Communion Update !

Greetings! If you would like to join us for communion and fellowship on line, email us at communiontogether@gmail.com

We will be meeting on Sunday the 20th at 12:00 pm US Central Time on Google Meet, for about 30 to 45 minutes. 

Thanks and God bless you!

 Communion Together

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, Jesus said, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who love Him in truth: mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. (Jude 1:2)

Today I am pleased to announce our new online meeting, Communion Together.

If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ; if you are truly following Him, and would like to join us as we remember His broken body and His shed Blood together, then please email us at communiontogether@gmail.com and tell us about yourself and your relationship with Jesus. As the Lord leads us, we will respond with the link to join our meeting. We will be meeting on Sundays at 12:00 pm US Central Time. The meeting will last about 30 to 45 minutes; we will be taking communion and praying and ministering to the Lord in worship and praise and to one another. You can join on your computer, your tablet, or your cell phone. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Cor 11:26, For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

Today we are going to talk about Communion. The word communion is the word, in the Greek: koinonia. It means fellowship. When we take communion, we are fellowshipping with the Lord Jesus Christ in His sacrifice; His death for our sins. Let’s turn to 1 John 1:1-10, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 

Let’s turn to 1 Cor 10:16&17, The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. When we take communion we fellowship in the blessing of Jesus’ sacrifice. The Bible says, in Rom 15:29, But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ. It is a blessing that Jesus loved us and washed us from our sins in His own Blood. When we take communion, we remember His sacrifice.

 

Mar 14:22-26, This is at the Last Supper, And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Mat 26:26-30, And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My Blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom." And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. In both of these accounts, Jesus said, "I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine, from now on, until the day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” 

The cup that we take is not the literal Blood of Jesus, but it is the fellowship of His sufferings; through the Spirit we are partaking; we are fellowshipping with Him, and fellowshipping in His sacrifice: His death for our sins. The bread which we break is not the literal body of Jesus Christ, but it is the fellowship of His suffering. 1 Cor 11:23-32, For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. So before you take communion, just examine yourself before the Lord, and let Him show you anything that He is not pleased with, and confess it to Him, and prepare yourself to partake of the bread and the wine or the grape juice; what you have available to you. I want to point out here that Jesus said we should do this in remembrance of Him; remembrance of His sacrifice, until He comes. This is something we need to continue doing.

 

Let’s look at His sacrifice: 1 Cor 15:1-4, Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the Gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that Word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. Remember in John 3:16, Jesus said, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever lives and believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. We take communion, not as a religious exercise, but rather in recognition of His great love for us: that He would offer His body a sacrifice for our sins. The Father saw the travail of His soul and was satisfied. We do this in remembrance of Him and the horrible suffering He endured because of His love for us. Love endures all things. In 1 John 4:10 we read: In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atonement for our sins. Jesus never did anything wrong. Though He was tempted in every way as we are; He never yielded, He never sinned. He is the Lamb of God; the spotless Lamb, Hallelujah!, who takes away the sins of the world. Why did God do this? Why did He give His Son, who loved Him and never did anything against Him, to die this brutal death for us: a people dead in trespasses and sins, who, for the most part, care only for ourselves and not for Him? It is because He loves us! He made us, and He wants us to be with Him forever in His glorious Kingdom; to inherit eternal life, and become His sons and daughters who love Him from our hearts, and fellowship with Him in holiness and righteousness forever! And because of His great love for us, He gave us His Son. Praise God! Thank you Jesus!

 

Eph 2:1-10, And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Verse 8, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 

God gave His Son. We thank Him for His love for us, as we remember His suffering. We acknowledge our sins, and give ourselves wholly to Him to do His will and keep His Words. Verse 10, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. We give ourselves anew to be led by His Spirit to do the good things God has prepared for us to do; purifying ourselves by obeying His Word through the Spirit. Do not take communion in any other way but in love and thanksgiving, in remembrance for His sacrifice for us.

Let’s pray together: Father, in Jesus name, we thank you for giving us your Son; that you so loved us that you gave your only begotten Son a living sacrifice for our sins. Right now we remember that on the same night that the Lord Jesus was betrayed, He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Thank you Lord, thank you Lord. In the same manner, He also took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my Blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  I just want to encourage you to join with me in thanking the Lord Jesus! For His shed Blood! He loved us! He washed us from our sins in His own Blood! Lord we thank you for your shed Blood! You loved us, and you cleansed us. The Bible says in Isaiah, Though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. 

 

Let’s just take a moment together to praise Him and give Him thanks: Praise you Jesus! Praise you Jesus! We thank you Lord for your love for us! You so loved us that you went to the Cross, and you suffered so much for our sins, to bring us into fellowship with you and with the Father. Through your sacrifice and through your shed Blood we can come into fellowship with the Father and with you forever! We can enter into eternal life and become sons and daughters of the living God. We praise you! We thank you! We bless your Holy Name! Thank you Lord!

 

Thank you for reading this message from 15 Minutes With Jesus at roberthaymes.com . May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you who love Him in truth, Amen. (2 Cor 13:14)

 Judgment and the Love of God

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, Jesus said, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who love Him in truth: mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. (Jude 1:2)

Thank you Father, Amen. Thank you Father, Amen. Thank you Father; we worship you this day, in the name of your Son Jesus. All glory and honor and majesty and power and dominion be unto you Father. We thank you for this program, amen, thank you Lord Jesus: Judgment and the Love of God. I pray that you would move through me; speak through me, and minister to your people. We pray for those that are hurting: so many people are hurting after this hurricane Helene; so many people are hurting in North Carolina, as you know, full well: you know exactly what’s going on in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. I want to thank you for everything you’ve done so far: all the miracles that you’ve done; lives that you’ve saved, and others that you’ve taken to Heaven.

Interpretation of a message in tongues:

I am God Almighty. Those of you who are listening to My servant Rob this day: listen to Me, listen to Me, I love you. I am judging the United States of America because they have turned their back on Me; they have rejected My Word, though I have been very gracious to them for many, many years, still, they harden their hearts; they turn their back to Me, and I am judging them, that I may bring My people back to Me. That’s what I’m doing. Do not be offended; do not be ashamed of My Words, for I love you and I am with you. Many of you know how I have helped you through the storm, and I am with you, says the Lord. I want you to look to Me; I want you to turn to Me with all your heart! Turn away from the devil and his wicked ways! For I love you, and I will embrace you to Myself; I will bring you to Myself and I will bless you, and I will help you! Turn to Me now!, says the Lord.

Praise God! This is a very strong thing that’s going on in our country, as you all know. Amen. Hos 6:1, Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the Earth. In the King James Version it says, then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord. 

Jesus said, in Luke 11:42, …Woe unto you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God. These ought you to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (KJV)  I have heard famous preachers saying, after this hurricane, “This is not the judgment of God; God loves us!” and, “This is a natural occurrence.” They have not said that this is the judgment of God.  This is the judgment of God on our Land. Great judgment of God is in our Land, here in America, and around the world, because we have turned our back on God, and we have rejected His Word. We have turned away our ears from the truth and have embraced fables and lies and those who speak them. 

Let’s turn to Isa 1:2,  Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O Earth! For the Lord has spoken: "I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me; the ox knows its owner and the donkey its master's crib; but Israel does not know, My people do not consider." Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord; they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel; they have turned away backward. Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire; strangers devour your land in your presence; and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. 

So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, as a hut in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah. 

Hear the Word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah:  "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the Lord. "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. "When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together," Says the Lord,  "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword"; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 

God hates the shedding of innocent blood! How many abortions have taken place, in the southeastern United States, and throughout the Country, this past year? The judgment of God is His correction and His instruction to those whom He loves. He loves His people. He proved His great love when He gave His Son Jesus to suffer and die upon the Cross for our sins; to save us from our sins; to deliver us from all evil; to make us a holy people! Yes, God loves us. He loves all people so much that He gave His beloved Son upon the Cross to suffer the full punishment for the sins of the whole world upon His innocent body and soul, that whoever believes in Him and His suffering, death, and resurrection from the dead, should not perish, but have eternal life. Because He loves us so much, He hates sin, because it destroys us. He especially hates the shedding of innocent blood! 

If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged, but, because we refuse to judge ourselves, His judgment comes upon us. How many precious, innocent babies have been murdered in the name of “Health Care”, just this past year in this nation? In 2o23, according to the Guttmacher Institute, it was over one million! According to the same institute, the percentage performed because of rape was 1%, and because of incest, .05%

Our hands are full of blood! Why are there so many abortions? It’s because there is so much fornication. Fornication is sin. The person who commits fornication sins against his own body. How much fornication, abortions, adulteries, pedophilia, and perversions are in the Church?! How many Christians are compromising the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ to walk after their own lust, loving themselves and their own pleasures more than God? The Lord God plainly said, in 2 Chr 7:14, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land!

