Few weeks ago I was teaching Sabbath school lesson and stated that whenever we sin we cause a terrible pains to JESUS. That it was not only 2000 years ago on the cross, but anytime we sin. And that if we would be more aware of this fact we wouldn’t dare to sin anymore. To my surprise I was asked: “Where it is written that JESUS is suffering even today?” At that moment I could think only about Gen 6:6, but this morning I decided to do my search about this subject from Mother White writings.(At the bottom is the most powerful thought from the book Education.)
As you are learning to do your daily early morning pilgrimage under the cross of Christ – may these thoughts below can shape your imagination and help you love JESUS more than before and abhor anything causing Him pain and shame:
Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.
We often sorrow because our evil deeds bring unpleasant consequences to ourselves; but this is not repentance. Real sorrow for sin is the result of the working of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit reveals the ingratitude of the heart that has slighted and grieved the Saviour, and brings us in contrition to the foot of the cross. By every sin Jesus is wounded afresh; and as we look upon Him whom we have pierced, we mourn for the sins that have brought anguish upon Him. Such mourning will lead to the renunciation of sin. {DA 300.3}
Lawsuits between brethren are a reproach to the cause of truth. Christians who go to law with one another expose the church to the ridicule of her enemies and cause the powers of darkness to triumph. They are wounding Christ afresh and putting Him to open shame. By ignoring the authority of the church, they show contempt for God, who gave to the church its authority. {AA 306.1}
I feel an intense desire that our brethren and sisters shall be correct representatives of Jesus. Do not pierce his wounds afresh, and put him to an open shame, by an inconsistent life. Become thoroughly acquainted with the reasons of our faith, and show by word and act that Christ is dwelling in your hearts by faith. May God help you to walk with Jesus. If you do, you will be the light of the world, and in the time of trouble he will say, “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.” Monday morning, Sept. 28. {HS 144.3}
Satan Delights in Contention.–Satan is constantly seeking to cause distrust, alienation, and malice among God’s people. We shall be often tempted to feel that our rights are invaded when there is no real cause for such feelings. . . . Contentions, strife, and lawsuits between brethren are a disgrace to the cause of truth. Those who take such a course expose the church to the ridicule of her enemies and cause the powers of darkness to triumph. They are piercing the wounds of Christ afresh and putting Him to an open shame.– {5T 242.3} (1882). {2MCP 497.3}
The smitten rock was a figure of Christ, and through this symbol the most precious spiritual truths are taught. As the life-giving waters flowed from the smitten rock, so from Christ, “smitten of God,” “wounded for our transgressions,” “bruised for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:4, 5), the stream of salvation flows for a lost race. As the rock had been once smitten, so Christ was to be “once offered to bear the sins of many.” Hebrews 9:28. Our Saviour was not to be sacrificed a second time; and it is only necessary for those who seek the blessings of His grace to ask in the name of Jesus, pouring forth the heart’s desire in penitential prayer. Such prayer will bring before the Lord of hosts the wounds of Jesus, and then will flow forth afresh the life-giving blood, symbolized by the flowing of the living water for Israel. {PP 411.3}
This was the beginning of a new life to this tempted, fallen soul, a life of purity and peace, devoted to the service of God. In raising this woman to a life of virtue, Jesus performed a greater act than that of healing the most grievous bodily malady; He cured the sickness of the soul which is unto death everlasting. This penitent woman became one of the firmest friends of Jesus. She repaid His forgiveness and compassion, with a self-sacrificing love and worship.
Afterward, when she stood sorrow-stricken at the foot of the cross, and
saw ה the dying agony on the face of her Lord,
and heard שמע His bitter cry,
her soul was pierced afresh; for she knew that this sacrifice was on account of sin; and her responsibility as one whose deep guilt had helped to bring about this anguish of the Son of God, seemed very heavy indeed. She felt that
– those pangs which pierced the Saviour’s frame were for her;
– the blood that flowed from His wounds was to blot out her record of sin*;
– the groans which escaped from His dying lips were caused by her transgression.
