And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And He took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto Him,
“Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles: and they shall mock Him, and shall scourge Him, and shall spit upon Him, and shall kill Him: and the third day He shall rise again.”
Mark 10:32-34
Resurrection
…For Our Justification
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Romans 4:23-25
Because He Lives
Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:12-22
On The Third Day
Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. Genesis 22:4
Abraham, the father, had been directed by God to sacrifice his only son. Father and son were going to a certain place, to carry out the command of the Most High God. Remember Abraham had been promised that through “Isaac his seed would be called”, and that God would make of him a great nation.
Keep the word of faith spoken by Abraham in mind which he spoke in verse 5, and Hebrews 11:17-19. Abraham was certain of God’s delivering power.
Remember now the third day following the sacrifice of God’s only Son Jesus, if you will; now consider this. When Abraham and Isaac went on together; in the mind of Abraham Isaac was already sacrificed, that is what he was doing, where he was going. On this third day Isaac was delivered by a ram caught by his horns in the bush; now consider this Isaac’s resurrection .
Jesus and the Father were at the cross, the sacrifice for our sins. What Jesus did He did alone for you and me. He bled, He died, He was buried, and three days later He came out of that grave bodily; and He forever lives.
Believe Him and be saved.
God of the Living
Then came to Him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked Him, saying, “Master, Moses wrote unto us, ‘If any man’s brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.’ There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children. And the second took her to wife, and he died childless. And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? For seven had her to wife.”
And Jesus answering said unto them,
“The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: but they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For He is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto Him.”
Then certain of the scribes answering said, “Master, Thou hast well said.” Luke 20:27-39
Those who do not believe in the resurrection asking a question of how marriage works for those who are in the resurrection. It may have been a sincere question, but not likely. Most likely they; the Sadducees; were trying to trick Jesus into error of His thoughts.
Something we can learn form Jesus’s words is that first of all one must be accounted worthy to obtain the world of those who will receive the resurrection of life. Secondly, Jesus says that those in the resurrection will be similar to the angels, and like the angels will never die, but are the children of God.
We are assured by the words of Jesus that there is a resurrection of the Just when He says that “He is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not a God of the dead, but of the living…”
Now, who are those who are counted worthy of this eternal life? Only those who believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that He was buried, and that He rose from the dead, and is alive forevermore. Believe what He says, repent of your sins and be saved.
Hear Jesus
And He said unto them,
“Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.”
And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and He was transfigured before them. And His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.” For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son: hear Him.”
And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. And as they came down from the mountain, He charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of Man were risen from the dead. And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. Mark 9:1-10
Jesus states it many times in the Gospels that if we hear Moses and the prophets we will hear Him. He has also taught that if we hear Him we hear the prophets and Moses.
The Father tells us in the above passage that we are to “Hear Him”, but that does not mean the words of Moses and the prophets are null and void; it does mean all that Jesus says is to hear all that has been spoken of Him.
Hear Jesus today. He is the only way of salvation and eternal life (John 14:6).
Believe and Tremble
Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them, and healed them. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, “Thou art Christ the Son of God.” And He rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that He was Christ. Luke 4:40-41
Healing was given by Jesus Messiah the Anointed One of God. As He healed many people He also cast out demons. These evil beings recognized Jesus and His authority.
There are many in the world, that when they are asked, “Do you believe in God?” will give the answer of “Yes! I do,” but they do not believe in the Jesus the Christ/Messiah, and do not tremble before Him even as do the demons of hell.
In the epistle of James, it is written, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19). The fear the demons have of Jesus is evident. They know He is their Creator, and the along with their leader [Satan] know that they have only a limited amount of time before they are eternally consigned to the lake of fire.
Jesus would not allow the unholy to mention His holy name before the masses of people to whom He was ministering.
The question for you today is this, Have you trusted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? If not, you do not trust, neither do you believe in God. The only way to God is through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Remember the demons believe and tremble, because they know their time is limited. So is yours.
You Knew Not the Time
And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it, saying,
“If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.” Luke 19:41-44O LORD, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast Thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches. Psalm 104:24
When the Lord came the first time many who knew the prophecies of His coming did not know Him when He arrived. Prideful of empty religion, their rules and wrong understanding of mercy and grace kept them from seeing “The Desire of Nations” (Haggai 2:7) when He visited them.
Has the Spirit of God visited you and you have not yielded to His drawing you to the Lord Jesus Christ. He went to the cross and lay Himself down on it; He died, was buried, and He rose again. He is speaking to you. Do not reject Him. Call on His name and be saved.
An Offense to Jesus Christ
From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
Then Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee.” But He turned, and said unto Peter, “Get thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offence unto Me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” Matthew 16:21-23
If your opinion or view of who Jesus Christ is and His work He came to do does not agree with Scripture then you are an offense to Him.
He did Rise from the Dead
Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.
Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. John 20:6-10
The Error of Not Knowing the Scriptures, Nor the Power of God
The same day came to Him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked Him, saying, “Master, Moses said, ‘If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.’ Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? For they all had her.”
Jesus answered and said unto them,
“Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at His doctrine. Matthew 22:23-33
Rise Again
“And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and He would not that any man should know it. For He taught His disciples, and said unto them,
‘The Son of Man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill Him; and after that He is killed, He shall rise the third day.’
But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask Him.” Mark 9:30-32
On the The Third Day
And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them,
‘The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: and they shall kill Him, and the third day He shall be raised again.’
And they were exceeding sorry.” Matthew 17:22-23
Behold My Hands
“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said unto them, ‘Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe.’ And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said,
‘Peace be unto you.’
Then saith He to Thomas,
‘Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing.’
And Thomas answered and said unto Him, ‘My Lord and my God.’ Jesus saith unto him,
‘Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’
And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.” John 20:24-31
That Sunday Morning
“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, ‘Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and, behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you.’
And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.” Matthew 28:1-8
Because He Would Not Need It For Long
“When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: he went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.” Matthew 27:57-61
On This Great Day…
…I want all who will hear to know that Jesus Christ died for your sins, mine and yours, and that He was buried carrying away all our sin, shame and condemnation, and He rose from the grave on the third day. He forever lives.
Because He came out alive we can live with Him in eternity together with Him in His glory.
If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you shall be saved (Romans 10:9-10).
When you do that; and if you have already done that, then you know the greatness of this great Resurrection Sunday. Jesus is Alive.
Faith of an Outsider
“When Jesus heard, He marvelled, and said to them that followed, ‘Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ” Matthew 8:10-12
This Roman centurion was over a group of men that was about 100 in number. He knew authority when he saw it; and he saw Jesus as a Man with authority, so he knew he could trust Him with the healing of his servant.
Jesus in His words of the centurion’s faith was words of applause. It was a greater faith than He had seen among His own people; especially the Jewish leaders of their religion.
There is much the Christian needs to hear in the words of Jesus.
The first one I see is this; Just because you say your a Christian, yet do not believe the word of god, does not mean you are a Christian;
The second one that I see is, that judgment awaits all who claim to know Jesus, yet do not live according to His word, starting with believing what God says of His Son, and what the Son says of Himself; and
The third, just a thought; the judgment for a professor that does not possess the Spirit of Christ [God] is not His (Romans 8:9), and will be judged more severely.
It is better to be an outsider of the religious, yet believe the word of God, than to be a religious insider and miss God completely by not believing His word.
In closing these thoughts be sure you have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus shed on Calvary’s cross for the sins of the word, believe Jesus died, was buried, and that He rose again (Romans 10:9-10).
Experiencing Forgiveness
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15
Forgiveness is a difficult matter and event in life. I know that I have been forgiven many times by my parents, my wife, my children, grandchildren, and other people as well. I know that most of all I have been forgiven by the One who has created all things.
If anyone thinks that forgiveness is an easy matter, then they probably have not forgiven anyone.
The truth of the matter of forgiveness is this: Jesus Christ died for our sins, forgiving those who nailed Him to the cross, and paying the price for our sins giving redemption, forgiveness, and healing to all who trust in Him.
The person who would say, “I will never forgive you” or “I cannot forgive that” has never experienced the forgiveness of God. If we experience the forgiveness of God what is there in the world that could cause us to be unforgiving.
Come to Jesus trusting in His finished work on the cross and experience forgiveness; the forgiveness of Holy God.
The Father’s Will
“And this is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:39-40
Many have asked, “What is God’s will?” or “What is God’s will for my life?” Jesus gives us the answer for that in the words He speaks above.
One, it was the Father’s will to send His Son Jesus and to give Him those who would follow Him… I pray that includes you.
Two, it is the Father’s will that of all that the Father has given Him, including His own life, nothing would be lost.
Three, that those who see the Son of God believing on Him would have everlasting life.
Four, that all those who believe on Him would be resurrected and live with Him through eternity.
These four things are seen in the two verses above. It is the Father’s will that you would call on the name of the One who died for your sins, our sins; was buried, and He rose again the third day. Because He lives we live.
The Son of Man
“Then He took the twelve, and said unto them,
‘Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished. For He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge, and put Him to death: and the third day He shall rise again.’
And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.” Luke 18:31-34
The mission, the purpose of Jesus’s birth, life and ministry was about to come to fruition. He had told the disciples many times that He was going to die, and the third day He would rise again. They did not comprehend.
