The Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ
What He Came To Do – Pt.2

I.  Discovering Jesus.

Matthew 20:28  "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

The purpose of this session is to discover what it was and is that Jesus came to do.  The above Scripture sums up His purpose and mission statement – He simply came to seek and save the lost by giving His life a ransom for many.  This session will explore how He accomplished this monumental task by going to the cross as the sacrificial Lamb of God.  

1.	Jesus Was To Come As The Lamb of God To Take Away The Sin Of The World.

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 

•	You may ask, “Why is this so critical for me to know?”  

Genesis 3:16-17 Then [God] said to the woman, "You will bear children with intense pain and suffering. And though your desire will be for your husband, he will be your master. And to Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate the fruit I told you not to eat, I have placed a curse on the ground. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.

•	We are saved from the curse. Because of our imperfection, we needed the work of Jesus as the Lamb of God on our behalf.

The truth is; this is the very foundation of all that we are and do as a Christian.  Without an understanding of Jesus as the Lamb of God, Who has come to take away our sins, we will never come into the fullness of what He desires for us.  If you don’t understand why He is the Lamb of God and what His blood has accomplished in your life then you really don’t have anything to stand on.

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 

Leader Facilitator:  Share briefly how your understanding and revelation of Jesus as the Lamb of God has helped you to become an overcomer.

•	His Ministry as the Lamb of God was His most Significant Ministry.

Of all that Jesus came to do, His ministry as the Lamb of God would be His most significant contribution to the world.  The Old Testament Prophet, Isaiah records a prophecy concerning the coming Messiah and what He would be sent to accomplish.

Isaiah 53:4-7 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

The Scripture above gives us close look at all that Jesus accomplished as a result of His death, burial and resurrection when He went to the cross.

When you read the above passage of Scripture, which part stands out to you the most? Why?

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2.	The Blood of the Lamb – Why?

Leviticus 17:11 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given It to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.'
Throughout the Old Testament, beginning with Adam and Eve, whenever mankind sinned an animal had to be sacrificed to make atonement for their sins.  When Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves.  They were simply trying to cover their sin with their own means, like many of us do before we experience Jesus as the Lamb of God.  God saw that their own means of covering their sin was not sufficient, so He came down and killed an animal, shedding its blood, to cover their sin. From then on, blood became the atoning factor for man’s sin. (See Genesis 3:7,21)

Hebrews 9:22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

Hebrews 9:28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

Illustration: A small detachment of British troops, surprised by an overwhelming enemy force, fell back under heavy fire. Their wounded lay in a perilous position, facing certain death. They all realized they had to come immediately under the protection of a Red Cross flag if they wanted to survive. All they had was a piece of white cloth, but no red paint. So they used the blood from their wounds to make a large cross on that white cloth. Their attackers respected that grim flag as it was held aloft, and the British wounded were brought to safety (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Great Boer War).

Our enemy not only must respect the blood of Christ shed on Calvary's cross, he also is helpless against it. Christ's blood represents the sacrifice of One whose death removed the guilt and condemnation of our sin and broke its hold over us. It is absolute protection against the accusation of Satan, the defeating remembrances of past sins, and the down pull of our Adamic nature. No wonder we glory in the cross.—D.J.D.

II. 	What Jesus Came To Do.

God is looking to build something in our lives that will last throughout eternity. The truths that come forth from Jesus’ ministry as the Lamb of God are strong foundational truths that are the forms and the reinforcements that go into building the spiritual foundation that is necessary for God to build on.
According to Isaiah 53, through the work of the cross Jesus came to:

•	bear our griefs (sicknesses, diseases) and heal us by the stripes that He was beaten with.
•	carry our sorrows
•	be wounded for our transgressions and iniquities
•	be chastised for our peace
•	take upon Himself our sins

Of the five areas mentioned above, which one do you appreciate the most?  Why?	

	

1.	He Came to Bear Our and Sicknesses and Diseases.

Isaiah 53:4,5b Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted… and by His stripes we are healed.

•	The fulfillment of Isaiah 53.

Matthew 8:16-17 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses."

Notice that it says here that he healed all who were sick that the prophecy of Isaiah 53 might be fulfilled.  Jesus was and is obligated to heal all who come to him for healing.  During His ministry He healed everyone who came to Him for healing.  Because He operated in perfect faith He was able to do this.  He is still obligated today; as Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, but the problem is; we don’t operate in the same perfect faith that He did.  We must be like the apostle Paul who said… 
Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

The key to our victory, in the above Scripture, is to believe God and to press forward in and laying hold of the victory He has already gained for us.

Salvation and faith apply to every area of our lives including faith and our battle with the enemy.  In fact, the Bible uses the same Greek words for salvation as it does for healing.  They are the Greek words “sozo” and “soteria.”  The Word of God guarantees us victory in every area that pertains unto life and salvation including our victory over the enemy’s devices.  We have been made overcomers by the blood of the Lamb.

1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world; our faith.

Do you believe God wants to heal you of all your sicknesses and diseases? What area of faith do you need to press into the most?

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2.	He Came to Carry our Sorrows.

Isaiah 53:3-4  He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

Matthew 26:38-39 Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me." 39He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

As Jesus was in the garden praying to His Father in Heaven, He was totally aware of what was about to transpire in the next few hours.  In His flesh He felt the full weight of what He was about to go through and became very sorrowful.  He went through this on our behalf, so that we would be able to cast all of our sorrows upon Him.

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30"For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

What kind of burdens and sorrows have you sincerely laid at the feet of Jesus?

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3.	He Was Wounded For Our Transgressions and Iniquities.

Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;

1 Peter 1:18-19 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 

In these verses Peter is speaking of the objective work of God for your salvation, which is redemption. He had to pay a price for you. You and I stood under the judgment of God, for the Scripture says ". . . the soul that sins, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4) God has never revoked that decree. God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The immutability of God is the terror of the wicked – if they give any thought to it at all. We hear it said that we are living in a new age with new thoughts and new values, but God has not changed. There would be no reason for Him to change because He knew the end from the beginning. Neither did He learn anything when He looked at the morning newspaper or heard the television newscaster this morning. It didn't give Him any information because He knows all things – past, present, and future. And God has not changed His decree that "the soul that sins, it shall die." J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible

Isaiah 53:5 shows the account of the sufferings of Christ for our sins that Jesus suffered for us. We have all sinned, and have come short of the glory of God. This is the atonement that was to be made for our sins and is the only way of salvation. Our sins were the thorns in Christ's head, the nails in his hands and feet, the spear in his side. He was delivered to death for our offences. He purchased for us the Spirit and grace of God, by His sufferings to destroy our sinful desires. (Adam Clarke Commentary)

Romans 5:6-8 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 
"All of us carry the nails of the cross in our pocket." 
 How easily we crucify Him!
•	By subtly moving Him to the peripheral of our conversation when it is embarrassing to be identified with Christ. 
•	By compromising His principles in business when it is to our advantage to hedge the truth. 
•	By smugly taking credit for accomplishments that would have been impossible without His help. 
While enjoying a warm and secure evening with Christ and the other disciples the night before the cross, Peter declares, "Lord, I will lay down my life for you." In a matter of hours however, Peter distances himself from any association with Christ: Personal survival winning over telling and identifying with the Truth.
It is easy to promise Christ the moon when we are among His friends. The true test comes amidst times of guerrilla warfare in hostile enemy territory.
 We would never physically crucify Christ.  Of course, but how often do we subtly abandon Him when identifying with Him would jeopardize our peace, prosperity, or social standing?
 Yes… we, like Peter, "carry the nails of the cross in our pocket."
 – Martin Luther
Matthew 10:32-33 "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 

We serve the God of reconciliation, forgiveness, and second chances. Peter sinned by denying Jesus three times, but he was restored by Christ and empowered to do great things. In like manner, we can be forgiven for whatever we have done, and used by God. There is no condemnation for Christians.

3.	He Was Chastised For Our Peace.

Isaiah 53:5b The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Colossians 1:20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

Peace between God and man; for man being in a sinful state, and there being no peace to the wicked, it required a reconciliation to be made to restore peace between heaven and earth; but peace could not be made without an atonement for sin, and the consequence shows that the blood of Christ shed on the cross was necessary to make this atonement. — Adam Clarke's Commentary

In what ways have you experienced the peace of God since coming to Jesus?	

	

4.	He Took Upon Himself Our Sins – He Became Sin For Us.

Isaiah 53:6b And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This is probably one the most amazing facts concerning the atonement of Christ – that is that He became sin for us.  Jesus who was totally without sin was now filled with sin as He hung on the cross.  Up until now He had not cried out, not even once while He was beaten and crucified.

Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.

Now that He is hanging on the cross full of the sins of mankind, He cries out in agony.

