behold the man!

Topic: Son of Man. Category: Son of Man> Know God>
Bible Scriptures: Luke 23:14-15, John 19:4-7, Isaiah 53:8-9, Luke 23:39-43, Mark 15:39, Isaiah 53:3-6.

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We live in a world driven by self will. Trapped in selfish desires on a never ending quest to fulfil those desires. Sadly deceiving oneself that the selfish desires can be satisfied, but they are never satisfied.

Humanity’s self will is selfish. It hungers for power and control. Control of self, others and circumstances to get what it wants. History has shown that aspects of humanity will oppress others, so that self can be raised up. To take from others, so that self will receive. Even do a good work for another to get what self wants. Or give to feel good about oneself. To shame others, so that self will be honoured. 

God understands all this and in His great love reaches down to our lowest point of need. Even in a way our selfish desires will understand. 

Humanity’s self will cries out, ‘someone has to pay for all this injustice.’ Whilst these injustices exist because of the selfish desires of humanity, we reason someone has to pay for all the offences done by humanity. Someone has to pay for all the offences done to self. Also someone has to pay for the offences that self has done to others.  Humanity cries out, someone has to pay! 

the seed of man

To understand why this is so we need to go back to before time began. There was God. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. The three are one. One God.

Out of His great love God created the first man and woman. He gave them everything they needed to live in perfect harmony with Him. To walk in the cool of the evening together in God’s perfect world. A place to be at home with each other. God out of His great love gave humanity free choice. 

Yet sadly they chose to follow their own selfish desires and became one with both good and evil, instead of only good. As a result they gave their God given power over His creation to their selfish desires and evil. 

The very thing humanity thought they could control, became the very thing to control humanity. 

Having given power to their selfish desires and evil, the perfect good seed of humanity became corrupted by humanity. Now humanity reproduces but good and evil instead of only good. For thousand upon thousands of years, humanity’s selfish desires and evil multiply. Causing destruction, heartache and pain.  

Humanity cries out, someone has to pay! The good news is someone has paid. 

jesus the man

In a moment of time in human history, God Himself became human. Through His own perfect good seed he came, born of a woman. He came as a vulnerable little baby, experienced the full human condition and walked the earth as a man.

Jesus is His name.  As a man was still fully divine. In the power and authority of the living God, He went about doing good, setting humanity free. He declared the truth and good news about God and His kingdom. He healed the broken hearted, set the captives free, gave equality and freedom to the oppressed, gave sight to the blind and brought salvation to humanity. Spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically.

Jesus became one of us to pay the cost that our selfish desires demand. He came to set humanity free and raise us up out of the dust and dirt of humanity. So let us go back to that time.

festival time

It is festival time. The crowds gathered. Men, women, boys, girls, the religious, government officials, soldiers, criminals are all there. The soldiers of the world super power of the time had just tortured Jesus’ body. His human flesh was beaten, whipped and ripped apart. The blood runs down His back. 

The soldiers tortured Jesus’ mind. In mockery they shamed Him. They twisted thorny branches together and pressed a crown of thorns into His skull. Again the blood runs down. 

The soldiers continue to mock Him and put a robe around His blood drenched body. They struck His face with their hands and bring His tortured body out to publicly shame Him.

Pilate the governor at this time testifies together with Herod the Jewish ruler of Jesus’ hometown that Jesus is an innocent man. 

the perfect man

Luke 23:14-15 (Pilate) ‘said to them, “You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.’

Yet humanity’s flesh cries out, someone has to pay! Even knowing Jesus is innocent Pilate, scourged Him. Again Pilate testifies there was no fault found in Him. 

John 19:4 ‘Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”’

the innocent man

Yet humanity’s flesh cries out, someone has to pay!  And a third time Pilate testifies. 

John 19:5-6 ‘Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!” Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”

Yet humanity’s flesh cries out, someone has to pay! The religious cry out crucify Him, crucify Him! 

Crucifixion was a cursed way to die. A public execution designed to inflict the most pain and public shame. It was the death of a criminal or a slave who has done wrong.

