Propitiation: The Empty Cup PHBF 06.17.12 comes up. These are some of the most important subjects in the Bible. TEXT: various Scr. Reading: Romans 3:21-26 The Gospel for Real Life FIRST: 9 1 John 4:9-10 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that 10 Advertising logos: tall sweep of the golden arches (McDonalds); smooth God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. curves of a “fattened checkmark, aka “the swoosh” (Nike); silver/gray/ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his white fruit w. 1 leaf and a missing bite (Apple); five interlocking rings of Son to be the propitiation for our sins . (NIV: “atoning sacrifice”) different color, 3 above, 2 below (Olympics). Subject matter: Definition of God’s love What is the universal symbol—logo—of the Christian faith? The cross. Notice the phrase “the propitiation for our sins.” Clearly, sin is what Why? Many aspects to Christian theology, several with fitting symbols: makes propitiation necessary. Our sins have caused some problem HS (dove), communion (bread and wine), ICTHUS (Jesus Christ, God’s which propitiation solves. Son, Savior = Gk “fish”), gathering places (steeple). But the central Christian symbol is the cross. Why? Without the cross, there is no SECOND: Christianity. The cross is the center of Christianity. It’s the crux, the 1 John 2:1-2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you crucial feature of our faith. In fact, these two words—crux and crucial— may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins , and not for both mean central, critical, vital; and both derive from the Latin stem ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. for “cross.” These two words have come over into English with their Subject matter: present-day, heavenly ministry of Jesus current meaning because the concept of the cross is central, at the very core, the essence. Again the phrase “propitiation for our sins” appears. Our sins have caused a problem which propitiation solves. Verse 1 explains how, or in “The Gospel for Real Life” is a sermon series about the crux of what direction propitiation works: toward the Father. Notice the flow of Christianity. But it’s also a series about daily living—challenges at work, John’s thought: Jesus is our Advocate with the Father (v 1). On what discouragements at home, temptations to sin. See, the gospel is more principle does His advocacy work? What does He plead: leniency? than just the entryway to God’s kingdom; it’s the lifeblood for our another chance? wrongful accusation? No. He admits the charge—we everyday walk with God. Therefore, we are taking a few months to are sinners—and then He pleads Himself as the propitiation for our sins survey the wondrous cross with the aims of helping you: (v 2). 1) savor the glories of God’s love, wisdom, and power displayed in the cross; THIRD: 2) grasp the accomplishments of the cross in accurate but Hebrews 2:17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every understandable terms; and respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the 3) experience the life-transforming power of the gospel in their service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people . own daily lives. Subject matter: the reason for Christ’s incarnation Here the verb form of the word “propitiation” is used: “make What is “propitiation”? propitiation” (one word in Gk – “make atonement” NIV). It’s used 1 other time in the NT in Lk 18:13: “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner” = Propitiation is mentioned 4x in the NT. We’re going to look briefly at “Lord, be propitious toward me.” It’s also used many times in the LXX, each reference, and what I want you to notice above all is the and those occurrences are illuminating: importance of the subject matter being discussed when propitiation Propitiation: The Empty Cup Page 2 Genesis 32:20 [Jacob] thought, "I may appease him with the present that wrath, and its object is God. goes ahead of me… Perhaps he will accept me." Proverbs 16:14 A king's wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will Propitiation is distinct from other aspects of the gospel. What happened appease it . to sins? Expiation, atonement, forgiveness. What happened to us? Regeneration, conversion, redemption, justification, adoption. What These cross references demonstrate that propitiation is not simply the happened to God? Propitiation. covering or the forgiveness of sin. It is the appeasement of an angry person. Propitiation assumes that God is angry at sin, violently, dangerously angry. If God is not angry, propitiation isn’t necessary. But He is angry. FOURTH: 23 24 In fact, He’s not only angry; His wrath against sin must find an outlet. Romans 3:23-26 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Justice demands that His wrath be expressed, not withheld. God is not a and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in 25 passive observer of human conduct. He hates sin, He is angry at sinners, Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood , to be and He purposes to avenge it. received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his 2 divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his Nahum 1:2-3, 5-6 The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. 3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in of the one who has faith in Jesus. (NIV: “sacrifice of atonement”) 5 Subject matter: the rationale for God’s justification of sinners. power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it. 6 Who can stand before his indignation? Who can Recall the subject matter in these 4 texts: the definition of God’s love, endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the the heavenly ministry of Jesus as our Advocate, the reason for the rocks are broken into pieces by him. incarnation, and God’s rationale for salvation. There are few subjects John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not more important in the whole Scripture. Yet all four of these are obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. explained in part by Jesus’ work of propitiation. This is a cornerstone Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all subject. ungodliness and unrighteousness of men… 5 Romans 2:5-8 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous Notice carefully Paul’s argument: Propitiation demonstrated God’s 6 righteousness (v 25 “God put forward [Jesus] as a propitiation… to show judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his God’s righteousness”). The propitiating sacrifice of Jesus put God’s works : righteousness on full display. How so? Verses 25b-26: Previous to the Why is He so angry? Because all sin – no matter how small – is an cross, God had never dealt with people in full measure as their sins assault on the infinite dignity and majesty and authority of God. We are deserved. He “passed over former sins,” never bringing down a public not talking about the crabbiness of an offended deity who is too display of what our sinful race really deserved. That is, until the cross. narrow-minded to endure a personal insult. The wrath of God is His What happened on the cross? God demonstrated what our sins truly natural and necessary response to sin, upholding His priceless worth deserve: anger, holy wrath, and violent justice. and His moral authority in the universe. In doing this, He is not in the least sinful or less than all-glorious. His anger does not make Him less Propitiation describes what Jesus’ death accomplished in relation to than perfect or less than worthy of our love. His glory and beauty are God, namely, it absorbed the wrath of God against sin. Propitiation is not tarnished by His wrath; they are upheld by it. Sin is evil—more evil not equivalent to atonement. Atonement means “covering,” and its than sinners can ever imagine. It deserves a violent, just response. object is sin. Propitiation has to do with absorption and exhaustion of Page 3 Propitiation: The Empty Cup Propitiation: The Empty Cup Page 4 It’s good for our soul to consider what this meant to Jesus. Recall how it God’s wrath is just as much an expression of who He is as His love. It’s went with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before His trial not an out-of-character reaction; it’s a perfectly in-character disposition.