The cross is the place of atonement and the place of redemption and grace. The cross is a place to die and where your new life begins. UYesu Christ was the perfect Lamb of God (without blemish and spot), that took all the iniquities and sins of the world upon Him. Jesus became your Substitute and hang on the cross, which should have been your place. You should have hung there, due to your iniquities and sins. But because of God’s great love, God gave His only Son Jesus Christ to become your Substitute. Jesus took your punishment upon Him, lo nto, you don’t have to carry it anymore. Jesus faced death, so that you won’t have to face death and the eternal punishment in hell anymore. Nangona kunjalo, many Christians don’t consider the cross a place to die but a place to keep sinning.
Lithini igama elithi ‘umnqamlezo’ thetha?
Igama elithi umnqamlezo lisuka kwigama lesiGrike: stauros (i-stow-ros), ivela kwisiseko se-no. G2476(i-concordance eyomeleleyo) kwaye kuthetha ;
- isibonda okanye iposti (njengoko kumiswe ngokuthe tye),
- yiyo i, (ngokukodwa) ipali okanye umnqamlezo (njengesixhobo sesohlwayo sokufa)
- ngokufuziselayo ukuba sesichengeni sokufa, yiyo i, ukuzincama;
- ngentsingiselo yentlawulelo kaKristu: – umnqamlezo.
Wathini uYesu ngomnqamlezo eBhayibhileni?
UYesu wathetha oku kulandelayo ngomnqamlezo: nongawuthabathiyo umnqamlezo wakhe, andilandele, akandifanele mna (UMateyu 10:38)
Ukuba kukho mntu uza kundilandela, makazincame, awuthwale umnqamlezo wakhe, ndilandele. Kuba othe wathanda ukuwusindisa umphefumlo wakhe, wolahlekelwa nguwo: Kwaye othe wawulahla umphefumlo wakhe ngenxa yam, wowufumana (UMateyu 16:24,25)
nabani na oya kuza emva kwam, makazincame, awuthwale umnqamlezo wakhe, ndilandele (Phawula 8:34).
Thabatha umnqamlezo wakho, ndilandele (Phawula 10:21)
Ukuba kukho mntu uza kundilandela, makazincame, kwaye uthathe umnqamlezo wakhe yonke imihla, ndilandele (ULuka 9:23)
nosukuba engawuthwali umnqamlezo wakhe, uze emva kwam, akanakuba ngumfundi wam (ULuka 14:27)
Kwezi ndinyana, UYesu ucace gca. Wathi uYesu, ukuba ufuna ngokwenene landela uYesu Kristu, kufuneka uwuthwale umnqamlezo wakho, umlandele.
Kuthetha ukuthini ukuthatha umnqamlezo wakho??
Kulungile, ukuphendula lo mbuzo, kufuneka sijonge into eyenzekayo emnqamlezweni. UYesu wabethelelwa emnqamlezweni. Wazikhanyela, ngokuthobela ngokupheleleyo ukuthanda kukaThixo.
UYesu ngewayekwenzile ukuthanda Kwakhe aze angamthobeli uThixo. UYesu ngewayebunandiphe ubomi bakhe emhlabeni, mhlawumbi uYesu wayesele emdala kakhulu. Kodwa uYesu akazange akwenze oko.
Wayibethelela emnqamlezweni intando yakhe ngokuba abe ngokupheleleyo ethobela intando kaYise.
UYesu wayecinga ngento enye kuphela kukwenza ukuthanda kukaYise, wancama ubomi bakhe, kwaye azalisekise icebo likaThixo ngobomi baKhe.
Icebo likaThixo yayikukufela uluntu aze athabathele kuye izono zehlabathi, kwaye ube sisicamagushelo soluntu, aze athabathe kwakhona igunya elalithatyathwe ngumtyholi aze axolelanise umntu kwakhona noThixo.
UYesu uthi nawe wenze okufanayo. Kufuneka uwuthwale umnqamlezo wakho yonke imihla, okuthetha ukuba kufuneka uyibethelele intando yakho kwaye wenze intando yakhe.
Kuthetha ukuthobela uYesu Krestu kwaye wenze ukuthanda kukaBawo kwaye uzalisekise injongo yakhe ngobomi bakho.
Kuthetha ukuzikhanyela, zifele kum, yifela ezinkanukweni nasezinkanukweni zenyama. Ukufa yinkqubo ebuhlungu. Akukho lula, kodwa kuyimfuneko ukuze ulandele uYesu.
Unokukhetha
Ukuba awufuni ukubeka phantsi ubomi bakho obudala kunye nemikhwa yayo, kuba uthi inzima kakhulu, okanye awukwazi ukuyenza, kuba awunawo amandla okuyenza, ke ngokunyanisekileyo awubuthiyanga ubomi bakho obudala njengomoni okwangoku. Yusakuthanda ukwenza izinto ozenzayo kwaye awufuni kuthi ndlela-ntle kwezi zinto. Awuboni bungozi ngokuzenza.
Uninzi lwabantu lufuna ukubambelela kubomi babo obudala kwaye bongeze into ebizwa ngokuba 'yihambo yobuKristu'. They become a member of the church, yiya ecaweni, be friendly, Ngaba isisa siyasebenza, Funda iBhayibhile 5 okanye 10 minutes before they go to sleep, say a quick prayer and that’s it.
Let me tell you, the more you hate sin and your old life and its habits, the easier it is to take up your cross and follow Jesus.
Ewe, it will cost you everything. Kuya kukuhlasela ubomi bakho. But your life becomes so much better!
