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CALVARY 2025 After the Last supper Jesus led his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he asked them to sit close by while he prayed. He took Peter, James, and John with him and told them about how much his soul was overwhelmed with sorrow, even to the point of death. He asked them to stay close and to share his prayer watch with him. A little farther on he fell to the ground in his agony, sweating drops of blood, and he prayed ‘Father, if it is possible for you, take this cup of suffering from Me. Yet not my will, but Your will be done.' He returned to find the three disciples sleeping. “Simon, are you asleep?” He asked. “Couldn't you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so you won't fall into temptation - your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak. He went away and prayed to his Father again, and again He returned and found them sleeping, and they had no words for him. The third time this happened he said, ‘Are you still sleeping? Enough—the hour has come, so get up and let us go. My betrayer is here. The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Judas then arrived with a large crowd sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people and armed with swords and clubs. Judas had arranged to identify Jesus to the guards by embracing Jesus as the man to arrest and Jesus was then betrayed by a kiss from Judas as Jesus had predicted. Then men stepped forward to arrest Jesus, and Peter drew out his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. But Jesus picked up the severed ear and placed it back on the guard's ear and he was miraculously healed. Nonetheless Jesus was arrested and dragged away, and this dramatic turn of events was all too frightening for the disciples and they all scattered and ran – just as Jesus had predicted. Jesus had also predicted that Peter would deny him three times. and it was not long before Peter's time of trial came to pass where was accused by a woman outside of the courtyard where Jesus was being tried by the priests for blasphemy. The woman said to Peter that he had been with Jesus and Peter denied the accusation three times with curses and swearing and then he heard the dreaded crowing of a rooster. And Peter then knew that what Jesus had predicted he would do in denying his beloved Lord had been fulfilled, and he wept bitterly. Jesus was then tried and found guilty of blasphemy by the Jewish leaders and then taken to Pontius Pilate to be executed. Pontius Pilate could find no wrong as far as Rome was concerned about Jesus being accused of blasphemy, but the Jewish leaders said that he was also stirring the people against Rome by saying he was the new King of the Jews. And they charged Pilate as being accountable for punishing that by crucifying Jesus as a criminal. Pilate caved in to the crowd because he feared a riot, but deep in his heart, he believed Jesus was innocent, and also that he was their King. Pilate told a Centurion to arrange for a squad of guards to escort Jesus to Calvary. The already large crowd continued to grow as Jesus staggered and buckled under the weight of the beam but he continued to drag it behind him. It was the custom to write a description of the crime committed on a clay plate and fix it to the top of the cross. Pontius Pilate had written an inscription that read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS” An angry voice called out above the crowd “Who wrote that inscription? – it's wrong”, and one of the temple priests had protested that It should have said that ‘He said he was king of the Jews'. However, Pilate had made it very clear to them earlier that he had written that inscription and it had to stay as it was. When the trek to Calvary was completed, it would take six full hours on Calvary for Jesus to die. Two criminals were already hanging on crosses either side of the hole where Jesus' pole was to be fixed, but these two men were tied to their crosses, not nailed. Jesus was finally hoisted up and then the pole was crudely dumped into the hole prepared for it, evoking stifled cries of shock and dismay from the crowd. But overriding these noises was the swelling chant of taunts and slogans coming from the crowd. Then the priests and the leaders of the Jews joined in telling Jesus to come on down from that cross and prove himself as the Son of God. As Jesus hung there the criminals beside him were weakening, groaning in their pain, when one of them turned to Jesus. He now wanted to have his last few words of bravado heard in this dark prison of life and death he had made for himself. “they're telling you to get yourself down, but how about us? That would be a real miracle, even I would believe you.” He was delighted with the impression this made on the crowd, as they clapped and cheered him. But the man on the other side shouted at him angrily.” “Are you mad? Don't you even fear God? Don't you know who this is? We deserve to be here, but he doesn't. He has never done a wrong thing.” He then turned to Jesus and said “Lord, will you remember me when you are in your mighty kingdom?” Jesus turned his head and looked at him with love, saying “Today you are coming home with me to Paradise.” Jesus looked down at his mother standing next to John and he spoke to her through parched lips.“Mother let him be your son.” His head then turned towards John. “Son let her be your mother.” John stood with her as she watched her son's life draining from him. High noon surrendered to a deep darkness which remained for three full hours. Darkness took over that day in those last hours, and put a stop to some things. Shouts of bravado that just moments ago would have roused bold echoes now hung hollow in the still air, and those mockers that had stood close to the action at the foot of the cross now slid back into the crowd. The gigantic spirit of Jesus absorbed the full impact of Satan as all hell's hateful fury hit him, and as every vile thing ever done by countless millions of crippled hearts down through the ages and for the ages to come assailed his being. Thunder cracked and the earth began to shake. The great spirit of Jesus swallowed every vile accusation that Satan hurled at him, and he took them all into himself and locked them safely within his vault of perfect love. He was completely innocent of any one wrong deed. He rallied his strength once more, but another missile of horror careened into him more powerfully and more deadly than anything before. He was living out the prophetic fulfilment of the first verse of Psalm 22 spoken by David. ‘My God My God why have you forsaken me? 'The source of this horrific thought was not Father God. Darkness had assailed the human heart of Jesus, the Son of Man, of the lineage of David, and in an instant, he knew the answer to his question. He had not been forsaken by his Father, but in his humanity, he had experienced forsakenness for a moment, so that no living soul from this time on would ever have to feel forsaken by God again because of their human weakness. God did not forsake Jesus, and he did not forsake Adam and Eve and he does not Forsake us. people forsake other people but God does not forsake us. Jesus was always aligned with God's will and throughout his entire life he could identify exactly with what we go through but he never deviated from God's will. The Bible says that Jesus was tempted in all points just as we are, so he was tempted to feel forsaken here just like we would be, as that is a human feeling. Instead of departing from his Father, Jesus, on the cross begins quoting Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He turns to the Word—to truth itself. Jesus, who inspired the psalm through David, knows the full story it tells. Though it begins with a cry of abandonment, the psalm moves from hopelessness to hope, and finally to praise and gratitude. There's a shift amidst the pain and chaos of mocking and the dividing of garments where Jesus proclaims the turning point and what began in sorrow ends in victory. Jesus declares in the psalm “I will praise you in the great congregation; I will sing your praises among my people.” This shows that Jesus never departed from his Father in spirit. That connection strengthened his soul. He faced every temptation and triumphed—not by escaping pain, but by holding fast to truth. His journey shows us how to move from feelings of abandonment to faith, from despair to healing. We are not alone. We walk the path of restoration with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—not separated, but deeply united. Jesus had something more to say but his throat felt parched so a soldier put a sponge up on a pole to Jesus, who could now say loudly and clearly what had to be said in his last moments “Father into your hands I now offer my Spirit.” Then in one last gasp he shouted loudly for all about him to hear. “It is finished!” Then he died. And he and we were placed securely in The Father's loving hands. At the moment of his death the cosmos convulsed. An earthquake tore a searing gash into the mountainside and people were toppled off their feet. Rocks split apart and the graves and tombs on a nearby hill cracked open. People ran in fear from the place, but they did not know where to go. At that moment there were priests in the temple about to sacrifice the Passover lamb, and when their knife pierced the sacrificial animal the true Lamb of God offered himself on Calvary as the final sacrifice for all sin. The priests were thrown off their feet by the earthquake. The temple shook as huge stones fell from the parapets and the great veil in the temple proper which separated the place of God's presence in the holy place from the rest of the temple, was lightning torn, top to bottom. When that veil was torn it signified that Christ as both man and God had not only done away with the separation of mankind from God in the temple, but he had done away with the separation of mankind from God in all the earth. He had gone ahead for all of us to live in his abiding presence. We can now have faith to come confidently into this holy place in our own hearts because of his mercy upon our imperfect humanity and we can receive the power of his life within us to do what is right and pleasing to God. The veil that was torn when Jesus died on the cross on that awesome day was a declaration of the certain hope of our salvation and loving forgiveness and has become the anchor for our souls. The moment Jesus died the cosmic law of sin and death was being overturned to make way for a new cosmic law to come into effect - the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, and that new cosmic law did not exist in Eden with Adam and Eve. It would occur only after Jesus rose from the dead and sent the Holy Spirit to give us the risen life of Jesus within, and a new heart like his own. Our hearts can now be fulfilled with a new desire that freely chooses to fulfill the desires of God's heart. Thank you, Jesus, for overturning the law of sin and death, and for giving to us the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. May we enter through that torn veil and live that life with your heart towards the Father. Amen Paul O'Sullivan – pauloss@icloud.com
Longview Campus | Pastor Nick Sizemore continues our series with Jesus' statement "My God My God, why have you forsaken me?" and shares on how to follow Jesus through trials with the knowledge that God is with us.
