The Death Of JESUS
The churches of Christ Greet You (Romans 16:16).
1. The world of today stresses the birth of Jesus.
a. However, the
Bible emphasizes His death.
b. The early
Christians met each first day of the week
c. to remember
the Lord's death in the memorial of His last Supper
(Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 11:26).
2. Truly the cross of Christ is the pivotal point in human
history.
a. A study of
the events surrounding the crucifixion of the Savior
b. will but
magnify the importance of His death.
3. When one considers the glorious life of perfection Jesus
portrayed
a. it seems
nothing short of tragedy
b. that His life
was violently taken from the earth.
4. Why did the Son of God need to die?
a. Why did He
die?
b. How did He
die?
1. What lessons do we learn from the Master's demise?
2. It shall be the purpose of this brief lesson to notice each of
these points.
5. The Bible says, "And Jesus, bearing his cross, went forth into
a place called the place
of the skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they
crucified
him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the
midst"
(John 19:17-18).
I. WHY DID JESUS NEED TO DIE?
1. Was this cruel Roman execution necessary?
a. Yes!
b. Three dynamic
reasons can be ascertained from the scriptures
c. for such an
answer.
2. First, Jesus had to die so that man could have the Remission
of Sin:
a. In Hebrews
9:22 we learn of the necessity of "the shedding of blood"
b. that our sins
may be forgiven.
3. The prophet Zechariah had foretold
a. that a
fountain would be opened for the cleansing of sin (Zech. 13:1).
b. When the
Roman soldier pierced the gentle side of Jesus
1. as He was hanging on the cross,
2. that fountain was opened (John 19:34).
4. Christ was indeed the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of
the world (John 1:29).
a. He "washed us
from our sins in His own blood" (Revelation 1:5).
b. Paul informs
us that "Christ is our Passover" (I Corinthians 5:7).
c. Through our
Savior we are delivered from death.
5. Up to the time of Golgotha the finest hour in Jewish history
a. had been the
Day of Atonement.
b. You can read
of this important annual occasion in Leviticus 16.
6. Yearly, after offering a sacrifice for his own sins and for
the people,
a. the high
priest would figuratively send the sins into the wilderness
b. on the head
of the scape goat.
7. Not until our Redeemer died
a. could anyone
literally be forgiven (Hebrews 9:15-17).
b. Jesus needed
to die for the remission of sins.
8. Second, Jesus had to die to fulfill God's Eternal Purpose:
a. It is often
difficult for finite minds to grasp infinite truths.
b. Even when
those truths are revealed unto man (Deut. 29:29).
9. Jesus said, "I am come down from heaven not to do mine own
will, but the will of him
that sent me" (John 6:38).
a. What was the
Father's desire for the Son?
b. In I Peter
1:18-19 we learn that it embraced the sacrifice of Jesus
c. as the
sin-offering for lost humanity.
10. Jehovah had warned the Devil in the Garden of Eden
a. that one day
the seed of woman would crush the power of evil (Gen. 3:15).
b. This promise
was fulfilled when Christ died, after living a sinless life,
c. and then
arose from the grave.
11. These events took "the sting of sin" out of death (I Corinthians
15:56; Hebrews 2:14)
a. and removed
the power Satan had over mankind.
b. The Bible
says, "For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is life
eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
12. Third, Jesus had to die to Reconcile Man to God:
a. When Adam
sinned in the Garden mankind was separated from Jehovah
(Isaiah 59:1-2).
b. The perfect
harmony and beauty of the creature with the Creator
c. had been
broken.
13. It took the death of Christ to bring him back to God (Ephesians
2:16).
a. Notice the
comparison between a beautiful Messianic prophecy
b. and a
verified statement from the pen of Paul.
1. Isaiah said, "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" (Isa. 53:3).
2. Paul later said, "For if, when we were enemies, we were
reconciled to
God by the death of his Son much more, being reconciled, we shall
be saved by his life" (Rom. 3:10).
14. Therefore, we conclude that Jesus needed to die
a. because man was
alienated from God due to sin.
b. It was heaven's
eternal purpose that Christ's death
c. should make it
possible for this to be accomplished.
