What if there had been no Joseph of Arimathea? He’s the guy who offered his new tomb in which to place Jesus’ body after the crucifixion. Because Jesus was executed as a criminal, His body belonged to the Roman government. It would have been thrown on the trash heap outside the city. Had He risen from the dead, no one could have proved it. Joseph of Arimathea was no ordinary citizen. He was a member of the Sanhedrin, one of…
Hebrews 1:3 describes Jesus as: He is the radiance of His (God’s) glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Several years ago after contemplating that scripture I wrote this poem. Jesus is God . . . with a face; come to earth to show us His grace. Creator, Sovereign, Sacrifice; the Only way to…
It’s funny how calendars run some years. This year of 2018 is no exception. On Valentine’s Day we also have Ash Wednesday. This is the beginning of Lent–a time of self-reflection and repentance. A time to re-commit our lives and living to Jesus, the one who knows us best and loves us most. Easter falls on April 1–April Fool’s Day. I’m sure unbelievers watching the events of those few days some 2,000 years ago were sure Jesus’ followers were fools,…
Isaiah 64:4 For from of old they have not heard nor perceived by ear, neither has the eye seen a God besides Thee, who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him. Of all the world religions of all the ages, there is no God who forgives sins, who came to earth to tell us of the One True God, who offered His own self on a cross as payment for our sins, and then died. But there…
Luke 24:44 Now He (Jesus)said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” On that first Easter Sunday, grieving disciples encountered the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13). That same evening they returned to Jerusalem and sought out other disciples to tell them they had seen…
Colossians 1:13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son. Before Jesus, we were under the power of Satan. We were bound to submit to his authority over us—whether we wanted to or not. When Jesus arose from His grave, it was the undeniable evidence that He defeated sin and death for all time. He extended this mercy to any who would yield their life to Him. When we…
Colossians 2:15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Most of us know the Easter story, but fewer know the scope of what Jesus accomplished for us in those terrible hours. Jesus removed our sin (John 1:29 and Hebrews 9:26). He removed God’s wrath from us (Hebrews 2:17). He reconciled us to God (Romans chapters 10 and 11). When Jesus was whipped He purchased our healing…
I Peter 2:24 And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, for by His wounds you were healed. Jesus took the punishment for our wrongdoing that we might share in the inheritance of God. That we might walk blameless before Him. That we might be healed of the infirmities we experience in our bodies—our mind, soul and spirit. He came to heal that which is…
John 3:16 (Jesus said) “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” To adhere to the truth of this scripture is not a passing acknowledgement that Jesus lived. Our faith must go deeper than that. True faith in Jesus believes He willingly went to the cross for each one of us. He came back to life and He desires each of us to…
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. The Bible’s definition of faith is “the trust that God exists and that He is the creator and ruler of all things.” The meaning of faith doesn’t stop there. Biblical faith is “a deep conviction, a firm trust God gives to believers, resulting in eternal salvation through Jesus Christ.” As believers, we wait and hope with joy and a full confidence, for this…