Amen my dear brother and sister! Such love!! Yes, Sister Dorine, anyone who reads this with a desire to glorify God would better understand how weak humanity is and how great is our Savior and heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit! Our only hope is to keep fresh in our minds what we read this morning! I spent three months reading this chapter, Calvary, and It is Finished. Yes, it would be well to spend a thoughtful hour a day contemplating the life of Jesus, especially the closing scenes. It was a great blessing and it was sad to stop and start at the beginning again.
But God suffered with His Son. Angels beheld the Saviour's agony. They saw their Lord enclosed by legions of satanic forces, His nature weighed down with a shuddering, mysterious dread. There was silence in heaven. No harp was touched. Could mortals have viewed the amazement of the angelic host as in silent grief they watched the Father separating His beams of light, love, and glory from His beloved Son, they would better understand how offensive in His sight is sin.
The worlds unfallen and the heavenly angels had watched with intense interest as the conflict drew to its close. Satan and his confederacy of evil, the legions of apostasy, watched intently this great crisis in the work of redemption. The powers of good and evil waited to see what answer would come to Christ's thrice-repeated prayer. Angels had longed to bring relief to the divine sufferer, but this might not be. No way of escape was found for the Son of God. In this awful crisis, when everything was at stake, when the mysterious cup trembled in the hand of the sufferer, the heavens opened, a light shone forth amid the stormy darkness of the crisis hour, and the mighty angel who stands in God's presence, occupying the position from which Satan fell, came to the side of Christ. The angel came not to take the cup from Christ's hand, but to strengthen Him to drink it, with the assurance of the Father's love. He came to give power to the divine-human suppliant. He pointed Him to the open heavens, telling Him of the souls that would be saved as the result of His sufferings. He assured Him that His Father is greater and more powerful than Satan, that His death would result in the utter discomfiture of Satan, and that the kingdom of this world would be given to the saints of the Most High. He told Him that He would see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied, for He would see a multitude of the human race saved, eternally saved.
Christ's agony did not cease, but His depression and discouragement left Him. The storm had in nowise abated, but He who was its object was strengthened to meet its fury. He came forth calm and serene. A heavenly peace rested upon His bloodstained face. He had borne that which no human being could ever bear; for He had tasted the sufferings of death for every man.
Sadly it came to my attention not long ago that many can read this and not understand that the unrepentant sinner is going to suffer for every sin, suffer by fire. Yes, they know it, but it never hit home. It just passes over the heads of far too many. Thus the sinner does not know he ought to fear God. It is true that the soldier in the foxhole when bombs are falling all around him, is tempted to think there is a God in heaven who can protect him. So, he prays and is safe. Yet, many forget what God has done and they go on living a selfish life of sin. Well, if we were to warn the sinner that there is a justice coming for all who reject the opportunity to be forgiven, some might choose to study the Bible to see if they can not only be forgiven, but live in world without sin for eternity. "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him..... But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." Jude 14,15,20-23.
Yes, some need to warned that they fear the justice that will come to all who reject God's love and offer of forgiveness. It is a most terrible thing to teach that all who do not accept Jesus as Savior is going to burn for eternity in hell. Who would want to serve such a god! But, justice demands that all unrepentant sinners be punished. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." 2 Cor. 5:10.