Woodland Campus | Pastor Jonathan continues our series with Jesus' statement "My God My God, why have you forsaken me?" and shares on how to follow Jesus through trials with the knowledge that God is with us.
Did God actually forsake Jesus when Jesus cried out in verse 46; “My God My God why have You forsaken Me?” We will be answering this question in great depth, as well as looking through the rest of the verses in chapter 27. Some interesting insight that I felt the Holy Spirit showed me in verse 60 on why Matthew uses the word new in regards to the tomb that Jesus was laying in. Josiahmovius12@yahoo.comLike to support my podcast? Cashapp: $Josiah-Movius / Venmo: Josiah-Movius
Psalm 22 is a detailed & accurate prophecy describing a righteous man being executed by crucifixion by evil men, written 800 years before crucifixion was invented. Nothing in Ps 22 was fulfilled by David, either in the details of his suffering or in the world-wide consequences of his death. Rather as a prophet (Acts 2:30), David spoke by the Spirit of Prophecy, enabling him to describe Messiah's inner thoughts & feelings on the Cross. Whereas the Gospels record outward events, Messianic Psalms (like 22) reveal His inner experience. It is messianic from start to finish, a prophecy of His death & resurrection, followed by the Gospel going to the world, and the establishment of God's Kingdom. This is confirmed by New Testament quotes from Ps 22, claiming Jesus is the fulfilment. Along with Isa 53, it has special importance in providing a detailed revelation of the Cross. It's written in 2 Parts corresponding to (1) Christ's SUFFERINGS (v1-21), and (2) the GLORIES that would follow (v22-31), see 1Pet 1:10-11. The 1st Part is a Lament, in which an isolated man, surrounded by enemies, suffers & prays on the altar of sacrifice (v1-21a). He describes his sufferings, but also turns to God and declares his faith, requesting God to draw near to save Him. Then it moves from travail to triumph in v21b, when he declares: “You have answered me”. The 2nd Part is a Thanksgiving Psalm, where He rejoices in his victory, and thanks God for accepting his sacrifice and delivering him from death, and for all the blessings released as a result. He is no longer alone, but praises God in the midst of His brethren. He declares the Gospel of His finished work will be declared around the world and down the ages, resulting in the salvation of the Gentiles (as well as Jews), and God's Kingdom established over all. *Part 1 consists of 3 Laments: (1) His spiritual suffering & desolation (v1-2), followed by a declaration of faith in God (v3-5). (2) His mental suffering & humiliation as a social outcast (v6-8), followed by a faith-declaration and request to God (v9-11). (3) His physical suffering - the torture of crucifixion (v12-18), followed by a faith-declaration & request (v19-21). Each time, He first expresses His feelings and describes His suffering (the focus is on ‘I' & ‘ME'). Then He turns his focus to God, saying: “BUT YOU.” So it is fine to express our feelings to God, but don't stop there, as if they are the final word. Don't stop with the negative, but go on to declare the truth of God, who has the final word. *Lament 1 describes his spiritual suffering, as he felt totally forsaken by God: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me (v11,19) and from the words of My groaning (roaring)? O My God, I cry in the DAYTIME, but You do not hear; and in the NIGHT season, and am not silent” (v1-2). He had a covenant relationship with God (‘My God') and walked with God all His life (v9-10,31), yet now all fellowship was broken. He experienced total separation from God's Presence. Ps 22 starts with him asking ‘Why?' The answer to this unlocks the meaning of the whole Psalm. The answer as revealed in v31 is that He was bearing the sin of mankind, as our sin-offering, and so experienced Hell (total separation from God's Presence) for us. Thus, the result of this one man's suffering is salvation for the world (v22-31). He suffered separation from God, so we might be restored to God's Presence. During the supernatural darkness on the Cross, Jesus quoted v1 in Matt 27:45 & Mark 15:33-34. By quoting the start of Ps 22, He pointed to the whole Psalm, saying He was fulfilling it all: ‘if you want to know what I am experiencing and what the outcome will be read Ps 22'. He prayed it all, ending with the proclamation: “He has done (finished) it” (v21). So, just before He died, He quoted the last verse saying: “It is finished!” (John 20:30). As v2 predicted, Jesus suffered on the Cross during the day (9am – noon), when He was the burnt offering, and during a night, when He was the sin offering (the supernatural darkness, noon to 3pm, Amos 8:9, Joel 2:31, Acts 2:20). Throughout this time, He called on God in faith to help Him. The physical pains did not cause Him to roar v1 in agony, for He only did this in the darkness, when He experienced God's wrath on our sin and the spiritual darkness of total separation from His Presence, as predicted by v1-2, fulfilled in Matt 27:45. We discuss the secular evidence for the supernatural darkness and prove it was indeed a night (v2, Gen1:5,14-18), and how this solves the paradox of the 3 days & 3 nights between His death & resurrection, and how it confirms He died in AD 33. In v3-5 Christ moves from His 1st Lament to a declaration of faith: “BUT You are HOLY.” This shows He knew the answer to His question in v1. When Christ became sin, God's holiness required Him to pour His wrath on him, and separate Himself from him. Thus, He praised God & vindicated His righteousness.
Psalm 22 is an amazingly accurate & detailed prophecy describing a righteous man being executed by crucifixion by wicked men, 800 years before crucifixion was even invented. Nothing in Ps 22 was fulfilled by David, either in the details of the man's suffering or in the world-wide consequences of his death. Rather David, being a prophet (Acts 2:30), spoke by the Spirit of Prophecy, enabling him to describe the inner thoughts & feelings of the Messiah on the Cross. Whereas the Gospels record the outer facts of these events, the Messianic Psalms (like 22) which reveal His inner experience. It is Messianic from the start to the end, a detailed prophecy of Christ's death & resurrection, followed by the Gospel going to the whole world and the establishment of God's Kingdom. This is confirmed by numerous New Testament quotes from Ps 22, which claim Jesus is the fulfilment. Along with Isaiah 53, hit as a special importance in providing a detailed revelation of the Cross. It is written in 2 Parts corresponding to (1) the SUFFERINGS of Christ (v1-21), and (2) the GLORIES that would follow (v22-31) – see 1Peter 1:10-11. The 1st Part is a Lament, in which an isolated man, surrounded by enemies, is suffering and praying on the altar of sacrifice (v1-21a). He describes all his sufferings, but also turns to God and declares his faith, requesting God to draw near to save Him. Then it moves from travail to triumph in v21b, when he declares: “You have answered me”. The 2nd Part is a Thanksgiving Psalm, where He rejoices in his victory, and thanks God for accepting his sacrifice and delivering him from death, and for all the blessings that will be released as a result. He is no longer alone, but praising God in the midst of His brethren. He declares the Gospel of His finished work will be declared throughout the world and down all generations, resulting in the salvation of the Gentiles (as well as the Jews), and the establishment of God's Kingdom over all. *Part 1 consists of 3 Laments: (1) His spiritual suffering & desolation (v1-2), followed by a declaration of faith in God (v3-5). (2) His mental suffering & humiliation as a social outcast (v6-8), followed by a declaration of faith and request to God (v9-11). (3) His physical suffering - the torture of crucifixion (v12-18), followed by a declaration of faith and request (v19-21). Each time, He first expresses His feelings and describes His suffering (the focus is on ‘I' and ‘ME'). Then He turns his focus on to God, saying: “BUT YOU…” So, it is fine to express our feelings to God, but don't stop there, as if they are the final word. Don't stop with the negative, but move on to declare the truth of God, who will