Hebrews 7:24-26, “But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.” V25 — “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” V26 —”For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.” Wonderful hope in these verses. I don’t know what thoughts come into your mind as you gather every Sunday morning before the emblems, before the meeting and after the meeting. We should examine ourselves before God. I don’t know what thoughts and failings come into your mind when you remember Calvary. Hymn 8 — Was it for me, for me alone?” Do you really believe that? Yes, it was for me. I don’t know what you are struggling with in this meeting and you don’t know what I struggle with. Before we render our lives as hopeless, we will look again to Calvary. Hymn 105 v 2 — ‘When dark clouds your path o’ershadow, Look again to Calvary; God’s own Son so gladly suffered. Bled and died for you and me.”
Everytime we look to Calvary, remember He wept and prayed for us to be here to have this hope in our hearts. Yes, it was for me, yes all for me, Hymn 8 Chorus —” It was for me, yes, all for me; Oh, love of God, so great, so free! Oh, wondrous love! Oh boundless grace! He died for me, He took my place.” However hopeless you feel, it was for me. Isn’t it a wonderful verse? I was talking to Barry about this verse. They are saved to the uttermost. Isn’t it a comforting thought, before the meeting, when you were on your knees, before the meeting, Jesus was interceding before the Father on our behalf. This morning I would like to share with you some reflections on the Cross of Calvary as we turn our thoughts to Calvary. ‘When dark clouds your path o’ershadow, look again to Calvary ” I would like to share an earthly story that I love. When the Korean War was on and when it was finished in Washington DC in the United States, they made a memorial. There are large statues, larger than live people and there is a wall longer than 50m. Along this wall they have some touching moments of the war. In Irani[?] of this wall there is a pool and it is called the reflecting pool. It is perfectly still. It is a pool that was built in memory of men and women that fought in the Korean War. It meant that they could remember their sons and daughters who gave their lives and fought in the Korean War. At a certain time of the day, people can go there and things written on the wall are reflected on the water. One of the inscriptions is written, “built in honour of the sons and daughters of men and women that heard the call and they went to a country that they didn’t know and to fight for a people that they never knew and never met — that inscription is on the wall and it is reflected in the water.
This morning, as we remember Jesus — He came from heaven to earth to a place where He had never been and to us, responding to a call from God Himself to come to a people that He had never met and to give His Life. This morning I would like to reflect some of the pictures in the reflecting pool of Calvary. He came to a people that He had never met. We can go back to the reflecting pool of Calvary, one that heard the call and suffered for a people that He had never met that we can be here this morning. I have been reading all the gospels. Luke’s gospel, l would like to share one moment in the reflecting pool of Calvary. Luke 22:61, “And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said unto Him, before the cock crows, thou shalt deny me three times.” That is the “l” picture in the reflecting pool of Calvary. The glance. When he glanced at Jesus, it was in the home of the High Priest. All these soldiers were gathered and Peter was afar off and Jesus was there as Master. He said, Simon, Simon, Satan has desired to have you, to sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you. Here is Peter in the home of the High Priest. From afar off, Jesus looks at Peter and that chilling moment for Peter when he realises that he had denied his Master 3 times. This moment of truth and reflection and the thoughts that must have been reflected in his mind. He remembered: Peter, I had prayed for you. We know we all had fathers that had given us the look or parents and they gave us this look. Jesus gave him this look of understanding. “I know what you are going through.” The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Jesus was saying you are ready and willing and feel as if you are able to, but you have committed yourself well above what you are able for. Peter didn’t know what he was willing for. Jesus said, Peter, I understand you. Isn’t that a wonderful thing? We hardly know our hearts. I fear sometimes, how am I going to react? I think “I am strong” and “I can” until situations and when you are in the company of other people and you are standing at a distance and you are being tested and tried and then Jesus said to Peter, I understand.
It is when we are in the quiet moments of our homes and our fields and when it is just God and I, that God gives us this glance in the moment of your test and says you won’t fall. The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak. Peter, at a distance, he bridged the gap. Aren’t we so thankful when we come into the presence of God and we have these human desires to do what is right and coming short and Jesus says, I understand you! That was one of the powerful messages that came from Calvary. When you start to doubt and when the devil says you will never make it, we look again to Calvary. That is what gives us strength and gave Jesus strength. God sent an angel from heaven and that is our hope today. We must trust in that. So we leave this scene in the reflecting pool of Calvary — Peter went out to Bethany and he was weeping. We go to Pilate. I can hardly read some of this here. When they had blindfolded Him and struck Him in the face and these brutal men, men of war, blindfolded Him and struck Him in the face, can you imagine the pain and anguish that terrible night? He must have prayed to keep his thoughts right. “When dark clouds your path o’ershadow, look again to Calvary.” Was it for me? One day when I was 10, I saw a lamb being slaughtered. I went to the pen and there was this lamb. He was alone and you don’t know how innocent this lamb was. The farmer wasn’t there, I was alone. Completely innocent lambs just twitch their legs and bodies, the second thing you notice they are defenceless.- Just standing there. The third thing I noticed, it was so tender. That is how the Old Testament said it had to be; tender and without spot. Finally, the farmer came and there was a knife, and then the lamb ran over to every corner and the farmer went closer again and the little Iamb went into the other corner and finally he knew his time had come and he bent his body and folded his legs and knelt down. There was no struggle and he took him to be slain. I could hardly watch that. I was only 10 years old. It was a vivid picture of the Lamb of God. He came out against these brutal men of war and He was the Lamb of God. He was innocent and defenceless.
