Lumaki tayo na we need to do something for God to be forgiven. This series will focus on the good news where it is God who did something for us.

Matthew 26:20-28
20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”
23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.

The height of betrayal and disloyalty is sharing a meal with a friend before turning on him. In the same way we are like Judas – we worship Jesus and say how much we love Him but after church, we live as if there is no God.

Verse 24 shows us the real problem of SIN:

24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The loving God of the Bible says that the payment of sin is death.

Lev. 26:27-30 “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.    You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters. I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and cast your carcasses on the lifeless forms of your idols; and My soul shall abhor you.

Because of sin God has the right to pour His wrath out to us. Not a very popular teaching especially today.

25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “You have said so.”

Pastor, surely you don’t mean me? I’m not like Judas or the murderer, or the rapist or the really wicked people. I’m just your average sinner.

Romans 3:23 FOR ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

This is the bad news. God is holy. Man is sinful. All have sinned. And the wages of sin is death which is the wrath of God in action.

The good news is this:
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

SIN DEMANDS A PAYMENT OR THE WRATH OF GOD COMES. Big problem!!! We can’t pay our sin because we are the one who sinned against God. So every day na lang kailangan natin magpatay ng kambing, tama ba? No. Why? Somebody paid the ultimate price for our sin to appease the wrath of God.

John 1:29 ¶ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Jesus introduced a new covenant:

Heb. 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

1Pet. 1:18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

1Pet. 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Throughout the Bible blood is inextricably connected with sin. Shed blood reminds us that sin results in death. God is sickened by sin which results in death.

Adam and Eve sinned. They clothed themselves. It was God who slaughtered an animal to cover their nakedness. Blood was required to cover sin.

Exodus – Passover. Blood was required.

Leviticus – all about offering and mostly requires blood.

JESUS BECAME THE PAYMENT OF OUR SIN TO APPEASE GOD’S WRATH.

Rom. 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
Romans 3:23-26 (English Standard Version)
23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

PROPITIATION = something that appeases an offended power, especially a sacrificial offering to a god.

26It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

The reason I stand here preaching the word of God is not because of my good works (penance, nailing myself on the cross, giving to church and charity, being good) but because Jesus became the payment of my sin that appeases the wrath of God and fulfilled God’s justice.

I am forgiven because Jesus took my sin. I no longer live under condemnation because of what Jesus did for me. It is also the same reason I cannot be self righteous because I know it was only through Christ’s death and blood that I am forgiven of my sin.

The good news now totally makes sense because I now know how much bad the bad news is that God has to sent His son to die on the cross for our sins.

1John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Only through Jesus’ work on the cross do we have access to God’s forgiveness.

This is the reason I worship Jesus and love Jesus. Not because of the fear of God’s wrath but that in spite of my sin, He paid it and took my sin away.

27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

– don’t allow sin to hinder you from running to God

-don’t allow condemnation to hold you back

– don’t allow voices to tell you that you are not worthy to be forgiven.

– Jesus died and shed His blood on the cross that we might live for the glory of God.