A Sure Foundation

Posted on April 25, 2014 by dkoop

Reasons to BelieveJust like the empire state building that towers 1454 feet into the sky with 102 floors is built upon the sure and solid foundation 55 feet deep upon solid bedrock. For the millions of Christians in the world today, a towering number have their foundation upon the resurrection.

1 Cor 15:17 if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; (NAS)

These are pretty strong words.  For Paul the resurrection was real he was beheaded for it. For Peter it was so real so that he was crucified upside down.   As well as the other disciples that were martyred for their faith.  The foundation of the Christian faith is the resurrection. Everything in Christianity rests on the fact that Christ resurrected from the dead.  For Christians we don’t follow a loser.  No resurrection means no victory over death. No assurance of salvation.  Without the resurrection Christ would be the same as any other man.  The tomb of Confucius is occupied.  The tomb of Buddha is occupied.  The tomb of Mohammed the highest Islamic prophet is still occupied.  And on and on we could go.  It is the resurrection that gives Christianity its distinctiveness.  No other group claims a resurrection from death of their leader.  Today we want to see that the resurrection is not just some belief or some idea or hope or wild dream.  The resurrection is a historical event with much, much evidence.  Few people will deny that Christ lived.  Even other religions that are opposed to him acknowledge his existence.  To deny his existence would be like trying to deny the existence of  Abraham Lincoln.  You would be an idiot to try.  Why? There are records of his existence.  Eyewitnesses, documents, statues.  Lincoln left an indelible imprint on history.  Same with Jesus Christ.  Just look at your calendar. It will remind you that Christ split history into two parts, before him and after him. The existence of Jesus is the best established fact in history.  What people try to do is deny his resurrection.  Time magazine and others in Media question and deny the resurrection.  The Los Angeles Times, carried an article headed:  “Did Jesus really rise from the dead”  The next caption was surprisingly, “Most Bible scholars say no.”  What is sad is that some people probably believed that.  Modern man has lost his ability to identify truth or recognize a lie.  Now in the communist world, the truth is what the party says. We need to be cautious of what the Comrades in the Media say.   The resurrection is a historical event with much, much evidence.

The magnitude of the  record of Jesus Christ stands far above any record of anyone who has ever lived upon this planet.   You can read more about this in our last post, here.

What motivated such extensive work?  Why the incredible quantity and survival of the records of Christ? Was this the senseless expansion of a MYTH?  Why haven’t other prominent leaders with lifelong work and less persecution produced similar evidence?  SOMETHING MAJOR HAPPENED.  What was recorded really happened and it changed lives!   The resurrection will change your life if you will let it.

 

Let’s look at other four other reasons why we have a sure foundation:

1. The execution of Jesus.

Matt 27:35-37  “When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.

Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”(NIV)

A Roman centurion (which means he was in charge of 100 soldiers) was  placed in charge of the crucifixion with some of his soldiers on the crucifixion shift.  Like border patrol & customs. The soldiers were on shift work too.  It was their duty on that shift to ensure that the execution is carried out completely.  Crucifixion was more routine than the electric chair or lethal injection.  Is it likely that such professional executioners would not know death?  Their job was to ensure death.  At times they would break the legs to make death occur quicker.  They didn’t break Jesus legs The final spear thrust into the heart area would ensure it.

2. The tomb was secured.

The paranoia of the priests wanted the posting of a guard, and the stone sealed.

Matt 27:62-66The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.  “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how. “So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.(NIV)

A Roman guard consisted of between 10-30 men depending on the job and depending on how many appointed by the centurion in charge of them.  So some soldiers where called to the shift of guarding the tomb.  The stone used was a very large and heavy disk shaped  rock  made to roll in a carved out groove.  The stone required several men to move it.   Some estimate that since they were expecting some tampering that the stone was probably larger, perhaps one or two tons and needing at least several men to roll it away.  The seal was affixed with cords and a glob of clay or wax with the imperial imprint.  The seal was done in the presence of the Roman guard left to protect the stamp of Roman authority and power.  Anyone messing or tampering with the imperial seal would be executed.  It was the death sentence to touch or move the seal and the soldiers were there to enforce it.

