For the Joy Set Before Him Endured the Cross!

Good Morning Precious and Dearly Loved Saints of Our Abba Father!

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the Joy set before him endured the Cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:2-3. 

Circumstances and the pain in life are trying to get us to fix our eyes of our heart on the problems.   Jesus was obviously going through the greatest agony that a man has ever gone through.  He was bearing the all sin and all the punishment for all of our sin of the entire human race while on the Cross!  The way Jesus was able to endure all of this agony was by setting His heart on the Joy of being with the Father and being with each of us in heaven for all of eternity!  He overcame the agony and stayed on His course by setting His heart on the Joy before him. 

  It is different for us in that we are already seated in the heavenly realms right now with Jesus!  We are products and have received the full benefit of what Jesus did on the Cross!  Jesus looked forward to being with the Father and us in heaven, but we look back to see ourselves seated, living as member of God’s household in the heavenly realms!  Jesus was doing the payment for all of our sins, while we receive the payment and benefit of what He already did.   Jesus bore all of our sin and bore the agony of all of our punishment so that we could live in the Glory with Him now, while we live on the earth!

“He despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.  Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.   Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by Him and afflicted.  But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed…. The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shears is silent, so He did not open His mouth.  By oppression and judgment He was taken away… For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people He was stricken.  He was assigned a grave with the wicked…. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering…..  Isaiah 53:3-10. 

The way Jesus endured all of that was by setting His heart and mind on the Joy before Him.   Jesus is our example on how live through intense suffering and yet not getting weary or losing heart.  Are you ready to set your heart and mind on the Joy of the heavenly realities and live like Jesus?  This earthly realm can be full of excruciating pain and turmoil at times, so we drink of our heavenly Joy and Love to get through it all as a “More Than A Conqueror”!!!!!!      SHALOM!!!!!!!!!

Jerry Brown     3-29-2013