Author Topic: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary  (Read 20702 times)

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Richard Myers

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #40 on: May 15, 2019, 07:47:51 AM »
Amen Brother and Sister! We have evil by nature and can do no good thing unless we are partakers of Christ's divine nature through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is the grace of God revealed and allowed into the heart that transforms sinners into saints. We may not see ourselves as saints, but others cannot help but see a difference between those filled with the Spirit and those who are not.

False teachers will disagree with us, but they are fighting against God and His Word. The whole Bible speaks the truth about our fallen nature and the power of grace to transform the character of all who will make a whole heart surrender to Christ. From Ezekiel, just one such statement.

 36:23   And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I [am] the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. 
 36:24   For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 
 36:25   Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 
 36:26   A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 
 36:27   And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them]. 


Amen!!  We are to be His witness of the power of His forgiving love (grace).

     When the darkness lifted from the oppressed spirit of Christ, He revived to a sense of physical suffering, and said, "I thirst." One of the Roman soldiers, touched with pity as he looked at the parched lips, took a sponge on a stalk of hyssop, and dipping it in a vessel of vinegar, offered it to Jesus. But the priests mocked at His agony. When darkness covered the earth, they had been filled with fear; as their terror abated, the dread returned that Jesus would yet escape them. His words, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" they had misinterpreted. With bitter contempt and scorn they said, "This man calleth for Elias." The last opportunity to relieve His sufferings they refused. "Let be," they said, "let us see whether Elias will come to save Him."       The spotless Son of God hung upon the cross, His flesh lacerated with stripes; those hands so often reached out in blessing, nailed to the wooden bars; those feet so tireless on ministries of love, spiked to the tree; that royal head pierced by the crown of thorns; those quivering lips shaped to the cry of woe. And all that He endured--the blood drops that flowed from His head, His hands, His feet, the agony that racked His frame, and the unutterable anguish that filled His soul at the hiding of His Father's face--speaks to each child of humanity, declaring, It is for thee that the Son of God consents to bear this burden of guilt; for thee He spoils the domain of death, and opens the gates of Paradise. He who stilled the angry waves and walked the foam-capped billows, who made devils tremble and disease flee, who opened blind eyes and called forth the dead to life,--offers Himself upon the cross as a sacrifice, and this from love to thee.

     He, the Sin Bearer, endures the wrath of divine justice, and for thy sake becomes sin itself.


Wonder O heavens and be astonished O Earth! Such love!
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Pastor Sean Brizendine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #41 on: May 15, 2019, 09:34:17 AM »
Amen, Brother Beacon, Sister Dorine, and Brother Richard!

As by faith we can contemplate what Jesus endured for us on Calvary, we can be motivated to experience a humble, abiding walk with Jesus in the realization of the sense that we are infinitely loved by God and that in full surrender to Him and His will is the purest joy. The Holy Spirit brought this verse to my mind and heart this morning: "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8). We do not deserve such great love, but receiving it--receiving this amazing grace--will transform rebellious sinners into repentant, heart-renewed saints who walk with Jesus out of an intelligent appreciation of the cost of their salvation.

 "Upon Christ as our substitute and surety was laid the iniquity of us all. He was counted a transgressor, that He might redeem us from the condemnation of the law. The guilt of every descendant of Adam was pressing upon His heart. The wrath of God against sin, the terrible manifestation of His displeasure because of iniquity, filled the soul of His Son with consternation. All His life Christ had been publishing to a fallen world the good news of the Father's mercy and pardoning love. Salvation for the chief of sinners was His theme. But now with the terrible weight of guilt He bears, He cannot see the Father's reconciling face. The withdrawal of the divine countenance from the Saviour in this hour of supreme anguish pierced His heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood by man. So great was this agony that His physical pain was hardly felt." {The Desire of Ages, page 753, paragraph 1}   

I am so thankful that when Jesus is reigning in my heart, the trials of life seem to be small in comparison to what He endured for me. As we keep our eyes on Jesus, life is sweetened in every passing moment by the sense of the pardoning love of Christ that alone renews us by the power of the Holy Spirit to partake of His very divine nature!
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Beacon

