Today, we continue our series Jesus the Messiah. In this New Year, I believe that it is important to focus our lives and our thoughts on Jesus as never before.
Today’s message is entitled “Dying Savior.” In this message, we’re going to look at the prophetic psalm, Psalm 22, which prophesies about the death of the Messiah in remarkable detail. Jesus’ crucifixion was undoubtedly the greatest trial that any human being has ever faced. Many men had been crucified before Jesus and many after. Yet none of these men had carried the weight of the sin of the entire world, From Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden into the future when Jesus returns. Yet, Jesus faced His death with a resolve and hope in God to bring Him through.
Today, we’re going to learn from Jesus how we can face trials in our own lives. We’re going to learn how we can gain the victory as Jesus did. Let’s take some time to look at what the Bible has to say about trials before look at Jesus.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV) No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
In other translation, the Greek word for temptation is translated as trial or test. Of course, a temptation is a trial and implicit in every trial is a temptation. This verse tells us that whenever you face a trial or temptation, it will not be beyond your ability to endure or to escape.
Why can God make that promise? Because you will never face a trial or temptation in your life that God has not allowed to happen. God, as it were, screens your temptations and trials, so that they are not too difficult or powerful for you to face. Whatever trial or temptation that you face in life, you can have the victory over or within through the power of the Holy Spirit. That promise can give us hope, no matter what difficulty we are facing in life.
James 1:2-3 (ESV) Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
The word translated trials here is the same Greek word that was translated temptation in the previous verse we just looked at. God’s Word now tells us what our response should be when we meet trials. Our natural response is to complain, worry, get depressed or some other negative reaction. God’s Word does not just suggest how we are to respond, it commands us to count every trial as all joy.
How can we rejoice in the midst of a trial? We can rejoice because we know that God has permitted the trial for a reason. And the reason is so that our faith in God may become stronger. Now let’s think about one particular kind of trial that I believe is going to become much more common in the near future in America. That kind of trial is persecution. Persecution is when you suffer some type of abuse due to being a believer.
Matthew 5:11-12 (ESV) “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
When we are insulted, persecuted or lied about, Jesus said that we are blessed. We are blessed when we suffer on account of our faith in Jesus. If we are blessed, then we should rejoice and be glad. Why? Because we have a great reward in heaven for following Jesus and remaining true to Him.
With that background about facing trials, today, we’re going to learn how Jesus responded to the greatest trial in human history. As we meditate on Jesus’ trial, it will help our love and commitment to Him to grow. And it will prepare us for the trials that we will face in 2021. Remember, God allows trials in our lives not to hurt us but to strengthen us.