03-23-2008, 04:50 PM
Hi my friends!
In my Good Friday devotion, "The Way of Suffering" I tried to share what made that day "good" at all, when it was the most horrible day in history. I tried to share that I think that Jesus' last sayings from the Cross help here, because He was loving the people who needed Him most, even as He gave His life for us. Those who were crucifying him needed His forgiveness, the thief on the Cross needed to know that he would have a place in Jesus' kingdom. Both his grieving mother and his loving disciple, John, would need to care for and support each other, The whole world needs to know that when Jesus went to the Cross for us, His Father had to turn away his Face from the Savior, because He, the sinless One, was taking on Himself our sins. When He cried "It is finished!", His earthly ministry was completed as He commended His spirit to His Father.
However, Hallelujah, that was NOT the end, but the beginning, of eternal life for US! Now, folks, these words from 1 Corinthians 15:13-14 are extremely powerful. "But if there be no resurrection from the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ be not risen from the dead, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." BUT, JESUS DID ARISE!!!"
I hope that you will read the Crucifixion and Resurrection stories from the last chapters of each of the Gospels, if you haven't on this weekend. And think how very significant these stories can be to YOU.
A part of that story that especially impresses me is from Mark 15:43-47, where we find that Joseph of Arimathea came to beg the body of Jesus. He wanted to take that body and bury it in His own tomb. Verse 44 tells us that he was amazed that Jesus was already dead,(it normally took several days for a crucified person to die, but Jesus had fulfilled His own prophecy and called the centurian to ask how long Jesus had been dead. When assured that Jesus indeed was dead, he allowed Joseph to have Jesus' body.
According to Matthew 27:63-64 the chief priests and Pharisees came to Pilate, saying:
"Sir, we member that the deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulcre be sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first." In verse 65 Pilate tells them to go and make that watch as sure as they could. I'm sure they did! You know, there have been many people throughout the years who have tried to disavow the Resurrection, but it HAPPENED!
Look at Matthew 27:52-53. When the earth quaked and the veil of the Temple was split in two, the graves were opened and many of the bodies of the saints who had died arose and came out of the graves after His resurrection and went to Jerusalem and appeared to many.
The gospels say that as dawn came on that Sunday, some women went to the grave with the intent of anointing Jesus' body with spices. As they went, they wondered how they would get the stone away from from the tomb's entrance (and, believe me, folks, that would have been a BIG stone.) But when they got there, the stone was moved. Matthew tells us that an angel of the Lord had done it. (Matthew 28:2) Mary encounters Jesus in the garden, runs to tell the disciples, Peter and John went to check it out and saw that He had risen, Jesus then appeared to His disciples, to the men on the road to Emmaus, and then to better than 500. A bit later, He called the disciples to a mountain and, giving them the Great Commission, ascended to His Father. Wow! And folks still question??? Go figure!
So what does that Resurrection mean to us? Well, it means that Jesus was the only One who could conquer sin and death. He was the only One who COULD have been our Savior. It means that eternal life was made available to anyone (yes YOU), who will truly repent of their sins and receive Him as Savior and Lord. It means that our forgiveness and salvation are won! I love how Colossians 2:13-15 puts it:
"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross: And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them all in it."
Wow! As our dear Parson would say, GLORY TO GOD!
God bless you, folks, and may this Easter be your very best yet and the one that draws you the closest to the Savior!
In Him Who IS Love,
Graceblest
In my Good Friday devotion, "The Way of Suffering" I tried to share what made that day "good" at all, when it was the most horrible day in history. I tried to share that I think that Jesus' last sayings from the Cross help here, because He was loving the people who needed Him most, even as He gave His life for us. Those who were crucifying him needed His forgiveness, the thief on the Cross needed to know that he would have a place in Jesus' kingdom. Both his grieving mother and his loving disciple, John, would need to care for and support each other, The whole world needs to know that when Jesus went to the Cross for us, His Father had to turn away his Face from the Savior, because He, the sinless One, was taking on Himself our sins. When He cried "It is finished!", His earthly ministry was completed as He commended His spirit to His Father.
However, Hallelujah, that was NOT the end, but the beginning, of eternal life for US! Now, folks, these words from 1 Corinthians 15:13-14 are extremely powerful. "But if there be no resurrection from the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ be not risen from the dead, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." BUT, JESUS DID ARISE!!!"
I hope that you will read the Crucifixion and Resurrection stories from the last chapters of each of the Gospels, if you haven't on this weekend. And think how very significant these stories can be to YOU.
A part of that story that especially impresses me is from Mark 15:43-47, where we find that Joseph of Arimathea came to beg the body of Jesus. He wanted to take that body and bury it in His own tomb. Verse 44 tells us that he was amazed that Jesus was already dead,(it normally took several days for a crucified person to die, but Jesus had fulfilled His own prophecy and called the centurian to ask how long Jesus had been dead. When assured that Jesus indeed was dead, he allowed Joseph to have Jesus' body.
According to Matthew 27:63-64 the chief priests and Pharisees came to Pilate, saying:
"Sir, we member that the deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulcre be sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first." In verse 65 Pilate tells them to go and make that watch as sure as they could. I'm sure they did! You know, there have been many people throughout the years who have tried to disavow the Resurrection, but it HAPPENED!
Look at Matthew 27:52-53. When the earth quaked and the veil of the Temple was split in two, the graves were opened and many of the bodies of the saints who had died arose and came out of the graves after His resurrection and went to Jerusalem and appeared to many.
The gospels say that as dawn came on that Sunday, some women went to the grave with the intent of anointing Jesus' body with spices. As they went, they wondered how they would get the stone away from from the tomb's entrance (and, believe me, folks, that would have been a BIG stone.) But when they got there, the stone was moved. Matthew tells us that an angel of the Lord had done it. (Matthew 28:2) Mary encounters Jesus in the garden, runs to tell the disciples, Peter and John went to check it out and saw that He had risen, Jesus then appeared to His disciples, to the men on the road to Emmaus, and then to better than 500. A bit later, He called the disciples to a mountain and, giving them the Great Commission, ascended to His Father. Wow! And folks still question??? Go figure!
So what does that Resurrection mean to us? Well, it means that Jesus was the only One who could conquer sin and death. He was the only One who COULD have been our Savior. It means that eternal life was made available to anyone (yes YOU), who will truly repent of their sins and receive Him as Savior and Lord. It means that our forgiveness and salvation are won! I love how Colossians 2:13-15 puts it:
"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross: And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them all in it."
Wow! As our dear Parson would say, GLORY TO GOD!
God bless you, folks, and may this Easter be your very best yet and the one that draws you the closest to the Savior!
In Him Who IS Love,
Graceblest