The Father's Menu
Apostle Dr. Richard Udoh
Friday, April 15, 2022
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DEATH OF CHRIST
“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.”
Isa 53:4-5 (ESV
Main Text: John 3:16
The death of Christ is not only the demonstration of God’s love, it’s also the supreme expression of Christ own love for all who receive it as their treasure. The sufferings and death of Christ have to do with you personally. It is your sin that cuts you off from God, not sin in general. You were lost and perishing; all you can do is plead for mercy. Then you see Christ suffering and dying. For whom? Ephesians 5:25 says, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” And John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.” And Matthew 20:28, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” And I ask, Am I among the “many”? Can I be one of His “friends”? May I belong to the “church”? And I hear the answer, “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).
The death of Christ did not merely precede His resurrection–it was the price that obtained it. The Bible says He was raised not just after the blood-shedding, but by it. The wrath of God was satisfied with the suffering and death of Jesus. The holy curse against sin was fully absorbed. The price of forgiveness was totally paid. The righteousness of God was completely vindicated. All that was left to accomplish was the public declaration of God’s endorsement. This He gave by raising Jesus from the dead. When the Bible says, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17), the point is not that the resurrection is the price paid for our sins. The point is that the resurrection proves that the death of Jesus is an all-sufficient price.
In everything about your life, change has come because of the victory of Christ’s sacrifice. Jesus has brought life and light through the gospel. No matter what you’ve desired in your life up till this point, realize that there are no limitations for you anymore following the victory of Christ’s sacrifice. Poverty, sin, sickness, defeat, failure, Satan and death can no longer hold you bound, as they’ve all been dealt with in Christ. Your total salvation – joy, health, peace, prosperity, progress, success, and victory – is the reason for the death, burial and resurrection of Christ! Hallelujah!
Confession
Dear Father, thank you for the death of Jesus, and His glorious resurrection that has made salvation possible for everyone who believes and declares the same. Now, I walk in righteousness, in the newness of life, walking in fellowship with God, by Christ Jesus. Amen.
Further Reading
Rom 8:32 (ESV) “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”
1 Peter 2:24 (TLB) “He personally carried the load of our sins in his own body when he died on the cross so that we can be finished with sin and live a good life from now on. For his wounds have healed ours!”
Read through the Bible in 1 year: Joshua 11:1-12:24 Luke 17:11-37 Psalm 84:1-12 Proverbs 13:5-6
Read through the Bible in 2 years: Deut 12.1-14.2 & Psalm 105