Instead of turning from our wicked ways, we have tried to change God’s Word to justify them. And God has not healed our Land. He is judging our Land because His people refuse to repent and turn back to Him. Will we turn back to Him now, amidst His judgment, and find His mercy, or will we continue to harden our hearts against Him, to our own destruction and the ruin of our Nation? Don’t believe the false prophets who are telling you that this latest storm which hit the southeastern United States is not His judgment. He is judging our Nation, and if people will not repent and return to Him, it is going to get worse! God wants you to know Him; He wants you to know His ways and walk in them, so that He may bless you; so that you may be happy and blessed. He sent His Son to suffer and die to deliver you from all your sins, that you may live and be blessed. God loves us and sent His Son to bless us in turning every one of us from our iniquities. 

His judgment comes to turn those who will receive His correction from their evil ways; from their destructions, that they may live and not die. His judgment comes upon the wicked, those who will not repent, to their destruction, because they reject His ways; they refuse to walk in them, and they condemn themselves in so doing. Jesus said that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. This is the condemnation: that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. He that does evil will not come to the light, unless his deeds should be reproved, but he that does truth comes to the light that his deeds may be made manifest that they are worked in God.

This planet Earth, and everything in it belongs to God. He made it all. Every human being belongs to Him. He does what He wills in the kingdom of men. No one can stay His hand or say to Him, “What are you doing?” He loves us so much! He wants us to know Him and walk in His ways, that He may bless us in His presence throughout eternity. After all that He has done to save us, if we reject him, and the truth of His Word; if we will not receive Jesus and walk with Him in the truth, we condemn ourselves, and we will be destroyed.

The love of God is in the Gospel, and the judgment of God comes upon those who reject the Gospel or no longer walk in it. If you survived this storm; if you are still alive on the Earth, it’s because God had great mercy on you in the midst of His judgment, and you better turn back to Him with all your heart and serve Him now!

Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the Earth. Hos 6:1-3 (KJV)

Thank you for reading this message from 15 Minutes With Jesus at roberthaymes.com . May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you who love Him in truth, Amen. (2 Cor 13:14)

 God Gave His Son

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, Jesus said, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who love Him in truth: mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. (Jude 1:2)

Today’s program is called God Gave His Son. Let’s turn to John 3:14-16, Jesus was talking to Nicodemus and He said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Let’s turn to Eph 2:4-8, But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. 

The gift of God is Jesus.  God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. How much did He love us? That’s how much He loved us. Just think on that for a moment. He loved us so much that He gave His Son for us. What does it mean, He gave? What happened when He gave Him? How did He give Him? 

Let’s turn to Matt 26:36-68, Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” 

And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him. Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled. 

And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest's courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end. Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, “This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.” And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Jesus said to him, “You have said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.” Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?”

Let’s turn to Matt 27:11-35, Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “You say.” 

And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. 

Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 

But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly. Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 

Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.” But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!” Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!” Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!” When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.” And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.” Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified. 

All during Jesus’ ministry, many wanted to kill Him, but they could not touch Him, because His hour had not come. His hour came in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Judas and his band of men came to arrest Him. Jesus said, “Do you not know that I can now pray to my Father and He shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels, but how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled?” In Luke 22 it is written that Jesus said here, “This is your hour and the power of darkness.” The Father gave His beloved Son into the hands of those that wanted to kill Him so that He could die on the Cross for our sins. We have heard that many times: that Jesus died for our sins. But what was it like for Jesus? What did He actually go through? First of all, He became a man; He walked this Earth as a man. He was tempted in every way as we are, yet He never sinned. He endured many temptations for over 30 years. Thereby He became the spotless Lamb of God who could be offered as a living sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. 

Let’s turn to Isaiah 53, verses 3-6, He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 

He was despised; rejected; He was grieved. Our pains and our sicknesses were literally put on Him on the Cross. He was beaten and bruised for our sins and our iniquities. He was tormented that we might receive His peace. One of the first things they did to Him was scourge Him with a Roman lash. His flesh was thereby torn off His back as stripes, and with those stripes we were healed. All the iniquities of the human race were laid upon Him. He literally became sin on the Cross. That’s when the Father had to forsake Him, for the first time in all eternity, and Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” He hung alone on that Cross, as they mocked Him and chided Him. He was oppressed and afflicted, but He did not open His mouth. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; He was bruised and put to grief. His soul was made an offering for sin: His soul entered into great travail as He bore our iniquities; as He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for us transgressors. 