3. The Resurrection event.

Matt 28:2-4  There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. (NIV)    Notice that a stone weighing two tons, requiring up to 20 men to move was rolled effortlessly be this angel.  And notice to the soldiers response.  These guys were part of the most elite fighting force the world had known.  Roman legions had conquered the known world: Cartharge, Greece, Persia, the Germanic tribes, the Angles and Saxons in England, Egypt, but when they saw this angel they shook as dead men.  The angel opened the tomb not to let Christ out but for the world to see in.

4. The response of the those in disbelief.

Matt 28:12-15 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money,            telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep. ‘If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. (NIV)

The Responses Examined:

This official explanation that the disciples stole the body while the guards were asleep was necessary because:

  1. NO ONE COULD PRODUCE A DEAD BODY OF JESUS …Which would have stopped the resurrection story forever.

2.  Is it likely that the guards would fall asleep? The discipline of  the Roman military was very strict.  There were 18 offenses punishable by death.  One was falling asleep on guard duty.  Would all ten to thirty soldiers risk the death penalty by falling asleep?  Surely one guard would be awake.  The truth is not one of them had the slightest interest in the task they were assigned, their sole purpose was to perform their duty as soldiers of the empire of Rome which they had dedicated their allegiance.  The Roman seal attached was far more important than  some  man’s tomb or someone’s crazy beliefs. Soldiers indifferent enough to gamble over a dying man’s clothes are not the type to be hoodwinked by some timid Galilean fishermen or jeopardize their lives by falling asleep on their post.

3. With no flashlights or infrared sensors available then. Is it likely that a band of scared disciples mourning the loss of their friend scared enough to dessert their friend in his time of most intense need.  Now muster up enough courage to carrying torches and sneak by a full Roman guard, move a 2 ton rock and not be noticed?

4.   What would the disciples motive be?  Even if they had the remotest chance of stealing the body from under the guard.  It  would create a lie with no apparent benefit.  Jesus had healed the sick, made the blind to see and raised the dead but then he can’t even save himself? This scared them to death.  If he’s not who he claimed to be they had been duped and wasted their time. Why spread more lies? But something changed these scared men.  They later proclaimed him everywhere risking death, punishment and imprisonment.  All the disciples were martyred terrible deaths.  Martyrdom for a belief is not new but to die for a known lie?  Would all the disciples and hundreds of other eye witnesses die for a known lie?

5.  Then there’s some who would have the audacity to say Jesus never died in the first place he just was unconscious and revived.  Well trained Roman executioners and soldiers not knowing what death is?  The pericardial sac around heart pierced with a spear with blood and water coming out, but he’s not dead?  A barely living man collects enough strength to move a two ton stone from inside the tomb with no grip on the edges of the stone, having nail pierced hands and feet. Move the stone and escape a full Roman guard unnoticed?

These are a few of the  evidences to consider.  There are many more, perhaps next year we could look at them.  The issue is that abundant evidence for the resurrection.  People may reject Christ for many reasons.  Apathy, pride, love of their sin but there is no basis to reject Christ for lack of evidence. If only you would take the time to seek it.  If the resurrection is true, then what God says is true,  you are in need of a savior, your sins need forgiving, there is heaven and there is hell.  Jesus is the only way to heaven.  This is the single most important thing to deal with in your life. What do you do with Jesus Christ?  He is Living Lord and you can deny or reject him or you can receive him as lord and savior.  We have a sure foundation to base our beliefs.  I have examined the evidence and have received Christ, I hope you will too.

Darrell

For more about the series, Reason’s to Believe go to:

www.RidgeFellowship.com

Sources:

Examine the Evidence, Ralph Muncaster, Harvest House Publishers, 2004

Evidence the Demands a Verdict , Josh McDowell, Thomas Nelson, 1979

The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel, Harper Collins, 1998

 

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Staggering Number of Written Records

Posted on April 19, 2014 by dkoop

Reasons to BelieveYou can tell when an event is big news by all the new feeds, trending on Twitter, blog posts, articles and publicity it causes.  These types of media frenzies give evidence that something noteworthy happened. When it comes to events that happened in our past, we can look to the eye witnesses or the written accounts. This is how history is recorded and verified, by comparing the accounts. It’s very telling when we do this for Jesus.

