Jesus suffered and died alone

April 9, 2017
Erlo Stegen

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Sunday service, Erlo Stegen, 09 April 2017

Matthew 26:56
“ ‘But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.’ Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.”
In Luke 23:31 we are told that Jesus spoke to the daughters of Jerusalem and said, “For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Jesus is full of life and vitality and full of sap but without sin. If there is sin in our lives we become like a tree that is withered in the heat of the sun. You can imagine what will happen to you if you do not repent and find salvation. Imagine what your hell will be like. This word breaks one’s heart. Jesus never forsook His disciples but when they noticed things could lead to death, they forsook Him. This is sad. This shows the fear that Christians can have. Jesus had warned them that they would forsake Him. Five times He had told them they would forsake Him and He had also told them He would go to Jerusalem and die there. The disciples had promised Him that they would never leave Him and would be with Him to the end, but they didn’t keep their promise. Have you kept the promises you’ve made to the Lord? Maybe you have said something like this as well, ”Lord, I will never leave You.”
They left their work and families and followed the Lord Jesus but at the critical moment they forsook Him. Remember John 6 when some disciples forsook the Lord Jesus. After the Lord had spoken they said, “This is a hard saying. Who can accept this?” (John 6:60) Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to forsake me?” and then Simon Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69) But here we see they forsook the Lord.
It’s heartbreaking that we forget the promises we have made. We forget where we came from and where we are going to. That is a great sin before God. We promise Him things and along the way we forsake Him. We walk with the Lord for a long time and somewhere along the way we forget. It would be good to remember the promises we have made to the Lord Jesus, like “Lord, if You help me through this problem I will always live for You.” Remind yourself about the promises you made to the Lord in the past.
This morning I received a call from Romania from uncle Hans. He said there are co-workers with children and that one of the co-worker’s boys just went his own way, raced motorbikes and had smashed into a concrete wall. People did not think he would survive. Yesterday, this boy said, ”I was in hell. I saw my friends’ names and my name. I saw them and myself burning in hell. I saw people burning in this fire as far as the eye could see.” He also said that it was a terrible thing to be in hell. The pain and suffering that is there is terrible. You wish you could die but you don’t. He said, “Then I was placed before the Judgement Throne and the holy ones were there and the Lord was there and He was so bright you couldn’t look at Him.” There I was and I was headed for hell and I realized I am in hell forever. When I was there I saw the names of all of my friends and then the angel said, ‘Go! The end of all things is near because you weren’t faithful to the Lord and you went your own way.’ Now all I want to do is to go to my friends and tell them what I experienced in hell and tell them I saw them in hell.” He had over 200 girlfriends. A lot of girls were after him. He wanted to warn the people whose names he saw in hell. It’s frightening when you see all those names in hell. This morning he said there are many friends he must go to and make right. His name is David. This morning I spoke to this boy and prayed for him. The time for playing around is past. Uncle Hans said, “Please tell the people in the church and say the time for playing around is past.”