have the final word. *Lamentation 1 describes his spiritual suffering, as he felt totally forsaken by God: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me (see v11,19) and from the words of My groaning (roaring)? O My God, I cry in the DAYTIME, but You do not hear; and in the NIGHT season, and am not silent” (v1-2). He had a covenant relationship with God (‘My God') and walked with God all His life (v9-10,31), yet now all fellowship was broken. He experienced total separation from God's Presence. Ps 22 starts with Him asking ‘Why?' The answer to this question unlocks the meaning of the whole Psalm. The answer as revealed in v31 & Isaiah 53 is that He was bearing the sin of mankind, as our sin-offering (1John 2:2, 4:14, Gal 3:13, 2Cor 5:18,21), and so experienced Hell (total separation from God's Presence) for us (2Thess 1:9). Therefore, the result of this one man's suffering is salvation for the whole world (v22-31). He suffered separation from God, so we might be restored to God's Presence. During the supernatural darkness on the Cross, shortly before He died, Jesus quoted v1 in Matt 27:45, and Mark 15:33-34. By quoting the start of the Psalm, He was referencing the whole of it (according to Rabbinic method), saying He was fulfilling the whole Psalm. He was saying, if you want to know what I am experiencing and what the outcome will be read Ps 22. He prayed the whole Psalm, which finishes with the proclamation: “He has done (finished) it” (v21). So, just before His death He quoted the last verse saying: “It is finished!” (John 20:30). As v2 predicted, Jesus suffered on the Cross during the day time (9am – noon), when He was the burnt offering, and during a night season, when He became the sin offering (the supernatural darkness, noon to 3pm, Amos 8:9, Joel 2:31, Acts 2:20). Throughout this time, He called on God in faith to help Him. The physical pains of the Cross did not cause Him to roar v1 in agony, for He only did this during the supernatural darkness, when He experienced God's wrath on our sin and the spiritual darkness of total separation from His Presence, as predicted by v1-2, and fulfilled in Matthew 27:45. We discuss the secular evidence for the supernatural darkness and prove it was indeed a night (v2, Gen1:5,1
Summary: A woman who is barren and can't have children in ancient Israel experienced shame and rejection. Yet here the infertile woman is singing loudly. Her house is so full of children and people it needs an expansion. God reverses her condition. Now no accusation or taunt can remain. They are vindicated by God. What we need: Security, approval, honour. To not be disgraced but to be held in esteem. Knowing that society approves of us is a longing of our heart. Why we can't: shame that produces fear. Inadequacy. Disappointment in the eyes of others. God has turned his face away from us. Why Jesus can: Jesus took our shame. He was spat upon, stripped naked, and slapped. All to shame him and make him an outcast. He was crucified beyond the walls of the city. An outcast's death. God turned his face away from Christ. He prayed with a broken heart: My God My God why have you forsaken me? Now what: When fear and shame is displaced by God's acceptance and honour we become confident.
7 Last Words, My God My God why has thou Forsaken?
My God My God, listen as God's Child Shatters Glass Ceilings in the realm of the Spirt and Apostle Collins releases Word, Wisdom, and Impartation to remind us We Must Praise!
Jesus shouted “MY GOD MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME!?” as he hung on the cross. But are we, as God's created beings, allowed to talk to God in that way? Are we allowed to shout at God, get angry at God, lament with God? Connect with us at ➜ Website: https://stjohnsdc.org.au ➜ Facebook: https://facebook.com/stjohnsdc ➜ Instagram: https://instagram.com/stjohnsdc
Luke 24:1-3 - Luke 24:1–3 (ESV) 1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, Mary Magdalene and Mary mother of James went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. Jesus suffered the most cruel physical death – plus suffering for all of our sins resulting in the overwhelming anguish forcing Jesus to cry out, “My God My God why have you forsaken ME!” Jesus, fully man and yet fully God, hangs on the cross a God forsaken man. After a three-year ministry, after the Cross, what happened that first EASTER Sunday? First of all, we do not have any evidence that any of Jesus' followers thought HE would rise from the dead. None of them! Embarrassingly, Jesus enemies were keenly aware that Jesus had proclaimed HIS resurrection because they asked Pilate to post a guard at Jesus' tomb so that no one would steal the body and thus perpetuate HIS fraud.
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying ldquo Eli Eli lama sabachthani rdquo that is ldquo My God My God why have You forsaken Me rdquo
SPECIAL GUEST Brother Andre Marie Host of ReConquest aired only on the Crusade Channel Follow Brother on GAB and Twitter - @Brother_Andre HEADLINE: Saint Vincent Ferrer 1419 by The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary 40 thousand miracles have been attributed to him. He was one of the greatest saints of the Dominican Order. He was a Spaniard and was born at Valencia. He was one of the main forces that ended the Great Western Schism, a hardship of the Catholic Church, which lasted from 1378 to 1417, when two, and eventually three, cardinals, one at Rome, one at Avignon and one at Pisa, were all claiming to be Pope. Saint Vincent Ferrer had the gift of tongues. Speaking in his own language, all who listened to him could understand him in theirs. Saint Vincent Ferrer raised forty persons from the dead. He cured thousands of the blind, the lame, the deaf and the dumb. He extinguished a fire with one blow of his breath. A laborer at Valencia, who had fallen from a staging, was suspended by Saint Vincent Ferrer in mid-air until he brought him safely and slowly to the ground. A swarm of butterflies flew into Saint Vincent Ferrer's room as he was dying. A great number of angels assembled there to take his soul to God. He was in his sixty-third year when he died. He would preach in Catalon which was his native language and whatever the language those in the audience spoke, they could hear him in their native language. The Church of The Holy Innocents in New York City In Spanish the rr is a distinct letter. He preached these mission and he just converted everyone in there. Glossolalia = The Gift of the Tongue Tonights ReConquest Episode 370: Dramatis Personae Hebdomodae Sanctae Jesus rode a beast that had never been ridden before. If something is used for a spiritual purpose you don't ever turn it into something for daily or normal use. You couldn't take that think and repurpose it. It has to be set aside for the sacred use. That is why Joseph lived a chaste life. Mary housed the Word Incarnate therefore her body couldn't be used for any other ‘regular' purpose. The 1st coming is the one that already happened and the 2nd is what we pray in the Creed. What makes this night different from any other night? The oldest boy, at a Passover meal, they have to tell their children about this night - what makes this night different than all other nights. The father tells the story of the Exodus. In Mel Gibson The Passion - Mary wakes up and Mary Magdalen is there and then you get the ‘jump scare'. At that point What Makes This Night Different Than Any Other Night? is spoken by mary Magdalen. Quick version of moving Missal from right to left is - To the left is North the Gospel is chanted facing where the Barbarians where. North is the liturgical symbol for the world. East is the land of the sunrise and holy. West is the land of the sunset which is evil. (West is where the sun goes to die.) The Barbarian threat was real and it was evil. If you look at where the Missal is for the low Mass, on the Epistle side it is square…when it is the time for the Gospel it is tilted slightly so the Priest is facing NORTH while reading it. Psalm 21 - Our Lord facing Rome, back to Jerusalem - It begins w/ My God My God why hast thou abandoned me? He is talking about the Gentile Church. Doctor Robert Hickson - in your charity pray for him he is dying, he used to be a major part of the SBC Conferences.
