Help for Hard Times in Your Life | Matthew 26:24

[00:00:00] Real Truth Daily. This is Daily Truths with Dave Ahlman.

[00:00:07] Hi everybody, welcome back to Daily Truths. Are there things in your life that currently are very difficult to face?

[00:00:13] And you're thinking, man, how am I going to accomplish this? And you think about the things that you've done in the past that were really difficult and a challenge and they were hard and yet somehow in some way you dealt with it, you moved on and everything turned out okay, right?

[00:00:28] But you wondered at the time, how am I going to face this? How am I going to get through this?

[00:00:32] Well, did Jesus face difficult things? Remember we're in the book of Matthew chapter 26 and Jesus has just told the disciples that somebody was going to betray him.

[00:00:43] And of course he said, the one who dips his bread in the sauce, the one who dips the bread in the sauce with me is the one who will betray me. And who was that?

[00:00:52] We know it to be Judas. Now, Jesus says this in verse 24, the son of man goes as it is written of him. What do you mean by that? The son of man, Jesus, the son of God was going to go to the cross and it would be very difficult.

[00:01:09] Remember that night he was in the garden of Gethsemane and he sweat drops of blood because he could see the impending doom of what was going to happen to him.

[00:01:19] And it was not easy. He needed the strength and the accompaniment of God to climb Calvary's hill and allow himself to be nailed to the cross.

[00:01:29] Why did he do it? Not just because it was the mission of God, the father, not just because Jesus knew our salvation was at stake.

[00:01:37] But as it says here, let me read it again. The son of man goes as it is written of him.

[00:01:42] In other words, it was predicted hundreds of years before Christ went to the cross that he would suffer and bleed and die on that cross for our sins.

[00:01:51] Isaiah chapter 53 says this.

[00:01:53] Surely is born our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.

[00:02:02] The same chapter, Isaiah 53 says he was wounded for our transgressions.

[00:02:06] He was bruised for iniquities. The chastisement that brings us peace was placed on him.

[00:02:12] And by his stripes, we are healed.

[00:02:14] What's that mean?

[00:02:15] That Jesus, according to Old Testament prophecy, had to go to the cross in order to fulfill that prophecy.

[00:02:23] And to the cross, he went, bearing our sin, dying our death, paying for our wrongs, experiencing the wrath of God,

[00:02:32] being the atoning substitute and sacrifice for our transgressions.

[00:02:37] And when he was done, when he was finished, he cried out in a loud voice.

[00:02:42] It is finished.

[00:02:43] But then three days later, he conquered the grave and he lives and reigns to all eternity.

[00:02:49] And he's with us now in every hard thing we face.

[00:02:55] He says, Lord, I'm with you always, even to the very end of the age.

[00:03:00] He says, fear not.

[00:03:00] I'm with you.

[00:03:01] Be not dismayed.

[00:03:02] I'm your God.

[00:03:03] I will strengthen you, help you and hold you with my righteous right hand.

[00:03:08] And Jesus will never abandon, will never forsake or never leave us.

[00:03:14] Right?

[00:03:15] When you're facing hard things in life, does he stand at a distance and say, well, you're pretty much on your own?

[00:03:21] Or does he say, hey, good luck with that?

[00:03:25] No, the one who sweat drops of blood in the garden of Gethsemane is the same one who climbed Calvary's mountain,

[00:03:32] allowed himself to be nailed to a piece of wood for your sins,

[00:03:35] then defeated death so that he could not only offer eternal life and forgiveness as a free gift,

[00:03:41] which we receive by faith, but also accompany you in every struggle, trial and challenge you have in life.

[00:03:48] You're going to face hard things.

[00:03:49] And as you look back over the past, who got you through it?

[00:03:53] Jesus said, you're going to face hard things in the future.

[00:03:56] Who's going to get you through it?

[00:03:58] Jesus will.

[00:03:59] And you can bank on that.

[00:04:01] So I don't know what's coming down the pike for you.

[00:04:03] I don't know what kind of financial, relational, physical, spiritual challenges you might have ahead of you.

[00:04:10] But no matter what you're facing, you'll face it with the strength, encouragement, power and providential care of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[00:04:22] Oh, that is so comforting.

[00:04:24] At least it is for me.

[00:04:25] I've got some stuff in my life that are challenging right now.

[00:04:29] But I know, I know, I am convinced that Jesus will see me through.

[00:04:35] And if he does it for me, he will surely do it for you.

[00:04:39] And that is today's Daily Truth.

[00:04:41] Have a great day in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[00:04:44] Thank you for tuning in to Daily Truths with Dave Allman.

[00:04:47] Pastor Dave Allman is the pastor of Mount Hope Church in Boulder, Colorado.

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[00:05:02] Come back tomorrow for your next Daily Truth.