Good Friday Archives - Pastor Stephen Dedman

Reflecting On The Cross Of Jesus

April 15, 2022 Pastor Stephen Dedman 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.

It Wouldn’t Have Mattered

February 16, 2022 Pastor Stephen Dedman Faith

Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save.”
Mark 15:31

What comes to mind when you think about the crucifixion of Jesus? If we close our eyes and picture the horrific event we can envision several things. The cross obviously, the three nails driven into His hands and feet, a crown of thorns, and the blood-stained body of Jesus.

These are definitely the gruesome pictures that we have of Christ dying on the cross. But if we notice closely this is not what Mark’s account depicts of the crucifixion.

Mark 15:21-32 doesn’t put a lot of emphasis on the physical description of the crucifixion. Nor does Mark describe the agony that Jesus encountered on the cross.

Instead, Mark depicts the humiliating and emotional abuse that came from the people who watched Jesus suffer and die on the cross. They made fun of Him and joked about Him with words of mockery and insult.

The central idea of the people’s attitude claims that if Jesus was truly the Messiah then He should save Himself and come down off the cross. Even the religious leaders claimed that He saved others so He should be able to save Himself.

So what would Jesus have needed to do to make the unbelievers believe? Would saving Himself and climbing down off the cross be enough for them to believe? Or would an empty tomb be the best evidence?

Even after Jesus arose from the dead the mockers still didn’t believe!

Sometimes we fall into the trap of needing God to do something really amazing for us to know that He is present in our life. Let the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus be enough evidence to show that God loves you unconditionally and wants only the best for you.

Pray

Lord, when I struggle to believe that You are in control, help me to remember the cross. When I start to think You don’t care, let me remember the empty tomb. Help me to know I don’t need anymore proof.

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.