Series: The Reason Jesus Came to Die
Title: To Accomplish a Prophetic Purpose
1John 3:8
Read text. Underscore the word purpose [For this purpose].
The most important question concerning the death of Jesus Christ is why did he come and die?
What did Jesus accomplish by his death? Why did he have to suffer so much? What was really happening on the cross?
Whatever this purpose was, the Bible says it was planned before the world began. 2Ti 1:9 In fact, Eph 3 calls it an eternal purpose. The cross of Christ was in the heart and mind of God before the creation of the world.
John says here “for this purpose the Son of God was manifested”
Second question is – did Jesus know what his purpose was in his death? We’ll let Jesus answer that.
The Christmas Eve before he left heaven and came to earth, he told the father, “I … come … to do thy will, O God."
When he was 12 y\o, listen to me, 12 y\o, he told the people, “I must be about my father’s business.” What 12 y\o knows what he will accomplish in life with prophetic precision?
On another occasion he said, “…My meat is to do the will of him who sent me, and to finish his work."
On another occasion he said, “…the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do and they bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me."
Listen to this, Jesus knew his purpose so well that he knew the very words he spoke were what the father wanted him to say.
Jesus said, "For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me …, what I should say, and what I should speak."
What did Jesus accomplish in his death? What was happening on the cross the day Jesus died?
The first purpose Jesus accomplished in his death was his death DEFEATED SATAN.
1Jo 3:8 John said, For this purpose, the Son of God was manifest-ed, that he might [WHAT?] destroy the works of the devil."
The word “destroy” here means “to demolish, to disarm or to defeat.” In his death he disarmed, defeated Satan.
Col 2: 15 the apostle Paul wrote, “He disarmed principalities and powers, making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross.
Paul says, Jesus, in his death, disarmed principalities and powers making a public spectacle of them triumphing over them in the cross. Principalities and powers refer to Satan and his demons.
The apostle Paul clarifies this for us in Eph. where he wrote, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
Here he refers to principalities and powers as rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness. This is the devil and his fallen angels.
Three times in the Bible Satan is called “the ruler of this world.” As Jesus was approaching the cross he said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out”
Pastor John Piper said, “The death of Jesus was the decisive defeat of “the ruler of this world”—the devil. And as Satan goes, so go all his fallen angels. All of them were dealt a decisive blow of defeat when Christ died.”
In another place it says, "… [Jesus] … through death … destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the devil," - Heb 2:14
Did you hear that? Jesus in his death destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.
And I like how this verse says Jesus destroyed the devil. it says, "… [Jesus] … through death … destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the devil," - Heb 2:14
Jesus destroyed death with death.
How do you destroy death with death? To destroy the enemy, you must have bigger weapons than the enemy. What’s bigger than death? Life. Jesus destroyed him who had the power of death with life.
How? Here’s how. Jesus went into death, through death and came out on the other side alive. When Jesus rose from the grave, it showed that he has power over death. Rev 1:18 Jesus said, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
1Co 15:26 "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." The last thing Jesus did on earth was to destroy death.
What does this mean to us? Here’s the application. “Jesus says, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:" – If we want to escape the power of death, which is eternal separation from God in hell, we must believe in the One who rose again and conquered death. Jesus said if you believe in me you will have life, eternal life in heaven with God.
The SECOND thing Jesus achieved in his death was his death DELIVERED THE SINNER.
The word saved means delivered. What have we been saved from? Delivered from?
1. His death delivered us from a DEBT.
Rom. 6:23 says, the wages of sin is death. Sin creates a debt.
Because we’ve all sinned, we all have a debt. See 1Jo 3:4 … whose laws have we transgressed? God’s laws. We stand guilty before him for breaking his laws. We owe this debt to God because we’ve all broken his laws. God is the one who was offended by our sins. But we don’t have the means to pay him. It’s a debt we cannot pay. How will it be paid?
There are only two ways for this debt to be paid 1. We pay it with our own death which is burning eternally in hell or 2. Jesus pays it with his death.
This is where Jesus steps in. Jesus paid our sin debt with his death.
Here’s the application to this. What does this mean? How do we know he paid the debt?
We know he paid our sin debt because On the cross Jesus said, “paid in full.” What was paid in full? Our sin debt. His death achieved for us a deliverance from a debt.
2. His death delivered us from a DEATH.
What death? Spiritual death. Eternal death.
Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
When we hear his word and believe in him, we pass from death unto life, everlasting life.
Paul wrote, "[when] our Savior Jesus Christ, [appeared he] abolished death, and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:” 2Ti 1:10
How did Jesus abolish death? He abolished death with his death. [Jesus] … through death … destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the devil," - Heb 2:14. Now he has brought us life through the gospel. life Eternal life /everlasting life.
Because of this see 1Jo 3:14, Because of Jesus’ death "We know that we have passed from death unto life…”-
3. His death delivered us from a DESTRUCTION.
The Bible says, "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God." "for our "God is a consuming fire."
The Bible also says, “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might" 2Th 1:7,8,9
Q- How can we be delivered from this fearful expectation of judgment and this blazing fire and being punished with ever-lasting destruction from the presence of the Lord?
Jesus tells us. He said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it, but wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat." - Mat 7:13
What did Jesus say? He said, enter in at the strait gate, because wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction.
Third Day, a Christian musical group, in one of their songs says: One of these days we all will stand in judgment for Every single word that we have spoken One of these days we all will stand before the Lord Give a reason for everything we've done And what I've done is Trust in Jesus My great Deliverer
1 Thess 1:10 says it is “Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” Jesus is the only one who can save us from the wrath and destruction that is to come upon unrepentant sinners.
No one can save us from eternal hell but the one who gave himself for us. On the cross Jesus Christ the Son of God took our hell so we wouldn’t have to.
The Reason Jesus Came to Die was To Accomplish a Prophetic Purpose. Jesus died to defeat Satan and to deliver the sinner. He delivers us from a debt, a death, and a destruction.
All we must do is believe. He made it really simple.
Do you believe?
