Man of Sorrows

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Short Summary
The discourse explores the complex question of who was responsible for Jesus’ death, emphasizing that Jehovah God laid the sacrifice upon His Son, who willingly accepted it to fulfill divine will. It highlights Jesus’ profound emotional, spiritual, and physical sufferings—far surpassing human experience—necessary for his role as a merciful high priest, and calls on believers to share in these sufferings as part of their consecrated life, with the promise of future glory and reward. The message concludes with exhortations to remember Jesus’ sacrifice, faithfully bear one’s own crosses, and continually examine one’s dedication to God and truth.

Long Summary
Detailed Summary of the Discourse “Man of Sorrows”

Central Question: Who Killed Jesus?
– The discourse opens by addressing the complex question of who was responsible for Jesus’ death.
– It highlights that Jehovah God Himself played a role by laying the burden of sacrifice on His Son.
– Jesus willingly accepted this as His Father’s will.
– The Jews and Romans were also involved in the physical act of crucifixion.
– The analogy of Abraham and Isaac is mentioned to illustrate the concept of the Son being the sacrificial lamb.

Jesus’ Emotional State Leading to His Death
– Jesus was deeply troubled and sorrowful, aware of His impending betrayal.
– John 13:21 records Jesus saying, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me,” showing His emotional distress.
– The discourse emphasizes the emotional pain Jesus experienced even before physical suffering.

The Garden of Gethsemane: Intense Sorrow and Prayer
– Matthew 26:36-39 describes Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane: “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death.”
– Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
– Luke 22:39-44 adds the detail of an angel strengthening Jesus and His sweat becoming like drops of blood.
– Jesus experienced profound turmoil, fully aware of the sacrifice He was about to make.

The Ransom Sacrifice and Jesus as High Priest
– Matthew 20:28 states Jesus came “to give his life a ransom for many.”
– The distinction is made between suffering for sin and the ransom price: dying was the ransom, but Jehovah intended something greater.
– Jesus was appointed as a high priest to reconcile imperfect humanity with God.
– Qualification as a compassionate priest requires suffering; unlike Levitical priests who inherited the role by birth, Jesus learned obedience through suffering.
– Hebrews 5:8-9 explains Jesus “learned obedience by the things which he suffered” and became the author of eternal salvation.
– Hebrews 4:15 emphasizes Jesus was tempted in all points but without sin, enabling Him to empathize with human infirmities.
– Hebrews 2:17-18 shows Jesus becoming a merciful high priest by suffering and temptation, enabling Him to help others.

Jesus’ Unique and Intense Suffering
– Brother Benjamin Barton’s sermon “The Highest Motive” is quoted extensively.
– The Passover lamb symbolism: Jesus’ sacrifice was “roasted” (requiring more intense heat) compared to the sacrifices believers offer (boiled).
– Jesus’ perfect senses (taste, smell, hearing, sight) meant He experienced the imperfections and sufferings of the world more acutely.
– Living in unclean cities with foul smells and imperfect food was a continual trial for Him.
– Jesus’ pre-human perfect spiritual existence added to His suffering in becoming human.
– He faced a drastic change from glory and perfect treatment in heaven to hardship on earth.
– Brother Russell’s thoughts are cited: “The greater the capacity for the job, the greater the capacity for sorrow.”

Jesus’ Emotional Griefs and Sorrows
– Jesus experienced:
1. Grief over human suffering and death – John 11:33-36 records Jesus weeping at Lazarus’ tomb, showing deep empathy despite knowing He would raise Lazarus.
2. Sorrow over unbelief and hardness of heart – Mark 3:4-5 shows Jesus grieved and was angry at spiritual blindness.
3. Compassion for the multitudes – Matthew 9:36 and Mark 6:34 show Jesus moved with compassion for scattered and helpless people.
4. Deep inner distress and agony – Hebrews 5:7 speaks of Jesus’ prayers with strong crying and tears.
5. Lament over Jerusalem’s rejection – Luke 19:41 and Matthew 23:37 depict Jesus weeping over Jerusalem’s blindness and refusal.
6. Burden of bearing human sin – Isaiah 53:3-4 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 describe Jesus bearing the grief and sin of humanity.

