Sabbath Before Passover—2016

The Scroll/Scripture of the Truth

Fred R. Coulter—April 16, 2016

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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services on the Sabbath before Passover. The time of Passover has come, and it’s very important for us to understand:

• what it is that God has done
• how great that God is
• how fantastic His plan is
• how wonderful our calling is

We know that God’s Word is true. But let’s look at something that I covered some time ago. Let’s look at it again. Sometimes it’s good to come back to different Scriptures that are important.

We know that Revelation tells us that Jesus was ‘slain as the Lamb of God from the foundation of the world.’ That’s a very important point that we need to know, understand and recognize. This will help us understand:

• the love of God
• the greatness of God
• the mercy of God
• the forgiveness of God
• why the Passover is so important, because it is the renewal of the New Covenant unto eternal life.

Daniel 10:21—this is the angel Gabriel speaking with Daniel, and he’s given Daniel different prophecies. And he says, very importantly here, which is actually the verse that introduces Dan. 11.

Daniel 10:21: “But I will show you that which is written in the Scripture of Truth….” That has to be in heaven above. All Scripture was written on scrolls, so it could also be ‘that which is written in the Scroll of the Truth.’

Think about it! God is so great and fantastic that He records everything. So, when it tells us concerning the Word of Truth, concerning God’s Word, it is so important for us to realize that God has inspired the Word of God, and it is God-breathed! And how important that is concerning Christ.

When Adam and Eve sinned, the very first prophecy was of coming Messiah (Gen. 3:15). God knew when He gave independent free moral agency (IFMA) to Adam and Eve, and they had to choose. He set before them life. He set before them everything that they needed to know.

We don’t know how long they were with God in the Garden of Eden before they had sinned, or before God has loosed the serpent to test them to see whether they would obey His voice or not. But nevertheless, God provided, before the creation of man, the salvation of mankind. This is important for us to understand when we realize:

• what Christ did
• what He prophesied
• what that means in relationship to our salvation

Let’s see a very important Scripture, which also refers to it. Then we’ll look at some of the Scriptures in the Old Testament. Heb. 10 tells us about Christ, about His sacrifice and why the blood of bulls and goats cannot forgive sin. Only Christ’s sacrifice once for all. That means once for all time!

Hebrews 10:4: “Because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Their sins were forgive to the temple. They were justified to the temple, but not with God the Father in heaven above, because that is a spiritual thing, and it takes a greater sacrifice.

Remember, the sacrifice of something less than human can never forgive human sin. It takes something greater than human life, and that life is the life of God our Creator!

Verse 5: “For this reason, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but You have prepared a body for Me…. [that’s Christ speaking to God the Father] …You did not delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin. Then said I, “Lo, I come…”’” (vs 5-7).

Think about this: the whole Bible is about the coming of Jesus Christ: His first coming and His second coming, and how that fits into the plan of salvation, which then is revealed beginning with the Passover and all the Holy days of God!

“…(as it is written of Me in the scroll of the book)… [the Scripture of Truth in heaven (Dan. 10:21)] …to do Your will, O God” (v 7). That’s something! That is very, very powerful for us to understand, and that sets the course for us. We are to use our independent free moral agency to choose the way of God!

Remember this: human will can never produce spiritual results! We need the Spirit of God, the love of God, the power of God within us to accomplish what He wants done within us as His future sons and daughters.

Verse 6: “You did not delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin.”

Verse 9: “Then He said, ‘Lo, I come to do Your will, O God.’….’” He says it in two places; ‘as it is written of Me.’] …He takes away the first covenant in order that He may establish the second covenant; by Whose will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (vs 9-10). This is why we keep the Passover!

Jesus Christ was the Lord God of the Old Testament, God manifested in the flesh and He came to die for our sins! That was no easy task. That was really something.

You’ll find in the new book From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God: Why Were You Born? how God the Father and Jesus Christ worked that out that He would come in the flesh so that He may establish the second covenant, which is the covenant to eternal life. “By Whose will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

That’s quite a thing! Now let’s understand something else from the words of Jesus Christ. John 10 also reveals the love of God and the care of God, and it also reveals something else: there is only one way to God the Father, and that is through Jesus Christ!

He said on the Passover night—and we’ll read those words when we take the Passover—I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through Me! You need to think about that in relationship to:

• free moral agency
• the choices that God has given us
• the purpose of the Passover
• understand that human will never accomplishes God’s purpose

We need to choose God’s way. And the first thing we say in the model prayer is—after honoring God, His Holiness and His name—and Your will be done on earth—that means in our lives and everything about God’s plan—as it is in heaven! There is nothing that goes on in heaven that is against the will of God.