In Psalm 22 we see that Jesus hung alone on the Cross: a reproach of men and despised of the people. They laughed Him to scorn. All His bones went out of joint as the powers of darkness attacked Him. Have you ever had one bone go out of joint? It is extremely painful. After He was arrested, before He went to the Cross, they beat Him; they spat on Him. Have you ever had anyone spit in your face?  They tore out His beard. They put a crown of thorns upon His head and beat His head with a rod. They punched Him. Have you ever been punched by a big strong man, like a Roman soldier? This is what Jesus went through for us. This is what it means: that God loved us and gave His beloved, only begotten Son for us to pay our ransom. They pierced His hands and His feet and His side, and His Blood was shed upon that Cross. The scripture says, He loved us and washed us from our sins in His own Blood.  

Jesus willingly did this for us, enduring all of this for us, when we were dead in our sins, because He loves us. This is how much He and the Father love us. This was the cost of our salvation and our forgiveness: the suffering that Jesus, the man who was tempted in every way as we are, and yet He never sinned, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil; this is what He endured for us. This is the depth of His love for us! Greater love has no man than this, Jesus said, than to lay down one’s life for His friends. After His suffering was completed on the Cross, Jesus said, "It is finished," and He commended His Spirit to His Father, and He died. This is what it means when we say, He died for our sins. He was crucified for our sins, and on the third day the Father raised Him from the dead and justified Jesus, and all of us who believe in Him, from all our sins. Thereby He abolished death and brought us eternal life. Hallelujah! The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Thankyou for reading this message from 15 Minutes With Jesus at roberthaymes.com . May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you who love Him in truth, Amen. (2 Cor 13:14)

 The Crucifixion

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, Jesus said, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who love Him in truth: mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. (Jude 1:2)

Today’s program is about The Crucifixion. Today we are going to zero in on what Jesus went through for you and for me. Keep that in mind. He did not do this for Himself; He did this for us. This is what Jesus went through for us. Turn to Matt 26:1-13, Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 

“You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” Verses 26-46, And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ”Take, eat; this is my body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is my Blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 

Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples. Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” 

Matt 27:1&2, When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. Verses 24-54, When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.” And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.” Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. (Jesus was scourged with a Roman lash, tearing His flesh; making “stripes” on His back.) Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified. 

Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, ”You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, I am the Son of God.” Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. 

Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?” Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him. And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His Spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” 

Psalm 22:1-21 , My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him! But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on my mother's breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From my mother's womb You have been my God. Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded Me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd , and my tongue clings to my jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots. But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O my Strength, hasten to help Me! Deliver Me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog. Save Me from the lion's mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me. 

John 19:1-30, So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands. Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.” Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!” Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.” Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.” 

When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”  Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away. And He, bearing His Cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the Cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, The King of the Jews, but, He said, I am the King of the Jews.” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. Therefore the soldiers did these things. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His Spirit. 

Isaiah 52:13-15, Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. As many were astonished at Him, His visage was so marred, more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men; So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; for what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider. 

Isaiah 53:1-12, Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked—but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the travail of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. 

Prophecy:

I am God Almighty! I want you to consider the suffering of my Son. Behold, He suffered for you! You who are listening to my servant Rob, consider the suffering of my Son. He bore your sins; He suffered for your sins. He never sinned. He was tempted in every way, yet He never yielded to those temptations. He bore your sins in His body on the Cross; for you! He died for you! He bore your sins! Do you understand this? Your sins were laid on Him! When that darkness came over the whole land, He became sin; I made Him, who knew no sin, though He was tempted in every way; the Bible says, yet without sin. He never yielded! He never sinned! He bore your sins in His body on the Cross; they were laid on Him. I separated Myself from Him; that’s when He cried out, My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me? Jesus loved you and washed you from your sins in His body on the Cross, with His own shed Blood. He washed you from your sins! He cleansed you! Believe what I have done for you! I love you, says the Father! I loved you, and I gave My Son for you! Believe what I’ve done for you! Call upon Me now!

Those of you that are listening, humble yourselves before Me right now!, and give yourself to Me! Call upon Me and I will save you, says the Lord! My Son has paid the price for your salvation, and I raised Him from the dead on the third day, and put off all sin, unrighteousness, sickness, death, destruction; He overcame it all when I raised Him from the dead! And I will raise you up, and make you my son and my daughter if you will hearken to my voice this day!

