Mailing # 71 The True Meaning of The Cross Chapter 2 Part 8 (Word to the Church)
3. God’s answer to our continued sinning (frame on p. 114) and to our Full Salvation is – OUR CROSS! If we should in truth consider the Word of God (ex. Mt. 16:24,25// Mk. 8:34,35; 10:17,21// Lk. 9:23,24// Jn. 12:25,26) then we would have to make the following conclusion as truth:
ON THE CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST WE DIED IN HIM WITHOUT OUR CONSCIENCE AND WITHOUT THE DECISION OF OUR FREE WILL AND FAITH. IT WAS THE WILL OF GOD.
BY BELIEVING IN CHRIST, WE RECEIVE THE FORGIVENESS FOR OUR SINS AND RECONSILIATION TO GOD. BY OUR WATER BAPTISM, WE AGREE WITH OUR DEATH IN CHRIST AS WILLED BY GOD, AND ARE ALSO WILLING TO DIE TO OUR OLD NATURE, OLD LIFE ON OUR CROSS. PAGANS REFUSE IT ALL!
ON OUR CROSS, WE CHOOSE TO DIE TO OURSELVES WITH OUR CONSCIOUS AND FREE WILL DECISION BASED ON OUR FAITH! GOD ACCEPTS OUR SACRIFICE WITH A TRUE PLEASURE AND HIS WILL AND OUR WILL ARE BEING UNITED.
OUR CROSS REVEALS OUR HEART AND WHAT IS IN IT, WHAT IT IS ABLE OR UNABLE TO DO, WHAT IT LOVES AND WHAT IT HATES! IT WILL BRING THE DEATH TO OUR SINFUL NATURE. CARNAL CHRISTIANS REFUSE IT ALL!
OUR CROSS IS OUR NARROW ROAD WHERE WE TAKE THOSE DECISIONS WE DO NOT LIKE TO TAKE, AND DO THOSE THINGS WE WOULD NOT AND COULD NOT DO IN OUR OLD NATURE.
In the above verses, Our Lord tells us plainly this fact: IF anyone of us desires to follow Him and inherit the Life Eternal, he must choose with his free will and faith to deny himself and take up his cross and follow Him. (Mt. 16:24,25) These are direct WORDS OF OUR LORD, WHICH I HAVE NEVER HEARD PREACHED OR EXPLAINED TO ME IN ANY TRUE AND LIVING WAY! So, if we do not take our cross and deny ourselves, we cannot and will not follow the Lord! True?
How can we then end up at the same place where He is going? Can you tell me? (1Pet. 2:21) And if we do not go where the Lord is going, then where on earth are we going? Did the Lord give us another destination? In fact, He did: outer darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth… somewhat different from the Kingdom of Heaven. (Mt. 8:12; 13:41,42,50; 22:11-14; 24:50,51, etc.) If we desire by our free will and conscience to be resurrected and receive the Life Eternal – then we must by the same free will and conscience decide to die first! True? No living man was ever resurrected. Listen, please, without any prejudice…
We cannot possess and live two lives simultaneously – one Divine and Holy and one sinful and filthy. True? Our old sinful and filthy life will not be taken from us by force or without our conscious consent. EVEN OUR PHYSICAL DEATH WILL NOT TAKE THE OLD SINFUL AND FILTHY LIFE OF OUR SOUL AWAY FROM US! If you can’t believe this fact, please, continue reading.
At the Rapture of the Church, Apostle Paul talks about our body, flesh and blood, and not about our soul! He talks about how “…this mortal must put on immortality.” (1Cor. 15:50,53) THIS IS OUR BODY. Our soul (sinful soul is called a worm by the Lord) cannot die, cannot put on immortality because our soul is immortal! (Mk. 9:41-44,46,48) So, at your resurrection, at your rapture YOU MIGHT HAVE YOUR IMMORTAL BODY – AND A FILTHY SOUL! Is it possible? Well, have you never read or heard the words of Our Lord saying: “…for the hour is coming, in the which ALL that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good (the Will of their Father), unto the resurrection of Life; and they that have done evil (their own will, iniquities), unto THE RESURRECTION OF DAMNATION.”? (Jn. 5:28,29)
Is it not clear from this Word of God that man may be damned with his resurrected and immortal body? Pagans will also be resurrected with an immortal body, otherwise, they could not suffer eternally in the lake of fire! (Rev. 20:10,15) Do you believe this?
