Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Salvation

Reflecting On The Cross Of Jesus

Salvation

Good Friday

Today we reflect on the death and burial of Jesus Christ and we must consider the reality of His gruesome suffering on the cross. It was prophesied and satisfied by Jesus, the Son of God. 

Jesus, fully man and fully God, lived a perfect and sinless life. He was physically, mentally and spiritually tempted by the devil. He was tempted as we are but He never sinned. For that reason, He was and is the only One qualified to die in the place of sinners. He was the spotless, sinless Lamb of God. 

Jesus died on the day of the Passover at the set time when the priests where to sacrifice the lambs (3 pm). He died in the place of all sinners and paid the penalty for all sins. Only Jesus could such a miraculous work. His final words spoken were, “It is finished.”

Jesus is the One who takes away the sins of the world. God sent Jesus because He loves you and wants you to live with Him for eternity to come. Before the world was formed, God had a plan and a purpose to redeem humanity. 

Satan tried every way possible to thwart and prevent the plan of God. Satan failed but Jesus prevailed!  Jesus died as a sinner who knew no sin. And that is why we have victory in Jesus!

As we reflect the on the Cross on Mount Calvary let us be mindful that it was Jesus’ choice to die. At any point Jesus could have called for a legend of angels to save Him and it would have happened. What was said by Jesus was done. He spoke the Word and it happened. So remember that Jesus was thinking of you as he hung on the cross.

It isn’t the old rugged cross members that save us from our sins.  It is the blood of Jesus that poured out of his body and dripped down the cross. God justifies sin through blood sacrifice. It was the blood of Jesus that satisfied God and justified mankind. We have forgiveness because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus. 

You are fully forgiven when you repent of your sin and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior.  You inherit all of the Kingdom of Heaven when you believe with all of your heart that Jesus is your Lord and Master. 

Repent and turn away from your sins. Confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. Confess your sins to Jesus and receive the free gift of salvation. God loves you and proved His love to you. 

Now let us prove our love to Him. Paul says in Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

Our duty and service to Jesus is to live holy and righteously which glorifies God. Do we mess up? Absolutely. Will we fail?  Of course we do, everyday. But Jesus is there to pick us up and give us what we need to be the Christian we are called to be. Jesus redeems us and restores us.

You cannot do it by yourself. You don’t have the power to do it. Only Jesus can.

Jesus is always available to help you and give you victory over sin and temptation.

Trust in Him. Rely on Him. Walk with Him. 

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for thinking of me. You lived and died for me. You give me eternal life because You love me. Help me to live holy and set apart from the evil that I witness everyday. You alone receive all the glory and honor for being the Savior of the world. Amen. 

Are You Ready?

Encouragement, Salvation

‘Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.’
Revelation 1:7

One day soon Jesus is coming back. He will return in the clouds for his church. It will be a glorious day and everyone will see Him.

The rapture of the church is something we should be watching for. There should be something in the hearts of every Christian that longs to be united with Christ. To live with Him for eternity is our hope and goal as a Christian.

John was given a very unique revelation or vision as to what will happen in the last days. He was prompted to write it down for all of us to read and understand. Notably there is significance as to the holiness of the presence of Jesus. Jesus will be worshipped and honored as He should be.

We should never fear the coming of Jesus rather we should rejoice in the occasion. Jesus desires to be with His bride and we desire to be with our Master and Savior. It is encouraging to know that one day soon we all will be in glorified bodies.

The main question is, “Are you ready?” Are you ready for Jesus to return in the clouds and take up His church? The only way to be prepared is to believe in our hearts that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross, and was resurrected from the dead on the third day. Faith in Jesus gives us eternal life.

Are you ready for Jesus to come?

Pray

Lord, prepare my heart and soul for Your coming. Allow me to be a witness to others to prepare the way for You to come and get all who believe. Until You come, I will strive for holiness and righteousness.

Victory Over Sin

Salvation, Trust

‘Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.’
Psalms 32:1

God has the power to forgive and forget our sin. The Bible makes it clear that the first step in receiving forgiveness is repentance. Jesus’ first mandate in His earthly ministry was repentance. Repent and be baptized.

When we try to hide our sin or justify why we sin, we fall into a trap of the Devil. The enemy doesn’t want us in fellowship with God and free from sin. Instead he entangles us into being bound up by the consequences and shame of sin.

There is power in the life of the Believer who is forgiven and set free. As we see in today’s verse, “Blessed is he whose sin is forgiven.” This is true on the day of salvation when we repented of our sinful life and it is true every time we confess our faults to God.

Great blessings await those who confess and repent of their sin. Fellowship with God is restored and we experience the love of Jesus that was shown toward us when He died on the cross.

If you find yourself falling into sinful habits and not grieving over them or confessing them to God, this indicates that you are not abiding in Christ. Return to Him in repentance; restore your fellowship with Him, and you will experience the victory over your sin.

Pray

Lord, I confess and repent of my sins. Restore my relationship and fellowship with You. Renew the joy of thy salvation in my heart. Cleanse me and make me new.