Bearing Your Cross

“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.” Matthew 16:24

 

“Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23

 

“And when He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Mark 8:34

 

Who is Jesus?

 

Jesus is the Son of God, born of a virgin birth, He lived nearly 2,000 years ago in Israel, preaching the gospel and providing a means for all mankind to find Salvation by believing into Him and repenting of their sins before a just and holy God.

 

Jesus was He who created the heavens and the earth. He is the one whom was convicted to death by the Jews, carried out by the Romans. He died on the cross, guiltless, yet for us, for our sins. For anyone who would choose to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, He will be just that and more, a friend to those in need.

 

Jesus is the One whom rose from the dead, after having been put into a tomb, sealed and guarded by Roman soldiers. It is He who now sits on the right hand of God, waiting patiently for the time of the Gentiles to be fulfilled. It is also He who is going to come back at any moment and rescue all of His people from the earth, prior to the time of Jacob’s trouble, also known as the Great Tribulation.

 

Jesus will also be the one who will come in the clouds, with the host of saints with Him to finally return and be seen by those who are Israeli’s, Jewish, Hebrews, them who are God’s chosen people, where they will mourn for having slain Him, as He returns to Mount Olivet, yet He in His mercy will be gracious and a new heart will be given to those who are God’s chosen people.

 

Jesus is my Savior and without Him I would be lost and doomed to an eternity in hell. Likewise, you dear reader would also. Grab a bible, we are going to look at all of the verses that make up the above statement. Then, dear reader, might you understand why you indeed have a need for Salvation, and that those of you who are Saved might understand why they are to pick up their cross daily and continue on.

 

Facts:

 

Jesus — Son of God

 

“And behold a voice out of heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17

 

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

 

“Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And 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.” Matthew 16:16-17

 

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.” 1st Timothy 3:16

 

Jesus — born of a virgin

 

“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

 

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was in this way: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child from the Holy Spirit. But Joseph her husband, being just, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he was pondering these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins. So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which is translated, God with us. Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.” Matthew 1:18-25

 

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, Hail, favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women! But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and contemplated what kind of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor from God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.” Luke 1:26-31

 

Jesus — Author of Salvation

 

“And having been found perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him…” Hebrews 5:9

 

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are being kept safe, if you hold fast that Word which I preached to you; unless you believe in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised the third day according to the Scriptures…” 1st Corinthians 15:1-4

 

…”that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9-10

 

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” Acts 3:19

 

Jesus said, “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3

 

Jesus — Creator

 

“For by Him all things were created that are in Heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:16

 

“All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” John 1:3

 

“Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the flying creatures of the heavens, and over the beasts, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:26

 

Jesus — death on the Cross

 

“Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; for there is no one to help. Many bulls have encircled Me; strong bulls of Bashan have surrounded Me. They have gaped at Me with their mouths, like a tearing and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all My bones are separated; My heart is like wax, it has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; and You have brought Me into the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked have enclosed Me. They have pierced My hands and My feet. I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them and cast lots for My clothing. But You, O Jehovah, be not far from Me; O My Strength, make haste to help Me!” Psalms 22:11-19

 

“He has been oppressed, and He was afflicted; yet He opens not His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before its shearers is mute, so He opens not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of My people He was stricken. And His grave was assigned with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.” Isaiah 53:7-9

 

“Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him! Pilate said to them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar! Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away. And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. And Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” John 19:14-19

 

“Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him vinegar mixed with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. And they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. And two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, You who destroys the temple and builds it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; He has no power to save Himself. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, I am the Son of God. Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, This Man calls for Elijah. And immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with vinegar and put it on a reed, and gave Him to drink. The rest said, Let be; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him. And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and were manifest to many. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God! And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jacob and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.” Matthew 27:32-56

 

Jesus — died for our sins

 

“Yet it pleased Jehovah to crush Him; to grieve Him; that He should give His soul as a sin-offering. He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the delight of Jehovah shall prosper in His hand.” Isaiah 53:10

 

…”who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.” 1st Peter 2:24

 

…” who was delivered up because of our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.” Romans 4:25

 

“For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit…” 1st Peter 3:18

 

Jesus — rose from the dead

 

“Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jacob, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. And very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb at sunrise. And they said among themselves, Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us? But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away; for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side; and they were afraid. But he said to them, Do not be afraid. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.” Mark 16:1-6

 

“Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone having been rolled away from the tomb. And they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. And, as they were terrified and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” Luke 24:1-7

 