Let me share with you another truth. Redeemed people have the Tree of Life in their spirit and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in their soul! Most of them keep eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thereby increasing their spiritual death – separation from the Tree of Life. They never eat from the Tree of Life, which is the Lord Himself. (Jn. 14:6; 5:39-40) And at least some of them try to eat from both these trees at the same time! They probably never read or understood Gen. 3:22-24. The simple conclusion is: choose one tree and with it you will choose your future life or future death.
Before I conclude this point, I must declare to all the believers in Christ Jesus that “he that does not take his (own) cross and follows after Me (Christ)IS NOT WORTHY OF ME.” (Mt. 10:38)
If we refuse to take our own cross and follow Him, His Spirit, His Word, then we do not deserve Christ and to be with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven or in the New Jerusalem. This is not brother Hanola speaking, it is Christ the Lord speaking to us all with His own mouth!
Can you truly meditate on the above facts at least for your own sake? The Lord is able to confirm His Word in your own heart, conscience and spirit… if you are willing to hear and follow that truth.
4. There is absolutely no one who will enter the New Jerusalem who never died on his cross, which also means, never followed the Lord! Because “there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie; but they which (have overcome and) are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Rev. 21: 27)
EVERYTHING in our old creation, old nature is defiled and is an abomination and is false and a lie and there is no holiness or truth in it. Everyone who dies on his cross is also called “Overcomer”. It is a clear principle of God that EVERY ONE MUST OVERCOME. THE LORD HAS GIVEN PROMISES ONLY TO THOSE THAT OVERCOME. (Rev. 2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12, 21, the only promise to non-Overcomers is in Rev. 2:11 and 3:5)
THOSE THAT WILL KEEP REFUSING TO OVERCOME SHALL BE BLOTTED OUT OF THE BOOK OF LIFE and shall not enter into the New Jerusalem – because BY THEIR OWN WILL THEY REFUSED TO DO THE WILL OF THEIR FATHER! (Rev. 21:7) It is a terribly bitter truth to us and to our old nature and all hell has been vehemently opposing it and covering it! However, every believer has his specific overcoming to do and his specific narrow way to take. Even the hearts, which are “good ground” bring different harvests. (Mt. 13:8) And with some believers, the Lord shortens their overcoming by not putting on them other burdens and tells them:
“But that which ye have already (overcome) hold fast till I come.” (Rev. 2:24b,25)
“Holding fast” is also a kind of overcoming, which is overcoming the forces that desire to take it from us. Is it not true? (Rev. 3:11) But every believer must carry his burden, overcome his self and walk the road set before him. This is the minimum condition set by the Father and all hell will vehemently try to keep the believer from fulfilling it.
The truth about losing one’s Salvation is a very real one and I believe that there are already believers today who have lost their Salvation or are “close to the edge”. They may not be easily recognized and they might not be aware of their own situation and destiny. It might be so because nobody tells them and nobody warns them. Shame on us!
This is a greater tragedy than the perishing of pagans because the latter end of such believers is worse than the beginning. They may be bringing more shame to the Lord and to His whole Church than pagans and because of such, “the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.” (2Pet. 2:1,2)
“But it has happened unto them according to the true proverb, THE DOG IS TURNED TO HIS OWN VOMIT AGAIN; AND THE SOW THAT WAS WASHED TO HER WALLOWING IN THE MIRE.” (2Pet. 2:22) The Lord compares such believers to dogs and swines! May the Lord have mercy on us all.
5. We must see, believe and realize that taking our cross and denying ourselves is not an optional way for us to survive! THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO SURVIVE!
You will either decide and ask God to destroy in you what God hates and condemned, or you decide to keep it and perish with it because it will be surely destroyed. No dead man has ever come back from the dead and told us where he ended up and whether he is in torment, or not. I now talk about believers. And even if someone would come up from the dead and tell us, we would still not believe him! (Lk. 16:22-31)
The reality is that people, in general, including multitudes of believers have no assurance where they are going even at their very last breath! They may have hope, human belief or a wish, but they may have no ASSURANCE from the Lord. And when they appear on the “other side”, it is too late to return to the earth or change their new “habitation” even though it is a temporary one and it will, again, change after the Last Judgment.
