It was Roman custom to have the condemned person carry the cross on which he was to suffer through the streets as a means of spectacle, humiliation, and as a deterrent for others. But Jesus is calling us to follow Him…to purposely take up and bear that figure of shame. For on that cross our sins were brutally nailed…on that cross our redemption was sealed in blood. To the Romans, the cross was a symbol of shame…but to Believers, it’s a symbol of salvation.
Tag: jesus christ our lord
Mark 3: 31-33 ” Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call Him. A crowd was sitting around Him, and they told Him, ‘Your mother and brothers are outside looking for You.’ ‘Who are My mother and My brothers?’ He asked.”
The crowds were getting larger and larger that followed Jesus and His disciples. In these verses, many have crammed themselves into a private home to hear Jesus teach. No wonder Jesus’ family sent word into the house they were outside wanting to see Him…there was no way they could get into the packed house! When Jesus asked this question, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” He wasn’t showing disrespect, but rather saw it as a teachable moment. The story goes on in verses 34-35, ” Then He looked at those seated in a circle around Him and said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! Whoever does God’s Will is My brother and sister and mother.” Jesus wanted the crowd huddled around Him to see that they were just as highly regarded to Him as part of “The Family of God” as His own kin were.
John 10:17-18 ” The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.”
By human standards it looked like Jesus had no control over His arrest, trial, crucifixion, and death. But here in these verses He emphatically states otherwise. Jesus was totally in control of every detail, every minute of that horrendous event…and He still is. When trials and tribulations come, remember that the same control and power Jesus had over His own life is at work in yours. Remember also, that nothing will ever happen to you that hasn’t already gone through your Heavenly Father’s hands first.
Romans 8:32 ” He Who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”
What would have happened to humankind if God had felt Jesus was exempt? Without the tremendous sacrifice, on the part of both God and Jesus Christ, we would be lost in our sins. The willingness of God to hand over Son on our behalf can be found in one of the Bible’s most recognizable scriptures, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” ( John 3:16-17) God may have not wanted to hand Jesus over…Jesus may have not wanted to go through the horrible torture and crucifixion on the Cross…but They did…and in the process, saved your soul from hell.
Jude 17-19 ” But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, ‘In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.’ These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.”
The world started scoffing at the notion of Jesus being resurrected from the very start. The Roman guards who were watching His tomb and the High Priests cooked up a story about Jesus’ disciples stealing His body and spread the lie far and wide. (Matthew 28:12-15) Over the course of history, the world has gleefully questioned and ridiculed Believers with, “Where is this coming He promised?” (II Peter 3:4) The world would like us to doubt and question our beliefs about the second coming, but we need to stand strong against those who malign the name of Jesus.
Job 22:2 ” Can a man be of benefit to God? Can even a wise man benefit Him?”
So many times we foolishly think we can somehow “help God”. We look at the situation and feel we have more insight and intelligence than our Heavenly Father does over the matter…but our “help” usually just messes it up more. Relinquishing some thing or one to God doesn’t mean you’re giving up and walking away…it simply means you’re stepping aside and allowing God to work in ways you never would be able to. Surrendering and laying at the foot of the Cross a loved one can be the scariest thing you’ll ever do. But until you do this and fully give that person to God – you’re just in the way and the Lord can’t work. You may think you love that person immensely…but remember, God loves them even more.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 ” There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”
It’s hard to imagine, but there’s an appointed time for everything happening in your life today. From the very important to the mundane, each matter has been carefully created by God to fit perfectly within His purpose and timetable. In verse 11 of this chapter we read that God has made everything beautiful in its own time…in its right and proper time. For with the Lord, there is no unplanned or unintended actions…that’s because His timing is always perfect.
Philippians 3:10 ” I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
To know the Lord Jesus Christ…is to live for Him. And in knowing Him…we will become more and more like Him, for we conform ourselves to His image. Knowing the Lord though is a life long journey of dying daily to our old self and deliberately becoming more like Him. But in the end, when people look at us, they won’t see us…they’ll only see Jesus.
Luke 18:41 ” ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ ‘Lord, I want to see, he replied.’ “
The blind beggar was sitting by the side of the road near Jericho. As Jesus walked near, the crowd brought the blind man to Him. Jesus knew the beggar was blind, so why did He still ask him that question? “What do you want Me to do for you?” It says in Matthew 7:8, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” The Lord wants us to ask Him for the desires of our heart…even down to tiny things that only we care about. Asking the Lord for something to be given to us isn’t unspiritual or lacking faith…it’s quite the opposite. The Lord delights in us asking.
Revelation 3:3 ” Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wakeup, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.”
The Lord is saying, “Be ready!” Come out of that spiritual stupor and complacency you’re in. For you have been lulled into a false sense of security by your apathy towards God. Telling yourself that you’ll get right with God when you’re old, or when you’re done sowing your wild oats is risky business…for all we know, you may not live to see the sunrise tomorrow. Jesus said it best in Luke 12:40, “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” Today is the day of repentance… and a new moral reorientation of your soul.
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