Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: jesus

He Lives

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.

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. 

Make Him A King

Encouragement, Trust

‘Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.’
John 6:15

After Jesus fed the 5,000 men, the Jews sought to make Him king. The Jews had often suffered famine in those times allowing their surrounding nations and enemies to prevail against them. Once they saw the power that Jesus had to multiply a few loaves of bread they instantly thought He was the one who could also provide protection against their evil enemies.

Their plan would get rid of king Herod, who allowed the Romans to be in power, and force Jesus to bring control back for the Jews. Jesus perceived this notion either by divine revelation or by watching circumstances unfold. So before the Jews could team together and form a new government, Jesus departed to the mountain to be alone and to pray to the Father.

If Jesus would have become king on earth, He would have never went to the cross where He essentially conquered the entire world. Jesus was fully aware of what was happening and knew the hearts of men. It is also possible that the disciples themselves were going along with making Him king because it would give them a seat of power in Jesus’ kingdom.

Sometimes we get the wrong idea about what God is doing in our life. We must be careful to make sure that we are submitting to His will and not trying to accomplish our agenda. We know the power of God and we want to see great things happen but it’s not always the plan of God to do so. We must be patient and wait upon the Lord.

Pray

Lord, You know all things and I don’t. I submit myself to your authority and I will wait for You to instruct me. Help me to know Your will and Your way.