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #42 on: August 09, 2019, 06:45:54 PM »
"The spotless Son of God hung upon the cross, His flesh lacerated with stripes; those hands so often reached out in blessing, nailed to the wooden bars; those feet so tireless on ministries of love, spiked to the tree; that royal head pierced by the crown of thorns; those quivering lips shaped to the cry of woe. And all that He endured--the blood drops that flowed from His head, His hands, His feet, the agony that racked His frame, and the unutterable anguish that filled His soul at the hiding of His Father's face--speaks to each child of humanity, declaring, It is for thee that the Son of God consents to bear this burden of guilt; for thee He spoils the domain of death, and opens the gates of Paradise. He who stilled the angry waves and walked the foam-capped billows, who made devils tremble and disease flee, who opened blind eyes and called forth the dead to life,--offers Himself upon the cross as a sacrifice, and this from love to thee. He, the Sin Bearer, endures the wrath of divine justice, and for thy sake becomes sin itself."


1
Alas! and did my Savior bleed,
and did my Sovereign die?
Would he devote that sacred head
for sinners such as I?

Refrain
At the cross, at the cross,
where I first saw the light,
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
it was there by faith I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day!

2
Was it for crimes that I have done,
he groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Refrain
At the cross, at the cross,
where I first saw the light,
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
it was there by faith I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day!

3
But drops of grief can ne’er repay
the debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away;
’tis all that I can do!

Refrain
At the cross, at the cross,
where I first saw the light,
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
it was there by faith I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day!


AMAZING GRACE HOW SWEET THE SOUND - THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME - THANK YOU JESUS & HAPPY SABBATH
Look up and listen for the shout.

Pastor Sean Brizendine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #43 on: August 10, 2019, 04:21:26 AM »
Amen, Brother Beacon!

Dying on the cross--drinking the full cup of our guilt and bearing God's wrath against sin--Jesus has finished the warfare against self, and He has conquered that we, beholding Him, surrendered fully to Him, and abiding in Him, may share His victory through the eternal ages! Let us experience the power of the gospel--that grace is powerful enough to change sinners such as you and me into saints whose lives bear all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing--as a witness of God's character to a universe that is waiting to hear "It is done" (Revelation 16:17). Christ's sacrifice was for you and me, that we may have abiding victory over sin through constant union and communion with Him!

"All is terror and confusion. The priest is about to slay the victim; but the knife drops from his nerveless hand, and the lamb escapes. Type has met antitype in the death of God's Son. The great sacrifice has been made. The way into the holiest is laid open. A new and living way is prepared for all. No longer need sinful, sorrowing humanity await the coming of the high priest. Henceforth the Saviour was to officiate as priest and advocate in the heaven of heavens. It was as if a living voice had spoken to the worshipers: There is now an end to all sacrifices and offerings for sin. The Son of God is come according to His word, 'Lo, I come (in the volume of the Book it is written of Me,) to do Thy will, O God.' 'By His own blood' He entereth 'in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.' Hebrews 10:7; 9:12." {The Desire of Ages, page 757, paragraph 1}

We may have redemption full and free by letting Christ be all in all to us! Happy Sabbath to you all as we keep our eyes today on Jesus, the one who can save to the uttermost!!
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Richard Myers

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #44 on: August 10, 2019, 08:33:20 AM »
What a God we serve!! Such love!  How very sad that Jesus longed for human sympathy in the Garden and on the cross, and go none from His disciples. But, while on the cross, His grace was seen by one who was sympathetic to what Jesus was going through.

  For long hours of agony, reviling and mockery have fallen upon the ears of Jesus. As He hangs upon the cross, there floats up to Him still the sound of jeers and curses. With longing heart He has listened for some expression of faith from His disciples. He has heard only the mournful words, "We trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel." How grateful then to the Saviour was the utterance of faith and love from the dying thief! While the leading Jews deny Him, and even the disciples doubt His divinity, the poor thief, upon the brink of eternity, calls Jesus Lord. Many were ready to call Him Lord when He wrought miracles, and after He had risen from the grave; but none acknowledged Him as He hung dying upon the cross save the penitent thief who was saved at the eleventh hour. 


Those closest to Him doubted His divinity! Even after hearing the Father say He was His Son.   Even Mary. How vile and dull we poor humans are. Praise God for His mercy and grace! We too can cause Jesus to be grateful when we cast away all of our "unbelief" and live a life witnessing to His character!

Love the words to that hymn, Brother Beacon! Thank you for sharing. And, as Pastor Sean has shared, let us continue to behold Jesus that we might have power to reflect His character.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Pastor Sean Brizendine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #45 on: November 02, 2019, 02:51:23 AM »
The Holy Spirit taught me an important lesson this Sabbath morning in relation to how Christ's sufferings and death upon the cross are offered up for us to heal our sufferings and deliver us from sin and unbelief. If we have sinned and feel we cannot pray, that is the very time we need to pray--not because we feel worthy or have earned God's favor (for grace is not what we deserve), but because, by being acquainted with the character of our Heavenly Father and His gift of His Son, we choose to believe that He not only forgives us but has the power to save us from committing that sin again. We accept the wisdom, love and power of God to keep us from falling, and we choose to believe that His character has not changed. Christ on the cross had to rely not on feelings or circumstances to know that His Father was with Him in making the agonized sacrifice on Calvary--but upon the word of God and the evidence heretofore given Him. May we learn to rely on God's character and word in times of temptation to despair or feelings of unworthiness, looking away from self to Christ, knowing that our great need is to behold Christ and abide in His love. Let us look and live!

"Amid the awful darkness, apparently forsaken of God, Christ had drained the last dregs in the cup of human woe. In those dreadful hours He had relied upon the evidence of His Father's acceptance heretofore given Him. He was acquainted with the character of His Father; He understood His justice, His mercy, and His great love. By faith He rested in Him whom it had ever been His joy to obey. And as in submission He committed Himself to God, the sense of the loss of His Father's favor was withdrawn. By faith, Christ was victor." {The Desire of Ages, page 756, paragraph 3}

This is what righteousness by faith is all about. We accept Christ's word that we are forgiven and cleansed when we confess our sins and turn to Him with the whole heart. We believe we are cleansed and forgiven--not because we feel it, but because God has promised! Oh, let us learn more fully our continual need of Jesus and rejoice in His infinite love for us manifested at Calvary!! Beholding Christ ripens our character for being more faithful and useful in His service!
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Richard Myers

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #46 on: November 02, 2019, 02:54:42 PM »
Amen Pastor Sean! I love this paragraph, it is so very important. How was it that Jesus was able to follow His Father's will? Was there something Jesus had done that enable Him to get this horrible darkness?  "In those dreadful hours He had relied upon the evidence of His Father's acceptance heretofore given Him." And what was that evidence? "He was acquainted with the character of His Father;" Are we acquainted with the character of our  God? It  is that which will keep us from sin amid the darkness that is coming upon this world. And, what aspects of character are so very important for us to understand? His "justice, mercy, and great love."

     "Amid the awful darkness, apparently forsaken of God, Christ had drained the last dregs in the cup of human woe. In those dreadful hours He had relied upon the evidence of His Father's acceptance heretofore given Him. He was acquainted with the character of His Father; He understood His justice, His mercy, and His great love. By faith He rested in Him whom it had ever been His joy to obey. And as in submission He committed Himself to God, the sense of the loss of His Father's favor was withdrawn. By faith, Christ was victor."


How is is that we gain this understanding? We do as we have been counseled in Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy. We learn of Him who gave all for us. He is the "Bread of Life" we must feed upon. When we spend that that thoughtful hour a day contemplating His life, we will understand His character of grace, justice, and mercy.

Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Beacon

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #47 on: January 27, 2020, 06:49:09 PM »
"The spotless Son of God hung upon the cross, His flesh lacerated with stripes; those hands so often reached out in blessing, nailed to the wooden bars; those feet so tireless on ministries of love, spiked to the tree; that royal head pierced by the crown of thorns; those quivering lips shaped to the cry of woe. And all that He endured--the blood drops that flowed from His head, His hands, His feet, the agony that racked His frame, and the unutterable anguish that filled His soul at the hiding of His Father's face--speaks to each child of humanity, declaring, It is for thee that the Son of God consents to bear this burden of guilt; for thee He spoils the domain of death, and opens the gates of Paradise. He who stilled the angry waves and walked the foam-capped billows, who made devils tremble and disease flee, who opened blind eyes and called forth the dead to life,--offers Himself upon the cross as a sacrifice, and this from love to thee."

