the book of 1 Peter chapter number 3. 1 Peter chapter 3. We'll return to our study of John, Lord willing, after our special service next Sunday, as we as a church family will observe the Lord's Supper communion together today. I think this would be a very fitting topic or subject for us to consider. Peter is writing and telling us that we can expect in this life, we can expect some suffering. And he gives Jesus as the example of suffering. But I just want to read one verse in your hearing, and then we'll expound that verse together. 1 Peter 3 verse 18 says, for Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit." My title this morning is simply, Why Jesus Died. Why Jesus Died. I want to begin this morning by asking a question This is not a trick question, not even asking for an audible answer from you, but within your own heart, in your own mind, I would encourage you to search for an answer. Why did Jesus Christ die? Why did he suffer and die? this setting here in this place the answer to that might seem overly obvious however your answer though good whatever that is in your mind may be a very good answer it may not go far enough so today I want us to ask and answer this question why did Jesus the Messiah die and let me even asked that question in some slightly different language. Why did God the Son leave heaven, come to earth, and allow himself to be crucified? Why did Jesus, the sinless Son of God, die and rise again? I simply cannot express to you how important it is that you are able to answer these questions accurately. You will note, perhaps, that I am speaking from the presupposition that there was actually a historical figure named Jesus. The Bible declares his story. God has preserved his life and ministry on the pages of Holy Writ. Though it is not necessary, history does indeed verify that there was, in fact, this man named Jesus of Nazareth who was a historical figure. We are, by God's good grace, wise enough to trust the biblical account of the life and times of Jesus the Messiah. It becomes clear that not only was he a real person, but he was a real person that was crucified and killed for a purpose. what that purpose is, is what I'm interested in us focusing on this morning. Was Jesus just a helpless victim? Was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Was Jesus some weak, powerless martyr? Or Was there clear purpose in why Jesus came, why he came to this earth, and what he intended to accomplish? And if there was indeed a purpose, what was this purpose? It is imperative that we can answer this question clearly and accurately. So for just a moment, what if? Let's ask what if, play what if. What if we stepped outside these four walls and presented our question to the average American evangelical? If we asked your average confessing evangelical why Jesus died, what type of response do you think we might get? How might the average Christian on the street answer our question? How might the Joel Osteen or Joyce Meyer brand of Christianity answer this question? It is likely they would say something like this, Jesus died to make us better people, to build our self-esteem, or as Osteen wrote, he died so we could live our best life now. The health and wealth, prosperity gospel folks might say, would Jesus die to make us rich? To make us prosperous? To give us financial freedom or health or longevity? But a mature-minded Christian would recognize those are adolescent answers to a serious question. So what about us? If someone asked you, why did Jesus die? How would you respond? In fact, if we today were to write our answers down on a piece of paper, collect them, and then read them aloud, what could we expect? What should we expect from one another? Would we all say the same thing? I would like to think. I would hope. Our answers would all be true. That they would be scripturally accurate. Even if we didn't use all didn't all use the same words. But if I were to push back a little. Because I think. vitally important that there's clarity about the answer to this question, and that there is consensus among Christianity as to why Jesus died, would your answer be text-driven? Would it align with the words of God, with Scripture? What silent answer have you supplied? What is it that you would write on a piece of paper? And if I had to guess, I would think some of us would say something like this, Jesus died to pay for my sins. Jesus died to pay for our sins. And that would be true. Jesus died to redeem fallen men. That would be true. Jesus died to remove the curse, to conquer death and defeat Satan, or that Jesus died so that you and I could enter into heaven. We would not have to endure the eternity of hell and suffering when we die. And all of those things that I've just listed, they're true, they're absolutely true, but I don't think they reach far enough. Christian friend, what is the ultimate purpose behind the death of Christ? If indeed, the death of Jesus was not just an unfortunate accident, but instead part of God's divine design, what was the pinnacle? What was the primary reason that Jesus died? And the answer, I believe, is found right here in this text. The reason that Jesus died, verse 18, Christ suffered for our sins that he might bring us to God. There's your answer. Jesus died that he might bring us to God. Yes, he died to conquer death. rose victorious to conquer death. Yes, he died for our sins. Yes, he died to redeem mankind. But what I want you to see today is that all of those things serve a greater purpose, and that greater purpose is this. Jesus died to bring us perfected into the presence of God forever. That's why he died. Question one of the Westminster Shorter Catechism is this, and this is something everyone, everyone here should memorize. Question one of the Shorter Westminster Catechism is this, what is the chief end of man? And the answer is the chief end of man. is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. That