GOLGOTHA Jesus had been sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate and then tortured and flogged by the cruel guards of King Herod, and finally commanded by Pilate to carry his cross to Calvary, or Golgotha, which means ‘the place of the Skull'. Pilate told a Centurion to arrange for an escort of guards around Jesus to escort him to the windswept hill. The heavy beam of the cross was placed on Jesus' bleeding shoulder as they left the yard and went into the crowded street. The already large crowd continued to grow, some of them followers and friends, others bitter enemies, and yet others who were just confused and angry. Jesus staggered and buckled under the weight of the beam, but he continued to drag it behind him. It was the custom to write a description of the crime committed on a clay plate and fix it to the top of the cross. Pontius Pilate had ordered that an inscription be written that read, “The King of the Jews”. Golgotha was near the busy city of Jerusalem and the signboard was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it. An angry voice called out above the crowd “Who wrote that inscription? – it's wrong”, and one of the temple priests protested that it should have said that ‘He said he was king of the Jews'. However, Pilate had made it very clear to everyone that he had written that inscription and it would stay as it was. A few paces further on Jesus staggered again but this time fell headlong to the ground. The Centurion could see blood flowing freely from Jesus now and he knew that he had to keep him on his feet. A burly lumbering man who by the look of his clothing was visiting from some other region, was close by Jesus as he stumbled forward. The Centurion called out to the man and told him to help Jesus carry the cross. The man from Cyrene did what he was told and took the beam and strode on into a journey that was to be immortalized in endless time. When the trek to Calvary was completed, it would take six full hours on Calvary for Jesus to die. Mary the mother of Jesus stood on the flat terrain at the top of Golgotha along with her sister, the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene, and they were joined there by the disciple John, the other disciples having preferred to hang back from the crowd. Two criminals were already hanging on crosses either side of the hole where Jesus' pole was to be fixed, but these two men were tied to their crosses, not nailed. Jesus was finally hoisted up and then the pole was crudely dumped into the hole prepared for it. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside John, his close friend, he said to her, ‘Mother behold your son.' And to John he said, ‘Son behold your mother' And from that time on John took her into his home. Present amongst the growing crowd were some temple priests and other leaders of the Jews who jeered. “You were pretty good at saving others, but you can't even save yourself. If you are the Promised One, our Messiah, then come on down from that cross and prove it to us. Weren't you going to pull down our temple and rebuild it again in three days? Well, why not get yourself down from that cross?” It was the custom for a soldier to push a sponge of sour wine and myrrh into the mouths of those being crucified, but when the soldier did that Jesus turned his face aside and refused the swab, and the man joined the other soldiers who were throwing dice to see who was going to keep Jesus' robe. This fulfilled the Scripture that says, ‘They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my robe.'(Psalm 22:18) Dust was spitting itself into peoples' faces on this strangest of days and gusts of wind blew as storm clouds raced faster than usual across the sky, causing a flickering of sunshine and deep shadow. As Jesus hung there the criminals beside him were weakening, groaning in their pain, when one of them turned to Jesus. He had earlier on joined the choir of obscenity, picking up the ugly chant with gusto. He now wanted to have his last few words of bravado heard in this dark prison of life and death he had made for himself, and he shouted out. ‘So you're the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you're at it!' But the man on the other side shouted at him angrily. “Don't you even fear God when you are dying? We deserve to die for our evil deeds, but this man hasn't done one wrong thing.” He then turned to Jesus and said. ‘Lord, will you remember me when you are in your mighty kingdom?' Jesus turned his head and looked at him with love, saying “Today you are coming home with me to Paradise.” High noon surrendered to a deep darkness which remained for three full hours. Darkness took over that day, and in those last hours it put a stop to many things. Shouts of bravado that just moments ago would have roused bold echoes now hung hollow in the still air, and those mockers that had stood close to the action at the foot of the cross now slid back into the crowd. There were Angels suspended within this pall of sadness that shrouded the desolation below and Heaven waited in eternity as three hours of darkness passed on earth. Then Satan shot himself like a dart into the one that hung between two criminals on a lonely plateau of the place of the Skull. The gigantic spirit of Jesus absorbed the full impact of Satan as all hell's hateful fury hit him, and as every vile thing ever done by countless millions of crippled hearts down through the ages and for the ages to come assailed his being. Thunder cracked and the earth began to shake. The magnitude of this kind of collision, the sum of all sin hitting the sum of all innocence, would shake all created things. A swirling sea of fear sought to pull Jesus under, but he hoisted his faith above the fear with absolute trust in his Father's love, as he took every vile accusation that Satan hurled at him and locked them safely within that vault of perfect love. He owned it all, yet he was completely innocent of any wrong deed. Another missile from Satan hit him. It was black and fathomless, nothingness. It was like annihilation. He was living out yet another prophetic fulfilment of Psalm 22 spoken by David over five hundred years before. ‘My God My God why have you forsaken me?'(Psalm 22:1) The source of this horrific thought was not Father God. Darkness had assailed the human heart of Jesus, the Son of Man, of the lineage of David, and in an instant, Jesus knew the answer to his own question. He had not been forsaken by his Father, but in his humanity, he had experienced forsakenness for a moment, so that no living soul from this time on would ever have to feel forsaken by God again because of their human weakness. As he hung there, he embraced the tragic weakness of humanity and touched the feelings of forsakenness for every human soul throughout all ages. The vast bank of love and compassion that filled heaven filled his heart and went out to a beloved humanity. He looked at the mocking faces out there in the crowd and he loved them. He sent his voice into a waiting heaven and cried out. ‘Father, forgive them – they don't know what they are doing.' He had done it. It was finished. The Plan of Salvation could now be put into effect. Jesus had something more to say but his throat felt parched, and he wanted to speak with strength. ‘I'm thirsty,' he gasped, fulfilling yet another Scripture (Psalm 69:21). ‘and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.' The Centurion ordered a soldier to give Jesus the vinegar/wine sponge, and then Jesus spoke out in a loud voice ‘Father into your hands I now offer my Spirit.' Then in one last gasp he said for all to hear. ‘It is finished!' Then he died. And he and we were placed securely in The Father's loving hands. The Jewish leaders didn't want the victims hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath at that, for it was the Passover) - so the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus to quicken their deaths in order to take their bodies down. But when they came to Jesus they didn't break his legs because they saw that he was dead already. However, to make sure that he was truly dead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out. The soldiers did this in fulfillment of yet two more of the prophetic Scriptures from Psalm 22 that say, “Not one of his bones shall be broken,” and, “They shall look on him whom they pierced.” Who brought about the death of Jesus? Was it His Father, The Jews, The Romans, our sin? All of these played very significant parts, and there are Scriptures for each of their roles. But it was finally Jesus who said these words. John 10:17…I lay down my life for my sheep - I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This command I have received from My Father.” At the moment of his death the cosmos convulsed. An earthquake tore a searing gash into the mountainside and people were toppled off their feet. Rocks split apart and the graves and tombs on a nearby hill cracked open. People ran in fear from the place, but they did not know where to go. At that moment there were priests in the temple about to sacrifice the Passover lamb, and when their knife pierced that sacrificial animal the true Lamb of God offered himself on Calvary as the final sacrifice for all sin. The priests were thrown off their feet by the earthquake and the temple shook as huge stones fell from the parapets. The great veil in the temple proper, which separated the place of God's presence in the holy place from the rest of the temple was lightning torn from top to bottom. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!' When that veil was torn it signified that Christ as both man and God had done away with the separation of mankind from God symbolised by the veil in the temple worship, but this opening of the veil had also done away with the separation of mankind from God in all the earth. He had gone ahead for all of us to so that we could live in his abiding presence. We can now have faith to come confidently into this holy place in our own hearts because of his mercy upon our imperfect humanity and we can receive the power of his life within us to do what is right and pleasing to God. The veil that was torn when Jesus died on the cross was the awesome declaration of the certain hope that we can live in his presence at all times, behind that veil of separation. Jesus was without sin because he trusted his Father with all his heart to fulfill his own heart's desires. His human desires which are common to us all were subdued by his higher heartfelt Godly desire and so they did not conceive and give birth to sin, and therefore did not bring forth death (James 1:15). The moment Jesus died the law of sin and death was being overturned to make way for a new spiritual law to come into effect - the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, and that spiritual law did not exist in the Garden of Eden. It would occur only after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and the sending of the Holy Spirit to give us the risen life of Jesus within, and to give us a new heart of compassion like his own. Our hearts can now be fulfilled with a new desire that freely chooses to fulfill the desires of God's heart.
