Hello Everyone,
Over the last several weeks we have been on a journey through, creation, sin, the law, sacrifice, and now finally to the end of our journey, but the beginning of life!
This week we celebrate Passover, Good Friday, and Easter or Resurrection Sunday. To celebrate anything you need to understand the meaning behind the celebration.
Passover was celebrated as God's Angel of death "passed over" the Jewish first born when Moses was liberating God's people from Pharaoh. It is where the term blood of the lamb was taken as the Lord commanded the Jewish people to put the blood of a sacrificial lamb over their doors to mark them as God's people. Sometimes in the world and in the church we celebrate without knowing the reason or the cost associated with the celebration.
That brings us to Good Friday. Many people in the world today recognize it as a three day weekend and nothing more. Good Friday to me marks the day God paid the ultimate price just to be close to us. Think about that for a minute; how many of us would think of giving up our material possessions to be with God. Not many in today's society would give up anything they have to be with God. He gave up his son! Not only did he give him up to be with us but sent him down to live as us and suffer for something he didn't do. God being Holy could not go back on his word or judgments without someone paying the price for the sin of the world. Knowing that we could never pay the price ourselves he came and dwelt among us, then on Good Friday paid that price!
Jesus Dies on the Cross
45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.
49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
In the above passage the veil being torn represents the doors being opened so all of mankind could have an open relationship with our sovereign and Holy God. Jesus' death on the cross brings an end to the law, and starts the new beginning we all have access to, through Christ. God now sees us through the Jesus Filter and no longer sees our sins when he looks at those who have accepted Christ.
Now giving us that access, he didn't stop there. Knowing that man is sinful by nature, God raised Christ from the dead on Resurrection Sunday. Good Friday is the day we mourn, and also celebrate Christ' death on the cross, but Sunday is the day he came back to live in our hearts.
John 3: 16-17
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son; that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday!
Billy
Over the last several weeks we have been on a journey through, creation, sin, the law, sacrifice, and now finally to the end of our journey, but the beginning of life!
This week we celebrate Passover, Good Friday, and Easter or Resurrection Sunday. To celebrate anything you need to understand the meaning behind the celebration.
Passover was celebrated as God's Angel of death "passed over" the Jewish first born when Moses was liberating God's people from Pharaoh. It is where the term blood of the lamb was taken as the Lord commanded the Jewish people to put the blood of a sacrificial lamb over their doors to mark them as God's people. Sometimes in the world and in the church we celebrate without knowing the reason or the cost associated with the celebration.
That brings us to Good Friday. Many people in the world today recognize it as a three day weekend and nothing more. Good Friday to me marks the day God paid the ultimate price just to be close to us. Think about that for a minute; how many of us would think of giving up our material possessions to be with God. Not many in today's society would give up anything they have to be with God. He gave up his son! Not only did he give him up to be with us but sent him down to live as us and suffer for something he didn't do. God being Holy could not go back on his word or judgments without someone paying the price for the sin of the world. Knowing that we could never pay the price ourselves he came and dwelt among us, then on Good Friday paid that price!
Jesus Dies on the Cross
45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.
49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
In the above passage the veil being torn represents the doors being opened so all of mankind could have an open relationship with our sovereign and Holy God. Jesus' death on the cross brings an end to the law, and starts the new beginning we all have access to, through Christ. God now sees us through the Jesus Filter and no longer sees our sins when he looks at those who have accepted Christ.
Now giving us that access, he didn't stop there. Knowing that man is sinful by nature, God raised Christ from the dead on Resurrection Sunday. Good Friday is the day we mourn, and also celebrate Christ' death on the cross, but Sunday is the day he came back to live in our hearts.
John 3: 16-17
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son; that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday!
Billy
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