Before the Stone was Rolled Away!

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The Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak on Sunday when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. Suddenly a strong earthquake struck, and the Lord's angel came down from heaven. He rolled away the stone and sat on it. The angel looked as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards shook from fear and fell down, as though they were dead.

The angel said to the women, “Don't be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was nailed to a cross. He isn't here! God has raised him to life, just as Jesus said he would. Come, see the place where his body was lying. Now hurry! Tell his disciples he has been raised to life and is on his way to Galilee. Go there, and you will see him. This is what I came to tell you.”

Matthew 28:1-7

For some reason I always thought that the angel rolled the stone away from the entrance to the tomb of Jesus and the Resurrected Christ came out. That is not what the Bible says. It says that the angel rolled the stone away and revealed that the tomb was empty! There is a big difference. The Resurrection did not depend on the stone being moved. Jesus did not wait for the stone!

When a man is raised with Christ to walk a new life empowered by and led by the Holy Spirit there are "rolling stones" that would try to keep us in the tomb of our old lives! And so we sit and wait for someone to roll the stone away from the entrance to our tomb convinced that until they do we cannot live the "Resurrected Life" of a follower of Jesus.

We make much of being Crucified with Christ but pay little attention to following Jesus in His Resurrection. Like Jesus you can leave the tomb before the stone is rolled away!

After Jesus was resurrected He demonstrated that He could walk through walls, After you are raised with Christ to walk a new life, you can also walk through the walls that would keep you from living your new life to the fullest!

"Thank You Jesus for inviting me to die with and be raised with You. Thank You for what the Resurrection means for all men, but also Lord for what the Resurrection means for my life today. May Your angel roll the stone away from the tomb of my old life so the world can see that I am not there. And may You be glorified forever! Amen."

Day of Despair

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That evening a rich disciple named Joseph from the town of Arimathea  went and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate gave orders for it to be given to Joseph, who took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. Then Joseph put the body in his own tomb that had been cut into solid rock and had never been used. He rolled a big stone against the entrance to the tomb and went away.

All this time Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb.

On the next day, which was a Sabbath, the chief priests and the Pharisees went together to Pilate.  They said, “Sir, we remember what this liar said while he was still alive. He claimed in three days he would come back from death. So please order the tomb to be carefully guarded for three days. If you don't, his disciples may come and steal his body. They will tell the people he has been raised to life, and this last lie will be worse than the first one.”

Pilate said to them, “All right, take some of your soldiers and guard the tomb as well as you know how.”  So they sealed it tight and placed soldiers there to guard it.

Matthew 27:57-66

The day after the Crucifixion of Jesus was also the day before the Resurrection. It was indeed a Day of Despair for those who followed Jesus. The Bible does not mention anyone who was anxiously waiting for that Sunday morning and expecting the tomb to be empty. Only the chief priests and Pharisees thought the tomb might be empty because the disciples could steal the Body of Jesus to make everyone believe that he was no longer dead.

The Day of Terror on that Friday was followed by a Day of Despair when everything seemed to be lost. All hope was gone and the disciples must have been going over in their minds everything they knew and believed about Jesus. Did Jesus really do all those miracles? How can his death on a Cross make any sense at all? It was all so confusing.

Are you a follower of Jesus Christ and yet are experiencing a Day of Despair? The things you had hoped for have not happened and the things you feared have come upon you. You can understand how the disciples of Jesus felt on that Saturday after the Crucifixion.

Be reminded that after the Day of Despair comes the Resurrection! The darkness will not last. The light will come and shine forever! So wait, and wait patiently for the Resurrection!

"Lord Jesus I thank You that You came back to life and that You will come back again! I know that the darkness of today will change into the glorious light of tomorrow when I see Your face, and will keep on seeing it forever. Thank You Lord. Amen."

If No One Listens!

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Ezekiel, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They are just like their ancestors who rebelled against me and refused to stop.They are stubborn and hardheaded. But I, the Lord God, have chosen you to tell them what I say. Those rebels may not even listen, but at least they will know that a prophet has come to them.

Don't be afraid of them or of anything they say. You may think you're in the middle of a thorn patch or a bunch of scorpions. But be brave and preach my message to them, whether they choose to listen or not. Ezekiel, don't rebel against me, as they have done. Instead, listen to everything I tell you.

And now, Ezekiel, open your mouth and eat what I am going to give you.

Just then, I saw a hand stretched out toward me. And in it was a scroll. The hand opened the scroll, and both sides of it were filled with words of sadness, mourning, and grief.

Ezekiel 2:3-10

The "Good News" of the Gospel is nothing but words of sadness, mourning, and grief for everyone who rejects Jesus! It is only Good News for those who turn away from the world and fully embrace Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

God told Ezekiel that when he preached those "rebels may not even listen." If you are called to proclaim the Gospel, the response to that message does not bring you shame or glory. If no one turns to Jesus because they heard you proclaim the Gospel its is no fault of your own. And if everyone who hears the message repents and turns to Jesus there is no glory that should go to you because of their response.

As a follower of Jesus your success has nothing to do with how many people come to know Jesus because of you. If you follow Jesus you are a success and if you don't follow Jesus nothing else matters.

An evangelist is like a man who delivers the mail. His job is done when the mail is the delivered. Nothing that happens after it is delivered has anything to do with him.

"Lord, give me the courage to deliver the message of the Gospel to everyone, not just those who I think are more likely to receive it. May I glory only in knowing You and not in how men respond to my preaching. Thank you Jesus. Amen."

The Ark Saved You!

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Because Noah had faith, he was warned about something that had not yet happened. He obeyed and built a boat that saved him and his family. In this way the people of the world were judged, and Noah was given the blessings that come to everyone who pleases God.

Hebrews 11:7

There are many people in my ancestry to whom I am grateful for their faithfulness to God. I don't know who most of them are, but I do know Noah. Without Noah's faith humanity as we know it today would not exist. When Noah built the ark he saved not only the animals. Noah also saved me and he saved you!

If you believe, as the Bible says that everyone on earth died except Noah and his family, then Noah's faith was the channel of every blessing you now have from God.

Even as Noah saved the human race from extinction when the flood came, Jesus is the ark that saves from Eternal Death those who come to Him! God provided the ark as a way for Noah and His family to escape the flood that destroyed the earth, and God sent His Son, Jesus Christ as the way for us to escape the flood of sin that is destroying all mankind.

When Noah got in the boat and shut the door he saved your life on this earth, and when Jesus died on the Cross he saved your Eternal life in Heaven if you trust in Him.

"Lord Jesus thank you providing the Way for all men to be saved from the flood of evil that would sweep us away and drown us in sin. Help me to rest today in Your arms as Noah rested in an trusted You in the ark. Thank You Jesus. Amen."

Salvation Not COD!

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Then I looked and saw a Lamb standing in the center of the throne surrounded by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb looked as if it had once been killed. It had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent out to all the earth.

The Lamb went over and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who sat on the throne.  After he had taken it, the four living creatures and the 24 elders knelt down before him. Each of them had a harp and a gold bowl full of incense, which are the prayers of God's people.   Then they sang a new song,

“You are worthy

to receive the scroll

and open its seals,

because you were killed.

And with your own blood

you bought for God

people from every tribe,

language, nation, and race.

You let them become kings

and serve God as priests,

and they will rule on earth.”

Revelation 5:6-10

COD shipping is still available in the United States, but with the coming of the electronic transfer of funds it is not very popular. COD stands for "Collect on Delivery." With COD shipping you pay the price when you receive the thing you ordered.

Many people seem to believe that Salvation is COD. They think that the price is paid when they come to Jesus. And although they know that they cannot pay for their own salvation they try to pitch in a little something to help with the price!

Your Eternal Salvation is not COD. The price was paid for your salvation and the sins of the entire world when Jesus died on the Cross 2000 years ago. When a man or woman is lost it is not because the price was never paid! Like a package lost in shipment everyone who chooses Hell instead of Heaven is not lost there because there was no sacrifice for sin. The price was paid on the Cross. God chose you and paid for your sins. Will you choose Jesus or choose Hell? It is really that simple.

"Lord Jesus, I rejoice with You today about those who will be delivered to You today. Help me to encourage someone else to choose You, Lord Jesus! Amen."

No Need to Look Back!

 

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God's curse will no longer be on the people of that city. He and the Lamb will be seated there on their thrones, and its people will worship God and will see him face to face. God's name will be written on the foreheads of the people.  Never again will night appear, and no one who lives there will ever need a lamp or the sun. The Lord God will be their light, and they will rule forever.

Revelation 22:3-5

Why does a motor car need a rear view mirror? I suppose I have never really pondered that, but it is significant when you think about it. A rear view mirror is necessary if you are going to turn to the right or to the left or you are going to slow down or stop. If you never slow down or turn away from the road you are on it is not necessary to look behind you.

God did not put eyes in the back of our heads. God did not give man a natural rear view mirror. When you are running a race there is no need to look back or turn to the right or the left. You look toward the goal and keep going as fast as you can.

In a very real sense every follower of Jesus is in a race. We are not trying to be the only one who wins the prize but we must run toward Heaven and look at Jesus without ever looking back or turning to one side or the other. Looking back serves no purpose in running the race today. It is only important, where you are going, not from whence you came!

"Lord Jesus, help me to press on toward the goal today. Give me the strength to run the race. I thank You Lord that You are indeed with me always. I can almost see the End of the race and the beginning of an Eternity with You, Jesus. Amen."

Faith Like Enoch

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Enoch had faith and did not die. He pleased God, and God took him up to heaven. This is why his body was never found. But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and rewards everyone who searches for him.

Hebrews 11:5-6

I have always thought that Enoch was a unique case in the Bible. He was "raptured" by himself and no one ever found his body. The experience of Enoch is what will happen to those who have faith when Jesus returns. God will take us up to heaven and we will not die!

How was Enoch different from other men who had faith in his time? The Bible doesn't say, but this verse implies that Enoch was constantly searching for God. His day must have been a continual, running conversation with God. I'm sure Enoch got away from others to spend time with God, but he must have also sensed the presence of God while he was walking with the crowd.

Make it your goal to please God like Enoch did. Have faith in God, but spend your day searching for Him. Search for God in everything you see, do and hear. Search for God in the good things that happen and in the tragedies. Search for God when you are happy and when sadness overwhelms your heart.

Take only the steps that you believe are pleasing to God and wait patiently for Him to show you the way. Then when you arrive before the Throne of God He may tell you to stand with Enoch as you praise Him forever!

"Lord, I believe in You, but I want to trust You and depend on You more. I want to have faith like Enoch's and I want to search for You as Enoch did. May I please You today in every step I take and every thing I do. In the name of Jesus I ask this. Amen."