I'm reading today from the book
of Luke. It's the 23rd chapter and verse
33. Now, here's my subject. Why did Jesus Christ die on the
cross? What was the reason for his death? Why Christ died? In Luke 23,
33, the Scripture says, And when they were come to a place which
is called Calvary, There they crucified him. Now everyone knows
that Jesus of Nazareth was born of Mary in Bethlehem. Everybody
knows that. You know that. Everybody listening
to my voice is aware of the fact that a man called Jesus of Nazareth
was born to Mary in Bethlehem. In fact, the Old Testament prophesied
and promised his birth several times. God said in Isaiah 7,
14, Behold, the Lord himself shall give you a sign. A virgin
shall conceive and bring forth a child, and thou shalt call
his name Immanuel. And then in Isaiah 9, verse 6,
the Scripture said, Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor the mighty
God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. We know
that the angel appeared to Mary when she was engaged to be married
to Joseph. And the angel said, Blessed art
thou among women. The Holy Ghost shall come upon
thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee, and that
holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son
of God. And then the angel appeared to Joseph. and said, Fear not
to take unto thee Mary to be thy wife, because the child that
is born of her shall be the Son of God, and thou shalt call his
name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. And
then the angel appeared to the shepherds and said to them, Unto
you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, Christ the
Lord." Now, we're all familiar with that story. You've heard
it read many, many, many, many times. And then everyone knows
this. Everyone knows that Jesus of
Nazareth was a great prophet, a great preacher. In fact, Nicodemus
said to him, no man could do the miracle you do except God
be with him. We know that you're a man sent
from God. Jesus of Nazareth was a great
prophet. No man spake like this man. He spake with authority. He knew
no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Even his worst
enemies could find no fault with him. And then he went about doing
good. He healed the sick and the lame,
even raised the dead. And he told them who he was. He said, I and my father won.
The works that I do are not my works, they're the works of Him
that sent me. And the words that I speak are not my words, but
the words of Him that sent me. But they didn't believe Him.
These people didn't believe Him. They despised Him. They hated
Him. They hid, as it were, their faces
from Him. He was rejected of men, a man
of sorrows, acquainted with grief. And they nailed Him to a cross.
It says here, they took Him to a place called Golgotha, place
of the skull, or a place called Calvary. And there between two
thieves they crucified him. John said he was in the world,
and the world was made by him, but the world did not know him. And John said in verse 11 of
the first chapter of John that he came unto his own. He came
to his own temple, his own people, his own Prophecies and sacrifices
and his own received him not. They crucified him. Well, here's
my question. Why did Jesus Christ die on a
cross? Why did he allow himself to be
crucified? With the power he had? He said
to one of his disciples who sought to defend him with a sword, he
said, put up your sword. He said, I could call on my father,
and he'd send legions of angels. to my aid, but he allowed himself
to be crucified. Everybody knows that. Everybody
knows that he hung on that cross and he died. He was taken down
from the cross and he was buried. And my question today is, why
did Jesus Christ die on the cross? Did he die to show us something
or to teach us something or to set an example? He didn't die
from human weakness, I know that. because he had all power. He
said, I have all power in heaven and earth. What held him to the
cross? Why did he suffer and die? Why did he subject himself
to such humiliation and such persecution and mockery and suffer
and bleed and die on a cruel Roman tree? Why? Why? Well, I'm
going to let the Scripture speak for us. I have five Scriptures
that answer this question. Plainly, clearly, easily understood. Five scriptures. Why did Jesus
Christ die on the cross? Now, here's the first one. If
you'd like to, turn in your Bibles or jot down the scriptures and
read them later. But Paul wrote in Romans 14,
9. Now, watch this. And here's my question. Why did
Jesus Christ die on the cross? Why did He subject Himself to
this? Horrible, horrible death, even
the death of the cross. Romans 14, 9 says, to this end,
to this end, for this reason, to accomplish this objective,
to this end, Christ both died and rose and revived that He
might be Lord of the dead and the living. Why did He die on
the cross? Paul said, for this reason. that
he might be Lord of the dead and the living." Now, Jesus Christ
is Lord of heaven and earth because he died on the cross. He is Lord
by decree, divine decree. In John 3, 35, it says, "...the
Father loveth the Son, and the Father hath given all things
into the hands of the Son." That's by decree, by God's purpose and
decree and design. all things in the hands of the
Son. In Matthew 28, 18, our Lord said that. He said, All authority
is given unto me in heaven and earth. In John 17, He said, Thou
hast given me authority, power over all flesh. Acts 2, 36, Peter
said to the people at Pentecost, God hath made this same Jesus,
whom you crucified, Lord and Christ. In other words, by God
Almighty's decree, By God Almighty's eternal design, divine design
and purpose, he made Christ Lord. But here the apostle Paul says
that he is Lord by death. He earned the crown rights. He
bought the crown rights. He bought the universe over which
he reigns. Now listen to this. In Philippians
2 verse 6, Paul in verse 5 says, Let this mind be in you. which
was also in Christ Jesus, who thought it not robbery to be
equal with God, yet made himself of no reputation, who, being
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, yet made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the form
of a servant, and became obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross. Wherefore, wherefore, because
of this submission because of this awful price, because of
this subjection to the will of the Father. Wherefore God hath
highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven,
earth, and under the earth, and every tongue should declare that
Jesus Christ is Lord. In other words, he's Lord by
decree, he's Lord by eternal design, and he's Lord by death. He bought the kingdom. He bought
the crown rights. The question is not, my friend,
will you make Jesus your Lord? God has already beat you to it.
