After observing the licentiousness of some of our so-called church folks and their preoccupation and approval of sexual immorality and perversion, I am convinced that many of us need to be reminded that our sins placed Jesus on the cross. Many need to be reminded of the ghastly and costly nature of sin and what it did to Jesus.
As Christians, we cannot embrace sin in any fashion because sin separates us from the One we love and worship. It is filthy, ugly and deadly. If after receiving the knowledge of the Truth and the Precious Blood of Jesus, we willfully sin, we have only the expectation of our own damnation. (Hebrews 10:26-31). If we deliberately keep sinning – abusing the sacrifice of God in Christ Jesus – then we are guilty of the blood of Christ.
PLEASE CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:
According to a report by medical doctor, Mark Eastman, the suffering Jesus experienced on the cross is unimaginable.
For instance, prior to Jesus’ trial he was flogged by the Roman guards. “This process typically involved a whip with numerous leather thongs, 18-24 inches long, with bits of metal, bone or glass embedded in the leather…. Scourging was an extreme form of punishment. The skin on the victim’s back was usually shredded, thus exposing the underlying muscle and skeletal structures. Severe blood loss and dehydration were the rule. Many victims died from such scourging.
After the scourging of Jesus, the Roman soldiers beat Him a second time with their hands and with a reed. Then they put on him a crown of sharp flesh penetrating thorns.
Then came the crucifixion. It is arguably the most painful death ever invented by man and is where we get our term ‘excruciating.’ It was reserved primarily for the most vicious of criminals.
Even though Pilate, the Roman Governor, said, “I find no fault in this man,” he gave in to the jealous crowd and allowed Jesus to be crucified. With his arms stretched out Jesus was nailed to a wooden cross. The nails, which were generally about 7-9 inches long, were placed between the bones of the forearm (the radius and ulna) and the small bones of the hands (the carpal bones), permanently destroying the largest nerve in the hand called the median nerve…. In addition to severe burning pain the destruction of this nerve causes permanent paralysis of the hand.
The positioning of the feet is probably the most critical part of the mechanics of crucifixion. First the knees were flexed about 45 degrees and the feet were flexed (bent downward) an additional 45 degrees until they were parallel to the vertical pole. An iron nail about 7-9 inches long was driven through the feet between the 2nd and 3rd metatarsal bones. In this position the nail would sever the dorsal pedal artery of the foot, but the resulting bleeding would be insufficient to cause death.
The resulting position on the cross sets up a horrific sequence of events which result in a slow, painful death. Having been pinned to the cross, the victim now has an impossible position to maintain. The result is that within a few minutes of being placed on the cross, the shoulders will become dislocated. Minutes later the elbows and wrists become dislocated…. As time goes on, the victim is less and less able to bear weight on the legs, causing further dislocation of the arms and further raising of the chest wall, making breathing more and more difficult. The result of this process is a series of catastrophic physiological effects.
Eventually the heart begins to fail, the lungs collapse, and the victim suffocates. He dies a slow, unbelievable excruciating painful death.
And all of this Jesus did for you and me gladly and willingly because he loves us with an everlasting love. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins and mine and satisfy the wrath of God so as to reconcile us back to God – assuring that we who believe and obey His commandments will rise as he did from physical death to be alive forever with God.
“However, the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral [adulterers, homosexuals, lesbians, fornicators] those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars–they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)
If you are reading this and have become convicted of your sins, it is not too late. For “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
REPENT!
This is the intellectual, creative, literary and real property of
Othealor W. Prince, Jr.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
O. W. Prince Ministries 