God, the Just and the Justif..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. Good evening, everyone, and welcome to church. Once again, it's a privilege to have you worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ with us.

Can you please go to Psalm 20? Before we go to Peter, I want to just show you something in Psalm 20, as our brother was speaking, that came to my mind and I just want to share with you before we go to the first letter of Peter, Psalm 20. In verse 7, it says, some trust in chariots, Psalm 20, verse 7, some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. That's the people of God, not trusting in the things that we immediately see or that derive strength or power from, but trusting in the unseen mighty power and authority of the Lord and our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, let's go to 1 Peter chapter 2.

1 Peter 2, and I hope that by the grace of the Spirit, beloved brethren, this evening we might be able to address verses 21 all the way until the end of the chapter 2, which is verse 25, primarily addressing, I hope, verse 24 and 25. And we will be concluding or finishing this chapter, not only the chapter, but also the section in which the apostle is going to give this exhortation to the servants to be subject to their masters. And as I always get you to read a long portion, rather, I will also get you today to read this portion of the scripture that goes from chapter 2, verse 11, all the way through chapter 3, verse 12. So, beloved brothers and sisters, this is the word of God. Let's read with reverent hearts, paying attention to each one of the words, with hearts that are filled with faith, paying attention to the Word of God, the fountain and the foundation of our hope and our faith.

Verse 11 in chapter 2, it says, Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh with which war against your souls. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor supreme or to governors sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

Honor everyone, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the emperor. This is the section that we're going to be addressing. Verse 18. Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing when, mindful of God, one endures sorrow while suffering unjustly.

For what credit is it, if when you sin and are bitten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it, you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you may follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.

When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. Chapter 3 Likewise, wives, be subject to your husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be warned without a word by the conduct of their wives when they see your respectful and pure conduct.

Do not let your adorning be external, the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold, jewelry, or the clothing you wear. But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. And you are her children if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the women as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Finally, all of you have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to these you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For whoever desires to love life and seek good dates, let him keep his tongue from evil. and he sleeps from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good.

Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Amen. This is the glorious word of the Savior, of the Lord Jesus Christ, through His Spirit.

Brothers and sisters, I hope that we might be able to address verses 21 through verses 25, in which Apostle says that Christ, or that we have been called for this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, he says in verse 21, so that you may follow in the steps of Christ. Then he gives the steps, verse 22. He committed no sin, that's Christ, neither was deceit found in his mouth, When He was reviled, the Lord Jesus Christ did not revile in return. When the Lord Jesus Christ suffered, He did not threaten, but entrusted Himself entirely to the One, God the Father, who judges justly. The Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself entirely, and bore our sins in His body, on the tree, that we may die to sin and live to righteousness.

By His wounds you have been healed, for you were strained like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd, and overseers of your souls, the Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved brethren, by the grace of God, I hope that we may be able not only to finish chapter two this evening, but also to finish this section in which the Apostle is giving these clear instructions, these exhortations to servants. to servants to obey their masters, to be in subjection to the authority of their masters. And something that I want to remind you is that these servants, brothers and sisters, these are believers. These are Christians.

The Apostle is writing to servants who by grace, through faith, had been saved and united to the person of Jesus Christ. So, he's writing to brothers and sisters in the faith that had been freed from the bondage of sin, that had been given freedom in the person of Jesus Christ, but that yet, in the decree of God and in the workings of God's providence, they live, humanly speaking, under the bondage of human masters. Do you see the contrast? These are brothers and sisters who, by the grace of God, they have been made free from the bondage of sin. They have been made free.

They have freedom in Christ from the slavery that they had to sin. But, humanly speaking, I mean, temporarily speaking, they are in bondage. to human masters. This is the exhortation that Apostle Peter is given. And brothers and sisters, I have just to remind you of this, that it is very difficult for us as 21st century, as Australian, Western society, especially first world society, to understand the reality that the Apostle is addressing here in this chapter.

The situation or the condition of these servants that had no freedom, that they were in bondage to these masters. There's no way that I could take your mind and relate to something outside in society that will bring to you the concept or the understanding of what they were going through and what the Apostle is actually calling them to do. Now, I say Western world and Australian society, because the one that is speaking to you comes from a third world country. And in third world countries, we do still have certain forms of servitude that will be compared to what we have here in this actual verse. Actually, when I'm reading my Bible in Spanish and I'm going through this passage of the scripture here, the word servant, it's translated in a very different way to what you have in English.

