On the day Jesus was crucified, a sinister darkness blotted out the sun and smothered Jerusalem under a blanket of evil. It would have appeared to anyone seeing through eyes of flesh that the darkness, the devil, and death had defeated the Son of God once and for all. But what no one could see was that the Messiah’s death would strike at the very heart of evil.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Easter
Battlefield Memories
On the once bloody battlefield at Saratoga there stands a towering obelisk. A 155-foot-high monument commemorative of that decisive struggle where the British made their last stand over two centuries ago. It is a solemn and sober moment as visitors stand on that windswept hill, savoring that slice of national history. In the distance are the stately Adirondacks and the Taconics.
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And his name will be the hope of all the world. Matthew 12:21 (NLT) No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope. Acts 2:26 (NLT) Hope is our lifeline, keeping us engaged in the struggle. Marathoners press on to the finish line as long as they […]
Read MoreLike Him We Rise
For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. —1 Corinthians 15:13–14 (NLT) Let’s assume for a minute that there is no resurrection. The apostle Paul follows that thought in […]
Read MoreMy Redeemer Lives!
But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. —Job 19:25 (NLT) Too often Christians try to take the hideousness out of death. In doing so, however, we cut short the grieving process. We’re so eager to rush to the end and show the hope […]
Read MoreHope
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. —Romans 5:12 (NASB) The theme threaded from Genesis to Revelation is the plague of death, and all humanity has the disease. Being fallen creatures, we don’t want to face it. […]
Read MoreTransformation
“This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. . . . Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” —Acts 2:32, 36 (NASB) Imagine what it must have been like for Jesus’ disciples and followers, who […]
Read MoreHe Is Risen!
Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. —Matthew 28:1 (NLT) Resurrection comes from resurge or resurgence, in the sense of “coming back” or “renewing” or “rising up.” In other words, Jesus Christ, who was once down, dead, laid aside, crucified, […]
Read MoreEyewitness Testimony
Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. —John 20:1 (NASB) Imagine yourself a member of the jury in a courtroom, preparing to decide one of the oldest cases in history: The People vs. Jesus of Nazareth. The case regards Jesus’ […]
Read MoreJesus Understands
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. —Hebrews 4:15 (NASB) Do you know how Jesus learned obedience? Through lessons taught severely. Critics’ words, people’s actions, six illegal trials, unfair treatment, mocking, scourging, and, […]
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