October 7, 2018 NOTES NOT EDITED
Back to the School of
Faith, Pt4: The Death of Jesus Christ
Romans 6:1-14
Experts that don’t
have much else to do, I suspect, have determined that about 100 billion people
have lived and died since Modern Man appeared.
Just over 7 billion are alive today.
That means that 93% of all people ever born, are dead, with only about
7% carrying on the tradition. In other
words, being dead is much more common than being alive. There’s nothing particularly unique about the
event we call, “death.”
It took all of human history up to 1804 for the world's population to reach 1 billion. The next billion came only 100 years later, in 1927. And after that, the rate of growth accelerated, 3 billion in 1959 (32yrs.), 4 billion 1974 (15 yrs.), 5 billion 1987 (13yrs), 6 billion 1999 (12yrs), and by 2011 it hit 7 billion (12 yrs.). We're adding a billion people to the population about every 12 years.
It is clear that the growth rate of the world
population is staggering: a billion more
every decade or so. Yet, in all of human
history, from Adam until our present day, one thing has not changed—the death
rate. The death rate remains steady at
100%. Every person born, dies. As a human event, nothing is particularly
unique about death.
Death is not unique in any way, except the death of one Person—Jesus Christ. The Death of Jesus Christ is so significant it split human history into two halves: B.C., or Before Christ, and A.D. In the Year of Our Lord. Before Christ; After Christ. No death has been more significant than the death of Jesus Christ, because Jesus’ death was unique in every way. In philosophy, the Death of Jesus Christ would be referred to as sui generas, or “one of a kind.”
The Death of Jesus is unique in at least 4 significant ways: it was uniquely prophesied; it was uniquely executed; it was uniquely powerful, and it is uniquely applies.
Let’s read about the death of Jesus Christ. Rom. 6:1-14.
As we heard the message in song earlier, Jesus was “Born to Die.” Everybody dies as a consequence of Adam’s sin, but the death of Jesus was unique in that it reversed the consequence of sin. There are for unique aspects in regard to the death of Jesus. It was uniquely prophesied, it was uniquely executed, it was uniquely powerful, and it must be uniquely applied.
Death is not unique in any way, except the death of one Person—Jesus Christ. The Death of Jesus Christ is so significant it split human history into two halves: B.C., or Before Christ, and A.D. In the Year of Our Lord. Before Christ; After Christ. No death has been more significant than the death of Jesus Christ, because Jesus’ death was unique in every way. In philosophy, the Death of Jesus Christ would be referred to as sui generas, or “one of a kind.”
The Death of Jesus is unique in at least 4 significant ways: it was uniquely prophesied; it was uniquely executed; it was uniquely powerful, and it is uniquely applies.
Let’s read about the death of Jesus Christ. Rom. 6:1-14.
As we heard the message in song earlier, Jesus was “Born to Die.” Everybody dies as a consequence of Adam’s sin, but the death of Jesus was unique in that it reversed the consequence of sin. There are for unique aspects in regard to the death of Jesus. It was uniquely prophesied, it was uniquely executed, it was uniquely powerful, and it must be uniquely applied.
1. First, the
Death of Jesus was Uniquely Prophesied
From before there was
even time or space, the death of Jesus had been prophesied. John tells us that Jesus was the “Lamb
of God slain before the foundations of the world.” (Rev. 13:8). The very first Book of the Bible prophesied
the death of Jesus (Gen. 3:15): He
[Jesus] will strike your head, and you will strike his heel [a reference to the
Devil’s work in the execution of Jesus].
As I said earlier,
every person that is born WILL die, but only one Person was born for the unique
purpose of dying. For mortal man, death
is a consequence of sin. For the Son of
Man, Jesus, the prophets declared the death of Jesus was not a consequence, but
part of a foreordained plan. As the song
we heard earlier stated, Jesus “knew He was born to die.”
Many deaths were foretold by the prophets. Aaron’s death was foretold (Num. 20:24). Also, the deaths of Saul and his sons was foretold (1Sam. 28:19). The prophets foretold the deaths of many people. The prophetic knowledge about these deaths were unique, but the fact these people died was not unique. It was different with Jesus. Over 28 prophesies related to the death of Jesus were fulfilled on crucifixion day. The death of Jesus was not just foretold, it was foreordained for a formidable purpose—the salvation of mankind.