Jesus Christ is Lord. He bought that right. He died
that he might be Lord. You see, back in eternity past,
the Father made Him the surety of an everlasting covenant. And
in that covenant was included this obligation, this responsibility. Christ had to redeem His people
with His blood. And when He died on that cross,
He bought the kingdom, He bought the crown rights, He bought and
earned the right to be every man's Lord, and God has made
Him Lord. The issue is not Will you recognize
his Lordship? It's when will you recognize
his Lordship? Because he is Lord. And Peter
sung it up on Pentecost. He said, God hath made this same
Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. All right, the
second reason now is found in Romans 3. Now listen carefully
to this. In Romans 3, 24, 25, and 26,
why did Christ die? This is what we're asking. He
was born in Bethlehem. He lived a perfect life on this
earth, fulfilling the righteousness of God. He had all authority
and power. He's the God-man. God didn't
become man, and man didn't become God. Almighty God was clothed
in the likeness of human flesh, and the Lord Jesus Christ inhabited
a body which the Father prepared for Him, but He was still God.
He was man, but He was still God. And yet He subjected Himself
to a humiliating, awful, ignominious, terrible death. And I ask, why? Well, Paul said first that He
might be Lord, to fulfill that covenant, to fulfill His charityship,
to fulfill His responsibility. to buy the crown rights of the
kingdom, which must be purchased by blood, and only the king could
do it. Or here's the second reason, Romans 3, 24, 25, and 26, being
freely justified by his grace through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus, whom God had set forth to be a propitiation,
a mercy seat. That's an atonement by blood,
a mercy seat. a propitiation, through faith
in his blood to declare God's righteousness," now watch this,
"...in order that God may be just and justifier of all that
believe in Jesus. God sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law, set him forth to be a propitiation,
set him forth to be a substitute, set him forth to be a slain lamb."
Set him forth to be an atonement on the mercy seat. Set him forth
to be crucified in order that, in order that. You see, that's
what we're asking. Why? Well, in order that God,
God might be just and the justifier of them that believe in Jesus.
Now, the Lord Jesus Christ died, secondly, to enable a holy, righteous,
and just God. to be holy, righteous, and just,
and yet forgive sinners, and yet show His mercy and His love.
Now, the Lord declared in Isaiah 45, 21, He said, you ever read
this before, Isaiah 45, 21? I am a just God and a Savior. Now, verse 22, all of you are
familiar with it. It says, Look unto me, and be
ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there
is none else. Well, verse 21 identifies this one to whom you
are to look. This One who redeems us, I am
a just God and a Savior. Can He be both? Well, I'll show
you how, through Christ. You see, God is holy and righteous. His law is set, His law is sure,
His law is unchanging. God's law never... He said, I'm
the Lord, I change not. Once that holy, immaculate, spotless
law was given, it's unchanging, unbending. Somebody said, you
may... You may break a commandment,
but you'll never bend one. You'll never bend one. God'll
never bend one. And this is, "...cursed is everyone that continueth
not in all things written in the book of the law to do them."
This is the conflict I have with people who are preaching or teaching
or believing or practicing salvation by works. Your works aren't good
enough. Your works aren't good enough. Your works have to be
perfect if you're going to be saved by works. Your obedience
has to be as good as God if you're going to be saved by obedience.
Cursed is everyone that continues not in all things written in
the book of the law to do them. God's not going to change, He's
not going to bend His law or conform His law or change it. It's sad, it's sure, it's unchanging,
it's rigid. It offers no mercy. And God is
just, holy and just. And not only will punish sin,
God must punish sin. It's not a question of will he
punish sin. He must punish sin if he's going to stay God. Shall
not the judge of the earth do right? God will by no means clear
the guilty. You say, where do you find that?
Exodus chapter 34. God will by no means clear the
guilty. Well, wait a minute now, preacher.
God is just. God is holy. God is righteous.
But preacher, God is love. You're absolutely right. We thank
Him for that. He's mercy and He's love. But
he cannot manifest his love at the expense of his holiness.
He cannot manifest and act in mercy toward you and violate
his law any more than the judge down at the county courthouse
or down at the Supreme Court can compromise the law to let
you go free if you're guilty. If you're guilty, you've got
to pay. And if you're guilty of breaking the law of God, you've
got to pay. If you're guilty of sinning against God, you've
got to pay. The soul that sinneth shall surely, surely, surely
die. Be sure your sins will find you
out, God says. Sin, when it's finished, brings
forth death. So you see, God can't manifest love and mercy
at the expense of justice and righteousness. That's why Christ
came. And that's why He died. He died
that we might not die. He died that we wouldn't have
to die. Our Lord came down here without sin, perfect without
sin. And our sins were laid on Him.
He died as a substitute. And in Christ bearing our sins
in His body on the tree and dying in our place, you see, God's
justice met Christ on the cross, and God's justice afflicted Him,
and God's justice slew Him, and God's justice exacted from Him
all that was required of me. And therefore, God's mercy could
be demonstrated, and God's grace and love could be shown, because
He had a substitute. You see, Psalm 85, 10 says, mercy
and truth are met together. Mercy and truth? Mercy for sinners
and yet truth for sinners? It says, righteousness and peace
have kissed one another. You mean the righteous justice
of God can kiss peace for guilty sinners in Christ if He'll bear
their sins and pay their debt and die in their place? See,
learn two words now, substitute and satisfaction. Christ died.
All right, here's the third reason why He died. He died, number
one, to buy the crown rights in order that He might be Lord
of the dead and the living. He died that God Almighty might
be just and justifier. Now thirdly, Isaiah 53, verse
4 and 5, "'Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.'"
Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions. Why is he hanging there? We see
him smitten of God, we see him stricken, we see him carrying
griefs and sorrows, but they're ours, they're not his. He was
bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace is
upon him. By his stripes we're healed.
That's what I'm saying. Christ died thirdly as our substitute. My friends, now listen carefully
to me. Please listen carefully. So little
gospel is being preached today. There's a lot of cheerleading
and money raising and building of great empires, but there's
very little gospel. Good news for sinners. Good news. Glad tidings for the guilty.
Mercy for the miserable. But from Genesis 3.15, which
says, the seed of woman shall bruise the serpent's heel, the
serpent's head. The seed of woman shall bruise
the serpent's head. That's talking about Christ,
the seed of woman, the virgin-born Son, destroying the serpent,
Satan's head, his government. From that point, at the very
beginning, Genesis 3.15, right after Adam and Eve's sin, all
the way through this Bible, to Revelation 5 when it talks about
the Lamb slain. The Lamb slain. Where is the
Lamb that was slain? The Lamb slain before the foundation
of the world. Jesus Christ, in His death and
the shedding of His blood, is set forth as a sin offering,
as a sin offering. Christ died as a sin offering,
as a sacrifice to God. You see, every Lamb of the Old
Testament, and there were thousands of them, from Abel's Lamb all
the way through the Passover and the Atonement and the lambs
that were slain throughout hundreds and thousands of years. Every
one of those lambs is a picture of Christ, our Lamb, our substitute. Every one of God said, when they
took the lamb and slew it in Egypt and put the blood on the
doorpost and lent it to God, He said, when I see the blood,
I'll pass over you. And Paul said, Christ, our Passover, is
sacrificed for us. Christ is the Passover. When
He was born in Bethlehem, God said to Joseph, Thou shalt call
His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins
with a sin offering. In Luke 19, 10, the Son of Man
has come to seek and to save the lost. In 1 Timothy 1.15,
this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners with a sin offering. 1 Peter 1.19, we are redeemed,
not with silver and gold from our vain conversation received
by tradition from our fathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ as a lamb, as a lamb without spot or blemish, as a lamb slain. So Christ died. as a sin offering,
as a substitute. By one sacrifice he hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified." Jesus Christ, our Lord. He came
into this world and died as a sin offering. You go back through
the Old Testament and you see the high priest putting his hands
on the head of the bullock or the ram and confessing the sins
of the people. And then they take that ram and
slay it. roast its body with fire, catch
the blood in a basin, take it into the Holy of Holies, put
it on the mercy seat before the Shekinah glory of God. All of
that waiting the coming Lamb of God. And when John the Baptist,
the forerunner of Christ, saw him at Jordan that day, he said
to the people, there he is, behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world as a sin offering, as a sacrifice. Now I'm telling you, I know we're
getting awful nice today and awful dignified to take the blood
out of the pulpit and you take the saving power in the gospel
away because without the shedding of blood, there's no remission.
