My profoundest apologies for the lack of posting in this blog. Time seems to hurry on at a formidable pace and there never seems enough hours in the day. Thanks to Tom for getting my mind back onto the blog and sometime this week, when I've collected my thoughts a little I'll publish a post in reflection on Tom's thoughts. But for know, who reads this blog? (other than Caleb!) I'd appreciate knowing, even if you had the mildest of interests! It'd be good to get some feedback on what you think we should try and do. for know though, before I post on Spiritual Gifts, here is the script from the first sermon I have preached- given on the Good Friday at my church MREC. Let me know your thoughts and comments! The sermon was given to the church fellowship AM, and it was meant as a meditational thought to encourage/challenge (rather than evangelistic)
Mark 15:6-41
Why did Jesus die on the cross?
We come together as a fellowship of believers at this time to remember the Lord Jesus Christ and his death, not just before communion but also on Good Friday, that day that we remember Jesus being nailed to the tree.
The cross is the single most important event in all of history. Nothing else can even be considered comparable to it, for nothing else has ever had the impact upon humanity that the cross had and has. For on that tree, roughly 2000 years ago the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings was pierced for our transgressions OUR transgressions! He was mocked, struck and spit upon v19 not for anything He had done, for he was completely sinless 1 Peter 2:22 “He committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth” but he received these actions for you, and for me. Shall we take a few moments this morning, as we look upon the cross, to ask a big question. Why did Jesus die upon the cross for me? From my own experience, often in our Christian lives the thrill of the cross begins to erode after our conversion and we in many ways take Christ crucified for granted.
Jesus’ death wasn’t just a random event; it didn’t just see the Son of God cleverly caught in a sinister and evil plot by the High Priests. It was much more than that. Although verses 11-15 seem to show that this was all the High Priests own doing and that they were outplaying God in an elaborate game of chess, if we re-wind 700 years to the time of Isaiah we should be amazed at what we read in chapter 53: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” and a few verses later in v10 comes the astounding part “Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.”
Do you see what I’m saying? I hope so. Jesus Christ dying on the cross wasn’t a random event. It was a divine plan, and it was the Lord’s will. The Chief priests that thought themselves the architects were merely the pawns. Acts 2:23 reveals God’s purpose “This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross”
Let’s take a few minutes to look at three reasons why Jesus died on the cross so. Firstly Jesus’ death upon the cross was all about Liberty. Why did God plan to sacrifice His own son? So that we might be granted liberty… granted freedom… and so that Jesus might be victorious. Only Christ could achieve the plan that God the father had for his people, only Christ could bear the weight of sin upon his shoulders. In shouting out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus took God’s curse upon himself and whilst, as JC Ryle says, it would be useless to try and fathom the depth in meaning of these words, what we can say wholeheartedly is that at that moment Jesus achieved His purpose and victory was gained. Earlier in Mark 10:45 Jesus had promised that He was “to give his life, as a ransom for many” there is a price that must be paid, and God demands that a ransom must be given so that the many are given liberty. Throughout the Old Testament we constantly see the theme of reconciliation, God reconciling the people of Israel to himself, demanding that they repent and then bestowing his blessings upon them. As 2 Corinthians 5:19 tells us “God was in Christ reconciling us to himself” we need to be reconciled to God because we face His judgment and it is Christ who completes that work, not us. The believer is forgiven not because he deserves to be forgiven, but because Christ has set us free. Hebrews 2:14 puts it like this: “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil” The devil’s power has been broken, Christ has won the victory and set us free Jesus has “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” 2 timothy 1:10. Just as God had, in times before, saved his people the Israelites by granting them liberty from Egypt so God has given us liberty through the sacrifice of his son. It is interesting to note a parallel in this the death of Christ to the Exodus, where we read of the ninth plague being that of three day of darkness before the death of the first born son in the tenth plague. In v33 there is three hours of darkness upon the land before God’s own firstborn son dies. In this we see that it is only through Jesus’ death that light is restored to the land. We are granted liberty from destruction and we receive victory over death- because Jesus died on the cross in our place and for our sin.
