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 Sermon > Official Service |
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Title |
Jesus Christ the love of God(2) |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
1Jn 4:9-10 |
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God loved man and created the world and made man as the lord over all creation.
Before we knew God, He loved us. When we were sinners, He loved us, too. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Now, let’s take into account how Jesus, who came into this world in a flesh as a man, testified about the love of God and completed the way of salvation through his public life.
1. Jesus did only good, but he suffered much and was scorned.
Jesus began his public life with the first wonder that he changed water into wine in the wedding banquet of Cana in Galilee. He preached the kingdom of God and did many signs and wonders in Judea and the coasts of Galilee.
However, how were the high priests and the teachers of the law, the Pharisees and experts on the law who knew well and taught the law of God among the Jews in those days? Although they saw innumerable examples of the power that Jesus showed beyond man’s ability, they didn’t recognize Jesus as Messiah but insulted and took offense at him.
For example, in Matthew 12:22 Jesus healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. When the Pharisees who disliked Jesus heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons." But Jesus persevered and bore with their conduct.
Jesus had both the power to bring the fire down from heaven and the authority to let the curse or the blessing come with a word.
However, Jesus explained in parables so that they could realize for themselves. Jesus said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out?"(Matthew 12:25-27).
Jesus tried to change their mind with goodness and love, but the Pharisees and the teachers of the law didn’t repent their evil and tested him in order to find fault with Jesus and plotted to arrest him in some sly way.
2. Jesus washed feet of his disciples and served them.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem to be crucified on the cross, he had supper with his disciples on Thursday evening one night before he was arrested. At that time, Jesus got up, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist and washed his disciple’s feet(John 13:4-5).
By humbling himself and wash the feet of his beloved disciples, Jesus wanted to teach them that they should be modest and serve each other.
After this, Jesus predicted one of his disciples would betray him and dipped a piece of bread and gave it to Judas Iscariot. Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born"(Mark 14:21).
Jesus already knew Judas Iscariot would betray him, but gave the love of God to him and wanted him to repent to the last. On the other hand, Jesus said to Peter who declared even if all fell away he would not do so, "..tonight-before the rooster crows twice, you yourself will disown me three times"(Mark 14:30). It wasn’t to blame him that Jesus said to Peter like this before it actually happened. It was intended that when Peter later repented his acts and remembered these words, he realized that ’although Jesus knew all about me, Jesus loved me like this and waited for me patiently.’
Saying, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me(John 14:1)", Jesus gave the hope for the heaven to his disciples who would be scattered out of fear and encouraged them.
Also Jesus said to them in John 14:18, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." This was a promise that although, after being crucified on the cross, he was not on earth, he would resurrect and go up to the heaven to be with them in the Holy Spirit.
Jesus meant that his disciples might have peace and overcome difficulties with God’s words and triumph over the world as himself did. We could know well through this how Jesus loved his disciples and bore in his heart those who would believe him in the future.
3. Jesus prayed at Gethsemane to bear his cross.
Before Jesus bore his cross, he fell to the ground and prayed to God at Gethsemane so as to get over the agony on the cross. Jesus prayed to God earnestly as is in Mark 14:36, "Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
We should understand how Jesus’ heart was at that time. It was not simply agony of the death, but severe pain which a man could hardly bore. Also it was beyond our imagination that Jesus, who had no sin, bore the sins of human beings on the cross and that he, when he is one with God, was forsaken by God thoroughly on behalf of the sinners.
Therefore, Jesus prayed, "Take this cup from me." But Jesus showed that he wanted to seek for the will of God through the following prayer, "Yet not what I will, but what you will." Deeply moved by this prayer, God sent an angel from the heaven to Jesus to help him with the prayer to all measure.
God watched Jesus praying for souls earnestly. God might feel more painful than Jesus and shed tears along with him at that time. That God endured these things and left His begotten Son to bear the cross to save us who were enemies with God and committed sins. How could we measure his love!
4. Jesus was crucified on the cross of tree to save human beings.
Jesus was crucified at the place called Golgotha. It was to redeem us that Jesus, the only begotten son of God suffered and was crucified on the cross by the hands of creature.
That Jesus wore a crown of thorns on the head was to forgive our sins that we commit through thoughts. That Jesus was nailed on hands and feet was to forgive our sins that we commit with hands and feet. As Hebrews 9:22 says, Jesus was crucified on a tree where a cursed man was hung and shed his blood because there was no forgiveness without the shedding of blood.
Suffering like this, Jesus offered the prayer of forgiveness and love for those who crucified himself.
He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing"(Luke 24:34).
The crucifixion was more painful because he was not killed by stabbing the vital parts of body but had to be hung on the cross to death. Moreover, he suffered from pain that nailed hands and feet were drooped and torn out of his weight. And he shed his blood under the hot sun of desert area after wearing the crown of thorns and having his body wounded by whipping. A swarm of vermin sucked his blood and many people under the cross looked on and scorned him.
Jesus had to suffer for as much as three hours. But at noon, suddenly darkness came over all the land until 3:00 PM. This was to show that God, who had to watch His beloved son suffer from the severe pain, felt as much painful as the sun stopped shinning, too.
Before Jesus breathed his last, he cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"- which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"(Mark 15:34). It didn’t mean that he sighed and grumbled against God. It was an earnest appeal to man to come to the way of salvation by realizing the love of God that made Him just turn His face away from His beloved son and leave him to be crucified on behalf of mankind.
As in John 19:28, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." It was an earnest request toward human beings who would live on earth to remember his death on the cross and preach the message of the cross to others who don’t believe. Jesus didn’t care about his pain at all because of the burning love for souls like a mother who is so worried about her children won’t close her eyes on the dying moment.
Jesus said in John 19:30, "It is finished" and died after crying out, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."(Luke 23:46).
At that moment, what happened? Matthew 27:51 says that the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom after Jesus died. This means that the wall of sins between God and us was broken down because Jesus became an atoning sacrifice.
So, every one who believes in Jesus can enter the holy sanctuary of God and worship. And we can communicate directly with God calling Him "Abba, Father" and eventually enter His kingdom.
Dear congregation,
The crucifixion was to testify ’You are the Christ, the son of the living God’ and was to show ’the love of God for human beings.’
Therefore, we should deeply realize the unmeasurable love of God through which He showed the way of salvation to human beings who were destined to death and gave them the right to become children of God and the blessing of eternal life and the joy in the heaven.
I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that you will become good workers of the Lord who thank God for His love and thus love Him with actions and in truth, following the example of our Lord who accomplished the providence of God by his humble serving. |
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