“Jesus and His Death”

Who do you know that needs the saving blood of Jesus Christ to forgive their sins? Hello, I’m Phil Sanders, and this is a Bible study “In Search of the Lord’s Way.” Do you need the mercy and grace of Jesus? Stay tuned and find out how.

Welcome to In SEARCH of the Lord’s Way! We’re here to search the Scriptures for God’s will. 1 Corinthians 15:1 to 4 says, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that

He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” Our salvation is of “first importance” to God, and it should be to us. Have you responded to the gospel, and are you saved by the blood of Jesus?  Thanks for taking time with us today. We want to be a part of your life each week.

The death of Jesus Christ on the cross was no small matter. Revelations 13:8 in many versions calls Jesus the “Lamb that was slain from the foundation (or creation) of the world.” The Lord Jesus himself predicted His suffering and death. Matthew 16:21– to 23 says, “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Peter loved Jesus and didn’t want Him to die, but Peter didn’t understand God’s purpose in sending Jesus to the cross.

Now we offer this study on the death of Jesus free. If you’d like a printed copy of our booklet The Gospel Story and you live in the United States, mail your request to In Search of the Lord’s Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083 or send an e-mail to searchtv@searchtv.org.  Or, you can call our toll-free telephone number.  That number is 1-800-321-8633.  We also have materials free on our website at www.searchtv.org.   

The Edmond church will now worship in song, we’ll read from Hebrews 10:4 to 7, and explore our need to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Our reading today comes from Hebrews chapter 10 verses 4 to 7. And it reveals that from the very beginning it was the intention of Jesus Christ to sacrifice His body for our sins.

 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when He (that is Jesus) comes into the world, He says,

“SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED,

BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME;

IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE.

“THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME

(IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME)

TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’”

That’s the heart of Jesus Christ to do the will of God for us. Let’s pray together. Heavenly Father we’re so thankful that our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to sacrifice His body for our sins on the cross.

Help us Heavenly Father to be devoted to You in every way and to love You with all our heart and soul and mind and spirit. This is our prayer in the name of Jesus, Amen.

I criticized Peter for trying to stand against God’s will. You see God had a bigger plan than Peter could see. You know what I find out for myself that God has bigger plans than I can see as well. I criticized Pilate for compromising with the Jews over Jesus, till I remembered that there are times when I have compromised. I became angry at the Sanhedrin for their jealousy and hatred, till I remember my own jealousies and my own ill-will. I grieved at those who hit Him and scourged Him, till I remembered how hurtful my sins must be. I spoke against the ones who mocked Him and wagged their heads, till I remembered my own careless words. I despised the self-righteous priests and Pharisees who thought they had overcome Jesus by sending Him to the cross, until I remembered my own pride. Isaac Watts wrote in 1707, “When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, My richest gains I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride.”

Our society has been willing to dismiss God and His teaching about sin. They easily excuse and justify even the worst of sins. While many people play fast and loose with sin, thinking they can set aside God’s values in the Bible for worldly values, God grieves. We shouldn’t expect, however, that His love means that He will tolerate our sins forever, even if we tolerate it. The prophet Habakkuk said about God in Habakkuk 1:13 that, “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You cannot look on wickedness with favor.”  

Many have forgotten the cross and have forgotten sin. Two postmodern preachers were discussing their evangelistic efforts on television. And one was being congratulated that he did not preach about sin. Well the assumption was that everyone knows that they are in sin and do not need to be told. Then came this reasoning: “When a man is drowning, you don’t describe the water to him. You throw him a rope!” and the audience cheered. Well the problem is their response differs from Scripture, and the rope that they throw is a false hope. You see sin destroys our relationship with God, and we need to respond immediately the way God teaches. Of course, the response of the postmodern preacher was for people to stand during the invitation and say a brief, salvation prayer with the preacher. No one ever did that in the New Testament; the people seeking salvation in Acts were told to believe the gospel, repent of their sins, confess Jesus Christ, and be baptized in water for the forgiveness of their sins.

The process of salvation is often cast into the drowning man analogy, but analogies are often shortsighted and inadequate. First, sin in the minds of most people isn’t what it used to be. Many people are no longer willing to accept God’s moral laws. While moral values change in our society, God’s morals do not change. Sin takes place when people break God’s laws. 1 John 3 and verse 4 says that,

“Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.” Or transgression of the law. When people have no respect for God or His teaching and do as they please, they sin against God. They offend Him, and He takes notice. You can’t dismiss what says; because one day you’ll face Him in judgment.

Many people ignore their need for salvation from sin because they don’t know that they’re lost or the serious consequences of being lost. Others who don’t know Jesus don’t want to think about sin, heaven, or hell. Among those who have no religious preference, a Lifeway poll says that 32 percent say sin doesn’t exist. The Bible, however, clearly says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3 and verse 23). 1 John 1 and verse 8 says that, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.”  Verse 10 says, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him (that is Jesus) a liar and His word is not in us.” Sin is real; and without the forgiveness found in the blood of Jesus, sinners will bear the consequences of their sin.

Now everyone of accountable age has sinned, but many don’t take sin seriously. They believe a few sins won’t cause them to be lost eternally; but Romans 6 and verse 23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Now sin is a big deal to God, even if it’s not to us. Why? Sin’s a big deal, because sin is an offense to God. The offended see things differently than the offender. The one hurt sees things differently than the one who caused the hurt. The one who breaks the law sees things differently than the One who made the law. All sin is sin against God.

