"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." John 10:11
So here we are, approaching the most tragic day for one Man and the most triumphant day for all mankind.
Just think about the events that started on Palm Sunday leading up to Jesus experiencing the cross. Jesus proudly rode into Jerusalem, He was hailed as King of the Jews, He prepared His eventful last supper, He experienced the deepest betrayal, He endured the most shocking trials, He heard all the false testimonies, He took the abuses of man-made laws, He felt the painful religious and Roman brutality, and He experienced the most excruciating death that any man could endure. This is what believers all over the world call, “the passion of Jesus Christ.”
What comes to your mind when you think of the word, “passion” when connected to Jesus? Hopefully many thoughts!
For me it brings to my mind and my emotions Mel Gibson’s movie that graphically painted our Savior’s passion for all of us. It is still hard for me to watch that movie because I took it very personal. I felt the passion in His punishment, I felt the passion in His pain, and I felt the passion in His propitiation. For me to think about the fact that Jesus took my place in sin so I could have a place in His heaven is overwhelmingly humbling! No wonder Jesus said, “There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.”
Between Triumphant Sunday and Resurrection Sunday, let’s develop a fresh focus on the monumental victory gained in just one week. In fact, during this week between the agony of sin and shame and the ecstasy of redemption and royalty, let’s re-think our response to God’s gift of grace!
Christ traded spaces with us on the cross. He died in our place, for our sin. But if you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, you also believe the fact that He also fulfilled God's standard perfectly. He was 100% righteous. So, think about it, had Christ been 90% righteous or 70% righteous, His sacrifice would not have met God's demands. He was 100% righteous.
So, once we bow the knee to Christ and ask Him to come into your life, and to come into the dwelling place of our heart, then the righteousness of Christ is placed onto our life. Which means that when God sees you, He sees Jesus and His perfect character. This can only take place because of the resurrection power that impacts your life for eternity.
That's the power that makes new our minds and hearts today, and that’s the power that will one day completely renew and restore our sin-torn bodies into glorified bodies that we will have forever in heaven. The resurrection is the final hope of every Christian. It is the final work of God's design and renovation: the ultimate perfection of our mind, body, and spirit. One day on the other side of the dusty grave, when God says, “Okay, open your eyes,” you will open your eyes in a resurrected, recreated body, in a completely new space that you will inhabit for eternity. That’s amazing! And oh, what a wonderful day that will be!
Now take this thought in, your new body will be the perfect space, designed by the perfect Designer, built by the perfect Carpenter and purchased by the ultimate Spender. Just think about how incredible your future is in Christ Jesus! And it’s all because of Good Friday that makes the rest of our days, not good days, but the greatest days! So let’s express our gratefulness to our great and mighty Savior who loves us so much!
God bless you,
Pastor Dave |
|
No Comments