You can see that in verse 16, for instance, the apostle has called us the servants of God, that is in Greek, the doulos of God, the slaves of God. But the word in verse 18, the servant, is a word that is completely different, that speaks of household servants. And I don't know any word in English that could be so close to that. It comes to my mind, butler, which is the word that I learned this morning, or a house keeper. a housekeeper, the person that you may have in a house serving, but brothers and sisters in third world countries like my country and where I come from, people sometimes they travel into small villages to find sometimes families and sometimes women or sometimes men to bring them into their houses.

And they will live with them, not as an employee, but they will live with them and they will be servants. They will do the things of the house. And I don't know how to relate in your mind these things to you, because brothers and sisters, I don't know if this is news to you, but the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is not the Western church only. It's not a church that speaks English. It's the church from every tribe, every nation, every tongue.

And if you had the ability to step down from the world and then to see the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, Let me tell you that the majority of the church will not be in the Western world and that will be in other places of the earth. So, these type of social structures still happen around the world. So, there's no way that in Australia, Western Christianity, with all of these freedoms that we have, that I can relate to you the concept. of what the apostle is addressing here. As I said, even in Spanish, we have a specific word that speaks of this relationship of people who will live in your house.

And those people who will live in your house, they will serve families, cooking and cleaning and doing certain things. And even sometimes people will go and get families to come and serve them. The men will do the labor. in the farm, if it's a farm, and then the woman will do the things of the house, cooking and serving, and these things still happen. And guess what?

There are brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. who are going through those situations, and for them, this passage of the Scripture will speak in a different way than it speaks to us. So, brothers and sisters, why am I saying this? I'm saying this because when we see this text with the lenses of Western Christianity, sometimes we try to bring our social context into the text in order to be able to apply what the text says to our contemporary social context. and we are not to do so.

We are not to try just to bring our social context into the text in order to find the relevance of the text for our contemporary situation or social situation. The sufficiency of the Scripture goes beyond any cultural background, goes beyond any social context. The principles of the Scripture apply beyond time. So, brothers, it's very important that we understand this, because sometimes when we're speaking about servants and masters, especially from the Western perception, usually we tend to relate this teaching of the Scripture to the relationship of employers and employees. And there is a sense in which that could be done, but this is just a partial aspect of what the Apostle, through the concept of slavery or a bondage or servant, is trying to communicate here.

There's certain things that go beyond that. Just think about the words that the Apostle uses here in the text. He speaks of people being beaten for their sins. It doesn't matter what type of job you have, but I'm pretty sure that the relationship between employer and employee, if you do something wrong, it's not going to take you to being beaten, right? So that puzzle is addressing a principle here that goes beyond that.

And I don't want you to bring our social context into the text and apply the text in an unbiblical way. The Word of God is sufficient for us to go beyond social principles, or social context, and all of these things. The apostle here, for these servants, is addressing a situation of freedom. These people did not have the possibility to remove themselves from the situation in which they were. They were to remain in that particular situation.

As I told you last week, in 1 Corinthians 7, the Apostle Paul does speak of the possibility of Christians who were slaves or bondage, if they came to faith, if they had the opportunity to free themselves or to gain the opportunity of freedom, if it was possible. But what the Apostle says implies that for some of them, it was not possible to obtain this freedom. So that means that these people, brothers and sisters, would have been in situations of which they could not remove themselves, and when they were relating to unjust masters, the Apostle is calling them to remain righteous, and to remain doing good deeds, and to endure this type of suffering. Brothers and sisters, the reason why I'm saying all of these things is because I'm convinced that the apostle here gives, as I tried to explain last week with limitation of words, but as I tried to explain last week, Peter is given a principle that goes for the life of the Christian beyond servants who were slaves. Yes, he is addressing slaves and bond servants or servants who were serving in the house, oiketes instead of doulos.

