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Power of the Resurrection (Matthew 28:6)
Matthew 28:6, “He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Philippians 3:10, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.” There is more evidence that Jesus Christ rose from the dead than history teaches about Julius Caesar. So, I don't think we have to labor the point of the physical, visible resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a miracle. Paul wrote to the Christians at Rome in Romans 1:4, “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Also, in our text it says, “the power of his resurrection”. What thrills me is that you and I are meant to know this power in its various aspects toward us. Notice some things about "the power of his resurrection." Feeling fearful about death is a most common response. But according to our text, there is nothing to fear and no reason to feel hesitant at the empty tomb of Jesus. In fact, along with the early followers of Christ, who found the clothes of Jesus and angels inside, we are blessed with the truth and evidence of an empty tomb! Death Was Conquered. Jesus entered into death’s domain and declared it helpless. For the believer, death is simply the doorway from this land of sorrow to that Heavenly land of splendor where every tear shall be wiped from every eye and the saints of God will live forever in the glorious presence of our exalted Saviour! (I Corinthians 15:54-57; II Corinthians 5:8). Hell Was Conquered. When Jesus died for mankind, He descended into a place called Hell. When He arose from the dead and ascended to His Father in Heaven, the Bible tells us that He took those souls with Him to the Father in Heaven (Ephesians 4:8-10). Now, all those who believe in Jesus go directly to the Father when they leave this world. Hell has forever been removed for the child of God! The Grave Was Conquered. Throughout their entire lives, countless people live in fear of that moment when they lay down their body in death. When we lay this flesh down in death, our spirits ascend to the Father in Heaven (I Corinthians 5:8). The next time we see our bodies, they will be glorified and will be like His body (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I John 3:1-3). Sin and Satan Was Conquered. A dead Saviour cannot save anyone! But One Who is alive can save all who come to Him by faith (Hebrews 7:25). Sin does not have to defeat you! Jesus won the victory over sin on the cross when He arose from the dead. You can be free by faith in Jesus. Satan is the enemy of God and of the people of God. He tried every way he could to prevent Christ's plans to go to the cross. The death of babies in Bethlehem; the storm on Galilee; the temptation; the oppression in Gethsemane and so on. Jesus endured every temptation, He weathered every storm and made it to the cross. Satan saw his power broken and himself judged. He was defeated forever by the Lord Jesus! The tomb is empty that our lives might be filled! Yes, Jesus had been in the tomb! But, now it was barren and empty. Christ has risen from the dead! Hallelujah! He is alive and well! And, He lives to live in believing hearts! Sin left us barren, empty and unfulfilled. But, by His Spirit, the living Lord resides within us. Now we can say: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20). The tomb is conquered that our beings might be healed! Before God saves sinners by His grace, the law of sin and death completely rules over them. There is nothing that is not diseased and defiled. The resurrected life of Jesus, however, brings spiritual healing and productivity. “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” (Romans 6:22). The tomb is open that our souls might be sealed! Jesus Christ is alive! He lives to live His life in us! From His life comes blessing and healing. Having received His life, we are “sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13). Death has no power over us! The cemetery presents no fear! The seal of Christ’s tomb was broken, but believers are “sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com
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This is PART 7 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”.
7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross – PART - 7 PART 7 - Christ’s 7TH Saying (Luke 23:46) “…Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit…” Luke 23:46, “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit: and having said thus, He gave up His spirit.” The Word of God tells us that as He uttered these words, He bowed His head and gave up the ghost. Physicians report that when people are dying, they try to raise their heads for one more breath. He bowed His head. What is worth noting is that the sufferings did not take His life, excruciating as though they were; He laid it down of Himself! Hallelujah! What a Saviour! Christ had announced earlier in His ministry that He would give up His life on His own (John 10:18). Christ would give His life when He decided, not when man decided. Christ gave up His own life. Nobody took it from Him because no one has the power to do so. He willingly gave up His life for you. Jesus had the power to destroy all those who were attempting to destroy Him (Matthew 26:53). But He restrained Himself and endured this horrible death because of our sin. While Jesus was dying on the cross, God was still God, He was still on the throne and reigning omnipotent. The events around the cross, the earthquake, darkness, the rent veil, and the actions of our Lord as He was suspended between Heaven and earth, convinced the Roman centurion that Jesus was not only a righteous man, but He was God. Jesus voluntarily gave His life for us, yielding every moment of His life, even unto death, to God’s plan and purpose. Jesus commended His spirit unto God and then gave up His spirit. This fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 31:5, “Into thine hand I commit my spirit…” The word “commend” in Christ’s seventh saying from the cross means to “entrust, to commit to one’s charge.” The Lord Jesus entrusted His spirit into His Father’s keeping. He entrusted, or committed, Himself to the guardianship of the Father. As is stated in another text, “Christ...through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God…” (Hebrews 9:14). When the first drop of Jesus’ blood was shed, it sealed Satan’s fate