Category Archives: blood

Questions. What do you want to ask? part 3

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HE HAS RISEN!!! May this truth be more real than ever to you today.

I hope you have enjoyed the questions we looked at in this blog more closely.

Sidenote…I found it quite interesting that my pastor, today, based his sermon in John 18 and 19. In those two chapters, he looked at three questions that Pilate asked in the presence of Jesus.

If you feel like browsing, here is the link to our church’s youtube channel. As of this writing, I don’t think the Easter message is posted yet but it should be within a day or so.

And this link is to the church website. Central Church

And now on to my last question in this series.

The bible is overflowing with questions. This series could go on for months if we addressed all the questions we read. My pastor’s sermon only had three questions in it.

But I do have a favorite question. Of all of them, one sticks out to me. It resonates with me. I would even say I get equal parts challenge and encouragement from this single question. It has the ability to motivate and drive my life.

All human endeavors are summed up in a single sentence. Why we do what we do is contained in these words.

Are you ready? Sorry, not the question to which I am referring!

Here are the first 8 verses from Luke 24:

1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8Then they remembered his words. Luke 24:1-8 NIV

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

I will share a few quick thoughts.

  1. Trust – Jesus said he was going to die and then be raised again. Maybe the ladies didn’t really believe it because he has been in the grave for three days.
  2. Timing – They were planning on anointing the body of Jesus but did not go the day after the crucifixion. It was the Sabbath so they had to wait an extra day. Jesus said three days.
  3. Temporal – This is the part that gets me. The angel said, “among the dead”. How many times do we look for life (happiness, joy, peace, life etc.) among things that are temporal (dead)? Drugs, Alcohol, Sex, Gambling, Job, Relationship, Games, Art, Sleep…or anything else?
  4. Toga – Okay, maybe it wasn’t actually a toga but it started with the correct letter. Jesus was gone and the shroud (toga) left behind symbolizes (at least in my opinion) that Jesus did not need the material things we seek after.
  5. Tomb – Tombs are full of dead things. Our living Savior is not there anymore.

These are the reasons why this question is my favorite. It encompasses all of life. Jesus is life and we can end our search with him.

So there is no reason to go to the tomb.

You can find life in our risen Lord. Jesus is waiting for you to look for him.

The Final Chronicle

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Can you imagine what the disciples might be feeling right now? It is late Saturday night. Jesus, the teacher, mentor and friend, was crucified yesterday.

What a mixture of emotions! Fear…disappointment…failure? What about anger and loneliness?

These men and women would have thought or even expected Jesus to overthrow the Roman rule and set up His kingdom. They were supposed to be on the winning side!

But now, huddled together, in the shadows, hiding from the authorities, they wait.

Scared and confused.

What would they be waiting for? They probably didn’t know themselves.

Welcome to the Final Chronicle in this Easter series; Chronicles of Calvary.

I have written about some people and even a lamb but tonight’s post will not feature a person. Nor an animal.

It focuses on something different. Something unexpected.

A hill.

A hill called Calvary.

Calvary, also called Golgotha, is located just outside the city of Jerusalem.

Maps - New Testament Bible Maps by Generation Word

This hill, not much more than an outcropping of rock, is the turning point.

On the surface, this hill represents torture, blood, and death. In human eyes, justice is served.

But underneath all of that lies a much different story.

The script is flipped.

Yes, there is still death. Jesus dies. He had to. That was the only way.

Sin is powerful and even victorious – if left unchecked.

But God was never planning on letting it go unchecked.

He had a plan. He always has a plan.

  • Simon was part of God’s plan
  • The Centurion played his part in God’s plan
  • Both criminals were in the plan as well
  • The little lamb that represents the sacrifice for sin is central to the plan

Calvary is part of His plan.

Life is not about you or me.

It is about what God is doing and whether or not we will join Him.

And it all happened on a single hill. God won.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope it was worth your time.

Mary had a little lamb…

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Can you hear the tune in your head?

Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb…

Cute little guy, isn’t he?

The next character in the Chronicles of Calvary is not about a person. It is a lamb. A one year old lamb without spot or blemish.

We focused on three people for the first three Chronicles. Click on each to read their respective posts.

Simon

Centurion

Two Criminals

There are many aspects to the cross. This post is all about one particular aspect. Sacrifice.

If you have ever tried to read the book of Leviticus in the Old Testament, I am guessing that it was not easy. More so, it could have boring or perhaps really difficult to understand.

The theme of Leviticus is about the sacrificial system that God had set up starting with Moses.

Don’t worry. There will be no Levitical readings here.