There are several things about Jesus that have surprised people, even to the point of denial, doubt and confusion and unbelief. There are some who believe in the good words and works of Jesus and they believe He was a good man, a good teacher, and a prophet; but deny who He really is. There are some who believe Him to be a spirit being who never really died, and thus never dying, He never rose again. These believe this because they cannot accept the truth of His becoming flesh at birth (the only begotten Son of God), that if He were really Deity, Deity could not bleed.
His physical birth, and His death signify clearly that Jesus was indeed flesh, bone, and blood – The Son of Man. His burial shows us clearly that a body, not a spirit being, was laid in the tomb. His resurrection, on the third day is evidence, proof and fruit of the truth of who He is – The Son of God. Thus, He is the Son of Man, the Son of God. The God-Man.
He died a physical death for our sins. His physical body was laid in the tomb dead. He was raised in a physical flesh and bone body for our justification. This same Jesus will come again in that same body.
Have you trusted Him as your personal Lord and Savior? Today is the day to do so.
Those Who Hear the Word of God
“And it came to pass, as He spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto Him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bare Thee, and the paps which Thou hast sucked.’ But He said,
‘Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.’ ” Luke 11:27-28
More than once in all of Scripture are the words of the Lord giving great blessing on those who read and hear the word of the Lord. One of those places is in the above verses; another is Revelation 1:3. The Psalms are full of the blessing on those who love the word of God – especially Psalm 119.
No person is more blessed than the one’s who will hear the word of the Lord and keep it. It must begin in what the word says about God’s only begotten Son Jesus, the sin of Adam kind, and the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, His burial and resurrection.
You have not began to hear the word of the Lord if you reject that Jesus is indeed the Son of God, God the Son.
Will you hear Him today?
My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation
“Then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
‘Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.’
And Joseph and His mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary His mother,
‘Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’ ” Luke 2:28-35
The man speaking is Simeon. A man who had waited for the Redeemer of Israel for many years. I have never heard much on the words which he speaks but they are definitely from the Lord, and dealing with the life of the new born Son of God.
My thoughts on this man are these. If Simeon was believing the word of the Lord, that he would not die until he had seen the coming of Messiah, then how can we lose heart concerning the second coming of our Lord, the Messiah, who is Jesus Christ?
Jesus came the first time as a baby, born of a virgin, and His bed was on straw in a feed trough for cattle. He grew into manhood, lived a holy, undefiled life, then laid His own life down on that wooden cross, was nailed to it through His hands and feet, they dropped that cross into a hole with a resounding thud, and He died there. He was taken down from that cross, and was buried showing clearly that He was dead taking away our sin; then He arose bodily from that grave. He forever lives and is calling all who will hear to come to Him.
Believe Him and live with Him forever, free from sin, shame, guilt and condemnation.
The Door Is Open…
“And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.” Mark 15:37-38
Jesus’s last words were spoken, “It is finished” and then something awesome and heavenly happened. The veil of the temple which was supposed to conceal the ark of the covenant, was torn in two.
It was torn from the top signifying that it was definitely the hand of God that tore it. What did this mean?
The old was being torn away, and the new was beginning. God was saying to one and to all who would hear Him, and receive the gift of He and His Son Jesus could come to Him. He is basically saying, “The door is open. Come on in.”
The door is opened by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Will you hear His voice and enter into His peace and rest? It is your call.
Have You Not Read The Scripture?
After the parable of Mark 12:1-9 Jesus said,
“And have ye not read this Scripture; ‘The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?’ “ Mark 12:10-11
.Jesus always has a good, even a great question or questions for His accusers. Jesus knows the Scriptures. He is the One who inspired, and gave the Scriptures. Since He gave them to us it is fitting and very proper and a means of the Christian’s growth in the faith of Christ to read them, hear them and do them for His glory.
The parable in verses 1 through 9 is a parable of those who rejected a land owners son, killing him, so that they might be the ones who would inherit the land, since the land owner only had one son.
The scribes and Pharisees, the hypocrites did have the sense to realize the parable was about them, and their rejection of God’s Son who was speaking to them – though they were too blind to see Him as the Son of God.
Do you read the Scriptures? If you are a Christian they are for you and your growing; being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). When you know and love Jesus you will read, know, and love His word. You will also see that His word reads you.
Jesus is the “Cornerstone” which the builders rejected. He is rejected by them so that others might be saved and come to the truth of who Jesus is. He is the Son of Man, the Son of God and God the Son who willingly laid His own life down on the cross and was crucified, dying for our sins, was buried, and three days later He rose again and is calling you to Himself. Call out to Him turning from your sins to the Lord Jesus Christ, and He will hear, and He will save you giving you eternal life.
Broken Pieces 