Audio - Christ’s Death was Necessary

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The Fourteenth Sunday After Trinity
Christ’s Death was Necessary
September 9, 2007
 
NKJ Hebrews 9:15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you." 21 Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
 
Christ’s death served two purposes for the believer—first is redemption—He redeemed our sins by paying the price—death—for our sins—second is our inheritance—we receive all things that are Christ’s because we are His brothers and sisters who will spend eternity with Him and God the Father in heaven—we previously discussed the last will and testament—and how the new covenant between God and man is God’s last will and testament with man—and how that will is not initiated until the man dies—it is God the Son’s will that we should inherit all the things that are His—and that inheritance became ours when Jesus died—was buried—and rose from the grave
 
We believers are chosen by God to be heirs of Christ—we are taught by Paul
 
NKJ Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs -- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
 
Paul says we are heirs—heirs of Christ—therefore for us to inherit eternal life, Christ had to die—now consider the blood of our Lord which was shed for us—God the Father demanded payment for sin—and because we all sin and fall short of the glory of God—our sins must be redeemed—payment must be made for the debt we owe God—we deserve death—but Paul says we have life through our Lord Jesus Christ
 
NKJ Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
Consider the Old Testament ways under the Law—how were the people reconciled for the sins they committed?—there have always been two kinds of sin—sin we commit without knowing it—including sins of thought—errors of omission where we sin because we don’t do something—like not helping a neighbor when he is in need
 
For sins that were not intentionally committed—the author of Hebrews summarizes how God forgave those sins—he discusses the entry into the Holiest of Holy areas of the Tabernacle or the Temple
 
NKJ Hebrews 9:6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance;
 
Notice the Scriptures say the people’s sins committed in ignorance—but what about the premeditated sins of men—such as David having Bathsheba’s husband murdered so David could enjoy the pleasures of Bathsheba as his wife?—how would David be forgiven—his sin was not committed in ignorance—on these sins forgiveness by the Law was lacking—that’s why David cries out in his Psalm of repentance for God’s forgiveness—no offering by the Law could offer him relief for what he had done—so he begs God for forgiveness
 
NKJ Psalm 51:1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.... 9 Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. 14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. 16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering....
 
David understood that blood was required to atone for sins—and there was no sacrifice adequate to atone for certain types of sin under the Law—the sin of murder—the sin of adultery—these required death of the sinner
 
NKJ Numbers 35:31 'Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death.
 
NKJ Leviticus 20:10 'The man who commits adultery with another man's wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death.
 
Therefore the Old Testament covenant with God was lacking—there were some sins that could not be reconciled with God—and the sins that were committed in ignorance required special attention by the high priest once per year on the Day of Atonement—the high priest offered blood on the altar for the payment for his sins—followed by sacrifice and blood on the altar for the sins of the people of God—a life for a life—the blood of an animal or of a man is considered life
 
NKJ Leviticus 17:11 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.'
 
Therefore God demands life blood for redemption of sin—and as we seen—the blood of the Law did not redeem God’s people from every sin—so Christ came as the New Testament covenant to give forgiveness and salvation to us believers—Christ died to cleanse us from our sins—He is the New Covenant between God the Father and man—and when He died—His blood was shed as our sacrifice
 
 
NKJ Hebrews 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
 
Our Lord Jesus Christ is now our High Priest—a man who never sinned—yet the Son of God at the same time
 
NKJ Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
 
Christ had to come as a man—He had to live a perfect life under the Law—and He had to break the power of the devil over death
 
NKJ Hebrews 2:14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
 
This was all part of the new covenant God spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah
 
NKJ Jeremiah 31:31 " Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah -- 32 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
 
Jesus the Christ is that new covenant—He made the ultimate offering of blood for our sins—His perfect sinless blood was sacrificed for our salvation—Jesus could have avoided being arrested—tried—and crucified—but He offered Himself
 
NKJ John 10:17 "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."
 
Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins—redeemed us before the Father
 
NKJ Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
 
As we consider this mix of teachings from the Old and New Testaments—it is appropriate to close with the words of a Messianic Psalm—David is speaking the inspired Word of God as a prophet of old—Christ is speaking to us in psalm 40 quoted by the author of Hebrews
 
NKJ Hebrews 10:5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7 Then I said, 'Behold, I have come -- In the volume of the book it is written of Me -- To do Your will, O God.' "
 
Jesus is the appropriate and acceptable sacrifice for our sin because He was obedient to God the Father—Jesus’ perfect life—His blood—was offered to redeem our souls from death and the devil—that was God’s plan—and that is why Jesus had to die—to redeem us—pay the price for our sins—and through His death we inherit all that He had as children of God—and the new covenant God promised through the Prophet Jeremiah—was fulfilled when Jesus ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us
 
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!