In Psalm 69, we find that seeking the Lord affects our hearts, and they revive (come alive) and begin to feel. And then we see how God feels about His “prisoners” (those taken captive to something): He hears us and does not despise us. Indeed He loves us and cares for us, and He sent Jesus to set us free. Jesus said, “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives…” (Isaiah 61:1).
Later in Jesus’ life, He would say, “…if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 NIV). Again the work of Jesus is to free captives, to release us from bondage, to open our prison doors.
These two things, the work of Jesus to mend your heart and to set you free, are precisely what you can expect to experience as you continue on in this course. The goal of this course is to bring you to Jesus so that He might first heal your heart and then set you free.
But how does this happen? How are we healed and set free?
We saw yesterday that our broken hearts are mended at the cross. When Jesus’ heart was broken and spilled out for us at Calvary, He was mending our broken hearts. His brokenness of heart enables the healing of our hearts.
As we come to the cross and look up, we see Jesus suffering for us, loving us, and dying for us. “Greater love has no man than this, that He lay down His life for His friends” (1 John 3:16). Some people aren’t sure they are His friends, they feel more like His enemy. Well, He even died for His enemies: “For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Romans 5:10 NIV). And as we look to Him at the cross, and believe what we are seeing, we begin to receive and experience His love in our hearts.
Paul prays that the Ephesians would “experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (Ephesians 3:19 NLT).
Maybe you have believed in the gospel, believed in the death and resurrection of Jesus; but, knowing something is not the same as experiencing it. And we have just seen that we are to experience the love of Jesus.
Question 3. As you look at the cross just now, what do you see? Do you see Jesus not only obeying His Father and glorifying Him, but also Jesus loving you as He dies for you? Please share your thoughts here:
Log in / create an account to enroll or continue where you left off.
Marie-Louise shares: "Since lesson 1 or 2, I have had the image of Jesus hung on the cross in my head. And I was crying on my knees before the cross. All the notes of my sins hung on those huge planks. Then miraculously, the text describing my sins disappeared. That feels more personal than I've ever experienced or realized before."
Tori writes, "Yes I see this, I see Jesus looking at me and telling me I am more than a conquerer, reminding me through His wounds that he died for me so that no matter the circumstances, pain or troubles I face I have hope and strength from Him. :)"