It seems that the people who keep refusing to believe what God is telling them plainly in His Word and through His true servants and who keep closing their ears to hear and their heart to understand, are those that are “happily committing suicide”. God will not do anything more for the people who by their free will have decided not to listen, not to see, not to ponder, not to meditate, not to understand and not to believe.
His saving Grace is for those that believe, are open to His Word and willing to listen, ponder, meditate, admit and seek. They may be struggling, suffering, battling, under great pressures, even bleeding… BUT THE LORD WILL MAKE SURE THAT THEY ALL WILL MAKE IT TO THE KINGDOM – and will give them His Assurance abundantly. (2Pet. 1:10,11)
I thank the Lord for His Assurance. I know where I am going and that is not because of any qualities that may be in me. Not at all. But for the past 36 years, my heart has been continually open to Him, to His Word, to His Judgments, to His Ways and focused on Him. I not only study and preach His Word, not only believe His Word, I am being enabled to LIVE His Word. No man can live His Word in his old nature though he may know the Bible from cover to cover.
Apostle Paul said: “I die daily (to my old nature)” (1Cor. 15:31)
For him this was not a doctrine but his living experience. Similarly, I lay hold on the Divine Life of Christ as I fight the fight of faith and die to my old life – here a little and there a little. (1Tim. 6:12,18,19// Pr. 3:13,18// Is. 28:10) This is the principle that applied to brother Paul and it applies to all of us also who walk on the same narrow way. If it was not so, I could in no way write a book such as this one. It would be absolutely impossible. So I have a living testimony with the Lord and also fruit with many brethren. And that is also a part of my true Assurance.
What assurance do you have? Has it any value? Have you ever pondered this question? When you travel abroad, you should have your passport and visa but for this most important travel of your life, you may not have a valid visa that you assumed you had. What if you end-up in a wrong place with no chance to return and try again because this “travel” will only be one way? And the “wrong place” may not be the lake of fire and brimstone as the eternal damnation, yet, it could be a place of darkness and torment and weeping.
If you do have the Assurance (the visa) from the Lord, Praise the Lord. If not, do you desire one? If so, keep reading, pondering, meditating and realizing that this book is not a theological study guide. It is a living part of my heart, it contains living experiences with my Lord and with many brethren. It is practical and through it the Lord might help you on your way.
6. It does indeed take a superhuman effort to achieve the Full Salvation of our SOUL, which is the end of our faith. (1Pet. 1:9) Our effort alone will not do it. The Lord in His Love, Grace and Wisdom always prepares the right conditions for our success and contributes His Power. With His Power our own effort will always become superhuman.
First, it takes your willingness to make such an important decision, not in your thoughts but definitely in your heart. The thoughts in your mind have little power, but a decision in your heart will bring your willingness into movement and fruition.
Second, it takes your heart to believe that THE LORD WILL DO IN YOU WHAT YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY DO. You ask and He gives. You seek and He brings you to it. You knock and He will open the door for you – because He knocked and you opened the door to Him.
Third, read His Word and ask Him to open your inner, spiritual eye, ear and understanding (Lk. 24:45). Let us remember that without Him we will do nothing and without us and our cooperation, He will do nothing. (2Cor. 6:1)
GOD DOES NOT NEED OUR HELP,
GOD NEEDS OUR COOPERATION!
We must start going, moving. To start moving generates the greatest resistance. Once you move, the resistance will greatly diminish, every engineer will tell you that, including myself. And though it will always be our heart, which will devise our way, the Lord will always direct our steps! (Pr. 16:9// Ps. 32:8,9) Otherwise, we would continue on the way to our self-destruction, to our suicide – and not be aware of it! This Word assures us that we will always reach the right destination. But the Lord cannot direct anyone who is not moving, just as you cannot steer any car, which is not moving. So let us start moving, believers, who do not move – in the Name and the Power of Our Lord!
Once the Word of God gets into our heart, we are able to believe It. And once we believe It, It shall begin to release the Life of Christ into our heart, because His Word is living and powerful. (Heb. 4:12) That, which lives has the power to overcome and take out that, which is dead. True? What is also true and we must discover it on our own skin is the fact that to believe in something, which may seem impossible, is rather hard and at times protracted spiritual work.