is the chief end of man. That's exactly why Jesus died for us. He died for us that He might bring us to God that we may glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. His death bridges the gap between fallen men and holy God and permits us to know Him and glorify Him and enjoy Him through the endless ages of eternity. Dear friend, hear these words. The greatest gift that God can give us is the gift of Himself. That is the superlative gift. There is nothing any better than God giving us himself. Folks, God is the greatest good in the universe. The most splendid, beautiful, wonderful, satisfying, amazing anything ever. Therefore, being made or being with Him, being made like Him, knowing Him, dwelling with Him, being in right relationship with Him for all eternity is the greatest good and the greatest gift ever. This is why Jesus died. That we could fellowship with the Father in unbroken communion forever. forever. But this text does more than just tell us why Jesus died, it also tells us what was accomplished by the death of Christ, and it tells us how this ultimate good is accomplished. What was necessary for men To be brought to God, this text tells us very clearly. This is one of the most succinct gospel verses in the entire Bible. I want you to notice with me this morning six truths about the death of Jesus. Six truths about what he did for us that he might bring us to God. And it's all about the sacrifice. This verse is all about what Jesus did for us. Six truths about the sacrifice of Jesus to bring us to God. I want you to notice with me first from this text that this was a single sacrifice. single sacrifice. If you would point your eyes to the page, you would notice this word, verse 18, for Christ also suffered what? Once for sins. Once for sins. Again, in his context, Peter is showing how that Christ is an example of suffering, even though he didn't do anything wrong, still he suffered. But there was something unique about about the suffering of Jesus is that he suffered for sins but not his sins he suffered for our sins but Peter also includes this one clarifying note this he did once once doubtless absolutely there is a reference that Peter is is implying here to the contrast between the death of Jesus and that Old Testament sacrificial system. Now, time won't permit us to get too deeply into this, but if you know your Old Testament, you know that there were animals sacrificed day after day after day after day, month after month, year after year. The priest would offer sacrifices every morning and every evening families would bring sacrifices to be to be offered unto God in their behalf then once a year on that great day of atonement the high priest would would enter in behind the veil into that holy of holies and he would sprinkle blood on the mercy seat first for his own sins and then he would come back out and gather more blood and go back in a second time and offer blood sprinkle it again on the mercy seat this time for the sins of the people this happened year after year after year but Jesus suffered once for sins. It was a single sacrifice. If you would turn back in your Bibles just a few pages to the book of Hebrews in chapter 7, Hebrews chapter 7. I want to read a few verses from Hebrews here so if you want to turn there and follow along you will see this. This is exactly what Peter is doing. He's drawing contrast to that to that Old Testament system that never really took away sins, it was just a covering, a temporary covering for sin. In Hebrews chapter 7, look at the end of the chapter, verse 26, for such a high priest. You see, Jesus was not just the sacrifice, he's also the priest. He's the priest and the sacrifice. 726, for such a high priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens, who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins and then for the people's, For this, he, Jesus, did once for all when he offered up himself. And what you're gonna find out is if you'll study that, is that once for all means for all time. Once for all time. Continue there, when he offered up once for all, when he offered up himself turn to chapter 9 of the book of Hebrews and Believe me when I say you're getting the short version of this because there's a lot here in Hebrews That we could talk about is Jesus is just better better better than the angels better priests better better sacrifice Hebrews chapter 9 Verse 12 talks about him entering in verse 12 not with the blood but goats and calves but with his own blood he entered the most holy place once for all having obtained eternal redemption verse 26 he then Jesus would have suffered would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world but now once at the end of the ages he has appeared to put away sin and by the sacrifice of himself and as it is appointed for men once to die but after this the judgment. So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. Chapter 10 really verses 1 through 4 but it's so rich there. Just look at verse 4. Well, verse 3, Hebrews 10, 3, in those sacrifices, that's a reference to the Old Testament animal sacrifices. There is a reminder of sins every year, for it's not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. But jump down to verse 11. And every high priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down at the right hand of God from that time waiting till his enemies are made his footstool for by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. This is a single sacrifice. Friends, Jesus will never be crucified again. There is no need for him ever to be crucified again. It was a single satisfactory sacrifice. He suffered and died once for all of time, and his work is sufficient to save. Sufficient to save. Secondly, you will notice again from our text that not only was it a single sacrifice, this was a suffering sacrifice. Envision Jesus having been betrayed into