The Key to Following Jesus

Jesus' death and resurrection is an event in history that changed many things culturally and religiously. In the cross we find the key to following Jesus.  #Biblestudy #Mark #WomensBibleStudy #GoodMorningGirls

Reading the Bible daily does not save us.

Praying daily does not save us.

Going to church does not save us.

Giving to the poor does not save us.

Faith in the blood shed by Christ on the cross, for our sins, is the ONLY thing that saves us.

The cross should be the center and focal point of a Christian’s life.

The cross is the key to following Jesus.

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45

Jesus came to give his life as a ransom and final sacrifice for our sins.

Let’s look at the death of Jesus on the cross in Mark 15 together:

24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews. 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.”Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

35 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”36 And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.”

37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.

38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

After Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last breath – Mark 15:38 tells us the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

Some facts about the temple curtain:

  • It was 60 feet high.
  • It was 4 inches thick.
  • It separated the Holy of Holies where God dwelt, from the rest of the temple.
  • Only the High Priest was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies once a year to make atonement for Israel’s sins.
  • It signified man separated from God because of our sin.

The temple curtain was thick like a carpet and torn from top to bottom making it impossible to have been torn by human hands.

God Almighty tore that curtain in two, giving us an “all access pass” to the very throne of God Almighty – maker of the heavens and the earth!

WOW!

The cross of Jesus has brought us into the very presence of God!

Everyday we can bow our knee in prayer through the name of Jesus and talk to our Heavenly Father – the King of Kings!

Jesus loves you!!!

We no longer need a priest – Jesus is our High Priest.

We no longer need a lamb – Jesus is the lamb.

We no longer need the shedding of blood – Jesus is the final sacrifice.

All our sins are forgiven because of His blood!

It is finished.

Paid in full!

Sweet victory in Jesus!

The key to following Jesus is the cross.

Jesus is our example of obedience and Jesus said in Mark 8:34: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

This is not an invitation to a party.  A call to take up the cross, is a call to come and die.  It is a call to deny all of our selfish desires and be willing to follow Jesus.

It's Friday but Sunday's Coming

It’s Friday…but Sunday’s coming!

Have a great day of Celebration this Sunday.

He is Risen!

And Because He lives…

I can face tomorrow!

Walk with the King,

Courtney

**Chime In**

How has the cross of Jesus changed your life?

For Further Reading
The GMG Leadership Team is Blogging Through the Bible Too! Visit their blogs here:

Becoming a Godly Wife – Bridget
Misty Leask – Misty
Rosilind Jukic – Rosilind
Worshipful Living – Mandy

What’s Next After Mark?

We will begin the Book of Deuteronomy on April 11th!  If you have never studied this book of the Bible before – now is the time!   Invite your friends and join us!

Order your journal NOW
to get it in time for the start of our study!

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13 Comments

  1. The Cross has totally changed my life. Yes, Jesus requires everything but He is the pearl of great price. Finding Him was finding everything I was looking for but didn’t know it. He is worth everything… and worthy of our all. What a King to pledge our allegiance to!

    I’ve wrote here how praying one promise of the cross a day transforms my day. I love this daily habit! http://arabahjoy.com/how-praying-the-promises-of-god-each-morning-transforms-my-day/

  2. Without the Cross of Jesus, I would be wandering lost on this Earth. I am so grateful to have grown up hearing the message of salvation each and every day. And I feel blessed that I will be able to worship both today – Good Friday – and Easter Sunday at my home church with my parents and siblings.

  3. I woke up, this morning, thanking Jesus for what this day represents. I thanked Him for being beaten, bruised and battered for an old sinner like me. I thanked Him for his precious blood that was shed for me and all mankind. I thanked Him for dying for me. He didn’t have to, but He did it because He loves us so much!! Thank you Jesus for your great sacrifice! I love you so much!

  4. Just wondering if you edited this imagine? I originally saw it on another blog. We should all be considerate and give credit where credit is due.

    1. Seriously? Courtney wasn’t taking credit for the saying in any way. It’s a beautiful saying that fit what she was talking about, so she forgot to give credit to whomever first said it. It wasn’t done with malice. We should all be concentrating on her message, not insignificant little details.

  5. I am forever greatful for the cross. I pray I can give God what he has given me. I pray that if there ever comes a time to where my life born my families life depends on if I am a Christian I will stand in courage and defend my Lord.

  6. I am blessed to have Christ in my life. He has changed me in so many ways. I pray for those who don’t see the beauty of Christ in their heart for that one day, they wake up to see and feel what we see in Christ. Then, they too, will be saved and made whole being connected to God.

  7. WOW!!!!! I finally was able to get in my quiet place and catch up on all my reading and all my GMG post and I’m sitting at my little table in the corner of my Starbucks SHOUTING !!!!!!! THANK YOU JESUS!!!!! Thank You Jesus for the Blood Thank you Jesus for saving us!!!! Courtney! I am so thankful for you and your willingness to except God’s call to help Women like me embrace God’s word and and understand God’s Word!!! And for helping us to be the Women that God called us to be!! I am overjoyed by Women living Well!!!this Morning I have met some awesome ladies and have encouraged a lot of ladies to join in!!! Ladies Enjoy Your Easter I am soooo looking forward to our journey of us studying and applying Gods word to our lives!!! Abundant Blessings to you all!!!

  8. The key to following Jesus is the cross.

    This is not an invitation to a party. A call to take up the cross, is a call to come and die. It is a call to deny all of our selfish desires and be willing to follow Jesus.

    Powerful, thank you for the post.

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