3. Who is Jesus? Last week …

4.  What sort of “faith”?

5. Who is Jesus? Faith: a decision to trust based on a careful examination of the evidence

6.  Reliability of the Bible  Was He only human?  What Jesus claimed  His teaching, works character; prophecy  The problem of the resurrection  What sort of “faith”?  Historical evidence

7. Why did Jesus die?

8. Crucifixion - God caught out by the unexpected? … but makes the best of a bad job with resurrection? “This man (Jesus) was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge …” “This man (Jesus) was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge …” Acts 2 23

9. Why did Jesus die?

10.  one of the cruellest forms of execution known to mankind  Cicero: “the most cruel and hideous of tortures”  took hours to die  abolished in 315 CE by the RomansCrucifixion

11. Why did Jesus die? Why is Jesus’ life remembered by a cross? Why does Christian worship focus on the “broken body” and “shed blood” of Jesus? What does it mean when the New Testament says Jesus died “for our sins”? What did Jesus’ death achieve? Questions to address this evening … Why do the Bible writers spend so much space on Jesus’ trial and execution?

12. Why did Jesus die? The greatest problem … Existential Philosophy: Existential Philosophy: “Man is in despair because of the gulf between what he could be and what he is” Somerset Maughan: Somerset Maughan: “If I wrote down every thought I have ever thought and every deed I have ever done, men would call me a monster of depravity” The Bible: The Bible: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3 23 (A “sinner” was an arrow that didn’t even reach the target) We all do things that we know are wrong

13. Why did Jesus die? The greatest problem … We all do things that we know are wrong The pollution of sin Jesus said, “What comes out of you is what makes you ‘unclean’. For from within, out of your hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make you ‘unclean’.” Mark 7 20-23 Even if you are only a little polluted, you are no longer clean!

14. Why did Jesus die? The greatest problem … We all do things that we know are wrong The power of sin Jesus said, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin” John 8 34  sin becomes an addiction  addictions to alcohol or non-prescription drugs  addictions to temper, arrogance, pride, selfishness, sexual immorality and much more  addictions to patterns of thought or behaviour which we cannot break

15. Why did Jesus die? The greatest problem … We all do things that we know are wrong The penalty for sin  Something in human nature cries out for justice in the face of wrong  We rightly feel that sins should be punished  One day we will all be judged by God  The Bible connects the fact of human sin and the fact of death: “The wages of sin is death” Romans 6 23

16. Why did Jesus die? The greatest problem … We all do things that we know are wrong The partition of sin  Doing wrong damages relationships. Until someone takes the initiative and puts it right, there is separation.  The Bible tells us that our doing wrong has created a barrier to relationship with God “Your iniquities have separated you from your God” Isaiah 59 2

17. Why did Jesus die? The solution to the problem … We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives  God loves us so much he does not leave us in the mess we have made of our lives  The “self-substitution” of God (John Stott) “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree … by his wounds you have been healed” 1 Peter 2 24 God sees our predicament, and takes the weight of our sin on himself in Jesus

18. Why did Jesus die? The solution to the problem … We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives

19. Why did Jesus die? The solution to the problem … We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives

20. Why did Jesus die? The solution to the problem … We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives

21. Why did Jesus die? The solution to the problem … We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives

22. Why did Jesus die? The solution to the problem … We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives

23. Why did Jesus die? The solution to the problem … We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives

24. Why did Jesus die? The solution to the problem … We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives

25. Why did Jesus die? The solution to the problem … We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives We all have a need to deal with sin in our lives

26. Why did Jesus die? The result … a picture from the Law Courts the penalty of sin paid  according to God’s justice, we are guilty  because of His love, He pays the price “God did this … to demonstrate His justice” “God did this … to demonstrate His justice” Romans 3 26

27. Why did Jesus die? The result … a picture from the Market Place the power of sin broken  serious debts in Jesus’ time could result in being sold as a slave  it was possible to set someone being sold as a slave free by paying a “ransom price” “Redemption … came by Jesus Christ” “Redemption … came by Jesus Christ” Romans 3 24

28. Why did Jesus die? The result … a picture from the Temple the pollution of sin removed  in the Old Testament, laws were laid down about sacrifice to bring cleansing for sin  the New Testament talks about Jesus’ blood with this picture in mind Jesus said, “The Son of Man came … to give His life … as a sacrifice for many” Jesus said, “The Son of Man came … to give His life … as a sacrifice for many” Mark 10 45

29. Why did Jesus die? The result … a picture from the home the partition of sin destroyed  putting right broken relationship - like the “prodigal son”  God (the Father) wants his relationship with us (rebellious children) to be put right … and watches and waits for our return “… the Son of God … who loved me and gave himself for me” “… the Son of God … who loved me and gave himself for me” Galatians 2 20

30. Why did Jesus die?