Jesus’ Perspective on His own Death

These are Written
Believe
Should Not Perish
3:16
Never, Never
Life, Love, Light
Condemned by Choice
This and That
Seven Expressions of Love from the Cross
Why?
I know, I know!
What?
UGH!
Expedient
Gain Grace?
The Gift
The Hands of God
Immortality
COME UP HERE
Not by Works of Righteousness We have Done
Jesus’ Perspective on His own Death
I AM

Download or order the free booklet “The Gift” here: https://basictraining.org/the-gift/

Thanks to the American Bible Society “The Gospel of John” for the video scenes.

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 - May 23, 2000

Living Sacrifice 03

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Passover (Exo 12:5) using an unblemished male lamb a year old is a picture of our Lord (Joh 1:29). Blood on the door (Exo 12:7) had to be applied to provide deliverence. In the roasting and eating of the flesh(Exo 12:8), it's a picture of believing in Christ (Joh 6:53-58). Unleavened bread symobolically is the sinless saviour. We need to remember (2Pe 1:9). Passover now looks back as a memorial; deliverence by blood and power. Lord's Table supercedes the passover and it will be at the initiation of the kingdom of the Father (Luk 22:16).

"I urge you" (Rom 12:1) presents redeeming time having a sense of urgency (Ecc 3:1-8) not haste. Man is primarily arrogant; affliction drives us to humility. David being pursued in dessert is good example. Time is a rare commodity. Haste violates time and pays the highest price. What God does is at His own pace. Spiritual maturity takes time and dedication. Serenity and tranquility belongs to those with wisdom who understand God's pace for them. God cannot be rushed; Jesus illustrates this. Job 5:23-27 illustrates the pace of wisdom: "you will be in league with the stones of the field". Hebrew idiom for being in sync with the Creator and creation. Stones can be a great blessing or great obstacle at different times. Pharisees stumbled over the Cornerstone. Christ is "the Rock of our Salvation" but also "a Rock of offense" or "Cornerstone" or "stumbling stone". In nature there can be no hurray. Farmers have to wait. It takes patience. In our plans we work toward a goal and expect results in time, but must be subject to faith; God has alloted that time period specifically for a purpose (Ecc 3:2) -- realizing that means redeeming the time. God's harvest (taking a loved one home) should a time of rejoicing (Job 5:26). Anxiety is the "partner" of haste. Our expectations must align with God's. "The time is short" (1Co 7:29); we should not be distracted in devotion to the Lord (Mat 6:33-34). God has given to us sufficient Grace to handle today (2Co 12:9). We need to know how to manage time (Jam 4:13, Rom 9:4-5). Jews wasted 2000 years with the convenants and law and priesthood and ended in destruction (Luk 21:32). Realize God has a Will for time, place, duration, and motive - prove God's Will by being in sync (Jam 4:13-15, 2Pe 1:9). We cannot ignore the brevity of life, and God's purpose for us. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart" (Psa 37:4). We must delight ourselves in Him -- submerge our plans, goals, and objectives in Him.