Church in the home Wednesday evenings 6/Jan/ 2010
The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ
In this article, I want to focus on the definition of a “sacrifice.” We will examine what it was that Jesus sacrificed, what were the benefits to him (and thereby to us) for his doing so, and what it will look like for us to follow in his steps. I think it will become clear that we too should be making sacrifices in our own lives for the good of others.
1 Corinthians 5:7 and 8 (NKJV) [1]
(7) Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
(8) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
There is much figurative language in the above verses, but the point I want us to notice here is that the truth in verse 7—that Jesus gave his life for our sins—is the basis for the action that verse 8 encourages us to take—to live our lives with sincerity and truth. As Scripture says, Jesus Christ is the example for each of us, and we are therefore to walk in his steps (1 Pet. 2:21, for hereunto were ye called; because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that ye should follow His steps).
What was Jesus called to sacrifice? His very life. Psalm 22 prophetically depicts the crucifixion, resurrection, and exaltation of the Messiah, with the first 18 verses pointing to his torture and death, and the last 10 verses pointing to his resurrection and his reign in the Millennial Kingdom. In between are the following pivotal verses, which poignantly foreshadow his crying out to God for deliverance from the grave.
Jesus, on the other hand, agonized alone in the Garden of Gethsemane to such an extent that the Greek text says he was “crushed with anguish” (Luke 22:44-NKJV “being in agony”).
Jesus Christ, however, knew the truth that death, as accurately defined in the Word of God, is “the end, or the absence of, life.” [2] By definition, one cannot be both dead and alive. Jesus knew that if he chose to step into the theretofore unbridged abyss of death, the only way back to life would be via his heavenly Father keeping His promise to raise him from the dead (Gen. 22:1-13 – Abraham and his son Isaac; Ps. 16:10 thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (sheol) nor wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption).
What were the promised benefits that motivated Jesus Christ to lay down his precious life, which was most definitely “something prized or desirable” to him. What was the stupendous “something [that he] considered as having a higher or more pressing claim” compared to the preservation of his own life? The following verses answer that question:
Hebrews 12:1 and 2
(1) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
(2) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The “joy set before” Jesus was the great truth woven throughout the Old Testament that if he would go the distance as the only man who could live a sinless life and die a torturous death as the true Passover Lamb, he would be raised to newness of life, and so would all those who ever believed on him. He would reign over the world for a thousand years and later rule as second-in-command to God on a new earth, enjoying everlasting life with all the redeemed throughout the ages.
Because Jesus knew who he was, and that there was no one else who could do what he was called to do, he chose to walk the path set before him, which called for him to sacrifice his life. Now you and I are members in particular of the Body of Christ, representing him in this fallen world. So who are you? What are you called to sacrifice? And how will that look, behaviorally speaking? What will the benefits be to you for so doing?
Only in the Church Epistles do we find who we are in Christ, and, in the context of this article, that is our basis for understanding that we can “lay down our lives” (behaviorally speaking, in our relationships with others) with the assurance that what we are laying down (sacrificing, giving up, putting to death) are the selfish aspects of the old nature that dwells within us (Rom. 7:18, for I know that in me (that is in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing). This “death” of our old self—our false self, if you will—is the only way to real life, that is, living according to our new and true nature, which is designed by God to revel in putting others before ourselves. Each of us can “get our kicks” only from walking according to the new nature within us. You can see that in Romans 7:22-NKJV (“For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man”) where the root Greek word translated “delight” is hedomai, from which we get the English word “hedonism,” meaning “pleasure for pleasure’s sake.”
The Word of God is clear that in His sight you are dead to sin and alive in Christ.
So what do the Church Epistles have to say about sacrifice? As we consider that question, we should expect whatever we find to flow in line with the principles of Christ’s sacrifice, because we are to follow in his steps.
Romans 12:1 and 2 (NASB) [3]
(1) I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
(2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
……..sacrificing the selfish aspects of our sin nature is the only way to really live life and love people as God desires us to.
Ephesians 5:1 and 2
(1) Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children
(2) and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Colossians 3:1-4
(1) Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
(2) Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
(3) For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
(4) When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Now onto Psalm 22 where the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is clearly sketched.
Psalm 22:1
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
Lots of Psalms start this way with very human feelings (emotions). There are a lot of times that we talk this way when we know we are not really forsaken. Something really bad has happened, and we might say, “God where are you, you are just not in my life anymore, you never show up for me anymore?” What you are doing is just emoting – expressing feelings and frustration.
