Sinners always have this in their chests. They know their guilt (Romans 2:15) and thus, they know they deserve God's punishment. One day on the great Judgment Day, as sinners watch in line, as Heaven's Judge throws guilty sinners to hell, will feel the most dreadful despair. They know their name will be called soon! They know they have no excuse. They have seen the others before them give the same excuses, which they have waiting in their own thoughts, and have seen the Judge dismiss them all! If they could physically sweet tears of blood, like Jesus [1] the night before his death, they would fill the ocean with them.

       But the saints, who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, will not go through this! In Christ they pass from judgment to life. They will never feel the full weight upon their souls concerning the despair of their judgment and punishment for the sins they committed. Yet, they should! It is right that the guilty should feel the weight of their punishment, which they rightfully heaped upon themselves. Yet believers will never know this to its full weight, although they, at times, have felt it strongly.

       The reason they get to skip this horror of despair is for the same reason they skip the actual punishment[2] and judgment itself. Jesus went through it for them.

       "There is no fear in perfect love." [3] Yet, Christ felt fearful dread in His heart. Jesus Christ should have never felt despair! He is the apple of His Father's eye, the center of the Father's love and delight. Jesus has never displeased the Father, but only has been well pleasing[4] before His Father. Jesus has the Fathers' infinite love! Yet, He was so filled with despair and turmoil concerning having to face the cross that He sweated out blood itself!

       This then is why believers never face the full weight of despair, because Jesus faced it and went through the coming thought of punishment, in our place for us. The thought of having all our crimes transferred to him and then having to have His Father's full punishment and judgment poured upon Him was so horrific that He sweated tears of blood.

       Praise God, Praise God, Jesus our Lord not only went through our full punishment for us, in our place, but also went through the full despair of having to face it! I say this often but feel the need to repeat it. The Lord Jesus Christ is a complete Savior. His wonderful grace saves, rescues and redeems every area of our lives. His Wonderful grace is so wonderful that it even rescues us from even having to face the full weight of despair concerning our punishment. One would think saving us from our rightful punishment itself would be enough, but our God's wonder is beyond even what we can think. He is a complete Savior and so is worthy of our complete worship and love. Let us wonder and marvel together at His wonderful free grace toward us whom He has saved!

Sincerely Yours: Oshea Davis

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[1] Luke 22:44, “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
[2] 1 Corinthians 15:3, “I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins.”
[3] 1John 4:18
[4] 2 Peter 1:17, “He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."