The Message of Jesus

The Message Of Jesus by David Peacock Listen on Posterous

The Message of Jesus

Acts 2:22-41 

       I.            Jesus lived an  extraordinary life.

·         Born of a Virgin

·         Lived a Sinless Life

·         Miracles He Perfromed: mighty works, wonder, signs

 

     II.            Jesus died on a cross because of and for our sins.

·         God – plan & forknowledge (It was the Lord’s will to crush Him)

·         You – Those present, each of us here today.  Our sin nailed Jesus to the cross

·         Evil Men – they made thw wicked choice to kill Jesus

 

  III.            God raised Jesus from the dead to live forevermore.

·         “It was not possible for him to be held by death.”

·         David died and was buried.

·         Every religious, philosophical, & political leader who ever lived and died is still dead, except one: Jesus!

·         He will give eternal life to all who trust in Him.

 

  IV.            Jesus is both Lord and Christ.

·         Christ – Savior from dominion

·         Lord – Creator God to whom we bow

·         All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

    V.            You must turn from your sin and turn to Jesus.

·         Repentance – inner transformation, change of the direction of your life

·         Baptized – outer declaration of the inner transformation – First act of obedience

Two Great Needs

·         Forgiveness of Sin

·         God in your life – the gift of the Holy Spirit

The Day of Pentecost

The Day Of Pentecost by David Peacock Listen on Posterous

Acts 2:1-21

Pentecost – 50 days after Passover, the feast of Harvest.

I.                    The Holy Spirit consumed . . .

Consumed - to fill somebody's mind or attention fully

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13–14

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, Ephesians 5:18

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. . .  If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23, 25

1.       Jesus is recognized as sweet and glorious in our hearts: “the mighty works of God.”

2.      God works through His people to make the good news of Jesus known.

3.      The lost turned to Jesus and are saved.

The Holy Spirit is not a force we can control.  He is God.  If He so chooses to work in our midst in ways that we can’t explain, so be it.

 

II.                  . . . a community of believers . . .

God works in a united body of believers.

 

III.                . . . so that they would communicate the gospel . . .

God wants to make Himself known through His people.  Romans 10:13-15

Known languages that they did not previously know or Unknown utterances and God gave those who listened the ability to understand.

We get so caught up in the mystery of the tongues that we miss the point – God was powerfully working through His people to make Himself known to the world.

 

IV.               . . .  to all countries.

God love all people.  People of every nation, language, race, and social status.  God supernaturally works to make his message known to all.  Either speaking through His people through known languages or leading them to speak in unknown languages while giving understanding to those who are listening.

The illustration of physical healing – God can bring healing instantaneously or through modern medicine.  God can overcome barriers to the gospel either instantaneously or through long and tedious work of His people.  Kacy worked 4 years to translate stories from His word to the language of the Manika people.  He chooses.  Either way He promises the empowerment of His Spirit.

Pray for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit of God to bring us greater intimacy with Him, conviction of righteousness, boldness and wisdom to share, illumination of His Word, direction in our life, opening the eyes of the lost to their need for Jesus.

Jesus promised power to evangelize the world.

The lessons of history give a strong support for this—namely, that crucial breakthroughs for the gospel have come because of periodic extraordinary outpourings of the Spirit. Jonathan Edwards, the leader of the Great Awakening 200 years ago in this country, put it like this:

From the fall of man to our day, the work of redemption in its effect has mainly been carried on by remarkable [i.e., extraordinary] communications of the Spirit of God. Though there [is] a more constant influence of God's Spirit always in some degree attending his ordinances, yet the way in which the greatest things have been done towards carrying on this work, always have been by remarkable effusions [i.e., outpourings], at special seasons of mercy. (A History of Redemption, Works, vol. 1, p. 539)

In other words, from time to time, God has moved in extraordinary ways in the history of the Christian movement. He has poured out his Spirit in fresh, new, uncustomary, dramatic ways. These times have been called times of revival or awakening or reformation.

Pentecost was the first of these great outpourings on the Christian church, and until the task of world evangelization is completed, I believe it is our duty to pray for fresh seasons of the extraordinary outpouring of God's Spirit—to awaken and empower the church and to penetrate the final frontiers of world evangelization.

 

1.      Every Christian receives the Holy Spirit is the sense of being sealed by the Spirit and baptized into the Body of Christ.  The Holy Spirits affirms and assures our salvation.

2.      Every Christian should continually seek to be led by the Holy Spirit and filled with the Spirit of God.  In so doing, the Holy Spirit makes Jesus sweet to our hearts, leads our lives, prompts us to service of God and righteous living, and transforms our character to that of Christ.

3.      God has the sovereign right to pour out His Spirit upon an individual or community of believers in a fresh and special way to affirm the gospel, empower for special tasks, and to make Himself known as great and good.

4.  We must pray that God would pour out the Holy Spirit in our midst in fresh and mighty ways that brings us into greater intimacy with Him, empowers us for greater service, brings righteousness to believers, and awakens the lost to their need for Jesus in ways that we cannot explain apart from Him.

Baby Dedication 2012

Baby Dedication by David Peacock Listen on Posterous

Top 10 Things Our Kids (and Adults) Should know about God

Matthew 18:1-4; 19:13-15

1.      God made me therefore I am special and important. I am one of a kind!

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.  Psalm 139:13–14

2.      The Bible is God’s Book.  I should read it and do what it says.

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 1 Peter 2:2

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:14–15

 

3.      God hears me when I pray to Him.

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 1 John 5:14

 

4.      God wants me to treat other people the way I want them to treat me.

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

 

5.      I can thank God for who He is and for all the good things He does.

But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “ ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” Matthew 21:15–16

 

6.      God wants me to obey my parents and respect other adults.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Ephesians 6:1–3

 

7.      I do things God doesn’t want me to do but He will forgive me if I ask Him to.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

8.      Jesus is God’s Son and He loves me.

These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31

. . .  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

 

9.      Jesus took the consequences for the bad choices I make by dying on the cross and came back to life to live forever.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3–4

 

10.  I can live forever with Jesus and others in Heaven if I believe in Him.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

 

The Upper Room

The Upper Room by David Peacock Listen on Posterous

Acts 1:12-26

 

I.                   They were dependent upon one another.

 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34–35

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24–25

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9–12

If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 1 Corinthians 12:26

·         The women who are spoken of often throughout the new testament.  Mary Magdelene?  Mary and Martha?  Those that remained near the cross. Joanna, Mary the mother of James.

·         Mary, Godly virtous woman who God chose to be the mother of Jesus.  Yet, she was also a sinner in need of Savior.  She was not the one to who the early Christians turned but she joined with the early Christians to go to God in prayer.

·         Jesus’ brothers – James, Joses, Judas (Jude), Simon.  Mark 6:3  His brothers were skeptical at best of Jesus worried about His sanity.  But after witnessing His death and resurrection they no longer thought of Jesus as their biological half-brother but as their Savior and the one whom they served.  James would become the leader of the church in Jerusalem.  He wrote the book of James, “A Servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”    Jude would write the small book their bears his name.  “A servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James.”

·         We ne need godly influences in our life. Positive Peer Pressure.  Godly leaders.

·         You need God’s people in your life.

II.                 They were desperate for God.

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? Psalm 42:1–2

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. Psalm 63:1–4

·         More than the good things God brings into our life, we need God.  More than water we need the one who gives water.  More than air, we need the one who gives air.  More than the gift we need the giver of Gifts.

·         Don’t just seek God for stuff, seek God for God’s sake.

·         We don’t appreciate when people use because of things we can give them or do for them.  But we enjoy blessing those who want to simply be a friend to us.

·         We seek God because we need Divine intervention.

·         We are desperate from God because we have a reall enemy is Satan who wants to destroy our life.  John 10:10, 1 Peter 5:8. 1 John 4:4

·         You need God!

III.              They were directed by the Word.

The Bible is the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God.

·         Inspired: God-breathed

·         Infallible: Certain not to fail

·         Inerrant: Containing no mistakes

The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.  Psalm 19:8-9

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16–17

And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:19–21

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5–6

 

How to make choices:

1.       Seek God’s leadership in His Word.

2.      Apply Wise, Godly principles as the Holy Spirit Leads.

3.      Ask God to providential work for His glory and our good.

a.      Omniscient – knows all things, even the hearts of men

b.      Omnipotent – all powerful, controls all things.