“There is far more evidence for the resurrection of Jesus than for any single event in the history of the world” says Ralph Muncaster an intellect with degrees in science, mathematics and logic who once was a skeptic of the Bible, of Jesus, of the Resurrection.  He decided to investigate these so called fables he became startled with his findings and now is a believer and advocator of the faith.  He says, “History can never be proved.”  He means empirically like in science, (observable and testable, provable).  Evidence is the only basis for verifying historical fact.

Magnitude of records coincides with the magnitude of the impact it made.  For instance if you do a Google search you see what impact something has made by how many times it has been written about. For Sept. 11th 2001, the number is high.   For Abraham Lincoln it’s higher, for Jesus Christ even more, even today he still is written about daily.

The magnitude of the  record of Jesus Christ stands far above any record of anyone who has ever lived upon this planet.

Existing early manuscripts exceed 24,000.  The earliest written records were within 25 years of  Jesus death.  No other work of antiquity approaches Christ’s documentary vastness. This includes all works we accept as historical fact. Let’s take for instance  the records, and writings of and during the Roman empire.  We regard these as historical fact about the Roman empire.  Of Julius Caesar and the Gaelic Wars we have 10 early records, the earliest is 900 years after Julius Caesar lived.  Of the 14 books of the history of Rome by Tacitus  only 4 survive, Other records and documents from Roman era by Thucydides,  there are 8, from Herodotus there are  8, from Pliny the Younger we have 7.  There are more but not close to the magnitude of the records of Christ.     Of  portions of manuscript copies of the New Testament which testify of Christ there are in existence today over 24,000.  24,000 copies verses a handful during the same  time period.  No other document of antiquity even begins to approach such numbers of attestation.   On the other hand the original books of the New Testament were written between 25-100 AD. The earliest manuscript in existence today dates from 90-130 AD.

Here’s a chart to illustrate the above:

 

Document
Name		 Number of
Manuscripts		 Earliest
Date
Caesar’s Gallic Wars
Tacitus’ History of Rome
Pliny the Younger History
Herodotus’ History
The New Testament		 10
4
7
8
24,000		 AD 900
AD 400
AD 900
AD 900
AD 125

24,000 NT manuscripts recording the resurrection are in existence.  The vastness of the number is particularly extraordinary considering:

 1. Jesus was not in a political position of power such as governor, general or dictator which are the ones usually written about.  When your or I die there probably won’t be much written about us that will survive time, but if I were the president or a political power figure more so.  Jesus was from a small, distant town and was a lowly carpenter with only three scant years of ministry.  But there are 24000 manuscripts of his life, death and resurrection.

2. The records survived the most intensive eradication effort.  Rapidly growing in numbers Christian witnesses were executed.  First by Nero beginning in 54 AD, then Domitian, Trajan, Decius, Valerian and Diocletian.  They were crucified, burned thrown to the lions and gladiators in the coliseums.  Any one professing belief in Christ was executed and any records found were burned.  **In 303 AD an Imperial Edict was passed that ordered all scriptures burned in the entire Roman controlled world and anyone found with them executed.  But still 24,000 exist.

3. There was no printing press and the world population was low.  The number of surviving early manuscripts is absolutely staggering considering they were all hand copied by a far smaller population base than even existed.  Of 138 million people in the entire world including the far east and China , Rome was under control of half of that population and 24,000 manuscript copies exist today with no automatic duplication.

 The way that many try to write off the resurrection is by saying it’s a legend.  Mythology.  Because Jesus was crucified in 33 A.D. some  believe that the New Testament writings about Jesus weren’t written down until 50, 60, 100 years later.  so the thinking is, you’ve got this huge gap of time.  and certainly in that gap of time all kinds of legends and make believe and mythology and wishful thinking grew up and distorted what had actually happened so that when the New Testament was finally written it probably bears no resemblance to what actually had taken place.

