Easter 12th April 2009By
Jonathan S Singh Happy Resurrection Day ! (Better known as Easter) and a Belated Good Friday [Thank God It's GOOD Friday (TGIGF) :-)]. Being Easter I felt I had to share about Good Friday and Easter with you and Why I believe in what I believe.I've been preparing this email for the past two days or so and I hope and pray God does speak to you. I request you to read this when you have sufficient time and with an Open mind as this email could be one of The Most Important email's you have ever read.
2000 years ago was one of the most significant events in history ever recorded. It was the day when Jesus Saved us. Save us from what you may ask? He came to save us from sin. Wat is Sin you may ask? Sin is anything that separates us from God. You ever wonder why we feel guilty after you've done something wrong? And yet even after we know we've done wrong we go back to that same sin over and over again, seeking for satisfaction which can never be quenched.
When Adam and Eve, tempted by the serpent in the garden, disobeyed God, everything went from being "very very good" to being very bad. As quoted by John MacArthur , "
In the beginning the man and his wife (Adam and Eve) were naked and not ashamed. There wasn't anything to be ashamed about, because there was no sin. There were no evil thoughts. Nothing to be ashamed about. But you come to the end of Genesis 2:7: "The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings." All of a sudden, there was shame. Why? For the first time in their existence, they had wicked thoughts. Never had a wicked thought before."Apparently, it had something to do with their sexuality. All of a sudden, there was shame, where there was no shame. This is the great indicator from their viewpoint that they had sinned." First of all, Adam and Eve felt shame. And shame is a function of guilt, and guilt is a function of sin. And somehow, they had thoughts of wickedness and were so embarrassed by those, that they sewed together some leaves to cover themselves.
But then you may say I havent done anything that bad. I haven't killed anybody, I haven't committed adultery or robbed anybody, so how can you say I have sinned? Well, the Bible speaks about the following:
Murder - in
Matthew 5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder,
a]">[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'
22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother
b]">[b]will be subject to judgment."
Adultery - in
Matthew 5:28 "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Even about
Not Doing Good -
James 4:17 "
1Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."
So you see we have all sinned in some way or the other,
Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God." The penalty for Sin is death,
Romans 6:23 says, "For the Wages of Sin is death, but the Gift of God is Eternal Life in Christ Jesus." You may say why such a hard punishment, Do I deserve death for the sins I've committed? ".
Isaiah describes God in his vision in
Isaiah 6:3 "
Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." God is a Holy God, He just cannot stand sin but God in His Mercy has given us Hope and it's found in one person and one person alone, it is found in God's One and Only begotten son Jesus Christ,
John 3:16-21 "
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,f]">[f] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.........This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." How awesome is our God that He is so mindful of us.
It's by God's Grace, "For it is by Grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the Gift of God." -
Ephesians 2:8. Just like how we get Grace marks in exams ( marks we do not deserve. The teacher gives us some extra marks, so that we can pass) in the same way God gave us His Son Jesus by Grace not because you deserve it but because He cares for you cause you are His creation and our Relationship is restored to Him through Christ alone. This is the Good News and the Greatest News you can ever receive. That God GAVE, He GAVE His one and only Son as a GIFT just for you, while we were still Sinners,
Romans 5:8, "While we were still Sinners Christ died for us." Why? So that you and I can be made right with Him. We are Justified in Him (
Romans 5:1). You see, once you accept Christ , He lives in you and God sees you through His Son Jesus Christ.
You may ask now, "Why should somebody die for me for me to be forgiven, can't I just do some good deeds, rituals, or earn my way to God?" Well no amount of our Good deeds, rituals or our sacrifice can restore our relationship with God. We can't earn it for the Bible says "...without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." -
Hebrews 9:22. As Quoted by R.C Sproul, "
The significance of blood is that it represents life. The Old Testament repeatedly makes the point that "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11). Therefore, when the blood is poured out, the life is poured out. That's significant, because the penalty that was laid down for disobedience was death. God required that penalty for sin. That is why Jesus had to die to accomplish the atonement(Compensation/forgiveness). When the blood is shed and the life is poured out, the penalty is paid. Nothing short of that penalty will do."
