Paid In Full: An In-depth Look at the Defining Moments of Christ's Passion

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Paid in Full:
An In-Depth Look at the Defining Moments of Christ’s Passion
ISBN 978-1-60683-781-8
Copyright © 2008
Rick Renner
P. O. Box 702040
Tulsa, OK 74170-2040

Published in Partnership:
Teach All Nations - P.O. Box 702040 - Tulsa, OK 74170-2040
Harrison House Publishers
Tulsa, OK 74145

Editorial Consultants: Cynthia D. Hansen and Andrell Corbin
Text Design: Lisa Simpson and Diane Whisner
Graphic Design: Debbie Pullman, Zoe Life Creative Media

Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents and/or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent of the Publisher.

Every Sunday as I was growing up, my pastor, Rev. Robert Post, faithfully preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Each week with great conviction, compassion, and boldness, he unflinchingly proclaimed the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. His no-nonsense, unapologetic, clear-cut, compelling, and persuasive presentation of the Gospel dramatically affected me at a young age and still has a formidable influence on my thinking and my philosophy of ministry today.

In this day and age, the preaching of the Cross has become more and more of a rare occurrence. It makes me want to pause and thank God that I had a pastor who faithfully drove the truth of the Cross into my heart, helping me to cherish the Cross and to value the great price that Jesus was willing to pay for me. Over the 20 years Brother Post ministered at our church, his commitment to preach this most important message the world has ever heard never wavered. As a result, I saw many people genuinely repent and come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ at the altar of our church.

Today it’s been nearly 50 years since I first sat under the ministry of my pastor. For decades, I, too, have been giving altar calls and have seen thousands of people commit their lives to Jesus Christ. I would be remiss if I didn’t stop to say
thank you
to this precious man for teaching me that leading a soul to Christ is the most important and eternal act I can ever do.

As I stand in front of my own congregation and before audiences in meetings around the world, it is now
my
responsibility to call sinners to repentance and the backslidden to recommitment. As I do, I often remember Brother Post standing before me and the rest of the church, giving his own altar calls. I can still hear his voice as he walked the aisles and passionately begged people to make their hearts right with God.

Brother Post, there is no doubt that today, at least in part, I mirror the example you lived before me as I grew up in your church. I want to dedicate this book to you, for God mightily used you to drive the message of the Cross deep into my heart. Thank you for demonstrating compassionate love for the lost and for teaching me that leading a soul to Christ is the greatest honor in the world. This was, is, and always will be the greatest and most important message I could ever preach.

My dear pastor, I know that when we all stand before Jesus, much of what has been accomplished through my life and ministry will be accredited to your account, for you have been so instrumental in helping to form who I am and what I believe today. So much of the passion in my heart and the work God is doing through my life is a result of what you imparted to me through your faithful years of service. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Rick Renner

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the people who participated in this book project: Matt Jones, who conducted research and provided needed documentation; Jeremy Rhodes, who oversaw the physical printing of this book; graphic artist Debbie Pullman, who designed the cover; and editors Andrell Corbin and Cindy Hansen for their wonderful editorial contributions and suggestions. God has blessed Denise and me with a fabulous team, and we are thankful to each member for his or her contribution. Specifically, I am grateful to these five team members for their part in the production of this long-awaited book.

Rick Renner

Introduction

Easter was always a big day in our home, as it is in most Christian homes. The day on which we celebrate may not be the actual day the event took place, but it is nonetheless a special day to remember and celebrate Jesus’ victory over sin, death, and the grave.
It is a sanctified time to focus on the price paid for our souls.
How I thank God that Easter was celebrated by my parents and by the church we attended. It’s a memory I’ll always cherish!

Unfortunately, far too often we never even think about the final days of Jesus’ life except at Easter time. Although the final days of Jesus’ life are filled with truths and principles to guide our lives, we don’t stop to consider the profound significance of all that happened to Him during that time.

But everything about this story —
everything
— is relevant and applicable to your everyday life. This powerful, life-changing story should not be relegated to one day a year when you celebrate Easter.
This is the story of all stories, filled with truths and pertinent principles that will empower you to overcome in every area of your life!
So I urge you to open your heart as you read the truths contained in these pages. Study to see what you can learn from Jesus to help you walk as He walked on this earth.

