God

Classic Christianity – Jesus His Final Hours P4 (04-16-20)

Synopsis

As you ponder over all that Jesus was willing to go through, to be spit on, mocked, with a crown of thorns on his head, marred beyond recognition, being dragged from city to city, beaten and flogged. He was hated by all men for one reason. He told the truth about the condition of the hearts of all men. What kinds of thoughts go through your mind?

I sure hope you do not have the attitude of the religious Jews, who would rather defend their traditions and their interpretation of scripture than to show mercy, grace, love and kindness. Religion makes you mean. So you see the hypocrisy and stupidity of religion, that it is all based on outward performance, with no thought at all for mercy, love, kindness and forgiveness. You cannot stand anyone pointing out the condition of your heart. All of us are like that to some degree. Did you know that a righteous man loves rebuke? Now that sure goes against the natural way a man thinks. So why is that true?

Jesus came to expose the hearts of all men. Why? If we do not see our own sinfulness in light of his perfect holiness, would we ever appreciate the value of Jesus death on a cross.… Click to Read More And Follow Along With The Message

Classic Christianity – Jesus His Final Hours P3 (04-15-20)

Synopsis

It is unbelievable how unrighteous all of us are! We tend to focus on how hypocritical the Pharisees and religious leaders were, when we look into the details of how Jesus was sent to Herod and appeared before Pilate, with the beating and the mocking, and the political games played out. But do we see our own actions? Do we see the attitudes of our own heart? What does religion do to us? Does it not make us proud, to think I can do these certain things, that I can tithe, I can go church, have my quiet time, and go to visitation. Then, what do people do when they see others not doing what they are doing? Are they not mean as hornets? So we tend to make a mental list of the laws we think we can keep, and ignore the rest. Yet, do we realize our own unrighteousness that we might seek a savior? For those in Christ Jesus, we truly know all praise belongs to God through His Son Jesus Christ, in whom we have been imputed His righteousness.

Here is Pilate, knowing that they wanted Jesus killed for personal reasons, looking for an alternative so Jesus would not be executed, but he had a weakness.… Click to Read More And Follow Along With The Message

Classic Christianity – Jesus His Final Hours P2 (04-14-20)

Synopsis

Let us zoom in on what transpired that night that Jesus knew he was going to be betrayed into the hands of men. Here is Jesus, praying alone to His Father. His disciples could not stay awake for one hour. Jesus knew that, having told them previously that every one of them will be scattered. Yet he would say, “I am not alone for God is with me.” Do you sometimes feel the weight of the world is on your shoulders? I think of our current president, when I ponder over what he has to face every day he goes to work.

But Jesus bore this weight alone. Jesus is agonizing over what he must do for our sake, the lives of all men who ever walked the face of the earth. The punishment required for sin is death, and that punishment must be paid, but no man can pay it. No man is without sin except Jesus. The only man who had a life to lay down is Jesus so that the just requirements of the law could be fulfilled in us. Yet, to become sin for us is very agonizing.… Click to Read More And Follow Along With The Message

Classic Christianity – Jesus His Final Hours P1 (04-13-20)

Synopsis

People used to be able to gather to discuss these events concerning the life of Christ, in particular those events where a man named Jesus died on a cross, and then three days later was raised from the dead. Here is a brief journey through the scriptures, of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, of calling his disciples to go find a donkey and bring it back to him, of him riding on a donkey in the streets of Jerusalem, and people are heralding him as king of the Jews, and shouting praises to God, and then of the jealousy and scheming of the Pharisees to kill Jesus, of his betrayal, of his last meal with his disciples, of his agony in the garden of Gethsemane, in a grove of olive trees, of his knowing what is going to have to take place, of his eventual death, and then burial for the sins of all men. But knowing what is set before him, he endures the cross, scorning its shame. Then, some three days later, he is raised from the dead.

All the people were gathering in Jerusalem on this festive occasion in Jewish life and culture, of Passover, commemorating the day they were delivered by God out of Egypt in a miraculous way, where the death angel passed over them.… Click to Read More And Follow Along With The Message