Hebrews 912 not by the blood of bulls and goats, but by his own blood. Praise the Lord Jesus entered the holy of holies once for all, and obtained eternal permanent redemption permanent redemption for us. Hebrews 1014 for by one sacrifice that is himself on the cross he Jesus has say the next two words with me perfected for ever. Those who believe in him. Verse 18.

Now, where there is forgiveness like this like what permanent forgiveness and eternal forgiveness sufficient forgiveness for all of time in eternity where there is forgiveness like this watch their is no further need for sacrifices.

No further sacrifices for sin are needed. Can we say praise the Lord for math, hey, how great is that and why is this the case because we have an all sufficient Savior, because we have an all sufficient salvation because we have an all sufficient substitutionary atonement. We have an all sufficient blood covering. We have an all sufficient atonement for sin. We are perfected for ever in the sight of God by what Jesus did for us on the cross, you know, in heaven.

Next to my name in God's ledger book law Neil Solomon. There are two dates written in heaven. The first day of course is the date upon which I was physically born and that's all just 1948. I'll save you the trouble I'm 63 not pay attention okay now okay so that's the first date written the second date that is written next to my name in heaven and God's ledger is this entry perfected forever perfected for ever by Jesus's blood March 1971 and you know what I love. I love the fact there are no notes next to that second date. No no no no no. The second date is simply there, and it's dance on its own because Jesus is perfection of me is sufficient.

Plus nothing reminds me of the great him.

I need no other are human.

I need no burp of the no need good works. I don't need keeping the 10 Commandments. I don't need to be bar mitzvahed, but I don't need to be confirmed. I don't need to be baptized. I don't need to say the rosary.

I don't need to go to confession, I don't need to be a church member id is enough it is sufficient that Jesus died and that he died for me. All sufficient faults, all sufficient. So here's the bottom line the bottom line is that from the beginning of mankind. Genesis chapter 3 to today. Right now God's offer of salvation to sinners has always been based on the name principal substitutionary atonement. It's just that now listen carefully. The innocent substitute is not some bull or some go or some she or some chicken we bring the church and sacrifice. No no no, the innocent substitute. Now is the endless bond of God himself.

Jesus Christ and the atonement is not temporary anymore. No, no, it is permanent. It is eternal it is for ever. Can we say hallelujah or praise the Lord for that. How great is that no now Isaac Watts, the great hymn writer who wrote to him you all know very well probably call when I survey the wondrous Cross also wrote many other hymns and one of them.

He wrote applies to this here some of the words from that him it says not all the blood of these on Jewish altars slay could give my guilty conscience. Peace or washed away the stain box Christ, the heavenly Lamb takes all our sin away a sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood than they while praise God. What great news. The Bible has for you and me.

So as we concluded today I want to conclude by asking your question and my question is this.

When you leave this earth and you show up in heaven and God opens his heavenly ledger to your name, he will find written next to your name one date for sure. And that is born physically and there will be a date. There the question is, what's the other entry that he will find next to your name there only two options as it he will either find a second entry that reads perfected forever by the blood of Jesus with a date attached or he will find written next to your name. Payments due by account holder now I'm just telling your friends.

Believe me, you do not want number two written next to your name when you meet up with the living God, the consequences of that will be eternally disastrous. You don't want that you want perfected forever by Jesus's blood written next to your name and so if there's the slightest doubt in your mind that that's written there with a date in the ledger of heaven were to give you a chance to make sure that right here today are reminded of the words of the great Scottish preacher Robert Murray McShane, he said and I quote how many worlds would every loss soul in hell do for just one chance to go back to earth and cleave to the blood of Jesus will friends the good news is you're still here pay. The good news is, you still got the chance to cleave to the blood of Jesus and to give you the chance right now spring when our heads bowed in her eyes close. Here's what were going to do if you're not 100% sure that perfected forever by the blood of Jesus is written next to your name in heaven and you want to make sure were going to pray our short little prayer on the pray one phrase for the time I want you to pray right behind me. I'll pray out loud you pray silently what were going to tell God is that you're giving up today.

Every other fig leaf you've ever trusted to make a covering for you in his side through good works religious activity try to be good person.

All of and instead you are going to throw yourself 100% on the blood of Jesus is your remedy in his recovery.

So here we go.

If you want to do that.

I'll pray out loud you pray silently here we go, Lord Jesus, I come to you today because I get it.

Maybe for the first time in my life I understand today that all my fig leaves are worthless that they will not cover myself in your side, but that the blood of Jesus shed on the cross will and so today I give up those other remedies by good works. My religious activity. All of and I embrace the work of Jesus on the cross for me in his shed blood for me as my one and only remedy for sin in my one and only covering in your site come into my heart today become my personal Lord and Savior. Forgive me for my sins grant me eternal life and cover me for ever with the blood of Christ, and right next to my name in heaven perfected forever by Jesus's blood November 20, 2011 and I pray this in Jesus name and thought I want to pray for the folks who pray this prayer that you would confirm in their hearts it if they're sincere. That entry has just gone in by their name and have they have nothing to fear. It will still be there fully operative when they arrive on the shores of heaven because what Jesus did for us is eternal and all sufficient.

There is no racer in heaven. Father for those of us who've already done this. We already know that perfected forever is written next to our name remind us today of the principles upon which you built your plan of salvation, how it really works.

The marvelous wisdom that you put into this that allows you to remain just as the holy God of the universe and at the same time to justify and save people like us.

It's a marvelous thing. Lord's will encourage our hearts today and give us much hope from the truth of the word of God and thank you Lord Jesus when we arrive in heaven perfected forever will still be there next to our name we pray these things in Jesus name. What is God's people say amen