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Life Around "The Fire"
Life Around "The Fire"
Transitions Create New Revelations About Life's True Priorities: Jesus Is The Master Example
What would you say if you were being tortured to death? Most of us would lash out in anger, complain about the injustice, or simply cry in agony. Yet when Jesus hung on the cross—falsely accused, brutally beaten, and experiencing the most horrific form of execution known to humanity—his words revealed something extraordinary about God's heart.
The statements Jesus made from the cross weren't complaints or accusations, but expressions of care for others. He asked forgiveness for his executioners, promised paradise to a dying thief, and ensured his widowed mother would be cared for after his death. These weren't the words of a defeated victim but of someone accomplishing exactly what he came to do—revealing God's love in the most powerful way imaginable.
This teaching explores how Jesus's pain revealed his true character and demonstrates what genuine relationship with God looks like. Far from creating another religion of sterile rituals and moral platitudes, Jesus died to establish a Kingdom filled with transformative relationships characterized by the same selfless love he displayed on the cross. His divine life now grows within believers, enabling us to care for one another as he cared for us. Whether you're experiencing painful transitions or wondering what makes Christianity different from mere religion, this message offers a compelling glimpse into the heart of God revealed at Calvary. The cross wasn't just about what Jesus did—it was about who he is and who he's inviting us to become.
Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!
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Shalom to you and your home.
we've been looking at the last words that Jesus spoke while he was hanging on the cross and we're looking today at a statement that Jesus made that is so intriguing I mean, they're all intriguing when you consider the circumstances how someone who had gone through a completely prearranged monkey court where he was falsely accused of crimes that he didn't commit, that were capital punishment, crimes concerning Jewish tradition and Jewish law, and he was beaten mercilessly as the cross, where you would hang, suspended between heaven and earth until you die, and it was an absolutely heinous way of dying, of dying. Yet Jesus spoke some words that they carry so much depth of them by themselves. But because he spoke them during that time of transition, that time of pain, that absolute agony, I mean anything could have come out of his mouth and anyone would understand, regardless of what it was. But what came out of his mouth was so full of love and looking out toward the needs of other people, not his own. And so we are compelled to look at that portion of his life, because we've been focusing in on, as always, jesus, but really Jesus and his work on the cross, what he accomplished on the cross and then in his resurrection. But what he accomplished what he did on the cross, so powerful.
Speaker 1:And in leading up to this particular series, I wrote a couple things down and I want to read them. I wrote the things we say when we're facing a challenging transition, whether we're scared, in pain or life's events become just very hard to handle can often be indicators of how far we've come in our character development and our walk with the Spirit of God, and how much we need to grow in becoming more like Jesus. I mean, pain has a way of bringing things out. Transitions of all sorts have a way of tipping over our, you know, sense of equilibrium, over our sense of equilibrium and our way of doing things. And change happens, sometimes uncomfortable, and it's like, ah, it could bring out that aspect of where we really are and that's not bad, that's actually good, and that's not bad, that's actually good. And pain really revealed who Jesus was, is and will continue to be for eternity. That's God, a perfect demonstration of God, god in the flesh, the Son of God being crucified on our behalf, giving, giving to the end and still giving it's powerful.
Speaker 1:True relationship with Jesus involves real interaction, real identification and real development, far from being some sterile religious ritual performed to either fulfill some family or some status obligation or some type of genie-in-the-lamp arrangement, just in case things get hard, set of morals or some sort of platitudes? Not in any sense. In fact, it's something that carries more intrigue than any fiction or science fiction can come close to matching, than any fiction or science fiction can come close to matching. It's ever-evolving and it's consistently real. At the same time, it's consistently real, but it's ever-evolving Relationship Relationship with God.
Speaker 1:Not just relationship with god, not just relationship with god, but having god's life in us, we being born again, spiritually alive, as a result of what jesus accomplished on the cross. He did that so that we could have divine life in us growing in us, literally the seed growing in us, until it reaches its full potential, its full form. In fact, creation itself is groaning for that fulfillment, because it's so glorious, it's so wonderful. The plans that he has for us are so powerful, so potent. Given a glimpse of what price was paid in order to see the value that is being placed upon us and is now invested in us, if you have placed your faith in Jesus, and you have placed your faith in Jesus and you've received from him the life of his father by virtue of the Holy Spirit of God living in you Once again powerful. Not some sort of pious platitude or religious performance, but a real relationship. It carries within it some true help during life's ups and downs. That's almost an understatement. It carries within it some true help why? Because Jesus walked through them and provides for us a way to walk through them with him, as we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit who has come to earth in his name. Jesus can relate. Holy Spirit can relate. He's come in the very name of Jesus, bearing the heart of Jesus, so that we can experience Jesus in the very name of Jesus, bearing the heart of Jesus, so that we can experience Jesus in more than one place at one time. If anyone can relate to transitions, jesus can relate to change and difficulties in all aspects of life, as well as some incredible successes.
