And the story of Easter weekend continues following the crucifixion of Jesus upon the old rugged cross with the heading ordered by Pilate to read "Jesus of Nazareth The King of the Jews" in Aramaic, Greek, and Latin(John 19:19:20); Pilate had released his body to Joseph of Arimathea, who wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in the tomb, rolling a large stone to its opening as Mary, the mother of Jesus, and other followers wept close by.
But even Jesus' death upon the cross wasn't good enough to quieten and appease those Pharisees as they remembered the words of Jesus, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up"(John 2:19); so off they scampered with the high priest before Pilate to have him seal the tomb and place guards at its door "so no Jesus follower could steal it away and proclaim he had risen as He had said"(Matthew 27:58-66). So Pilate gave the order and sent them all away.
So now the death watch continues with Jesus' mother and His other followers being heavily grieved and saddened, thinking all hope was now gone. Jesus had been falsely accused, ridiculed, persecuted, beaten and tortured beyond recognition, chosen by the ravenous people to be crucified without cause, and was no longer alive but lying in that sealed tomb...... or was He???
"There's a line that is drawn through the ages; On that line stands an old rugged cross; On that cross, a battle is raging to gain a man's soul or it's loss. On one side march the forces of evil; All the demons, all the devils of hell; On the other the angels of glory, And they meet on Golgotha's hill.The earth shakes with the force of the conflict, And the sun refuses to shine; For there hangs God's son in the balance, And then through the darkness He cries, "It is finished!" the battle is over, "It is finished!" there'll be no more war; "It is finished!" the end of the conflict; "It is finished!" and Jesus is Lord!" Three words that will forevermore bring back Hope!
But even Jesus' death upon the cross wasn't good enough to quieten and appease those Pharisees as they remembered the words of Jesus, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up"(John 2:19); so off they scampered with the high priest before Pilate to have him seal the tomb and place guards at its door "so no Jesus follower could steal it away and proclaim he had risen as He had said"(Matthew 27:58-66). So Pilate gave the order and sent them all away.
So now the death watch continues with Jesus' mother and His other followers being heavily grieved and saddened, thinking all hope was now gone. Jesus had been falsely accused, ridiculed, persecuted, beaten and tortured beyond recognition, chosen by the ravenous people to be crucified without cause, and was no longer alive but lying in that sealed tomb...... or was He???
"There's a line that is drawn through the ages; On that line stands an old rugged cross; On that cross, a battle is raging to gain a man's soul or it's loss. On one side march the forces of evil; All the demons, all the devils of hell; On the other the angels of glory, And they meet on Golgotha's hill.The earth shakes with the force of the conflict, And the sun refuses to shine; For there hangs God's son in the balance, And then through the darkness He cries, "It is finished!" the battle is over, "It is finished!" there'll be no more war; "It is finished!" the end of the conflict; "It is finished!" and Jesus is Lord!" Three words that will forevermore bring back Hope!
Hope is only lost in the minds of those seeking a new way, a new life, a new day, a New Hope! I for one, am eternally thankful Jesus was willing to endure all the pain and torture and to drink that bitter cup, although He prayed, "Father let it pass from me" and I'm so thankful He never called Heaven's angels to set Him free because I know in my heart; that at any second, at any time, during any of the events that preceded His ultimate sacrifice on that cross, Jesus could have said "Enough! No More!" and Salvation's Plan would have been ended and life as I know it would have been doomed without Eternal Hope!
So as we wait for that third day in the making of history for all mankind, let's be thankful for all our Lord Jesus endured for you and for me so we could be set free; not only from all our sins, but from all shame and disgrace, from all sickness and disease, from all torment and depression; because as He took each one of these upon Himself, He conquered them all making us 'more than conquerors' through Him who saved us! Romans 8:35-37 Praise our Lord Jesus forevermore!
So today my heart sings with praise to my Lord Jesus; "Lord I lift Your name on high; Lord I love to sing your praises; I'm so glad you're in my life; I'm so glad you came to save us. You came from Heaven to Earth to show the way; from the earth to the cross, my debt to pay; from the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky; Lord I lift your name on high!" Such an amazing Salvation Plan "For God So Loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"(John 3:16). "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). So as we wait for that third day in the making of history for all mankind, let's be thankful for all our Lord Jesus endured for you and for me so we could be set free; not only from all our sins, but from all shame and disgrace, from all sickness and disease, from all torment and depression; because as He took each one of these upon Himself, He conquered them all making us 'more than conquerors' through Him who saved us! Romans 8:35-37 Praise our Lord Jesus forevermore!
Isaiah 53:3-5 prophesies "He was 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. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted; 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"(Isaiah 53:3-5)
"This is Amazing Grace, this is Unfailing Love; that He would take my place, that He would bear my cross; He laid down His life that I could be set free; Oh, Jesus I sing for all that You've done for Me!"
Oh but Salvation's Plan doesn't end with His death upon that cross, nor because He bore all those stripes upon His back that literally tore His skin from His body for our healing,
SUCH AMAZING GRACE! All work needing to be accomplished for God's Salvation Plan has been fulfilled by our precious Lord and Savior leaving Nothing left undone that you nor I would even need to do to be accepted by God except to Believe and Receive in Jesus' name. All things are now made possible through the work Jesus Accomplished for you and for me and "I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39.
So now Salvation's Plan has been purchased by the blood of Jesus, God's sacrificial lamb for all mankind! Oh but wait! The death watch has just begun..... and THE BEST IS YET TO COME! Remember God loves you and so do I~~~
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