April 16, 2014 In reality, salvation was bought not by Jesus fist … but by His nail pierced hands: not by muscle … but by love; not by vengeance … but by forgiveness; not by force … but by sacrifice. Jesus Christ our Lord surrendered in order that He might win. He destroyed His enemies by dying for them and He conquered death by allowing death to conquer Him.” A. W. Tozer Hard to understand isnt it, why Jesus would go through what he did … the torture, the whipping, the nails, the thorns … the cross. That He would do this for each of us is more than amazing. Over these next few days we will sing hymns about Christ and the cross. We will reenact the horrible scenes of the the crucifixion on the day we call “Good Friday”. But the story, thank God, doesnt end with the crucifixion, for if it ended at the cross, none of us would have hope. You see the cross isnt the end of the story … it is the beginning! Christ didnt escape this horrible death, nor did He try. For three days He lay in a guarded tomb. In the “Apostles Creed” we read … “He descended into hell”. Even though it doesnt say this in the Bible, I believe He went down through the gates of hell and opened every prison door that had been permanently locked by the sins of mankind. Satan couldnt stop Him, as He roared through the cells of hell, opening the doors and setting the captives free. He opened the door to your cell … He opened the door to mine. Jesus didnt escape death on the cross, no, He conquered it, opening the doors of hell and making a way for all sinners to be set free, for anyone who dared to believe in Him. When you take time to think about the events of this weekend … it is stunning to say the least. “Love paid a price so hope could become a reality.” Susan Gaddis I love the words from this Gaither song … “Then Came The Morning” … “They all walked away … with nothing to say, they just lost their dearest friend … All that He said, now He was dead, so this was the way it would end. The dreams that theyd dreamed, were not what they seemed, now that He was dead and gone … The garden, the jail … the hammer, the nail … how could a night be so long? THEN CAME THE MORNING … night turned into day. The stone was rolled away, hope rose with the dawn. Then came the morning , shadows vanished before the sun, DEATH HAD LOST AND LIFE HAD WON … for morning had come. Christ died on Calvarys cross, so that you and I might be forgiven. “The message of Easter is not that Jesus is alive, for it so much more than that. The message of Easter is that … JESUS HAS RISEN!” Colin Smith Lord God, the words of Jesus, our Risen Savior teaches us in John 11:25-26 ...”I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me … though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me … shall never die. Do you believe this? Lord God … this morning each of us who reads this message and puts their hope for eternity in Your Risen Son … we say together … WE BELIEVE!!!
Posted on: Wed, 16 Apr 2014 13:09:28 +0000
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