Luke 23:32–24:12
This is the story of Jesus death and resurrection – Friday to Sunday!
But why did Jesus have to die? Couldn’t there have been another way?
The problem is that Sin separates us from God and always has done – right from Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden to us today – we all have the sin DNA in us and that sin DNA has to be dealt with before we can be reconciled to God. The punishment for sin is death and the shedding of blood, so the old testament system of sacrifice was established to atone for the peoples sin, through the High Priest.
We need righteousness to be acceptable to a Holy God but we are not righteous. We are sinners.
Isaiah 53:6
Romans 3:23
Romans 3:24-26
God has what we need and don’t deserve – righteousness - and we have what God hates and separates us from God – sin. So what’s the answer to this problem? Jesus is the answer. Jesus dies on the cross as the perfect sacrifice, his blood is shed for our sins and he takes our place and takes our rightful condemnation.
Romans 5:18-20
Who was the offering? Jesus
Who took our sin? Jesus
Who is made right with God? Mankind
This is the great exchange that happened at the cross – God lays our sins on Jesus and punishes them in him, and fulfils his righteousness and credits (imputes) it to us.
2 Corinthians 5:21
To redeem means to buy something back- Jesus Christ died on the cross for the primary purpose of dealing with our sin and paying the price that we would never have been able to afford.
1 John 2:2
Propitiation: Turning Gods wrath into love, through sacrifice.
The cost of our redemption was the blood of the perfect son of God – and he made this sacrifice in our place. Because the father accepted Christ’s payment, we have been set free from our bondage to sin. Only with the substitutionary death of the perfect son of God does the father have a legitimate basis by which he can forgive sin for whoever comes to him in faith. There is nothing we can do to earn our forgiveness or our salvation.
If we think there is then we make the sacrifice of Jesus less than it should be – what is the point of Jesus dying for us if we can work to gain our forgiveness?
Jesus cries from the cross “It is finished” – The Greek work is Teleo – It means something has been perfectly completed – this was not a cry of defeat but of victory! Jesus had completed the task to secure man’s salvation and restore our relationship with God. The agony of the garden of Gethsemane was over – the debt had been paid.
Now when God looks at us, all he sees is Christ’s perfection. We are no longer guilty but are declared legally righteous, even if we still sin because Jesus paid for our past sin, our present sin and our future sin.
It is all about what Jesus has done to reconcile us to God – he takes our sin by the shedding of his blood as our perfect sacrifice and we receive his righteousness (Goodness) in return – It’s not what we deserve –that’s what grace is all about - it’s all because of his love for us. When we receive this by faith we begin to understand that it is all because of Jesus and it is all by his grace and love.
He received what he didn’t deserve - and we receive what we don’t deserve! The great exchange has taken place!
Example - The Yorkshire farm – Lamb and Mother – acceptable with new coat.
You are acceptable to God because of what Jesus did on the cross – nothing of what you have done!
“The wonderful news of the gospel is that Jesus frees us from trying to impress God or others because he has impressed God on your behalf!” Jonathan Dodson
Colossians 1:19-22
“Why do you seek the living among the dead – he is not here he is risen!”
It is finished – Jesus not only died and took all our sin as a sacrifice but he was raised from the dead by God’s power and lives today and the promise is for us as well
1 Corinthians 6:14