When the Holy Spirit comes to live in your spirit and heart, He will guide you into all truth (Jn. 16:13), lead you to your overcoming, enable you to overcome, comfort you whenever the need comes and, finally, give you the true Assurance. Do you believe this? That is all you need at this time – to believe and never doubt God, His Word, His Faithfulness and His Power.
7. The Cross is a spiritual Principle, it is a Law, which was established by the Counsels of God before the foundation of this world. In these Counsels of God, Our Lord was crucified (and we in Him) already before the foundations of this world. (Rev. 13:8) This Principle and Law was applicable not only to Our Lord but to all of us who were placed into Him by God Our Father.
Just as there is the LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE, so there is the LAW OF SIN AND DEATH. (Rom. 8:2)
THE CROSS DESTROYED THE LAW OF SIN.
THE SPIRIT DESTROYED THE LAW OF DEATH.
These Laws are not unlike the laws of nature. Every man knows that he cannot defy or neglect the law of gravity. It exists and affects him whether HE believes it, or not, whether he likes it, or not. Man has no choice. Have you ever tried to neglect the law of gravity? If not, then do not neglect the Law of Sin and Death, either.
If believers would view and believe these Laws of Sin and Cross, Death and Life as something not only existing but immutable, unchangeable, affecting their lives and also determining their destiny, it might finally move their hearts to search and find out under which Law they are currently living their earthly lives. If you do not know whether you spiritually live or are dead, then the Lord can send someone who knows and could tell you.
Before we conclude this highly important point, vital for us in every way, let us see how the Lord presented to us this Principle, this Law of the Cross at the very beginning of mankind. God presents to us two people, two believers, one accepted the Cross, the other one rejected It. Every believer knows the story, but not every one might see what God is truly showing us. Let us, therefore, look once more at the very core of this story of Cain and Abel and repeat the following facts from the viewpoint of the Cross.
Abel made an altar, which typified the Cross, and he offered to God a lamb, which represented his own life and also the future Lamb of God! Abel thereby satisfied the Law of Sin and the Cross. Therefore, Abel was accepted and blessed.
Cain also made an altar, which also typified the Cross, but he did not put on the Cross his own life. He offered the best that his OWN LIFE produced thus preserving the Sin in himself! God rejected his offering since the Law of Sin and of the Cross was not satisfied and the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ was nullified! Hence, Cain was rejected and he was cursed! Then Cain killed Abel his brother. (Gen. 4:3-11) So, the curse in him showed itself immediately in this great sin.
What kind of deep and terrible truth is the Lord showing us from the very beginning of mankind? He is showing us that all the believers will be divided into two kinds of “brothers”. One kind will accept their cross and offer their own selves, own lives to God. He will accept their offering with pleasure and will bless them and (slowly, progressively) replace their old, natural, sinful life with His Divine Life. The other kind will refuse their cross and instead of their own selves, they will try to offer to God the best that THEIR OLD SINFUL NATURE has produced! God will reject their offering and instead of being blessed, they shall be cursed.
I have a strong intuition in my spirit to declare at this place the following truth and spiritual fact concerning the curse:
BORN-AGAIN BELIEVERS MAY BE CURSED! (Jer. 17:5; 48:10 // 1Cor. 16:22, etc.) Please note that the Old Testament references also apply to the New Testament believers in the spiritual sense.
This is another bitter truth, which we must not neglect. Let us first pause at this very important truth and consider the following light from the Word of God. The Lord says through Jeremiah:
“Thus says the Lord: CURSED BE THE MAN that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm (strength), and whose HEART DEPARTS FROM THE LORD.” (Jer. 17:5)
Please, do not think or believe for one second that God here speaks to pagans and somehow excludes His chosen people of Israel and the future Church. The simple proof of this is that THE HEART OF PAGANS CANNOT DEPART FROM THE LORD SINCE IT WAS NEVER WITH THE LORD!
A born-again believer is righteous in his spirit because he believed, but he may have a wicked and deceitful heart and unrighteous thoughts. True? This born-again believer is asked by the Spirit TO RETURN UNTO THE LORD! (Is. 55:7) So, at some point, his heart DEPARTED FROM THE LORD AND HE STARTED TO TRUST MEN AND BECAME CURSED!
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To be continued next week in part 9
brother Hanola
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