Podcasts about apostle john

Our faith is measured by good works – as the Apostle James taught us – but our good works are measured by how much joy we express while doing them – as the Apostle John will teach us. Faith without works is dead, and so are works without joy. Learn more about our ministry and access additional Bible teaching resources online. https://www.wisdomonline.org

Our faith is measured by good works – as the Apostle James taught us – but our good works are measured by how much joy we express while doing them – as the Apostle John will teach us. Faith without works is dead, and so are works without joy. Learn more about our ministry and access additional Bible teaching resources online. https://www.wisdomonline.org

To prepare the Twelve Apostles for what was to come, Jesus instructed them in detail what was about to happen to him. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - Let's turn in your Bibles to Mark chapter 10. As we continue our marvelous journey through this gospel, the Gospel of Mark, we are looking today at Mark 10:32-34. One of the most pernicious lies told about Jesus of Nazareth by unbelieving scholars is that his death came about because Jesus miscalculated the reaction to his message, got in over his head, and was arrested against his will. Surprised by it, in fact. He was swept along by political forces beyond his control and tragically killed, thus ending his dreams of a better world. In such a wicked revision of history, these scholars make Jesus out to be well-meaning, but politically naive, like a beautiful cut flower that's thrown into a raging river at flood stage. Whitewater seizing it and causing it to churn and tumble around despite its beauty, hurdling it to a massive waterfall and then over. It was pulled irrevocably to its own destruction. Nice Jesus, naive Jesus, overwhelmed Jesus, dead Jesus. Well, dear friends, nothing could be further from the truth. The central message of this marvelous Gospel of Mark comes right from the beginning. Mark 1:1, the beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This gospel was written to give clear evidence of the deity of Christ that by reading it we might have faith in Christ for the salvation of our souls. But the betrayal, the rest, the various trials, the condemnation, the mocking, scourging, and death of Jesus was a severe trial to the faith of his disciples. Jesus looked anything but like almighty God in his weakness, humiliation, torture and death. Jesus knew that his disciples needed special preparation for these terrible events. He wanted them to understand a central fact that He declared in John's Gospel, John 10:18, "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have the authority to lay it down and the authority to take it back up again.This command I received from my father." Jesus was never a victim. He willingly laid down his life for us, for his people, to save us from God's just wrath against us for our sins. In order to establish this fact all the more, He predicted his death in detail ahead of time. In fact, He did it over and over again. "Jesus was never a victim. He willingly laid down his life for us, for his people, to save us from God's just wrath against us for our sins" Now the obvious question that must come to us is this, why did He do it? And beyond that, we could ask how could Jesus precisely know what would come to pass concerning himself? The fact of the matter is no one really knows the future, but God alone; the book of James makes this plain. James 4:14 says, "You do not even know what will happen tomorrow." But Jesus is unique in human history. His entire life was lived under the shadow of the cross. Being God in the flesh, He had detailed knowledge of his immediate future as well as his eternal future. He had a unique role to play in the history of the world, to suffer and die on the cross as the savior of the world. From the moment He was born into that stable in Bethlehem, He lived under the shadow of the cross. His mother Mary had been prophetically warned by a man named Simeon at the time of his birth that a sword would pierce her soul also. Also? Yes, in addition to Jesus. By the time Jesus was 12 years old, a 12-year-old boy, He understood his special identity as the Son of God, that He had been sent into the world by God, his father, to do his will. You remember when his parents were anxiously searching for him in the city of Jerusalem and found him, and Jesus said to them in Luke 2:49, "Did you not know that I had to be in that of my father?" Is what the Greek says. In other words, "Immersed in my father's plan, immersed in my father's work and my father's will, didn't you know that that's what I had to do?" Certainly by the time He began his public ministry, being about 30 years old, He understood completely what He had come to do. So when John the Baptist pointed at him and said, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world," we can't imagine that John the forerunner knew more of Jesus's mission than Jesus did. Jesus knew very well what He had come to do. Therefore Jesus walked every step of his life under the shadow of the cross. What amazing love and what supernatural courage. I. God’s Zeal to Fulfill His Word We're going to walk through that today, and I'm going to begin in this sermon with God's zeal to fulfill his word, God's zeal to fulfill his word. It is by the word of God that the universe was made. Psalm 33:6 says, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth." God's word precedes the reality, God speaks and it is. God says, “let there be light” and then there's light. The word precedes the reality. Romans 4:17 says, "God gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were." There is creative power to his word. God, therefore highly exalts his word. Psalm 138:2, "You have exalted above all things your name and your word." God is therefore zealous to uphold his word, his predictive words. He is zealous. He says to the prophet, Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:12, "I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled." Three times in Ezekiel He says the same thing, Ezekiel 17:24, "I, the Lord have spoken and I will do it.” Ezekiel 22:14, "I, the Lord have spoken and I will do it." Ezekiel 36:36, "I, the Lord has spoken and I will do it." The people in the times of the prophets tended to disparage the prophetic word. In Ezekiel 12:22 -25 it says, "What is this proverb you have in the land of Israel? The days go by and every vision comes to nothing. Say to them, this is what the sovereign Lord says, I'm going to put an end to that proverb, but I the Lord will speak what I will and it shall be fulfilled without delay. … For in your days you rebellious house I will fulfill whatever I say declares the sovereign Lord." That's God's zeal to fulfill his prophetic word. Now, why is that? Why is God so zealous concerning his Word? He knows and He has ordained that it is by faith in the Word of God that his people will be forgiven of their sins. Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ." We are justified by faith in the Word, the Word of God. There is a perfect and absolute and a mystical link between the Word of God and Jesus, the savior of the world. Is it a strong link so much so that the Apostle John begins his Gospel with the Word, “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.” Verse 14, "The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." Jesus is called the Word. That's the strong link there is between the written word and Jesus at his first coming. Then at his Second Coming as stated in Revelation 19:11-13, "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse whose rider is called faithful and true. He is dressed in a robe, dipped in blood and his name is the word of God." His name is the Word of God, and at that point, all of the prophetic visions will be fulfilled. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” But why do I say all this? Because Jesus wants his disciples and every generation to trust his words perfectly, especially those words that focus on his death on the cross and his resurrection, especially those words. So He predicts it in detail. Look at the texts we're walking through today. Verse 32, "They were on their way up to Jerusalem with Jesus leading the way and the disciples were astonished while those who followed were afraid. Again, He took the twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 'We're going up to Jerusalem,' he said, 'And the son of man will be betrayed to the chief priest and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him.' Three days later he will rise." Let's understand the text. They're on their way to Jerusalem, up to Jerusalem having crossed the Jordan River near Jericho. They're moving now through Judea, ascending, going higher because Jerusalem's built up on Mount Zion up to Jerusalem. Jesus is leading the way. He's always surrounded by tons of people, but He's out in front of the entourage here, and we see the astonishing courage of Jesus. The whole point of this sermon is that Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem, and yet there He is strongly, powerfully striding ahead of the whole crowd toward the death He describes in these verses. Jesus was willingly laying down his life even by making that journey up to Jerusalem. He was not trapped, He was not a naive victim who got in over his head and didn't know what was coming. Not at all. He was carrying out his father's eternal plan to save his people. The twelve were amazed, and the rest of the people were afraid. They were amazed at Jesus's determination to immerse himself in a seething cauldron of hatred and murder, amazed. The twelve by now had heard again and again from Jesus what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem. They had seen the visible rage on the face of his enemies. Multiple times they wanted to kill him, sometimes picking up stones ready to stone him right there. There was no doubt in their minds that He has bitter enemies. As a matter of fact, Thomas, typical of doubting Thomas, spoke all of their fears in John 11:16, "Let us also go with him that we may die with him.” He knew exactly what was going to happen. To prepare the twelve apostles for what was to come Jesus then took them aside and instructed them in detail what was about to happen to him. II. Why Jesus Predicted His Sufferings Why did Jesus predicted his sufferings? First of all, to establish his office as a prophet, to establish him in his office as prophet. In the Old Testament, Moses opened up the office of prophet, “God will raise up a prophet like me,” and so it was an office, it was a series of prophets. The question would come, how can we know if an individual who comes is a prophet or not, a true or false prophet? How can we know? Deuteronomy 18:21-22, “You may say to yourselves, how can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” If what a prophet claims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken.The ability to predict the future and have it come true validates a prophet. Only a true mouthpiece of God can do that, can know the future. Secondly, Jesus has predicted his sufferings to establish, as I've said, his own power over death. Here again, John 10:17-18, "The reason my father loves me is that I lay down my life only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have the authority to lay it down and the authority to take it up again, this command I receive from the Father. I have absolute power over life and death." After his resurrection from the dead, He appeared in glory to the apostle John on the island of Patmos. In Revelation 1:18, He said, "I am the living one. I was dead and behold, I'm alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades." What does that mean, “I hold the keys?” I'm in charge. I'm in charge of death in the grave. I triumphed over them. He predicted his sufferings. Thirdly, to protect the faith of his disciples, to protect their faith. This was going to be a massive trial. Jesus says in John 13:19 and again in 14:29, connected to other details but always having to do with suffering and things you didn't want to have happen. He said this, "I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe that I am he or I am.” In other words, to protect your faith, I'm giving you warnings ahead of time of these things that are happening. Fourthly, to establish the faith of subsequent generations. That's where we come in. To establish our faith because the Holy Spirit knew that He'd be writing all this down in Mark's Gospel and other passages as well. It was written down for us who would come later and read these things and have our own faith strengthened. Jesus always had in mind subsequent generations. He prayed for us in John 17:20-21, "My prayer is not for them alone. I also pray for those who will believe in me through their word that all of them may be one." Jesus wanted to protect our faith as well and give us reasons to believe. Now fundamental to our salvation is faith in the cross of Christ, in Jesus's bloody death on the cross. It says in Romans 3:23-25, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." God presented him as a propitiation or a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood. By faith in the blood of Jesus are our sins forgiven. Every individual sinner needs to see Christ as the willing substitute before the justice of God on their behalf for their sin. So that Jesus' death on the cross was God's plan for our individual salvation. And not ours only, but for the sins of the world. We need to see that. Therefore, you cannot believe that Jesus was naively trapped into death and be saved. You can't think he was naively sucked in by Jewish Roman politics, in over his head, overpowered against his will and died, not by his own choice but by the plan of God. You have to have faith in the blood of Jesus shed on your behalf intentionally by God as part of his plan. As Peter preached in his great Pentecost sermon. Acts chapter 2:22-24, "Men of Israel, listen to this, Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through him as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge. And you, with the help of wicked men put him to death, nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” Now, that's the preaching of the gospel right there, and at the center of it is Jesus was handed over by God's set purpose and foreknowledge known from the foundation of the world. Therefore, in our texts, we must see Jesus boldly, knowingly, intentionally, willingly, courageously walking up to Jerusalem to die as the fulfillment of the plan God had made from before the creation of the world for our salvation. Jesus was not trapped. He's not naive. "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself." So Jesus told them exactly what would happen to him. "We must see Jesus boldly, knowingly, intentionally, willingly, courageously walking up to Jerusalem to die as the fulfillment of the plan God had made from before the creation of the world for our salvation." III. How Jesus Knew About His Sufferings: Prophetic Scripture How did He know? Fundamentally, two answers. First of all, He knew it by prophetic scripture. And second of all, he knew it because He was God, divine foreknowledge. First of all, prophetic scripture. Long before Jesus was born, God progressively revealed his plan through the prophets. The Bible reveals very plainly God knows the future, He decrees the future, He predicts the future, and then He makes his predictions come true. That's what we know about God. Before Jesus was ever born, God had laid out the plan in the 39 books of the Old Testament. Romans 16:25-27 puts it this way, "Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God so that all nations might believe and obey him. To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ." In other words, God had a mystery hidden up in himself and then He paid it out progressively in the prophetic writings, little by little, now fulfilled in Jesus, Paul writes in Romans 16. It is a clear statement by Christ. He says this again and again. Luke 18:31-33, "Jesus took the twelve aside and told them, 'We are going up to Jerusalem and everything that is written by the prophets about the son of man will be fulfilled.’" This is even before He goes up, He's saying, "Look, all this thing is, it's all predicted, prophesied, and it's going to be fulfilled.” He'll be handed over to the Gentiles, they'll mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day, He'll rise again. Now, after his arrest in Gethsemane, after He prays in Gethsemane, He goes out and gives himself up to those that are there to arrest him. At that moment, Peter thought it best to fight for Jesus. Remember that whole thing? I mean, what's up with Peter? I mean, he’s just missing this whole thing. He pulls out his little fisherman dagger thing, and he is going to take on 600 Roman soldiers. What a moment in redemptive history. Thank God he failed. Imagine if he'd enabled Jesus to get away. I mean, what was he thinking? He just wasn't listening. But Jesus deals with Peter. You remember how Peter swung wildly and cut off Malchus's ear, the high priest servant's ear. He told them, "Put your sword away for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my father and he would at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scripture be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" I tell you, no human being in history has ever had a higher view of scripture than Jesus. Effectively, He says that He would rather die than let the prophetic scriptures not be fulfilled. He also said at that point in Mark 14:48-49, “'Am I leading a rebellion,’ said, Jesus, ‘that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you teaching in the temple courts and you did not arrest me. But the scriptures must be fulfilled.’” After his resurrection, however, Jesus was even more zealous to point his overwhelmed and somewhat unbelieving disciples to the fulfillment of scripture. First, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Remember, they were all depressed, “we had hoped he was going to be the one.” Remember that? They're so depressed, so downcast, so Jesus deals with them. “'How foolish you are,’he said, ‘And how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Did not that Christ have to suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ And then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself.” Again, that same day in the upper room to the eleven apostles. He said to them, “'This is what I told you while I was still with you. Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me and the law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms.’" Then he opened their minds so that they could understand the scriptures.” He told them, "This is what is written, that Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things." So it is obvious that Jesus knew the details of his suffering and his death from prophetic scriptures. Well, what scriptures are we talking about? From the very beginning of the fall, God began predicting the coming of Christ. You remember the curse on the serpent? He said, "I'll put enmity between you and the woman. Between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head and you'll strike his heel." The prediction of the death of Christ by which Satan's kingdom will be crushed. Then right away the establishment of the animal sacrificial system. Remember how they had covered themselves with fig leaves, where God killed some animals and covered them with animal skins? Then in the very next chapter, we've got Abel offering a blood sacrifice, an animal sacrifice. Cane inventing his own religion and God rebuking him saying, "If you do what is right, will you not prosper?" So animal sacrifice, Noah comes off the ark and offers clean animals as a burn offering to God. The patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all did animal sacrifice. Abraham was stopped from killing his son, own son Isaac, and a substitute was provided. "God," he said, "God will provide the lamb." As substitute, the ram in a thicket was caught. Animal sacrifice was essential to that religion that God would provide eventually to that land. Then Moses taught the Israelites animal sacrifice and made animal sacrifice the centerpiece of their religion, the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant, the Levitical priesthood, all of that set up. They had already seen it in the tenth plague, the Passover land, the blood of the lamb shed, and the blood painted on the doorpost and lintels with the angel of the Lord passing over when he saw the blood. In the old covenant ,animal sacrifices were at the center. But all of those animal sacrifices were just a type and a shadow of Christ, not the reality. The details got ready for substitutionary atonement. Leviticus 17:11 says, "The life of a creature is in the blood. And I've given it to you, the blood to you make atonement for yourselves on the altar. It is the blood that makes atonement for your life." It’s very clear. Essential to that is the transfer of guilt without which we cannot be saved. If guilt cannot be transferred to a substitute, we cannot be saved. We're still guilty. In Leviticus 16, we have this gesture of a priest laying hands on the scapegoat and confessing the sins of the people and putting them on the head of the animal, transferring guilt onto the head of the animal. That's what that symbol means, the putting of the hands on the animal, the transfer of guilt. This is how we have the lessons therefore of the animal sacrificial system. All sin deserves the death penalty. The death penalty can be paid by a substitute, but the substitute cannot be an animal. It's just symbolic. The book of Hebrews makes all this plain. The whole thing was just a type and a shadow of the reality. The reality is in Christ. And why is this? Because the blood of bulls and goats can never take away sins. It's just a picture, a type, and a shadow. Hebrews 8:5 says, "They serve at a sanctuary as a copy and a shadow of what is in heaven." The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming, not the realities themselves. Those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins because the blood of animals can never take away sin. Then we have Isaiah's clear prophecy of substitutionary atonement. Isaiah 53, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him. And by his wounds, we are healed." Four straight statements of substitutionary atonement, the clearest in the entire Bible. “We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Nowhere in the whole Bible is it clearer why Jesus had to die than Isaiah 53. Then Psalm 22, the actual manner of his death predicted; He had to die a Gentile death, a death at the hands of the Gentiles. The Jews stoned to death, Romans crucified. Crucifixion was predicted in Psalm 22, 1000 years before Jesus was born. It begins famously with the words, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” But then it says, "I am a worm and not a man scorned by men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me. They hurl insults, shaking their heads. ‘He trusts in the Lord,’ they say. ‘Let the Lord rescue him. Let him delight him since he or deliver him since he delights in him.’” And then he describes crucifixion clearly, "I am poured out like water. All my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax.It has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me. A band of evil men has encircled me. They have pierced my hands and my feet." Stop right there. What is that talking about? A death by which your hands and feet are pierced? “I can count all my bones. People stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” But then in that same Psalm, not just the sufferings of the Christ, but the subsequent glories, the glories that would come in the same Psalm. Psalm 22:27, "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord and all the families of nations will bow down before him. The spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth." Right there in Psalm 22, a thousand years before Jesus was born. Then there's the bronze serpent, which Jesus alluded to in the most famous verse in the whole Bible. People I think misunderstand it. Go back one verse you get the whole context. John 3:14-16,"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the son of man must be lifted up that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” The bronze serpent lifted up for in the same way God loved the world, “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." All these prophecies together speak of a death in which Jesus is lifted up and his hands and feet pierced. His blood is poured out and the message is preached to the ends of the earth for the forgiveness of sins.That's how he knew what was going to happen to him. IV. How Jesus Knew About His Sufferings: Divine Omniscience Secondly, Jesus knew what would happen to him because of his divine omniscience. He's God, He's the son of God. He knows things that we don't know. He had supernatural insight in ways that we don't. He knew peoples’ character. In John 1, He looks at Nathaniel and says, "Here is a true Israelite in whom there is no guile. 'How do you know me?' Nathaniel asked, 'I saw you while you are under the fig tree, while you're, I looked at you and I know your heart.'" Or again, in Mark 2, remember the friends who are lowering the man down through the roof by the ropes? “Jesus saw their faith and said, ’Your sins are forgiven.’" The people were thinking in their minds, "That's blasphemy. Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Mark 2:8, "Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this is what they were thinking in their hearts. And he said to them, 'Why are you thinking these things?'" He could read people's minds and hearts. He knew remote events, things that were happening somewhere else. Remember the driving out of the demon of the Syrophoenician woman's daughter? He told her, “'For such a reply, you may go, the demon has left your daughter.’ She went home and found the daughter lying in bed, the demon gone.” How did he know? He knows. He just knows. He knows future events. He predicted the destruction of the temple that wouldn't happen until 70 AD. "Not one stone will be left on another, every one will be thrown down." A massive, massive temple totally destroyed by the Romans, Jesus predicted it. He also knew specific immediate events of his own life. Mark 11:1-6, "As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, Jesus has sent two of his disciples saying to them, 'Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you'll find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, what are you doing? Tell them the Lord needs it and we'll send it back here shortly.' They went and found the colt outside in the street, tied up at the doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there ask, 'What are you doing untying that colt?' They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go." That's amazing. But even more amazing as this one is Mark 14:12-16, “Jesus disciples asked him, ‘Where do you want us to go to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?’ So he sent two of his disciples telling them, ‘Go into the city.’”This is my favorite one of all. “'A man carrying a jar of water will meet you.’" There’s got to be 300,000 people in the city. "Go to New York and there'll be an orange car driving on exit 139B that pulls off to the side with it's hazards on. Pull over and talk to that person.” It's like, what in the world? The guy carrying the jar of water, follow him. He's going to enter a house, talk to the owner of the house. That's the place. Go up there and prepare. He'll have an upper room ready for you. The guy carrying the jar of water. How does he know? Because he knows everything. Detailed, meticulous foreknowledge. So Jesus knew the exact circumstances of his death. Again, that's what makes his bold, courageous march up to Jerusalem even more amazing. V. Lessons What lessons can we take from this? First of all, understand the centerpiece of this sermon. Jesus was not an unwitting unwilling victim. He willingly laid down his life for sinners like you and me. "No one takes my life from me. I lay it down freely." This is a measure of his love. Greater love is no one than this, that he laid down his life for his friends. "You are my friends, if you do what I command you." Or again, John 10:14-15, "I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father and I lay down my life for the sheep.” It's not an accident. So therefore, put your trust in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." I have given you a river of evidence of the truth of the gospel here today. You have everything you need for the simple faith that it will take for the forgiveness of your sins. Trust in him. Why would you walk out of this place still guilty before God for your sins? Just trust in him like the bronze serpent. All you have to do is look, just look to Christ with the look of faith and you'll be forgiven. See the power of prophecy. See how God makes certain his Word gets fulfilled. Jeremiah 1:12, "I am watching to be certain my word is fulfilled." That's how zealous God is concerning his Word. So fulfilled prophecies is one of the greatest evidences of the truth, not just of Jesus, but of the Bible generally. This is not just any book. This book is a literal miracle because of its predictive prophecies. There's no other book like this in the world. So see that, and the more you study prophecy, the more powerful apologetic you can give to your unbelieving pagan coworkers. When they ask you, "Why are you a Christian?" Say, "Fulfilled prophecy." They'll be intrigued, but then you need to know what to say. Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, start there. There's many others, but those are some of the keys. Rely therefore on this word. God's Word is a solid foundation on which you can build your life. I thank you for Ian's testimony at his baptism, reminded me of what Jesus said at the end of the Sermon of the Mount. Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rains came down and the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it did not fall because it had its foundation on something that will never move, and that's the Word of God. Then finally, like Jesus, be willing to suffer for the salvation of other people. We're not the savior, but Jesus said, we have to be willing to lay down our lives like He laid down his life, a similar pattern. John 12, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains a single seed. But if it dies, it produces much fruit. The man who loves his life will lose it. While the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me. And where I am, my servant also will be. My father will honor the one who serves me." Friends, we're called on to reach this region with the gospel. Unbelievers are pouring in here at record numbers. Most of them are unchurched, most of those folks that are pouring in are unchurched. It is our task to reach them with the gospel. I guarantee we cannot do it unless we're willing to suffer, unless we're willing to be courageous. Let's follow Jesus in that kind of boldness that He displayed here in Mark 10. Close with me in prayer. Lord, thank you for the time we've had today to gather for worship, to sing together, pray together, to watch two young men be baptized and testify to their faith in Christ. We thank you Lord for the experience of new member candidates that want to partner with us. And we thank you more than anything for the display of Jesus's knowledge and courage in going to the cross. Help us, oh Lord, to be strengthened in our faith, to be faithful as we run the race with endurance. And to be bold in our proclamation, even this week of the gospel. In Jesus' name, amen.

