Walking Through The New Testament

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 dies 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 a him to come back home. Guess what?  He has prepare our way as well.

It should be no surprise that He knows you personalky. 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 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 though, do not be afraid. As hard as they are, the beauty and release far outweigh the pain. It is Santification. 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 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 blessing of your life will be multiplied exponentially. But do not do it only for the promise of the blessing. Do it because you want make the life of another better. Because you want to love others. You want to love Christ, love yourself, and love your neighbor. The 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 wa
y 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 as 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 seen. 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 precedence 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 none the less. You see, when you accepted Him as you 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

Fear of anything but God the Father is death. Fear of God = REVERENCE…

Mark 15:1-15
Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.

2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”

5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.

12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.

13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.

14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

The mob mentality. Clarity can become fogged over as we are surrounded by throngs of people if you don’t know God is with you. We must be reminded as we swim in this world of sin, that the only way through it, the only way to make the right decision, is by asking God to help. By fostering a deep personal relationship with the Holy Spirit.

The crowd had not known this, although Jesus had taught to them, spoken to them, and warned them, they refused to listen. Fear can be powerful. It is apparent that those standing in the mob before Jesus ,asking for Him to be crucified, we’re scared. Fear filled them. Fear of what others would think. Fear of the “What-if”.

Here is what is perhaps the most amazing part of this entire scene, at least in my mind. This was how it was to okay out. This is the plan put into action. The fear of man, placed in the crowds hearts by the evil one, became the way in which Jesus would put into action God’s perfect plan. It is through the weakness of man that God’s Will was carried out.

When I first read this as a young boy I thought, how could they do this. I wondered why they would not let Him go. Wouldn’t the world be a much better place today if He had not been crucified? I soon rrslized that this was His plan. His time to save us. This needed to happen. Sin was carried to the cross at Calvary, never to return. Jesus said, “It is finished.” Friends…it is finished. Now thank Him. Every single day…thank Him!

Happy New Year! Jesus loves you! Invite Him into your life this year. Become a friend of Jesus TODAY! Give us this day our daily bread. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK