Easter or Resurrection Sunday is a day set aside to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That supernatural event is recorded in the Bible books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 1 Corinthians 15:6 tells us that at one event more than 500 believers saw Jesus alive. While many people today know the basic story of Jesus’ resurrection, few know much about why He arose. Many people, including many religious people have never received the priceless gift that Christ now offers us because of His resurrection.

Transition

This morning, I want to show you what the Bible says about God’s priceless gift that Christ offers us. To do so, I want us to examine three aspects of God’s priceless gift.

Christ was Delivered for our Offences, 4:25

The gift began with Christ’s death.

  1. Christ was delivered
    1. The word translated “delivered” means to be given into the hands of another. In context, it refers to Christ being delivered to be put to death.
    2. From a human perspective, several humans shared guilt.
      1. Judas was guilty of delivering Jesus. Jesus said of him. (Mark 14:21) “The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.”
      2. The wicked Jews took responsibility for delivering Jesus. (Matthew 27:25) “Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.”
      3. Pilate was blackmailed into delivering Jesus. (John 19:16) “Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.”
      4. Though these were guilty of delivering Jesus, they could not have delivered Him if He had not allowed it. Jesus said, (Matthew 26:53) “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?”
    3. From a divine perspective, God the Father delivered Jesus (God the Son) to die for mankind. It was not an accident. Men did not overpower Him. It was an eternal plan. (John 3:16) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Jesus said, (John 10:17-18) “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (cf., 1Pe 1:20)
  2. For our offences
    1. The word “for” means for the sake of. Jesus was delivered for a purpose. That purpose was for the sake of mankind. Man has a humanly incurable problem – our offences.
    2. The word “offences” speaks of our misdeeds. Misdeeds are acts that fall short of what is right. Every human has done many things that fall short of right.
      1. Solomon wrote, (Ecclesiastes 7:20) “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”
      2. Jeremiah put it this way, (Jeremiah 17:9) “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
    3. Jesus was delivered to die on the cross for the sake of our offences. He died to pay for every sin of every human who ever lived. (1 Timothy 2:6) “Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (1 John 2:2) “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Christ was Raised Again for our Justification, 4:25

  1. Christ was raised again
    1. The term “raised again” confirms the fact that Christ had been delivered to death. His physical body died and he was buried. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” (1 Peter 3:18) “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened [made alive] by the Spirit:”
    2. God the Father and the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. Peter preached this fact. (Acts 2:32) “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.”
    3. Jesus is no longer dead. He is alive.
  2. For our justification
    1. Jesus was raised from the dead for a purpose. Again, we find the same word translated “for” – for the sake of.
    2. Jesus was raised from the dead for the sake of our justification. It is vital that we understand this word “justification”. It literally means to declare us free from guilt and acceptable to God. That is awesome! Because Jesus died to pay sin’s debt and rose from the dead, He is able to declare mankind free from guilt and make them acceptable to God.

Christ’s Righteousness is Imputed to Believers, 4:24

  1. Christ’s righteousness
    1. To learn to what the word “it” in verse 24 refers, we must go back to verse 22. There we learn that it refers to Christ’s righteousness. To be righteous is to be guilt-free and acceptable to God or right with God.
    2. Those who are justified are given Christ’s righteousness. Their standing before God is made right!
  2. Is imputed to believers
    1. Verse 24 tells us that Christ’s righteousness shall be imputed to those who believe on God who raised up Jesus from the dead.
    2. To understand this, we must first grasp the meaning of the word “imputed”. The word translated “imputed” is found at least 40 times in the Bible. Some of the ways it is translated are reasoned, numbered, reckoned, thinkest, counted, concluded, impute, esteemeth, account, thought, and suppose.
    3. Thayer’s Lexicon states, “This word deals with reality. If I logizomai or reckon that my bank book has $25 in it, it has $25 in it. Otherwise, I am deceiving myself. This word refers to facts not suppositions.”
    4. God is telling us here that every person who will believe or place their faith upon Him, believing that Jesus died for their offences and rose again for their justification, on that person God will impute Christ’s righteousness. That person has Christ’s righteousness. That is a fact!
      1. This imputed righteousness is not earned.
      2. It is not merited by being religious.
      3. It is not helped by getting baptised or confirmed.
      4. It is a totally free gift from God to all who will repent (turning from their self-righteous efforts to earn heaven and believing that their only hope is Christ’s death and resurrection) and believe that Christ died to pay for their offences and rose again to justify them before God.
      5. The only way a person can receive Christ’s righteousness is to have God impute it. Only God can credit a sinner’s account with His righteousness. The most important question is, “Have you received Christ’s imputed righteousness?”

Conclusion

We have examined three aspects of God’s priceless gift. 1) Christ was delivered for our offences. He died for YOUR sin and mine. 2) Christ was raised from the dead for our justification. God raised Him to life again to be able to declare us free from guilt and acceptable to God – justified! 3) God promises to impute Christ’s righteousness to the account of every sinner who will humbly believe that his sin was so terrible that God himself had to die to pay the eternal penalty. God raised up Jesus from the dead so he could justify believers. God wants to stamp your sin account PAID IN FULL – Righteous! The only way He can is if you admit your sinfulness, desire God to change you, and believe that He paid your sin debt for you.

Song: Have You Any Room – 241
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God’s Priceless Gift
27 March 2016 AM – Romans 4:23-25– Resurrection Sunday – Scott Childs