Reading: Isaiah 53
1. Introduction
Everyone loves shopping, especially if one has a lot of money to spend. It's very exciting and great fun. After a shopping trip the one question that folk ask - or would like to ask - is:
Everything in this universe has a value. And if an owner of something wishes to transfer it to another, he may either sell, in which case a price is involved; or he may give it away, in which case there is no price involved. You've all no doubt heard it said that Salvation is a gift - it's free! And that is perfectly true. Salvation is offered to the human race - free of charge! It is a gift from YaHuWaH to us, it's free! But it is a terrible mistake to think that because salvation is free to us - it is valueless or cost nothing. In actual fact our salvation cost a great deal to the One who bought it for us.
2. What was the Price?
The price YaHuWaH paid to buy us back from Satan and eternal death is called the Price of Redemption. The word 'redemption' means to buy back, to recover - by payment - something which was yours in the first place. What was man's redemption price? What did YaHuWaH give to buy us back from Satan?
| John 3:16 | For YaHuWaH so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17: For YaHuWaH sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. 18: He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of YaHuWaH. |
Note: Blood represents life. YaHuWaH shed His life blood to win life for us. The Father's part of the sacrifice (the RAM caught in the thicket by it's horns) is a mystery we shall investigate and marvel at throughout eternity. I do believe that the Father's sacrifice in the plan of salvation is infinitely higher than He is prepared to tell of. His humility forbids it. But I am certain that it was an enormous price; possibly beyond our ability to understand and appreciate.
In exchange for man's salvation Emmanuel the Son gave up the following:
His Reputation
| Isaiah 53:3 | He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. |
His Happiness
He became a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief.
| Isaiah 53:4 | Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of Elohim, and afflicted. |
Our sickness, weakness, pains and distress; the Savior accepted all these.
His Innocence
| Isaiah 53:5 | But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. 6: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and YaHuWaH hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. |
Note: When at Calvary the sins of mankind were laid on the Savior, He was reckoned as guilty as the Serpent itself. The Father could no more countenance Messiah's guilt (that which was placed on Him) than He could Satan's; and thus the full measure of divine wrath and punishment was poured out on the Son just as surely as if He had committed those sins Himself. Thus He gave up His innocence and 'became sin for us.'
His Right of Appeal
| Isaiah 53:7 | He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth. |
His Posterity
| Isaiah 53:8 | He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? ... |
His Life
| Isaiah 53:8 | ... for He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of My people was He stricken. |
Pause and consider what an amazing price YaHuWaH paid for your salvation! Those are the things (and much more) that YAHUSHUA gave up to buy life for you and I. Oh the wonder of it all!
3. Value for Money / Use
Everything has a value; either in monetary terms, or in an abstract equivalent (memories, love, friendship, faith and happiness). All of these have value. They are worth something. Values are perhaps best measured by the price one is prepared to pay for them. In other words, you can tell a thing's worth by its price. Judging by the price YaHuWaH paid for our salvation, and bear in mind that the Creator is not ignorant of an item's real worth, we can safely say that the human race is an extremely valuable purchase. In other words, human beings are not cheap. Every person, no matter how poor or worthless he/she may appear, is of priceless worth. Bear in mind that we were created "in the image of Elohim!" Therefore it is an error for believers to repeatedly refer to themselves as being "useless and worthless." It makes nonsense of the enormous price paid for our redemption. The fact is, YaHuWaH paid a very high price for man's salvation. We are His jewels - everyone of us - His most valuable possession. And because of this fact we are admonished as follows:
| Malachi 3:16 | Then they that feared YaHuWaH spake often one to another: and YaHuWaH hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared YaHuWaH, and that thought upon His Name. 27: And they shall be Mine, saith YaHuWaH Tz'va'ot, in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. |
4. In Your Body / Temple
The true believer is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. To appreciate what this means study the physical temple of Solomon. (1 Kings 6) It was made of the very finest materials, built by the best builders in the realm and visited and blessed by the most glorious Person in the universe. But it was simply a physical symbol of YaHuWaH 's church. Yes, we believers are the real Temple of YaHuWaH. And because of this fact we are to glorify Him just as the physical Temple of Solomon was glorified.
Dress Well
This means we must wear good, clean garments. Like every temple on the face of this earth, we must be properly turned out - else we will bring shame, not glory to the Elohim we represent.
| Judges 8:18 | ... each one resembled the children of a king. |
Keep in Good Health
Eat the right amounts of the right food. See Leviticus chapter 11 where believers are advised as to the right and wrong meats to eat. Certain animals (pigs, dogs, cats, snakes, mice etc., are 'unclean' and must not be eaten.) For further information see Dietary Laws in Scripture.
Be Clean
Physical cleanliness is of great importance. It comes second only to godliness. "Be ye clean"
Follow after Godliness
Godliness is next to cleanliness. This is, doubtless, the most important aspect of a believer's responsibilities.
5. Are You Worth It?
"Have you been shopping lately? What have you bought? What did you pay?" And, here comes the next - inevitable - question: "Is it worth it?" Let me ask you an extremely personal question. "Are you worth what YaHuWaH paid for you?" It's a difficult question to answer; but it's one we should be constantly asking ourselves. "Am I worth it?"
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