Let's don't get so moderate and so liberal and so dignified that
we don't sing, what can wash away my sin? Nothing but the
blood of Jesus. There's power in the blood. Without
the shedding of blood, there's no remission. When I see the
blood, I'll pass over you. God Almighty has set that forth
in His Word. You can't change it. It's the
blood of Christ that cleanseth us from all sin. And then fourthly,
II Corinthians 5, 19. Now listen to this. God was in
Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. Colossians 1, 20,
"...and having made peace through the blood of His cross." Why
did Christ die? To reconcile us to God, to make
peace. peace with God, having made peace
with God through the blood of His cross, to reconcile all things
to Himself." Here's what I'm saying. Here's what Paul's saying
there. The Lord Jesus Christ, in His
death, made peace between us and an angry God. Now, I know
that's not popular today. I know it's I know everybody
wants to hear about the love of God. Nobody wants to hear
about the wrath of God or the judgment of God. But my friends,
we're neglecting the Scriptures if we don't tell the truth about
God. Listen to Romans 118. The wrath of God, the wrath of
God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and all unrighteousness
in men. God's what? God's wrath. Psalm 711. God is angry with
the wicked every day. Every day. John 3, 36, "...he
that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of
God." The wrath of God abided on him. Now, the old timers knew
something about judgment, something about God's wrath. And we're
going to have to get back to the Word. if we're going to preach
the God of the Bible. You see, this is the reason that
men are compromising the death of Christ and the blood of Christ
and the sacrifice of Christ, because if God is all love and
all mercy and no judgment and no righteousness and no wrath,
we don't need a substitute. We don't need a sin offering.
We don't need a blood atonement. Christ died to remove the wrath
of God from believers. Paul said in Romans 5, 1, therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God. Peace. I thought we had peace all along.
Oh no, no. Christ is our peace offering.
He's our substitute, sacrifice. By taking the wrath of God upon
Himself, He removed the wrath of God from us. That's why He
died. And in closing, in Revelation
5, 9, and 10, now this is point number 5, why Christ died. Thou
art worthy to take the book, this is the song of the redeemed
in glory, and to open the seals thereof. For thou was slain,
thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood. That's
why you're worthy to open the book. That's why you have the
right to open the book. because you were slain, and redeemed
us by your blood out of every kindred, tongue, people, and
nation. And you have made us by your
blood because you were slain. You have made us unto our God
kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth." You're not
a king and a priest before God because of something you've done
or something you've given or something you've earned. Christ
was slain. and shed His blood. And out of
every little kindred and tongue and tribe and nation and kingdom
and people all over this globe through all generations, our
Lord bought a people. And He redeemed that which was
lost. He restored all that we lost in Adam. He enriched us
with an inheritance undefiled that paid us not away. He translated
us into the kingdom of God. He has made us kings who will
reign with Him and priests to offer unto God spiritual sacrifices. And he died that we might live.
Now this message, why Christ died, and another message that
I'll bring next week on taught by trouble, taught by trouble. Why Christ died, taught by trouble. These two messages are on one
cassette tape. If you want it, send two dollars
to the address that will be given to you right now. And until next
week, I bid you a pleasant good day.