But he is going to address a principle that goes and applies for the life of the Christian. And this is where we derive the nourishment for our souls, brothers and sisters. Because we can apply certain principles of the situation of these slaves in the first century to our lives. Yes, there may be times in which we are, as employees, submitted to employers who are unjust, who are unrighteous, and who are mistreating us. But yes, in the 21st century, we have the option just simply just to step away and then just to leave that job and then just remove ourselves.

But there may be the situation for a brother and sister in which, because of the providential circumstances, they simply cannot leave that particular job and they are to remain in those circumstances. So then the Bible calls them to be and remain righteous and to do good deeds, even if they are treated unjustly. The injustice will be punished by the one who judges justly, and that will be the problem of the employer. And as that, brothers and sisters, you can have many examples. And I have a couple of examples in my mind, but sometimes giving examples of that particular situation is not beneficial.

But just to go beyond the relationship of employer and employee, think about a brother and sister whom the Lord has saved while she or he was in jail. He was in jail, and then the Lord opened his eyes so his heart to be saved, and the Lord saved him, but him or her are going to spend years and years in jail because that's the situation in which they're going to stay. So the Bible calls these brothers and sisters who may be in that situation to endure suffering and struggles, being righteous, not being rebellious against those who are above them in some type of mastership, if that is a word that exists in English. Brothers and sisters, now I'm saying to you that the apostle is not only addressing masters or slaves or bondservants immediately, but he is going either deeper or building upon, depending on how your mind perceives things. He's even going deeper or building upon a principle that applies to all of us.

And that is, as I said last week, that we are to endure. sorrows, while we are suffering unjustly. So let me just simply, for the sake of the peace of my conscience, to prove to you from the text that this is what the Apostle is doing, so then we can address the remaining section that we have in front of us. This is a principle that the Apostle is applying not only to servants, not only to slaves, but that he's applying to all Christians. And we can see that Bear with me just in this exercise, just to prove that point to you, and then we move on to what I want to share with you.

In verse 21, the apostle now is going to give the reason why servants are supposed to endure sorrows while they're suffering. And what the apostle is going to do is that he's going to call the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he's going to say that Christ also suffered for you. So if this section was speaking only of servants, we would have to say that Christ only suffered for this type of Christians who were servants. But Christ suffered for all Christians. So when Peter says, for to this you have, and this you is plural, you have been called because Christ also suffered for you.

The suffering of Christ is not only for servants or slaves or bondservants, but it's for all Christians. and the Apostle is going to demonstrate that in the context of the letter. If you go, for instance, to chapter 4, the Apostle is going to use again the example of the sufferings of Christ related to all Christians. So, what I'm trying to demonstrate to you, so that I can move to the next point, is that the Apostle is addressing a principle that applies to you, if you are in Christ. That we are to endure sorrows, well-suffering, and justly, because of the example that Christ gave, not only to servants, but that he gave to all Christians.

If you go to chapter 4, in verse 1, he will say, Since therefore Christ suffered, in the flesh and then if you have another translation different to the ESV will say for us which is exactly the same language that he used in verse 21 in chapter 2 he says Christ suffered in the flesh for us arm yourselves with the same way of thinking that is do the same that Christ did follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ the suffering of Christ is an example for all Christians if you go then to verse 13 again in chapter 4, he is going to again connect Christians in general with the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ. So then in verse 13 he says, But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you might also rejoice and be glad with his glory when his glory is revealed. He says, with the sufferings of Christ, we are to rejoice, we are to identify when we suffer. Go to verse 16, and then he's going to make it more clear there in chapter 4, verse 16. He says, If anyone suffers, not only servants, not only slaves, but he says, if anyone suffers as a Christian, that is, as a person who is in Christ, let him not be a change, but let him glorify God in that name.

Brothers and sisters, from verse 21, the apostle is starting to build upon the exhortation of the instruction that he's given to servants. And now he's moving to all Christians. And we will see how that develops, because he's going to bring the nature of the atonement as the source of encouragement for Christians when they are going through sufferings and tribulations and difficulties. But the most glorious way that I can prove to you, brothers and sisters, that what the apostle is doing is not only referring to servants or slaves, but all Christians, is by pointing you to what the apostle is actually quoting. Pay attention to verse 21.

Again, go back to verse 21. It says, For to these you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you may follow in his steps. And then he's going to say something glorious. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.