Israel, after they escaped Egypt under God’s provisional hand, set about on a journey to the Promised Land.

During that journey, God had given Moses plans and instructions for a tabernacle. This would be a mobile house of worship.

When it was set up, the Levites would be the tribe that would be responsible for the overseeing of all the tabernacle duties; mainly the sacrificing.

Leviticus (named after the tribe of Levi) is the recording of how to do all the tabernacle rituals. Here is one artist’s rendition of the tabernacle.

A Tabernacle for God: Built By The Willing Heart • Spirit Life

But a bigger question that might be looming is one of ‘why’.

Why did God require sacrifice?

Simply stated: Sin was separating God from man. But because God is holy, he could not reside where sin existed. A sacrifice was used to remove the sin from a person or even the whole nation.

It was better to kill one lamb or goat rather than a person. It would not take too long to wipe out Israel if animals were not used as a sacrifice.

For the price of sin to be paid, there must be sacrifice.

Forward into the New Testament. Specifically, John’s gospel.

Here is verse 29 from chapter 1 of John:

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” NIV

John knew who Jesus is and what his purpose was.

Jesus was to be the sacrifice for our sin.

Hebrews 9:12 states, “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” NIV

Jesus was the lamb that was slaughtered for our sin and he did it at Calvary.

So I guess that little song was right on.

Mary had a little lamb…

Clone?

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Happy Wednesday! Hope this midweek day is great. (That felt like a weird sentence to type.)

As for posting every Tuesday, well, I forgot yesterday. No worries.

Before I get into the post, thank you for the recent followers. It is nice to get feedback in the forms of “liked” and “…is now following your blog.”

Now to the the best two minutes of your day.

I am reading a book entitled In His Image. This is book one of three called The Christ Clone Trilogy. Here is a link to the books. The artwork is newer than the copy I have but it is still the same book.

This is the version I own.

It is a fiction story. The author puts a note at the beginning describing how he is writing the story.

I am not going into the theology of cloning Christ (if that is even possible?). Nor do I want to spoil a good book.

Synopsis: A person is cloned from living cells that were found on the Shroud of Turin during a scientific research event. That is all I will say about the book.

Image result for clones of jesus

What the book has done for me is that it has planted a thought in my brain.

That thought is the basis for this post. So here you go…

Isn’t the goal of following Jesus to become more like Jesus?

I teach biology. The amount of DNA in our cells is staggering. All the variety is part of God’s plan. So my thought is not becoming like Jesus in a physical way.

I am talking about the unseen things of life.

  • The way I respond to crisis.
  • My reaction to my wife or kids when I am stressed.
  • How well (or not well) did I treat my coworkers.
  • My driving.
  • My work ethic.
  • When I am alone, what am I doing.

These, and many more that you could list, are the things that make me like Jesus.

And the good part is that He will help us!

Being like Jesus is the goal. And God has graciously given us everything we need to accomplish this goal. It is up to us if we decide to use the assistance.

For me, I fall short everyday. But with God, all things are possible!

So go out there and be a Christ Clone today!

Next week, come back to read more about the “help” that God gives us.

Truly This Man…the end.

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Welcome to my blog. This post contains the second half of a short story. Please click here, Truly This Man…the beginning, to read the first half. Thank you!

“And now we have come to the crux of the matter. The source of your unbelief. You don’t believe that I am God. Yer we are speaking face to face and you are blind. What do you make of all this?”

“I don’t know. In the last two minutes, my mind has been doing backflips. You say that I have a purpose?! That you have given me a second chance?! What do I do now?”

“I love you. My world is broken and dark without you. You mean everything to me. This is my message. It is only and specifically, a message of love. Do you believe this?”

“Jesus, I do believe you. Ever since I saw you with the crowds, I sensed that something was different. I just didn’t know how different. I just don’t know if I can commit to you being the Son of God.”

“For God (my father) so loved the world, (that includes you) that he gave his one and only Son, (that would be me) that whoever (you, right now, at this moment) believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Now, do you understand and believe?”

“YES! Jesus, my lord, I believe in you and commit my life to you. It all is clear now! Although my eyes are dark, the eyes of my heart have seen the light! I do believe!”

“And now you see your purpose, the reason I brought you here, don’t you?”

“Sir, sir! He is already dead. His legs need not be broken.”

Jesus, I see you hanging there on death’s doorstep. You have changed my life. I understand my purpose. And now, as you breathe your last breath, I will praise and glorify you. You are my all in all.

“Truly, this man was the Son of God!”

Thanks again for joining me here. I hope this little story has boosted your faith.

After all, God has given us all second chances.

See you next week.