Saturday, April 3, 2021

Easter Sunday, 2021

When I was a child, Mom used to hard boil eggs and then color the shells at Easter time.  Before we got up, she would hide the eggs around the house and yard, and she would include a carton of chocolate milk for each of us.  I loved chocolate milk, but the folks couldn’t afford to buy it very often.  For me, it was almost as exciting as Christmas morning.

At Easter, believers celebrate the resurrection of Our Lord Jesus.  The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was buried.  Then, on the third day he was raised from the dead and was seen by many people. (1Corinthians 15:3-7) Later, He ascended into Heaven. (Acts1:9) One day He will return, give us new resurrection bodies, and take His people bodily to be with Him in His Father’s house. (John 14:1-3, 1Corinthians 15:35-43)

The blessings of God are without limit.  There are always more blessings for those who trust and obey Him.  Jesus said:

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. After a little while, the world no longer is going to see Me, but you are going to see Me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I in you. The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.” (John 14:18-21 NASB)

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, King David of Israel, Stephen the Martyr, and the Apostles Peter and Paul taught us that now Jesus sits at the right hand of the God the Father in heaven, and all things are subordinate to Him. (Ephesians 1:21-23) Soon we will see His Glory, for “… at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11 NASB)

You will find this testimony in many places in the Bible including (but not limited to): Psalm 110:1, Acts 7:55-56, Romans 8:34, Ephesians 1:18-23, Hebrews1:3, and 1Peter 3:22.  But wait, there is more!  Paul shows us that believers have been raised with Christ, and our lives are in God through Christ.  Indeed, in Christ, we are seated at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven:

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.  For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.  And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. (Colossians 3:1-4 NLT)

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.  So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:4-10 NLT) *

 Praise God. Thank you, Lord Jesus.  Happy Easter.

  

*  All direct Biblical quotes from: https://biblehub.com/

 

  

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

He Knew

Our Lord Jesus Christ knew He would be killed if He traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate His final Passover with His disciples:

Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”  (Mark 10:32-34 NKJV) (See also Matthew 20:17-19, Luke 18:31-33) *

He went voluntarily because it was the Father’s will, (Luke 22:42), for Jesus to provide a way of salvation for you and me. (John 3:16) There has never been, and never will be a greater Love than this.

*  https://biblehub.com/

 

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Palm Sunday, 2021

According to the Holy Bible, Zechariah son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo was the human author of the Book of Zechariah.  Scripture says it was written in the second year of the reign of King Darius, which scholars have placed at 520 B.C.  Jesus Christ was crucified when he was about 33 years old.  Thus, Zechariah’s prophesy about the Messiah’s entry into Jerusalem was written 553 years before it happened:

Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
He is righteous and endowed with salvation,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
(Zechariah 9:9 NASB) *

The account of the triumphal entry of Christ Jesus into Jerusalem is well known, but you may read it 21st chapter of Matthew, the 19th chapter of Luke, and the 12th chapter of John.

Please take a few moments to give thanks to God for what our Lord has done for us.  He paid for our salvation with His life.


https://biblehub.com/