Jesus’ Experience on the Cross
– Psalm 22 is highlighted as prophetic of Jesus’ feelings while on the cross.
– Jesus’ cry, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1), expresses His sense of separation from God as He bore sin.
– This moment signifies the depth of sorrow as Jesus took on the full penalty of sin.
– The psalm ends with a note of victory and righteousness, echoed in Jesus’ final words: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”

Summary of Jesus’ Suffering
– Emotional grief: Jesus openly wept multiple times.
– Spiritual and moral anguish over sin, unbelief, and hardness of heart.
– Compassion fatigue is discussed but rejected as Jesus maintained compassion fully.
– Prophetic heartbreak over Jerusalem’s rejection.

Jesus’ Reward and Exaltation
– Philippians 2:7-11 shows Jesus humbling Himself, becoming obedient unto death, and God exalting Him with a name above all names.
– Jesus now has authority over heaven and earth, headship over the church, and the joy of bringing many sons to glory.
– There is a unique, close relationship between Jehovah and Jesus, and believers are invited into this unity (John 17:21, implied).

Suffering of the Church and Believers
– Believers are called to share in Christ’s sufferings as joint heirs (Romans 8:17).
– 1 Peter 4:13 encourages rejoicing in suffering as partakers of Christ’s afflictions.
– Colossians 1:24 speaks of “filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ” for the sake of the church.
– Luke 14:27 reminds that disciples must “bear their own cross” to follow Jesus.
– The discourse challenges believers to examine the crosses they bear, whether chosen or imposed, and to bear them faithfully.

Final Exhortations
1. Never forget what Jesus has done for us.
2. Remember Jehovah God espoused us to Jesus.
3. Daily self-examination: Are we laying down our lives for the Lord, truth, and brethren?
4. The truth should cost something; regularly ask: What have I done for the Lord today?
– 1 Peter 5:10 reminds believers that God perfects and strengthens after suffering.
– Romans 8:17-18 promises future glory far outweighing present sufferings.

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Bible Verses Quoted or Referenced:

– John 13:21
– Matthew 26:36-39 (Note: The text incorrectly referenced Matthew 28:39, likely a typo)
– Luke 22:39-44
– Matthew 20:28
– Hebrews 5:8-9
– Hebrews 4:15
– Hebrews 2:17-18
– Exodus 12:8-9
– 2 Chronicles 35:13
– John 11:33-36
– Mark 3:4-5
– Matthew 9:36; Mark 6:34
– Hebrews 5:7
– Luke 19:41
– Matthew 23:37
– Isaiah 53:3-4
– 2 Corinthians 5:21
– Psalm 22 (entire thematic reference)
– Philippians 2:7-11
– Romans 8:17-18
– 1 Peter 4:13; 5:10
– Colossians 1:24
– Luke 14:27

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This discourse deeply explores Jesus’ sufferings—physical, emotional, spiritual—and emphasizes the role of suffering in qualifying Him as a compassionate high priest, setting an example for believers who are called to share in His sufferings on the narrow way toward eternal glory.

Transcript

Man of Sorrows tackled the question who killed Jesus? And it’s a complicated question because Jehovah God himself was one of those, according to this, and if you picture the picture of Abraham Isaac, if son was involved in the killing of Jesus, the slaying him as a lamb, of course the Jews were and the Romans were, and you might look that up. I don’t remember what year in New Brunswick it is, but it makes for an interesting review.

But it was Jehovah God who laid this all on his Son, and his Son joyfully accepted it because it was his Father’s will, and we must add that all of these experiences that came upon Jesus, as our dear brother Alan mentioned earlier, will come upon you and me.

Our theme discourse or our discourse theme includes and my There we go. My PowerPoint is resisting me, including the description of Jesus that we just read. He was despised, rejected of men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with creep. These really conspired together in the last day of Jesus life. He knew he was about to be betrayed, and it hurt him.

Here in John chapter 13, verse 21. When Jesus had thus said he was troubled in spirit, what did he just say? He said, the Son of man is going to be betrayed. Said, verily, verily, I say unto you that one of you shall betray me. Can you imagine Jesus feelings at that point?

He knew what was coming upon him. He knew he was going to be betrayed. But there was the reality of it. The time had come when it would come upon him. Now this was just the beginning of sorrows that evening.

Let’s move on to the Divine or to the olive grove in the garden of Gethsemane.

It is shown here at night, and do you notice, full moon. Remember nice and 14 was the night of the full moon. Matthew provides a very emotional description of that night in Gethsemane. Let’s read together in Matthew 28:39, 36, 39. Then cometh Jesus unto them unto a place called Gethsemane.

And he saith unto his disciples, sit ye here? Will I go yonder and pray? And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and sore troubled, and he saith unto him, my soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. Abide ye here and watch with me.

