The Tomb is Empty! (Matt 28: 1-15)

Friday Jesus went to the cross and died when the evening sacrifice was given at the temple. He was taken from the cross and was wrapped in a burial cloth. There was no time for Him to be prepared properly for burial because of the Sabbath. He was taken and laid in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. The tomb was sealed with the stone then Roman guards were stationed there to prevent anyone from taking His body. Sunday morning the stone was moved and the tomb was found to be empty. Jesus was no longer in the tomb but was now alive. He was seen by Mary Magdelene and His mother as well as the disciples.

So what does the empty tomb prove to us? Well it proves several things to us. The stone was moved not so Jesus could get out but so might get in and see for ourselves. His resurrection showed that He was who He claimed to be. He said the temple would be torn down and in three days He would rebuild it. If Jesus was still in the tomb, then we have no hope for eternal life. Some claim the disciples stole His body. First they were afraid and they would not take on the Roman guards and why would they die for a lie if they took His body? If the Jews had it, they would have paraded it for people to see. there are some who believe the "swoon theory". They believe that Jesus wasn't really dead but faked His death. The Romans were professional when it came to executing people and making sure they were dead. The fact is that Jesus had also been beaten and had a major loss of blood by the time He was crucified. Then to top it off, Jesus would have had to move the stone from inside the tomb after having been beaten and crucified. The only explanation is that Jesus rose from the dead and left the tomb. The resurrection demonstrated His power over death and gave Him the right to judge us because He gave His life for us. So what we believe about the tomb will decide what we do with Jesus and if we follow Him or reject Him.

The question for each of us then is whether we believe that Jesus actually rose from the dead or is He still in the tomb. What have you done with the empty tomb? Do you serve a risen Savior or do you live to serve yourself? Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead so we might have life everlasting with Him! I trust you believe the empty tomb and rejoice with me that He is Alive!

Who Crucified Jesus? (Matt 27: 32-56)

I was flipping through the TV channels earlier this week and saw a show that was asking who framed Jesus that led to His death. I thought to myself what a stupid question! But as I thought about it I felt the Spirit make me understand that not every one knows the truth about Jesus and His death and resurrection. I realized that we are called to tell those who are lost how much God loves them and how He demonstrated that love on the cross. Most people would say that the Romans crucified Jesus while others claim it was the Jews who had Him crucified by the Romans. That is true in both statements. But the deeper truth is that God in His infinite love allowed Christ to die on the cross for us.

So what is the real truth about who crucified Jesus? We did! You and I were the reason that Christ had to die on the cross if we were ever to have any hope of escaping God's wrath. There was and is nothing that could ever pay the penalty for our sin. Nothing except the shed blood of Christ that is! It was because of sin that Christ had to die and not because He had committed some crime or simply the hatred of the Jewish rulers. It was just the plan of God being carried out which was conceived before the foundation of the world. God knew Adam would fail to be obedient and sin would enter the world because of it. This sin would destroy all of mankind unless God made it possible to have a remedy. He offered up His own Son to address the problem of sin. It was His love for us that made Him accept the cost of such a sacrifice. Such Love such wondrous love that God should love a sinner such as I! What a great message! A message only God could bring!

So I ask you again. Who was it that crucified Jesus? We are all guilty for His death. But when we offer God our heart and repent of our sin He removes the guilt and shame and makes us clean. The cross really is a message of hope. Don't forget! The cross was not the end but only one step in the plan of salvation! Remember Sunday is coming!

Remember Me (Lk 23: 39-43)

When Jesus was crucified, He was crucified along with two criminals. These men had been thieves and were being punished by the Romans for their crimes. They were men who had brought the law down on themselves. Jesus was crucified in the middle of them and was sinless. He didn't deserve to die yet chose to be obedient to His Father. The one thief told Jesus to save Himself and them if He was the Christ. The Bible tells us the other thief rebuked the first. He said that they were guilty and getting what they deserved but Jesus was innocent. His last request was that Jesus would remember him when Jesus came into His kingdom. Jesus told him that he would be in paradise with Him that day.

