The Crucified Savior 1 Peter 2:21-25

Intro:

Stormy Ovation

Today is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ

He who was without sin became sin so that we might live

He hung on a cross, gave up his spirit, and was laid in a tomb

But the grave couldn’t contain Him

They sealed the stone rolled in front of the grave, positioned Romans guards in front, but they couldn’t stop the earthquake

The stone was rolled away and the guards acted like they were dead

Jesus emerged from the tomb victorious over death and deserving of the title King of Kings, Lord of Lords

Our crucified savior became the perfect example, substitute, and shepherd

Read 1 Peter 2:21-25

Transition

Sometimes its good to look at a different text on Resurrection Sunday

Peter, who was also the source behind the Gospel of Mark, gives us a clear and concise explanation of our crucified and resurrected savior

In five verses he explains what Jesus endured and accomplished on the cross

In the process, he explains what that means to us

The paradoxes of the cross never cease to amaze us.

Christ was wounded that we might be healed.

He died that we might live.

We died with Him, and thus we are “dead to sin” so that we might “live unto righteousness.”

Peter shows us a crucified and resurrected savior who is our perfect example, our perfect substitute, and our perfect shepherd

He is Your Example vs. 21-23

The Crucified Savior is your Perfect Example

All that Jesus did on earth, as recorded in the four Gospels, is a perfect example for us to follow.

In spite of the fact that He was sinless in both word and deed, He suffered at the hands of the authorities.

Jesus proved that a person could be in the will of God, be greatly loved by God, and still suffer unjustly.

There is a shallow brand of popular theology today that claims that Christians will not suffer if they are in the will of God.

Those who promote such ideas have not meditated much on the Cross.

vs. 21 Follow in His Steps

Our Lord’s humility and submission were not an evidence of weakness, but of power.

Jesus could have summoned the armies of heaven to rescue Him!

Instead, he endured the mocking and shame

We can learn a lot from his example

Matthew 11:29 ESV

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

That gentle and lowly in heart always gets me

vs. 22 Committed No Sin

Jesus is a perfect example because he committed no sin

We are not saved by following Christ’s example, because each of us would stumble over 1 Peter 2:22: “who did no sin.”

Sinners need a Saviour, not an Example.

But after a person is saved, he will want to “follow closely upon His steps” (literal translation) and imitate the example of Christ.

vs. 23 Did not Retaliate

Jesus is our example as someone who endured punishment unjustly.

When He was reviled Jesus did not revile in return, but in His sufferings He committed Himself to the Father.

Spurgeon: “Which hour do you think of the sufferings of the Lord, from Gethsemane to Golgotha, would be most deeply engraved upon the memory of Peter? Surely it would be that space of time in which he was mocked and buffeted in the hall of the high priest, when Peter sat and warmed his hands at the fire, when he saw his Lord abused, and was afraid to own that he was his disciple

He is Your Substitute vs. 24

The Crucified Savior is Perfect Substitute

The suffering of Jesus is clearly an example for us; but it is far more than an example.

He also bore our sins as sin-bearing substitute, and provided for our healing

This entire section reflects that great “Servant Chapter,” Isaiah 53

Jesus did not die as a martyr;

He died as a Savior, a sinless Substitute.

He took your place

vs. 24a bore our sins

The word translated “bore” literally means “to carry as a sacrifice.”

Jesus bore your sins in his body

He didn’t just remove your sins

He took them off of you and put them on Himself while he hung on the cross

The Jewish people did not crucify criminals; they stoned them to death.

But if the victim was especially evil, his dead body was hung on a tree until evening, as a mark of shame

They let the Romans, who had perfected the cross

The Jews let them do it to Jesus so that they could maximize the shame

Isaiah 53:10 ESV

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.

Jesus became the offering for your guilt

It was the only offering God would accept because Jesus was without sin

You can have the burden of sin removed and let Jesus carry it

In the process, all the guilt and shame will be removed

vs. 24b Die to Sin and Live by Righteousness

Peter reminds us that when Jesus died on the cross, we also died to sins.

When you put your faith in Jesus you are saying that you want to die to the old life

You walk into a new life and are a new creation

Our life is permanently changed by our identification with Jesus on the cross

Romans 6:3–5 ESV

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

This death doesn’t just change your standing before God, but it changes your nature

You are transformed from a sinner to a saint

The phrase “might die” is only used here in the NT

It means to cease existing

Christ died for believers to separate them from sin’s penalty

Romans 8:1 ESV

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

The penalty has been removed

Now you live being in a right relationship with God, able to follow Jesus example

vs. 24c Healed by His Wounds

The final aspect of Jesus being your perfect substitute is that by His wounds you have been healed

Peter quotes Isaiah 53:5, which primarily refers to spiritual healing but also includes physical healing.

Isaiah 53:5 ESV

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

The provision for our healing (both physically and spiritually) is made by the sufferings (stripes) of Jesus.

The physical aspect of our healing is received in part now, but only completely with our resurrection.

One day, when we have glorified bodies, all sicknesses will be gone; but meanwhile, even some of God’s choicest servants may have physical afflictions

He is Your Shepherd vs. 25

He is Your Shepherd vs. 25

The Crucified Savior is Your Perfect Shepherd

In the Old Testament, the sheep died for the shepherd; but at Calvary, the Shepherd died for the sheep.

Every lost sinner is like a sheep gone astray: ignorant, lost, wandering, in danger, away from the place of safety, and unable to help himself.

The Shepherd went out to search for the lost sheep.

Then He died for the sheep!

Now that we have been returned to the fold and are safely in His care, He watches over us lest we stray and get into sin.

Here, then, is the wonderful truth Peter wanted to share: as we live godly lives and submit in times of suffering, we are following Christ’s example and becoming more like Him.

We submit and obey, not only for the sake of lost souls and for the Lord’s sake, but also for our own sake, that we might grow spiritually and become more like Christ.

The unsaved world is watching us, but the Shepherd in heaven is also watching over us; so we have nothing to fear.

We can submit to Him and know that He will work everything together for our good and His glory.