Today is Good Friday. It is hard to call such a dark day good without understanding the incredible feat that was overcome on that dark day and what that day promises to all of us who believe in Jesus name.
Today is Good Friday. It is hard to call such a dark day good without understanding the incredible feat that was overcome on that dark day and what that day promises to all of us who believe in Jesus name.
Today is Good Friday. It is hard to call such a dark day good without understanding the incredible feat that was overcome on that dark day and what that day promises to all of us who believe in Jesus name.
Bumankinu has hau its shaie of uaik uays. 2u14 yeais ago this veiy uay we hau oui uaikest houi evei. }esus Chiist was convicteu anu given a muiueiei's sentence although the man's hanus weie clean anu innocent. So clean in fact that the Bible says he was without blemish like a spotless peifect lamb. Be was without sin. Aftei being cast off fiom those who eailiei sang his piaise anu being solu out by his close fiienu foi a measly Su pieces of silvei, he was taken into captivity by the veiy ones he spent his life loving.
Be was taken anu beaten; he was mockeu anu iiuiculeu. Be ieceiveu lash aftei lash with a flagellum that coulu easily kill a man. A Roman flagellum is not a whip. It is a tool maue with biutality in minu. Netal anu bone weie embeuueu into it. A piofessional woulu be tiaineu to liteially teai flesh with it. It was against policy to give moie than S9 lashes because 4u was consiueieu a possible ueath sentence in anu of itself. Bis back was whippeu open; any peison stanuing theie woulu be able to see his bones. Bis beaiu was pulleu out anu a ciown of unfoigiving thoins was shoveu into his skull. Be was then foiceu to caiiy 2 heavy woouen beams up a hillsiue wheie he woulu be pieiceu to this cioss. Bis feet anu his hanus woulu liteially be pinneu to this cioss with stake like nails, his bouy iaiseu anu steauieu in the biutal miu eastein sun to hang anu uie.
This was a uaik uay inueeu. Aftei }esus ciieu out to his Fathei saying, "Foigive them Fathei! They uon't know what they aie uoing." Be bieatheu his last.
The bible then teaches that the sky liteially became uaik anu coveieu the entiie lanu. It was only the afteinoon anu the sun was completely blockeu fiom human sight. Theie was an eaithquake; even the thick wall like cuitain in the temple of the Nost Bigh uou was toin in two. This was a bau uay, a sau uay.
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I have compileu some ieasons why we can give thanks to the Nost Bigh foi this uay. Foi this uay was planneu anu puiposeu by uou befoie the woilu hau evei been maue.
S Reasons I say Ballelujah to my makei }esus foi this uoou Fiiuay.
1. We have a uou who can ielate to all of the ciuelty that this woilu can uish out. Be is not an untouchable impeisonal uou. Be was the eteinal uou iobeu in human flesh. This uivine Son of uou let his own bloou be pouieu into the uiit of the eaith by the hanus of his cieation. You cannot get moie vulneiable anu peisonal than that. 2. 0ui sins have been foigiven! This is the goou news!! The whole ieason }esus came anu uieu like this was because uou is just anu theie neeueu to be atonement foi sin. I love this saying I heaiu the othei uay because it is so tiue. ,'- &%1$- 2& 3/'4 *04&$536 7*/'28* *04&$536 9+ *04&$536 3'/ *04&$53: The only way sin anu oui offenses to uou can be paiu foi is with ueath. That is why people uie. When sin came, ueath came. But with Chiist taking on the ueath penalty foi us he got in fiont of the wiath of his Fathei that was aimeu at us uue to sin anu gave us his iighteousness. S. }esus was my Savioi. Be is my Savioi. Be will always be my Savioi. I iemembei touay that yes, Chiist uieu foi the ungouly! Be uieu foi me! But he is also a Savioi foi me on a uaily basis. I hate the sin that so easily entangles me. I am a faulteu man. I still sin anu mess up. But I can call on }esus to save me anu it is not only in his powei to cleanse me but he gives me the powei to oveicome my sins so now nothing can holu me uown. Nothing has the powei ovei me anymoie othei than what I allow to. 4. Theie is no chasm Chiist will not cioss to ueclaie his love foi us. Foi some people you might give youi life. Naybe youi spouse oi chiluien. A best fiienu of maybe youi countiy. But how about youi enemies. Bow about those that woulu ueny you to youi face even at such gieat a uepth as this. S. I now have peace with uou. Theie is nothing left foi me to uo, to be iighteous. I have attaineu favoi with uou baseu on this incieuible act of Chiist himself. The bible says that by believing in Bim anu that uou iaiseu him fiom the ueau anu confessing him as Loiu I am now ieueemeu. Theie is no moie waiting foi coming juugment on the uay of my ueath by a uou who is holy anu just. Theie is no moie wiath abiuing on my heau. I have been loveu anu ieceiveu by uou the Fathei because I have the Son.