The Heart of the Lord
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September 11, 2016 |
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 Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
"Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." (Luke 22:42)
The suffering of the cross that Jesus received for human salvation was truly horrible. But since the Lord obeyed the will of God with love and heart of mercy, the way of the cross was accomplished. Anyone who believes Him can receive salvation and enter Heaven.
1. The heart of the Lord is love.
The love of the Lord is the love that has no strings attached, and expects nothing in return. It is the love that searches deep into the heart of God and only obeys.
Jesus understood the heart of the Father who desires to save sinners, so He unconditionally obeyed and came down to the earth in the flesh. To become the propitiation for sinners, He silently took the horrific suffering of the cross.
He did not think to Himself, "I am the Son of God, and I don't want to take this terrible cross." But to become the 'way of salvation' for sinners according to the will of God, He came down to the earth in the form of man, and 'the way of the cross' was accomplished by this heart of love.
He did it because He loved the Father from the depth of His heart. And, because His heart was also filled with the love for the souls, He freed men from their slavery to sin and opened the way for them to become true children of God.
2. The heart of the Lord is the heart of mercy.
Spiritual mercy is not just feeling pity or compassion for someone, but also treating one soul as being more precious than the whole world. It is the heart capable of taking pity on even evil people, betrayers, and sinners. It is giving the chance of salvation to them as well by whatever means necessary. How great the heart of mercy that Jesus possesses!
Matthew 12:20 says, "A battered reed He will not break off, and a smoldering wick He will not put out, until He leads justice to victory." Like the battered reed and smoldering wick, till the end Jesus endured those whose hearts were stained by sin and those who had virtually no chance of salvation.
He approached those who were despised such as tax collectors and prostitutes, and preached the gospel to them. But evil people criticized such actions of one like Jesus. Yet, Mark 2:17 says, "And hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'"
Can you imagine how great a strength and hope His words became to such people as tax collectors and prostitutes! As written in the following passages from Matthew 26:21, Jesus took pity on even the likes of Judas Iscariot. Although Jesus knew that he would betray, Jesus treated him with love until the end, and gave him a chance to turn back. But Judas Iscariot eventually betrayed his Master.
Jesus took pity on Roman soldiers even when He was scourged severely by them. Jesus felt rather sorry for those who put a crown of thorns on His head, spat on Him, beat Him on the head with a reed, and mocked Him. He didn't hate them or curse them.
Even when He was nailed to the cross in His both hands and both feet He offered an intercessory prayer for them. He truly felt sorrow for those souls who were used as evil instruments.
Jesus wished that His intercessory prayer would pay for justice and that a chance of salvation would be given to them. This is the heart that opened the way of salvation to the many people of an evil generation by all means.
As I have conducted my ministry as a servant of God so far, I always thought how to save just one more soul, and how to lead them to a better dwelling place in Heaven. Each and every single soul was precious to me. I gave them much love, but some of them betrayed me and left the church. Some of them were so evil that they interrupted the kingdom of God. Whenever I think of them though, I still don't hate them or dislike them. I rather worry about their future, and I feel pity for them.
As you gain such heart of mercy you can find wisdom to lead souls to the way of salvation.
3. The heart of the Lord is the heart of giving up everything.
Love doesn't seek its own benefit. Love keeps on giving and giving, and searches if others are in need, or if there is more to give. Our Jesus gave everything He had for the souls. From His birth till death, He gave His entire life for the souls.
What is the reason He was born in a manger, not in a comfortable bed? It was to let those who live in sin realize that they are no better than animals. Jesus who is the Word that became flesh was laid in a manger to become spiritual bread to the souls who are no different from animals.
Since to become the Savior He could have no sin, He completely kept the law and didn't commit any sin. Obviously He had no original sin because He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus lived a poor life in order to allow for those who believe in Him to be rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). He didn't spare any words of Heaven, but gave them all to the souls. He manifested every power for the souls as well.
And thus, those who followed Jesus were healed of diseases and infirmities thanks to His power. As they met Jesus, people who were caught up in the darkness were set free by His power of the light. Jesus didn't save time for sleep or rest; He gave even this time for the souls. He fed those hungry souls. He showed His heart of consolation and respect to those who were despised.
He gave again and again, and eventually gave His own body. By putting on the crown of thorns, He redeemed the sinners from their sin that they committed with their thoughts. By being flogged, He wanted the souls to be healed of diseases. When He was crucified, His garments were divided fulfilling prophecy and as an indicator of things to come. Being nailed through His hands and feet, He redeemed us from the sins committed by the hands and feet.
On top of all these, by shedding all His sinless and precious blood for sinners, He became the atoning sacrifice for mankind. He eventually gave up His own life because He wanted to give what His beloved souls would need most; eternal life.
As you can see, without sparing anything, Jesus gave everything for the souls. When Jesus gave everything for the sinners, even His own life, He was truly happy in His heart. He was happy because, thanks to the life that He gave, the sinners could receive eternal life.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord who loves you this much wants only one thing from you. It is His desire for you to come out as the true children of the Father God.
To do so, you must cast away sins and evil and circumcise your heart. You must resemble the Father, and fill your heart with goodness, love, and truth. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will become God's sanctified children and sail on toward New Jerusalem at ease even through the rough waves of the world.
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