Why Did Christ Die?

Date: April 3, 2026
Series: Good Friday
Passage: 1 Peter 2:21-25
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Griffin

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

If you would grab your Bibles and turn with me over to First Peter Chapter Two. First Peter. Chapter two verses twenty one through twenty-five is where we'll be on this good Friday. And if you would, would you just stand with us one more time as we read for the reverence of God's word? First Peter two, verses twenty-one through twenty-five. And it reads as this. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued in trusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you are strained like sheep. You were strained like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. Let us pray. Father God, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the truth of your scriptures, God. We thank you, Lord, that your word is living and it meets us right where we are. And so we pray for it tonight, dear God, as it goes forward, that it touches our hearts, dear God, that it speaks to us, that we have ears to hear and a heart to receive. Father, we pray for unsaved souls tonight. That there's something that's said, oh God, that they may come and say, What must I do to be saved? Father, we ask, Lord, that you set self on the back burner so that your word may be preached and that your word may go forth. In Christ Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. I just want us to grapple tonight with the question, why did Christ die? Why did Christ die? We live in this, to live in this world means that we're going to face pain and suffering. Sometimes this pain and suffering comes through the influence of others. Sometimes it comes because of sadness in our life. Sometimes this pain comes as comes in a way that is undeserved, and it either comes through people or it comes through circumstances, and in most cases, it comes through both. Pain and people go together. This is the hardest to accept. We live in a fallen world. And sometimes bad things happen. But it seems much harder to accept pain that others inflict on us, especially when that pain is deliberate. Especially when that pain is premeditated or when it's aimed directly at us. Perhaps it could be a boss who mistreats us, or co-worker who envies us, or a spouse who's critical of everything and can never be pleased. I mean, you name it, the world has it. Betrayal, humiliation, ridicule, sarcasm, the silent treatment, and the list just goes on and on. And I believe the worst kind of pain comes from someone we love or we are trying when we are trying to love others. Jesus suffered from those whom he loved while loving on them. And is this kind of suffering that Peter draws from in our text? Is this kind of suffering that he draws from to give Christians who are suffering in Asia Minor to give them hope to endure the suffering that they faced? So Peter points to God the Son to urge them to suffer. To urge them to endure suffering as they follow in Christ's footsteps. As he tells them to endure injustice, he gives them the reason for their hope. And that reason is the point of the message tonight. And I'm going to give it to you in seven words. There's seven sayings on the cross, and tonight I want you to leave with seven words to take home. And that point is this Christ died so that we might live. One preacher puts it this way: dead men can't follow after anyone. If we are to follow the Lord and serve him, we must be alive in him. And this text, make no mistake about it, is all about Christ. But you can't disconnect the text from the context. And so Peter gives the reason Christ suffered and died, and the reason why he died for us. So why did Christ die? Peter exalts the Savior in this text. He gives three reasons Christ suffered and died on the cross. And he tells us exactly what his death has to do with you and I. And the first reason is simply this, so that we might follow in his footsteps. Philip Riken, the president of Wheaton College, records God always has a purpose for suffering and for his people. His purpose is always redemptive. This is the pattern of the cross. It was through this suffering and death that Jesus accomplished our salvation. And it's also the pattern of the Christian life. Verse 21 says, For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in his footsteps. Christ suffered for us. He suffered even unto death for you and for me. Why? So that we might follow in his footsteps. His suffering for us is the reason. It's the motivation. It's the purpose of why we follow him. He didn't just suffer and die to give us an example. He suffered and died for us. Literally. In our behalf and in our place, Christ died for us. The suffering of Christ is an example to us because Christ suffered righteously, and that is, he was innocent before he suffered, and he was innocent while he suffered. Consider with me the innocence of Christ in verse 22. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. This is a reference to the text that was read earlier, Isaiah 53, 9. And they made his grave with the wicked and with the rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. If anyone could vouch for the innocent of Christ, it would have been Peter. After all, he was with him for three years. Jesus was innocent. The text tells us he committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. And if that's not proof enough, Judas said, I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. Luke, in Luke 23, 47, a Roman soldier said, Certainly this man was innocent. He was innocent before he suffered. And verse 23 tells us he was innocent while he suffered. Look with me at verse 23. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued and trust in himself, who judges justly. This word revile refers to the foul, abusive language. Jesus suffered all kinds of verbal abuse. Yet he never gave it back in return. Nor did he threaten them. Jesus could have got rid of them all. He could have got rid of him, got rid of them when he wanted to. But Jesus did not revile in return. He never gave it back in return. The abuse that Jesus suffered was both physical and verbal. With closed fists, they hit him in the face. With rods, they beat him. With whips, they scourged our Lord. With crowns of thorns they placed on his head. With iron spikes they nailed him to the cross. Isaiah 53, 7 says, He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth like a lamb that was led to the slaughter, like a sheep that before its shears is silent. So he opened not his mouth. You see, we live in a world where retaliation is common. But not for Jesus. He behaved like a lamb to the slaughter. How did he behave like a lamb to the slaughter? Look with me at the end of verse 23. He continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. To entrust is to hand over to someone, to keep. So the question on the table is this if Christ could commit himself to death on the cross, can we be committed to live a life? To live life for him? Every wrong deed in the universe will be either covered by the blood of Christ or repaid justly by the God of final judgment. Knowing that God judges justly enables us to forgive others when they've wronged us.