The evidence is that scholars have now discovered that the New Testament writings about Jesus were written much closer to the life of Jesus Christ than critics had once charged.  In fact, they were written well within the lifetimes of eyewitnesses that would have corrected the information if it had been exaggerated or false.  But the record of the resurrection is even earlier than that.

Look at what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15 “I’ve passed on to you what I have received which is of the greatest importance that Christ died for our sins as written in the scripture, that He was buried and raised to life on the third day as written in the scriptures.”  What paul was doing was passing along to the Christians at the church of Corinth a creed that was recited by the earliest Christians.  This was a creed they would recite in gatherings of Christians.  This creed of course confirms that Jesus died for our sins and He was buried and resurrected on the third day.  And then it goes on and talks about eyewitnesses and so forth.  Scholars have been able to date this creed back to as early as 24-36 months after the life of Jesus Christ.  and the beliefs that make up that creed go right back to the cross itself.

There was no huge gap of time between the time of Jesus’ resurrection and the time it was written down.  this was like a news flash it happened that quickly.  In 1844 there was a famous historian that challenged any historian anywhere to come up with one example of legend growing up that fast and distorting an historical reality.  To this day, no historian has ever been able to give an example.  In fact they did a study and went back to the first century when Jesus lived and they studied how long it took for legend to grow up and thoroughly distort a solid claim of historical truth.  They said two generations of time isn’t even enough for that legend to develop.

We don’t have two generations of time here.  we have a period of months.  And the eyewitness accounts that make up the creed go right back to the event itself.  This idea that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a legend, forget it.  it’s not true.  That’s what I found out, anyway.  Paul, right after he’s given this creed, later in the creed it mentions that 500 people saw Jesus at the same time after He was resurrected.  It specifically said that they’re still alive, many of these people.  so in effect Paul was saying, “You don’t believe me?  Check it out yourself.  There are eyewitnesses still walking around.  Go talk to them.  interview them.  question them.  satisfy your own curiosity.”  He couldn’t have done that if this had been written so much later that these people weren’t around.  But because they were around, there were still witnesses present who could testify to the reality of the resurrection of Jesus.

I hope you will join us on Easter as we examine more reasons to believe the resurrection!

Darrell

www.RidgeFellowship.com

Sources:

Examine the Evidence, Ralph Muncaster, Harvest House Publishers, 2004

Evidence the Demands a Verdict , Josh McDowell, Thomas Nelson, 1979

The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel, Harper Collins, 1998

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Why is Good Friday Good?

Posted on April 18, 2014 by dkoop

Reasons to BelieveAre you or your kids off from school or work on Good Friday?  Good Friday is holiday that commemorates the crucifixion of Christ.  Why call that good?  It can be explained this way:
  “You were dead because of your sins. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins.  He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross.” Colossians 2:13-14 (NLT)

As we begin a new series on Easter called, “Reasons to Believe,” there are many reasons to believe that Jesus death was not an accident.  It was the plan of God to redeem mankind. Events about the death of Jesus are recorded in the scriptures hundreds of years before they occurred.   Included in this post are some of the prophetic scriptures that record the details of Christ’s death.  These scriptures are important  because they validate that Jesus was the Messiah, (the Christ) son of the living God.  Jesus had 456 specific prophetic facts to describe his birth, life and death!   These prophecies were given 700-1400 years before he lived.

This post will examine the reasons Jesus died in the way he did.  In addition to drawing from prophecy, history and archaeology, I  will be quoting some portions from the Journal of the American Medical Association or JAMA.

We’ll start in the Garden of Gethsemane, before the crucifixion Jesus was under great stress:   “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”   Luke 22:44:

JAMA says “This is a very rare phenomenon that occurs in highly emotional/stressful states.  It is called Hematodrosis: hemorrhaging into the sweat glands.  It leaves the skin very fragile and tender,” (perhaps like shingles).

