June 25, 2017
Hymn 165 - Jesus how much Thy name unfolds
Prayer
We’ve been looking at Jesus on the road to the cross. Today we’ll see Him in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Luke 22: 39-46. It was Jesus’ habit to go to the Mount of Olives; the garden was probably one of His special places of prayer. He knew exactly what was going to be happening to Him that night and the next day. We don’t have such knowledge, and that’s probably a good thing.
Jesus going to the cross reminds us of the story of Abraham and Isaac. Abraham knew what was going to happen on Mount Moriah—he was going to sacrifice Isaac—but Isaac didn’t know. In fact, he asked, “Where’s the lamb for the sacrifice?” The story shows Abraham’s great obedience to God, but it also shows that Isaac was very submissive, because he never said a word when his father told him he would be sacrificed. At the cross, Jesus was both obedient and submissive.
As we said, Jesus knew all that was going to happen to him, and it landed like a weight on his heart. He had gone a little way away from the disciples to pray, but the real distance between the sleeping disciples and the agonizing Lord was very great.
This passage shows just what Calvary meant to Jesus. It was like something that He had to drink and internalize. Everything that was required to save us was in that cup. If we are saved, our sins were in that cup. All that was needed to be cleared in order to make us acceptable to God was in that cup. Jesus had to take it all and drink it. Think of the pain and suffering. We can see the affect it had on Him, even just as He thinks of it. He became totally weak, but an angel came and strengthened Him. It’s good to know that angels are there to support us, too.
When Jesus anticipated all that was before Him, His blood began oozing out. There aren’t many passages that tell what Jesus felt like during the cross. He was sinless, and He had to bear all our sin, which was totally opposite to His nature. We can see here how it affected Him! He asked that it be taken from Him, if at all possible. It was impossible. If God could have spared His Son, He would have; but sacrificing Him was the only way to deal with our sin. Nothing else could have been done; no one else could have born it, only Jesus. We can be thankful that He said, “Not my will, but Thine be done,” and “The cup that my Father gave me, shall I not drink it?” He suffered all at Calvary. That was the price He had to pay for His Bride; and it will benefit us for all eternity.
After all of this, Jesus went back to His disciples and found them sleeping. They couldn’t enter into what this meant for Jesus, and neither can we, really. May we thank and praise Him for it, though, and not be unthankful.
This helps us see how much the Lord wanted us, and wants to give us blessings and eternal life. It also shows us how Jesus anticipated the cross; may we praise Him for bearing it!
2 Thessalonians 2:11-17
So, we’ve taken a look at the mystery of iniquity, the Lord’s coming at the rapture, the tribulation with the Beast as the head of the Roman Empire, and the Antichrist in the temple in Jerusalem. We have learned that Satan is the driving force behind all of this. Some people believe we’re in the tribulation already; but we, God’s people, and the Holy Spirit are still here on earth. Once we and the Holy Spirit are gone the world will have no restrictions. Those left will be in a sad condition.
The “but” here in verse thirteen is good. It sets a whole new direction. We should all give thanks. We have so much to thank the Lord for. The Apostle sought to get others saved and grounded in the truth. He could tell of a trophy of grace, and he was thankful for it.
We have some blessings listed here. We are the beloved of the Lord. “God so loved the world that He sent His only Son”. But there are those in this world we can call “brethren”. It shows the relationship. We have many hymns that remind us of the Lord’s love for us. It’s a divine love. Human love ebbs and flows. Divine love is consistent; you can count on it.
Jeremiah 31:3
The Lord’s love didn’t begin, and it won’t end. It’s vast. Paul then reminds us of the cause; we were chosen from the beginning. Ephesians tells about how we are chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world; even before creation. Omniscient God in love chose to save us. He already knew of sin, and the redemption it required. Rather than let us suffer consequences He gave His only Son to suffer for us.
We are saved through the sanctification of the Spirit. It was the work of the Trinity, but we still need to believe in the truth. There was a whole plan here. The Thessalonians needed salvation. God sent a messenger; Paul.
We’re saved for another world. We are going to be taken to glory. We were chosen in the past, and the glory is in the future. The Thessalonians were blessed, and so are we.
Hymn 109 - Oh, the love of God is boundless
Prayer