GRACE FOR TODAY Radio Message #439-440
WHY DID CHRIST DIE?
Pastor
Don Fortner
Grace Baptist Church of Danville
2734 Old Stanford Road
Danville,
Kentucky 40422-9438
Because of his great love
for us, that he might save us from our sins, ourselves, and the wrath of God,
our all-glorious Lord Jesus Christ became obedient unto death, even the death
of the cross! God assumed our nature. God’s dear Son, as a man, fulfilled all
the requirements of God’s law for his people. Then, having fulfilled all righteousness,
the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, died upon the cursed tree as the
sinners’ Substitute. Why?
That
is the question I want to answer in this brief message. Our dear Savior cried
out to his Father in his dying agony, “Why
hast thou forsaken me?” How much more might we for whom he died asked with
holy adoration and wonder, Why did Christ
die? What was the object and
purpose of his death? What did the Son of God have in mind, what did he intend
to accomplish by dying upon the cursed tree in the place of his people?
I know these two things; and I hope you know them as well: (1.) Whatever the Lord Jesus Christ intended to accomplish in his
death, in the act of dying and by the merit and virtue of his death, shall most
assuredly be accomplished. Christ, who is himself almighty God, is an effectual
Redeemer. It is written, “He shall not
fail” (Isa. 42:4). To say, suggest, or imply in any way that he failed to
do exactly what he intended to do is to deny his eternal deity. (2.) The Word
of God tells us plainly and exactly what the Son of God hoped and purposed to
accomplish by his death. There is no need for guesswork here. The Scriptures
are crystal clear. Here are seven reasons, plainly stated in the Word of God,
for the death of our dear Savior, seven things the Lord of glory died to
accomplish.
1st christ died that he might be
lord of the entire universe (Rom. 14:9).
I preach without apology the blessed gospel doctrine of particular, effectual
redemption. Christ died to redeem and save God’s elect. He did not die to save
those who perish in their sins. The Son of God did not lay down his life for
those for whom he refused even to pray (John 17:9, 20). You cannot divide the
priestly work of Christ. His sacrifice and his intercession are for the same
people!
Yet, there is a sense in which our Lord Jesus, as our Mediator, as the
God-man, our Surety, bought the whole world and all who are in it (Matt. 13:44). He bought the
right to rule the whole world and all who are in it as a sovereign despot (John
17:2; 2 Pet.2:1). He bought the right to dispose of the whole world and all who
are in it as a righteous judge (2 Thess. 1:6-10). He bought the right to make
all things new and to have the praise of all things (Rev. 21:5; Rom. 8:23).
This is what I am saying. By
virtue of his death upon the cross, Christ the Man is Lord of all! He has all
power over all flesh. And he constantly exercises that power as the Sovereign
Monarch of the universe to save his own elect (Ps. 2:8; Acts 2:36; John 17:2;
Ps. 115:3; 135:6).
2nd CHRIST DIED UPON THE CROSS, UNDER THE WRATH OF GOD, AS
OUR SUBSTITUTE, SO THAT GOD MIGHT BE BOTH JUST AND THE JUSTIFIER OF ALL WHO
BELIEVE ON HIM UNTO LIFE EVERLASTING (Rom. 3:19-28). Let me point out five things
here about this business of justification.
(1.) It is not possible for us to justify
ourselves by personal obedience to the law, because we are all sinners.
(2.) It is not possible for God himself to justify
us without the perfect fulfillment of the law’s righteousness and the complete
satisfaction of the law’s justice by Christ.
(3.) Through the merits of Christ’s obedience and
death God is just and we are ustified, made righteous inGod’s sight. It was the specific object of Christ in his
death to make all for whom he died righteous before God; and he did it (2
Cor. 5:21; Jer. 23:6).
(4.) Since we who believe on the Son of God are
justified without the works of the law, we have no grounds of boasting before
God.
(5.) By faith in Christ, only by faith in Christ,
we fulfill, honor, and satisfy the law of God (Rom. 3:31).
3rd CHRIST DIED FOR US, AS OUR SUBSTITUTE, UNDER THE WRATH
OF GOD, TO PUT AWAY OUR SINS BY THE SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF (Heb. 9:24-26). Christ was
made to be sin for us! He put away our sin! In him we have no sin! Read Numbers
23:21 and 1 John 3:5
4th
CHRIST DIED FOR HIS elect THAT HE MIGHT BRING US TO GOD (1 Pet.
3:18). We were far off from God. Christ brought us nigh unto God. We were
alienated from God. Christ reconciled us to God. We were enemies to God. Christ
brought us peace with God. We were separated from God. Christ has given us
access to God. We could never have come to God. Christ brought us to God, and
will yet bring us unto God, and will at last present us holy, unblamable, and
unreprovable in his sight, before the presence of his glory!
5th
the lord jesus died for us that he might deliver us from this present EVIL
WORLD (Gal. 1:4). It was the object of our Savior in dying on the
cross to deliver, by the merit and power of his blood, all for whom he died
from the evil kingdom of this world, the evil ways of this world, the evil
things of this world, the evil religion of this world, and the evil end of this
world. We should therefore give all the more earnest heed to Psalm 37:1-9.
6th Christ “gave
himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto
himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Tit. 2:14). Every word in
this text is precious and full of instruction. Do not let a single syllable
slip by your ears unnoticed. Christ has
redeemed us from all iniquity. Its penalty. Its power. Its consequences. Christ purifies his people, those people
whom he has redeemed, as his peculiar, distinct people. He gives his
redeemed ones a pure record of righteousness before God in justification and a
pure nature in regeneration. All who are
redeemed by the blood of Christ and saved by his grace are his peculiar,
distinct, special people; and they are zealous of good works. We belong to
Christ as no one else. We are his blood bought, mercy sought, grace caught,
Spirit taught people. All who are Christ’s are zealous of good works. That does
not mean that believers live in perfection, or even in anything that resembles
perfection. But it does mean that believers earnestly seek to do the will of
God in all things, walking in love toward one another for the glory of him who
loved us and gave himself for us. Now, let me show you one more thing. This is
the purpose of Christ in his death. And it shall also be accomplished.
7th Our most glorious Christ died
for us that he might present us to his Father and our Father, before wandering
worlds, in the beauty of perfect holiness, to the praise of the glory of his
grace (Eph. 5:25-27; Col. 1:21-22;
1 Cor. 15:24-28; Eph 2:7; Jude 24-25). The Lord Jesus Christ came into this
world and laid down his life for us so that we, all his people, God’s elect,
the chosen sons and daughters of God almighty, might, through the merits of his
precious, efficacious blood receive and forever enjoy all the benefits and
blessings of adoption in him (Gal. 4:4-5). And so shall it be!
AMEN.