Jesus’ Death Was Different

Introduction

Well, it is so good to be back with you. We enjoyed being away in the gospel meeting in Alabama last week, but we sure miss being here. And I thought, since I missed being here last Sunday, that I would preach two sermons today to make up for it. So I hope you’re okay with that. And you’re laughing, but I’m not joking. Because before our lesson, I want to do a mini-lesson to our young people. I know, and I’m sorry for bringing up the unpleasant subject, I know it’s back to school time. Most of our young people will be starting back to school this week, if I understand correctly. And some of our older people will be starting back to school as teachers as well. And I want to share with you just three encouragements as you start back to school.

Number one, respect authority. That’s a concept that is losing interest and popularity in our culture. But it is a concept that is a bedrock foundation to our Christian faith. And so you’re going to have teachers and administrators and other people who have been placed in a position of authority over you, and by that very nature, they deserve your respect. It is completely unbiblical, I hope you understand, that the concept that someone has to earn my respect. Now, hopefully, your teachers and administrators and others will conduct themselves in such a way to deserve your respect. But the Bible teaches us that just by virtue of their position, they have earned your respect. And you’re respecting those teachers and administrators, not because of who they are, but because of who you are and your relationship to God.

So the first encouragement I would send with you back to school is respect authority. The second thing I would send back to school with you, and that is the staunch refusal to lose your bearings. You’re going to be around people who don’t share the faith that you and your parents share. And you’re going to hear some words and see some behavior and maybe be encouraged or enticed to participate in that language and behavior. But remember who you are. Remember that you don’t have to participate in that behavior or in that language. Don’t be afraid to be different. Don’t be afraid to be who your parents and most importantly, God wants you to be.

As well. An integral part of Christianity. And so be nice. The idea of being a bully or bullying is again not a part of Christianity at all. But being kind and being nice is more than just not being mean and ugly and being a bully. It also means actively being kind. And so I encourage you that whether it’s in the classroom or the lunchroom or on the playground or wherever it might be, find somebody that needs a friend. It may be somebody who’s new to that school. It may be somebody who’s having a hard time fitting in and finding friends. You find that person and be kind to them. Be gentle and compassionate and forgiving and all of those things that we talk about so many times.

It’s a part of being a child of God. And I’m going to tell you if you’ll do those three things, respect authority, resist temptation, and to be kind, you’ll find this to maybe be one of your best school years ever. It can be fun, and you can let your light shine. And I want you to know, young people, that all of us are on your side. We’re rooting for you, we’re pulling for you, and we know we have faith in you. We know that you can do good and that you can make your parents, us, and God proud of the young people that you are. Now, to the rest of you, to the school teachers, I don’t really have much advice. Do the best you can.

No, seriously, we we appreciate you and the good work that you do in regard to our young people. Now to the main lesson this morning. I want to start with an odd question. How do you want to die?

That’s probably not a new question. We talk about that a lot. We talk about death a lot, don’t we? And sometimes, usually maybe after the death of someone else, someone who’s maybe died peacefully in their sleep with not a whole lot of suffering and anguish. We might say, that’s how I want to die. Unfortunately, we don’t get to choose that, do we? But we think about death and we talk about death a lot, and we maybe even long for, as I said, that peaceful exit. Because we’ve all seen and experienced the other side of that, of people who died in painful and tragic ways. And we read about in the news and different reports of people who die in such horrible ways. And so death is common to us.

But there is one death that we’ve already focused on this morning that was different. And that is the death of Jesus Christ. It was different in several regards, and we want to talk about that this morning, but let’s first talk about some things that were not necessarily unique, and maybe some things that we point out and highlight about the death of Jesus that were not necessarily unique. Sometimes we talk about that he was innocent. I mean, he was executed by the government for crimes, and we recognize crimes that he did not commit. And hopefully, that’s relatively rare in this world, but it’s not unheard of, is it? Sadly, there are people in prison today who didn’t commit the crime that they were convicted of. And even sadder yet, there are people who have been put to death on death row, who weren’t guilty of the crimes that they committed.

And those travesties of justice appall us, but they help us to see that Jesus wasn’t unique necessarily in that regard. Yes, he was innocent. He did not commit the crimes that he was committed of, but that’s not really what makes his death unique. And many times, and there’s nothing wrong with this, we focus in upon the suffering and the anguish that Jesus endured, from the thorny crown to the scourging to being crucified, and we think about what a horrible, painful death that must have been. And it was.

1. That Was God on the Cross

My list was much too long to share all of them with you this morning. And so you may come up with some things that make Jesus’ death special and certainly unique. The first thing that stands out to us is that that was God on the cross. Jesus’ death was not special in the sense that he was crucified. As we’ve read already this morning, they were two others crucified that day with him. But what made that crucifixion so unique and so special was that that was not only not a criminal on that cross, but that wasn’t even just a human being. He partook of flesh and blood, but he don’t ever forget this. He was God in the flesh. We won’t turn to the gospel of John, but you remember how Jesus is introduced to us in John’s gospel.

