The Crucified Life

“Your dreams are about to come true." 

“Your breakthrough is on the way.” 

"The toughest times come just before the greatest blessings.” 

“God is getting ready to catapult you into greatness.”

Statements like those find their power by pulling on a person’s deep longing to be successful, wealthy, put-together, respected, and otherwise well-positioned in life. In fact, the Word “breakthrough” has become a Christian code word that means “The day I never have any more struggles.” We have sermons that give you steps to a better you and keys to success in this area or that area. It seems that every message you hear is about how your dreams are just within arm’s reach. But the reason we have so much preaching on climbing mountains is because we don’t have the faith or power to move mountains. And we lack faith and power to move mountains because we lack the preaching of the cross.

Sadly, many are promising a life without troubles, trials, sacrifice, or commitment. Honestly, that’s just contrary to what Jesus told us:

John 16:33

In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Sure, the blessings of God abound in the life of every believer. He prospers, provides for, protects, and loves His people. God does not despise the prayer request. God does not become angry with His child’s request for a blessing. God loves to bless His children. But one thing we should all remember is this: God’s cause takes precedence over the believer’s comfort.

Mark 8:34-35

34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.

Jesus spoke those challenging words just after prophesying His own death. His disciple Peter was resistant to the idea of Jesus giving His own life on the cross. The Lord rebuked Peter, saying, “Get away from me, Satan! You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

Get away from me Satan? Those harsh words exposed the source of Peter’s resistance to the cross. No, Peter was not possessed, as it’s well-established that Christians cannot be demon-possessed. 

But he was being influenced by Satanic thinking. Resistance to the cross is Satanic. Think of how the Devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Satan offered to Jesus a cross-less path to glory. Yet Jesus, filled with both the Word and the Spirit, overcame the temptation to deny the cross. He chose instead to deny Himself. 

A cross-less gospel is a Christ-less gospel. The gospel is not about self-improvement; it’s about self-abandonment. It’s not about our dreams; it’s about God’s will. We must stop trying to build what the Word of God has told us to crucify.

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The Crucified Life

“Your dreams are about to come true."

“Your breakthrough is on the way.”

"The toughest times come just before the greatest blessings.”

“God is getting ready to catapult you into greatness.”

Statements like those find their power by pulling on a person’s deep longing to be successful, wealthy, put-together, respected, and otherwise well-positioned in life. In fact, the Word “breakthrough” has become a Christian code word that means “The day I never have any more struggles.” We have sermons that give you steps to a better you and keys to success in this area or that area. It seems that every message you hear is about how your dreams are just within arm’s reach. But the reason we have so much preaching on climbing mountains is because we don’t have the faith or power to move mountains. And we lack faith and power because we lack the preaching of the cross.

Sadly, many are promising a life without troubles, trials, sacrifice, or commitment. Honestly, that’s just contrary to what Jesus told us:

John 16:33

In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Sure, the blessings of God abound in the life of every believer. He prospers, provides for, protects, and loves His people. God does not despise the prayer request. God does not become angry with His child’s request for a blessing. But one thing we should all remember is this: God’s cause takes precedence over the believer’s comfort. So let me just be real with you - many are deceived by a false gospel that requires nothing of them.

Mark 8:34-35

34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.

Jesus spoke those challenging words just after prophesying His own death. His disciple Peter was resistant to the idea of Jesus giving His own life on the cross. The Lord rebuked Peter, saying, “Get away from me, Satan! You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

Get away from me Satan? Those harsh words exposed the source of Peter’s resistance to the cross. Resistance to the cross is Satanic. Think of how the Devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Satan offered to Jesus a cross-less path to glory. Yet Jesus, filled with both the Word and the Spirit, overcame the temptation to deny the cross. He chose instead to deny Himself.

A cross-less gospel is a Christ-less gospel. The gospel is not about self-improvement; it’s about self-abandonment. It’s not about our dreams; it’s about God’s will. We must stop trying to build what the Word of God has told us to crucify.

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4 Benefits of the Blood of Jesus

There is power in the blood of Jesus. I believe it’s time for the Church to begin talking about the blood of Jesus once more and for the world to know what it is to be washed in the blood of Jesus.

The blood of Jesus is eternal. Within it is the very life of God. What is divine is full of purpose, and the blood of Jesus is no different. The precious blood of the Lamb, which was shed for the atonement of our sins, brings about more than just the cleansing of sins – though the cleansing of sins is magnificent all its own.

We can receive all of the benefits of the blood by faith, for faith is how we enter the New Covenant with God. Just as Abraham entered into a covenant with God by faith, so we also enter into a new covenant with God by faith.

Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” – Romans 4:1-3

1. The Blood Brings Protection

Christ is referred to as our Passover Lamb.

Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. – 1 Corinthians 5:7

The acknowledgment of the Passover finds its origins on the night when the angel of death visited the land of Egypt. Pharaoh stubbornly refused to release the Jewish people, God’s uniquely called nation, from slavery. Because of the stubbornness of Pharaoh, death came upon the first-born son of every household in Egypt.

However, God provided special protection for His people. God instructed the Israelites to place blood around the doors of their homes. When the angel of death saw the blood of the lamb, it would pass over the household, leaving the first born and everyone in the home unharmed.

Then Moses called all the elders of Israel together and said to them, “Go, pick out a lamb or young goat for each of your families, and slaughter the Passover animal. Drain the blood into a basin. Then take a bundle of hyssop branches and dip it into the blood. Brush the hyssop across the top and sides of the doorframes of your houses. And no one may go out through the door until morning. For the Lord will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptians. But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the Lord will pass over your home. He will not permit his death angel to enter your house and strike you down. – Exodus 12:21-23

The blood of Jesus brings about protection for you and your household. This doesn’t mean that nothing bad will ever happen to you. It simply means that nothing outside of God’s will can touch you when you walk in obedience.

The Children of Israel were instructed to remain in their homes – remain under the blood. So long as we remain under the blood, we have divine protection.

2. The Blood Brings Authority and Deliverance

And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. – Revelation 12:11

The “him” referred to in the verse above is Satan or “The Adversary”. We overcome him completely by the blood of the Lamb and our testimony. What does that mean? I like the way this man of God worded it:

“We overcome Satan when we testify personally to what the Word of God says [and to what] the blood of Jesus does for us.”
– Derek Prince

With His blood, Jesus purchased our authority and deliverance. The blood breaks addictions, breaks spiritual bondages, and subdues the work of the enemy. When we testify of the Word and of the blood, we exercise, by faith, our authority over and deliverance from demonic influence.

Everything the enemy does is reversed by the blood of Jesus.

3. The Blood Brings Healing

Of course, the blood of Jesus also purchased your healing.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. – Isaiah 53:5

In fact, forgiveness and healing are mentioned alongside one another.

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. – Psalm 103:2-3

The same Jesus Who forgives sins is the same Jesus Who heals diseases. Lay hold of this promise of healing by faith.

4. The Blood Brings Peace of Mind

When meditating upon the following verse, the Holy Spirit spoke something very powerful to me:

The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. – John 19:2

As we know, Jesus was given a crown of thorns. He bled upon His head. The soldiers were mocking the Lord, but they were actually doing something quite prophetic. While meditating on the Lord receiving the crown of thorns, the Holy Spirit drew my attention to this verse:

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6

Then the Holy Spirit spoke to me. He said, “You see, it was with the crown of thorns that Jesus was crowned the Prince of peace.”

The blood of Jesus brings us peace of mind, because it cleanses the conscience. It doesn’t just cleanse the sin; it cleanses the power of the memory of sin. It brings us peace with God.

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. – Romans 5:1

…how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? – Hebrews 9:14

If this teaching blessed you, would you consider helping us share it with others? Through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, we’re taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. You can support this work with a generous gift of any amount. Click here to give.

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