A Roman centurion -a skeptic and questioner- watches Jesus Christ die on a Roman cross. \u00a0\u00a0This man has seen a lot of death in his day — a lot of pain and a lot of men die pleading and crying for their life.<\/p>\n
1. The Scorching Post<\/p>\n
Jesus was placed on a scorching post, imagine a post like this, only 10 foot tall. \u00a0The subject being whipped would have his hands tied and a rope would be strung through a ring on the top of the post so the victim could be \u201cstretched\u201d upward on his tiptoes for the beating. \u00a0Then a short whip would be held by the Roman executioner and the whip strands would contain pieces of metal and bone that would literally rip into the flesh and meat of the prisoner. \u00a0\u00a0Most men didn\u2019t survive the beating… \u00a0Jesus did. \u00a0Jesus survived it, but was left in barely human condition.<\/p>\n
In Isaiah 53:\u00a0<\/strong>God says that Jesus was Smited or Beaten By God Himself.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Why would God allow himself to be beaten? \u00a0\u00a0Some of us in this room beat ourselves up all the time through guilt, condemnation, shame, or perfectionism. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0For others, it\u2019s self-hatred and trying to punish ourselves for what we\u2019ve done wrong.. as a dad, as a son, as a mom, or by wrecking a marriage or business. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Here at the scourging post, Jesus is beaten thoroughly and completely… so you and I don\u2019t have to beat ourselves. \u00a0Is what we\u2019ve done bad? Yes. \u00a0Really bad? Yes. \u00a0\u00a0But, when you see how he was beaten, you realize that he took the blows, the hits, and pains for you. \u00a0You can now be free. \u00a0Free from perfectionism… Only he was perfect and He makes you perfect in God\u2019s eyes. Free from self-hatred, because he was beaten enough, you don\u2019t need to add to his punishment. \u00a0You can instead thank him for taking the hits and freeing you from self-hatred to Unconditional love.<\/p>\n 2. The Cross<\/p>\n The Romans invented a word: \u201cExcruciating\u201d \u00a0It literally meant, \u201cout of the cross\u2019 \u00a0The pain and cries were so bad from those on the cross that they invented a word for what came out of people..As nails were pounded into his hands and feet, screams came from the prisoner. \u00a0His beard is ripped out. His friends leave him. \u00a0A nation turns against him. \u00a0A Crown of Thorns are jammed into his skull. \u00a0(Stop pounding, pick up the piece of metal that I was pounding on) \u00a0Out of the fire and pounding of the anvil came cursing against the Rome, against the soldiers, and even against God…. \u00a0But that\u2019s not what came out of Jesus. \u00a0(PAUSE)<\/p>\n This Roman is ready to hear it…. \u00a0\u00a0Every man placed on the cross, might as well be thrown into a fire. \u00a0The furnace of the cross was so blazing because the prisoner would eventually die of suffocation when he lost the will to push himself up on the nail in his feet to get more air. \u00a0\u00a0With nails pounded into his arms and feet, Jesus pushes up to let out one of those blood-curdling \u00a0screams, but instead… Out of the fire of pain… comes a cry of love. This Roman hears Jesus cry out -to his executioners- \u201cFather, forgive them, they know not what they do.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0What kind of a man is this? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When he is placed into the fiery torture of a cross… out comes a beautiful instrument of love. \u00a0The Great Blacksmith of God had come to earth, and pull out of the fire the greatest demonstration of love.<\/p>\n \u00a0This Roman skeptic is stunned by the Honor, power and toughness of Jesus Christ. This irreligious commander proclaims, \u201cSurely this was the Son of God\u201d, even before he saw Christ\u2019s final act. (Mark 15:39)<\/p>\n 3. The Resurrection<\/p>\n But The Blacksmith wasn\u2019t done. \u00a0He was about to pull the ultimate beautiful instrument out of the fire. \u00a0\u00a0Three days later, when everyone had given up hope. \u00a0When the fires of hopelessness had seemingly one. \u00a0Jesus came out of the fire of death itself. \u00a0He burst onto the scene overwhelming four Roman guards, pushing back a several hundred pound boulder in front of the tomb. \u00a0\u00a0Jesus appeared as a beautiful instrument with a real body, a overcoming power. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0AS he revealed himself in all his beauty, skeptical disciples, doubting Roman commanders, and Jewish traditionalists chose to believe<\/p>\n Any man or any God who could take on the fire of deaths and come out victorious was worthy of giving your life too. \u00a0God tells us that Jesus, who was the perfect God man was made more beautiful through the fires of the cross.<\/p>\n Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.<\/span><\/p>\n How could he be more perfect? \u00a0If Jesus was the perfect God, how could suffering make him more perfect? \u00a0\u00a0His overcoming the fire allowed him to identify with us. \u00a0\u00a0His overcoming the fire revealed his power and love in a way comfort never could. \u00a0His suffering IN THE fire made him worthy as a captain or commander. \u00a0\u00a0His suffering created a beautiful instrument that could \u201cbring sons to glory.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0Out of the fire of death, the Blacksmith made a way to offer a confident, guaranteed entrance to Heaven for anyone who trusted Him<\/p>\n And to those who trust in Christ, he offers this promise…. \u201cI will work all things together for good for those who love me.\u201d \u00a0I will use any and every fire in your life to bring forth instruments of beauty.<\/p>\n Max Lucado has a little book called On the Anvil. \u00a0He says: All of us are in the blacksmith shop.<\/p>\n Some of us of broken tools in the corner. Some of us are in the fire. \u00a0\u00a0Some of us are in the blacksmith\u2019s hand as he pounds out the imperfections on the Anvil of life.<\/p>\n Others of us are formed tools in his hand being used to change the world all sitting in the hands of a trustworthy blacksmith.<\/p>\n Where are you in a blacksmith shop? \u00a0\u00a0Blaming the blacksmith for the fires of the furnace? \u00a0Sitting in the corner, withdrawn from a blacksmith you cannot and will not trust?, patiently but fearfully waiting on the anvil -as he pounds out your imperfections?, or fully formed into a tool created to accomplish all purpose in this life?<\/p>\n A few years ago, I lost my Craftsman hand drill. \u00a0 My kids had my drill in a boat as we were doing some work. \u00a0As we made our way back across the lake, my tool feel into the bottom of the lake. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I was mad. \u00a0Mad at the kids, \u201cI just said, \u2018be careful!\u2019\u201d \u00a0I was mad at myself, \u201cWhy didn\u2019t I just put the tool away.\u201d \u00a0That evening, I came back to the lake with a snorkel and goggles, there was a man and his son watching this crazy guy wade out into the lake. \u00a0I dove deeply into the lake looking for my lost tool. \u00a0\u00a0It had fallen somewhere in the midst of a giant forest of seaweed. \u00a0I would come up for air and get very weird looks from the fisherman and his son. \u00a0I would dive down again, and then… Suddenly, I felt my hand grasp the handle. \u00a0I pushed my way back up to the surface. \u00a0As I burst through the surface of the water, I screamed, \u201cI found it!! It was lost, but I found it!!!\u201d \u00a0Then I pulled the trigger, and… \u201cIT WORKED!!!\u201d \u00a0I yelled out, \u201cI LOVE CRAFTSMAN!! \u00a0What was lost has now been found…\u201d \u00a0The fisherman and his son looked very nervous now! \ud83d\ude42 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I loved this tool enough to go after it when it was lost. \u00a0Easter is the same. \u00a0God made you and I, but we were lost, he dove down into our world and searched for us, died for us, and when we are found and choose to trust Him, God cheers and celebrates that you are \u201cback\u201d with him, in relationship with him.<\/p>\n It all comes down to 1 question, \u201cCan I trust the blacksmith with my life?\u201d \u00a0Do I trust him knowing he’s been in the fire with me? Do I trust him to use the fire and pounding of this life how to make me into a beautifully crafted tool of purpose? \u00a0Will I admit that I was a tool that was lost, but he found? \u00a0 \u00a0The Blacksmith pulls Beautiful Things out of the fire… and out of the water?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Roman centurion -a skeptic and questioner- watches Jesus Christ die on a Roman cross. \u00a0\u00a0This man has seen a lot of death in his day — a lot of pain and a lot of men die pleading and crying for their life. 1. The Scorching Post Jesus was placed on a scorching post, imagine…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":353,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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