It is my prayer that by the time you reach the end of this book, you will have gained a far deeper understanding of the price Jesus paid to set you free — and that as a result, you will never be the same.

Rick Renner

Moscow, Russia

November 1, 2007

Chapter 1:
Jesus’ Final Words

On the night when Jesus was betrayed, He got on His knees and washed His disciples’ feet. Then He served the disciples their first Communion as He confirmed His covenant with them. Afterward, Jesus began to speak the
last words
He would ever speak to them in His human form, before He received a glorified body. As Jesus looked into the eyes of His disciples, He knew this was the last time He’d speak to them in this capacity. He also knew that these last words would be among the most important words He had ever spoken to them.

So what did Jesus say to His disciples in those final, intimate moments with them?

Think about what
you
would talk about if you knew you were looking into the eyes of your family members and friends for the last time. I seriously doubt you’d joke or make a lot of small talk.

Such moments are hallowed and sacred. It would be a time for you to carefully weigh your words and to speak what you believe is most important for your listeners to remember after you are gone.

• If you had the opportunity to speak your
  last
  words to those you love, wouldn’t you carefully choose the words you spoke in that final moment?
  
• Wouldn’t it be a time to say the things that were most important and dear to your heart — words that communicated the deepest feelings of your soul to your loved ones?
  

If you are like the majority of other human beings, it would be your greatest desire in that final moment to make your last words the most thoughtful, advantageous, and heartfelt words you could leave with the people who mean the most to you.

In every person’s life, there are key moments when he or she is faced with the need to speak
concluding words.

• Before a person slips into eternity, he often prays for an opportunity to speak final words of farewell to his loved ones.
  
• A person may need to speak final words at his workplace because of a job change that requires him to relocate and thereby leave behind associates and friends with whom he has worked for a long time.
  
• Parents come to that moment when they must carefully speak their last words to their son or daughter right before their child stands before a minister and commits his or her life to someone else in marriage.
  

There are many different reasons you might need to speak
last words
at various times in your life. Can you think of a time in particular when you had to choose final words to speak to people whom you deeply loved?

I remember such a moment in my life. After serving one church for many years and literally pouring our hearts and souls into that congregation, Denise and I sensed that it was time for us to follow God’s call elsewhere. The days passed and the time drew nearer to our last church service with our congregation. More and more I became aware that when I stood before the people as senior pastor for the last time, I’d be preaching the most important message I’d ever preached to that church.

In the years we had served in this church, the congregation had heard many of my sermons. But in that last service, I’d be speaking my
last words
to them as their senior pastor. Therefore, I knew my words had to be carefully chosen and sensitively spoken. It was essential that I leave them with the message that was most important for them to hear from me as I stood before them for the last time in the role of their senior pastor.

After Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and served them their first Communion, He stayed with them and taught them for a lengthy period of time. We don’t know exactly how long Jesus’ teaching lasted that night, but three entire chapters (John 14, 15, and 16) are devoted to His last words to His disciples. These chapters contain the Spirit-inspired record of what Jesus said to His disciples just hours before He went to the Cross and the grave. This would be the last time He’d ever speak to them as the Leader they had known in human form.

Jesus was about to physically depart from this world. He knew it was absolutely essential that the disciples learn how to rely entirely on the Spirit of God for guidance and direction after He left. Therefore, Jesus used His last moments to teach the disciples how to follow the Holy Spirit’s leadership in the same way they had followed Him.

It must have seemed strange to the disciples as they listened to Jesus speak about the Holy Spirit. They had been accustomed to Jesus physically and visibly leading them, but now they were learning that the Spirit of God would become their Leader. This would be a Leader they couldn’t see, couldn’t touch, and couldn’t audibly hear; yet they were supposed to follow Him just as they had followed Jesus. They were probably thinking,
What is the Holy Spirit’s leadership going to be like in our lives? Does He act and think differently than Jesus? What is it going to be like to follow the Spirit of God?

Knowing that these were normal questions to ask, Jesus used His final moments with the disciples to dispel all fear and insecurity they might have felt about following the Holy Spirit’s leadership. This is why Jesus was so careful to use key words when He spoke to them about the coming of the Holy Spirit. In John 14:16, for example, Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter.…”