Dying to Save Others

Scripture Passage: Mark 15:31

In our survey of the New Testament, we arrive at a scene of intense conflict. Jesus is taken to a lonely hill near Jerusalem called Golgotha or Calvary. Here He is crucified in the midst of people who mock and deride His life and mission. These people determined in their hearts to get rid of anything and anyone that cluttered up their position or power base. Jesus, on the other hand, was determined to do His Father's will. His entire mission was to "save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21, NIV). This He did even for those who mocked and accused Him.

Main Thought:

On the cross at Calvary, Jesus proved His great love by saving others instead of Himself -- for He came into the world to endure the shame and suffering of the cross, dying there that we might really live.

"He saved others but He cannot save Himself!" (Mark 15:31, NIV)

Even in their derision and mockery of the Son of God, the priests uttered a profound truth about Christ. The High Priest uttered a similar prophecy:

⁴⁹Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! ⁵⁰You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."

⁵¹He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, ⁵²and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. ⁵³So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
(John 11:49-53, NIV)

The religious leaders thought they were putting Jesus to death to save their own skin. They had power and prestige among the people and they did not want to lose it. How little did they realize the severity of their problem! Jesus had to die:

Not to save their life in time but for eternity.
Not for material prosperity for eternal bliss.
Not to insure their own power but to release the power of the Almighty to forgive them.

Q: What are the “needs” in your life that concern you the most at the thought of losing them?

The death of Jesus Christ was motivated by God's love for us that each of us might have what we really need the most -- forgiveness and eternal life. Through His death, He paid the penalty for our sins so that, in Christ, God no longer relates to you as a sinner but as His child. Forgiveness and peace with God is possible only through Christ. And the Bible is clear: anyone who calls on the name of the LORD Jesus Christ will be saved. (Rom. 10:13)

"He saved others..." (Mark 15:31, NIV)

This was the heart of Jesus' mission:

To seek and to save what was lost. (Luke 19:10)
To save His people from their sins. (Matt. 1:21)
To save sinners. (1 Tim. 1:15)
To save the world not to condemn it. (John 3:17; 12:47)
To lose His life that we might really live. (John 12:25-27)

During His earthly ministry, Jesus saved people physical ailments, mental illnesses, emotional pain, and spiritual torment.

A man born blind and living as an adult beggar received His sight. (John 9)
A lame man was told to take up his mat and walk, and he did. (John 5:8-9)
A crippled woman bound by Satan for 18 years was instantly healed. (Luke 13:16)
A man possessed by a host of demons was freed and made whole. (Mark 4)
A woman with profuse bleeding was healed as she touched the hem of His garment. (Matt. 9:20-22)
Those who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed -- all were healed. (Matt. 4:24)

He freed people from guilt and shame allowing them to lead happy, productive lives.

The Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well -- she had more husbands than she could count on one hand but walked away with an exciting faith in Christ. (John 4)
Though he felt unworthy, the faith of a Roman centurion in Jesus was confirmed. (Matt. 8:5-13)
The life of an adulteress was spared as Jesus confronted her accusers, and they all left her. (John 8)
The guilt of a greedy tax collector was cleansed and his heart made new. (Luke 19:2-10)

Q: When you think about this list of people that Jesus saved, what do you conclude about the way He lived His life?

Q: How does this impact the way you live your life?

His life was a life of self-sacrifice, servant hood, giving to others for "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45, NIV).

I saw our Pastor in the lobby for the Connections service a few weeks ago. Knowing that was an unusual place for him to be at that time, I sort of kidded with him and asked, “Excuse me sir, are you lost?” He did not blink an eye and immediately said, “No I was saved when I was nine years old but thank you for your concern for my eternal destiny!”

"He saved others..." (Mark 15:31, NIV) -- Jesus saves! It was true then and it is true now. When guilt and shame overwhelm you, turn to the Master. Jesus never turned away a single person who approached Him by faith. The most vile and ruthless person can be instantly transformed from the inside-out when he seeks the LORD Jesus. It happened to me -- and everyone who seeks His help will find it. Anyone who listens and responds to His words is changed -- instantly, and permanently!

"...but He cannot save Himself."
(Mark 15:31, NIV)

Why did Jesus do this? Why did He endure the torture and crucifixion at the hands of mere humans? Why did He put up with the mockery and derision of the religious leaders -- the very people who should have recognized the time of His arrival?

1. Jesus died on the cross for us because it is God's will that all men be saved.

³This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4, NIV)
Some use this verse to teach "universalism" -- the teaching that all people will ultimately be saved or that God will let everyone into Heaven. Would you like to share your mansion in Heaven with Hitler? Jeffrey Dahmer? Lizzy Borden?

God's justice demands that sin be punished. To save someone unconditionally would violate His justice. Universalism is a heresy that promotes a false view of God, eliminates sin, and denies the need for the cross of Jesus Christ.

Q: Can God's will be resisted?

Yes, it happens every time someone sins...

Q: Can God's will be done?

Yes, every time someone surrenders their will to Him. God DESIRES that every human be saved but not every person WILL be saved.

2. Jesus had to die on the cross because of the sin debt of the whole world -- past, present, and future.

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (I John 2:2, NIV)
No one else could offer such a sacrifice -- only a perfect man could do this. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23, NIV). Justice is required for God is perfectly just (Psalm 7:11) "The wages of sin is death." (Rom. 6:23a, NIV).

Had Jesus saved Himself, He would have condemned you and I and every other person in the world to an eternity in Hell. But Jesus only did the Father's will (John 5:19) and so He prayed:
"Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36, NIV)
He obeyed even though it meant going to the cross.

3. Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for us that we might know how much God loves us.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (1 John 3:16, NIV)
By this single greatest act of unswerving devotion to our greatest need, we can understand what real love is all about. (1 John 3:16; 4:9) Apart from the cross, you would never know how much God personally loves you! God sent His Son to take on human flesh and willingly offer His life on the cross for you and I.

Q: How does having children affect your relationship with your own parents?

When you grow up and have children, you finally realize what tremendous sacrifices your own parents made for you because they loved you.

Knowing that, you gain a greater appreciation for them and, in response, a deeper love for them.

The death of Jesus on the cross makes us realize the tremendous sacrifice God made on our behalf because He loves us. And this is our motivation to love and to serve others as Jesus did -- because we know what a tremendous sacrifice He made for us.

4. Jesus died on the cross that we might really live.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:9-11, NIV)

Apart from the death of Jesus on the cross for our sins, we are separated from God's love and unable to truly live and love as God intended. But Jesus is the "atoning sacrifice" or "propitiation" -- Jesus paid the penalty for your sins that you might be forgiven and given new life, eternal life.

Apart from Him you cannot have eternal life. But because He took your sins away and nailed them to the cross:

Through Him you can really live.
Through Him, you have a personal relationship of love with the Creator.
Through Him, you have a changed heart that desires love for God and for one another.
Through Him, you have the Holy Spirit living in you to empower, strengthen, and lead you in life and in love.

"...but He cannot save Himself" -- is a true statement for the Father's will had to be done. And so:

³⁷With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. ³⁸The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. ³⁹And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:37-39, NIV)

Reflect on YOUR life: The awesome love of God in Christ is demonstrated clearly on the cross where our LORD Jesus died for us. Let us rejoice in the awesome love of God who sent His only begotten Son that we would not perish in Hell but live in Heaven forever. Have you reached the conclusion of the Roman centurion -- have you ever acknowledged Jesus Christ as your LORD and Savior? If not, do it now! You too can experience forgiveness of your sins and experience the peace, power, and presence of God in your life through faith in our LORD Jesus Christ.