He Is Risen!

This week is a special week in history called Holy Week and tomorrow is Easter.  This week changed the world. 

Our Savior, Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem knowing He would die for us.  What a sacrifice that was.  He went willing obeying God’s will because He loves us so much.  He died on the cross on what we call Good Friday.  God said the penalty for sin is death.  This paid our debt to God giving all who believe in Him, eternal life in Christ Jesus.  “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8.  Then three days later He came back to life.  We call this the resurrection.  That was the first Easter.  Scriptures on His death, crucifixion, burial and resurrection are found in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19.

The world looks at Easter with egg hunts, brunches, baskets for the children.  We buy Easter flowers and Easter dresses.  More people attend church on Easter than any other Sunday.  This Easter is a little different because of the Coronavirus, but that doesn’t stop Easter.  Instead of celebrating at your church, celebrate and worship on your TV or online.  Invite others to listen too.  There are many options to choose from.  If they are not a Christian or a church goer, this is the Sunday they will probably say yes to your invitation.  Maybe they are just waiting for someone care and invite them.

Do we really stop and think how wonderful this day really is?  Without the resurrection we would just have another man-made dead religion.  Think on the meaning of this special day and attempt to stay in His presence.  Satan will do everything he can to distract you from its real meaning.  Don’t let the world trap you with meaningless things.

Jesus was despised and rejected.  We turned our backs on Him.  He was hated and we didn’t care.  Yet He still loves us and carried our weaknesses and sin.  Don’t crucify Him again.  Satan’s strategy has always been to distort the truth and separate us from God.  Don’t fall for it!  God’s redemption is simple.  He loves us and died for us.  All we have to do is repent, believe and trust Him; follow His example and be baptized; worship Him; honor Him and the devil will lose all his power over you.  There is no better time than now.  We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, especially now with so much sickness and death.

After He paid for the sin of the world, God’s righteous judgment was satisfied.  He arose victorious.  Death had no hold on Him.  Now, He offers everyone eternal life and perfect peace with God when you are willing to repent and believe in Him.  Have you done that yet?

We need Easter more than ever now.  God who calmed storms and silenced evil on that first Easter will calm the storms of this life.  How did Jesus endure the agony of the cross?  He endured by waiting and trusting.  He fixed His eyes on God and looked for the joy to come.  “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross….” – Hebrews 12:2  So in this uncertain time focus on Jesus.  When we focus on Him our troubles get smaller.  “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” – 2 Corinthians 4:18

If you are a Christian, death has no hold on you.  Jesus is coming again to take you to be with Him in glory forever.  On Easter morning shout Hallelujah!  He is risen!  He is risen indeed!

Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne.” – Revelation 3: 20-21

Jesus changed the world.  Let Him change your life!

Happy Easter!  I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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The Death and Resurrection of Jesus

At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death penalty.  At the time crucifixion was the "worst" death.  Only the worst criminals condemned to be crucified.  Yet it was even more dreadful for Jesus, for unlike other criminals condemned to death by crucifixion, Jesus was nailed to the cross by His hands and feet, rather than tied...

Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long.  The nails were driven into His wrist.  not into His palms as is commonly portrayed.  There's a tendon in the wrist that extends to the shoulder.

The Roman guards knew that when the nails were being hammered into the wrist, that tendon would tear and break, forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support himself, so that He could breathe.

Both of His feet were nailed together.  Thus He was forced to support Himself on the single nail that

impaled His feet to the cross.

Jesus could not support himself with His legs for long because of the pain, so He was forced to alternate between arching His back and using his legs just to continue to breath.

Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering, and the courage.  Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours.

Yes, over 3 hours!

Can you imagine this kind of suffering?  A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding.

 He was simply pouring water from his wounds.  From common images we see wounds to His hands

and feet and even the spear wound to His side...

But do we remember the many wounds made to his body.  A hammer driving large nails through the wrists, the feet overlapped and a nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear.  And... before the nails and the spear, Jesus was whipped and beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the Flesh from His body. The beating was so horrific that His Face was torn and his beard ripped from His face.

The Crown of thorns (two to three inch thorns) cut deeply into His scalp.  Most men would not have survived this torture.  He had no more blood to bleed out, only water poured from His Wounds.

The human adult body contains about 3.5 liters (just less than a gallon) of blood.  Jesus poured all 3.5 liters of his blood; He had three nails hammered into His members; a crown of thorns on His head and, beyond that, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His Chest.

All these without mentioning the humiliation He passed after carrying His own Cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in his Face and threw stones (the cross beam was almost 30 kg of weight, to which His hands were nailed).

Jesus had to endure this experience, so that you may have free access to God and that your sins can be "washed" away.

All of them, with no exception!

BUT WAIT!  There is Good News!  On the 3^rd day just as He predicted, Jesus arose from the dead.  We celebrate His resurrection by calling it Easter.  Jesus walked on the earth which was witnessed by skeptics, the disciples and more than 500 people over a period of 40 days.  Then He ascended into heaven, but He sent His Spirit to live in us and empower us to live an abundant life.  For Him to be your Savior, you must believe in Him and ask Him into your life to be your Lord and Savior.

Accept the reality, the truth, that JESUS IS THE ONLY SALVATION FOR THE WORLD.  

God has special plans for YOU !

Hope to see you here for our next study.

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Holy Week

My BSF class is taking a spring break for a week.  I will miss the fellowship with my sisters, but this week however is a special week in history called Holy Week.  This week changed the world. 

Our Savior, Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem knowing He would die for us.  What a sacrifice that was.  He went willing obeying God’s will because He loves us so much.  He died on the cross on what we call Good Friday.  God said the penalty for sin is death.  This paid our debt to God giving all who believe in Him, eternal life in Christ Jesus.  “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – (Romans 5:8).  Then three days later He came back to life.  We call this the resurrection.  That was the first Easter.  Scriptures on His death, crucifixion, burial and resurrection are found in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19.

The world looks at Easter with egg hunts, brunches, baskets for the children.  We buy Easter flowers and Easter dresses.  More people attend church on Easter than any other Sunday.  This is the Sunday you need to invite someone to church.  If they are not a Christian or a church goer, this is the Sunday they will probably say yes to your invitation.  Maybe they are just waiting for someone to invite them. 

Do we really stop and think how wonderful this day really is?  Without the resurrection we would just have another man-made dead religion.  Think on the meaning of this special week and attempt to say in His presence.  Satan will do everything he can to distract you from its real meaning.  Don’t let the world trap you with meaningless things. 

Jesus was despised and rejected.  We turned our backs on Him.  He was hated and we didn’t care.  Yet He still carried our weaknesses and sin.  Don’t crucify Him again.  Satan’s strategy has always been to distort the truth and separate us from God.  Don’t fall for it!  God’s redemption is simple.  He loves us and died for us.  All we have to do is repent, believe and trust Him; follow His example and be baptized; worship Him; honor Him and the devil will lose all his power over you. 

After He paid for the sin of the world, God’s righteous judgment was satisfied.  He arose victorious.  Death had no hold on Him.  Now, He offers everyone eternal life and perfect peace with God when they are willing to repent and believe in Him.  Have you done that yet?

If you are a Christian, death has no hold on you.  Jesus is coming again to take you to be with Him in glory forever.  On Easter morning shout Hallelujah!  He is risen!  He is risen indeed!

Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne. “ – (Revelation 3: 20-21)

Jesus changed the world.  Let Him change your life!