It is a process to die to self. Kodwa ukuba ufuna ngokwenene, then it is possible. It is all up to you. The Holy Spirit is there to help you, ndifundise, ukukukhokela, strengthen you and warn you.
Your life will become one great adventure with the Holy Spirit.
Wenza ntoni uYesu hayi say about the cross ?
Jesus did not say that the cross is:
- a permit to keep sinning,
- used to keep doing what you want to do,
- an excuse to keep living in sin and say that you are too weak and therefore keep coming back to the cross over and over again.
The cross is not a place to rest and not a place to camp, but the cross is your starting point.
Mandicace, I don’t say that you have to forget the cross. Hayi, you may never forget the cross!
The cross is the place where you die and you lay down your life
The cross is the place where Jesus Christ became your Substitue. It’s the place where you identified yourself with Christ and got born again. The cross is the place, where all of your iniquities and sins were taken away from you. It’s the place where you were reconciled with the Father, kuYesu Kristu.
But the cross must not become a camping place. Indawo, where you stay and get stuck in between your old and new life and stay there. Konke ngenxa, you can’t say farewell to your old habits, izono zakho. (Funda kwakhona: Idabi kunye nobuthathaka bendoda endala)
Many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things(KwabaseFilipi 3:18)
If you keep doing your will and if your mind is set on the things of the world, you are an enemy of the cross.
If the things of the world and your will, are more important than doing the will of God and walking after the Spirit, then the Bible says that you are an enemy of the cross.
Kwakhona, Unokukhetha. But it is all or nothing, there is no way in between.
You can’t serve two gods. Either you will lose your life here on earth or you will lose your life in hell.
What did Paul say about the cross?
Paul said the following about the cross, But God forbid that I should glory, gcinani emnqamlezweni weNkosi yethu uYesu Kristu, ngaye ihlabathi labethelelwa emnqamlezweni kum, nam ndisilele ihlabathi. Kuba kwabakuKristu Yesu, akunamandla anto ukwaluka, kwanokungaluki, kodwa sisidalwa esitsha (kwabaseGalati 6:14,15)
Ubomi bukaPawulos babethelelwa emnqamlezweni kunye noYesu Kristu. Wawuthwala umnqamlezo wakhe, intsingiselo, ukuba uPawulos wazikhanyela waza wamthobela uKristu.
UPawulos wathunywa ukuba ashumayele iindaba ezilungileyo. Hayi ngamazwi, kodwa ngamandla. UPawulos akazange ashumayele iintanda-bulumko zabantu kunye nobulumko benyama behlabathi, kodwa uPawulos wawushumayela umnqamlezo, Ngawo amandla kaThixo.
Kuba uKristu akandithumanga kubhaptiza, ndize ndizishumayele iindaba ezilungileyo: kungabi ngabulumko bakuthetha, ukuze umnqamlezo kaKristu ungalanjathiswa. Ukushunyayelwa komnqamlezo kubonise ubudenge; Kodwa kuthi basindiswayo ngamandla kaThixo (1 KwabaseKorinte 1:17-18)
Uxolelaniswe noThixo ngomnqamlezo, ngegazi likaYesu. Ngoko ke, ninoxolo ngokuba uxolile. Igazi likaYesu lenziwe wena malungisa.
KuKristu Yesu nithe naba ngamalungisa, ngcwele, ongenakusoleka nongenakusoleka.
The He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, ebubulele ngayo ubutshaba (Kwabase-Efese 2:16)
Kwaye, Sele wenza uxolo ngegazi lomnqamlezo wakhe, ngaye ukuzixolelanisa zonke izinto kuye; ngaye, Ndithi, Nokuba zizinto ezisemhlabeni, okanye izinto ezisezulwini.
Kwaye wena, Ezo zazihlukanisiwe kunye neentshaba engqondweni yakho ngemisebenzi engendawo, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, Ukuzisa ungcwele kwaye ungafanelekanga kwaye ungafanelekanga emehlweni akhe (KwabaseKolose 1:20-1:22)
All your sins, all of your trespasses, have been forgiven
Kwaye wena, nifile nje ziziphoso nakukungaluki kwenyama yenu, udlise ubomi kunye naye, enixolele zonke iziphoso; Ukucima ukubhalwa kwesandla imimiselo eyayichasene nathi, eyayiphikisana nathi, kwaye wayikhupha endleleni, Ukuyibeka emnqamlezweni; Kwaye ukuba upentelwe amandla kunye namandla, Wenza i-whow yazo ekuhleni, Ukuloyisa kubo (KwabaseKolose 2:13-15)
Khawufane ucinge, papers written full of your sins; full of your trespasses, that would have condemned you unto the death penalty, but are blotted out by the work at the cross.
It is like taking all of the papers with your trespasses that would have condemn you unto death, and throw them all into the fire.
Jesus did that for you.
Jesus took that blame fully upon Him. He took your death penalty upon Him, so that you could walk in righteousness in Him. Free of sin, free of guilt, free of condemnation.
Ewe, all your trespasses were nailed to His cross. You start with a clean sheet.
Xa uba uzelwe ngokutsha, your spirit is like a baby.
The more you feed your spirit, by hearing and studying the Bible (ILizwi LikaThixo) and renewing your mind and doing the word of God, the quicker your spirit matures.
Nangona kunjalo, if you don’t feed your spirit but feed your flesh, your spirit will starve to death and eventually die. Kwakhona, Unokukhetha.
There will be different seasons in your life. But if you stay in the will of God and keep hearing and studying His Word and doing His Word, you will stand firm and walk as a son of God (oku kusebenza kuzo zombini iinkunzi nemazi) emhlabeni.
‘Yibani yityuwa yehlabathi”