Matthew 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

At this point in time, because Jesus was full of the sins of the world, the Father could no longer look at Him.  The close intimacy He had continually experienced with the Father during His time on earth was no longer and He cried out in agony and dies. 

When you think of Jesus hanging on the cross full of your sin, completely alone and alienated from His Father, how does it make you feel?	

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As a result of Jesus taking our sin, He also became our righteousness.  This means we are now totally righteous in Him.  He has become our righteousness.

Hebrews 10:14  For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

In other words, when God now looks upon us, He doesn’t see us in our sinful state, but rather as perfect, standing in the righteousness of Christ.

Psalm 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
III.	Practical Applications.

We’ve just been given a glimpse into the atonement of Jesus and have seen through the Word of God, Who He is, and what He came to do through the work of the cross.  His desire is now for us to receive all that He purchased for us.  We are His purchased possession.

We have been given much as a result of all that Jesus came to do.

2 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

1.	We Must Believe as Abraham Did.

Romans 4:20-22 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness."

The key to Abraham’s faith was that he was fully convinced in his heart that God would perform His promise towards him.

•	What if I’m not fully convinced the way Abraham was?  How can I get there?

There is really only one way to get there and that is to meditate in His word to the degree that you begin to take possession of it and own it.  In other words, you really believe it.

1.	Joshua was told to meditate in the Word to make his way more successful – Joshua 1:8
2.	David encouraged us to mediate in God’s word so that we would continue to bear fruit and prosper – Psalm 1:1-3.
3.	David also said, “I have hidden His word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” – Psalm 119:11.

2.	We Must Confess That Which We Believe.

2 Corinthians 4:13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak,

•	What does this really mean?  How do I begin to confess God’s Word for my Life?

1.	Instead of making confessions according to your circumstances, confess who you are in Christ and what He has said you are capable of.  
2.	Examples: You are more than a conqueror in Christ, He always leads you in triumph, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you – Romans 8:37, 2 Corin. 2:14, Phil.  4:13.
3.	During Abraham’s great testing of his faith, he made confessions according to the covenant God had already established with him rather than the circumstances of the moment – Genesis 22:5,8.
4.	What are the everyday circumstances you are going through that seem to be in contradiction to what God has purposes for your lives?  He has given to you, through His covenant, all things that pertain unto life and godliness.  
5.	Begin to make your confession based on the promises of God’s Word rather than your personal circumstances and you will begin to see your faith grow in a mighty way just as Abraham did.

3.	We Must Act Upon That Which We Believe.

James 2:25-26 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Faith works hand-in-hand with works. Acting upon what you say you believe reveals your faith.  

The above passage of Scripture speaks of how Rahab was justified by works. How was this so?  According to the second chapter of Joshua, she received the Hebrew spies when they were scouting out the land.  She not only received them, but told them how to escape without being detected.  She jeopardized her life by turning her back on her old life and on her own people.  She did not just say, "Jesus saves and keeps and satisfies." She said to them, "I'm going to do something. I will hide you because I believe God is going to give the people of Israel this land.  She believed God, and she became involved. She was justified before God by her faith.

Hebrews 11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.

J. Vernon McGee writes, "Many years ago I went to a nursery and bought a bare root which was labeled "Santa Rosa plum." It wasn't even as big as a broom handle, and it looked no more alive than a broom handle. I was told to put it in the ground in a certain way, and I did that. I watched it, and the next spring it began to shoot out leaves. In three years there were blossoms on it, and then there was fruit. Do you know what kind of fruit was on that tree? Plums. The root of that tree was a plum root. 
 
Faith is the root, and the root produces the kind of fruit that the root itself is. If you have a living faith, there is going to be fruit in your life. 

Paul says, "Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith; prove your own selves . . ." (2 Corinthians 13:5) 

What is it in your life now that pertains unto life and godliness that you are in need of?

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How will you go about receiving what God has promised you through His Word?

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IV. Other Resources

Bible Studies:
http://kenbirks.com/healing-covenant.htm 

Books:
The classic book by Charles Dickens, A  Tale of Two Cities, is a great read. In it, during the French Revolution, a main character gives his life for others.

Born Again by Charles Colson is a readable biography about the founder of Prison Fellowship. It tells the story of how President Nixon’s “hatchet man” came to Christ during a time of disgrace in the Watergate era. It shows God’s grace for an undeserving man, and how God can transform and use a person.