Prophesies identify, without any possible doubt, that Jesus was Who He said He was—Almighty God, the Messiah. It would have been impossible for anyone else in history to fulfill these 28 prophesies. The odds are simply astronomical. For example, the odds of being struck by lightning in a year = 7 x 105 or 1 in 700,000; Becoming president = 1 x 107 or 1 in 10,000,000; A meteorite landing on your house = 1.8 x 1014 or 1 in 180,000,000,000,000. The odds of one man, Jesus, fulfilling just eight of the 28 prophesies related to His death alone has be calculated as: for simplicity sake 2.8 x 1028 or 2.8 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000! The death of Jesus was uniquely prophesied to show He, Himself, was uniquely God.
Many deaths were foretold by the prophets. Aaron’s death was foretold (Num. 20:24). Also, the deaths of Saul and his sons was foretold (1Sam. 28:19). The prophets foretold the deaths of many people. The prophetic knowledge about these deaths were unique, but the fact these people died was not unique. It was different with Jesus. Over 28 prophesies related to the death of Jesus were fulfilled on crucifixion day. The death of Jesus was not just foretold, it was foreordained for a formidable purpose—the salvation of mankind.
Prophesies identify, without any possible doubt, that Jesus was Who He said He was—Almighty God, the Messiah. It would have been impossible for anyone else in history to fulfill these 28 prophesies. The odds are simply astronomical. For example, the odds of being struck by lightning in a year = 7 x 105 or 1 in 700,000; Becoming president = 1 x 107 or 1 in 10,000,000; A meteorite landing on your house = 1.8 x 1014 or 1 in 180,000,000,000,000. The odds of one man, Jesus, fulfilling just eight of the 28 prophesies related to His death alone has be calculated as: for simplicity sake 2.8 x 1028 or 2.8 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000! The death of Jesus was uniquely prophesied to show He, Himself, was uniquely God.
The Death of Jesus was uniquely prophesied because Jesus was unique among all who would ever be born of a woman. The prophesies related to Jesus’ death (as with His birth and life) establish His unique identity as the God-Man, or Messiah. The prophetic voices declare Jesus to be God Almighty, the Second Person of the Trinity. The only Person worthy to be a sacrifice, once for all, for the sins of all mankind.
2. Second, the
Death of Jesus was Uniquely Executed
The fact that Jesus
was crucified is not, in itself, unique.
Many criminals met this horrible fate at the hands of the Romans. There are ancient records showing that up to
1000 people were crucified by Rome at one time.
Also, Rome was not the first, or the only empire to use
crucifixion. So, crucifixion itself did
not make the death of Jesus unique. There
are, however, a couple of unique circumstances involving the execution of Jesus
that are important to note.
1. For one, the mock trial in which Jesus was falsely accused is important to note because it demonstrates that Jesus was the “Spotless Lamb” spoken of in the Scriptures, “without any blemish at all.” Jesus lived a completely sinless life and therefore died as a completely unblemished sacrifice for sin—the requirement for Jesus’s death to be a substitutionary payment for our sin. We will look at this more in a moment.
2. Second, consider the horrible cruelty of the death of Jesus. This demonstrates that absolute depravity of man. All crucifixions were cruel, but there seems to be even a deeper depravity exposed in the treatment of Jesus. Covering him with a toga and beating him, pulling out his beard, spitting on him, and the crown of thorns all indicate a unique hatred of Jesus—beyond just the scorn shown to garden variety enemies of Rome. Sin is an ugly thing-a far greater travesty against a Holy God than man commonly assesses.
3. Third, consider the absolute certainty of the death of Jesus. He did not merely “appear” to be dead as some have alleged. As the Munchkins in Munchkin Land sang of the Wicked Witch when Dorothy’s house fell on her, she was morally, ethic'lly, spiritually, physically, positively, absolutely, undeniably and reliably Dead. The final conclusion by the Coroner of Munchkin Land: “As Coroner I must aver, I thoroughly examined her. And she's not only merely dead, she's really most sincerely dead!” The spear in the side indicates that Jesus had actually died of a “ruptured heart,” hence the blood and water from the spear wound. The death Jesus died was complete and certifiable as any death any man ever died.
