Salvation !
Having looked at how God created everything perfect for us, how sin destroyed, how bad sin is and the reward of sin - we will now continue to look at the GOOD NEWS, so here comes point 187-220 of 342.
We ended last time with this:
186.
What a love.
What a great love.
How true it is that;
“God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that none that believes in Him should perish, but should have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
So let’s continue:
187.
You might say; “Man this is fantastic.
That Jesus would die for me a sinner.
What shall I do to be saved?”
188.
Well, we have spent some time to see the great Salvation work and the enormous love of God.
Now is the question, “How do I get saved?” and again, this is too important to try to answer in just a few sentences.
Salvation
As we already understand from what Jesus did for us,
God our Saviour, “will have all men saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4)
190.
We really do not deserve it, but God is so fantastic and wants all of us to be saved.
191.
“This is wonderful”, you might say;
“So will then every one get saved?”
192.
Jesus was asked a question on the same theme when one said “unto Him; Lord, are there few that shall be saved?
And He said unto them; Strive with yourselves to enter in through the narrow gate. For many I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” (Luke 13:23-24)
193.
And further;
“Enter in through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there be, which go in thereat.
For narrow is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be, that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
194.
Now these people knew what a narrow gate was.
Maybe the wall was old and partly had collapsed, so there now only was a narrow gate left.
Maybe they could not build it wider.
There is a saying that there was a gate in Jerusalem that was so narrow that a camel could only get through it if all load was unloaded, and the camel went through it on its knees.
195.
So when Jesus says;
“Strive with yourselves to enter in through the narrow gate. For many I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able”
this does not at all imply that some cannot get through it.
196.
As I said, these persons knew what a narrow gate was.
All humans are about the same size, so if one person could get through it, everyone could. (Maybe if someone was very fat, maybe he needed to lose some weight first, but then he could get through it.)
So it cannot mean that one person can get through it and another cannot.
197.
But, if the gate is narrow enough, a person cannot get through it with a load, but must leave everything behind to get through.
Jesus has told us, that this is how narrow the gate is.
No one can get through it without leaving all load behind.
198.
But everyone can choose to leave everything and follow Jesus and “Give All the Heart”, and then they are through the narrow gate.
199.
And God our Saviour, “will have all men saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4)
200.
But not everyone wants to leave everything and “Give All the Heart” and follow Jesus.
And the person that is not willing to leave everything and “Give All the Heart” and follow Jesus, “shall not be able” to get through the narrow gate.
201.
And that it has to be a full commitment is obvious.
If you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, or a husband or a wife, you do expect them to give 100% to you.
No one would accept that their husband / wife / boyfriend / girlfriend spent 29 days a month with them and then 1 day with another partner.
It has to be a 100% commitment.
Both have to “Give All the Heart” to each other. Otherwise the relation will not last long.
202.
And we have seen that Jesus has already given 100%.
Yes, what He has given to us is so much more than we could ever give to Him.
203.
For us to then “Give All the Heart” to Him, is a very small thing.
That is the very least we can do, and nothing else will do.
204.
You might say, “Yes, I understand the logic, but is it in the Bible?”
205.
Of course.
Let’s look at what the Bible says.
206.
“There went a great company with Him, and He turned and said unto them;
If a man comes to Me, and does not hate his father and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, moreover and his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
And whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:25-27)
207.
“Which of you is he that is disposed to build a tower, and sits not down before and counts the cost, whether he has sufficient to perform it?
Lest after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to perform it, all that behold it, begin to mock him saying; This man began to build, and was not able to make an end.
Or what king goes to make battle against another king, and sits not down first, and casts in his mind, whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that comes against him with twenty thousand, or else while the other is yet a great way off, he will send ambassadors, and desire peace.
So likewise, none of you, that does not forsake all that he has, can be My disciple.” (Luke 14:28-33)
208.
Here we see that Jesus points out that “whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
209.
This was in Roman times.
Everyone had probably seen people carry their cross, and that was the last thing they did, for they carried their cross to the crucifixion place, and carried it to die.
210.
Jesus tells us, that in order to be able to follow Him we have to be prepared to die for Him every day.
He died for us.
Of course, we have to be ready to die for Him.
And over the years, many Christians have.
211.
Jesus is also telling us not to take this decision lightly when saying;
“Which of you is he that is disposed to build a tower, and sits not down before and counts the cost, whether he has sufficient to perform it?
Lest after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to perform it, all that behold it, begin to mock him saying; This man began to build, and was not able to make an end.
Or what king goes to make battle against another king, and sits not down first, and casts in his mind, whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that comes against him with twenty thousand, or else while the other is yet a great way off, he will send ambassadors, and desire peace.”
212.
And then points out;
“So likewise, none of you, that does not forsake all that he has, can be My disciple.”
Jesus is pointing out that unless we forsake all that we have – we cannot be His disciples.
Cannot.
213.
So the message is clear. We have to be ready to die for Jesus every day and we have to forsake all that we have.
And again, to “Give All the Heart” is the obvious thing to do, so this is not to ask anything big at all.
214.
And Jesus is not only saying it here, so let’s look at some more examples;
“He that loves his father, or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me.
And he that loves his son, or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me.
And he that does not take his cross and follow Me, is not worthy of Me.
He that finds his life, shall lose it, and he that loses his life for My sake, shall find it.” (Matthew 10:37-39)
215.
And again;
“Jesus then said to His disciples; If any man will follow Me,
let him forsake himself, and take his cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)
216.
And here Jesus is telling us of the necessity to stand up for Him,
even if it would cost us our lives, when saying;
“What I tell you in darkness, that speak you in light. And what you hear in the ear, that preach you on the house tops.
And fear you not them which kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul.
But rather fear Him, which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:27-28)
217.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And none of them does fall on the ground, without your Father.
And now are all the hairs of your head numbered.
Fear you not therefore, you are of more value, than many sparrows.
Whosoever therefore knowledges Me before men, him will I knowledge before My Father in heaven.
But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:29-33)
218.
And again;
“And He said to them all; If any man will come after Me,
let him deny himself, and take his cross on him daily, and follow Me.
Whosoever will save his life, shall lose it.
And whosoever shall lose his life, for My sake, the same shall save it.” (Luke 9:23-24)
219.
“For what shall it advantage a man, to win the whole world, if he loses himself, or damages himself?
For whosoever is ashamed of Me, and of My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He comes in His own glory, and in the glory of His Father, and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:25-26)
220.
As we see – Jesus says: “daily”, when He says;
“let him deny himself, and take his cross on him daily, and follow Me.”
This is a daily thing.
Every day we need to deny ourselves and take up our crosses, and follow Him who died that we might live.
Stay tuned for point 221-342.
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