Her heart ached with a sorrow past all expression, and she felt that a life of self-abnegating atonement would poorly compensate for the gift of life, purchased for her at such an infinite price. {2SP 352.2 – 1877} {ST, October 23, 1879 par. 8}
* Col 2:13 [The Scriptures]
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
14 having blotted out the certificate of debt against us – by the dogmas – which stood against us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the stake.
15 Having stripped the principalities and the authorities, He made a public display of them, having prevailed over them in it.
16 Let no one therefore judge you in eating or in drinking, or in respect of a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths –
17 which are a shadow of what is to come – but the Body of the Messiah.
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Whenever we sin, Christ is wounded afresh. For us He lifts His pierced hands before the Father’s throne, and says, “Forgive them; for they know not what they do.” {SJ 142.4}
We are not to continue in sin that grace may abound; we are to cease from transgression. The love of Christ manifested in the infinite sacrifice which he has made in Calvary, is without a parallel. It is sincere, devoted, measureless, and meets the emergency of the sinner’s case, awakening in the heart of those who receive it, respect and reverence for the holy law of God. In the light reflected from Calvary, the law is seen to be holy, just, and good. It cost the life of the Son of God to pay the debt of transgression which the sinner had incurred. It is when the sinner has a realization of the offensive character of sin, a realization to some extent of what it cost the Son of God to redeem him, to give him another trial and probation, that his heart is filled with love and gratitude, and an earnest faith awakens that works by love and purifies the soul. This faith and love will be seen ה in the soul of him who is truly converted to God; and he who experiences the love of God, will ever feel humiliation and repentance for past transgression. If Christ had to make so great a sacrifice, if He had to endure such sufferings because of my sin, shall I not bow in humility, and regret that I have inflicted such grief upon his divine soul? Shall I not fear lest I shall crucify the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame? The soul who appreciates the precious gift of salvation will ever behold Christ dying upon the cross, and the language of that soul will be the language of unselfish sorrow that he has ever committed sin to so wound the Son of God. I shall always grieve that I have sinned, and have cost the Man of Calvary so great anguish. I look upon him whom I have pierced, and I mourn that I have transgressed the law of God. When we have a proper appreciation of the sacrifice that has been made in our behalf, we shall not plead for the privilege of continuing in transgression. We shall put away sin, and our hard hearts will melt under the amazing love of Christ for our souls. {ST, October 28, 1889 par. 3}
January 17, 1906 How the Growth of the Gospel Seed is Hindered.
The Saviour said again: “Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the wayside. But he that received seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.” {AU Gleaner, January 17, 1906 par. 1}
Those who do not follow true Christian principles, whose natural and cultivated tendencies to wrong have not been changed by the grace of God, have no root in themselves; and therefore they lose the interest which they once felt in the truth. They return to their sinful practices. They may continue to make a profession of Christianity, but they do not go on from grace to grace. For a time they are neither cold nor hot, but they finally become hardened to all good impressions. They grow careless, worldly, inattentive. They hear the truth but do not receive it. Of this class Christ says: “Every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell; and great was the fall of it.” {AU Gleaner, January 17, 1906 par. 2}
Of Chorazin and Bethsaida, cities in which so many of Christ’s mighty works were done, which were exalted to heaven by being honored with his presence, the Saviour declared: “Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.” {AU Gleaner, January 17, 1906 par. 3}
Those who have been favored with great light and many opportunities, but who have not accepted the light nor improved the opportunities, who have not followed correct principles in dealing with their brethren or with unbelievers, will receive punishment in accordance with their sin. They will meet with some sad surprises in the last great day, when every case shall be brought up in review before God. In their record they will see that which will fill them with shame, but nothing can be changed. All is beyond recall. {AU Gleaner, January 17, 1906 par. 4}
Christ has made every provision for the sanctification of his church. He has made abundant provision for every soul to have such grace and strength that he will be more than a conqueror in the warfare against sin. The Saviour is wounded afresh and put to open shame when his people pay no heed to his word. He came to this world and lived a sinless life, that in his power his people might also lead lives of sinlessness. He desires them by practicing the principles of truth to show to the world that God’s grace has power to sanctify the heart. {RH, April 1, 1902 par. 8} {AU Gleaner, January 17, 1906 par. 5}