The Psalms are like that. Why have the Psalms brought so much comfort to so many people through the centuries? Because they express in such human terms, and with such great accuracy how we actually feel, and how we actually think when things are rough around us. I can see this coming out of David during the circumstances he was going through in his life – “my God, my God why has thou forsaken me.”
There are a lot of Psalms that start this way:
Psalm 10:1
Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
Psalm 13:1
How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
This is a beautiful capturing of human emotion, and how we actually feel even when we know in our head it is not really true.
Psalm 22 is a Psalm of David and would have been written more than 900 years before the crucifixion.
Psalm 22:1-6
(1) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
(2) O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.
(3) Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel.
(4) In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.
(5) They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
(6) But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
Verse 6 says “I am a worm and not a man....”
There is something buried here in the Hebrew that we are not seeing in the English, and to see it we have to look closer at this word worm.
The Psalmist wrote by revelation:
Psalm 22:6-8
(6) But I am a worm [I’m scarlet] and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
(7) All who see me mock me, they hurl insults shaking their heads:
(8) “He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”
Psalm 22:9
Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother's breast.
God was working in the Messiah ever since the Messiah was little, working in the people around him to make him know what he was doing and who he was.
Psalm 22:10 and 11
(10) From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God.
(11) Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
You do not talk to God and say, “do not be far from me” if you think He has already forsaken you.
Jesus never thought God forsook him.
No one is near him - the Apostles where scattered, the shepherd was smitten, and the sheep were scattered.
Verse 11 says there is no one to help, and there was not, Jesus was on his own with God.
Psalm 22:12
Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Why does it say Bashan? If you go to Israel, the largest, the best, the nicest looking, strongest, most fit cattle come from an area called Bashan. These are powerful animals, and that is exactly what the Romans where – powerful soldiers. They were the power in the world at that time.
Psalm 22:14
I am poured out like water….
Jesus had so many cuts and was bleeding everywhere.
Psalm 22:14
…all my bones are out of joint….
What a phenomenal prophecy to fulfill being the Passover lamb. Back in Exodus chapter 12 it said “not a bone was broken.” None of the Messiah’s bones were broken. They were out of joint but they were not broken.
Psalm 22:15
My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.
By the time it was 3:00 in the afternoon Jesus did not have a lot of physical strength left. He was literally living on faith alone.
“My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth” - Jesus was so dehydrated. He had been up all day Monday. He was arrested Monday night and beaten. Tuesday he went back and forth between Herod and Pilate. Then he had been up Tuesday night being beaten up by the soldiers. By Wednesday morning he is crucified and here in the afternoon he is still hanging on the cross. So he has probably been up all day Monday, all day Tuesday, he has been up for 48-50 hours, he has been bleeding for hours and hours and hours. He is completely dehydrated, and so his tongue is swollen. That is why he could not enunciate clearly to say “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” and they said, “oh, he is calling for Elijah.”
Psalm 22:16
Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.
A dog was the name for a Gentile and that is exactly what the Jews called the Gentiles – dogs.
They pierced my hands and feet. This is a phenomenal statement because they did not crucify people at the time of David. The crucifixion was not invented until the Romans. The Assyrians had a form of crucifixion but what they did was stick you on a stake. They did not nail you to it or tie you to it.
Crucifixion as we know it in the Four Gospels did not exist until the Roman Empire. Yet more than 900 years before the Messiah was crucified, David writes by revelation “they pierced my hands and feet.”
What accuracy we have in God’s revelation. How things that are spoken in the Bible so accurately come to pass. It is phenomenal!
Think about the people that could see this taking place right in front of them at the foot of the cross. As they start to think about and quote Psalm 22: “Let me see – he is scarlet, he has always loved God, he is surrounded by bulls, his strength is dried up, his tongue is sticking to the roof of his mouth, they pierced his hands and his feet...”
Psalm 22:17 and 18
(17) I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.
(18) They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
Psalm 22:19-22
(19) But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
(20) Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.
(21) Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
(22) I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.
Psalm 22:23 and 24
(23) You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
(24) For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.
Did God forsake Jesus? Not at all!
God heard Jesus' cry through the crowd, he heard every word, he monitored every thought and he listened to every sigh. God was right there with His son, the Messiah, every step of the way. God had to let this play out because it was the only way to legally redeem mankind. Jesus Christ had to give his life for you and for me. God’s heart was broken, but He had to let Jesus die for you and for me – that’s the love of the Father.
Psalm 22:25-31
(25) From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
(26) The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him— may your hearts live forever!
(27) All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,
(28) for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.
(29) All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive.
(30) Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.
(31) They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn— for he has done it.