Knowing that Jesus is innocent Pilate asked again, what shall I do with Jesus?

John 19:7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”’

The religious falsely accused Jesus, that He made Himself the Son of God. Pilate himself asked Jesus, what is truth? Yet Pilate and the religious leaders knowingly rejected the truth that was standing right in front of them!

The truth that the Son of God had made Himself to be a man!

the son of God became a man

That God Himself chose to become the perfect sacrifice, the free will offering, to pay the cost that our selfish desires cry out for. 

Pilate gave Jesus over to the selfish will of humanity, as our selfish desires cry out someone has to pay. 

Jesus, the all powerful, all knowing, all seeing gave Himself over to the full human condition. He subjected Himself to the injustices of humanity, as we demanded that someone has to pay the cost. 

So humanity nailed an innocent man to the cross. As the Son of God who became the Son of Man, His human blood falls down. He selflessly pays the cost of every selfish desire of humanity, so that we could believe and receive His cost. The cost was death. 

Jesus willingly shared in our shame, so that we could willingly share in His honour. 

The Son of God, became the Son of Man and paid the cost. He did it all so that we could receive and believe. A soldier who witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion testifies.

Mark 15:39So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him (Jesus), saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”

Jesus willingly gave us His human life, so that we could willingly share in His divine eternal life. 

Yes the Son of God, made Himself to be a man! He was an innocent man. There was no fault found in Him as foretold by the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 53:8-9 ‘He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

God’s will

Jesus chose to become the perfect sacrifice, so that all humanity may choose to receive and believe Jesus’ eternal flesh and blood sacrifice of Himself. So that we may know Him and receive all that He suffered to give us. That is be set free of the bondage to fear, evil and the selfish desires of the flesh. Or to choose to reject Jesus’ eternal flesh and blood sacrifice of Himself, remain in bondage to fear, evil and selfish desires of the flesh. 

The two criminals hanging beside Jesus on the cross represent the two different responses to the choice.

Luke 23:39-43 ‘Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”’

afflicted for us

Our selfish desires esteemed Jesus to be afflicted by God, but the truth is, Jesus was afflicted by humanity’s selfish desires that cry out, someone has to pay!

Isaiah 53:3-6 ‘He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.’

Through Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself, His life, death and resurrection, Jesus destroyed  death and took away the power of evil. Jesus broke the chains of humanity’s bondage to fear, evil and selfish desires. 

Jesus became a man to save humanity. Humanity betrayed Jesus and cried out  someone has to pay!

son of God became son of man

The King of all kings and Lord of lords gave up His glory and heavenly riches, came down from heaven to earth, took on human flesh, lived as a man, died as a man, rose from the grave as a resurrected man, ascended into heaven and one day is coming back in His resurrected glory to judge the living and the dead.

the choice

All who choose to receive and believe Jesus’ eternal flesh and blood sacrifice of Himself, are saved from judgement. They are a child of God, born of His Spirit, having received the Holy Spirit within. As a child of God, are fully immersed in His identity. In His truth destined for eternal life and eternity with God. Saved from death and darkness. 

judgement

All who choose to reject Jesus’ eternal flesh and blood sacrifice of Himself will be judged. Having rejected Jesus, choose to have their identity in everything that opposes God and His Kingdom. They remain forever in bondage to fear, evil and selfish desires. Destined for eternal damnation, death and darkness having aligned themselves with evil. 

All who falsely testify they have received and believed Jesus’ eternal flesh and blood sacrifice of Himself, yet have not, will be exposed and judged as enemies of God. They too remain forever in bondage to fear, evil and selfish desires, destined for eternal damnation, death and darkness.

Their flesh cries out, someone has to pay, yet refuse to accept the truth that someone has paid and Jesus is his name!

Behold the Son of God, the Son of Man! Jesus is His name!

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Sermon categories: son of man> love of God> hope and healing> know God> truth> power> end times> experience God> life> success in life> kingdom>

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