Late addition Many and Few 5
Late addition Many and Few 5
Jn 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Gethsemane : -- Lk 22:39-44 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Is 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.
The Cross : -- Mt 27:45-50 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
God gave His Son – Jesus said over and over “I and My Father are One” – God gave Himself – to become sin for us – to pay the price for the punishment we deserve as being sinners – the creation in rebellion! Jesus became the substitute for you and me – we deserved death and eternal punishment – death is eternal! It is not annihilation. It is an eternal never-ending state of being – Hell is where all unredeemed will spend eternity.
God cannot tolerate sin, it cannot enter heaven, it cannot come before Him, God is Holy and sin, no sin no matter how insignificant we may think it is, can be in His Presence it is impossible! Sin separates us from God. – When Jesus prayed in Gethsemane – alone – the anguish, the understanding, of what He was about to do was so terrible it caused Him to cry out Father take this cup from Me!! – Jesus was not afraid of physical pain.
Sweating blood in anguish – I and My Father are One, I do nothing except what I hear the Father say – the Cross, the price, our redemption – the substitution, taking our place meant Jesus had to take the punishment and the punishment is separation from God – at the cross the Divine Union that had been from everlasting, the eternal unity of the trinity was broken, it was breached so that you and I could be reached!
Prior to the incarnation – no one could see God, He is invisible Spirit, no one could see Jesus – but at the Cross something changed and when we see Him we will be like Him – He has retained this form of humanity – Jesus gave up something far, far beyond human suffering and pain – He gave something of His God-ness, His Divinity – it was an eternal event – even if it was only for a moment Jesus was separated from God
to whom He had been One with from before time – from everlasting -!
The cross is not constrained by time – the crucifixion of the body was 2000 years ago – but the separation from God that Jesus took on our behalf – it is an eternal event in some mystical unimaginable way it still applies to all who will believe today – Jesus’ anguish in Gethsemane was over the Divine, eternal, everlasting consequences of what He was going to do for you and I, for Us, for the whole world, as many as will believe.
Time will pass away – but the eternal things never end! – God gave His only Son forever.
The only way we can receive the Holy spirit is because Jesus Christ has made a way, has paid the price, has given Himself, how can we ever diminish that with this other thing.
Isn't it pride, the pride of humanity to deny its own humility in the face of a Majestic Creator.
The Cross and Jesus giving up for a few moments that Divinity for us, how then can we offer some meek tainted sacrifice.
All this stuff diminishes the glory of the Cross. The Divine part of the cross, the separation of Christ and God, it was in eternity it affects eternity, it was not contained, constrained by Time, it is an everlasting, continuous event, it hangs still.
Knowing the humility of our humanity in the presence of his glory falling at the feet of him who gave Himself.
Because they use the name of Jesus doesn't make it right, or sincere and they believe what they are doing if it is God who sends strong delusion, how could they not.
God does confirm his word with signs following, shaking and trembling and falling and Ananias and Sapphira and tongues of fire and fear coming upon every soul.
But he does not confirm his word with signs that activate the lusts and greed of mankind, gold and jewel's and Angels at no cost.
The Cross was eternal death is eternal, the cost, the price paid, the propitiation is eternal.
These signs are carnal they give nothing to us to take into eternity.