This message is from our "The Gospel of John" series: "The Good Shepherd"The Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John, one of Jesus' twelve disciples and a member of his inner circle. John wrote this Gospel from the city of Ephesus for both Jewish and Gentile readers to prove Jesus as the Son of God, that they might believe in him and receive eternal life in his name. Although this Gospel is evangelistic in nature and intent, believers of all ages and maturity levels can benefit from its depth, beauty, and richness. So regardless of where you are in your spiritual walk, John's Gospel is for you.During this series, we'll take a deep dive into this unique book to gain a better understanding of who Jesus is and all he accomplished during his life and ministry.Crosspoint City is one church in multiple locations and we exist to relentlessly pursue those far from God to help them know and follow Jesus. To help support this mission and work, visit https://mycpcc.com/giveSTAY CONNECTED:Facebook: https://mycpcc.com/facebookInstagram: https://mycpcc.com/instagramTiktok: https://mycpcc.com/tiktok

Join Pastor Cameron as we bring our series on the Epistles of John to a close. The Apostle John loved people, and desired to see his spiritual children face to face - as a man of love, fellowship, and truth, he imparted these values to his followers then and to us today! 

[00:30] Last Hour Anniversary (11 minutes) May 5 is the anniversary of the beginning of the “last hour” prophesied by the Apostle John. Since the last hour began on May 5, 2001, America has rapidly declined while the impact of the Work of God has grown dramatically through avenues like the KPCG radio station. [11:00] King Charles's Coronation Reflects Britain's Moral Decline (17 minutes) In an article today, Melanie Phillips connected the upcoming coronation of King Charles with traditions that date back to King David and his son Solomon. Donald Trump discussed the deterioration of the British monarchy with Nigel Farage during a recent interview, and Piers Morgan said in a Fox News interview that the royal family at the coronation will be “the most dysfunctional family we've seen in one religious place for a very long time.” Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry discusses the moral decline of the monarchy in The New Throne of David. [27:50] Proud Boys Convicted to ‘Get Trump' (27 minutes) Four members of the Proud Boys have been convicted of “seditious conspiracy” for their involvement in the protest at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. These Proud Boys are victims of America's double standard of justice, and Trump's enemies hope to use their convictions as ammunition to go after him for the same charge.

In this episode The Apostle John names The Word for the first time, as Jesus, testifying to His Glory, how God saves, and how though the law was given by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus.Lets ConnectSupport the show

Guest Speaker: Mark AtkinsonWe are now in our final series in our Public Faith season called, “A Public Faith: Examining the Claims of the Christian Faith - A Study of John.” Nearing the end of his Gospel account, the Apostle John states that, though there was much he could have recorded, he chose to write what he wrote “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ…” (John 20:31). Why did John write his Gospel the way he did? Why does John record different events than the other Gospels? Why are the particularities of his account worth considering? In our series, we will question what Christians claim about Jesus by looking at the significance of John's unique account.

This week Dr. Somerville uses the voice of the Apostle John, the Beloved Disciple, to deliver his message.  And John uses the term 'Good Shepherd' to talk about Jesus and how he came to take care of us, not take advantage of us as thieves and robbers may.  Jesus came that we might have life, and have it abundantly.  Have you found abundant life through Jesus?  Listen in if you need help finding that.

Our Bible Reading of the Day is 1 John 2:1-6. The Apostle John wrote 1 John to a group of believers and churches who had been bombarded with false teachings about Jesus. Some false teachers had left the church, but the controversy they stirred up lingered. John responded to these false teachers and their false claims not by backing down but by standing strong on the Gospel with grace and truth. At the same time, he aimed to encourage the believers by reinforcing their understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He reminded them of the amazing love of God evidenced in the completed work of Christ and clarified how we experience His forgiveness. Through this session, we want to remember what is true about Jesus and encourage a life of obedience that flows from love by understanding His completed work on the cross.   

