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(Mark 8:34 - 38 KJV) And when he
had called the people unto him with his disciples
also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after
me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (35) For whosoever will
save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall
lose his life for my sake and the gospel's,
the same shall save it. (36) For
what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul?
(37) Or
what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (38) Whosoever therefore shall
be ashamed of me and of my words
in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him
also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh
in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
(Mat 10:34 - 42 KJV) Think not
that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to
send peace, but a sword.
(35) For
I am come to set a man at variance against his
father, and the daughter against her mother, and the
daughter in law against her mother in law. (36) And a man's foes shall be
they of his own household. (37) He
that loveth father or mother more
than me is
not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter
more than me is not worthy of me. (38) And he that taketh not his
cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. (39)
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and
he that loseth his life for my sake
shall find it. (40) He
that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that
receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. (41) He that receiveth a
prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a
prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous
man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a
righteous man's reward. (42) And
whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these
little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of
a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no
wise lose his reward.
We are to love the Lord our God more than any thing or any one. If you hold your life so dear, your hobbies, your work, your family or any thing in the end you will lose your life eternally.
(Mat 16:24 - 28 KJV) Then said
Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after
me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow
me. (25) For whosoever will save
his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his
life for my sake shall find it.
(26) For
what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole
world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man
give in exchange for his soul?
(27) For
the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father
with his angels; and then he shall reward every man
according to his works. (28) Verily
I say unto you, There be some standing here, which
shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of
man coming in his kingdom.
(John 12:24 - 26 KJV) Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall
into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it
die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
(25) He
that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth
his life in this world shall keep it unto life
eternal. (26) If any man serve me,
let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also
my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my
Father honour.
The first step toward
a daily following of Christ is the denying of self.
(Mark 10:21 KJV) Then Jesus
beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One
thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou
hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have
treasure in heaven: and come, take up the
cross, and follow me.
(Luke 9:23 KJV) And he said to
them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his
cross daily, and follow me.
(Luke 14:26 - 28 KJV) If any man come
to me, and hate not
his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and
brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my
disciple.
(27)
And whosoever doth
not bear his cross,
and come after me,
cannot
be my disciple.
(28)
For which of you,
intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first,
and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to
finish it?
(Luke 14:33 - 35 KJV) So likewise,
whosoever he be of you that
forsaketh not all that he hath, he
cannot be my disciple.
(34) Salt is good: but if
the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be
seasoned? (35)
It is neither fit
for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast
it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
*
We are told to deny self and forsake all to be a disciple of Jesus. Denying self requires one to give up anything that would hinder him from doing the will of God. Denying one's self one must forsake all bad habits and evil desires of the flesh and even one that may not be bad in them selfs. To deny self means your desires come last this is a conscious decision. You will need to put God and others first on a daily basis. The cross of Christ is the very end of self and all worldly thinks, the end of all man's wisdom. *
What did Christ
mean when He said that except a man take up his cross?
What does “the
cross” stand for?
The cross is an instrument of death. The cross stands for a life that is voluntarily surrendered to the will of God, a total sacrifice. We must give our whole life to Jesus, no matter what he may call use to do. All believers have a cross to bear, Your cross is God's will for you no matter what the cost. Your cross is not beyond your control it is your choice to take up your cross daily.
* *
(Luke 9:62 KJV) And Jesus said
unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow,
and looking back, is fit for the kingdom
of God.
(Luke 21:33 - 36
KJV) Heaven
and
earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass
away. (34) And take heed to
yourselves, lest at any time your
hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and
drunkenness, and cares of
this life, and so that day come upon you
unawares. (35) For as a snare shall it come on all them
that dwell on the face of the whole earth. (36) Watch ye therefore,
and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape
all these things that shall come to pass, and to
stand before the Son of man.
(2 John 1:8 - 9 KJV) Look to
yourselves, that we lose not those
things which we have wrought, but that we
receive a full reward.
Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth
not in the doctrine of Christ,
hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of
Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
Who then is a
faithful and wise Servant
(Mat 24:45 - 51KJV) Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his
household, to give them meat in due season? (46) Blessed is that
servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so
doing. (47) Verily I say unto you, That he shall make
him ruler over all his goods. (48) But and if that
evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord
delayeth his coming;
(49) And shall begin to smite his
fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the
drunken; (50) The lord of that
servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for
him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, (51) And shall
cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with
the hypocrites:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(Luke 12:43 - 48 KJV) Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. (44) Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. (45) But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; (46) The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. (47) And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. (48) But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
*
*
Jesus has appointed set those to rule over his sheep, Christian teachers and preachers. Leaders will receive rewords our punishment for how they treat the sheep. This message does not stop with leaders we all are responsible to be wise and faithful steward of what God has given us. We all are accountable for the knowledge, resources, abilities and etc. that God gives us. All believers are responsible for the word that we have heard. we are to be faithful, God is looking for faithfulness not your natural abilitys.Strait is
the gate, and narrow is the way,
leadeth unto life
(Mat 19:16 KJV) And, behold, one
came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing
shall I do, that I may have
eternal life?
