It's my goal to stay with the Word of God and help it make sense to you. And it's my purpose for you to make sense out of your life, to understand that God does love and care about you, that He has an answer to life's questions.

EARTH'S AGONIZING HOUR

The story is true. Early in the century, in the Soviet Union, a General in the Russian army, is sent to stop the rioting in his home community. He makes laws. His laws have a penalty: anyone breaking the laws, including the curfew, would be whipped at noon in the town square thirty-nine times.

One night, around eleven, an old woman, caught in the act of stealing, was brought by the soldiers to the General. The General is not sure that what she took should cause her death. What she had stolen wasn't very valuable and she is too old to ever live through the whipping. But, if he let her go, he would have to place values on stolen property.

Still debating, the General asked the woman questions. As it was the Russian Orthodox custom, she veiled her face in the presence of dignitaries.

"Did you steal the property?" he inquired.

"Yes, Sir General."

"Were you aware of the law?" he quizzed.

"Yes, Sir."

"Do you know the penalty?" He was still stalling for time.

"Yes."

"So, you are guilty!"

Then the woman removed her veil. And the General had worse dilemma. She is his mother! They are blood. What kind of a son would kill his mother?

At the town square at noon, the woman is tied to the whipping post. The chimes strike ten--eleven--twelve. Then the General bolted over to the whipping post and, taking off his own shirt, untied his mother and commanded his soldiers, "Tie me to the whipping post!"

As the mother watches her son whipped thirty-nine times for something she did, do you think she is planning the next thing to steal? No. She cries, "I will never do anything again to cause my son this kind of punishment!"

Was someone punished for the woman's crime in the story? Yes, the punishment satisfied justice. Did someone provide mercy? Yes, the son. This story is an example of the gospel. The justice of God requires our death. The mercy is that JESUS TAKES SIN'S PENALTY ON HIMSELF!

Brothers and sisters, Satan tries to keep you from understanding God and the plan of salvation. The devil wants you to think that you can work your way to Heaven. Or, at least, be good enough to cut a little slack in the judgment. In the Bible, the devil's followers are called his seed. Jesus said to a group of religious people "You are of your father, the devil."

"Enmity" means strife--war. The enmity will be between Satan and Jesus Christ. There will be war. The war will be between the woman and Satan. Jesus is born of a woman. The Seed of the woman refers to her children-- descendants--and to Jesus Christ (that is why in some Bibles "Seed" is capitalized.) It was planned that Jesus would die on Calvary for you. Jesus will suffer great pain.

"'I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.'" Genesis 3:15.

When you stand at the cross and see the Son of God dying in your place, will you be planning the next sin? No. Of course not. You will cry, "Lord, may I never do anything again to cause You such pain!"

Through time, there are Abraham and Isaac. God tells Abraham to offer his son, Isaac (twenty-two years old), as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah. Abraham knows Isaac is the promised child through whom the Savior would come. "Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, 'Abraham!'

"And he said, 'Here I am.'

"Then He said, 'Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.'"

"So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, 'Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.'

"So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, 'My father!'

"And he said, 'Here I am, my son!'

"Then he said, 'Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?'

"And Abraham said, 'My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.' So, the two of them went together.

"Then they came to the place which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

"But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!'

"So he said, 'Here I am.'

"And He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.'

"Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide, as it is said to this day, 'In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.'" Genesis 22:1-13.

On the third day of the journey, Abraham sees the mount. He starts up Mount Moriah with the fire. Isaac carries the wood. Abraham knows that they both would return. He comments to the two servants, "We will be back."

Interestingly, this Bible story has crucifixion symbolism: three dark days; two men looking on; the son of the father climbs the mountain carrying some wood; and, they climb the mountain together. At Calvary, there are three dark days; two witnesses that accept Christ as their Savior (the centurion and the thief); the Son carries the wooden cross up the mountain; and, the Father accompanies the Son. At Mount Moriah, Abraham learns the lesson that God will provide a substitute. The substitute offering--His own Son.

The place--Mount Moriah--is important in God's scheme. (Nothing happens by accident when God is in control.) It is a high spot on Mount Moriah which is later a threshing place for the Jebusite, Araunah. There, the wheat is beaten till the kernels are knocked loose from the chaff. When a breeze puffs, the threshers throw the wheat into the air. The kernels, or seeds, more dense than the chaff, fall to the ground while the wind blows away the chaff. The Bible explains that at the location of the threshing floor of Araunah, Solomon builds his temple. It seems that on the very spot on which Abraham laid Isaac is the site of the temple's Altar of Burnt Offering.

Any parent would rather take pain than let it be inflicted on their children. So, God is in Christ. He is reconciling all the world to Himself. Brothers and sisters, as much as God loves you, He loves Jesus even more! The Bible story teaches how to enter in to what it would be like to give your son to die for others.

Through more time, there are David and Goliath. War is declared but none of the Israelites dare to fight with the Philistines. Goliath, a nine foot, nine inch giant whose spear weighed a full hundred pounds, is with the Philistines on one side of a valley. Israel, with King Saul, line the other side. David appears before Saul.

"Then David said to Saul, 'Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.'

"And Saul said to David, 'You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.'

"But David said to Saul, 'Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.'