Secondly we can see that Jesus’ death upon the cross was out of love. This seems an obvious point doesn’t it? We have all seen, and maybe at times owned an object which says ‘Jesus loves me’. We are all familiar with the Jesus Christ of love. But why exactly does Jesus’ death on the cross mean that he loves us? Well, from the very beginning of his ministry Jesus accepted his role as mediator for us, in Matthew 3:15Jesus accepts his position, that his must fulfil righteousness by being baptised so that he could be identified with his people in order to bear their sins. By making himself fully obedient to God, even unto death. As we read in Galatians 2:20 “the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” What a wonderful statement! Jesus Christ the son of God gave himself for me! In breathing his last Jesus accepted the burden of my sins and was punished by God as a substitute, out of love for me the sinner. In doing so, as a believer I died with him, my sins are taken in his death and I am given new life in him through his resurrection! When we realise that Jesus gave himself for us that wonderful statement in John 3:16 becomes even more wonderful. God gave his son as a sacrifice because he so loved the world! Jesus died on the cross because he loved us, his people and the knowledge of this should cause us to rejoice! Ephesians 5:2 says “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”. Even though he was to suffer a brutal death, one of barbaric beating and horrendous humiliation Jesus did it willingly out of his love for those that he came to save. To the believer this act of love means everything because in Christ’s sacrifice of love I am given new life, I am raised in his resurrection as a new being not because of my own power but because he loved me enough to die on a cross for me.
Thirdly and finally let us look at the law. Why did Jesus Christ die on the cross? Well, because a price needed to be paid, the law had to be kept. Story Of Ebay Throughout His covenant with Israel God demanded that a sacrifice be made for the sins of the people, it was to be a pure offering of the best of their flocks but this old model had failed because of the sinful nature of the people. By sending down his son, Jesus Christ, God sent a sacrifice to cover all sacrifices so that whoever believes may have their sins forgiven. This is because the very nature of God must be satisfied, as a just God and a righteous God he demands that the debt to sin be paid. God is “a faithful God who does no wrong” Dt 32:4 and who promises that “I will not… be false to my faithfulness” Psalm 89:33 as Stott points out. God must be faithful to himself and must be satisfied- that is why there can only be one way and a sacrifice must be made. Therefore Jesus, on the cross, became a substitution for our sins by accepting the wrath of God so that God might look at us without sin. In Galatians we read that “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us- for it is written, cursed is he who hangs on a tree” as we learnt last Sunday evening. Only Christ could be such a substitute and that is why in the First epistle of John 2:2 says that “he is the propitiation of our sins” according to Wayne Grudem propitiation means a sacrifice that bears God’s wrath to the end and in doing so changes God’s wrath towards us into favour”. By becoming a propitiation for us Christ satisfies the law of God and appeases Him to look upon us favourably because “the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin” 2 John 1:7. God’s satisfaction is achieved in Christ’s substitution because there can be no other way. Christ died for us so that the law of God would be fulfilled and so that it is possible for us to be reconciled to him.
What does that mean for us? Well let us rejoice that Christ has died for us and that he did so to satisfy the demands of the law, and in doing so he has given us liberty free from the bonds of sin through his love for us. What a Saviour we have, a Saviour that was ridiculed on the cross, that was spat upon and beaten and yet after he breathed his last caused the centurion standing beside him to realise that he was the Christ “truly this man was the Son of God” v39 In the midst of such a horrible scene, even a hard soldier saw the wonderful sacrifice of our dear Saviour who was pierced for our transgressions and died so that we might have eternal life.
As believers we should be at liberty! But do we still live in fear of condemnation? Believer, there is no need to. If we trust in Christ we are free from all condemnation and are assured of his amazing grace.
What difference doe the knowledge of Christ’s death have on our lives? We know why Christ died for us, what are we going to do about it? Mark 16 14-16 the great commission- we must go out and tell all of our wonderful saviour!