forever. At that moment, He returned in spirit to His Father in heaven. At this moment, the temple’s veil was rent (Matthew 27:51), signifying that the death of Jesus had settled the sin problem and had removed the barrier between sinful men and a holy God, Hebrews 10:19-20. Paul used the same word when he wrote to young Timothy. He wrote, “For I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day” (II Timothy 1:12). Because Jesus entrusted His spirit with the Father, we can entrust our spirits into His saving and keeping power. Since He committed His all to the Father, we can commit our all to Him, also. Throughout His earthly ministry, Christ magnified the sovereignty and authority of His Father (John 6:38, 44; 10:29). Lovingly trusting Him to safely guard His spirit, the Lord Jesus entrusted it into His Father’s “hands.” The God Who held Him in His hands of mercy in life could be trusted to hold Him in His hands of might in death. This is also true for you and me! Christ died honoring God by committing His most precious possession into God's hands. You honor a person when you entrust into their care your most priceless possession. Since Jesus committed His spirit to the Father in the hour of death, then the Father must be eternal. The spirit would live on with the Father on the other side of death. As Christ committed Himself into the hands of the eternal God with certainty, so all believers can be assured about the ages to come. Through Christ, we will not only live with the Father, but will live as long as the Father lives. Christ died with a prayer on His lips. Some die with a curse on their lips. You do not die praying if you have not prayed much in your life. The fact that you will face tribulation in this world does not lessen the power of God in any way. In fact, it should motivate you to tap into the reservoir of faith. Have you committed your life into God’s hand (Romans 12:1-2)? PRAYER: Father in Heaven, as Jesus commended Himself to You, my desire is to commit my life to Your service. May I seek to win more people to Christ by sharing the Gospel more often. In Jesus name, Amen! Thank you for reading PART 7 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. Please visit this website tomorrow. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com 7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross – PART 6
This is PART 6 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. PART 6 - Christ’s 6TH Saying (John 19:30) “…It is finished…” John 19:30, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost.” From the beginning, Satan opposed the work of redemption. Beginning with Abel’s death, he attempted to hinder the coming of the Messiah. Pharaoh, in Egypt, attempted to keep the Hebrews in bondage and to have all male babies drowned in the Nile River in order to prevent the coming of the Messiah. God foiled Satan’s strategy delivering the Jews. Wicked Haman attempted genocide in the complete and utter destruction of all the Jewish people. Herod attempted to destroy all male Jewish boys to prevent the Messiah from taking the throne. Satan had tried numerous times to stop Calvary's plan. But he failed, and Christ conquered victoriously. The Lord Jesus was not ignorant of Satan’s devices (II Corinthians 2:11). Through His life and ministry, He fought the enemy with the Word (Matthew 4:1-11). But in His death, glory be to God, the Seed of the woman crushed the head of him “…that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). Praise the LORD, Jesus said “It is finished”, and not, “I quit!” It is finished speaks of Christ’s success over Satan. Satan had opposed Christ going to the cross and dying in the way heaven had planned. The word ‘finished’ occurs 3 times: a) Genesis 2:1. At the completion of God’s physical creation, b) John 19:30. When salvation was completed on the cross. c) Revelation 16:17. “It is done” at the 7th vial judgment. Here our Lord Jesus used the Greek word “Tetelestai” meaning, “It is finished, and as a result it is forever done.” The very words of the Lord Jesus, “It is finished,” make it clear that He did win! When Jesus cried, “It is finished”, the redemptive work He came to accomplish was done. Nothing else needed to be added to it. The word “Tetelestai” speaks of accomplishment, satisfaction, and victory! Examples of this are: 1. A servant reporting to his master would say “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4). 2. A farmer would use this term when there was born into his herd an animal so well-rounded, beautiful, and healthy that it seemed to be without defects and fault. 3. An artist or sculptor who finished a great masterpiece would stand back and say “Tetelestai. Tetelestai,” meaning that the painting is so perfect that nothing can be added to it. It needed no corrections, nor any improvements. 4. A merchant would say this when “The debt is paid in full”. As our Kinsman Redeemer, the Lord Jesus paid the exacted payment to set us free from the bondage of sin. 5. A priest would use this word when examining a perfect animal sacrifice when the devout worshipper brought a lamb without blemish, a male of the first year (according to God's instructions in Exodus 12:5), to be offered as a sacrifice. 6. The greatest and best example is when Christ said it to describe His payment for our sins on the cross. When our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, offered Himself as the Lamb of God on the altar at Calvary being such a full, complete, and perfect payment that nothing could he added to it. Jesus fully met the righteous demands of a holy law. He paid our sin debt in full. The Lamb of God shed His blood to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29; Hebrews 9:24-28). His Sacrifice for sins which was perfect, pure, powerful, once for all, eternal, finished, and done forever. Amen and amen!!!! The Creator (John 1:1-3) was sacrificed for His creation. Everything Christ did was according to the Scriptures. While on the cross, Christ spoke of finishing the work of salvation. Calvary was the sacrifice that finished all sacrifices for sin which made salvation possible. Christ had completed perfectly the work assigned to Him. Jesus paid the perfect price for sin and bridged the gap between a holy God and sinful people. Jesus had proclaimed He laid His life down in John 10:18, “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” The truth