John 10:1: Truly, truly I say to you, the one who does not enter the sheepfold through the door, but climbs up some other way, that one is a thief and a robber.” That’s what all this counterfeit religion out there is; all Protestantism, Catholicism, and all the other religions are all the daughters of Babylon the Great. Granted, some Protestants are for Jesus, but they don’t have eternal life, because they don’t keep the Passover. If you do not keep the Passover correctly on the correct day, as Jesus said, ‘You do not have life in you!’ We’ll see that.

Verse 2: “But the one who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (vs 2-3).

God calls us by name, and whatever our new name is going to be, that’s going to be a fantastic thing—isn’t it? Yes! He knows us! He knows us very well! So does God the Father, because the Spirit of God—which is a combination from God the Father and Jesus Christ—dwells within us! We are actually a temple of God because of that!

Think about how important that is in our relationship with God! How important that is in understanding the sacrifice of Jesus Christ!

Verse 4: “When he brings the sheep out, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.” That’s why it’s from the Word of God. If it’s not of the Word of God, it is not of the voice of God, and also the three words: Obey My voice! It’s recorded for us!

Verse 5: “But they will never follow a stranger…” That’s why the Church is scattered today. Because of the sins of the Church, God had to scatter it and that way God would test everyone whether they truly loved Him with all their heart, mind, soul and being, or whether they didn’t.

“…for they will flee from him because they do not know the voice of strangers” (v 5). Isn’t that talking about scattering? Leave them! Think about it! How many brethren have had to leave so many churches because:

• the ministry takes over with the will of men
• half-breeding in Protestantism into it
• setting up hierarchies over the brethren

Terrible things have gone on in the Church of God, and we’ve all had to go through those ‘church wars.’ Nevertheless, the purifying of us, through all of those trials, makes us better Christians before God. Then Jesus explained the parable.

Then it talks about the hireling and the hireling will leave people to the wolves. That is exactly what has happened, and some people have fallen away. They can come back if they repent, but it’s going to take some real deep repentance in order to do it.

Verse 14: “I am the good Shepherd, and I know those who are Mine, and am known of those who are Mine. Just as the Father knows Me, I also know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep” (vs 14-15).

This is important for us to understand: Remember the Scroll or Scripture of Truth in heaven above that was written about Jesus, where He came to do His will. We’ll look at Psa. 40 in a little bit, where it also says the same thing. Isn’t that interesting and profound!

Verse 16: “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring those also… [that’s us] …and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. On account of this, the Father loves Me: because I lay down My life, that I may receive it back again” (vs 16-17).

Notice what else He says concerning this. I want you to understand how much Christ has loved each one of us! God applies the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to each of us individually. And to do what Jesus did takes an awful lot of love.

• Powerful love!
• Godly love!
• Merciful love!
• Tender love!

Verse 18: “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself….” His own free will and volition to lay His life down as a sacrifice, to go through everything that He went through.

We’ll see some of the prophecies of it, and we’ll see how that turned out when it actually occurred and what happened. The Scripture of Truth is first established in heaven, and then give to us. This is why faithfully preserving the Word of God, faithfully translating the Word of God, is so mighty, mighty important. We are the children of God, and the way that it is going to be transferred into being the spirit sons and daughters of God is at the resurrection. The Passover is the first step toward the resurrection!

Verse 18: “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself I have authority to lay it down and authority to receive it back again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

Let’s understand what it means in the Greek. The death of Jesus Christ is called the death. It is the death of God manifested in the flesh. Adam and Eve sinned right in the face of God, having been created by God, no exterior around them that was contrary to God.

• God instructed them
• God told them
• God gave them understanding

But they chose to go their own way. They chose to want to become God their way rather than God’s way. All human being were then given, as part of the penalty against Adam and all of his descendants—because God is going to take care of all human beings—is that we have the law of sin and death.

Jesus also had to have ‘the law of sin and death’ within Him as a human being, which He received from His mother Mary. This is important because if He did not have ‘the law of sin and death’ in Him, He could not have been tempted. We know that He died, so He had to have the law of death in Him.

Hebrews 2:9: “But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor on account of suffering the death…” It’s called the death because it covers the sins of all mankind.

Also, let’s understand something in Rom. 6. This tells us something very important in our relationship with God. When we repent:

• first we answer the call of God
• we repent of our sins
• we are baptized by full immersion in water
• our sins are forgiven

This is so significant, and as we come to the Passover we need to understand our relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ, through the forgiveness of sins and baptism. Baptism is a death! You bury the old self, but because you have to grow in grace and knowledge, you’re raised out of the watery grave so you can ‘walk in newness of life’ with God’s Spirit to change, grow, and overcome as we will see during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Romans 6:1: “What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound?…. [notice that in the Greek this is very emphatic]: …MAY IT NEVER BE!….” (vs 1-2). You can’t!

So, all of those who say that the Law has been done away actually, if they say they believe the Bible, are insane to a certain degree, because Jesus said that He didn’t come ‘to do away with the Law or the Prophets.’

“…We who died to sin…” (v 20). Living he way of man, which ‘seems right’ leads to death. Why? Because of the carnal mind!

