Christ Is Alive In Us
John 19:30 'When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.'
When Jesus cried, 'It is finished,' He was not referring to the whole plan of salvation as being completed. He still had to descend into the lower parts of the earth and lead the captives out (Eph. 4:8-9), as well as come back from the dead and ascend to the Father to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:25).
Paul made it very clear in 1 Corinthians 15:14 and 17, that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then our faith is vain and we are yet in our sins.
Why is the resurrection so important? The resurrection of Jesus...
BELIEVING THE WHOLE BIBLE
Honor Your Parents
John 19:26 'When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!'
Children are to honor their parents, even after they become adults. However, the command to obey is temporary (Gal. 4:1-2). Honor naturally leads to obedience if nothing is asked contrary to God's laws, but honor and obedience are not synonymous. The scriptures teach that when a child marries he is to leave his father and mother and cleave unto his mate (Gen. 2:24). Parental dominance that extends into marriage is the source of many divorces and much marital strife. Yet, a child is to honor his parents for all their...
The Veil Is Torn
Luke 23:45 'And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.'
The veil spoken of here reached from the ceiling to the floor, from wall to wall, and separated the Holy of Holies from the holy place in the temple. Solomon's temple was 30 cubits high (1 Ki. 6:2), but Herod increased the height to 40 cubits according to the writings of Josephus, a first century historian. Therefore, depending on what standard you use to convert cubits to feet (there is uncertainty as to exactly what a cubit equaled in our feet and inches), this veil was somewhere between 60 feet and 90 feet high.
It is significant that this veil was rent from top...
Abraham's Bosom
Luke 23:43 'And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.'
The paradise that Jesus spoke of must have been the same place that Jesus called 'Abraham's bosom,' when He told the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth after His death, and John 20:17 shows that it was some time after His resurrection before Jesus ascended back to His Father. Therefore, this paradise was 'Abraham's bosom' located in 'sheol' in the lower parts of the earth.
The phrase 'led captivity captive' from Ephesians 4:8, refers to Jesus liberating the Old Testament saints. When Old Testament saints...
Accept The Gift Of Forgiveness
Luke 23:34 'Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.'
Forgiveness of sins is one of the great themes of the Bible. There is so much that scripture says about it that it would take volumes of books to adequately deal with the subject. It will suffice to say that the blood of Jesus is what provided us with forgiveness of sins. That sacrifice was so great that it outweighed all our sins. It covered all the sins of the world-past, present, and future.
Most Christians have the concept that the sins they committed before they professed faith in Christ are forgiven at...
WHEN WE FIRST ACCEPTED JESUS AS OUR SAVIOR, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO KNOW EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWING HIM WOULD TAKE. NO ONE, HOWEVER, SHOULD BE FEARFUL OF MAKING A TOTAL COMMITMENT BECAUSE OF SOME IMAGINED PROBLEM THAT MAY NEVER COME TO PASS. IF YOU HAVE ACCEPTED HIM, THEN GOD, ALMIGHTY GOD OUR FATHER, HAS DRAWN YOU TO JESUS. IT WASN'T YOUR IDEA BUT GOD'S. THIS SHOULD MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE SHOUTING BECAUSE THIS SHOWS YOU THAT GOD LOVES YOU VERY MUCH. LOOK WHAT JESUS SAYS IN JOHN 6:44 "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." YOU ARE SECURE IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS AND BECAUSE OF JESUS YOU CAN NOW GO DIRECTLY TO GOD WITH YOUR PRAYERS, PRAISE AND WORSHIP. THIS IS THE FELLOWSHIP HE WANTS WITH YOU.
