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The Savior's Life

Attributes of Sacrificial Giving

1. It always is proposed by God as a test.
2. It will always cost something we hold dear.
3. It will involve some type of pain: emotional, physical or mental.
4. It will not usually make you feel cheerful to do so.
5. It is always followed by a miracle. The miracle will at times be for you. Other times it will be for someone else because of your compliance.
6. It usually does not come with any promise of reward.

There is no greater example of sacrificial giving than the crucifixion of Je-sus Christ. You may be thinking did not Jesus come to lay down his life, so how could it be a test? First and foremost, you must remember that Jesus was both God and man. His human nature was tested during his time on earth in every way that ours is. Here is biblical proof:

Luke 22:27-30

• Luk 22:27 For which is the greater; he who reclines, or he who serves? Is it not he who reclines? But I am among you as He who serves.
• Luk 22:28 You are those who have continued with Me in My trials.
• Luk 22:29 And I appoint a kingdom to you, as My Father has appointed to Me,
• Luk 22:30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Hebrews 4:15

• Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted just as we are, yet without sin.
• So, we see very clearly that although Jesus came to willfully give up his life, it was a test of his humanity to obey. We know that this test cost Jesus the dearest thing to him, which was his relationship with the Father. It was this that brought him the greatest concern, not the loss of his physical body. Before we prove this, keep in mind that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are one. From eternal beginning to the point of his crucifixion the relationship that they shared had never been severed. Nothing could sever the relation-ship of the Godhead. There was no force in the universe that could come in-between such a perfect and intimate union until Christ became human.

Do you understand what I am saying?

God is sovereign and is over all, through all, and in all. All things exist be-cause of Him by His word. With that read the passages below:

Isaiah 59:1&2

• Isa 59:1 Behold, Jehovah's hand is not shortened so that it cannot save, nor is His ear heavy so that it cannot hear.
• Isa 59:2 But your iniquities have come between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, from hearing.

Just for clarification, I am not saying that sin has any power over God to make him do anything. However, because sin is a direct violation of his holy nature God is moved into action against it. We know that Christ did not sin. However, he did become sin for us, read the passage below:

2Corinthians 5:21

• 2Co 5:21 For He has made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Once Christ became sin for us this severed His relationship with the Fa-ther for the first time in eternity. We will speak more about this in a mo-ment. What I want to focus on is the fact that knowing that this would hap-pen caused Christ much grief. It bothered him so much that he considered not going through with it if it could be avoided. To be clear I refer to the eventual severed relationship with the Father. Although, he knew that was the only way, in his flesh he was hopeful of avoiding it. Let’s read these accounts below:

Hebrews 5:7

• Heb 5:7 For Jesus, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up pray-ers and supplications with strong cryings and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared,

Matthew 26:36-42

• Mat 26:36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane. And He said to the disciples, Sit here while I go and pray there.
• Mat 26:37 And He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him, and He began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
• Mat 26:38 Then He said to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Wait here and watch with Me.
• Mat 26:39 And He went a little further and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.
• Mat 26:40 And He came to the disciples and found them asleep. And He said to Peter, What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?
• Mat 26:41 Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
• Mat 26:42 He went away again the second time and prayed, saying, My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.

We can conclude that Jesus did not take joy in the notion that while he hung on the cross that he would be rejected by God, once he became sin for us. This would be a new experience in eternity for both He and the Father. Not only was this such a painful thought that he would sweat blood from his pores, but he despised the thought of the shame he would face going to the cross. Therefore, Jesus took no pleasure in the experience of crucifixion itself. I know what you are probably thinking, the joy set before him. First, let’s look at that passage before we expound more on it:

Hebrews 12:2

• Heb 12:2 looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right of the throne of God.

We will deal with the negative side first. It says that Christ endured the cross. This tells us that it was not pleasant or cheerful but something to put up with until it was over. Then it says that he despised the shame.

What was the shame?

Let’s list out a few shameful things:

1. He hung upon the cross completely naked.
2. He was beaten beyond recognition.
3. He was being constantly mocked as he hung there.
4. The people whom he had raised their dead, healed their sickness and cast out demons from wanted him crucified and a murderer to be set free.

I will stop with these as the point should be clear. Jesus took no joy in any of that but endured it along with the pain, thirst, dislocation of joints and so on.

Would you take joy in any of that if you were in His place?

It should be clear that going to the cross was not only painful on many emotional levels but anything but cheerful.

Now we are ready to speak of the joy set before him. You see this joy is just one of the miracles that took place due to his obedience in laying down his life as a sacrificial offering. The joy was the restored relationship be-tween sinful man and a holy God.

Read the passages below:

Peter 3:18

1. 1Pe 3:18 For Christ also once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, indeed being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit;

Hebrews 2:14&15

1. Heb 2:14 Since then the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He al-so Himself likewise partook of the same; that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death (that is, the Devil),
2. Heb 2:15 and deliver those who through fear of death were all their life-time subject to bondage.

Now do you realize that our eventual salvation through belief in his death, burial and resurrection was the joy that was set before him. Not only that but it helped him to endure the cross and his severed relationship with the Fa-ther, which would be temporary. His temporary loss created the miracle of salvation for us. Even to this day hundreds and thousands are experiencing the benefits and authority of a renewed relationship with a holy creator.

Like with Abraham and the widow Jesus had a promise for his sacrificial giving:

Psalms 110:1-7

• Psa 110:1 A Psalm of David. Jehovah said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand until I place Your enemies as Your footstool.
• Psa 110:2 Jehovah shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion; rule in the midst of Your enemies.
• Psa 110:3 Your people shall be willing in the day of Your power, in holy adornment from the womb of the morning: You have the dew of Your youth.
• Psa 110:4 Jehovah has sworn, and will not repent, You are a priest forev-er after the order of Melchizedek.
• Psa 110:5 The Lord at Your right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath.
• Psa 110:6 He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill them with dead bodies; He shall shatter heads over much of the earth.
• Psa 110:7 He shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore He shall lift up the head.

On top of that due to his obedience God had declared that every knee would bow to the mighty name of Jesus and that his name would be above every other name. Read the passages below:

Phillipians 2:5-11

• Php 2:5 For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
• Php 2:6 who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God,
• Php 2:7 but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.
• Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
• Php 2:9 Therefore God has highly exalted Him, and has given Him a name which is above every name,
• Php 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of heavenly ones, and of earthly ones, and of ones under the earth;
• Php 2:11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Regardless of the promise Jesus still had to obey God just like we had seen in the other cases. When God does promise to bless due to your obe-dience, it will be because of your sacrifice, that you are able to obtain that blessing. Outside of the few accounts listed that it happened, God is not like-ly to offer any type of promise when this type of giving is concerned. Again, it is an obedience test for us not for Him. We are the ones with the expecta-tion to prove something, not God.