This message is from our "The Gospel of John" series: "Now I See"The Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John, one of Jesus' twelve disciples and a member of his inner circle. John wrote this Gospel from the city of Ephesus for both Jewish and Gentile readers to prove Jesus as the Son of God, that they might believe in him and receive eternal life in his name. Although this Gospel is evangelistic in nature and intent, believers of all ages and maturity levels can benefit from its depth, beauty, and richness.  So regardless of where you are in your spiritual walk, John's Gospel is for you.During this series, we'll take a deep dive into this unique book to gain a better understanding of who Jesus is and all he accomplished during his life and ministry.Crosspoint City is one church in multiple locations and we exist to relentlessly pursue those far from God to help them know and follow Jesus. To help support this mission and work, visit https://mycpcc.com/giveSTAY CONNECTED:Facebook: https://mycpcc.com/facebookInstagram: https://mycpcc.com/instagramTiktok: https://mycpcc.com/tiktok

The second chapter of 1 John is brimming with pastoral wisdom for believers who need assurance that they know God and are known by Him. The root and source of our assurance is the finished work of "Jesus Christ, the righteous." (v2:1) For those who have placed their faith in Christ alone, a radical shift in identity has taken place. Our sins have been forgiven (v2:12). We are no longer in darkness, but in the light (v2:8). We are now children of God (v2:13). The Apostle John unpacks many of these treasures of the gospel and calls his people to examine their lives for evidence of the grace they have received in Christ. Join Pastor Tommy as we learn together about the power of the gospel to transform every part of our lives, shaping us into the likeness of our Lord, Jesus. 

Seeing is believing. Or is it? Well, to hear the Apostle John tell it, it's the other way around. Believing is seeing. This truth is echoed throughout the Bible, but the Gospel of John places special emphasis on belief, as well as the Person in whom we should believe. John ultimately takes us to the deep end of theology and philosophy, and we dive into those waters next, as Ron moves ahead in his teaching series, “Route 66: The Ultimate Road Trip Through The Bible.”   --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/something-good-radio/support

God Is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and You Pray to One Triune Being – God, the Creator of the Universe MESSAGE SUMMARY: In Mark 8:29, Jesus asked His Disciples the question He asks you: “And he asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ {Messiah}.'". As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1-6: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.”.  God IS Father, IS Son, and He IS Holy Spirit. Jesus told the crowd in the Temple; and He tells us, as it is recorded for us now by the Apostle John, in John 10:25,30: “Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me . . . I and the Father are one.'”. Also, Jesus provides more insights to your Trinitarian relationship with God in John 14:18-20: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.". God is one God, but He is in three natures: God is Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when you pray, you are praying to one triune being – God, the Creator of the Universe.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, help me to be still and to wait patiently for you in silence. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 125). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will proclaim him (Philippians 1:15f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 4:1-8; John 10:24-30; Mark 1:9-11; Psalms 139a:1-12. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Upper Room Part 1: The Promise of the Spirit (Apostles Anglican Church; Knoxville, TN)”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

We begin the final series in our Public Faith season called, “A Public Faith: Examining the Claims of the Christian Faith - A Study of John.” Nearing the end of his Gospel account, the Apostle John states that, though there was much he could have recorded, he chose to write what he wrote “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ…” (John 20:31). Why did John write his Gospel the way he did? Why does John record different events than the other Gospels? Why are the particularities of his account worth considering? In our series, we will question what Christians claim about Jesus by looking at the significance of John's unique account.

This message is from our "The Gospel of John" series: "Blind From Birth"The Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John, one of Jesus' twelve disciples and a member of his inner circle. John wrote this Gospel from the city of Ephesus for both Jewish and Gentile readers to prove Jesus as the Son of God, that they might believe in him and receive eternal life in his name. Although this Gospel is evangelistic in nature and intent, believers of all ages and maturity levels can benefit from its depth, beauty, and richness.  So regardless of where you are in your spiritual walk, John's Gospel is for you.During this series, we'll take a deep dive into this unique book to gain a better understanding of who Jesus is and all he accomplished during his life and ministry.Crosspoint City is one church in multiple locations and we exist to relentlessly pursue those far from God to help them know and follow Jesus. To help support this mission and work, visit https://mycpcc.com/giveSTAY CONNECTED:Facebook: https://mycpcc.com/facebookInstagram: https://mycpcc.com/instagramTiktok: https://mycpcc.com/tiktok

God Gives a Jesus Follower's Life Meaning and Purpose, Satisfies their Hunger to Know Their Life's Purpose, and Forgives Their Sins MESSAGE SUMMARY: As Jesus tells us in John 15:12-14, that you, as His follower, are His “friend: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends.". God became flesh, and He dwelt among us. God became human to draw you into a personal relationship with Him. In John 1:14, the Apostle John identifies Jesus as the “Son of the Father”: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.". God alone can satisfy the meaning and purpose of your life. God alone can satisfy your hunger to know your life's meaning. Most importantly, God alone can give you forgiveness of your sins as Paul tells us in Colossians 2:13-14: “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.". Jesus' life, miracles, death, and His Resurrection are invitations to a life-long personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe. Our personal relationship with God is through His gift, to Jesus Followers, of the Holy Spirit.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, help me to grab hold of you today. I need you. Set me free to begin reorienting my life around you, and you alone. Help me to pay attention to and honor how you have uniquely made me. Thank you for the gift of rest. In Jesus' name, amen.       Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 122). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Hatred. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Love. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 1:10-13; Colossians 2:10-15; Psalms137:1-9. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Upper Room Part 1: The Promise of the Spirit (Apostles Anglican Church; Knoxville, TN)”, at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Six times in the Gospel of John there is a reference to "the disciple Jesus loved." You've probably heard that this is an unequivocal reference to the Apostle John. However, maybe there's internal evidence within the Gospel of John to point to another discipleFollow my ministry with InFaith by going to:https://www.facebook.com/DennisInFaithIf you have any questions or comments that you'd like me to address you can shoot me an email to dennissutherby@infaith.orgAnd if you'd like to support my ministry with InFaith you can text the word "discipleship" to 41444 or head over to https://infaith.org/dennis-sutherby and give there. Theme Music:Overseas by Vlad Gluschenko | https://soundcloud.com/vgl9Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_USSupport the show

We begin the final series in our Public Faith season called, “A Public Faith: Examining the Claims of the Christian Faith - A Study of John.” Nearing the end of his Gospel account, the Apostle John states that, though there was much he could have recorded, he chose to write what he wrote “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ…” (John 20:31). Why did John write his Gospel the way he did? Why does John record different events than the other Gospels? Why are the particularities of his account worth considering? In our series, we will question what Christians claim about Jesus by looking at the significance of John's unique account.

On today's episode, Pastor Cameron looks at the Apostle John's warning of the antichrist spirit. As we are in the last days and come closer to Jesus' return, deception will only increase. 

Welcome to Day 2133 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom The Gospel of John - 1 – Who is the Apostle John? – Daily Wisdom Putnam Church Message – 01/23/2022 The Gospel of John – Who is the Apostle John? Today we begin a new Good News series according to John the Apostle. This message will examine John's identity and why he was unique among all Apostles. Have you ever started reading a novel, and you go to the last page of it to see how it ends before reading it?  That is what we will do today, so turn with me in your Bibles to John 21:24-25, or join me on page 1689 in the pew Bibles as I read the Scripture for today. Just two powerful verses as we begin this influential extended series of messages.  I would recommend keeping this passage open as we go throughout the message today: John 21:24-25  This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. John had lived long enough to see it all, from the beginning to the end. As a bold, blustering young man, the idea of tramping around the wilderness of Judea after John the Baptizer appealed to him a great deal—so much so, that the young fisherman left a thriving fishing enterprise in the hands of his brother, James, and abandoned his privileged status for the Baptizer's diet of locusts and wild honey … and for the chance to help prepare Israel for the coming of the Messiah. He helped the forerunner of the Messiah baptize thousands of repentant Jews. He supported the strange, Elijah-like figure as he called down judgment upon the corrupt leaders of the Jewish people. Then, finally, the day came when John saw the long-awaited Anointed One. He looked nothing like what John had imagined, but the declaration of his wilderness mentor, John the Baptizer, was unequivocal: This was the One. He and another of the Baptizer's disciples decided to get a closer look, to follow Jesus home, to hear what He had to say about Himself and Israel. Before the next day's dawn, he knew: They had found the Messiah. John's few years with Jesus flew by like a flash of lightning, yet remained vividly clear in his mind for more than seventy years. During that short time with Jesus, he saw the man he thought would be a conquering super-David, the Savior of Israel, stripped, beaten mercilessly, and hung on a cross like a petty thug. He saw the sky darken as the world's Light faded into death. Then he saw his hope resurrected to assume a more glorious form than he ever could have imagined, and he stood in awe as the presence of God filled the group of squabbling, self-promoting disciples and transformed them into the body of Christ—the bones and muscle, hands and feet of Christ. Then, as the blood of his martyred brothers and sisters yielded new believers, John nurtured them. As Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Apollos, Luke, Timothy, Titus, and other missionaries zealously expanded the church westward, John anchored its foundation. As critics bashed, John defended. As imposters subverted, John exposed them. As false prophets misled, John refuted their heretical message. He condensed his teaching into three letters (1–3 John), originally circulated within Asia Minor churches around AD 65. Having outlived all his martyred peers, John was exiled by Emperor Domitian to...

This message is from our "The Gospel of John" series: "Jesus is God"The Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John, one of Jesus' twelve disciples and a member of his inner circle. John wrote this Gospel from the city of Ephesus for both Jewish and Gentile readers to prove Jesus as the Son of God, that they might believe in him and receive eternal life in his name. Although this Gospel is evangelistic in nature and intent, believers of all ages and maturity levels can benefit from its depth, beauty, and richness.  So regardless of where you are in your spiritual walk, John's Gospel is for you.During this series, we'll take a deep dive into this unique book to gain a better understanding of who Jesus is and all he accomplished during his life and ministry.Crosspoint City is one church in multiple locations and we exist to relentlessly pursue those far from God to help them know and follow Jesus. To help support this mission and work, visit https://mycpcc.com/giveSTAY CONNECTED:Facebook: https://mycpcc.com/facebookInstagram: https://mycpcc.com/instagramTiktok: https://mycpcc.com/tiktok