480 The Lord Sends His Goodness in the Daytime and His Song at Night, O My Soul, A Guided Christian Meditation on Psalms 42:8-11 with the Recenter With Christ app I'm Chaplain Jared and I work as a hospice chaplain and an ICU chaplain. My purpose in making this podcast is to help you find more peace in your life and to be more open for your heart to be changed by the Spirit of God. By using centuries old form of Christian Meditation named Lectio Divina: Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization. Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tensing or unrelaxing. If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes. Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation: Breathe and direct your thoughts to connecting with God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate, deflate. Bible verses for Meditation: Psalms 42 ESV By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10 As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. NASB 8 The Lord will send His goodness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life. 9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries taunt me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him For the help of His presence, my God. Meditation: God makes his blessings and goodness available at all times. Yet at times we may feel that He has turned his back on us. This echoes back to Psalm 22 which states “My God My God, why hast thou forsaken me.” A Psalm that would be Quoted by Jesus himself while on the Cross. The most profound message in Christianity is not that God gets us out of every mess when we want him to or when it seems necessary for us, it is that God allows things to be done for His purposes. When Jesus Christ prayed in the garden of Gethsemane before his death, he asked for the cup to be removed from Him. Finally on the cross as his sacrifice was near complete he felt forsaken. This feeling is not a measure of God's failure since it was uttered by the Redeemer Himself. Our current struggles are not a reflection of our righteousness. The answer to this conundrum is not that God is failing or that we are, but that God continues worthy of praise and love, even when we don't understand the working of His world. Be patient. Ignore the taunting of the enemy and others who don't understand your faith. Wait for God. Praise him His presence will heal. Meditation of Prayer: Pray as directed by the Spirit. Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him. Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm: I invite you to sit in silence feeling patient for your own faults and trials. Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life: This is a listener funded podcast at patreon.com/christianmeditationpodcast Updates: Final Question: In what ways do you thirst for God? Final Thought: FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: jared@christianmeditationpodcast.com Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod
My God My God. These testimonies continue to prove that when you really want to get right with God the RIGHT way, he will guide you. Sister Jenita was a devout Catholic for 30 years!!! She prayed to mary statue, prayed to that fake white man that catholics say is Jesus and the craziest part... She truly believed that the statues performed miracles for her. As she was in her catholic ways, sister Jenita began a worldly life of constant partying drinking and fighting. As time went on, her brother would encourage to stop her folly in the world and get in church. After years of her worldy conduct, sister Jenita decided it was time to stop and go to church. She ended up in some false church for about 1 year but was not getting the food she needed. What happen's next? She picks up where she left off. Sister Jenita continued to party, continued to drink, and of course continued to fight. One night while she was in the club, she began to ask herself... "What am I doing here"? God began dealing with her.. during a party!!! It was time for sister Jenita to stop playing around and get right with God. She began attending a church and the minister there was preaching truth. As time went on in that church, sister Jenita heard that a man named Gino Jennings is coming to Rodrigues Islands. She never met him, nor ever heard of him until that time. She went online, did a few clicks and boom, there is Apostle Gino Jennings on YouTube. Just from hearing a few minutes of the teachings, she broke and tears and realized that this is exactly what she needed. Sister Jenita said in that moment, the message that was being preached was for her! Fast forward to today, sister Jenita is striving in this hard holy way! We give God thanks for his goodness and mercy and delivering our sister Jenita from falsehood and a stronghold in the world. Keep sister Jenita, her family, myself and my family in prayer so that we can continue to strive and hold on to God's unchanging hand in this hard holy way. Let's continue keep the apostle, his family, the faithful ministering brethren, their families, the sick, the afflicted and one another in prayer. First Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ YouTube : https://youtube.com/c/FirstChurchTrut... First Church Website : https://truthofgod.com/ I Thrived Podcast website : https://www.ithrivedpodcast.com/ Do not forget to like, share and SUBSCRIBE!!!! Subscribe to the ITHRIVED PODCAST https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDU7... I Thrived Podcast on Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/show/1R52Yps... Follow the ITHRIVED Podcast Facebook : https://m.facebook.com/ithrivedpodcas... Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/ithrivedpod... Host : Sundin Esperance Email : info@ithrivedpodcast.com
Exodus 10:21-23 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.Social DarknessThe plague of darkness stands out from the others, among several reasons, because its effects are not physically threatening in the same way. The darkness was thick enough to touch, but it does not afflict the bodies of the Egyptians or their animals in the way that lice or boils did, nor does it threaten the water and food supply as happened when God turned the waters of the Nile into blood, summoned pestilence against the cattle, and sent hail and locusts to destroy Egypt's crops.The effects of the ninth plague were social and interpersonal: the darkness cut people off from one another: “No one saw his fellow or was able to get up from their place for three days” (Exodus 10:23).The Book of Exodus tells us that they did not experience the darkness, but other texts suggest it engulfed them too. In Psalm 107, a psalm that recounts the plagues, we learn that the Exodus involved deliverance not just from slavery but also from “darkness.”Darkness is specifically associated in the Bible with God's abandonment and that is one reason it is so severe a sign of His judgment.Matthew 27:45 “Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour, and about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?”Pharaoh's responsePharaoh is not really interested in continuing the conversation. Pharaoh dismisses him with an unveiled threat. Basically it's this; “I'll kill you if you show your face to me again. You come into my presence again and you show your face here again, I'll kill you on the spot.The darkness ends after three days, but Pharaoh never finds a way beyond his own mistrust. Following the plague, he summons Moses to tell him that he never wants to see him again, to which Moses responds,“You speak correctly. I will not see your face again” (Exodus 10:28)The plague of darkness basically returns us to the situation that existed in the world, in the universe prior to the first day of creation.This plague of darkness shows the sovereignty of God over Ra, the sun god, the chief of the gods of Egypt. The Egyptians worshipped Ra. So, when God through Moses announces, not a day, not just the daylight hours, but three days of darkness, He is showing that the God of the Hebrews in sovereign over the chief deities over Egypt.There is deliverance after darknessThis was the last plague before Passover. God is so sovereign that no force in this universe could possible challenge Him. Pharaoh was still defiant but when God has set a plan in motion nobody can stop Him.The apostle Paul said, “if God is for us then who can be against us?”The plagues were not only intended to punish Pharaoh and his people for their mistreatment of the Israelites, but also to show them the powerlessness of the gods in which they believed.The word “Egypt” in Hebrew is “Mitzrayim.” It is related to the word maytzarim, which means boundaries, constraints, or limitations. It is symbolic of the limitations we experience in this physical world. God is telling us that even in this place of extreme darkness there can be found a light. The greater the darkness, the greater the light that can be found within.This plague of darkness on the Egyptians, darkness so thick they could not see one another, nor could they even move around—while there being no effect on the Israelites—is a reminder to us of the power of light as a symbol of hope, even in the darkest of hours.Matthew 4:16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.”> This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit myeveningdevotional.substack.com
CALVARY Jesus had been sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate and then tortured and flogged by the cruel guards of King Herod, and finally commanded by Pilate to carry his cross to Calvary, or Golgotha, which means ‘the place of the Skull'. Pilate told the Centurion to arrange for an escort of guards around Jesus to escort him to the windswept hill. One of the Centurion's men put the heavy beam on Jesus' bleeding shoulder as they left the yard and went into the crowded street. The already large crowd continued to grow, some of them followers and friends, others bitter enemies, and yet others who were just confused and angry. Jesus staggered and buckled under the weight of the beam but he continued to drag it behind him. It was the custom to write a description of the crime committed on a clay plate and fix it to the top of the cross. Pontius Pilate had written an inscription that read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS” An angry voice called out above the crowd “Who wrote that inscription? – it's wrong”, and one of the temple priests had protested that It should have said that ‘He said he was king of the Jews' However Pilate had made it very clear to them earlier that he had written that inscription and it had to stay as it was. A few paces further on Jesus staggered again but this time fell headlong to the ground. He could see blood flowing freely from Jesus now and he knew that he had to keep him on his feet. He must not let Jesus die here on the street. A burly lumbering man who, by the look of his clothing was visiting from some other region, was close by Jesus as he stumbled forward. The Centurion called out to the man. “You, help him. He is too weak to carry that on his own.” The man from Cyrene did what he was told and took the beam and strode on into a journey that was to be immortalized in endless time, as a reminder to all of us to not just be onlookers but to take up our share of the burden of the cross. When the trek to Calvary was completed, it would take six full hours on Calvary for Jesus to die. Mary the mother of Jesus along with some of her companions reached the flat terrain at the top of Calvary and moved close to the area where Jesus was being nailed to the cross. they could hear the dull clink of hammers beating against metal, bone, and timber, mingled with the muffled sound of pain. Mary was also joined there by the disciple John; the other disciples having preferred to hang back from the crowd. Two criminals were already hanging on crosses either side of the hole where Jesus' pole was to be fixed, but these two men were tied to their crosses, not nailed. Jesus was finally hoisted up and then the pole was crudely dumped into the hole prepared for it. Some time was spent securing its placement so that it stood erect and stable in the rocky ground. A range of utterances rushed from the mouths of people standing watching when the cross fell into place and when the nails tugged on the body they were pinned into. Some of the sounds were stifled cries of shock and dismay while others were more like startled yells of alarm. But overriding these noises was the swelling chant of taunts and slogans coming from the crowd. Then the priests and the leaders of the Jews joined in the chant. “You were pretty good at saving others, but you can't even save yourself. If you are the Promised One, our Messiah, then come on down from that cross and prove it to us. Weren't you going to pull down our temple and rebuild it again in three days? Well, why not get yourself down from that cross?” John