Philippians 2:5-11; “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (ESV – all emphasis mine)
Verse 8 states He was obedient to the point of death on a cross. Jesus willingly took our sins to that cross (John 10:18), and the righteous, sinless blood He shed was pure enough that just one drop would have covered all the sins of the world; past, present and future. Of course, He shed nearly every ounce of blood that was in Him. He endured a most horrible and painful death so that you and I could be gifted with a pure pathway to be with Him forever in Paradise.
And, as Paul Harvey used to say, “Now for the rest of the story.” There is a catch to all of this. Jesus willingly provided the “gift,” and we must receive and accept it. We must confess that we are sinners, as given in Romans 3:10 and Romans 3:23, and also in Romans 6:23. Those who believe they aren’t sinners need to read these verses several times. The absolute fact is there was only one person who walked this earth that never once sinned during His lifetime here. Had Jesus sinned just once, His sacrifice for us would have been null and void. We must have faith and believe that Jesus is the Son of God and is the only way that we can ever have a place in Heaven.
The Heavenly Father is absolutely loving and generous, but He demands perfection for any sacrifice to pay for our sins. Jesus was that perfection needed. His blood reached back to the beginning of creation and will stretch to the end of the Millennial Regin of Our Savior. All sacrifices prior to His death, burial and resurrection were temporary to show submission to God’s will. From Calvary to the end of this earth, no other sacrifice than that of our Savior can begin to come close to cover any sin, large or small.
Hebrews 10:4, 11-12; “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins…. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.”
Jesus took our sins to that horrible cross, and all He asks in return is for us to receive and accept His gift. The obvious question would be, are you willing to call out to Him, ask His forgiveness for your sins, and ask Him to come into your heart as your Shepherd and King? Please remember that there are no “works” you could ever do to “buy” this gift. There are no special ceremonies or “jump through hoops” tactics to perform.
Your action is to follow the ABCs given above for your Salvation. A – admit you’re a sinner and confess this to the Lord; B – Believe Jesus is the true Son of God and therefore is God Himself (John 10:30), and that He did die and was raised from the grave to conquer sin and death for us; and finally, C – Call on the name of the Lord, and you will be saved (Romans 10:9-13).
You will be at the beginning of a very special relationship that will last forever. Jesus Himself will prepare a place for all who have faith and believe in Him (John 14:1-3). And there is no other pathway available, no matter what false prophets are proclaiming in today’s pulpits. John 14:6 is very specific; “Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me.”
Therefore, are you willing to “Take the Name of Jesus with You”? Please consider the words of a hymn by that title from Lydia O. Baxter, released in 1870.
1.) Take the name of Jesus with you, child of sorrow and of woe. It will joy and comfort give you; take it then where ‘ere you go.
Ref) Precious name, Oh how sweet. Hope of earth and joy of Heaven. Precious name, Oh how sweet; hope of earth and joy of Heaven.
2.) Take the name of Jesus ever, as a shield from every snare. If temptations ’round you gather, breathe that Holy name in prayer.
3.) Oh the precious name of Jesus; how it thrills our souls with joy. When His loving arms receive us, and His songs our tongues employ.
4.) At the name of Jesus bowing, falling prostrate at His feet. King of Kings in Heaven we’ll crown Him, when our journey is complete.
With all this in mind, there is only one other alternative. That would be to reject the gift and believe Satan’s lies that there are many ways to Heaven other than having Jesus as your Savior. The outcome of this is given in Revelation 19:20, the final destination of the antichrist and false prophet; Revelation 20:10, the final destination of Satan; and Revelation 20:11-15, the final destination for all who rejected the Savior’s sacrifice and refused to call on Him to be saved.
The choice of your final destination is completely up to each and every individual. No one else can choose eternity for another, and God will not force anyone to accept eternity with Him. Those who choose Jesus and “Take His Name,” just as a bride takes the name of a bridegroom, will have a forever home with Him.
Seems like a “no-brainer,” yet the atmosphere in the world today is that a lot of folks are choosing Satan and his lies over the Savior. Please don’t be one of them! Right now would not be too early to call on Him as He could be coming to “gather His flock” soon. This will be the Rapture, which will keep God’s promise to keep all true believers from the coming Wrath. We don’t know exactly when, but all the signs of the end of this age are here right now. It could be at any minute.
Hope to see you at Home!