the hands of sinners. He was scourged and beaten and stripped of his clothing. He was mocked and ridiculed as they put a crown of thorns on his head. They put a reed in his hand, the Roman soldiers, and bent the knee in mockery and said, Hail, King of the Jews. And after having been beaten and scourged and slapped and spit on, he was forced to walk through the streets of the city of Jerusalem, bearing part of the cross on his shoulders so weak that he could not, his body so weak, so tired, emptied out of strength, he has to have help carrying the cross. And then at that place of the skull, Golgotha, he is nailed to a Roman cross. He spreads out his arms and they drive nails through his wrist and through his feet. and hanging between heaven and earth, an open shame and spectacle of men. There He suffered for us. The text says, for Christ also suffered once for sins. Friends, Jesus suffered like no one else has ever suffered. He suffered at the hands of sinners. He suffered hatred and rejection. He suffered pain and persecution. He suffered humiliation, isolation, dehydration, and crucifixion. But not only did Jesus suffer at the hands of sinners, he suffered at the hand of the sovereign. He suffered at the hands of God Almighty. Not only did our Lord endure pain unimaginable pain from the hands of wicked men and crucifixion. He also endured the holy wrath of a holy God in our behalf. The Bible says that his soul was made an offering for sin. He suffered the hell that we deserve as he paid our sin debt. And for three hours, while hanging on the cross, God blackened out the sun as he poured his holy wrath down upon his son as he paid the debt that we owe God. He became our propitiation, our mercy seed. He purchased our redemption, paid for our atonement. I think there is indeed some significance that after that three-hour span of darkness, Jesus cried out and said, I thirst. I thirst. That's his soul. was made an offering for sin. You realize that in order to redeem what God loves, Jesus became what God hates. This was a suffering, a willing, suffering sacrifice. But then third, We'll notice again, this was a substitutionary sacrifice. If I may point you back to the page, Christ also suffered once for sins, listen to this, the just for the unjust. That is substitution language. He is the just. We're the unjust. Your translation may actually say the righteous for the unrighteous. And that would be just as accurate. True. He is the righteous one. We are the unrighteous ones. He is the holy one. We are unholy. He's the sinless one. We're the sinners. He died in our place and in our stead. He, the righteous, sinless Son of God, the just, died for the unjust. I know that many of you would be familiar with this passage, but I'd like to point your minds back to it nonetheless. And that is 2 Corinthians in chapter number five. Again, this is one of those beautiful verses that just lay out for us the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. Big language, right? It just means that Jesus was penalized in our place as our substitute. 2 Corinthians chapter number 5, verse 17 says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. things have passed away behold all things have become new now all things are of God who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation that is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their trespasses to them you understand what what what the writers say is that God imputed our trespasses not to us but to him our sins were charged to him he's committed to us the ministry of reconciliation Verse 20, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. In verse 21, for He, God, made Him Jesus, who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God him very clearly that is the just for the unjust the righteous for the unrighteous he who knew no sin the sinless Son of God was made to be sin for us and that great exchange when by God's grace all of our sins and wickedness and trespasses all placed on Jesus as he hung as our substitute on the cross and all of his righteousness his right deeds and behavior is given to us and that exchange that Peter says Jesus did once for all time the just for the unjust the righteous for the unrighteous very symbolically we refer back to that Old Testament annual feast of Passover where this little innocent lamb little Innocent spotless little lamb, you know how serious God was about it. He made them bring that little lamb in the house So everyone could get attached to that cute little fuzzy lamb And then to cut its throat and to sprinkle its blood on the doorpost and so that he could pass over them and not bring death or destruction to that home because of the shed blood of that Passover lamb. The little lamb had done nothing wrong, but it died so they could live. In the same vein, Peter is telling us Jesus is the just, innocent, sinless lamb of God that shed his blood and died so that we could live. and he is indeed precious. Precious. It is no wonder that the songwriter said, and when I think that God, his son not sparing, sent him to die, I scarce can take it in that on the cross, my burdens gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin. Then sings my soul, how great thou art. Jesus suffered and died as our substitute, which leads forcefully to a purposeful sacrifice. And here is the heart of our message. Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that. So that, here's why Jesus did what he did, that he might bring us to God. That is a purpose statement. In fact, it is called a purpose clause. that clearly tells us why Jesus did what he did. That he may bring us, and that word doesn't have any real depth to it, it just simply means to bring. So what does that imply? If we have to be brought to God, what does that imply? That we're not near him, not with him. that we are by nature separated from him. We as Christians believe that separation took place in the garden when our first parents, our federal head, when he rebelled and sinned against God. That fellowship that they enjoyed walking and talking with God, that was severed. We were alienated, separated from oneness or fellowship with God. But Jesus suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. In fact, I'm gonna read a scripture to you. If you wanna turn there, you can. Ephesians chapter number two. It is a familiar passage to Bible students, but nonetheless, The writer here in Ephesians 2 makes it clear that by nature we are far from God, we're separated from God. But Jesus died to bring us to Him. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 12 says that at that time, here's what we were. You were without Christ, being aliens, from the Commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. Wouldn't that be sad if it ended there? But, verse 13, now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought nigh, near, by the blood of Christ. Friends, as I stated in my opening, this was the ultimate intention of the suffering sacrifice of Jesus that he might bring us to God. If you are here today and you are a Christian, you are being brought nearer to him. being sanctified and made more like him but praise God one of these days the Spirit of God will glorify us whether the Lord returns or whether we meet death we're going to be wholly sanctified we're going to be glorified and we will be brought into the very presence of God to glorify him and enjoy him forever And as you visualize Jesus being nailed to that Roman cross, the very reason that he is there enduring all that he did was so that he could gather us into one and to present us to the Father so that we could dwell in perfect union with him forever. That's why he died. This is the purpose. his sacrifice yes he died for sins yes he paid our debt yes he conquered the grave he defeated Satan but Christian Jesus died so that he could bring you to God but this was fearfully a costly sacrifice a costly sacrifice again from our text being put to death in the flesh. What did it cost Jesus to bring us to God? It cost him his life. You realize, right, it took God to reconcile us to God. It cost him his life. This text makes clear not only did Jesus die, he was put to death. He was murdered. The Messiah was killed. He was murderfied. Murderfied. That's a great word. I like it. I'm going to use that again. Murderfied. He was murdered. He was crucified. I got those two put together. Yes, he yielded up his spirit. Yes, he yielded to death. But he died. And he died so we could live. He was put to death. This was a costly sacrifice in order to bring us to God. It demanded the death of God's own son. There was no other way where fallen men could be reconciled to God other than God the son pay the debt that we owe. He did no wrong yet he was condemned and killed as a criminal he was made to be seen for us but i got good news this is my last point and it's a good you ready this was a victorious sacrifice because what does the text say not only was he put to death but what he was made alive by the spirit he resurrected from the dead The story, our story, the story of the Christian faith does not end with a dead Messiah, but a risen Savior. He arose victorious over death, held in the grave, raised, and there's theological debate over whether this was raised by His Spirit or by the Holy Spirit. I don't know why we spend so much time arguing about that. He was raised from the dead. by the triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit. He raised himself, the Spirit raised him, the Father raised him. He arose victorious. So yes, it was costly. He was put to death. But friends, he arose over conquering death because it was impossible that death could hold him. Today we as a church family will honor, we'll commemorate the suffering sacrifice of Jesus who died on our behalf. Yet I want you to hear this, I want you to know this. He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today. We serve a risen Savior. Here are six truths about the sacrifice of Jesus to bring us to God. So now pass a sheet of paper now. Everybody sign right. Why did Jesus die that he might bring us to God. Yes, absolutely. He died to pay for our sins. Amen? He died to pay for our sins. He died to conquer death, defeat Satan, so we can enter into heaven. But why? What is the ultimate purpose of all that? That he, the last Adam, could restore what the first Adam messed up. That is to bring us back into oneness, fellowship with God the Father. So the question is, Do you know that what He did, He did for you? Do you know that these things that our Lord endured, He did so that He might bring you to God? Each of us, all of us, whether we are Christians or not, all humanity, We spend our lives trying to feel this God shaped vacuum inside of us. It has been rightly said all people have a God shaped vacuum or a hole inside of them that only he can feel. But listen here's the good news. Jesus died so that could be field. He died in order to bring us to God that we could glorify him and enjoy Him forever. This morning I ask, are you a Christian? Have you been born again? Are you on the path that leads to God instead of the path that leads from God? Jesus died that He might bring us to God. The greatest gift, the greatest gift that God could give us is himself, is himself. And to be brought into God's presence, we have no concept, some of you who are here, you've recently endured a significant loss. And our minds do not even come close to understanding and processing The joy that they're that they are now living in the presence of God Because what Jesus did for them they are now experiencing in its fullness in his presence forever Because the Bible says in his presence There is pleasure and delight forevermore forevermore. Today let us who are saved praise Him that He is and will bring us to God.