Living Faithfully to the End

Living Faithfully to the End. Jesus Christ gave us the perfect living example to keep going through difficult seasons and hardship and not to give up but to continue until the end.

At times we have our greatest breakthrough and growth during these times of great challenge which causes our character to grow while bringing us to a greater dependence on God Christ demonstrated this many times and at the end by carrying His cross. Mark15.16 Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison.

17 And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns , put it on His head, 18 and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

19Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him.

20And when they had mocked Him , they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.]

The cruel act of Roman scourging caused a severe loss of blood and strength, which would have greatly affected Christ and His ability to carry the crossbeam.

This solid wooden beam was very heavy and is estimated to have weighed around 30–45 kg.

After the brutal beating, the soldiers placed it on Him as He was led toward Golgotha to be crucified. Luke 23.26 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.

27And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. 28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “ Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me , but weep for yourselves and for your children.

29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “ Fall on us!”

and to the hills, “Cover us!”

’ 31 For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”] What is the Lord Saying “For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”The picture Christ gives is very descriptive Green wood is living wood. It is not ready for burning. It still has life and moisture in it. It points to Christ Himself —

the sinless one, the giver of life, full of righteousness, the living tree Dry wood is the opposite. It is lifeless, dried out, ready only for burning. It represents fallen humanity and a world hardened in sin, producing no fruit.

Or John the Baptiste tell us “Every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

So the Lord is saying something very serious: If such suffering and judgment can fall upon the innocent Son of God, the “green wood”, what will happen to those who remain spiritually dry and lifeless.

It was both a warning and a call to repentance.

Yet Christ did not fail .

He continued all the way to the cross and then to victory through the resurrection.

What looked like defeat to many became the greatest triumph.

Simon of Cyrene On the road to Golgotha Simon was minding his own business, however he was compelled by the Roman soldiers to carry the cross behind Jesus.

He was probably shocked to be caught up in the middle of the crucifixion.

He literally walked behind Christ carrying the crossbeam, not thinking in fact it was an honour to help Christ even for a moment in that suffering.

Sometimes for Us We could be getting on with our lives, everything is good. Then all of a sudden disaster strikes, things go wrong, we receive bad news.

It feels like the weight of the world has been put upon our shoulders.

However, we too today must not forget that we also have Christ there in front of us. We don’t have to be on our own.

He knows what we are going through, he knows suffering.

He is saying to us, keep going. Because I kept going. And if you keep going you like me you won’t fail.

The Lord wants us to pick up our cross and to continue to follow Him, this is an important part of the Christian walk.

“Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” Mark 8.34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

35For whoever desires to save his life will lose it , but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

36For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

37Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

38For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Living Faithfully to the End. If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

So the Christian life is not about pursuing our own will or life first.

It is about laying down our own desires so that God’s will becomes first in our lives.

This is very exciting as God has a path for us The word tells us “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Eph 2.10 We see this perfectly in Christ Himself.

Before the crucifixion He prayed in Garden of Gethsemane:

“Not My will, but Yours, be done. That shows the heart of His obedience. He walked the road to Calvary not seeking His own path, but the path the Father had given Him.

And because of this all the world has benefited.

So when believers deny themselves and follow Christ, they are in a sense walking the same pattern of life and then like Christ many may be affected.

Just like Jesus we too can become a living testimony for others.

For the testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy.. A Life of Victory. Yet the cross was not the end for Christ. The road to Calvary led to victory through the resurrection.

Because of that, following Christ is not a life of defeat or failure.

It becomes a life where His victory begins to shape us from the inside out.

As we crucify the old man.

As we put Him first, our lives become rooted in the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit, that overcoming Spirit. He shares with us these words of comfort in John 16:33, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” How to Live Faithfully to the End. 1. Put God’s Will First – Like Jesus Christ, seek the Father’s will above your own. “Not My will, but Yours, be done.”

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Luke 22:42 When God’s will becomes first, your life stays on the right path and you are drawn into a deeper relationship with Him. 2. Deny Yourself and Take Up Your Cross – Jesus taught us to live a surrendered life.

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

True life is found when we follow Christ rather than our own desires. 3. Remain Faithful Through Trials Difficult times do not mean failure. Endurance builds maturity and strength.

“He who endures to the end shall be saved.”

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Mat 24:13 4. Walk in the Victory of Christ. He carried the cross first for us first, let us also carry our cross and remember Christ has already overcome the world.

Our strength is in Him.

Romans 8.37 tells us “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” 5. Finish the Race Faithfully. Its not how you start your life, but how you finish. Aim to finish strong like Chirst demonstrated “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

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Tim 4:7 6. Don’t forget. Remember Christ everyday when you are struggling, how He struggled for us.

Just ask Him, He will come and help you by the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes you have to roll up your sleeves and get to work, praying on your face or knees and have a fervent prayer session that moves mountains.

Living Faithfully to the End.