Because He lives
The Cross and
the
Resurrection
"Behold, the Lamb
of God Who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
He is Risen
Before the Cross
The Victory of the Cross
The Old Rugged Cross
Fulfilled Prophecies
The Cross
NO SCAR?
Images of the
Cross
On My Father's
side
(song)
The Power of His Resurrection
Pride cannot live beneath the cross
The evidence for Biblical
accuracy & the one way to God
The GOSPEL - Planned and Promised from
the beginning of time
The Cross: Feared,
Banned, Trivialized... yet Triumphant
Earth Day Joins Easter - A Sign
of Our Times?
Crucifixion by consensus
The Humility of Jesus
Outside the Camp
Lamb of God
Before the Cross
The
Kiss of Death
Why Christ Suffered
A Prince and a Savior
Jesus
lives and so shall I
The Triumph of
the Cross
Do you believe
in Easter?
The Padded Cross
The Joy of all Creation
Outside links:
Because He Lives
|
On My Father's Side
|
If that isn't love
| Why He
loved me so |
His Creation
____________________________________________________
Quotes from the above
links:
The Old Rugged Cross:
"In the eyes of the church establishment, Hus had committed heresy.
He believed that everyone should be allowed to read the Bible in
their own language -- an unthinkable notion.... He also opposed
the pope's money-raising efforts to sell indulgences (the false
assurance that people could buy or earn pardon for sin instead of
trusting in Christ's redemption through the cross).
"Hus was 'tried' and found guilty. When asked to recant, he refused.
Instead he knelt and prayed that God would forgive his accusers.
Mocked and humiliated, he was led naked to the stake, where executioners
covered him with wood and straw for the torturous fire. Given a
last chance to recant, he answered, 'In the truth of the Gospel
which I have written, taught, and preached I will die today with
gladness.' Then the fire was lit using pages from the forbidden
Bible printed by John Wycliffe as kindling.
"Enveloped in flames, Hus kept singing an old hymn, 'Christ, thou
Son of the living God, have mercy upon me.' He died praising the
Lord He loved!"
The Padded Cross:
"Well, here I am, Lord. You said, 'Take up your cross,' and I'm
here to do it. It's not easy, you know, this self-denial thing.
I mean to go through with it though, yes sir. I'll bet you wish
more people were willing to be disciples like me. I've counted
the cost and surrendered my life, and ...well..."
Outside the Camp
(Spurgeon): "JESUS, bearing His cross, went forth to suffer outside
the gate. The Christian’s reason for leaving the camp of the world’s
sin and religion is... because Jesus did so; and the disciple must
follow his Master. Christ was 'not of the world.' His life and His
testimony were a constant protest against conformity with the world.
Never was such overflowing affection for men as you find in Him;
but still He was separate from sinners. In like manner Christ’s
people must 'go out to Him.' They must take their position 'outside
the camp,' as witness-bearers for the truth."
He's My King: Do You Know Him?:
"He's the King of Righteousness....He's the King of Glory....He's the King of
kings, and He's the Lord of lords. That's my King! I wonder, do you know Him?...
David said, 'The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His
handiwork. My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define His limitless
love. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His
shoreless supply. No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings....
Do you know Him? ...
"Well,
my King....is the King.... He's the wellspring to wisdom....He's the doorway
of deliverance....He's the pathway of peace....He's the roadway of righteousness
....He's the highway of holiness....He's the gateway of glory.... Do you know
Him?" See
Our God Reigns
This sermon can be heard here:
He's My King: Do You Know Him? -
video
A Prince and a Savior:
"JESUS, OUR LORD, once crucified, dead and buried, now sits upon the throne
of glory. The highest place that heaven affords is His by undisputed right.
It is sweet to remember at the exaltation of Christ in heaven is a representative
exaltation. ...as the Mediator, the honors which Jesus wears in heaven are the
heritage of all the saints."
Crucifixion by consensus:
"But Pilate answered them, saying, 'Do you want me to release to you the King
of the Jews?' For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because
of envy. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should
rather release Barabbas to them.
"Pilate
answered and said to them again, 'What then do you want me to do with Him whom
you call the King of the Jews?' So they cried out again, 'Crucify Him!'
Then Pilate said to them, 'Why, what evil has He done?' But they cried out
all the more, 'Crucify Him!'"
Notice that the leaders
"stirring up" the people and fueled their rage against a chosen victim. Does
it remind you of the public lynchings in the South after the Civil War? Such
rage reflects humanity's unchanging
Human Nature. The targets
and strategies vary, but the rage continues.
Do you believe in Easter?