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ has been promised to all who will come to him in faith. You may say, I do confess my sins; but I do not feel any better. What has feeling to do with it? If you have confessed your sins if you have planted your feet on vantage-ground, and are sorry for your sins, so sorry that you will not repeat them, you will receive pardon. Remember that when you sin, you wound afresh the One who gave his precious life for you, putting him to open shame. The world looks on, and says, “Ah, they are the ones who profess to believe that Christ is coming, and who profess to believe that the Lord forgives their sins; but do you see their conniving, their dishonesty, their sinfulness?” Christ is humiliated in the person of his saints. Let us not take that position. Let us consider that it is a noble thing to confess our faults, and to forsake them. {RH, May 18, 1905 par. 9}
The word of God draws a dividing line between his followers and the worldling. Over that line, toward Egypt, is the life of self-indulgence, fashion, frivolity, and the veriest slavery to sin. Over that line, God is forgotten. When the professed followers of Christ should be fighting the Lord’s battles, how often are they out of the path of duty, on Satan’s ground. Christ is wounded when any who bear his name are found there; he is crucified afresh, and put to an open shame by those who profess to love him. {ST, October 21, 1880 par. 7}
In hearing the earnest prayers of Israel, and granting them a great victory over their enemies, the Lord had given a fresh token of his willingness to help his people when they should seek him. How cruel, then, was their unbelief and murmuring. The great sin of Israel was their jealousy that God meant them harm; that he was restricting their liberty, and surrounding them with denials and severities. Yet in all the way of God’s leading, they had found water to refresh the thirsty, bread from heaven to satisfy their hunger, and peace and safety under the shadowy cloud by day and the fiery pillar by night. Angels were ministering to them as they climbed the rocky heights, or threaded the rugged paths of the wilderness. It is a mistake to entertain the thought that God is pleased to see his children suffer. All Heaven is interested in the happiness of man. It is in the path that leads away from God to darkness and death that there are pains and griefs, disappointments and sorrows. These are placed by the hand of Infinite Love to warn man not to go on in disobedience and destroy themselves. {ST, October 21, 1880 par. 8}
I feel an intense desire that our brethren and sisters shall be correct representatives of Jesus. Do not pierce His wounds afresh, and put Him to an open shame, by an inconsistent life. Become thoroughly acquainted with the reasons of our faith, and show by word and act that Christ is dwelling in your hearts by faith. May God help you to walk with Jesus. If you do, you will be the light of the world, and in the time of trouble He will say, “Come, My people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.” {ST, October 20, 1887 par. 10}
December 23, 1897 The New Commandment.
Christ has set an exalted standard, to which men may attain by overcoming as He overcame. He desires us to be partakers of His divine nature, that He may present to the Father those whom He has given Him, as more than conquerors through Him that loved us. This view of the matter places us under an accountability to minister for our fellow men, even as Christ ministers. He shows His love by ministry. The word of God is surrounded by an atmosphere of inspired love. But this word is dimly comprehended and feebly appreciated. During every hour of the Saviour’s sojourn upon earth, the love of God was flowing from Him, repeating its gift in irrepressible streams.
– Every hindrance He received in His work of revealing God’s love,
– every obstruction placed in His way,
– every talent that was not used to advance the work of God,
inflicted a wound on Christ, and strengthened Satan’s kingdom.
Even so, by cherishing malice and hatred in our hearts toward those who have been bought with an infinite price, we may crucify the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame. {YI, December 23, 1897 par. 1}
Here is the promised most powerful thought:
Those who think of the result of hastening or hindering the gospel think of it in relation to themselves and to the world. Few think of its relation to God. Few give thought to the suffering that sin has caused our Creator. All heaven suffered in Christ’s agony; but that suffering did not begin or end with His manifestation in humanity. The cross is a revelation to our dull senses of the pain that, from its very inception, sin has brought to the heart of God. Every departure from the right, every deed of cruelty, every failure of humanity to reach His ideal, brings grief to Him. When there came upon Israel the calamities that were the sure result of separation from God,–subjugation by their enemies, cruelty, and death,–it is said that “His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.” “In all their affliction He was afflicted: . . . and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old.” Judges 10:16; Isaiah 63:9. {Ed 263.1}
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