When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued trusting himself to him who judges justly. Verse 24, He himself bore our sins in his body and the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed, for you were strained like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. What is he quoting? What is he making an allusion to?

Brothers and sisters, Peter is using one of the prophecies, one of the most glorious prophecies given about the Messiah, that was going to bring salvation to all nations, to speak to the suffering of servants, this prophecy of The suffering servant that was given by the prophet Isaiah is used now by the Apostle to speak to the suffering situation of Christians. So, of course, in the mind of the Apostle, he has moved now from servants and slaves who are serving in houses to the reality of all the Christians. And this is the glorious prophecy that he's now saying that Christ is the one who has fulfilled. So, if you go to a very famous chapter of the book of Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 53, you will see that this is what the apostle is quoting or making allusion when he's speaking to the suffering of these servants and in general of Christians. you will see of the exact and precise language that he is using here.

Let's just read chapter 53. Pay attention to the similar language that Peter uses, quoting or making allusion from Isaiah 53. Let's read together from verse 3. He was despised. Now, brothers and sisters, here, Isaiah, before we read this, Here Isaiah is speaking of the suffering servant of the Lord.

The people of Israel were supposed to be the servant of God, bringing light unto the nations, the light of God unto the nations. But Israel, because of the hardness of their heart, they have been rejected and forsaken the Lord. So, in Isaiah 49 and onwards, the prophet speaks of the servant of Yahweh, of the servant of the Lord, who is going to bring to fulfillment this light unto the nations, of this salvation unto the nations, speaking of the Messiah. And the way that this slave or born servant of the Lord is going to bring the extension of the establishment of the Kingdom of God to the nations, is not by the ruling power of armies, as we read, or with the power of chariots and horses. But He is going to do it in a way that is completely unexpected.

He is going to do it by suffering and by dying. This is the servant of the Lord. So then the prophet, when he is going to speak to the people of Israel about the one that is going to bring the light to the nations, he's going to come up with this prophecy of who this Messiah is going to be. And this starts in chapter 52, but we're going to read in chapter 53. Brothers and sisters, pay attention to these glorious words that we're speaking hundreds of years.

I don't even know exactly how many hundreds of years, but I know that they are in the hundreds of years before the Lord Jesus Christ came. And this is what he says in verse 3. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows. That's what we sing sometimes. And acquainted with grief.

as one from whom men hide their faces. Now pay attention, he was despised and we esteem him not. Verse 4, Surely he has borne our griefs and carried out our sorrows, yet we esteem him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our inequities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace."

And then exactly the same words that Peter uses, "...and with his wounds we are healed." Then in verse 25 Peter says a similar thing to what Isaiah says here, All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way." Continue reading, "...

and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Verse 7, he's exactly the same allusion that Peter does. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. Peter says, When they reviled him, he did not revile in return. Like a lamb that is led to the slaughtered, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silenced, so he opened not his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And as for his generation, who consider that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, that is, that he had committed no sin, and there was not deceit in his mouth. Brothers and sisters, Peter is bringing encouragement to those who are suffering unjustly, not only to those who are in bondage to temporary and human masters, but to all Christians. Brothers and sisters, Peter did not only know the Scriptures, Peter was not only acquainted with the text of Isaiah 53, Peter had seen with his own eyes the fulfillment of the prophecy that Isaiah had given hundreds of years ago in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter had seen how the people of Israel had rejected and despised the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter had seen how these people came to take him as an evildoer, as a criminal, and even he tried to defend the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter had witnessed and probably seen the trials before the Sanhedrin and the trials before Pontius Pilate. He had seen how the Lord had responded to the trials that he had been facing, that there was no deceit in his mouth. that He did not revile in return, that He did not answer to them with threatenance, that He was just like a sheep taken to the slaughter.

Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters, is now the fulfillment. This is the suffering servant. And the apostle Peter knew all of these things. So what the apostle is doing, brothers and sisters, when we go back to 1 Peter, in verse 21, when he says that Christ is an example, He's speaking to all Christians. He says that if we are enduring suffering, that we are to look to the Lord Jesus Christ, that we are to put our eyes in Christ, that He was the one that endured until the end the suffering.