of this claim was verified in John 19:30, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” Jesus was not robbed of His life; He voluntarily laid it down. John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” When Jesus declared, “It is finished”, His work of atonement for sin was done. The demands of the law had been met. The debt for sin had been paid in full. Nothing can be, or needs to be, added to Christ’s finished work on the cross. Jesus endured the punishment for our sins against God, He opened the way for people to have a relationship with Him. Paul said “I have finished my course” II Timothy 4:6-8. Will you finish your life’s work that God has given you to do? PRAYER: Father in Heaven, thank You for sending Jesus to shed His blood, to die, and pay the price for my sins. Thank You for giving Him the strength to finish the word He did at Calvary. He did it all. He finished the work You sent Him to do. In Jesus name, Amen. Thank you for reading PART 6 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. Please visit this website tomorrow for Part 7. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com 7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross – PART 5
This is PART 5 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. Christ’s 5TH Saying (John 19:28) “…I thirst.” John 19:28, “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.” We all know the common cry of daily thirst in our bodies. When the water level of the body falls below a certain point, the brain signals that we are thirsty. On a hot day, we have all become especially thirsty for water. But most of us have never known the thirst that accompanies suffering and death. Physicians have assured us that there is no suffering comparable to that of an unassuaged thirst. It’s been said that those who died on the cross became so thirsty that their tongues would swell and protrude from their mouths. The Lord Jesus had suffered in many inconceivable ways. He had been mocked, beaten, and scourged. Then He had the cross laid upon His bleeding shoulders and back. When He reached Calvary, His hands and feet were nailed to the tree. The cross was then dropped into a prepared hole. His body screamed with pain, indicating the intense level of His sufferings. Christ did all He did according to a divine arrangement and order. The words “After this” conclude the movements of this event. “After” His prayer for forgiveness; “After” His acceptance of the thief; “After” His mother and His disciple were addressed; “After” the Father withdrew His presence from the Son; “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished . . . saith I thirst.” The Jews, stunned by what they have already experienced, now hear a cry that stirs sympathy in the hearts of some of the crowd. Jesus again reveals His humanity by declaring "I thirst." In response to this cry, some of the people standing by took a sponge and filled it with vinegar and put it to His mouth. Jesus had refused the pain deadening wine that was offered to those about to be crucified (Matthew 27:34). A soldier moistened Jesus’ lips with cheap vinegar on a sponge (John 19:29). “I was thirsty and ye gave me drink” (Matthew 25:35). When Jesus cried, “I thirst,” no doubt He was thirsting for the Father’s presence from which He had been separated. Perhaps He was also thirsting for the finality of His redemptive work. Remember as the rich man was thirsty in the tormenting flames of hell (Luke 16:24), so the Saviour, bearing our sins in His own body on the cross, was thirsty as He suffered the judgment for us. What infinite and precious love! It is clear that the Lord Jesus was concerned “that the scripture might be fulfilled.” In John 19, four references are made to prophetical fulfillments related to His crucifixion (John 19:24, 28, 36, 37). In His life and in His death, the Living Word did what He did in perfect agreement with the written Word. In order to fulfil the Scriptures Jesus said, “I thirst.” He had just endured three hours of darkness when He felt the wrath of God and separation from God (Matthew 27:45-49). Jesus experienced darkness, thirst and isolation as well as spiritual sufferings. “My soul thirsteth for God” (Psalm 42:1-2). This fulfilled Psalm 22:15, “My tongue cleaveth to my jaws.” This shows the deep suffering Jesus went through. Messianic themes in Psalm 69: Psalm 69:3, “…my throat is dried.” John 19:38, “…I thirst.” Psalm 69:4, “They hated me without a cause.” John 15:25, “They hated me without a cause.” Psalm 69:8, “I am become a stranger to my brethren.” John 7:5, “For neither did his brethren believe in Him” Psalm 69:9, “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” John 2:17, “The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” Psalm 69:21, “…they gave me gall for my meat: in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” John 19:28-29, “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.” Jesus had earlier said, “He that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35), and “If any man thirst, let him come into me and drink” (John 7:37). Jesus, who gave His life so man need never thirst spiritually, endured great physical thirst (John 4:13-15). The One Who had said that those who are thirsty are invited to come unto Him and drink was now thirsty. He thirsted that sinners might have their thirst quenched at the Fountain of the Waters of Life. Today, we can “give Jesus a drink” by sharing what we have with those in need. The Lord wants to draw your focus beyond the immediate to the eternal. Everyday we encounter empty vessels who are in desperate need for the Fountain of Living Water. Many in this world are spiritually thirsty, but they have found nothing to quench their thirst. They have pursued the waters of pleasure, success, fame, and fortune; but they have been chasing a mirage without the Living Water Christ offers. It is our moral obligation to guide these people to the Living Water, whatever the cost. PRAYER: Father in Heaven, my soul truly thirsts after your righteousness. My desire is to continually pursue You each day until Your Son Jesus comes back for me. In Jesus name, Amen. Thank you for reading PART 5 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. Please visit this website tomorrow for Part 6. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com This is PART 4 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”.