The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a cow were sprinkled on people who were no longer pure (
Hebrews 9:13-14). That blood and those ashes made those people pure again but only their bodies. So surely the blood of Jesus Christ can do much, much more. Christ offered himself through the eternal Spirit as a perfect sacrifice to God.
His blood will make us fully clean from all the evil things we have done. His blood will make us pure even in our hearts. We are made pure through Christ so that we can worship (serve) the living God.
Christ is the centerpiece ,Colossians 1:16-17 says, "
1For by him (Christ Jesus) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.
17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."
Life is short as the Bible would say Life on earth is like a breath, a sigh, a passing of the wind.
We all try to make the most of our life on earth. For example, When we are unemployed, we wanna job, then when we get a job we want a Hike or a Promotion, then you may desire to start your own company,to be recognized, honored and the wanting will never end. We will keep wanting and wanting more and before you know it your already 65 and your still not satisfied. A story is told about Alexander the Great and his last three wishes, one of his wishes goes like this: “My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin.”The people who had gathered there wondered at the king’s strange wishes....To this Alexander replied, "I spent all my life earning riches but cannot take anything with me. Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth."
Solomon, the richest King mentioned in the Bible had everything he ever wanted yet he saw all of it as meaningless he says in
Ecclesiastes, " What does man gain from all his labor ...Wisdom is meaningless...Pleasures are meaningless...Toil is meaningless..Advancement and Riches are meaningless...Generations come and Generations go but the earth goes on."
These men had everything they ever wanted , they were probably the richest rulers in their time and yet they were not satisfied with what they had. But one thing King Solomon did mention is to Remember you Creator...Remember your creator!
I dunno where you may stand in your walk in life but One thing I do know is that I've found Joy, Forgiveness, Contentment, Peace and Assurance in Christ Jesus. This does not mean that I'm perfect, I still fall at times but I know that I can overcome all things through Christ who gives me strength. -
Phil 4:13. He has saved me from my sins, He has washed me with His blood, and I know I will spend eternity with Him. "Salvation is found in no one else but in Christ alone" -
Acts 4:12Today, in church we saw an awesome Video about Christ, I'd recommend you'll watch it. It's called "That's my King" :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzqTFNfeDnEI'd recommend you to watch this video as well. It's about "Laminin" a protein in our bodies that Holds all things together, you'll be shocked with it's resemblance with the Cross and how both HOLD ALL THINGS together (
Colossians 1:16-17). You won't see it until the end of the clip. Listen carefully to what He has to say as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4I leave you with a few of the Prophecies as quoted by Josh McDowell fulfilled by Jesus, especially on the day He died and Rose again to Life. Read them , Study them and you decide what would you wanna do with Him.
Jesus said, " "
I am the WAY and the TRUTH and the LIFE. No one comes to the Father except through me...."
If you have not yet accepted Christ Jesus into your life and feel like God is speaking to you, you SINCERELY want to know HIM not just try him but want to SURRENDER your Life to Him, then you need to CONFESS with your mouth and BELIEVE in your heart that Christ died on the cross for your sins. Romans 10: 9-10 "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
Prophecies of Jesus:
| Born of the Seed of the Woman1 |
| Gen. 3:15, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." | Matt. 1:20, "But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.'" |
Born of a Virgin |
| Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." | Matt. 1:18,25, "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary...was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit... But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus." |
Son of God |
| Psalm 2:7, "I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, 'You are my Son, today I have become your Father.'" | Matt. 3:15, "And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'" |
Born at Bethlehem |
| Micah 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." | Matt. 2:1, "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem." |
He shall be a Prophet |
| Deut. 18:18, "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him." | Matt. 21:11,"The crowds answered, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.'" |
He shall be a Priest |
| Psalm 110:4, "The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'" | Heb. 3:1, "Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess."