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That's right, amen.

SPEAKER_00 13:42

It enables us to go to others and forgive them of their sins. Why? Because when we remember what Christ did for us, he forgave us of our sins. And so God judges justly. And it enables us to forgive others, but it also enables us to entrust our lives into the mighty hand of God. And so my question is, how many of us have given our lives into the hands of another? How many of us have resigned to give our lives solely for the use and edifying of our precious Lord? If our lives are to imitate the life of Christ, we must be willing to commit ourselves to the one who judges righteously. We don't have to seek revenge. We don't have to seek payback. All we have to do is commit ourselves to the one who judges righteously. God will take care of everything. So Christ died so we might follow in his footstep, but secondly, Christ died so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. Look with me at verse 24. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. So what does it mean that Christ suffered for us? Verse 23 tells us that Jesus was our substitute. This is what verse 21 means when it says Christ suffered for us. He died as our substitute. He took our place. He suffered the wrath of God against sin for us. And this is the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:6 that was read earlier. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. So why did Christ die as our substitute? Verse 24 tells us this that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. See, Calvary was a personal experience for Jesus Christ. It was a personal experience for our Lord. And Calvary must be a personal experience for us today. Calvary was the place where our sins were laid. And this wasn't something that he oversaw. This wasn't something that he just assigned someone else to. No, God came down in the flesh, clothed himself in this nasty flesh, and was obedient all the way to the cross. So this wasn't something that he oversaw. This is something that he bore in his own body. He bore all of our sins in his body, beginning with the first of God's creation, sin entered the hearts of mankind. And because of that initial sin, all are born in sin, being dead through sin unto God. We are all dead in trespasses and sins. We were separated from the holiness of God and condemned. And unless a change was made, we would be eternally lost because of our deadness. Jesus died on that cross so that we might live. In the Old Testament, the scapegoat was a symbol of sin being placed on an innocent animal that was driven away into the wilderness. Christ is our scapegoat. He took our sins away. He bore our sins on the cross. He became the ultimate sacrifice, filling the need for atonement once and for all. We are no longer burdened by our sins. Why? Because Christ has taken them far away from us. Isaiah 53, 5. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. This is where Peter gets this from in verse 24. This healing that Peter spoke of, it means to cure. It means to make whole. It means to free from error and sin. The suffering and death that Jesus endured brought about healing. It brought about the cure of sin. It set captive free. It set us free from bondage. All that sin had damaged and the hindrances that sin had caused were made right and justified as Christ hung upon that cross. Adam and Eve's rebellion made us all sin sick, but the power of the cross. Because of the power of the cross, we are healed. And so all who come to Jesus in salvation can be made whole of this dreadful disease that we call sin. You know, sin always ends in death. But Jesus made a way for all of all to live if they only would come to him. Is this saying that all who come to Christ will live perfect lives? No, that's not what this is saying. Because that won't happen. But it does remind us that we have a source of healing. It does remind us that when we tempted, when we fail by living in these fleshly bodies, that we do have a source of healing. And that healing is found in Jesus Christ. Jesus church is the way to life, is the way to a life of peace, contentment, and righteousness. He alone has the power that we need to rise above sin and live lives that honor Him. Only in Christ Jesus can we live this life the way that He wants us to. And so Christ died so that we may follow in His footsteps. He died so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. But lastly, He died so that we might return to the shepherd and the overseer of our souls. Verse 25 summarizes what it means to be lost and what it means to be saved. It says, For you were strained like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd, an overseer of your souls. Peter portrays us as sheep that have gone astray. Those who have wandered from the safety and provision of the flock. And no longer under the protection of the shepherd. You see, without a shepherd to guide, to guide them, sheep are prone to stray away. It's part of their rebellious nature. When danger comes, they'll take off, they'll run. But they'll have no sense of direction. They won't be able to find them their way back. So the sheep that strays away is doomed to be killed by wolves seeking their prey. And we may not like to admit it, but we just like sheep. God created us and he knows our similarities. And this is the tragedy of life without Christ. We are lost. God knew that we too need a shepherd if we're to survive in this world in which we live. Jesus Christ, church, is that shepherd. But Jesus also stands as