What Jesus Has Done For Us

Luke 22:39-44 (NKJV)
³⁹ Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. ⁴⁰ When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." ⁴¹ And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, ⁴² saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." ⁴³ Then an angel (appeared) to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. ⁴⁴ And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

  God had to send an angel to strengthen Jesus. We are not told, but certainly the angel would have shared how His death...•   was an act that glorified and honored God because it was doing exactly what His Father wanted. It was an act of obedience, of love and adoration for God. It was an offering, the perfect offering to God. His life would be for the salvation of all mankind.

His death was to result in His own glory and honor and exaltation, and was the only way man could be saved eternally.

Also, the angel probably did some very practical things. We can imagine the angel embracing His Lord, just holding Him ever so tightly, and perhaps infusing strength into His being. The scene of our Lord being so weak that He had to be embraced and engulfed in the arms of an angel should break every believer's heart. Perhaps the angel wiped the perspiration and blood and tears off His brow. Whatever the scene, we need to see the awful weight and intensity of our Lord's agony.  

He prayed "more earnestly," more intensely. The reason is seen in the Greek words for "being in an agony.” The Greek (aorist participle) means Jesus experienced a growing agony. The weight upon Him was not only intense; it grew more and more intense. The pressure and sense of suffering became heavier and heavier. The picture is that of His becoming engrossed and embodied in agony. Thus, He prayed more and more earnestly. His prayer grew and increased in intensity even as His agony intensified.

  He sweat great drops of blood. The words "great drops” mean thick clots of blood. Apparently Jesus was under so much pressure the capillary veins right under the skin burst and the blood mingled with sweat and poured through the enlarged pores. What Jesus was experiencing can never be known.

And He did it all for you and I. When He was in the garden, we were on His mind. And now He is on our mind and we worship and praise for His Supreme sacrifice that saved you and I from the penalty of hell. He gave us the right to become children of God so we could live with Him and the Father forever.

John 19:17-19 (NKJV)
¹⁷ And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,
¹⁸ where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.

 The crucifixion was the summit of sin and love. The crucifixion itself was the most horrible of deaths. There was the pain of the driven spikes forced through the flesh of Jesus' hands and feet or ankles. There was the weight of His body jolting and pulling against the spikes as the cross was lifted and rocked into place. There was the scorching sun and the unquenchable thirst gnawing away at His dry mouth and throat. In addition, just imagine the aggravation of flies, gnats, and other insects that tormented Jesus as He gave His body in death for us. On and on the sufferings could be described. There has never been a more cruel form of execution than crucifixion upon a cross. Remember His body broken for you as you partake of the bread.

There was the blood oozing from His scourged back, His thorn crowned brow, His stick beaten head and scarred face. Then there was the shedding of Jesus blood as a soldier pierced His side. John 19:34 (NKJV) But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

Remember these things as you partake of the juice that rep. His shed blood!

John 19:28-30 (NKJV) ²⁸ After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" ²⁹ Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. ³⁰ So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Everything needed for the salvation of mankind was finished on the cross at Calvary. We will praise, honor, and glorify Jesus for all eternity for all He has done for us.

 Revelation 5:11-14 (KJV)
¹¹ And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
¹² Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
¹³ And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
¹⁴ And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Invitation: Jesus suffered horribly for you so you could be saved. If you have not already taken advantage of His salvation, today is the right time! Confess your sins to Jesus and Ask Him to forgive you. Then invite Him into your heart to take charge of your life. Then live in the power, love, and sound mind that Christ gives!

Sufficient Grace

 2 Corinthians 12:6-10 (NKJV)
⁶ For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me. ⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

V:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Paul was given a "thorn in the flesh" What was his "thorn in the flesh?" The word "thorn" means either thorn or stake. Just what the thorn was is not known. Doesn't really matter what the thorn was. It was from Satan’s messenger to torment Paul. It was causing him grief.

Paul had experienced the spiritual power of Christ as few have ever done. God had given Paul deep and intimate spiritual experiences. There was the danger that he might begin to think too highly of himself; therefore, God gave Paul a "thorn in the flesh" to keep him humble.  Paul wanted deliverance and relief; he wanted God to remove the thorn. Why? It hindered him!