A sermon to encourage parents of little children in their important responsibility to evangelize and disciple them from the first moment. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - Turn in your Bibles to Mark 10, as we continue our study in the Gospel of Mark. The central work of the Bible is to bring readers to saving faith in Jesus Christ. It does this by presenting the infinite glories of Christ on the one hand and the infinite neediness of us sinners on the other. This morning we're studying a passage of scripture which presents Jesus's zeal for little children. He's eager for little children to come to Him, and He's angry at anyone who would hinder them from coming. Beyond that He wants to help all prideful sinners to become, in some sense, like little children themselves so they can find salvation in Christ. Concerning the infinite glories of Christ, this passage fits into a theme that I've delighted in many times before, which is the amazing combination of Jesus as infinitely majestic, awesome, powerful, lofty, and glorious on the one hand, and also, infinitely lowly, meek, humble, accessible, and gentle on the other. This fits in with last week's Easter sermon, which I preached on Jesus' stunning, amazing, majestic ascension to heaven. Lifted up from the surface of the earth, higher and higher through the atmosphere until at last the cloud hid Him from the unblinking gaze of the apostles, who were craning their neck to see Him. Then as the Book of Hebrews and the Book of Ephesians reveal, the journey continues as Jesus passed through the Heavenly realms, presented once for all His blood in the Heavenly temple. He then took His seat, the seat of majestic glory at the right hand of God, far above all creatures to rule over all things. That was last week. This week I think we can picture Jesus using our imaginations on the ground, smiling, laughing with little kids, crawling all over Him, hugging Him, kissing His face, and Him touching their little Heads. Him speaking tender words to them, and they're drinking it up. They're attracted to Him like a magnet. They can't stay away. This is Jesus at His meekest, His gentlest, His lowliest, with time enough for any little child. This theme of Jesus's infinite majesty on the one hand combined with His infinite lowliness of heart on the other, has long captivated me. When I was a teen in a public school in Massachusetts, I was in a Roman Catholic Church. I wasn't converted yet. But someone had given me a picture of Jesus holding a little lamb in His arms, and I had it in my high school locker. I saw it every day as I opened my locker and looked at it. I was always attracted to the person of Jesus, though I wasn't yet converted. It wasn't until later in my life I found the Bible verse that that best pictured. It was Isaiah 40:11, “He tends His flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads those that have young.” It's a picture of Jesus in His infinite condescension, His gentleness with little children. But the very next verse in Isaiah 40, verse 12, says this, “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand or with the breath of His hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales or the hills in a balance?” This is the infinite greatness of Almighty God, the creator, who created the universe and rules it with awesome power meticulously. Before whom the nations are like a drop from the bucket and like dust on the scales. Side by side, Isaiah 40:11 and 12, consecutive verses. Jesus in His incarnation pictures both aspects, both aspects. Just the same as the Apostle John found Jesus infinitely accessible, tenderhearted, when He pillowed His Head on Jesus's chest at the Last Supper, but then later, on the island of Patmos, saw Jesus in His resurrection glory and fell at His feet as one dead. Jonathan Edward zeroed in on this concept in the greatest sermon I ever read that He preached, for me anyway. Based on Revelation 5, that passage, as you know, where Jesus takes the scroll out of the right hand of almighty God. Jonathan Edwards zeroes in on Jesus, who's portrayed in that passage as the lion of the tribe of Judah who has triumphed. Edwards talks about the attributes of a lion. It's majestic roar, it's power, it's domination, but then John sees a lamb looking as if it had been slain. Edward zeroes in on a lamb, in general, just weak and lowly and meek. This is particularly so because it's a lamb looking as if it had been slain. This what Edwards wrote in that sermon, "Christ, as He is God, is infinitely great and high above all. He is higher than the kings of the earth; for He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is higher than the heavens, higher than the highest angels of heavens. So great is He, that all men, all kings and princes, are as worms of the dust before Him; all nations are as the drop of the bucket, and as the light dust in the scales; yeah, and angels themselves are as nothing before Him. He is so high, that He is infinitely above any need of ours; infinitely above our reach, that we cannot be profitable to Him at all; and above our conceptions that we cannot comprehend Him. Christ is the creator, the great possessor of Heaven and earth. He is sovereign Lord of all. He rules over the whole universe and does whatever pleases Him. His knowledge is without boundary. His wisdom is perfect and none can circumvent it. His power is infinite and none can resist Him. His riches are immense and inexhaustible. His majesty is infinitely awe-inspiring. And yet He is one of infinite condescension. There's not a single person who is so low or inferior, but Christ's condescension is sufficient to take a gracious notice of them. He condescends not only to the angels, humbling Himself to behold the things that are done in the heavens, but He also condescends to such poor creatures as are men; and that not only so as to take notice of princes and great men, but of those who are of the lowest rank and degree the poorest of the world. Even the lowest most humble person on the face of the earth, Christ does not despise. He welcomes little children to sit on His lap. He extends His hands to horribly disfigured lepers and notorious outcast sinners. He speaks to a rejected Samaritan woman and a hated Jewish tax collector. And He does more than just speak to such people. He desires to join Himself with them forever in a perfect spiritual marriage so that He is perfectly one with them." Now, I could keep going with the Edwards sermon, it would be a great sermon, but it wouldn't be my sermon. But do you not see the infinite majesty of Christ as a lion and the infinite condescension of Him as lamb looking as if it had been slain? This morning as we come to this sermon, Mark 10:13-16, we see that side of Jesus. He's inviting little children, and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, through the ministry of Mark the author, He's inviting little children in every generation, in every nation on earth that reads this account to come to Him, and He will tenderly receive them. In so doing, He also encourages all caregivers of children, especially parents, to bring their children to Jesus while they're young. To not despise them but to take full advantage of their tender hearts to pour the gospel into them. He invites all older hardened sinners, that's the rest of us, older veteran sinners, to become like little children constantly, so that they can find salvation through faith in Christ. That's what's in front of us with this text. "[Jesus] encourages all caregivers of children, especially parents, to bring their children to Jesus while they're young. To not despise them but to take full advantage of their tender hearts to pour the gospel into them." Listen again to the words, “People were bringing little children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God, like a little child, will never enter it.’ And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.” I. The Actors in this Drama: Parents, Children, Disciples, Jesus Let's look at the actors in this drama. You got the parents, you got the children, you got the disciples, and you've got Jesus. Let's walk through them. First the parents, now the text just says, "They," they were bringing children, so probably not all of them were necessarily parents of the children, caregivers of some sort. It could be grandparents, it could be aunt or uncles, it could be friends, but I would say the norm would be parents. The parents are bringing children, for the most part. They cherish their children and they desire them to be blessed. They want to do them good. Mark and Luke use the Greek imperfect tense, implying this was a continual process. They were bringing their children again and again. This was regular. This wasn't just a one-off, this was happening all the time. Having heard about Christ's ministry, still short of understanding who He really is, still they want Him to bless them. In the Talmud, which is Jewish instruction based on the law of Moses, it teaches Jewish parents to bring their children to prominent rabbis for this kind of ritual, a hands-on blessing. The more prominent the rabbi, the conception would be the greater the blessing. Jesus, obviously well-known, has done miracles. Ordinarily, a Jewish father would bring His children to the rabbi at the synagogue, and they would put their hands on them and bless them. But with Jesus being so prominent, there was an attraction there. Parents were bringing children from all around to Jesus for Him to do this, to touch them, bless them, and pray for them. Matthew adds the prayer aspect [Matthew 19:13]. So that's the parents. Let's talk about the children. The Greek word is “paideía,” it implies very young children like toddlers. Luke actually expands it in Luke 18:15, people were bringing babies, infants to Him. Even the most tiny human being at the very, very beginning of life, barely able to open his or her eyes is precious to Jesus. He would not despise that moment, but would take that infant in His arms to bless them. We need to understand Jesus does not have some sentimental view of children. "Oh, they're little angels sent from heaven." Sounds like someone who never had one of those angels sent from heaven. They don't always act like little angels sent from heaven. Jesus has no such sentimental conceptions of children. He knows that they’re children of Adam. He knows that they come into the world fanatically committed to self-interest. He knows that as soon as they understand the law, they will sin, because of that inbred sin nature. But He also understands that children have a unique inbred desire to know God, and a yieldedness to obeying Him, though they cannot see Him. So that's the children. Let's understand the disciples. Verse 13, the disciples rebuked the people that were bringing the children. How many times do you read the gospel and say, "What were the disciples thinking?” But aren't we thankful that we have true accounts of the things they actually did? Why did they rebuke the parents? We don't know, but we could imagine that they're frustrated by the interruption. Children can feel wrongly to us, feel like an interruption. You had plans, children come, and now you're interrupted. It shows how selfish we can be. But perhaps they felt the children were an interruption. Perhaps the children were crying or making noises. In any case, I think their attitude is the teacher's time is too important for children, too important a waste on little children. Oftentimes, you'll see some great figure in society, a political leader, CEO of a company, an athlete, a musician, a movie star with a coterie, a kind of a band around him or her and you can't get close to that person. Their bodyguards are putting the hands up. You're not going to get close. Especially those important people, great men, great women have no time for anyone who cannot further their agenda. They don't have time to waste. They're people of focus, people of achievement. They're going places. They don't have time for anybody that's not going to further their agenda. This the kind of mentality. Little children, they often think, sadly, are a complete waste of time. They don't want children themselves. They take steps that they won't have children. If they do, they frequently don't spend much time with them. Sadly, I was reading about royal families in Europe in the 19th century and how little time those children spent with their king and queen parents. Very tragic, very sad stories, like for example, King George and Queen Mary in England spent less than 30 minutes a day with their growing children, 30 minutes a day. They were completely cared for by nannies. When the children would come in the presence of their parents, they were terrified of them and shrank back and wanted to be with the nannies. It's very sad. Many people look on children as an unwelcome intrusion from the vastly important business of their lives. Perhaps, the disciples felt the same way when they rebuked the parents for bringing the little ones. "Our master's too busy, saving the world to hug your children" kind of thing. Now, if Jesus doesn't check this attitude on their part, it's going to lead to significant problems in the future of the church, because of God's plans. God intended to make up His church mostly of people who are not wise, influential, of noble birth, the lowliest of the low are for the most part going to make up the church. We read about it in First Corinthians 1. If they're going to have this attitude toward children, they're probably going to extend it to anybody who can't further their own powerful agenda. You know how the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over others, and they're tempted in the same ways. "God chose the lowly things and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are," Paul tells us, First Corinthians 1:30. Jesus has to deal with this or they're going to have an arrogant, lofty attitude toward anyone that they despise that they don't think is worth their time, beginning when children. He has to address this attitude. Let's look at Jesus. Jesus's reaction here is amazing. He's mildly angry with them. This is one of the emotional times of Jesus. Jesus had a rich, full emotional life, and this is one of the times He got righteously angry. Look at verse 14, “When Jesus saw this, he was indignant.” Some of the translations say indignant, the Greek could go over to vex, annoyed, irritated like a rock in the shoe kind of thing. "You're rubbing me the wrong way." You get that feeling with Jesus, "This is really annoying me," talking about the apostles. One of the most incredible things about Jesus to me, practically, is a combination of how important His mission was and how brief a time He had to do it, perhaps three years, and yet, how unbelievably interruptable He was. How in the world do you harmonize those things, to be amazingly effective, efficient, and also constantly interruptable? But again and again, not just children, but people with various needs, He just stops for them all the time. It's incredible. He was never rushed. He lingered over people, listened to them fully, dealt with them individually. This includes the children here. He cherished them, He was not annoyed with them. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” II. The Rich Invitation: “Let the Little children Come to Me” Let's walk through what He says. Let's begin with the rich invitation. "Let the little children come to me." As I mentioned, mysteriously, the God-given bent of a little child is God-ward more than at any other time in their lives. One commentator put it with great tenderness talking about this passage, "As the flower in the garden stretches toward the light of the sun, so there is in the child, a mysterious inclination toward the eternal light.” Have you ever noticed this mysterious thing that when you tell the smallest child about God, s(he) never asks with strangeness and wonder, what is God? who is God?, I've never seen Him? But listens with shining face to the words as though they were soft loving sounds from the land of home. Or when you teach a child to fold its little hands in prayer, it does this as though or a matter of course, as though there were opening for it, that world of which they'd been dreaming with longing in anticipation. Or tell them, these little ones, the stories of the Savior, show them the pictures with scenes and personages of the Bible and see how their pure eyes shine, how their little hearts beat." It's beautiful. So what does “Come to me” mean? "Let the little children come to me," what does that mean? I think it means to come to Him for salvation. Jesus said, as we sang earlier this morning, Matthew 11:28, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." I mean it's clearest in John 6:35 where you have a Hebrew parallelism, where Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." There it is. To come to Jesus equals to believe in Him. It's what it means to come to Jesus, to believe in Him. Or as He says in John 7:37, on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let Him come to me and drink." You're coming to Jesus to feed spiritually, to drink spiritually. You're coming to Him to receive mercy and to receive forgiveness of sins. That's what it means to come to Jesus. So let the little children come to me for all that. Let them come. What does that mean? Encourage their God-ward bent. Encourage their God-given desire to be near Christ. Feed their spiritual appetites. Let them do what their little heart wants to do, before the world, the flesh, and the devil hardens them. You could imagine some soft yielded wet clay left out on a hot rock, and after a while it's just dried up and hard. That's what happens to all of us, the world, the flesh, and the devil harden us. But they haven't had that yet. There's a softness, a yieldedness to their hearts. Let them come near to Christ for eternal life to know Him and to love Him. Feed their spiritual appetites, and while they're doing it, feed your own. Little child yearns to come to Christ. Let them do so. They have an inbred longing for spiritual things. We have to feed that appetite. We can't feed it too much. Parents are constantly worried about too much with their kids, and they should be. Parenting's hard. I'm not going to be able to cover every aspect of parenting. I guarantee some of you parents will wonder at the end of this sermon, "Why didn't He talk about X?" So come and ask me that question. "Why didn't you talk about X?",and I will ask you, "How long do you want this sermon to be?" I'm focusing on salvation, bringing your children to Christ for salvation. But there's a concern for too much: too much sleep, too much food, too much sugar, too much screen time, too much, too much. There is no such thing as too much Jesus. There's no such thing as too much God. It's impossible. Therefore, as parents of young children, we ought to be, number one, eagerly pursuing Christ ourselves, because there's no such thing as too much Christ for us either. Putting our love for Jesus on clear display in front of our children. Secondly, we ought to be fanning their own love for Christ into a flame more and more. There is no danger of too much Christ. "As parents of young children, we ought to be, number one, eagerly pursuing Christ ourselves, … Secondly, we ought to be fanning their own love for Christ into a flame more and more. There is no danger of too much Christ." III. The Strong Warning: “Do Not Hinder Them” Then it says, "Do not hinder them," a strong warning, a prohibition. He's talking to His disciples initially right there in context. He's telling His misguided disciples, "Stop doing that. Stop hindering those people. Stop stopping the parents or rebuking them. Don't do that anymore." The Greek word can mean forbid, but it can also mean hinder, making it difficult, putting stumbling blocks before the children. "Don't do that. Don't hinder them." How do we do that? How do we hinder children from coming to Christ? First and foremost, nothing's more significant than this, we hinder them from coming to Christ by not preaching the gospel to them, by not telling them about Jesus. No one is born in the world knowing anything about Jesus. Faith comes by hearing the word through the word of Christ [Romans 10:17]. So the biggest way a Christian parent can hinder a child from coming to Christ is by not taking full advantage of the access you have to that little human being, the constant daily access, and pouring the gospel into their hearts. They'll sit for hours to listen to you during that early phase of their lives. You'll get tired of talking to them about Bible stories before they get tired of asking you to do so, at that early age. Also, at that early age, they are very able to memorize scripture. My brain is old and tired and it's getting older and tireder with every passing year. You guys know what I'm talking about, some of you older people. Kids, they drink it up. They can memorize, don't waste it. Have them memorize key scriptures, so that they're key truths that are imprinted in their minds. Parents can hinder their children by stifling their emotion for Christ. You should be fanning their affections into a flame. You should make much of the pictures they draw during worship or when they're studying the Bible, just celebrate them. We hinder them by quenching the spirit. The spirit might be moving. They're asking questions, things that seem out from left field to you, but that's exactly where the child is at that moment. You hinder by not taking that moment seriously and addressing what the spirit's doing in their hearts. We hinder by exasperating them in discipline. It says in Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children or provoke them to wrath, instead, bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” That's what we're told to do as parents. So harsh or unfair or erratic discipline can hinder a child from coming to Christ. We hinder it by being skeptical or negative toward their budding spirituality, by doubting that anything's really happening with them spiritually. We hinder by curtly cutting off their childish questions or worship or enthusiasm which can crush a little child's heart. So do not hinder them. IV. The Nature of the Kingdom: “Of Such is the Kingdom of God” Then He says, "For of such is the kingdom of God." This is the nature of the kingdom. The kingdom of God is the focal point of the Gospel of Mark, the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God. That's the good news. Then a few verses later, as Jesus begins as public preaching ministry, Mark 1:15, He says, "The time is at hand, the kingdom of God is near Repent and believe the good news." People must enter the kingdom of God by repentance and faith. Jesus says, "Of such is the kingdom of God." This means the kingdom of God is made up of those who are infants or little children in God's sight. He sees them that way. First, the infants themselves. Let's talk about that. John MacArthur said this, "It's not that small children are regenerative and then later lose their salvation if they don't receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. No, it's rather that His atoning death is applied on their behalf if they die before they're able to choose on their own. It may be that infant mortality rate is so high in many countries where the gospel has not yet penetrated, because the Lord is taking those little ones to Himself before they can grow up in a culture and in a religion where it's so difficult to encounter the gospel and believe." For myself, I don't believe in infant damnation, rather infant salvation. I think there are a lot of reasons why. However, there are no proof texts on it. I think the Lord is basically telling us, "Trust me on this. Trust me on this." There aren't any verses I can show you. But I do point you to Judgment Day. The depictions of Judgment Day are always, the court is seated, the book is open, and the judge. People are judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. It's a public vindication of the justice of God. Therefore, I think that's the one silver lining in infant mortality around the world. So the infants themselves, but beyond that, older people, including younger children and moving up, who are like children in God's sight, who make themselves like little children in order to be saved. John Calvin says, "The passage broadens to give kingdom citizenship to both children and those who are like them." So he means a childlike faith, a childlike yieldedness to Christ. Humble, lowly, faith-filled people enter the kingdom of God, arrogant people do not. Jesus taught that repentance and faith was becoming like a little child. Matthew 18:3, "I tell you the truth, unless you are converted and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Years ago I met the president, at that time, of Child Evangelism Fellowship, CEF, his name was Reese Kauffman. He said this interesting thing which stuck with me. He said, "We spend so much of our efforts in evangelism of adults trying to get them to a humble, childlike state necessary for them to find salvation in Jesus.The children are already there. Use it. With adults, we have to cut through years of hardness and pride and sin habits to get them to see their need for a savior.” V. Jesus Touches Them, and Blesses Them, and Prays for Them Then Jesus touches them, blesses them, and prays for them. Verse 16, “He took the children in their arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.” As I said, Matthew 19:13, He prayed for them. Here we have that beautiful picture, the power of the incarnation. Jesus frequently touched people to heal them. He loved to touch people, to heal them. He reaches out here and touches these little babies. That was part of His desire to bless them. In an ancient Jewish ritual, patriarchs would touch their children. Do you remember the touching scene of Jacob with Manasseh and Ephraim, where He put His hands on their head and blessed them and spoke prophetic blessings over them? It's that kind of idea of a touching and a patriarchal blessing. But how much more Jesus, the Son of God... How many of you parents would love to have Jesus physically touch your children and pray for them and bless them? I've read stories about orphanages in other countries where the babies are never held. It’s tragic. I mean, they're fed physically, but they're never picked up. They're never held. The Ukraine, sub-Saharan Africa, some of the AIDS clinics, China, I mean there's tragic stories about these orphanages. They're just underfunded, they don't have enough people, and the babies are just never held. Children need to be physically touched, and that touch can be a form of pre-evangelism. I want to commend a verse for you that I had studied and it's fascinating, Psalm 22:9, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" But in the middle of it David says this, "Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother's breast." What's interesting is the Hebrew doesn't have the “in you.” It is true that David is speaking to God, "You made me trust," but it just says, "You made me trust at my mother's breast." The baby wasn't trusting in God. The baby didn't know the word trust, just feeling his or her needs being met. Feeling warm, love and protection without knowing the word love, protection, it’s just an experience, but that was a form of pre-evangelism that then later gets transferred over to Almighty God, who loves you better than your mother did. See? That physical touch and care is a form of shaping their world and preparing them later to come to Christ. VI. Applications What applications can we take from this? How do we put this command into practice? First I want to just say a word to all you older veteran sinners, that's all of us. Become like a little child and come to Jesus. Humble yourself. See your need for a savior. See your need for forgiveness. Don't be haughty. Don't be arrogant. Become like a child and Jesus will save you. Unless you're converted and become like a little child, you'll never enter the kingdom of God. You have to be converted into a childlike state to be saved. But then even if that's happened for you years ago, you have to keep doing that. You have to keep humbling yourself like a little child. This is an ongoing part of our Christian faith. The Holy Spirit inside you cries out, "Abba Father," which means daddy. There are times that we're so physically hurting, like through a disease, or crushed by some circumstance that you need your daddy, your spiritual Father to care for you. Charles Spurgeon was beset with gout, and it was like an electric shock. He was crawling on the ground in agony, weeping for the pain. He cried out, "Abba Father, if I had a child," he said in his prayer, "who was hurting like I am right now and I could take away the pain. I would do it. Daddy, would you heal me?" That's how bad the pain was. He basically couldn't be articulate. That's how much He was hurting. There are going to be times in your life when you're going to be like that. You cry out, "Abba Father." Look at Jesus's interaction. Remember the woman with the bleeding problem? She'd been bleeding for 12 years. She touched the hem of His garment, her bleeding stop, she was healed. Then Jesus said, "Who touched me?" At the end of that whole encounter, do you remember what He said to her? "Take heart, daughter, your faith has saved you." He called her daughter. She'd been bleeding for 12 years. Jesus was in His early 30s. They're probably peers, age-wise, but they're not peers, were they? Because Jesus is the ancient of days. He called her daughter. The paralyzed man that was lowered down, "Take heart son, your sins are forgiven." There is that sense in which we are going to be like little children before Him. One famous theologian was asked to sum up his theology. He was nearing the end of his life. He said, "I'll sum it all up in this. Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but He is strong." When you're on your deathbed, you're going to be like that. So become like a little child, and He will save you. That's all of us. Now to caregivers of children, especially parents, but also others. FBC, I don't know if you've noticed, but we’ve been blessed with lots of children. Like on Sunday mornings, have you noticed? Some of you have noticed. It's a lavish blessing. Thank God for it. Thank God that we have lots of little kids to raise in the gospel. How many of the baptisms have we had begin with this testimony, "I was raised in a good Christian home."? I would say probably 80% of them, maybe more. We all would like more of the other type. Those are good. I wasn't raised in a good evangelical home, although I did know about Jesus from an early age, I didn't know the gospel. But my kids all, and I baptized all five of them, they all said, "I was raised in a good Christian home." Thank you. Yes, yes, you were. That's the number one way around the world. I would say probably three quarters of the people who are genuinely born again walking the face of the earth had at least one Christian parent pouring the gospel into them from an early age. That's anecdotal, I don't know, but I think that's probably right. So let's let the little children come -and let's not hinder them for the kingdom of God. We should be continually bringing our children. How do we do this? Let me speak this quickly to your parents. First of all, receive your children thankfully. Thank God for your children. Be thankful for them constantly. Realize that your children are infinitely more His than they are yours. Don't idolize them. You have a stewardship role toward them. There’s nothing wrong with saying, "My son," "My daughter," but don't think wrongly, they're more God’s than they are yours. Don't think God ever did you wrong by taking them away if He should. God has that right. Don't be idolatrous and charge Him with wrongdoing for taking back to Himself what was His all along. Be thankful. Be thankful to God for your children. Love them deeply. Let your heart frequently melt for your children. Be willing to make sacrifices for them cheerfully. Deeply, yearn the best for them, especially in eternity through the gospel. Understand them positively and negatively. Positively, they're in the image of God. They have immense potential and they have those soft yielded hearts. A window of opportunity, positively. But then negatively, they are sinners. They're fanatically committed to self-interest. They have the seeds of rebellion in their own hearts. Don't romanticize them. They're childish. “When I was a child, I thought like a child,” they're going to say childish things. Understand them. Then teach your children constantly. Deuteronomy 6, "These commands that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home, and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Saturate their minds in the word of God. Saturate them, especially with the gospel, God, man, Christ response. God, the creator, the lawgiver, the judge, the sustainer. We, created His image. We, human beings, made to have a relationship with Him. But we're sinners. We violate God's laws. Christ came. Who is Jesus? He was born and lived a sinless life. The miracle stories. Tell them these stories. Pour the gospel into them, and then say they need to repent and believe. Be Christ-centered daily. Make Christ the center of your talk, as a father or mother. Talk about Jesus. Out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks. Talk about Him. Discipline your children. The rod of reproof, Proverbs talks about it. Whatever that means, literal, physical, just you need to deal with their sin nature. The hardest part for me about Christian parenting is the mixture of old covenant and new covenant principles you got to do all the time. There's got to be blessings and curses, blessings for obedience, curses for disobedience. You've got to have laws and rules in your home, and they have to follow them. But then you've got to tell them the gospel, that the law's not going to save them, and that they need to find mercy and grace through faith in Christ. Just wisely mix those together. Pray for your children daily. Charles Spurgeon said this, "How can we bring children to Jesus Christ to be blessed? We can't do it in a physical sense. For Jesus is not here, He's risen. But we can bring our children in a true, real spiritual sense. We take them up in the arms of prayer. We daily cry, ‘Oh, that he or she might live before thee, Lord.’" We cry out and pray. Model Christ for your children. Involve them in church early. You're bringing your children here, keep doing that. You can't calculate the value of just 18 years of weekly preaching and singing and Christian fellowship. Bring them to church and encourage them along the way. "Model Christ for your children. Involve them in church early. … You can't calculate the value of just 18 years of weekly preaching and singing and Christian fellowship." I just want to say, finally, a word to workers here, children workers at our church. Thank you for your service. Thank you for what you do. Many hands makes light work, so ask if the Lord would have you involved in children ministry. It's a vital ministry. Thank you for what you do. Close with me in prayer. Father, thank you for the time that we've had in the word of God today. Thank you for the truth that Jesus gave us here so plainly, that we have to be converted to become little children and the kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of God is made of such as these. Thank you for the great privilege of Christian parenting. And thank you for the truth of the word of God. We thank you that Jesus shed His blood so that we who are little children, can find forgiveness and find acceptance in His arms. In Jesus' name. Amen.

