www.ILOVEYOUGOD.com
Part II
By Steven Merten
©Copyright 1990
Note: Jesus' words are in red
"Father, if it is your will, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done."
Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our profession of faith. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet never sinned. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and favor and to find help in time of need.
Now, since the children are men of blood and flesh, Jesus likewise had a full share in ours, that by his death he might rob the devil, the prince of death, of his power, and free those who through fear of death had been slaves their whole life long. Surely he did not come to help angels, but rather the children of Abraham; therefore he had to become like his brothers in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God on their behalf, to expiate the sins of the people. Since he was himself tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are tempted.
Therefore the LORD himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall be living on curds and honey by the time he learns to reject the bad and choose the good.
To sum up, then: just as a single offense brought condemnation to all men, a single righteous act brought all men acquittal and life. Just as through one man's disobedience all became sinners, so through one man's obedience all shall become just.
Even Christ did not glorify himself with the office of high priest; he received it from the One who said to him, "You are my son; today I have begotten you," just as he says in another place:Free-willed Jesus of the flesh could alter whether or not he loves the Father. It is not Jesus death on the cross which saves men, but Jesus' loving obedience in going to his death on the cross which saves men. It is through obedience to the commands of the Father that the world sees Christ's love for the Father and fellow man.
"You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedeck."
In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to God, who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obeyed him, designed by God as high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
"The Father loves me for this: that I lay down my life to take it up again. No one takes it from me; I lay it down freely."
This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.
"I shall not go on speaking to you longer; the Prince of this world is at hand. He has no hold on me, but the world must know that I love the Father and do as the Father has commanded me."
"Doing the will of him who sent me and bringing his work to completion is my food."
John wishes you grace and peace--from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born from the dead and ruler of the kings of earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his own blood, who has made us a royal nation of priests in the service of his God and Father--to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.Jesus could have chosen to disobey the Father and not die on the cross. Jesus death on the cross is what cleanses all men of their disobedience. How could the Son of Man be cleansed if he had disobeyed the Father and not died on the cross? Without Christ's obedient death on the cross, not us, not even he, could have been reconciled to the Father. Had Christ not been faithful or had he not chosen to love God it would be possible that Jesus could have gone to eternal death and damnation.
(Paul is speaking.)
"We ourselves announce to you the good news that what God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, in raising up Jesus, according to what is written in the second psalm, 'You are my son; this day I have begotten you.' As a proof that the one whom he raised from the dead would never again see the decay of death, God declared, 'I will give you the benefits assured to David under the covenant.' That is why he said in still another place, 'You will not suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.'"
"The One who sent me is with me. He has not deserted me since I always do what pleases him."
"Men of Israel, listen to me! Jesus the Nazorean was a man whom God sent to you with miracles, wonders, and signs as his credentials. These God worked through him in your midst, as you well know. He was delivered up by the set purpose and plan of God; you even made use of pagans to crucify and kill him. God freed him from death's bitter pangs, however, and raised him up again, for it was impossible that death should keep its hold on him. David says of him:'I have set the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. My heart has been glad and my tongue has rejoiced, my body will live on in hope. for you will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption. You have shown me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.' ""Brothers, I can speak confidently to you about our father David. He died and was buried, and his grave is in our midst to this day. He was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him that one of his descendants would sit upon his throne. He said that he was not abandoned to the nether world, nor did his body undergo corruption, thus proclaiming beforehand the resurrection of the Messiah. This is the Jesus God has raised up. and we are his witnesses. Exalted at God's right hand, he first received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father, then poured this Spirit out on us. This is what you now see and hear. David did not go up to heaven, yet David says, 'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.'"
We know that Christ, once raised from the dead, will never die again; death has no more power over him.
"I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself won the victory and took my seat beside my Father on his throne."Peter says God will not allow His faithful one to undergo corruption (decay). Had Jesus been unfaithful in sin the Father might have let Jesus die and decay. Had Jesus sinned God might not have been able to free Jesus from death's bitter pains. It was Jesus' victory over temptation to sin that allows him his position next to the Father. Had Jesus been defeated through an act of sinning, God might have had to abandon his soul to the nether world. It is at Jesus resurrection, that He is eternally begotten of God, is made Lord over heaven and earth, is raised from the nether world and is given an irreversible Omni-Present eternal life.
It is because of Satan's unfaithfulness and disobedience that he is in hell and it is Jesus' obedience and faithfulness that assured him a place in heaven. Satan of free will chose death and damnation. Jesus of free will chose eternal life. Both Satan and Jesus had free will. Jesus could have chosen to betray the Father and so also Satan could have chosen to be faithful to the Father. The way through which Satan hates the Father so greatly is through his free willed choices. The way through which Jesus loves the Father so greatly is through his free willed choices.
