Joy Through the Cross
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Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Introduction.
Introduction.
A Roman Cross would not be associated in any way with Joy.
Other words come to mind:
Pain
Torture
Agony
Sorrow
Grief
Forsaken
Unloved
Alone
Despondent
Unattractive
Shame
Loss
Death
All of these things are associated with the death he died, yet Paul says he endured that, for Joy.
He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: And we hid as it were our faces from him; He was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he hath borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
1. Sorrow is a Direct Result of Sin.
1. Sorrow is a Direct Result of Sin.
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
The word sorrow is “anxious toil”.
Adam and Eve worked in the garden before the fall, but there was no sorrow in it.
And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Dress:
vb. to till, toil, work. To serve or work.
I believe that Heaven is a real place, just the same as this is a real place, see, for God started us in our spiritual growth in this place.
And I believe that Heaven is a place just as real as this, where we don’t set up there for Eternity and just set there on a cloud. We don’t just strum our harp, for all from here, ever. But we’re going to a real place where we’re going to do things, where we’re going to live.
We’re going to work. We’re going to enjoy. We’re going to live. We’re going to Life, to a real Eternal Life. We’re going to a Heaven, a paradise.
Just like Adam and Eve worked, and lived, and eat, and enjoyed, in the garden of Eden before sin came in, we’re on our road right back there again, right, right back.
The first Adam, through sin, taken us out. The Second Adam, through righteousness, bring us back in again; justifies us and brings us back in. 65-1205 - Things That Are To Be
Sorrow was caused by sin.
Christ became sorrow for us when He became sin for us.
How does He become sin?
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
He became the curse for us.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
He became sin who knew no sin. The conscience of our sins was upon Him, as though He had done it Himself.
Here He was, standing in Gethsemane, that great suffering. The sin of every man was upon Him. Everything that ever died, the death of that was placed upon Him. And He was innocent, but He had to become sin.
“Can You, the holy Son of God, take the sin of adultery? Can you take the sin, the punishment of adultery? Can You take the sin, the punishment of a lie? Can You take the sin of all these things?
And can You bear them upon Yourself, yet innocent?” He was the only One. The conference was met. What did He say? “Not My will; Thine be done.” 63-0608 - Conferences
Remember the nearer kinsman could not redeem Ruth and Naomi.
He would mar his inheritance.
He could not become sin, ’cause he already was sin. But, Christ, being sinless, become a sinner. He could redeem us. Hallelujah! We are redeemed. 60-1002 - The Kinsman Redeemer
He was the Scapegoat
And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
עֲזָאזֵל n.[m.] entire removal in ritual of Day of Atonement, = entire removal of sin and guilt from sacred places into desert on back of goat, symb. of entire forgiveness.
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 16
The interpretation of scapegoat derives from dividing the letters into two words: az plus azal, meaning “the goat that goes away.”
The wilderness was the place understood by the Jews to be under the influence of demonic power.
The unclean spirit drove the man in Luke 8:29 into the wilderness.
Jesus is driven by the Spirit of God into the wilderness to do battle with satan.
How could I be saved? Get rid of sin. He was the sin offering for me; so He died. Now, if sin is dead, then buried, He carried my sins far away.
He was a scapegoat that went out. And the scapegoat took the sins of the people on him and went out into the wilderness to die. Go out there and took the sins of the people and took them far away…
So did Jesus. He took the sins of the people, and carried them far away, so far that He put them in the sea of God’s forgetfulness. If sin is dead, bury it.
That’s why we have baptisteries. When people believe that story, they come confessing their sins that they’re tired of it, they’ve divorced it, they’ve separated from it, and they’re tired of it; so it’s dead.
And sins has no more power upon that believer, because he stands justified in the death and burial of Jesus Christ. Therefore, he walks to the altar, makes his confession, says, “I’m sick and tired of sin. I want it no more.” Then we bury it.
When sin is buried, anything is buried, it’s dead first. Then it’s buried. It’s put away from sight. That’s why we bury people, to put them away from the sight, the contamination of their bodies, hide them from us. It’s a gloomy thing to see what death does.
