I DID IT FOR YOU
I am not entirely sure what constitutes a vision, but I know from my own experiences during times of prayer I have seen pictures in my mind on an infrequent basis. Pictures which I did not purposely desire to see, nor are easily forgotten. The other day, while praying, I saw with my mind's eye the face of Jesus and the upper part of His torso as he hung on the cross. When I pray, one of my first priorities before and during the initial time of prayer is to ask God to send the Holy Spirit unto me so that I can lift my prayer unto God in spirit. And I have, on occasion, seen Jesus usually standing in some way as if to show me something. But usually, I don't try to imagine an image of Jesus when I pray. I usually try to come, during prayer, before the alter of God.
But the face I saw the other day was not like any face I had seen representative of Jesus in any picture. What struck me most about His facial features was the fact that He was not what I would expect a handsome man to look like. In fact, He was very plain looking. What also struck me about Him was that He was looking at me, having turned His head to His right side,.....horizontally. For Jesus to be looking at me while He was hanging on the cross in such a way would only be because I was one of those hanging on a cross next to him. Just try to wrap your mind around such a picture for half a second. Now hear the words He spoke to me as He looked toward me, "I did it for you."
It is so hard to truly grasp just how much God loves us. Just trying to understand the Trinity and Their relationship to one another and then using the Word of God to apply it to my own life has been both exasperating and exhilarating. The following scriptures (KJV) have helped me to understand the Trinity:
John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
and
John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
And who was the Word which was made flesh? Jesus. Jesus even confirmed this when, speaking to Phillip, He said in John 14:9, "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me Phillip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?" (Genesis 1:26, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, etc., etc,) (Deuteronomy 4:39, "Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath; there is none else.") (1 John 5:7,8, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one. 8, And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.) Going back to John 14, Jesus shows us how He will dwell with us after His ascension back into heaven. In verse 16 we read, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17, Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." The Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost (which ever one prefers), is the Spirit of God in us once we confess Jesus (actually believe in Him in our heart) as the only begotten Son of God, confess our sins (one must come to the irrevocable conclusion that a.) one is a sinner and b.) is truly sorry for all of those known sins to receive Jesus into their life), and ask Jesus to come into our life. By the way, why do you think the phrase, "whom the world cannot receive" is used in John 14:17? II Corinthians 4:3,4, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4, In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
I believe the Spirit of God through Jesus (the) Christ comes into our lives via the Holy Spirit when we honestly come to terms with the fact that only by Him (Jesus) and with His (the Holy Spirit's) leading can we ever hope to live our lives to the fullest of that for which we were created by Him (God the Father) in the first place. I also believe, lest I've not made it yet clear, the Holy Spirit is an entity of His own. Look again at 1John 5:7. Where it says, "the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost;", tells me there are three separate entities which are God. We also know Jesus, or the Word which was made flesh and dwelt among us, is now seated at the right hand of God the Father (Mark 16:19) so Jesus isn't the Holy Spirit. Jesus even refers to the Holy Spirit as an entity of His own merit when Jesus says, speaking of the Holy Spirit, in John 16:7,8, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8, And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement:". Jesus gives a name to the Holy Spirit (the Comforter) and refers to the Holy Spirit three times in the two verses; once as "him" and twice as "he".
Getting back to the theme of this narrative, consider Jesus looking at you as if you were hanging on one of the other two crosses on either side of Him. Turn to Luke 23 and read verses 39-43. Notice both of those hanging on either side of Jesus were referred to as "malefactors". Both men were guilty of the crimes for which they were being put to death (v. 41). Yet one of the two men recognizes he is there because of his deed, or deeds, (confession), and asks Jesus (v.42) to remember him when He comes into His kingdom (recognition of Jesus as the only begotten Son of God).
I never really took particular notice of the fact that there were only two others as well as Jesus at Calvary that day. Yet, as I began to think more about what I had seen during that particular time of prayer, I realized the two thieves (as described in Matt. 27:38) are representative of those that believe that Jesus is the Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and those that don't give God the respect which is due HIM. The TRUTH will always be the TRUTH whether one does or doesn't believe the TRUTH.
Speaking of the latter first, Luke 23:39, "And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us." Ever heard anyone speak of God in such a tone? It is almost as if the self-righteous unbeliever is saying, "Prove to me that you are God and then I will believe." I do not believe it is necessary to describe in detail the traits of such a person and the type of thinking by which they have chosen to live out their lives. Need I say such a person refuses to take responsibility for those choices in their life which have caused them to become such a person? Or put another way, "Its not my fault." However, I know I have been guilty of a similar attitude at times over the course of my life, therefore making me no better than the thief which railed against Jesus. Yet, Jesus was saying to me even then, "I did it for you".
Now see yourself as the thief which rebuked the "railer". Can you possibly imagine a more desperate situation, knowing you're about to die! In desperation, the one thief, filled with a contrite spirit, realizes the sum total of his sin, and speaking to the Lord (Luke 23:42), "said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." The thief which spoke these words recognizes Jesus is the the Christ with one key word.....Lord. Say the words again which I heard Jesus say to me, "I did it for you."
Jesus gave HIS life for both thieves, but only one chose to accept the undeniable truth and consequences of his sin, essentially asking in faith for forgiveness and confessing Jesus Christ as Lord. And Jesus, even while hanging on the cross, shows us the depths of God's merciful love after the confession which the shedding of the sinless blood of Jesus provided; remission of sins and eternal life (Luke 23:43). The Lord God's great plan of salvation and therein the true gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.
I have no doubt, given the number of times I have learned new things each time when re-reading the scriptures, there are many more things to be learned from these verses, but I want to share with you what struck me most about what I believe I was shown by the Holy Spirit during my prayer. When Jesus looked at me and said, "I did it for you," HE was looking straight at me. There wasn't anyone else next to me, in front of me, or behind me. It was me and Jesus. My Lord, hanging on that cross, beaten, bleeding, and looking at me through the eyes of one who seemed to say with HIS last breath of compassion, "I did it for you, because I love you."
The one thing I hope you take away from what I've desired to say in the name of Jesus is this: Jesus is one-to-one, HIM and you.
I pray the last words to come forth from my lips should I be laid down before Jesus returns are these: Thank you, Lord Jesus.
"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." II Corinthians 1:3,4 |
