The Work of Christ

The Work of Christ

Why Did it Happen?

But the question is why did Jesus end up on the Cross?

From the earthly standpoint Jesus was being punished Verse 26 And the inscription of the charge against him was written, “The king of the Jews.

διό

What did it Accomplish?

Intro:

Whom Does it Benefit?

Read Verses:

MP: Christ’s work was completed on the cross at Calvary

These questions we are asking will be answered from the earthly point of view and the heavenly point of view. We have to look at both aspects because we have to look at the scene from the humans perspective but also what God was doing when he sent Jesus to the Cross.

I. Why Did it Happen?

But the question is why did Jesus end up on the Cross?

Mark slows down time for us in his account and gives us a recap every three hours or so. A the third hour or 9 AM, the sixth hour which is noon, and the ninth hour which is three pm.

From the earthly standpoint Jesus was being punished for insurrection or being a rebel by claiming he was the King of the Jews as his inscription said in verse 26. Crucifixion, as I mentioned last week, was the punishment for rebels. It was a warning to any other would be rebel leaders who tried to challenge the Roman Empire.

From the heavenly standpoint, Jesus’ death is also a punishment. Bu it is our punishment that he is taking. Mark does not give us much in the way of theology in is Gospel.

However Mark does give us insights to what Jesus was doing from insults hurled at Jesus.

First it is a fulfillment of , which Jesus begins while he is on the cross in verse 34. When he cries out My God My God… But if you read further in

All who see me mock me;

they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;

8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;

let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

This echoes what Mark Tells us in his gospell in verses 29-32. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

Jesus came to Save people.

Application Point #1 Jesus’ work on the cross fulfilled the Law

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” ().

The law’s demands have been fulfilled by Christ’s perfect law-keeping, its penalty fully paid by his death. This is why the Bible teaches that getting right with God is not based on law-keeping: “A person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (). Our only hope is having the blood and righteousness of Christ credited to our account.

We were under the curse of the law. We were condemed to death.

How does this apply to us? We do not have to fulfill the law to earn God’s favor or grace. It is not a works based system. It is grace based system.

The great conclusion to the suffering and death of Christ is this: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (). To be “in Christ” means to be in relationship to him by faith. Christ becomes our punishment (which we don’t have to bear) and our worth before God (which we cannot earn).

The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

This idea of God’s grace is not a New Testament idea. There is not a different God in the OT and a new god in the NT. He is the same all the way through. His covenants are made in grace. Made even though he knows we cannot fulfill our end of the deal.

Practically, this means we do not have to fulfill all the law to be saved. We cannot do that. God will not throw you away or forget about you if you do break the law. Does this mean we can do what we want and live how we want? No. because we are living for God now. That changes everything in our lives and how we live them. We beleive thay God has forgiven us and made us new

The believing though is the Key. All those who believe will be saved. Paul tells us in Romasn 10: that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

TS: The why is that God fulfills HIs covenant promise even when we can’t and God’s law had to be fulfiled but what did it really accomplish.

II. What Did it Accomplish?

In a nutshell it was a sacrifice.

Going back to the Earthly viewpoint, the Romans appeased the Jews to avoid a riot and the Jews were happy because they were able to get rid of a “false” messiah. Jesus was a Sacrifice to keep peace in the city and also kept the status quo for the religious people. They moved on with their day. Probably quite happy they did their duty and in their minds one man was a bargain for the outcome.

From the Heavenly viewpoint Jesus death was a sacrifice, but it accomplished much more than stoped riot. His death restored Peace between God and Man.

God’s own son was worth the price to pay to get back all of the people God has chosen for salvation.

Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

Application Point #2 Jesus’ Work on the cross reopened the way back to God.

He restored the falen nature of the world that resulted in Adam and Eves sin. One man sinned and broke the covenant, and one man restored the covenant.

Jesus is the God-man. His nature had to be fully man in order to be like us. And He is also God and his divinty provides the ability to payback the debt casued by Human sinfulness.

You need an expert to take care of problems. You go to a doctor becuase they have the skils to help you. God the Son is the one that can remedy the problem created by us.

The Baptist faith and message 2000 says Jesus honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. The prayer JEsus said in the garden the nightof his arrest speaks to this. He could have stopped it. He could have used his divine power to kill those who mocked him at his feet. But he didn’t. He was obedient to God to fulfill God’s plan.

III. Whom Does it Benefit?

Quite succintly, Jesus Death on the Cross benefits believers. Jesus’ death reconciled us to God. It retstored the pathway back to God.

In the Gate into Eden was guarded by an Angel. 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

Humanity was cutoff from paradise.

Jesus death reopened the gate. At the full realization of the end times a new heaven and a new earth will be here. The Temple is the new and improved Eden.

Just as it was in the first three chapters of Genesis when God walked among the garden with man, it wil be again says And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

Application point #3 Jesus Death on the Cross Demonstrates love for US.

The death of Christ is also the supreme expression that he “loved me and gave himself for me” (). It is my sin that cuts me off from God. All I can do is plead for mercy.

I see Christ suffering and dying “to give his life as a ransom for many” (). And I ask, am I among the “many”? And I hear the answer, “Whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (). Jesus paid the highest price possible to give me—personally—the greatest gift possible.

God so loved the world that he gave his son. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

John sums up our behavior in verse 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

This is how we are known to be Chirstians Love your brother and your sister. Those of us in Chirst we call ourselves christians.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

How do we show love?

By showing people love first. God, in Jesus’ sacrifice demonstrates love even though we did not deserve it. Luckily god did not not feel like loving us that day. Jesus came to seek the lost. To reconcile those who were against God. God did all the work to save us.

By being Patient. The Bible spans thousands of years from the fall to the cross. But God is patient in fulfiling his plan. God endured all theepain as a child disrepecting his parent. But he still waited for them to come back. In Hosea, he waited as his unfaithful wife came back to him and restored her. The bride represents Israel and the groom God.

Forgiving others. We dont resent people, we love them. So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and [k]patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Unity Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Conclusion

We are the beneficiaries of God’s grace. Mark’s gospel has been leading to this climax of JEsus death on the cross. It is the reason the developing church existed. To celebrate the person who gave his life for them.

But he was not a revolutionary who wanted to start a war, but he was one who brought peace to people. Even though God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus on the Christ, it was done for you and me.

our Jobs are to emulate God. That is our work. The Bible is our training Manual and Tim Keller says “If we feel more righteous as we read the Bible, we are misreading it; we are missing its central message. We are reading and using the Bible rightly only when it humbles us, critiques us, and encourages us with God’s love and grace despite our flaws.”

As closes the writer says this

It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation. 31 They will come and will declare His righteousness To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.

That is the good news being told to a people who will be born.