In yesterday’s post, we talked about Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Let’s momentarily go back to His prayer. It is critical for us as believers that Jesus’ prayer was heard and answered.
Let’s reason together for a moment. What would have happened if the Father had granted Jesus’ human cry of the flesh to outweigh the true cry of His Spirit, His heart? We would have no sacrifice that could offer eternal redemption and salvation. We would still be walking dead in our trespasses (Ephesians 2:1-2). If Jesus had not offered Himself without blemish, our conscience couldn’t be cleansed (Hebrews 9:14). We would still be “separate from Christ…having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). We couldn’t have passed from death to life (1 John 3:14). To put it in my good ol’ fashioned Southern Baptist vernacular, we wouldn’t be SAVED.
God Hears the Cry of the Heart
But, dear friend, aren’t you thankful that God hears the cry of the heart in our prayers? Hebrews 5 gives us even more insight into the heart of Jesus during this pivotal time in history. It tells us that Jesus “learned obedience from the things in which He suffered.” Did you catch that? JESUS learned obedience! The Father heard the true cry of Jesus’ Spirit — to do the Father’s will, not His own.
The Hebrews passage also teaches us that Jesus “became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.” He became salvation to those who obey Him. Yes, our flesh is weak, and we must crucify it constantly. But has Christ truly washed clean your conscience from dead works to serve a living God? The evidence lies in your heart’s desire to obey Him or not.
What’s the Cry of Your Heart?
Do you, like Jesus, wish to do the Father’s will above all else? Do you obey Him? Are you learning obedience like your Savior, your Brother, your Friend, Jesus? Is obedience to Christ the true cry of your heart? Or, do you want your own way more than God’s? Are you serving a living God, or do you still need your conscience cleansed from dead works? Works don’t earn salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus already paid the price for our salvation on the cross. If you’ve received that precious gift of salvation, walk obediently in a manner worthy of the Lord (Colossians 1:10).
But, precious friend, hear me on this final exhortation. If you are still trying to earn your salvation, STOP. Right now — as you read this — surrender to Christ, Who already paid the price for your very valuable soul. He bought you with the highest price. He bought you with His very own blood. Nothing else compares to that price. Nothing. Examine your heart to see if you are in the faith. And, if you find yourself lacking, bow your knee, let Christ on the throne of your heart, and allow Him to be Lord of your life.
This could be the day that your conscience is truly washed clean by the precious blood of Christ. THAT, is an occasion for glory bumps!
