The Supreme Sacrifice
Greetings and good morning brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series
where we seek to explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years,
the heavenly Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them
with you. This morning we will ponder our lives as we seek to understand the meaning of the
supreme sacrifice.
The Supreme Sacrifice
"Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it up again."
John, Chapter 10, Verse 17
And like John and James who asked for the privilege of being on the right and left side of Jesus
without truly understanding what they were asking, we say that we love the Father without really
understanding what that means. But the Father lovingly and gently speaks to our heart sayings,
"Well, that is certainly a good start. Perhaps soon the day will come when that is what you really
mean. Even so, the day will eventually arrive when your heart will know what it should really mean,
and you will pursue that supreme value with all your mind, your soul, your will, and all your might."
Brothers and sisters, we will give up the darkness of selfishness and pursue that unselfish light that
shines so brightly. Our supreme delight will be the bearing of the burdens of our sisters and brothers
that we have so painstakingly learned to love.
Brothers and sisters, eventually that day will come when we, sons and daughters of the heavenly
Father, will wait in joyful anticipation for our spiritual helpers to bring those lost souls across our
paths so that we may present them to the Father as faith sons and daughters, and present the Father
to them, mercifully encouraging them to seek the Father's forgiveness for not maintaining active and
constant communication with Him while they forgive their brothers and sisters their transgressions.
And during that period when faith is no more than a flicker of a flame in their souls, we will stand
by with comforting words of encouragement, and by our merciful presence lend moral support and
spiritual vision to the morally confused and spiritually blinded brother and sister.
Brothers and sisters, eventually we will become dominated by love, faith, and trust in our hearts.
Eventually we will acquire that spiritual courage and strength that will allow us to stand firm, and
not be moved by the assaults of evil's machine gun fire and the missiles of sin. Even the atomic
bomb of iniquity will not destroy our faith anchor. Absolutely nothing can overcome the Father's
goodness and His Son's mercy.
Brothers and sisters, eventually we will acquire that spiritual understanding and wisdom that will
allow us to penetrate the superficial covering of evil's error and sin's illusion. Eventually we will
know that all things work together for good for those who love the way of light and righteousness.
Brothers and sisters, eventually we will acquire that spiritual patience and humility that is the result
of being consciously aware of the divine presence of the all inclusive, all powerful, and all merciful
loving Father. And when we contemplate the awesomeness of the Father's power, the boundless
wisdom, and the impossibility of preventing His will from manifesting itself, patience, eternal in its
manifestation, will fill our souls.
And when we contemplate the spectacle of Jesus, the Son of God dying the creature's death on that
horrible cross with its excruciating pain, and even in the agony of that pain, administering mercy and
forgiveness to his children, inspiration and endurance is the result, as well as a joyful willingness to
lay down our lives in loving service in the struggle to salvage another and put them on the path of
eternal life.
When we contemplate the love and faith that Jesus has in us, we are also moved to love and to have
faith in others, no matter how much they use and abuse us. For at such times we will cry, "not my
will, but Your will be done, Father". But we will also cry "the Father loves us because we are willing
to lay down our lives in unselfish loving service for our brothers and sisters, but mind you if we lay
it down, the Father will pick it up for us again." This he has promised us and we believe Him. We
simply love the Father more than we love life itself, for we know the Father is life, eternal life.
This concludes today's message on understanding the meaning of the supreme sacrifice. We hope
you find something in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day. Until next
time, this is Dr. James Perry.
Inspirational Messages
By Dr. James Perry
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!
The Supreme Sacrifice