4.      Trust that God has a specific plan

 

You Will Be My Witnesses

Acts 1:6-11 

God loves people.  “For God so loved the world. . . “ John 3:16.  Because God loves people He sent His Son to save people.  God’s plan to save people is not finished.  Jesus has done everything necessary for people to be saved, but not everyone has heard the good news of Jesus.  God wants His people to share Jesus with them.  We are part of God’s plan to save the world.

The disciples seem to still be focused on building a physical, politically kingdom for Israel where Jesus would conquer all opposing nations and kick out all the unrighteous religious leaders.  Jesus wanted His people to focus on reaching the whole world with the gospel

I.                    We must share Jesus under the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:48–49

The task was not easy and could not be completed in human strength.  The power of God was needed.  The unfinished task is still not easy.  It cannot be completed in human strength.  The power of God is needed.  God promises to empower His people so they can share Jesus effectively.

 

There are many good things we can accomplish apart from God.  (Well, apart from a cognizant dependence upon the Holy Spirit.  We can’t even take a breath without God!)  You can become wealthy apart from God.  Advances in medicine and technology that benefit humanity have been made without God.  Couples remain married without God.  As a church, we can grow without God.

But, we cannot impact a generation for the glory of God and for their good without God!  We need the Holy Spirit.  We need His power.  We need is illumination.  We need His Boldness.  We need His wisdom.  We need Him working in our life and we need Him working in the life of those we are sharing with.

You can do a lot of things apart from the power of the Holy Spirit.  But you cannot turn the world upside down for Jesus apart from God’s power.

2 Timothy 1:7 – For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Where are you weak when it comes to sharing Jesus?  God wants to empower you for that very purpose!  Do you need boldness to overcome fear of rejection?  Do you need wisdom to know what to speak?  Do you need compassion so you care for the spiritual condition of others?  Do you need awe so you that you desire to see Jesus made known and famous?

II.                  We must share Jesus by declaring our personal experience of salvation.

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Revelation 12:11

We are not sharing something we have no clue whether it works or not.  We are not like paid actors who are advertising products they have never used.  We are sharing Jesus, the one who has personally saved us!  We are called to bear witness to what we have seen and experienced.  Unfortunately, Sunshine and I have been called to give our testimony in a very serious case on a couple of occasions.  As we met with the DA to go over the trial He told us, I don’t want you to say anything to help the case or hurt the case.  I just want you to share what you saw and experienced.

We aren’t deceiving people into trusting Jesus, we are just telling people what Jesus has done in our lives and what He can do in theirs.

A personal testimony includes 1.  My life before Jesus 2.  How I met Jesus 3.  My life since I met Jesus.  That is what Paul shared and then He told others how they to could personally receive Jesus.

Some say, I don’t haven’t anything to share.  My testimony is so boring.  Boring?  How is it boring to say that I God sent his eternal Son to earth to die in my place to save me from eternity in Hell!

III.                We must share Jesus everywhere He is not known.

God wants all peoples to have an opportunity to receive His Son.   God’s love and salvation is for all peole, not just Israel. That means Jesus must be share everywhere.

Jerusalem – Our City, Our neighborhood, Our Block

Judea – Our county or our state

Samaria – other states, cultures (There were culturally, racial, and religious differences – The gospel overcomes all prejudism.)

The ends of the earth – all nations, cultures completley different than ours.  We are trying to make their culture like ours, we are taking Jesus to their culture!

This is a summary of the book of Acts – A growing influence upon the world, An expanding witness to all peoples!

IV.               We must share Jesus in expectation of His return.

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

2 Peter 3:11–13

Just as Jesus ascended bodily, He will return bodily.  He first came as a lamb to be slaughtered, He will come again as a Lion to rule.

He will be the righteous judge of all who reject Him and choose to remain in their sin.  He will hold Christian accountable to whether or not they shared Him faithfully to others.  The watchman who is responsible.