In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. And that word, he would say in verse 14, partook of flesh and blood and dwelt among us. And John said, we beheld his glory. The glory is the only begotten Son of God. And so Jesus’ death was special because that was God on that cross. A God, Paul to the Philippian brethren would remind us, who had not partaken of flesh and blood, who had not experienced physical anguish and physical death, but that was God on that cross. But that raises really a philosophical question, doesn’t it? How could God die? God is eternal.

And so how could it be that God was on that cross? How could it be that God could die? Well, that teaches us some lessons about death and about eternity and about the spirit. Turn with me over to the book of James, chapter 2. James almost incidentally gives us a very simple but at the same time profound definition of death. In James chapter 2, look with me in verse 26. That says, after talking about faith being separated from works is dead.

2. He Carried the Weight of Our Sins

Look what he says in James 2, verse 26, the last verse of chapter 2. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. And so James says death is really at its base is just the separation. That when the spirit is separated from the body, then that’s death. So there’s how God can die. He partook something very unique for God. He partook of flesh and blood. And then when that flesh and blood died, his spirit was separated from that body. And so one thing that makes his death different was that it was God on the cross. Another thing that makes his death different and special to us is that he carried the weight of our sins. It wasn’t just a death.

We understand that, don’t we? It wasn’t just a man dying. That happens every day. It wasn’t just an innocent man dying. That happens all the time. It wasn’t just an innocent man dying in anguish. That too is all too common. But what makes his death special is that he carried the weight of our sins upon that cross. We think of Jesus’ prayer in the garden when he was so burdened in that prayer that he fell to the ground and sweat and tears. The Hebrew writer, I believe, describes that with his vehement tears and sorrow for that moment. And he asked God to let this cup pass from me if it’s at all possible. And we might look at that one-dimensional and say, Jesus didn’t want to die.

He didn’t want to feel the pain and the anguish. And certainly nobody does. No right-thinking person does want to experience pain and anguish and death. And so that may have been a part of what he was saying. Can this pass from me? But I think there’s so much more to that request of his Father. Father, let, if it’s possible, let the Jesus certainly understood the weight of what he was carrying. The weight and the burden of responsibility that was upon his shoulders. This is another thing we could have added to the list, that his death was unique in the sense that his death was the death nail to the Jewish nation. That this act by the Jewish people was going to be the last straw as far as God was concerned.

And Jesus bore that burden of knowing that this is going to be the end of this long cherished relationship that God had with the physical nation of Israel. Jesus knew, fully comprehended, that he, when he was placed upon that cross, that he carried with him the weight of all of our sins.

But maybe in a little way we can, because we’ve all been given certain responsibilities at times, and sometimes maybe very special responsibilities. And you feel the weight of that. Maybe sometimes at the birth of a baby, you realize all of the responsibility that’s just been placed in your lap. And that can be overwhelming sometimes. Just think of all of that responsibility. I’m responsible for a life that is fully dependent upon me. And there’s other ways in which we can feel so overwhelmed sometimes with the weight of the burden of the responsibility that’s been placed on us. Now think of Christ and the weight that he carried with him to that cross. Sin had separated us from God. God had, as far as I can tell, God had three alternatives with what to do with the plight, the universal plight of man in sin.

Number one is he could just banish us all for eternity. We deserve that. Basically, the saying, you made your bed, you lie in it. God could say, I gave you a chance, you broke my laws, and so all of you are condemned to an eternity in hell. His second option was he could just overlook sin. And sadly, too many people are banking on that, aren’t they? They’re banking on this kind of the grandfather concept of God that he can sound gruff and rough on the exterior, but inside he’s just a softy, and when it comes down to it on the day of judgment, he’s not going to be able to exile people to hell. He’s going to find this, oh, okay. But God, in a sense, could not choose either of those choices, because while the first would satisfy his judgment and his justice, and the second would satisfy his nature of love, it was only the third alternative that could satisfy both.

Look with me in Romans chapter 3. After having said that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Paul tells us what God’s option was. God deemed sin so repugnant and vile that a price and a high price had to be paid. Romans 3, verse 24, again, he’s just said, we’ve all sinned, and we all fall short of the glory of God, verse 24, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by his blood through faith to demonstrate his righteousness. That was the justice that demanded that a price be paid, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in the forbearance of God, he had passed over the sins that were previously committed.

To demonstrate at his present time the righteousness that he might be, notice these two words, that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Christ Jesus. God could satisfy both of his own intrinsic demands justice and love. That he might be just, that sin was not overlooked and just winked at, but that a price and a high price would be paid for that, but he could be the justifier in paying that price. And Jesus carried that weight. Paul would say to the Corinthian brethren, him who knew no sin, he became sin for us. He carried our sins.

