The death of Christ is one of the most climatic moments in the Bible. It stands as the most horrifying, yet beautiful acts of love the world has ever known. The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross changed everything, bringing about the satisfaction of God’s justice and the appeasement of God’s wrath. Man can now stand justified before God, no longer condemned but redeemed! This is the greatest news man will ever know. Whenever I contemplate this marvelous truth, I am left asking like Charles Wesley, “How can it be that my God should die for me?” It’s impossible to imagine the level of difficulty it was for our Lord to freely give His back to the punisher, His cheek to the striker, His beard to the plucker, His face to the spitter, and His hands and feet to the pounder (Isa. 50:5)—all while bearing the weight of our sin and the immense agony of His Father’s separation. The injustice Christ endured was not only for our sake, but for the very ones inflicting such pain as they cruelly put Him to death. It is entirely natural for humans to recoil from pain, but Christ not only resisted this human instinct, He willingly gave himself over to a punishment He did not deserve (1 Peter 2:23). So I ask again, “How can this be?” The triune God was perfectly in control throughout the entire crucifixion and in the events leading up to Christ’s death. Nothing Christ did was accidental, manipulated or coincidental. Jesus told Peter in Matthew 26 that is must be so, how else should the Scriptures be fulfilled? Jesus also said in John 10, “No one takes it [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” Every step taken was intentional and by design. Why? Because of His marvelous matchless love. Romans 5 makes clear that Christ demonstrated His love—He proved His love on the cross for the sake of sinners like me and for sinners like those who drove the nails through His sinless flesh. May we forever be in awe of God’s boundless love; for it is this love that compels us to no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died for us (2 Cor. 5:14-15). – Pastor Nate Wagner
Sunday at Liberty
9AM: Pastor Rory–Titus 1:5-9–Contrasting Cretans, 1
10AM: Pastor Rory–Matthew 27:33-66–The Messiah’s Agonizing Death (sermon notes)
6PM: Pastor Rory–Psalm 22:1-18–The Reproach of Men
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