“He has done it” in the Aramaic is “It is finished.”Church in the home Wednesday evenings 6/Jan/ 2010
The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ
In this article, I want to focus on the definition of a “sacrifice.” We will examine what it was that Jesus sacrificed, what were the benefits to him (and thereby to us) for his doing so, and what it will look like for us to follow in his steps. I think it will become clear that we too should be making sacrifices in our own lives for the good of others.
1 Corinthians 5:7 and 8 (NKJV) [1]
(7) Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
(8) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
There is much figurative language in the above verses, but the point I want us to notice here is that the truth in verse 7—that Jesus gave his life for our sins—is the basis for the action that verse 8 encourages us to take—to live our lives with sincerity and truth. As Scripture says, Jesus Christ is the example for each of us, and we are therefore to walk in his steps (1 Pet. 2:21, for hereunto were ye called; because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that ye should follow His steps).
What was Jesus called to sacrifice? His very life. Psalm 22 prophetically depicts the crucifixion, resurrection, and exaltation of the Messiah, with the first 18 verses pointing to his torture and death, and the last 10 verses pointing to his resurrection and his reign in the Millennial Kingdom. In between are the following pivotal verses, which poignantly foreshadow his crying out to God for deliverance from the grave.
Jesus, on the other hand, agonized alone in the Garden of Gethsemane to such an extent that the Greek text says he was “crushed with anguish” (Luke 22:44-NKJV “being in agony”).
Jesus Christ, however, knew the truth that death, as accurately defined in the Word of God, is “the end, or the absence of, life.” [2] By definition, one cannot be both dead and alive. Jesus knew that if he chose to step into the theretofore unbridged abyss of death, the only way back to life would be via his heavenly Father keeping His promise to raise him from the dead (Gen. 22:1-13 – Abraham and his son Isaac; Ps. 16:10 thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (sheol) nor wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption).
What were the promised benefits that motivated Jesus Christ to lay down his precious life, which was most definitely “something prized or desirable” to him. What was the stupendous “something [that he] considered as having a higher or more pressing claim” compared to the preservation of his own life? The following verses answer that question:
Hebrews 12:1 and 2
(1) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
(2) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The “joy set before” Jesus was the great truth woven throughout the Old Testament that if he would go the distance as the only man who could live a sinless life and die a torturous death as the true Passover Lamb, he would be raised to newness of life, and so would all those who ever believed on him. He would reign over the world for a thousand years and later rule as second-in-command to God on a new earth, enjoying everlasting life with all the redeemed throughout the ages.
Because Jesus knew who he was, and that there was no one else who could do what he was called to do, he chose to walk the path set before him, which called for him to sacrifice his life. Now you and I are members in particular of the Body of Christ, representing him in this fallen world. So who are you? What are you called to sacrifice? And how will that look, behaviorally speaking? What will the benefits be to you for so doing?
Only in the Church Epistles do we find who we are in Christ, and, in the context of this article, that is our basis for understanding that we can “lay down our lives” (behaviorally speaking, in our relationships with others) with the assurance that what we are laying down (sacrificing, giving up, putting to death) are the selfish aspects of the old nature that dwells within us (Rom. 7:18, for I know that in me (that is in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing). This “death” of our old self—our false self, if you will—is the only way to real life, that is, living according to our new and true nature, which is designed by God to revel in putting others before ourselves. Each of us can “get our kicks” only from walking according to the new nature within us. You can see that in Romans 7:22-NKJV (“For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man”) where the root Greek word translated “delight” is hedomai, from which we get the English word “hedonism,” meaning “pleasure for pleasure’s sake.”
The Word of God is clear that in His sight you are dead to sin and alive in Christ.
So what do the Church Epistles have to say about sacrifice? As we consider that question, we should expect whatever we find to flow in line with the principles of Christ’s sacrifice, because we are to follow in his steps.
Romans 12:1 and 2 (NASB) [3]
(1) I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
(2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
……..sacrificing the selfish aspects of our sin nature is the only way to really live life and love people as God desires us to.
Ephesians 5:1 and 2
(1) Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children
(2) and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Colossians 3:1-4
(1) Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
(2) Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
(3) For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
(4) When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Now onto Psalm 22 where the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is clearly sketched.
Psalm 22:1
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
Lots of Psalms start this way with very human feelings (emotions). There are a lot of times that we talk this way when we know we are not really forsaken. Something really bad has happened, and we might say, “God where are you, you are just not in my life anymore, you never show up for me anymore?” What you are doing is just emoting – expressing feelings and frustration.