May these words echo our strong prayer and the desire of our hearts!! "MORE LOVE TO THEE" -- As written by Elizabeth P. Prentiss, 1856

More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!
Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee;
This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!

Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest;
Now Thee alone I seek, give what is best;
This all my prayer shall be: More love, O Christ, to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!

Let sorrow do its work, come grief or pain;
Sweet are Thy messengers, sweet their refrain,
When they can sing with me: More love, O Christ, to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!

Then shall my latest breath whisper Thy praise;
This be the parting cry my heart shall raise;
This still its prayer shall be: More love, O Christ, to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!


Look up and listen for the shout.

Pastor Sean Brizendine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #48 on: January 28, 2020, 01:29:44 AM »
Amen, Brother Beacon!!

May we eternally experience more of Jesus' love in our hearts!! His love transforms us as we behold Him in His sufferings! As we experience His love, His very countenance may be reflected in ours! May we today in a complete surrender to Him moment-by-moment know what it means to reflect through the imputed and imparted righteousness of Christ a countenance of innocence, serenity and benevolence!! Let us make the service of Christ appear attractive--as it really is!!

"In the thick darkness, God veiled the last human agony of His Son. All who had seen Christ in His suffering had been convicted of His divinity. That face, once beheld by humanity, was never forgotten. As the face of Cain expressed his guilt as a murderer, so the face of Christ revealed innocence, serenity, benevolence,--the image of God. But His accusers would not give heed to the signet of heaven. Through long hours of agony Christ had been gazed upon by the jeering multitude. Now He was mercifully hidden by the mantle of God." {The Desire of Ages, page 754, paragraph 1}

What wondrous love is this, O my soul!! The more we contemplate the sufferings of Christ, the more we shall adopt this language: "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Galatians 6:14).
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Dorine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #49 on: January 28, 2020, 05:56:16 AM »
  The thieves crucified with Jesus were placed "on either side one, and Jesus in the midst." This was done by the direction of the priests and rulers. Christ's position between the thieves was to indicate that He was the greatest criminal of the three. Thus was fulfilled the scripture, "He was numbered with the transgressors." Isaiah 53:12. But the full meaning of their act the priests did not see. As Jesus, crucified with the thieves, was placed "in the midst," so His cross was placed in the midst of a world lying in sin. And the words of pardon spoken to the penitent thief kindled a light that will shine to the earth's remotest bounds.      

With amazement the angels beheld the infinite love of Jesus, who, suffering the most intense agony of mind and body, thought only of others, and encouraged the penitent soul to believe. In His humiliation He as a prophet had addressed the daughters of Jerusalem; as priest and advocate He had pleaded with the Father to forgive His murderers; as a loving Saviour He had forgiven the sins of the penitent thief.

My thoughts this morning are of great awe and gratitude for a Saviour that loves me this much. Even the angels were amazed at such love. Just as he forgave the penitent thief He will do the same for ALL who come to Him in the attitude of the thief.
But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press  toward the mark. Phil. 3:13,14

Richard Myers

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #50 on: January 28, 2020, 11:18:53 AM »
What a wonderful revelation of our God! I know that brother Beacon has shared this, but I was also impressed to share the same.

The spotless Son of God hung upon the cross, His flesh lacerated with stripes; those hands so often reached out in blessing, nailed to the wooden bars; those feet so tireless on ministries of love, spiked to the tree; that royal head pierced by the crown of thorns; those quivering lips shaped to the cry of woe. And all that He endured--the blood drops that flowed from His head, His hands, His feet, the agony that racked His frame, and the unutterable anguish that filled His soul at the hiding of His Father's face--speaks to each child of humanity, declaring, It is for thee that the Son of God consents to bear this burden of guilt; for thee He spoils the domain of death, and opens the gates of Paradise. He who stilled the angry waves and walked the foam-capped billows, who made devils tremble and disease flee, who opened blind eyes and called forth the dead to life,--offers Himself upon the cross as a sacrifice, and this from love to thee.