And when sin is finished, when sin lost its grips, and it died in the death of Christ at Calvary where He condemned sin, then the sinner who accepts that, justified by faith can scream, “Hallelujah, for God’s carried my sins far away.
He put them upon my sin Bearer, Jesus Christ.” He represented both the animals: both dying and taking the sins away.
We were goats. He become goat for us. Being…He become sin for us. That’s the reason He had to be punished the way He was, because all of our sins were placed upon Him.
And there He had to bear them away in His own body to Calvary: a reproach, a disgrace, sinfully hanging there, naked, stripped, bleeding, bleating.
The Jews paid Him the greatest compliment could be paid, not knowing what they were doing. They said, “He saved others, Himself He can’t save.”
If He saved Himself, He could not save others. But He gave Himself that we might be saved. That’s the story. 59-0403 - Living, Dying, Buried, Rising, Coming
2. Joy is a Direct Result of the Cross
2. Joy is a Direct Result of the Cross
The cross restores us back to this:
When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: And shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; And let thy saints shout for joy.
The Joy He was looking forward to was claiming His subjects.
John was weeping in sorrow, and he was told by the elder not to weep.
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
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;
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.
King Lamb worship time. Joy had been restored. Silence had been broken. the Lamb had been revealed!
Mount Calvary is associated with Sacrifice and death, but it is done away with in Mount Zion.
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
You are not come to a sorrowful mountain. You are not come to a mountain of judgment. He fulfilled that. You come like Isaac after his lamb has been provided. Rejoicing!
In the earth’s time of purifying, by its baptism of Fire, there will be volcanic, such as this earth exploding, and will push up a pyramid-like Mountain.
Plenty of room to do it! This whole thing will be changed. The whole surface will be changed. 64-0802 - The Future Home Of The Heavenly Bridegroom And The Earthly Bride
All these other mountains will be done away with, and Mount Zion will be lifted up.
Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, On the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with songs And everlasting joy upon their heads: They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
For the Lord shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; And he will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness shall be found therein, Thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, And come with singing unto Zion; And everlasting joy shall be upon their head: They shall obtain gladness and joy; And sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
Jesus said this day this scripture is fulfilled, and stops halfway through the 2nd verse.
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; Because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all that mourn;
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, To give unto them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they might be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
Go to verse 10.
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
This is His 2nd coming.
You say that’s only for heaven. Listen to this:
If Jesus Christ is raised from the dead, then He’s already healed; He’s already saved. He took away your worry. He’s Jehovah-jireh, Jehovah-manasseh.
He’s Jehovah-rapha. He’s every Name tonight that He was then, He is now. And the Blood of Christ has covered and redeemed you from everything that Adam did to you. Now, you don’t have it in the fulness, but you have it as the earnest of your salvation.
If there’s no Divine healing, there’s no resurrection. That’s right. If there’s no joy here in the Lord, there’s no joy there in the Lord. 57-0810 - Jehovah-Jireh
We have become the righteousness of God. Has that been revealed to you?
The Bible says in II Corinthians 5:21 that we have become the righteousness of God by our union with Jesus Christ. Did you get it? It says that WE ARE THE VERY RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD HIMSELF by being IN CHRIST.
It says that He (Jesus) became SIN for us. It does not say He became sinful, but became SIN for us that by our union with Him we might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God.
If we accept the fact (and we must) that He literally became SIN for us by His substitution for us, then we must also accept the fact that we by our union with Him have become the VERY RIGHTEOUSNESS of God.
To reject one is to reject the other. To accept the one is to accept the other. Now we know the Bible says that. It can’t be denied. But the revelation of it is missing.
It is not real to the majority of God’s children. It is just a good verse in the Bible. But we need to have it made ALIVE to us. That will take revelation. CAB 01 - Revelation
Conclusion.
Conclusion.
Joy comes through the finished work of the cross. Quit trying to base your happiness on idolatrous substitutes. Why would we take a substitute, when the sky is full of the real thing?