"A Radical Decision"
Pastor Albert Almore
Jesus Christ—the only man who ever asked to be born. Jesus Christ—the only man who ever asked to be born, AND TO VOLUNTEER TO DIE.
“No one can take my life from me. I SACRIFICE IT VOLUNTARILY…
John 10:18
Jesus made His mission clear in Mark 10:45 when He said,
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY.””
Mark 10:45
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it YOU SHALL SURELY DIE.””
Genesis 2:16-17
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”
Genesis 3:6
From that time forward, sin and death owned the deed to us. From that time forward, sin and death owned the title to us. The only thing that could satisfy the sin debt for mankind, was a Holy offering to a Holy God. There was only One Holy. There was only One Worthy enough to take our place and to make this sacrifice—THE SON OF GOD.
From the very beginning, God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ made A RADICAL DECISION. The moment that sin entered the world, SO DID A PROMISE.
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; HE WILL CRUSH YOUR HEAD, and you will strike his heel.””
Genesis 3:15
“For GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16
WHY DID HE DO THIS?
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8
Hebrews 10:10 tells us even more why God did this.
“For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.”
Hebrews 10:10
How would we become Holy?
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
II Corinthians 5:21
“He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place ONCE FOR ALL BY HIS OWN BLOOD, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”
Hebrews 9:12
“Therefore, when Christ enters into the world, He says, “Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But [instead] You have prepared a body for Me [to offer];”
Hebrews 10:5 AMP
Jesus didn’t come to earth as a TOURIST, Jesus came to earth as an OFFERING.
He didn’t come just to give an offering, HE WAS THE OFFERING. You have prepared a body FOR ME TO OFFER….
I can only imagine the Father staring at the Son in this moment. You do understand all that this would mean right? You’ll have an opportunity to walk hand to hand among them. You’ll have an opportunity to fish with them, eat with them, laugh with them, and to even cry with them. You’ll be able to teach them face to face, and to show them the way. You’ll be able to save them Son, but it’s going to cost you EVERYTHING. Though many will love you, and follow you, the elders and chief priests and scribes, will despise you. The elders and chief priests and scribes will reject you. They will conspire against you, and solicit one of your very own disciples, Judas to betray you. Yes, the very one you knew before the womb. The very one you breathed life into and created. The one who’s hands you held before he held his mothers womb. Those same hands will betray you for 30 pieces of silver and hand you over to the religious leaders. They will beat you to a pulp. You will barely be recognizable. They will crown you with a crown of thorns and mock you. They will place 7 inch nails into your wrist. They will place a 7 inch nail in your foot. You will be crucified, hung on a cross. Completely exposed, for all the world to see.
The worst part of all is when you take on the sins of all mankind, since it was sin that separated me from mankind in the first place. For the first time since eternity you will feel what it feels like to be separated from me. You won’t cry out when the nails are driven through your wrist. You won’t cry out when the nail is driven through your foot, but when you’re separated from me for the first time since eternity, THEN YOU WILL CRY OUT, "FATHER, FATHER, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME!” But Son, this is the only way. Judgement must be made. The sin debt must be paid. Only you my Righteous Son can pay it. Around about the sixth hour on that day. Darkness will fill the earth, the sun will stop shining, you will commit your spirit into my hands, AND YOU WILL DIE ON THAT CROSS. They will take you down off the cross, place you in a borrowed tomb because you won’t be needing it long. BECAUSE ON THE THIRD I WILL RAISE YOU FROM THE DEAD WITH ALL POWER AND AUTHORITY IN YOUR HAND!!!
To this Jesus responded according to Hebrews 10:6,
“You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin.”
Hebrews 10:6
“Then I said, ‘Look, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL, O God— as is written about me in the Scriptures.’””
Hebrews 10:7
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.””
Mark 10:45
Why did you do it? Why did you put yourself through so much hurt and pain? I wanted to show them that…
LOVE IS GREATER THAN HATE.
ACCEPTANCE IS GREATER THAN REJECTION.
FORGIVENESS IS GREATER THAN BITTERNESS.
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, WHO LOVED ME AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME.”
Galatians 2:20
I did it, because it had to be done!
“Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For ONLY AS A HUMAN BEING COULD HE DIE,and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.”
Hebrews 2:14
“Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the FEAR OF DYING.”
Hebrews 2:15
I did it so you’ll no longer have a fear of dying. I did it so that we could be together forever!
“…. “Death has been swallowed up in victory.””
1 Corinthians 15:54
““Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?””
1 Corinthians 15:55
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, WHO HAVE NO HOPE.”
1 Thessalonians 4:13
“For We BELIEVE THAT JESUS DIED AND ROSE AGAIN, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
1 Thessalonians 4:14
“According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.”
1 Thessalonians 4:15
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and THE DEAD IN CHRIST WILL RISE FIRST.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16
“After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
1 Thessalonians 4:17
“Therefore ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS.”
1 Thessalonians 4:18
From the very beginning, God The Father, Christ The Son, made a radical decision just to be with you. It’s your turn now.
WHAT RADICAL DECISION DO YOU NEED TO MAKE?
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