Beloved radio friends, we welcome you to the meditation upon the Savior's words from the Gospel of John in chapter sixteen and verse twenty-eight that we have been considering and continue to do so today, revealing the history of Christ the Son of God. We repeat his words saying, I came forth from the Father and am coming to the world. Again I leave the world and go to the Father. Unquote. Twenty-two words. May I commend to you. Meditate upon them carefully. The Lord telling all of his history. I came forth from the Father and am come into the world. Again I leave the world and go to the Father. The pre-existence of Christ The incarnation of that impeccable life of Christ, we've considered carefully, and we've introduced our meditation in the preceding message concerning the death of Christ. For in the words that he quoted, saying, Again I leave the world, we have to recognize, contrary to the existence of ordinary men, The departure out of this life for the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was different. His death is far different than the death of any other person. And we emphasize, rather than his earthly life, which is precious, the necessity of his death. It is of supreme importance. And we would now carefully consider why. My beloved, may I say first, The death of the Son of God upon the cross was foretold in the Old Testament, in type as well as in prophecy. There are emphatic statements concerning the coming death of the Lord Jesus to be our Savior. And from the book of Genesis chapter three we can trace through the whole Bible, in fact, the scarlet line of redemption for the death of the Son of God is prominent in the Old Testament types and shadows, and it is very prominent in the New Testament. May I give you the thought that in the New Testament alone, the death of Christ is mentioned one hundred and seventy-five times in the New Testament. The importance of that death, the importance, far more important in this emphasis, than his birth and of his life even, although they were necessary. But another fact, his death is the chief reason for his incarnation. We've already emphasized that. It was no afterthought. It was no accident, but it was ordained before the foundation of the world that the Son of God should come to the earth to be made flesh to die. Therefore, his death is a fundamental theme of the gospel. Christ died for our sins according to the scripture we read from Romans five, as well as the first Corinthians chapter fifteen and many other scriptures. And this good news implies he died for our sins. Christ dying for our sins. And his death is essential to the truth of Christianity. The message of Christianity distinguishes itself from all other religions by the importance of the death of Christ. I desire you to find a man who has been a religious, worldwide religious leader of any type, of any time. You cannot point to one man who died for his followers. And if you were to take away the death of Christ, it would reduce Christianity to the level of another religion. But, oh, we thank God His death was essential to the truth of Christianity. Now let us consider the extent of that death of Christ. Oh, the extent of it. What does it imply? First of all, I quote John three sixteen, just the opening part of it. Christ died for the whole world. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. It is the clear teaching of Scripture. Let us go further. By the death of Christ, his death, by his death he takes away the sin of the world. John one-twenty-nine. Behold the Lamb of God, which take away the sin of the world. By his death he is said to have reconciled the world unto God. Second Corinthians chapter five in verse nineteen. He reconciled the world to God by his death. By his death he gave himself a ransom for everybody, for all men. There is only one mediator between God and men. The man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom for how many? All of them. First Timothy two six. By his death he brought salvation to all men. Titus chapter two and verse eleven. by his death he has become the savior for all men we're told in first timothy four ten that he is the savior for all men by his death he tasted death for all you've got that in hebrews two nine he tasted death for every man and by his death he made propitiation for the sins of the whole world you've got that in first john chapter two and verse two My beloved, there's no death like the death of the Son of God and its worldwide effect for all the world to be blessed. Therefore, when he was leaving the world, how did he leave it? By his atoning death upon the cross. And there is a necessary, and here is the key, to what we need from the message. It is necessary to realize our responsibility, the responsibility of all mankind toward the death of Christ in the full extent. He died for every man, woman, boy and girl the whole world. Now you raise the question. I'm sure many do. Then why are not all men saved? One reason only. Any person, man, woman, boy or girl. One man, woman, boy and girl. They must first believe that Christ died for him or for her. He died for all, yes. But I'm going to tell you frankly, every man, woman, boy, and girl must personally appropriate the benefit of his death for himself and herself. Being able to say and say it from a heart of faith and repentance for your sins, He died for my sins, for me. You've read the twenty-third Psalm. You know how it begins. The Lord is my shepherd. Now the Lord is a shepherd. The Lord is the shepherd. But can you say the Lord is my shepherd? You've got to make him your own. You've got to make him your own. Yes, he died for all the world. But let us say we must appropriate individually the benefits of his death for himself or for herself. Now let us recapitulate this truth about his death when he said, Again I leave the world. He left it, but don't forget where he left it, how he left it, dying upon the cross at Calvary. He left it but not without providing salvation or redemption for the whole human race. Do you remember the words that he uttered upon the cross? The last words that he ever spoke? Did he not say it is finished? What did he mean? Let me just remind you, if you've read the Gospel of Luke, In chapter two of Luke's Gospel, when the Lord Jesus was twelve years of age, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to one of the great Passover feasts. And you remember they lost him, left him there. He stayed behind when they went home. And they sought for him for three days. And when they found him and upbraided him because they had worried about him, you remember the reply that Jesus made to Mary when she rebuked him the first recorded words that the Lord Jesus Christ ever gave. Now he taught before then, I know, but these are the only words recorded for the first time as to what he ever spoke. He said to his mother, Wist she not that I must be about my father's business? Please don't forget. The babe in Bethlehem came to do its father's business. But it wasn't finished until he had died upon the cross. And then, when he had become our sacrifice for our sins and paid the penalty in those three hours of darkness, then triumphantly at the end he cried, It is finished. He gave up the ghost. The purpose for which he was born at Bethlehem was done. The purpose for which he had been caused to come and set his face as a flint to go to Jerusalem and to die was finished. My sinner friend, the work to save your soul has been done. The work to save my soul has been done. Finished. by his death, not by his birth, not by his life, but by his atoning death. When God laid upon his son, his single son, the iniquities of us all. Or may I please focus your attention particularly on the story of his death. It is the greatest and the most important event in his history. and in all human history. The most important fact in the history of the Son of God, you leave out the death of the Son of God on the cross, there is no Savior. Leave it out, there is no salvation. Oh, go further than Bethlehem. Don't carry it the manger. Go further to Nazareth and Galilee, and beyond that, go to Calvary. And there his death fulfilling his words, again I leave the world. And may I say, my beloved friend, when the Savior left the world he had done, he had finished the work to save your soul. And you can't do anything to do anything for it, for yourself. He did it all. Have you not sung the old hymn? Jesus paid it all. Yes, my fellow believer, why don't you believe he did the work and completed it for your salvation by his death? Father, bless thy word to the glory of our Savior to all in his precious name. Amen.