…”and that He was buried, and that He was raised the third day according to the Scriptures…” 1st Corinthians 15:4

 

Jesus — tomb was guarded

 

“And on the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, After three days I will rise. Therefore, command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, that His disciples not come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, He has risen from the dead. So the last deception will be worse than the first. Pilate said to them, You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how. So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.” Matthew 27:62-66

 

Jesus — sitting at right hand of God

 

“So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was taken up into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.” Mark 16:19

 

…”which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies…” Ephesians 1:20

 

Time of Gentiles

 

“And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21:24

 

“For the Scripture says, Everyone believing on Him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich toward all who call upon Him. For everyone, whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:11-13

 

“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, that you not be wise within yourselves, that hardness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in.” Romans 11:25

 

Jesus — Rapture prior to God’s judgment

 

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1st Corinthians 15:51-52

 

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you sorrow not as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shouted command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together at the same time with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” 1st Thessalonians 4:13-17

 

…” looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…” Titus 2:13

 

“For as the lightning comes out of the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:27

 

“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and did not realize until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two will be in the field: one is taken and the other is left. Two will be grinding at the mill: one is taken and the other is left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord comes.” Matthew 24:37-42

 

“Because you have kept the Word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” Revelation of Jesus Christ 3:10

 

“time of Jacob’s trouble”, also known as the Great Tribulation

 

“Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” Jeremiah 30:7

 

“For then there will be great affliction, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Matthew 24:21

 

“And I said to him, Sir, you know. So he said to me, These are the ones coming out of great affliction, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Revelation of Jesus Christ 7:14

 

“And he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. And in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the grain offering to cease. And on a corner will be abominations that cause horror, even until the end. And that which was decreed shall be poured out on the desolate.” Daniel 9:27

 

“And at that time, Michael shall stand up, the great ruler who stands for the sons of your people. And there shall be a time of distress, such as has not been since there was a nation until that time. And at that time, your people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the Book. And many of those sleeping in the earth’s dust shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproach and everlasting abhorrence.” Daniel 12:1-2

 

Jesus — Second Coming

 

“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.” Revelation of Jesus Christ 1:7

 

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, without sin, unto salvation.” Hebrews 9:27-28

 

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.” Matthew 25:31

 

“For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his practice.” Matthew 16:27

 

“And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into Heaven, will so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into Heaven. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey.” Acts 1:10-12

 

“These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, elect, and faithful.” Revelation of Jesus Christ 17:14

 

“And immediately after the affliction of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, and then all the tribes of the earth will wail, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Matthew 24:29-30

 

Jesus — Israel restored, new heart

 

“And I will pour on the house of David, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and supplication. And they shall look on Me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they shall be bitter over Him, like the bitterness over the firstborn.” Zechariah 12:10

 

 

“And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” Romans 11:26-27

 

“Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the Covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He comes, says Jehovah of Hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who will stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap. And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi and purge them like gold and like silver, that they may draw near to Jehovah with an offering in righteousness.” Malachi 3:1-3

 

 

“For, behold, in those days and in that time, when I bring back again the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on account of My people and My possession, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and divided up My land.” Joel 3:1-2

 

“I will also give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

 

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says Jehovah, I will put My Law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Jeremiah 31:33

 

Bearing Your Cross

 

Believers must bear their cross, as we are dead to self and we now live for Christ. Therefore we do the things which please Him. The flesh is contrary to the Spirit, but we are to walk in the Spirit, therefore bearing our cross daily.

 

“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 the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

 

“And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” John 8:29

 

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” Galatians 5:16-17

 

“For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Romans 8:5

 

What About You?

 

What about you dear reader? The time is coming, very soon, where you will have to make a choice of whether or not you are going to serve your Creator through Jesus Christ or whether or not you are going to die in your sin. You can not skirt the issue for surely if you are not in Christ, you will be cast into hell for eternity. You might scoff that there is no God or you might consider yourself to be religious and serve some other god, not the God of the bible. But the God of the bible, the true and living God, has given you His Word and with it the way of life can be found. Will you seek that Way before it is too late?

 

“If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you Heavenly things? No one has ascended to Heaven but He who came down from Heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in Heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that everyone believing into Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone believing into Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. The one believing into Him is not judged; but the one not believing is judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.   And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But the one doing the truth comes to the Light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been worked in God.” John 3:12-21

 

“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? For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his practice.” Matthew 16:26-27

 

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of Me will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or suffers loss? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His glory, and that of His Father, and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:24-26

 

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:35-38