Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: grace

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. 

The Ultimate Demonstration Of Love

Encouragement, Trust

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.  God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
1 John 4:16

What is perfect love?  It’s a love that is full and complete and needs no improvement.  A love that is at its maximum.  It’s a love that everyone longs for but no one will ever find outside of a relationship with God.

Perfect love is demonstrated through the person of Jesus Christ.  John 13:1 says, “when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”  

Jesus loved perfectly.  His love was full and complete all the way to the cross.  He loved with grace and compassion and forgiveness.  This is the kind of love people are looking for.  A love that has no end.

It’s easy for us to love when we are loved in return.  However, it’s difficult to demonstrate love for someone who does you wrong.  This is what separates perfect love from all other love.  

Jesus loves those who curse Him and blaspheme His name.  He died for those people as well.  Jesus demonstrated His love for the entire world through selfless sacrifice.  And that same love abides in the heart of every Believer.

As Christians we are to love as Christ loved.  We are called to demonstrate love to those who love us and to those who hate us.  Our ability to love comes from the love of God that is in us.  We are to love one another because God is the source of love and perfect love puts God on display.  Love is evidence of salvation.

Pray

Lord, give me a heart that is like Yours. Help me to love like You love. Your love overwhelms my soul and renews my spirit.

Immediate Action

Faith, Trust

But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭8:22‬

There is a story about a certain tribe in Africa that elected a new king every seven years.  The king would reign for seven years being treated with the highest honor and given every luxury.  The king had absolute authority even to administer power of life and death over members of the tribe.  

The only catch was at the end of the seven years a new king was chosen and the old king was killed.  This practice went on for years and every tribe member knew the provision and there was never a shortage of men wanting the position.  They were willing to forfeit their lives in order to enjoy seven years of luxury and power.

Jesus encountered a disciple who wanted to follow Him but needed to go home and take care of some business first.  Regardless of the situation, Jesus commanded an immediate response and obedience.  Jesus knew the heart of this man and what was happening in his personal life.  

Jesus is not saying that we are to neglect our families and friends but instead He is prompting immediate action.  Either this man was being greedy and waiting for his part of the inheritance or this man valued his family more than Christ.  Regardless, Jesus instructed the disciple to follow Him right then.

Many of us have excuses of why we can’t serve the Lord to the fullest right now.  We may only get one opportunity for certain tasks and if we don’t immediately obey we will miss out on a great blessing.  The Lord wants us to be available to be used by Him on His timing.  Don’t get caught up in the luxury and power of this world only to miss an opportunity to serve the Lord.

Pray

Lord, You have my heart and soul.  Show me where I need to be in complete obedience to your plans for my life.