Jesus Christ Is The Atonement For Sin

From: The Bible Project

“Hey, Rose. What does sacrifice mean?”

I looked in the rear view mirror. How did the conversation with my granddaughters move so quickly from counting cows in the pasture to defining sacrifice?

“Where did you hear that word, Baylor?”

“Choir. We were singing a song yesterday and it said that word.”

“We hear the word ‘sacrifice’ at church a lot. We read it in the Bible, too. The Bible tells us Jesus was a sacrifice for us because God loves us so much.”

Four-year-old Baylor scrunched her nose. “But I don’t know what that means.”

“OK. What if you and Sissie made cookies. You took some to the neighbors then came home for a tea party. You both ate one cookie and one was left on the plate. Both of you wanted the cookie.”

“We could just split it in half.” Baylor put her hand under her chin. “But I think I would want the whole thing.”

“You looked over at your sister. You knew she really wanted that cookie, too. And you love Sissie so much. So your love for Sissie makes you say, ‘Sissie, I know you want that cookie. I love you so much I’m going to let you have it.’ That is what is called a sacrifice. You gave away something you really wanted because you loved Sissie so much.”

“Oh, so I sacrificed the cookie.”

“That’s right. There are many different types of sacrifices. But if we can understand the simple ones, it will be easier to understand the harder ones.”

Even adults struggle with sacrifice—to give something up that you really love for someone else’s benefit. If you are a student of the Bible, you know that during those times, sacrifice was a way of life.

In Genesis 22:1-2 God instructs Abraham:

“Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt Abraham had loved God for a long time and trusted Him. He took Isaac up to the mountain intending to carry out God’s instruction. We know the end of the story. God provided a sacrificial ram and spared Isaac. But Abraham proved his total love for God and willingness to sacrifice even the son for whom he had waited years.Later in the Old Testament, we learn Jephthah, the Gileadite, made a promise to God as he advanced against the Ammonites.

“If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.” Judges 11:30-31 (NIV)

When he returned home, Jephthah’s daughter, his only child, came dancing from the house to greet her father. Jephthah was beside himself with grief but stayed true to his vow. Even though it meant the sacrifice of his daughter, Jephthah kept his word.
 (Judges 11:34-40)

Other sacrifices appear throughout the Bible, but, of course, we know best God’s sacrifice of Jesus. God loves us so much that He sacrificed His Son. One of the first verses we memorize as children is John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
 (NIV)

God was willing to sacrifice His Son for us. His only Son. For us. Is there something in your life He is asking you to give to Him today? Why are you waiting?

God Gives Strength

Scripture on Strength – Isaiah 40:28-31 –

 BY DALE FLETCHER, faith and health connection

This post about strength in God is an updated post that originally occurred in February, 2008. In light of current events in our country, I’m re-posting this in hope that the content might help you.

During such tumultuous times as we are in today in the United States – with the economy and the government shutdown – we are looking for strength and resolve. Life can be a challenge, but in times where our nation is in an upheaval, the stressors can be especially difficult to handle.

Maybe you don’t know how to apply the new Health Care law to your life. Perhaps you’ve made plans to visit a national park and now find that it’s closed for business. Maybe you’re a Baby Boomer and you’ve just entered into retirement. Could be that you’re making a major transition in your life.

Are you weak? Stressed? Battling depression? Do you need more energy to run this race of life that you’re in? Is your strength depleted? God can help. Fortunately, our Creator gives us many scriptures that relate to how we can have strength in God. A verse about strength that is very familiar to many people is below.

“He (God) gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak…. But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength“ Isaiah 40:28-31

That’s one of this weeks scripture about strength. What a reassuring message! Life can make us weary and challenging… it can deplete us from the strength we need to get out of bed and do the things we are required to do. Yes, we can work out by lifting weights and taking our fitness walk. Those activities can provide us a level of fitness that enable our bodies to function physically, yet we also need additional inner strength to be able to function well. Since our mind, body and spirit are interconnected, how we feel spiritually or emotionally can effect or physical energy level. That’s where God can help.

A meaningful and personal relationship with God can give us inner energy and strength that can sustain us. Engaging in spiritual exercises like prayer, reading the Bible and abiding in God’s presence can help us tap into special power that only God can provide. When we are alone with God… when we “wait” on him, we are able to receive his strength. When we believe and trust what we read in scripture and in how God works, our hope is bolstered. This strong belief and hope, grounded in scripture, can give us strength. It’s the same strength that the Psalmist writes about in Psalm 138:3 when he says “As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.”

There is another key biblical principle to consider regarding strength. In his writings, Paul reminds us how we can be strong when we are weak. This might seem like an oxymoron but because it’s biblical, it’s true. When we are dependent upon God, when we surrender to him, when we rely on him and ask Jesus to live his life through us, we’re actually living by his power and strength. You see, if we try to be strong in our own might, we don’t give God the opportunity to use his strength as he lives through us.