I love what was shared about the tender plant. I thought of the garden. That is one of the reflecting pictures in the garden. When we think of Jesus, our Saviour and these brutal men of war, Jesus showed a tenderness. Our relationship to one another, we don’t understand what it means before God. Jesus showed a tenderness to these men. “Help me to show the tenderness of Christ on Calvary.” Often, when we take offence and hold on to things for too long, think of His tenderness towards those brutal men. On the reflecting pool, that is one of the pictures of those men of war against Jesus, our Saviour. Whenever we render our hearts beyond the love of Calvary, someone has prayed and interceded for us. We put our confidence in the Lamb of God. We must believe that and find our rest and peace in this sacrifice. You may reach a point in your life where you feel that you have sinned badly, but look again to Calvary. Yes it was for me, yes all for me. We are trusting in this wonderful sacrifice of Jesus. Verse 34 of Chapter 23: “Then said Jesus, Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” In the reflecting pool we have Jesus forgiving them. When Jesus was brought before Pilate, He knew that it was for envy that they had delivered Him. Envy is something you want and you can’t get it. Envy is the moment in our lives that we seek to get equal with people and it also seeks for the moment where we can even take someone’s life. When they brought Jesus to Pilate it was for envy. That is how dangerous envy is. This moment on the cross, innocent lamb of God. He looks down and says “Father, forgive them”. We should bring back this moment of reflection on the pool of Calvary. He didn’t want to see the people that put Him on the cross. He knew that it would be better for them to be forgiven there on the middle cross of Cavary, one on either side. On the cross, that sinner says to Jesus, will you please remember me? and this is said in desperation and no one knew better than the Father on the cross that Jesus was paying the price when He suffered on Calvary.
Two years ago, when there was that Tsunami in Japan, we were trying to find out where our sisters were and we found an article in the newspaper. After the Tsunami and earthquake had come and gone, there was just destruction everywhere. They called in the Japanese army and they had to pull out of the death and destruction, 4 dead bodies and their morale was at an all-time low and they were pulling those out of the rubble and then one of the soldiers heard this tiny cry and they thought no one could’ve survived this terrible power of this wave. These men gathered around this place where they heard the sound and out of the thick black oozing mud they lifted a little baby girl of 4 months old. These army men held this little baby of 4 months old, they gathered around this little girl, they called her a little miracle. It was that little cry that made the difference and they found the father, he was holding her when the angry wave came. When they saw this little miracle, it gave them hope to continue that search again. Their spirits lifted to start and find souls that were dying. Maybe there are times in the Work. There are souls in the world and they have a little cry. “Lord remember me.” A little cry can change your day. When we take the emblems, this do in remembrance of Me : When you take the bread and wine you remember what God has given you, the priviledge of being in a Sunday morning meeting and when people come to your home, just remember that your home is sanctified by the blood of the lamb. When you come into that room remember Jesus and His sacrifice for the people. Every Sunday morning we are looking at the slain witness of His Son. “I want you to remember my sacrifice.” It was for me, yes all for me.” We must believe it. If you would like a lovely subject to read — read about the hands of Jesus. I tried to picture Jesus on the middle Cross of Calvary; I thought of the blood from His hands. I thought of Peter who walked on the water and his faith failed him and Jesus’ hands helped him. Peter looked at those hands and said those are the hands that helped me. When He washed his feet, Jesus said, if I don’t wash you, you have no part of Me. Maybe Peter thought those are the hands that washed my feet and now they are shedding blood for me. Jesus showed them His Hands and He said thrust forth your hand in my side. “When dark clouds your path overshadow, look again to Calvary.” With my first home visit I came home to an auntie who was dying of cancer. I came home just before she passed from life into eternity. We gathered round her bed and she could hardly then whisper and in the dying moments of her life, she said the devil was saying, you will never make it. She couldn’t cry, she could only whisper, she said sing that hymn, “Gentle Hands” (Quoted words of hymn not verbatim), “When bruised and sorely wounded in the battle And Satan’s might seems very strong, Gentle hands will help me to conquer. Gentle hands will bear me to the city And soothe me and lift me over life’s waters Gentle hands will guide me all the way.” By the morning gentle hands had lifted her from this life into eternity. These hands have lifted us up when we were down. These hands have washed our hands, these hands that shed the blood for remission of our sins. In the resurrection, He showed His hands. “There’s a hand held out to you, There’s a hand held out to me.” This is when we look again to Calvary. Sang Hymn Eng. 391
(Labours in Russia)
Truth Archive 