{"id":10592,"date":"2022-05-22T15:27:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-22T19:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=message&p=10592"},"modified":"2022-05-27T15:32:49","modified_gmt":"2022-05-27T19:32:49","slug":"jesus-paid-it-all","status":"publish","type":"message","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/message\/jesus-paid-it-all","title":{"rendered":"Jesus Paid It All"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Below is an automated transcript of this message<\/h3>\n\n\n\nGood <\/i><\/span> morning church! We’re continuing our series entitled, \u201cHymns, Singing Praises To Our God.\u201d We’ve taken as our theme verse for this series, Psalm 40:3 (NLT) \u201cHe has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.\u201d

\nOver these past few weeks, we’ve been looking at classic hymns and \u201cunpacking\u201d the theme of it in the scripture. We’ve covered the hymns, \u201cAmazing Grace, \u201cHow Great Thou Art\u201d and \u201cBlessed Assurance.\u201d We talked about the hymn, \u201cHoly Holy Holy\u201d last week.

\nThis week, we’ll be looking at the hymn, \u201cJesus Paid It All.\u201d The lyrics to this hymn were written by Elvina M. Hall. On a Sunday in 1865, while sitting in the choir loft, Elvina\u2019s mind began to wander during the pastor’s rather lengthy prayer. Fortunately, she began to think on spiritual things and she thought about our need for salvation and the great price that Jesus had paid <\/i><\/span> for it. As she thought about it, she began to form lyrics in her mind. She began to think of words, and, not having a scrap of paper on hand, she took the hymnal and found a blank page in the front and back of the hymnal and she began to write.

\nShe wrote, \u201cJesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.\u201d After the service, she came up to the pastor and showed him the writing in the hymnal. Perhaps there was a little crease on his forehead as he smiled at the evidence of her naughty behavior. We may never know, but what we do know is that an extraordinary coincidence took place that day at the Monument Street Methodist church in Baltimore Maryland.

\nThat day, the pastor remembered that his organist, John T. Grape, had just written a tune that week that he had played for the pastor. The pastor began to hum the tune and thought, The words that Elvina M. Hall wrote, ironically, I think will fit the tune <\/i><\/span> that John T. Grape just wrote. The pastor got Elvina and John together and they wrote the rest of the hymn. We’ve had this beautiful hymn since 1865. They originally titled it, \u201cFullness in Christ,\u201d but has come to be known by its opening line, \u201cJesus paid it all.\u201d

\nI wonder if you’ve considered this reality, this truth, that Jesus paid it all? Perhaps, you’re here today and you’re just considering the claims of Christ. You’re just checking out this thing called, \u201cChristianity.\u201d You don’t, perhaps, know about the reality that Jesus has paid for all of your sins. It’s a gift; it’s not yours until you receive it. It’s one thing to know a thing like that, that Jesus paid it all, but it’s not really yours until you receive it.

\nDid you hear about what happened back in March of this year? There was an unclaimed lottery prize for ten million dollars at the Maryland lottery. The claims office closed on March 28th of this year; they had given six months for <\/i><\/span> the person who bought the ticket to show up and claim their ten million. They bought the ticket at an Exxon station. The owner of the Exxon station and the claims office had been advertising and putting out the word, Whoever has this ticket, come and claim your ten million. No one showed up to receive it. It was the largest unclaimed prize money in the state of Maryland’s history. They took the unclaimed winnings and put them back into the unclaimed prize fund for future prizes. That’s not the biggest unclaimed prize in US history.

\nIn 2011, a Georgia player missed out on a seventy-seven million dollar powerball prize. They advertised it for six months. The ticket had been purchased at a truck stop in Tallapoosa, Georgia. The winner never showed up to pick up the money. It remained unclaimed. In fact every year, enormous sums of money go unclaimed throughout the world. In the US, it\u2019s estimated that around two billion dollars per year goes unclaimed, where people buy the <\/i><\/span> ticket and then lose it, forget about it and just never show up to pick up the prize. Now, I’m not here as a proponent of the lottery, nor is that the subject of today’s message, but I am a proponent of picking up if I win a prize, which is rare. If I win a prize, I’m going to go pick it up. How about you? If there’s a gift available that’s been offered to me, I’d like to pick it up.

