“The Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself.” — Daniel 9:26
Blessed be His name, there was no cause of death in Him. Neither original
nor actual sin had defiled Him, and therefore death had no claim upon Him. No man could have taken His life from Him justly, for He had done no
man wrong, and no man could even have lain Him by force unless He had
been pleased to yield Himself to die. But lo, one sins and another suffers.
Justice was offended by us, but found its satisfaction in Him. Rivers of
tears, mountains of offerings, seas of the blood of bullocks, and hills of
frankincense, could not have availed for the removal of sin; but Jesus was
cut off for us, and the cause of wrath was cut off at once, for sin was put
away for ever. Herein is wisdom, whereby substitution, the sure and
speedy way of atonement, was devised! Herein is condescension, which
brought Messiah, the Prince, to wear a crown of thorns, and die upon the
cross! Herein is love, which led the Redeemer to lay down His life for His
enemies!
It is not enough, however, to admire the spectacle of the innocent bleeding
for the guilty, we must make sure of our interest therein. The special
object of the Messiah’s death was the salvation of His church; have we a
part and a lot among those for whom He gave His life a ransom? Did the
Lord Jesus stand as our representative? Are we healed by His stripes? It
will be a terrible thing indeed if we should come short of a portion in His
sacrifice; it were better for us that we had never been born. Solemn as the
question is, it is a joyful circumstance that it is one which may be
answered clearly and without mistake. To all who believe on Him the Lord
Jesus is a present Saviour, and upon them all the blood of reconciliation
has been sprinkled. Let all who trust in the merit of Messiah’s death be
joyful at every remembrance of Him, and let their holy gratitude lead them
to the fullest consecration to His cause.
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Producer: Todd Adkins
Voice Artist: Ian Cullen
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