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Christ’s Resurrection, Our Eternal Life

Christ’s Resurrection, Our Eternal Life

For Christians all over the world, this week is quite significant, because it is considered Holy Week.  Holy Week is the week leading up to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Savior of the world.

This week as we meditate on the scriptures that lay out so clearly the sequence of the events leading up to Christ’s resurrection, we can only be grateful for the hope that we have in Christ.  No sacrifice has ever, and will ever match the sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf.

As you prepare to spend time with your family and friends this Easter Sunday don’t forget to put God first in your celebrations.  In other words, make it about Him, and your gratitude for what He has done for you.  If you are tempted to put Him on the backburner that day, just ask yourself who else has died for me lately?

This should reel you back in pretty quickly.

Have a glorious Easter as you worship our King!

CHRIST DEATH
Mark 15:37-39
37 Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
39 When the Roman officer[a] who stood facing him[b] saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
CHRIST BURIAL
Mark 15:46-47
46 Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth. Then he took Jesus’ body down from the cross, wrapped it in the cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in front of the entrance. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus’ body was laid.
CHRIST RESURRECTION
Romans 6:8-11

And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
Mark 16:5-7 ESV
And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
Luke 24:6-7 NIV
He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”
Luke 24: 38-40
38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.
OUR ETERNAL LIFE
John 11:25-26
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[a] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
Romans 10:9
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Revelation 1:5-6
and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world.

All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!   All praises to Christ our King, for He has risen!!!.

 

Oh, To Be Content

Have you ever gone through a season when life seemed absolutely unbearable?  Have you ever become impatient with God, because He was moving way too slow.  Could it be that you are just simply disenchanted with the way your life is going right now?  If your answer is yes to any of these questions, today I would like to visit with you briefly about what it means to be content.

 When you go to your dictionary and look up the word content, you may see the following as a definition;  in a state of peaceful happiness, satisfied with a certain level of achievement, and not wishing for more, a state of satisfaction.

In Philippians 4:11 Paul says I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances, a little bit later in 4:13 He says that; I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.  After thinking about this, I have personally come to the conclusion, that Paul’s contentment was based not only on his trust in God but in his trust in God’s character. He had experienced God’s faithfulness through numerous circumstances, and he had seen the heart of God throughout His journey.

Being content is not always easy.   But if we just think back, and reflect on all of the times that God has been faithful to us in the past through the hard times, it helps us to remain hopeful for our future.   Contentment, in my opinion, can be simple, trusting while you are waiting.  Trusting that when the time is right, God will change your set of circumstances, and if He chooses not to, you are still trusting that He will only do what is best for you. Either way, trusting God is the real source of contentment and inner peace.  As you spend more and more time with God, you will grow to trust Him more and more.

Today, I want to encourage you to seek His face daily.  Choose peace and contentment over stress and worry. Remember, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you, and that means even going through the hard stuff.

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 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

Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;  never will I forsake you.”[a]
1 Timothy 6:6-10
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Romans 15:13
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 62:5-8
Yes, my soul, find rest in God;  my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;  he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God[a];  he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

 

Wisdom – Something to Treasure – Part I

Over the last two days I have been digging through my treasure chest of memories of the wonderful things that God has done in my life.

First of all, I was so blessed to be raised by a mother and father who truly feared the Lord and served Him and honored Him in the way, they chose to live their lives and raise their children.

From birth I was taught about God. You see, as a child God was already preparing my heart to desire being in His presence more than anything in this world.

I remember around the age of nineteen while having my quiet time I came across a passage of scripture that had a profound effect on me. It was 2nd Chronicles 1:6-12.

Be a woman of courage

Deuteronomy 31:6 –
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

When was the last time you really did something courageous?

Whether it was taking a trip alone or speaking up when you knew that, someone was doing wrong, even if it meant you were risking a friendship.

Stuff

Ecclesiastes 5:9-20 (NIV)

9 The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

10 Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.

11 As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
except to feast their eyes on them?

12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance
permits them no sleep.

Women and Their Words-Part II

Proverbs 31: 26 –
She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness

Part II

Ladies we have the ability to use our words to create joy in our homes. Our words set the tone for our family’s day. I am sure you have heard the expression, “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”. This quote usually gets a chuckle because we all can relate and we all know that it is so very true.

Forgiving God – Part III

Job 1:21-22(NIV)
21…..The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Have you ever found yourself angry with God? Maybe you have experienced losing a mate unexpectedly or the loss of a child. Maybe, you’ve lost your only means of income, or you have gone through the disappointment of a divorce. You may have been told, that you have cancer, or you received the news that someone that you love dearly has a severe illness. You may be frustrated over something as simple as not hearing from God after many years of praying over a situation and seeing no change.

Forgiving Yourself- Part II

Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1st John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

As we continue our series on forgiveness, today’s lesson will be on forgiving ourselves. I feel sure that we all at one time or another have struggled with this. Our tendency is to think we have messed up so badly that God could never forgive us. We beat ourselves up over something that we have done that we knew was wrong to do, or maybe it was something we simply failed to do, only later to feel disappointed in ourselves, and possibly even experience embarrassment before others and certainly shame before God.