\nI would say to you, that the greatest gift, the greatest and most precious prize in human history is that Jesus paid it all. Jesus says that He’s the greatest prize. He’s the greatest gift. \nIn the apostle Peter\u2019s first letter, he writes that Jesus had paid for all of our sins. He encourages believers to live remembering this, to live in view of this. I believe this morning that we, as believers, can live remembering the high and holy cost <\/i><\/span> that Jesus has paid for our sins. He’s paid it all.

\nAs we look at the text today, I think we’ll see three ways to live remembering that Jesus has paid it all. We will begin at verse 13 of chapter one of 1 Peter. 1 Peter 1:13-21 (ESV) 13 \u201cTherefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, \u201cYou shall be holy, for I am holy.\u201d 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemishor <\/i><\/span> or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.\u201d This is God’s word, Amen.

\nToday, we are looking for three ways that we can live, remembering that Jesus paid it all. Here’s the first way:

\n1. Be hopeful because of His grace.

\nNow, before we dig down into this first way, let’s look at our key verse for this text. It\u2019s verse 18; circle the word, \u201cransomed.\u201d If you have your bulletin notes, circle the word, \u201cransomed.\u201d The word, \u201cransomed\u201d could be translated, \u201credeemed, liberated by payment,\u201d as it is in the Good News translation. Verse 18, \u201cknowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,\u201d For you know what was paid to set you free; Jesus paid it all. That’s the key verse there. Notice that verse 18 says, \u201cknowing.\u201d Living, remembering , <\/i><\/span> knowing this, that He has ransomed; He has paid for us.

\nHere’s the first way that we can remember it: Be hopeful because of His grace. Notice that this passage begins with the word, \u201ctherefore.\u201d If it is your first time here, you might not be aware of this, but our congregation knows that if you see the word, \u201ctherefore,\u201d you should always ask, \u201cWhat’s it there for?\u201d It’s like an \u201cequal sign\u201d in mathematics: \u201cone plus one, therefore, equals two.\u201d It tells us that something that’s been said, or written previously, results in what follows.

\nWhen you look at the first twelve verses of chapter one, you see that the apostle Peter is telling us about the great salvation that we have in Christ Jesus that the Father has offered to us. He gave us Jesus to save us. 13 \u201cTherefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.\u201d We should live in a new way because Jesus has paid it all and the first <\/i><\/span> way that we should live is by setting our hope. Do you see that in verse 13? \u201cSet your hope fully.\u201d

\nOne of the things I look for, when I’m preparing a text for preaching, is for any command verbs in the text. That lets me know how many points I should have. It just so happens to be three command verbs in today’s reading – three Greek imperatives.

\nThe first one is: (1) Set your hope. You might think, Well, you know, Gary’s pretty smart. No, I’m not very smart at all. Actually, God’s word is very smart. I just go digging to find the \u201cgold.\u201d That’s my job. As I have said before, \u201cI’m just your paperboy.\u201d I spend time rolling this up and throwing it up on your front lawn. It’s your job to open it and read it. I’m just trying to let you know what it says. Set your hope. Set your <\/i><\/span> clock.

\nWhat are you hoping for? Are you hoping to not pay so much for gas? Are you hoping that you don\u2019t have to pay so much for milk and eggs? Heaven help, if a hurricane comes and we have to find bread.

\nHere’s what Peter says; instead of just hoping on temporal things, set your hope on the grace that’s coming.It’s a future kind of grace. He actually goes farther and tells us how to set our hope. The command is to set our hope fully on grace.

\nVerse 13, \u201cTherefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. \u201c He starts off with \u201cing\u201d words; do you see them? The words are \u201cpreparing\u201d and \u201cbeing; \u201d preparing your minds for action and being sober minded. This is how you set your hope. The first way you set your hope is by preparing your minds for action.

\nThe King James version translates it very accurately to the Greek <\/i><\/span>. \u201cGird your loins of your mind.\u201d Now, some of you are wondering, first of all, I don’t know how to gird. Secondly, you are wondering, I didn’t know my mind had loins. It’s a Hebraic metaphor. In those days, they wore robes. I don’t know if you’ve ever worn a robe. I saw two fellas come up here, earlier, on the stage wearing gowns or robes.