The Psalms are like that. Why have the Psalms brought so much comfort to so many people through the centuries? Because they express in such human terms, and with such great accuracy how we actually feel, and how we actually think when things are rough around us. I can see this coming out of David during the circumstances he was going through in his life – “my God, my God why has thou forsaken me.”
There are a lot of Psalms that start this way:
Psalm 10:1
Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
Psalm 13:1
How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
This is a beautiful capturing of human emotion, and how we actually feel even when we know in our head it is not really true.
Psalm 22 is a Psalm of David and would have been written more than 900 years before the crucifixion.
Psalm 22:1-6
(1) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
(2) O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.
(3) Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel.
(4) In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.
(5) They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
(6) But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
Verse 6 says “I am a worm and not a man....”
There is something buried here in the Hebrew that we are not seeing in the English, and to see it we have to look closer at this word worm.
The Psalmist wrote by revelation:
Psalm 22:6-8
(6) But I am a worm [I’m scarlet] and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
(7) All who see me mock me, they hurl insults shaking their heads:
(8) “He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”
Psalm 22:9
Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother's breast.
God was working in the Messiah ever since the Messiah was little, working in the people around him to make him know what he was doing and who he was.
Psalm 22:10 and 11
(10) From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God.
(11) Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
You do not talk to God and say, “do not be far from me” if you think He has already forsaken you.
Jesus never thought God forsook him.
No one is near him - the Apostles where scattered, the shepherd was smitten, and the sheep were scattered.
Verse 11 says there is no one to help, and there was not, Jesus was on his own with God.
Psalm 22:12
Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Why does it say Bashan? If you go to Israel, the largest, the best, the nicest looking, strongest, most fit cattle come from an area called Bashan. These are powerful animals, and that is exactly what the Romans where – powerful soldiers. They were the power in the world at that time.
Psalm 22:14
I am poured out like water….
Jesus had so many cuts and was bleeding everywhere.
Psalm 22:14
…all my bones are out of joint….
What a phenomenal prophecy to fulfill being the Passover lamb. Back in Exodus chapter 12 it said “not a bone was broken.” None of the Messiah’s bones were broken. They were out of joint but they were not broken.
Psalm 22:15
My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.
By the time it was 3:00 in the afternoon Jesus did not have a lot of physical strength left. He was literally living on faith alone.
“My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth” - Jesus was so dehydrated. He had been up all day Monday. He was arrested Monday night and beaten. Tuesday he went back and forth between Herod and Pilate. Then he had been up Tuesday night being beaten up by the soldiers. By Wednesday morning he is crucified and here in the afternoon he is still hanging on the cross. So he has probably been up all day Monday, all day Tuesday, he has been up for 48-50 hours, he has been bleeding for hours and hours and hours. He is completely dehydrated, and so his tongue is swollen. That is why he could not enunciate clearly to say “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” and they said, “oh, he is calling for Elijah.”
Psalm 22:16
Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.
A dog was the name for a Gentile and that is exactly what the Jews called the Gentiles – dogs.
They pierced my hands and feet. This is a phenomenal statement because they did not crucify people at the time of David. The crucifixion was not invented until the Romans. The Assyrians had a form of crucifixion but what they did was stick you on a stake. They did not nail you to it or tie you to it.
Crucifixion as we know it in the Four Gospels did not exist until the Roman Empire. Yet more than 900 years before the Messiah was crucified, David writes by revelation “they pierced my hands and feet.”
What accuracy we have in God’s revelation. How things that are spoken in the Bible so accurately come to pass. It is phenomenal!
Think about the people that could see this taking place right in front of them at the foot of the cross. As they start to think about and quote Psalm 22: “Let me see – he is scarlet, he has always loved God, he is surrounded by bulls, his strength is dried up, his tongue is sticking to the roof of his mouth, they pierced his hands and his feet...”
Psalm 22:17 and 18
(17) I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.
(18) They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
Psalm 22:19-22
(19) But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
(20) Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.
(21) Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
(22) I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.
Psalm 22:23 and 24
(23) You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
(24) For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.
Did God forsake Jesus? Not at all!
God heard Jesus' cry through the crowd, he heard every word, he monitored every thought and he listened to every sigh. God was right there with His son, the Messiah, every step of the way. God had to let this play out because it was the only way to legally redeem mankind. Jesus Christ had to give his life for you and for me. God’s heart was broken, but He had to let Jesus die for you and for me – that’s the love of the Father.
Psalm 22:25-31
(25) From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
(26) The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him— may your hearts live forever!
(27) All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,
(28) for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.
(29) All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive.
(30) Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.
(31) They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn— for he has done it.
“He has done it” in the Aramaic is “It is finished.”