Christ is our example. But brothers, there's something now very important, and this is when theology is very important. because the Apostle and Isaiah, they go beyond the example that Jesus Christ gives. You see that there is a heresy and that there is an error out there that says that Jesus Christ is an example to us only and that we are to emulate what Jesus Christ has done, that Jesus Christ came to this world only to set an example for Christians and that Christians are to emulate what the Lord Jesus Christ did. And as long as we emulate and we do the things that the Lord Jesus Christ did, we are fulfilling the requirements of a Christian life.

And that's heresy, that's called moral government. That's error, brothers and sisters, because the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, only when it pertains to His suffering, is incomplete. The Lord Jesus Christ was not only to suffer the things that He suffered upon this earth, but He was to complete His work going to the cross. And this is what Isaiah says in 53 verse 10, that it was the will or that the Lord was pleased to crush the suffering servants, that it is that the suffering servant that the Messiah did not only come to this world to suffer and to endure sufferings, but He also came to die and to give His life as an offering for the sins of many people. And that's what the Apostle is also doing.

And so, if you go back to your text, you will see that Peter is exactly doing the same transition, brothers and sisters, He's not only speaking of the unjust suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ, who committed no sin, who did not revile in the return, who suffered and did not threaten, and that committed himself to God the Father, but also this Christ died upon the cross. And that's what the Apostle Peter addresses in verse 24 and verse 25. Now, brothers and sisters, This relationship between the suffering of Christ and what He did upon the cross is utterly important. A person cannot follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ if what Christ accomplished upon the cross, namely His death and then resurrection, has not been effectively applied to the heart and soul of that person. A person can try with all morality, with all principles of this world, to emulate the person of Jesus Christ.

People can see in the Lord Jesus Christ a good example to follow, to speak like Him, to do the things that He did, to have the love that He had, try to do all of those things. But if what the Lord Jesus Christ did upon the cross is not effectively applied by the Holy Spirit in the life of a person, then those works are unrighteous works done in the flesh, taking the person to eternal condemnation, even if that person seems to be very Christ-like externally. So, the suffering of Christ is going to be incomplete if we do not have the death of the Lord Jesus applied to the soul of a person. And that's why Peter and also Isaiah do not only speak about the sufferings and the sorrows and the difficulties of the suffering servant, but they also point their readers to what he is doing or what he did. And that is going to the cross.

That's what we have in verse 24 and 25, when the Lord or the Spirit speaks to us about the work of the Lord in the cross. But in order to do that transition, brothers and sisters, I want you to pay attention also to the words that Peter uses in the text, because that is glorious. Go to the end of verse 18. The apostle has in his mind this concept of justice, that is, to give to a person what they deserve. So he speaks in the end of verse 18, speaking of unjust masters, right?

He says not only to the good and gentle, but also to the unjust. He's got this concept of justice in his mind. When you go also to the end of verse 19, he says, For this is a gracious thing when mindful of God one endures sorrows, while suffering unjustly, that is against justice. The apostle has in his mind this concept of justice given to those that which they deserve to be just and given them what they deserve and what is meant to be given to them. Not only there, but he takes the concept of justice all the way until the end to verse 23, when he says, speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, when he was reviled, He did not revile in return.

When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued trusting himself to Him who judges justly." Brothers and sisters, the concept of justice is clearly in the mind of the apostle as he is writing these things. and what he's going to do now is completely glorious and profound and so needed. We need to see the things that the apostle is going to do here, brothers. justice is given to the righteous justice or given that which they deserve and given to the wicked punishment.

That's the whole idea that the apostle has explained. If you are a servant and then you are beaten because you sin, you deserve it. But if your master treats you unjustly, you are to remain doing things in the righteous way. Why? Because the suffering servant, the Lord Jesus Christ, did not commit any sin.

But what he is going to say in verses 24 and 25, it is completely against the understanding of secular justice, because he's going to say, brothers and sisters, that Christ, He Himself, Christ, the One that He has described as the One who did not commit any sin, the One who did not have any deceit in His mouth, the One that did not revile in return, that the One that is just, that the One that is righteous, received the unrighteousness of sinners, and not only that, but that He died upon the cross. Brothers and sisters, I know that we are filled with the presuppositions of the gospel, and sometimes, because we have the presence of the gospel in our mind, we tend not to see the glorious thing of what this is, the salvation that we have in Christ. But brothers, go to Proverbs, verse 17. Go to Proverbs, verse 17, and see what the Lord has said about giving unrighteousness to the righteous and giving punishment or giving justification to the wicked. Verse 15.

Read this. Proverbs 17, verse 15. He... 17, verse 15. He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both an abomination to the Lord."

Brothers and sisters, let's read it again and pay attention. He says, "...he who justifies the wicked," Proverbs 17, verse 15, "...he who justifies the wicked," and then just try to have that in your mind, "...and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord."

The person who wrote this is speaking of what Peter is explaining that took place in the glorious exchange with the Lord Jesus Christ. The one that justifies the wicked, that is, the one that makes righteous the sinner, and the one who condemns the one that is righteous, the one that executes punishment on the one that is righteous, Both are an abomination to the Lord. Now, brothers and sisters, in the end of verse 23, the Apostle says that Jesus Christ entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly. That God, in His judgment, that He is just. That there is no unrighteousness in God at all.

That there is no injustice in God at all. But then when we come to the next verse, he says that Jesus Christ, the one who is righteous, the one who committed no sin, bore the sins of the unrighteous. And that the unrighteous, or that He bearing the sins of the unrighteous, that He paid that on the cross by dying. In a sense, it seems that God, the one who judges unjustly, is making righteous the wicked, the sinner, and that is punishing or condemning the one that is righteous. How can that be?

How can that be? How are we going to reconcile those things, brothers and sisters? And that is that justice, the answer to that is that justice was indeed satisfied. Brothers and sisters, at the cross, there was not only a glorious exchange in which Jesus Christ took upon Himself our guilt and our penalty, what we deserve, and that He transferred His righteousness unto us by faith when that is applied unto us. That is not the only thing that took place upon the cross.

This is a glorious exchange that Peter speaks in verse 24. He says, "...he himself bore our sins in his body." That is speaking of this glorious exchange that Christ bore our sins on the tree in his body. He received the unrighteousness of sinners and he died upon the cross so that his righteousness will be given to the sinners.

that the unrighteous will be made righteous. But that is not the only thing that took place upon the cross. It is not the only thing that happened when the Lord Jesus Christ came. It is not only the fulfillment of the righteous requirement of God. Something more happened.

And this is what the Apostle Paul describes in Romans 3. Go with your eyes and see it through the inspired word of the Lord Jesus Christ, through His Spirit. Romans 3, verse 23. Romans 3, verse 23. So did Christ bear our sins upon the cross?

Yes. Did the righteousness of Christ, or was the righteousness, or is the righteousness of Christ imputed to a person by faith when they believe? Yes, and all of that happened because of the atonement upon the cross. But there is more than that that happened upon the cross. Verse 23.

For all have seen and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Now pay attention, "...whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, that is, speaking to the death upon the cross." to be received by faith. What was the purpose of that?

This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance, he passed over former sins. It was to show not only a glorious exchange between sinners and the Savior, but it was also to show the righteousness of God, His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus so that this God will be the one who judges justly. Oh, brothers and sisters, when judgment comes, When the day of judgment comes, no one is going to be able to say to God, why did you save those unrighteous sinners? because what Christ accomplished upon the cross was not only making us righteous when by faith we are vitally united to Him, but was to display the glorious righteousness of God to the world, so that everyone will bow to His name and say, you are just, you are the righteous God who judges justly, And this is the power of the gospel that transforms. This is why Peter, then after speaking about this glorious exchange in which Jesus Christ receives the penalty of our sins and thus expiation of our guilt, not only that, but then he receives the wrath of God upon himself, propitiating that, so that between men and God might be reconciliation and Paul can say in Romans 5 verse 1 that they have been justified by faith and now they have peace with God because their sins have been expiated if that's how you say it and also wrath has been propitiated so now there can be reconciliation between the two and not only that in the end of the days God is just God is righteous, and not only that, but the righteousness that we have is not a fictitious righteousness, but it's a real righteousness imputed by the grace of God.