We deserve to die for our sins much like the thieves. We are not worthy of anything less yet God loves us so much that He took our sins and put them on His own Son. Jesus was judged in our place. The good news is that He did not die in vain but to bring us life and victory over sin and death. Some folks do not understand what Jesus did for them on the cross. They look on Him as someone no different from themselves. They fail to grasp the full extent of His sacrifice and lose any hope of eternal life. They mock Him even when facing eternity. There are others that are like the penitent thief. They see Jesus and realize they are sinners and that they deserve the punishment of death. Yet they know that because of what Christ did on the cross they do not have to stay that way. They accept the sacrifice of Christ and ask for forgiveness for their sins. They receive the same grace and mercy that the thief was given even on the cross. It is never too late to ask for forgiveness except after you die. We need to make sure we are right with God before we leave this life. God demonstrated His love for us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). Even on our death bed we can ask God to forgive us and He will.

The thief went to be with Christ that day simply because he recognized his sinfulness and was repentant. The other thief died in his sins because he failed to acknowledge his sins. Each of us today must make the same choice the thieves had to make. God does not want any to perish but come to eternal life. So my only question for you is what have you chosen to do with Jesus? My prayer is that you choose life and ask God to remember you in His kingdom!

Carry the Cross! (Matt 27: 31-32)

After Jesus had been beaten and scouraged by the Romans, He was led out from the hall to be crucified. Jesus was forced to carry His own cross to Calvary. The problem was that he was weakened from the loss of blood so he couldn't carry the cross very far. The Romans realized that Jesus may never make it the place of crucifixion so they looked for someone to carry the cross for Jesus. Matthew tells us that a man from Cyrene was ordered to pick up Jesus' cross and carry it for Him. This man's name was Simon. Simon had no choice but to do as he was told. He lifted the cross up and carried it to Calvary. Simon who was there for the Passover never realized how his life would be changed that day.

We are very much like Simon today. We are called to pick up our cross daily and follow Jesus (LK 9: 23). But what does it mean to pick up our cross and follow Him?
We are reminded by Jesus Himself that we are not greater than He is and that what He did we should follow His example. He willingly walked to His death knowing what it would mean for people. He came to give His life as a ransom for us so that we could be forgiven. He endured the cross and its shame so we wouldn't have to face it. He knew the cost but he also knew what it meant for us. We likewise should also be willing to give up our lives for the sake of the cross. There are those places in the world today where you can be killed because you are a believer. Some face imprisonment or death because they will not deny the faith. I have heard some in this country act as though they are being persecuted. I believe that one day we may face it but today we are ridiculed in the media and by people. In some cases it may be desrved but as this nation turns further away from its heritage we will face more and more. We must be ready to take a stand for our faith. The passsage in Luke refers to the fact that we must crucify the flesh daily. We need to die to ourselves that Christ can live through us. Oh that people would see Jesus and not our flesh!

I do not know how Simon felt as he picked up the cross for Jesus. I find it difficult to believe that his life would not have been greatly changed as a result of this day. I always wondered if he realized that he was carrying the cross of his Savior as well as ours. Have you encountered Jesus as Simon did? Are you willing to carry the cross as Simon did? He was ordered but we can do it out of love for Christ and for people.

Give us Barabbas! (Matt 27: 15-26)

Give us Barabbas! That was the cry of the crowd standing before Pilate when he asked them which they wanted him to release. Jesus or Barabbas? They cried out for Barabbas. Instead of releasing Jesus the crowd called for Him to be crucified. Pilate did not want to crucify Jesus but gave in to their demand. He released Barabbas to the crowd and had Jesus taken away to be crucified. Barabbas was a murderer and Jesus was sinless yet He was the one led away for crucifixion. Jesus took Barabbas' place and died on the cross that should have been his.

But here is the rub of what Jesus did that day. He just didn't take Barabbas' place on the cross but He took each one of our crosses for us. We, like Barabbas and the two thieves, are worthy of death because of our sin. We are sinners guilty before God and nothing we can do could cleanse us and make us right before God. So God in his infinite mercy and love made it possible for us to be forgiven and escape the penalty of death for our sin. He planned for His Son to come and die in our place before He even created the world (REV 13: 8). He sent His Son to become the Sacrificial Lamb whose blood would cover our sin. Jesus came to this earth to die for us. His blood wasn't spilt but was shed willing for us. He was beaten and whipped then crucified so we would not have to face our own punishment. So when Pilate had Him crucified, it was the plan that God had ordained to make eternal life possible for us in spite of our sin nature. What we couldn't do, Jesus did for us because of love. He took our place on the cross.

So when you read about Barabbas and how he was released and they crucified Jesus I would like to ask one question. Imagine if you were in the crowd that day and Pilate asked who you wanted to him to release, what would you have cried out? Give us Jesus or give us Barabbas? How would you have answered? How would you answer today?