"Moreover David said, 'The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.'" 1 Samuel 17:32-37.

Young David, fifteen years, offers to fight the giant, Goliath. You have probably heard or read why David took five stones. It is because Goliath had four brothers. Is David a man of faith?

"So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it.

"And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled." 1 Samuel 17:48-51.

Goliath, stunned by David's stone, was killed with his own sword. Satan's ultimate weapon against humanity is death. Jesus destroys Satan, too, with his own weapon--Jesus, on the cross, dies the death for sin.

David takes the head of Goliath--probably by the hair. He offers it to King Saul. The king may not desire it because David ultimately buries it outside Jerusalem's gate. Outside the gate of Jerusalem is Golgotha, or "The Place of a Skull." The hill's rocky face may look like a skull, but there could be more significance to the name: the burying place for the head of Goliath. When Jesus' cross is pounded into the ground there, the cross could have been placed over Goliath's skull. Now, in the Bible story, Goliath represents Satan. Satan, symbolically, receives the bruise on the head as Jesus receives a wounded heel on the cross. ("He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." Genesis 3:15.)

Some of a family's most tender moments are when the children say their prayers and are tucked in bed. Traditionally, Jewish mothers taught their children a bedtime prayer: "Into Your hand I commit my spirit," Psalm 31:5.

Jesus may have learned the childhood prayer. On the cross, it is a tender moment when prayed the Jewish "good-night prayer": "'Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.'" Luke 23:46.

On the cross, people get to a point that life fades away. They can no longer breathe. Many people die from exposure and exhaustion. But, when the sins of the world--yours and mine--had their penalty paid at the cross, Jesus laid down His life. No one TOOK His life from Him. Jesus GAVE His life for you and me. He was not killed at the cross. Jesus goes to the cross, not at the hands of the Jewish priests, the Roman soldiers, or the Jerusalem rabble. He goes to the cross on His own decision! And He SHOUTS "It is finished!"

"Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit." Matthew 27:50.

The cross was where salvation was paid. Where justice that demanded death was satisfied. Where mercy that commanded life was pacified. Where justice and mercy kissed. Where there was peace.

"Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed." Psalm 85:10.

The scene at Calvary should not ever leave our minds. It was earth's agonizing hour but it was Heaven's triumphal moment.

When Jesus was born, Satan attempted to kill Him; the devil tried to destroy Him at every step. In His life, every weapon of hell is cocked, aimed and fired at Jesus. In Gethsemene, Jesus agonizes because he is being separated from God by our sins. (You have seen teenagers feel rejected after a broken association.) Our sin rips Jesus away the relationship with His loving Father. Satan makes Him feel worse, yelling taunts to Him.

"Go home," Satan may have fired, "Your people hate You. Your disciples run from You--one to deny You and one to turn You in. You will go to the cross for nothing, Jesus. Go home!"

"No!" Jesus may have replied, "The only way is for Me to become sin for the people. I WILL DO THE WILL OF MY FATHER!"

Baptism symbolizes Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. John the Baptist, baptizing in the Jordan River, feels unworthy to baptize the pure and holy Jesus. But, Jesus claims that it must be done in order "to fulfill all righteousness."

Transferring the baptism figures to Calvary, John the Baptist, a sinner, now is carrying a cross. It has his name on it, a list of all his sins, and he knows he is worthy of death. Jesus, walking up to Calvary, wants to take it. John holds back because Jesus is pure and holy. Jesus declares that it must be done in order "to fulfill all righteousness."

John lays down his cross--with all its listed sins--and lays Jesus on it. He takes the nails--pound, pound, pound--and hammers them into the flesh and bone of Christ. John watches it go into the ground--thud--while Jesus is contorted with pain. He watches Jesus die for His sins.

Now, brothers and sisters, if YOU die on your cross, you die. It is a natural consequence of your life and mine. On the cross Jesus conquers death. And through Him, so do we! But, I must pound the nails into His flesh and bones--pound, pound, pound! I must see it go into the ground--thud--and Jesus racked with pain. The cross will mean nothing to me until I see Jesus die there FOR ME! Brothers and sisters, unless YOU put Jesus on your cross, His death will be of no avail to you. I must do it--you must do it--in order "to fulfill all righteousness."

Standing beside your cross, sin will no longer have any appeal. Watching Jesus die for something you did, you will not stand there planning your next sin. You will cry, "Lord, by Thy grace, I want the power of God so that I NEVER SIN AGAIN!"

"Father in Heaven, tonight I pray that You will pour out your Holy Spirit. Take us to Calvary, Lord, and help us to look at Jesus. He's not on a cross yet.

"I have a cross. On it is written all my sins. I lay it down. Jesus asks me to nail Him to it. Lord, I pray that all will understand and experience that night. It was my sin that laid on Jesus. It was my death that Jesus died. By Thy grace, Lord, I want to put Him on my cross because it is the only way to be saved. I want to fulfill all righteousness.

"Lord, I put Jesus on my cross, pound nails through His loving hands and the feet. The cross goes in the hole with a 'thud.' I see Jesus racked with pain. I cry, 'Lord, fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I never again cause my Savior such pain!'

"In Jesus' Name, Amen."