Born To Die

On the night Christ was born

Just before break of morn,

As the stars in the sky were fading

O’re the place where he layFell a shadow cold and greyOf a cross that would humble a King.

Born to die upon Calv’ryJesus suffered my sin to forgiveBorn to die upon Calv’ryHe was wounded that I might live.

Introduction

Ron Hamilton in his cherished Christmas song reminds that Jesus came to earth with a purpose. Even as a baby, he was fulfilling that purpose. Jesus came to die. This Christmas I have preached a couple messages already on the necessity of salvation. Jesus came to save us from our sins, but this morning I want to take a slightly different approach to the theme of this song. In a way we will be doing a systematic theology or a topical study on what some have called the covenant of redemption.

disclaimer: I am not a covenant theologian or a Calvinist, but when we see the word covenant some people jump to conclusions about what they think you believe. This is unjust judgment. Every dispensationalist I know believes in covenants. It would be helpful for us to think of the covenant of redemption as an event and not a theological system.

With that being said, the message this morning is going to be focused on the fact that God has a plan. Many of us at times feel like we are adrift in life like a boat just floating on the water with no anchor. Who knows where it is going? Our lives at times feel purposeless, aimless. Inwardly we all want to know that there is some purpose to it all. When we think of Christmas, it should remind us that God has a plan and a purpose that includes us.

When we talk about the covenant of redemption what we are referring to is the plan or agreement between the members of the trinity before the world began to redeem mankind to themselves. We are going to look at a couple different passages that teach different aspects of this agreement, but we are going to start with the one our song is based on.

The death of Jesus Christ was a settled plan from before the world began

If you were reading the story of Jesus Christ for the first time having never heard it before, the death of Jesus would take you by surprise. In the documentary EE Taow by NTM now called Ethnos 360 they recount the story of bringing the gospel to tribes in Papua New Guinea who had never heard the story of Jesus. NTM method of presenting the gospel is a chronological telling of the big pictures in the bible starting with creation, the law, the flood, the sacrifice of Isaac to the life of Christ. When they got to the reenactment of the crucifixion, the people were serious, and began to cry. To them it was a twist ending that no one expected. But the real twist ending is the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days later.

In Revelation 13:8 “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” we read of a scene where the AntiChrist and the False Prophet arise to persecute believers. Those who do not know Jesus Christ as their savior will worship this AntiChrist. But notice the final phrase of this verse: they worship the Antichrist because their names are not in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. When did Jesus die? Surely it was somewhere around 33 AD; so why does it say he was slain from the foundation of the world?

Jesus death for our sins was the plan and as good as a done deal before the world was even created. What does that mean? That means Jesus planned to die for you before you were even born. Jesus planned to die for you before you had committed your first sin. Jesus planned to die before he was ever born because Jesus was born to die. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is not some fluke of history, a tragic accident. It was a divine plan of love. 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.”

The plan of salvation and our redemption was planned before the world began

John 6:38–40 “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Passages like this should also remind us of the covenant of redemption because at some level God the Father had a will to send God the Son. When I say the word will what do I mean by that? A will is your desire or intentions. In God it speaks of his sovereign plan. God’s plan according to this verse included three things:

This will sent Jesus- This is why I am preaching this message on the week before Christmas. It was God’s plan for Jesus to come to earth. That baby born in a manger was no accident. Children sometimes are conceived accidently or not with intent at the very least, but not so with Jesus Christ. Pastor Karsies has been going over the prophesies fulfilled in Christ’s birth. These prophesies were God’s revealed will hundreds to even thousands of years before the birth of Christ. I challenge you to do an indepth study on these prophesies to see just how long God has been planning to send his Son.

This will was that those who believe will have eternal life- this plan included a way to save mankind from their sins. Notice though that that plan was conditional. Those who see and believe. Those who place their faith or trust in Jesus Christ are the ones who receive eternal life. But this has been the plan all along. It was not something new. As we have worked through the book of Romans, we already saw that God saved Abraham by faith thousands of years before Christ. God’s plan has always been salvation by grace through faith alone in Christ alone.

This will includes eternal security- this plan also includes eternal security. What I mean by that is that once you are saved, you cannot lost your salvation. Notice it has nothing to do with you. Jesus says he will not lose anyone but will raise them up again. Jesus Christ will finish the work. All who are saved will arrive safely in heaven someday. It wasn’t your merits that saved you and it isn’t your merits that will keep you saved. According to 1 Peter 1:5 “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” What I see here is that God’s plan will not fail. God said he would save those who place their faith in Him and He will.