7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross – PART 4 Christ’s 4TH Saying - (Matthew 27:46) “…My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” At the sixth hour, which is noon, suddenly and without any warning the light of the world went out. There was a total darkness that lasted for the next three hours. Both Jews and the Roman Soldiers must have been very troubled. It seemed that our Lord was silent for most of these three hours. No one was moving because of the darkness. What would happen now? The suspense was building. Perhaps some of the Jews remembered when their ancestors were down in Egypt in the days of Moses and God sent a darkness that lasted for three days and nights. How long would this darkness last? But now, in this awful darkness in the middle of the afternoon, He did not address God as His Father, but rather addressed Him as God. Even greater than this, Christ was now talking about God forsaking Him. While Jesus did not address His Father, He did call upon God. As man, Jesus cried out to God in obedience and love. Jesus was not questioning the divine plan. The last Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew (Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22:1). Jesus, in His dying hour, quoted prophecy, expressed faith in it, and fulfilled it. He totally understood the Messianic prophecy of Psalm 22:1. Jesus quoted this from Psalm 22:1. Isaiah prophesied that Jehovah’s Servant would be “despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). The Christ would be forsaken, not because of hard times and harsh conditions, but because “men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Jesus was forsaken by the Jews, His disciples, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. When Jesus came, we read that “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” (John 1:11). Jesus was forsaken and accused by the religious leaders of His day (Luke 23:10) “the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him”. After the leaders apprehended Him in the garden, His own disciples “forsook Him, and fled” (Matthew 26:56). It is certainly clear that no other experience of abandonment in His earthly sojourn came close to His being forsaken by His Father. Though He had previously known only unbroken divine fellowship from all eternity, Jesus experienced the horrible abandonment of His Father as God poured out His wrath on His Son as He bore the sins of the world. In what sense was Jesus forsaken by God? God approved His work. He was innocent. He had done nothing to forfeit the favor of God. God still loved Him. Christ’s intense sufferings were caused by our sins being laid on Him and the manifestation of God’s intense hatred of sin to His soul. This had never happened before. Why did the Father turn His back on the Son? Because Jesus was bearing the sin of the world, and God cannot look on sin (Habakkuk 1:13). The torture and agony of the past few hours were horrible for Jesus, but the temporary alienation from God the Father was the ultimate pain. This sense of separation was intensified because Christ, as our substitute, actually took upon himself the full weight of guilt and punishment for every sin that has ever been committed or ever will be (II Corinthians 5:21). We cannot even begin to comprehend the sense of abandonment that Jesus felt as He hung on the cross. Here we see God’s Son, the Creator of the universe (John 1:1-3), not only rejected by His creation, but also isolated from the One who is everywhere. No human ever endured such a strong sense of judgment and isolation from God. Even though He had never sinned, God made him “to be sin for us” (II Corinthians 5:21). He was “wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: ” (Isaiah 53:4-5) and He gave “his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28; I Timothy 2:6). He died forsaken so that we would never have to be forsaken (Psalm 22). By his suffering, He restored to those who trust Him a right relationship with God (I Peter 1:19). This cry speaks of the separation of the sinner from God, the worst punishment of all. Christ was taking the place of the sinner on the cross and so experienced this terrible separation. The plea, “Why hast Thou forsaken Me?” indicates that when Christ was made sin for us (II Corinthians 5:21), because of the terrible nature of sin, the Father turned His back on His Son. Jesus was forsaken by the Father that we may never be forsaken by Him. He cried out as an orphan that we may never feel like orphans. Christ was cut off that we might never be cut off from God and His grace. Points to Ponder: Because Christ was forsaken by His Father, God will never leave us or forsake us (Psalm 37:23; Hebrews 13:5). Jesus experienced separation from God for the sake of others who would not need to experience that same separation. PRAYER: Father in Heaven, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to shed His blood and die on the cross for my sins. Because of Jesus sacrificing Himself to pay the debt for my sins, I’ll never be forsaken by You. In Jesus name, Amen! Thank you for reading PART 4 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. Please visit this website tomorrow for Part 5. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com This is PART 3 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”.
