The God Who Suffers: How Far God Will Go for Man’s Salvation

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God. If you would like to know how you can become a harvest partner, just go to harvest.org that's harvest.org sometimes we will also sort of an aberration or a trudging sort of event were everything sort of went off the rails know that's not all though was when I was in the master planners revising the Masters today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Morey points out, it was God's plan all along, soon to give his life for sin.

Listen to this.

Calvary shows all four men will go and said also. How far God will go for man's salvation VIPs get special treatment. Government officials why Robin special play drive around in motorcade leadership, high-rise office dimensions of the nice part of town. So what a paradigm shift is that God's son would live a humble life painful to today on the new beginning transfer Greg Laurie points out how each detail was carefully chosen long-ago wire heavenly father. They will find out why turned out to two passages. Luke 23 and John Knight Luke 23 and John 19 that's original land on both of those. The title of my message is the God who suffers a what we think of God we consider the fact that God is righteous God is holy God is loving and God is good, but here's something else to consider about God as we focus on the death of Jesus. God has suffered. Why would anyone want to suffer if they didn't have to.

But he did suffer, and he didn't have to be didn't want to but he chose to suffer listen to Isaiah's description of what Jesus who was God in human form, went through when he died on the cross in Isaiah 53 we read he was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

He was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for iniquity is the punishment for our peace was upon them, and by his stripes we are healed. He was a man of sorrows, or suffering that was Jesus. But why did God suffer answer because he loved and he loves, and that means that he enters into our suffering as well. He enters into the suffering of those who lost loved ones, he enters into the suffering of any person who is in pain of some kind. You need to know that God cares. God understands God's efforts the understand what you are going through. So if you're going through any kind of suffering.

Know this, you're not alone.

Jesus has been there and he's walked in your shoes.

Listen to this passage in Hebrews 2 it says it was necessary for Jesus to be made in every respect. Like us, his brothers and sisters so he could be our merciful and hateful high priest before God that he could offer a sacrifice.

It would take with his sins of the people, since he himself is gone through suffering and temptation is able to help us when we are being tempted. So you're saying that I'm being tempted right now I would do hardship right now. I've been abandoned by people I love Jesus is been there.

He knows what it's like say I've lost a loved one.

He knows what that's like.

So you're not alone in your suffering, but why did Jesus have to suffer and die because he had just expired in a simple way to be have to be scourged and beaten it up the beard pulled from his face that he have to be consulted and mocked and ridiculed and humiliated. Why did he have to die such a cruel death. Listen to this because it was know the way to satisfy the righteous demands of God. God plays by his own rules and he said this so that sin shall surely die in the Scripture teaches without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin in the Old Testament when they would sacrifice these various animals that was a foreshadowing of things that were to come, if only for the death of Jesus was sort of added on the back that rather was pointing toward the death of Jesus. Jesus was the fulfillment of all of those sacrifices as John the Baptist said of Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. So Jesus was the fulfillment of it all of those things were foreshadowing something to come by.

Could more accurately say someone to come and that someone was Jesus. Listen to this. Calvary shows how far men will go and sin and how far God will go for man's salvation.

Then repeat it, Calvary, or the cross shows how far men will go in their sin and also how far God will go for man's salvation.

Jesus knew he was going to die from the very beginning and he spoke of it often no one took his life.

He laid it down of his own accord. Jesus lived in the shadow of the cross. From the moment he entered the world. Sometimes people think the cross was sort of an aberration or a tragic turn of events were everything sort of went off the rails know that's not it at all that I got was the plan that was the master plan or should I say the Masters plan. Remember when I was a kid and I would watch movies about Jesus and I was fascinated by Jesus. Even as a young boy my grandmother used to have a portrait of Christ hanging on her wall and I would just look at that many times and think about Jesus whenever there was a movie about him, I would watch it with great interest and I was fascinated by him, but I always thought the story ended badly.

I that someone should rewrite this story to see because everything is going in a perfect trajectory there comes Jesus part of the Virgin Mary, performing miracles, healing people, raising the dead doing wonderful things. The greatest teachings ever heard he has a group of followers and then he gets arrested on false charges and he's crucified in Yahweh rose but still that that's not good. I didn't like that story, but that is the story that is the greatest of all stories that was the purpose he came for. But how can something so senseless and so cruel have any purpose answer, it was the ultimate purpose and it had the ultimate meaning God the father was the master of ceremonies at the cross and repeat that again God the father was a master of ceremonies at the cross.

Sometimes people like the place the blame of the death of Jesus at the feet of the Jews all say the Jews killed him and sometimes that's used to justify anti-Semitism, which is always wrong but it wasn't the fault of the Jews.

It was in the fall. In particular of the Romans. Listen you want to get real technical be theological, God sent Jesus to die on the cross. It was his plan affect the Scripture tells us in Isaiah 5310.

It was the will of the Lord to cross him. He has put him to grief. Romans 832 God did not spare his own son, but he gave him up for us all, and then over in Romans 325 God put Christ forward by his blood, to be received by faith in Isaiah 5310 get it please the father to bruise him. He has put him to death please the father to bruise him.

How could the father be pleased by the death of his son Willie wasn't pleased by his death in particular wasn't pleased by the supper wasn't pleased by the pain Christ went through the father was pleased by the redemption that was accomplished. He was pleased that the eternal plan of salvation was now fulfilled.

He was pleased that the sacrifice of his son was complete and many of us could not believe in him for all the evil in the crucifixion it brought about an infinite good. In fact the most evil act ever perpetrated by sinful heart that is the sinless son of God, tortured and slaughtered and murdered, brought about the greatest good of all time brought about your salvation and abroad about mind so we can say thank you Lord for the cross. You remember the story of Joseph betrayed by his brothers sold into slavery and thought is that never thought they'd see him again.

Of course he survived that 10 ended up ascending to be the second most powerful man in the kingdom of Egypt and wonder what would've been the perfect you know revenge films really is brothers are gathered performing out Joseph is all-powerful with the snap of his finger. They would've all executed on the spot and instead of getting payback. He forgives them and he makes this amazing statement you meant it for evil but God meant it for good to save many that was true of the cross. The devil meant it for evil. The Bible tells is that Satan entered the heart of Judas Iscariot. So let's not let the devil off the hook. Here he played a role to end in a rare moment in human history.

God and the devil were moving toward the same goal, not with the same objective. The goal was for Jesus to die. Satan wanted Jesus to die so we would be stopped and silenced forever.

God wanted Jesus to die so he would atone for the sin of the world, but their objectives were different. Of course there was Jesus building the purposes of God is your great glory will have the second half of message in just a moment. We hear from so many people find Christ through the study God's word dear Pastor Greg I like your voice on the radio each day. I've been a Christian since September 12, 1978 after hearing you speak in Riverside, California while living in connection my employers told me they were praying for me for many years. I did not delete it after hearing your life story all about Jesus. I begin to believe I made a decision to follow Jesus. Thank you Pastor Greg all the time and continue to do for all of us need to hear the word. We hope Pastor Greg's words from Scripture continue to touch lives. And if you have a commoner story to share, send it to Pastor Greg's email address is greg@harpist.org that's great harvest.org today we're considering the sacrifice Jesus made at the cross of Calvary and Pastor Greg's message the God who suffers you can get a permanent copy of this insight@harvest.org Pastor Greg continues now.

So let's think for a moment what it was like for Jesus to do this he was 12. Three says consider him that endured such hostility from sinners against himself to be weary and discouraged in your souls toward consider means to get over a consider this think it would.

Jesus went through for Jesus.

The cross was a fate worse than death because at the cross, he experienced his most painful moment. What is been your most painful moments in life. So far no little kids scratch their knees and they get an hourly and they want you to kiss them. Jonathan asked me to do that.

Today's 30 we know the other little hourlies in their little world. It's a great tragedy, but then as you get older you have injuries. The painful moment what your worse maybe had something to do with the dentist and the words root canal might've been something to do with the doctor.

It might've been an accident.

Something that happened but little to the most painful moment of Jesus and you'll see what he got when he was crucified.

As horrible as I was. I don't think that was his most painful moment physical pain is awful. It's dreadful, but there are actually things that are worse than physical pain. Sometimes it's the pain of rejection or betrayal or abandonment. When the wife says to her husband. I wanted a divorce. When the husband said to the wife. I'm having an affair when the child says as a parent I don't want God in my life when the pastor after preaching two hours says just a few more things was a joke. Okay, this will deceive you listening or when you're betrayed by a friend or someone you did the most part it cuts like a knife. Then there's the pain of losing a loved one that's very deep pain, but God the father to stop this pain. He lost a loved one if you will.