Thank you for reading  this message from 15 Minutes With Jesus at roberthaymes.com . May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you who love Him in truth, Amen. (2 Cor 13:14)

 The Cross

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes with Jesus. Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, Jesus said, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who love Him in truth: mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. (Jude 1:2)

 

Today we’re going to talk about The Cross. The cross is an instrument of punishment, of shame and condemnation, and of death. The Romans used the cross as that instrument of death; that instrument of punishment and shame. Let’s turn to 1 Cor 1:18-31, For the preaching of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, He who glories, let him glory in the Lord. Chapter 2, verses 1&2,  And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Let’s turn to Luke 23:24-49, So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. 

And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will. 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. And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. But Jesus, turning to them, said, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed! Then they will begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us, and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry? There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.  

Jesus had been beaten and tormented before this; He’d been scourged with a Roman lash. Only God can reveal to us the extent of His suffering that He went through for us. Jesus was not weak. He was a strong man. He was a carpenter. And He was so weak from how they had been beating Him and whipping Him, and mistreating Him, that He could not carry the Cross. So they had Simon, a Cyrenian, carry it for Him. And when they came to the place, they laid Him on that Cross, and they nailed Him to it. They nailed through His hands and nailed through both of His feet; they nailed Him to the Cross, with the crown of thorns on His head.  

Verse 34, And then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. And they divided His garments and cast lots. And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God. The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself. And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us. But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong. Then he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom. And Jesus said to him, Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise. 

Do you see what this man said? They were on the Cross, all three of them, the two thieves and Jesus, and those two men were receiving the due reward for their deeds; it was an instrument for punishment of transgressions; for doing evil; he said, This Man has done nothing wrong. 

Verse 44, Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the Earth until the ninth hour. Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, Father,  into your hands I commit my Spirit. Having said this, He breathed His last. So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous Man! And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned. But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. 

Let’s turn to John 3:14-21, Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, and He said, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. 

Verses 14&15,  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Let’s turn to Numbers 21: 4-9, This is talking about the journeying of the Children of Israel with Moses, Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread. So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us. So Moses prayed for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. 

The serpent on the pole represented the judgment of God on the people for their sins. So, just as those that looked upon the bronze serpent on the pole were saved from death, so those that look upon the Son of God on the Cross, taking their judgment for their sin upon Himself, and believe on Him, so they too shall be delivered from death. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. Those that did not look upon the serpent on the pole died. So those that will not look upon Jesus and believe on Him, even they will die in their sins. Jesus said, If you do not believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins. He that believes on the Son has everlasting life, and he that does not believe on the Son of God shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. The wrath of God came upon Jesus as He suffered for our sins. If we believe on Him, and what He endured on the Cross for us, we will be delivered from God’s wrath that is to come upon all the wicked. Those who will not repent and believe on Him, and what He suffered for their sins, will experience the full wrath of Almighty God coming upon them, and they will be cast into the Lake of Fire in the final judgment, to be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Jesus will say to them, Depart from Me you cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. 

We must understand that Jesus, on that Cross, suffered the full wrath of God upon His body and His soul, the full punishment for all our sins, and He died for our sins. Only those that look upon Him on that Cross and believe in His shed Blood; only those that repent and believe that He paid the full ransom for our lives through His own death, will escape the wrath to come, and it is coming upon all the wicked. If you have not repented and believed in Him, and received His righteousness: (God made Him who knew no sin to become sin on that Cross, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him); if you do not continue in His righteousness, you are wicked, and if you will not repent, the wrath of God will come upon you. There is salvation in no other. You say you have your own religion; you have your own personal relationship with God; if it is not a true relationship with Jesus; if He is not your Lord; if you are not trusting Him and following Him, it will not work. You are deceived, and you will be destroyed. Jesus is the Son of God! There is no other! The Son of God loved you, and gave Himself for you on that Cross! Receive His love! Receive His sacrifice for you!

Let’s turn to Col 1:19-23, Praise God! Thank you Lord!, For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on Earth or things in Heaven, having made peace through the Blood of His Cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under Heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. 

We must always be looking to the Cross, to the sacrifice of our Savior for us there, where He loved us and gave Himself for us, and washed us from our sins in His own Blood, and always be thankful to the Father for Him.

Thank you for reading this message from 15 Minutes With Jesus at roberthaymes.com . May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you who love Him in truth, Amen. (2 Cor 13:14)