And he went forward a little, and fell on his face and prayed, saying, my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt imagine being so troubled, you fall on your face. Can you imagine Jesus prostrate like that, thinking of all the things that were coming upon him. He’s stretched out there in the garden. He knows the importance of the sacrifice he’s about to make, but he’s interested in carrying it out without the tiniest flaw.

His deeply heartfelt prayer to his loving Heavenly Father was answered. Let’s examine a parallel account in Luke that provides an additional and comforting detail. This is in Luke 22:39 44, and he came out and went, as his custom was, unto the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.

And when he was at the place, he said unto them, pray that ye enter not into temptation, and he was parted from them about a stone’s cast, and he kneeled down and prayed, saying, father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thy will be done, and there appeared unto him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.

And being in agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became, as it were, great drops of blood falling upon the ground.

Brethren, we need to enter into this turmoil of soul of our Master and our Lord. No doubt the comfort received from the angel included a reminder of the universal good he would do by dying as a ransom for the world. The Bible student movement is founded on this very doctrine. A ransom for all. Of course, Jesus did know this quite clearly.

After all, he stated in Matthew 20:28, even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. This is a good place to consider the distinction between Jesus suffering for sin and the ransom price for sin. They are not the same. The ransom price is the life of a perfect sinless man to bear the judgment of upon Adam as a ransom or substitute to provide the ransom. All Jesus needed to do was to die.

Paying the ransom did not require suffering other than the obvious need to die. But Jehovah God had something much more stupendous in mind for his beloved Son, and that was he was to be a priest. Someone who could bring imperfect humanity back in harmony with their Creator. That’s exactly the job of a priest. So how does one qualify to be a priest in ancient Israel?

All you needed to do was to be born in the Levitical family of Aaron. You received the priesthood by birth. But that means we need to ask a more pointed question. How does one qualify to be a compassionate and sympathetic priest? And the answer is by suffering.

Jesus needed to learn something he did not know as the Logos in his pre human existence. The Apostle Paul is Very helpful in this regard. Much of the book of Hebrews is devoted to explaining who Jesus is and what he has become. Remembering our question, how does one qualify to be a priest? Let’s read Hebrews 5, 8, 9.

Though he was a son. Let me pause there. What’s Paul’s point here? Jesus had been a righteous and perfect son in his prehuman existence. He never sinned.

He was a flawless spirit, being as the Logos. Paul goes on, yet learned obedience by the things which he had suffered, and having been made perfect, he became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation. Now this is troubling to some say, well, how did Jesus learn obedience? Wasn’t he always obedient?

Yes, he was. But in his pre human existence there was nothing that was contrary. At least moving contrary, a contrary force to him to obeying. It was relatively easy to obey and joyfully Jesus did obey. But now he came to earth and he learned obedience under the very difficult and trying situations of being alive in an imperfect human world.

He needed to learn something else, and it perfected him by perfecting his experience and his knowledge.

Hebrews 4:15. For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one that has been in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

I want to tell you a story of a co worker that I had. His name was Bob Zick and he lost the lower part of one leg in a motorcycle accident. He had a very difficult time dealing with that. Handicapped. But not only did he recover, but he began counseling others who had lost limbs, particularly soldiers that came back from war.

This is back in the Vietnam era. He was an empathetic and effective counselor because he could thoroughly understand the nature of the trial. He had lost a limb himself, incidentally. In the scripture here that’s on the screen, do you notice the Apostle Paul called Jesus a high priest. Where there’s a high priest, there must be under priests.

Who are the under priests? Well, let’s go to Hebrews 2, 17, 18. Wherefore it behooved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself had suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted as well. This is the special connection that we have with with Jesus.

It’s what it means to be in Christ.

We must suffer too in order to qualify as under Priests, just as Jesus did. More on that in a little bit. There’s still more to tell about Jesus sufferings. Brother Benjamin Barton, in his discourse entitled the Highest Motive, made some incredibly insightful observations about Jesus suffering. I want to read a bit from that sermon that’s applicable to our lesson now.

Now, it’s a lengthy quote, but I want you to pretend that Brother Barton is at this convention and speaking to you now.

We know that we are called to suffer with Jesus, but we realize that his sufferings are far more acute, far beyond anything we could possibly suffer. I think this is well illustrated in one of the pictures of the Old Testament. You remember how in Exodus 12, 8, 9, when the Lord was telling Moses about the offering of the Passover lamb, he made the statement that they should not eat the Passover lamb raw or sodden with water. The word sodden means boiled, and they were not to eat it raw or boiled with water, but must eat it roasted with fire.

