Born to Die Pt.2

11 December 2022 PM – 1 Timothy 1:15 – Christmas – Scott Childs
Introduction: (1 Timothy 1:15) “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” The main reason Jesus came into this world was to save sinners from hell. For Him to be able to do that, He had to die. Thus, He was born to die.
Transition: This statement, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” tells us several important truths.
  1. He existed before He came
a.          He existed before the beginning of time
1)         (John 1:1-2) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.“
2)         John, the beloved disciple, who knew Jesus very well, repeated this in his first epistle. (1 John 1:1) “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;“
3)         (Colossians 1:17) “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.“
4)         (Micah 5:2) “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.“
5)         Jesus claimed to exist before Abraham. (John 8:58) “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.“
6)          (Hebrews 13:8) “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.“
b.         Jesus eternally existed as God
1)         Last Sunday morning, we presented Scripture evidence that Jesus is the second Person of the Triune God.
2)         In this morning’s message, Scripture testified that Jesus is truly God and equal with the Father.
3)         The eternal existence of Christ is further evidence that at His incarnation, He became God in human flesh, the perfect God/Man. He became the one mediator between God and man. (1 Timothy 2:5) “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;“
4)         If He were less than eternal, He could not be God. If He were less than God, He could not atone for the sins of the entire human race.
2.        He entered our world as the God/Man
a.         God sent Jesus into the world
1)         Jesus Himself said, (John 3:17) “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.“
2)         The Apostle Paul affirmed, (Galatians 4:4) “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,“
3)         (1 John 4:9) “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.“
4)         In eternity past, the Godhead planned that God the Son would one day take on human flesh so that He could die for sinful humans. It is no wonder that John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, ...” Could anything less than perfect love motivate God to do such a thing for sinners like us?
b.         He entered this world as the perfect God/Man.
1)         Luke’s Gospel gives us the most complete description of Christ’s incarnation. We will be looking at those details in another message.
2)         Last Sunday night, we noted that Jesus was “crowned with glory and honour”, the complete dominion over all creation, as Adam and Eve had been at creation (Heb 2:9).
3)         During His 33 years as the God/Man on this earth, Jesus experienced life as a human along with hunger, fatigue, thirst, sorrow, and pain. In those 33 years, He never once sinned because He had no sin nature. He had the innocent sinless nature that Adam had when he was created.
4)         The incarnation of Christ is an amazing fact to ponder.
a)         How could God, the Creator of all things, stoop to become a human, like those He had created?
b)         What was His human life like since He was the second Adam, possessing a sinless nature yet living in a sin-cursed world?
c)         He was able to be tempted, just as Adam and Eve in their innocence had been, but He resisted every temptation. (Hebrews 4:15) “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.“
d)         Did He ever get sick? I do not think so, since I do not believe He possessed a sin-cursed body. Php 2:7, form [fundamental nature] of a servant… likeness [resemblance] of men
3.        He came with a purpose – to die in our place
a.         God planned Christ’s purpose in eternity past.
1)         (2 Timothy 1:9) “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,“
2)         (Acts 15:18) “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.“
3)         (Titus 1:2) “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;“
b.         God announced Christ’s purpose to humans.
1)         God told Mary. (Luke 1:31) “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.” (Jesus = Jehovah is salvation)
2)         God told Joseph. (Matthew 1:21) “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.“
3)         God had an angel tell the shepherds. (Luke 2:10-11) “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.“
c.          Jesus knew His purpose
1)         Jesus said, (John 3:17) “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.“
2)         On another occasion He said, (John 6:38) “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.“
3)         Even as Jesus prayed before going to the cross, He knew His purpose. (Mark 14:36) “And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” (Hebrews 5:7-8) “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;” He prayed for deliverance, but learned obedience instead. What a lesson for us!
d.         Christ fulfilled His purpose
1)         (Romans 5:8) “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.“
2)         (1 John 4:9-10) “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.“
3)         (1 John 2:2) “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.“
4)         (2 Corinthians 5:21) “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.“
Conclusion: Truly, Jesus was born to die. What a wonderful plan of God and what amazing love! If you have not yet received His gift of love, receive it this evening. If you have received it, take time to thank Him for all that He has done for you.
Song: Thank You Lord – 221