The Voluntary Death of the God-Man

Delivered on a rainy evening at a church in Southern California, this sermon focuses on the pivotal moment of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, as recorded in all four Gospels: Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46, and John 19:30. The speaker emphasizes the unique, active nature of Christ’s death, described as “yielding up the ghost” or “giving up the ghost,” using Greek terms like “afeken to pneuma,” “eksepneusen,” and “paredoken to pneuma” to highlight its voluntary, deliberate act—distinct from the passive death experienced by most humans. As the God-man, fully divine and human, Christ dismissed His spirit, not succumbing to death but conquering it, as anticipated from eternity past. Drawing from Romans 5:6, the sermon underscores that Christ died “in due time” for the ungodly, having created time itself. The speaker contrasts Christ’s death with human experiences of struggling against or surrendering to death, urging believers to reflect on the Savior’s victory and its implications for salvation. The message calls for meditation on Christ’s unique death to inspire faithful living and to awaken the unsaved to flee to Him.