The apostle Paul gives us a list of the things he suffered because of his faith in Jesus:
He was afflicted in every way, persecuted, discouraged, delivered over to death, enduring beatings (times without number), imprisonments, sleeplessness, hunger and thirst, 5 times whipped with 39 lashes, stoned and left for dead, 3 times shipwrecked. He was often in danger from rivers, robbers, fellow Jews, non-Jews, in cities and wilderness areas, on the sea, and among false teachers. He was often cold, suffering from exposure and apart from all this, he was burdened with concern for all the churches. (2 Cor 4:7-19; 6:4-10; 11:23-28)
I've circled the globe more than 40 times (or the equivalent thereof) working with the churches in Indonesia for the better part of 23 years. I've endured 3 heart by-pass surgeries, 2 heart attacks and now wear a defibrillator. Folks thank me for the suffering I've endured for Jesus, but compared to Paul, I really have not suffered at all.
And I'm sure Paul would agree with me that neither of us has suffered at all when compared to that which Jesus endured while hanging from the cross. I'm convinced that many of us neither fully understand the depth nor the profundity of what Jesus suffered there. It wasn't just a physical death.
What Jesus suffered was nothing less than the consequences AND the punishment for the sins of the whole world. The consequence of sin is physical death or the separation of the spirit from the body. Everyone suffers that kind of death eventually -- believers and unbelievers alike. The punishment for sin, however, is separation of our spirit from God. Unbelievers, the apostle John tells us, will suffer the 2nd death or eternal separation from God but believers have no fear of the 2nd death. And the reason we have no fear of the 2nd death is because Jesus suffered it for us. He took our sins upon himself and in doing so separated himself from God for a time. How long, I do not know. But if he was not separated from God, then our sins are still unpunished and we are without hope of eternal life.
No wonder Jesus sweat blood while praying the night before his crucifixion. No wonder he requested, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." The blackness of hell, separation from the Father, even if only for an instant, would have been the ultimate suffering for Jesus. Every other form of cruelty or torture would pale in comparison. But he went through with God's eternal plan. He suffered the ultimate because he loved the Father AND he loved his creation -- you and me. He love us SO much that he suffered our punishment for us, satisfying what had to be satisfied to make it possible for the sinful to be regarded as sinless. Only then would we be able to live eternally.
Thank you, God, for sending Jesus. And thank you, Jesus, for suffering the punishment of sin, making it possible for us to live eternally. Thank you. We will sing your praises throughout the endless ages of eternity. Great is our God and worthy to be praised, Amen. Come Lord Jesus.
He was afflicted in every way, persecuted, discouraged, delivered over to death, enduring beatings (times without number), imprisonments, sleeplessness, hunger and thirst, 5 times whipped with 39 lashes, stoned and left for dead, 3 times shipwrecked. He was often in danger from rivers, robbers, fellow Jews, non-Jews, in cities and wilderness areas, on the sea, and among false teachers. He was often cold, suffering from exposure and apart from all this, he was burdened with concern for all the churches. (2 Cor 4:7-19; 6:4-10; 11:23-28)
I've circled the globe more than 40 times (or the equivalent thereof) working with the churches in Indonesia for the better part of 23 years. I've endured 3 heart by-pass surgeries, 2 heart attacks and now wear a defibrillator. Folks thank me for the suffering I've endured for Jesus, but compared to Paul, I really have not suffered at all.
And I'm sure Paul would agree with me that neither of us has suffered at all when compared to that which Jesus endured while hanging from the cross. I'm convinced that many of us neither fully understand the depth nor the profundity of what Jesus suffered there. It wasn't just a physical death.
What Jesus suffered was nothing less than the consequences AND the punishment for the sins of the whole world. The consequence of sin is physical death or the separation of the spirit from the body. Everyone suffers that kind of death eventually -- believers and unbelievers alike. The punishment for sin, however, is separation of our spirit from God. Unbelievers, the apostle John tells us, will suffer the 2nd death or eternal separation from God but believers have no fear of the 2nd death. And the reason we have no fear of the 2nd death is because Jesus suffered it for us. He took our sins upon himself and in doing so separated himself from God for a time. How long, I do not know. But if he was not separated from God, then our sins are still unpunished and we are without hope of eternal life.
No wonder Jesus sweat blood while praying the night before his crucifixion. No wonder he requested, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." The blackness of hell, separation from the Father, even if only for an instant, would have been the ultimate suffering for Jesus. Every other form of cruelty or torture would pale in comparison. But he went through with God's eternal plan. He suffered the ultimate because he loved the Father AND he loved his creation -- you and me. He love us SO much that he suffered our punishment for us, satisfying what had to be satisfied to make it possible for the sinful to be regarded as sinless. Only then would we be able to live eternally.
Thank you, God, for sending Jesus. And thank you, Jesus, for suffering the punishment of sin, making it possible for us to live eternally. Thank you. We will sing your praises throughout the endless ages of eternity. Great is our God and worthy to be praised, Amen. Come Lord Jesus.
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