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For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
–John 3:16
Apostle Don discussed love last week, and I want to continue that topic. Love gives, and faith believes. According to John 3:16, God’s love is demonstrated through His giving. He gave us His son, which is the greatest gift. Love is about giving, and God gave us His very best.
I preached a message a few Sundays ago about the most significant revelation that God gave me about the first thing that God created: love. What did God give to become love? He gave the very best thing that He had—Himself. Before He did that, He was alone all by Himself, but after He gave of Himself, He was with the Word and the Spirit; that is how He became the Father.
He is not alone, and God does not want us to be alone. Genesis 2:18 says, “And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a help meet for him.” Husbands love your wives. No place in the Bible tells a wife to love her husband. If there are difficulties in your marriage, pay attention to this information as it may help your marriage.
Givers and Receivers
I will talk about the roles of men and women in relationships. Men are givers, while women are receivers. This is fundamental to our design and how we function in relationships. Understanding this can greatly improve marriages and relationships.
A man is a giver, and a woman is a receiver. Even our bodies reflect this design. In terms of love, when a man gives love to a woman, she takes that love, multiplies it, and gives it back to her husband. This is how a woman is created: to receive and multiply what she has been given.
In marriage, men should love their wives unconditionally and continuously. This love should involve giving them patience, time, and financial support. By following these instructions, men can experience miraculous improvements in their marriages. The devil’s only attack on families is to discourage men from obeying the Bible’s teachings.
However, if men love their wives as instructed, they will witness positive changes. Unequal yoking and being married to the wrong kind of woman are the only exceptions where these principles may not work. Overall, prioritizing love and following biblical guidance is critical to a successful marriage.
The Transformative Power of Love
Now, let’s consider our perception of love. Specifically, the love between a man and a woman. This is the most profound human experience. The bond between a mother and child is important, but the love between a husband and wife surpasses it. A wife’s love is on a different level, just as a husband’s love surpasses that of a father. This is why it is said that a man should leave his parents to be with his wife.
The love we feel when we fall in love with someone is the most transformative experience. Even those who are destined for damnation can understand this kind of love. God created this love when He brought Eve to Adam in the garden. They were pure and innocent, without the knowledge of good and evil. When they saw each other naked, Adam fell in love with Eve and began to prophesy.
He had no mother or father, but he understood the power of a man and a woman coming together in love. This is the most genuine form of love. It is a powerful, beautiful force allowing couples to raise children and build families. God designed it this way. There is nothing wrong with the physical expression of this love.
Sex is sacred but becomes lust instead of love outside of marriage. Lust takes, while love gives. The devil always tries to disrupt everything that God does. Love is meant to be experienced within the context of marriage, where it is genuine and selfless.
However, love can also be painful. The best example of love is Jesus dying on the cross for sinners who didn’t care about Him. This sacrificial love is the most authentic representation of love. Understanding the depth of love is important by looking at what Jesus endured on the cross. This sermon will delve into the profound love that Jesus demonstrated.
Jesus’ True Sacrifice
Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion of Christ” depicts the closest portrayal of what Jesus underwent on the cross. However, it still falls short of capturing the true extent of his suffering. Jesus was beaten so severely that he was unrecognizable. The whip used on him was designed to tear the flesh off his back. This kind of whip was far more brutal than a regular whip. It is important to understand the intensity of Jesus’ pain and sacrifice.
They beat Jesus with 39 stripes, almost killing him. The whip used was designed to pull flesh off his back. He couldn’t carry the cross due to the severity of his injuries. They nailed his hand and feet to the cross. He wore a crown of thorns and a purple robe, causing additional pain.
Then Jesus went to Pilate. About 20-30 minutes later, they pulled off the robe that had been put on his back. This caused intense pain as the robe had stuck to his sores. The purpose of this was to inflict more pain on Jesus. The Roman soldiers were incredibly cruel. This is just a glimpse of what Jesus endured on the cross to pay for our sins. He went through unimaginable pain for us.
The Three Levels of Jesus’ Sacrifice
There are three different levels of suffering that Jesus endured on the cross. The first is the least, the second is the greatest, and the third is the worst. The third one was the worst, even if you combine the first two and multiply it by ten.