Because...• It pricked and bothered him. It distracted him from his ministry. It made him appear personally weak and sickly. It caused him emotional pain as well as physical!

V:8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.   Note that Paul prayed three times for God to remove the thorn. Jesus Christ had also prayed three times for the suffering of the cross to be removed (cp. Matthew 26:36-46).

  Paul says there were three reasons why God refused to remove the thorn from his flesh.

V:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. First, God wanted to guard against Paul's being puffed up. God can’t use puffed up people! They are too full of themselves. When we are full of pride we are not looking to God. God hates pride! (Prov. 6:16-17) Pride ends in destruction (Proverbs 16:18). Greatest enemy of mankind!

V:9  And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Second, God wanted to reveal His power in Paul. The weaker the vessel, the more God is glorified when the vessel really seeks Christ continually for the power and grace he needs to be able to live for and serve Him in spite of his weakness. Less we are seen; the more Christ Jesus is seen.

The apostle John said in John 3:30 (NKJV) He must increase, but I must decrease.

Note God's answer to Paul’s prayer: "My grace is sufficient for thee" (V:9) the presence, love, favor, and blessings of God are sufficient to help the believer walk through any suffering. The word "sufficient" means plenty of the power or strength to withstand any danger. God's grace within the believer can carry the believer through anything. It may be either physical or spiritual attacks; but no matter: God's grace is sufficient to see us through whatever the thorn is.

  "My strength is made perfect in weakness" (V:9) the weaker the believer, the more God can demonstrate His strength. If a man is self-sufficient, he does not need God; but if he is weak, he needs God: the help, provision, and sufficiency of God. One of the most startling things about 2 Corinthians 12 is that this is not an exception to how God works; it is the rule. The pattern in God’s work on earth is to channel his power through human weakness. God does not skim off the top ten percent—the most gifted, the most articulate, the smartest, the best educated—for significance in the kingdom.

He picks the basest or lowest. The no bodies in the world’s view. He picks people like you and me.

 V:10 "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me."  Note the point of this statement: infirmities or weaknesses are purposeful. The believer suffers for a reason: that the power of Christ may be demonstrated and clearly seen in his life. The word "rest” means to fix a tent upon. The idea is that the power of Christ rests upon the suffering believer just as the Shekinah glory dwelt in the holy place of the tabernacle. What a glorious thought! The strength of Christ fixes itself upon and dwells within the believer—filling him with the Shekinah glory of God—when he suffers. He gives an extra amount of strength and power for His purposes.

 Third, God wanted to teach Paul to live "for Christ's sake." When Paul suffered some infirmity or weakness, it gave Christ the chance to infuse power into Paul and to overcome the weakness for Paul. Paul's infirmity gave Christ an opportunity to prove Himself. The power of Christ can overcome any weakness or temptation for the believer. 2 Corinthians 12:10 (NLT) That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

When the believer is weak, he is strongest. How? By the power of Christ that rests on him. And the power of Christ is much stronger than all the combined forces of mankind. Christ’s clear manifestation of his power in Paul’s weakness would become a source of inspiration and a reason to praise and glorify Jesus. Truly when Paul was weak really then he was strong.

The fact that Christ’s power is displayed in weak people should give us believers courage.  Instead of relying on our own energy, effort, or talent, we should turn to Christ for wisdom and strength. Weakness not only helps a person develop Christian character; it also deepens that person’s worship, because admitting weakness affirms Christ’s inexhaustible strength.

  The great need of all believers’ is to acknowledge their weakness before the Lord. When we do, the Lord pours His strength into the believer's mind and heart. The Lord empowers the believer to overcome and conquer all infirmities and weaknesses.

You are just the kind of person God loves to use. The power of God—will give you power to kill sin, power to walk in the fullness of the Spirit,

power to speak courageously about Jesus,

power to love the unlovely,

power to help lead many to Christ,

power to make your life count—such power is for inadequate people.

INVITATION: Acknowledge your frailty to God. Look to the Savior. He embraced the weakness of the cross so that you and I, weak sinners, can embrace and experience the blood-bought power of God—now. Have you been born again? If you don’t know Christ as your Savior, you can’t experience the grace and sufficient strength He brings. Make sure you personally know Him as your Savior. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins and invite Him into your heart to take charge of your life and you will be glad you did!

