A Blood-Bought Kingdom

Solomon secured his kingdom by executing his rivals (see 1 Kings 2). The three enemies he had put to death were old enemies of his father King David. 

In a related way, Jesus also established His kingdom by bloodshed. But it wasn't someone else's blood that He shed, it was His own blood that He offered. 

Also, note the three enemies Solomon had put to death are in many ways symbolic of the flesh, the world, and the devil. Jesus gives us victory over these old enemies through the power of the cross. 

How to Remove Bitterness

After the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea they became thirsty in the wilderness. They found water at Marah but it was too bitter to drink. The people complained to Moses who prayed to God. The Lord showed Moses a tree and when Moses threw it into the water the water became sweet (Exodus 15:22-25). The tree is a type of the cross. God here is foreshadowing the power of the cross to remove bitterness.

It is certainly true that the cross removes bitterness from eternity. Jesus described the rich man in Luke 16 tormented in the flame longing for just a drop of water from the tip of Lazarus's finger. What a dramatic contrast to those who through the power of the cross enter the New Jerusalem where the water of life in a pure river, clear as crystal, proceeds from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1).

Not only does the cross remove bitterness from eternity, the cross also removes bitterness from this life. And since this event is after the Red Sea experince, a type of salvation, perhaps this is the best way to understand this passage. Life can get polluted with opinions, convictions, expectations, traditions, likes and dislikes. These impurities can rob us of joy when things don't go the way we want. The unpleasant result is bitterness. The solution is the cross where we die to our values, persuasions, comfort, and sense of right and wrong. 

Are you cross-eyed?

Place the cross between you and every frustration. Don't focus on the problem, focus on your cross. As you become "cross-eyed" life's bitterness passes and life becomes sweet again. 

The cross of Jesus Christ is two-sided. One side is for Jesus and the other is for His followers. Jesus died to take away our bitterness and give us a sweet eternity. We also must die on the cross in order to overcome life's bitterness and enjoy a sweet life now.

Will You Take Up Your Cross Today?

Following Jesus is not for everyone. All are welcome, but few are willing to make the necessary sacrifice. Jesus carried a cross and all genuine Christ-followers must do the same. 

Jesus said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). What exactly is the cross? 

1. THE CROSS IS VOLUNTARY: The cross is not when something bad happens to you (sickness, unemployment, etc). The cross is when you choose of your own free will to die to something. There is nothing passive about the cross, it is an active choice. 
2. THE CROSS IS PERSONAL: Each disciple must take up "his cross." What God is asking of you and me is different. We each have our own struggles and temptations to moritify. 
3. THE CROSS IS DAILY: How much easier Christianity would be if we only had to die to self once; but, following Jesus is a daily, moment by moment reality. Jesus said we have to voluntarily take up our personal cross everyday and choose to follow Him. This is the way of the Christian. 

The Apostle Paul taught these same truths in Romans 12:1. Our sacrifice to God is to be

PERSONAL: "I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God"

VOLUNTARY: "that you present your bodies"

DAILY: "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God."

Dying to Live

Three times in the book of Galatians the apostle Paul spoke of the believer's death. 

1. We must die to religious rules (Gal. 2:19). Instead of trusting the law to make us right with God, we must trust Jesus for justification.

2. We must die to personal pleasures (Gal. 5:24). Instead of obeying the desires of the flesh, we must keep in step with the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

3. We must die to frivilous fashions (Gal. 6:14). Instead of loving the corrupt customs of world (1 John 2:15-17), we must love the Lord Jesus. 

When we die to the law, the flesh, and the world we come alive to God. And this is what the Lord Jesus promised when He said, "he who loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matt. 10:39). 

The Weapons of our Victory, Part 2

Revelation 12:11 says, "and they loved not their lives even unto death." 

Some scholars say this verse refers to martyrs. It might, but I think the primary gist of this verse is about dying to sin and self. 

Satan "decieves the whole world." His aim is to get people to wander or go astray. To accomplish this, the devil uses all manner of tempations.

The best way to defeat temptation is to die to it. Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily (Luke 9:23)." 

Satan promises life, but it leads to death. Jesus invites us to die so we might live.