There should be a since of urgency because He can come anytime, unexpectedly.  Like a thief in the night.

When will He come again?  Let’s let Jesus answer that.

Some say that Mayan people predicted the end of the world to be December 21, 2012.  I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Jesus ain’t coming back on December 21, 2012.  Maybe the 20^th.  Maybe the 22^nd.  But not the 21^st.  If Jesus didn’t know, I’m pretty sure the Mayan didn’t!

The point is we are not to be overly consumed with date of His return, we are to focus on doing what He has called us to do until He does.  Faithfulness.

When He comes (or when He takes you home), will you be ready?  Will you be found faithfully serving Him.  Are you prepared knowing that you have received Him as your personal Savior?

CrossWords 7 - The Word of Contentment

Luke 23:44-48 

I.                   No one took Jesus’ life, He voluntarily yielded His Spirit.

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” John 10:17–18

II.                 Jesus completely trusts the Father and teaches us to do the same.

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; You take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord. Psalm 31:1–6

Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord! Psalm 31:23–24

III.              Jesus’ spirit was immediately with God when He died.

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. . .  Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:1, 8

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. Philippians 1:21–23

·         Jesus’ spirit reunited with His resurrected body when He rose from the grave.

·         The spirits of believers will be reunited with their resurrected bodies when Jesus comes again.

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Philippians 3:20–21

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:51–55

 

1.     The Conditions of the weather

 

2.     The Curtain of the temple

 

3.     The Confession of the Centurion

 

4.     The Crowd around the cross

 

 

CrossWords 6 - The Word of Triumph

John 19:30

I.                    The Savior accomplished all that He came to earth to do.

I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Luke 12:50

And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. Luke 18:31

For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” Luke 22:37

And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. Acts 13:29

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

 

II.                  Satan has been defeated.

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:15

III.                The debt of sin has been paid in full.

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. Col. 2:13–14

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24

The collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” Mat. 17:24

 

IV.               Salvation has been made available to everyone who will believe upon Jesus.

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 1 Timothy 1:15

You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 1 John 3:5

 

 

CrossWord 5 - The Word of Suffering

John 19:28-29

 

I.                    Jesus’ thirst reminds us that the cross was the plan of God for our salvation.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. Psalm 22:15

. . .  for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink. Psalm 69:21

II.                  Jesus’ thirst reminds us that, although He was and will forever be God, He became completely human.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5–8

III.                Jesus experienced thirst upon the cross so that our spiritual thirst could be quenched.

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” John 7:37–38

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13–14

Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:12–13

IV.               There are some here today who will be thirsty forever.

And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ Luke 16:24

 

 

CrossWords 4 - The Word of Anguish

Matthew 45-46; Mark 15:33-34

 

I.                    In the most excruciating moment of His earthly life, Jesus prayed to the Father and quoted Scripture.

In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. Psalm 18:6

My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word! Psalm 119:28

 

II.                  Jesus felt abandoned by the Father.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

III.                Jesus never stopped trusting in the Father.

The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever! Psalm 22:26

IV.               God the Son was forsaken by God the Father as He bore the sins of the world.

Louw Nida 35.54  35.54 ἐγκαταλείπωb; ἀνίημιb: to desert or forsake a person and thus leave that individual uncared for—‘to desert, to forsake.’

for•sake : to renounce or turn away from entirely

For the first and only time in all of eternity, the Son was out of fellowship with the Father.  He was forsaken and abandoned by God.  The only time Jesus does not address God as Father.

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. Isaiah 53:6

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. Isaiah 59:2

whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. Romans 3:25

Propitiation. Propitiation properly signifies the removal of wrath by the offering of a gift. In the OT it is expressed by the verb kipper (*Atonement). In the NT the hilaskomai word group is the important one. In modern times the whole idea of propitiation has been strongly criticized as savouring of unworthy ideas of God. Many suggest that the term ‘propitiation’ should be abandoned in favour of *expiation, and this is done, for example, in rsv. The objection to propitiation arises largely from an objection to the whole idea of the wrath of God, which many exponents of this view relegate to the status of an archaism. They feel that modern men cannot hold such an idea. But the men of the OT had no such inhibitions. For them ‘God is angry with the wicked every day’ (Ps. 7:11, av). They had no doubt that sin inevitably arouses the strongest reaction from God. God is not to be accused of moral flabbiness. He is vigorously opposed to evil in every shape and form while he may be ‘slow to anger’ (Ne. …