7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross – PART 3 Christ’s 3RD Saying (John 19:26-27) “…Woman, behold thy son!…Behold thy mother!” John 19:26-27, “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.” Jesus, in His dying moments, expressed His tender care for His mother. What a model for all children in providing for our parents’ needs who have done so much for us. “Behold thy mother”. Because your mother has always been your caregiver, when the tables are turned in her life, taking care of her can be a very challenging experience. Although you are a capable adult, in her eyes you are still her little one. We know the circumstances and challenges of Christ’s day were very different than ours. Yet He did not shirk the responsibility of taking care of His earthly mother. When the hour of His death arrived, it was clear that He had made special plans and accommodations. John, His beloved disciple, would take care of His mother, and Mary, whose heart was closest to the heart of Jesus, would live the remainder of her life with John. The God Who said, “Honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12), came to this earth and “was made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). With human flesh draped around Him, He obeyed the same commandment that He had given to men. And even when He was dying, He continued to obey that commandment, honoring His mother with His thoughtfulness and provisions. Even as He hung dying on a cross, Jesus fulfilled His obligation to care for His mother. Even during the agony of a horribly cruel death, and in the last moments of His life upon earth, Jesus was concerned about the welfare of his mother. He made arrangements for her care. Caring for and assisting helpless and needy family members is a responsibility we have until death. The focus here is on the responsibility of children for their dependent parents. Jesus was saying to John that He wanted him to be the substitute for the Substitute. As Jesus trusted John to take Mary to his own home and to lovingly provide for her in His absence, may He trust us to do His bidding. The fact that Jesus spoke to both His earthly mother and John from the cross indicates they were on His heart. He loved Mary so much that He guarded her future; He loved John so much that He gave Him a special ministry. He had us on His heart also and lovingly died for us. He still has us on His heart and lovingly speaks to us by His Spirit. Like John, may we hasten to do His will. And He purposes the same for all of us who have been purchased by His Precious Blood. As the poet has said; "Christ has no hands but our hands To do His work today, He has no feet but our feet To lead men in His way, He has no tongue but our tongues To tell men how He died, He has no help but our help To bring them to His side." Points to Ponder: Jesus was touched with the feelings of His mother’s hurt and pain. Jesus is touched with the feeling of our hurt and pain, so He takes care of us. PRAYER: Father In Heaven, I thank You for my Mother. Thank You for giving me a mother that has sacrificed so much for me and who has always been there for me. My I be as strong and supporting for her as she was for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Thank you for reading PART 3 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. Please visit this website tomorrow for Part 4. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com This is PART 2 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”.
7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross – PART 2 Christ’s 2ND Saying (Luke 23:42-43) “…Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42-43, “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” In Luke 23:39, two thieves were being crucified with Christ. One thief looked over to Him and said, "If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us." This man asked the Lord to save him, but he wanted to be saved physically. He wanted no part with Christ and salvation. There is no evidence of him being saved from sin. There are still many people today who are trying to get to heaven without the cross and the shed blood of Jesus Christ. It did not work then for this man, and it will not work for those who try it today. In Luke 23:40, the thief on the other side of Christ rebukes the thief who spoke in Luke 23:39. One malefactor railed on Him, becoming more hardened in guilt, while the other was repentant. In his rebuke, the second thief acknowledged a fear of God. He also acknowledged that Jesus is God, and that he himself was a guilty sinner. He acknowledged that Jesus Christ was sinless by saying, "This man hath done nothing amiss." In Luke 23:42, the second thief turned to Christ and did two things. First, he confessed Jesus is LORD. Then he said unto Jesus, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." He knew death was not the end. The malefactor was saved on the cross just before he died. He was never baptized, so baptism does not save. Salvation begins immediately, it does not take weeks before it takes effect. The repentant thief believed Jesus was the Messiah He claimed to be and wanted to enter His Kingdom. In faith, the helpless thief asked to be remembered by the Saviour. In hope, he anticipated Christ’s future kingdom. His plea was not only answered personally, “Jesus said unto him”, but it was answered immediately, “To day”. It was salvation spontaneously and instantaneously. While the Lord does as He pleases and sometimes waits to answer, it is possible that He will answer our prayers much more quickly than we expect. This is Scriptural proof that some may come to Christ for salvation on their deathbed. This confirms that believers go immediately into God’s presence at death. His last minute salvation does not encourage procrastination in the matter of salvation. The Apostle Paul spoke interchangeably of Heaven and Paradise (II Corinthians 12:2, 4). While Jesus was on the cross, Paradise was on His mind. In conjunction with this, a poor sinner was on His mind, a sinner He would take to Paradise. “Paradise” was a reference to the heavenly home of the redeemed. Very soon, Jesus was going back to His “Father’s house” (John 14:2), and the thief was given assurance that he would be there with Jesus. The malefactor had Christ's word (the Word of God) to give him all the confidence he needed for his salvation. We learn 3 things about salvation here:
We see 3 men here:
There are all classes of people characterized at the cross.
