Why Jesus Lay Down His Life for You

Mark 8:31
Jesus began telling His disciples what would happen to Him. He said, “The nation’s leaders, the chief priest, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. He will be rejected and killed, but three days later He will rise to life.”

Jesus shares with His disciples what will happen to Him and what He will do. Jesus is telling His followers that He is going to die. Jesus is telling His followers He will come back to life.

They heard the “die” part but not the “come back to life” part. They didn’t accept delivery.

Philippians 2:6-8
Though He was in the form of God, He did not consider being equal with God something to exploit. But He emptied Himself by talking the form of a slave and becoming like human beings. When He found Himself in the form of a human, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Jesus gave it all for you and me!

Why?

Why did Jesus lay down His life for us?

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

Jesus lay down His life for you so He, the Righteous Sinless One, could become your sin so you, the sinful one, could become the righteous.

1 Peter 3:18
Christ Himself suffered on account of sins, once for all, the righteous one on behalf of the unrighteous. He did this in order to bring you into the presence of God. Christ was put to death as a human, but made alive by the Spirit.

Jesus lay down His life for you so you could come into God’s Presence and be made spiritually alive.

Hebrews 2:9-10
Jesus was made a little lower than the angels, but we see Him crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death. Through God’s kindness He died on behalf of everyone. God is the one for whom and through whom everything exist. Therefore, while God was bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was the right thing to bring Jesus, the source of salvation, to the end of His work through suffering.

Jesus lay down His life for you so you could experience salvation.

Hebrews 13:12
So Jesus also suffered outside the city to make people holy with His own blood.

Jesus lay down His life for you so you could be made holy.

John 15:13
No one has greater love than this - that one lay down life for His friends.

Jesus lay down His life for you so could be made His friend.

Isaiah 53:4-6
Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins! But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all.

Jesus overcame our brokenness and turned it into wholeness.

Jesus turns pride into humbleness.
Jesus turns fear into holy courage.
Jesus turns secrets into truth.
Jesus turns tears into comfort and joy.
Jesus turns doubt into trusting and faith.
Jesus turns shame into honor and respect.

Sidewalk Prophets have a song called Lay Down My Life. Which describes why Jesus lay down His life for you. It says:
All your pain
Will be made mine
All your troubles
The tears you cry
Give it up
All that binds
I will place it on my shoulders
And up this hill I’ll climb
Father, give me strength
I know there is no other way
I lay down my life for you
This is the moment when all will be made new
I know that you don’t understand
But this is part of a greater plan
So I lay down my life for you
This love
That had to bleed
To bring you mercy
To set you free
You are mine
I am yours
And I will wear your burdens
Just like this crown of thorns
I will take your place
I know there is no other way

Then it says:
Give me all your pride
Give me all your fears
Give me all your secrets
Give me all your tears
Give me all your doubt
Give me all your shame
Watch them wash away
Watch them wash away
In Jesus’ name

It ends by saying:
Though I know that you don’t understand
These scars are part of a greater plan
And I lay down my life for you
Arms stretched out
Upon this tree
To show true love
To set you free

Jesus loves you like you are right now.
Jesus accepts you like you are right now.

But His love is so powerful that He will transform you by it into a new person.

2 Corinthians 5:17
When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls recognizes that Jesus lay down His life for us and celebrates it.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls recognizes that without Jesus laying down His life for us we have no hope.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls recognizes our need as followers of Jesus to lay down our lives for Him.

Surrender your life to Jesus by laying it down for Him and letting Him take your brokenness and receiving His wholeness.

Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls By Laying It All Down
Joe