\nRobes, during the time of the first century, would go all the way to the feet. If they tried to take off running, they might get tangled up and fall. The person wearing the robe would wear a belt; they would have a hook or maybe a pouch for their personal possessions in the belt. I If they wanted to take off running, they would spread their legs, reach for the back of their robe, pull it up and tuck it into the belt. Now, they have \u201cgirded their loins.\u201d They have made themselves a pair of \u201cshorts\u201d and now can run. That’s the Hebraic metaphor here. He says to do <\/i><\/span> that with your mind.

\nMaybe, a more modern way of saying it, is \u201croll up the sleeves\u201d of your mind; you begin to think actively about where you’re headed because Jesus has paid for your entrance into heaven. You see, He’s not only paid for your sins, He’s not only paid for that past tense event at the cross where he paid for our sins, He took our death so we could have His life, but he’s already paid for our admission into heaven’s glory. He’s already done that. Get your mind organized around that; \u201croll up the sleeves\u201d of your mind and then be sober minded.

\nCertainly, this is in view, to not be a drunkard. Abstain from drunkenness. Certainly, that’s in view, but more than that, spiritually speaking, it has the idea of being spiritually serious. Sober about your life; not \u201cdrinking the world’s kool aid\u201d as it were. Be serious about your life.

\nHaving done this, set your hope fully <\/i><\/span> on the grace. Another way of saying grace is that it is \u201cunmerited favor,\u201d a gif. Jesus already paid it all. He’s paid for it and not only did He pay for your sin, He gives you His righteousness. He paid for your death because the wages of sin is death. He offers His life. He paid for your separation from the Father; He offers His sonship so that you have a relationship with the Father. Not only that, He’s already paid for your access to heaven. Do you see it? It’s this grace. It’s not just speaking of the grace, the gift of that which is in the past that’s been done for us; that will be brought to you is future tense. There’s a grace that He’s already paid for that’s coming your way. It will be brought to you at the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

\nWhat are we talking about? Another way of saying revelation here, in <\/i><\/span> the Greek is \u201capokalypsis.\u201d That’s where we get the word \u201capocalyptic;\u201d it means \u201cthe unveiling, the appearing.\u201d This is saying that there’s a grace coming your way when Jesus comes again. That’s what we’re talking about, so, not only has He paid for my salvation, not only is He paying now for my sanctification, He’s already paid for my entrance into Heaven. It is an \u201call inclusive\u201d ticket that He has purchased for you and I, believer. Do you understand that?

\nIt means, now, that we should set our hope on that coming grace in the way that we live today; not just thinking about temporal things. God’s grace has been revealed for our salvation and it will be revealed for our glorification. Titus 2:11-13 (NLT) 11 \u201cFor the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward withhope <\/i><\/span> to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.\u201d

\nThis hope that we’re talking about, in this coming grace, is anchored at the cross. It’s not just this wish that I hope it doesn’t rain and wash out our picnic this evening. You know, that’s kind of an \u201cidol\u201d wish. This hope is more like a rope that’s really firm and it’s anchored at the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. This is an historical fact that happened. It is anchored all the way to His second coming.

\nWe’ve taken hold of this hope in the grace that has paid for all. 1 Peter 1:3-4 (ESV) 3 \u201cBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that isimperishable <\/i><\/span>
\nThe first verse of of this hymn says:\n1 I hear the Savior say,\t\t\t\n“Thy strength indeed is small,\t\t\nChild of weakness, watch and pray,\t\nFind in Me thine all in all.”

\n\nWe can live remembering that Jesus paid it all by setting our hope fully on His grace. Will you do it? Will you set your hope on Jesus? That’s the first way we can remember that Jesus paid it all.

\nHere’s the second:\n2. Be holy because of His holiness.

\nBe holy because of <\/i><\/span> His holiness. Now, we’ve covered verse 13. Let’s keep moving. Let’s consider verse 14 and following. Circle the word, \u201choly,\u201d in verses 15 and 16. It’s in there four times.

\nThis is the second imperative. The first was \u201cset your hope.\u201d Now, the second imperative is \u201cbe holy.\u201d The first time, he says it in verse 15. He says, 15 \u201cbut as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.\u201d In verse 16, he quotes from the book of Leviticus, he says, 16 \u201csince it is written, \u201cYou shall be holy, for I am holy.\u201d He’s quoting Leviticus, where God is speaking and the Lord said, \u201cYou shall be Holy, for I am holy.\u201d

\nLast week, we looked at the hymn, \u201cHoly, Holy, Holy.\u201d If you were here last week, you know that that word, \u201choly,\u201d has a lot more meaning than we consider sometimes. The word, \u201choly,\u201d is an important word. It doesn’t just mean \u201dmorally <\/i><\/span> pure.\u201d At the heart of it, it means this, \u201ccompletely different, utterly separate and set apart for special use.\u201d

\nWhen we say God is holy, we say He’s not like us, He’s not like this world. He’s the creator; we are the creation. He’s the \u201cwholly other,\u201d as some theologians say. When He says, \u2018I’m holy and as My children, you’re to be holy, too,\u2019 He is saying that you’re to be different than the world. You’re to be separate in the sense of you’re like me; you are not of the world.

\nNotice how he begins in verse 14, \u201cAs obedient children.\u201d There’s an assumption being made here. Peter assumed he was talking to people who would call themselves children of God and not only would they call themselves children of God, they would call themselves obedient children of God.

\nIs it your desire to obey God? Do you live your life <\/i><\/span> seeking the approval of God, or the approval of others? Are you obedient children?

\nRomans 8:15 (ESV) \u201cSo you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God\u2019s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, \u201cAbba, Father.\u201d When Jesus paid it all, He paid for our adoption. He paid for our adoption as His children.

\nThroughout the last thirty years, it’s been my joy and privilege to partner with several families in adopting children. It costs a great deal of effort and money. Many of the families in our church have adopted internationally. They’ve traveled to a foreign country to meet the child or baby. They have to return many times; it depends on the country. Many times, they would meet the baby, hold the baby, fall in love and then have to leave the baby there and come back home and keep working on the arrangement of adoption. There would be the plane tickets and the lawyer’s fees. I’ve <\/i><\/span> heard people have spent up to $40,000 on the process of adoption; they make expansions to their house and do all of these things so that they might adopt the child.

\nNot one of them has ever paid as much as Jesus has paid to adopt. Verse 19, \u201cbut with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.\u201d He paid to adopt you so that we can be his obedient and holy children. He says, in verse 14, \u201cAs obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.\u201d Now, that sounds like it’s in the imperative, but if you look \u201cunderneath the hood,\u201d it’s actually a participle. It’s \u201cAs obedient children, do not be conformed.\u201d The word, \u201cconforming,\u201d in the Greek is the Greek word where we get \u201cschematic, not letting your thinking be shaped by the way the world thinks about things.\u201d The education system, public education and university <\/i><\/span> education is by and large worldly and by and large marked by the foolish ignorance of worldly thinking. It is not marked by the wisdom of the word of God. I’m not speaking of everything that’s taught but much of what is taught we’re allowing our minds to be shaped by.

\nBe conformed by pressing in. Conforming is something outward pressing inward. He says to stop being one who’s conforming to the passions of your former ignorance. The word, \u201cignorance,\u201d there is \u201cagnoia,\u201d which is where we get the word, \u201cagnostic,\u201d which means \u201cwithout knowledge, ignorant or blind.\u201d Stop living like that. Instead, be different than the world. Swim \u201cagainst the flow;\u201d swim toward Jesus. Be holy. It’s in the imperative; \u201cbe holy as I am holy.\u201d

\nWe see that Jesus paid it all, and then, we’re commanded to be holy, but we can’t be holy because we still live in the flesh and we still live in this world. There’s a tension. In Hebrews, it teaches us that He paid to make us holy . <\/i><\/span>Hebrews 13:12 (NLT) \u201c\u2026 Jesus suffered and died \u2026to make his people holy by means of his own blood.\u201d Even though we’re not perfect and we\u2019re not wholly like God, when God looks at us, because of the payment of Jesus Christ that we’ve received and become children of God adopted into the family, He counts us holy. Jesus has paid for us to be counted holy. Glory! Hallelujah. It’s easier to follow Him when we’ve been set free from the guilt and condemnation, he counts us holy. So, therefore, let’s live holy. Let’s live differently. Let’s live differently than the world. He’s already given us credit from Jesus because He paid it all. He paid for our holiness, therefore, let us stop sinning.

\nLet’s look what John says about it if we still sin, 1 John 2:1-2 (ESV) 1 \u201cMy little children, I am writing these things to you so that you maynot <\/i><\/span> sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.\u201d

\nIf you do sin, remember this: He already paid for the legal fees and He’s your attorney. He’s the advocate before the Father. The Father has already counted you holy. Jesus says, \u2018Father, I paid for that one.\u2019 I paid for that one, too. I paid for that one.\u2019 He counts me holy because I have an advocate with the Father.

\nJohn 2: 2 says, \u201cHe is the propitiation of our sins.\u201d sin. Propitiation is a big word. It means \u201catonement.\u201d He died in my place; He satisfied God’s holiness, so that now it’s accounted unto me. He’s the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

\nHow effective was the blood price <\/i><\/span> that Jesus paid for sin? Is it enough for your sin? Yes. Is it enough for all the sins added together of every human who has ever lived? According to the 1 John 2:1-2, the answer is \u201cyes,\u201d but you have to claim it. The greatest tragedy of human history is the unclaimed line of people who have rejected the price that Jesus paid. They’ve not claimed that which is offered through Jesus. Why is that? It\u2019s because the human default is earning. I’m good enough. I’m better than him. I’m better than her. Surely God will weigh me against them. No, His holiness is based on a different standard. It’s not based on that standard of comparing one to another. It’s based on Jesus. We all fall short of God’s holiness unless He saves us.

\nThere’s a story in the bible, in the Gospels, where an adulterous woman was brought to Jesus. Men brought her and they flung her down before Jesus. They said <\/i><\/span> to Jesus, \u2018We caught this woman in adultery.\u2019 Wishing to catch Jesus going against the the Old Testament in some way, they said, \u2018So, what are You going to do about it? The law says she’s to be stoned to death for breaking the sixth commandment; the one that says, \u201cThou shalt not commit adultery.\u201d She has to be stoned to death. The scripture is very descriptive here.\u2019 Jesus gets down on one knee and starts writing in the dust of the ground. Some preachers have tried to guess what He was writing. Some have said that, maybe, He was writing the names of the men and the women that they had lusted after and they saw their names. Who knows what He was writing. I just think it’s the coolest thing ever that He was doing it. Maybe, He was drawing pictures in the sand. The men ask Him, \u2018What do You say? The law says that she must be stoned <\/i><\/span>.\u2019 Jesus tells them, \u201cWhichever one of you is without sin, cast the first stone.\u2019 Probably, the older men got it first; they started dropping their stones. When they were younger, they might have thought they had it together. But as they got older, they realized that they didn\u2019t have it together. One by one, the men dropped their stones and walked away.

\nWe see this in John 8:10-12 (NKJV) 10 \u201cJesus\u2026 said to her, \u201cWoman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?\u201d 11 She said, \u201cNo one, Lord.\u201d And Jesus said to her, \u201cNeither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.\u201d 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, \u201cI am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.\u201d He says, \u2018I don’t condemn you, but I don’t condone your sin, either.\u2019 \u2018You’re free from condemnation. Now go, and be holy. I’m the light of the <\/i><\/span> world. Follow me. If you’ll follow me, you’ll walk in light, come out of the darkness.\u2019

\nThis is why our invitation, as a church is \u201cCome as you are,\u201d but don’t stay that way. \u201cCome as you are and be forever changed by the love of Jesus.\u201d Be holy, be different, be set apart, so that, when the world looks at us, they say, \u2018You’re not from around here, are you?\u2019 You can say, \u2018No, I’m one who has been exiled here. My citizenship is in heaven.\u2019

\nWe can look at the second verse of \u201cJesus Paid It All\u201d now and see what Elvina M. Hall and John T. Grape were thinking:

\n\u201cLord, now indeed I find\nThy pow’r and Thine alone,\nCan change the leper’s spots\nAnd melt the heart of stone.\u201d

\nBe holy. Come as you are and be changed. Now, we have the third way. We’ve said to be hopeful and to be holy. Now, number three:\u2019

\n3. Be reverent because of His precious blood.

\nBe <\/i><\/span> reverent because of His precious blood. We\u2019re at verse 17, \u201cAnd if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,\u201d This is the third imperative.

\nThe first imperative was that we were to be hopeful. The second imperative was that we were to be holy. Now, the third imperative says that we are to conduct yourselves with fear. In other words, be fearful, but that doesn\u2019t sound right. I’m to be fearful? Let’s think about that for a second.

\nThe first way to think about it is to think about that word \u201cfear\u201d and how it applies to the believer. Look at how the NIV translates that same verse: 1 Peter 1:17 (NIV) \u201cSince you call on a Father who judges each person\u2019s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.\u201d In other words if you’re <\/i><\/span> a child, an obedient child, and He’s your Father and you call Him Father, then you should have reverent fear toward Him. This is because of the high and holy price that He paid for you.

\nYou should have reverence. That’s a word that we don’t use a lot today, \u201creverence.\u201d We are not a reverent culture; we\u2019re an irreverent culture. We don’t revere parents, we don’t revere grandparents and we don’t revere authority. We’re a sarcastic, rough society. We’ve lost the good manners of our forefathers. We are drifting further and further into irreverence. This idea of reverence, first of all, fear, but then reverence. What in the world? How do we get this? How do we understand this?

\nMy father died when I was eight years old; you know that, if you’ve been attending our church for any length of time. He was only 39 years old . He died of lung cancer. My mother was the disciplinarian. She was not the mom who said, \u201cWait till your father gets home.\u201d No, she was <\/i><\/span> the mom who went out and grabbed a limb off of our maple tree and took care of business immediately. She was the disciplinarian. I was what Dr Dobson wrote a book about; I was a strong-willed child. I should have been on the cover of his book. I got a lot of spankings. I was the kid who would not cry. I was strong willed. I don’t remember my father spanking me; he probably did, but I just don’t remember it. What I do remember are those occasions where he had me sit down and he’d say, \u201cSon, look at me. Look me in the eye. Gary, I’m really disappointed in you.\u201d I would cry like a baby because I revered him. I wanted to be like him.

\nI understand this reverent fear because I do not want to disappoint Jesus. I revere Him. I don’t want Him to say, \u2018Gary, I’m disappointed in you.\u2019 You see, I don’t have to fear hell. I don’t have to fear <\/i><\/span> condemnation. Jesus paid it all. But there’s this reverence about the amount that He paid for me that causes me not to want to disappoint Him. So, I revere him. I have a reverent fear of Him not being satisfied with me. I desire that day where He will say, \u201cWell done, good and faithful servant.\u201d

\nWe need reverence back in our lives. People need to recognize the price that Jesus paid and recognize that our Father is an impartial judge. He judges us according to comparing us to Jesus, not towards our \u201csliding scale\u201d or a \u201ccurve.\u201d No, there’s a standard. The only way to please Him is to accept the gift that He paid for us. Therefore, be reverent as you live.

\nVerse 18, \u201cKnowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold.\u201d You were adopted was not with silver or gold, which will pass away <\/i><\/span> (especially if you put it on the stock market, boy, it’s going the wrong way. What has happened to your 401K? It has been turned into a 101K in the past six months.) This price, the precious blood of Jesus, which is the most priceless and precious of all things, was spent willingly because He’s the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. He has no blemish or spot, he’s perfectly holy, without sin. He who knew no sin became sin.

\nVerse 20 says, \u201cHe was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you.\u201d In other words, He has always existed. There never was a time when Christ was not. He knew before time, before He created the world, that He would die for us. He knew it, which explains the way He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, \u201cFather, is there anyway that this cup can pass from me.\u201d He knew in His divinity, before time, but now in His humanity <\/i><\/span> is facing it.