The desire to sin leaves us doing many things that harm ourselves and harm others. We all face these problems, but there is a solution in the grace of God! Titus 3:3 to 7 says, “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness (no), but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” 

You see Jesus understood our sinful desires and He understood our lost condition. He wanted to save us from sin because He loved us. He wanted something better for us than a sinful life and destiny of wrath. Of being lost. 1 Peter 2:21 to 24 says, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” 

Jesus personally gave His physical body to suffering and death. He gave His head to a crown of thorns, His face to blows and spit, His back to the whip, His hands and feet to nails, and His side to a spear.  Jesus wasn’t afraid to make a commitment that would lead to His death. He was willing to be nailed down and hung upon a cross until He died. We can hardly imagine the cruel suffering He endured, bearing our sins. God laid upon Him the penalty for your sins, my sins, and all sins because He loved us. Jesus took our place and made atonement for our sins, so that we could live to righteousness and die to sin.  

Because of Jesus on the cross, paying the price for our sins, a door of salvation has been opened to cleanse us from sin and to give us a new birth in Christ. This new birth takes place when we put our faith in Christ, turn from sin, and are baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. Baptism takes us to the cross, so that we can be saved. God’s word says in Romans 6:3 to 7, “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.” 

In baptism we unite with Christ in His death and resurrection. We are baptized into His death and come into contact with His blood; we are crucified with Him in baptism. We are buried with Him and raised with Him in baptism. And just as Christ had new life when God raised Him from the dead, so God gives us newness of life when He raises us up with Christ. Baptism is no empty ritual; it’s how God chose to unite us with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. Now God works through the cross and through baptism to put the old man of sin to death, so that we may be free to live in righteousness. God saves us and gives us newness of life by the washing of regeneration. The washing that regenerates is baptism! 

God actively works on us by uniting us with Christ in His death and resurrection. Colossians 2:12 to 13 explains, “having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions.” Baptism is not some meritorious work on our part; it’s how we put our faith in the working of God. Because God raised up Jesus after His death on the cross, we know that God can bury and raise us up with Christ in baptism. God buries us with Christ and makes us alive together with Him, having forgiven all our sins. Though we were dead in our transgressions and sins, He made us alive. He saved us and raised us up to walk a new life, just as He did Jesus Christ.

Now one day we’ll stand before the great white throne to be judged by the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation 20:11 to 12 says, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.” Everyone will be there from every nation and from every century before the judgement throne. We can’t escape; there is no place we can go.

Now the Lord Jesus said, speaking of His death, in John 12:32, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” Won’t you take Jesus’ death on the cross seriously? Please don’t ignore what He has done for you. Come to Him for salvation and enjoy all the blessings of being a child of God freed from sin. The righteous will enter the joy of God, while the unbelievers and the disobedient will be separated from God and His blessing. Salvation means living with God’s blessing forever; being lost means an eternity of anguish without God. Being with God is so much better than being without Him. Living with freedom from guilt and sin provides a beautiful life here and a blessing throughout all eternity. I wouldn’t want anyone to miss the opportunity to have their sins forgiven.

Come to Jesus Christ. Come to the cross; find forgiveness and find eternal life.

Won’t you do that. Let’s pray together. Heavenly Father we’re thankful for what Jesus has done for us on the cross. To pay the price for our sins. To atone our sins so that we could be in a right relationship with You Father and with Your son Jesus. Help us to devote ourselves to Your will always.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Some young people came to a wise older man and asked, “When should we repent?” well, the older man answered, “Repent the day before you die.” Well the young people asked, “But we don’t know when we shall die!” The older man responded, “Then repent today!” If you take God and your sin seriously, then repent. You can ignore sin and act like it doesn’t matter, but one day you’ll face God and give an account for your sins. Romans 14 and verse 12 says, “So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” 1 Corinthians 6 and verse 9 simply says that, “the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived.”

Hebrews 4 verses 12 to 13 reminds us, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” I tell ya, God will judge us all one day. Christ is the only one able to save you. Why would you ignore the most important decision that you’ll ever make?

Today is the best day change your life and follow Christ to a new life of righteousness, freed from the devastating effects of sin. The blood of Christ can cleanse your soul and cleanse your conscience. Ananias told Saul of Tarsus in Acts 22:16, “Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” Baptism is an immersion in water in the name of Jesus Christ, and the time when the blood of Jesus cleanses you from sin. So respond to Jesus today!

We hope that today’s study about the sacrifice of Christ has stirred you to consider the price He paid for your soul. If you live in the United States and want a free printed copy or booklet of the Gospel Story, mail your request to In Search of the Lord’s Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083 or send an email to searchtv@searchtv.org.  Or, you can call the Search office toll-free at 1-800-321-8633. And you can also download these lessons or a newsletter online at our website: www.searchtv.org. There’s also a schedule of our programs and a map with the location of churches in your area. You can watch SEARCH anytime on YouTube! Subscribe to our channel, “SearchTVMinistry.” We also offer free Bible Correspondence courses. Now don’t worry to get ahold of us, we’re not here to get your money. We’re here to help you get to heaven.

Please get involved with a church of Christ. And if you’re looking for a healthy, Biblical church home, we’ll be happy to help you find one. We’ll be back next week, Lord willing. So keep searching God’s Word with us. Tell a friend about this program. That you’re watching and encourage them. And as always we say, God bless you and we love you from all of us at In Search of the Lord’s Way.