He was up all night. How many of you have pulled an all nighter?  How did you feel?

There were several Illegal Jewish Trials, to Annas, then Caiaphas, then the Sanhedrin – he walked about 2 ½ miles to these trials and each time he got beat up. They would blind fold him, and hit him.

What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered. Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?”    Matthew 26:66-68

During these illegal trials they found him guilty of death and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor to be executed.  Pilate resisted and knew Jesus was innocent but caved in to their demands because they were inciting a rebellion.  Pilate ordered Jesus to be crucified.

ROMAN PROCEDURES

The Romans first flogged the condemned person, which often left the prisoner near death.  

Flogging was a legal preliminary to every Roman execution; the instrument was a short whip with several length leather thongs either braided or single with lead balls and sheep bones tied at intervals. (Called a Scourge)  The victim was stripped; hands were tied to an upright post the back, buttocks and legs were flogged.  Two soldiers called lictors or one who alternated positions would strike with all their force.  The iron balls would cause deep contusions, the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the subcutaneous layers, and skeletal muscles leaving “ribbons or quivering bleeding flesh”  Down to the bone. Scourging was intended to weaken the victim and the severity was dependent on the disposition of the lictors.

“Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.”  John 19:1-3

“The severe scourging with its intense pain and blood loss left Jesus at a pre-shock state, and hematodrosis left his skin particularly tender along with the beatings by the guards of the priest, along with being up all night, lack of food water and sleep would leave him in a weaker than normal state.  Jesus physical state was serous if not critical,” according to JAMA.

*Prophesy: “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, and with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

* In this post I also want to include the Old Testament references to Jesus death and suffering (Messianic Prophecy).    It is important to emphasize that what happed to Jesus was not an accident but was planned by God on purpose years in advance.

The Romans would often taunt or jeer their victim during and after the flogging.

 “They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,  and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.  They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. Matthew 27:28-30

Prophesy: “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.” Isaiah 50:6

Now we are going to talk about the crucifixion itself.  It was invented by the Persians, but perfected by the Romans.  It was designed to be a slow death with maximum pain and suffering.    Also the most disgraceful and cruel methods of death, prisoners were usuallly crucified naked.  Roman law protected its citizens from crucifixion. It was reserved for foreigners, slaves and the vilest of criminals.

It was customary for the condemned man to carry the Ptibulum from the flogging post to the crucifixion site. The whole cross-weighed 300 pounds, only the cross bar was carried the Ptibulum weighed 75-100lbs.

The Romans would put the crossbar (Ptibulum) on the nape of the neck and tied it to the prisoner’s arms.  He was paraded through the streets for humiliation and as an example.

The procession was led by a complete Roman guard (10-30 men), headed by a centurion.  One of the soldiers carried a sign called a titchulus of the accused man’s name and crime.  They wanted everyone to know the consequences of messing with Rome; a   public display of punishment that you did not want.  Just think with your arms tied to this 75-100 lb piece of wood if you fell forward there was nothing to block your fall and you would go right on your face.

“Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).”  John 19:17   *1/3 of a mile.

Prophesy: “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter” Isaiah 53:7

Roman Crucifixion took place outside the city, usually on one of the busiest streets coming into the city.

So all could see.  The Romans wanted to set an example.

“As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.”  Matt 27:32

“As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. Luke 23:26

Prophesy:  “All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads” Psalm 22:7

At the place of execution the prisoner was thrown down and his wrists were nailed to the crossbar. 

