This past weekend for our Good Friday service the pastor shared something I had never considered- .
Jesus' beating holds even more special significance to my everyday life.
If you know anything about Christianity, you know what the cross represents - or you have at heard what it means to followers of Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4: "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,"
Many know that the cross Jesus died upon was to redeem humans back to His Father-
because we have all sinned against a holy God, and there needed to be a payment for that transgression against a good, just, righteous, and holy God.
The most beautiful thing about the cross is that Jesus willingly took our place on that cross- the only payment that would be redeemable for a holy God- was the death of a flawless human - and "Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2
Many would say that all this is madness, foolish, even evil for a God to expect that from His perfect Son- but what many see as madness, we who love and follow Jesus, see just how good and loving our heavenly Father truly is.
He knew we could never be good enough on our own, no matter how hard we strive to be, we will always fall short. So, in our place He sent His Son to stand in our place, so that we might have a way back to the Father.
The Cross also shows us how real Jesus was in His humanity that He bled and suffered, just like any other human would have; just like every other human does.
Jesus experienced, hatred, betrayal, physical and emotional abuse, rejection, mockery, pain at every level of a human experience, and He experienced being completely and utterly alone.
Now for this past Good Friday's message. As he read through the account, he went on to share the following points and I saw even more of the beauty of the cross while looking at the significance of the seven places Jesus bled.
God does not overlook anything. He is perfect in all His ways. Everything He does has a purpose,
and those ways always be fulfilled.
(1. & 2.) The sweating of blood in the garden and the cross from His head Luke 22:40-44 “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.” Matthew 27:28-29 “They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.” 1. The blood that Jesus shed from his head signifies the cleansing of our minds as He conquered the sins
that control our thoughts. His blood redeems, heals and helps us overcome the power of sin by His Holy Spirit's work within our redeemed mind. Jesus has won back our peace of mind and freed of us from mental torment - empowers us to overcome thoughts of fears, destructive self-thinking, hopelessness, worry, confusion and thoughts that lead us into temptations.
3.) The stripes on Jesus back and shedding of blood at the whipping post. John 19:1 “
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.” Isaiah 53:5 “
He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.” 1. The blood that Jesus shed on his back signifies how He did not turn His back on His Father and was obedient to death. His stripes redeem our backs that turned against God and His blood represents His cleansing of our rejection of God. He has made a way back to the Father for us. His back was broken so ours could be made whole. 4.) He was bruised and suffered internal bleeding from being beaten. Isaiah 53:8-9
“He was struck down for the rebellion of people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.” 1. The internal blood that Jesus endured signifies Jesus taking experiencing and absorbing our deep, inner brokenness, angst, dark secrets, and sin and cleansed us with His righteousness and right standing with God. 5.) The blood that was shed through Jesus’ pierced hands. 1 Peter 2:24
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. John 20:25
“So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 1. The blood that Jesus shed from His hands that were nailed to the cross signifies God’s redeeming all that we have done that dishonor God in our daily lives. Even though we may believe we are doing good or a good person our actions are tainted by our sin and the blood Jesus shed washed our hands clean, white as snow. 6.) The blood that was shed through Jesus’ pierced feet. Psalm 22: 1,6,7, 14-17 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? … 6 I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” … 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. 15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. 17 All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment…” 1. The blood that Jesus shed from His feet signifies that Jesus has redeemed the path we chose to walk away from Him on. When we turn from our sinful ways, repent and receive Him as our Lord and Savior- Jesus cleansed our wayward ways and washed our feet in His blood that we would walk in His ways for His glory and lead others to Jesus with us. His word becomes a" lamp for our feet, and a light on our path." Psalm 119:105,
The path that we once walked was, "wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
7.) The blood that was shed through the spear in Jesus side. John 19:34 “But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.” 1. The blood that Jesus shed from His side shows us that Jesus died from the immense weight of our sin that crushed His heart and the intensity and anguish of all of our sins that He took on Himself literally crushed Him. The weight of man’s sin was too much to bear and ultimately caused His heart to stop beating. Jesus redeemed our heart, soul and mind on that cross, and He won back our peace, freedom, joy, and healed us of our broken Hearts. Imagine for a moment, the most traumatic emotional experience you have ever experienced. Maybe you were in an abusive relationship, maybe you have been betrayed by someone you loved and trusted, maybe you have faced fear and evil, now imagine enduring the entire population of the world pain caused by sin - no human could.
But that's not it, let's add Jesus Father turning from Him in His darkest hour - Alone - the magnitude of pain that Jesus Christ endured for us - to purchase our freedom and salvation - It’s no wonder that His heart failed, and He literally died of a broken heart.
Did you know that “7” is the number of completion and perfection (both in the physical and Spiritual).
Jesus needed to shed his blood seven times in seven different areas of His body so that we could receive absolute forgiveness and freedom - total salvation and freedom from our sinful nature and our enemy. Jesus paid the ultimate price for our freedom by taking on our sin and purchasing the punishment of our sin which was ultimately death and eternity in Hell completely separate from His good, loving, kind, merciful and gracious Father. Jesus completed the transaction, and the enemy was defeated. Heaven is our home, Jesus is our Savior, God is our Father because Jesus died in our place and rose from the dead three days later.
We have been restored to our Father and our true identity is now found in Christ, we have been made new.
2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
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