Wow! My campus ministry blew me away last night with a moving message about Jesus’s sacrifice. Here’s a quick summary:
Understanding the sacrifice that God made for us requires that we understand the mindset of the world before Jesus died on the cross. (I haven’t read the old testament so I’m just working off of what I heard last night.) During this time, sacrifices were made in order to please God. Food was burned and animals were slaughtered in hopes that God would have mercy and provide His blessing to the people. In Kings, the people would pour out THEIR OWN BLOOD to please God, pay for their sins, give Him love, and win Him over!
Then, Jesus was the “game-changer.” Jesus came down and gave his own sacrifice. He died on the cross to give US HIS LOVE! To win us over! To pay for the sins of the people the way that they had been trying to pay on their own! He turned everything around, pouring out HIS BLOOD to show his love for us! The Jews were expecting a king to fulfill the prophecy. Instead, Jesus was beaten, mocked, and crucified. God gave us his PERFECT SON the way in response to the way that SO MANY PEOPLE had tried to give God their own devotion. How amazing–nothing we ever do can live up to that sacrifice that God made for us!
Do you ever wonder if God loves you? How do you know if He really cares for you? Do we know for sure?
God gave his only son for us. His son lived a perfect life and then died on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins on earth. He paid the debt, the ransom, that we had been trying to pay for THOUSANDS OF YEARS. What more could God do? What more could God do to show his love? Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s love. Live in awe of Him!
“Heavenly Father, the words thank you will never be enough. The sacrifice of your son was a game-changer from Heaven. The world will never be the same! I owe my life and my salvation to your grace and your mercy. Let me lay down at the foot of the cross and surrender my life to the sacrifice that is beyond comprehension. Let me be humbled in your name, for you are the love of this world! I praise you for your wonder and power. You love us; we are yours, God, and you are OURS! Amen!”
hismercyremains 