Why repeat this beautiful truth? Because it is just the truth we need to see over and over and over. We are healed by His stripes. By beholding His great love, His grace, we are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of God.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #51 on: April 24, 2020, 05:53:59 AM »
What a wonderful revelation of our God! I know that brother Beacon has shared this, but I was also impressed to share the same.

The spotless Son of God hung upon the cross, His flesh lacerated with stripes; those hands so often reached out in blessing, nailed to the wooden bars; those feet so tireless on ministries of love, spiked to the tree; that royal head pierced by the crown of thorns; those quivering lips shaped to the cry of woe. And all that He endured--the blood drops that flowed from His head, His hands, His feet, the agony that racked His frame, and the unutterable anguish that filled His soul at the hiding of His Father's face--speaks to each child of humanity, declaring, It is for thee that the Son of God consents to bear this burden of guilt; for thee He spoils the domain of death, and opens the gates of Paradise. He who stilled the angry waves and walked the foam-capped billows, who made devils tremble and disease flee, who opened blind eyes and called forth the dead to life,--offers Himself upon the cross as a sacrifice, and this from love to thee.


Why repeat this beautiful truth? Because it is just the truth we need to see over and over and over. We are healed by His stripes. By beholding His great love, His grace, we are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of God.

And why repeat this quote again and again?

 Amid the awful darkness, apparently forsaken of God, Christ had drained the last dregs in the cup of human woe. In those dreadful hours He had relied upon the evidence of His Father's acceptance heretofore given Him. He was acquainted with the character of His Father; He understood His justice, His mercy, and His great love. By faith He rested in Him whom it had ever been His joy to obey. And as in submission He committed Himself to God, the sense of the loss of His Father's favor was withdrawn. By faith, Christ was victor.


It is the same as the previous truth. It is by beholding God's grace that we are healed (converted). It is by being acquainted with our God that we are saved. How can we trust someone we do not know? We can't. God asks us to trust Him with all we are and all we have. It is impossible to give the whole heart to Him if we do not trust Him. How do we come to the point of trusting Him? The same way Jesus learned of Him. We spend time with Him in the Word. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The Word is a revelation of God's character. When we know Him as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will reveal one victory after another. It is a promise!
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Pastor Sean Brizendine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #52 on: April 24, 2020, 07:43:10 AM »
Amen, Brother Richard! By beholding Jesus there is converting grace strong enough to transform the vilest sinner (as I am, and as Paul understood, see 1 Timothy 1:15), and make us saints who have new hearts and minds, partakers of the divine nature!!

Jesus understands the most fierce and fiery temptations, and at Calvary Satan did everything He could to seek to drive Jesus to despair. But read Psalm 22, and you know that Christ was victor. "It is finished" (John 19:30) came from His lips, even though His heart was broken by our sin, for He became sin for us. I am so thankful for Jesus as my Savior, for in Him I find strength to resist temptation--no matter how strong--as the power of what He did at Calvary impels me to remember that Satan has been vanquished, Christ is victorious, and by a living faith surrender to Christ, I may continually share in His victory to walk above the clamor of the world, the flesh and the devil by having Christ imbue me with the Holy Spirit so that every trait of His divine nature--not one missing--will be manifest as the reason He came to this planet. He came to save us to the uttermost. Let us allow Jesus to have all of us continually!!

"Satan with his fierce temptations wrung the heart of Jesus. The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell Him of the Father's acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared that sin was so offensive to God that Their separation was to be eternal. Christ felt the anguish which the sinner will feel when mercy shall no longer plead for the guilty race. It was the sense of sin, bringing the Father's wrath upon Him as man's substitute, that made the cup He drank so bitter, and broke the heart of the Son of God." {The Desire of Ages, page 753, paragraph 2}
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Beacon

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #53 on: April 24, 2020, 06:36:57 PM »
The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary

"The spotless Son of God hung upon the cross, His flesh lacerated with stripes; those hands so often reached out in blessing, nailed to the wooden bars; those feet so tireless on ministries of love, spiked to the tree; that royal head pierced by the crown of thorns; those quivering lips shaped to the cry of woe. And all that He endured--the blood drops that flowed from His head, His hands, His feet, the agony that racked His frame, and the unutterable anguish that filled His soul at the hiding of His Father's face--speaks to each child of humanity, declaring, It is for thee that the Son of God consents to bear this burden of guilt; for thee He spoils the domain of death, and opens the gates of Paradise. He who stilled the angry waves and walked the foam-capped billows, who made devils tremble and disease flee, who opened blind eyes and called forth the dead to life,--offers Himself upon the cross as a sacrifice, and this from love to thee. He, the Sin Bearer, endures the wrath of divine justice, and for thy sake becomes sin itself."

Hymn #163 "At the Cross"

1
Alas! and did my Savior bleed,
and did my Sovereign die?
Would he devote that sacred head
for sinners such as I?

Refrain
At the cross, at the cross,
where I first saw the light,
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
it was there by faith I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day!

2
Was it for crimes that I have done,
he groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Refrain
At the cross, at the cross,
where I first saw the light,
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
it was there by faith I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day!

3
But drops of grief can ne’er repay
the debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away;
’tis all that I can do!

Refrain
At the cross, at the cross,
where I first saw the light,
and the burden of my heart rolled away;
it was there by faith I received my sight,
and now I am happy all the day!


"With amazement the angels beheld the infinite love of Jesus, who, suffering the most intense agony of mind and body, thought only of others, and encouraged the penitent soul to believe. In His humiliation He as a prophet had addressed the daughters of Jerusalem; as priest and advocate He had pleaded with the Father to forgive His murderers; as a loving Saviour He had forgiven the sins of the penitent thief."

AMAZING GRACE HOW SWEET THE SOUND - THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME - THANK YOU JESUS!"
Look up and listen for the shout.

Dorine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #54 on: April 25, 2020, 06:37:41 AM »

"The Saviour made no murmur of complaint. His face remained calm and serene, but great drops of sweat stood upon His brow. There was no pitying hand to wipe the death dew from His face, nor words of sympathy and unchanging fidelity to stay His human heart. While the soldiers were doing their fearful work, Jesus prayed for His enemies, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." His mind passed from His own suffering to the sin of His persecutors, and the terrible retribution that would be theirs. No curses were called down upon the soldiers who were handling Him so roughly. No vengeance was invoked upon the priests and rulers, who were gloating over the accomplishment of their purpose. Christ pitied them in their ignorance and guilt. He breathed only a plea for their forgiveness,--"for they know not what they do."

As I stand at the foot of the cross, looking into the face of Jesus I experience the words of Isaiah.......

Isa 6:5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Beholding Jesus has a powerful effect on ones heart. It takes great effort to turn away and reject His offer but sweet peace when we say yes Lord Jesus you may have my whole heart. No wonder we are counselled to come to the foot of the cross each day and meditate on the closing scenes of Christ's life here on earth.
But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press  toward the mark. Phil. 3:13,14

Pastor Sean Brizendine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #55 on: July 20, 2020, 06:05:12 AM »
To compare the time to trouble that is about to come upon the whole world with what Christ endured on Calvary, we learn what will sustain the righteous who live through that time. "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book" (Daniel 12:1). Knowing that Christ stands for us, we can remember His character and how He has treated us in our life journey. Though God's people may feel utterly forsaken, and even though every earthly support may fail, Christ's victory on Calvary will be the victory of the triumphant saints who pass through that time, for Christ will come the second time in power and great glory. Let us learn the lessons now to prepare us for what is to come as an overmastering surprise to the world soon to perish! Let us live lives that invite ALL to repent and come to Christ while there is still time!!

"Amid the awful darkness, apparently forsaken of God, Christ had drained the last dregs in the cup of human woe. In those dreadful hours He had relied upon the evidence of His Father's acceptance heretofore given Him. He was acquainted with the character of His Father; He understood His justice, His mercy, and His great love. By faith He rested in Him whom it had ever been His joy to obey. And as in submission He committed Himself to God, the sense of the loss of His Father's favor was withdrawn. By faith, Christ was victor." {The Desire of Ages, page 756, paragraph 3}

This victory is for us. Let us walk in the victory in Christ by beholding His loveliness of character and accept His atoning blood to cleanse us from all sin, so that this amazing grace may melt and subdue our hearts, lead us to gladly yield our will to Him, and become partakers of the divine nature through appropriating His promises to our lives! As we do so, all of the fruits of the Spirit will be manifest in our characters because Christ is abiding in us by a living faith surrender to Him! Such a life will be lived in happy obedience to all of the Ten Commandments, including the fourth commandment that enjoins the observance of the seventh day Sabbath as the light comes to the soul!
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Beacon

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #56 on: July 20, 2020, 09:02:52 AM »
"When the darkness lifted from the oppressed spirit of Christ, He revived to a sense of physical suffering, and said, "I thirst." One of the Roman soldiers, touched with pity as he looked at the parched lips, took a sponge on a stalk of hyssop, and dipping it in a vessel of vinegar, offered it to Jesus."

When Jesus realized that His mind might be dulled by the drink that was offered to Him, He refused it. Matthew 27:34 says..."They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink." Jesus recognized that if His mind would become dull in away from the drink offered to Him to lessen His pain & suffering He might lose the battle with Satan.

The Bible again give us this counsel in 1 Corinthians 10:31 "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

If we are seriously preparing to be ready for the "Closing of Probation" & "The Great Time of Trouble" which are events soon to take place should we not also be willing to set aside "Anything & Everything " that might dull our senses and cause us to take our eyes off Jesus?
Look up and listen for the shout.

Dorine

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #57 on: July 20, 2020, 12:17:06 PM »
"All is terror and confusion. The priest is about to slay the victim; but the knife drops from his nerveless hand, and the lamb escapes. Type has met antitype in the death of God's Son. The great sacrifice has been made. The way into the holiest is laid open. A new and living way is prepared for all. No longer need sinful, sorrowing humanity await the coming of the high priest. Henceforth the Saviour was to officiate as priest and advocate in the heaven of heavens. It was as if a living voice had spoken to the worshipers: There is now an end to all sacrifices and offerings for sin. The Son of God is come according to His word, "Lo, I come (in the volume of the Book it is written of Me,) to do Thy will, O God." "By His own blood" He entereth "in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." Hebrews 10:7; 9:12.

As we see Jesus lifted high on the cross and we watch and listen to all that is being said and done our hearts are crushed to witness such agony. Yet grateful praise fills our hearts when we realize that this is the result of grace and love that passes all understanding. Love draws us to Him and in total surrender we give ourselves to Him. What a Saviour, what a friend. He is all we need.
But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press  toward the mark. Phil. 3:13,14

Richard Myers

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #58 on: July 20, 2020, 08:44:03 PM »
Amen Pastor Sean, Brother Beacon, and Sister Dorine!  Calvary, what a chapter!!! What a God!!

In another prophecy the Saviour declared, "Reproach hath broken My heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. They gave Me also gall for My meat; and in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink." Psalm 69:20, 21. To those who suffered death by the cross, it was permitted to give a stupefying potion, to deaden the sense of pain. This was offered to Jesus; but when He had tasted it, He refused it. He would receive nothing that could becloud His mind. His faith must keep fast hold upon God. This was His only strength. To becloud His senses would give Satan an advantage. 


Like in the Garden, there were  none to comfort Him.     Today, we can comfort Him. Let us give glory to our God and our Savior!!
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Lena

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Re: The Desire of Ages--78--Calvary
« Reply #59 on: July 22, 2020, 11:45:31 PM »
I said that I would die for Him,
I really thought I could
But there I was denying Him
I never thought I would!
I failed the Lord, I let him down,
After all He's done for me;
And now He's walking up a hill,
A hill called Calvary.

Calvary, Calvary, was it meant for Him?
Was it meant for me?
Calvary, Calvary;
Is that my cross He's taking to Calvary?

He found me in my sin and told me,
"Go and sin no more,"
And ever since that day I'm not
The way I was before;
I only came to thank Him for
The life He gave to me;
But there He's going up a hill,
A hill called Calvary.

Calvary, Calvary, was it meant for Him?
Was it meant for me?
Calvary, Calvary;
Is that my cross He's taking to Calvary?