PRAYER: Father in Heaven, I’m thankful that when Your Son, Jesus Christ, was on the cross, that I was on His mind. I have family, friends, and loved ones who are not yet saved. Thank You for compelling me to go tell them of the salvation they can have through Your Son Jesus. In Jesus name, Amen. Thank you for reading PART 2 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. Please visit this website tomorrow for Part 3. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com This is PART 1 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”.
7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross – PART 1 Christ’s 1st Saying (Luke 23:34) “…Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34, “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” He asked God the Father to forgive them for they did not know what they were doing. This was the first statement He said on the cross. His blood was shed for us that we might be clothed in the bright raiment of His righteousness. In all of His suffering, Christ demonstrated great compassion not only for those who crucified Him, but for all mankind. As He forgave His tormentors, the Lord forgives all who come to Him in repentance seeking His forgiveness. When Jesus was crucified, He fulfilled a number of prophetic Scriptures (Psalm 22:6, 16, 18; 34:20; 69:20-21; Isaiah 53:12; Zechariah 12:10). The idea that this terrible thing was done in ignorance runs through the New Testament. Acts 3:17, “And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.” Acts 13:27, “For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.” According to Matthew’s account, Jesus had already suffered various forms of abuse. He had been “scourged” (Matthew 27:26); He had “a crown of thorns” placed upon His head and was “mocked” (Matthew 27:29); the wicked ones had “spit upon Him…and smote Him on the head” (Matthew 27:30), and nailed Him to the cross. Jesus has been on the cross for a period of time and had said nothing. Everyone was wondering what He would say. Suddenly, from the lips of Jesus there comes the first word since He has been on the cross. The suspense of only a half-minute pause would have seemed like an eternity. What would His next words be? Would He pronounce a curse upon them? His first words would bring a hush over the crowd. In the darkest hours of His life, Jesus called upon Him as a trustworthy “Father.” The next words that Jesus spoke are perhaps the sweetest words to ever fall from the lips of the Saviour. He said, "Father, forgive them". This fulfilled the prophecy “and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12). Here Jesus practiced what He had preached earlier in His sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”. We cannot comprehend what a sword this would pierce into the unbelieving hearts of those Jews. Try to imagine what must have been going through the mind of those that had just passed by the cross and ridiculed Him for making Himself the Son of God. In essence, the first words that came from His mouth were, “I love you!” His prayer to the Father for the forgiveness of His enemies was an expression of love for sinners. The malice of hatred was never as toxic as in this hour. Yet the strength of love was never as powerful as when Christ prayed for His enemies. While the wicked succeeded in manifesting their wicked hearts, the Lover of sinners succeeded in revealing His loving heart. And by asking the Father to forgive them, He demonstrated to us that where there is a heart of compassion, there is a heart of forgiveness. Then the next phrase "For they know not what they do" was like adding insult to injury. The Jews were a very proud people and to tell them they did not know what they were doing did not help their feelings. This must have been a stunned crowd as they tried to analyze what the Lord Jesus had just said. The Saviour of men was the center of attention. But due to spiritual corruption and depravity, the people were blinded to His Person. Paul stated this, “for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (I Corinthians 2:8). The Jews did not fully understand the greatness of their sin of crucifying their God and Creator. Instead of showing Him their affection and devotion, they revealed their accusations and detestation. Because God alone can forgive sin and open blinded eyes, we must also pray for those who continue in spiritual ignorance. Even as He was being tortured to death, Jesus remembered the purpose for which He came; to open the door of divine forgiveness for all who would receive Him. He prayed that the Father would forgive even His executioners, because they did not know what they were doing. As they gambled for His clothes, He pleaded for mercy for them, fulfilling prophecy from (Psalm 22:18). As sinners mocked Him, He interceded for them so that they might repent and be saved. He prayed for God to forgive those who were crucifying Him. The very purpose for His coming was to make provision for forgiveness of sins. God will hold no sin against any man, if that man will personally trust His Son. If God forgave the men who killed His only Son, God will forgive any man for any sin—if that man will just ask. PRAYER: Father in heaven, thank You for loving me and sending Jesus to die on the cross for me. Thank You that I can be forgiven of all my sins. Help me to share this Good News with others. In Your name. Amen. Thank you for reading PART 1 of the 7 PART Series titled “7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross”. Please visit this website tomorrow for Part 2. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com The Severest of All Sins (Proverbs 8:13)