Speaker 1:We've looked at two statements that Jesus spoke while he was on the cross. The first one is Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Forgive them. He's talking about the soldiers that had beat him, nailed him to the cross and some of the crowd that had gathered that was jeering at him, siding with the religious leaders that were there mocking him saying if he saves others, now save yourself, come on down off that cross. And that was the last thing that Jesus would do. He would not do that because God isn't like that.
Speaker 1:God gives, he receives, but he has no needs. He loves to give and he gets joy out of seeing us receive from him the things that he's provided and then for us, in turn, to be givers like him. What a divine plan. His life within us. He's watching it grow, taking absolute delight in seeing it, and then the things that he's providing. Now, sometimes we want things faster and we want things more, but that's not what we're talking about now. He's watching things grow and things are growing within you. Things are growing and developing within your life. They're not just staying the same.
Speaker 1:But, he said, could forgive them. He didn't want what they were doing held against them because there was a power behind them that was bigger, that was driving this thing, and it was literally the kingdom of darkness. It was satanic, it was being unleashed by the devil. So he thought he fell into the trap. He took the bait, hook, hook, line and sinker, because this was something that was planned before the creation of the earth. The lamb crucified sacrificed the lamb who died before the creation of the earth. It was all planned in order for us to be overcomers and see the absolute final destruction of this realm of darkness. And it's no small thing to bring a high ranking dignitary into a court of justice and have them tried and executed in justice. Not like Jesus, but Satan has been given a sentence, and it is one of eternal hell, for what he has said and done in his attempt to be God. Attempt to be God.
Speaker 1:So he said Father, forgive them, but they really don't. They don't see this, they don't know what they're doing. What vision he had, what vision Jesus had on the cross. He experienced the pain. The pain was all real to him. It wasn't just some sort of phantom, this was all real him. It wasn't just some sort of phantom, this was all real, all of his nerves, all of the feelings that you feel when you're being tortured. He was feeling. And yet he said forgive them, talk about understanding the heart of God, them, talk about understanding the heart of God.
Speaker 1:Second statement he made is to a thief that was next to him, hanging on another cross, and he said I tell you the truth today you will be with me in paradise. Simply because the thief acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah, he was the Christ, he was the Redeemer. He put his faith in Jesus, acknowledged who he was, and Jesus said that's what I'm talking about. That's the beginning point, but it's also an entrance into an eternal way of life that is free from the bondages of sin and death. Hallelujah, hallelujah. And the second one was said with the same amount of pain as the first one.
Speaker 1:Third one one today Jesus is looking at John, one of his disciples, one of his apostles, who was there watching what was going on, and his mother, mary. Can you imagine your mother seeing you naked, being tortured in front of everyone, and people saying I told you so, he was only a carpenter? Another one of everyone, and people saying I told you so, he was only a carpenter, not one of those idiots. The Messiah. I know how it's going to be when the Messiah comes. He's going to show the world the redeeming power that he has and he's going to set us free as a nation. He's going to finally put us in the place that we really deserve.
Speaker 1:But Jesus looks at these two people that he loved. He said to his mother he goes, dear woman, a very tender word, dear woman. Obviously I'm speaking in English, it was spoken in more word. Dear woman, obviously I'm speaking in English, it was spoken in more likely Aramaic. But, dear woman, dear woman, behold your son. He wasn't talking about himself, he was talking about John. John wasn't Mary's son and Mary wasn't John's mother. But he looked at John. He goes behold your mother, john. He goes behold your mother. Now, that's amazing on so many levels Once again, the fact that he's even thinking about someone else's needs while he's hanging on the cross. But he was thinking of the needs of his mother because he was the firstborn son and his Mary's husband, joseph, had died and, like the stepfather of Jesus, god being his heavenly father but Joseph being his earthly representation you know Mary's husband, and so her firstborn was dying. He couldn't take care of her, which that would be customary, and also, after his resurrection, he was going to ascend, so he wasn't going to be around and he wanted his mother taken care of. She was a widow, she was a widow.
