Tomorrow is Good Friday. It is the day that we solemnly bring back to mind Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross to save mankind from their sins.
Isaiah 53:4-12 (NKJV)
Isa 53:1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
Isa 53:2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, [There is] no beauty that we should desire Him.
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, [our] faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Isa 53:4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5 But He [was] wounded for our transgressions, [He was] bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace [was] upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
Isa 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
Isa 53:9 And they [fn] made His grave with the wicked--But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor [was any] deceit in His mouth.
Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put [Him] to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see [His] seed, He shall prolong [His] days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
Isa 53:11 He shall see the labor of His soul, [fn] [and] be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
There are literally weeks worth of Bible study contained in Chapter 53 of the book of Isaiah. The words are highly descriptive of the suffering that the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world endured for our sakes on that cross at Calvary. Sometimes a song, with just the right lyrics, can remind us of the victory of Jesus Christ that was achieved through the greatest act in the history of mankind! There is no greater love! Ultimately, without our Savior and Lord, we could not be forgiven for our sins and reconciled back unto Holy God.
Jesus bore the sins of all of mankind in his body. This sinless God-man was the only one worthy enough to pay the price of death for sin; saving us from the eternal death that we all deserved. Christ's sacrificial death on the cross enables those who confess and repent of their sin and subsequently ask Christ into their hearts to reign as Lord and Savior over their lives; the ability to live eternally with God forever in the Kingdom of Heaven.
If Christ had not gone through with his mission on earth over 2,000 years ago, He would have entered back into heaven alone.
I think that Chris Tomlin's song, "I Will Rise" tells us the message of the gospel in a way that hits right at the heart of the matter. The pain and suffering of physically dying on this earth will be met with the joy of the resurrection to life when Christ returns for his own. Listen carefully to the lyrics of Tomlin's song and be blessed!
Chris Tomlin: "I Will Rise" lyrics:
There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well"
Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead
[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise
There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes
Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead
[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise
And I hear the voice of many angels sing,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
And I hear the cry of every longing heart,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
[x2]
[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise
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4 comments:
This afternoon, I attended the Good Friday service at a local church in my area. The service was wonderful - in so many ways.
Mark 15:16-37 was the Scripture reading for today. The solemnity of the crucifixion of Christ on the cross leads to the joy of Resurrection Sunday - when Christ rose from the dead to show his power over evil, sin, and death.
While reading in my Bible during the service, I noticed a devotional reading by Elisabeth Elliot entitled, Pick Up Your Cross.
After describing how she must "die" when she found herself on two sides of the fence regarding an argument with her husband (that she labeled as "ridiculously small), Ms. Elliot writes:
"Perhaps my illustration seems to trivialize the cross of Christ. His was so unimaginably greater. What cross could I possibly take up which would be analogous? When Jesus took up his cross, he was saying yes with all his being to the will of the Father. If I am unwilling to say yes in even a very little thing, how shall I accept a more painful thing? What sort of practice does it take for a disciple to learn to follow the Crucified?"
That last sentence really hit me between the eyes and in my heart of hearts! What a profound statement! "Learn to follow the Crucified."
When I opened my email this evening, Ron Prentice of The California Family Council had an awesome description of not only the Resurrection, but the importance of the Crucifixion of Christ.
(see next comment)
April 6, 2012
The Resurrection
by Ron Prentice,
Chief Executive Officer
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the pivotal moment in history. Without this act, the words of Jesus on earth would be no more than human wisdom and folklore. Instead, the resurrection was the concluding statement by Almighty God that He was, and is, the Redeemer.
But Easter would mean nothing without Good Friday. Jesus’ extreme humiliation and torture is often downplayed, perhaps because it is difficult for our minds to merge a day so grotesque with a day so hopeful. Sometimes the image of Jesus high on the cross is romanticized, but the day of the crucifixion can be considered the darkest day in human history, when mankind denied its sin and refused its Savior.
Thankfully, our pride did not keep God from fulfilling His plan! We continue to be pursued by Him in spite of ourselves, and when Jesus Christ uttered the words “It is finished,” no one standing in earshot knew the eternal weight those three words carried. Even today, too few understand the implications of this suffering unto death; too few grasp the extent of our need and the eternal work that was completed at Calvary.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the grandest “I told you so!” that ever will be. It is God saying, once again, “I am.” Together with family and friends on Sunday, we will celebrate Him for his faithfulness to us. Yet today, we are reminded to recognize that it came at a great price to both the Father and the Son.
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:8-10
Indeed, He is Risen! May you know the depth of the Father’s love today!
*******
Notice the portion that is in bold and italicized. THAT'S the key - people.
To many would-be Christians DO what to skip over the crucifixion of Christ on the cross. I think that Mr. Prentice explains why. The shame we feel because of our sins cannot be ignored. But what Jesus accomplished that day on the cross took away our sins. All that is required of us is repentance of our sins and simple belief in the One Holy Son of God -our Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ!
I ask again.
What sort of practice does it take for a disciple to learn to follow the Crucified?".
I pray that every reader now knows the answer to that question!
Hey Christine! I surely hope you and your family are having a very blessed Easter weekend.
I was dreaming the other night and these scriptures came to me:
"the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times." (Dan. 9:25)
Then I woke up.
Now I surely am not a spiritual guy, though I have had a couple very "supernatural", scriptural things happen.
Anyway, what's your thoughts about the Daniel passage?
Hello Steve!
May you and your family enjoy a wonderful and blessed Resurrection Day! Jesus is Risen! What could be a better message in our day?
That Scripture verse is very comforting. I pray that it means that our nation will be built again - in the manner that the Founders intended - and that the wall represents our rejection of the Socialist/Marxist/Islamo-facist direction that Obama and his cohorts are taking us.
I always believe that Jesus Christ is with us - even in troublous times such as these. His promises are forever! The "promises" of politicians can change like the wind, fall to dust and blow away. We should not put our hope in them. We should only put our hope in the Lord.
That is what I thought of when I read that verse. How did you interpret your dream and how did you apply that Scripture verse?
I would LOVE to hear about your supernatural/Scriptural things that have happened to you. I have experienced a few in my life and they had such a strong impact on me that I will NEVER forget them!
God bless you my friend! Enjoy your weekend!
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