Proverbs 8:13, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.” In his day, Charles Spurgeon was probably the most famous preacher in the world. The crowds of people who wanted to hear him preach were so large that before the church was able to erect a building with enough seating, they rented the Royal Surrey Music Hall which seated ten thousand people. For a number of years, tickets were required to get in to hear Spurgeon preach. The story is told that a visitor from America, eager to hear the famous “prince of preachers,” convinced a friend to get a ticket for him. After the message concluded, the American stood in the vestibule of the church talking to his English friend. He did not know that Spurgeon was standing nearby listening. The Englishman asked what his friend thought of the service, and he replied, “What a preacher!” According to the story, Spurgeon began to weep. A church member asked him what was wrong and Spurgeon said, “I wish he had said, ‘What a Saviour!’” Pride is a sin that those who have it assume they don't. Pride can blind someone and cause them to ignore even the toughest of warnings. Pride places us on a dangerous path, and it harms our relationships with God. James 4:6, “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” When we humbly acknowledge Him as the source of all of the good things we have and do, we continue to receive His grace to help us deal with the challenges and temptations of life. Proverbs 6:16, “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him.” God hates this sin above all others because it describes people who are so full of pride it shows in their eyes. Pride heads the list of the seven sins God hates most because it is the severest of all sins. I. Pride’s Description. Pride is the worst of all sins because it is the original sin. Pride is not self-esteem; we need self-esteem, and should have it. Pride is arrogance, or having an exaggerated opinion of one’s self. "Prideful" is the one word that best describes Satan. Because of pride, Satan, then Lucifer, led a rebellion against God in Heaven (Isaiah 14). In Luke 10:18, Jesus describes the swift outcome of that rebellion in as a flash of lightning as God defeated Satan. II. Pride’s Danger. Pride causes all kinds of problems in life and hurts us in three ways:
III. Pride’s Destruction. To motivate us to rid ourselves of the sin of pride, Proverbs 18:12 reminds us, “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.” Only one thing can destroy pride in our lives, and that is humility. Humility can push pride out of our hearts. But how do we become humble? We must do at least three things.
We can have victory over pride when we compare our inflated thinking with reality. Reality check 1: The moment we are not willing to accept Godly correction, we are in a dangerous spot. Reality check 2: We are not that important – God created us from dust. Reality check 3: Our opinions mean very little – only God’s opinion matters. Reality check 4: We have no accomplishments without God. Reality check 5: The praise of others does not define how valuable we are – only what God says about us counts. Examples of pride: Devil (Isaiah 14:12-15; 1 Timothy 3:6) Cain (Genesis 4) Pharaoh (Exodus 5-14) Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4) Haman (Esther 5:9-17) Herod (Acts 12:21-23) Diotrephes (III John 9-10) Antichrist (II Thessalonians 2:4) How do we know if we have pride? Here are some helpful questions for us to consider: How quickly do I admit I was wrong? Is it difficult for me to accept correction? Does being seen or heard by others make me feel good? Do I often talk about myself and my opinions to others? Do I brag about my accomplishments or do things so others will notice me? Do I rely upon the acceptance of others to give me self-worth? Do you see yourself as better than others? Are you focused on getting people to like you? If we answered yes to any of these questions, then we have a pride problem. Concentrate on reality – on God, others, and yourself. Your ego will deflate, and you will be an effective witness for Christ. Prayer, Father in Heaven, too often I have knowingly and ignorantly come against Your will and Your ways. Open my eyes to the blessings of humility. Let me view it in its beauty and fullness of joy not as the world sees it. While I desire a life of godly humility, pride pulls hard to overpower me. In my warfare against pride, help me to fight against ego and the flesh as I pursue humility. Your Son left the pleasures of heaven for a life of service on earth. He gave His life for ungodly, ungrateful and undeserving people. Help me have His attitude, remembering that You resist the proud and give grace to the humble. In Jesus name, Amen! If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Worry Can’t Fix It; God Can Fix It! (I Peter 5:7)