"After being called back in the doctor's office, Edith sat down
and when she took a look at the doctor she said, 'Dr. Will, why
are you so sad?..."
"Dr. Phillips said, 'Now Edith, I'm the doctor and you're the patient.'
With a heavy heart he said, 'your lab report came back and it says
you have cancer, and Edith, you're not going to live very long.'
"Edith said, 'Why Will Phillips, shame on you. Why are you so sad?
Do you think God makes mistakes? You have just told me I'm going
to see my precious Lord Jesus, my husband, and my friends. You have
just told me that I am going to celebrate Easter forever, and here
you are having difficulty giving me my ticket!'"
See
My Bridegroom
Outside Links and Quotes:
A religious holiday but fewer
identify its meaning:
"...a minority of adults directly linked Easter to the Christian faith’s
belief in the resurrection of Christ. In all, 42% of Americans said that
the meaning of Easter was the resurrection of Jesus or that it signifies
Christ death and return to life. One out of every 50 adults (2%) said
that they would describe Easter as the most important holiday of
their faith. ... another 2% indicated it was about the 'rebirth
of Jesus'; and 1% said it is a celebration of 'the second coming of Jesus.'
Not included in the theistic category was another 3% who described
Easter as a celebration of spring or a pagan holiday....
"On the non-religious side, 13% of respondents said they were not sure how
to describe Easter. Another 8% of Americans said the holiday means nothing
to them.... Other non-religious descriptions...: getting friends and family
together (4%), spring break (3%), a symbol of new beginnings, rebirth, and
renewal (2%), a time to dye and hide eggs (2%), an event for children to
have fun (2%), the Easter bunny (1%)....
"...most likely to express some type of theistic religious connection with
Easter were evangelicals (93%), attenders of large churches... born again
Christians (81%), and weekly churchgoers (77%). Republicans (77%) and Democrats
(71%) were more likely than were independents (59%) and non-registered citizens
(51%) to say Easter has religious meaning for them.
"...members of the Boomer generation (73%, ages 45 to 63) were among the
most likely to describe Easter as a religious holiday for them, compared
with two-thirds of Elders (66% of those ages 64-plus) and Busters (66%,
ages 26 to 44). The...Mosaics (ages 18 to 25), were the least likely age
segment to say Easter is a religious holiday (58%).
"...those on the political 'right' were nearly twice as likely as those
on the political 'left' to say that Easter is a celebration of the resurrection
(53% versus 29%, respectively)." See
Fulfillment of Old Testament
promises
Persecution.
Christians face a new persecution. This Easter, Christians have a mountain to
climb in an increasingly hostile environment:
[4-11-09]
The latest EU draft directive has alarmed the Church of England, with good cause. In the name of outlawing discrimination, it would
compel faith schools to admit unbelievers and force churches to perform marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples....
"What is being attempted, under the
guise of eliminating discrimination, is discrimination against Christians.... The wider agenda is to remove anti-discrimination laws from the jurisdiction of Westminster to Brussels, when public opinion favours a reverse process – the repatriation of authority to Britain.... Westminster legislation has closed Catholic adoption agencies, while a politically correct reign of terror is afflicting our workplaces, with the latest victim a charity worker who chatted casually with a colleague about his religious beliefs excluding same-sex marriage.
Health workers who have offered Christian comfort to ill people have intolerantly been penalised.
"So, this Easter, Christians have something of a mountain to climb in an increasingly hostile environment. They should remain undaunted: they have been here before.
Persecution of an infinitely more virulent kind than anything at the disposal of the European Parliament is part of their heritage. Jeers and mockery come with the territory when the ground being covered is Calvary. God is dead, claim their enemies. If they look more carefully they will see that the tomb is empty."
See
NO SCAR?
On the physical
death of Jesus Christ:
"Although the Romans did not invent crucifixion, they perfected
it as a form of torture and capital punishment that was designed
to produce a slow death with maximum pain and suffering....
It was one of the most disgraceful and cruel methods of execution
and usually was reserved only for slaves, foreigners, revolutionaries,
and the vilest of criminals."
Facts about the Resurrection:
"Sir William Ramsay, regarded as
one of the greatest archaeologists ever, investigated the
writings of Luke in an apparent effort to undermine the
Gospel writer's credentials as a historian, and to discredit
the entire New Testament. After 30 years of study, however,
Ramsay concluded, 'Luke is a historian of the first rank;
not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy... this
author should be placed along with the very greatest of
historians.'"
Because
He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because
He lives, all fear is gone.
Because
I know He holds the future,
And
life is worth the living, just because He lives!