The work that Jesus performed was planned before the world began

John 17:4–12 “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them…”

1. God gave him a work to do- God sent Jesus to earth to accomplish something. This is more than just the death on the cross though that was the greatest work. Jesus came and was obedient to the will of His father in all things. But that work included:

2. God gave him men- Jesus came to save individuals. Not all the world will be saved because not all the world places their faith in Christ. Salvation is all of God’s grace, but their damnation is all of men’s rejection. But God knew who those men would be that would be saved before the world began and Jesus had not lost any of them except in vs 12 the son of perdition: Judas. So did God’s plan fail? Does the rejection of Judas mean God’s plan can be thwarted? No, notice the final phrase of that verse that the scriptures might be fulfilled… Judas betrayal of Jesus Christ was always part of the plan. Scripture had foretold the betrayal and death of the Messiah. God’s plan wasn’t thwarted because this seeming loss was part of the plan.

3. God gave him words- Jesus work also included words. Jesus came to bring us a message of good news. Specifically, the gospel; but also the rest of the NT. In Matthew 28:19–20 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” The message of the apostles was the teaching of Christ. We are not left blind to wonder what God’s plan is. He has given us a book to read and search and study and apply. If you are struggling to figure out your part in this great plan, start there.

Jesus was given a kingdom before the world began

The final part of this covenant agreement was that Jesus would receive a kingdom of peace. This is prophesied in among other places:

Zechariah 6:13 “Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; And he shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule upon his throne; And he shall be a priest upon his throne: And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”

Zechariah’s prophecy could take us an entire message to explain in detail; so I’ll just give a summary for now. Zechariah is called to place a crown on Zerrubabel who was a decendent fo David and the ancestor of the Messiah. He is called the Branch in vs 12 which is a Messianic term found in Isaiah and Jeremiah. Zerubbabel is a foreshadowing of the coming Branch of the root of Jesse who would rule over the nation of Israel. Key to the book of Zechariah is the idea of the day of the Lord. There is coming a day when Jesus Christ will return and establish a kingdom. According to this text he will rule upon his throne. The key phrase here is covenant of peace- the word counsel refers to God’s plan.

Later we would read these words from Jesus:

Luke 22:29 “And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;”

Notice the tense of the verb appointed- it is past tense. At some point in the past, God had given Jesus a kingdom. The word means to legally dispose of property by a will. It is like what many parents and the bible actually recommends doing have done in the past. Throughout their life, they have saved and prepared for the future and they want to leave something for their kids. They have an inheritance to give them when they die. For us its usually some money or sentimental things to remember them by; but for Jesus Christ, that inheritance is a kingdom. Which we all take part in as well. If you do a deep dive this kingdom has been started in the hearts of God’s people but it will find it ultimate fulfillment in the Millennial reign of Jesus for 1000 years on the earth. This is the ultimate direction of God’s plan leading to the New heaven and the New Earth where all things will be made right again. A restoration back to his original intent in the garden of Eden. And in this kingdom there will be peace.

Conclusion

So let me draw all this to a conclusion and an application. Maybe you are here hearing this message about how God has had a plan in place to save mankind from their sins, but you have never placed your faith in Jesus Christ. Maybe you feel like life is just a bunch of random chance and nobody’s in charge. Maybe you believe in God, but you find yourself thinking he doesn’t have a plan for your life individually. Sure he has a plan for nations and history, but not for you.

The point of this message is to say that before you were even born, God loved you. Before you were even born, God knew that you would be a sinner. Before you were even born, he knew the payment for that sin was death and hell; but he had a plan to save you. He set that plan in motion. Jesus Christ lying in a manger was one of the first steps in bringing that plan to fulfillment. The death of Jesus Christ was no accident. It was not merely the anger of men who hated Jesus. This was the pinnacle of a plan that had been in place for thousands of years already and as he died, that plan included you and me. That plan according to John 6:40 “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” offers salvation to everyone who believes on the Son: Jesus Christ as their savior. To everyone who places their trust and dependence in Him. If you need to do that, please don’t put it off any longer. When the music plays, please come talk to me.

For the believer, this is a reminder that God has a plan for your life as well. You are not an accident. Knowing that God has a plan can bring a lot of comfort when we struggle to see that plan.

Its like being a soldier in the foxholes during a war. The enemy seems to be making his headway. It feels like we are losing the battle. What we don’t know is that our commanding general has set a trap for the enemy. He gave up ground in that area over there so we could surround the enemy army and overwhelm them. As I sit in the foxholes I don’t see the big picture sometimes and I can get discouraged. But knowing he has a plan brings comfort.

Imagine being the disciples the day after Jesus died. Jesus death looks like a loss. It looks like the enemy won. Satan was probably over their doing his dance saying “Yes, victory!” but he has failed to remember that this was part of God’s plan from the beginning. Three days later when Jesus arose, Satan was defeated. When you are struggling with making sense of life, stop and think about the covenant of redemption and how God’s plans will never fail.