Jesus died for God
Notes
Transcript
I. Introduction
I. Introduction
If you get to go to a big music concert, you’ll usually have someone as the opening act
I went to see the Christian Artist Casting Crowns
Casting Crowns has won one Grammy Award (out of seven+ nominations), 18 GMA Dove Awards, and four American Music Awards (AMAs) since 2003,
and I had no idea who the first guy up was
Don’t get me wrong, they can be really good
But someone pays hundreds of dollars to go to a concert and leaves before the headliner seems crazy, right?
How much more something like the death of Jesus Chreist
Many decades ago, the theologian John Stott shared a profound insight:
he suggested that people often reject Christianity not because of its truth claims, but because of its triviality.
1. Who did Jesus die for?
i. To take away our sins right (Romans 4:25 “25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”
John 1:29 “29 The next day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
Good Friday is good because our sins were paid for on that day, right?
2. But we do forget the most important person Jesus died for?
i. Jesus died for God
ii. No, he didn’t die to pay for God’s sins
iii. He died so that God is glorified!
And in world that is so focused on me, myself, and I, we need a bigger God focused view.
6 God exalting reasons for Jesus’ death
6 God exalting reasons for Jesus’ death
1. Jesus died to please His father
1. Jesus died to please His father
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
It was Yahweh God’s will to crush him, to have him oppressed, ,
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?
1. V8-cut off from the people, and stricken for their transgressions (v8), made to die with the wicked, but buried in a rich man’s tomb (v9)
In the garden Jesus was weeping and crying out , “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39)
1. Could you imagine the father looking at his son crying at him and saying… yeah, another way would be way too much work at this point?
2. I could barely say no to my babies crying at me when I had to get work done.. I would always let them sit on my lap as I type anyway
3. But clearly this is the father’s plan. Isaiah makes that clear.
iii. Some people say that Jesus is the loving God while the father is the mean one, but Jesus died for sinners at the design of the father.
iv. And so Jesus showed beautiful submission to the father through the hardest pain.
Trans: But Jesus’ death also reveals truths about God’s character
2. Jesus died to show God is just
2. Jesus died to show God is just
25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
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1. V21 talks about God’s righteousness as his moral character that allows him to be judge.
Romans 3:21 “21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law…”
2. V25 continues that theme saying Jesus was a propitiation
propitiation is a big word
It means a sacrifice that takes God’s wrath.
Lambs killed in place of the people in the Old Testament
someone else took the punishment for your crime in Jesus
3. But Paul brings up a problem that this solves.
a. How did previous sins go without being punished?
b. Think about it… How could God be unfair and not punish evil?
He said the wages of sin is death, so why don’t sinners die right away?
c. Paul’s answer: It was always pointing forward to the death of Jesus Christ
d. God is fair and does punish… he just punished his son instead
Romans 3:26 “26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
1. God shows himself to be utterly holy, but also the one who provides justification and salvation.
2. Think about it… David committed adultery, tried to cover it up, killed her husband, and then made it all go away
3. He can say
Psalm 51:7- Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
4. How can forgiveness of that level by fair?
5. We get angry when someone gets away with something small like cutting us in line, right?
iii. Jesus’ death showed that God doesn’t just sweep sin under the rug, but deals with it head on.
Trans: his justice is incomplete without another attribute.
3. Jesus died to show God is love
3. Jesus died to show God is love
i. It is important for us to realize that God did not have to save any people because he didn’t save the angels
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;
Glorious angels turned into dark demons
And they received no forgiving love, but only justice
2. God could have let his justice do all the work for us
But God choose to love us
10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1. The giving of his son as our propitiation shows God’s attribute of Love more than anything else
Do you think about how big this gift was
1. John 3:16 says…. Only son. His treasure.
And he gave him not for those who are worthy
7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Some people will say that God didn’t die for frogs…. He shows us how much we are valued as humans.
but John Piper points out that this turns grace on his head.
we are worse off than frogs, they did not sin, they did not rebel against God.
God didn’t have to die for frogs, they are not bad enough.
We are so bad, only the death of the precious Jesus would be worth
And God is so loving as to give his most precious son to save his enemies
Good Friday is where God’s holiness and graciousness meet in perfect unity
Trans: But let’s not just ignore the frogs either
4. Jesus died to bring all creation back to God
4. Jesus died to bring all creation back to God
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Reconcile means the restore to a proper relationship
Jesus is the prince of peace, but his peace is finally won at a sword.
Because of sin, all of creation has been alienated from God
Romans 8:20–22- For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
Those frogs don’t live as God wants them to because of human sin.
Jesus death begins the process of bringing all creation back in submission to the God who created the universe
When mankind is restored, so will the frogs.
Trans: and one which might surprise you
5. Jesus died to show he could obey
5. Jesus died to show he could obey
8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
Jesus showed how great his obedience was on good Friday
Do you ever to forget that it was not just easy for Jesus to obey his father?
The garden of Gethsemane shows that it was not
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Jesus never sinned
But he learned practically to grow in obedience.
Jesus was fully human and grew in his spiritual endurance just as he grew physically.
He didn’t learn to stop disobeying, but in practice and pain what it means to obey.
In Matthew 3 Jesus goes to John the Baptist to be baptized
What was his response? I need to be baptized by you!
Matthew 3:15- But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
His obedience in baptism was a sign of his full humanity and need to obey like humans do
9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.
THIS shows how amazing Jesus is
He became a weak human like you and man
‘Yet he never failed, even in the midst of suffering far greater than are own.
Jesus death on the cross was for God to show how amazing God the Son is
As you struggle with your failings… as you seen that you sin again… remember that the death of Jesus shows not weakness, but strength
He succeded where none of us can
So all of your failures are a chance to see His greatness
Trans: And that Jesus also died to save sinners, but not just for themselves
6. Jesus died so God could have those who would proclaim His name
6. Jesus died so God could have those who would proclaim His name
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Paul is talking about avoiding sexual immorality because we are owned by another
The image he chooses is one from the slave market where slaves are put up on tables in a inhumane display
And Jesus comes along and purchases believers and makes them not just slaves, but his children, part of the family.
Therefore he calls believers to devote their lives to holiness, not sin
Many people think they’re free to do whatever they want
But like is like Jelly fish being carried about by the tide think they are free because they’re not fastened down to the sea floor.
They’re not in control, they go wherever the waters take them.
All of us are controlled by the true God or a false God
And if you are a believer, your master has given you a task
1 Peter 2:9- But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Jesus bought us to make widely known what he has done.
Salvation is not the end goal, it is to lead us proclaim the greatness of God
Ephesians 2:10 says it another way
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Workmanship is a precious masterpiece put on display for all the world to see.
Its not there for everyone to go, wow, what a beautiful painting, but wow, what an amazing artist.
You’re new life, Christian, which was made possible by Jesus death, is supposed to be about your savior
So your represent him now and slive to honor him
If you’re not a follower of Jesus Christ here.. thanks for coming
And you may sometimes get confused about why Christians keep wanting to tell you about Jesus when you say, I’m fine, I don’t really need a savior
And we’re not just talking about you, we’re know He deserves the praise
III. Conclusion
As we sing worship songs, and give thanks this Easter, let’s remember God more than us
There is one worship song that ends with the line:
“Like a rose, trampled on the ground, you took the fall and thought of me above all.”
The truth is God thinks about himself and his glory more than us… above us!
And we’re thankful he does think of us,
But we’re thankful he thinks of more than us
because we’re not that good, we are not that worthy…
You need salvation to rest on something greater than your worth
But that means when you’re feeling worthless, God still shows you love… because HE IS LOVE.
2. So, remember God and praise Him.
