ENDURE THE CROSS

• DAY 108
• Faith File: THE COURAGE OF JESUS
• Scripture: Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 2:8-9

“looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:2 NKJV

Two days ago, we did a study titled Obedience Unto Death, and we talked about how the journey to the cross was difficult and challenging for Jesus. But He obeyed and put His desire aside. And although obeying God meant that He had to go through pain, be rejected and crucified, He chose to do the will of God. So if you missed that study, please click here to catch up, because today we’ll talk about the outcome of that obedience. 

You Are Joy

When I read our text for today, I asked myself what was the joy that was set before Jesus? Because this scripture tells us that He had His heart set on that and that gave Him the courage to endure the cross. So what was it? So I went to the word, because every question from the word is already answered in the word. Then I found this text;

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me (the Messiah), Because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent Me to announce release (pardon, forgiveness) to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy), to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the favor of God abound greatly].” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭AMP‬‬

The verse above tells us the reason Jesus came on the earth; to do the will of the Father. And the Father’s will was to save you and I. Repeatedly, Jesus stated that His goal on the earth was to do God’s will. He had His heart set on it. If this is true, that would mean that the joy which was set before Jesus was you. Your salvation, your redemption, your freedom, seeing you loose from the shackles of darkness. Everything Jesus did was to liberate us, even when He went against the status quo, he was focused on freeing us from the bondage of religion. It please Jesus to see you reunited with your Father.

But that was not the only thing I found.

A Promise For Obedience

“I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” - John‬ ‭17‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I’ve found that rarely (if at all) will God send anyone on an assignment without a promise. And because He doesn’t change, I believe Jesus’ case was no exception. I believe that the agreement was, “Son, if you lay down your life You will return to Your place of glory just like it was before You left.” So Jesus also looked forward to returning to the glory He relinquished when He took on flesh. Yet He didn’t focus on that as much because His heart was set on You.

Beloved, what was your agreement with God? I know the word agreement seems too formal out a tad inappropriate but it is infact that. When God sent you, He said if you obeyed He would do something, what’s that “thing?” because you’re going to need to put it before you to find the courage to pull through.

A Little Extra

Your salvation and His return to Glory was all the motivation needed. However, God is a little extra so He added something more.

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

He gave Him a bonus, a name that causes everything to bow and because of that name you and I have a weapon that defeats the e Amy and brings every power to its knees.

But let’s not forget that all these benefits came after the cross. Jesus set His eyes on it when He was rejected, accused, beaten, spat on, stripped naked and crucified. And you too will need something to focus on. Because Jesus said you have a cross to bear. We all do.

Your Cross

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].” -‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Enduring the cross is not something that’s only left for Jesus. It is the reality for every Christian. The cross may look like tribulations, trials and difficulties of life but it is primarily the place where your flesh dies. Where you trade all you are for all of God to be made manifest in and through you.

But don’t forget that with the cross on your shoulder your eyes needs to be on Jesus. When you lose your job, when you can’t seem to afford even 1 meal in a day; when that love of your life walks out on you, even when your friends betray you; through sickness and threats; when God seems silent and distant, when everything is working against you; you will not overcome if you don’t have a joy set before you. You will not endure the cross if you aren’t looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.

Jesus should be your joy. Yes, there is a material promise you will reap here on earth but nothing compares to the joy of having Jesus glorified in and through you.

So Pray

Dear Jesus, thank you for being my joy, and my exceeding great reward. I believe you for the grace to endure whatever form my cross will take. And I know that The grace of Christ is more than enough for me and I recieve that today. In Jesus name.

Shalom