Prepared by: Lost Sheep Ministries
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What do you think of when you hear the word STRIPES?
Skunks and Zebras have stripes. Referees and flags have stripes.
The stripes we are writing about are the strips on Jesus' back.
This writing has been taken from a sermon by Rev. Charles Spurgeon entitled, "Healing by the Stripes of Jesus." Some of the graphic images are taken from Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of Christ.
Healing is generally thought to be related to physical sickness. Typical church prayer meetings are spent praying for comfort and recovery from physical illnesses. Several horrible sicknesses come to mind when we think about illnesses. The most horrible one the writer has been around was AIDS.
These physical sicknesses are all temporary. They can only last as long as the physical body is alive. The Bible speaks of a much more serious sickness because its consequences are eternal. The illness of sin is so powerful that it actually separates us from God!
The illness of sin only has one remedy and only God can administer it; God's merciful grace. God loves us so much that He paid the penalty of death for us. The cost of our freedom from the penalty of our sins was Extreme. God in the person of The Son came to earth to live amongst us, show us how to live and took upon Himself the sacrificial penalty for our sins.
Though He was without sin, He willingly allowed Himself to be mistreated in the most brutal manner so that we could live with Him eternally. This is so amazing that we really have difficulty comprehending it. His free grace gift for sins cure is so simple that many stumble over it.
He was falsely accused but He did not defend Himself. The Governor offered to release Him since he could find no fault in Him but the jealous religious leaders insisted that He be crucified.
The Roman soldiers taunted and abused Him by plucking His beard and pulled out His hair as the Pharisees watched approvingly!
They mocked Jesus by forcing a crown of painful thorns on His head causing His blood to run down His face and back.
He was beaten with the Roman scourge 39 lashes. This was the limit permitted by law for 40 or more lashes was thought to kill anyone. Loss of blood from the lashing left Jesus so weak that he could hardly walk! Nevertheless, He was made to carry His cross of execution up the hill of Calvary. Stumbling under the weight of His cross, another was pressed into helping so he would not die before being crucified.
Upon reaching the top of the hill, the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross He had been carrying. Up to this point, Jesus had been subjected to abuse, torture and all sorts of excruciating pain. This pain was not what He dreaded about the crucifixion.
For the first time in eternity, Jesus would be separated from God the Father due to the sins of the entire world
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being placed on Him.
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The horror of this occurrence is much beyond our understanding. Jesus had dreaded the shame of sin being put on Him and the Father's forsaking Him was what had caused Him to sweat drops of blood the night before in the Garden of Gethsemane.
We only have a few years to live here on earth in bodies that are slowly but very surely running down. We all face a future Judge, this same Jesus has been authorized to judge how we have lived during our earthly life. At that time He is either going to say, "Well done, good and faithful servant come in, I have been preparing a place for you." Or he will say, "Depart from me for I never knew you!"
It is extremely urgent that we have received His healing and that He knows us. Are you ready to meet the great Physician, the only one with eternal healing by His stripes?
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