Born to Die

 This sermon was given on March 21, 2021 and was on the theme of self-denial in observance of the season of Lent. It was based on John 12:24 "... unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone..." The message focused on the example of Jesus as He steadily walked toward the cross, and on His call for disciples to die to self-centered desires. A video recording of the worship service in which this sermon was preached can be viewed by clicking here.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction:

I have not said much yet this year about the season of Lent, leading up to Easter. It is a period of time when many churches and people emphasize the need to reflect on the events in the life of Christ prior to His crucifixion. It is a time for us to personally apply His journey to our own lives as we seek to draw closer to the Lord.

At the beginning of this month, I received an email from Focus on the Family that directed me to an article written by Dr. Paul Tripp, author, teacher, and pastor of Tenth Presb. Ch. in Philadelphia. I want to share some quotes from his article here.

“It is important to remember that at the end of Lent stands a tomb. From the moment he was born, Jesus was marching to his death. He had to be willing to suffer and die in order for redemption to be accomplished and applied. Death was his job description. Death was his destiny.” (Meditating on the Death of Christ - Focus on the Family)

Today, we will be reviewing some of the statements of Christ during His journey to the cross and making some applications to our own spiritual journey that includes the necessity of our own death.

Dr. Tripp continues, “What I am going to say next may surprise you; it may even discourage you… At the end of Lent is your death, as well… Death is the motif of this season of remembrance. It is the motif not just because of the death of Jesus, but because, during this season, we hear again another call to die.”

In a very real sense Jesus was “born to die.” It was His mission. It was His destiny. Likewise, every individual believer is “born to die.” It is the call from Jesus to those who would choose to follow Him.

I.          A Principle from Nature

John 12:24 ^(NKJV) Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.

In the context of this statement, we read that Jesus had been at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Following that, the passage gives brief details about the triumphal entry and the praise that the people were giving to Him. Then, we read of the Greeks who had come to Jerusalem to worship at the Feast asking for someone to lead them to Jesus.

When Jesus was advised by Philip that the Greeks wanted to see him, Jesus responds in an unusual way. Instead of savoring the popularity and glory He was getting, He immediately turns their focus onto His approaching death. To do this, He uses a basic principle from the world of nature – in order for a seed to accomplish its primary purpose, it must fall into the ground and experience a death in order to produce more life and to produce a harvest. Seed corn and other types of seed grain have one mission – they are “born to die.” And, when they die, they produce a harvest of grain that is useful and essential for multiple purposes, including nourishment.

Ills. – Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, et. al. martyred in 1956.

II.        The Example of Our Lord

I quoted earlier from the article written by Paul Tripp in which he states that Jesus was “marching to His death,” and “death was His destiny.” Now, in the truest sense of the word, every individual ever born is marching toward death immediately after birth because death is the curse upon the entire human race as a result of sin. Yet, Jesus is unique. He is not the same as every other human being. He is the Son of God – a man who had not inherited the sin nature and therefore did not have to die.

Despite His prerogative to avoid death, He journeyed toward death because that was His mission and purpose. He was “born to die,” and He frequently spoke about it even though His followers did not understand His words. Consider these passages in which He clearly defines His earthly destiny.

Matthew 16:21 (NKJV) From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

Matthew 17:22-23 (NKJV) Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful.

Matthew 20:18, 28 (NKJV) Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, ²⁸ … the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Mark 9:31-32 (NKJV) ³¹ For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day." ³² But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.

Luke 22:22 (NKJV) And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"

John 12: 27, 32-33 (NKJV) Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ³² And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." ³³ This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

These verses along with many others show us that Jesus knew his earthly destiny was death. Disciples were focused on the coming earthly kingdom of God, so they completely missed the significance of Jesus’ words about His death until after it was completed.

A little more than a month ago I spoke on the passage that says, “His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.” Although there were other meanings implied in this phrase, it also indicated that He knew what was awaiting Him, but He was determined to go. Jesus clearly understood that without His own death, His mission to save humanity from eternal destruction and ruin would not be possible.