4. Fourth, the execution of Christ’s crucifixion was unique in its brevity. As a normal course, victims would take three or four days to slowly suffocate. On occasion, whether for mercy or expediency, the Roman soldiers would break the legs of the victims. Yet, they did not break the legs of Jesus. When they came to Him, had already released His own spirit back to heaven. Nobody took His life, He gave it willingly.
5. Fifth, of course, there were some unique happenings associated with the death of Jesus--the sky turned black; the temple veil was torn from top to bottom; and, people came out of their graves, to name a few.
The execution of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ had more than few unique features. His death was uniquely executed.
1. For one, the mock trial in which Jesus was falsely accused is important to note because it demonstrates that Jesus was the “Spotless Lamb” spoken of in the Scriptures, “without any blemish at all.” Jesus lived a completely sinless life and therefore died as a completely unblemished sacrifice for sin—the requirement for Jesus’s death to be a substitutionary payment for our sin. We will look at this more in a moment.
2. Second, consider the horrible cruelty of the death of Jesus. This demonstrates that absolute depravity of man. All crucifixions were cruel, but there seems to be even a deeper depravity exposed in the treatment of Jesus. Covering him with a toga and beating him, pulling out his beard, spitting on him, and the crown of thorns all indicate a unique hatred of Jesus—beyond just the scorn shown to garden variety enemies of Rome. Sin is an ugly thing-a far greater travesty against a Holy God than man commonly assesses.
3. Third, consider the absolute certainty of the death of Jesus. He did not merely “appear” to be dead as some have alleged. As the Munchkins in Munchkin Land sang of the Wicked Witch when Dorothy’s house fell on her, she was morally, ethic'lly, spiritually, physically, positively, absolutely, undeniably and reliably Dead. The final conclusion by the Coroner of Munchkin Land: “As Coroner I must aver, I thoroughly examined her. And she's not only merely dead, she's really most sincerely dead!” The spear in the side indicates that Jesus had actually died of a “ruptured heart,” hence the blood and water from the spear wound. The death Jesus died was complete and certifiable as any death any man ever died.
4. Fourth, the execution of Christ’s crucifixion was unique in its brevity. As a normal course, victims would take three or four days to slowly suffocate. On occasion, whether for mercy or expediency, the Roman soldiers would break the legs of the victims. Yet, they did not break the legs of Jesus. When they came to Him, had already released His own spirit back to heaven. Nobody took His life, He gave it willingly.
5. Fifth, of course, there were some unique happenings associated with the death of Jesus--the sky turned black; the temple veil was torn from top to bottom; and, people came out of their graves, to name a few.
The execution of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ had more than few unique features. His death was uniquely executed.
3. The Death of
Jesus was Uniquely Powerful (1Cor. 15:)
Jesus did not merely
die, but by His death, death died. While
Jesus was, borrowing the Munchkin’s coroner’s words, “not merely dead but really most sincerely dead,” His death was not
final. Jesus died as a man but rose as
God in the most powerful event in human history since the creation—the
resurrection. Jesus, by His death as
God, the Son, absolutely demolished any power death had over mankind. This is why Paul would declare (1Cor.
15:54-57):
54 When this corruptible is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? 56 Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
54 When this corruptible is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? 56 Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
The death of Jesus “swallowed
up” the power that death once held over mankind. Jesus paid in full the debt of sin mankind
owed under the Law in order to fully reconcile the elect unto God. In one fell swoop, Jesus overpowered death.
The resurrection is
the crowning jewel of God’s plan of redemption.
The cross and the resurrection must be viewed as two parts of one single
story. On the cross, as verified by the
resurrection, Jesus fulfilled what was prophesied in Gen. 3:15:
He [Jesus] will crush
your head [the Devil], and you [the Devil] will strike his heel [Jesus]. This
happened on the cross.
Because of the unique
power of the death of Jesus, physical and spiritual death no longer has the
inevitable sting of “finality.” Without
the death of Jesus, the epitaph written on everyone’s tombstone would be: IN HELL FOREVER. The death of Jesus makes it possible for any
man, woman, or child to change what is written on our tombstone to: IN HEAVEN FOREVERY. Jesus made it possible for any person—man,
woman, or child—to rewrite what would be said of them after they die. Death no longer has the sharp edge of
finality and pain. The “sting” is gone.
