CHRIST CRUCIFIED
1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Jesus Christ and Him crucified cannot be over emphasized. The whole gospel of the kingdom is only empowered and started because our Lord was crucified. The paramount truth to proclaim is Jesus Christ and Him crucified; there is no greater truth. Some believers see it only as the starting point. However, Christ crucified is the reason for the start the empowerment to live and will take us to the intended destiny God has for us.
John 12:27 "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 "Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." 29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him." 30 Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. 31 "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
God robed Himself in flesh and became a man in order to restore the spirit to Spirit connection with man. Jesus had walked 3 ½ years and now the time to fulfill the purpose of God had come. Yes, it was time to fulfill Jesus going to the cross. Jesus' soul was not excited about going to the cross; His soul was troubled but He still knew it was His destiny. Jesus Himself is declaring the judgment of the world was getting ready to be put upon Him. Jesus being lifted up in judgment was the avenue to bridge reconciliation to God.
John 3:14 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Like the serpent of the old testament being lifted up so the Son of Man was to be lifted up on the cross. All who will look upon the crucified one would be saved. Those who put their faith in the crucified one will be save and not condemned. What you think of Jesus Christ determines your destiny. Every believer has been called for the object of their faith to be exclusively in Jesus Christ and in no other.
Luke 12:50 "But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!
Jesus' baptism was that of suffering, not just the torture of the beating, mocking and hanging on the cross. Jesus faced the sin, the shame, the guilt, the condemnation, and the punishment of God poured out upon Him.
Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" 14 So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
Jesus blessed Peter at the declaration that Jesus is the Messiah. The whole church is built upon the confession of who Jesus is! What you believe about Jesus determines your destiny. When you walk in the revelation who Jesus is there is an authority you can walk in also. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Jesus is sharing the secrets of the kingdom with us.
Matthew 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" 23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Jesus rebukes Peter for not having in mind the things of the kingdom. Peter starts by rebuking Jesus for foretelling His own death and resurrection. Peter could not imagine Jesus being killed; after all, Peter has placed all his hope and dreams on Jesus living and coming to power in His kingdom. Jesus teaches the disciples, and us, to take up our cross and follow Him! This goes to the heart of genuine salvation.
Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
What powerful words. Oh that our boast would be exclusively in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the cross be my glory ever…
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
That our heart would be fixed upon the crucified One. I have been crucified with Christ… oh, the love of God.
Jesus is the faithful God
God is good all the time!
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