The Lord was very particular at this point. It’s emphasized again in 2 Chronicles 35, 13. You remember that there the Lord says, the Passover lamb they roasted, but other sacrifices they boiled. The sacrifice of the Passover lamb represented the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, the one of whom the apostle says, for even Christ, our Passover is slain. For us, that sacrifice was to be roasted.

But on the other hand, the sacrifices that represented what you and I offer were not to be roasted. They were to be boiled. What would that indicate this, dear friends? You know it takes twice as hot a fire to roast anything as it does to boil. Takes only a little over 200 degrees to boil anything, but requires over 400 degrees to roast our friends.

It seems as though this fact tells us that the sacrifice of Jesus was twice as severe as the sacrifice we make. We can readily understand how that would be. So we see, his perfect nature enabled him to suffer to an extent that we cannot suffer. He was a perfect man. As a perfect man, all his senses were perfect.

He had the sense of taste, which we do not have. Think, dear friends, what an awful thing it would be for a perfect man to have perfect taste in this imperfect world. Perfect taste requires perfect food and perfect cooks, and there are neither in the world today, and we’re not in the days of our Savior. If you and I, with the imperfection, our taste can detect improperly cooked foods.

If we can detect the wrong arrangement of our food, and if we can detect that fruit is too ripe or not ripe enough, how much more so a man with perfect taste. Think of what our Savior must have suffered because of that. Every meal of which our Savior partook must have been a trial, a painful experience to him, and yet he kept it all to himself. He never complained.

Indeed, he was so ready to accept the invitations to meals that some of them seemed to intimate, as our Lord once expressed, that he was a glutton and a winebubber. This man seems to be so anxious to come into our homes, he must be thinking of his stomach failing to realize that if our Savior had consulted his own pleasure, he would never have gone there at all. He would rather have gone out and eaten some of that wild fruit, which probably would have been more palatable to a perfect taste than the improperly mixed and improperly cooked food that was put before him. But why was it that he loved to go there? Because of the opportunities that it gave him to proclaim the Gospel.

But think of what it cost him to accept every invitation. Then, dear friends, with respect to other senses, he had the senses smell perfect. You and I have enough unpleasant experiences along those lines. Think of what it was with our Savior living as he did in those eastern cities with narrow and unclean streets. Travelers from Europe have so frequently spoken of the filthy conditions in those cities.

Then how must a man with perfect smell endure it? Think what it cost the Savior. Then think of how his perfect hearing would enable him to hear more unpleasant noises and his perfect sight would enable him to see more of the disagreeable things than any of the rest of us, and then, with his perfect mind and perfect being, enabled him to suffer to an extent that the rest of us could not. He could know more intimately indeed, of what the human race was going through than any of the rest of the race possibly could.

But in addition to this, we realize his pre human existence added to his suffering. You and I have never known anything better than this. If we had lived under better conditions in a better world than to have to come here, how much more trying, how much more unpleasant it would be than it is at the present time. So, dear friends, think of what it cost our Savior. He never had his word doubted in heaven.

He had never been mistreated there. He had never been unkindly dealt with during all of those ages he spent with the Father. Think of what our Savior suffered coming down to this earth. End of Brother Barton’s words. You know, when I first came into the truth, back in 1975 and 76, someone pointed me to some of these sermons by brother Benjamin Barton.

And this was one of the early ones I read, and oh, how inspiring. It was all of his sermons but this one in particular. The highest motive deals with examining our emotions. Brother Allen asked this morning, why are we here?

What is our cause? Well, the highest motive. The highest motive is to do what our Heavenly Father would like us to do, and that’s what motivated Jesus and should motivate us as well. Brother Russell had a similar thought.

This is from reprint 4804. He must have felt keenly the conditions under which he had placed himself in laying down his life on our behalf. For the more perfect the organism, the more sensitive and high strung are his feelings. The greater the capacity for the job, the greater the capacity for sorrow. Being absolutely perfect, our Lord must have been immeasurably more susceptible to the influence of pain than others.

Prior to the last day of his life, most of Jesus sorrows had not come from physical pain, but rather from emotional and mental pain that he had observed in our sin, sick and fallen race. Here are a few areas which demonstrate the kinds of sorrow and suffering Jesus had.

Number one, grief over human suffering and death. At the tomb of Lazarus. In John 11:33, 36 we read, When Jesus therefore saw her weeping and the Jews also weeping, who came with her. He groaned in spirit and was troubled and said, where have you laid him? They said unto him, lord, come and see.

