Malice In Wonderland

“And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.”

“Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin-; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written.”

One translation puts it this way,

(If You will not forgive them) “…then kill me instead of them.”

Q - How far are you willing to go for your brothers and sisters?

John 15:12 & 13 says,

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.”

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Secondly,

II. It’s A Love That Expects Nothing In Return

Jesus gave everything He had knowing full well that we had nothing to give back.

That may run cross grain to some people’s theology… or their self-perception… but it’s true…

Romans 5:6 says,

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Expound)

Think about it… what could we offer Him for His love… I don’t know about you but when Jesus found me I was what the Puritans called “spiritually bankrupt”… I had nothing to offer anyone… let alone Jesus. Giving Him my life was the least I could do as pathetic as it seemed…

He gave with no thought of repayment… and without a guarantee that a single soul would be saved because of it!!

He knew that the price had to be paid… and a way of salvation had to be made… and even if no one ever accepted His sacrifice on the cross… His love wouldn’t let Him do otherwise!!

If my wife was in a burning house… nothing’s gonna hold me back from going in after her. Sure there’s no guarantee… sure it’s a risk… but that’s not gonna stop me from trying!! There’s always a chance!!

“It’s probably too late. Oh, well.”

Bag that!! I would put everything I had into saving her… and losing my own life would be the least of my worries!! And even if I died trying and she still didn’t make it out it wouldn’t have been a waste. Not as long as I had done all that I could.

Jesus went to the cross with no guarantee.

And when you think about the world of the year 2000… and when you expand your thinking beyond Christian minority and even the church in general you’ll find that the vast majority of people alive today really don’t give a flip about what He did for them.

And yet His love was so strong that He came and died for humanity anyway... willing to risk it all...expecting nothing in return!!

Romans 5:6 - 8 says,

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.”

“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

1 John 3:16 says,

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

But most times we’re too busy thinking about what we can get out of the situation to ever give unconditionally with no strings attached.

“Will someone see me give?”

“Will it motivate someone to give to me?”