winced when he heard Jesus splutter as a soldier tried to push a sponge of sour wine and myrrh into Jesus' mouth. Jesus turned his face aside and refused the swab. Centurion ordered the soldier away and the man joined the other soldiers who were throwing dice to see who was going to keep Jesus' robe. Dust was spitting itself into peoples' faces on this strangest of days and gusts of wind blew as storm clouds raced faster than usual across the sky, causing a flickering of sunshine and deep shadow. As Jesus hung there the criminals beside him were weakening, groaning in their pain, when one of them turned to Jesus. He had earlier on joined the choir of obscenity, picking up the ugly chant with gusto. He now wanted to have his last few words of bravado heard in this dark prison of life and death he had made for himself. “they're telling you to get yourself down, but how about us? That would be a real miracle, even I would believe you.” He was delighted with the impression this made on the crowd, as they clapped and cheered him, but the man on the other side shouted at him angrily.” “Are you mad? Don't you even fear God? Don't you know who this is? We deserve to be here, but he doesn't. He has never done a wrong thing.” He then turned to Jesus and said “Lord, will you remember me when you are in your mighty kingdom?” Jesus turned his head and looked at him with love, saying “Today you are coming home with me to Paradise.” John put his arm around Mary's shoulders as she looked on, with tears rolling down her cheeks and her countenance numbed from all expression. John tried to shield Mary from watching but she wanted to see her son. She remembered tending his little body when he was a baby, that life that was part of her life. It was then that Jesus looked down at his mother standing next to John. He spoke to her through parched lips. “Mother let him be your son.” His head then turned towards John. Mary looked at John and clung on to his arm. “Son let her be your mother.” John stood with her and watched her son's life draining from him. As they stood shielding their faces from the biting dust that came in bursts, and their eyes from the intermittent dazzle of the sun, they were astonished to see the sun dimmed and the dazzle become a weak gleam. High noon surrendered to a deep darkness which remained for three full hours. Darkness took over that day, in those last hours and put a stop to some things. Shouts of bravado that just moments ago would have roused bold echoes now hung hollow in the still air, and those mockers that had stood close to the action at the foot of the cross now slid back into the crowd. There were Angels suspended within this pall of sadness that shrouded the desolation below as Heaven waited in eternity and three hours of darkness passed on earth. Then Satan shot himself like a dart into the one that hung between two criminals on a lonely plateau of the place of the Skull. The gigantic spirit of Jesus absorbed the full impact of Satan as all hell's hateful fury hit him, and as every vile thing ever done by countless millions of crippled hearts down through the ages and for the ages to come assailed his being. Thunder cracked and the earth began to shake. The magnitude of this kind of collision, the sum of all sin hitting the sum of all innocence, shakes all created things. A swirling sea of fear clawed at Jesus and sought to pull him under, but he hoisted his faith above the fear with absolute trust in his Father's love. His great spirit swallowed every vile accusation that Satan hurled at him, and he took them all into himself and locked them safely within his vault of perfect love. He owned it all. He had become the reservoir of all evil in one moment of time, yet he was completely innocent of any one wrong deed. He rallied his strength once more, but another missile of horror careened into him more powerfully and more deadly than anything before, sweeping over him and submerging him into an impotence and a canceling of all hope. It was black and fathomless, nothingness. It was like annihilation. This was the cup that he told Father he would accept, but he did not know it would be like this. He was living out the prophetic fulfilment of the first verse of Psalm 22 spoken by David. ‘My God My God why have you forsaken me?' The source of this horrific thought was not Father God. Darkness had assailed the human heart of Jesus, the Son of Man, of the lineage of David, and in an instant, he knew the answer to his question. He had not been forsaken by his Father, but in his humanity, he had experienced forsakenness for a moment, so that no living soul from this time on would ever have to feel forsaken by God again because of their human weakness. From this first verse and through many of the next nineteen verses David prophesied the agony of Jesus as Son of Man upon the cross, with such utterances as. Psalm 22:16 A company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet - they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots… And then, within the agony of the Son of Man the resurgent faith of the Son of God declared itself triumphally in the following verses. 19. But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!... Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard him, when he cried to him. As he hung there, he embraced the tragic weakness of humanity and touched the feelings of forsakenness for every human soul throughout all ages. The vast bank of love that filled heaven filled his heart and went out to a beloved humanity. He looked at the mocking faces standing round the cross and he loved them. He sent his voice into a waiting heaven and cried out. “Father, forgive them – they don't know what they are doing.” He had done it. It was finished. The Plan OF SALVATION could now be put into effect. Jesus had something more to say but his throat felt parched, and he wanted to speak with strength. “I'm thirsty,” he croaked out. The Centurion, who was ever there on duty, called the soldier over who had shoved the sponge in Jesus' face earlier. “Give him the wine sponge” he ordered. The soldier jumped to the command and put the sponge up on a pole to Jesus, who could now say loudly and clearly what had to be said in his last moments. “Father into your hands I now offer my Spirit.” Then in one last gasp he shouted loudly for all about him to hear. “It is finished!” Then he died. And he and we were placed securely in The Father's loving hands. Who brought about the death of Jesus? Was it Jesus, His Father, The Jews, The Romans, our sin? All of these played very significant parts, and there are Scriptures for each of their roles. But it was finally Jesus who said these words. John 10:17…I lay down my life for my sheep - I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This command I have received from My Father.” At the moment of his death the cosmos convulsed. An earthquake tore a searing gash into the mountainside and people were toppled off their feet. Rocks split apart and the graves and tombs on a nearby hill cracked open. People ran in fear from the place, but they did not know where to go. At that moment there were priests in the temple about to sacrifice the Passover lamb, and when their knife pierced the sacrificial animal the true Lamb of God offered himself on Calvary as the final sacrifice for all sin. The priests were thrown off their feet by the earthquake. The temple shook as huge stones fell from the parapets and the great veil in the temple proper, which separated the place of God's presence in the holy place from the rest of the temple was lightning torn from top to bottom. When that veil was torn it signified that Christ as both man and God had not only done away with the separation of mankind from God in the temple, but he had done away with the separation of mankind from God in all the earth. He had gone ahead for all of us to live in his abiding presence. We can now have faith to come confidently into this holy place in our own hearts because of his mercy upon our imperfect humanity and we can receive the power of his life within us to do what is right and pleasing to God. The veil that was torn when Jesus died on the cross on that awesome day was a declaration of the certain hope of our salvation and loving forgiveness and has become the anchor for our souls. The carrion crows were in for a disappointment that day. They were not to know that the next day was the Sabbath, and that it was against temple law for dead bodies to be left hanging on a holy day, so all the criminals had to be dead before sundown and taken off their crosses. The two criminals who were tied to their crosses were still a long way from death so Centurion had his men break their legs so that they would die quickly. The Centurion then had the task of ascertaining if Jesus was indeed dead. He called over one of his guards. “Give me a lance,” he commanded. He took the shaft and instructed the guard on how to plunge it into Jesus body, under his heart, where the pericardial sac would have amassed body fluids if he had expired. Water gushed out and the Centurion knew the day's work was done. Having witnessed the earthquake and all the things that were done he knew that this man was indeed the Son of God. The Prince of Darkness now realized that this man's body, which had just been destroyed on Calvary and which had contained no fault or sin could not suffer the consequence of sin, which is death, and therefore could no longer be kept captive in the grave of this lower world, as Jesus says through David in the Psalm You will not let my soul rest in the grave, you will not let your Holy One see corruption (Psalm 16:10). Scripture is clear about the consequence of death from sin, right from sin's beginning when Adam believed the lie that Satan told Eve about them becoming as wise and as powerful as God if they ignored what God said about not eating from the tree of knowledge. That lie made them feel that God was withholding from them the wisdom and power that they could have without him. They thought that they would be more fulfilled by ignoring what God said rather than by trusting in a heart relationship with him. That sin resulted in the heart of humanity being separated from the life of God and led to their physical and moral corruption and final physical death. (Romans 5:12). All of humanity followed Adam's pathway of the ‘law of sin and death' as it is written; ‘All have sinned and come short of the glory of God'. And the Bible describes the process. ‘Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death' (James 1:14). In the forty-day of fasting and temptation of Jesus in the wilderness Satan had been given free rein to tempt Jesus to the fullest extent, and Scripture declares Jesus as innocent from both sin and its deathly consequence. ‘We know that Jesus had the same temptations we do, though he never once gave way to them and sinned.' (Hebrews 4:15) Jesus was without sin because he trusted his Father with all his heart to fulfill his heart's desires. His human desires which are common to us all were subdued by his higher heartfelt Godly desire and so they did not conceive and give birth to sin, and therefore did not bring forth death. The moment Jesus died the cosmic law of sin and death was being overturned to make way for a new cosmic law to come into effect - the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, and that new cosmic law did not exist in Eden. It would occur only after Jesus rose from the dead and sent the Holy Spirit to give us the risen life of Jesus within, and a new heart like his own. Our hearts can now be fulfilled with a new desire that freely chooses to fulfill the desires of God's heart. As Jesus hung on the cross and offered his spirit to his Father his spirit left his dead body hanging on the cross, and he saw a bolt of lightning and Satan being caught in it and hurled downwards. Jesus had foretold this to his disciples on two occasions, saying. I saw Satan as lightning falling from Heaven… (Luke 10:18). And also, Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." This He said, signifying by what death He would die. (John 12:31) Jesus also knew that before he ascended, he must first descend into the place of departed souls and he began to travel downwards himself, and knew he was on a mission of great purpose. Below him was a place called Paradise, and next to Paradise was a place called Hades. Thank you Jesus for overturning the law of sin and death, and for giving to us the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. May we enter through that torn veil and live that life with your heart towards the Father. Amen. To be continued…
As we approach Easter, Steve Barber helps us to consider the words of Jesus on the cross, "My God My God, why have you forsaken me?" and the act of salvation we have received through Christ suffering. Please subscribe to ensure you get notification of any future videos.