\nThis \u201cpayment\u201d was always coming. All of those little lambs that were offered were like checks being written on this future deposit of Christ. Then, there was a day where it happened, 2020 some years ago. I guess I should subtract His age, 30 years off of that. But around 2000 years ago, He was made \u201cmanifest.\u201d In other words, He did it and now it’s done. He paid it all. It’s manifest in these last times.

\nIsn’t it funny how Peter calls the past 2000 years \u201cthe last times?\u201d That’s because Jesus has already come once. The next thing He does is come again. We live in the last days. Peter says that through Him, through Jesus, we’ve become believers in God who raised Jesus from the dead and gave Him glory so that we might have faith and hope in God. Be reverent because of this price <\/i><\/span> that He’s paid. Have a holy fear, a reverence towards Him because of who He is.

\nPsalm 2:11 (NLT) \u201cServe the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling.\u201d Ephesians 1:7 (ESV) \u201cIn him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God\u2019s grace.\u201d I love this verse from Isaiah, this is God speaking, he says, Isaiah 1:18 (NLT) \u201cCome now, let\u2019s settle this,\u201d says the Lord. \u201cThough your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.\u201d Let’s settle it. But Jesus already settled the account. It’s paid in full.

\nWill you claim it? That’s your part. Will you claim the gift? It’s paid in full. Will you claim it?

\nThe third and fourth verse of this hymn, \u201cJesus Paid It All,\u201d is beautifully written:

\n3 For nothing good have I\nWhere-by Thy grace to claim;\t\t\t\n“Jesus died my soul to save,”\nIn the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.\t\t\n4 And when, before the throne,\nI stand in Him complete,\nI’ll wash my garments white\t\nMy lips shall still repeat.

\n\nSince 1865 believers <\/i><\/span>have been singing this. It’s a hymn that belongs to the church. Jesus paid it all. He paid for the whole thing. So how should we then live? We should live hopeful. Be hopeful, be holy and be honoring, be reverent in view of this great price.

\nLet’s pray. Lord, thank You. Thank you, Lord. I’m praying, right now, for the person that’s never received You. Is it you, my friend? Holy Spirit, I pray right now that You’re moving in our midst and that you’re knocking on people’s hearts door. That’s the spirit, right now, moving you right where you are. Right in your seat. You can pray with me. Pray like this: \u2018Dear Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner. I need a <\/i><\/span> Savior. I believe You died on the cross for me, Lord, and that You were raised from the grave and that You live today. Come into my life, forgive me of my sin, adopt me into your family as a child of God. I will follow You as my Lord and Savior. If you’re praying that prayer, believing, the Lord will save you. Will you claim the gift? Will you claim this holy, precious gift of Jesus? Others are here today and you’ve claimed that, but yet, you’ve not been living hopeful. You haven’t been living holy. Would you just confess it now and say, \u2018Lord, forgive me. I know that You paid it all. Help me now to remember in the way that I live so that I live fully for You. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.<\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The lyrics to this hymn were written by Elvina M. Hall (1820-1899). On a Sunday in 1865, while sitting in the choir loft, Elvina’s mind wandered during the pastor\u2019s rather lengthy prayer. She begin to think of our need for salvation and the price Jesus paid for it. Words began to form themselves. She had to get them down. But she had no paper., so she started scribbling on the blank flyleaf of her hymnbook, writing, \u201cJesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the apostle Peter\u2019s first letter, he challenged believers to live in such a way that always remembered the precious blood of Jesus that paid for their sins. We can live in such a way remembering that Jesus paid for our sin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":10517,"template":"","tags":[2710],"series":[2894],"scripture-book":[1327],"scripture-chapter":[1334],"speaker":[2007],"class_list":["post-10592","message","type-message","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-hymns","series-hymns-2022","scripture-book-1-peter","scripture-chapter-1334","speaker-gary-combs"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/message\/10592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/message"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/message"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/message\/10592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10592"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=10592"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=10592"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=10592"},{"taxonomy":"speaker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/speaker?post=10592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}