The LORD's Day February 17, 2008

Proclaiming the LORD’s Death Until He Comes

I Corinthians 2.1-5

The message of hope and power is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The message of the New Testament Church was Jesus, God’s Son was born in Bethlehem, grew up in Nazareth, taught and did miracles all over Galilee, died on a cross in Jerusalem, was placed in a tomb, rose again on the third day, promised the Holy Spirit, ascended into heaven leaving promise of His return. The Holy Spirit was poured out, the disciples went out with the good news of salvation, people came in, prayers went up while they waited for Jesus to come back.

Being sick this week and laying low I did a little channel surfing. The stuff I saw troubled me. So much of it had to do with how to improve my life, how to make and reach goals, promotions at work. How utterly different than Paul’s words in the passage we just read.

He was following Jesus. He was speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, when he said, For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (2.2)


1. Jesus is the Lamb of God, Who Takes away the sin of the world. John 1.29

“Lamb” and “taking away sin” always meant death in Biblical Times.

The Lamb slain from the creation of the world (Revelation 13.8) was Jesus.

At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry John announced these words, “The Lamb of God Who take away the sin of the world. This is the basis of the New Covenant.

The event of the cross, Jesus’ Death on it, was not something that just happened. It was planned at the creation of the world. All human history hinges on this event. It is the focal point and turning point of humanity. It is the center of God’s activity in this world.

The Lamb of God, slain from the creation of the world, Who takes away the sin of the world.

This was the message of the New Testament Church. This is the message of the true followers of Jesus today.

Without this fact, we have no hope. Without its proclamation we have no reason to exist.

Sin is breaking God’s law. God required a sacrifice for sin from the beginning. Lambs were killed every day. Christ, our Passover Lamb has been slain.



2. At Caesarea Philippi Matthew 16.21-28

Jesus concealed His true identity to a degree from the opposition. The hatred of Him was growing and He knew that if His enemies heard Him say Who He was openly that they would have sought to kill Him like they did at Nazareth. His hour had not yet come.

Things changed at Caesarea Philippi. Way up in the northern part of the country is this place. It has great significance.

In Caesarea Philippi there was one of the three sources of water that formed the Jordan River. There was a shrine for the Greek God Pan, believed by the Greeks to be his birthplace. When Jesus and His disciples were there there stood a white marble palace/temple built by Herod the Great, later added on and finished by Philip his son in honor of Caesar, thus the name Caesarea Philippi. It was here Peter made the great confession about Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

We are told that in v.21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

From that time on...! We often fail to see how Jesus’ death and resurrection dominated His teaching, particularly among those who were closest to Him. He had come to die on the cross fro our sins. Paul’s words, “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” It is tragic that in so many quarters that is no longer the case.


3. On the way toward Jerusalem Luke 9.51

This is an interesting verse. It appears that Jesus set out immediately for Jerusalem. Actually a careful reading of Luke’s gospel from this point indicates that this is no so. But His face was set towards it. He had His death and suffering in mind as He went through Galilee ministering. The subject was brought up and over and over again to the twelve.

At one point during this time Jesus lamented, But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! (Luke 12.50)

Jesus knew that the work in Galilee was all building up to Jerusalem and that final week, resulting in His death on the cross. God’s Son submitted to be put to death at the hands of sinners and then ended up praying for them as He was dying for the sins of the whole world- yours and mine.

We are to remember His suffering. We are to proclaim the LORD’s death until He comes. That and only that is what purchased our salvation.


4. On Palm Sunday

Prior to Palm Sunday Jesus did not look for the public to proclaim Him Messiah. God’s plan was for Him to come to Jerusalem and die on the cross during the Jewish Passover Feast. He was fulfilling the Old Covenant. The Passover was celebrated to remind the people of how God brought them out of slavery through the plagues, the last one being the death of the first born. The people were to kill a lamb, take some blood and put it on the doorposts of the house and the death angel would pass over when he saw the blood. The preparation for this celebration was taking place as Jesus came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. It was national day as well as a spiritual day.

The crowds that came with Jesus to Jerusalem were on their way to celebrate the Passover there. They had heard Jesus speak and watched Him do some miracles along the way. Now they were proclaiming Him Messiah.

Jesus allowed it. This would set off the events leading up to His arrest. He was submitted to the Father’s will and plan. He spoke about. If I be lifted up... just a Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the Son of Man be lifted up.


5. Holy Week John 2.19
Destroy this temple... Jesus was proclaiming His Own death! He spoke of His death during that final week in parables.

The crowds thought He come to restore the kingdom to Israel. He had come to die on the cross outside the city gate. He had come to die for the sins of the whole world.


6. Good Friday
The night before - The LORD’s Supper Luke 22.19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My Body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
20 In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My Blood, which is poured out for you.

I Corinthians 11.26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.



7. The Early Church and on

The death of Jesus Christ on the cross was an event that was not to be laid to rest in history and read about once in a while. On the contrary we are to remember it often. We are to proclaim His death until He comes. It is by His death and resurrection that people come into new life.

Peter’s Pentecost Message: Acts 2.22-36

Buried with Him in baptism... Romans 6.1-14

This all works out from the cornerstone of our faith to practical living for Jesus today. He died, we show by baptism we have died to the old way of life. He rose. We rise to newness of life.

We live this life unto the LORD. We offer ourselves to Him as instruments of righteousness.

God help us understand these truths of Jesus’s Great love for us.
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son
That whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.