Ossuary findings (bones found and studied by archeologists) show that nails were driven through the wrists, not the palms.  Palms would not support the weight.  It was between the two bones in the arm, the Radius and Ulna.  Nails were tapered iron spikes 5”-7 inches long with a square shaft.  Journal of the American Medical Association says “when the nails were driven though the wrists it would sever or crush the large sensory motor media nerve causing fiery bolts of excruciating pain in both arms.”  You may be able to understand in a very small way when you hit your thumb with a hammer or slam it in the door how it throbs or at the dentist and he hit’s a nerve-you come out of your chair.  It would damage the ligaments giving the person a claw like grasp.    The bar was lifted and placed on the stake, which was already in the ground.  The condemned person’s ankles or the top of the feet were nailed to the stake.  The knees were flexed or bent not straight down the cross. Journal of the American Medical Association says “The deep peroneal nerve and the plantar nerves would be damaged, same types of fiery bolts throbbing.”  If you have ever twisted or strained your ankle.  Know a small amount of the throbbing pain. Finally the sign identifying the person’s crime was attached to the stake.

 “When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him” Luke 23:33

“Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.  John 19:19

Prophesy: “A band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.”  Psalm  22:16

The Romans normally crucified people naked and kept the victims possessions. 

Not only was the person in much pain and agony it was humiliating to be exposed and displayed in such a cruel manner.

“When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.” Matthew 27:35

Prophesy: “They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. Psalm 22:18

Prisoners were guarded until dead which could last several days.

Can you imagine? Several days!  This was dependent on the severity of the scourging.

Commonly insects would light or burrow into the open wounds or the mouth, ears or nose of the helpless victim.  Nothing they could do with their extremities nailed down.  Also bird of prey would tear at such sites.  It was customary to leave the corpse on the cross to be devoured by predatory animals.  However by Roman law if the family got permission from the Roman judge could bury the victim.  If not the remains would be thrown on the trash heap outside of town.

“When they had crucified him… sitting down, they kept watch over him there.”  Matthew 27:35-36

 Prophesy: “people stare and gloat over me.”  Psalm 22:17

JAMA says,  “The cause of death was multi-factorial.  Loss of blood, exposure, dehydration, stress induced arythmias (heart didn’t beat right) congestive heart failure, water in the lungs.  The two most common causes of death were exhaustion and the interference of normal respiration.”

Hanging there the diaphragm is affected, the victim could breath in but not out, therefore they had to push up in the nails in the feet, damaged nerves, Have you ever had an injury (injured foot have to limp, pain when you put pressure on it)?  They would have to pull up on the hands just to get a breath, which would put pressure on the nails, scrape the scourged back against the rough cross.  Muscles would cramp, fatigue would become so intense, eventually die of exhaustion and interference of breathing, gasping for air.  If you have ever had asthma or breathing problems you can identify in a small way.

In every sense of the word crucifixion was excruciating!  The word excruciating means “out of the cross.”

 Sometimes the Roman soldiers shortened the prisoner’s time on the cross by breaking his lower legs.  Because he could no longer push up for oxygen he suffocated faster. 

 “Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.  Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. John 19:31-34

Prophesy: “he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.” Psalm 34:20

   Pictures and movies never catch the awful state that Jesus was in (perhaps The Passion of the Christ  by Mel Gibson was close! ) smooth body, clean, he was a bloody pulp, a mess, beaten over and over again, scourging that left little flesh on the back legs and buttocks, beard plucked out.

They were appalled at him– his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness–    Isaiah 52:14

14I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Psalm 22:14-15

We can never imagine all that Jesus suffered but;  we do know why. The prophet Isaiah tells us,

“Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him (Jesus) and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life (Jesus) a guilt offering. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors”  Isaiah 53:10-12

 In the Old Testament, people offered animals as sacrifices for their sins.  Jesus is the Lamb (Isaiah 53:7) offered for the sins of all people The Messiah suffered for our sakes, bearing our sins to make us acceptable to God. What can we say to such love? How will we respond to him?  You can receive his sacrifice, by accepting his gift of salvation.  It cost Jesus everything, you can receive forgiveness today by thanking Jesus for his sacrifice on the cross, for dying for you, for forgiving you, ask him to come into your life.

This means that every time you feel guilty about something you did, Jesus suffered for that!  Every time you say, “I wish I had never done that!”  It’s paid for, stop beating yourself Jesus was beaten for you.  Stop crucifying yourself, Jesus was crucified for you.