Speaker 1:Jesus has a heart for the widows, so much so that he spoke about it while he was on the cross. It behooves us to take care of widows. If you know someone who is a widow, the least you can do is be kind to them. I encourage you to reach out and find a way to demonstrate love to them Spiritually, emotionally. Demonstrate love to them spiritually, emotionally and if they have needs that you can meet that are food, clothing, shelter, whatever. He said, john, your mother, take care of her In mother, take care of her In essence, take care of her. And then he said to Mary Mary, amazing thing, right, mary goes, dear woman, behold your son. Then he goes to John, excuse me. He said to John behold your mother. So we talked about the fact that the Lord looks after the widow, but also he's concerned about the type of interaction that John is going to be experiencing because of his interaction with Jesus, and the support that John is going to be experiencing because of his interaction with Jesus and the support that John is going to need, the motherly support that John is going to need.
Speaker 1:Only Mary could understand the depth to which some of the followers of Jesus were going to experience as a result of their relationship with Jesus, what they would, what the cost involved, and she would pour herself into them to encourage them, to give them advice, to be a true, wise mother, to be a true wise mother. Ladies, being a wise mother is not just some small thing. It's not something that you do just because you can't do anything else. It's a high and holy calling. Jesus called Mary to be a mother. He called John to be a son. Being a son to a widow is a big difference than being just some person who casually drops off a meal here and there. A son really takes care of his mother. But a mother mother in her wisdom, in her love, in a motherly what mothers offer.
Speaker 1:My mother passed away years ago. I still miss her. I loved the input that my mother gave to me. She could understand what it was like to be the minority. People that we were in the area that we lived were in the area that we lived, and she was able to comfort me, even though I didn't want that, because I was being rebellious and found out the hard way that what was being offered was really the best way. But regardless, she still loved me, because moms do things on a deeper level than I can even understand. So I bless you, moms. I bless you. It's not a small thing that you're doing, it's a very big thing that you're doing. And Jesus. Jesus had the mind to actually think about this Again. If it were me hanging on the cross, I would be still licking my wounds as I could.
Speaker 1:Concerning being falsely accused. You say this ain't right. This is just not right. This is just not right. This is totally wrong. I'm innocent, I haven't done a thing wrong, something like that.
Speaker 1:Or just in pain, saying really off-the-wall things, really off-the-wall things. My sister, who's very kind, one of the kindest people, my sister Rebecca, she wouldn't hurt a fly or a flea, but when she was giving birth to her daughter, she was cussing at her husband and said I'm going to throw hot water on you. If I could, I would right now, just because the pain. She was saying things, seeing things out of her mind. I've, I've said some things where I've smashed my thumb with a hammer and because of the pain, I won't repeat what I said. Right, don't need to, you've probably done something similar. But also there are. I won't repeat what I said, I don't need to, you've probably done something similar.
Speaker 1:But also there are transitions that are just gut-wrenching deep, that you can't get away from, and the cross was that.
Speaker 1:And Jesus still had the mind to think about others.
Speaker 1:That's the God we serve. That's the God we serve. He thinks about us. He thinks about us. He thought about us when he was on the cross. Can you imagine what he's thinking right now, not being on the cross? He thinks about you. He knows and has your circumstances in full view and he is going to help you walk through all aspects of life transitions that are failures or transitions that are successes. He's going to walk through that with you If that's what you open your heart for, that type of relationship where he walks with you. He has his eye on us, not, like you know, the big eye in the sky with a thumb waiting to squish us when we do something wrong, but with an eye to take our needs into consideration. And he's placed that same mind within us so that we can care for one another. We can become givers of our time, energy and money, of our mind, will and emotions, where we can actually really join together and become one. We care about each other. That's in us. That's the divine seed that God has planted in us.
Speaker 1:He didn't come to create a new religion. He came to develop new relationships and he secured them while he was being tortured on a cross designed for people that were criminals. Here we are walking Criminals. Here we are walking with the revelation of God's kingdom unfolding within us because of what Jesus did on the cross and the fact that he demonstrated that he cares about things that other people might not take into consideration. He loves us. That's true, father God, really, really, really, really.
Speaker 1:I thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for Jesus, thank you for offering your son. Price is phenomenal. Price paid for us to have a relationship with you demonstrates how deeply you want that. So I thank you, I thank you for that and I say, yes, lord, I want relationship with you and yes, lord, I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and I. Without him, I can do nothing, but through him, I can do all things if he strengthens me by you, holy Spirit.
Speaker 1:So I thank you, god, for who you. So I thank you, god, for who you are, for what you're doing, and I invite you to do it to us and through us, just like Jesus, in his name, we stand here and say amen, amen, amen, amen. All right, folks, I love you. If you have any thoughts, questions, concerns, once again, please feel free to drop us a line at lifearoundthefire, at gmailcom, or type in lifearoundthefire and look us up on the web, drop a comment and check out some of the stuff we've got there. We'd love to hear from you In the meantime. God bless you. Adios amigos.