I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” Not long ago, I had a very productive conversation with a member from our church. Both of us were sharing burdens and concerns with one another when the subject of worry came up. He stated, “Why worry…Worry can’t fix it; God can fix it!” “WOW!” I responded, “I’m going to take that thought and use it.” Love is the most basic word we have concerning what God is like (I John 4:8). Because He loves us greater than any other, we can trust Him with anything that worries us. We matter to God, and He is for us and will never forsake us, therefore, He can bear our anxieties with more insight than we can. More than we could ever imagine, God is deeply concerned for the troubles of every one of His children (Psalm 27:10; 37:5; 40:17; 55:22; Matthew 6:25-34; 10:29-31; 11:28-30; Philippians 4:6). The Bible is filled with examples of people with precarious predicaments ending with the Lord providing for their needs and strengthening their faith in Him. God took care of their problems, and He can take care of your problems, too. Don't let worry weaken your faith. Worry will weaken your faith and rob you of your peace. The beginning of worry is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of worry. I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” So, what do we do with our worry? We cast it on the Lord! God wants us to throw our cares overboard, He wants us to willingly throw them upon Him. Casting indicates a deliberate act of our will. In other words, “I will thrust my cares upon the Lord.” Casting means we throw our cares onto the Lord and leave them there. Too often, we cast our burdens like we are fishing, and reel them back. We are to cast them onto the Lord and leave them there. Once our worries are deposited with God, we leave them there. We must decide to turn all our worries over to God and trust His way and time in handling them. A recently licensed pilot was flying his private plane on a cloudy day. He was not very experienced in instrument landing. When the control tower was to bring him in, he began to get panicky. Then a stern voice came over the radio, “You just obey instructions, we’ll take care of the obstructions.” Worry shifts the focus of attention from the all sufficient power of Christ to your human insufficiency and insecurity. Ultimately, worry can undermine your Christian witness by presenting God as impotent and unworthy of praise. It’s been stated that the average human has about 50,000 daily thoughts and 70% of them are negative. We can spend all our energy and efforts on what we are worrying over and at the end of the day we will have high blood pressure and stress. We spend more time worrying about the things we’re unsure of and less time worrying about the things we are sure of. It seems like worry is programmed into our brains. If we don't have something to worry about, we worry about that. Remember, you can't change things when they are outside of your control. It doesn't help you to worry about something you can't change. Worry is taking responsibility for something God never meant for us to handle, without depending on Him and following His guidance. In the New Testament the word "worry" is merimnao, which means "to be anxious, to be distracted" or "to have a divided mind". To worry is to divide your mind between that which is useful and worthwhile and that which is damaging and destructive. Worry reveals that you are taking on personal responsibility and concern for that which God has already promised to provide for. The word “cares” carries the idea of “being pulled apart.” That is what worry and anxiety do to us. They pull us apart! We are worried about so many things every day and we bear the burdens that we should never bear! Keep in mind, God has a solution for every worry that comes into your life. The words "Take no thought " are used by Jesus three times (Matthew 6:25, 31, 34). "Take no thought " carries the idea of stopping what has already been done. The LORD is telling us to stop worrying. In other words, we are to stop worrying and never start worrying again. Nothing justifies our worry and anxiousness when we have the Lord. Worry fails to recognize that God is working in your life. God knows what He is doing. He has not forgotten us. God is at work, but when we worry, we are saying that God is not in control. Worry is irrelevant, it cannot change anything. It says that He doesn’t know what He is doing, and He can’t take care of us. Worry is like a rocking chair, it moves back and forth, but it does not get you anywhere. There is no need to worry because the Lord can supply every need for every situation that we face in life. God will never be guilty of nurturing the sparrows and neglecting His own children. God is bigger than our problems. He is never caught off guard or surprised at what takes place in our lives. He knows what is going on and will take care of you. Freedom is found, not by fretting over the temporal, but by focusing on the eternal. The man who feeds his heart on the record of what God has done in the past will never worry about the future. Worry wears us down in a number of ways! (1) Worry causes us to focus on the fret and not our faith in God. (2) Worry harms our health. (3) Worry manipulates the way we minister to others. (4) Worry prevents our productivity. (5) Worry trims down our trust in God. Prayer, Father in Heaven, I regret having carried these burdens and worries so long by myself when, in fact, You were always ready to take them from me and to carry them on my behalf. But it’s never too late to do what is right, so right now I make the decision to yield to You every one of these matters that are troubling me. Thank You for coming alongside me to take these weights from my shoulders. Because You are so loving and attentive to me, I can now go free! I pray this in Jesus’ name! If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com |
AuthorDr. Blackman is passionate about helping others grow in the grace of the Lord. His devotions are centered on how to grow closer to the Lord through a personal relationship with Christ. Archives
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