Why
a Sacrifice?
Why
did Jesus have to suffer and die on that cruel cross in order to provide
salvation for the world? The
innocent have always suffered because of the sins of the wicked.
6.
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and
pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and
ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
7.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were
naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was
walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God
among the trees of the garden.
9.
But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
10.
He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I
was naked; so I hid."
11.
And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from
the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
21.
The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed
them.
The
sacrificial system was created by God to provide a way for man to receive
forgiveness for his sins and to maintain some kind of a relationship even if it
was through a high priest in a temple. God
is a holy and just God. He cannot allow sin to go unpunished nor can He allow
His children to remain in a sinful state. God
provided a way out, but an innocent had to suffer.
27.
"`If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is
forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, he is guilty.
28.
When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his
offering for the sin he committed a female goat without defect.
29.
He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at
the place of the burnt offering.
30.
Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it
on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood
at the base of the altar.
31.
He shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the
fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as an aroma
pleasing to the LORD. In this way the priest will make atonement for him, and he
will be forgiven.
32.
"`If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, he is to bring a female
without defect.
33. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it for a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.
34.
Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his
finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the
rest of the blood at the base of the altar.
35. He shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made to the LORD by fire. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.
It
was not so much an innocent as it was a pure sacrifice.
God is pure and sinless; therefore only a pure and unblemished sacrifice
would do. Jesus was that pure
sacrifice who would pay for our sins and remove the curse of separation from
God.
“John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
1.
Jesus provided what was needed.
3.
But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins,
4.
because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away
sins.
5.
Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and
offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;
6.
with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.
7.
Then I said, `Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll-- I have
come to do your will, O God.'"
8.
First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin
offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the
law required them to be made).
9.
Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets
aside the first to establish the second.
10.
And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all.
2.
Jesus became sin for us.
21.
God made him who had no sin to be sin
for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
3. Jesus paid the price for our sins and made us right before God.
22.
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all
who believe. There is no difference,
23.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24.
and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by
Christ Jesus.
25.
God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,
through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice,
because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand
unpunished--
26.
he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be
just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Conclusion: Why a sacrifice?
Because God is holy and just. God
is pure and sinless. God cannot
fellowship with sin; He must destroy sin. When
we sin we break fellowship with God and someone has to pay for those sins.
We can’t because we’re blemished and stained. We’re an unacceptable
and tarnished offering. Something
innocent and pure must be sacrificed in order to please God and wipe away our
filthy sins. Jesus stepped forward and became that sacrifice!
(Revelation 5:6-13)