II. WHY DID JESUS DIE?
1. Under this point we shall discuss those forces that
contributed to His death.
a. We have
noticed the necessity of Christ's life being taken from the earth.
b. Now we will
see why such a tragedy occurred.
2. It was a combination of:
a. The love of
God. "He commended his love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
b. The weakness
of man.
1. The betrayal by Judas, the denial by Peter,
2. the rejection of Jesus by the Jewish nation -
3. all of these things brought about the death of our Lord.
c. The cowardice
of Pilate.
1. Even though he could find no fault with the man of Nazareth,
2. Pilate condemned Him to death.
3. Popularity meant more to him than principle.
d. The humility
of Jesus.
1. “The Son of God humbled himself and became obedient unto
death,
even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8).
2. In Gethsemane He said humbly: "Thy will be done" (Luke 22:42).
e. Our desperate
need of salvation.
1. Certainly the major reason for Calvary
2. was the despicable condition of mankind.
"There (was) none righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10).
3. There was no hope apart from Christ Jesus.
a. He gave His
life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).
b. The Hebrew
writer tells us that Christ "tasted of death for every man"
(Hebrews 2:9).
c. A very
grateful apostle Paul stated that "Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners, of whom I am chief" (I Timothy 1:15).
III. HOW DID OUR REDEEMER DIE?
1. A careful Bible answer to this question
a. will
certainly add depth to our appreciation of the Savior.
b. First of all
He died openly.
c. As Paul said,
before King Agrippa, "these things were not done in a corner"
(Acts 26:26).
1. Jesus was executed during the Jewish feast of Passover.
2. Historians tells us that two million Hebrews
3. were in or about the city of Jerusalem for such an occasion.
2. Secondly, the Man of Galilee died in a noble manner.
a. Not once did
He allow the pettiness of others to divert the will of God.
b. When asked,
"Art thou the Christ?"
c. Jesus merely
answered, "Thou sayest."
d. So
resplendent was He, even on the cross, that a centurion stated:
"Truly this was the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54).
3. In the third place, Jesus died vicariously,
a. that is, on
behalf of others.
b. In 2
Corinthians 5:14 we learn that "one died for all."
1. Peter tells us that our perfect Example
"bore our sins in his own body upon the tree" (1 Peter 2:24).
2. Jehovah made Him "to be sin for us even though he knew no
sin."
(2 Corinthians 5:21).
4. Fourthly, our Savior died painfully.
a. The Roman
scourging received prior to the actual crucifixion
b. was enough to
kill some men.
c. The heavy
burden of the cross was additional agony.
5. Usually, in the first century when one was "nailed to the
tree"
a. he was laid
on top of the crude cross while it lay on the ground.
b. Spikes were
driven sharply into the criminal's hands and feet.
1. Then suddenly in excruciating pain,
2. the cross would be projected between heaven and earth.
6. These terrible things were experienced by the greatest One
a. who ever
walked the sands of time.
b. The throng
mocked Him;
1. blood, from the wreath of thorns, flowed down His face.
2. No wonder the hymn writer has touched our hearts with these
words:
"See from his head, his hands, his feet
Sorrow and blood flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and pity meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?"
7. Lastly, Jesus died alone.
a. Peter had
denied Him with a fervent speech;
b. most of the
other apostles “forsook him, and fled” (Matt. 26:56).
1. A few faithful women were nearby weeping.
2. Nicodemus and Joseph would later prepare His body for burial.
8. Yet, for One who had done so much for mankind
a. the scene
about the cross was very lonely.
b. From the
Roman tree the Redeemer cried,
"My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46).
1. The Father looked away from the Son for a moment.
2. In that glance we have hope of redemption.
9. Praise God for His infinite love
a. and Jesus for
His willingness to offer His life
b. that we might
never die.
10. A passage in II Corinthians 8:9 beautifully sums up this glorious
result:
"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that, though he was
rich,
yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be
rich."
IV. LESSONS WE LEARN FROM THE DEATH OF CHRIST
1. There are four great lessons we learn as a result of the
cross.
a. Each point is
a fundamental one as regards religion in our day.
b. In fact, were
these truths understood and embraced by all,
c. there would
be no religious division.
2. Notice carefully the results of the Lord's sacrifice at
Calvary.
a. First, The
Law of Moses Was Abolished.
b. In Matthew
26:28 we read that the new testament was ushered in
c. through the
blood of Christ.