• the carnal mind is enmity against God
• the human heart is ‘deceitful above all things and desperately wicked’

‘Who can know it?’ God does! We’re not to live in sin! We’re to live in the way that we’ve been doing! We are to change and walk in ‘newness of life.’

Verse 3: “Or are you ignorant that we, as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into His death?” The New Covenant is the conjoining of death: the death of Christ and your watery-grave death in baptism are conjoined. Think of that! That is the New Covenant and this is what we are going to commemorate when we take the Passover this coming week.

Verse 4: “Therefore, we were buried with Him through the baptism into the death…” the very crucifixion. When you read all of those words about what He suffered: He did this for you! He did this for me! He did it individually for every human being as the Creator God of all human beings, to redeem them back to Himself!

Of course, if you know the whole plan of God, He’s going to offer this to all human beings in His own set time. But at the present time, we are the first fruits, the first called, and we are baptized into the death!

“…so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, in the same way, we also should walk in newness of life” (v 4). That’s fantastic for us to understand!

• Isn’t walking in the commandments of God “…newness of life”?
• Isn’t having the Spirit of God and being led of the Spirit of God “…newness of life”?
• Yes, indeed!

We have to show that we will love God and will obey Him under all circumstances! Eternal life is so important, eternal life is so great, and eternal life is going to be so wonderful that God wants to know:

• Will you obey My voice?
• Will you love Me and keep My commandments?

That’s what we talk about on the Passover night!

Verse 5: “For if we have been conjoined together in the likeness of His death, so also shall we be…”—future! And the only time that takes place is at the resurrection when Christ returns.

“…in the likeness of His resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man was co-crucified with Him…” (vs 5-6). Put to death the sin that is within your body. The ‘law of sin and death’ that we all have, every one of us! It doesn’t go away instantly. We will see that there has to be change, growth, overcoming.

“…in order that the body of sin might be destroyed… [this shows that it is a future progressive getting rid of] …so that we might no longer be enslaved to sin” (v 6). Everything about the New Covenant is to be released from being enslaved to sin. The suffering of the death.

Hebrews 2:10: “Because it was fitting for Him, for Whom all things were created, and by Whom all things exist, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

I want you to think about that for just a minute. Think how God is so fantastic, and His justice is absolutely perfect. He created us to be His spirit sons and daughters. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, and the sin of every human being since that time, He took upon Him ‘the law of sin and death’ so that He would be able to be the perfect sacrifice.

“…to make the Author [Christ] of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He Who is sanctifying and those who are sanctified are all of one… [because they have the Spirit of God] …for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, ‘I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the Church I will sing praise to You’” (vs 10-12).

Remember the Scripture that says to the Laodiceans, that if they repent and overcome He will grant them to sit in His throne with Him because He overcame. This is what is so hard for people to understand:

• God is perfect
• God is love
• God is righteous

How are you going to make someone who is perfect, perfect? Perfection is also something that is accomplished for us through Christ—through us and in us—because He became human! He had the law of sin and death.

Notice how Jesus overcame. It wasn’t easy; it was difficult! Look at the trial He had with Satan the devil, and Satan was after Him all the time. We will see what He had to through with the crucifixion, and all of that was prophesied and written in the Scripture of Truth in heaven above before it ever took place.

Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen. That’s why He prayed so fervently before He was arrested, because it was such a powerful thing that was going to happen.

Hebrews 5:7: “Who [Christ], in the days of His flesh, offered up both prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him Who was able to save Him from death… [God the Father] …and was heard because He feared God.” He loved God and always did the things that pleased God.

What did He say of Himself? Of Myself I can do nothing, but the Father in Me does the works! Don’t you think that’s quite an amazing thing?

Verse 8: “Although He was a Son, yet, He learned obedience from the things that He suffered; and having been perfected…”—even more by becoming a human being and taking upon Him the full human nature with the law of sin and death!

And we will see that He was tempted in every way like we are. So, the temptations had to be real. The temptations had to be in overcoming the law of sin and death in Him, never sinning once!

“…He became the Author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him” (v 9). Just add to obey: My voice!

Hebrews 4:12: “For the Word of God is living and powerful…” No other book can do to the human mind and heart, through the words that are here, which Jesus said, ‘The words that I speak to you are Spirit and they are Life; the flesh profits nothing.’

“…and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of both soul and spirit, and of both the joints and the marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is not a created thing that is not manifest in His sight; but all things are naked and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account” (vs 12-13).

This is why we are conjoined in baptism to the death of Christ. Only His death, and hence then His resurrection because He never sinned, is able to save us from sin.

There is nothing else! We have our choices, we have to choose, and we will talk about that when we get to the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Verse 14: “Having, therefore, a great High Priest, Who has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, we should hold fast the confession of our faith. For we do not have a High Priest Who cannot empathize with our weaknesses, but One Who was tempted in all things according to the likeness of our own temptations; yet, He was without sin. Therefore, we should come with boldness to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (vs 14-16).

That’s quite a thing, brethren, and we need to understand that. Think of what He has done for us.

We’re going to look at some of the other things that were prophesied of Him, what He would go through. He knew that it would happen; He understood how it was going to be. But He constantly had to overcome.

• He overcame!
• He had to overcome the world with Satan the devil!
• He had to overcome Satan the devil!
• He had to overcome the law of sin and death within Himself!

Let’s understand this Scripture in Rom. 8 because it’s very important. Jesus did not come as some human-looking being, but was really not human. He had to make the payment for all sin past, present and future. Of course, we know how God’s plan works with that.

Romans 8:1: “Consequently, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” That’s the whole purpose of the Days of Unleavened Bread:

• overcoming human nature
• changing
• growing
• repenting
• understanding the Word of God
• loving God
• loving each other
• serving the brethren
• preparing for eternal life

You’re walking according to the Spirit, because you’re not minding the carnal things of this world.

Verse 2: “Because the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus… [the giving of the Holy Spirit] …has delivered me from the law of sin and death.” That does not mean that it’s been taken out of you. It means that through the power of the Holy Spirit of God, and through the Word of God—and through your choices—you are able to overcome sin!

That’s why in the model prayer it tells us: ‘forgive us our sins as we forgive others, and deliver us—rescue us—from the wicked one!’ Every day!’ That’s how we grow and overcome, because conversion is a process. Overcoming with Christ was also a process, because He had to do it every day. With the law of sin and death in Him, He had to be perfect and never yield to any temptation whatsoever.

Here is the reason why, v 3: “For what was impossible for the Law to do…” The Law can’t do anything; you must:

• choose to obey
• choose to love
• choose to repent

“…in that it was weak through the flesh…” (v 3). People without the Spirit of God don’t want to do the things of God God’s way! They may profess that they want to do some of the things of God, but too many times it ends up their way!

• What do you think about Sunday-keeping?
• What do you think about Holy Day keeping vs holiday-keeping?

Interesting, isn’t it? How many people, when they hear about the Sabbath, say, ‘Oh good, I want to keep the Sabbath’? NO! They say, ‘Well, you know that was done away, or that was the old law.’ When they hear it, the Law can’t make them do anything! They have to choose!

So, to solve the problem, here is what God did, “…God, having sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh…” (v 3)—in the likeness of sin, of flesh; that’s the way it is in the Greek. This tells us that He had to have ‘the law of sin and death’ in Him. How could He be in the likeness—Greek: ‘homoiomati’—which means the same exact human nature and carrying ‘the law of sin and death.’

“…and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (v 3). So, the proposition was that since God gave man—because of the sin of Adam and Eve and all their descendants—‘the law of sin and death’ by inheritance, they were by nature sinners. The only way that God can condemn sin in the flesh is that it had to be Jesus’ flesh, because He was the sacrifice. Remember, Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us, “…and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.”

• that’s how He was perfected
• that’s how He overcame
• that’s how He was able to provide this for us

And for what purpose? Verse 4: “In order that the righteousness of the Law… [because He puts it in our heart and mind] …might be fulfilled in us, who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” There it is, brethren!

(go the next track)

One of the most important things that Jesus did in laying down His life—first for those whom He calls, later for the whole world in God’s plan—was to show His great and fantastic love.

Of course, that’s expressed in John 3:16. I’ll explain that a little later as we go through the Days of Unleavened Bread. But this is applying to us now:

• if you have the Spirit of God
• if you are choosing to love God
• if you are choosing to obey God

—in every aspect of your life ongoing—then you are walking according to the Spirit as led by the Spirit!

Let’s see some of the prophecies concerning Jesus in the Old Testament. Psa. 40 is where it is that it’s written in the scroll of a book. It makes you wonder exactly how God has done all of the inspiring of His Word, through His servants. Remember what Peter wrote: The Holy Scriptures never, at anytime, came by human will, but by Holy men who were inspired of God! Moved by the Holy Spirit to write what was contained in the Scripture of Truth in heaven above; or the Scroll of Truth.

Psalm 40 talks about the things referring to Christ. It has part of it, but when you read the Psalms they sometimes run in consecutive order, other times they don’t. Other times there are things there of David and how he felt, and having the Spirit of God in him. That also reflected upon his growing and overcoming, and walking in the Spirit, as well.

Also, David himself went through many, many trials for the very purpose of writing the Psalms. These then are given to us so that we can receive, with God’s Spirit, the inspiration that is here:

• to help us in time of need
• to encourage us
• to lift us
• to understand the Truth
• to see how great God is

and all of these things combined together.

Now, some of these verses we can apply directly to Christ, and some of them apply directly to David. We can relate to all of them because we likewise go through human experiences—having the Spirit of God, walking in the Spirit of God, growing and overcoming—and have many of the same experiences that are identified here in the book of Psalms. This is why it’s so important that if you get down in trials and difficulties and get discouraged, get out the book of Psalms:

• read them
• study them
• pray over them
• ask God to help you

Psalm 40:1—a fantastic Psa.: “I waited patiently for the LORD, and He inclined unto me and heard my cry.” God hears our prayers! Every single one of them!

Verse 2: “He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a Rock…”—that Rock is Christ. You can read of that in Matt. 7 and 1-Cor. 10.

“…and established my steps. And He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God; many shall see and fear, and shall trust in the LORD” (vs 2-3). This both to David and to Christ.

Verse 4: “Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust and does not respect the proud, nor those who turn aside to lies.” Very interesting! Stop and think how many lies that there are in the world and who’s the father of liars but none other than Satan the devil, and he is ‘deceiving the whole world.’ For us this means that we don’t turn aside to the things of the world.

Verse 5: “O LORD my God, many things You have done, Your wonderful works and Your thoughts which are toward us; there is none to compare unto You; if I could declare and speak of them, they would be more than can be told.”

That’s true, especially when you get to the part of trying to figure out the question: What is going to be like to be a spirit being in the Kingdom of God? What is that going to be like? Let’s draw a little parallel here. It’s almost like a baby in the womb wondering—which he can’t because he doesn’t have any thoughts—what it’s going to be like when I get out of this watery mess. He has no idea! We have some ideas of it, but do we really understand it? We can understand the Scriptures. But there are more “…than can be told.” That’s what it’s going to be when we’re resurrected. Amazing!

Here’s a direct prophecy of Christ that we read in Heb. 10:

Verse 6: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened… [in the Greek it says ‘You have prepared a body for Me.’] …burnt offering and sin offering You have not required. Then I said, ‘Lo, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of Me’” (vs 6-7). What is that book? The Scroll or Scripture of Truth(Dan. 10:21).

Verse 8: “‘I delight to do Your will, O My God…’” This is what it has to be with us:

• prayer
• study
• Sabbath-keeping
• Passover
• Holy Day keeping
• plan of God
• growing in grace and knowledge
• delight to do the will of God

That is walking according to the Spirit!

“‘…and Your Law is within My heart’” (v 8). What does it say of us? That God will do to us—who are in a covenant relationship having the Spirit of God—that He will write His laws and commandments in our heart and mind! Of course, Jesus had the Law of God within Him!

Verse 9: “I have preached righteousness in the great congregation…” Stop and think about that. Even though there were a lot of people who followed Jesus, because of the healings and the preaching, how many were really converted? Well, there were only 12 apostles, and a total of 10 times 12 or 120 that were might be the very firstfruits of the ministry of Christ. Interesting, isn’t it? “…the great congregation…” has to be a prophecy of the resurrection where we are all assembled together on the Sea of Glass.

“…lo, I have not kept back my lips, O LORD, You know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not hidden Your loving kindness and Your Truth from the great congregation” (vs 9-10).

How does it go out to the great congregation and the whole world? The Bible? Now, with so many Bibles in the world and all the digital Bibles available, do you think that anybody is going to have an excuse. ‘Lord, I didn’t know.’ Well, I sent it, it was available; did you read it? ‘No, I didn’t.’ That’s not My fault,’ God will say!

Verse 11: “Do not withhold Your tender mercies from Me, O LORD; let Your loving kindness and Your Truth always preserve Me.” That’s how Christ lived His life in the flesh.

Verse 12: “For evils without number have encircled Me…” I wonder how many demons were always going around trying to stir up trouble wherever Jesus went?

“…My iniquities have taken hold on Me…” (v 12). Jesus never sinned, but He bore the sins of the world. And because He put ‘the law of sin and death’ in mankind, when He bore all the sins of the whole world, those were all the sins. Think about that with the 6,000 years of human existence. That is an amazing thing.

“…so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of My head, and My heart fails me. Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver Me; O LORD, make haste to help Me” (vs 12-13). That’s exactly what God the Father did in resurrecting Christ.

Let’s look at some other prophecies concerning Jesus. Isa. 53 is really quite an amazing prophecy, and the one who gave the words to Isaiah was the One Who became Jesus Christ. So, when Jesus came, He knew everything that was to take place. Did He not tell His disciples, when they were walking up to Jerusalem, that He was going to be arrested, beaten and scourged by the elders and Gentiles? The disciples couldn’t understand it. It says that it was hidden from their understanding. Later Christ opened their minds.

Isaiah 53:1: “Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant… [that’s Christ growing up] …and as a root out of a dry ground…” (vs 1-2). There was no one else who would be righteous during the life of Christ.

“…He has no form nor comeliness that we should look upon Him, nor beauty that we should desire Him” (v 2). He didn’t come as some great hero. NO! We will see what kind of life He led.