Jesus wept. The Jews therefore said, behold how he loved him. Brethren, Jesus felt weakness and pain in the burdens of humanity, not merely as an observer, but one who fully entered into it, and this emotional response of Jesus is very interesting because he knew what he was going to do. Remember the disciples said to him earlier, you know, we go to Lazarus now.

He sleepeth. He knew he was dead, but he knew that his death was for a purpose that Jesus could raise him from the dead. Jesus knew that this dead man is very shortly, in just a few minutes going to be alive again. But he still wept. That’s how forcefully in his heart these emotions were for Jesus.

Number two, sorrow over unbelief and hardness of heart. We read for this mark 3, 4, 5, and he said unto them, is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to kill? And they held their peace, and when he had looked around on them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their heart, Jesus looked at people who should have understood.

And he felt both anger at that and sorrow at their spiritual blindness. Number three, compassion for the multitudes. For this we read two texts, Matthew 9, 36. He was moved with compassion because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep, having no Shepherd. Mark 6:34.

He was moved with compassion toward them. Brethren, Jesus suffering was not detached. It was connected with the suffering that he saw in the crowds. In this case, he knew their condition. He knew what their lives were about, how difficult their lives were.

He knew that they wrestled with sickness and disease and accident, and he had great compassion for the crowds because of that.

Number four, deep inner distress and agony. Hebrews 5:7. Who in the days of his flesh offered up prayers and supplications with strong outcrying and tears.

Jesus was connected emotionally to the human race that he was going to redeem. This reveals an intense internal struggle as he faced the culmination of of human sins and consequences.

Number five, Lament over Jerusalem. This is national blindness. We’re talking about Luke 19:41, and he drew nigh and saw the city and wept over it. Remember, we just saw in the John account regarding Lazarus, Jesus wept.

Here’s another case where he’s looking at this city and weeping over it. Jesus foresaw Jerusalem’s destruction and mourn the nation’s failure to recognize the things which belong to their experiences. It hurt him.

Actually, there’s one other scripture here that I didn’t read. Matthew 23:37. Again, I want you to imagine the emotion in Jesus voice. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem. How often I would have gathered thy children and you would not.

Powerful expression of longing, rejection and heartbreak.

Number six, the burden of bearing human sin. Isaiah 53:3 4. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Jesus was a man of sorrows, but he was a man of sorrows because he knew the sorrows that all humanity had.

Second Corinthians 5:21. He hath made him to be sin for us. This was an immense burden he carried. Not just the. Not just individual sins, but the collective sin of the whole world.

You know, in this regard, let me take a little detour.

Psalm 22 is a beautiful prophetic psalm that reveals the thoughts of Jesus while he was on the cross. Can’t get much more intimate than that, and you know, it opens up verse one with that expression, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Now we know that Jesus said that while he was on the cross, and we understand this to mean that he had to experience one more thing, one more sorrow that the human race all experience, and that’s divorce from God, separation from God.

The idea is that Jehovah, whose presence had been with Jesus continually, was suddenly not there. My own opinion about what Jesus said. He wasn’t quoting this psalm. He was expressing his own feelings at that moment. Where is my God, my God, my God, why have Thou forsaken me?

But remember, he had a perfect mind with a perfect memory, and I think as he expressed that spontaneously, his mind immediately went back to the 22nd Psalm and realized that he was fulfilling that prophecy, and that prophecy tells about Jesus feelings there. In verse six, there’s. When it says, I’m a worm and no man, it shows the depths of feelings that Jesus had at that time.

By the way, that word for worm is the same word, the tola worm, that is used as the source for the red dye in the tabernacle. Nice, nice connection there. But his mind would have gone all the way down to the end of that psalm, the final verse, verse 31, and he would have remembered this. They shall come and declare his righteousness unto a people that hath shall be born.

That he hath done it by the way, we could translate that he hath done it as it is finished, and I think as his mind went down to that last verse and realized that all these experience he’d been having on the cross for six hours were all predicted. His thoughts, his laments, his sorrow. But he sees the conclusion of it, that he is righteous to the end, and so he could say, father, into youo hand I commit my Spirit.

And he died.

Let’s summarize these aspects of Jesus suffering.

Emotional grief. We saw in at least two occurrences that he wept. I suspect that Jesus wept on multiple times. He was not a man that hid his emotions. He was a perfect man.

Spiritual anguish or sorrow over sin and unbelief. Moral anguish over the hardness of heart. Remember, he saw. He got angry, but was so concerned with them.

