By Heinrich Hofmann – Self-scanned by User:JGHowes from 1945 print published by the Board of Trustees, Riverside Church, New York, NY, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4140919
Reading: Matthew 26:36-44
I used to think that Jesus agonised so much during his prayer at Gethsemane due to the impending beatings, scourging, lashing and crucifixion. He was after all in human form, with flesh, blood and nerves. But now I know—and it would also be the most sorrowful state for any of us unless we are reconciled to God.
The most sorrowful state we could be in is to be cut off from God (“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”). That’s what happened to Jesus when He bore our filthy sins on the Cross, the collective transgressions of mankind from the past to the future. God is holy, no one can be in His presence unless they are cleansed (“Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”). And we are only cleansed by Jesus’ blood—the Lamb of God. Jesus bore our sins and died to pay for our ransom, but He lived a sinless life and He is God himself—neither death nor hell can contain Him (Acts 2:24-27); by His power He resurrected back to life in a glorified body, and we who cling to Him will also be resurrected in glory.
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!”
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honour and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”
– Revelation 4:8, 11 (ESVUK)
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay
Your post highlights beautifully the stark contrast between us (with our filthy sins) and the perfect holiness of our Savior. And I love your conclusion of breath-taking truth: “we who cling to Him will also be resurrected in glory!” HALLELUJAH!
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Thank you, Nancy. God is so good and merciful to reach out to us with His loving grace through Jesus Christ our Lord! He is our only hope! What a blessing! I have just mentioned a prayer for you. 💗☘️
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Thank you very much, M.!
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Amen to what you have said here, sister. This was the baptism of which He spoke in Luke 12:50, and though He was “straitened till it be accomplished,” He shrank from it.
Here’s something I came across a while ago in a message by UK Bible teacher Ron Bailey. He was quoting from The Death of Christ by 19th century theologian James Denney, who wrote, “Death is the curse of the law. It is the experience in which the final repulsion of evil by God is decisively expressed; and Christ died. In His death everything was made His that sin had made ours– everything in sin except its sinfulness.”
Ron Bailey added, “Everything in sin. Its pollution. Its criminality. Its deserved curse. Its banishment from God. He became the sin and the guilt of the sinner.”
All so that we might no longer be banished, separated from God.
What can we do but bow our heads and our hearts. Such love. It’s painful that so many people reject Him.
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Hi Allan, thank you for leaving a message. I checked Luke 12.50–thank you for making the connection, I may not have been able to spot it on my own.
Indeed, we cannot fulfill the Law–we only need to break one to break all, not to mention that we were sinners already from birth. We deserve death. But God in His mercy took upon Himself our curse. And the good news is He resurrected in glory, thus we have hope (I Cor. 15.14).
True, such love. It moves us to tears, worship and praise. I still cannot fathom what goes on in people’s minds/hearts to continue thinking that they have no need of Him–the author and sustainer of life! But we pray for them, because at one point in time we (yes, ME!) were also lost. God bless you. ☘️
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Worthy of our worship. Worthy of our love.
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Indeed, Donna. The 24 elders and the four living creatures who never stop (not a second!) worshiping God (Rev. 4:6-11)–my prayer is that every moment of my life will also be lived in worship and devotion to our Creator. Blessings. x
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True worship is lived out each moment for it’s a way of life. Not the we humans have it perfectly but we are growing that direction.
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AMEN!!!! 😊🙌🙏
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The very thought of knowing he would “Become Sin” become every sin that would exist in the world of mankind, putting all that on the spotless lamb of God…unimaginable. Then kill it and conquer death itself. Way beyond our comprehension and too wonderful for us. You coined it well “The most Sorrowful State”
Our most sorrowful state would be if we rejected his gifting his resurrection life to us and we do not accept.
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Very true, Gary–to reject the resurrected life our Lord offers and spend eternity apart from Him–that would indeed be the most sorrowful state (and scary too! 🔥).
Yes, for the Father to send us His Son, and Jesus to lay down His life for us–that is soooo way beyond our comprehension and too wonderful for us!!!!
I have just whispered a prayer for you, wishing you a blessed year ahead. ☘️
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Reblogged this on WALKING BY FAITH.
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Powerful !
Valuable ro share .
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Thank you, Crissy. God bless! The Lord be glorified! ☘️
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Amen.
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