BORN
CRUCIFIED
By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
We cherish the time of Christmas! We read the Holy Scriptures that spoke in holy tones of His virgin birth. We rejoice with the Angel band that brought the good news of a Saviour being born, to shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night! We rejoice with aged Anna the prophetess and Simeon, who had long waited for the Lord’s Christ and met Mary, Jospeh and Jesus in the Temple and blessed them. (Luke 22-38)
Again, our hearts rejoice with loved ones and friends over the Babe born in Bethlehem as the Saviour of the world, and so we should! We must continue year after year to share the news to men, women and children everywhere that the Saviour was Born in a stable in Bethlehem less than 2,000 years ago! (Experts in chronology believe He was born Sept 11, 03 B.C.)
“BUT HE WAS WOUNDED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, HE WAS BRUISED FOR OUR INIQUITIES. THE CHASTSEMENT OF OUR PEACE WAS UPON HIM; AND WITH HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED!
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to His own way: the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquities of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He is brought as a LAMB to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out from the land of the living: for the TRANSGRESSION of My people, was He stricken.
“And He made his grave with the wicked (crucified between two thieves), and with the rich in His death (Joseph of Arithemea’ tomb) because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleaased the Lord to BRUISE Him; He hath put Him to GRIEF: when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His SEED (Seed of the woman Gen. 3:15), He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
“He shall see the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied (God was satisfied with Christ’s Redemptive work): By His knowledge shall My Righteous Servant JUSTIFY many; for He shall bear their iniquities. Because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bear the SIN of many, and made intercesion for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53: 1-12)
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life: For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that ETERNAL LIFE, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.
“That which we have seen and heard declare we
unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and
with His Son Jesus Christ. This then is the message which we have heard of Him,
and declare unto you, that GOD IS LIGHT, and in Him is no Darkness
at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in Darkness, we
lie, and do not the truth.
“But if we walk in the Light, as He is in the Light, we have fellowship one with another, the BLOOD of Jeuss Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we CONFESS OUR SINS, He is faithful and Just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a Liar, and His Word is not in us.
OUR ADVOCATE WITH THE FATHER!
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an ADVOCATE with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous: And He is the PROPITIATION for our sin; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 1: 1-10: 2:1,2).
The word propitiation means covering, mercy seat, expiation and satisfaction! On the whole, it means that God the Father was satisfied with the Redemption that His Son has provided for us. His death on the cross and His shed blood atones for our sins!
“And from Jesus Christ, Who is the Faithfiul Witness, and the first begotten from the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in HIS OWN BLOOD, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (Rev. 1:5)
St. John declared: “For God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begoten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the worl,d but that the world threough Him might be saved. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3: 16,17, 36)
THE INNOCENT ONE HAD COME!
During the Great Day of Atonement, the Rabbi would stand outside the synagogue and speak, saying: “Let One innocent Come and atone for the Guilty! He would shout out the words, “Let One Innocent Come and atone for the guilty!’ No-one came forward as the plea was made year after year! There were no innocent ones! The Word of God states: “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom.3:23): “…that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become GUILTY before God.” (Rom. 3: 19): “As it is written, There is NONE righteous, no, not one.” (Rom. 3:10)
Then, one day John the Baptist pointed to Jesus of Nazareth, saying: “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29). The Innocent one had come! Jesus Christ, God’s Eternal Son was God’s gift to fallen mankind. He came to seek and to save those that are lost. He came to forgive the sinner, heal the sick and fill His people with the Holy Spirit!
St. Paul wrote about the Innocent One, Jesus Christ: “For such an high priest became us, who is Holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first forhis own sins, and then for the people’s. For this He did ONCE, when He offered up Himself.” (Heb.7: 26, 27)
“When Jesus therefore had finished the vinegar, He said, IT IS FINISHED: and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost.” (John 19:30) The word Jesus used was ‘tetelestai’ from the Gr. verb ‘teleo’ with three essential meanings: to finish something and bring something to an end; to fulfill something: to pay for that which is owed!
He had finished Redemption’s plan for the entire world. He had brought to an end Satan’s power over the human race. He had paid for all our sins and all our sicknesses, diseases and pains! Hallelujah to Jesus Christ our Saviour, Lord and Master in His holy Name, forever!
God sent His Son to earth to RESCUE us from the wicked, evil devil! JESUS stated: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the Door of the sheep. All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, I am the DOOR: by Me if any man enter in shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture.
“The thief cometh not but for to Steal, Kill and Destroy. I am come that they may have LIFE, and have it more abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth His Life for the Sheep. I am the Good Shepherd and know My sheep, and am known of them. As the Father knoweth Me even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep.
“Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I
lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I
lay it down of Myself. I have power to
lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I receieved of My Father.
“My sheep hear My Voice, and I know them and they follow Me: And I give unto them eternal Life; and they shall never perich, neither shall any man pluck them out of My Father’s hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; amd no man shall be able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one!” (John 10:7-11,14-18, 27- 30)
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a righteous man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:6)
GOD’S LOVE PAST FINDING OUT!
“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might Live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He LOVED us, and sent His SON to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
“No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the SON to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus Christ is the SON of God, God dwelleth in Him, and he in God.
“I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and GAVE Himself for me.” (Gal.2:20).“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Rom. 5:6)
GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN US!
“No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us. Herreby know we that we dwell in Him, and HE in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the SON to be the SAVIOUR of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus Christ is the SON of God, God dwelleth in Him, and he in God.
