Sermon Tone Analysis

*WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO DIE?*

*Grace:  The Truth that Transforms  -  Part 8 of 36*

*Romans 3:25*

*Rick Warren*

 

 

In our study of Romans we now come to one of the most significant verses in the Bible.

This verse is the heart of the Gospel - Christ's death on the cross for us.

Because this is the most important doctrine in the Bible, we will pause in our verse-by‑ verse study to look at other passages that explain the atonement.

No single explanation can adequately explain the full meaning of Christ's death.

Throughout history, great men have emphasized different aspects of it.

To better understand Christ's death, we must look at it from several viewpoints.

*I.

FALSE EXPLANATIONS*

 

       ~*

 

       ~*

 

 

*II.

FIVE MAJOR EXPLANATIONS OF CHRIST'S DEATH*

 

       1.

The _______________ Explanation

 

               Key words:

 

               Main Idea:

 

               Scriptures:  Mark 10:45, John 8:34-36, Rom.

8:2, Eph.

1:7, Titus 2:14, Revelation 5:9, 1 Cor.

6;20, Isaiah 61:1

 

               Caution:

 

       2.

The _______________ Explanation

 

               Key words:

 

               Main Idea:

 

               Scriptures: 1 Peter 2:21-23, 1 Peter 4:1-2, Eph.

5:2, Phil.

2:3-8

 

               Caution:

 

 

 

 

       3.

The _______________ Explanation

 

               Key words:

 

               Main idea:

 

               Scriptures: Hebrews 2:14-15, John 16:33, John 19:30, Col. 1:13, 2:14-15, 1 John 3:8, Rev. 17:14, Gal.

1:4

 

               Caution:

\\ *WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO DIE?*

*Grace:  The Truth that Transforms  -  Part 8 of 36*

*Romans 3:25*

*Rick Warren*

 

 

We've been studying through this book verse by verse.

Tonight we're in our eighth week of study and all the way to chapter 3!

 

Tonight we're going to look at simply one verse.

Romans 3:21-26 is a description of salvation.

Donald Grey Barnhouse says this is the most important paragraph in the entire Bible.

I agree.

It describes your salvation.

If you don't understand what this passage is about, you don't understand your salvation.

It get technical.

There is more ounce for ounce theology and hard core basic truth in this passage than almost any other passage in the Bible.

That's why we're going to spend a couple weeks just on v. 25. 

 

NIV /"God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His blood."/

This is talking about the heart of the Gospel -- why Jesus Christ died on the cross.

In our last session we talked about nine wonderful facts of salvation that are covered in this verse:  It's designed by God, it's unearned, it's unhidden, it's through faith, it's available to all who believe, it's free, it's undeserved, it's through the person of Christ, and it's very expensive.

In this passage tonight I want us to look at the meaning of the atonement -- why Jesus Christ had to die.

It is the heart of the Gospel.

We'll pull in some verses from other parts of Scripture and camp on this verse for a week because it's the most important doctrine in the Bible.

It's the heart of Christianity.

If you don't understand why Jesus Christ died for you, you don't understand Christianity.

*I.

FALSE EXPLANATIONS*

 

There are some false explanations of the Gospel.

A couple of things that Jesus Christ did not die for:

 

1.

Jesus Christ did not die by accident.

Some people believe that, that it was an unforeseen experience, unplanned, that He was the victim of circumstances.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Scripture states very clearly that Jesus even predicted His own death.

Many time He said "I'm going to die" and He quoted Old Testament scriptures.

It was planned by God.

John 10:17-18 /"No man takes My life from Me but I lay it down."

/It wasn't an accident.

Jesus Christ died, not because He was forced to die.

The Romans may have thought that.

There's the interesting story when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and a battalion of soldiers had come to get Him.

They asked where Jesus was.

Jesus walked up to them and said, "I am He" and they all fell backwards.

A battalion consisted at least of 120 men.

They came to take Him captive and they were so in awe, that these men, trained in combat and with their weapons on, fell over backwards in almost a faint.

There was so much power in Jesus' life.

Nobody took His life from Him.

He gave it voluntarily.

2.

Jesus Christ died as a martyr.

He was a good man and He died for His cause.

He was a victim of a corrupt world.

He basically died for His principles.

He wasn't God but just a good martyr -- like Martin Luther King or Kennedy... any person you name to be a martyr.

The facts are very clear in Scripture that Jesus was actually God, not man.

His death was for a divine purpose.

Acts 2:23 Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost.

/"This man who was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge.

And you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him on the cross."/

It wasn't any surprise to God or to Jesus that He came to die on the cross.

He was not just a martyr.

Why did Jesus have to die?

It was a necessity.

Jesus said many times, /"I must go to Jerusalem...

The Son of man must suffer...

The Son of man must die...

He must be lifted up." / If there could have been any other way for the salvation of the world, don't you think God would have used it?

Sure and saved His Son the suffering on the cross.

There was no other way.

How do you explain that?

Throughout history, great men have offered evidences or examples, illustrations of why Jesus actually had to die on the cross.