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The Price
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Jesus Christ was sent from heaven to redeem our sin.
"And they cried out again, crucify him", Mark 15:13.
After Jesus had been scourged, the soldiers of the governor then took Jesus. They led him to the place they called Praetorium. They clothed him with a purple robe, they crowned His head with thorns.
"Despised & rejected, He bore our griefs & sorrows", Isaiah 53:3&4, He drank the cup that was prepared for Him (Matthew 20:22, 26:39). Lord Jesus wore a "platted crown of thorns", Mark 15:17.
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Jesus Christ was crucified on Calvery. And so, Jesus paid the price that was required to pay for our sin. Jesus died an awful death, nailed upon a tree (IPeter 2:24). They nailed him to a cross up on Calvery.
"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do", Luke 23:34.
"And the sun was darkened, & the veil of the temple was rent in the midst", Luke 23:45. "And the earth did quake, & the rocks rent ...", Matthew 27:51.
"And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost", Luke 23:46.
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"... God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh & for sin condemned sin in the flesh", Romans 8:3.
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us", Romans 5:8.
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Jesus Christ is the lid of covering. His blood covers all our sin (I John 1:7).
It was GOD's perfect plan that we would accept Jesus as an offering for our sin (Isaiah 53:10).
GOD provided a lamb that was Jesus Christ, as our passover offering (I Corinthians 5:7).
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Jesus is, "the Christ, the Son of the living GOD", Matthew 16:16, but He is also, "the Lamb of GOD who taketh away the sin of the world", John 1:29. He had come here to finish His Father's work and to do His Father's will. His death on the cross finished this work, overcoming the curse of sin and death. All that had been lost would now be gathered & made new again in Chirst & restored to the Father.
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The Old Testament scriptures contain the law & the Messianic prophecies that Jesus would fulfill. And He fulfilled them all. Let us look at some of these.
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Jesus was nailed to the cross. There is an account in Exodus 17:8-15, of the battle between Israel and Amalek. It is taught that this battle represents the battle between spirit & flesh. The imagery in this account in Exodus parallels that of the crucifiction. Moses standing on a hill with Aaron and Hur. When the hands of Moses were raised Israel prevailed but when they became heavy and began to fall to his side Amalek prevailed. So Aaron & Hur helped Moses to hold up his hands. When Moses was too tired to stand, he sat on a rock. The rock representing Christ but also there is some speculation that there was a ledge on the cross to sit on. This is a picture of the crucifiction. Jesus in the middle and the two malefactors on either side. The difference being that the nails held up the hands of Jesus in victory. The scripture declaring, "And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place...", Isaiah 22:23.
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Jesus said, "Father forgive them; for they know not what they do", Luke 23:34. It is written, "...and made intercession for the transgressors", Isaiah 53:12.
It is written in Matthew 27:35, "And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots...", which fulfilled Psalm 22:18. "They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture". This brings to mind two things. First, "...for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness...", Isaiah 61:10. The second, that the action of dividing his garments was a sign that believers would receive a portion and be covered with, "His garments of salvation & the robe of His righteousness".
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It is written in Matthew 27:39-40, "And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads", which fulfilled both Psalm 22:7 & 109:25.
Continuing in Matthew 27 verse 40, "And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross".
There is an account in Nehemiah, in the 6th chapter, of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. The enemies of Nehemiah tried to get him to come down from his work on the wall. "...Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers unto them saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you", Nehemiah 6:2-3.
I believe the account given in the 6th chapter of Nehemiah answers the question of those who chided Jesus to come down from the cross. "...I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you", Nehemiah 6:3.
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It is written in John 19:28, "...Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scriptures might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst".
"...the LORD, the fountain of living waters", Jeremiah 17:13, had in His life on earth, come to the end of the stream. The scripture declaring, "...and ye shall find it at the end of the stream, where you have been driven, in the place founded by God", IIChronicles 20:16 (translated from the Hebrew).
"Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth", John 19:29. This quenched his thirst to make sure that His voice was strong and clear for what was to come next.
"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished", John 19:30. Jesus had come to do His Father's work. "Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work", John 4:34.
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Continuing in John 19:30, "...and bowed his head and gave up the ghost". The Father had given Jesus the power to give His life and to take it back again. Jesus said, "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of my self. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father", John 10:17-18.
The scriptures reveal that, "In him was life and the life was the light of men", John 1:4. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live", John 11:26.
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And it was so: Then all of creation rejoiced when Jesus rose on Easter morn.
See the accounts in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 & John 20.
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