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Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt. . . Isaiah 53:10a

Jesus did not die as simply an heroic example for us.  If so, the Father would have looked on His son with pleasure.  Jesus died as a substitute for us, bearing our sins so that Father poured out His wrath and turned away because Jesus carried upon Himself the totality of mans sin from every generation and every local on earth. Lying, gossip, greed, lust, rape, murder, child abuse, adultery, cheating, disobedience to parents, theft – Every sin from want we call small to what we call big.  Your sin.  My sin.  Upon Jesus so that the wrath of the Father was poured out on him.  And God the Father abandoned God the Son!

This was the cup of which Jesus prayed, “Father, if possible take this cup from me but not my will but thine.”  It was not the physical torture Jesus feared.  It was be the object of God’s wrath and being Forsaken by the Father!

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53:10

 

Because Jesus was forsaken we never have to be!  See 2 cor 4:9 & Hebrews 13:5

But without Jesus you will experience the pain of being separated from God forever!  2 Thess. 1:9

CrossWords 3 - The Word of Affection

John 19:23-27

I.                    As the Savior of the world, Jesus is both God and Man; He is the Son of God and the Child of Mary.

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 1 Timothy 2:5

II.                  Mary, John, and the other ladies showed devotion to Jesus when most others fled.

III.                Even upon the cross, Jesus’ concern was for others.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4

IV.               Jesus shows us the importance of cherishing family.

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Timothy 5:8

V.                 Jesus expects us to care for His people.

But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” Luke 8:21

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. Mark 10:29–30

 

 

CrossWords 2 - The Word of Salvation

Luke 23:39-43

I.                   Both thieves considered the claims of Jesus.

·         One questioned His identity.

·         One recognized His innocence.

. . .  The precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 1 Peter 1:19

II.                 Both thieves wanted to be saved.

·         One from temporary circumstances.

·         One from eternal condemnation.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  Romans 8:1

III.              Both thieves reacted towards Jesus.

·         One taunted Jesus.

·         One trusted Jesus.

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”  Acts 16:31

IV.              Both thieves died and entered eternity.

·         One went to hell.

·         One went to heaven.

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,  Hebrews 9:27

And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43

1.      Today – Heaven is the immediate dwelling place of believers when they die.

Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8

2.      Paradise – Heaven is wonderful beyond our comprehension.

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. Revelation 21:10–11

3.      You –No one is beyond the reach of God’s Grace

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Isaiah 1:18

4.      With Me – The best part of heaven is being with our Savior.

 

I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. Philippians 1:23

 

CrossWords 1 - The Word of Forgiveness

Luke 23:32-38

I.                   Jesus prayed.

 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

·         Where do you turn during times of trouble?  Do you know you can turn to God.

II.                 Jesus prayed for His enemies.

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew 5:44

·         Jesus obeyed His own command

·         We are to forgive those who sin against us.  – Ephesians 5:1 – Stephen

·         We too are God’s enemies: Romans 5:8-10

III.              Jesus prayed for our forgiveness.

·         Forgiveness is our greatest need.

·         When you look at the cross, you see the height of man’s sinfulness.

·         The heinousness of a crime is magnified by the innocence of the victim.  Jesus is the infinitely more innocent that an infant.  Therefore, the killing of Jesus is humanity’s greatest crime.

·         The soldiers valued garments more than God.

·         We are all sinners in need of God’s forgiveness.

 

IV.              Jesus purchased our forgiveness.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.  Ephesians 1:7

·         Jesus was mocked by others: Save yourself!  The irony was that the reason he went to the cross was to save us from our sins.  There is NO other way.  If there were, then Jesus would not have died on the cross.

·         Ignorance is no excuse for sin.  They are still guilty.  Could it be that we are even more guilty than they if we reject Christ.  We have the NT.  We live on this side of the resurrection.  We have heard the message of Jesus!  Have your received God’s forgivenss