First, let's go through the basic parallels between mankind's fall to sin and Jesus' path to our redemption. In the original garden, Adam lost the Kingdom. Jesus (referred to as the "second Adam") comes to restore the Kingdom. What's the difference between Adam's choices and Jesus' that led them to these two polar opposite outcomes? In the original garden, mankind basically says to God, "Not Your will but my will be done." (For more on this, see Kingdom Come Part 2) In the second garden, when Jesus is praying to God, he says "Not my will but Your will be done." By living by their own will, mankind brought death and destruction into the world. It's not the will of God for us to suffer, but when mankind takes charge and says "not Your will, God, but my will be done," things fall apart. Jesus, on the other hand, had every reason to say "God, I'm going to do it my way." I mean, he was about to be accused of crimes he never committed and tortured to death. Instead, he says "Not my will, but Your will" and because of this we are redeemed (or bought back) from our sins.
Why is Jesus' death, the shedding of his blood so important? Why was there no other way to redeem mankind? As Romans 6:23 says, "The wages of sin is death." Mankind committed treason, so the penalty is death. The life is in the blood. The Bible says it; science says it. Therefore, blood must be shed for the price to be paid.
What did Jesus die/suffer for exactly? Well, if blood is the price, then it would make sense to look at how Jesus bled. There are seven places from which Jesus bled. Each one has certain significance to what Jesus actually "bought back." This is what Jesus bled to save you from.
In the Garden of Gethsemane
Here, Jesus sweats drops of blood. Modern doctors say that this is actually possible. During times of intense fear or agony, the blood vessels actually burst and a person can sweat blood. This is where Jesus prayed that prayer: "Not my will but Your will be done." In this moment, Jesus buys back our willpower.
At the Whipping Post
At the time, Roman law stated that a criminal could be whipped no more than 39 times. So when Jesus is whipped with a cat of nine tails (nine think leather straps with jagged pieces of glass, bones, and metal attached for the purpose of embedding itself into the skin), he is whipped 39 times. Interestingly enough, there are exactly 39 root diseases in the world - all diseases know today can be traced back to these 39 root ones. Adding to this, Isaiah, prophesying about Jesus (who wouldn't be born for several hundred years), says in Isaiah 53:5 "...by His stripes we are healed." Then, Peter says the same thing in 1 Peter 2:24 (several decades after Jesus' ascension). So, at the whipping post, Jesus bled for our healing.
At this point, Pastor Jason brought up a good point. If all Jesus had to do was die, why did he bleed all these other times? Why the torture? He's just at the whipping post here. He's not even to the cross. Why did he have to suffer like this? If Jesus just had to die, why does Isaiah prophesy that it's "by His stripes we are healed." Many people believe that healing died with the disciples. Pastor Jason would beg to differ.
The Crown of Thorns
In the original garden, God curses the "paradise" with thorns. In Hebrew culture, thorns represent lack and poverty. Additionally, God talks about how man will work by the "sweat of his brow." Before the crucifixion, Roman soldiers take a crown made of 3.5 inch thorns, and force it into the sensitive nerve tissue in Jesus' brow. As blood ran down Jesus' face, he saved us from poverty. John 10:10 says that Jesus "[has] come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
The Nails in His Hands
For this one, Pastor Jason did not specify what exactly was redeemed here - at least not as far as I remember. However, it's important to note that these nine inch nails that were hammered into Jesus' hands - some say between the radius and ulna bones; others say it was actually further up his arm - served no purpose in his actual crucifixion. When a person is crucified, they are tied to the cross with ropes. The nails simply add more pain.
The Nails in His Feet
The nails were also driven through his feet. In Hebrew culture, the feet represent authority. So by bleeding from his feet, Jesus bought back the authority that Adam lost in the Garden. (See Kingdom Come Part 2)
Pierced in His Side
After Jesus dies, the soldiers take a spear and pierce him in the side. The Bible says that blood and water came out of his side. Medical science says that the only way this could have happened is if Jesus' heart had literally burst. Under conditions of extreme agony, the heart will develop a sack of water around it. Jesus literally died of a broken heart. Now the worse pain for Jesus, was in that moment when he was separated from God (when he cried out "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani" which means "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.") The worse pain in Hell is being separated from God for the rest of eternity. Therefore, Jesus saved us from this. He bought our salvation.
Jesus was bruised
A bruise is basically internal bleeding - or bleeding from the inside. Jesus heals us from the inside out. Isaiah also prophesied in Isaiah 53:5 that "He was bruised for our iniquities." Iniquities are sins that are passed down from generation to generation. There are been studies done even today that show trends like divorce, drug addiction, etc. that seem to be carried on from generation to generation. Jesus frees us from these iniquities. A person no longer has to live in the sins of their parents; all they need to overcome that is Jesus.
At the end of the notes for this sermon, it states:
God's primary focus and goal through all of history is the redemption, restoration, and reestablishment of His Kingdom on earth and His relationship with man.
A few final Scriptures:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)
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