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Creekside Church, Sunday, March 8, 2026
The Cost
Locations & Times
Creekside Church
660 Conservation Dr, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4, Canada
Sunday 8:25 AM
Sunday 9:45 AM
Sunday 11:15 AM
We are exploring the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross. The cross is like a diamond or a kaleidoscope; you cannot see all of its beauty from just one angle. You have to turn it to see how the light hits it differently. Each week, we will look at a different metaphor to help us develop a full theology of what we celebrate on Good Friday and Easter.
THE HORROR OF THE ROMAN MACHINE
Before we look at the meaning, we must understand the reality of the instrument. The Roman Empire was a machine of perfected execution. They didn't just want to kill enemies; they wanted to unmake them. The cross was a public billboard designed to scream that resistance was futile.
* Tens of thousands died on Roman crosses.
* 6,000 men were crucified along a single road during the revolt of Spartacus.
* At the siege of Jerusalem, Romans crucified 500 people a day until they ran out of wood.
* It was an assembly line of agony where victims fought for every breath.
2,000 years ago, a man named Jesus was labeled a rebel and suffered this exact fate. He was just one more body on a hill of thousands. But days later, something impossible happened. People saw Him alive. Because of the resurrection, the cross was transformed from a sign of shame into a sign of hope.
THE CONCEPT OF RANSOM
In Mark 10, Jesus describes His own mission using a specific term.
MARK 10:45
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
When we hear "ransom," we think of kidnappings and unmarked bills. For centuries, some thought this meant Jesus paid off the Devil to let humanity go. But God does not owe the Devil anything. To understand Jesus, we have to look at the original language.
1. KOPHER (HEBREW)
In the Hebrew Bible, the word is Kopher. It refers to a legal satisfaction or a covering.
* Exodus 21:29-30: A price paid to satisfy justice so a person can live.
* Psalm 49:7-8: No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom (kopher) for them—the price is too high.
2. LUTRON (GREEK)
When the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek, Kopher became Lutron. In the Greek world, a lutron was the price paid to liberate a slave.
THE MEANING: SATISFACTION, NOT A BRIBE
Jesus is not paying a bribe to a kidnapper; He is standing in the place of the guilty to absorb the consequence of the Law.
* Jesus is the functional substitute.
* He satisfied the Law so the Devil would have nothing to "look at."
* The cross satisfied God’s holiness.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE COST
When we talk about the cross as a ransom, we are talking about The Cost. This angle of the diamond tells us three things:
1. THE SEVERITY OF SIN
If the price of our deliverance is the death of the Son of God, our predicament was worse than we ever imagined. Ransom is the guardrail against "cheap grace." It reminds us that our freedom was bought by the most precious thing in the universe.
2. THE HOLINESS OF GOD
There is an infinite gap between God’s holiness and our sin. To cover the debt and satisfy moral order, it cost the life of Jesus. Sin is not a "pet" or a minor mistake; it is a debt we could never pay.
3. THE WILLINGNESS OF THE FATHER & THE SON
The cost reveals the depth of God's love.
SCRIPTURE: ROMANS 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
LIVING AS THE RANSOMED
If the price has been paid, why do we still feel trapped?
1. THE DECEPTION OF OWNERSHIP
We often flirt with sin because we want "autonomy." But human beings are never truly independent. We are either yielding to Sin or to Righteousness. Flirting with sin is like stepping back onto the auction block and asking for the chains.
2. THE ENEMY IS A DEBT COLLECTOR
Guilt and shame are often the enemy trying to collect a debt he no longer owns.
3. THE FULLNESS OF THE PAYMENT
Jesus didn't pay "some" of the debt.
1 CORINTHIANS 6:20
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 PETER 1:18-19
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
The Ransom was a payment. On the cross, Jesus said, "It is finished." When you struggle this week, ask yourself: Does this choice honor the One who gave His life for me? Don't forget the cost, and don't forget that you are free.
THE HORROR OF THE ROMAN MACHINE
Before we look at the meaning, we must understand the reality of the instrument. The Roman Empire was a machine of perfected execution. They didn't just want to kill enemies; they wanted to unmake them. The cross was a public billboard designed to scream that resistance was futile.
* Tens of thousands died on Roman crosses.
* 6,000 men were crucified along a single road during the revolt of Spartacus.
* At the siege of Jerusalem, Romans crucified 500 people a day until they ran out of wood.
* It was an assembly line of agony where victims fought for every breath.
2,000 years ago, a man named Jesus was labeled a rebel and suffered this exact fate. He was just one more body on a hill of thousands. But days later, something impossible happened. People saw Him alive. Because of the resurrection, the cross was transformed from a sign of shame into a sign of hope.
THE CONCEPT OF RANSOM
In Mark 10, Jesus describes His own mission using a specific term.
MARK 10:45
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
When we hear "ransom," we think of kidnappings and unmarked bills. For centuries, some thought this meant Jesus paid off the Devil to let humanity go. But God does not owe the Devil anything. To understand Jesus, we have to look at the original language.
1. KOPHER (HEBREW)
In the Hebrew Bible, the word is Kopher. It refers to a legal satisfaction or a covering.
* Exodus 21:29-30: A price paid to satisfy justice so a person can live.
* Psalm 49:7-8: No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom (kopher) for them—the price is too high.
2. LUTRON (GREEK)
When the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek, Kopher became Lutron. In the Greek world, a lutron was the price paid to liberate a slave.
THE MEANING: SATISFACTION, NOT A BRIBE
Jesus is not paying a bribe to a kidnapper; He is standing in the place of the guilty to absorb the consequence of the Law.
* Jesus is the functional substitute.
* He satisfied the Law so the Devil would have nothing to "look at."
* The cross satisfied God’s holiness.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE COST
When we talk about the cross as a ransom, we are talking about The Cost. This angle of the diamond tells us three things:
1. THE SEVERITY OF SIN
If the price of our deliverance is the death of the Son of God, our predicament was worse than we ever imagined. Ransom is the guardrail against "cheap grace." It reminds us that our freedom was bought by the most precious thing in the universe.
2. THE HOLINESS OF GOD
There is an infinite gap between God’s holiness and our sin. To cover the debt and satisfy moral order, it cost the life of Jesus. Sin is not a "pet" or a minor mistake; it is a debt we could never pay.
3. THE WILLINGNESS OF THE FATHER & THE SON
The cost reveals the depth of God's love.
SCRIPTURE: ROMANS 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
LIVING AS THE RANSOMED
If the price has been paid, why do we still feel trapped?
1. THE DECEPTION OF OWNERSHIP
We often flirt with sin because we want "autonomy." But human beings are never truly independent. We are either yielding to Sin or to Righteousness. Flirting with sin is like stepping back onto the auction block and asking for the chains.
2. THE ENEMY IS A DEBT COLLECTOR
Guilt and shame are often the enemy trying to collect a debt he no longer owns.
3. THE FULLNESS OF THE PAYMENT
Jesus didn't pay "some" of the debt.
1 CORINTHIANS 6:20
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 PETER 1:18-19
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
The Ransom was a payment. On the cross, Jesus said, "It is finished." When you struggle this week, ask yourself: Does this choice honor the One who gave His life for me? Don't forget the cost, and don't forget that you are free.