The Way of The Cross :: By Dennis Huebshman
Matthew 16:24-26, “Then Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?'” (ESV – all emphasis is mine)
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Act 4:12, “And there is Salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing; but to us who are being saved, it is the Power of God.”
Galatians 6:14, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
Revelation 7:17, “For the Lamb in the midst of the Throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Most of the above verses have been used in numerous messages previously, but for this one, the message is not about the wooden implement of death but the Heavenly Lamb whose precious sinless blood was shed for all mankind.
Going from John 1:1 and then to John 10:17-18, we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” 10:17, “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may 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 I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”
There are those who say Jesus was here specifically for God’s chosen people, the Jews. However, John 10:16 clarifies this in the Savior’s own words. “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd.”
Once our Lord and Savior completed the perfect sin-free blood sacrifice and stated, “It Is Finished!” in John 19:30, the gift of eternal Salvation became available to every living breathing human from that time on. Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 state, “All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
All Jews and Gentiles who receive and accept Jesus as their Savior will be saved. Likewise, all Jews and Gentiles who do not have Jesus when they leave this earth will end up at the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15.
God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 stands. “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Today, less than 10% of all Jews worldwide are messianic – those who believe Jesus is their Messiah. By the end of the tribulation, that figure will be 100%.
We do not know the day or hour that the Trumpet of God will sound and a call goes out from an archangel signaling the Rapture of all true believers. We do know that it will only take a “twinkling of an eye” to complete, and it is getting very near.
We need to be ready before that call so that when we do leave here, we will go by way of the cross. There is a song titled “The Way of The Cross Leads Home,” written by Jessie Brown Pounds (1861-1921). Please read the wonderful words of this beautiful hymn.
1.) I must needs go Home by the way of the cross; there’s no other way but this. I shall ne’er get sight of the gates of light, if the way of the cross I miss.
Ref.) The way of the cross leads Home; The way of the cross leads Home. It is sweet to know, as I onward go, the way of the cross leads Home.
2.) I must needs go on in the blood-sprinkled way, the path that the Savior trod, if I ever climb to the heights sublime where the soul is at Home with God. (ref)
3.) Then I bid farewell to the way of the world, to walk in it nevermore. For the Lord says, “Come,” and I seek my Home, where He waits at the open door. (ref)
What is unfortunate is there is an obvious turning away from the true word of the Father for what Paul described as “ear-tickling messages.” If the audience is “entertained,” they will fill the seats and collection baskets regularly. To try and tell them that they all have sinned and need the blood of the Savior to rescue us is a good way to prevent them from returning.
Jesus knew that more would reject than accept Him when He told of the two pathways in Matthew 7:13-14. The straight and narrow path leading to Him is considered too hard for many to believe and accept, but those who do will be few, and they will have eternal life with Him.
On the other hand, those on the broad pathway who reject Him in favor of all the so-called earthly treasures and pleasures will end up at the White Throne Judgment, and many will be on it.
There are some religious denominations that previously were led by true Bible teachings that now have false prophets in the pulpits. They are telling the members there are many ways to Heaven, and some even declare you don’t need Jesus in your heart to get there. Some even deny the resurrection that conquered sin and death for all who would truly receive and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
The message of the cross should be our greatest joy. No human of this earth could ever produce a sacrifice that our perfect Heavenly Father could ever accept. No human from the beginning in the Garden of Eden, all the way to today, and on until the final day of this earth’s existence, has or will ever have pure, sinless blood. Jesus came as a human and was born of woman, but their blood never mixed. He was placed in her virgin womb by the Holy Spirit, not by anything Joseph was a part of.
To top this off, while in human form throughout His life here, He never sinned even once! When Jesus was taken up to be with the Father after His resurrection, His gift of eternal life became available to all who would receive and accept Him.
In Psalms 103:11-12, God made a promise that applies even today. “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.” In John 3:16-18, this is given with even more emphasis because of the love the Father has for every one of us.
Except through Jesus, Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, and Romans 6:23 tell us that all – everyone without exception – is and has been a sinner deserving eternity in the lake of fire. However, with Romans 10:9-13, we’re told that all who confess we’re sinners and ask Jesus to forgive and save us will be saved.
Furthermore, there is a time coming that will be the worst 7-year period this earth has ever experienced. God promised that all who have Jesus as their Savior before the beginning of that wrath will not be here to go through it. That’s in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, and Revelation 3:10.
This will be an event known as the Rapture or “taking up” of all true believers worldwide to meet Jesus in the air and be with Him forever. The details are found in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.
Asking Jesus to forgive our sins and to be our Savior forever is just the beginning of having a true relationship with Him. Even so, as humans, we will still slip and sin while in these fallible mortal bodies, for which the Father has provided a pathway to forgiveness in 1 John 1:8-10. Once we are in our forever bodies with a new mindset, we will not be subject to Satan’s temptations ever again.
For those who fit 1 Corinthians 1:18 and believe anything to do with God and Jesus is foolishness, they will be allowed to make their own choice to reject the Savior’s free gift He gave us at Calvary. Their eternity will be determined as to what degree of punishment they will receive in the lake of fire after attending the White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15 mentioned earlier. This is a final judgment, and it will be too late to call out to be saved after a person takes their last breath on this earth.
The decision is yours. The best one would be eternity in Paradise with Jesus and all the souls that will make up His precious flock. The only other choice is the total darkness of the lake of fire with Satan, his demons, and all who were out of God’s will before Calvary, and all who will have rejected Jesus from Calvary to the end of the existence of this present earth.
Oh, and contrary to what I have heard false prophets proclaim, there’s no third option. There are not many ways to heaven, period!
World events are practically shouting that this current age is just about over. Please consider your options carefully, and making a decision soon may save a lot of grief later.
Remember the “twinkling of an eye” in 1 Corinthians 15:52. This has been calculated by experts as considerably less than one second. Before anyone could take a breath to call out, the Rapture will have been completed. Satan’s greatest ploy is to try to get you to wait just a bit longer.
Our Savior will take your call anytime day or night. Read God’s word from a true translation Bible for even more pertinent information. Starting with John followed by Romans would be a good place to start.
God does not make idle talk or empty promises. He loves each and every one of us and would especially love for all to call on His Son for their eternal Salvation. He will force no one, though, as He leaves the decision up to each and every one of us. Think about it; call on Jesus soon!
Hope to see you at Home!
(Also, see raptureforums.com Home/Featured Articles)
The post The Way of The Cross :: By Dennis Huebshman appeared first on Rapture Ready.
