Audio - Jesus’ Death For Our Life

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The Third Sunday Before Lent
Jesus' Death For Our Life
January 20, 2008

TEXT:  NKJ 1 Peter 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth"; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness -- by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
 
As we approach the beginning of our Lenten season—we should once again reflect on the beauty of our church year—it is designed to remind each of us of the events of our Christian heritage
 
The season is called Lent—named for the Spring of the year and the lengthening of days—the season that we as a Church consider the suffering of Christ—the Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday—and ends on Easter Sunday—a period of 40 days
 
The general practice of early Christians included a fast—Christians would make a personal sacrifice—each would do this during the time of preparation for Easter—but the period of time of the fast varied—in the 4th century the church decided that the season of Lent would be made to last 40 days—the same number of days as Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan
 
NKJ Matthew 4:2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
 
At the same time—the church began the practice of burning the ashes of the previous year’s palms and daubing them onto foreheads of worshipers to symbolize penitence—and so it is that the church year is used each Sunday to remind us of the events of Jesus’ life—and the love, grace and mercy of our God—now by the grace of God, we consider our text
 
It would be good for each of us to read all of chapter 2 of 1 Peter—it will tell you much about who Jesus is—who you as a Christian are—and how you as a Christian are to behave
 
But today—we will focus our attention on the verses of our text—and the suffering of Christ—the first thing we should establish is WHO IS JESUS?—let’s look at Him from the perspective of the Old Testament—we find Him throughout the Old Testament—including the Psalms
 
NKJ Psalm 2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed …
 
Luke shows us the fulfillment of these words in his Book of Acts—Luke even quotes this verse of the Psalm
 
NKJ Acts 4:25 "who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: 'Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things?
“ 26 The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.' “
27 "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 "to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.
 
These verses of Acts clear up any question about Jesus being the One called Anointed in Psalm 2—Luke calls Him “His Christ”—Mark also shows us the gathering of leaders and the world taking their stand against Jesus
 
NKJ Mark 3:6 Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
 
NKJ Mark 11:18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.
 
Did God’s people recognize Jesus as the Anointed One when He came in His ministry?—certainly—consider these words of Andrew to Simon Peter as Andrew discovered Jesus’ identity
 
NKJ John 1:41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ)—Messiah literally means Anointed One—we can complete this analysis of who Jesus is—by looking at the Words of Scripture where Jesus Himself tells us who He is—nowhere is He more clear than in John’s Gospel
 
 
 
 
NKJ John 3:13 "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
 
Jesus—the only begotten Son of God—whose blood is the price of our redemption—so that we might have salvation—suffered for us—He died that we may live
 
NKJ Acts 20:28 "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
 
Jesus is the One sent to bring glory to all of God’s people—a glory beyond human comprehension—a glory we cannot even imagine—to be crucified for us by the sins of this world—and that includes each of our sins today—and the sins of those who crucified Him—Jesus was God the Father’s preparation of the way of our salvation
 
NKJ 1 Corinthians 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
 
Jesus is the Son of God—Jesus is God—and when Jesus hung on that cross—He was a man—and He was God—as Jesus suffered—God Himself suffered—because you cannot separate the suffering of Jesus the man from the suffering of Jesus who is God
 
Jesus suffered for the Church—and today He continues to suffer as part of the Church—just as He suffered at the persecution of the Church—listen to this exchange between Jesus and Saul at the conversion of Saul
 
NKJ Acts 9:1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" 5 And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." 6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
 
When Saul was persecuting the Church—he was also persecuting Jesus the Son of God—just as sure as if he were dragging Jesus Himself to be punished by the Jews
 
There is no doubt about Christ’s suffering as we—His Church suffer
 
NKJ Ephesians 1:22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
 
Jesus who is God was united with the natural body of man—Jesus who is God is united with us in the one true unified Church of believers—these things remain a mystery to those of this world—but we see these things through the eyes of faith
 
The suffering of Jesus—was the suffering of God—and through that suffering we have redemption of our sins for all time—Luther explains it this way—consider a balance scale with our sins on one side—and the good deeds of our life on the other side—our sins weigh much more than we could ever pay—and our sins would weigh us all the way down to hell—but place our sins on one side of the scale and the blood of Christ on the other side of the scale—and we are lifted all the way to heaven
 
Jesus was the Son of God—who from the time of Adam’s fall into sin—petitioned God the Father to volunteer to let His Son to redeem the human race from the price of their sin—that is, Jesus wanted to pay the price of the guilt and shame of all mankind’s sins
 
God the Father used the Pharisees—scribes—Judas Iscariot—Pontius Pilate—the Roman soldiers—and whoever else to scourge—physically beat—and otherwise humiliate Jesus
 
Jesus was finally taken to a very public area outside the city and nailed to a cross in the most painful and disgusting form of execution every known to man—and He was innocent of all charges—yet God—because He was allowing Jesus to pay for our sins—made Him suffer like no other—as a lesson for us—because those were our sins
 
All this explains Jesus’ words to the women
 
NKJ Luke 23:28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 "For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!' 30 "Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" ' 31 "For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"
 
If God demands this much payment for your sins from His very own and very perfect Son—how much more will He ask of you as a sinner?—You will not be able to bear the price
 
Now we know who Jesus is—the perfect Son of God—the man and God who took our sins to the tree—so that we would not have to bear them—so we can go to heaven and spend eternity with Him—How could we not love Him?
 
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!