Giving
Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.
Today we continue our series on Jesus’ seven sayings from the cross, titled Christ speaks from the cross.
Today we are talking about The Road To Duty Is Lonely.
Text
Matthew 27:46 (AMP)
46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud [agonized] voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Scripture Reading
Matthew 27:34-50 (AMP)
34 they offered Him wine mixed with gall (myrrh, a bitter-tasting narcotic) to drink; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.
35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among them by casting lots.
36 Then sitting down there, they began to keep watch over Him [to guard against any rescue attempt].
37 And above His head they put the accusation against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
38 At the same time two robbers were crucified with Jesus, one on the right and one on the left.
39 Those who passed by were hurling abuse at Him and jeering at Him, wagging their heads [in scorn and ridicule],
40 and they said [tauntingly], “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself [from death]! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying,
42 “He saved others [from death]; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him and acknowledge Him.
43 He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
44 The robbers who had been crucified with Him also began to insult Him in the same way.
45 Now from the sixth hour (noon) there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.).
46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud [agonized] voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
47 When some of the bystanders there heard it, they began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, soaked it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.
49 But the rest said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him [from death].”
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud [agonized] voice, and gave up His spirit [voluntarily, sovereignly dismissing and releasing His spirit from His body in submission to His Father’s plan].
Prayer
Father, we are grateful for the disciplines of life that make us strong.
We pray that we will never ask for easy times, but instead seek to be strong people.
We thank you for the infirmities that oppress us, for the doubts that perplex us, and for the sorrows that crush us.
Help us never to forget that the adversities of life strengthen the fibre of our souls.
Grant that above all things we may be faithful.
In our living and our giving, in our praying and paying, in our spending and our sending, may we reflect the Spirit of Christ and be good stewards of all that you have given us.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Introduction
All conscious human beings have what is called a “pain threshold.”
When we pass beyond this threshold, we enter into the realm of delirium, and nothing can reach us.
How far had Jesus gone at the time He cried out todays Scripture from the cross?
He may have been on the border, but he was still conscious enough to reach back into the Old Testament and pull out a quote from one of His favourite psalms to express His innermost feelings.
By quoting this psalm that was so related to God’s purpose in history, He was in all probability also giving witness to people that He was the Messiah.
The words Jesus spoke came near the conclusion of the six hours He suffered on the cross.
His enemies had already quoted from this psalm when they said in, Matthew 27:43 (AMP)
43 He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
Look at Psalm 22:8 (AMP)
8 “He trusted and committed himself to the Lord, let Him save him.
Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”
Perhaps Jesus was refuting their words with His quotation that had unique application to the situation at hand.
What was happening at Calvary?
Jesus was treading the lonesome road to bring forgiveness to humankind.
Some things we can share with others, but some duties in life must be faced alone.
In Gethsemane Jesus had suffered such an experience.
Now He was facing it again.
- In one sense, God never leaves us.
Scripture verses abound to teach us that God is always keeping watch over His own.
God always remains with His own during their darkest times.
All of us can remember an experience in our life when everyone forsook us but God.
How awesome it is to know that no matter what comes, we as Christians can call upon the eternal God, knowing that He is our refuge and strength.
One of the greatest heresies possible is to believe that God forsakes His own.
Do God’s will, and He will be with you until the end!
We don’t have to wait until we die to be in God’s presence, for we can be confident that when we seek to please Him here on earth, He is present with us.
2. But Jesus’ case was different.
One of the most profound mysteries, perhaps the greatest mystery of all, is the relationship of the human to the divine in our Saviour.
As a human being, Jesus suffered, and we must never for a second forget this fact of Jesus’ life.
Although the Father was with Him in times of loneliness and heartache, as in the garden of Gethsemane, when He prayed, Matthew 26:53 (AMP)
53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will immediately provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?
This case was different.
Jesus had come to pay the supreme price for human sin.
No theologian can fully explain why it was necessary for Jesus to die for humans to live.
This is because we cannot fully understand the divine nature.
But God willed that humans must be saved from their sin by a divine substitute, Jesus Christ.
Paul said that in this way God becomes both just and justifier of those who put their faith in Him.
Romans 3:26 (AMP)
26 It was to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus [and rely confidently on Him as Savior].
Jesus gave His life as a ransom for many.
He was the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice, bearing the sin debt of the world.
For Him to be an effective substitute for our guilt, He had to bear our sins alone.
Even God had to “turn His back” on His only Son, as Jesus became the curse in order for us to be set free from the curse.
3. Whatever the cost, remain faithful.
Throughout all of Jesus’ ministry, He was tempted to turn aside from His goal because of hardships.
His friends did not want to see Him die.
Peter rebuked Him the He spoke of His coming death.
His own soul trembled when the cup of affliction was put into His hand.
Nevertheless, Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem.
He endured the pain of the cross without uttering a word of complaint.
Doing our duty means difficulty and often danger.
Effort, restraint, sacrifice, and discipline form the package.
Standing for our principals in order to reach the goal requires great patience.
Often we must begin again and forgive those who do not even want forgiveness enough to repent.
Dedication is the price in any realm of endeavour.
Most important, we cannot do our duty unless we love.
Jesus went to the cross for the world’s eternal redemption because He loved.
Loneliness was present every step of the road, but there was no other way!
Conclusion.
Nothing worthwhile comes easy!
But the reward is worth the effort.
We do not have to wait until we get to heaven to begin reaping the harvest from the seed we have sown.
One of the highest rewards for our effort is not what we get for it, but what we become by it.
If the road of Christians as they pursue their duty is lonely, much more so is that of sinners.
They must repent, and that too, is a lonesome road.
But it is also a glorious one.
Until next time
Stay in the Blessings
Giving
I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.
When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.
Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!
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