March 26th, 2024
This week, we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus! Easter is a time to focus our hearts on the power of His sacrifice. Have you ever dwelled on what that moment would have been like? Jesus had already been beaten beyond recognition as He hung on the cross. The crown of thorns pierced His brow. His back, torn open for our healing, pressed against the rough wood. A sign hung over His head, on which they inscribed the charge against Him:
“This is Jesus, King of the Jews.”
Some of His followers looked on from afar, but the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, and one of the thieves who hung beside Him mocked Him.
However, it wasn’t the nails that held Him on that cross. It was obedience to the Father and love for you. At any moment, He could have cried out and multitudes of angels would have delivered Him (Matthew 26:53). Jesus chose to go to the cross, loving even the ones who mocked and abused Him. Love bore our sin that day. Love constrained Him on the cross. Jesus, “for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
As Jesus hung on the cross, there was darkness over the land from noon to 3 p.m. The sun itself failed to shine as He suffered. He was given a sponge soaked with sour wine for His parched lips. At last, He cried, “It is finished” and yielded His spirit. When He did, the whole world was shaken. There was a literal earthquake. The curtain in the temple that kept everyone but the high priest from the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom. Then, from the tombs, likely shaken open by the earthquake, came many who had died. Can you imagine a multitude people, known to be dead, walking out of their tombs into the city? The Roman soldier centurion keeping watch over Jesus’ crucifixion, and those who were with him, were filled with fear and awe. Resurrection power was released the very moment He gave up His life because it was finished. Creation itself testified to the power of His death, even before He was raised!
We can never become so familiar with the story of His death and resurrection that we lose our wonder. I’m going to share some scriptures regarding the effects of His sacrifice, and I’d encourage you to focus your heart on these truths, especially as we approach Easter.
Romans 5:6-7 says, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Even when it seemed there was nothing worth loving, He loved you.
Ephesians 2:13 says, “In Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
We have been brought near to our Father’s throne by the blood of Jesus.
1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”
The Father ransomed you with the most precious thing He could have given.
Hebrews 9:13-14 says, “For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
His blood doesn’t cover your sin; it purifies you completely.
Hebrews 10:12-14 says, “When Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until His enemies should be made a footstool for His feet. For by a single offering, He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”
By one sacrifice, His people have been forever sanctified.
1 Peter 2:22-23 says, “When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
His sacrifice was for any healing we would ever need.
His sacrifice means we get to come home to the Shepherd of our souls, completely dead to sin and alive in His righteousness,
Hebrews 2:14-15 says, “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
Death and the enemy are already defeated. You are redeemed from everything associated with darkness.
Romans 8:31-34 says, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be
against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will He not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” Jesus is before the Father even now, with His church on His heart.
Hebrews 10:19-22 says, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
We have access to places we could not have dared tread by the blood of the Son.
What more can be said? We could never fully understand or exhaust the power of what Jesus did for us. We have undeserved access to King of Kings and He wants us to come close! I encourage you this week, to draw near to the One who has made every provision for you. We are more loved than we will ever know. If we walk in the power of His death and resurrection, it’s impossible to live in anything but victory. Happy Easter!
“This is Jesus, King of the Jews.”
Some of His followers looked on from afar, but the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, and one of the thieves who hung beside Him mocked Him.
However, it wasn’t the nails that held Him on that cross. It was obedience to the Father and love for you. At any moment, He could have cried out and multitudes of angels would have delivered Him (Matthew 26:53). Jesus chose to go to the cross, loving even the ones who mocked and abused Him. Love bore our sin that day. Love constrained Him on the cross. Jesus, “for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
As Jesus hung on the cross, there was darkness over the land from noon to 3 p.m. The sun itself failed to shine as He suffered. He was given a sponge soaked with sour wine for His parched lips. At last, He cried, “It is finished” and yielded His spirit. When He did, the whole world was shaken. There was a literal earthquake. The curtain in the temple that kept everyone but the high priest from the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom. Then, from the tombs, likely shaken open by the earthquake, came many who had died. Can you imagine a multitude people, known to be dead, walking out of their tombs into the city? The Roman soldier centurion keeping watch over Jesus’ crucifixion, and those who were with him, were filled with fear and awe. Resurrection power was released the very moment He gave up His life because it was finished. Creation itself testified to the power of His death, even before He was raised!
We can never become so familiar with the story of His death and resurrection that we lose our wonder. I’m going to share some scriptures regarding the effects of His sacrifice, and I’d encourage you to focus your heart on these truths, especially as we approach Easter.
Romans 5:6-7 says, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Even when it seemed there was nothing worth loving, He loved you.
Ephesians 2:13 says, “In Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
We have been brought near to our Father’s throne by the blood of Jesus.
1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”
The Father ransomed you with the most precious thing He could have given.
Hebrews 9:13-14 says, “For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
His blood doesn’t cover your sin; it purifies you completely.
Hebrews 10:12-14 says, “When Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until His enemies should be made a footstool for His feet. For by a single offering, He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”
By one sacrifice, His people have been forever sanctified.
1 Peter 2:22-23 says, “When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
His sacrifice was for any healing we would ever need.
His sacrifice means we get to come home to the Shepherd of our souls, completely dead to sin and alive in His righteousness,
Hebrews 2:14-15 says, “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
Death and the enemy are already defeated. You are redeemed from everything associated with darkness.
Romans 8:31-34 says, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be
against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will He not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” Jesus is before the Father even now, with His church on His heart.
Hebrews 10:19-22 says, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
We have access to places we could not have dared tread by the blood of the Son.
What more can be said? We could never fully understand or exhaust the power of what Jesus did for us. We have undeserved access to King of Kings and He wants us to come close! I encourage you this week, to draw near to the One who has made every provision for you. We are more loved than we will ever know. If we walk in the power of His death and resurrection, it’s impossible to live in anything but victory. Happy Easter!
1 Comment
That is a very good message my brother I appreciate you so much you giving the scriptures to everything you say and they're all the word of God and I love talking about the Lord because of his goodness and Grace I was sitting here thinking the other day actually I was talking to somebody about what Jesus suffered and Mary was there and I believe John but I think most of the apostles left because it's afraid for the life but you think about what the father done he had to turn his back on his son cuz he could not stand to look at the son of the world that jesus carried on his back you guys have a great day and pray that you have a wonderful wonderful Resurrection Sunday enjoy your lord and your God in Jesus name amen