Saturday, March 31, 2012

Jesus Paid it All~~

Today begins the holiest week in the Christian Calendar, the last week of Jesus' life on earth: His triumphant ride into Jerusalem, His betrayal by one of his own disciples, His subsequent arrest, condemnation, rejection, stoning, trial and the long treacherous walk carrying His own Cross to His crucifixion at Calvary.

As Jesus trudged through the streets of Jerusalem, carrying that heavy cross through the crowd of his former followers and ardent admirers; they spit on him and mocked him,they called him every name in the book, they laughed at him, stoned him and made him wear a crown of thorns on his head. They shaved his beard, and refused to help Him up when He fell from the weight of His cross. Isaiah 50:6 says "I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting." He didn't turn away, He knew what was coming. It was all as it was supposed to be. It was all part of God's ultimate plan, prophesied many, many years ago. Jesus was obeying His Father.

                                                      Jesus during his Walk to the Cross. He suffered so much.
                                                                     And He did it for you and me.

The book of Isaiah is full of God's prophecies about the death of the Messiah. Isaiah 53:4-5 says "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Clearly, this is talking about Jesus death on the Cross, and how His death would set us sinners free.

This next Holy Week, starting tomorrow with Palm Sunday and Jesus triumphant ride into Jerusalem, and ending with His crucifixion, sums up our Christian beliefs in a nutshell.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we believe that Jesus Christ, God's only son, was born of the Virgin Mary and came to this earth to live among us. He came to show us what God looked like in person. He was fully man, yet fully God. Read John 1:1-14.

But Jesus came with a mission, which was to live among us and then die for us through his death on that cross. By Jesus sacrificial death, and our acceptance of that, then and only then, are we reconciled back to a Holy and Righteous God.

                                                 He paid the price for you and me, He died for our sins.

Christianity is ALL about Forgiveness. It is about the forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, the only way man could get reconciled back to God was through confession and the blood sacrifice of animals.That's what was done for centuries. But God saw a problem. Hebrews 10:4 tells us: " For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins".Our Creator knew He had to come up with a better plan because He saw that men and women just kept sinning over and over again. He knew He needed to sacrifice His only Son, Jesus Christ as a blood sacrifice to take away the sins of the world, forever. The son became the sacrificial lamb of God.

                                                        He cried" My God, why have you forsaken me?"

And because of the Lord's perfect plan, the only thing you need to do is confess your sins and repent, and believe with all your heart that Jesus died for you and you will be saved. John the Baptist identified Jesus in John 1:29 by saying "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Jesus paid the price for you. He paid it all. There is nothing you can do that makes it any better. He died for you and His death and your acceptance of it is a gift from God. 


If you turn from your sins and accept Jesus as your Savior, you will spend Eternity in the presence of God. Jesus paid that price for you on that Cross. He suffered and died for you and me and He rose again on the 3rd day! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! What Hope He gives us~

                                                    On the 3rd day He rose again, just as He said He would.

We live in a ever increasingly confused and crazy world. It seems like humanity is going downhill at a rapid pace. Why wait another day? Why have another day without that certainty? Tomorrow is promised to no one. You can have Eternal Life and live in paradise with God and Jesus! You can check that off your bucket list. Believe me, that is the most important check you'll ever make! Repent of your sins, turn away from your evil ways and you can start anew with Jesus and the assurance that you will live with Him forever.

To learn more about Jesus birth and death, which was prophesied hundreds of years before he was even born, click on this link http://bible.org/article/messianic-prophecies.


Happy Easter Everyone! May the Peace of the Lord be upon you and your family as you celebrate this Holiest of Seasons- A Season of Renewal and Rebirth! This year, let this be your time of repentance and renewal as well~ Got Jesus?


The Easter Lily - Lilies were found in the Garden of Gethsemane 
after Christ prayed there before His arrest, persecution and crucifixion.

My verses for today are above in red.

My prayer for today:

Heavenly Father,

Thank you Lord for this Holy Season. Thank you for your son, Jesus and His sacrifice for our sins. Thank you for your perfect plan of redemption. Help us Lord to live for you each day. Help us to teach others about your love and spread your gospel to everyone we meet.

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen