Faith In Jesus' Death
Minister: | Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: | 1/5/2014 AM |
Text: | II Corinthians 5; Lord's Day 16 |
Psalters: | 137, 140, 91, 28 |
- The character of His death.
- First, consider what death is.
- Death is the wages of sin (God?s just response of wrath against sin), and so it was in the case of Jesus.
- Death by crucifixion means that one was cursed of God (Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13).
- Burial completes the experience of death.
- Descension into hell shows the extent of death.
- Our familiarity with the fact that Jesus died can easily obscure the astounding character of this event.
- For Him it was God?s wrath against sin.
- More astounding is the fact that He is the eternal Son of God whose divine Person existed eternally.
- Another unique feature of Jesus? death is the way He died: voluntarily, of His own will.
- First, consider what death is.
- The benefits.
- The willing obedience (lovingly) of Jesus to die is a marvel of grace and love.
- God sent His own Son ?for sin? (Rom. 8:3), i.e., to deal with sin in all its nature and consequence.
- He sent Him to make an end of sin by bearing the penalty of sin.
- Jesus? death was the only and the most perfect sacrifice for sin.
- His sacrifice completely satisfied God's justice with respect to all of our sin, so no other sacrifice is ever again necessary.
- We are cleansed from the guilt of our sins (justification), so we have peace with God.
- How can death be considered ?abolished? (II Tim. 1:10) (brought to nothing) when it is still laid on God?s people?
- In Jesus Himself there is complete victory over death (Rom. 6:9,10), for He is living forever, having risen from the dead.
- Second, He took the sting out of death for His own, so they are delivered from the bondage of sin?s dread.
- Third, the final victory will be achieved in the resurrection (I Cor.15:54-58).
- Jesus? burial shows that Jesus left nothing out of our punishment (did not prove that He was actually dead).
- Though we are still buried, the grave does not have the victory over us (I Cor. 15:55). It is a garden for us.
- Though buried, the grave and its decay will not hold us, but will give up our bodies at the shout of Jesus (John 5:28,29).
- Jesus? death earned for us deliverance from hell's agonies and the presence of God's love.
- In all of our afflictions and in our greatest temptations we may know God has delivered us from hell's anguish.
- No matter how severe God's chastening may be, it can never be Divine punishment for sin.
- The willing obedience (lovingly) of Jesus to die is a marvel of grace and love.