(Mat 19:21 KJV) Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
*
Hear we have a rich young ruler that came to Jesus asking what good thing shall I do? We need to note that Jesus did not rebuke him or say he was wrong that there was something that he could do. Jesus said to him "if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments" Jesus said if you keep the commandments you shall live. Then Jesus listed several of the commandments that deal with our relationship with man, leaving out the commandments of our relationship with God.
*
Mar 10:21 Then Jesus
beholding him loved him, and said unto
him, One thing thou
lackest: go thy
way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and
give to the poor, and thou shalt have
treasure in heaven: and come, take up
the cross, and follow me.
*
Jesus told him there was one thing that he lacked, the man had made money his god, he trusted in riches not God. "Thou shalt have no other god before me"
*
Mat 19:22 But when the young man
heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had
great possessions.
(Mat 7:14 KJV) Because
strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth
unto life, and few there be that find it.
(Mat 7:16 KJV) Ye shall know
them by their fruits. Do men gather
grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
(Mat 7:21 KJV) Not every one
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is
in heaven.
Mat 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them,
*
Jesus said that not all that
profess Him as Lord shall enter the kingdom. That we
would know God's children by their fruits, are they
doing what Jesus said. We need to be doers of the Word,
for we read in Romans 2:13 "(For not the hearers of
the law are just before God, but the doers of the
law shall be justified."
*
(Mat 25:46 KJV)
And these shall go away into everlasting
punishment: but the
righteous into life eternal.
(Mat 5:27-30) Ye have heard that it was said
by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit
adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever
looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye
offend thee, pluck
it out,
and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee
that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into
hell.
And if thy right hand offend thee, cut
it off,
and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee
that one of thy members should perish, and not that
thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Jesus warns to take radical action against sin. We need to honor God with our thoughts, our motives and our attitudes. Jesus talked about all kinds of sin hear in Matthew, anger, lying, divorce, lust and so on. He explained it is not enough to keep the letter of the law but we need to keep the spirit of the law as well. We are called to follow Jesus and commit ourselves completely to Him in obedience and in our motives and our attitudes. We are to take radical action against sin, we must cast them from us. We are not at any time to make a truce with sin and evil passions. Jesus expects only real and practical obedience to His sayings.
**
(John 3:36 KJV) 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 3:19 - 21 KJV) And this is
the condemnation, that light is come into the world,
and men loved darkness
rather than light, because
their deeds were evil.
(20) For every one that doeth evil hateth the
light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved. (21) But he that doeth
truth cometh to
the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that
they are wrought in God.
(John 4:14 KJV) But whosoever
drinketh of
the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be
in him a well of water springing up into everlasting
life.
(John 5:24 KJV) Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth
my word, and believeth on
him that sent me, hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
(John 5:29 KJV) And shall
come forth; they that have done good,
unto the resurrection
of
life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection
of damnation.
(John 6:40 KJV) And this is
the will of him that sent me, that every one
which seeth the Son, and believeth on
him, may have everlasting
life: and I will raise him up at the
last day.
(John 8:12 KJV) Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
*
(Rom 2:6
- 8 KJV) Who will render to every man according to his deeds: (7) To them who by patient
continuance in well doing seek for
glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: (8) But unto them that are contentious, and
do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness,
indignation and wrath,
(Rom 6:22 - 23 KJV) But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
*
(Gal 6:8 KJV) For he that soweth to his flesh shall
of the flesh reap corruption;
but he that soweth
to
the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life
everlasting.
(1 Tim 6:12 KJV) Fight
the good fight of faith,
lay hold on
eternal life, whereunto thou art also
called, and hast professed a good profession before
many witnesses.
(1 Tim 6:19 KJV)
Laying up in store for themselves a good
foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
(Titus 1:2 KJV)
In hope of eternal life, which God, that
cannot lie, promised before the world began;
(Titus 3:7 - 8 KJV)
That being justified by his grace, we
should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal
life. This
is a faithful saying, and these things I will that
thou affirm constantly, that they which have
believed in God might be careful to maintain good
works. These things are good and profitable unto
men.
(1 John 2:23- 26
KJV)
Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath
not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son
hath the Father also. (24) Let
that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard
from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from
the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall
continue in the Son, and in the Father. (25) And this is the
promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. (26) These things have I
written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
(Jude 1:21 KJV)
Keep yourselves in
the love of God, looking for the
mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
(Rev 2:7 KJV)
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches; To him
that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of
life, which is in the
midst of the paradise of God.
(Rev 3:5 KJV)
He that overcometh, the
same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name
out of the book of life, but I will confess
his name before my Father, and before his angels.
(Rev 22:19 KJV) And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.
Luke 12:42-44 (KJV)
