Easter Archives - Pastor Stephen Dedman

He Lives

April 17, 2022 Pastor Stephen Dedman Faith, Salvation

“He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”
Matthew 28:6

Today we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday is a day that the world can be assured that God keeps His promises.

Because Jesus lived a perfect and holy life on this Earth, His blood that was shed on the cross became the atonement for our sins. Jesus became the spotless lamb that satisfied the wrath of God.

On the third day (Sunday) Jesus defeated death and sin by raising Himself to new life. Only God could do such a magnificent and miraculous work. That is why we worship and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Only Jesus could live and die and live again. All power and majesty are given unto Him!

Because He is risen, we have hope and assurance in salvation. One day we all shall leave this Earth. But glory to God we shall see Jesus face to face.

Heaven awaits us for eternal life in perfect harmony and glory where there is no more sin! No more death! No more tears! No more suffering!

It’s all because of Jesus. It’s all because Jesus lived. It’s all because Jesus died. It’s all because He lives!

Celebrate today with joy because God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son so that all who believe in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Our faith hinges on the resurrection of Jesus. Paul says, “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile (worthless and powerless); you are still in your sins!” (I Corinthians 15:17)

Let your faith in Jesus be the proof that others may see and believe.

Pray

Lord, I praise Your great name. You have opened my eyes to see who You are and I believe in You. Show me Your glory and increase my faith.

Will You Rest Today?

February 13, 2022 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Trust

“Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.”
Luke 23:56

One of the most forgotten of the Ten Commandments is the command to “rest.” As Jesus’ body laid in the tomb, it’s a great reminder that we are to rest just as God did. After God incarnate declared, “it is finished,” He honored the Sabbath once more just as He had at the beginning of creation. In the tomb, God rested.

Have we forgotten the command to rest? For the Jews, the Sabbath was a day to rest and not do any kind of work. The laws were very strict of what one could do on the Sabbath. For example, women were not permitted to look into a mirror lest they be tempted to pluck hair, which would cause her to break the law.

Remember, the word Sabbath means rest.

After Jesus was crucified, He was wrapped in burial cloth and laid in a borrowed tomb. Nothing is said about what happened between Friday night and Sunday morning because it was a day of rest so nothing happened. Jesus could have arose from the dead on Saturday but He didn’t. His body laid in rest.

Christians honor Sunday as a day to rest and worship. But do you allow it to be a day of rest and worship? Is God satisfied with how we rest and worship?

God worked six days and then rested on the seventh. He commanded His people to rest. But in today’s modern world we don’t honor this commandment like we should. Let’s honor God and do as He commands. Let’s rest and worship the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Pray

‭Lord, I honor You and keep Your Commandments in my heart. You have blessed me and I in return honor You.

The Worst Became Best

April 10, 2020 Pastor Stephen Dedman Faith, Salvation, Trust

“Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.”
Matthew 27:45-46,50

Jesus was executed and put to death. The Son of God was put to death on a cross for who He was. He came into the world and the religious leaders feared Him and hated Him. While at first it may seem that all is said and done, it was the plan of God from the beginning.

How encouraging it is to know that today is called Good Friday because death died when Jesus died on the cross. The worst day in history is really the best day because of Jesus. Just remember this when you are at your worst, Jesus is at His best. The worst possible thing that could happen was actually the best.

Can we be honest for a moment? Jesus said, “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) There are times in our life when we are ready to throw in the towel. We are frustrated, confused, and irritated when things don’t turn out the way we want them to. But this is when we must rely on the strength and power of God to reveal to us that He is up to something bigger than we are. God has something in the works that may not seem important at the surface but deep down in the grasp of things, God is doing a mighty work.

Don’t give up hope. Don’t give into the temptations of the enemy. Satan tried everything he could to keep Jesus from dying on the cross but God did not allow it to happen. Why? Because He loves you more than you realize. He is more powerful than anyone can ever imagine.

Whatever you may be going through right now, God has a plan and it is going to work out for His glory.

“Then is shall be brought to pass as it is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 15:54-57)

Lord, thank you for loving me so much that You sent Your only Son to die on the cross and save me from my sins. Help me to never lose hope in what You are trying to accomplish.