These three things are at different levels, and Jesus experienced them on the cross. The first thing I told you about is the least suffering Jesus went through on the cross. It includes being beaten with a whip designed to tear the flesh off the back and crucified. That’s the first thing we’ll talk about today.
I want to tell you the second thing that Jesus went through. The first thing everybody can see with our eyes is the Passion of Christ, and we understand how painful that is. The second thing and third thing that Jesus Christ suffered with, you cannot see with your eyes. The least thing Jesus did was hang on a cross and be beaten with a whip designed to pull the flesh off your bones.
After explaining the second and third experiences of Jesus, I want to emphasize that we will fully grasp their significance once we reach heaven. Everything is perfect and holy in heaven, down to the smallest detail. Every atom and molecule in heaven is holy.
We are not holy, but when we die and go to heaven, we will experience true holiness. Being holy means being in a state of perfection where nothing is lacking. In our earthly lives, we depend on things like food, air, and sleep to survive, but those needs no longer exist in heaven. We can eat, but we don’t need to. We can breathe, but we don’t need to.
In heaven, there are no beds or necessities. Being holy means being complete. The difference between heaven and here is that in heaven, we will be holy not because we deserve it but because of the blood of Jesus Christ.
There will be a day when I will experience what it feels like to be holy in heaven. I will show you what Jesus went through, but we will only fully understand the gravity of His suffering once we become holy. Let me explain this further.
Adam and Eve were the only two humans initially holy on Earth. However, they lost their holiness when they ate the forbidden fruit. Jesus Christ was the only other human being who walked on this Earth in a state of holiness.
Becoming Sin
Now, let’s focus on the second thing Jesus suffered. He was beaten, whipped, and crucified. Despite the immense pain, He remained holy. However, while He was nailed to the cross, He made a sacrifice—He gave up His holiness and took on the burden of sin.
This act of becoming sin was incredibly painful for Jesus. It is important to understand the magnitude of this suffering.
About 20 years ago, I committed a sin. It was a terrible sin, and I want to share what happened next. The way I felt was a worthless piece of trash. It’s hard to put into words, but it was worse than anything I’ve ever experienced.
Let me explain it differently. Think about the pain Jesus went through when he became sin. He took on the ugliness of every sin, even for those in hell. Every single sin fell on him. The feeling he experienced was the most unbearable and ugly feeling anyone could ever imagine.
If Jesus had to choose between being whipped, crucified, enduring physical pain, or becoming sin, he would choose the physical pain without hesitation. People often only see Jesus hanging on the cross, but they don’t realize the immense suffering he endured when he became sin.
The last thing is that the third thing is even worse than the second, and the first thing is combined and multiplied by 10. Before I explain the third thing that Jesus Christ suffered, let me take you to Gethsemane, where he prayed.
God revealed this to me. He was with his disciples, Peter, James, and John, and He went a little further than them. He prayed a specific prayer three times: “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done.” This is what actually happened.
God showed Him the first time that He would have to be crucified, beaten with a whip that tears the flesh off His back, wear a crown of thorns, and be beaten until His face is unrecognizable. These painful things in our flesh were revealed to Him. He responded to this revelation: “Father, if possible, let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done.”
After that, He returned to His sleeping disciples and told them to pray so they wouldn’t fall into temptation. He went back a second time, and I believe He was shown the second thing: He would have to give up His holiness and become dirtier than anyone has ever been, becoming sin. He responded, “Father, if you could take this cup from me, nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.”
Listen, I’ll break this down for you. The third time Jesus went in, He saw something that really messed Him up. He began to sweat drops of blood. This was worse than death. People die all the time, but they don’t sweat blood.
Jesus was in the garden, and He was so uneasy. He told his disciples to pray, but they fell asleep. When He came out the third time, He was even more uneasy. It was something that messed him up. This happened when He was on the cross.
The third thing that Jesus suffered was becoming sin. When He became sin, He lost His holiness and became dirty and filthy. This is why the third thing had to happen. The greatest pain Jesus experienced on the cross was when His father separated from him.
It was the first time ever that He was separated from His father. Instead of saying “my father,” He said “my God” because He felt unworthy to call Him his father. Jesus became the ugliest and wickedest thing imaginable. He was separated from His father, which was the greatest thing He went through for us.
Separation from the Father
I will share something important with you. Jesus, my God, was separated from His Father. Jesus said that He only spoke what He heard from the Father and did what He saw the Father doing. Jesus completely trusted and followed the father.