I bet you didn’t use that word all week. It’s different. And so it’s one that we need to pause and think about every time we see it. Propitiation carries with it a couple concepts. It’s the really old testament word for the mercy seat that was at the most holy place, was on the Ark of the Covenant. That was the mercy seat, that was the propitiation. And let’s talk about mercy seat. I remember as a kid hearing mercy seat, and I thought it was a chair. That’s what a seat is, isn’t it? But it’s not seat in that sense. Think of the county seat. We might talk about where the county seat is, and that is where the government resides. And so the mercy seat is where God’s mercy resided.

3. It Opened the Way to God

That’s where it was. And the high priest had to go into there to extract, if you will, the mercy of God, because that’s where God’s mercy was. Jesus is our mercy seat. He is where God’s mercy is located. But propitiation carries with it also the idea of appeasement or turning away of wrath. Our sin was not just a violation of law, but it was a violation of the law of God, the very character of God, and God’s wrath or anger was poured out on us. But Jesus price for that sin turned away that wrath. It appeased, it satisfied the anger of God and brought out the mercy of God. And only Christ could provide that kind of atonement to pay the high price for sin. Jesus’ death was different because, unlike any other death, it opened the way to God.

Turn with me, if you will, to the book of Hebrews, chapter 10.

We’ve already had several readings and discussions about the death of Christ and the thing surrounding the death of Christ. But you remember one thing that took place when Jesus died? The veil of the temple was torn in two. That was the veil that separated the holy place from the most holy place, where that ark was, where the mercy seat was, that was so restricted that only one man, the high priest, could go in only one day a year. And then he had to be extremely careful. But that veil or that curtain that separated that and excluded that most holy place and the mercy seat, it was torn. Now what does that mean? Why was it torn? Read Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 19 and see if we can figure out why that veil was torn open.

Hebrews 10, verse 19, therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest, that’s the most holy place. Having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he consecrated for us through the veil that is his flesh. And having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in the full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. And let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. For he who promised is faithful. That veil being torn at the moment that Jesus died upon that cross symbolized that Jesus was now passing through that veil. He was going into the real most holy place, which is in heaven, and that this most holy place on earth was no more.

4. It Was a Death Blow to Satan

But it also symbolized the access that we have now. The veil is torn. That restriction has been removed. No longer is it just the high priest on a certain day that can go to the mercy seat of God. It’s now been opened through a new and living way through Jesus Christ, so that we all have that unfettered, if we’re a child of God, that unfettered access into the presence of God and into his mercy seat. Jesus’ death was different because it was a death blow to Satan. Now it wouldn’t have seemed that way at first. Imagine his disciples and how they felt.

One betrayed him, one denied him, and the rest just ran away. And his own countrymen were the ones who were crying out, crucify him, crucify him. It looked like defeat. It looked like bad was winning over good, that Satan had defeated. We started out, it was God on the cross. Satan was besting God, or so it would have appeared to those witnesses. But they learned what we learned through the gospel is that’s not what was happening at all. That first prophecy was being fulfilled. He was bruising his heel. But by crushing the head of Satan.

5. The Greatest Demonstration of Love

And this act was different because it was that death blow to Satan. This is why he came in the flesh, the Hebrew writer would say in chapter 2. You’ve prepared for me a body that I might do your will. He won the spiritual warfare over Satan. Jesus’ death was different because it was the greatest demonstration of love. Turn with me to 1 John chapter 4. We could go around the room this morning and talk about demonstrations of love that others have shown toward us or that we’ve witnessed others showing toward others, or if we wanted to get a little braggadocious, we could talk about demonstrations of love that we’ve done for other people. But they would all pale in compact comparison to this. John 4 verse 10, and this is love.

Not that we love God. Now John’s not diminishing the importance of us loving God. That’s demanded. But what he’s saying here is that that’s more of a natural kind of love. Because what God’s done, God’s easy to love or ought to be. Look how he’s blessed. Look what he’s done for us. So easy to love someone who showered you with such great blessings. But he says, this is love, not us loving God. But he says, you want to paraphrasing, if you want to talk about love, if you want to see love, it’s that God loved us. Because there was nothing lovable. Remember, we’ve all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There’s nothing desirable in us. There was nothing warm and cuddly that drew God to us.

Conclusion

But he loved us anyway. And Jesus’ death was different. Because that completely unselfish act was shown toward people who were so unlovable, but he loved us still. And so it was the greatest demonstration of love. And so what makes Jesus’ death different also makes it special. Because we can benefit from that. Paul in Romans chapter 6 connects baptism to the death of Jesus. That we were baptized into his death. That is, we’re baptized into everything we just talked about. All the blessings that are in Christ Jesus can be yours if you’ll come to him this morning. Would you do that? Would you respond in kind to the greatest demonstration of love? Would you accept the salvation, the pardon, the atonement that was made possible through and in this most special death that we’ve talked about this morning?

Can we help you in that right now? As together we stand and as we