That took place 2,000 years ago, brothers and sisters. Jesus Christ was powerfully resurrected, and by the power of the Spirit, he was declared to be the Son of God. And if that took place 2,000 years ago, then whatever is derived from that which took place effectually 2,000 years ago, should be a reality in the life of those who have faith. And that's the next clause of the Apostle, because he says, he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree. What is the purpose of that?

That we may die to sin and live to righteousness. So, you see, what Christ accomplished upon the cross was this glorious legal transaction, was this court case that was sealed by what Christ did on behalf of His people. But when the Spirit of Christ visited a person by the power of the gospel, then that which was accomplished in the cross is effectively applied in the life and in the soul of that person. So that person, by faith, is united to Christ, baptized by the Spirit into his body, death to sin, alive to righteousness. And the same power that resurrected the Lord Jesus Christ is the same power that kills the sinner in his sin and gives him life, righteousness unto life.

No! Slavery unto death, as we were bondage to this sin before, but now we are slaves, we are doulos, we are keotes, we are everything to Christ unto life. I don't know if you can see this, but this is glorious. This is glorious. The Lord Jesus Christ accomplished that 2,000 years ago, and these are the effects.

And now, brothers, Peter is not only going to speak of this glorious reality that we are dead to sin. This is what Paul says in Romans chapter 6, right? That we have been baptized in Christ's death, that we are dead to sin, and that we are alive into newness of life, so that our members are not to be given unto slavery or bondage to sin, but we are slaves unto righteousness for life. So we are not supposed to let sin to reign over us. Why?

Because not only the penalty of sin was dealt with upon the cross, but also the dominating power of sin that was ruling above us was destroyed by Christ. There is remaining of sin, of course, but sin does not have dominating power anymore on us. Then he is going to give us that clause there, by his wounds you have been healed. The wounds of the soul that sin had caused The wounds of the heart and the mind and the spirit that are bondage to sin had caused the times and the many things that happened because of our slavery to sin had been now healed. But not only spiritual healing, brothers and sisters, also physical healing.

This is what Matthew speaks of the fulfillment of this prophecy when he saw the Lord Jesus Christ bringing healing to the one that was sick, also physical healing. But don't make faces of fear to that statement, brothers and sisters, because that healing is a healing that is going to be given entirely when glory arrives. Yes, it is the glory of God and it is the will of God to heal some and many in this present time and praise God because He heals and He brings healing to those who are in pain and in sickness. But the healing that we are speaking here is a more glorious, a healing that it is forever, a healing that it is eternal, a healing that it is to come. And you know what?

When the servants would have heard this, when these slaves would have heard these things, to them it would have meant also something else, because they were bitten, because there are scars and wounds in his body. So when they heard of this, pastor, or with this shepherd, or this overseer of their souls, that was bringing all of these things unto them, it would be not only an immediate, but also an eternal comfort to the life of these slaves. By his wounds you have been healed. Verse 25, then the apostle moves and he says, For you were strained like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. And I love that the Lord led our brother to speak of our relationship to Christ as our master, that we are slaves unto Christ.

But he's not only our master, he's our master and we are slaves unto Christ. But as the apostle, he says he's also our shepherd and overseer, speaking brothers and sisters of the care that he now has for His children, the ones who have been justified because of what He accomplished upon the cross, the ones who have been transformed by the power of the Spirit, the ones who have died to sin, and the ones who have been resurrected unto life. These ones, using the analogy of Isaiah 53, they were going astray. Everyone has fallen short of the glory of God. They had departed from everything that is righteousness, but they have now returned.

Not that they have the ability to return, but the Greek or the original speaks of them being taken. They have now been returned to the Lord Jesus Christ. And this speaks now of the relationship of Christ to us. The he is, brothers and sisters, our shepherd. The he is our overseer.

The apostle opens the section speaking to servants to submit to their masters. Yet he concludes the section speaking of Christians and their souls submitted to the care of the shepherd and to the overseer. He changes the relationship of those who are in bondage to their masters in the human way or in the physical way. And he changes to the overseers and to the shepherd of their souls, speaking that even if they are to endure the suffering in the present world, they are united to a greater king. They are united to a greater Lord.

And that is looking after and protecting and having care of their souls. May He give us eyes to see all of these things, brothers and sisters. Amen. Let's pray.