Compassion fatigue. You know, I wrote this word down there and I started saying, is this really it? Did Jesus get fatigued from anything? Well, I think we have to equate it to ourselves. If we have a certain emotional experience over and over again, it does start to lose its impact upon us.

I really don’t think that that happened to Jesus. That right up until the very end, he didn’t get tired of feeling compassion. But I wanted to use it just to emphasize how much compassion he did have, and of course, prophetic heartbreak. Looking at Jerusalem and realizing what was coming.

Let’s talk about Jesus reward a bit. In Philippians 2, 7, 10, we read, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and being found in the fashion of man. That’s where the Logos came down, relinquished the glory that he had in that role. He humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. Wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that in the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of the things in heaven and earth and the things under the earth.

And every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

You know, I would contend that there is no closer, tighter relationship in the universe than that exists between Jehovah God and His Son, Jesus, and that tight relationship, brethren you and I have been invited into, remember Jesus in that final sermon of his disciples, there as before he walked, and as he was walking to Gethsemane, he repeated it several times that you might be one, even as the Father and I are one. You know, have you ever had a best friend? You know, especially in our younger days, you know, buddies, right? And a third person comes in and you kind of say, well, no, I don’t want this to interfere with my relationship.

Not so with Jesus. That tight relationship with the Heavenly Father. He invites you and me too. Really incredible.

Jesus. Personal glory and divine nature is what was given to him. But it also included, as we read, a position at God’s right hand, authority over heaven and earth. Remember, it’s one point he says, all authority has been given unto me. Headship over the church and the joy of bringing many sons together.

Jesus faithfully walked the narrow way, but God himself, God himself, has drawn others to follow Jesus. Each one of you has been drawn to Jesus by the Heavenly Father. He’s introducing us to our future bridegroom. We need to love him dearly.

Let’s talk a little bit about the suffering of the Church as we wind down. We saw a couple of indications that the Church was to join Jesus in the ministry of suffering. In Hebrews 2, 17, 18. We read this earlier. Wherefore it behooved him to be made in all things, like, like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful High priest.

In things pertaining to God. We are his brethren. He is our high priest. He understands us thoroughly. Romans 8:17.

And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. If so, be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with Him. Brethren, make no mistake about it. Your suffering for Christ is a part of Christ’s sufferings.

1st Peter 4:13. But insomuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings. Rejoice that at the revelation of his glory, ye may rejoice with exceeding joy, and each of us has a part to fill up in that suffering or affliction of Christ. Colossians 1:24 tells us, Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the Church.

Notice that combination of the two emotions we talked about earlier. I rejoice in my sufferings. Rejoice good, sufferings bad. No, they’re both part of the experience that we have in the Church, and remember, Paul here says two things.

This is what’s lacking. This is what has to be filled up, and I’m doing it for you. For the body of Christ’s sake.

Jesus suffered greatly in the narrow way of sacrifice. He. He literally and metaphorically carried his cross. He was a man of sorrows because of it, and for that we will be eternally grateful. He set an example for us.

Luke 14:27 Whosoever doth not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Brethren, what are the crosses that you bear?

It is a point of self examination that we should always ask ourself, and yet, especially during this memorial season, sometimes we choose crosses to bear, and that’s okay. That’s part of the choices we make in a consecrated life. But other times, the Lord lays crosses upon us that we did not expect, that we did not anticipate. Will you bear those crosses that you didn’t choose as faithfully as the ones that you do?

The millennial morning has dawned. We’re on the doorstep of completing our sacrifice. Our reward stands close to us. So in the years remaining in our consecrated lives, let us honor our master Jesus by faithfully carrying out what is left of the afflictions of Christ. I’d like to conclude with the following admonitions.

Number one. Never, never, never forget what Jehovah’s beloved Son Jesus has done for us. 2. Never, never, never forget that it is Jehovah, God himself, who espoused you to our Lord. Praise him daily for the privilege of being in the narrow way.

Number three. Ask yourselves every day, am I laying down my life for the Lord, the truth and the brethren?

Number four. The truth should cost you something. Every day examine yourselves to make sure that you are rendering what has been promised. This is really a simple question. What have I done for the Lord, the truth and the brethren?

Today has it cost me anything. The greater the cost, the more it is appreciated by Our Heavenly Father. Two concluding texts 1 Peter 5:10 but the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory, by Christ Jesus, that after ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. There’s the purpose of Jesus suffering, and the purpose of our suffering. Romans 8:17, 18 if so be that we suffer with him, that we be also glorified together.

The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. May the Lord bless this to you.

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