the overseer of our souls. The overseer of our souls, the watchman, the superintendent. And these go hand in hand with the divine duties of the shepherd. So all who profess Christ today, who've been saved by the blood of Jesus, are without, are within the tender care of Christ. The biography of the Christian comes in two chapters. You were this, but now you're not. You were like sheep straying, but now you've returned. You were going in the wrong direction, but you made a U-turn. You returned to the shepherd and the overseer of your souls. He is watching over us, superintending our lives. And through the guidance of the Spirit, Jesus directs our paths, leading us in the right way. Thank God for Jesus Christ. It's comforting to know that Christ, our Lord, cares enough about us to watch over us. He cares enough about us to protect us. He cares enough about us to guide us and to care for us. Church, Christ died so that we might be living examples, dead to sin and alive in Christ Jesus. Not to be left alone, but to be cared for and guided through the paths of life. Samuel L. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was listed as dead while being physically alive. And so this type of erroneous obituary is common, especially in today of AI and the internet and things like this and all the technology that we have today. And on one embarrassing occasion, a man whose obituary was printed on the internet frantically reached out to the writer. He says, I'm not dead. He said, Look at me. Hear me. I'm talking to you right now. I'm not dead. How dare you print my obituary on the internet? I'm alive. And the man answered, you know what? I'm sorry. But it's too late to do anything about it. He said, but what I will do is I'll put your name in the birth column tomorrow. He said, I'll put your name in the birth column. He says, that way you'll get a fresh start. See, church, the death of Jesus was the best thing that happened on the slopes of the skull of shapes, skull-shaped hill outside of Calvary. It was the best thing that happened. That's why we call it Good Friday. It did then what it does today in the life of the believer. It gave us a fresh start. And so whatever burden you may be carrying today, whatever weight that you may be carrying, whatever sin that may be holding you back, take comfort in the fact of knowing that Christ our Lord cares enough about us. Cares enough about you to bring you back into the fold. To watch over you, to protect you, to guide you, to care for you. Jesus, endure much so that you and I can live victorious lives. And so my question that I have for you as I close, two questions. Do you have peace in your heart tonight? And do you know Christ as a shepherd and overseer of your soul? If not, there's room. Jesus died so that we might live. The shepherd gave his life for the sheep. So come to him today as he leaves. Let us pray. Father God, we thank you, Lord. That we have a shepherd and an overseer who cares for us. We thank you, God. That when we fall short of your word, when we fall short of your will, Father, you are right there for us to cry out to. You're right there, Father, for us to ask for forgiveness. You're right there, oh God, to entrust our lives to you, Father, to put it in your hands. And so, Father, we pray right now, O God, that you help us on this night, that when we leave here today, oh God, that we remember the sacrifice that our sins was born on Calvary's cross. The debt that we owed was paid in full by you. Thank you. That you loved us so much and that you love us so much, oh God. And Father, you know that when we mess up, that we have a Savior in Christ Jesus. Watching over us, protecting us, and caring for us. Lord, we pray right now for anyone here tonight that may be weighted down, Father, with sin in their life. Anyone, Father, who God, who may be living in the past, the past burdens, dear God, that may be weighing them down, Father. We pray, Lord, for those that someone may he tonight may be trying to live this life on their own, oh God. Help them to know that Jesus cares for them. Help them to trust in Jesus with their life. On this night. Father, we thank you. We love you, and we ask these blessings in Christ Jesus' name we pray. Amen. As we sing, we are going to prepare ourselves to take part in the Lord's Supper, in communion. And so as we sing, we want to give the invitation for anyone to come down, to pray, to cast your burdens before the Lord, to ask for forgiveness. Or you can do it right where you're sitting at right now. But the Bible tells us that he that eat and drinks unworthily eat and drink damnation unto themselves. And so we don't want to do this without going to God, without crying to him, without asking for forgiveness. And if you're not saved today, if you don't know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we give you the invitation right now to come down and accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. And we can pray with you, we can counsel with you so that way you can have an opportunity to take part in the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is a remembrance of what we have talked about all tonight. What Jesus Christ did for us on Calvary's Cross. So as we remember that, we want to be living examples. And this is part of being a living example. Not taking communion is disobedient to the word of God. And we don't want to live in disobedience. So whatever it is that may be holding you back from taking communion, don't let that stop you from serving our Lord and being an example. So let us sing.