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I want to remind us of the perspective that Jesus, our Savior, had concerning His own death. Because I think it helps us appreciate it a little bit more. His death was 1) Purposeful, 2) Voluntary, 3) Joyful, and 4) Glorious.

Well, first of all, His death was purposeful. He recognized that He was going to die. John 12:27 says, “What shall I say, Father, do not let this hour come upon me. But that is why I came.”

The purpose of his death was also voluntary. It was a voluntary or volitional outpouring of His love, and it showed full and true submission to God, the Father. Romans 5:8, “for God demonstrates his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” In the garden, Jesus said three times to the Father, “not My will, but Your will be done.” In John 10:17-18 Jesus said, “The Father loves me because I’m willing to give up My life in order that I may receive it back again. No one takes My life away from Me. I give it up of My own free will. I have the right to give it up and I have the right to take it back.This is what my father has commanded me to do.”

His death was purposeful. His death was voluntary. His death was also joyful. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus was fully aware of the pain and the suffering that He would face at the cross, but He had his eyes on the joy, and that joy was purchasing our eternal destiny.

And then finally, Jesus considered death as the path to glory. In John 12:23 He said those words, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to receive great glory.” And this is an amazing verse to me because this is shortly before the passion week. This is shortly before He would go through all of that suffering, the betrayal, the arrest, the scourging, the piercing of his hands and feet, the crown of thorns on his head, and the gathering up the sins of the world that pierced His heart. He didn’t say the time has come for the Son of Man to be tortured and tormented and suffer for the sins of the world. No, He said, “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” He ignored the suffering and kept his eyes on the glory. And if we can grasp the truth of that verse, it would totally change our perspective of the sufferings in our life.

So this is His perspective of His own death. He was born to die.

Gene Cunningham - June 10, 2003

Galatians 5

Galatians 5

Paul discusses "Elemental things" in Rom 1-3 which Galatians exercise in vain (Gal 4:11). Paul's desire was to be conformed to Christ and they would be as well (2Pe 1:4, Phi 3:1-11, Gal 2:20). He exhorts the Galatians to become like him (Gal 4:12). Paul's thorn in the flesh could have been a hindrance, but Galatians treated him well (Gal 4:12-15, Acts 13:1-52, 2Co 12:1-21). Others were leading them astray, but Paul restates his goal from their original response to the truth (Gal 4:14-20, Jer 18:20), that "Christ be formed in you" (Rom 8:29, 2Co 3:18). We have to let the Spirit work in our lives (Col 3:15-16, Rom 12:1-2). Abraham and Sarah, the free woman had Issac by divine power (Gal 4:21-24). Persecution comes out of bondage (and flesh) because it can only hate and destroy what is better than it. Ishmael hated Issac representing the Spirit (Gal 4:29). Our internal struggle is flesh against Spirit as "children of the free woman" (Gal 4:31, Gal 5:17). "Stand fast in the freedom" (Gal 5:1, Eph 6:14); don't let someone take your crown (Col 2:1-8, Heb 12:1). Steps to spiritual downfall (Gal 5:1-9): (1) willingness to be be enslaved (Gal 5:1); (2) loss of spiritual power; you can't sustain the gift without the Giver (Gal 5:2); God the Holy Spirit shuts down in your life; (3) you become a debtor to the law (Gal 5:3, Jam 2:10); (4) there's an estrangement from Jesus Christ (Joh 14:8-9); (5) fallen from Grace (Gal 55b); cut off from the supply; God will not be part of us living by law or merit; (6) your hindered in the race set before us (Gal 5:7); (7) the process begins with a little leaven (Gal 5:9).



Scripture References: Galatians 5:7, Galatians 4:29, Hebrews 12:1, Acts 13:1-52, John 14:8-9, Galatians 4:21-24, Colossians 2:1-8, Galatians 4:12-15, James 2:10, Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 6:14, Galatians 4:12, Galatians 5:3, Colossians 3:15-16, Galatians 5:1, Galatians 2:20, Galatians 5:2, Romans 8:29, Galatians 5:17, Philippians 3:1-11, Galatians 5:1, Jeremiah 18:20, Galatians 5:9, Galatians 4:31, Galatians 4:11, Galatians 5:1-9, Galatians 4:14-20

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