Without the Cross..

A crown is a curse.
The cross is a bridge to glory
The cross is Conception awaiting the New Birth,

New Creation, New Life, Being Born Again.
Without the crucifixion, there will be no resurrection.
Without the sacrifice, there will be no remission, no justification,

no sanctification, no reconciliation, no peace with God or peace of God; no fellowship with God.
The Cross brought healing and health.
The cross is an indispensable process for our prosperity and victory.

Yes, it was gruesome, but it brought wholeness.
That was why “it pleased the Father to bruise Him. “
The Cross is a ladder, a step, to the throne.
The Cross is a prelude to reigning.
We suffer with Him as to reign with Him.
Little wonder the Master said, “If anyone wants to follow Me,

let him take up his cross and follow Me.

And whoever puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the Kingdom.
When I see the blood, I will pass over.
Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.

They overcame Him by the blood of the Lamb and

by the Word of their testimony, that they loved not their lives unto death.
Behold, the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world.

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection

He dramatised His crucifixion and resurrection
21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
Take Up the Cross and Follow Him
24 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.
25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matt16:2125

Isaiah saw it over 700 years ago before it happened

Isa52:14 Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men;

And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
9 And they made His grave with the wicked — But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.

It was the Father’s will and Pleasure

10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.

John-the Baptist acknowledged Him as the LAMB…

“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! John1:29

David not only echoed His very words on the Cross but gave us a graphic description of the crucifixion scene and what He suffered 100s of years before He came and died.

1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? 6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 “He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.
13 They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;
17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.
18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.
17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.
18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.
19 But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me!
20 Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog.
21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me.
Ps22:1

Even from the beginning the Father foreshadowed the cross

15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

The innocent animal that was killed to clothe Adam and Eve pointed to the Savior Who would be our substitute for a sin offering and salvation

21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. Gen3:15,21

Through His blood He purified us: made us acceptable

22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Heb9:22

The deliverance, protection and salvation of the Israelites in Egypt all pointed to Jesus that was to come

“…And when I see the blood, I will pass over you;…” Ex12:13

The scapegoat on whom the sin of the people was yearly confessed and sent away into the wilderness pointed to Jesus

8 Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat.
9 And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the LORD’s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering.
10 But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness. Lev16:8-10

©Fenny West

http://www.inspiration4generations.com