That is right, everyone: This Sunday at church (or, as it is, “at church”), remember the resurrection! That thing we gave us a weekly holiday, but -way more importantly – salvation from our sins and the wrath of God!
Our “This Sunday” series will be another a Corona Virus edition. In light of today being Resurrection Sunday (Easter) its appropriate to say: Be grateful for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Now, due to errors in the WordPress app loading a couple of days VerseD’s before I went on a 3-day river trip, WP thinks I missed a few days in my run.
Sad.
So, I will just go with what they tell me … at least for today!
So, for 600 straight days, the internet has been getting VerseD in my thoughts on Scripture.
Do you feel well VerseD in the Bible?
I invite you to do two things:
Join me (or continue joining me) in your daily Scripture reading, and
Let me know if you enjoy getting these daily mini-devos!
Bonus: Any thoughts on adding to these, such as longer devotionals or video VerseD messages and what they could look like. IT IS ON YOU TO DECIDE! (Somewhat.)
It has been one of those blessed burdens to post these. I do not always feel like finding the strength, time, and energy to post these, but I am always blessed by my time in the Word. And a few brothers and sisters tend to come along and encourage me on those days it is the hardest to share or that I feel like I wasted my words.
Hopefully, on this Easter/Resurrection Sunday, you are blessed by my words and, more importantly, God’s Word.
This is still happening online because of the current mandate for isolation for the C-19 pandemic.
After the lesson for Palm Sunday that my lovely other-half, Caitlin – who is our Children’s Director at the Church Next Door – made, we had her record another lesson!
So, gather up the kiddos (or enjoy this at any age), and enjoy another mashup from a weekly sermon and children’s curriculum:
Questions to consider:
Was there a time in your life that you thought everything was going wrong? How did you feel?
Have you had a fight with someone and you could not ask for forgiveness or were you ever not able to see someone for any reason, to say goodbye?
Resurrection Sunday – John 20:19-29
Jesus is the Son of God, God’s only Son by birth.
Remember last week’s big idea? That Jesus is the Son of God, God’s only Son by birth.
He was nailed to a cross to save us from our sin, but His own disciples did not understand it.
Jesus died. Their leader was gone. His friends felt abandoned by Him. They thought they would never have the chance to see or talk with him again.
But then … He is alive?! Now what?
John 20:19-29
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Jesus’ resurrection shows us that:
We can be afraid in our circumstances, but Jesus can comfort us;
We can push God away with our sin, but by His sacrifice He draws us back to Himself;
We can misunderstand God’s plan, but Jesus draws us close with the Holy Spirit to give us forgiveness;
We can doubt, but Jesus comes to us and overcomes our doubts. Because He was dead, but He is alive!
Now, we tell the world that Jesus is alive!
Today is Resurrection Sunday! The one holiday we celebrate 52 times a year!
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Memory verses: Ephesians 5:2:
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Tomorrow is Easter, the day that we celebrate the risen Lord, Jesus Christ. But here it is the night before, the night before the celebrations, and few of us have any idea of the sense of total despair the followers of Jesus must have been experiencing on this night – the night before.
For three and a half years his disciples had followed Him around, listening to His stories, His parables, and His prayers. They had witnessed miracle after miracle which should have confirmed to them His claims to be the Messiah. Yet, just two days ago they witnessed the supposed Son of God, the “resurrection and the life” (that’s what he told Mary and Martha, you know, on the day He raised Lazarus from the dead), betrayed, beaten, falsely convicted, and tortuously crucified.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16, ESV
God’s power was manifest is raising our Savior to life. His power is manifested in every believer who is washed clean of their sins.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! Psalm 51:1-2, ESV
When we humble ourselves, look inside and realize how sinful we are, we see the need for a Savior. Thanks be to God He is our Savior, through the work of Jesus on the cross!
This last year I tried to put out more posts resolving Bible contradictions concerning the final week of Christ through His Ascension to add to the list I put out last year. It takes some time on my part to go through them to provide exegetically sound refutations; Lord willing I will add more to this lists next year. See my post I wrote on why refuting Bible Contradictions Takes Time. As of Passion Week 2020 I have responded to forty alleged Bible contradictions that took place during the final week of Jesus’ life up to His Ascension. These posts are arranged below roughly in chronological order with additions added after last Resurrection Sunday labeled “NEW” in red:
Seek the Lord , all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord. Zephaniah 2:3, ESV
While not promised safety from everything in this world (but maybe!), we are promised that having sought the Lord and obeyed His Word, we are saved from His wrath on the Last Day!
At the time of upload, the Passover starts tomorrow! Thursday evening, the ninth of April in the year of our Lord Two thousand twenty. It is still fitting that we are currently in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic at the time of posting this!
Why? Because the Passover started during … THE 10 PLAGUES ON EGYPT!
Even why-er? Because we are talking about THE ACTUAL PASSOVER!
You should read Exodus 12 before reading/listening to this lesson.
Here are some questions to ask ourselves:
Why is blood so important for salvation?
What are some of the mighty works that God has done in history?
What about in your own life?
What are we expecting from God? What does He expect of us?
Now, to the big question of the day:
What is the True Passover?
The True Passover Exodus 12
We are continuing to look at the importance of Passover.
The final plague against the Egyptians was the Plague against the Firstborn:
Israel was told to sacrifice a lamb, and its blood was to painted around the door posts.
They were to be ready to leave in a moment’s notice.
[READ Exodus 12:29-36]
At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord , as you have said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!” The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders. The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
Firstly, we know the connection that Jesus, God’s Firstborn, is the Lamb that was sacrificed so that death would not have a hold on us anymore. (1 Corinthians 15, 1 Peter 2:22-24)
Secondly, as the Israelites were to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice, we are to be ready to share the gospel at any moment and give a defense for our faith. (Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Peter 3:15)
Thirdly, we know that Jesus Christ is coming again to free the world from the stain and bondage to sin, removing those who remain in rebellion, and instituting heaven on earth for all eternity, and giving us new clothing – heavenly, glorified bodies. (Philippians 3:17-21) The book of Revelation lets us know that He will bring His army of angels along with His faithful to cleanse the Earth. Afterward, just as Israel left with the silver and gold of the Egyptians, we – His faithful, the Christians – are given crowns of glory. The riches we inherit are our lot in Christ’s inheritance.
So, the True Passover comes, first, when we accept and believe that Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb, and, second, when He returns and we pass over from a fallen world in time to pure glory in eternity.
Do we truly love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths? Maybe I can help with the mind part, at least! This is Daniel M. Klem, apparent poet, reluctant yet passionate Disciple (Peter?), and foolish man attempting to understand theology!
a simple man of God 