Heb. 5:5-6, "So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.' And he says in another place, 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'" |
He shall be a King |
| Psalm 2:6, "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill." | Matt. 27:37, "Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS." |
He shall judge |
| Isaiah 33:22, "For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us." | John 5:30, "By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me." |
He would be preceded by a Messenger |
| Isaiah 40:3, "A voice of one calling: 'In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.'" | Matt. 3:1-2, "In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.'" |
| Rejected by His own people |
Bible passage: Isaiah 53:3
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD In Isaiah 52:13-53:12, the prophet foreshadowed the life and mission of Jesus, who was born about 700 years later. In Isaiah 53:3, the prophet said that a servant of God would be rejected and despised. Isaiah 53:3, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Isaiah 50:6, "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," | John 7:5, "For even his own brothers did not believe in him."
John 7:48, "Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?"
Lord Jesus Christ even predicted this in Matthew 20:18-19. "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life."
|
| His side pierced |
| Zech. 12:10, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one mourns for an only son." | John 19:34, "Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water." |
Jesus would die for the sins of the world
Bible passage: Isaiah 53:5
Written: perhaps between 701-681 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD In Isaiah 53:5, prophet described a servant as being punished for the sins of others, and that others would be healed by the wounds of this person. As explained in the Gospel - the four New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - Jesus was crucified for our sins, even though He was sinless. Christians believe that this ultimate sacrifice redeemed us all from sin in the same way that lambs were once sacrificed as a symbolic way of cleansing people from sin. And so, all of us can be accepted into the Kingdom of God, as though we were sinless, if we accept Jesus as our Savior. Christians believe that we are healed through the wounds that Jesus suffered. Isaiah 53:5 - But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Crucifixion |
Psalm 22:1, Psalm 22:11-18, "For the director of music. To the tune of "The Doe of the Morning." A psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?...Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."
Bible passage: Zechariah 12:10
Written: between 520 and 518 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD In Zechariah, chapter 12, the Bible said that there will be a time when the world's nations attack Jerusalem. In Zechariah 12:10, the Bible says that after this attack fails, the people will lament over the one who was "pierced," as one mourns for the loss of a first-born son. Christians traditionally have interpreted this passage as a reference to the return of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was pierced when He was crucified by the Romans about 2000 years ago. Christians believe that Jesus will return in the future to establish an everlasting kingdom. Zechariah 12:10 - "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
| Luke 23:33, "When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals -- one on his right, the other on his left."
John 19:33, "But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs."
John 19:23-24, "When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 'Let's not tear it,' they said to one another. 'Let's decide by lot who will get it.' This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, 'They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.' So this is what the soldiers did."
|
Jesus' resurrection was foreshadowed in Old Testament
Bible passage: Psalm 16:10-11
Written: about 1000 BC
Fulfilled: About 32 AD
In Psalm 16:10-11, the Bible talks of God's refusal to let His "Holy One" remain in a grave after death. This Psalm is believed to have been written about 1000 years before Jesus was born. New Testament writers believed that this Psalm foreshadowed the death and resurrection of Jesus. Resurrection means "brought back to life." There are several reports in the New Testament that say that Jesus was killed and placed in a tomb, but that God brought Jesus back to life a few days later. (See Matthew 28:5-8, Mark 16:5-6, Luke 24:1-7, or John 20:1-18)
Psalm 16:10-11: because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Matthew 28:5-7: The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead....."
The following probabilities are taken from Peter Stoner in Science Speaks (Moody Press, 1963) to show that coincidence is ruled out by the science of probability. Stoner says that by using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies, "we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all these prophecies is 1 in 1017." That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that "we take 1017 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep.
"Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these prophecies and having them all come true in any one man."
Stoner considers 48 prophecies and says, "we find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10157, or 1 in
100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000, 000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
The estimated number of electrons in the universe is around 1079. It should be quite evident that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies by accident."
Welcome to my Blog! This is where you will know of some of the events happening in my Life. For those of you who do not know me,as of now I have completed my Bachelor's in Engineering (B.E) and I have also completed my Master's in Computer Science at "The University of TULSA" . I'm a Lover of God, Lover of my Family, Lover of Cricket. Profession-wise, I am a Oracle Hyperion Consultant I work with helping clients with their Expense and Revenue Planning, Forecasting & Profitability and Cost Managemen