It's Wednesday, April 12th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Malaysia state bans Muslims from attending Christian events Malaysia's state of Selangor issued an anti-Christian ruling last month. It bans Muslims from visiting non-Muslim places of worship, including churches. Selangor is the most populous state in the Southeast Asian country which has a Muslim majority.  The ban comes after Malaysia's Sports Minister announced an event for people to learn about Christianity.  An Open Doors spokesman said, “It is alarming to see the rise in incidents like this, giving more and more control to the Islamic authority and restricting the rights of the minorities.” Malaysia is ranked 43rd on the Open Doors' World Watch List of nations where it is most difficult to be a Christian.  Iran and Saudi Arabia restore diplomatic ties with one another Iran and Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic ties last Thursday with one another. The two countries have long been rivals, and for seven years they have not had diplomatic ties. The Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers came to the agreement, brokered by China, during a meeting in Beijing. This represents China's increased influence among Gulf Arab states as the U.S. presence in the region diminishes. Int'l Monetary Fund expects global economy to grow by 3% On Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund said it expects the global economy to grow around 3% annually over the next five years. It's the weakest growth forecast since 1990. The IMF's latest report predicts 90% of advanced economies will stop expanding this year. This comes as countries in North America and Europe raise interest rates to combat inflation. Meanwhile, about half of global growth is expected to come from economies in Asia like China and India. Idaho and Indiana crack down on kids' gender confusion More U.S. states are cracking down on gender confusion. Last week, Idaho and Indiana enacted laws to protect children from puberty blockers and so-called “sex-change” surgeries. Ten other states have passed similar legislation. Even more states have banned males, pretending to be females, from competing in female sports. In response, the Biden administration is trying to protect gender confusion. Last week, the U.S. Department of Education proposed expanding Title IX protections to include “gender identity.” This would effectively keep publicly-funded schools from banning transgender athletes.   Romans 1:28 says, “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.” 2 pro-abort vandals charged in Florida At the end of last month, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a federal grand jury charged two more people for attacking pro-life pregnancy centers in Florida. A total of four people have now been indicted for pro-abortion vandalism in the state. If convicted, they could face years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. However, the four indictments are small in comparison with the dozens of pro-abortion attacks carried out on pregnancy centers over the last year. 150 Catholic priests in Baltimore abused 600 kids Last Wednesday, Maryland's Attorney General Anthony Brown released a 463-page report on child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The Archdiocese is the oldest Roman Catholic diocese in the U.S. The report accuses 150 Catholic priests and other individuals from the Archdiocese of abusing over 600 children during the span of 80 years. More workers taking parental leave The Wall Street Journal reports the number of workers taking parental leave is up 13.5% from 2021. Nearly 500,000 working parents took leave in January, the most since 1994. One driving factor is an increase in the number of births in the past two years. Another factor is an increase in the availability of paid parental leave. Last March, 25% of workers had access to parental leave, up from 19% in 2019. Seven states now require employers to offer paid leave, up from four in 2018. 66% of Americans believe Jesus rose from dead And finally, Lifeway Research released a study last Wednesday ahead of Resurrection Sunday.  The survey found 66% of U.S. adults believe the Biblical accounts of the physical resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate. Twenty-three percent disagree, and 11% aren't sure. However, Lifeway reports many Americans have conflicting views on the Bible and see little connection between the resurrection of Christ and their daily lives. The Apostle John wrote in Revelation 1:4-6, “Grace to you… from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings on earth . . . who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father.” Close And that's The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Wednesday, April 12th in the year of our Lord 2023. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

