Beloved radio, friends, in the precious and worthy name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, we heartily greet you and welcome you to the listening of God's precious word. We cherish the great privilege under God to thus be able to bring his word to the hearts of our friends who listen in. We continue our blessed theme concerning the person of Christ. May I repeat with emphasis, the desire of my heart is greatly that you may know the Lord Jesus, who He is, and what He has done for the blessing of your soul, not only for life, but for all eternity. We are at the present time considering the atoning death of the Lord Jesus. We have one of the greatest things regarding its person. Tis are not only great, but it is relevant. for your blessing and mine in salvation. We have noticed some special facts relating to the prominence of his death, both in the Old and New Testament, and especially in the preceding message, the joy of knowing, the fundamental theme in the Gospel, we must mention to be the death of Christ, an essential teaching to the doctrine of Christianity. Now we would consider another essential truth. relative to the death of Christ. Why necessary? And this comes down to a very personal application for every individual. His death is essential to our salvation. Can I repeat it? His death is essential for our salvation. I don't know if you were saved, my listening friend. But I would seek by God's grace and help to impress upon you this thought that death of Christ is essential for you to be saved. I quote the words from John three, words that were spoken by the Lord Jesus to Nicodemus. You may know well about the story. Some of you that have read it may remember that Nicodemus came to the Lord Jesus by night, convinced that he was a teacher from God. but was amazed and astonished when the Lord Jesus said to this ruler of the Jews, pious, noble as he may have been, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. I've got every confidence that Nicodemus was expecting, not only expecting, but he was working that he might enter into that kingdom. It was his old life's desire. to be in the kingdom of God in the eternal state. But how shocked and surprised he was when Jesus said, Nicodemus, marvel not, that I say unto you, you must be born again. And he couldn't understand it. Master of Israel, not all men who claim to teach the Bible know all about the Bible. Neither did Nicodemus, though he was a teacher. And as the Lord Jesus goes on talking, now let me quote the words from chapter three of John verse fourteen and fifteen, when the Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus, and then he reminded him of an Old Testament incident in the book of Numbers chapter twenty-one that Nicodemus would recognize. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life. Now there you can find the Lord Jesus saying, and let me point out the contrast between his statement in the earlier part of the chapter, when he said to Nicodemus, marvel not that you must be born again. You need to Nicodemus. And then in verse fourteen and fifteen he tells Nicodemus, if you are going to be born again, If you were going to enter into the kingdom of God and see it, I must be lifted up, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness upon a pole. My beloved, you know the truth of it. The old hymn writer as well said, Lift it up was he to die. It is finished, was his cry, now in heaven exalted high. Hallelujah, what a savior. May I repeat? The death of the Lord Jesus is essential to your salvation and mine. Christ must be lifted up to die upon a cross. May I go a little further to remind you. In John chapter twelve and twenty-four, said the Lord Jesus, except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die. It abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. And he was the grain of wheat, falling into the ground to die. that he might save sinners, and thank God for everyone that is the fruit of his death. Then may I go further to remind you, God can only pardon sinners when the penalty for sin has been paid. For Christ had to die before God could justify, forgive, and clear an ungodly sinner, and yet God remained just in himself. Listen to these words. I read them from Romans three. Twenty-five and twenty-six. God has set forth the Lord Jesus' son, a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God and to declare Isaiah this time. His righteousness, God is doing a righteous thing. When? He might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. My beloved, God sent his son to the cross to shed his blood, to meet the need of your sin and mine, to cleanse our sins away in his sight. And through faith in that blood, you and I are cleared from all charges against us. And God says it. righteous for me to do it my sin my son paid the penalty and may I say God can only pardon sinners when the penalty for sin has been paid my listener let me inject the question again what think you of Christ at this very point of our message do you believe that he paid the penalty for your sins upon the cross, tis the only way that God can forgive you, because He did it by Himself. And still is just when a sinner comes and says, I do believe, I now believe that Jesus died for me, that on the cross he shed his blood from sin to set me free. You know the old hymn, what can wash away my stain? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. And please let me repeat the theory that not only the theory, the fact, God pardoned sinners. And the only reason He can pardon you, my friend, and do it right now, is because Christ died and paid the penalty. And He wants you to believe it. Please note, I want to read these words. the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and it's upon all them that believe. I raise the question, my friend. Have you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and his atoning death? Or do I need to repeat that when the Lord Jesus was here upon the earth, he himself repeated how essential it was for him to die. saying that he must suffer many things. He said to his disciples, The Son of Man must be killed. The Son of Man must suffer. The Son of Man must die. My beloved, oh, may I bring before your conscience and your soul and your heart, and mine own too. The beloved Son of God in heaven above knew it was imperative. that he should come to this earth to die for sinners like you and me. My friend, have you believed that the Lord Jesus died for you? Oh, have you made your decision? And from God's standpoint, the death of Christ was an absolute necessity for you, and also for me, if we're to be saved. There's no other way. May I repeat the words of the dear poet? The death of Christ. On the life I have not lived a death. I did not die. On other's life and other's death. I stake my whole eternity. And, oh, beloved of one interest, it should be to you as well as to me. Christ died for our sins. It was essential. May I bring it to your heart a little further by God's help and grace? I trust. I don't know if you're unsaved. Unquestionably many of my friends listening may be unsaved. But I want to give you this fact. It was essential for Christ to die in your place that you might obtain salvation. Now the question remains. Will you take it? Will you receive it? The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God, His eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. And therefore, from God's standpoint, the death of Christ has been accomplished, and is an absolute necessity to save you. He did the work. What remains for you to do? Accept it. God will not give you the pardon unless you're willing to take it. Unless you're willing to receive it. And my friend, if you have never received Christ as your Savior and Lord, now is the moment for his death was essential to save your soul. Now I know he died hundreds of years ago, but I want to repeat. His death was essential to save your soul. Did not the jailer of Philippi falling down in deep conviction before the Apostle Paul and Silas say, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And the answer in a flash came back. Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, thou shalt be saved and thy house. My beloved, I can only say the same. What must you do to be saved? The work that saves is done. And now will you accept the fruit of it. God offers it freely through the death of his son. And his death should not only be of supreme interest to you on the earth. But I want you to remember from the scriptures you can find that the death of the Lord Jesus was of supreme interest in heaven. Oh yes. All heaven was interested in the death of the Son of God. Now I raise the question, are you interested in the Son of God? Are you interested in this Savior who died to save you? May God help you to take him if never you have. Beloved and blessed Father, we thank thee for the death of the Lord. May someone come under its benefit now in Jesus' name. Amen.