Gethsemane is where we see the agony that Jesus, the Son of God, went through as He fulfilled His destiny to be the Savior of the world. God pulled the veil aside so that we could see what a great price had to be paid to make it possible for us become His sons and daughters. It was Jesus’ resurrection destiny to first suffer, then to enter into glory, in order to bring “many sons unto glory” (Hebrews 2:10). His resurrection from the dead gave Him the right to give His destiny to any human being so we could also become sons and daughters of God and rise from the dead. Many people have lived a self-centered and wrong life, because they didn’t live their life on the foundation of the Son of God. But they can still be saved through Christ’s fulfillment of His destiny.
Jesus didn’t come to die on the Cross to save people in their sins, but to save them from their sins.
None of us will have a destiny just like Christ, because no other human being can be a Savior. This was His destiny: “…He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Jesus didn’t come to die on the Cross to save people in their sins, but to save them from their sins. A guilty sinner could never be happy in heaven anyway, because it would be a miserable place to him. Jesus’ purpose on Earth was to save man from sin, and this certainly will be accomplished. There’s no possibility that He could fail in any part of it.
Do you know what the most overwhelming thing about Jesus is? He doesn’t make our human destiny depend on how good or bad we are, or on whether or not we do certain things. It all depends on who we say He is. There are some who believe God is all-powerful, but don’t believe He has any real character. Their destiny is one of hopelessness, which becomes their prison. But Jesus Christ can open the door to set them free. There’s no door closed by man or the devil that He can’t open. On the other hand, any door He closes, no man can open.
What’s the only evidence that demonstrates we are God’s people? That we’ve been saved from sin’s power and domination. Just claiming that we’re His people won’t do. What proof is there that we are His, if we’ve never given up our sins, or given up all this world’s pomp, pleasure and pride? The destiny of the world is only destruction. It isn’t possible for us to be followers of Christ if we continue to yield to the desire to sin. He did not die to save us from the enemies of our body, but from the enemies of our soul, and from the power and guilt of our sins. He’s the only One who could and should do this. Why is He called “Savior”? Because He saves! He saves us from the bad effects and evil power of sin, along with its guilt and punishment. He does this for “His people”—those who truly believe in Him. His very nature is in His name “Jesus,” which means “the One who saves.”
Our destiny is determined by our disposition, which has been directed in advance—but we still have the freedom to choose which disposition will rule our life.
The things we chose to believe determine both our eternal destiny and our moral behavior right here and now. But the one essential thing that makes someone a Christian isn’t what his head knowledge believes, but what kind of disposition he has. The destiny of Christ was determined by His disposition toward life around Him. Our destiny is determined by our disposition, which has been directed in advance—but we still have the freedom to choose which disposition will rule our life. We can’t experience Christ’s disposition or His destiny. We need to understand where the forces in our lives come from that make it possible to be saved or born again. Jesus Christ made the forceful statement that human destiny depends totally on the relationship we have with Him. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).
There is a good purpose, a good reason and a good destiny that the Lord saves and redeems us for. He has a plan for each and every one of us! There’s no need to torture ourselves and to suffer before we can be born from above. It is only through Christ’s fulfillment of His own destiny that we’re able to be born again. How we treat Him and Him alone determines our final destiny. But if we haven’t been born again, then we cannot fulfill what God wants for our destiny—which is to work out what He has worked in. Our salvation doesn’t depend on doing this, but our value to God does, along with the position He’ll assign us in His Kingdom. Then, once we’ve become His disciples, our destiny will be to have glorious fellowship with Him.
Don’t just leave your present agitation with Him—leave all your cares. Submit the whole tendency of your life to Him. Throw all that anxiety away! Give Him your will, and then leave all with the One who is God of all.
What does “Commit thy way unto the Lord” (Psalm 37:5) mean? It means to roll the whole burden of your life onto Jesus. Don’t just leave your present agitation with Him—leave all your cares. Submit the whole tendency of your life to Him. Throw all that anxiety away! Give Him your will, and then leave all with the One who is God of all. “Trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” Everyone who lives each day in such obedience will be very blessed! Remember that we aren’t the designer of our own destiny. But if we will turn our life over to the Lord, the destiny He has already laid out for our life will be fulfilled. We will experience our proper destiny with great joy and thanksgiving if we confidently commit all to Jesus!
[Additional image credits: Featured image (when applicable) Caleb Hernandez Belmonte from Unsplash; Opening image “Jesus Prays in the Garden” taken from The Story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation by Charles Foster ©1884/Public Domain]