Satan is not stupid. All Satan wants is a little disobedience out of Jesus. Had Satan been able to tempt Jesus into sin, then Satan would have inflicted death on Jesus. This is how Satan seduced Adam to alter his past and become eternally dead. This is how Satan can seduce us to choose a past and future of eternal death. Before his resurrection, Jesus did not rule the world. If Jesus were to bow down to Satan, Satan, who was in power of the world, would bestow the rule of the world upon him. To worship Satan, Jesus could have gained rule of the world but died to eternal life.
The devil then took him up a very high mountain and displayed before him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, promising, "All these will I bestow on you if you prostrate yourself in homage before me." At this, Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! Scripture has it:Jesus fought Satan. What were the weapons? Had Jesus bent down and worshiped Satan, Jesus would have lost his war against Satan. Satan used the weapon of temptation as his tool to try and inflict eternal death on Jesus (MAT 4:4). With Jesus' eternal death, all men would have died through the destruction of Christ's salvation. Jesus fought back with obedience and faith as his weapon for life and the salvation of men. We are baptized into doing battle with Satan at Christ's side.
'You shall do homage to the Lord your God; him alone shall you adore.'"
Those who are victorious over Satan, with all their heart, Jesus will cleanse and put into the Kingdom of God upon their death of the flesh. As with Jesus, the way we love God is by doing His will. The way we fight Satan is by obeying God.
(Jesus is speaking after His resurrection)If Jesus had failed in his mission on earth, God, the Father, would have lost all that He had hoped to gain by creating the universe in the first place. There would be no Kingdom and no loved ones to share it with. There would have been no repentant Saints with love, which they had acquired while under free will, to warm God's heart for all eternity. If Jesus had sinned, even he could not be forgiven without a righteous sinless sacrifice on the cross. If Christ would have sinned during his free-willed human life, he would not have resurrected, he would not have been eternally begotten of God, and he would not have been made Omni-Present Lord for all eternity past, present and future.
"I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself won the victory and took my seat beside my Father on his throne."
Jesus, praise God, obeyed and loved the Father to the end. To the very end, when the full load of all past present and future Saint's sins were loaded upon Jesus shoulders, he remained obedient and loving to God. On the cross the Pentecostal Holy Spirit of God departs from Jesus, who carries our sins, as God departs from anything sinful (MAT 27:46) (MAR 15:34). Even then Jesus chose to remain faithful, loving and righteous toward the Father. Then, still under perfect obedience, Christ's flesh dies and with it all the sins of every person past, present or future with his name in the book of life. The Right Hand of the Lord has struck with power. God's desire for love from Jesus is completed in all its powerful majestic brilliance. It is Christ's free-will perfect obedient love for the Father that is His greatest glory.
Prophesy did not control Jesus, rather Jesus controlled prophesy. What ever Jesus might have done in his lifetime, prophecy would have reflected this thousands of years earlier in the writings of the prophets. Prophecy is not to show us that God is bound by prophecy but to show us that time has no control over our Omni-Present God. God is far superior to matter and energy and time, after all He created it.
Prophecy was not to confine Jesus to a specific path to travel. Instead prophecy was to show mankind the glory of our God, whose Omni-Presence to all generations is far superior to that of worshiping a worthless idol. God knows what matter and energy look like for all time, just as if He were looking at a picture on a wall. (PSA 139) God can hold your hand and Isaiah's hand simultaneously, yet you cannot hold Isaiah's hand. Isaiah died thousands of years ago and time prohibits matter and energy of the present to visit matter and energy of the past. God can communicate with our past and our future simultaneously, while we are only living at a precise present. We are dust and dust is matter that is under the restriction of time. Time has no control over our spiritual God.
What did God, the joyous Father of His first born Son, do at Jesus' eternal birth on Easter? Our Father God ran through time to His best friend King David. The Father told David of the joy in His heart. He told David of His first born Son's love for Him, the Father. It was only after Christ's death that his life be-came prophecy. The true words of the Holy Spirit, the Father's prophecy (2PE 1:20), were now poured out to all the prophets from the beginning of time. They in turn informed God's children and HOPE was established for all men, for all time.
David filled with the Holy Spirit of God, speaks of Jesus' salvation even before Jesus' birth. David speaks of Jesus first Easter in past tense. David lived a thousand years before Jesus yet he heard about Jesus through the Spirit of the Lord only after Jesus had died on the cross.
The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.Where we men have chosen hatred for God, Jesus has chosen to love God in our place. Where we have failed to fulfill God's law, Jesus has faithfully fulfilled it for us. Let all men praise and glorify what our Lord Jesus has chosen to do out of love for the Father and love for us, the undeserved. Jesus did more than love God with all his mind, strength, heart and soul. Jesus loves God perfectly. We are accepted into eternal life after hating God and only loving Him with all our strength. Jesus was asked to love God perfectly and express perfect love for God is what he did. All praise and glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, who has freely chosen to love the Father to the farthest dimension of this emotion. All honor and glorify the love of the Son for the Father.
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and praise!"
Then I heard the voices of every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea; everything in the universe cried aloud:
"To the One seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, be praise and honor, glory and might, forever and ever!"