When he watched humanity murdered his son and the son. Of course, lost fellowship or communication temporarily with the father and that I believe was the most painful moment of Jesus when he bore the sin of the entire planet upon himself as awful as the crucifixion was nothing compared to bearing the sin of all of humanity understand Jesus was a strong young man he was in the prime of life 33 years old. He was a carpenter by trade. That meant that he chop down trees and build homes in built furniture and knew how to put us back to a task you visit strong individual and so he was up to the task, but yet after a man is been scourged by a Roman whip 39 times opening up his body and exposing his muscle, and even vital organs on them being forced to carry a 300 pound crossbeam that would be hard for any man the matter what shape he was in it as bad as I was.

That wasn't the worst moment of all what it was when he was hung on the cross and God's judgment had been poured out upon him brings us to John 19 we read in verse 17 that Jesus bearing his cross went to a place called the place of a skull which is called in Hebrew Golgotha where they crucify them to others with them, one on each side Jesus in the center of this is very interesting.

Why was Jesus in the center.

I think you can make a pretty good case for Jesus was not supposed to go on that cross recommend that was probably supposed to go on that cross was Barabbas understand we call these guys that were crucified next Jesus. The thieves on the cross and will refer to them is that because it's familiar but the truth is that the word used there to describe them as far more severe than a thief role did not crucify thieves in general. They crucify people who are guilty of the worst crimes in the mind of Rome.

The worst crime was to be an insurrectionist.

In other words, to try to overthrow Rome so these men were most likely murderers who would go out and murder Roman soldiers and try to cause chaos and confusion in the Empire. They wanted Rome driven out of the land of Israel, and so they were each crucified and I think that center cross was probably reserved for Barabbas because he was the worst of the lot and you remember the reason he didn't go to the cross was because he was pardoned by Pilate. Pilate was trying to get out of condemning Jesus to death and there was a tradition that they would release someone at the Passover and so Pilate gave the blood thirsty crowd a choice.

Do you want Jesus spared, or do you want Barabbas spared the religious leaders infiltrated the crowd and got them to scream out for Barabbas instead of Jesus, and Jesus was then sent to die typically was signed on someone else's cross, Barabbas is cross.

But really, if you want to get technical. He was dying on our cross those other guys were crucified Mexican were there for their personal crimes. Jesus was there for the crimes of all humanity. They were there against their will. He was there because he willingly went, they were held of their crosses by males.

He was holding his cross, by love and there hanging on the cross.

With this back ripped open in excruciating pain. Tongue swollen. Jesus lifts himself up on the cross and get seven statements number one.

He said father forgive them for they know not what they do.

Number two unresponsive that people turn to him and said, Lord, remember me when you come in your kingdom. He said truly, truly, I say to you today you be with me in paradise.

Looking down at the foot of the cross and seen his mother Mary.

He said to her, woman behold your son and then gesturing to John he said son behold your mother then presumably he bore the sins of the world, giving the fourth statement of the cross, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me. Number five I thirst.

Number six. It is finished in the seventh and last statement of the cross to the father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Let's consider that riveting first statement of Jesus from the cross, father forgive them for they know not what they do. It's as though Jesus is saying.

Father forgive them because they need forgiveness so desperately forgive them because they've committed a sin that is wicked beyond all comprehension.

Father forgive them. They do not know what they do. By the way it's implied in the original language. He said it a number of times, not just once.

Father forgive them for they know not what they do.

Father forgive them for they know not what they do and from this example of Jesus on the cross were reminded that no one beyond the reach of prayer. I don't care how wicked they are. I don't care what stuff they done father forgive them, Lord reach out to that person and I think it's interesting to look at how three men face death. Jesus is there dying for our sin and initially both thieves cry out, he saved others, but he can't save himself if he is really the son of God, let him come down from there at one. They both joined in the chorus of mockery, but then according to Luke's gospel, Jesus says father forgive them for they know not what they do and one of the thieves believes on the spot and then turns to the other thief and says rebuking him, don't you fear God Seymour under the same condemnation as some would take.

That's a contradiction in the Bible there is one gospel says they both marked him another gospel says one believe will know that's not a contradiction. Fred, that's a conversion that's without is initially both of them did marked him.

But then when Jesus said, father forgive them for they know not what they do. One of the these believe right on the spot.

You know how long it takes to become a believer in Jesus. You probably couldn't even measured in time. It doesn't take years. It doesn't take months. It doesn't take weeks.