Since Jesus suffered on the cross, it is God’s solution for all of mankind for all of our wrongdoing.  “Jesus is way truth and the life, no one gets to the Father except through him.” John 14:6   There is no need for your religion or good works.  Jesus paid it all!  Will you accept him today?

For more about how to commit your life to Christ go to

http://theridgeblog.com/2011/04/14/how-to-commit-your-life-to-christ

http://ridgefellowship.com/next-step/accept-christ.html

I hope you will join us on Easter for Reasons to Believe the Resurrection!

www.RidgeFellowship.com

Darrell

 Sources:
Does the Bible Predict the Future?, Ralph O. Muncaster
Focus on the Family , The Crucifixion, CS 696/7939
The Journal of the American Medical Association “JAMA” March 1986, Vol. 255#11 “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ”
The New International Version of the Bible
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Quotes about Making My Life Count

Posted on April 14, 2014 by dkoop

Making My Life CountAct as if what you do makes a difference. It does.— William James

Scientists have discovered that the small, brave act of cooperating with another person, of choosing trust over cynicism, generosity over selfishness, makes the brain light up with quiet joy.— Natalie Angier

Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.— St. Catherine of Siena

When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.— Eleanor Roosevelt

Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room.— Christine Todd Whitman

Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.— Mohammed Ali

I wondered why somebody didn’t do something.  Then I realized, I am somebody. — Unknown

If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it.— Lucy Larcom

The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.— William James

The best things in life aren’t things.— Art Buchwald

It takes each of us to make a difference for all of us.— Jackie Mutcheson

I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough, we must do.— Leonardo da da Vinci

What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.— Nelson Mandela

We must become the change we want to see in the world.— Mahatma Gandhi

It’s good to be blessed.  It’s better to be a blessing.— Unknown

I feel that the greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.— Dr. Jonas Salk

If it is to be, it is up to me.— Unknown

Money often costs too much.— Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have one life and one chance to make it count for something… My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.— Jimmy Carter

I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.— Edward Everett Hale

Go the extra mile.  It’s never crowded.— Unknown

It is the heart that does the giving; the fingers only let go.— Nigerian saying

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened.  Happiness never decreases by being shared.— Buddha

As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.— Mary Anne Radmacher

If there is to be any peace it will come through being, not having.— Henry Miller

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.— Edmund Burke

Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.— Will Rogers

Never get tired of doing little things for others. Sometimes, those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.— Unknown

In a gentle way, you can shake the world.— Mahatma Gandhi

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It’s not.— Dr. Seuss

If you want to touch the past, touch a rock.  If you want to touch the present, touch a flower.  If you want to touch the future, touch a life.— Unknown

The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others.— Mahatma Gandhi

One is not born into the world to do everything but to do something.— Henry David Thoreau

Your thoughts, words and deeds are painting the world around you.— Jewel Diamond Taylor

If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.— Mother Teresa

It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little – do what you can.— Sydney Smith

Plant flowers in others’ gardens and your life becomes a bouquet!— Unknown

Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.— Margaret Mead

We have it in our power to change the world over.— Thomas Paine

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands.  You need to be able to throw something back.— Maya Angelou

How wonderful that no one need wait a single moment to improve the world.— Anne Frank

Live today the way you want to be remembered tomorrow.— Dillon Burroughs

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.— Winston Churchill

We can do no great things – only small things with great love.— Mother Teresa

Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.— Minor Myers

Be not simply good; be good for something.— Henry David Thoreau

Every piece of the universe, even the tiniest little snow crystal, matters somehow. I have a place in the pattern, and so do you.— T.A. Barron

Help one another; there’s no time like the present and no present like the time.— James Durst

Go out into the world and do good until there is too much good in the world.— Larry H. Miller

When I chased after money, I never had enough. When I got my life on purpose and focused on giving of myself and everything that arrived into my life, then I was prosperous.— Wayne Dyer

“One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.”  Joan of Arc

 For more about the series, Making a Difference go to www.RidgeFellowship.com

Adapted from

https://celebrationsoflife.net/making-a-difference/making-a-difference-quotes/

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