The Death of Christ

The Death of Christ

INTRODUCTION. The two doctrines most opposed by fallen man are Incarnation and Expiation.

"These two doctrines show the marvellous, inconceivable, infinite love of God to poor sinful humanity." - Dr. Adolph Saphir Substitution is the great doctrine of Peter, Paul, James and Philip in Acts.

"There is not a ray of hope for man outside of substitution." - D. L. Moody Death was the supreme work of the Lord Jesus here on earth. We come to live and death ends our work.

Jesus came to die. His purpose could be gained in no other way.

Sin involves the death penalty. Someone must bear it, either the sinner or a suitable substitute. There is no possibility of bribery here at heaven’s court. The atonement is the heart of Christianity. Atonement settles the sin question.

It is said that C. H. Spurgeon the "Prince of Preachers" chose a text and made a bee-line for Calvary. Sin and the blood atonement is the central Biblical issue. The red line of blood passes right through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

Isaiah 53:8, "He was cut off out of the land of the living."

Daniel 9:26, "After’ threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for ’Himself." ("Cut off¹’ here is a prophecy of death.) Zechariah 13:7, "Smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered."

Isaiah 53:6, "The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

Isaiah 53:10, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin. . ."

Acts 2:23,"Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain."

1 John 2:2, "And He is the propitiation for our sins."

John 10:11, "The Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep."

1 Peter 1:18-19 "Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold...But with the precious Blood of Christ."

Romans 5:10, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son. . ." Jesus’ death on Calvary reconciled God to man.

He died by crucifixion, Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:33.

It was prefigured to be on a pole - lifted up; Numbers 21:8; John 3:14.

It was an ignominious death. Hebrews 12:2, ". . . endured the cross, despising the shame."

It was an accursed death. Galatians 3:13, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. "

He volunteered to die for us. He was not forced to do it.

John 10:18, "No man taketh it (My life) from Me, but I lay it down of Myself."

Why did the Lord Jesus, the sinless One, have to die?

We can understand how a guilty person would have to die as a result of sin.

Jesus took our sin and died to satisfy the justice of a Holy God in heaven.

Sin demanded a payment - the death penalty. Only Christ could pay it in full.

All the attributes of God must be in harmony to make salvation possible.

God’s loving nature could not forgive sin until His legal nature was satisfied. In Calvary all the attributes of God found a perfect solution.

Salvation to all mankind that accept Him as a substitute.

1 Timothy 4:10, "... who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe...

Hebrews 9:22, "Almost all things are by the law purged with blood: and without shedding of blood is no remission." Only death can satisfy the demands of God and the soul never succeeds in dying in hell. (Someone has defined hell as dying forever and never being able to die.)

Matthew 16:21, "... began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things. . . and be killed, and be raised again."

John 12:24, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: I but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." Jesus was the corn about to die.

Each of us today could volunteer to suffer for a prisoner in Muntinlupa.

Sin has been committed against God. Why couldn’t God just blot it out?

He could not, for the law of God must be satisfied.

Genesis 2:17, "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Ezekiel 18:4, "The soul that sinneth it shall die." Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death."

Repentance does not remove the need for punishment for sin. Sin has been committed and sin must be dealt with according to God’s own precepts. The justice and honour of God are at stake and must be preserved. The holiness of God demands the death penalty for sin.

Human courts punish only the guilty one, but they could punish a substitute if such were desired, for the substitute voluntarily assumes the guilt of the other.

Isaiah 53:4, "Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows."

Isaiah 53:5, "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."

1 Peter 2:24, "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. "

It was not the amount of suffering that counted but the justice of God that had to be satisfied. The fact that a holy sinless One suffered, made the difference. The One who suffered was not a mere man. He was the God-man, 1 Timothy 2:5.

Isaiah 52:14, “His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men." This verse suggests a death so horrible that God pulled down the curtain of darkness at Calvary lest men see that marred face, Luke 23:44.

CONCLUSION The death of Jesus Christ is sufficient for every sinner. Be died for the sins of the whole world. He died for your sins and particularly for MY sins.

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