In 1867, Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist, awoke and read the daily paper. When he glanced at the obituary he was shocked to read this entry: “Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who died yesterday, devised a way for more people to be killed in a war than was ever possible before. As a result, he died a rich man.” Alfred Nobel was both shocked and grieved. Shocked, because he was not in fact dead. It was his older brother who had died. He was grieved because he did not want to be remembered for becoming wealthy by developing a means to kill people more effectively. So, Nobel, intitiated the Nobel Prize—an award for scientists and writers who foster peace. Nobel said this about a person’s life and death, “Every man ought to have the chance to correct his [obituary] in midstream and write a new one.”
The uniquely powerful death of Jesus Christ allows a person to do exactly what Nobel did, only with regard to eternity as well as life here and now. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ overpowers the grip of finality that death held over us. As Paul said, the death of Jesus “takes away the sting of death” which is the penalty of sin. The Power of the death and resurrection obliterates the power of sin and death.
Jesus was unique, so it is not surprising that His death would be unique. It was uniquely prophesied, uniquely executed, and uniquely powerful. Most of all, however, the Death of Jesus must be
4. Uniquely Applied (Rom. 6:1-5)
In 1867, Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist, awoke and read the daily paper. When he glanced at the obituary he was shocked to read this entry: “Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who died yesterday, devised a way for more people to be killed in a war than was ever possible before. As a result, he died a rich man.” Alfred Nobel was both shocked and grieved. Shocked, because he was not in fact dead. It was his older brother who had died. He was grieved because he did not want to be remembered for becoming wealthy by developing a means to kill people more effectively. So, Nobel, intitiated the Nobel Prize—an award for scientists and writers who foster peace. Nobel said this about a person’s life and death, “Every man ought to have the chance to correct his [obituary] in midstream and write a new one.”
The uniquely powerful death of Jesus Christ allows a person to do exactly what Nobel did, only with regard to eternity as well as life here and now. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ overpowers the grip of finality that death held over us. As Paul said, the death of Jesus “takes away the sting of death” which is the penalty of sin. The Power of the death and resurrection obliterates the power of sin and death.
Jesus was unique, so it is not surprising that His death would be unique. It was uniquely prophesied, uniquely executed, and uniquely powerful. Most of all, however, the Death of Jesus must be
4. Uniquely Applied (Rom. 6:1-5)
Let’s go back to the text we read earlier:
6:1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on
sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin;
how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us
who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We
were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just
as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may
live a new life. 5 If we have
been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united
with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was
crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we
should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has
been freed from sin.
Jesus died for a
purpose—to pay the penalty for sin. We
say that the death of Jesus brings us to the place of atonement—or right
standing with God. Rom. 3:25 says, 25 God
presented Him as a propitiation y
through faith in His blood, The
NET gives a more accurate translation, 25 God publicly displayed
him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. The word propitiation means a “sacrifice of appeasement to gain the favor
of God.” That is a part of the
application of the death of Christ, but the focus in Romans is not on the
sacrifice, but the place of the sacrifice.
The word often translated, “propitiation,” is actually the word that
refers to the Mercy Seat in the Holy
of Holies. This is the place where God’s
Presence resided in the Temple. It is
the place where one high priest entered once a year to make “atonement” for the
people. When Jesus died, the veil
separating the Holy of Holies was torn asunder. Now, through the blood of Jesus all who are
saved can enter into God’s Presence.
This application of the death of Jesus is what theologians call the
“doctrine of atonement.”
The entire O.T. provides numerous pictures of the process of atonement as a story of the life and activities of God’s people, particularly the various sacrifices and rituals. The biggest picture of atonement comes with the story of the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, particularly the last plague. After nine horrible plagues to convince Pharaoh to set the Israelites free, God brought the plague of the death of the first-born male in every family. The only way that death would pass over a household was to kill a spotless lamb and spread the blood on the outside frame of the door to the house. The O.T. is filled with different kinds of sacrifices involving different kinds of animals. Much blood flowed in the O.T. in an attempt to gain “atonement,” or right standing with God. The lesson learned after thousands of years and countless sacrifices of animals is simply this: there is no way for a person to become right with God no matter how many sacrifices have been made and how much blood would flow. All of those powerless sacrifices serve as a vivid lesson teaching the need for “One Perfect Sacrifice, Once For All.” That is why Jesus had to die. Paul says in Hebrews 10:10:
10 By this will of God, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE AND FOR ALL.
The entire O.T. provides numerous pictures of the process of atonement as a story of the life and activities of God’s people, particularly the various sacrifices and rituals. The biggest picture of atonement comes with the story of the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, particularly the last plague. After nine horrible plagues to convince Pharaoh to set the Israelites free, God brought the plague of the death of the first-born male in every family. The only way that death would pass over a household was to kill a spotless lamb and spread the blood on the outside frame of the door to the house. The O.T. is filled with different kinds of sacrifices involving different kinds of animals. Much blood flowed in the O.T. in an attempt to gain “atonement,” or right standing with God. The lesson learned after thousands of years and countless sacrifices of animals is simply this: there is no way for a person to become right with God no matter how many sacrifices have been made and how much blood would flow. All of those powerless sacrifices serve as a vivid lesson teaching the need for “One Perfect Sacrifice, Once For All.” That is why Jesus had to die. Paul says in Hebrews 10:10:
10 By this will of God, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE AND FOR ALL.
On that dreadful
night long ago in Egypt, it was not sufficient that a lamb was killed. In order for the Death Angel to pass over the
household, the blood had to be “applied”
to the door posts of the house. In the
same way, in order for the “once-for-all” sacrifice of Jesus to bring atonement,
or right standing with God—we call this, being saved—the sacrifice of Jesus has
to be “personally” applied to our individual lives. It is not enough that Jesus died, His blood
must be applied. There is much
discussion by scholars as to exactly what that means and how it is
accomplished. One thing seems clear from
Scripture: Jesus shed His blood to make salvation “available” for any man, woman or child, but that blood does not
become “effective” (bringing
salvation) until it is personally applied.
Our text in Romans
teaches that if we “die with Christ,” then we “will also be raised with
Christ.” So, how do we apply the
principle of dying to our self. Paul
said in Romans 6:6:
6 For we know that our old self was
crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we
should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has
been freed from sin.
The blood of Jesus, like the blood of the Passover Lamb in Egypt, is applied to the doorposts of our heart when we “die to our self” by putting Jesus on the throne of our lives. We make Him, our Lord. Romans 10:9 explains the application process like this:
The blood of Jesus, like the blood of the Passover Lamb in Egypt, is applied to the doorposts of our heart when we “die to our self” by putting Jesus on the throne of our lives. We make Him, our Lord. Romans 10:9 explains the application process like this:
9 If you confess with your mouth,
“Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in
righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
Jesus made salvation
“available” when He died as the Lamb of God on the cross. That sacrifice becomes “effective” when a
person publicly confesses before men that he or she is surrendering absolutely
and completely to Jesus as the Lord of Life.
As I said earlier, God has no secret
agents. In order to be saved a
person must, in a moment of time, confess before others that Jesus is
Lord. That act of “confessing (admitting) publicly” that you are a sinner and cannot
save yourself, is how the death of Jesus is UNIQUELY APPLIED to your life. An old hymn reminds us of this important
“application” process:
Down at the cross where my Savior
died,
Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to His name!
Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to His name!
Without a public
confess before others, the blood Jesus shed will not be “applied” to your life,
and you will die in your sins.
All people ever born,
or who will ever be born, share on event in common—you will die. Death is not a unique event in the history of
mankind. Yet, the death of Jesus Christ
was absolutely unique among all the deaths of a man born of a woman. The death of Jesus was uniquely prophesied.
The death of Jesus was uniquely executed.
The death of Jesus was uniquely powerful. The only question that remains for you and I
is: has the death of Jesus been uniquely
applied to my life?
I said earlier, “The day of your death will either be the
best day of your existence, or it will be the worst day.” Death is not a wall, but a doorway. While death is the end of this life, it is
the beginning of eternity. You will die. The only question will be, “will you spend eternity
with God in heaven, or will you spend eternity in the horrible loneliness and
pain of hell?
It all comes down to whether you apply the blood that Jesus shed to the doorposts of your heart by confessing today, “Jesus is My Lord!”
It all comes down to whether you apply the blood that Jesus shed to the doorposts of your heart by confessing today, “Jesus is My Lord!”
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