I Will Ever Be True

Hebrews 12:2 (KJV) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The concluding verse of the song, “The Old Rugged Cross,” contains a commitment to follow Christ in this life and looks forward to life with Him in eternity.

To the old rugged cross, I will ever be true,

Its shame and reproach gladly bear;

Then He’ll call me some day, to my home far away,

Where His glory forever I’ll share.

The world despises the cross, and the One on the cross.

Isaiah 53:3 (KJV) He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

But yet, even in His bloodied and broken form,

there is a wondrous attraction,

Isaiah 53:4-5 (KJV) Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

What a wondrous attraction.

• borne our griefs

When believers in Jesus Christ grieve, they do not grieve as those who do not have any hope.

They do grieve, hurt and cry just like anyone else.

The difference is that believers know they are comforted by a person: Jesus. Because we are comforted by Jesus, we can turn and comfort each other.

One of the most important things as believers that we can do for each other

as we grieve, is to be present with each other.

In Isaiah 53 we start to understand the depth of Christ’s grief and loss.

He is able to understand the depth of our losses and grief

because He went deeper and further into grief than we ever could.

In His crucifixion and death

He experienced the sorrow and grief of everyone who ever lived–past, present and future.

Imagine what it must have been for Jesus to not only bear this incredible weight of grief and pain,

but to do so as God poured out on Him holy wrath against sin.

• Have we lost a loved one? So did Jesus.

• Have we been betrayed? So has Jesus.

• Do we feel abandoned by God? Listen to Jesus’ words on the cross: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

• Are our souls anguished and crushed by loss? Jesus felt the same way.

• carried our sorrows

what is the difference between grief and sorrow?

and does it mean the same thing?

The word grief means both physical sickness and pain as well as mental anguish.

Jesus bears this.

There are many Christians today who have lost or are losing jobs that they know God has given them.

Many more Christians are losing the ministry that God has given to them,

They are losing spouses that God gave them through both death and divorce.

It is one thing to suffer sickness or grief …but sorrows…

But sorrows are the many troubles in this life

Weather the sorrows are caused by your bad decisions

or things God allows to happen to you,

Jesus will “carry” you through!

• wounded for our transgressions

Because of OUR sins, he had to be wounded to pay the dept that we owed

• bruised for our iniquities

Bruised for our sinful deeds

• chastisement of our peace was upon him

the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him

• with his stripes we are healed

Peter quotes Isaiah: 1 Peter 2:24 (KJV) Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

His death was substituted for ours.

He was the sacrificial “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

So, I’ll cherish the old rugged cross.

With the cross in mind, think of this:

Hebrews 12:1 (KJV) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Lay aside every weight

Lay it aside!

and the sin which doth so easily beset (or torments) us

And lay aside The SIN!

let us run with patience the race that is set before us

And RUN!

Through it all, we can suffer joyfully;

1 Peter 4:12-14 (KJV) “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, … 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; …”