3. In Romans seven we learn that men today are dead to the law
that said,
"Thou shalt not covet,"
a. that we may
be spiritually joined to Jesus who arose from the dead.
b. Paul plainly
declares in Galatians 2:21 that Christ died in vain
c. if we are
still under the Law.
4. In three distinct passages in Hebrews
a. we read that
Christ is the mediator of the New Testament
b. and that He
could not have been until after His death.
1. Therefore, at the cross our Savior took away the first
covenant.
2. We are now under the last will and testament of the Lord
(Hebrews 8:6; 9:15; 12:24).
5. Comprehension of this scriptural thought
a. will answer
the often asked question about the thief on the cross.
b. The thief
lived and died before Jesus shed His blood of the new covenant.
1. We live after that notable event.
2. We are under the new testament,
3. the thief was subject to the old testament.
6. While Jesus was on earth He had the authority to forgive sins
as He chose
(Matthew 9:6).
a. But when
Christ died, His law for man was revealed in the New Testament.
b. The terms for
pardon, sealed in His blood, must not be changed.
7. According to the words of the Savior
a. all
accountable beings must now believe the gospel (Mark 16:16),
b. repent of
their sins (Luke 24:47)
c. and be
immersed in water (Acts 8:38; 22:16).
d. This
arrangement will last till the end of the world (Matthew 28:18-20).
1. Secondly, we learn from the death of Christ that His Church
Was Established.
a. In Matthew
the sixteenth chapter our Lord promised to build His church.
b. Even "the
gates of Hades" would not prevail against this decree (vs. 18).
2. The enemies of Jesus thought that by putting Him to death
a. they would
forever destroy His influence.
b. But, up from
the grave our Redeemer arose.
c. He empowered
the Apostles to make the church a reality.
3. On Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection of Christ,
a. Peter
preached a magnificent sermon
b. based on the
triumphant death of the Son of God.
4. That day, the church was formally established
a. and the Lord
added the saved to it (Acts 2:47).
b. In Ephesians
1:20-23 we learn that Christ became the head of the church
c. after His
resurrection from the dead.
1. The death and resurrection of Christ also gives us Our Hope of
Resurrection.
a. At the
raising of Lazarus from the dead
b. the Master
made a statement that thrills our very souls.
c. However, it
took His own resurrection to make it possible.
2. Do you remember John 11:25?
"I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though
he die,
yet shall he live."
3. Paul tells us in the fifteenth chapter of I Corinthians
a. that Christ
is the first fruits of those that sleep
b. since He did
arise from the dead.
4. John reports that when Jesus comes again, "all that are in the
grave shall hear his voice
and come forth" (John 5:28).
5. Brethren in the first century comforted one another
a. with the hope
of one day being raised to be with the Savior (1 Thessalonians
4:13-18).
b. In the sixth
division of the grand book of Hebrews
1. we read that Jesus became our forerunner into heaven by His
resurrection.
2. Thanks be unto God for such a precious hope.
1. And finally, we learn of The Spiritual Beauty and Significance
of Baptism.
a. A sincere
study of the death of Christ
b. will just
naturally lead one to the subject of baptism.
2. In Romans 6:1-5 we see that the death, burial and resurrection
of Christ
a. is vividly
portrayed when a person becomes dead to sin,
b. is buried
with Christ in baptism
c. and
subsequently raised to walk in a new manner of life.
3. The identical point is referred to in Colossians 2:12.
a. Thus, gospel
baptism is neither foolish nor arbitrary.
b. It is a
necessary command of God for man
c. that conveys
the deepest spiritual meaning.
1. The act of baptism puts a person into Christ (Galatians 3:27)
2. where all spiritual blessings are found (Ephesians 1:3).
Conclusion:
1. These are some of the grand lessons we learn
a. as we
meditate upon the death of our Lord.
b. If we
appropriate these blessings to our own lives
c. we shall
never really die.
2. To such ones the second death (eternal punishment) hath no
power.
"One day when heaven was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin,
Dwelled among men, my Example is He.
Living He loved me, dying He saved me,
Buried He carried my sins far away.
Rising He justified me... freely forever,
One day He is coming, O Glorious Day."
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