We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

Alas! Much has been done of late to promote the production of dwarfish Christians. Poor, sickly believers turn the church into an hospital, rather than an army. Oh, to have a church built up with the deep godliness of people who know the Lord in their very hearts, and will seek to follow the Lamb wherever he goes!
C.H. Spurgeon

Jesus is quickly thrown backwards with His shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly, he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly but to allow some flexion and movement. The patibulum is then lifted in place at the top of the stipes [the vertical beam].... The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed. The Victim is now crucified as He slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain – the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves As He pushes Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again there is the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet. At this point, another phenomenon occurs. As the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself upward... Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one small breath. Finally carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically He is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen... Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermit tent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber: Then another agony begins. A deep crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart... It is now almost over – the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level – the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues – the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air... The body of Jesus is now in extremis and He can feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues... His mission of atonement has been completed. Finally he can allow His body to die.
C. Truman Davis

Bible – Afrikaans – Hebreërs Chapter 6:1-20.

Index: Afrikaans

 

Hebreërs 6

[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]

6:1 Daarom moet ons nie bly by die begin van die prediking aangaande Christus nie, maar na die volmaaktheid voortgaan sonder om weer die fondament te lê van die bekering uit dooie werke en van die geloof in God,

6:2 van die leer van die doop en van die handoplegging en van die opstanding van die dode en van die ewige oordeel.

6:3 En dit sal ons doen as God dit toelaat.

6:4 Want dit is onmoontlik om die wat eenmaal verlig geword het en die hemelse gawe gesmaak en die Heilige Gees deelagtig geword het,

6:5 en die goeie woord van God gesmaak het en die kragte van die toekomstige wêreld,

6:6 en afvallig geword het–om dié weer tot bekering te vernuwe, omdat hulle ten opsigte van hulleself die Seun van God weer kruisig en openlik tot skande maak.

6:7 Want die grond wat die reën indrink wat dikwels daarop val, en nuttige plante voortbring ter wille van hulle vir wie dit ook bewerk word, het deel aan die seën van God.

6:8 Maar as dit dorings en distels oplewer, deug dit nie en is naby die vervloeking–die einde daarvan is verbranding.

6:9 Maar, geliefdes, ons is aangaande julle van beter dinge oortuig, dinge wat saamhang met die saligheid, al spreek ons ook so.

6:10 Want God is nie onregverdig om julle werk te vergeet nie en die liefde-arbeid wat julle betoon het vir sy Naam, omdat julle die heiliges gedien het en nog dien.

6:11 Maar ons verlang dat elkeen van julle dieselfde ywer mag toon om te kom tot die volkome sekerheid van die hoop tot die einde toe;

6:12 sodat julle nie traag word nie, maar navolgers van hulle wat deur geloof en lankmoedigheid erfgename van die belofte is.

6:13 Want toe God aan Abraham die belofte gegee het, het Hy, omdat Hy by geen meerdere kon sweer nie, by Homself gesweer

6:14 en gesê: Voorwaar, Ek sal jou ryklik seën en jou grootliks vermeerder.

6:15 En so het hy die belofte verkry nadat hy geduldig gewag het.

6:16 Want mense sweer by een wat meer is, en die eed van bevestiging is vir hulle die einde van alle teëspraak.

6:17 Daarom het God, omdat Hy nog kragtiger aan die erfgename van die belofte die onveranderlikheid van sy raad wou toon, dit met ‘n eed gewaarborg;

6:18 sodat ons deur twee onveranderlike dinge, waarin dit onmoontlik is dat God sou lieg, kragtige bemoediging kan hê, ons wat ontvlug het, om vas te hou aan die hoop wat voorlê;

6:19 en ons het dit as ‘n anker van die siel wat veilig en vas is en ingaan tot binnekant die voorhangsel

6:20 waar Jesus as voorloper vir ons ingegaan het, Hy wat volgens die orde van Melgisédek ‘n hoëpriester geword het vir ewig.