Why did Jesus Come?
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How are ya’ll this morning? Are you guys ready for the last full day of camp? Okay, on the count of three, I want you all to tell me what the best part of camp has been so far…one…two…three!
Awww perfect! Well it sounds like it’s been a pretty good week so far! I am so glad! It’s been so fun getting to know you guys and spend time diving into God’s word together! So let’s jump right into today’s session!
Le’s recap the week so far! …
Who can tell me what Michael talked about last night?
Perfect, that’s right he talked about who Jesus is! Today I want to talk to you about why Jesus came. Like Michael said last night, Jesus came as fully God and fully Man, but why? Why did Jesus come? I want to take time to explore the answer to this question together this morning.
I want us to read a passage that Michael read last night, so if you guys want to turn in your Bibles to the book of Philippians, it’s in the New Testament, and we are going to read chapter 2 verses 6-8! When someone gets there, could you stand up and read it for us :)
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Great, thank you! So as Michael said last night, Jesus was fully God but he became fully man. So we have already talked about verses 5-7. This morning through, I want to talk about verse eight, because I believe that it answers the question we are talking about.
You see Jesus came to earth and he did many things. If you read through any of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), you can read about the life of Jesus! During his time on earth Jesus healed the sick, the blind, those who couldn’t walk. He did things like walk on water, turn water into wine, calm storms and raised the dead. Jesus also taught many things during his time on earth. He taught people how to love one another, and how to love God. He taught people about the kingdom of heaven and what it was like.
However, despite all the miracles Jesus did, and all that Jesus taught that was not the most important thing that Jesus did during his time on earth. So if his miracles and teaching weren’t the most important of his time on earth what was?
I want us to read
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus came to give his life as a ransom. What is a ransom?
A ransom is a sum of money or something of value demanded for the release of a person.
We have all probably seen a movie, read a book or heard a story about someone demanding ransom money for another person.
So, why did Jesus have to give his life as a ransom?
Pull out the jars, remember this? drop the food coloring in the water. We have all sinned because of our sin we have been separated from God.
The Bible tells that because we have chosen to sin, we are slaves to sin…
Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
Sometimes we think well, I am not a slave to sin!
I haven’t done enough bad to separate me from God. It only took one drop of food coloring to change the color of the water. In the same way that one sin is enough to seperate us from God. One sin, as Jesus said makes us a slave to sin.
Well, yesterday we talked about some people believe doing good things can outweigh the bad (pour the clean water in) but it doesn’t change the fact that we have sinned and are separated from God.
But we have talked about how God still wants a relationship with us and He has a greater plan in store! So man is separated from God, is there anyway that man can be together with God again?
Yes, a ransom needs to be paid, a sacrifice needs to be made.
Okay, perefect so maybe if someone was to earn enough money, or maybe if someone died for someone else?
You see the only thing that could save us, is if someone was to live a perfect life and then take our punishment. But the only problem is, every man has sinned.
If another man died, they would have to pay for their own sins. No sacrifice would be enough…until Jesus.
So why was Jesus the perfect sacrifice? Why could Jesus pay the ransom?
Jesus Came to Live the Perfect Life We Could Not
Because Jesus was fully God and fully man, he was the only one who could live a life without sin. In 1 Peter we read…
He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth;
Jesus did not sin. He was tempted like we were, and yet he did not sin.
He still was a man, He still got hungry, He still had people in his life who were rude to him, who hurt him. But through all of it he walked in perfect obedience to God’s perfect plan.
(Pull out Jesus Jar) You see, this jar represents Jesus. Unlike us Jesus lived a perfect life free from sin. (Hold up both Jars) Jesus did what we could not do.
You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins, and there is no sin in him.
Because Jesus lived a perfect life, He could act as a sacrifice, or payment for another person’s sins, and because he was God, he could act as a rasom, or payment for all people.
This leads me into my next point,
2. Jesus Came to Display the Greatest Act of Love
How many of you have someone in your life that you care about? what would you be willing to do to keep them safe, to protect them?
Does anyone know what our theme verse is for this week? Yes!
No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.
The greatest act of love, is when one lays down his life for another, and that is what Jesus does.
You see, like I said before the only thing that could save us, is if someone was to live a perfect life and then take our punishment. Jesus lived the perfect life, and then he died and took the weight of our sin.
Guys, our sin leads to death. We deserve seperation from God. We have rebelled against him, and we stand without excuse. God could have ended the story with Adam and Eve, and yet he doesn’t. Instead God comes down in human form and takes our place. The God of the universe, the God who spoke creation into exsistence, the God who created all things with purpose, takes our place.
You see to die on a cross is/was one of the most painful ways a person could die. He was beaten, to the point where he was unreconnizable, he had a crown of thorns dug into his head, he had nails put into his feet and wrist and then was hung to die.
I don’t tell you this to gross you out, or to make you sick, I tell you this because I want each of you to realize the pain Jesus went through for our sake. It is no small matter. Jesus was willing to hang on the cross to pay for our sins.
When Jesus hung on the cross, he took the weight of all our sin, it would have been spiritually crushing. Every single thing that you have ever done wrong, Jesus took the shame and punishment on his shoulders in that moment.
And then the Bible tells us that Jesus cried out,
And at three Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lemá sabachtháni?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
Because of our sin, the sin Jesus bore, God the Father turned his face away. The seperation we deserved Jesus bore. And then Jesus utters the three most powerful words in all of the Bible,
….. he said, “It is finished.” Then bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.
When Jesus says it is finished, it was the same phrase that was used in Roman culture when a ransom was paid. Here Jesus uses it, to say, our ransom has been paid.
The Son of God, God himself hanging on a cross, for you and me. His blood covering our sins once and for all. I want us to take a moment to reflect on this…Jesus died to pay for your sin…
Pause for a min…
For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.
No amount of tradition or good works could save us, no amount of money only the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus bore our sin, so that we could wear his righteousness (perfection/goodness).
He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Guys, because of Jesus’ sacrifice we have the oppertunity to turn to God and ask him to forgive us our sins. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can be made pure.
See this water (hold up food coloring water) the water that represents you and me. We are sinful and broken.
See this one that represents Jesus (hold up bleach) perfect and pure.
If we truly believe that Jesus died for us, if we are willing to say, Jesus you are truly God, and truly came so that I could be set free from my sin and I want to have a relationship with you, Jesus will cleanse us and make us pure again. Because Jesus gave his life we can be set free. (pour bleach in food dye water and stir).
Jesus displayed the greatest act of love by dying for you on the cross so that you can be set free from your sin.