It can happen in a second in a fraction of a second. You can be sitting there as a nonbeliever and something happened that suddenly you see I believe this right now just waiting for someone to tell you what the next step is a lot of people like that out there. That guy believes right on the spot he had never seen anything like that before. A man who had been treated as badly as Jesus and rightly Christ probably face worse abuse than those men. They were crucified but we don't read they were scourge Christ was scourged. Many people died from the scourging alone. So, to survive that and then be crucified on top of it. Jesus gave those beautiful words and they reverberated the hardened heart of one of those criminals in his rebellion and bitterness and anger that had no doubt driven him for all of those years just dissolved in this hardened heart began to soften and his conscience was free, sensitized, and he believed that said Lord, remember me when you come in your kingdom and Jesus said today you will be with me in paradise. Talk about being at the right place at the right time. Now that is a deathbed conversion or a death cross but at the last moment. This guy is late in the shows have gotten great facilities, beginning pastor Greg Laurie with insights on that epic day at Calvary and there's much more to come from Pastor Greg's message the God who suffers if you weren't able to hear all of today's insight you can catch up by going online to harvest.org or for CD copy.

Call 1-800-821-3300 call anytime 24 hours a day, 1-800-821-3300 and again it's a study called the God who suffers yesterday we hear about the lives that are touched every day here on the new beginnings they write to us. They they call us and their stories are just so moving back to take a listen to this grant. Every morning on my way home from John has been at work and help me through my hardest times.

I have a little boy with moderate not to send my mom to cancer. My soul has been so every day you help me realize that God is healing more than anything. Thank you for helping millions just like me. Well were just so thankful to God that we can be of some help to this lady with her challenges that she's facing with her mother who went to be with the Lord and her child and you know, our hope is just to point people to the word of God because we all get down. We all get discouraged, we all get overwhelmed and sometimes it feels like life isn't really fair for us. You know, one occasion after Jesus revealed to Simon Peter that he was gonna die the death of a martyr. Peter looked over at John until was coming up in the Batman and the Lord said to Peter, what is that to you. Follow me. You know we all have a lot in life that doesn't make sense to us and we wonder why certain things happened, other people seem to me more blessed. There were blaster their life isn't as hard as our life is I can answer these things but I can tell you this, the answer is following Christ. My objective is as a pastor and is a Bible teacher is to point you to Christ and to get your eyes off of your circumstances and put them on the Lord because when you have a big God, you of relatively small problems and when you are big problems.

Maybe it's because your God is too small. By that, I simply mean you need to get your eyes on him again. So as you know, every day we open up the word of God and every day we call people to Christ. We encourage believers to turn to him like the lady that we just heard from we call nonbelievers to believe in him because Jesus is the answer. No matter what your question is Jesus is the answer and were thankful to be able to do that for the lady we just heard from where thankful to do it for you each and every day it doesn't come to the end of one year and get ready to start another it's very important that we finish strong financially so I'm in will encourage you to give a generous financial gift to harvest ministries so we can finish is here strong and get ready for the opportunities that are before us next year. We have unprecedented opportunities coming our way to expand our ministry around the nation in the world and the way we can respond to these is if you join with us in prayer and with your giving and then we can go into new areas. We've never been in before.

It is my way of saying thanks to you for investing in our ministry.

I would like to send you a DVD copy of our cinematic crusade that hopefully you saw if you haven't seen it you can see it now. We call it a rush of hope, a beautiful film that we made in cooperation with the Irwin brothers that present the gospel in a compelling artistic and powerful way this is going to be a great tool in your chance to reach out to your neighbors to your family and the people that you care about. So whatever you can send will rush you your copy of a rush of hope the DVD and thanks in advance for whatever you can do this right and we hope to get in touch today so we can get this DVD on its way to you and by the way, in addition to the DVD. It comes with a digital download code so you can watch it online right from your computer or tablet or smart phone. That way you can take it with you and share it with a friend.

It's a cinematic crusade right in your pocket or purse to write us today at a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime 24 hours a day. Again, dial 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org everybody Greg Laurie here personally inviting you to join us for what we call Harvest at Home. It's a Bible study.

It's a worship service into church in your home, you're not able to get out your church right now. If so, join us per Harvest at Home people are listening this from around the world listen to this. We have seen thousands of people make a commitment to follow Christ. Join us this weekend Harvest at Home is.oh well, next time consider the seven statements of Jesus from the cross. Each one carefully chosen and filled with spiritual insight. That's next time you're on a new beginning pastor Greg Laurie and possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email devotions and harvest.org