SO THAT

As I read the gospels, one thing is clear—the disciples did not get the fact that Jesus was to be crucified and resurrected. Jesus kept telling them over and over, but they had no place for this in their thinking. Even Peter, thank God for old Pete, tried to rebuke Jesus for this kind of talk! Peter’s move was not a childish mistake, but was Satan himself overtaking Peter’s mouth and motives and fears. That’s an amazing thought. How many times does Satan take over our thinking and speech when Jesus is telling us something we don’t want to hear?

How you ever had this thought—I wonder what Jesus is saying to us today that we are just unwilling or unable to hear? I imagine it’s just as simple and straight forward as Jesus’ message of His impending crucifixion. Should the Messiah, the Savior of the world, die such a wretched death? Satan says no and God the Father says yes. I believe it’s in this same vein of thought that Satan is deceiving the church (and even speaking through us) today. Satan reasons that “God’s children” shouldn’t have to suffer such pain, disappointment and daily death. We deserve better. This is exactly how he deceived the first couple on earth.

Satan’s tricks are the same. But let’s move our focus off him and onto HIM! Jesus is speaking a clear, concise message that the church refuses to hear. The message of Phil. 1:29—“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake” is all but absent from the thinking of preachers and church members alike. We think the opposite. "If God loves you, you will not hurt" is the popular message of today. Those words ruin disciples because they are from the pit of hell. God, on the other hand, has such a gracious purpose for our sufferings—“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Cor. 1:3-4

Our answer is found in the SO THAT of 2 Cor. 1:4! Can you hear Jesus? He has a message for you. (Oh, so does the defeated one)