The Bible declares: “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh (God in human flesh) is of God: Andevery spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God…Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because GREATER isHe that is in you than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:2-2)
CHRIST IS MY LIFE!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Heavenly places in Christ: According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundations of the world, that we would be holy and without blame before Him in love: Having predestinasted us unto the ADOPTION of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good plessure of His will,
“To the praise of the glory of His Grace, wherein He hath made us ACCEPTED in the BELOVED. In Whom we have REDEMPTION through His BLOOD, the FORGIVENESS of sins, according to the riches of His GRACE: Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known to us the Mystery of His Will, according to His good pleasure which He hath proposed in Himself: That in the disposition of the fullmess of times He might gather in one all things in Christ, both which are in Heaven, and which are in erth, even in Him:
“In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ. In Whom also we have obtained an INHERITANCE, being predestinated according to te PURPOSE of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will:
“That we should be the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, adter tat ye head the Word of Truth, the gospel of our salvation: in that after ye belived, ye were SEALED with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the REDEMPTION of the purchased possesseion, unto the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:1-14)
AMAZING MIRACLE IN EDMONTON, 1972
On October 26, 1969 we opened the doors of the Edmonton Revival Centre and for the next many years tremendous revival continued there and later in the new Faith Cathedral. The leaders of Edmonton’s Pentecostal Ministerial reported to Rev. Keith Driver that they believed that 6,000 souls had been saved in our church in first four years of our ministry and new converts were joining many of their assemblies.
Great miracles were happening regularly as the revival services grew in intensity. In 1972, a Jewish man named Moshe Weinberger arrived from Winnipeg. We gave him lodging and one night he opened his heart to me. He had been a casualty in Germany under Adolf Hitler’s brutal Regime. By a miracle of God he was kept alive because he was young and strongand forced to help load box cars with Jewish men, women, and children for extermination in Buchenwald.
As American Troops were pushing forward, the Nazi guards fled. He was locked in a box car with nearly a hundred others, when the Americans arrived. Many were near death and others had died for lack of water and ventilation. The medics put him on intervenes and saved his life. He showed me the infamous number that Nazis had burned into his upper arm.
He immigrated to Canada and settled in Winnipeg where there is a large
Jewish population. He ended up in the downtown skid-road area. A wonderful Native
Woman was pastoring the Indian Mission where there were lively gospel
singing and powerful preaching, and
Moshe found himself attending more frequently. He asked if he could do some
caretaking and mending some benches for them. Then, one night the Gospel
penetated his heart and he was soundly converted and he began attending the
services regu;arly. He became the caretaker and after a time they fell in love
and were married.
He had shared with her that he was castorated by the Nazis. She was alright with that because at 72 she was 15 years older than he! Some time later, he became aquainted with our Ministry. He had heard about Christ doing miracles in our Ministry and came to see me in Edmonton.
We placed him in the Upstairs Suite and told him that he could stay there for a few days. He explained his condition and wanted prayer! He asked if it could be possible to receive a miracle from Jesus, to restore his manhood.
GOD GRANTED A SPECIAL MIRACLE!
I asked him to prepare for a miracle and when the right moment arrived, I would pray for him. One evening, I prayed for Mrs. Johnson, a native lady from Prince Albert, SK who had undergone surgery to remove her left lung and ribs. As I prayed, you could observe her left shoulder lifting as God gave her a new lung. Immediately, she could breathe normally, and a volume of praise went up to Jesus the Healer!
I asked Muriel Heppner who was on the organ, to take Mrs. Johnson into a private area beside the platform and investigate if she now had two lungs and ribs. In a few minutes they returned rejoicing and shouting that it was so. She had been miraculously made well. Healings were happening!
Immediately, I laid my hands on Moshe and prayed: “Heavenly Father, I ask for the demonstration of Thy mighty power in making this man whole from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. Give him what he needs dear Lord, for Thy honour and glory. This I ask in the precious Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”
We didn’t use catchers in those days, and suddenly he slipped out of my hands and fell back full length on the floor. The meeting continued and great and wonderful things happened for God’s glory. At nine o’clock the next morning I was coming to my office and Moshe was standing outside, holding two suitcases. It was snowing a little and he had his collar turned up.
I asked, “Are you going home?” He replied, “Yes, I’m going home.” I asked, “Did you get your miracle?” He said, “I’m going home.” I said, “Moshe, don’t play games with me. Did you get a miracle last night?”
He smiled largely and said, “Yes, I got my miracle and that is why I am going home.” We stayed in touch, and he and his wife sent us $10 a month to help with our radio program. Two years later, I was conducting a tent crusade in Winnipeg. One evening as I was walking from my trailer to the tent, I met them near the entrance. I said, “Good evening, Brother and Sister Weinberger.” Moshe smilingly said, “Good evening, Brother Solbrekken.”
His wife said, “Brother Max, I must talk to you alone.” She said, “Pray for Moshe.” I said, “I prayed for him and he said that he got a miracle!” She answered, “That is the problem. He’s got too much!” I said, “Sister Weinburger, that is not my department. You will have to ask God about that.” And I turned and walked into the tent for the evening service.”
The Bible says: “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written everyone, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.” (John 21: 25).
Jesus Christ said: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life: no mancometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6). I thank God many times a day that Jesus Christ our Lord came to earth showing God’s LOVE toward everyone everywhere, when He obediently and willingly laid down His life forus, fulfilling the prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah! And By His Stripes we are Healed! Amen.
