Amazing Love

In 1844 Hiram Edson and a large number of people thought Jesus was coming on October 22 of that same year. Many got ready. They sold houses and land. They stopped eating, drinking, chewing and smoking things they should not. I don’t have to tell you that Jesus did not come. They had made a mistake. Today people make fun of them for making the obvious mistake of setting a time and date, when Jesus says, no one knows the day or hour. But their mistake is sincere, and none of us deserves to be made fun of when our heart is in the right place as Hiram Edson’s was.

When Jesus did not return as he expected, Hiram wrote in his journal, that all his hopes had been blasted. The loss of all earthly friends could have been no comparison. They wept and wept till the day dawned. However not everyone felt the same way Hiram did. They were actually relieved Jesus did not return and quickly went back to their old way of life. The “scare” was over. These people simply were not in love with Jesus. They were getting ready because He was coming and not because they loved Him. Today, if we are getting ready to meet Jesus just because he is coming then we are legalists and no different from the rest of the world. We don’t get sin out of our lives because Jesus is coming soon, but because He died for us and loves us.

The second coming is like a wedding. Christ is the groom and we are the bride. Problem is instead of being a bride we are more like a flower girl. The flower girl comes to the wedding all pretty and prepared, but not for the groom. She comes all prepared for the cake and punch after the service. The groom never comes for the flower girl. She is not in love with him. She is in love with cake and punch. The groom wants to marry the bride, because the bride is prepared for the groom.

I believe the biggest reason Christ has not returned yet, is because He is waiting for the church to grow up from being a flower girl, all excited about mansions, golden streets, cake and punch, and become a bride who is simply in love with Him. Right now the church wants to flirt with Jesus, even date Jesus. But the church does not want to marry Jesus. No, we want to see Jesus but see the world too. We don’t want to get tied down with Jesus just yet. When we fall in love with Him we will be ready to marry Him. He will come and then we will go home with Him forever. But first we must fall in love with Him.

The only way to really fall in love with Jesus is to look at the cross. Satan is very satisfied if we show up to church on Saturday instead of Sunday. He is still satisfied if we eat wham instead of ham. Just so long as we don’t look at the cross, because if we do that then our lives will change and we will start living like Jesus. That is what happened to Peter. Before the cross he went to church on Sabbath, did not eat pork, but was still a very selfish individual always wanting to be first. Then the cross came and changed Peter’s life in a way the law never could. Now instead of thinking of himself he was ready to give his life and even die for Jesus. He was in love with Jesus now, because Jesus gave everything for Peter on the cross.

Let’s take a look tonight at the cross and see how it could change someone’s life.

What was it that made Jesus’ death the ultimate sacrifice? Many times we think of the physical torture Jesus endured while on the cross, but many have suffered physically just as much. As a matter of fact, if you asked a cancer victim if they would like another year of chemo or six hours on a cross, they will choose the cross over chemo! What made Jesus’ death the ultimate sacrifice goes a lot deeper than they physical pain. He died a death no one has ever died yet. He tasted the second death.

John Huss sang hymns of praise while he was burning at the stake. If Huss could sing as he died for his faith, why wasn’t Jesus singing songs as He died too? Why was He instead crying out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Because Jesus died a totally different death than Huss or anyone else has ever died. Huss died knowing he was accepted of the Father, but Jesus had to be forsaken by the Father in order for us to be accepted.

 “Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And [Pilate] saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify [him], crucify [him]. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify [him]: for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”   John 19:5-7

The law the Jews were talking about is found in the verse below, but notice the law states that one who blasphemes (which Jesus did not do but was accused of doing), should be stoned, not crucified.

“And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, [and] all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name [of the LORD], shall be put to death.”  Leviticus 24:16

Notice in the verse below, the Jews were not ignorant of this law.

 “I and [my] Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.”  John 10:30-31

 “And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:  His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged [is] accursed of God;)” Deuteronomy 21:22-23

If a man committed a crime worthy of death he could still ask forgiveness and have the hope of the resurrection, but if he was hung on a tree that meant he was accursed of God and it was good-bye to life forever. This is what Jesus experienced for you, so you could experience the acceptance of the Father. “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Ephesians 1:6-7 

And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.  And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.   Joshua 10:25,26

By hanging these five kings on five trees, Joshua was saying that they had their opportunity to accept Israel’s God and rejected Him so it was good-bye to life forever. This is the death Jesus tasted for us. He did not taste the death of the righteous as he did not save us from the death of the righteous. He saved us from the death of the wicked, therefore He tasted the death of the wicked. Jesus faced the death of the wicked which meant facing total oblivion Obadiah 1:16.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?  Matthew 27:46

Jesus had always called God His Father. But on the cross, while He was tasting the death of the wicked, He could not call God His Father. He cried out “My God” and not “My Father.” He was not crying out why have You forsaken me till Sunday morning. You don’t forsake someone when you leave them for the weekend. You forsake them when you leave them forever!

 “Satan with his fierce temptations wrung the heart of Jesus. The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell Him of the Father's acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared that sin was so offensive to God that Their separation was to be eternal. Christ felt the anguish which the sinner will feel when mercy shall no longer plead for the guilty race. It was the sense of sin, bringing the Father's wrath upon Him as man's substitute, that made the cup He drank so bitter, and broke the heart of the Son of God.” {Desire of Ages, p 753}

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  Isaiah 53:4

Isaiah 53:4 tells us He was smitten not by us or Satan, but by God! This verse is about what God did while Christ was on the cross. Jesus loved you so much He was willing to do way more than endure terrific pain for six hours! He was willing to say goodbye to life forever if that’s what it took to save you! The thought of living eternally in heaven without you was Hell to Jesus!

See, while Jesus had mansions, golden streets, a throne and angels who would bow and worship and serve Him perfectly heaven just isn’t heaven to Jesus without you. So the thought of leaving the Cross and ascending back to His throne without saving you, just didn’t appeal to Jesus. Jesus loves you more than He loves life itself. His feelings for you are beyond love- you are His passion. Do you love Jesus more than you love life itself? Is He your passion? 

When we look at the cross, it will change us into the very image of Christ. A 13 year old girl by the name of Marion Fisher saw the cross, and it changed her life to the point where one day she gave her own life to save someone else. Last September a gunman raided an Amish school, and ordered everyone out but ten girls. As the teacher ran for help, Marion realized it would take a while for help to arrive. So she did the unnatural thing. She asked the gunman to shoot her first. Hoping by the time he did, help would arrive for the rest. It is by beholding Christ and Him crucified on the cross that we become changed into His very image. This little girl had seen the cross and it changed her life to where she now did exactly what Jesus did and that is lay down her life for her friends, just as Jesus laid down His life for His friends.

Marion left her house that morning with no clue what to happen in the next few hours. No clue she would be asking a man to shoot her first. As you leave your house today are you ready to say the same thing if in the next couple hours you find yourself in the same situation she was in? There is only one way to be ready. Look at the cross and “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”