A reading of the Passion(Intense Suffering and Death) Christ Jesus on behalf of sinful people according to the Apostle John, chapter 18-19 from The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. A few comments and concluding prayer.Bible Insights with Wayne ConradContact: 8441 Hunnicut Rd Dallas, Texas 75228email: Att. Bible Insights Wayne Conradgsccdallas@gmail.com (Good Shepherd Church) Donationhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJTZX6qasIrPmC1wQpben9ghttps://www.facebook.com/waconrad or gscchttps://www.sermonaudio.com/gsccSpirit, Truth and Grace MinistriesPhone # 214-324-9915 leave message with number for call backPsalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Audio Transcript: This media has been made available by Mosaic BostonChurch. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston ordonate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com Before we begin, first of all, everyone looks great. Elephant in the room, I'm wearing a suit. I told my brother Chidi before our service, "There's only three ways you're going to see this. Someone needs to get married, someone needs to die, or someone needs to rise from the dead." And praise God, we get to celebrate all three. That Jesus Christ came, He lived, He died, He rose from the dead, He is coming again to take His bride home to eternity, to the wedding supper of the lamb. We look forward to that. And before we begin today, there's something we got to do. If you've been around Mosaic for a while, you know what's coming. Hopefully you got warmed up on your way to church this morning. And we're going to do a little bit of a call and response. And so if you're new to Mosaic, if this is your first time here, what we're going to do is I'm going to say, "He is risen." And then we're all going to say together, "He is risen indeed." We're going to do that three times, each time with more emphatically, as loud as you want. So is everybody ready? All right, Here we go. He is risen. He is risen indeed.He is risen.He is risen indeed.He is risen.He is risen indeed. Praise God. Jesus is alive. He is risen. He is reigning. He is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. He's coming again to judge the living and the dead. These are the facts of the matter. This is the truth of the matter. And the question that I want to put before us this morning, however, is if this is the truth of the matter, why does it matter? What does it mean? What are the implications of such a thing? How does a man rising from the dead 2,000 years ago impact us today? And if you go to our website, we probably have at least a dozen sermons out there archived on our website that look at the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The evidence is there. And if that's not something that you've examined, if that's something in you're interested in, I would encourage you to go and to examine the evidence. There are so many resources out there that look at that and that prove the veracity of Christianity, that Jesus Christ really did rise from the dead. But the question is why does it matter? And it matters because if this is just a nice story, a fable, a myth, a legend for children, if Jesus was just a nice guy who did some nice things, He died and that was it, then the reality is that really nothing in life matters. Not in any objective sense. That ultimately life is meaningless and that ultimately death is coming and it's going to have the last laugh. But if Christ is risen, well then that changes everything. Because if Christ is risen, then everything matters. Your life matters, my life matters, our lives matter. Our choices matter. Every moment that we have matters. It's loaded with potential that could send ripples throughout all of eternity. It matters. So if you have your Bibles, we're going to be in the Gospel of John today. If you turn to the New Testament, it's Matthew, Mark, Luke, and then John. We're going to be in John chapter 20. And this chapter, it tells us about a couple of interactions that took place between Jesus and His disciples on that first Easter Sunday. And as we look at the story, we're going to see just the life changing difference that His resurrection made for them on that day and the life changing difference that it continues to make for us on this day and every day. And so here in a moment, I'm going to read a couple verses from John chapter 20 to get us started. But before we do, before we get into our text today, I want us to all try to get into the disciples' shoes today, to put ourselves in their place, to get in the mindset that they were in. That for the last three years of our lives, we have been following our rabbi Jesus all over the place, wherever He goes. And during this time, we have learned the truth and the wisdom of His profound teaching. We have observed the integrity and the purity of His life and His character. And we've seen Him do things that we thought were impossible. He's walked on water, He's healed the sick. He has given sight to the blind. A couple of weeks ago, we even saw Him raise a man from the dead. And all of this, for the past three years, this has been our lives all kind of leading up to the zenith, to pinnacle that we reached just one week ago as we walked with this man into the city of Jerusalem. And as we did, He's greeted by crowds of people from all over the world, shouting, "Hosanna." And waving palm branches that at last their great expectations have come to fruition. That this is the king. This is the one we've been waiting for. This is the Messiah, God's chosen one who has come to save His people. We began our week just a few days ago with the euphoria of Palm Sunday of the triumphal entry. And as we walked into the city of Jerusalem that day, a whole new world of possibilities opened up before our very eyes. We began our week with that elation only to end our week with the horrors of Good Friday, to have that door slammed violently back into our face. And we watched helplessly as our teacher, our friend, our king, our hope for the world was betrayed, arrested, falsely accused, viciously beaten, mocked, flogged and crucified, nailed to a cross. We watched as they sealed His cold dead body into a cold, dark grave. And you try to imagine the spectrum of emotions that we would be feeling right now as His disciples. Your best friend is dead. More than that, your Messiah is dead. With Him, the mission is dead. Our purpose in life is dead. Our hope for the world, our hope for the future is dead. And realistically, you're probably beginning to wonder about this time, "How long is it before the rest of us are dead as well?" And I say all this because as we turn to our text and read about that first Easter Sunday, we don't find the disciples all nice sharply dressed, excited, ready to go out for a nice Easter brunch. We find them sleepless, anxious, nauseated, and terrified. We find them with bloodshot eyes and with garments that have been stained with tears. We find them hiding in a cold, dark room behind a closed locked door. And John tells us in his gospel that they were hiding and they were afraid. Afraid for their lives, afraid that all had been lost, afraid that their mission had failed, afraid that after everything that they had been through that nothing really changed. And then Jesus Christ steps into the room and they realize nothing is ever going to be the same. Jesus was alive. And that this changes everything.So if you have your Bibles, we're going to work our way through John chapter 20. And I'm going to begin just by reading a couple of verses from the middle of the chapter. John 20:19&20. The Apostle John tells us that, "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked were the disciples were for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and He stood among them and He said to them, 'Peace be with you.' And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord." Now the first change, the first difference that we see from this encounter with Jesus, that Christ is risen, therefore fear has been overcome by peace. That Jesus stepped out of the tomb of His death and into the room, into the tomb of their anxiety. And in doing so, He lands a death blow to all of their fears, that He stands there before them as the ultimate undeniable proof that nothing in this life, not even crucifixion, not even death itself, could put an end to the mission, could put an end to God's plan of salvation. See, we need to understand that when Jesus died, the disciples, all their hopes and dreams died with Him. They were shattered, dashed to the ground, pounded into dust, burned into ashes, blown away by the wind. They were gone, hopeless. The problem is not that the disciples had set their hopes too high, it's actually that up until this point, they had been setting their hopes way too low, that they were hoping for a messiah who could come and maybe help them escape their problems, help them to escape their enemies. Jesus hadn't come for that. Jesus did not come to merely escape death. He came to face it head on, to experience it and to defeat it. He had not come to overthrow the feeble Roman Empire. He had come to overthrow the dominion of darkness, to rise in victory over Satan, sin and death. And in doing so, to declare to the world, to offer to the world terms of peace, to a world that was ravaged by war, ravaged by sin. So when Jesus tells His disciples, "Peace be with you.", He's not promising them that their problems are all just going to immediately disappear and go away. But He is promising them that despite all of these problems, that despite all of their trials, all the tribulations, all the persecutions that they face, that they would ultimately overcome. Apostle Paul in writing about these things in Romans 8:31, he says, "Therefore, what shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It's God who justifies us. Who is to condemn us? Christ Jesus is the one who died, more than that, who is raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" And he says, "Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or swords?" He says, "As it's written for your sake, we are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all of these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. "For...", he says, "... I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers 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." Jesus is alive. And this doesn't mean that the battle is over, but it does certainly mean that the war has been won. So as we fight this good fight of faith, we can do so with peace, with hope, with joy. We can do so knowing, as Paul tells us in just a few chapters later in Romans 16:20, that, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." And this is the heart of the matter, that the true peace that we need, it is not just peace with the superficial circumstances of our life, the true peace we need more than anything else, it is peace with God and everything else is rooted in that peace. It's the peace of knowing that we have been forgiven, that we have been justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and therefore no weapon formed against us can prosper. No accusation of the enemy brought against us can stand because Jesus Christ on His throne at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. So there's nothing we need to fear in this life. There's nothing that we need to fear and death because nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now Paul says in Romans 5:1, he says, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we also obtain access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." Verse three says, "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces, that it is not vain. It is doing something productive. Suffering produces endurance." And he says, "Endurance produces character and character produces hope. And hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through His Holy Spirit who's been given to us." So therefore, if we are to face this battle, we do so knowing that our king is with us, that He loves us, and that He is leading us to certain victory. And even if we are to fall in this battle, we do so knowing that our king has gone before us, He has defeated death and He now holds the keys to eternal life. And so let's take that from up here and let's bring that down to earth like practically and personally. How peaceful is your life right now? The peace that we're talking about is objectively true for all who have been born again through faith in Jesus Christ. But are you experiencing it? Are you living in it day today? Well, a few verses earlier in John chapter 20, we read about another encounter that Jesus had with another one of his disciples, his disciple, Mary Magdalene, that early that morning she had gone to the tomb and she gets there and she finds it empty. And as we see her in verse 11, we're told that, "Mary stood there weeping outside of the tomb, and as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. And they said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' And when she said to them, 'Well, they've taken away my Lord and I don't know where they've laid Him.' And having said this, she turned around and she saw Jesus standing, but she did not know it was Jesus. "Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?' And supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, 'Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you've laid Him and I will go and I will take Him away.' And Jesus said to her, 'Mary.' And she turned and said to Him in Aramaic, 'Rabboni.', which means teacher. And Jesus her, 'Do not clinging to me for I've not yet ascended to the Father, but go to my brothers and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and she announced this good news to the disciples. This is a pretty familiar story that you often hear on Easter Sunday and it's a familiar story. But the question that I want us to ask ourselves, the question I want you to ask yourself this morning is we see two very different Marys in this passage from beginning to end, one who is stricken with anxiety, with fear, and one who is overcome with peace and with joy. And are you more like the Mary that we see anxious and distraught, weeping at the tomb of your shattered hopes? Or are you more like the Mary that we see weeping tears of joy worshiping at the feet of her risen savior, her living hope? Because a lack of peace, well it comes from a misplaced hope. You're building on a shaky foundation. And that's what Mary really, she'd come to that tomb and her hopes had been shattered and she needed to find a better hope. She needed to find a living hope that she had hoped for a savior that could avoid death. Well, she needed a savior that could defeat death. Because Mary, her biggest problem was that she didn't so much need to be saved from her enemies nearly as much as she needed to be saved from herself, saved from her sin. And the only way that Jesus could do that for her was by laying down His life, going to the cross and first dying in her place so then therefore He could rise in victory over Satan, sin and death to offer her this peace. And Jesus offers us peace. If you're not experiencing this in your life right now, however, well, I think Jesus would ask us the same thing He asked Mary, "Why? Why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" If you're anxious, if you are afraid, perhaps you've been building your hope on a shaky foundation. Perhaps you've been looking for the wrong things in the wrong places. You've been looking for maybe a Jesus that could save you from your circumstances, where what you need more than anything else is a Jesus who can come and save you from yourself, from your pride, from your self-righteousness, from your self-reliance, from the sin that separates us from our father, that that places this wedge, that drives this chasm between us and God. Because Jesus Christ is the king of kings. He is the Lord of lords. Jesus is the Prince of Peace objectively, but you're only going to experience that peace personally when He is seated in his proper place, not on a throne in Jerusalem, but on the throne of your heart. In Colossians 3:15, Paul says, "Therefore, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." Paul says again in the book of Philippians, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God." In verse seven, he says, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." So the first thing that we see is that Christ has risen, therefore fear can be overcome by peace. Now the second point we see is that Christ is risen, therefore futility has been overcome by purpose. So picking up again in John 20:19 it says, "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and He stood among them and He said to them, 'Peace be with you.' And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side, and the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord." In verse 21, "Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me even so I am sending you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them and He said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. And if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.'" So Jesus, He gives His disciples peace to overcome their fears, but then He stands before them, He's standing before them as evidence that the war has been won and they can therefore have peace. But then He reminds them that even though the war has been won, this doesn't mean that the battle... Battle has just begun, that the mission wasn't over. The mission hadn't failed. The mission didn't fail when Jesus Christ died on the cross. To the contrary, the mission was just getting started. That all of their hard work, all of their sacrifice, none of that had been in vain. But now the training wheels were coming off. And Jesus was saying, "I'm going to send you out with a mission, with a purpose that yes, the work of the cross is finished, but the witness to the cross has just begun." Says, "I'm sending you with the greatest purpose, the greatest mission, the greatest task of telling the world the greatest news, the good news that Jesus is alive, that He is risen, He has overcome Satan, sin and death, and there is forgiveness in His name." And so here in these couple of versions, Jesus, He explains that mission. He gives us the what, He gives us the how, He gives us the why. He says, "Just as the Father sent me, I am sending you." To what? "To go, to be my disciples, to be my witnesses, to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth." That's the what of the mission. And then He tells them how. He says, "And I'm giving you my Holy Spirit. I'm giving you the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of the gospel. This is how you're going to go out and accomplish this mission." And then He tells them the why in verse 23. He says, "For if you forgive the sins of any there forgiven them, and if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld." What on earth is Jesus talking about here? Because if you know scripture, you know that scripture teaches us that only God has the authority to forgive sin. So Jesus, is He contradicting that here? Well, no, He's not. This is one of those rare places where we kind of do need to take a closer look at the Greek grammar. I don't like to be that like Greek geek type of pastor, but occasionally it's helpful to know, because when you look the phrasing in English, it is a little bit awkward. But grammatically what's happening here is that this phrase, "They are forgiven them." In the Greek, it's just one word and it's a perfect passive verb. It's indicating an event that has already taken place and yet is ongoing and continuing. So Jesus, He's not saying that we as His disciples have the authority to go and forgive sins. But He is saying that we do have the responsibility to go out and declare the forgiveness of sins, to declare that the world that the means by which our sins can be forgiven is to repent and to believe the gospel, that forgiveness comes only by grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. We need to go to the world and tell them this good news. The apostle Paul does a really great job teaching about this in 2 Corinthians 5:17, he says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away and behold the new has come. And all of this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." And he explains, "That is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and in entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore...", he says, "... We are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us, and we implore you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God." And this is the message, "For our sake. He made Him, Jesus, to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." Jesus is sending this out as his ambassadors with the message of reconciliation, not to forgive sins by our own authority, but to announce with authority, to announce with conviction and confidence that yes, all who repents and believe this good news will be saved. They have been forgiven. So He sends us with a peace that passes understanding, He sends us with a purpose that presses into eternity. Now, there's something else going on here as well. Throughout this passage, John is dropping these hints, he's dropping these clues and he wants us to pick up on a theme, that he is telling us the story of Jesus' resurrection, but he's doing it in a way where he kind of wants us to alert our minds, to draw our minds' attention to another story, a story that he kind of assumes that we're all familiar with. It's the story of creation in the Garden of Eden. So two times in this chapter, John pauses and he makes it a point to alert us, the reader, to know that all of these things, they happened on the first day of the week, on the first day of the week. Then we find when Jesus finds Mary Magdalene, He finds her in a garden. And actually she mistakes Him, she thinks that He is the gardener. And then here John tells us that after Jesus tells his disciples that He's sending them out, He does something really strange, He breathes on them and gives them His Holy Spirit. It's a weird detail, but what's happening is John is noticing the providential connections between these two stories, and he's trying to help us connect the dots so that we can see the bigger picture of what's going on here. If you remember Genesis 2:7, it says, "Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed." And the big idea, the picture that John wants us to see is that just as the opening chapters of Genesis tell us the story of creation, well a new chapter is opening with the resurrection of Christ, the beginnings of the story of new creation, that Jesus Christ is the first fruits of that creation. As we read earlier, Paul told us that, "And therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are also a new creation born again by the Holy Spirit." That just as Adam's sin brought a curse upon the world, Christ's righteousness is reversing that curse. It's undoing death. It is bringing a blessing to all who repent and believe. And that just as God breathed life into Adam and gave him his purpose, gave him his mission, Jesus Christ is breathing new life, eternal life into us as His disciples and sending us out with a mission as well to fill the earth with the glory of God by going and making disciples of all the nations. So again, practically, personally, what does this mean? This doesn't mean that every follower of Jesus needs to quit their job today and go be a missionary on the other side of the world somewhere. But it certainly does mean that every follower of Jesus Christ needs to live with this awareness, live with this mindset that we are living, walking every moment of our lives in the presence of God the Father, that we are living our lives abiding in the grace of God the Son, and we're living our lives by the power of God the Holy Spirit, so that we can assess, so that we can understand, so that we can know how we can be the most effective witnesses, the most useful servants to Christ that we can possibly be no matter where it is that He has called us to stand, in whatever location and whatever occupation and whatever vocation and whatever station of life He calls us to, we are to be His witnesses. And so at home, at church, at work, at school, in private, in public, and whatever you do and wherever you go, go with this mindset that the purpose of God is to be lived out in your words, in your worship, in your work, in your witness, that you are an ambassador for Christ. So Christ is risen, therefore, fear has been overcome by peace. Now Christ is risen, therefore, futility has been overcome by this great purpose. And then finally, we see Christ is risen, therefore, frustration has been overcome by passion. This is John 20:24. We see another interaction between Jesus and his disciples. We're told in verse 24 that, "Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, he was actually not there with them when Jesus came. And so the disciples, they told him, 'We have seen the Lord.' But he said to them, 'Unless I see in His hands the marks of the nails and place my finger into the marks of the nails and place my hand into His side, I will never believe.'" I think we're all familiar with Doubting Thomas, even if you never heard this story before, it's popular enough that we're most of us familiar with the idiom, right? We're familiar with the idea of a Doubting Thomas. Thomas has been immortalized for his doubts. But when I read this, I think there's something more going on there. He says, "Unless I touch those wounds for myself...", he says, "... I will never believe." Never is not a word often used by skeptics. Never is a word more often used by cynics. There seems to be an air of bitterness, of resentment, of frustration in his reply. "I put my heart out there. I trusted this man. I gave God my hopes and my dreams and look what it got me. My dreams have been shattered, my heart has been broken, and I don't know what's going on. You guys say Jesus is risen from the dead, but I'm never putting myself out there. I'm not going to trust. I'm not going to open my heart. I'm not going to allow my hopes to get up like that. I will never believe." These sound like the words that are coming from a cold and a hardened heart. And I'm sure that there are some people here today that have some honest doubts, and you just need to go and look at the evidence and find those answers. But I wonder if there are some here today who, like Thomas, it's not so much that you have honest doubts as much as it is you've got a hardened heart. It's not that you don't see the evidence, you really don't want to see the evidence. You don't want to believe. You're afraid to believe, afraid of what that might mean for all of this to be true. Because if Jesus Christ is risen, then Jesus Christ is Lord. And if Jesus Christ is Lord, then I need to submit my life to Him as Lord. And if I need to submit my life to Him as Lord, how do I know that I can trust Him? And I say that not to provoke anyone, not to anger, but I want to stoke in you a passion because, thankfully, this is not the end of Thomas' story, and it doesn't need to be the end of your story either. John goes on in verse 26, and he tells us that, "Eight days later, His disciples, again, they're inside again." And this time he says, "Thomas was with them. And although, again, the doors were locked, Jesus came again and He stood among them, and He again said to them, 'Peace be with you.' And then He said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here and see my hands, and put out your hand and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve but believe.' And Thomas answered him, 'My Lord and my God.' Jesus said to him, 'Have you believed because you've seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.'" I love this because Jesus, He comes again, He goes straight for Thomas this time, and He basically grants him his wish. He says, "Here I am, Thomas, you can put your hand in my wounds, feel my side. I'm putting this opportunity before you." But Thomas doesn't take it. We don't see him reaching for Christ. We see him falling at the feet, worshiping Christ, crying out, "My Lord and my God." What is going on here? Well, I think what's going on here is that Thomas, he thought that he wanted proof that Jesus was alive and what he really needed even more than that was proof that he himself was loved, and he saw that proof. It was etched in the hands and the feet. It was carved in the side of the risen Jesus Christ. He saw and he understood, his hard heart was melted as it put the pieces together that those scars proved to Thomas that yes, this man standing before him really was Jesus. And yes, this proved to him that Jesus really was God, and also proved to him that God really was good, that he could trust him with his heart because this is the man, that was my cross that Jesus bore. That those are our scars that Jesus continues to bear, not just for Thomas, for all of us, for all of eternity, so that we can all have this great reminder of how we have been loved. That the passion of Jesus Christ, this is the only thing that can take a cold, hard, cynical heart and replace our doubts, replace our frustrations with passion and with joy. Have you ever wondered what became of Doubting Thomas? Because you read the New Testament and New Testament tells us a lot about Paul, tells a lot about like Peter and James and John, it doesn't really tell us that much more about Thomas. And what we know is that Thomas not only became a passionate worshiper of Christ that day, he actually became a passionate missionary for Christ for the rest of his life. That after this, history tells us that Thomas took the good news 3000 miles to the East, and for the rest of his life, he spent his days preaching the gospel, planting churches and ministering to the people of India until eventually he was martyred for his faith around 70 AD. There are actually somewhere between 25-30 million Christians living in India today, and many of them, most of them, trace their heritage all the way back to good old Doubting Thomas. I actually learned after our first service this morning that we have a sister in the church, a member of Mosaic whose family came from India, and she says, "Our family, we have been Christians from the first century because of Thomas. Because of Doubting Thomas, we are here and we've persisted throughout the ages as followers of Jesus Christ." Thomas may be immortalized right now for his doubts, but he's going to be remembered throughout all of eternity for his great passion and faith. Thomas saw, he believed and he did something about it, right? He had this great passion for Jesus Christ. And because of that, millions of people since have been blessed that. Jesus says, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." And how many people have believed, not because they saw the risen Christ, but because of Thomas, because of his witness, because of his faithful testimony to Jesus Christ? When you truly experience the power and the love of the risen Christ, you will have peace. You will have purpose, but you should also have this passion and you should grow in this passion, a passion to worship God, to worship Christ for all that He is, and a passion to go and to tell the world of all that He has done. And if you're here today and you're like, "Yeah, I don't have that. I don't have that passion." Well, I would encourage you to look, to meditate, to fix your eyes on the passion of the cross and the passion of Jesus Christ. These are not things that we can muster up from within ourselves. These are things that come as a result of looking, of considering, of understanding in the center of who we are what Christ has done for us. That the risen Christ has only risen because He has first fallen. Because He first laid down His life that he loved us to such an extent that before rising from the dead, He first died in our place, that He took up the cross, He laid down His life, and then He rose in victory over Satan, sin and death so that we could be raised up with Him to stand with Him in victory over Satan sin and death as well. 1 Corinthians 15:54, the apostle Paul tells us, "When the perishable puts on the imperishable and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written. Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain." If you're here today and you're not a Christian, you don't consider yourself a follower of Jesus Christ, or you're new to Christianity, I just want to say we are so glad that you made the decision to be here with us this morning. We really are glad that you are here. And after the service today, Pastor Andy and myself are going to be right up here after the service, and we would love to answer any questions that you might have about Jesus, about the gospel, about Christianity, even if you want to just come up, introduce yourself and say hi. We would love to meet you. But our greatest desire, my greatest hope, I want every single person, every single soul in this room to experience the peace and the purpose of a life that has been submitted to Christ Jesus, to grow in their passion for Christ and His kingdom as they grow to know and to experience God's passion for them, that He gave, that He poured out through His son Jesus Christ. So you're welcome. We invite you, come talk to us after the service, talk to people around you. Talk to people at the welcome center. There's people here that would love to meet you and get to know you and talk to you today. But right now, speaking of passion, we have an opportunity to express that passion as we continue and sing together right now. So it's Easter Sunday. I hope you're ready. I hope you're excited. I am ready to celebrate with you. So as the band comes up, I am going to pray and we are going to spend some time just celebrating, worshiping, praising our risen Lord together. Let's pray. Father, your word tells us that if Christ has not been raised, well then our preaching is in vain and our faith is in vain. But in fact, Christ has been raised and this changes everything. We praise you. We thank you for this. God, give us clean hands. We pray that you open our eyes and soften our hearts and remind us again of your power, of your goodness, of your beauty. May all that you are and all that you have done right now in this moment, captivate our minds and our hearts, and stir our affections, our passion to give you the praise and the glory that you deserve. And we thank you that we can just sing to you now. We do so in the name of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Savior. Amen.