MY GOD MY GOD, A DINGO HAS GOT MY BABY! was the cry that campers heard the night that little Azaria Chamberlain disappeared Music intro: Nocturne by DJ Spooky
Homily Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. Year C. - Sunday, April 14, 2019 Luke 19: 28-40 Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalm 21:8-9, 17-20, 23-24. My God My God, why have you abandoned me. Philippians 2:6-11 Luke 22:14-23:56 Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here. NB - It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul’s homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog: “Faith, Hope and Love, A time of Christian worship and reflection” - Led by Rev Paul W. Kelly Texts used in this programme are for the purposes of worship and prayer for listeners wherever you are. Prayers and chants are taken from the English Translation of the Roman Missal, edition three, © 2010, The International commission on English in the liturgy. Scriptures are from the New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, by the national council of Churches of Christ, USA. , //adaptations to conform with Catholic liturgical norms, © 2009, by the same. [{selected psalms } - ***Psalm verses are (also) taken from “The Psalms: A New Translation” ©1963, The Grail (England), published by Collins.. **] Prayers of the Faithful are adapted from Robert Borg’s 1993 book “ Together we pray”. Published in Sydney Australia By E.J. Dwyer. (out of print). For more details please visit http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au/ Contact us at paulwkelly68@gmail.com Production by Kelly Enterprises Resources. May God bless and keep you.
2018-04-08-0830 Pastor Randy Smith is the speaker this morning April 8th, 2018 in the 08:30 AM service. Scripture: Philippians 2:6; Luke 23:33, 46; John 19:25, 28, 30; Luke 4; Matthew 27:45; Mark 3; Psalm 69; Ezekiel 18; Philippians 14 Notes: - The Cross is a payment in full for our salvation. - Jesus’s 7 phrases from the Cross: - 1) Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing - 2) Truly I say to you, you will be with me in paradise - 3) Women behold your son, (to the disciple) behold your mother - 4) My God My God why has thou forsaken me? - 5) I am thirsty - 6) It is finished - 7) Father into your hands I commit my spirit. - Jesus’s blood is the only thing that will get you to heaven.
Your personal mission statement is about the contribution you want your life to make in this world. Values define who you want to be. Mission declares what you want to accomplish with your life. If you have listened to the last episode on values and taken action on it...you’ve taken some time to think about and hopefully write down your personal values… In that episode I recommended that you take some time to think about how you want to be remembered by the most important people in your life in terms of the guiding principles that affect how you interact with people — how you live your life. Who you want to be. Your personal mission statement takes that a step further now. You’re values answer the question of how you want to be remembered in terms of character. Now think of the same relationships categories in your life and ask yourself what you would want the key people in your life to say about what you did in your life — your contributions, achievements, and experiences. ROLES What would you want your spouse to say what you accomplished with your life? What would you want your friends or business associates to say about what you contributed to this world? What would you want your kids to say about the experience you left behind on this planet when you’re dead and gone? I think the first time I did something significant about this was after I went to a Stephen Covey seminar in the mid 90’s. Covey talked about looking at my life through the lens of the different roles and relationships I have. He suggested that the place to start understanding life purpose is to get clear on my purpose for each key role in my life. Here’s what I wrote down back then. My spouse - My spouse is the most important person in my life. I will treat my spouse with love and respect at all times. My children - My children inherit the future. I will provide them with every opportunity within my means to develop them to their fullest potential. My friends - My friends are my devoted support structure. I will not neglect my friends but will always be there for them, as they are for me. My business associates - My business associates look to me for leadership and guidance. I will set the example of honesty and integrity in all my business relationships. My God - My God is the highest priority in my life. I will strive to live my life in a way that is honoring to Him. My community - My community is where my family lives, works and plays. I will be involved in making my community a better and safer place for all who reside here. Some people find that defining a purpose statement for each of the key areas of their life like this is the easiest way to start on the journey to living life with a clear mission behind everything you do. If you haven’t done this yet, you might try that approach. Think about each of the important people in your life and imagine how each would want to describe their thoughts and feelings about what you have accomplished in your life. Think about the key roles you play in your life. A student, friend, sibling, son/daughter, partner, employee, and so on. What impact do you want to have on others in each of those roles? What impression to you want to make? When you are at the end of your life looking back what would you feel really good about accomplishing in each of these key roles of your life? You may start with a written purpose statement for each of the roles you fulfill. If you just stay there for a long while that could serve you very well. Eventually, you might want to develop one single statement of purpose for your life as a whole. And in fact, some people find its best to start there with one statement rather than statements for each role in your life. Some do both. There’s no one size fits all to this. It’s a very personal thing. What counts is that you find the system that works for you to have great clarity on the purpose that drives what you do in your life. The mission that will make your life matter. If you want to move from purpose statements for each role in your life to one life mission statement look at all the purposes phrases you list for each role of your life and look for themes that may inform you of the overarching purpose for your life. HEROES In my journey of seeking clarity on my life mission over the years another helpful system I’ve discovered is to think about my heroes. Who has impacted you in the most significant, positive way? Was it a friend? A teacher? A relative? A peer? Make a list of your personal heroes. Then list the qualities, accomplishments and values you most admire in them. I don’t remember all the heroes I listed when I first did this exercise years ago. Some heroes stay the same and some change over time as we learn and grow and meet new people. Some heroes are alive, some are historic figures. Some are people I actually know and others are people I have just read about. As I reflect back on my heroes over the years, they all have certain qualities and accomplishments in common. All my heroes are courageous leaders who did and said things to positively influence millions of people around the world. They all left some type of multigenerational positive impact. They all left a pattern of success that they taught or that others could learn form and follow to become more successful, more fulfilled, more effective. And that’s one of the reason why our family mission statement starts with to courageously lead generations of people. And that’s one of the reasons why my personal mission statement is to develop and implement self-perpetuating leadership development systems that draw millions of people around the world to understand, live by and promote God’s universal systems for success. Hopefully as you identify your heroes and write down the characteristics and accomplishments that you most admire in them, you will get valuable clues to help you develop your own powerful statement of life purpose. THE PERFECT DAY Another way to get at understanding your life purpose is to envision and build the specifics for your perfect day, your perfect week, month and ultimately life. This is an exercise that starts to initiate you dreaming again. Moving you from your current situation to where you want to be, fully activated in your life purpose. The goal is to become passionate and committed, knowing you are in the process of living out your ideal life purpose. Here’s how The Perfect Day Exercise works: Spend twenty minutes just imagining what a 24 hour day would look like where you were fully living out the ideal purpose for your life. Write down hour by hour what your perfect day would look like. We’ll include on the Perfect Day Worksheet in show notes. Be as specific as you can about your feelings, what your environment looks like, smells like, and people that you are around. What time you wake up, travel, eat, meet, every aspect is to be as detailed as possible. Write down how you would feel inside as you go through your day. After you’ve gone through this initial brainstorming process outlined there, you’ll take all the information and write as a narrative story called “A Day in My Perfect Passionate Life” authored by you. If you want to go the extra-mile, write a narrative for your Perfect Week! Take the Perfect day and write out a perfect week by repeating the Perfect Day process for seven consecutive days. Watch out this could become motivating ! LIFE MISSION DISCOVERY QUESTIONS So this last system is a set of questions that will help you begin to think deeply about the passions, abilities, values and dreams that are deep within your heart and will provide clues to discovering your life purpose. Find a time and place where you will not be interrupted. This is something that would be a great guide for an hour or two or even a half day of solitude and silence. Write down your answers to each question. Write the first thing that pops into your head. Write without editing. It’s important to write out your answers rather than just thinking about them. What meaningful activities make you lose track of time? What do you care deeply about? What makes your heart sing? What lights you up? What energizes you? What’s wrong with the world that drives you crazy? What makes you weep or angry at the wrongness of it? What are you naturally good at? What do you usually get great results from doing? What do people typically ask you for help with? If you had to teach something, what would you teach? Imagine you are now 90 years old, sitting on a rocking chair outside your porch; you are blissful and happy, and are pleased with the wonderful life you’ve been blessed with. Looking back at your life and all that you’ve accomplished and all the relationships you’ve had; what matters to you most? List them out. Who inspires you most? (Someone you know or have learned about…family, friends or authors, artists, leaders, etc.) Which qualities inspire you, in each of those people? What do you value most in life? What character qualities do you want to be known for at the end of your life? If you could get a message across to a large group of people, who would those people be? What would your message be? What would you regret not fully doing, being or having in your life? If you had all the time and money you need to accomplish anything, what would you be doing with your life? After you have taken some good time alone to write down your answers to these questions, review all your answers and then start writing some statements or phrases that capture the themes you see in your answers. The act of even starting to write your personal mission statement is transformational because it causes you to declare your life priorities and you’ll be amazed at how your behaviors start changing to support what you say is important. WORDSMITHING YOUR MISSION STATEMENT A personal mission statement can take many forms, from bullet points to a paragraph to a sentence. But I’ll give a bit of guidance here on what I’ve found after helping thousands of individuals, families and companies develop mission statements as what I’ve seen is the most effective structure an ideal mission statement. Don’t get hung up on the form or even getting the exact right words as you are starting to do this. Just start writing statements that capture the essence of the answers you’ve given to these key questions. I’ve seen people end up in their first drafts with several bullet points that they are really excited about. I’ve seen some early drafts that are a long paragraph or even a few paragraphs. Ultimately, I’ve found it’s ideal if you can boil it down to one simple sentence that is compelling and easy to remember. Ideally, a personal mission has 3 parts: WHAT do I want to do? List key action words or phrases that indicate what you want to do. WHO do I want to help? List everything and everyone that you really want to help. What is the RESULT? Identify the key outcome you see for your life…the value you will leave in this world. How will the WHO from the second part benefit from WHAT you do? What difference, what result do you want your life to make? PROCESS SUMMARY Review your answers to the 12 Life Mission Discovery Questions and/or the 8 Purpose Factors that we discussed in the previous family round table episode on this topic. Review your answers from the Heroes exercise or the Perfect Day process. Look at all your answers and categorize key words and phrases regarding WHAT you want to do. Then the key words or phrases that reference WHO you want to help. Then list the words or phrases that describe the RESULTS or value for society that you want to leave behind at the end of your life. SAMPLE CONCISE MISSION STATEMENTS MICROSOFT MISSION To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. WHAT: To empower WHO: Every person and every organization on the planet RESULT: To achieve more LEVI-STRAUSS MISSION To market the most appealing and widely worn casual clothing in the world. We will clothe the world. WHAT: To market the most appealing and widely worn casual clothing WHO: The world RESULT: Clothe the world. LONNIE’S PERSONAL MISSION (first drafted in 1996) To develop and implement self-perpetuating leadership development systems that draw millions of people around the world to fully experience God and His enduring systems for success. WHAT: To develop and implement self-perpetuating leadership development systems WHO: That draw millions of people around the world RESULT: To fully experience God’s systems for success. LONNIE AND SHELLEY GIENGER FAMILY MISSION To courageously lead generations of people to become devoted friends and sold-out followers of Jesus! WHAT: To courageously lead WHO: Generations of people RESULT: To become devoted friends and sold-out followers of Jesus! KYLON AND TELIAH GIENGER FAMILY MISSION To lead generations of people to take extreme ownership, achieve their full potential, live gratefully and love unconditionally. WHAT: To lead WHO: Generations of people RESULT: To take extreme ownership, achieve their full potential, live gratefully and love unconditionally. TAKE ACTION Now it’s time for you to take action to create another system for your success. Download the systems for developing your personal mission. Then take some time answering the key questions that will help you begin to define your personal life mission. Go ahead. Take this foundational step to designing the life of your dreams...a life full of fulfillment and purpose! Resources: Download the Roles and Relationships Purpose Exercise if you want to start this journey of living a mission driven life by first identifying the purpose for each of the important roles and relationships you have in your life. Download Your Heroes Exercise to help you think about the qualities and accomplishments that would be most important for your life. Download The Perfect Day Imagination Exercise and take some time to expand your dreams for what might be possible in your life. Download this Mission Statement Made Simple System and thoughtfully answer these 12 questions that will pull from your deepest core what is really important to you in your life. Then create a draft mission statement using the guidance on the last page. Once you have done this, you are now in the good company of the smallest percentage of people who make the biggest positive impact on this world! Thank You! Thanks again for listening to the show! If it has helped you in any way, please share it using the social media buttons you see on the page. We'd also really appreciate any feedback or questions that might guide what we talk about in future episodes. Additionally, reviews for the podcast on iTunes are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show and we read each and every one of them. Join the Systems for Success Community! Subscribe to the Systems for Success Podcast on IOS or Apple Itunes. Subscribe to the Systems for Success Podcast on Android or Windows OS. Enter your email in one of the email opt-ins on this site for regular emails from Lonnie Gienger or the Gienger Family on additional Systems for Success. Follow Systems for Success on Instagram @systemsforsuccess Follow Lonnie Gienger on Instagram @lonniegienger
On this glorious Saturday "A Dude Talking About God" speaks about the feelings of abandonment we feel in general and what Jesus meant when he said "My God My God why have you forsaken me?" A Dude Talking About God also talks about the strongholds of addiction and how "buzz" words like addiction really mean the strongholds of Satan. Listen or call in 215 383 584
We believe that God inspired and led human beings to write the Bible as His revelation to us; meaning that all of Scripture is written by Him for our teaching, reproof, correction, and for training us in righteousness. And yet this all knowing, all powerful, all loving God forsakes His own son on the cross. This week’s What in the World question is: “When Jesus says, “My God My God, why have you forsaken me?” Why did He say it? Was it faltering resolve? Was He questioning God’s love? Was He regretting God’s choice to Sacrifice Him?” What in the world?!
Pastor Jeff looks at the 4th phrase uttered by Christ from Calvary's cross. My God My God why have you forsaken me. In his humanity Jesus cries his most desperate prayer and in doing so reminds us that he was rejected so we might be accepted.
Pastor Jeff looks at the 4th phrase uttered by Christ from Calvary's cross. My God My God why have you forsaken me. In his humanity Jesus cries his most desperate prayer and in doing so reminds us that he was rejected so we might be accepted.
Pastor Jeff looks at the 4th phrase uttered by Christ from Calvary's cross. My God My God why have you forsaken me. In his humanity Jesus cries his most desperate prayer and in doing so reminds us that he was rejected so we might be accepted.
Pastor Jeff looks at the 4th phrase uttered by Christ from Calvary's cross. My God My God why have you forsaken me. In his humanity Jesus cries his most desperate prayer and in doing so reminds us that he was rejected so we might be accepted.
"My God My God, WHY have You forsakem Me?"