THE
ROAD IS RED
#3 Snapshots of the Savior
April 8, 200 7
Mike Matijevich
mmatevich@aol.com
Intro:
* I have discovered something about being lost…
Three stages of lost-ness…
1. Lost & NOT know it- clueless
2. Lost & know it but too PROUD to admit it
3. Your lost & come clean & admit I need direction
* God has placed a GPS system in ALL of us. (we all know
if we are lost)
* TODAY
I want to connect lost-ness to JUSTICE
(they don't seem to gel but we'll see they do gel)
* Because of our lostness God did something culminating
in the feature presentation… Easter.
* Why do
we have this ATONEMENT AWARENESS in our minds & our
hearts?
Why do we have the "somebody has got to pay",
mentality?
- Animals DON"T have it! (Dog gets out & the
other animals see it they don’t call the cops…)
* ONLY humans have that attitude.
ONLY humans have this JUSTICE thing going on.
* Evolutionists can't explain why we have this, "somebody
has got to pay mentality."
* Every tribe every culture has a code of "JUSTICE".
Commit a crime - you pay…(got to jail, pay a fine,
or pay the ultimate- death)
*** God
on ONE hand is LOVING (full of grace, mercy & forgiveness,
but on the other hand He is JUST, & Holy, PURE)
God cannot WINK at SIN. God can't say, "Boys will
be boys & girls will be girls."
* Because God is a loving God & Holy God SIN MUST
have a payment!
Saw movie-
last week starts at a certain time- (15 minutes of previews)…
Show highlights to get us interested-
God is all about sneak previews…
A road that lead to the feature film… Road is Red
pointing to the ultimate destination.
That brings us to…
Genesis 2:16-17 "And the LORD God commanded the man,
saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely
eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die."
* "With
the high risk gift of the freedom of choice… comes
the high cost principle of atonement."
* This is what God told Adam & Eve
- You are free to express your love to me, or not, BUT…
If you choose wrong YOU will have to pay... for your own
sins…in HELL.
* You have to atone for yourself.
* What happened - Adam SINNED…
Gen. 3:6-7 "And when the woman saw that the tree
was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes,
and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of
the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her
husband with her; and he did eat. 3:7 And the eyes of
them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked;
and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves
aprons.
* What God was saying, Because of your sin there is CONSECQUENCES!
I'm holy & just, you blew your opportunity.
*** You would think God would just take them out…
* But God
provides another way for sin to be dealt with.
Sneak preview for today (Easter)
Gen. 3:21 "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the
LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them."
* Adam saw God kill an animal… spill it's BLOOD
onto the ground…never saw that, or heard the shrill
of an animal dying.
*** God introduced the ESSENCE of our FAITH… SUSTITUTIONARY
ATONEMENT.
- Atonement means "to cover".
The allowance of an innocent party to pay with their life
to the guilty party can go free.
* God could have told Adam & Eve you pay for your
sin in HELL.
In Exodus…
this event…
Moses & Children of Israel… Egyptians SINNING,
the Israelites SINNING… So God told them atonement
time… (blood lamb on the door-posts & lentil)
If there Death Angel PASSOVER, if not…
In Leviticus…
animal sacrifices all the time
Could cover sin but could not make them righteous.
* Many sacrifices… on the Day of Atonement
- High priest takes a blood lamb into Holy of Holies…
- High priest would take a goat (scapegoat) put blood
on it and take into wilderness several miles (12) release
it symbolizing that the guilt from the sins was lost.
* Do you
see the Red Road foreshadowing the time we are in right
now?
Fast forward
to Isaiah…
* He started talking about a man that was going to be
born, & that he would be the substitution & die
& that his blood would forgive them ONCE & for
ALL.
* This person would be so powerful that his sacrifice
would reach all the way back in time & to the future.
Isa. 53:5 "But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of
our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
*** Enter
Jesus - John the Baptist said,
Jn 1:29 "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto
him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away
the sin of the world."
* Atonement until this time only meant "to cover",
but NOW it means "to take away."
When Jesus started his ministry he said…
Mk 10:45 "For even the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life
a ransom for many.
* What did Jesus do?
- The 2nd person of the trinity left heaven… lived
a sinless life, died a sacrificial death, & rose again.
-1. When Adam & Eve saw God kill that animal right
in front of their faces…
They freaked out…
-2. When that Hebrew boy saw his father kills his lamb…
He freaked out…
-3. What do you think heaven did when Jesus died on the
cross?
They freaked out.
NOTE:
On the cross God treated Jesus Christ like he was you
or me, so He could turn around & treat you & me
like Jesus!
* What are
you talking about?
* The bible says when a person makes the arrangement to
accept Jesus' substitutionary death that the sins of that
person are FORGIVEN!
Because the work is ALREADY done!
* But if we only get forgiveness of sins it is only 1/2
of the deal…
We are missing the rest of the Gospel.
* If forgiveness of sins was all there was to it- Jesus
could have died at 2.
*** The 2nd half the gospel lived a perfect life obeying
the will of the Father…
He was 100% righteous- so we get his righteousness.
(Which would you rather have when you stand before God
your record of imperfection or Jesus' at perfection?)
The red road- paved with Jesus' perfect sacrifice, &
life. WOW.
* The resurrection is the evidence of the PERFECT life
of Jesus- death could NOT hold him!
* So when I accepted Jesus God DOES NOT see Mike Matijevich
(moral fowl up) He sees His sinless Son Jesus Christ.
* I checked
the stats on death just before the service hovering around
100%.
We are ALL going to die…
*** SO my question if you were to die right now have you
made the proper arrangements for your SIN?
- Are you planning to pay for your own sin?
Are you planning on standing on you OWN track record?
- Or have you made arrangement with Christ?
* That's why…
With the high risk of freedom of choice comes the high
cost principle of Atonement.
God standards are perfect.
*** Some
of you are RIGHT NOW realizing you are lost- the Holy
Spirit is all over you right now but you are thinking
about lunch & Easter eggs… anything else but
the fact that you are lost.
* The road
is red… are you ready to take that step of faith
& follow the map God has made for you.
Isa. 53:6-11 "All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD
hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he
opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth
not his mouth.
Isa 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and
who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out
of the land of the living: for the transgression of my
people was he stricken.
Isa 53:9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with
the rich in his death; because he had done no violence,
neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath
put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering
for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days,
and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and
shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
INVITATION…
Make your reservation for the trip - so when it is your
turn to go you'll already have a ticket.
You won’t be LOST.