By His Stripes?  or by *HIS* stripes?


   There is a tremendous confusion taking place in our world today.  Many
people who call themselves Christians are well-convinced of just why Jesus
died... but.. they are wrong.  And not only are they wrong, but the nastiness
of just how they're wrong is so great, that it has become one of satan's
major tools for defeating the power of the Gospel in the hearts of those who
would trust in Jesus for salvation.
   So.. what is the problem?  Well.. it has to do with our concept of just
how Jesus brings us righteousness through His death.. and just how He bought
us eternity.  See.. a lot of people look at verses like, "By His stripes we
are healed".. and come to the conclusion that it was the stripes, themselves,
that brought us healing.  But it wasn't!  And see.. that's the biiiiiig
problem.
   The stripes represent our own sins.. lashing into His back.  The stripes
represent the sin of the whole world.. scourging Him.  Why did God exalt
Jesus?  Because Jesus went through it blamelessly!  He.. the perfect example
of God's righteousness.. demonstrated that sin could have no power over true
righteousness.. except for the power that righteousness allowed sin to have.
He went through this whole gruesome death.. in order to demonstrate just how
powerful God is.. that God can expunge ANY sin from His own righteousness!
The only thing is.. He can't expunge every sin from our flesh.  Almost!  But
not every one.  But more on that later.
   You see.. the major problem we are dealing with has to do with our
attitude towards Jesus and His death.. and how to truly follow Him.  In our
world, we are told left and right, up and down, that the proper way to live
is to pursue justice when wronged.  Bush claims it.  Kings claim it.
Governments of all sorts claim it.  But it just isn't true!  You see.. in
Matthew 5:38-48 (and the other parallel Gospel passages from His sermon on
the Mount).. Jesus thrwarted any of our claims to justice.  He told us to not
seek it anymore.. but to live to bless those who take from us!  If someone
kicks you.. and they get kicked in return.. that's justice.  But if, for the
purpose of bringing someone into eternity, instead of seeking justice, you
pour mercy out on them.. so that they see the love of God *in* that mercy..
and turn from their wickedness due to that love.. (for does not Scripture say
that it is the 'Goodness' of God that brings us to repentance?) isn't that
what *YOU* would want others to do to you?
   I mean.. think about it.  If you were so lost in sin that you thought you
had to hurt someone in order to be happy.. and that person loved you back..
wouldn't that just make you break apart inside?  I'm not saying it always
works.. because it's still up to the person to listen.. but.. isn't the best
example of God's goodness shown by doing what Jesus did?????
   And that, is the problem.  See.. NOBODY wants to dare to love those who
hurt them.  NOBODY wants to pour out love on those who hate them.  It
****HURTS**** too much!  It requires a *REAL* crucifixion of the flesh in
order to truly love those who hate you.  And guess what?  THAT'S WHAT JESUS
DID!
   If you truly want to call yourself a follower of Jesus.. but you're not
interested in pouring out undeserved favor upon those who hate you.. are you
*TRULY* following Jesus?  ARE YOU TRULY BEING AN EXAMPLE OF THE GRACE THAT
JESUS SHED FOR US ON THE CROSS?????
   Jesus put it succinctly... "He who does not take up his cross and follow
after Me is not worthy of Me."  Think about it literally.  I mean LITERALLY!
In the time when Jesus was alive.. taking up your own cross meant one thing
-- total death!  Extreme torture!  That's why it was such a hard saying for
others to handle!  But.. take a look at what Jesus said... we need to TAKE UP
our own cross.. that is.. we need to, on our own.. by our own choice.. decide
daily to lift that instrument of death upon our shoulders and carry it unto
eternity!  Why..?  not for ourselves..!  But so that others might find
salvation in the love God pours out through Jesus!  And if we truly *are* His
hands and feet.. then it's OUR job to stand up and take the blows of society
in the same way that Jesus did!  It's OUR job.. even our PRIVELEGE!.. to bow
down to God and shower mercy on the undeserving many who hate us.. who hate
God.. who hate life.. so that they might come to a realization of just how
much God loves them!!!!!  After all... aren't we undeserving too???  Didn't
we once live totally apart from God?  Didn't we live for our own passions and
desires.. only to find out how stupid and destructive it was to do so???
Didn't we cry out for help.. only to find that God had already offered all
the help we need in the person of His Son???

"But sir!  How can you expect that I should love those undeserving wretches so
fully!  How could you dare suggest that I give my whole self, whole life, and
whole livelihood for the purpose of dying for the scum out there?  Why should
I bother!!??"

Let me ask you.. what do you have that you have not been given by God?  And
what makes you better than others?  ANYTHING?????  Isn't Jesus better than us
all?????  Yet.. didn't He *DARE* to love even the most unlovely?????

So.. you ask again.. "Why should I bother giving all that I am.. all of my
life.. my family.. my fun.. my money.. my my my my (sounds selfish doesn't
it??) so that those who hate me might be in Heaven with me???"

I have one answer to that question.  "Would you want someone to do that for
you?"  Didn't He already?