Three Essentials For The Christian

Work, Labor, Hope

Intro: What if we had a tribute to the contributions Christian workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of God’s Kingdom? A Christian contributing to the strength, prosperity and well-being of God’s Kingdom is a Christian that is stirred up and aroused to work and should be commended. In 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4 N.K.J. The apostle Paul does commend the Thessalonian Christians. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4 (NKJV) ² We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, ³ remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, ⁴ knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.

 He commends them for their work of faith; labor of love and patience of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.

These three things stir and arouse a Christian to work.

1 Thessalonians 1:5-8 (NKJV) ⁵ For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. ⁶ And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁷ so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.
⁸ For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.

1.  Faith stirs the Christian to work. Faith comes by hearing God’s word. Rom. 10:17!

Paul had brought them God’s word and many had responded. When the power of the Holy Spirit is working through the word, a person is drawn to Jesus Christ and when he truly believes in Him by faith, he is filled with joy and is stirred to work and serve the Lord Jesus. The same is true with a body of believers, the church. To exercise our faith, there must be a commitment to believe.  In Hebrews 11:6 we are told…But without faith, it is impossible to please him, for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is rewarder of those that diligently seek him. We are to seek God and believe His word, we are to believe his promises, believe he is able to do far and above anything, we could expect in the natural, because God is supernatural.  Hebrews 11:1-3 (NKJV) ¹ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ² For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. ³ By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Creation is one of God’s supernatural actions. He is able to do many supernatural things through our faith in Him. The stronger the belief of a Christian in Christ and His word, the stronger will be their work of faith for Him. Luke 17:5-6 (NKJV) ⁵ When the apostles wanted more faith they said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." ⁶ So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  A strong faith stirs, arouses, activates, and energizes believers to work and carry out the mission of Christ. There must be a commitment. These people were being persecuted severely but they didn’t stop lifting up Jesus. There must be an understanding, not to give up, but Trust God in everything. Even, if it is not politically correct, and Even if others don’t see it.  Strong believers don’t give up their faith, to try and please people. God is the One we want to please.  

2. Labor of Love Faith without love is of no value. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NKJV)
¹ Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

When a person truly loves Christ, he is prompted and driven to labor for Christ. Love stirs the Christian to labor. The word "labor" means to toil; it’s a persistent work. Labor of love is work done by those who have experienced the forgiveness and love of Christ, Those who are always conscious that Christ has taken their sins upon Himself and borne the punishment for them. In response to Christ’s love for them, the believers are motivated to express God’s love to others.

This love is described in 1 Cor. 13: 4-8a. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NKJV)
⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸ Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

Simply stated, labor of love is exercising the power of the Holy Spirit within to love God, self, and others just as Jesus has loved us. It is the wonderful love of Christ at work in the believer that moves him to love and serve others. The believer does all he can to please Christ and to fulfill the joy of Christ. This is what Paul meant when he said "the (love of Christ) constrains (makes) me" to serve Him. 2Cor.5:14

3. Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ stirs the Christian to endure in its work and labor. Our hope (confident expectation) is in the Lord Jesus Christ to return from Heaven to take us home to be with Him.

So we patiently wait for Him. Wait means more than just wait; it emphasizes an active attempt to live for His glory in the meantime. As we wait for Jesus we will continue our work of faith and our labor of love for Jesus by living for Him and serving others.

We know that that Lord is going to transfer us into heaven at the end of this life and reward us according to our labor here on earth. Therefore, strong believers and churches are driven to endure in hope—to continue on in their difficult work of faith and labor of love for Christ. We love Him because He has first loved us and gave Himself for us.

Invitation:  Have you put your faith in Jesus for your salvation? Have you experienced the love of Jesus? If not ask Jesus to forgive your sins and save you. Invite Him into your heart to take charge of your life. If you do have faith in Him, Are you working your faith? Are you laboring in love, serving Him out of your love for Him and others? If not, why not? We were saved to do works of righteousness and labor for His Kingdom. Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.