The Death Of Christ
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
I. WHY DID HE COME INTO THE WORLD?
A. ASK HIM
1. TO SAVE THE LOST
Matthew 18:11
11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
2. TO RANSOM MANY
Matthew 20:28
28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
B. ASK HIS DISCIPLES
1. TO SAVE SINNERS
1 Timothy 1:15
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
2. TO DELIVER US FROM THIS PRESENT WORLD
Galatians 1:4
4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
3. TO SANCTIFY AND CLEANSE US
Ephesians 5:25-27
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
4. TO REDEEM AND PURIFY US
Titus 2:14
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
II. WHAT WAS THE EFFECT OF HIS COMING?
A. RECONCILIATION - “TO RETURN TO FAVOR WITH”
Romans 5:10
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
2 Corinthians 5:19
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Ephesians 2:14-16
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s parents disapproved so strongly of her marriage to Robert that they disowned her. Almost weekly, Elizabeth wrote love letters to her mother and father, asking for a reconciliation. They never once replied. After ten years of letter writing, Elizabeth received a huge box in the mail. She opened it. To her dismay and heartbreak, the box contained all of her letters to her parents. Not one of them had ever been opened!
Today those love letters are among the most beautiful in classical English literature. Had her parents opened and read only a few of them, a reconciliation might have been effected.
The Bible is God’s letter of reconciliation to us. We should open and read it thoroughly and often.
B. JUSTIFICATION - “PRONOUNCE ONE TO BE JUST”
Hebrews 9:12
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Galatians 3:13
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:
1 Peter 2:24
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.
Romans 3:23-25
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Colossians 1:14
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Let me illustrate it. A couple of friends of mine from the church and I rented a rototiller to replant the backyard for the fourth time. Out there in that dirt, we began to run that rototiller. Dust and dirt and junk went everywhere, and all of it settled on our bodies, so that from head to foot we were really dirty.
We finished up and I walked into the shower and turned on that fresh water. I got all cleaned up and toweled off. I could have walked in front of the mirror and said, “Ah, it’s just as if I’d never been dirty.” But that wouldn’t have adequately conveyed the power and the value of the water and soap. I could otherwise look in the mirror and say, “I was filthy and now I’m clean.” That’s the difference.
Merlin Carothers, author of the book Prison to Praise, had firsthand experience of what it is like to be declared righteous. During World War II, he joined the army. Anxious to get into some action, Carothers went AWOL but was caught and sentenced to five years in prison. Instead of sending him to prison, the judge told him he could serve his term by staying in the army for five years. The judge told him if he left the army before the five years ended, he would have to spend the rest of his term in prison. Carothers was released from the army before the five-year term had passed, so he returned to the prosecutor’s office to find out where he would be spending the remainder of his sentence. To his surprise and delight, Carothers was told that he had received a full pardon from President Truman. The prosecutor explained: “That means your record is completely clear. Just as if you had never gotten involved with the law.”
C. SANCTIFICATION - “TO SEPARATE FROM PROFANE UNTO GOD”
Hebrews 9:14
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
1 John 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Hebrews 1:3
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Hebrews 13:12
12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Ephesians 5:25-27
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
A little boy had a toothache and knew that if he went to his mother, she would give him something to deaden the pain and let him get to sleep that night. But he did not go to his mother, at least not until the pain was very bad, because he knew she would also do something else—take him to the dentist the next morning. He could not get what he wanted, immediate relief from pain, without getting something more, having his tooth repaired. And, since he knew dentists, he knew that something else would probably happen to his mouth, because dentists tend to fiddle about with other teeth, those that have not yet begun to ache.
Our Lord is like a dentist. People go to him to be cured of some particular sin. Well, he will cure us of that sin, all right, but he will not stop there. That may be all you asked for, but if you call him in, he is likely to give you the full treatment.
D. ADOPTION - “BECOMING A CHILD OF GOD”
Galatians 4:4-5
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
In 1952 a probation officer in New York City tried to find an organization that would assist in the adoption of a twelve-year-old boy. Although the child had a religious background, none of the major denominations would assist in his adoption. Said the officer later, “His case had been reported to me because he had been truant. I tried for a year to find an agency that would care for this needy youngster. Neither Catholic, Protestant, nor Jewish institutions would take him because he came from a denomination they did not recognize. I could do nothing constructive for him.”
If the principles of Christian love had prevailed in the Bronx in 1952, perhaps a good home could have been found for that young, mixed-up lad. In fact, providing a better environment in which to grow up might have changed history. For, you see, the boy was Lee Harvey Oswald.
E. GLORIFICATION
Ephesians 1:14
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Hebrews 9:15
15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
When the great Christian scientist Sir Michael Faraday was dying, some journalists questioned him about his speculations for a life after death. He purportedly replied: “Speculations! I know nothing about speculations. I’m resting on certainties. I know that my Redeemer liveth, and because He lives, I shall live also” (Job 19:25).
III. WAS HIS PURPOSE SUCCESSFUL?
A. EITHER HE FAILED AND DID NOT ACCOMPLISH HIS TASK
B. OR HE WAS SUCCESSFUL
IV. WHAT CAN MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?
A. THE FACT OF SIN
Romans 3:10
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:23
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
B. THE ORIGIN OF SIN
Romans 5:12
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
C. THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
D. THE REMEDY FOR SIN
Romans 5:8
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
E. THE SALVATION FROM SIN
Romans 10:9-10
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.