Jump Start # 2496

1 John 3:8 “the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”

My preacher, Jason, made a great statement the other day in a sermon. It’s the kind of thing you know, but just the way it is worded has a way of sticking with you. He said, “God killed Jesus to kill what was killing us.” WOW! Great thought.

Now, stretch this out and give this some thought.

First, not only is sin wrong and addictive, but it’s killing us. It kills us physically. There are many health related issues that come directly from sin. Sin kills us emotionally. It drains the goodness out of us and makes us selfish. Sin kills relationships. It murders marriages. Gossip, hatred, prejudice, indifference will kill most friendships. But, more than anything else, sin kills us spiritually. Sin is more than having a bad day. It’s more than just being off. It’s not just a mistake. It kills the soul. The wages of sin is death is what the Romans were told. Spiritual death cuts us off from God. Spiritual death is a one way ticket to Hell.

Paul referred to women who were given into sensual pleasure as “being dead even though they live.” Walking dead is not a show about zombies, it is the condition of the world because of sin. Sin is killing us.

Second, Jesus killed what was killing us. Our verse today says that the Lord came for the purpose of destroying the works of the devil. The greatest power Satan had is death. No one could come back from death. Every one who died, stayed dead. Even the handful that were resurrected, eventually died again. But, with Jesus it was different. He was raised to never die again. Jesus crushed that serpents head. He killed it. Paul would taunt, “Oh death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting?” Death doesn’t win. Death isn’t the last word. Because of Jesus, our life’s story never has a final page. We will live on and on and on.

Jesus showed us how to live righteously. Jesus showed us how to have a heart of a servant. Jesus showed us how to forgive. Jesus showed us how to walk through life with a purpose and a love for the Lord. One doesn’t have to sin. One can choose to do what is right. Jesus opened the door so we could escape the clutches of Satan. Through Jesus, we have freedom, hope and life. Jesus killed what was killing us.

Paul told the Galatians that he had “crucified” himself. The Colossians were told to consider the members of your earthly body as dead to sin. The Romans were told that they had buried themselves in baptism. Jesus killed what was killing us.

Third, God killed Jesus. God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son. God gave Jesus is a nice way of saying, God killed Jesus. In the garden Jesus prayed for the cup of suffering to pass. He added, ‘Not my will, but Thy will be done.’ It was the will of God that Jesus be killed. He had to be killed. It was the only way God could kill what was killing us.

The powerful suffering servant prophecy of Isaiah says:

• Smitten of God (Isa 53:4)
• The Lord was pleased to crush Him (53:10)
• Putting Him to grief (53:10)

God killed Jesus. God killed Jesus in order to kill the works of Satan that was destroying us spiritually. God killed Jesus to kill what was killing us.

And, in a strange twist, by God killing Jesus, He not only killed what was killing us, but He through that process, gave us life. It took death to give life. It took death to grant us freedom and victory. It took death to do what we could not do. On our own, we could never escape Satan. On our own, death was a prison without any doors. On our own, spiritual death was our eternal destiny. On our own, we were sunk. Hopeless. Helpless. And, without God.

God killed Jesus to kill what was killing us—and that changed everything. That, opened the door to escape. That, brought in sunshine to a dark, dark world. That, gave us hope, courage and life. That, made it possible for us to see God in Heaven. That, is what the Bible is all about.

God killed Jesus to kill what was killing us. And, the sad thing is many do not understand this. They do not recognize that they are dying spiritually. They don’t see what’s so bad about sin. They don’t get why Jesus had to die.

But for believers, what a wonderful, wonderful reason to show our love, appreciation and devotion to God. Why? Because God killed Jesus to kill what was killing you. And, for that, we ought to forever be thankful, committed and following Jesus Christ.

God killed Jesus to kill what was killing us!

Roger