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10

So, I’ll ask the questions again – Are you weak? Is your strength depleted? Do you need more energy and power to run your race?  Curl up on a couch or your recliner or drop to your knees and spend some one-on-one time with God. open up your Bible and read some of the scriptures about on the lists I’ve provided below. Get to know Him better and see if He doesn’t bring you more inner strength.

The Real Message Behind The Release Of Barabbas

Barabbas Meets Jesus and is freed by Pilate.

From: Devotions. com

“Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, ‘Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’ For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.” (Matthew 27:15-18)

Imagine the look on Barabbas’ face when he learned that he, and not Jesus, would be set free.

It was customary on a major holiday for the Roman governor to set a prisoner free. But Pilate’s decision to set free a criminal like Barabbas was an opportunity for God to make a point!

Jesus and Barabbas were both facing execution for vastly different reasons. Barabbas was despised by those in Roman rule while Jesus was despised by those in Jewish rule. Barabbas, however, was the leader of a riot that resulted in murder. Jesus, while deemed a rebel by those of Jewish authority, was guilty of nothing.

The Bible is clear that Pilate, the Roman governor in whose hands Jesus’ fate rest, believed Jesus was innocent. “Pilate said to them, ‘What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’” But the crowd saw it very differently. “They all said to him, ‘Let Him be crucified!’ Then the governor said, ‘Why, what evil has He done?’” (Matthew 27:22-23)

What Pilate likely thought was a stroke of political genius backfired on him. If he gave the Jews an option between the worst of the lot and someone who had committed no crimes, Jesus would likely be set free. But the crowd that day saw it very differently, which prompted Pilate to say, “‘I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.’ And all the people answered and said, ‘His blood be on us and on our children.’ Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.” (Matthew 27:24-26)

As far as we know, Barabbas was the first to be set free from Jesus’ finished work on the cross. The story reminds us that no one is too far removed from God’s saving grace. No matter what sin we may have committed, God’s forgiveness is available.

Charles Wesley wrote a great hymn, Oh For A Thousand Tongues To Sing. Two of the verses remind us that God’s mercy and grace can set us free.

He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean;
His blood avails for me.

See all your sins on Jesus laid;
The Lamb of God was slain;
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.

The story of Barabbas was not in the Bible just to contrast sin against righteousness. God has a far greater point to make. We are all sinners in His eyes – just as guilty as Barabbas. And only through the blood of Jesus can we be set free. “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13)

Jesus Tried Before Pilate

By: Freddy Fritz

 Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested by the religious authorities in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. He was taken to the high priest’s house where Peter denied knowing him three times before the rooster crowed. Then Jesus was subjected to a religious trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin where he was found “guilty” of blasphemy. But since it was not lawful for the Jews to put anyone to death (John 18:31), they sent Jesus to Pilate for a civil trial.

Kent Hughes summarizes what happened next, “A political trial under secular Roman authority and law was necessary. Thus came the most infamous trial in history, a weird, twisted thing that began before Pilate, the careerist Roman politician, then detoured to the tetrarch Herod, the half-Jew puppet ruler, and finally returned to Pilate where the awful judgment was rendered.”

Let’s read about Jesus before Pilate in Luke 23:1-12:

1 Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” 3 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”

6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other. (Luke 23:1-12)

Introduction

On Friday, April 15, 2016 a judge vacated the murder conviction of 76-year-old Jack McCullough. A prosecutor says McCullough was wrongly convicted in the 1957 killing of an Illinois schoolgirl. This means that one of the oldest cold cases to be tried in U.S. history has officially gone cold again.

McCullough was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for the death of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph in Sycamore, about 70 miles west of Chicago. In a review of documents last year, a prosecutor found evidence that supported the former policeman’s long-held alibi that he was 40 miles away in Rockford at the time of Maria’s disappearance.

The Illinois judicial system worked well to free an innocent man who had been wrongly convicted of a crime.

Jesus was innocent of any crime. He had never ever done anything wrong in his entire life. And yet, the Jewish authorities wanted Jesus sentenced to death. But, because they were not able to impose the death penalty on anyone, they had to get the Romans to convict Jesus of a capital offense, and thereby get him sentenced to death.

Jesus Betrayal and Arrest

 By: Brian Evans, gccwaverly.net

One great need we have is to understand and trust that our Lord is always in complete control of every situation.  Do you believe this morning that God is in complete control of everything?

So often when we are pressed by our circumstances we react in fear and unbelief.  We worry or get anxious because way down deep, we think that our future depends on us.  Way down deep we think we’re in charge and that if things are going to get better, I’m going to need to act.

The best way to handle trials and struggles is to remember God is sovereign and in control and we are not.

This text is rich with theological truth.  What I’d like us to see today is the power and control God has even in this dark trial.  Jesus is fully aware of everything about to happen and fully in charge.  He is letting them arrest Him.

I pray today, when we run into events that cause us to move toward anxiety, we will remember this passage.  No one takes Jesus’ life but He is laying it down freely for His people.

Please hear God’s Word for Grace Community Church today…

Luke 22:47-53

47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?”50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” [1]

1. Would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?

47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

Jesus had just stood up from His time of very intense prayer.  After being comforted and strengthened by the angel that appeared, He was ready.  He was ready to face what was already headed His way.  Right down the path a little ways, Judas was leading the mob.  No time to pray now…our Lord had already prayed and was ready to face this challenging and brutal night.

Luke tells us that the man who was leading the mob was Judas.  Again, Judas is seen as one of the twelve.  This was no stranger who was about to betray our Lord but one who had been with them, one of the twelve.

Judas was about to do the most hideous act that human depravity could do.  He had already overridden his conscience and it was seared.  He desired payment for his three wasted years.  He wanted compensated for following Jesus.  His hopes of Jesus taking the throne as King and ruling over everyone had been dashed.  Judas was trying to get whatever he could and for thirty pieces of silver he sold his soul to Satan.  In fact, Satan had entered into Judas now and was doing what he wanted.  Judas was a hypocrite and a traitor before Satan ever entered him.  The devil was just moving things along.

Judas was feeling confident at that moment.  He had at least 600 men armed for battle with weapons, and torches.   We get this number from the fact that John’s Gospel tells us that Judas was leading a Roman cohort.

Seek Christ As Nicodemus Did

John 3

From: Paultripp.com

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]”

In most of the gospel narratives, the Pharisees are identified as a group of people, but in John 3, we’re introduced to a specific Pharisee by name – Nicodemus.

Nicodemus was a member of the ruling legal council, the Sanhedrin, which was essentially the Supreme Court of the Jewish people. The Sanhedrin was virulently opposed to Jesus and his messianic claims, and they repeatedly tried to trap him with questions and publicly expose him as a fraud.

In the ultimate miscarriage of justice, the Sanhedrin arrested Jesus, put him on mock trial, convicted him of blasphemy, and then turned him over to the Roman authorities to be crucified.

With that being the case, it makes sense that Nicodemus, being a member of that Sanhedrin, would approach Jesus under the cover of nightfall. This meeting was incredibly risky – who knows what would have happened to Nicodemus had his colleagues learned that one of their own was so convinced that Jesus was from God that he sought him out to have questions his answered.

It makes sense that Nicodemus was afraid, but he had little seeds of faith planted in his heart. As they began to sprout, these seeds of faith caused Nicodemus to take that life-changing walk at night to meet the Messiah. The conversation that followed would result in the most memorable words ever spoken.

A LITTLE FAITH

Isn’t it comforting to know that Christ doesn’t require us to possess a big and bold faith? Rather, in forgiving and understanding grace, he accepts us as we are, with miniscule, weak, doubt-filled faith.

He never mocks our wobbly knees and shaky hands. He never turns his back on us when fear mixes with faith in our hearts. The story of Nicodemus proves that Jesus doesn’t ask us to march towards him in the broad daylight. No, he joyfully receives us when we sneak towards him under the cover of darkness!

Our Lord is just that tender, just that patient, just that kind. He knows that the mysteries of redemption confound and confuse us. He recognizes that the truths he reveals about himself are counter-intuitive to us. He understands that the things he calls us to do are intimidating for us.

With compassion and empathy, he graciously invites us to come as we are, and he promises that when we do, he won’t turn us away.

THE FAMOUS CONVERSATION

As you read John 3, it’s striking to note that Jesus does not question Nicodemus’ timing, motive, or manner. He doesn’t rebuke him for coming under the cover of night. He receives him without judgment and is immediately willing to answer his questions.

It’s also important to note that while Nicodemus’ opening question is about the true identity of Jesus, Jesus responds by confronting Nicodemus with the eternally crucial issue of the moment. In grace, Jesus cared more about the spiritual state of this man than he did about defending his personal messianic claims.

In the moments that follow, Christ unpacks for this fearful and wobbly faith-filled member of the Sanhedrin the mysteries of new birth and the essentiality of his impending sacrifice. There’s laser focus to this conversation, because the Redeemer is talking to a man in desperate need of redemption.

You can tell from Nicodemus’ responses that Jesus has taken his mind to places that it has never gone before! Jesus is revealing to the heart of this man what only God can make known to us.

This is an important concept to grasp: it takes divine grace for us to understand the mysteries of, and our need for, divine grace. You and I don’t run to, or rest in, divine grace because we have faith. No, we have faith because we’ve been met by divine grace.

Nicodemus has been drawn to Jesus by divine grace. He’s hearing the words of Jesus because of divine grace. He’ll embrace what he has heard because of divine grace.

The whole narrative of John 3 is not driven by the resolve of Nicodemus, but by the power and glory of rescuing, revealing, forgiving, accepting, and transforming divine grace!