“Jesus Christ, the
Savior”
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are
being saved it is the power of God” (I Corinthians 1:18, ESV).
A. The Eternal Word: The Intimacy of the Trinity
1. Read John 1:1-18
2. “He [Christ] was foreknown before the foundation of the world but
was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you...” (I Peter
1:20).
3. “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with
Me where I am, to see My glory that You have given Me because You
loved Me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24).
4. “50 Reasons Jesus Came to Die” by John Piper, pp. 22-23......... “Oh,
that we might worship the terrible wonder of the love of God! It is not
sentimental. It is not simple. For our sake God did the impossible: He
poured out His wrath on His own Son – the One whose submission
made Him infinitely unworthy to receive it. Yet the Son’s very
willingness to receive it was precious in God’s sight. The wrath-bearer
was infinitely loved.”
5. “...but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
B. Why the Cross?
1. Blood – Mentioned over 460 times throughout scripture (OT & NT)
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you
on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood
that makes atonement by the life” (Leviticus 17:11).
2. Reconciliation – “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far
off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).
See Hebrews 12:10-13
“The shed blood restored communion with God. Spiritually
understood, it was literally a blood transfusion of life. Life
relinquished in the shedding of blood becomes life provided
through the blood. In its most elemental sense, the blood covered
sin from God’s view and hence held back His wrath.” (“The Heart of
the Gospel” by Robert Coleman).
Read Isaiah 53
The word “covenant” is used over 300 times in scripture and is
derived from the Hebrew word meaning “to cut” (blood)
C. What Happened?
1. Propitiation – “[Christ Jesus] Whom God put forward as a
propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith...” (Romans 3:25).
“propitiation” literally means “mercy seat”, refers to the place
above the ark of the covenant where the atoning blood was
sprinkled (Exodus 25:17)
2. Justification – Guilty /vs/ Not Guilty
Read Colossians 1:18-23
“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much
more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God” (Romans
5:9).
3. Cleansing – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (II Corinthians
5:17).
Read Numbers 19:1-22 (purification laws)
Read Hebrews 9:13-14
4. Freedom from Slavery to Sin – “But I say, walk in the Spirit
and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
Read Romans 6:15-23
“When I survey, the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of Glory
died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my
pride” (“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”, Sir Isaac Watts).
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