What happened at the cross? | Colin D

This message was preached  by Colin D'cruz at Word of Grace Church on April 14th, 2017 at the Good Friday Service.

6 things we have in the cross:

On the cross, a great salvation was purchased, and yet we live at subsistence level.

1.      Expatiation: The removal of guilt- when we sin we feel guilty. Adam and Eve hid from God. The cross removes our guilt. Only the blood of Jesus can do that. John Newton, a slave trader realized what he had done when he came to faith. He realised that only the blood of Jesus can do it. He wrote amazing grace. Heb 9:14- “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”. The guilt is removed so that we can serve a big God.

2.      Propitiation- this is the taking away of the anger of God. Because He is just, he is angry with sin. Those who don’t know Christ will face the anger of God. John 3:36- “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” Rom 5:9- “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”, 1 Thess 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.”Only in Jesus is the anger of God appeased.

3.      Reconciliation- removal of enmity. God is hostile to us and we to God because of our sin. Isaiah 59:2- “your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” The mind of the flesh is hostile to God.
Col 1:21- “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds”
2 Cor 5:18-19- “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
Col 1:19-22- “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him ”

4.      Justification- we have been declared righteous not on the basis of your behaviour but on what Christ has done. 2 Cor 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” we became the righteousness of God. you are as righteous as Jesus. Romans 3:21-23-“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” He granted us a righteousness apart from the law. Justification does not make us righteous, but pronounces us righteous. Heb 10:14- “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

5.      Citizenship- we are now citizens of heaven. Col 1:13- “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” we are called into his marvellous light. Phil 3:20- “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”

6.      Redemption- Eph 1:7- “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” We were once slaves to sin. When we are purchased bu the blood of Jesus, we are redeemed. We are set free. No longer slaved to sin, but to Christ. So we need to find out what pleases God.

All this happens to us the moment we believe. He dies so that I might live. Will I live for him? There are two more things that happen when we believe in Jesus, but not immediately.

Sanctification- Although we are declared righteous, we are being sanctified on a daily basis.

Glorification- one day we will be with Jesus forever in our glorified bodies. 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.