TEXT: Isaiah 53:3-12 NIV

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.

4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

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.

INTRODUCTION

When God created man, His purpose was to allow a man to make choices and enjoy life in full. But immediately Satan interrupted the intention of God by deceiving man against the will of God, man became corrupt and this led to regret from God to man.

Genesis 6:6, NIV: “The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.”

This was what led to the coming of Christ to the world to redeem man from the judgment of death and gives the gift of salvation.

In this study, we shall shed light on the reasons why Jesus left His throne in heaven to seek and save man.

HE WAS DESPISED

To despise is to ridicule or place no value on a person. In other words, it means to turn that person down.

The Son became flesh and dwelt among us, for only as a human could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil who had the power of death. Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

This was the state of Jesus just because He wants to save you. He left His glory in heaven to look after you. He allowed so many insults and molestations from rulers and men of authorities in various ways.

Why can’t you appreciate His sacrifice by giving your life to Him as your Lord and Saviour?

Rick Warren said, “Salvation is not a religion; it’s not rules or regulations or rituals, it’s a relationship. That relationship doesn’t begin when you get to heaven. It begins here on Earth”.

Jesus Christ wants to be your best friend; He wants to talk with you all the time. God made you for a relationship with Him (Rick Warren Daily Devotionals,  March 3, 2021).

HE WAS TRAMPLED ON THE GROUND AND MOCKED

Luke 22: 63- 65 (NKJV)

To be trampled mean to beat down with the feet so as to crush, bruise, or destroy (Internet Dictionary).

Mock is to tease someone or make someone the object of scorn or to mimic or imitate someone in order to insult the person.

The background scripture, Isaiah 53: 3-12, was the prophecy about the kind of suffering which the Lord Jesus Christ would pass through to redeem man from bondage. The prophecy came to pass when  Jesus Christ was molested and trampled like an offender or a criminal. He was mocked like a nonentity.

Oh! What a shame, just because of you.

Luke 22: 63- 65 (NKJV)

63. Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. 

64. And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, “Prophecy! Who is the one who struck You?” 

65. And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.

Hmm! All these just because of you. I want you in a moment to think about this if truly Jesus deserves this. But for you to have eternal life, He must suffer this.

This is another opportunity you have to give your life to Jesus. Do not hesitate.

HE PAID HEAVILY FOR YOUR SALVATION

TEXT: Galatians 3:13-14 (NIV)

13. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” 

14. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

There is a popular saying that ‘salvation is free.’ For your information, there is no free salvation anywhere! Someone paid for it. There must be a costly exchange before salvation can be activated.

Genuine salvation requires a sacrifice of no blemish with lamb’s blood. Read through the book of Exodus and Leviticus for good understanding.

When God wanted to deliver the Israelites from the Egyptians, He asked them to kill a lamb with no blemish and mark the entrance of their houses with the blood as a mark of deliverance from Egypt.

In African traditional beliefs, for you to be delivered, the oracle will tell you to offer the sacrifice of a young animal without blemish.

What is Salvation? It is the act of saving or protecting from harm, risk, loss, destruction, etc.

Every individual must find ways of getting their salvation, but Jesus Christ chose to stand on our behalf to pay for it because He meets up with the requirements for salvation which are as follows:

• He was without blemish (a sinless person);
• He endured the pains, shame, shed His blood and was hung on the cross in a public place;
• He died young for us not to experience the second death.

Oh, what a horrible experience! That’s the sacrifice Jesus Christ did in exchange for your salvation. He paid it in full just because of You.

The question is if you are to pay for your sins, can you withstand it?  Jesus Christ became a curse for you and paid all in full for you. He is now giving you salvation freely. Will you still harden your heart? He paid heavily just for you so that you can become a joint heir with Him. Think about it.

HE FOUGHT DEATH AND SUBDUE THE POWER OF DEATH.

Text: Hebrews 2: 14-15 NLT.

For the work of salvation to be perfectly done, the last assignment of Jesus Christ was to destroy the seed of death planted into the man after the fall in the garden of Eden.

Death is a strong enemy of man as it has no regard for anybody.

Rick Warren said, “Death is a universal fear. Nobody is exempt from it! Because Jesus died on the cross in my place, I am not afraid. Death does not have power over me. I know death is just a transfer, and I know where I’m going when I die. It can be the same for you, too—it should be the same for you when you trust Jesus as your Savior.” 

He fought and won the battle over death, therefore, you are no longer a slave to death.

1 Corinthians 15: 25-26.

25. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. 

26. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Finally, there is nothing left in the work of redemption that Jesus Christ has not done just because of you. In John 19:30, He said it is finished. He paid for all your debts including whatever you are going through now.

A PRAYER FOR REPENTANCE:

• Lord Jesus, I’m sorry for all my sins, and I repent of them all.
• I give You my life today, and I confess my sins to You, for I believe that Jesus truly paid for my salvation by sacrificing Himself for me.
• I humbly come before You today that you might accept me.
• I embrace the gift of salvation You freely offered me.
• Help me to follow You to the end.

LET’S PRAY:

1. Father, by Your mercy, deliver me totally from the yoke of a curse placed on me.
2. Lord Jesus, by the covenant of Your blood, let the curse of untimely death be broken in my family.
3. My Father and my Lord, set me free from the arrow of sickness and diseases.
4. Let every hand of delay arranged from the coven to place a hold on my advancement catch fire and dry up in Jesus’ name!
5. Let there be a supernatural shift of turnaround for me in the name of Jesus Christ.

REFERENCES

Holy Bible, Good News Version.

Holy Bible: New International Version.

Holy Bible, New King James Version.

Internet Dictionary.

Rick Warren Daily Devotionals, March 3; 12; 2021.

John Aderogba for ROPMI.