Author: coachdkeith

Jesus had said He would rise again. They had not truly understood the message. He is Risen…

Mark 16:1-8
16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

So much has happened leading up to this point. Each of the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all specify that Jesus was not present in the tomb. He had risen, just as He said that He would. No doubt now, right? Well, not quite.

The women were on their way to finish the anointing of the body of Jesus, but He was not there. An angel was there, and he specifically said that Jesus would meet them in Galilee. Go there, he said. Jesus is waiting for you. They ran to tell the others.

Remember that Peter had denied Jesus three times. Well, Jesus mentions Peter specifically. Wow! How He loves us. He knew Peter’s heart. Recall that it was Peter that stepped out of the boat on the waters and walked toward Jesus only to fall into the water. It was Peter that attacked the guards as they sought to arrest Jesus. Peter loved Jesus so.

What does this mean for us? Try as you may to push Him away. Try as you will to do it your way. Jesus will come get you. You may not “know” how to ask Him, but however you ask Him, He will come for you. You are His beloved creation. With all of your weaknesses. With all of your shortcomings. With all of your sin, you are His.

Lift up your eyes to the undefeated one. Seated on high, mountains bow down to Him. There is no other name than the name of Jesus. He did it. Game over. The win of all wins. The Championship of the Universe that defeated sin. Holy is the name of Jesus. The King has come. Light of the world reaching out for us. There is no other name! #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

It had all been prepared way beforehand. This was the way it should be…

Mark 15:42-47
42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

Pilate was surprised that Jesus was dead so soon. It wasn’t that people had not died so quickly before as they were crucified. It is that Pilate had not heard of it. This time was different. God had prepared the way, and Nicodemus and Joseph were ready to do their part.

This burial was a very important part of the process. It must be done correctly. After all, He would be resurrected soon. It is so beautiful to see how much God loves His son that He prepared the way for Him to come back home. Guess what?  He has prepared our way as well.

It should be no surprise that He knows you personally. It should not come as a shock that He loves you enough to care about even the smallest thing that you do this day. He loves you. It is not the kind of love that you are used to. Our love pales in comparison to what He feels for us. We try. We read. We press. But, it will not happen without Him.

So, today, let us love. Love like Jesus loves. That doesn’t mean we won’t fail. We are destined to. But, what it does mean is that we need to hand it to Him. Once we accept Him, He will take over and teach us. But you do remember the hardest lessons you ever learned, don’t you? Well, get ready. If you thought those were difficult, here it comes. Again He tells us, though, do not be afraid. As hard as they are, the beauty and release far outweigh the pain. It is Sanctification. Trust in Him and learn.

I pray that we all continue to grow in Him this day. And that tomorrow we ask for fresh blessings, so that we can bless others. Be an empty vessel for Him. It is through us that His Kingdom will grow. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

The hearts of many were changed on this day. The world would soon follow…

Mark 15:33-41
33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,[c] he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph,[d] and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

Surely this man was the Son of God. What an amazing thing to be said of someone. I hope that my fellow man sees me in this way when I die. It would be the greatest honor.

I used to dream of being the best player to ever play basketball, and the winningest coach ever to work the profession. Now, those wants are non-existent when compared to being a man of God. A Son of God.

Jesus died so that I could have this gift of salvation. He died so that I would live. How could I not place Him first? Now, here is the amazing thing about putting God first. Victory begins to chase you. No longer concerned with chasing the victories of this world, victory will begin to chase you. It will find you in areas you had no idea even existed.

From this day forward, as you put God first, watch how the blessings of your life will be multiplied exponentially. But do not do it only for the promise of the blessing. Do it because you want to make the life of another better. Because you want to love others. You want to love Christ, love yourself, and love your neighbor. The way that He instructed us to. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

Mark 15:21-32
21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.

27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] [a] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!

32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

He would come down soon enough, as we all know. He would come down from the cross and rise again. He would be resurrected through the power given to Him by His Father. By our Father.

To have seen this scene play out in front of them must have been difficult for all those that loved Him so much. It is hard for me to read it. I have to wonder though, would I have known that it was truly Him? Would I have been sure? This was to be a time of many questions for the closest followers of Christ.

Over the three days that Jesus lay in the tomb, the Apostles would all wonder and question whether it was all real. They had heard Him speak. They had seen Him perform all the miracles that matched prophecy. All the pieces seemed to fit perfectly, but there was doubt. There were questions. Questions I am sure that linger in the minds of many believers today.

But…there was FAITH as well, and it only needed to be as big as a mustard seed. Just a tiny bit of faith, and mountains will move at the sound of His name. At the sound of Jesus. Even if the questions outweighed the faith, it is enough. He will come in and take it from there. That is His promise to us.

Question. Ponder. Doubt. It’s ok. All of those things will lead you to read His word, and as you read the Bible, you will find your answers. Not in words, but in the relationship that is formed through the reading of His word. Try it today. Answers to your questions are waiting. Truth is waiting. #JesusSaves

Amen.
DK

Mark 15:16-20
16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

It is an ugly scene. One that was played out over and over again against the disciples of Christ. This was, however, the Son of God. This was the Messiah. He set the precedent for what will come for all believers. For you and I. If that scares you, it’s okay. Over 300 times we are told to not be afraid in the Bible. Yet it can be a bit daunting.

We are told that wonderful prosperity and blessings will befall us, while at the same time persecution will come at that same time. Not quite what Jesus experienced on this day, but persecution nonetheless. You see, when you accepted Him as your Savior and Redeemer, you entered the battle. You entered the war. It greets you when you awake in the morning. It will never cease. Don’t be afraid, for He is with us.
How do we battle then? What do we do? Read. Read the Bible. Read not for just your own preparation, but in order to witness to and save as many of your brothers and sisters as you can during your lifetime. You battle with Jesus in front of you. He has you all through the battle if you ask Him to. Try and battle on your own and it’s over. You have already lost. Battle with Jesus, and you will never lose. After all, IT IS FINISHED. There is nothing to be afraid of.

Battle ready!! #JesusSaves
Amen
DK