In John chapter 4, Jesus met a woman at a well and used “living water” as a picture of eternal life! Water is essential to life. The Apostle John later wrote about a city where “a pure river of water of life” flowed… “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”—Revelation 22:1 THE SAMARITAN WOMAN RECEIVED LIVING WATER AND ETERNAL LIFE Jesus came to Samaria and met “the woman at the well.” This woman was not well received by others in the town. But Jesus had an uncommon compassion for the woman. Why? Because He was sent by God for the redemption of ALL men and ALL women. The Samaritan woman was shocked that Jesus, a Jew, would speak to her… She was a Samaritan, an enemy of the Jews, and a woman. But Jesus' compassion made a way for Him to share the hope of living water. The Samaritan received living water and eternal life that day! Join Pastor Phil Hopper as he teaches about.… The “water” of this world versus the “living water” Jesus offers The “mountains” we climb to get closer to God and how God desires us to truly worship Him The home Jesus wants to give you and how it lasts forever Don't forget to click the “bell” to SUBSCRIBE to get more videos like this to grow your faith! Connect with us on Social Media ↴ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abundantlifels/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abundantlifels Connect with Pastor Phil ↴ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilHopperKC Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philhopper_kc/ Web: https://livingproof.co/about-us/pastor-phil/ Be a part of the Great Commission and live generously: https://livingproof.co/irresistible/ More information on our sermons: https://livingproof.co/sermons/ Do you want to see your life changed by Jesus? Visit our website: https://livingproof.co/

For the Apostle John, the vast, epic story of Easter cannot be separated from that which is most personal. Every resurrection story he tells is (almost awkwardly) intimate. We find Jesus meeting Mary in her shame, Thomas in his doubts, and Peter in his denial. When we probe John and ask, "Why? Why do you want us to see Easter in such deeply personal terms?" Rather than answer directly, John tells us a story about Jesus meeting two dear sisters and their dead brother in the house of suffering.

