He could not give anything less

When God gave His Son, Jesus, to die for humanity's sins, He could not have given anything greater - and He could not have given anything less.

Our Jesus Thirsts for Our Love

Our Redeemer thirsts for recognition. He hungers for the sympathy and love of those whom He has purchased with His own blood. He longs with inexpressible desire that we will come to Him and have eternal life.

As the mother watches for the smile of recognition from her little child, which tells of the dawning of intelligence, so does Christ watch for the expression of grateful love, which shows that spiritual life is begun in the soul.

based on Desire of Ages, 191, E G White

What God Has Done

The plan of salvation originated with God.
Salvation was purchased through the death of Jesus.
Forgiveness is secured through the blood of Jesus.
Power for holy living is granted through the Holy Spirit.

In other words, everything concerning the plan of salvation is provided for us.
Those who accept what God has done and follow His leading will be led to freedom.

by John Bradshaw - It Is Written

itiswritten.com

He Died

Jesus Christ died for us. The loving, lovely One for the lost sheep. He did not have to do this, but He died so that we might have immortal life in beautiful Heaven with Him for eternity.

Purchased by the Blood of God

God is a judge. He is passionately concerned with justice. But He alone is our Intercessor. He presents His own perfect life and shed blood as our Substitute. He satisfies His own demand for justice - at great cost to Himself. That is the foundation of His righteous empire.

We are guilty. There is nothing we can do to cover our shameful acts. We deserve to die. But God looks through all that and sees Jesus' sacrifice. Mercy and justice come together in that great act of Love.

We have been purchased and saved by the shed blood of God Himself.


Selections from Empires in Collision, p 70, George E Vandeman

How We Should be Treated

Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves.

  Desire of Ages 25, E G White

Cost of Our Salvation

Sorrow filled Heaven when Adam and Eve broke God’s law and sinned. All realized that humanity was lost, and that they were doomed to misery, sickness and death. There was no way of escape – the entire human family must die eternally.

Then I saw the lovely Jesus and saw his expression of sympathy and sorrow. Soon I saw Jesus approach the exceeding bright light that enshrouded God the Father. Jesus was in close converse with Him. The anxiety of the angels was intense. Leaving the Father, Jesus' face was calm, free from all perplexity and doubt, and shone with benevolence and loveliness, such as words cannot express.

Jesus then told the holy angels that a way of escape had been made for lost humanity. Jesus said He had been pleading with His Father, and had offered to give His life a ransom, to take the death penalty upon Himself. Through Jesus - humanity might find pardon by the merits of His blood so they could have God’s favor and be saved, and live for eternity in total peace and joy.

Said the angel, “Do you think the Father yielded up His dearly beloved Son without a struggle? No! It was even a struggle with the God of Heaven, whether to let sinful humanity die, or to give His beloved Son to die for them.”

But nearly all would hate and reject Jesus, only a few would receive Him as the Son of God.

Throughout His life on earth, and also on the cross, Jesus would endure almost every cruelty and suffering that Satan could inspire wicked men to inflict. Jesus would die the cruelest of deaths; not merely agony of body, but also mental agony – that which bodily pain could not compare. The weight of the entire world’s sins would be upon Him.

It was impossible for God to alter or change His law to save lost humanity; therefore, God allowed His beloved Son to die for humanity’s sins. Nothing but the death, resurrection and intercessions of God’s Son, Jesus, would pay the debt and save lost humanity.

Then, at the end of the world, Jesus will come the second time to take to Heaven all those who love and trust Him.

based on Early Writings, pp 149-152, E G White

He Left All This for Me

I saw the beauty of Heaven. I heard the angels sing their rapturous songs, ascribing praise, honor, and glory to Jesus.

 I could then realize something of the wondrous love of the Son of God. He left all the glory, all the honor which He had in Heaven, and was so interested for our salvation that He patiently and meekly bore every indignity and slight which man could heap upon Him.

Heaven page 17, E G White

The Cost of our REDEMPTION

Never can the cost of our redemption be realized until the redeemed shall stand with the Redeemer before the throne of God. Then as the glories of the eternal home burst upon our enraptured senses we shall remember that Jesus left all this for us…. 

Heaven, 17, Ellen G White

Jesus' Death Foretold in the Old Testament

Jesus says, "search the Scriptures for...they are they which testify of Me." And starting with Moses and the prophets He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.

The Lord God has spoken to Me and I have listened. I did not rebel nor turn away. I gave My back to the whip, and My cheeks to those who pulled out My beard. I did not hide from shame. They spit in My face. Because the Lord God helps Me you will not be dismayed. They gave Me gall for My meat and vinegar to drink. They bargained for My price thirty pieces of silver.

The Father says, "See, My Servant will prosper, He will be highly exalted. Yet many will be amazed when they see Him...they will see My Servant beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know He was a human. So shall He cleanse many nations."

The Son says, "My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My roaring? But I am a worm...a reproach of men and despised by the people. All they that see Me laugh with scorn. They stick out their lips and shake their heads saying, `He trusted in the Lord that He would deliver Him, let God deliver Him, seeing He delights in Him.' They gape at Me with their mouths as a hungry and roaring lion. For dogs have encircled Me. The assembly of the wicked have enclosed Me. They pierce My hands and feet. They part My garments among them, and cast lots for My vesture."

"Into Thine hand I commit My spirit. For God will not leave Me in the grave, neither will You allow Your Holy One to decay." He keeps all His bones, not one of them is broken. He will see the results of His sufferings and will be satisfied. Because what My Righteous Servant has experienced many will have faith and be counted righteous before God, for He will bear all their sins. I call Him Mighty and Great because He died for our salvation. He was counted a sinner and He bore the sins of many and pled with God for sinners.

But, oh, how few believe it! Who will listen? To whom will God reveal His saving power? Before God He was a tender shoot, sprouting from a root in dry, sterile soil. But in our eyes there was no attractiveness about Him, nothing to make us want Him. We despised and rejected Him - a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with bitter grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way when He went by. He was despised and we didn't care. Yet it was our grief He bore, our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His trials were a punishment from God for His own sins!

But He was wounded and bruised for our sins! He was chastised that we might have peace. He was lashed and we were healed. We are the ones that strayed away like sheep. We left God's path to follow our own. Yet God laid on Him the guilt and sins of every one of us! He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He never said a word. He was brought as a sacrificial Lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep is silent, so He stood silent before those condemning Him.

From prison and trial they led Him away to His death, but who among the people of that day realized it was their sins that He was dying for? That He was suffering their punishment. He was buried like a criminal in a rich man's grave, but He had done no wrong and had never spoken an evil word! Yet it was the Lord's good plan to bruise Him and give Him grief. But when His whole being had been made an offering for sin, then He will have many heirs. He will live again and God's plan shall advance.

Jesus says, "I will not forget you. See, I have engraved your name upon the palms of My hands. I will always remember you.”

The above quotes are from these Bible texts: John 5:39/ Luke 24:27/ Isaiah 50:5-7/ Psalm 69:21/ Zechariah 11:12/ Isaiah 52:13-15/ Psalm 22:1-8,13,16-18;34:20;16:10/ Isaiah 53:11,12;53:1-10;49:15-16