Let me share a revelation with you. When Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He was speaking as Himself, not as His father. This happened because He was separated from His father due to His terrible condition.
Before He died, Jesus said, “It is finished. Into Your hands, I commit my spirit.” This is significant and has a deeper meaning. It impacted me greatly when God revealed this to me. There is more to understand about why Jesus did this, considering His condition before he died.
The last thing Jesus did before He said, “It is finished.” John 19:28 says, “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst.'” Before He died. Jesus said these words, “I thirst,” to fulfill the scripture.
But let me show you how thirsty he really was. says, “For my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink.” And Psalm 22:15 says, “My tongue clings to my jaw.” Jesus was dehydrated to the point that his tongue was sticking to the roof of his mouth. That’s how thirsty he was. So yes, Jesus was naturally thirsty, but he also had another thirst.
In John 4, a woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus asked her for a drink, but she left without giving Him one. She left her water pot and went into the city, telling the men about Jesus. Jesus was tired, thirsty, and hungry but focused on His spiritual needs. His disciples went to get food, but Jesus said He had spiritual food. Jesus operates on a higher spiritual level than the natural level. He prioritizes the will of God and finishing His work.
“I Thirst”
I will now explain why Jesus said, “I thirst.” He was not referring to physical thirst but rather spiritual thirst. This was the first time Jesus could truly empathize with our challenges. He experienced spiritual thirst after saying, “My God, why have You forsaken me?” The vinegar given to Him was meant to alleviate the dryness in His mouth, but it did not quench His thirst. Vinegar does not satisfy thirst or hydrate the body.
I want to share something that God revealed to me with the help of Jesus. Let me explain using some examples. A guy at a mall desires things like a suit, shoes, or furniture. Another guy is attracted to a car with fancy rims, a fresh paint job, and a booming sound system. There’s also someone who dreams of owning a particular house. Then, there’s a business owner who believes their business will make them incredibly wealthy.
Lastly, a man falls in love with a beautiful woman and wants to marry her. However, everything this world offers to fulfill our desires is ultimately unsatisfying. They are like vinegar compared to what God has shown me through the scriptures.
Jesus showed me that seeking satisfaction and happiness in worldly things will only leave us empty. This world offers nothing but disappointment. Every person on Earth, including you, needs to understand this. The only way to satisfy our thirst is through reading and confessing the Bible and entering into God’s presence through praise and worship. The Word of God is the only water that can quench our thirst.
Conclusion
Let’s praise God for showing us the reality of what Jesus went through. God is the ultimate embodiment of love. He is reminding me to tell you all that He is in control. About 12 years ago in Florida, I experienced something incredibly painful. I told God that Jesus never experienced such pain and that He couldn’t understand how agonizing it was. But then God showed me a vision of Jesus on the cross, which changed my perspective.
Jesus was on the cross and showed me these lights. My spirit and head understand it when the Holy Spirit reveals it to me: a white light representing the Father and a blue light representing Jesus. They are together as one. God separated the lights to show me the impact on Jesus. Words cannot describe how Jesus looked when separated from his Father on the cross. It was worse than death, as if He was being destroyed. I will never forget that image.
God revealed to me that Jesus Christ endured unimaginable pain on the cross, surpassing any suffering experienced by humans on Earth. Jesus willingly embraced this agony, as demonstrated when he said, “Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit.” He descended into hell for three days before being reunited with God.
I believe that when Jesus was in hell, he was united with God on the third day to show the devil that he had not won. Jesus made an open display of the devil and his demons. On the third day, God united back with Jesus, and Jesus triumphed over the devil.
Jesus gave us everything when He said, “It is finished.” Love is about giving. We have to learn how to love and give. We need to become selfless and not selfish. By practicing selflessness, we can stay in God’s presence and bless others. We should wake up to bless and love everyone we meet. This is how we can become selfless and show love even to our enemies.
I’ll leave you with this thought: we are creators because God is a Creator, and we are made in His image. Everyone on Earth is creating the greatest thing we will ever create—ourselves. We have to live with whatever we create forever. So, if we learn how to love and be selfless, we will create the right person.
Explore the true power of love, the roles of men and women in relationships, the transformative nature of love, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and the three levels of suffering He endured. Watch the full sermon here.
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