For Jesus Followers, Jesus Presence Provides Confidence and Light in Times Which Could Bring Fear and Uncertainty into Your Life MESSAGE SUMMARY:  If You are a Jesus Follower, you can live in the presence of Jesus for your life. Living in the presence of Jesus means that you live in personal holiness; therefore, you are living in the light of Jesus. Many times, you are so tempted to walk in the darkness of doom and gloom; and when you go through something difficult in your life, you walk in darkness without the presence of Jesus and His light for your life. The Apostle John, in 1 John 1:5-7, so clearly presents what it means to “walk in the presence and light of Jesus” for those times that bring fear and uncertainty into your life: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.". One day, the Lord will come in judgment; but for now, you can walk in the light and presence of Jesus through your prayerful personal relationship with Him.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I have spent much of my life running from pain and loss, medicating my pain, and quickly moving on to the next project — the new urgent demand. I ask for the grace to embrace all of life — the joys and the sorrows, the deaths, and the births, the old and the new. In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 110). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be ashamed of the Gospel. I will not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (including me). From Romans 1:16 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 7:12-16; 1 John 1:5-10; 2 Corinthians 3:12-18; Psalms 38b:12-22.   DONATE TO AWFTL

Intro: "He Is Risen! He has risen indeed!" This Easter morning, this Resurrection Sunday, we can proclaim with complete confidence and joy that Jesus has conquered sin, death, and the devil! Jesus paid the total penalty for all your sin and mine so that we would be forgiven by faith in Him alone. Through His grace and received by faith alone, He gives us the Holy Spirit, who gives us new life in Christ from the inside out. As we learn the Scriptures and grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, He gives us a new purpose to glorify Him. The death and the resurrection of Christ is the second exodus in that, as the first exodus, God miraculously and graciously freed Israel from captivity and slavery; now God graciously frees us from the imprisonment and penalty of sin so that we can be free to obey Him by faith lovingly. This morning, I would like to look with you through the Apostle John's eyes to know the Risen Christ better.

John 20: 1-11 // Andrew JonesWhat is Easter to you? If you have been a Christian for a while, maybe you would say it's about Jesus' victory over death. If you haven't grown up in church, maybe it is a family day about dyeing eggs and hunting for candy. But what about John? He was a disciple of Jesus and was present for the first Easter. That first Easter was one of tragedy, loss, heartache, and pain. It ended with a woman crying over an empty tomb. I am not sure what brought you here today, but before you leave, I have one question I don't want you to miss. Do you hear your name? There is someone looking for you. He is not far off. He is near. And he is more than the conqueror of death and despair. He knows your name. He calls you by name. The same voice who made everything from nothing beckons you away from the graveyard, and into eternal life with him. Do you hear him?Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49052667Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new23.04.09

John 20 – The Power of Jesus’ Resurrection. With incredible detail, Jesus’ resurrection story is recounted by the Apostle John. This sermon reveals the fear of the disciples after Jesus’ death and the peace He brings when He is with them once again. Easter Sunday is more than just a great story; the resurrection of […] The post John 20 – The Power of Jesus’ Resurrection appeared first on The Mission Church.

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. John 20:1–3Happy Easter! Our Lord has risen, He has overcome death and He has opened the gates of Heaven to all who believe and receive the gift of salvation. Alleluia! What a glorious day we celebrate!Today's Gospel concludes by saying, “For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.” This is evident by the initial reaction of Mary of Magdala, Simon Peter and the Apostle John. Mary first thought that someone had taken the body of Jesus and moved it from the tomb. Peter was confused and ran to see for himself. John also went and when he saw the empty tomb, he believed. Eventually, all of the Apostles would come to understand and believe.The initial reaction to the empty tomb teaches us an important lesson. Though the Resurrection of Christ is clearly known to us today, our knowledge of this glorious event must continually deepen. This is evidenced by the fact that the disciples of Jesus came to understand the Resurrection over time. They did not comprehend His Resurrection when Jesus first taught them about it. They did not fully understand it when they saw the empty tomb. They did not even fully comprehend it when they saw the risen Lord. It was only after they were given the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost that their minds were open to this incredible mystery of faith so that they could begin to penetrate and comprehend this mystery more clearly.The Resurrection of Christ was a real historical event. But it is also an event that transcends time. It's an event that must permeate all time and transform every moment of our lives. When Jesus rose from the dead, it was much different than a simple return to life. He did not simply come back to the life He lived before He died. Instead, His resurrected state was a new beginning. He was now different. He was transformed. His body would now never age. It could not die. It could pass through closed doors. This resurrected body of our Lord, which is perfectly united to His divine soul, will remain with Him forever.The resurrected body of our Lord also made it possible for us to share in His resurrected state. We now have hope that, if we share in His suffering and death, we will also share in His Resurrection. But what does that mean? Saint Thomas Aquinas believed that our resurrected bodies will be glorious beyond imagination. We will never age, require no food, never experience illness, be free from all disorders and will live this way forever. Somehow, through our bodies, we will also be able to share ourselves with others in a pure and holy way, communicating to others the love of God alive within our souls. We will have the gift of agility, being able to move from place to place with immediacy simply by thinking it. Our new glorified bodies will manifest the ways that we loved and served God in this world. For example, Jesus' resurrected body had wounds in His hands, feet and side. But now those wounds radiate His glory and forever testify to His act of perfect love. Reflect, today, upon the Resurrection of the Savior of the World. As you do, reflect also upon His invitation to share in this new life. Though much of our understanding of the Resurrection of Jesus, as well as our hope of sharing in this resurrected state, will only be understood when we share in it, it is important to place these ideas in our minds so that we have something to anticipate. At the very least, we must know and understand that our sharing in the resurrected state of Jesus is glorious beyond what we can imagine. This is what we celebrate today. And this celebration must fill us with hopeful anticipation of our participation in this glorious new life to come. My resurrected Lord, Your sacred body and soul are forever united as one in a new and glorified state. You now invite all of us to share in Your suffering and death in this life so that we can share in Your Resurrection. Please fill my mind with understanding of this gift in order to fill me with hope so that I will work tirelessly for that day on which I hope to share in Your Resurrection. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Jesus Was Crucified and Died Yesterday; Today, We Wait For His Resurrection Tomorrow - Easter MESSAGE SUMMARY: As we wait on this Holy Saturday, what does the Resurrection of Jesus Have to Do with Us? What are the implications for humanity?   While we were still sinners, Jesus died for us. It is through Jesus' death and Resurrection that we are able realize God's Grace of Salvation from our sins and to gain our Eternal Life. Holy Week is all about God's Grace; Jesus' death on the cross; Jesus Resurrection; and our Salvation. All sinners need what Jesus did on the cross for us. Jesus was dead. He was crucified on the cross because He claimed to be the Messiah, and the Jewish leaders wanted Him dead. The Roman leaders wanted Jesus dead because he claimed to be a king. After Jesus was crucified, He was buried and sealed in a tomb under watch by Roman guard unit. On the Sunday of Holy Week, some of the women go to Jesus' tomb; but they find the seal broken; the stone rolled away; and the tomb empty. An Angel in the tomb tells the women that Jesus is no longer dead; He has risen. The women tell Peter and John, and Peter and John run to the tomb to find it empty. After Peter and John leave, the women return to the tomb and find two Angels in the tomb; and then Jesus appears to Mary who, initially, does not recognize Jesus. Jesus tells Mary to go tell the other Apostles that He is alive.  Jesus appears to two people traveling the road on Sunday; and then Jesus appears again, after the Resurrection, to the Apostles in a closed room. The Apostle Thomas is not present, but Jesus reappears to the Apostles with Thomas present; Thomas proclaims to Jesus after doubting Jesus' Resurrection: “my Lord and my God!”. Over next forty days, Jesus appears to hundreds of people.  Lastly, Jesus appears to the Apostles, on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus gave them the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus appearances to people, after His death and Resurrection, proved to these people that He was who He said He was – the Son of God and the Messiah. With Jesus' Resurrection, He arises from death as the Passover Lamb, “the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world!”. Sometime later and after His Ascension into Heaven, Jesus appears to Saul on the Road to Damascus where Saul was going to continue his retribution against followers of Jesus. Saul is converted to a follower of Jesus and Saul the persecutor becomes the great Apostle Paul, and Paul had several encounters with Jesus over the years. Jesus is alive! While people did not expect Jesus' Resurrection, whenever He spoke of His impending death, Jesus always mentioned His Resurrection (Matthew 16:21). Even after Jesus' three predictions of His death and Resurrection, the Apostles did not understand or accept Jesus predictions – the Resurrection was unexpected. The Resurrection did occur because Jesus was alive, and His life after His Resurrection is well documented. However, if there were no Resurrection of Jesus, there would be no Christianity, as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:17-19: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.". What is the point in following Jesus without His Resurrection? However, there was a Resurrection of Jesus, and His Resurrection is the point! Fast forwarding two thousand years to today, what does the Resurrection of Jesus mean to us? The primary implications of the Resurrection on us and humanity today is the forgiveness of our sins – we can be forgiven only because of God's Grace and the Resurrection, which made Jesus' death matter and provide us a path to a continuing personal relationship with God. Jesus is alive on this Easter and since His Resurrection. Jesus has been alive for us through God's gift of the Holy Spirit who permits our personal and eternal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe.  However, these incredible gifts necessitate our sin confessions and our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Jesus was Resurrected from death as the Passover Lamb, “the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world!”, as the Apostle John tells us in John 1:29-30: “The next day he {John the Baptizer} saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.'".   TODAY'S PRAYER Lord, I praise you because your love seeks my good in any and every situation. Forgive me for the seeds that I have squandered. Soften my heart to surrender to your will in and through me. In Jesus' name, amen.           Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 120). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Fear. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Faithfulness. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:22; Matthew 20:18; Acts 4:2; Romans 4:25; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 Corinthians 15:14-19 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Contemplating the Mighty Acts – Palm Sunday and Holy Week”, at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/. DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

In this episode Duffey speaks with a guest to the podcast, Tyler J. Milliken. Tyler is a recent doctoral graduate from Westminster Theological Seminary and studied under the renowned Dr. G. K. Beale. He did his doctoral work in the some of the New Testament writings of the Apostle John. In light of Easter Sunday fast approaching, the topic of discussion for this episode is the resurrection of Jesus in John's Gospel account along with its significance for us today! ------------------------------------------ To ask a question for the podcast: 1. Go to www.bbcemory.org. 2. Click on the media tab. 3. Scroll down until you see Asking for a Friend. There you will find the box to ask a question.

Contemplating the Mighty Acts – Palm Sunday and Holy Week MESSAGE SUMMARY: While we were still sinners, Jesus died for us. It is through Jesus' death and Resurrection that we are able realize God's Grace of Salvation from our sins and to gain our Eternal Life. Holy Week is all about God's Grace; Jesus' death on the cross; Jesus Resurrection; and our Salvation. All sinners need what Jesus did on the cross for us. The message of Palm Sunday, of Holy Week, is that the Passover Lamb, Jesus, has entered the city of Jerusalem, just as prophesied in Zachariah 9:9 more than five hundred years before Jesus' birth: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.". The lambs brought into the city for Passover would be inspected, for any blemishes, by the Levites so that the perfect lambs for the celebration of Passover could be selected. At the same time, Jesus was being “inspected” by the various Jewish and Roman “inspectors”, including the Levites and Pharisees, during the week leading up to the Jewish Passover celebration. As prophesied, Jesus was the perfect Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God, to be sacrificed for the sins of the world. On the Monday of Holy Week, Jesus reentered Jerusalem and cleansed the Temple. As told in Mark 11:17, Jesus drove from the Temple the sacrificial animal vendors who had booths in Temple's Courtyard. This Courtyard was set aside, when God had established the Temple, for the Gentiles to pray so that the Temple was the place for all to worship: “And he was teaching them and saying to them, ‘Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers.'”. Tuesday and Wednesday, of Holy Week, were days of both doctrinal challenges and teaching for Jesus – further “inspections” for the perfect Passover Lamb, Jesus. Thursday, of Holy Week, is the day which Jesus washes the Apostles' feet and eats the Passover meal, which is when Jesus institutes our Sacrament of the Communion. Also, this is the day that Jesus gives the new commandment of “Love one another”. The Apostle John expresses Jesus' love and His role on our behalf in John 15:12-14: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.". On Thursday, Jesus has His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed to God to have the responsibility of His Crucifixion, death, and His separation from God to take on the sins of the world, be taken from Him. However, Jesus prayed to God: (Matthew 26:39) “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.'”. Additionally, Judas betrays Jesus; and Jesus is arrested – we refer to this Thursday, of Holy Week, as Mundey Thursday. On Mundey Thursday, we begin a period of prayer and mourning. On the Friday of Holy Week, we come to Jesus' Crucifixion and death on the cross. On Friday, the Apostle Peter denies Jesus three times; and Jesus has three trials. After His death, Jesus was buried; and His tomb was sealed and guarded by the Roman soldiers. On the Saturday of Holy Week – the day of rest, the Jewish Sabbath – Jesus is bound by death and in the grave. On the Sunday of Holy Week – the day of Jesus' Resurrection, Jesus arises from death as the Passover Lamb, “the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world!”.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Exodus 12:1-50; Zachariah 9:9; Luke 19:41-44; Mark 11:17; Mark 11:20-25; Matthew 21:33-46; Matthew 24:1-2; John 15:12-17; Matthew 26:39. (Click the Bible References, in blue, below to read the full Bible text for these Scripture References.). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/ A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “JESUS MEETS THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM – Jesus Walking in the Way of the Cross (VIDEO)”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/   DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB