“Jesus Died For Me” (Romans 4:18-25 )

 

I will read verse 25 in today’s text again.  “Who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”  As you know the nature of death is varied, there is death by various diseases, natural death by age, death by accident, and death by execution for those in their sin. Isn’t this true?  Even to think about it does not bring a good feeling.  However in today’s text, Jesus was delivered up because of our offenses.  This means we all received the death penalty because of our sin, however Jesus was executed instead.  Therefore today we will receive grace from a sermon titled “Jesus Died For Me.”  May God’s grace fill your heart.

 

First, Jesus chose the way of His death voluntary.  John 10:17-18 says, “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”  Hebrews 10:5B says, “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me.”  And verse 7 says, “Then I said, 'Behold, I have come-- in the volume of the book it is written of Me-- to do Your will, O God.'”  We can not understand Christianity rightly without understanding the meaning in the cross of Jesus.  We can not just blame those like the Jews who handed over Jesus to the Roman authorities and Judas Iscariot who sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.  If we call this matter the sins of the Jewish rulers and the sin of Judas Iscariot they are not so great, or if they are the sins of the Roman soldiers who nailed Jesus’ hands and feet, they are not that important.  Why is that?  Jesus says “No one takes it (My life) from Me, but I lay it down of Myself” (John 10:18A).  In other words no one can kill Jesus unless He made the decision to die Himself.  Jesus made up His mind to die Himself to save sinners like you and me, who deserve to suffer in the fire of sulfur.  For example, people who were poor and sick lived in a certain village.  One day there was a land slide and a flood because of a sudden storm.  All of a sudden the flood’s current began sweeping the whole village and those poor and sick people away.  At that time the king of that country was passing by and began watching that miserable situation from a safe place.  He felt compassion for the sick people struggling in the water and jumped in to the flood and saved them one by one and brought them to safety.  As he did this time after time he lost his strength and on top of this he crashed in to a big rock which came with a strong current and he was swept away.  The strong and courageous king lost his life.  This sad story is not true.  But what do we learn from this story?  It is about the right the king had over his own life.  The king had the right to give up his own life to go in to the water to save others or the right to just watch it from a distance, didn’t he?  Therefore it is not that someone took the king’s life, but he gave up his right to keep his life.  I believe you understand this well.  As a matter of fact the sins of Judas Iscariot who sold Jesus and the Roman soldiers are nothing.  The motive and reason that the king jumped in to the water was to save the dying poor and sick people in the water.  Likewise Jesus, to save a perishing people, made up His mind and gave His life.  (John 10:17-18) “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”  Do you believe this?  Our Jesus died for us and loves us.  I believe we need to become saints who serve the love of Jesus.

 

Secondly, Jesus was delivered up because of our offenses.  Let’s read verse 25 of the text together.  “Who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”  (Let’s focus on the “delivered up.”)  In the first point I talked about how it was recorded that Jesus showed His power by actively saving us.  However this verse reveals Jesus as a passive and stricken person.  In this, there are dual reasons and results.  The Lord was delivered up for our sin.  Some Bible scholars translate that Jesus became a lamb for our sin.  In Isaiah 53:8 it says, “He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken.”  And Isaiah 53:10 says, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; he has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, he shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.”  In the process of law, the sinner who had committed murder is to be delivered up to the executioner for execution.  In this meaning, Jesus Christ was delivered up in the place of the murderer, dying as redeemer.  As it was written in the scriptures during the feast there was a custom of releasing one prisoner.  After Pontus Pilate questioned Jesus he could not find any fault in Him and intended to free Jesus since he was in an awkward situation himself.  However he had to release Barabbas who was a murderer.  Then who is Barabbas?  His name in Hebrew means “the son of the father.”  In other words spiritually speaking Barabbas represents all the sons of all the fathers.  That’s true.  Barabbas represents us.  We all are as the son of the father blaspheming and defiling God’s glory, murdering with our mouth and murdering in our thought.  Furthermore we are like Barabbas who trembles in fear and receives the death sentence but hopes to avoid the Day of Judgment.   For example, I have read a book about what those who are to be executed feel in their hearts.  Some people who have been sentenced to death by hanging hold on to the rope so tight and will not let it go, so they tie both hands first and then execute them.  Some people die in the gas chamber and before they enter it they take a big breath so as to live a little longer.  How awful it is that they try to extend their life a little longer since they know it is final.  Think about Barabbas.  As his execution time got near his mind was confused as he agonized and trembled in fear, he looked at both of his hands and feet, how would it be to have them pierced with nails?  He never saw a person die on the cross before.  He was agonizing as he thought of the scene.  Then, all of a sudden there was a noise and his prison door was opened.  He thought, “Oh, now I am dead” and he covered his eyes with both hands.  However, surprisingly the prison guards take off the chains from his hands and feet and say, “You are free, go wherever you want.  Jesus is going to be put on the cross in your place.”  At this, Barabbas did not know what had happened and went out and saw Jesus standing in the place where he was suppose to die.  At that time Barabbas understood.  “Ah!  At the feast there is a custom of releasing one prisoner, they released me and Jesus is taking my place and is about to die.”  He had deep emotion which he could not comprehend in his mind.  He dies for me . . . as he cried sobbing; the heavy cross was on Jesus’ shoulder as Roman soldiers dragged and whipped Him.  How did Barabbas feel as he watched Jesus’ body bleeding after the cruel beating?  What did Barabbas think as he watched as Jesus was whipped with a leather whip and Simon, a Cyrenian carried the cross because it was too heavy for Jesus?  And what did he think when he heard the sound of the hammer nailing Jesus’ hands and feet? 

Beloved saints, Jesus seems to physically die for one person Barabbas.  But in God’s sight, spiritually, Barabbas is us.  We are Barabbas, spiritually speaking.  Jesus was judged to save us.  Now we are free men and liberated.  Once paid, we don’t need to worry about the bill as long as we have the receipt.  There is no need to pay it again.  Jesus paid our price in full and we don’t need to worry.  Jesus is the receipt Himself for the payment of the price of sin.  We became free men and no one can condemn us (Romans 8:33-34).  I’m going to finish by reading Isaiah 53:5-6, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”  May God’s grace overflow in our hearts.

By, Rev. Samuel Choi