Isn’t it really true what is here? We’re going to see that it will increase even more, v 3: “He is despised and rejected of men…” The irony of it all is with the Orthodox Christianity of this world. This is what they actually do because they don’t obey the voice of God! They have another Jesus. They may say they love Jesus. But what did Jesus say? Why call you Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things that I say? Everything that Jesus said, taught and what’s in the Bible is there for all to know. But because they want it their way, and you can never have God your way, they actually despise and reject Him.

“…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. Surely He has borne our infirmities… [by His stripes we are healed] …and carried our sorrows…” (vs 3-4). That’s why we are to put all of our sorrows and cares upon Him, because He cares for us.

“…yet, we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” (v 4). ‘Well, He got what He deserved; look at that, He went against the priests and the religious authorities here.’ They didn’t even know it.

Verse 5: “But He was wounded for our transgressions… [remember, he had to be perfected through suffering] …He was crushed for our iniquities…” That’s what scourging does, it crushes!

“…the chastisement of our peace…” (v 5). In other words, in order for us to have peace with God, it had to come upon Him first.

“…was upon Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed” (v 5). Then He talks about human nature. Remember, we talked about Jesus is ‘the door,’ we have to come ‘through Him,’ and He’s ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life.’

Now it talks about us as sheep. Here we are, v 6: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned each one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” All human beings upon Christ. Think of that!

Verse 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 its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.” Most human beings would be mad and just raving, cursing and whatever going through things like that.

Verse 8: “By oppression and judgment He was taken away…” Think about all the people in the world who have been oppressed, all of those who have been killed. Delores and I were talking the other night and we said, ‘There’s never been a time when there hasn’t been war.’ War by men wanting power! Wanting wealth!

You look at the political things going on in the world, not only here in America, but in the world, the religions of the world, the things of the world. It’s going just exactly as Jesus said; building up for the worst time that has ever been. That will not come until God has made a full witness to this world.

“…and with His generation who did consider that He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of My people He was stricken” (v 8). They didn’t know it; they had no clue!

Verse 9: “And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth”—though He carried ‘the law of sin and death.’

Verse 10: “Yet, the LORD willed to crush Him…” This was planned; this was thought out by God. Jesus said, ‘I will go and save them; I will become a man and die. And, Father, since I have created all of them, lay upon Me all their sins so that they may become one in Us.’ That’s what Jesus has done. That is what the Passover is all about.

“…and He has put Him to grief: You shall make His life an offering for sin. He shall see His seed… [it’s all going to come out with the Family of God] …He shall prolong His days… [because He was resurrected from the dead] …and that the purpose of the LORD might prosper in His hand” (v 10). God’s plan and purpose begins with the Passover. That’s why it’s so important.

Verse 11: “He shall see of the travail of His soul…. [we’re going to read about that in just a little bit] …He shall be fully satisfied. By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many; and He shall bear their iniquities.” That’s something, because in God’s plan, in the end it’s all going to come out fantastic and magnificent beyond our wildest dreams or understanding. That’s what we have to look forward to.

• God has called us to be the firstfruits
• God has called us to change, grow and overcome
• God has called us to have the mind of Christ
• God has called us to have His commandments and laws written in our heart and mind
• God has called us to have His love within us

• to love the Father
• to love Jesus Christ
• to understand what He willingly did
• to understand what He willingly gave

So that we could be saved! And yea, in God’s plan the whole world!

Verse 12: “Therefore, I will divide to Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He has poured out His soul to death… [the soul that sins dies; and the soul unto death that Jesus died was for the sins of all mankind] …and He was counted among the transgressors; and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for transgressors.” Think about that!

When we take of the Passover on the Passover night we’re going to cover some of these same Scriptures again there. We are in a covenant with God the Father and Jesus Christ for eternal life. What a great blessing that is, and for Their mercy, kindness, love, understanding and forgiveness that They give to us. It is unbelievable!

I want you to remember that Jesus said, ‘I lay My life down, and I have authority to take it back again.’ Here’s what He did:

Isaiah 50:6: “I gave My back to the smiters…” He didn’t resist and fight, and He did that for all of us. And remember that everything about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is applied to each one of us individually!

• so then our sins are covered
• so that we may be perfected
• so that we may grow in grace and knowledge
• so that we may be ready for the first resurrection
• so that we can help solve the problems of this world

by being kings and priests reigning and ruling with Jesus Christ to really bring this world what it deep down in its heart and mind really wants.

“…and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting… [all prophesied to be done, and you can read in the New Testament, it happened] …for the Lord GOD will help Me; therefore, I have not been disgraced. On account of this I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed” (vs 6-7).

Brethren, this is what we need to do. We need to claim the promise of Jeremiah, that God would set His mind like a flint, like brazen walls against the evil that’s going on in this world. Yet, at the same time have the love of God, the Truth of God, the mercy and compassion for those who repent.

Verse 8: “He is near who justifies Me… [that justification is also for the sins of all mankind] …who will contend with Me? Let us stand together; who is My adversary? Let him come near Me. Behold, the Lord GOD will help Me; who is he who shall condemn Me? Lo, they all shall grow old like a garment; the moth shall eat them” (vs 8-9). God takes care of all the adversaries.

Remember: all of this was written in the Scroll of Truth in heaven above! Think of that! That’s going to be amazing! Think of what that’s going to be like. There’s a place where it is kept; I wonder if that’s some kind of library? I wonder what God has written in there coming down through all eternity before He created man? (speculation)

Isa. 52 tells us another prophecy of the life and death of Christ, and what He had to do so that no man could say, ‘Lord, I’ve had it so bad, You just can’t understand what it’s like.’ NO! He fully understands what it’s like. Here’s why:

Isaiah 52:14: Many were astonished at Him—for His body was so disfigured—even His form beyond that of the sons of men.” Think of all the gruesome deaths that you have seen documented and witnessed on television or saw pictures of in a book. More than any!

Verse 15: “So shall He sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths because of Him; for they will see that which was not told to them; yea, what they had not heard, shall they consider.” It’s going to be an astonishing thing when that takes place.

Psa. 22 is really quite a Psalm. I wonder what David thought when he wrote this? This had to be written in The Scroll of Truth in heaven above. God inspired David to write this so that we would all know that God knew what He was going to go through when He came as Jesus Christ in the flesh, as Savior of the world. He had to experience everything that every human being experiences, yet, never sin!

These are some of the words that Jesus cried on the cross when He was dying; Psalm 22:1: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me, and why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? O my God, I cry in the daytime…” (vs 1-2).

Some of the other Scriptures apply to Israel and so forth, but I just want to go through the things that apply directly to Christ.

Verse 6: “But I am a worm, and no man… [because He was so beaten and scourged] …a reproach of men and despised by the people. All who see Me mock Me; they shoot out the lip; they shake the head, saying, ‘He trusted on the LORD; let Him deliver Him; let Him rescue Him, since He delights in Him!’” (vs 6-8). That’s what they said right at the base of the cross: If You are the Christ, come down and we will believe You!

Verse 9: “For You are He who took Me out of the womb, causing Me to trust while on My mother’s breasts.” Recalling everything that took place with His birth and childhood.

Verse 10: “I was cast upon You from birth; You are My God from My mother’s womb. Be not far from Me; for trouble is near, for there is none to help” (vs 10-11). None whatsoever! He was going to die an ignominious shameful death!

Verse 12: “Many bulls have encircled around Me; strong bulls of Bashan have surrounded Me.” This must have been the demons. I wonder what it was like looking down where Christ was crucified? Satan and the demons were probably circling around laughing and hideously saying, ‘He’s going to die! He’s going to die! He’s going to die!’ I’m sure that they didn’t believe that He was going to be resurrected.

Verse 13: “They opened wide their mouths at Me, like a ravening and a roaring lion.” What does it say of Satan the devil? He’s like a roaring lion seeking to devour whomever he can!

Verse 14: “I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint…”—from the beating He took; not one of them broke, by the way.

“…My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of My bowels” (v 14). He could just feel the life going out of Him. The last thing that ended His life was the thrust of the spear in His side.

Verse 15: “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; dogs have surrounded Me; a band of evildoers have encircled Me; they have pierced My hands and My feet; and You have brought Me into the dust of death. I can count all My bones; they look and gloat over Me” (vs 15-17).

He could look down and see His ribs. How many were out there saying, ‘Ha! Ha! Ha! Look at Him!’ Then, of course, all the demons gleeful with joy that here the Son of God was going to die! They did everything within their power to do it. Satan directly inspired and possessed Judas Iscariot to betray Him, just exactly as it was prophesied.

Verse 18[transcriber’s correction]: “They divide My garments among them and cast lots upon My vesture.” Those soldiers right there were fulfilling prophecy. They didn’t have a clue! They had no clue as to what was going on. Really, when you stop and think about the whole actual crucifixion of Christ, no one but God the Father and Jesus Christ knew what was going on.

Satan self-deceived himself into thinking that if he could get Jesus dead, he would take over the universe! The disciples didn’t know; they ran away fearful. They couldn’t understand it. They didn’t know why the One Whom they knew was the Messiah was dying on the cross; such a horrible, terrible and wretched death. They thought He was going save them from the Romans. They thought He was going to set up the Kingdom of God. That’s all He talked about, now look, there He is, He’s dying!

That’s why He had to teach them when He was resurrected. Can you imagine the great joy of what they went through when Jesus did? Think of that!

Verse 19: “But You, O LORD, be not far from Me; O My strength, hasten to help Me! Deliver My soul from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog…. [that has to be Satan] …Save Me from the lion’s mouth; yea, and from the wild ox’s horns. You have answered Me” (vs 19-21). Then He projects forward to the resurrection.

Verse 22: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You….” (vs 22-23). We read that in Heb. 2.

What Jesus kept His mind on was returning to God the Father so that He could endure the things that He went through. It was necessary! It was ordained! Because God a sinful nature to human beings, and God paid the price for all human beings and their sins. That’s why we have to come to repentance. That’s why we need to keep repenting every day, because of the evil and wretchedness that is still in our mind. We’ll talk a little more about that during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Verse 31: “They shall come and shall declare His righteousness unto a people that shall yet be born, that He has done this.” In other words, He has finished this!

Now, let’s just take a little look in the New Testament, and let’s see what was on Jesus’ mind. Think about all of the difficulties and problems that Jesus faced.

• think of all the hideous things that were done against Him
• think of the hatred of the priests, scribes, Pharisees and all that despised Him, all that were there crucifying Him

Luke 23:33: “And when they came to the place called Place of a Skull, there they crucified Him and the malefactors, one on the right and one on the left. Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them… [I want you to think about that] …for they do not know what they are doing.’….” (vs 33-34). They don’t understand it.

Isn’t that true of so many human lives, we don’t even know what we are doing! We get caught up in so many things! And even given over to Satan the devil and the demons. They do not what they are doing!

“…And as they divided His garments, they cast lots. Now the people stood by observing, and the rulers among them were also deriding Him, saying, ‘He saved others; let Him save Himself, if this is the Christ, the chosen of God.’ And the soldiers also mocked Him, (v 34-36). That’s something! Remember what we read in Psa. 22, the Lord has done this!

John 17:1: “Jesus spoke these words… [had to be given directly by Jesus Christ to John] …and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your own Son, so that Your Son may also glorify You; since You have given Him authority over all flesh… [past, present, future] …in order that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him’” (vs 1-2). Then we have the Millennium, the second resurrection and all of that.

Verse 3: “For this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom You did send.” Because being in the flesh, Jesus was not 100% God. When He was resurrected from the dead and re-joined God the Father as God, then there was God the Father and God the Son. But at the time of praying here, the Father was the only true God.

Verse 4: “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work that You gave Me to do.” He finished it! That is referring to His ministry in preaching and teaching. He finished that, but then there was the Passover that also had to be finished.

John 19:28: “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had now been finished…” Referring to:

• His physical life
• His sacrifice for the sins of the world
• teaching and training the disciples up to the point that He had

He taught them a whole lot more after He was resurrected and later through the power of the Holy Spirit.

“…so that the Scripture might be fulfilled…” (v 28). Look at that! What Scripture is that? What was written in heaven!

He “…said, ‘I thirst.’” (v 28). So, it’s all written in heaven first, inspired

• to Moses
• to the Prophets
• to the apostles and the writers of the New Testament

We have it here in the Bible so it “…might be fulfilled…”

Verse 29: “Now, a vessel full of vinegar was sitting there. And after filling a sponge with vinegar and putting it on a stick of hyssop, they put it up to His mouth.” It just touched His lips, He didn’t drink any of it.

Verse 30: “And so, when Jesus had received the vinegar, He said, ‘It is finished.’….” He finished His ministry and finished the ordeal of His crucifixion; one of the most prophesied things in the Old Testament. And one of the most written about things in the New Testament.

“…It is finished….” That doesn’t mean that the work of God is complete, because Christ had to:

• be resurrected from the dead
• send the Holy Spirit
• build His Church

“…And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit” (v 30).

After that, because the soldier had put a spear into Jesus’ side, He died. It was done, and “…He yielded up His spirit.”

Then Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus came and put Him a tomb. All of this happened when the Passover occurred on the fourth day of the week—Wednesday. This year Passover occurs on a Friday, so we take it Thursday night.

It has to be in the right year, with the right sequence of days so that He could be in the grave three days and three nights. This is what God has done for every single one of us! It was:

• known by God the Father and Jesus Christ
• prophesied in the Bible
• written down in the Scripture of Truth in heaven above
• fulfilled and finished exactly as God has said

I want you to think on this when it comes time for taking the Passover this coming Thursday night!

Scriptural References:

1. Daniel 10:21
2. Hebrews 10:4-7, 6, 9-10
3. John 10:1-5, 14-18
4. Hebrews 2:9
5. Romans 6:1-6
6. Hebrews 2:10-12
7. Hebrews 5:7-9
8. Hebrews 4:12-16
9. Romans 8:1-4
10. Psalm 40:1-13
11. Isaiah 53:1-11
12. Isaiah 50:6-10
13. Isaiah 52:15-15
14. Psalm 22:1-2, 6-23, 31
15. Luke 23:33-36
16. John 17:1-4
17. John 19:28-30

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Daniel 11
• Genesis 3:15
• John 3:16
• Matthew 7
• 1 Corinthians 10

Also referenced: Book: From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God: Why Were You Born? by Fred R. Coulter