Ultimate FavorSample

Jesus Paid the Price

I’m a pastor, and one day a young man showed up at my office in tears. 

“I lost my temper with my wife,” he said, adding with self-contempt, “again.” It had happened many times before, he admitted: a sudden outburst, an exchange of angry words and a walkout in the end. He had promised God it wouldn’t happen anymore, but it did happen, and it kept happening again and again and again. 

As he poured out his heart, I realized I was listening to an utterly broken man. He had struggled with anger his whole life, he said. He tried for years to overcome it, but now he was afraid he’d been overwhelmed one too many times. I saw the fear in his eyes; it was as if he’d crossed a line and could never go back. 

“I’ve blown it,” he said. “I’ve ruined my marriage. I might even lose my family.” He started weeping, then he said the words he probably feared most. “I’ve lost any favor God might have had in my life. His presence is gone from me completely.” 

Many devoted people believe God loves them and has showered them with the favor of his grace, but there’s a side of their lives that they feel is unworthy of God’s favor. 

Maybe you have a struggle of some kind you’ve never been able to shake. It may not be as severe as the young man’s, or it may be very similar, or it may be worse. Regardless of the scale of your struggle, you’re left wondering, “Can I really find joy in the Christian life? Where is Jesus’ victory on the cross for me? Will I be caught up in this struggle forever?” 

Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrong doing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

How does a holy God see a young husband who struggles terribly with his temper? What happens to the righteous wrath directed at this man’s sin? It all goes to Jesus. He took upon himself all judgment for sin, the “curse” aspect of the law. Christ paid the penalty for all of it. The husband may still deal with the consequences and relational impact of his sin, but his sin is nailed to the cross. Jesus paid the price for his sin, and ours, in full. 

The implications of this are absolutely profound. First, it means we can’t be cursed. Second, it means that as God’s children we live and move in a state of blessing. Because Christ has wiped out every curse, God’s favor is on our lives. Each of us is the apple of his eye, his favored one, his blessed child. It doesn’t matter how fierce our daily struggle may be. No weapon can ever prosper against this powerful truth.