There is a Christmas song titled, “Ring the Bells,” which include these lyrics, “Born to die that man might live.” That clearly was the truth about Jesus.

III.       The Call of Our Lord

Another quote from Paul Tripp I read earlier was this, “At the end of Lent is your death, as well… Death is the motif of this season of remembrance. It is the motif not just because of the death of Jesus, but because, during this season, we hear again another call to die.”

I’ve already mentioned the fact that every human being immediately begins marching toward their own death after their birth because sin has caused death to come upon the entire human race. But there is another death the Bible speaks of for every follower of Jesus. It is a spiritual death to self and selfish passions.

It is a paradox really. The Bible tells us that we are already “dead in trespasses and sins” and we are “made alive” through faith in Christ at the moment we are “born again.” Yet, after that moment of new birth, we are called to die. It is not a death leading back into sin and disobedience, but it is a death to the nature of sin which seeks to promote our own desires, passions and interests rather than God’s.

Paul Tripp – By God’s redeeming plan we are united with Christ in his death and resurrection. In that way your moment of belief is a death and a resurrection. But there is more. Now that you are united with Christ, you are called to a very specific surrender, that is, dying to self. 

Matthew 10:38 (NKJV) And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

Luke 9:23 (NKJV) Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Luke 14:27 (NKJV) And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

In his book, Not a Fan, Kyle Idleman has a chapter that focuses on these words of Jesus calling His disciples to “take up their cross” daily and follow Him. In this chapter, he expands on the message by reminding his readers that the challenge is not intended to be one of comfort and ease. It is not intended to make the life of a disciple appear glamorous or comfortable.

Far too often pastors, churches and Christians try to win unchurched and unsaved people by making it sound as appealing as possible. But, Kyle Idleman says if Jesus would have had a slogan for public relations campaigns, it might have been this: “Come and Die!” Jesus never sugar-coated the message. The truth was simple – becoming His follower required a deliberate choice to surrender one’s sovereignty and self-rule.

I want to wrap up the message by sharing some quotes from both Tripp and Idleman because I can’t think of a way to say it any better than they do.

(Tripp) We are called to die to that life where we did what we wanted to do, when we wanted to do it, and how we wanted to do it. We are called to die to setting our own rules and living however we please. We are called to die to our rulership of our own lives. We are called to let go of our self-appointed sovereignty, living as if we’re the only master that we need, and to surrender ourselves and all we have to another master. We are called to die to our desires for our own comfort, pleasure, and glory and give ourselves to seek the glory of the King and the success of his kingdom. We are called to die to our own righteousness and find our hope, help, and comfort in the righteousness of Jesus given over to our account. This death that I have just described is a process of daily scanning our lives to see where things still live in us that should not live, then praying for the strength to die once again.

Like the death of Jesus, this death is not a defeat, but a huge and glorious victory. For everywhere [we] die, [we] will be resurrected to new life in that area. 

(Idleman) When Jesus says, “Take up your cross…” the word “take” indicates that dying is a choice we make. Idleman also wrote about a friend who came to Christ through the witness of someone who asked him the question, “If you died tonight, would you go to heaven?”

My friend explained to me that when he accepted Christ, he knew that when he died, he would receive eternal life, but no one told him that when he accepted Christ, he was making a decision to die right then. He got the message that when he died, he would go to heaven to be with God, but it was ten years later before he understood that death starts now.

Conclusion:

It is a wonderful experience to be born again. It is joy and a blessing to know the new life in Christ after being bound and dead in our sins. But the moment we are born, we are called to die. We are called to die to selfish desires every day in order to fully obey and follow our Master. The Bible describes the dying as both an event and a process. There is a moment of full and total surrender of our will to the will of God, but there are daily decisions to die as God reveals areas that hinder the continuing control He requires over our lives.

In these days leading up to Easter as we think and meditate upon the journey Jesus took, let us seek the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and lives revealing any areas that need to be sacrificed on the altar so we can continue being a genuine follower of Jesus. We all need to add a simple request in our daily prayer time before the Lord. “Lord, show me how and when you want me to die to self today.”

The closing song is a testimony of surrender to the life of a true disciple:

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken